(The AFL-CIO distributed the following on November 10.)
New members reported in WIP this week: 932
New members reported in WIP year-to-date: 129,395
A VOTE AT THE OPERA–Two dozen teaching artists at the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York City voted to join Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada last week.
LIVE FROM BROOKLYN–Workers at Brooklyn (N.Y.) Community Access Television voted for a voice on the set with NABET/CWA Local 51011 Nov. 5. The 35 workers include producers, technicians, traffic managers and others.
ROCKFORD FILES A WIN–A three-to-one majority of 120 home care workers employed by Community Cares Systems in Rockford, Ill., voted Oct. 28 to join SEIU Local 880. Also in Illinois nursing home victories, 120 caregivers at THI in Burbank and 145 at Bloomingdale Pavilion won a voice at work with SEIU Local 14 in October. Meanwhile, in California, 275 temporary workers for the city of Santa Barbara won recognition with SEIU Local 1620, while the majority of 87 workers at Walnut Whitney Convalescent Hospital in Sacramento voted to join SEIU Local 250 Oct. 30.
MEMPHIS WORKERS SOUND WITH UNION–In Memphis, Tenn., last month, 71 certified nursing assistants and 26 housekeeping, laundry and dietary workers at the Allenbrook Nursing Home voted in two separate elections for a voice at work with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1529. And at the ResCare residential care facility in Williamsburg, Ohio, 29 care providers voted for a voice with UFCW Local 1546 Oct. 17.
WORKERS, EXECS SLAM BUSH TRADE–While President George W. Bush was raising $1 million in campaign cash in Winston-Salem, N.C., Nov. 7 with a $2,000 a plate dinner and other events, UNITE members and other out-of-work textile workers opened a “soup kitchen” nearby to remind voters of the state’s devastating job loss since Bush took office. More than 50,000 North Carolina textile jobs have disappeared since January 2001, according to the American Textile Manufacturer Institute. Workers aren’t the only state residents outraged by Bush’s trade policies. “People on the street are really connecting the dots today and are understanding the fact that jobs are going away due to the trade policies of this administration,” John Emrich, CEO of Guilford Mills in Greensboro, told the “Charlotte News Observer.”
ON TO MIAMI–On Nov. 19, workers from the Americas will hold a first-ever public forum to discuss their concerns that President Bush’s Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement will multiply the job loss, lower wages and weaker labor and environmental protections produced by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The forum is part of four days (Nov. 18-21) of actions in Miami calling for global fairness rather than the FTAA and globalization driven by rampant corporate greed. The events coincide with the Miami meeting of trade ministers from most nations of the Western Hemisphere. Thousands of union members, along with a coalition of international, community and environmental allies, will take part in the marches, rallies and cultural events to support workers’ rights and good jobs around the globe. For more information, visit http://www.aflcio.org/stopftaa .
PRIVATIZATION STALLS MEDICARE TALKS–Republican House leaders’ stubborn insistence on moving Medicare toward privatization has stalled a House-Senate conference committee trying to shape a Medicare prescription drug bill. “This has become not a fight to add prescription drug benefits to Medicare, but a fight to save Medicare itself,” said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) at a press conference. Opposition to privatization is not limited to Democrats. Sen. Olympia Snowe, (R-Maine) said it could “destabilize the program, create fear and could ultimately lead to a loss of access to affordable coverage for millions of elderly and disabled Americans.” For more information on the Medicare prescription drug battle, visit http://www.aflcio.org or http://www.retiredamericans.org .
WORKING FAMILIES IN ECONOMIC QUAKE–A new series of state AFL-CIO reports finds working families are struggling under the Bush administration despite modest economic improvements. Released Nov. 6, “Rating the Nation and States: An Overview of Economic Richter Scale Ratings” details unemployment and poverty rates, health care coverage, household income and personal bankruptcies in every state and the District of Columbia over the past three years. Patterned on the Richter scale formula that measures the severity of earthquakes, the report finds North Carolina the state hardest hit with a 9.3 rating. Unemployment was higher in September 2003 in every state (but not the District of Columbia) than in January 2001, and the total number of unemployed workers increased by at least 20 percent in more than 40 states. Looking toward 2004, union leaders and activists will use the reports to evaluate candidates and rate elected officials on their efforts to improve economic conditions for working families. The reports recommend extending federal emergency unemployment emergency benefits to 26 weeks for all job seekers, financially assisting the states and reforming trade and tax policies that encourage corporations to send good American jobs overseas. To read the reports, visit http://www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy /todayseconomy/stateecoreports.cfm.
GROCERY WORKERS STAND STRONG–More than 80,000 UFCW members remain on strike or are still locked out in California, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The workers at several grocery chains are fighting to protect health benefits. In California, where 70,000 workers are off the job, under the employers’ proposal workers who make an average $19,176 annually would pay an average $4,944 per family to maintain current benefits. At the same time, the grocery chains are making big profits. For example, Safeway (owner of Vons and Pavillion stores in California) reaped $10 billion-plus in profits in 2002. For more information visit http://www.ufcw.org .
EXTREMIST JUDGE BLOCKED AGAIN–The Senate voted 51-43 Nov. 6 to block for the second time the nomination of Alabama Attorney General William Pryor to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Sixty votes were needed to end the filibuster against one of President Bush’s most extreme right-wing federal judge nominees. The same day, the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a 10-9 party-line vote, sent the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown for the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to the Senate floor for a vote. “Brown has proven herself to be an extremist ideologue with a flagrant disregard for the hardworking families America. She is about as anti-worker as you can get,” said AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy at a news conference where leaders of several civil rights and the groups denounced Bush’s choice of Rogers. Bush claims Senate Democrats are delaying and disrupting the federal judicial selection process, but the Senate has confirmed 167 of his 171 nominees and the vacancy rate on the federal bench is at its lowest point in 13 years. For more information on Bush’s drive to pack the federal courts with extremists, vist http://www.aflcio.org .
VOTES THAT COUNT–Working families got out the vote to win several victories in last week’s off-year elections. In New Jersey, 35 of the 53 union member candidates running for state and local offices won their races. In Cleveland-area municipal elections, union members mobilized in four mayoral, five school board and a city council race and won all 10. In Philadelphia, unions joined with community, civil rights, religious and other groups to re-elect Mayor John Street. New York City’s union movement not only led the fight that defeated a measure that would have banned party primaries for local races and allowed candidates to hide their party affiliation on city ballots but also sent all their endorsed city council candidates to victory. San Francisco working-family votes approved a ballot measure that sets a citywide $8.50 an hour minimum wage for both public- and private-sector jobs.
PACE WINS JUSTICE–After five years of legal battles by PACE International Union activists, Werthan Packaging Inc. agreed Oct. 31 to settle a 31-count complaint the National Labor Relations Board issued against it two years ago. The company will award more than $105,000 to six workers who were unlawfully fired or discriminated against because of their union activity. Werthan also agreed to stop its unlawful surveillance of employees engaged in protected union activities. “We are pleased that Werthan was held accountable for its actions,” says PACE Region Seven Vice President Lloyd Walters.
HAUTE CUISINE & SOLIDARITY–Union workers at 12 upscale New York City restaurants reached tentative contract agreements last week. The members of Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees Local 100 held the line against management demands to hike workers’ health insurance costs. Negotiations continue with 13 other luxury eateries.
DEC. 10: BE THERE!–Tens of thousands of union members, community activists, religious leaders and elected officials will send the message “workers’ rights are human rights” on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. Mobilizing through rallies, marches, public hearings, candlelight vigils and other events, union members and their allies will move a national campaign to educate the public about how employers abuse workers’ freedom to form unions and to call for the strengthening of the laws meant to protect those rights. To learn more about the campaign and Dec. 10 activities, visit the website http://www.aflcio.org/voiceatwork .
WORKERS’ FREEDOM BILL SET–Federal legislation to strengthen workers’ rights in America will be unveiled Nov. 13 when Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) announce the Employee Free Choice Act at a Capitol Hill press conference. The bill ensures that when a majority of employees in a workplace decide to form a union, they can do so without the debilitating obstacles employers now use to block their workers’ free choice. As part of the Dec. 10 International Human Rights Day (see item above), workers and their allies will call on congressional lawmakers to co-sponsor and support the new bill.
DON’T CROSS AT BORDERS–After months of negotiations, workers at the Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Books and Music Store struck for a fair contract Nov. 8. The workers voted to join UFCW Local 876 last December but charge that Borders has refused to negotiate in good faith. For more information and to learn how to help the striking workers, visit http://www.bordersunion.org .
FEDS TARGET WAL-MART–Federal prosecutors sent Wal-Mart a target letter Nov. 4 informing the world’s largest retailer it faces a grand jury investigation regarding immigration law violations. On Oct. 23, federal agents raided 60 Wal-Marts in 21 states and arrested more than 250 undocumented janitorial workers employed by contractors. According to news reports, the workers were forced to work seven days a week for less than $7 hourly with no overtime or benefits. While Wal-Mart claims it knew nothing of the contractors’ alleged illegal actions, federal authorities have seized numerous Wal-Mart records. “Rather than punishing undocumented immigrants–who are working hard, paying taxes and contributing to society–we should hold employers like Wal-Mart accountable for not honoring workers’ rights and paying a living wage,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
Work in Progress is also available on our website at http://www.aflcio.org/aboutaflcio/wip .