Women, Unions, and Our Stories

New Job, Temporarily

2009-07-04T11:25:00.004-04:00

Because of the blogging I do, I've had the opportunity to be exposed to new technologies that lots of folks in Government haven't had the opportunity to do. It's a labor of love for me, clearly. Growing up in union probably had a hand in it all.

Anyway, I'd been feeling sort of like a tiny cog in the machine at work for several months, perhaps as much as a year. I'm sure lots of you know that feeling, where no one listens to anything you say, morale is low, everyone you know seems to be trying to jump ship and those staying seem to be resigned to the fact that this is as good as it gets.

All in all, it's been sad.

It was so sad and frustrating, I contacted the local and asked to be represented.

I am now a member of the union, but not yet represented by the local. But the local has already been so awesome, they've stepped in and helped a couple of times already with the boss. The shop steward used his leave to do it.

With everything that has happened to me over the last few months, I really was feeling like there was no hope. But the way the union has stepped up has made me feel like there's someone out there in my corner. And that feeling has been amazing.

So, when this opportunity came up to go on a temporary assignment to another government agency to work in something I've been doing with my labor blogging, well, let's just say that nothing summed it up best than this video

I got to meet all my new temporary co-workers and felt like I can contribute to something that will hold meaning for the agency I'm heading to as well as other government agencies. Now, I'm hoping I can do it. I'm a bit scared because folks have faith in me, and I'm absolutely terrified that I'm going to let them down. And yet, I'm beyond over the moon excited about getting to do this. Having these two competing emotions is really kind of cool.

Come Monday morning, I'll get to do the new job stuff. I'm so excited! I'm no longer a cog in the machine!

Prince George's County Using Scabs

2009-07-01T18:49:00.002-04:00

USA9 is reporting that Prince George's county is replacing paid professional firefighters with
volunteer firefighters.

I'm all for Volunteer firefighters in areas where there usually isn't much of a choice, like the township I grew up in back in Ohio. Because of a variety of reasons, my township had a volunteer fire and rescue squad, but it was never staffed 100% of the time. There weren't enough volunteers for this nor housing or funding. Volunteers got called in when something happened. And these guys (all were men when I grew up) lived close to the fire hall. In rural areas, this doesn't sound like a bad idea, but in Prince Georges county?

9NEWS NOW made it from the Calverton Fire Station to an ambulance call on nearby Evans Trail in about 90-seconds after Willie Smith's niece called 911. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady confirms it took about 8-minutes for the closest ambulance to arrive on the scene. It was staffed by volunteers from Branchville about 4-miles away.

8 minutes doesn't sound too bad to me for emergency response time, but in PG county, it doesn't actually sound that good. I lived only 3 miles from the fire hall in rural Ohio. And this was on the edge of the township. PG should be able to do better than rural Ohio. Again, from USA9 (local CBS news).

With limited money available to pay out overtime, Prince George's County says it can't staff fire stations with paid firefighters the way it used to. Brady says, "We are trying to make the best use of the resources we have".

Best use of resources?

County officials say that worked in at least four stations on Wednesday, but as 9NEWS NOW confirmed the Calverton Fire Station was left unstaffed throughout the day.

PG county should hire new firefighters and stop relying on Overtime. Maybe then, PG can staff the firehouses, 'cause it's not looking as if they're doing it now, "volunteers" or not.

Sisterhood of Misery: Should I Breathe or Get that Prescription Filled?

2009-06-26T19:32:00.004-04:00

I went to the Doctor the other day. After the $30 copay, 3 new prescriptions and a Dr's request that I head to Radiology and for blood work for two new tests, I decided that maybe I needed to re-think health care.

I have good health insurance.

I pay way too much every two weeks, but there is just no choice for me and my family. I have to have insurance, even as inadequate as it is.

Today, as I sit typing, I'm thinking about the two phone calls from CVS for me to come by and pick up the new medications and I know I can't.

It feels a little odd saying this out loud, or in writing. No matter how I say it or in what venue, it makes me feel like a failure. You see, I can't afford the medication.

Can't afford it.

The 5 medications I am currently on costs more than $200 a month. I see a Dr. for a chronic condition, monthly. That's another $30. Each time I do see her, she gives me samples to help me make it through the month, but it doesn't.

The two new medications I have not picked up were based on the older medicines not working any longer. One new one is $76 for 20 pills. I need 2 a day. This new med, replaces a $20 medication. The other new one, I haven't even had the guts to look at yet. I dropped the prescription and just haven't gone back. I can't pick up the $76 one, what makes me think that the special order inhaler will be the same as the $30 copay for the old one. Clearly, I think it's going to look the same as those 20 pills, out of my price range.

I have insurance. I even have "good" insurance, but that sure seems relative from my current position. I still have to make the choice between paying the electric bill or getting the new medication. Kind of sucks, doesn't it?

With all the success I've had in my life, nothing really makes much difference at the end of the day when I can't breathe. And, I'm not alone according to CNN, I've got lots of company:

By one estimate, 25 million Americans can't afford to cover the gap between what their insurance covers and their medical bills demand.

25 million of us is an awful lot of Americans who have insurance coverage but still can't afford health care.

When I was a kid, my dad, a member of the United Steelworkers of America, had fabulous coverage. My chronic condition was treated by a family doctor. There weren't lots of kinds of available treatments, but he was there to at least help make me more comfortable. He updated my immunizations. I went to a dentist regularly. My brother went to specialists for knee care and surgery. I was even able to go to Cleveland Clinic for hand surgery at 18. My parents had excellent coverage which provided excellent .

As my child has grown, we've forgone dental care. She's been to the dentist 4 times in her life and she will soon turn 16.

We no longer have a family practitioner for regular check ups, not with a $30 copay.

My $75 emergency room visits are more cost effective for acute symptoms than consistent care for 6 months.

Did I mention, I have excellent coverage? That I pay more than $100 every two weeks for this coverage?

And again, CNN notes, I'm not alone:

Many people without adequate insurance are also delaying or forgoing medical care until it becomes an absolute emergency, said Dr. David Chin, managing partner of consulting firm Pricewaterhouse Cooper's Global Healthcare Research Institute.

I HATE having to forgo care for my child. It makes me feel like a failure.

I think, that at my age, I should be able to provide some minimum care. My standards for that minimum were set by my parents, but that kind of care, is just not even possible for me to provide, it's way out of reach.

Again, from CNN

More importantly, Collins pointed out that the number of underinsured increased 60% from 2003 to 2007. That compares with a 5.1% increase in the number of uninsured Americans - to about 46 million - over the same period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

"The 25 million [number] can still be an underestimate," Collins said.

What's also troubling, she said, is that the ranks of the underinsured are spreading across income levels and have seen the most rapid increases lately in middle-income households earning between $40,000 to $60,000.

Yep, it's troubling. As I think about the new tests and if I can afford to fill the new prescriptions, it's cold comfort to read the Commonwealth fund's report on women and health care:

The study found:

* 52 percent of women had any one of four problems getting needed health care because of cost compared to 39 percent of men: did not fill a prescription; did not see a specialist when needed; skipped a recommended medical test, treatment, or follow-up; or had a medical problem but did not visit a doctor or clinic.
* 45 percent of women accrued medical debt or reported problems with medical bills in 2007, compared to 36 percent of men.
* Women were also more likely to skip tests and screenings: almost half of women (45%) delayed or did not receive a cancer screening or dental care because of costs, compared to 36 percent of men.

I don't know what the answer is on Health Care. I know it's not working for me and my family. And from the data, it doesn't seem as if it's working for most women and their families.

I do know that I want things to change, because I'm freaking tired of being miserable, worrying and having to choose between breathing and paying for food, phone, electric or just about everything else in life.

For me, SINGLE PAYER is the best possible answer for women and the families they support; women like me. But at this point, I'd like to just see a real public option. Maybe, I could even opt out of my employer sponsored health insurance, potentially meaning yearly dental care, an annual pap smear (yeah, I said it, pap) and perhaps, even the ability for me to pick up the phone and decide to go to the radiologist or head to CVS and pick up that new prescription.

But, can this Congress grow up and get it done? Maybe, if they listen to West Virginia Senator Rockefeller:

On Thursday, Rockefeller admitted he expects little bipartisan support.

"There is a very small chance any Republicans will vote for this health-care plan. They were against Medicare and Medicaid [created in the 1960s]. They voted against children's health insurance.

"We have a moral choice. This is a classic case of the good guys versus the bad guys. I know it is not political for me to say that," Rockefeller added.

"But do you want to be non-partisan and get nothing? Or do you want to be partisan and end up with a good health- care plan? That is the choice."

Bi-partisanship isn't worth the cost to women and families like mine and those worse off. I believe this Congress does have a moral obligation to all of us, but especially the 100 million Americans who make the choice between paying the phone bill, or paying for a prescription.

Right now, I'd really like the public option so that I can stop, put down the electric bill, close my eyes, and finally, just breathe.

I Worry, Way Too Much

2009-06-25T20:45:00.003-04:00

I'm a single mom. And I've got lots on my mind, yeah, like many of you.

I seem to always be worrying about the future. You know like:

How do I make the mortgage this month?
Do I have to by generic or can I go for the brand name cereal?
Oh, no, not the Electric bill?

But now, I got this other thing on my mind, college.

My kid is looking at graduating. She attends a very small private school in DC on a scholarship (rock on my most amazing kid for getting a scholarship) and can graduate as early as this winter.

As proud as I am of this amazing kid, I'm like a lot of parents, I'm worried. I'm worried about how to put her through her top choices, and it appears, students are worried about the same thing according to MSNBC:

For many transfers, the financial burden dawned on them after several years. The poor economy and high tuition has already filtered down to high school seniors. A recent survey showed that many don't want to make the same mistake as their old counterparts — they're forgoing costly schools now.

I'd love for my daughter to go to her top choices, Stanford or Middlebury, but I can't see how I'll be able to afford more than Ohio State, if I can even do that. And this seems to be the real trend, rising costs for college, across the board.

As the economy worsened, less has been given to endowment funds, less to state run schools, even to the county schools. Take Winona State University in Minnesota:

Tuition at WSU has increased 85 percent since 2001, from $3,110 to $5,768 per year.

An 85% increase in 8 years?

How is that even possible? According to the Freakonomics blog,there's a lot of factors, but they boil it down to staffing.

Support staff! SNIP

This explanation seems satisfying (intellectually, at least, if not emotionally). But it’s probably also important to consider how much money colleges have been putting into student amenities as well. When I visited my undergrad alma mater a few years ago, the chancellor pointed out that three buildings had gone up in the past decade or so that were each larger than any existing building on campus. There was a library, a convocation center (a multipurpose arena), and a huge student gym. The gym, he said, was a top priority because parents and prospective students increasingly think of themselves as customers, shopping for the most amenities for the best price, and the colleges that didn’t come to grips with this would soon see their customers going elsewhere.

I get the support staff increases. With new technologies, you do need new types of staff. When I went to college, we had 3 computer labs on campus and my Apple at each of them always seemed to freeze up everytime I tried to type a freakin' paper, I hear Macs are much better than my old computer lab days, but, I digress. Today, how many kids still rely on the computer lab? How many professors are reading e-mailed papers or papers saved on google docs?

As we have moved into the age of technology, strains have been placed on our schools from the elementary level to the highest levels of graduate education. But what do we get from all of this? From the technology to the cost to the education?

What do we really get?

Indigestion seems to be the answer for me. Indigestion caused by worry.

As a single working mom, I don't think I can afford either. Could somebody pass the Tums(r)?

I Worry

2009-06-25T20:45:00.000-04:00

For many transfers, the financial burden dawned on them after several years. The poor economy and high tuition has already filtered down to high school seniors. A recent survey showed that many don't want to make the same mistake as their old counterparts — they're forgoing costly schools now.

Tuition at WSU has increased 85 percent since 2001, from $3,110 to $5,768 per year.

An 85% increase in 8 years?

How is that even possible? According to the Freakonomics blog,there's a lot of factors, but they boil it down to staffing.

Support staff! SNIP

This explanation seems satisfying (intellectually, at least, if not emotionally). But it’s probably also important to consider how much money colleges have been putting into student amenities as well. When I visited my undergrad alma mater a few years ago, the chancellor pointed out that three buildings had gone up in the past decade or so that were each larger than any existing building on campus. There was a library, a convocation center (a multipurpose arena), and a huge student gym. The gym, he said, was a top priority because parents and prospective students increasingly think of themselves as customers, shopping for the most amenities for the best price, and the colleges that didn’t come to grips with this would soon see their customers going elsewhere.

E Pluribus Unum: Employee Free Choice Act Now

2009-06-11T11:35:00.000-04:00

I work. I know, big surprise. You probably thought this was all I did.

I have a job and it pays the bills, case closed.

Well, not really. I'm going through the process now of being represented by a union, other than my current membership in the Freelancers Union (Hey All You Freelancers!! Love ya!!). I'm looking to be represented because I changed positions in my agency and it looks as if now, I may be eligible to be in the bargaining unit. And I am THRILLED!

This past summer, I tried to find out the same information, but didn't know who to contact within my agency to determine if I was in the bargaining unit or not. So, I went the route a lot of folks do, I asked management.

I've viewed management as a resource, not necessarily as management. I've believed that they wear many hats and one of the main hats is that of serving as a resource to employees, including being a resource to find information out about union representation.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

I have since requested union assistance in being represented. In a matter of weeks, they have pushed for me and others like me to be represented in my agency. They've provided me information on legal rulings and have included me in information they send out to members, and I'm still not a member yet. They are doing all of this work, in hopes that I might be able to be represented by them, to the tune of $299 a year.

That's it. $299. That's the membership fee. That's $11.50 per pay. I can't think of anything I pay for that's so small and which I can receive so much for, by just being a member.

And now, this brings me to the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Hill Blog had a number of quotes from around the US in reference to Employee Free Choice. The number one thing I hear from conservatives when unions are brought up is about Dues. Here's the quote from Grover Norquist (Mr. I-want-to-drown-Government-in-a-Bathtub)

The percentage of American workers paying union dues out of their paychecks has fallen from 33% in the 1950s to below 13% today. Fewer than eight percent of non-government workers are in unions.

The union bosses have made it clear that their number one goal is to force more Americans to pay union dues–average about $500 per worker.

So, I decided to find out where this number is coming from. I searched Google for Average Cost of Union Dues. Top three results are anti-union screeds. After that, it's a mix of unions and anti-union forces.

What's a girl to do?

I tried a new search. what are the median US union dues more anti-union crap mixed with union stuff.

What happens when you want an authoritative source of information and not anything biased?

I'd normally turn to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But this is where it became really interesting. Instead of finding what I really wanted, I found something entirely new and even more interesting than what I originally looked for, I found statistics on race, age and gender for unionized workers. And, I found median income values for those groups and subsets.

The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current
Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000
households that obtains information on employment and unemployment
among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and
over.

Some highlights from the 2008 data are:

--Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong
to a union than were private sector employees.

--Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the
highest unionization rate at 38.7 percent.

--Black workers were more likely to be union members than were
white, Asian, or Hispanic workers.

--Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate
(24.9 percent) and North Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent).

Wait, I'm not done:

Union Representation of Nonmembers

About 1.7 million wage and salary workers were represented by a
union on their main job in 2008, while not being union members them-
selves. (See table 1.) About half of these workers were employed
in government. (See table 3.)

One of the things that Republicans say when bashing unions is first, DUES, DUES DUES (um, dudes I want to pay MEMBERSHIP DUES for a union the way you, Mr Norquist, want to pay membership dues for your country club. I just get more out of my union, I get advocacy. Do you get that from the country club? Sorry, I digress). As if the concept of paying for a service is scary. I suppose to a Mr. Norquist or Mr. Newt Gingrich or Mr. Dick Cheney (oh, wait, he was a dues paying member of the IBEW, so his word probably doesn't count) that paying for services render is scary because some of the services rendered are things like negotiating, or arbitration, or shop steward advocacy or web sites or... darn scary stuff.

Recently, I joined AFGE. No, I'm still not in the bargaining unit, AFGE is now filing suit on my behalf (and apparently, a number of other folks like me who have asked), but I decided I'd at least pay my dues to my local for the services I've already used, like the advocacy of my shop steward.

I might not be the kind of person who can or would pay to join a country club, but I am the kind of person who can manage to pay $11.50 per pay to help my local build itself into a stronger union with better and more fabulous services. Most importantly, when I pay my dues, I am one of many, speaking in one voice, the union. What could be more American that that? E Pluribus Unum

American Axle: One Year After the Strike

2009-06-05T07:21:00.007-04:00

Alternative title: Dicke E Dauch, More Evil Day by Day

Welcome to the world that has become the United States Labor market.

It's filled with companies that pay CEO's hundreds of thousands of dollars and into the multimillions of dollars.

From the American Red Cross' Multi-Billion dollar Blood Business to Wal-Mart's sticking it to folks like Debbie Shank (and yes, they were well within their legal right to do so), but what Dick E Dauch did and continues to do, well, it just kind of makes me ill, to the nth degree.

Why you might ask, well, I think the Detroit News kind of figured that one out:

Since American Axle was spun off from General Motors and reconstituted in 1994, the union negotiates with American Axle, not GM, and does not get the sweetheart deal other UAW workers will get. In fact, Local 235 went on strike for three months last year and lost. It was a cold, bitter dispute, complete with fires in the oil drums. The unionized workers, numbering nearly 2,000 at the time, gave in to deep wage cuts, in some cases from $28 an hour to $14, in exchange for keeping their jobs. Apparently it was not enough. Fewer than 300 union members were working in the plant Monday.

In the meantime, Dick Dauch, the CEO and chairman of American Axle, was given an $8.5 million bonus by his board of directors after the strike and gave assurances to the workers and the city of Hamtramck that he would keep production here.

Yes, emphasis is mine.

I followed the strike. I was a bit obsessive about it.

I posted pictures like that of a 60 year old woman in an officer's chokehold. Or how Republican staffers who were meeting with UAW members about the bridge loans to the auto industry had NEVER heard of American Axle or their 11 week strike.

I followed one of my favorite workers Jerd0708, and cross referenced worker pay and executive pay, an issue that resinates with workers from Wal-Mart to the American Red Cross to the guys and gals on the docks. It's the Entitlement Mentality of the highest levels of executives that seals the fate of so many of us who simply want to work. Folks who just want to put in an honest day of work for an honest day of pay.

More than ever, I believe in the power of unions, but we need stronger labor laws to make it possible for union workers to rebuild the middle class. We need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act to make it possible for more workers to sign a union card and join a union. Together maybe we can start holding boards of directors, CEOs and other executives accountable for their actions when they give an $8.5 million bonus to Dick E Dauch (I said BONUS here) just for the hell of it.

One other thing:
We as a nation need to do a better job of ensuring that companies can't just flee one jurisdiction to go to another because somewhere, down the road, doing so might be cheaper (think of what American Axle is doing in moving jobs to Mexico or Kongsberg Automotive moving production into Poland) in terms of labor costs and environmental costs. Again, from the Detroit News:

Chris Son, the director of communications at American Axle, called late Wednesday to say that the layoffs are "fallout from the GM and Chrysler shutdowns." He also confirmed that the Mexicans will continue to work as the Americans are out on the street.

"For logistical reasons, a level of production will continue in Mexico," said Son. "At the same time, there will be lower production requirements in Detroit. Other than that, I have no further comment on that matter."

Logistical reasons, right. Chris and Dick, if American workers can't buy cars produced with your parts, what's the point in moving to Brazil, Poland or continuing operations in Mexico? If we can't buy these cars, who will? Oh wait, I know the answer, guys like you, right?

Blood, a Multi-Billion Dollar Business

2009-05-31T14:32:00.008-04:00

45% of the US blood supply comes from the American Red Cross. 45%, that's a huge amount from a single source.

Blood is collected through donor blood drives. And the blood is then handled or transported by phlebotomists, drivers, RNs, LPNs, technicians (in the lab, product management, and apheresis departments), and one mechanic.

These are front line workers for the collection and processing of blood.

These front line workers set up blood drives all over the country.

When you think of a blood drive, think of the work as equivalent to the set up and break down of an event like a small circus, carnival or maybe a convention.

And these are safe events, or at least intended to be safe events through the regulation of blood as a "drug" but the FDA. Yep, these events are FDA regulated.

Front line American Red Cross workers follow FDA guidelines, yet since 1993, the FDA has fined the American Red Cross more than $21 million for violation of blood safety laws and regulations. In fact, the American Red Cross has been under a Consent Decree

The 2003 consent decree settled charges that the Red Cross had committed "persistent and serious violations" of federal blood safety rules dating back 17 years.

So, what does all of this mean?

What all of this means is that BLOOD is BIG BUSINESS. Blood is, as the New York Times noted after the FDA announcement of a $5+million fine:

The Red Cross has struggled for years to get its multi-billion dollar blood business, by far its biggest money-maker, into compliance with federal rules.

The American Red Cross makes MULTI-BILLIONS of dollars on donated blood.

Let me repeat that

They make Billions of dollars based on all of our volunteer blood donations.

So, the Red Cross makes billions and billions on supplying 45% of the nation's blood, but is now fighting unions representing front line blood drive event workers. These are the same workers who put on these blood drive events, make them safe and then do it all over again at another location. These workers provide reading material, documentation throughout the blood drive, ask health history questions of donors, perform mini physical exams for donors, take blood, care for the donor afterward donation, pack up the blood, break down the event, and bring it back to the lab for processing and testing, only to do it again the next day or week, depending on their schedule.

And the fines? Are they based on the work of the front line workers? The ones primarily handling the blood, well, according to NPR's All Things Considered, not so much, it is a "management problem".

So, we have a multi-billion dollar business, management problems, FDA fines, and now, they're crying broke as they sit at bargaining tables with 9 different unions as they negotiate front line worker agreements.

So, the unions got together and told the American Red Cross just what they thought of their anti-union, anti-worker negotiation tactics and I got to meet some of these workers on Friday on E street in Northwest DC.

These are the workers who make our blood supply safe, and they have been reduced to marching on Washington for getting what they deserve, a fair negotiation with the American Red Cross.

The request for massive concessions and pay freezes across the board has been covered in a number of local papers, like the New Haven Register who noted something interesting which really got me thinking:

The union claims that the Red Cross is demanding pay cuts for workers, as well as staffing changes that would replace some workers with management representatives.

“They’re not licensed. They’d be making medical decisions, based on what?” asked Crystal Guimaraes, a registered nurse from Naugatuck. She said workers at blood drives need to know what to do in the event of medical complications, physical reactions or seizures.

Would these be the same managers who were at the heart of the fines to the American Red Cross in 2006? Are they part of the "Management Problems" that NPR reported?

And, what about the response from the American Red Cross:

In a statement released Friday, Donna M. Morrissey, spokeswoman for American Red Cross Blood Services Northeast Division, said the Red Cross blood supply “has never been safer, and the American Red Cross is committed to the health and safety of every blood donor who volunteers to roll up their sleeve and every patient who receives blood.”

Morrissey said the pay and benefits package offered to union members is “consistent” with pay and benefits provided to nonunion employees. The Red Cross also has frozen salaries for nonunion workers for the next year and made changes to its retirement programs for all staff.

What I notice in this comment is something big that's been in the news lately and was oddly unaddressed:

What about BONUSES?

So, I went hunting and found that the American Red Cross pays "incentives", from the American Red Cross website:

Donor Recruitment Representative (Great Lakes Region-Flint/Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, Michigan) American Red Cross Blood Services, Ohio/Michigan Division; Salary: $35,000 +Incentive; Benefits: TBA; FAX: (517) 484-0374; Email: jacksonnr@usa.redcross.org; Please send resume via email; Posted: 3/2/2009.

Incentive pay sounds like a bonus to me, and this is only at a volunteer recruiter level. What about higher levels like the CEO level (which has been a virtual revolving door since Bernadine Healy left in 2001) or directors and regional levels? And for an organization with more than 30 CEO's, can you imagine the kind of money we're talking about when we're talking about a multi-billion dollar business?

Take the Director of Collections in Connecticut who received a sizable un-reported bonus (the size is unknown because it's not being reported by the American Red Cross and is not being provided to the unions during the negotiations). And why would this blood collections director receive a huge incentive? Well, it's for introducing the MCS machines to the region.

I suppose I'm way more concerned today than say a year ago about how big companies hide their payments to employees. After the issues with AIG bonuses and all the banks that got money from the government for sinking their companies, well, would you really blame me for being suspicious?

Let's take the case of Theresa Bischoff, American Red Cross CEO for New York. In 2005, based on Red Cross records, she earned a salary of $315,656. And performance bonus of $60,000. And this is on the American Red Cross web site.
There's also Christopher Lamb who received a retention bonus of $132,600 and Douglass Loock who received his retention bonus of $105,215. And these three folks all work in areas related to plasma and blood.

If in 2005, when the Red Cross was going through turmoil due to their response to Katrina, they were also handing out retention bonuses of $100k to some of their top executives, and these are only reported on the top 5 paid non officers. If during turmoil they were handing out this kind of money, what are they doing now? Clearly, what they're doing now is trying to get out of negotiating with people like Christine Holschlag (she's the one with the mega phone). And for a Congressionally chartered non-profit like the American Red Cross, that's just not acceptable.

The American Red Cross does answer to a higher power, they answer to all of us donors. We make it possible for you to make volunteer blood donation into a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR business. It's time for you to negotiate in good faith with the unions representing the folks who make our blood supply safe. Until you do, you won't be getting checks from me or my blood. I'm just not comfortable with your profiting on the backs of folks making our blood supply safe. It's time for you to do the right by your workers and not so much your CEO's. I think you can put down the AIG play book now, don't you?

American Red Cross = Wal-Mart? Say it isn't so!!

2009-05-29T10:00:00.003-04:00

Okay, probably not exactly that bad, but I found a new piece in the Metro-city daily e-mail that really caught my attention.

AMERICAN RED CROSS RALLY TODAY: Workers and labor allies are rallying outside the American Red Cross headquarters in downtown DC today to support workers who are “engaged in struggles across the country at facilities of the American Red Cross,” reports AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “The American Red Cross has taken an increasingly hostile attitude at the bargaining table and in resisting union organizing drives. This would be deplorable under any circumstances but is particularly so given the historically close relationship the AFL-CIO has had with the American Red Cross and the significant assistance that union members give in blood drives and disaster assistance,” adds Sweeney.

The rally is part of a national day of action organized by the Coalition of American Red Cross Unions.

So, if you're free today at noon, May 29th, head over to:

2025 E Street NW

If you'd like to know how else you can help, drop a line to 202-285- 6692.

Pennies, Nickles, Dollars Slip Away

2009-05-25T09:15:00.006-04:00

Like many folks, I've been reading loads of reports on Union organizing. Like the recently released report No Holds Barred: The Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organizing by Columbia professor Dr. Kate Bronfenbrenner and Majority Authorizations and Union Organizing in the Public Sector: A Four-State Perspective From the AFL-CIO Now Blog:

If you sign up to join a union, you won’t face coercion or intimidation from your co-workers—or employers. Despite dire warnings by corporations against the majority sign-up process, a new study shows majority sign-up (card-check) protects workers and gives them the chance they need to form a union. It’s another critical point in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give workers across the country the choice about how to form a union and bargain for a better life.

Here's the problem, being in a union makes our lives better. I can testify to this (thank you AFGE and my shop steward). However, the point at which you and your co-workers decide that you need a union, the worst is yet to come.

You see, the moment we decide that together we bargain and divided we beg, is the same point at which employers pull out the big guns. This is where firing happens. This is also where mandatory meetings happen where employers tell workers they'll lose benefits they have or the shop will close or it will mean a loss of your work shift or whatever else they think might be a topic of interest to you.

When we decide to stop begging for the right to work, our employers don't stop looking for ways to divide us, instead, they learn that they have all the power in this country in terms of labor law and they do not care how often, how hard or to what extent they trample our rights. And if you lose the organizing drive, few will ever even attempt to hold the employer accountable for trampling the few rights we do have.

And yes, I'm serious!

From the Bronfrenbrenner report:

Furthermore, workers are keenly aware that even in cases with egregious employer violations, the most likely penalty is a posting and a small amount of back pay, which could take more than two years from filing the charge to a final Board decision to collect...

Of course, this is why there's such a dramatic need for the Employee Choice Act.

But the other wrinkle to this, and one of the main reasons for Uniongal at all, is that like many women in the workforce, I am a single mom. I am the sole bread winner for my family. I am cook, cleaner, glass washer, launder, nurse, baker, bread winner, transporter, psychologist and maintainer.

I do it all.

And when you do it all, you're way more susceptible to intimidation, and even worse, you're constantly trying to figure it all out as a mom while also making ends meet, kind of like the 10,000 Maniac's song, Dust Bowl Days where Natalie Merchant sings about how this mom just can't get ahead:

All workers know the feeling. When our employer goes that extra mile to ensure that you, their employee, knows your place and that unionization (of any kind or even thought) is a no-no. Brings me back to Dr. Kate Bronfenbrenner's report and her description not of a single event in the unsuccessful United Steelworkers organizing campaign at Rugby, but Rugby's overall strategy:

The most important part of the Rugby story is not the most dramatic—the discharges and layoffs—but rather the full arc of the employer’s plan, which in fact started not with the meeting with the supervisors, but as Bogas points out in his decision, with its aggressive union-free policy. This policy was clearly outlined in the employee handbook, and read out loud to all new employees upon hiring. It made it clear that unions would not be tolerated, laying the groundwork for the aggressive and intense effort that followed. But the model that Rugby and so many others of these campaigns adopt is one in which the priority task of frontline supervisors is to ascertain through whatever means possible the leanings of every worker and then use the more aggressive retaliatory tactics to sway those leaning toward unionization.

On any given day, workers across this country are exposed to supervisors and companies who see them as worthless, incompetent or union sympathizing "thugs". These are good workers. They are you and me. They are your moms and dads. Even your brothers and sisters. In fact, you might actually be one of these workers. You aren't incompetent. You aren't a thug or a trouble maker. You have the right to join, form or to organize a union. But we have to demand that right to make that decision without having to go through the crap that employers throw at us.

So, to summarize, if you, as an employee feel you need a union, and you work toward that end, your employer can behave egregiously (fire you or your co-workers, suspend you, strip you of all sorts of things at work, etc...) and there's little or no consequence and when there actually is a violation found, it takes years to collect; ages to get justice. But if you win and you are in the union, you risk far less in terms of retaliation or intimidation from not only your employer but also co-workers. And, there's this new Bill in the Senate called the Employee Free Choice Act which aims at leveling the playing field, making it easier for employees to decide if they want to go through an election or to sign up using a simple card.

So, there you have it. Two recent reports that I've been reading. My thoughts about how it all relates and my hope in the end that single moms like me and many others can simply be able to do better than to just get by. It kind of sucks out here sometimes. It sure would be nice to have a Congress that understood what it's like to watch pennies, nickles and dollars slip away and how being in a union can help to stop that from being the case.

Thank you Dr. Bronfenbrenner for researching these issues and more importantly, giving a voice to so many workers just through the numbers you cite. Who knew a bunch of numbers and stories could be so powerful. If you get a minute, head over to the report, it's really very shocking.

Please support working mothers, Senator Murkowski

2009-05-22T08:07:00.002-04:00

I don't normally copy things from Newspapers. Newspapers have it hard enough these days just surviving, but this was just too good to not share. It appears to be a letter to the editor or some kind of "guest" column in the Anchorage Daily News

Millions of mothers are uninsured, even though a majority of them work, sometimes more than one job. It's wrong when many of the mothers who raise America's children are uninsured and struggle to provide for their families. I am lucky; I belong to a union.

I became a single mother of an 8 year-old son while I was serving in the United States Army. This was a very frightening experience for me. My son's dad was not around to help raise him. After I left the Army, I found a job working for a company where women had no opportunity to advance. I was fortunate to then land a union job. I started work with a 90-day probation period, and on my 89th day I had an accident for which I was fired.

Even though I didn't have grievance rights, my union fought for me. The accident wasn't my fault, but my employer argued I was responsible. Because of my union steward, however, the mediator decided to reinstate me. To begin with, the accident wasn't my fault, and the mediator also pointed out that there were four men who were involved in accidents in their first 90 days and weren't fired. Would I have gotten my job back if I didn't have a union fighting for me? Was this worth every penny of my dues? You're darn right it was. I love my job and I raised my son with no worries. I earn a fair day's pay, decent benefits and have job security. Shouldn't everybody have this?

My son, who is now 24, has few benefits and no job security. I want more for him, but good, secure jobs are scarce. Is there anything wrong with a mother wanting a good life for her child?

All workers should have the opportunity to join a union like I did. The Employee Free Choice Act, a bill currently before Congress, will enable workers to form and join unions. It will penalize employers who break the law, and level the playing field for workers to win a contract. This legislation will put the choice in the hands of the workers and take away the veto power employers have over workers.

The Employee Free Choice Act will make it easier for more moms to join a union and get health insurance for their families. When moms have it better, so does everyone else. Senator Murkowski, please do something for the women who do so much for everybody. Please support the Employee Free Choice Act.

Carol Salandra lives in Anchorage

As a single mother myself, I can empathize. I can empathize even more today than in years past. I've belonged to two unions in the past, and although the Teamsters tried to help out in one job, the SEIU was not exactly helpful in another. I don't think it was the union itself in either case, it was the strength of the shop steward that I had. Some are really amazing and some, leave a lot to be desired. The experiences that Carol had with her union and more specifically, the shop steward, goes to something folks who don't have unions or have terrible shop stewards never know or feel, advocacy.

Recently, I found myself in some hot water due to a couple of issues that stem from my supervisor. I contacted the union. Although they do not yet represent me (we're working on that)the shop steward has taken vacation time to assist me. He's provided me background on rules, laws and given me forms to use for all sorts of things. None of which did I have access to in the past. He's said one very powerful thing that has stuck with me since the hot water started to boil, "Management is not your friend." He's right. I know, it probably doesn't sound all that revolutionary, but it was to me.

Carol, thank you for your letter or guest column. You have given me something to share and have provided a personal story that shows the power of union advocacy. Carol, thank you. For single moms like me everywhere, thank you.

Heads, management wins. Tails, the employees lose.

2009-05-14T12:47:00.005-04:00

Employee Free Choice Act. I kind of hate the title.

I never really understand the term Free Choice when just about anyone uses it. It's not like I'm not bright, I am. I'm articulate too, wahoo for me. But the concept of a "Free Choice" always escapes me.

I suppose my issue is with the seemingly obvious concept of "free" in "Free Choice." It's the concept that you can make a decision about your life, your being completely freely. Seems so simple. A concept where you aren't constrained by morality, faith, anger, emotional baggage or even peer pressure.

Let's face it, no choice is ever really free. Things are weighed, considered, addressed for their obvious issues with risk or just plain old fears. In the end, what weighs on our individual minds seems to be of more consequence than say the ability to make a "free" choice.

I think that's what Harold Meyerson was getting at in his piece from the Washington Post

If our nation was governed by business's version of democratic choice, we would hold elections to determine the winner, but nearly half the time the incumbent would remain in power even if he lost.

snip

But the kind of democratic choice that business favors is choice without consequence -

snip

It's a lovely system for businesses that don't want to pay higher wages or accord their workers some rights, and they've been fighting hard to keep it that way.

Businesses care about nothing but their needs and desires. Kind of like a tyrant or some other despot. And yeah, they have power and they brag about it too,like they did in the LA Times:

In the Ozark Mountain town of Rogers, Ark., more than 250 business owners gathered for lunch at a construction company last month to focus on what they saw as a major threat -- a proposal in Congress to make it easier to form labor unions.

At each place setting, attendees found pre-stamped postcards and pre-written letters to be sent to Arkansas' U.S. senators, Democrats Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, who had supported the labor bill in the past. After lunch, the business owners were ushered to computers to send e-mail messages as well.

Five days later came the good news: Two Senate votes had been stripped from the pro-union bill. Lincoln said she would oppose it outright, while Pryor declared the current version "dead" and said he would look for compromises.

This is not about postcards or e-mails, or even the meaning of the word FREEDOM, it's about what business does to get what it wants. And it does some pretty damn awful stuff, not just turning wavering votes in Wal-Mart's home state against Employee Free Choice, but stuff like hiring day laborers and undocumented workers because you can pay them next to nothing and get away with it, time and time again. Or you can rob your workers of overtime or make them work off the clock.

And, none of this is new. Unbossed looked at wage theft just last year:

GAO identified case studies that show WHD [Wage and Hour Division] inadequately investigated complaints from low-wage and minimum wage workers alleging that employers failed to pay the federal minimum wage, required overtime, and failed to pay employees their last paychecks. Examples of inadequate WHD responses to complaints included instances where WHD inappropriately rejected complaints, failed to adequately investigate complaints, or neglected to investigate until it was too late. The table below provides examples of several case studies.

In the grand scheme of things, Harold Meyerson is the one who really has it right, the way things are now, it's a lovely system for businesses. There are no consequences for them to screw workers out of their wages, pay checks, benefits and even health care. Whatever they want to do, they can do, because there is no one holding them accountable, and if they get their way and are able to keep the Employee Free Choice Act from ever being passed, well, maybe I won't be the only one wondering what Freedom and Choice mean.

Seems as if the real Choice here is between the Freedom to join a union and the Freedom of businesses to continue to shove the status quo down our throats. Isn't really much of a choice, is it?

Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

2009-05-08T23:38:00.003-04:00

I am a Socialist.

Should come as no shock to anyone reading this site.

I grew up in a very leftist town. Probably had to do with the influx of Finns from the 1800's through mid 1950'. Finns are a bit leftist, or so you might think if you watch Fox News. In fact, if you watch that station, you might think that people like me, hard working folks who believe that Government has a responsibility to its citizens, that no one should go hungry, the mentally ill should be cared for, that children should have access to good schools and we all should have health care, etc... Well, if you watched that station, you just might think I'm the boogyman or some such thing.

Take the Ed Show. They looked at the use of the word Socialist (and it's derivations) and made it the Psycho of the day, and I have to agree.

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You see. I'm of the mind that I live in the United States of America and that guarantees me certain freedoms, including the freedom of speech or in this case, thought.

I have the right to actually THINK about what I want from government and then, I also have the opportunity to push for those things that I want. Like how I want my daughter to be able to go to college and get a Master's Degree. In Finland, she could do that.

How can a small, affluent country such as Finland maintain a high-wage, high-skill economy? It can't compete with the low-cost economies of Asia, so it must, as a matter of economic survival, invest heavily in education and training.

"In Finland, we believe we have to invest in education, in research and in higher education.

"Education can pioneer new areas for jobs. We always need new skills for the labour force - so it means that we have to keep investing."

I know it's a boogeyman to distract from the real conversation that needs to happen about education or health care. Fear mongering has worked for Republicans in the past by labeling opponents as "liberal" but that's lost all it's negative meaning now. So, they find themselves looking for a new name to use to deride. They've come to Socialist. Wonder if they'll do the same concern trolling that Nixon did in the 60's when he claimed that an opponent was pink (as in Socialist Pink and Commie Red) down to her panties. BTW, I do wear pink panties and sometimes, leopard print, too. I know, I'm dangerous, thoughts are you know, dangerous.

So, here's my suggestion to all the Psycho talkers claiming that moderates are Socialists. I respectfully suggest that we take the money from our missiles and put it toward health care and education.

And now for a musical interlude:

Oh, and Congresswoman Bachmann,TV entertainment personality Beck, and all the others, um, HELLO! If you're so scared of folks like me, perhaps you might benefit from a trip to Finland. They're Socialist and according to you two, we should be very very scared. Me, not so much. I'm hoping to take my daughter next year to see family that still lives there. Hey all you Paananens from Viitasaari, you got a cousin right here!! Hauska tutustua!

Netroots Nation DC Event On Employee Free Choice!

2009-05-07T10:01:00.002-04:00

I just looked and there appear to still be seats available for this Downtown (near the White House) event:

Greedy CEOs and anti-union front groups are already working overtime to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act. To make sure they don't win, we need to ramp up our activism.

But what role is there for online activism in the fight? How can unions and progressive allies beat back fear-mongering from the corporate interests? What messaging tools will be employed by pro-employee choice groups, and how can the Netroots stand up to the anti-union echo-chamber?

This Friday, join Stewart Acuff of the AFL-CIO, Laura Clawson of Daily Kos, Rebecca Wasserman of American Rights at Work and Michael Whitney of the SEIU for a conversation on how the Netroots can make employee free choice a reality in 2009. The panel will be moderated by Christopher Hayes, Washington DC editor of The Nation.

Click here to reserve your spot.

Netroots Nation DC
Friday, May 8, noon to 2 p.m.
AFL-CIO, George Meany Room
815 16th St. NW, Washington DC

This event is part of the Netroots Nation Salon Series, launched in August 2008 to provide year-round opportunities for the progressive community to exchange ideas and learn how to be more effective in using technology to influence the public debate.

Passing the Employee Free Choice Act will level the playing field and put the power back where it belongs—in the hands of workers. Click here to join us for this important discussion.

Thanks for making a difference.
Karen, Mary, Nolan and Raven

PS: Space is extremely limited, so be sure to RSVP now.

I'm working, so I can't attend. But anyone who does, drop me a line, I'd love to post some info on the event.

Walmart Workers for Change

2009-04-30T11:35:00.004-04:00

Walmart workers from across the nation are converging today on Capitol Hill for a National Organizing Meeting to brief Senators about wages, benefits and the Employee Free Choice Act. Nearly 100 Walmart workers from 17 states are participating in the event. As part of their campaign for a union voice on the job, they're urging lawmakers to level the playing field for working people by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act.

"I made the trip into Washington DC to stand with my fellow Walmart workers and to urge my Senators to pass the Employee Free Choice Act," said Dominique Sloan a Dallas, Texas, Walmart worker:

We need change in this country. All you have to do is look at how all the money goes to CEOs. But when it comes to workers, its always the same, no health care or health care thats too expensive and low wages. We need to change that.

The National Organizing Committee is made up of Walmart workers from Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Despite Walmart's well-documented history of anti-working-family activities, workers say they are excited by the election of Barack Obama, excited that the President says it's not too much to ask Walmart to pay decent wages and provide good health care, and excited that the Employee Free Choice Act can help bring the change that helps workers and makes Walmart live up to its responsibilities.

"I have three boys, and I had to get Florida Kids Care to cover their medical", says Cheryl Guzman, a Walmart worker from Miami:

It's either you eat, or you have medical coverage, and that's not right. That's why I'm part of Walmart Workers for Change.

Ten workers recently shared their stories in a new video, released earlier this week. Workers from the National Organizing Committee will be available to the press today after a Capitol Hill briefing at 10 a.m., in 328 Russell Senate Office Building.

Walmart Workers for Change is a new campaign made up of thousands of Walmart workers joining together to form a union and negotiate better benefits, higher wages, and more opportunity for a better future. The campaign is a project of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). The UFCW represents 1.3 million workers nationwide, with nearly one million working in the supermarket industry, and with many members working at national retail stores such as Bloomingdales, Macys, H&M, Modells Sporting Goods, Saks Fifth Avenue, RiteAid, CVS, and Syms.

Cross-posted at http://ufcw.blogspot.com

Better Than Machines: The Ludlow Massacre

2009-04-23T09:50:00.002-04:00

I'm now following a new blog (well, new to me) and I'm pushing it into the blog roll, but I want to draw your attention to how I noticed this site:

In southern Colorado, mine workers had been on strike since September 1913
against the big coal interests of the region, chief among them the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Corporation, owned by John D. Rockefeller. The miners' demands included
the eight-hour day, more honest procedures for weighing the mined coal, the
right to buy and trade in any store they pleased, recognition of the union, and other basic dignities that were already supposedly guaranteed under the law--a common
theme in the labor movement's history.

He goes on to talk about a Woody Guthrie song about the massacre and it's meanings for today:

12 more miners were killed before federal troops arrived to "restore order." The strike was over. Mr. Rockefeller and the great corporations won, because they could go to whatever lengths necessary for victory and rest assured that state and federal government stood ready to assist. The solidarity of working families throughout Colorado was no match for the solidarity of corporations and government throughout the country. When it was all over, none of the company's gunmen were charged with a crime.

Today, most people have not heard of the Ludlow Massacre. You probably did not learn about it in school. I didn't. But our history is full of "Ludlows." Tent colonies and armored machine-gun cars may sound old-fashioned. But a privileged class that benefits materially from slowly crushing working families and is willing to act ruthlessly to maintain its privilege never goes out of style. The systems and philosophies and distractions that made it possible then are still at work today. The story has not fundamentally changed. The difference is that there has been progress, thanks in large part to the awakening of the public by events throughout our history like the Ludlow Massacre. But it's been a slow and grinding progress, and we've seen indications of how easily it can be rolled back.

We would do well to arm ourselves with the knowledge and memory of the Ludlows of our history.

Highly recommend a read of Better Than Machines.

Finding a Voice to Support Teachers

2009-04-21T07:47:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine who teaches in the Virginia public schools noted that the only profession where government officials think it's okay to not pay the workers is in the schools. I didn't believe her, no one would do that, or so I thought. From OregonLive:

Leaders of Oregon's teachers union did not outright reject the governor's suggestion of unpaid teaching days but said each district would have to figure out a balance between using reserves and other cost-saving measures.

"If we ask school folks to work for free, it means we are going to affect the economy even more greatly," said Gail Rasmussen, vice president of the Oregon Education Association. "These folks, too, are part of the fabric of their communities."

Kulongoski's comments came one day after legislative budget leaders went public with a list of proposed cuts, including a reduction to public schools that would force many districts to close early by an average of five days.

There was also the North Providence School District in Rhode Island:

NORTH PROVIDENCE — The School Committee has garnered $664,000 in concessions from teachers, the equivalent of six unpaid work days, in an effort to erase about $3 million from a projected $13-million deficit for the budget year that ends June 30.

And some of the comments on the thread about teachers working UNPAID are just demoralizing. It's like we don't value teachers as a society but in reading the comments, it seems as if we're really saying that we don't value working with kids. I'm not sure which we value less as a society, teachers or children, perhaps it's both.

But there is something you can do. Well, at least if you live in the DC area. You can join the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) in the District for community mobilization. This Saturday, DC Teachers and supporters of teachers are taking to the streets with the teacher's local, and you can join in:

Where
United House of Prayer Charlotte Mission; 1721 7th Street, NW

When
Apr 25 9:30 am - 12:00 pm

As part of the United For DC Kids campaign, the Washington Teachers Union (WTU), labor and community allies are canvassing local neighborhoods to support teachers and improve the quality of education for children in DC public schools. “When we stand in support of the teachers who work in our public schools, we’re helping our children succeed,” says the WTU. “Please join us for a neighborhood walk and show your support for DC teachers by canvassing our community.” Lunch will be provided; email jeasley@aft.org to RSVP or click here to download an event flyer.

You can sign up for updates on the WTU site.

Teachers always get a bad rap. My daughter wants to go to college to become a teacher. She has an affinity for languages and wants to teach Arabic and Japanese, two languages she currently studies in high school. And here I am, wanting to discourage her from doing this because of reports I've just sited. Teachers are so undervalued in this society, but then again, I really think this is more of an issue of not valuing our children and wanting them to have the best possible education. In the end, the arguments against teachers are always that same...I don't want my taxes to go up. Wow, simply wow. Someday, I hope we can value our kids more than the change in our pockets.

Santa Monica Teabaggers

2009-04-17T14:25:00.005-04:00

What's interesting is at 2:32, you learn that Cleo and Margarito were paid to hold signs and at 2:41 some ass starts talking about how they are out there, not getting paid to protest:

...we're not union organizers

Here's a funny thing about that, I've NEVER been paid to hold a sign at a protest. Not by a union, not by a protest group, not by anyone, ever. Hell, I've even picketed as strike support, again, without pay. I know, reality won't change his opinion. It's not like some folks haven't been paid in the past for small scale protests, they have, but when those protests happened, they weren't inspired by a Faux News Network, bent on inspiring fear, hate and Oh, No, SOCIALISM.

Good thing I have a day off today so that I can catch up on all this ridiculousness. Honestly, it does a heart good to know that crazies are really out there. And here I thought they'd figured out they lost. But then again, I doubt they were in the Silver Section for the Inaugural, the way I was. I suppose this just gives me a bit more perspective, huh?

There's a diary up on Dailykos about this event. Really good stuff in there.

And on a different note, JR Monsterfodder from The Writing at the Wal has another post up on Daiykos as well about UFCW organizing Wal-Mart. Highly recommend the read.

Sweet Home Maersk Alabama

2009-04-17T10:51:00.004-04:00

Last week, I reported that members of the Maersk Alabama crew had received UNION training in anti-terrorism counter measures. But you have to hear what John Cronan, third engineer and son of a merchant sailor, said to the Today Show (good thing it wasn't Lauer interviewing him):

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

It bares repeating:

We didn’t have to retake the ship because we never surrendered it. We’re American seaman. We’re union members. We stuck together and did our jobs.

Welcome home my union brothers. Welcome Home!!

How To Destroy a Waitress

2009-04-16T08:44:00.002-04:00

My mom called this morning at 7:30am. She should be at work. My mom is a 62 year old waitress in a family restaurant in my hometown. She's been at this restaurant since I was 4. Yep, 34 years. Clearly, this is a career for her.

So, this morning she calls me. She used the cell phone I got her and that I pay for so she can call me anytime she wants. Only, she's never called me from work before.

Mom's workday begins at 5:30am every morning when she opens the restaurant. The restaurant has been broken into several times over the last year now, something previously unheard of at this establishment. This morning, at 7:30, mom had been on the job for 2 hours and hadn't had a single customer. No railroad guys having coffee. No teachers before school. No parents picking up a to-go order. Nothing. 2 Waitress and no work. The place was empty. That's when I saw a report on MSNBC about folks with good paying stable jobs cutting back.

The frugality of the Kimberlins and Scanlons and millions of other Americans who still have their good jobs feed back on the economy, holding down growth and encouraging other worried workers to trim their spending — causing the whole vicious cycle to run another lap.

"It really can become and does become a self-fulfilling prophecy," Denise Kimberlin said.

We're all connected. My mom the waitress, depends on the money she earns in tips from those who have stable employment to make it through a recession. But if the railroaders, teachers and UPS drivers aren't coming in to the restaurant to grab a cup of Joe, she's going to find herself, and many more women like her, standing in an empty restaurant.

So, if you're employed and not going through a tough financial crisis, remember to eat out once in a while, and also, TIP YOUR WAITRESS WELL. It could be my mom you're tipping.

Why Do We Need The Employee Free Choice Act?

2009-04-15T23:50:00.002-04:00

Perhaps, you can figure out the why, if you hear it from someone who needs a union and isn't able now to organize one because of fear of job loss:

The problem is simple - I'm at an impasse. On one hand, I stand to gain a formidable amount from unionization. However, at the same time, I can relate horror stories from previous employees who attempted to unionize this very company - and were fired for it. I wouldn't put a mass-layoff past this company if the shit goes and hits the fan with this, and I, rather unfortunately, need this job about as much as I need oxygen to survive - ergo the dilemma.

Now, it goes without saying that my mere presence on DailyKos, along with the content of the bulk of this post, surmises nicely my feelings on why the Unions are win. However, for those pressing for Unionization in the current political climate, one can begin to rapidly see just how much we frickin' need the Employee Free Choice Act passed.

The front lines on this bill aren't merely the Wal-Marts and Home Depots of this country, throwing enough cash that could keep their employees set for life at lobbying against it just so they can continue to not provide healthcare, abuse their employees, and provide poor wages and hours, but at a far more local level, with smaller companies willing to coerce, intimidate, and fire employees just to keep their costs down.

Highly recommend you head over to Dailykos and read the entire diary.

Matt Lauer= Corporate Shill

2009-04-15T23:04:00.004-04:00

I got an e-mail about the Today show this morning. I read it in disbelief. Matt Lauer actually lies on camera and then asks a Wal-Mart exec to clarify his already egregiously wrong talking point, really? No way, can't be real. Must be a fake video. Then I went over to the House Education and Labor Committee Blog, and nope, it's not a fake. From the blog:

Earlier this morning, Matt Lauer, co-host of the Today Show, interviewed Mike Duke, the new CEO of Wal-Mart, and they talked about the Employee Free Choice Act. Unfortunately, Mr. Lauer led his question with a mischaracterization of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Mischaracterization? Unless Matt Lauer is an idiot, it's being too kind to Lauer to use such tame wording, call it what it is, a lie. Or, Matt Lauer is an idiot. I have a hard time believing that anyone gets to where he is if he's an idiot. Of course, maybe he's just lazy. Here's the video (thanks to Media Matters for the embed code!:

Here's what the House Committee had to say about the piece on their blog:

Asking the CEO of Wal-Mart about the Employee Free Choice Act is like asking the fox about the hen house. To read Human Rights Watch's 2007 report on "Wal-Mart's Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association" please click here. (pdf)

BTW, one other thought, Lauer, using an average hourly means that you also include the top salaries. That's what Wal-Mart does. They make numbers lie for them. Just like the anti-UAW worker numbers you kept repeating in December about the average hourly wage of an autoworker. Didn't matter to you or the rest of the Traditional media that the number was wrong, but hey, whatever. I suppose, I just shouldn't expect anything else from the likes of Lauer.

PST, Lauer, this fact sheet on the Myths and Facts of Employee Free Choice.

MYTH: The Employee Free Choice Act abolishes the "secret ballot" election.

FACT: The Employee Free Choice Act does not abolish the secret ballot eleciton process. That process, also known as a National Labor Relations Board election would still be available under the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill simply enables workers to also form a union through majority sign-up if a majority prefers that method to the NLRB election process. Under current law, workers may only use the majority sign-up process if their employer agrees. The Employee Free Choice Act allows workers, not corporate executives, to make that decision.

See, Matt, it really wasn't that hard to find the truth. And I didn't have to sit through an interview with a greedy slimy bastard to find it. Perhaps next time, you can learn from me, and google it first. I know, probably just a little too much work for you, but if I don't ask you to do it, I can't actually expect you to do it. Well, you've been asked, and now, I expect it.

My Co-Worker Talks About Ed Schultz Show

2009-04-15T22:37:00.004-04:00

Well, so to speak. I doubt she actually watched the show, but for some reason she's talking to me about immigration and working.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Okay, so you've now seen the video from The Ed Show from yesterday. So, let's talk about Karen, my coworker.

She comes by my desk and says, "Did you hear about the idea of making sure everyone has an ID? I mean, even illegals?"

So, I'll bite, "WTF are you talking about?"

Karen: Think about it. If they have IDs, then they can also pay taxes.
Me: oh, okay. Can we make drugs legal too? I'd like to tax the hell out of the suppliers and products.
Karen: No, come on, I'm serious. If I have to pay 25% of my income in taxes, then they should, too. It's only fair.
Me: And balanced?
Karen: Ah, a Faux News jab, nice.
Me: Karen, it's interesting. I like the idea of ensuring that people who have come here legally have a path to citizenship.
Karen: Brilliant, isn't it?

So, Karen seems to be on to something that was discussed last night on the Ed Show, and I know she doesn't watch it, she doesn't get home in time. But I have to think the AFL-CIO and CtW are on to something here. Here's what Trumka said that kind of goes to what Karen was talking about:

Where do the unions, and in this deal, deal with those students that are here that are forced to go home?

TRUMKA: Well, first of all, that‘s called the status adjustment.

Look at them and see if they are actually needed and let them stay here.

They‘ve contributed. Many have stayed here for several years.

About 40 to 45 percent of the illegal immigrants in this country don‘t cross the border. They come in legally with visas and then just don‘t leave. So we need to have that adjusted as well so that workers—so a permanent underclass isn‘t created, those workers exploited, those exploited workers drive down wages for all workers.

She was arguing, in her very Karenesq way that immigrant workers shouldn't be exploited and be forced to live under the radar, because, when they do, they also don't pay taxes. Income or payroll taxes. She sees these things taken out of her pay check, she pays her taxes on or before April 15th every year and she only really wants the same for workers here.

I told her that CtW and the AFl-CIO were talking about this sort of thing too, but in a way that first protects US workers first, you know citizens. When we talk US workers, I mean every naturalized citizen and every native born one as well. I'm only 2nd Generation American. If my family hadn't gotten a legal shot at citizenship here, I'd probably be in Finland right now. But we did, and we all pay taxes (that I know of). Kind of like a blending of Karen's idea and that of the AFL-CIO and CtW. Who knew great minds could think so alike? I bet Karen did.

For more Ed Show stuff, you should check out his show!!

Veteran talk radio host Ed Schultz joins MSNBC's primetime lineup hosing 'The Ed Show' from 6 p.m. EST to 7 p.m. EST. The show will debate and discuss issues affecting all Americans.

President Wilhelm's Sub-Standard Union Contracts

2009-04-15T13:06:00.006-04:00

The other week I joined a union that I deeply believe in, Workers United. There’s been a lot of talk about the break-up of UNITE HERE but as a former member of HERE Local 75 I have a lot to add. I’ve been employed at Fort Erie Racetrack and Slots since July, 17 1999 and I joined the union then. But it wasn’t until HERE’s 2004 merger with UNITE that I got any servicing at all from the union. I talked about this some in this YouTube movie:

It took a while to get rid of the bad taste Local 75 left in my mouth but now that we’ve left UNITE HERE and formed Workers United I really think we can finally get the good contract standards we’ve been lagging on for so long in the hospitality industry.

I want to be forward thinking but there’s been so much misinformation being spread by the former HERE leadership (not members like me) that I want to go on record about one of the big problems that UNITE HERE had that pushed the folks in my local in our new direction.

At the 2004 convention where UNITE and HERE merged, fmr. HERE president John Wilhelm (now UNITE HERE Hospitality Division President) proclaimed that "the test of the success or failure of this merger should be whether UNITE HERE organizes substantially more workers in the years to come than our two unions have been organizing separately before the merger". Since that factually has not happened, Wilhelm is now arguing in memos that the merger is successful but that its success should be evaluated on “whether we are achieving good contracts.” He is claiming that the union has won the best contract standards for hotel workers across North America.

But the merger failed to even do that. In Canada, thousands of UNITE HERE members work under lower contract standards than their peers at hotels organized by other unions. UNITE HERE’s weaker contracts have considerable gaps in pay, benefits, and worker protections. Union contracts are searchable online at the Labour Relations website which makes this simple to find for anyone who bothers to check.

In Vancouver, where the leadership of UNITE HERE Local 40 has been under supervision by the International Union since 2005 for financial mismanagement, the union represents some 10,000 workers in the hotel and hospitality industries in British Columbia. However, Local 40’s master agreement with the Greater Vancouver Hotel Employers Association, representing four premier Vancouver properties, is not as good as the Canadian Auto Workers’ contract at a similar comparable hotel, the Fairmont Vancouver.

Guest room attendants earn $1.68 to $2.33 more per hour under the CAW contract than under the Local 40 agreement, or $3,494 to $4,846 more per year. (footnote 1)Banquet servers at the Fairmont earn $16.27 per hour, compared to $11.52 at the Four Seasons (low) and $12.44 at the Westin (high) under the Local 40 agreement. That’s $7,966 to $9,880 more per year under the CAW contract.
The probationary period is more than twice as long for Local 40 members (90 days) as for CAW members (40 days), and it takes twice as long for new hires to earn the full rate of pay (12 months at Local 40 versus 6 months at CAW).
CAW members won extensive health and safety language, including the right for the union to accompany outside inspectors, the establishment of a Health & Safety Committee that meets monthly, annual company-paid first aid training, and language protecting members’ refusal to work in unsafe conditions (footnote 2). But Local 40’s master agreement doesn’t say anything about health and safety.

In Victoria, there is also a big difference between standards under the CAW and Local 40 agreements with major hotels.

At the Fairmont Empress, the employer pays 100% of the healthcare premiums for CAW members, while at the Coast Harbourside Local 40 members must make contributions to cover their fringe benefits.
Wages for housekeepers under the CAW agreement are $2.29 per hour higher than under Local 40’s agreement, amounting to $4,763 more per year.
Cooks’ helpers earn $2.59 more per hour under the CAW agreement at the Empress, or $5,387 more per year than under the Local 40 contract at the Harbourside Hotel.

And in Toronto, where UNITE HERE Local 75 has been dealing with frequent decertification attempts led by THEIR OWN MEMBERS in several hotels, six other unions have organized workers at 13 hotels in the GTA/Hamilton area. And standards achieved in those contracts are higher than those of Local 75 in many cases. For example:

Under the UFCW contract at the Four Seasons, , members receive three weeks of vacation at three years’ seniority, while it takes five years for members to earn as much under the UNITE HERE Local 75 contract at the Fairmont Royal York.
Maintenance staff are paid $1.44 to $2.78 more per hour under the UFCW contract at the Four Seasons than workers in the same classification at the Royal York under the contract with Local 75.
Servers at the Great Blue Heron Casino, represented by the CAW, earn $12.49 per hour compared to $9.97 per hour at the Royal York, or $5,241 more per year.

In a memo last month Wilhelm said, “the Union cannot expect to grow by making itself less relevant and beneficial to its members. Such a course would ultimately destroy the Union.” That's totally true. Which is why it's so sad that here in Canada, where many UNITE HERE hotel contracts fail to set top standards, the union is weakened. Multiple other unions have won strong, decisive victories in UNITE HERE’s jurisdictions while UNITE HERE’s own members have run decertification elections! It is true that without improvements in wages, benefits and working conditions, workers will not have the power necessary to effectively organize, but in his own house and under his own watch, some of Wilhelm’s key locals have failed to meet his most basic test. Honestly, we deserve better. That’s why we formed Workers United. If you care about standards in Canada you'll support us.
________________________________________
Footnote 1
All wage levels are from date of ratification and do not include contractually guaranteed raises. Members of the Vancouver Hotel Employers’ Association have the same master agreement but pay different wage rates, so all rates listed are the low and high end of the range. Yearly calculations are based on 2,080 paid hours of work.

Footnote 2
The CAW contract with the Fairmont Vancouver runs from 8/1/08 to 7/31/11. The UNITE HERE Local 40 contract with the Greater Vancouver Hotel Employers’ Association, representing The Four Seasons, Hyatt Regency, the Renaissance Harbourside, and the Westin Bayshore covers the period 7/1/07 to 6/30/10.

Republic Windows Workers in DC April 16th

2009-04-15T07:50:00.003-04:00

When I opened my e-mail this bright and beautiful morning, I got a surprise, a very pleasant one:

DC Jobs with Justice is hosting a community forum this Thursday on "Resistance and Recovery," featuring workers who staged and won a six-day sit-in strike at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago.

The forum will tell the story of how the action by United Electrical members, combined with nationwide support and mobilization, led to victory for workers, including benefits and a plan to reopen the plant. The workers will encourage others to resist corporate greed and call for an economic recovery that works for everyone, including collective bargaining, health care for all and investment for good green jobs. "We took this action because we really had no choice for our families," said Armando Robles, president of UE local 1110. "We won this struggle with popular support, but we are not stopping until we win good jobs for everyone across the country," added President Robles.

I'm hoping I can make it. I'd love to hear how they came to the realization that they had to stand up and stand together and how they actually were able to give each other support during those dark days on the floor.

The event will take place
Thursday, April 16th, 6:30-8:30pm
at
First Rising Mt. Zion Church in Northwest DC.

For more information contact rcastel@dclabor.org or 202.974.8281. - report by Ruth Castel-Branco