People Before Profit blog

Today in labor history: Rosa Parks takes a stand by sitting down

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:40:00 +0000

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, 42 years old, was arrested in Montgomery, Ala., for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus. The "white" section of the segregated bus was filled, and a white passenger was legally entitled to sit down and make a Black rider stand.

Rosa Parks was not the first to resist segregation on buses, but hers was the case that eventually came to symbolize this phase of the civil rights struggle. The ensuing Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by president of the local NAACP, Edgar Nixon; and by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., lasted more than a year, and was a unifying force for the city's Black community. News of it spread globally, and galvanized the conscience of America. Eventually the U.S. Supreme Court declared the segregation law unconstitutional.

Often portrayed as a humble, ordinary working woman who was simply "tired of giving in," Parks was already politically advanced. She served as secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP, and had prepared for her dramatic but nonviolent action defending workers' rights and racial equality at the Highlander Folk School, a training center in Tennessee.

In later years, from 1965 to 1988, living in Detroit, Parks worked for long-serving John Conyers, an African-American U.S. Representative.

Upon her death in 2005, she was the first woman and second non-U.S. government official to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda. She is permanently honored by a statue in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall, and is featured on a U.S. postage stamp.

AT&T denies sick time pay to older Minnesota employees

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 13:33:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS (PAI and Workday Minnesota) - In a direct contrast to the national movement for paid sick leave and family leave benefits, AT&T is defying Minnesota law by denying sick leave to its longest-serving workers.

That outrage brought a large crowd, led by more than 50 members of the Communications Workers (CWA), to a mass protest outside the corporation's tower in downtown Minneapolis on Nov. 12.

More than 10 senior-tenured AT&T employees have been denied compensation for sick time used to care for relatives, including spouses and parents, a benefit now mandated by Minnesota law.

"It's time for AT&T to stop avoiding its legal obligations to its longtime employees, people who have helped build this company over decades," said Susan Anderson, a 34-year AT&T employee who has been denied payment of sick leave benefits while caring for her husband as he was undergoing treatments for prostate cancer. "AT&T has refused to pay me for the time they owe, and that's wrong."

In Aug. 2013, the Minnesota legislature enacted a new statute, strongly pushed by organized labor, women workers and their organizations, extending personal sick leave benefits so employees with these benefits could use their paid time off to care for an extended array of relatives, including a sibling, parent, spouse or parent-in-law. The law allows for no more than 160 hours in any 12-month period, with employers also allowed to offer additional time at their own choosing.

In June 2014, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry issued a letter to AT&T instructing the corporation to comply with the new state law. Since then, AT&T has ignored the order and continued denying benefits to their most senior employees. (story continues after video)

As a result, many employees who worked with AT&T for over 25 years were denied pay the law allows for while caring for ill or injured relatives, or were forced to use vacation time or non-paid time to provide care. Other long-time employees struggle to find family or friends to provide the care rather than having to fight with AT&T management over compensation.

Deb Derke of Bloomington used earned sick leave to care for her husband after he suffered a heart attack and a stroke, but has yet to be paid for this time, as law stipulates.

"My husband is paralyzed and in a wheelchair most of the time. I had to take a lot of time off to care for him, while worrying about keeping my income coming in and my family cared for. Minnesota state law says I should be compensated for this, and the Minnesota Department of Labor has directed AT&T to comply but so far, they haven't," she said.

Derke said the law went into effect in August 2013 but AT&T did not even acknowledge it until January 2014. And for the past 11 months, AT&T has refused to comply with the law where its senior employees are concerned, refusing compensation for time used.

Don Waalen-Radzevicius of Minneapolis, who has worked with AT&T for over 28 years, said AT&T's non-compliance is hurting far more than those employees who have tried to collect the sick leave compensation they have earned and used.

"There are at least 100 employees who each have 25 or more years of service to AT&T. When seeing the new standards showing sick leave benefits for care of relatives being 'non-applicable' to those in the 25-year bracket, many have been using up vacation time instead. This is a massive problem and AT&T needs to take corrective action immediately," he said.

Photo: Screenshot from video (above)

Labor 2014 celebrates Connecticut election victory

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 13:39:00 +0000

HAMDEN, Conn. - "When we stick together, we win together!" exclaimed Lori Pelletier, executive secretary treasurer of the Connecticut AFL-CIO at a pre-Thanksgiving celebration dinner for Labor 2014 volunteers held at the Operating Engineers hall.

The re-election of Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy defied all odds. His favorability ratings were below 47 percent. He was a top target of Republicans because of the progressive policies enacted during his first term. At the same time early mistakes displeased some union members.

The Malloy administration made a decision to campaign on its record of creating economic progress for working families. The governor also made changes in education policy in response to demands from labor. Families in Newtown took on the NRA and supported the governor for passing strong gun safety legislation. President Obama and Michelle Obama actively campaigned with Malloy.

Most significant was the intensive door knocking campaign, which began in the beginning of the year. The main focus was on the cities which had to turn out big if Malloy were to be re-elected. Unions took the lead in many suburban towns which vote more heavily Republican.

Connecticut continued to buck the national trend on election day as voters returned Gov. Dannel Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman to office, ejecting Republican Tom Foley for the second time.

Foley had said Connecticut needs a "Wisconsin moment" referring to the anti-worker measures by Republican Gov Scott Walker who ended collective bargaining rights for state workers.

Standing up for workers' rights, Malloy signed an order in his first term allowing state home health care and home child care workers to unionize. He initiated the first state-wide raise in the minimum wage to $10.10 and the first state-wide mandatory paid sick leave law. Instead of cutting funds to cities like in Wisconsin, he sent more funds to municipalities, preventing layoff of public workers in the economic crisis.

As well, an Earned Income Tax Credit for low-wage workers and Circuit Breaker tax relief for seniors were enacted, alternative sentencing and other policies have lowered the incarceration rate of African American young men by 40 percent, state pension funds have been shored up, a green bank was established, the Dream Act was signed into law, and the death penalty was repealed.

Unions in the state studied the issues, communicated with their members, and organized hundreds of volunteers. Gun safety, environment, women's rights and grass roots community groups like New Haven Rising whose top issue is jobs also knocked on doors and made sure that voters understood the issues at stake.

During door knocks to union members and their families, volunteers often encountered voters who were confused by the flood of negative ads and media coverage blaming Malloy for Connecticut's poor economy as if there were no national economic weakness. But when the accomplishments won by mass action of raising the minimum wage, paid sick days and funds to cities were brought out, voters began to realize the importance of the election. The union member turnout was significant in putting Malloy over the top.

The celebration dinner featured awards to unions who met and exceeded their goals for involving members in door knocking, phone banks and work-site leafletting. Each union was asked to involve at least one percent of their membership. While many unions succeeded in involving up to five percent of their members includin the largest unions, the top awards were to the Iron Workers who reached ten percent, the Painters who reached 15 percent and the Operating Engineers at 20 percent member involvement.

"We put everything aside and we prevailed in a big way this year," said Melodie Peters, president of AFT Connecticut and executive vice president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, who also announced that 260 technical professional workers at Danbury Hospital had voted to join the union the night before. The election campaign served to strengthen union organizing.

Also announced at the dinner was the successful union election in October by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371 with 175 workers at Auroa Products in Orange.

Voters also re-elected all five Democratic members of Congress and all Constitutional officers. While Republicans picked up several seats in the state legislature, Democrats maintain the majority in the General Assembly.

The new same day voter registration law increased participation. In New Haven, over 1,000 people stood on long lines at City Hall to register and then vote.

During the campaign, many activists committed to continue organizing year round for good jobs, workers' rights and the needs of youth and the cities. Already, the governor has strengthened the Trust Act protecting immigrants with minor violations from being turned over to ICE by the Department of Corrections.

The People's World Amistad Awards to be held on Sunday, December 7 will celebrate the Connecticut election victory and look forward. Awardees include Meg Riccio, chief steward of Local 35 service and maintenance workers at Yale; Alberto Bernandez, area director SEIU 32 BJ union of janitors; Daniel Durant, community organizer for AFT Connecticut. Tickets and information at 203-624-8664.

Photo: The presidents of three unions at L&M hospital rally for Governor Malloy in appreciation of his joining their picket line last year. | Larry Dorman, AFSCME Council 4

Walmart workers start to walk off job nationwide

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:50:00 +0000

Walmart workers-members of OUR Walmart-started striking today in cities across the country, saying they couldn't wait until Black Friday to protest the company's disregard for their rights to speak out for jobs that will let them feed their families. The strikes, which will continue through Black Friday, come days before what are expected to be the largest strikes and protests ever at 1,600 Walmart stores.

The news comes as Americans nationwide are standing up against the vast injustices created by powerful people and institutions. Last night in Washington, DC, hundreds of protestors marched through the city-including peacefully entering Walmart's new store on H Street.

"From Ferguson to Bentonville and across the country, black youth, Walmart workers, and allies are self-organizing to fight back against anti-black police violence and demand respect and dignity at work," said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change. "While it's unacceptable that we live in a world where co-workers must band together to start charity food drives to feed themselves and where black children can be left dead in the streets at the hands of the police; it's inspiring to hear so many people speak truth to power. On Black Friday, thousands will take to the streets and to Walmart to demand better lives. In this new age of participation, the movements for economic justice and police accountability are indivisible because they both exist in the lived experiences of black people who are confronting the systems of power which have brutalized our communities."

Workers in Virginia and Washington, DC are on strike for the first time today and are joined today by workers walking off the job in cities and towns in Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, Maryland, Oregon, Minnesota, California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

"I know I'm risking a lot by going on strike," said Glova Scott, who is paid $10.90 working at the company's new Washington, DC store. "But we cannot continue to let the Waltons and Walmart retaliate against us and ignore our rights when we are calling for wages and hours that will let us feed our kids. Walmart needs to treat us with respect and dignity."

Even as Walmart brings in $16 billion in annual profits and Walmart's owners build on their $150 billion in wealth, the majority of Walmart workers are paid less than $25,000 a year. The workers and their supporters have been calling on the company to pay workers a minimum of $15 an hour and provide consistent, full-time work. Workers at more than 2,200 Walmart stores nationwide have signed a petition calling on Walmart and the Waltons to publicly commit to paying $15 an hour and providing consistent, full-time hours.

Community supporters are reconfirming and increasing their commitments to join workers at protests on Friday. Speaking to Ferguson protestors outside the Washington, DC Walmart last night, Nikki Lewis, executive director of DC Jobs with Justice, said:

"Black Friday is a day when we will all come together to show the power that we have to create real change in this country. On Friday, tens of thousands of Americans like me will join workers to say the days of going to work hungry or struggling to pay bills at a company owned by the richest family in the country must end. Our communities cannot thrive when they are held back from earning a decent living by the biggest corporation in our country."

Supporters of the workers who are striking against Walmart's illegal retaliation - representing millions of Americans - announced a letter last week from 226 organizations sent to company chairman and owner Rob Walton this morning. The letter calls for Walmart to raise pay to $15 an hour and provide consistent, full-time work for its workers; provide working women with good jobs that pay decent wages; and create a workplace that fosters inclusivity, appreciation and understanding.

Walmart workers began speaking out last week about the severe hunger issues that too many of them are facing because they can't afford groceries. A group of workers started sharing their stories on Walmart Hunger Games Tumblr after reading about their co-workers' struggles in a new analysis about Walmart's role in reinforcing the hunger crisis in America.

The Walton family, which controls the Walmart empire, is the richest family in the U.S.-with the wealth of 43 percent of American families combined. While many Walmart workers are unable to feed and clothe their families, the Walton family takes in $8.6 million a day in Walmart dividends alone to build on its $150 billion in wealth. Walmart brings in $16 billion in annual profits.

Growing pressure on the company to raise pay and provide full-time work comes as an increasing number of Americans and Walmart workers point to OUR Walmart as making significant changes at the country's largest retailer. Most recently, after public calls from OUR Walmart, the company committed to raise wages for its lowest paid workers and rolled out a new scheduling system that allows workers to sign up for open shifts.

Photo: AP

Immokalee workers offer powerful “Tale of Two Thanksgivings”

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:08:00 +0000

Before there was Food Chains - the new documentary on the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Campaign for Fair Food, which is playing to rave reviews and sold out theaters around the country - there was A Tale of Two Thanksgivings, first broadcast back in 2012.

And today, like It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, and Miracle on 34th Street, this video short is becoming an annual holiday classic in its own right, a sort of "How the Grinch Stole Thanksgiving" that will play for years to come (or until Publix pulls its head out of the ground and stops pretending that it has no responsibility for generations of farmworker poverty and exploitation in its supply chain).

A Tale of Two Thanksgivings is the CIW's take on Publix's famous holiday commercials - the especially well-crafted series of ads that, as Floridians know, tell a short story about the deep love that we all feel for family at holiday time and subtly, but ever so effectively, bond that love to the Publix brand. Specifically, this commercial was the basis for the CIW's A Tale of Two Thanksgivings.

Strong stuff, right? But now take a moment and watch the CIW's video below. Go ahead, we'll wait...

In the CIW's version of the commercial, after the grandfather gives thanks for the "historic strides toward dignity in the fields" achieved through the Fair Food Program, the young boy asks his grandmother: "Grandma, why won't Publix help to make farmworkers' lives better?" And she responds, "We have asked them to come to the table, for a long time. We know that some day they will."

The Publix version of the ad also pivots around a central question. After talking about all the hard work she has done in the kitchen preparing the Thanksgiving feast for her family over the years, the grandmother asks, "So, after all this time and all these years, is it still worth it?"

Today we would ask Publix that same question. Nearly 15 years after the launch of the Campaign for Fair Food in its own backyard, nearly ten years since the CIW asked Publix - in private letters to company executives - to join Taco Bell in supporting Fair Food, and nearly five years since the public campaign to call on Florida's largest grocer to join the wildly successful Fair Food Program, Publix still refuses to help make farmworkers' lives better.

So, Publix, after all these years of fighting progress, is it still worth it? Is being the hero to the growers who continue to fight long-overdue labor reforms on their farms still worth it? Is standing against the tide of history - like those who stood in the doorways against the integration of public schools leading the lost cause of "Massive Resistance" - still worth it? Is being the standard bearer for a bygone era - of a time before social responsibility, a value almost universally shared among the millennial generation, young consumers who will be buying groceries for their families' Thanksgiving tables for years to come - still worth it?

Love is a powerful emotion. Love for family is undoubtedly the deepest love of all, and Publix is wise to target that emotion in its holiday commercials. There is profit to be made in the commercialization of love. But love is not limited to family alone. Our love for one another, our love for justice, for the dignity of all human beings, are also powerful emotions. Every child knows what's fair and what's not, and it is that fundamental understanding - rooted in our profound love for one another - that has been the force that has bent Dr. King's "arc of the moral universe" toward justice since time immemorial.

It is also that love that drives the Campaign for Fair Food. And so we will not tire - we will never tire - of asking Publix to come to the table. And that's why we know that some day they will. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

This article has been reposed from CIW Online.

Photo: CIW Online

Uncommon crimes of conscience

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 10:47:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES - Earlier this month, two dozen workers, clergy, and other community folks sat down in the aisles of the Walmart store in Pico Rivera, not far from downtown LA, then moved into the streets, where they were promptly arrested. Why would any group of people - much less some not even directly involved in working at Walmart - voluntarily put themselves in a situation they know will lead to their arrest? Because they feel the injustice of minimum wage jobs, whose schedules are unpredictable and deliberately fall just short of offering enough hours to provide health care benefits and paid sick days. These are among other practices that stores like Walmart refuse to rectify.

Without other ways to redress these grievances, people undertake nonviolent civil disobedience. They decide to deliberately break some small law rather than ignore a larger injustice, as Martin Luther King, Jr. argued for during the civil rights movement. They break the law, but they are not criminals, and that is a significant distinction.

People who do civil disobedience want the public to know what happened and why. They even publicize the event. They break the law in public and they do not try to slip away afterwards unnoticed, like those engaged in a common crime. Criminals do not want to be recognized or known for their law-breaking. They want their actions and identities kept secret - whether they are robbing banks or they are banksters bundling subprime loans and pawning them off as hedge fund opportunities.

Furthermore, demonstrators fully expect to be punished for their actions. They actually want people to know what they did, who did it and why. At Walmart workers broke the law sitting in the street in front of the store where they actually work so both customers and co-workers would know exactly who they are. Clergy wore collars to distinguish their presence, hoping it would generate publicity and offer support for workers and encouragement for others to join the demonstration. They were arrested, and they will take whatever penalty they must pay.

People who do civil disobedience also take these actions nonviolently. They pledge themselves to withholding their frustration and anger by acting calmly, treating the store's customers and management with respect, and arresting officers with cooperation. If there is violence - in language or deed - they want it to come from others, not the demonstrators. This commitment to nonviolence can expose and absorb the violence employees experience daily from the practices in the workplace. Of course, criminals are not so discriminating. If threatening or using violence feels necessary to reach their goal, a robber or robber baron never hesitates.

No one practicing nonviolent civil disobedience expects a cause-and-effect result from their action. A stick-up artist or a Ponzi schemer wants one thing now - to get the money and run. People who do civil disobedience hold a strong sense of purpose for their actions, but they do not expect that justice will come because of a one-time arrest or even, perhaps, in their lifetimes. César Chávez used to say there was "more time than life," by which I assumed he meant that these efforts to turn around decades of injustice may take well beyond the time of our life - perhaps requiring generations of effort.

Finally, in the underworld of crime, law-breakers often send others to do the evil deed. Gang members "jump" newbies into the group by sending them on some mission. The honchos of corporate greed direct others to do their dirty work. Not so in a campaign marked by nonviolent civil disobedience. Participants take on the experience of the "other" directly, putting themselves in harm's way. People who choose to do civil disobedience own the risk they take. They deliberately allow themselves to be arrested, put in a jail cell and held at the mercy of institutions beyond their control.

Activists are planning another day of actions at Walmart stores across the country on Black Friday. Again workers will walk out and join an event that may or may not provoke arrests. Again they will be accompanied by community people and clergy. And yes, instead of shopping, they are prepared to spend the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend - maybe even longer - in the custody of police for breaking a small law in order to expose a system that perpetuates injustice on families across the nation. I intend to be at one of those events. You can click here to find a Walmart action near you. Taking part in such a demonstration - whether doing civil disobedience or not - makes for a truly meaningful Thanksgiving.

Photo: OUR Walmart. Reposted with permission by the author and Capital and Main.

Economists weigh in as Walmart Black Friday protests approach

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 10:08:00 +0000

CHICAGO - As the largest Black Friday strikes and protests scheduled for Friday, Nov. 28 rapidly approach, the growing calls for change at Walmart continue. Some 1,600 strikes and protests at Walmart stores are in the works, according to sources close to organizers.

Economists, labor law experts and other professionals are joining the huge number of labor unions and allied groups that are endorsing and planning to join in the protests.

Among them are Robert Reich, former U.S. Labor Secretary.

In a new video on his Facebook page, he outlines how America's richest family could single handedly change the direction of Walmart.

Labor law expert John Logan weighed in with his own remarks in a recent commentary in the Hill: "The tide may be turning against the billion-dollar corporations like Walmart that provide substandard jobs and expect taxpayers to pick up the tab. As a result of escalating protests, international action and community support, workers are finally being heard concerning poverty wages, lack of hours, and erratic scheduling, meager benefits and dead-end jobs."

Carol Joyner of Labor Project for Working Families said that Thanksgiving festivities will not stop her from joining the Black Friday Protests. "I'll gather up my turkey-filled friends and relatives and visit my nearest Walmart. I'll stand outside in solidarity with workers, do some chanting and maybe take some selfies, deliver a memo to the store manager, and contribute to building a fair economy - for us all."

A new report out from Demos, meanwhile, shows big box retailers spent $30 million on elections and lobbying during the 2014 election cycle, almost six times more than they spent in 2000-and overwhelmingly supported Republicans over Democrats. The report finds Walmart is one of the biggest political donors in the country, and its owners, the Waltons, spent a total of $7.3 million in campaign contributions between 2000 and 2014, heavily favoring Republican candidates and PACs. The report, Retail Politics, states: "Walmart is the biggest spender by a wide margin, with $2.4 million in donations through its Political Action Committee (PAC) and individual donations and $12.5 million in lobbying expenses during the 2014 electoral cycle. This political spending is a problem for democracy, because extensive research suggests that the domination of wealth in our political process can significantly effect public policy, and that the priorities of the affluent often diverge from majority opinion. On issues like taxation, economic regulation, Social Security, and the minimum wage the differences can be stark."

David Cooper, an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, says low wages in retail across the board and Black Friday deals are connected and why taxpayers should be concerned.

"There's robust research showing that the exceedingly low wages paid by some large retailers," he said, "significantly depresses wages at similar competing firms.

"There are certainly retailers that provide high quality jobs, but the data show that far too often retailers are paying wages that are woefully inadequate to live on. So long as companies can get away with paying unlivable wages, the American taxpayer is getting a bad deal. The savings may seem great on Black Friday, but we're effectively paying extra all year long."

Photo: AP

Today in labor history: American Federation of Labor gets new president

Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:17:00 +0000

On Nov. 25, 1952, and following the death four days prior of William Green, George Meany became the new president of the American Federation of Labor. His first official act was, in fact, to merge the AFL with the CIO, a task which took three years to complete. His efforts became fruitful in December 1955 with a joint convention in New York City that merged the two federations to form the AFL-CIO that workers know today. Once formed, the new federation had 15 million members.

Meany died of cardiac arrest on Jan. 10, 1980, and was called "an American institution" and a "patriot" by then-president Jimmy Carter. In 1994, Meany was featured on a U.S. commemorative postage stamp, which was issued on the 100th anniversary of his birthdate.

Los Angeles-Long Beach port truckers again forced to strike

Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:11:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES-LONG BEACH (PAI) - Short-haul truckers at the nation's largest port, Los Angeles-Long Beach, again had to strike over terrible working conditions and employer exploitation, starting November 14. The strike spread to railroads that feed the port.

The truckers called the strike against two of the big firms that hire them to serve the port, where they take loads away from the docks to inland warehouses. The truckers demand that the firms, drayage companies Pac9 and TTSI, treat them and pay them as "employees," not as "independent contractors."

Making the workers employees would let the Teamsters organize them under labor law, and open the way to economic gains. The drivers also demand an end to company harassment, intimidation and use of union-busters.

The L.A.-Long Beach port drivers are one of many groups of low-wage workers nationwide - Walmart workers, warehouse workers, fast-food workers, restaurant workers - who launched mass movements for decent wages, working conditions and the right to organize without employer interference. Unions, led by the Teamsters, the Service Employees and the AFL-CIO, aid those movements.

The truckers say that making them employees would protect them legally and give them leverage to demand "a fair wage for every hour worked," including company-mandated waiting time. As employees, the firms could not force drivers to shoulder business expenses - such as diesel fuel, insurance and repairs. "And it would end wage theft," the drivers said.

The drivers also demand coverage under basic U.S. workplace protections, such as safety and health rules, disability insurance, workers comp and unemployment insurance. Under federal law, firms do not have to pay workers comp, Social Security or jobless insurance for "independent contractors."

The drivers took their strike to the ports' intermodal rail yards on November 19, the Teamsters reported. Two carriers, Pacer Cartage and Harbor Rail Transport (HRT), dispatch the ports' cargo to and from warehouses and distribution centers nationwide.

The port drivers followed non-participating trucks from Pacer and HRT to customer locations, including the rail yards, and picketed the trucks working there, the union said. The day before, truckers at three other L.A.-Long Beach port firms, QTS Inc., LACA Express, and WinWin Logistics, joined the drivers' strike, for the reasons the other truckers cited.

"We are sick of being trampled upon and mistreated," Humberto Canales, a misclassified Pacer "independent contractor," told the union. "We are joining the fight and coming out of the shadows to demand our rights as employees to provide a better future for our families."

Added Harbor Rail driver Alfredo Reyes: "These companies have gotten away with this scam for too long. It's time to make a change," added Harbor Rail driver Alfredo Reyes.

"The fight in Long Beach is ground zero for ending wage theft," said Teamsters Vice President Fred Potter. "We see the change: Public officials are calling companies to tell them to comply with the law. We, the 1.4 million members of the Teamsters, stand behind these port drivers."

Photo: Truckers in Los Angeles-Long Beach walk a picket line at the port after being forced to strike, again, protesting their classification as "independent contractors" and exploitation by trucking firms. The walkout spread to intermodal railroads serving the port. Teamsters photo via PAI Photo Service.

NLRB nominee McFerran pledges judicial attitude; panel to vote after Thanksgiving

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 12:49:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (PAI) - Seeking to sidetrack Republican grumbling over what the GOP says is the pro-union slant of the National Labor Relations Board, Lauren McFerran, President Obama's latest nominee to an NLRB seat, pledged she'll bring a judicial attitude to the five-member panel.

The grumbling and responses came at a Nov. 20 Senate Labor Committee hearing on her nomination. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the panel's retiring chairman - and McFerran's current boss - said the committee would vote on her nod after Thanksgiving.

Obama nominated McFerran, now the committee's Chief Labor Counsel, to replace current NLRB member Nancy Schiffer, whose term expires Dec. 16. If Schiffer leaves, with no replacement, the board would be split 2-2 in partisan terms.

Democrats, led by Harkin, supported McFerran, asked general questions, or lamented that GOP obstructionism derailed a prior Obama nominee, Sharon Block. Republicans who attended, Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., were another matter.

Each tried to get McFerran to commit herself on a specific hot issue. She politely declined.

Alexander - who will chair the committee when the GOP takes Senate control on Jan. 3 - raised the issue of whether student-athletes are "employees" organizable under labor law, as the board's regional director in Chicago ruled in a case involving Northwestern University football players. Alexander's against it, and says that making them employees would destroy intercollegiate athletics. The NLRB is currently considering the case.

Burr asked her opinion on whether big franchising firms like McDonald's are jointly responsible with their franchise holders -local restauranteurs - for obeying labor law.

NLRB General Counsel Richard Griffin decided earlier this year, in a case pro-worker advocates brought against McDonald's, that in many cases, the franchising corporation and the local franchise-holder are jointly responsible for obeying labor law at a franchise outlet. That could stop franchising in its tracks, Burr claimed.

"The job of the board is to interpret and implement the law as fairly and as efficiently as possible," McFerran said in prepared testimony. "My role model in this work" will not be lawmakers whom she served on Capitol Hill but Carolyn Dineen King, the former chief judge of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. McFerran clerked for King. Clerks are judges' top aides.

"King was a rule of law judge, first, last and always," McFerran explained. "She never wanted a particular outcome in any case. What she wanted us to do as clerks was to help her get the answer right. That is the attitude and approach I would take if confirmed to the board."

Photo: Andrew Samis/We Are Ohio

Walmart workers sound alarm on hunger issues, announce Black Friday plans

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 12:41:00 +0000

Walmart workers - part of OUR Walmart-announced key cities today where they plan to strike on Black Friday in protest of the company's illegal silencing of workers who have stood up for better jobs. As workers and their supporters finalize plans for the biggest Black Friday mobilization ever, they said the largest strikes and protests will be in Baker, La.; Chicago, Il.; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif.; Tampa, Fla; Minneapolis, Minn.; Bay Area, Calif.; Sacramento, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; Washington, DC; and Denver, Colo.

"The fight against income inequality in this country starts at Walmart," said Brooke Anderson of Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project. "As climate justice organizations, we are proud to stand with Walmart workers this Black Friday to speak out for the fair pay and the respect workers deserve and for a sustainable economy that protects the environment and supports working families."

Supporters - representing millions of Americans - announced a letter from 226 organizations sent to company chairman and owner Rob Walton this morning. The letter calls for Walmart to raise pay to $15 an hour and provide consistent, full-time work for its workers; provide working women with good jobs with decent wages; and create a workplace that fosters inclusivity, appreciation and understanding.

Citing Walmart's $16 billion in annual profits and Walmart's owners-the Waltons-$150 billion in wealth, supporters say the Waltons can choose to pay workers enough to cover their groceries. The majority of Walmart workers are paid less than $25,000 a year.

Walmart workers began speaking out this week about the severe hunger issues that many of them are facing because they can't afford groceries. A group of workers started sharing their stories on Walmart Hunger Games Tumblr this morning after reading about their co-workers struggles in a new analysis about Walmart's role in reinforcing the hunger crisis in America.

The report, Walmart's Hunger Games - How America's Largest Employer and Richest Family Worsen the Hunger Crisis, illustrates the role companies like Walmart have in reinforcing low pay and forced part-time work that keeps working families from being able to afford groceries. The report comes days after Oxfam America released a new report that finds millions of working families struggling to provide enough food for their households, due to persistent low wages.

"When I have no money left over for food I have to dig through my cabinets looking for old, non-perishable items just so I can eat something, anything," said Walmart worker Cantare Davunt of Apple Valley, Minn., who just applied for food stamps. "I dream of being able to fill my refrigerator with fresh fruits and vegetables and eating hot, healthy dinners. But I go to bed hungry sometimes."

As workers walked off the job yesterday in Ohio, community members brought food for the strikers and called the Waltons' low pay shameful. Walmart worker La'Randa Jackson of Cincinnati, Ohio sent Walmart heiress Alice Walton a letter this morning explaining the severity of her hunger issues and rejected the family's charity efforts.

She writes:

"I skip a lot of meals. The most important thing is food for the babies, then my younger brothers. Then, if there's enough, my mom and I can eat...Ms. Walton, my co-workers and I don't want your food bins. We work hard and we don't want your charity. We want you and your family to improve pay and hours for Walmart workers like me so that we can buy our own groceries."

To date, workers at more than 2,100 Walmart stores nationwide have signed a petition calling on Walmart and the Waltons to publicly commit to paying $15 an hour and providing consistent, full-time hours.

Photo: Mel Evans/AP

Walmart fueling hunger crisis in America

Thu, 20 Nov 2014 10:56:00 +0000

CHICAGO - In a report released today, just nine days before workers are planning Black Friday protests at more than 1,000 Walmarts, Michele Simon - a public health attorney who runs Eat Drinks Politics and a national expert on food insecurity - details how the country's largest employer is contributing to the hunger crisis in the United States.

The report, Walmart's Hunger Games - How America's Largest Employer and Richest Family Worsen the Hunger Crisis, illustrates the role companies like Walmart play in reinforcing low pay and forced part-time work that keeps working families from being able to afford groceries. The report comes days after Oxfam America released a new report that finds millions of working families struggling to provide enough food for their households, due to persistent low wages.

An article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer this morning notes that "many Walmart workers serve as poster children for food insecurity because their low pay doesn't allow them to adequately feed their families."

The report the article refers to includes interviews with several Walmart workers, including La'Randa Jackson, from Cincinnati. She says: "I skip a lot of meals. The most important thing is food for the babies, then my younger brothers. Then, if there's enough, my mom and I eat."

The Eat Drink Politics report finds that "in the U.S. today, the fastest growing job sector is low-wage retail jobs, with one in every 10 retail employees working at Walmart. With its size and reach, Walmart's pay and other practices set the standard for the retail industry and drive down pay in other industries as well.

The report further notes that "Walmart's low wages and poor benefits frequently result in workers turning to a variety of public assistance programs. A recent report by Americans for Tax Fairness estimated the cost to taxpayers of Walmart workers' reliance on public assistance is $6.2 billion a year.

"In addition to paying workers so little that many rely on public assistance, Walmart and the Waltons are building their wealth with income from food stamps. In 2013, Walmart reported that it captured 18 percent of all food stamp spending, estimated to be $13.5 billion."

It is findings such as these that explain some of the new advertising campaigns recently launched by the giant retailer. The campaigns are designed to deflect attention from Walmart's disgraceful treatment of its own workers.

One such series of ads, in an incredibly ironic twist, shows how Walmart is supporting anti-hunger programs this year, programs necessitated in large part by its own payment of starvation wages. Making the the irony even crueler, rather than just donating to food banks, Walmart made a game out of its giving. In order to "win" Walmart's funds, food banks had to compete, essentially pitting hungry families in different parts of the country against each other.

The report indicates that In the United States, 49 million individuals suffer from hunger, including 15.8 million children. In the last three years, the number of participants in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program grew by 42 percent to more than 47 million Americans. The growth in SNAP eligibility is not just due to people who can't find work, but also because many people are underemployed or in jobs where they are paid too little to cover their own food costs.

Last year, when Walmart workers in Ohio shared a photo of a food collection in their store for Walmart workers while the company was turning record profits it caused a firestorm of protests around the country their workers were going hungry.

Photo: Protesters commit civil disobedience at Alice Walton's apartment building in NYC in push for higher wages at Walmart. Twitter, courtesy of Think Progress

Social Security workers launch campaign vs. budget cuts

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 15:36:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (PAI) - Saying that their declining numbers and rising millions of recipients who need assistance translate into poorer service, the workers who run Social Security are launching a campaign against future budget cuts.

Led by Witold Skwierczynski, President of the National Council of Social Security Field Locals - the Government Employees sector that represents the 25,000 field workers in the system - the unionists and their allies want the Democratic Obama administration to reverse $3 billion in budget cuts over the last three years.

The net impact, speakers told a kickoff forum in the Capitol on November 18, is that some 4,800 Social Security workers left the agency in the last three years - and have not been replaced. And if the budget keeps declining, speakers warned that another 11,000, most of them veteran, will retire. They also made those points in a letter to Obama's budget office.

Retaining Social Security's workers is even more important to the 54 million Social Security recipients and the 165 million people who now pay into the system, which is the base of U.S. retirement, as well as of payments to the disabled, speakers said.

Workers in the agency's 1,250 field offices, whom Skwierczynski represents, fielded 43 million visits last year and fielded 68 million phone calls, along with 53 million calls to the agency's toll-free number. "The field offices are the living heart of the agency," said Max Richtman, president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.

But rather than adding workers, Social Security is responding to the increasing workload by urging people to first use the Internet website MySocialSecurity, acting commissioner Carolyn Colvin, whom Obama has nominated for the permanent job, told the crowd.

Skwierczynski and others said that's no substitute for personal contact, where a Social Security worker can help recipients make good financial choices for themselves. Using the Internet locks in mistakes, he said.

"As a union, we have traditionally gone to Congress to get them to address customer service - not concentrating on the web, but on levels of staffing and ways the job is conducted," he explained. "But the Social Security Administration is struggling to fulfill its mandate" due to the budget cuts, he added.

Those cuts were not only in regular budgets, but due to sequestration, the GOP-mandated budget trims to federal programs, speakers said. So the agency "decided to do a hiring freeze, closed field offices and closed 500 contact stations," said Skwierczynski. Those are smaller offices in rural areas, for example, staffed once a week or once a month.

The result is less personal contact, clients who can't get help or must travel dozens of miles for it, and often, less access for poor clients, who need Social Security workers' aid the most, added Skwierczynski.

"As an example, there was one office closed on Ketchikan Island in Alaska. The clients would have had to fly to Juneau for service - and that's virtually impossible."

But unless Congress acts soon to override sequestration, or if there are more budget cuts, there would be more cuts in service, speakers warned. Already, only half of the callers to the toll-free number get through, and waits for appointments stretch into months.

That gloomy future is sending Skwierczynski and his members out to visit lawmakers, with an emphasis on visiting newly elected solons, he told Press Associates Union News Service after the session.

"We're also telling them (workers) to talk to their families, their friends, the people they know, their clubs, their churches, to educate the public" on the decline in personalized Social Security service, and what to do about it. "A lot of this stuff is under the radar," he commented.

AFGE, the parent union for Skwierczynski's sector, is also launching a Running Point ad campaign to get city councils and state legislatures to send resolutions to Congress supporting retaining Social Security field offices and workers and increasing the budget for them. And AFGE will put a "Save Social Security" petition on its website, Skwierczynski said.

The Social Security workers already have strong advocates among veteran lawmakers, led by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, which helps dole out federal funds.

Mikulski, a former social worker who addressed the November 18 session, urged participants to get out and campaign to keep the personal service Social Security workers provide to recipients.

The sponsor of the session, the non-partisan Save Social Security Coalition, also released a poll showing an overwhelming majority of the U.S. believes they should be able to easily call or visit a Social Security field office to get their problems and payments worked out.

For example, one-third of the 1,207 registered voters surveyed said they want to call a local phone number to discuss, with a live agent, what to do when approaching retirement. Another quarter said they want to visit Social Security offices in person to discuss that issue, while 21 percent more said they want to dial a toll-free 800 number to speak to a live agent.

The poll showed similar numbers for people actually applying for Social Security benefits. And 86 percent "want more or the same number of Social Security field offices in the future," the poll adds. That gives backers of the Social Security field workers support.

"After all, you've got 80 percent of the country on your side," co-chair Nancy Altman told PAI. "Now, we've got to convince the elite - the bosses."

Photo: AP

Today in labor history: Joe Hill executed

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 15:03:00 +0000

On November 19, 1915, labor leader and songwriter Joe Hill was executed in Utah on what many believe was a framed charge of murder. Before he died he declared: "Don't waste any time mourning. Organize."

In 1914, immigrant Swedish-American labor activist Joe Hill was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by firing squad, igniting an international controversy. Many believed Hill was condemned for his association with the Industrial Workers of the World-the radical Wobblies.

In 2011 Jim Lane of People's World reviewed the book "The Man Who Never Died. The Life, Times, and Legacy of Joe Hill, American Labor Icon," by William M. Adler. In the review Lane wrote:

Nowhere is the romance of the Industrial Workers of the World more beautifully told than in the life and songs of its greatest troubadour, Joe Hill. This book carefully catalogues everything that is known about his life and death, but adds much more. The spirit of the labor's battles 1901-1915, especially in the West, is examined and exalted. The contribution of IWW volunteers to the Mexican revolution in Baja California is included. The author takes great pains to settle the question that previous biographies and one movie skirted, "Was Joe Hill guilty of the murder for which he was executed?"

Adler asserts that Hill was no murderer. He goes over the prosecution's circumstantial case, carefully explains the errors made by the defense (particularly Hill's own cavalier mindset), catalogues the tricks and outrights lies circulated by the capitalist media, and then goes much further. He demonstrates that a much stronger circumstantial case could have been made against another likely suspect, a career criminal who had been in the area of the crime and may have had the motive for murder that Joe Hill clearly lacked.

For many readers, such painstaking arguments may not really be necessary. I would have been convinced by one sentence on page 340, "Hill's body had yet to be cremated, in fact his pulse was barely gone, when [Utah] Governor Spry formally and unambiguously declared class war on the Industrial Workers of the World." Adler goes on to talk about the nationwide witch-hunt, formally joined by President Wilson and the federal government as World War I began, that effectively suppressed labor's most robust organization of the time.

Some readers may take issue with Adler's total advocacy of his subject and the Industrial Workers of the World. Those who might accept the view that the IWW was and is perfect might be cautioned to study strategies and tactics more carefully, but no one ever can take away from the sheer honest bravery that Joe Hill and his organization did and does exemplify. Just as the song says,

"From San Diego, up to Maine

In every mine and mill

Where working folks defend their rights

It's there you'll find Joe Hill. It's there you'll find Joe Hill."

Photo: Joe Hill, Public Domain

Ahead of Black Friday, Walmart workers brief Capitol Hill lawmakers

Wed, 19 Nov 2014 13:13:00 +0000

WASHINGTON - Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D, Mass., Rep. George Miller, D,Calif., and legislative experts held a committee briefing today, titled Walmart and the Economic Insecurity of American Families. Only a week before Black Friday job actions that are expected at more than 1,000 Walmart stores nationwide the lawmakers heard from members of OUR Walmart on how the country's largest employer is creating an economic crisis for working families in America.

"I was glad to join Walmart employees today to support efforts to push back against practices by Walmart and other big corporations that make it hard for working families to make ends meet," said Warren. "Hardworking men and women across the country want a fighting chance to build a future for themselves and their families. We need to give workers this chance by raising the minimum wage, providing some basic fairness in scheduling, and fighting for equal pay for equal work."

"Walmart's shoddy business model is singlehandedly wreaking havoc on American families across the country and making it impossible for hundreds of thousands of workers to have a shot at the American Dream," said Miller, senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. "America's workers and their families deserve better than they're getting from Walmart today-they deserve higher wages, less erratic schedules, and equal pay regardless of their gender. The courage of Walmart workers who are engaged in sit-down strikes to protest the company's illegal silencing of workers who have called for better jobs and full-time work is essential to creating real change."

At the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee briefing, Walmart workers discussed how Walmart's low pay, manipulation of scheduling and illegal threats to workers have created a new norm across industries that makes it nearly impossible for workers to hold down second jobs, arrange child care, go to school or manage health conditions.

"With Walmart's low-wages and hectic schedules, too many Walmart workers are left on the edge of poverty. But all too often when we stand up, Walmart tries to silence us. Just days before I planned to participate in our first sit-down strike in LA, Walmart fired me for speaking up for better wages and hours, but I'm still fighting today because my former colleagues like Fatmata Jabbie and Cantare Davunt deserve better," said Evelin Cruz, former Walmart employee and OUR Walmart member.

The briefing highlighted the Schedules That Work Act, Fair Minimum Wage Act and Paycheck Fairness Act-legislation that would force the company to improve its pay and hours for hundreds of thousands of American workers. Legislative experts including Carol Joyner of the Labor Project for Working Families, Amy Traub of Demos and Carrie Gleason of the Center for Popular Democracy joined the elected officials and Walmart associates on the panel to discuss the need for legislative action to set a new standard at the country's largest employer.

The action from elected officials comes as an increasing number of Americans and Walmart workers point to OUR Walmart as making significant changes at the country's largest retailer. Most recently, after public calls from OUR Walmart, the company committed to raise wages for its lowest paid workers and rolled out a new scheduling system that allows workers to sign up for open shifts. To date, workers at more than 2,100 Walmart stores nationwide have signed a petition calling on Walmart and the Waltons to publicly commit to paying $15 an hour and providing consistent, full-time hours.

"In three short years, OUR Walmart has grown to a powerful, national network that is making big changes at the country's largest employer," said Cantare Davunt, a Walmart customer service manager and OUR Walmart member during the briefing today. "But more needs to be done. Legislative action would have a huge impact, but Walmart can lead the way now by adopting policies that give us the schedules and pay we need."

The briefing comes before next week's Black Friday nationwide strikes. Tens of thousands of workers, teachers, voters, clergy, environmentalists, and civil rights leaders will join workers at more than 1,600 protests, speaking out against retaliation and calling on Walmart and the Walton family to publicly commit to $15 an hour and provide full-time work.

Photo: Sen. Warren and Rep. Miller. Making Change at Walmart

AMC Loews theatre didn't pay janitors for months

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:43:00 +0000

BOSTON - If you need proof that America has a problem with wage theft, look no further than the AMC Loews movie theater in downtown Boston. Several years ago, six janitors contracted to work at the theater hadn't been paid for their work in months. When they finally spoke up, the contracting company fired them all.

Nationwide, wage theft costs workers billions of dollars every year. After joining the Chelsea Collaborative in assisting the AMC Loews workers, the Greater Boston Labor Council, Community Labor United and their allies were able to win more than $29,000 in back wages for the workers. After the settlement, the GBLC and CLU decided that more action was needed, so they launched a campaign to fight for an end to wage theft in the city of Boston. They found an outspoken ally in Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who had been the former head of the Boston Metropolitan Building Trades Council prior to his election in 2013. After months of hard work, negotiation and collaboration, Walsh passed one of the strongest wage theft executive orders in the country in late October.

"Right now, too many workers are on their own when faced with wage theft," said Darlene Lombos, executive director of Community Labor United, a coalition of community and labor organizations. "This ordinance will allow Mayor Walsh, Boston's progressive community and labor movement to fight for our most vulnerable residents and tackle the issue of income inequality head-on. Wage theft is rampant, but now we can even the playing field with another tool to root out employers who are cheating workers out of their hard-earned wages."

Companies who refuse to pay their workers often use the excuse that they don't have the money at the moment to pay in full-or at all. The wage theft executive order calls their bluff by requiring any city contractor bidding on a contract to purchase a wage bond for one year-an insurance policy that ensures they have the money to pay their workers.

Any company currently in a contract with the city cannot have had any reported violations in the past three years; if so, they also are required to buy a wage bond. In addition to withholding wages, the ordinance counts violations such as nonpayment of overtime pay and paying workers less than the minimum wage. Contractors also are held accountable for the behavior of their subcontractors, extending additional protection to workers who would otherwise have been ineligible for back pay.

"Wage theft is a far bigger problem than street and highway robberies, convenience store robberies, bank robberies and gas station robberies combined," said Rich Rogers, executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council. "In Boston, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the city's progressive and labor communities, paired with courageous leadership from Mayor Walsh, perpetrators of this crime will finally face the consequences of their actions."

Rich Rogers is the Greater Boston Labor Council executive secretary-treasurer, and Darlene Lombos is the executive director of Community Labor United. The above article and photo appeared in the AFL-CIO Now Blog.

Wave of Black Friday protests expected to flood Walmarts next week

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:45:00 +0000

Walmart workers are planning protests at well over a thousand stores across the nation next week on Black Friday, Nov. 28, the busiest shopping day of the year. The national wave of protests, which could be the biggest yet to hit the giant retailer, comes on the heels of last week's first sit down strikes in Walmart's history. Some 23 workers were arrested last week during those strikes in Los Angeles.

One of the workers arrested, giving just her first name, Denise, said she has worked for Walmart for the past eight years despite having been "harassed and intimidated all the time." She proudly said the reason she took direct action and arrest is that she wanted, "to be part of history." She wanted to be, "one of the first to stand up to Walmart by sitting down."

Tiffany, a four-year Walmart veteran, travelled from Sacramento to participate in last Thursday's direct action. "Everyone was very supportive: more than one associate said, 'Thank you for what you are doing.'" Store management was apparently caught completely off guard to see protesters peacefully sitting inside the store, but "they were not aggressive or mean to us," Tiffany said. On the contrary, she noted, "I think they really understood what we were doing."

Chuckling slightly, Denise said that "a lot of workers just stared at us: they were in shock." Given Walmart's history of intimidation, bullying, and harassment of front line workers, for many it was an act of bravery even to give the protesters a thumbs up. Denise recalled the broad support they received: "Even customers said, 'We support you, we support you, keep it up.'" Her voice swelled with emotion as she recalled: "I wanted to cry, but I kept my composure."

Walmart workers like Denise and Tiffany, organized under the Our Walmart banner, are fighting for $15 an hour and full-time work. The average associate, says Tiffany, is fed up "living paycheck to paycheck [while] working for the wealthiest company in the world." Last year alone, Walmart reported $129 billion in profits.

Supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers, Our Walmart's primary demand is for respect on the job. On November 28, Black Friday, Walmart workers expect that their fight for dignity and fair wages will be on the national stage. Protests and direct actions are planned at 1,600 Walmart locations nationwide.

Although specifics are not being given away by organizers, it appears that the days of protesting only outside the stores are over. From now on action that takes place inside the stores seems to be the way many workers want to go.

Darlene Macleod, UFCW 2's Director of Organizing in Kansas City, says that on Black Friday the goal is to raise awareness about the working conditions "within the walls of Walmart. What we want to do is to reach working America: we are not against [someone] getting a television for $200 less, we are against Walmart paying people $6,000 less a year than they need to live on."

Citing the fact that it is the public who subsidizes Walmart's profitability by providing public assistance to Walmart workers who cannot otherwise make ends meet, Macleod said, "Once the public becomes aware of this, Walmart loses their edge." Referring to Walmart's corporate logo, Macleod said: "A yellow smiley face only goes so far."

Cautious of alerting the retail giant of their plans for Black Friday, Our Walmart remains understandably vague on the details of their plan for Black Friday. Rumors of increased direct action abound, including shutting down key intersections in major U.S. cities on the busiest shopping day of the year. What is certain is that the bravery shown by 23 Walmart workers in Los Angeles last week marks an escalation in the fight of 1.4 million American workers for a living wage, and for respect.

Photo: Organization United for Respect. Facebook.

Today in labor history: Atlanta workers engage in sit-down strike

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:12:00 +0000

On this day in 1936, workers at the General Motors plant in Atlanta, Georgia participated in a sit-down strike, which was part of a greater ongoing wave of labor organizing during the 1930s. The goal of the demonstration was to receive union representation by the United Auto Workers.

But the Atlanta GM plant was only the first to be struck, with followup strikes taking place at the Kansas City, Mo. and Cleveland, Ohio Fisher Body plants, on Dec. 19 and 26 that year, respectively. But the most famous strike was the one in Flint, Mich. on Dec. 30, and it continued into the following year.

Photo: The Flint, Michigan strike - the larger counterpart to the strike that occurred in Atlanta on this day in labor history. Sheldon Dick/Wikipedia & Library of Congress (CC)

South Bay labor charts course for post-election struggles

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 12:57:00 +0000

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Despite some election setbacks, the mood at the meeting of the South Bay Labor Council AFL-CIO here was positive. "We need to advance our own agenda," regardless of who is in the mayor's seat, declared Executive Officer Ben Field.

Labor in San Jose has faced major challenges from an unfriendly majority on the City Council led by outgoing Mayor Chuck Reed. Two years ago, the council broke off negotiations with city unions over pensions, opting instead to put a pension-slashing measure, known as Measure B, before city voters. Faced by the threat of massive cuts to city services if the measure failed, San Jose voters approved it by a 70 percent majority. Some of its provisions were tossed out in court, while others remain in litigation.

The Labor Council went all out to elect a labor-friendly City Council this year. At the head of its slate was former City Councilmember and current Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, who has a long history of progressive activism.

He pledged to stop litigating on Measure B and seek a settlement with city unions. His opponent, Sam Liccardo, who had strongly supported Measure B and was heavily supported by the Chamber of Commerce and high-tech moguls, promised to keep fighting in court to implement as much of Measure B as possible. The Council also supported candidates for four city council seats up for election this year.

"Election results are not everything we had hoped," admitted Field. "We did everything we could to win the mayor's race, and fell about 3,000 votes short [out of about 180,000 votes cast]. He pointed out that "we were swimming against a very stiff tide, the conservative electorate voting in this race." Voter turnout in California was only 32 percent, well below even the meager 36 percent turnout nationwide. And low turnout meant that older, more fiscally conservative voters weighed in more heavily than others who would likely have voted on labor's side.

Despite the setback with the mayor's race, Field said, there were quite a few bright spots. The incoming mayor, unlike his predecessor, does not have a governing majority with him and may not be able to cobble one together; two of the four council candidates endorsed by the Labor Council won. In other races, pro-labor progressives were elected to several city councils and other public offices in the area. In one of the most significant victories, a union-supported candidate for the Santa Clara County Board of Education won against an incumbent associated with charter schools whose campaign was heavily bankrolled by corporate interests. This was in line with the statewide victory of the incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, a solid friend of teachers and their unions who faced a massively funded challenge from charter school proponent and former Wall Street executive Marshall Tuck.

Field pointed out, and the delegates to the Council, judging from the ensuring discussion, clearly agreed, that labor had decide on what it wants from Liccardo and the new city council in no more than a month and a half, before the new mayor takes office and moves to set his own agenda. He pledged that the Council would meet, probably in December, to analyze the election results and develop a course of action going forward.

Labor Council Political Director Dennis Raj praised the volunteer commitment of union members in the election. Labor volunteers contacted 70,000 voters by phone or door knocking. "We were able to get to a draw," he commented, "with an opponent who had hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Chamber of Commerce, hundreds of thousands from high-tech executives, and hundreds of thousands from his own fundraising. We don't have that kind of money, but we have the people power."

In other business, the Council voted unanimously to send a letter to the President urging him to stop deportations and take other executive action in the interest of undocumented workers. It also approved a strike sanction for the IUE Local 1201, which represents engineers at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, who are seeking parity with other IUE-represented hotels, conditional upon the agreement of UNITEHERE, which represents the other workers at the hotel. With that, and with announcements of labor actions at local Walmarts on Black Friday, the Council clearly showed that labor here is ready for action in the post-election period.

Photo: The South Bay Labor Council is fighting to save the jobs of Intel workers whom a contractor for the company plans to lay off just before Thanksgiving, in the area.

After tough election, labor leaders say unions are here to stay

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:05:00 +0000

CHICAGO - Just weeks after many Republicans were swept into office three of the nation's top labor leaders declared at a public forum here Nov. 13 that unions are ready to fight what they expect will be a renewed nationwide assault on workers' rights.

"What happened in this election," Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO declared, "is that the vast majority of the voters stayed home." He attributed the massive stay-away to widespread disgust with falling wages, fear of the uncertain in both foreign and domestic affairs, a flat or declining standard of living and serious problems in the messaging that came form both major political parties. "The Republicans blamed everything on President Obama and there was no real message coming from the Democrats either," Trumka said.

He warned that the GOP should not interpret the results as "any kind of mandate for their policies," pointing out that when given the chance to vote on specific issues, "people voted overwhelmingly for hikes in the minimum wage. When polled they were overwhelmingly against any cuts in Medicare and Social Security."

Trumka was joined by Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers and by Eliseo Medina, former SEIU secretary-tresurer and currently a leader in the national fight for comprehensive immigration reform. The event was a forum sponsored here by the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics.

Gerard said the election results should also be blamed on "the record amount of dark money poured into the Republican campaigns. They, the Koch brothers and their like spent four and a half billion buying this election," Gerard said. "That's a record."

Trumka said the labor movement "can usually be counted upon for 25 percent of the vote. That usual 25 percent went down to 18 percent. Still," he noted, "the fact that 18 percent of the voters were union members puts our participation in the election ahead of our percentage in the overall population."

Nationally, only 11 percent of the workforce is unionized.

Trumka noted that because of the small size of the labor movement, unions cannot alone carry on the fight to defend workers rights and turn the country around. "This is why we are fully engaging with our allies in the community," he said. "Our values and what we stand for are in sync with the majority of Americans. We want to build a permanent coalition on as many issues as possible together with other groups," he added. Trumka noted that current efforts to build lasting coalitions with allies differ from past efforts by unions "which were directed at forming temporary alliances on single issues rather than ongoing coalitions around a number of concerns we all have."

Some in the crowd at the University of Chicago last Thursday questioned the enormous amount of effort unions have been putting into the fight for immigration reform. "Wouldn't it be better if we just froze all immigration for the time being, until the job situation improves?," one participant asked.

"That is not the way to deal with the problem we have," Medina said. "There are millions who are now here with their families. Their immigration status is being used to deny them their rights and this brings down conditions for all workers in the country."

"As long as I am president of the AFL-CIO," Trumka said, "our fight is going to be for full rights for immigrants. That is the only way unscrupulous employers can be prevented from playing immigrant workers against native born. It's the only way to resolve the problem."

Gerard said that when President Obama acts soon by executive order, to provide relief for perhaps millions of undocumented workers, "we [the labor movement] are going to have to get behind him and support him; the Republican attacks on him will be unrelenting," Gerard warned.

Trumka vowed that unions will continue their battle for civil rights on every front.

"We were down in Ferguson right away," he said. "During the last pesidential elections we made it clear that the one totally unacceptable reason for not voting for Barack Obama was that he was black. Equally, it would be unacceptable not to vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman."

Gerard said that there is work to be done yet in the area of increasing workers' understanding of major economic issues.

"People need to know, for example," that when the Republicans talk about the 'free market' they are talking about something that doesn't exist. No markets are free. They all have rules, it's only a question of who makes the rules for whom."

Trumka followed up on that theme: "People need to know, for example, that it was Milton Friedman from this university who first developed the extreme free market shock capitalism model and that it was no accident where he applied it first - in Chile where it resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and economic disaster that continues on some levels today."

He was referring to the right-wing economic policies instituted under the Washington-backed military coup that resulted in the death of elected socialist President Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973.

Photo: An example of the type of ongoing coalition between labor, civil rights, and community groups that union leaders are talking about. Moral Monday Facebook page