unionnews

Steelworkers, Cooper Tire Reach Tentative Agreement

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:52:59 +0000

This just in: There is now a tentative agreement between the United Steelworkers (USW) and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., with a vote expected on Monday.

Workers at Cooper Tire, who have been locked out of the Findlay, Ohio, plant for two months, and locked-out workes at Crystal Sugar, are part of this week’s 1,000-mile Journey for Justice across America’s heartland to highlight the corporate greed that marks their lockouts, and the growing drive by corporate CEOs to drive down wages and benefits to pad their own pockets.

Remembering Local 21 Member, Ron Dalgarno

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:59:18 +0000

Harry and Ron: This candid photo of Harry Bridges embracing Dalgarno was one of Ron’s favorite pictures. Also pictured here from left to right are Martin Jugum, Ray Rhinehart and Dick Erickson.

The ILWU Local 21 hall in Longview was packed on January 21st with friends and family who gathered together to remember Ron Dalgarno, a longtime Local 21 member who passed away on January 16th at the age of 73. Ron joined ILWU Local 43 in the early 60s when he helped to organize his shop, Welsh Panel, into the warehouse local.

“It was great to see so many people at the hall on Saturday to celebrate Ron’s life and hear how he impacted people’s lives,” said Jason Lundquist, Ron’s step son, who is also a member of Local 21. “He was my best friend.” Ron obtained class “B” registration in Local 21 in 1963 and soon after became “A” registered. Ron was a proud member of the ILWU and began serving on the Labor Relations Committee of Local 21 and attended longshore caucuses as a delegate in the 70s and 80s. He retired in 2000.

He was well known up and down the Coast for his frank, honest and colorful commentary in meetings and at the post-caucus discussions. He became good friends with Harry Bridges at these gatherings, and he and Harry shared stories first at Harry’s favorite hangout, Harrington’s in San Francisco, and later at a convention and caucus in Vancouver, BC.

“You always knew where you stood with Ron because he would tell you directly,” Lundquist said. “He always told me, ‘Not everyone is going to like you, but they can respect you.’” Ron’s directness was an asset as a negotiator said Carl Nys, a friend and colleague of Delgarno. Nys worked alongside Ron on the docks and also served with him on the Labor Relations Committee. “He wasn’t what you would call a diplomat. He wasn’t afraid to hurt the employer’s feelings and he definitely earned their respect,” Nys said. “Ron had a a multitude of truisms that he used. One of his favorites was ‘Help the needy not the greedy.’”

“He was the epitome of the longshoreman of his time and before: strong as a bull, outspoken, and a hard working rank-and-filer who cared deeply about the ILWU,” said Nys. Dalgarno is survived by two sons,

Dennis Dalgarno of Kalama and Dan Dalgarno (Mariann); a daughter, Ashley Dalgarno; two stepchildren, Jason and Kim Lundquist; a twin brother, Don Dalgarno; a sister, Jayne McPhee; and three grandchildren.

UAW, allies, elected officials hold event on Friday, Feb. 24, with message for Mitt Romney:

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:50:36 +0000

DETROIT – On Friday, Feb. 24, the United Auto Workers, allies and elected officials will hold an event next to Ford Field to tell Mitt Romney this: Don’t bet against Michigan, don’t bet against us.

APWU Members Must Continue the Fight!

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Of 264 facilities studied for closure, 223 were approved for consolidation. Six are still being studied. Only 35 consolidations were disapproved -- at this time.... The Postal Service's announcement on Feb. 23 that it has approved 223 mail processing plants for consolidation leaves union members just one option, APWU President Cliff Guffey said: We must continue the fight! "That means getting Congress to act now to Save America's Postal Service," he said.

Wisconsin Workers Sticking with the Union

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:44:37 +0000

Two groups of Wisconsin public employees showed Gov. Scott Walker (R) and his anti-worker allies that they are not intimidated by Walker’s law eliminates most collective bargaining rights for public workers.

One the law’s provisions require workers to annually vote to recertify their union and last night workers—members of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 95—at Community Care of Central Wisconsin (CCCW) and Portage County–overwhelmingly voted yes. Out of the 133 CCCW employees just 12 voted no as did just 4 of the 65 Portage County workers.

OPEIU President Michael Goodwin says the vote by nurses, social workers, computer programmers and other professionals “defeated Walker and his program [and] sets the stage statewide for workers to fight back and win.”

Local 95 President Jeff Jester says the union will

now take these votes of confidence from our members and use them to fight for restoration of collective bargaining rights for all public sector employees in Wisconsin.

Apply Now for Summer Term at National Labor College

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:44:19 +0000

Lacy Gillespie of the California School Employees Association is proud to be an NLC graduate.

Jennifer Wright Dorr, director of Strategic Communications at the National Labor College, sends us this.

Registration is open for the summer 2012 term at the National Labor College (NLC). The summer schedule is now available and courses run from May through August.

All courses are offered fully online and the assignments can be done at the student’s convenience either at home or on the road. Labor College graduate Lacy Gillespie says:

“The NLC gave me a chance to do course-work on my own schedule, so I could still work full-time.”

Applications must be received by April 9 to be eligible for financial aid and scholarships for the summer term.

The Labor College accepts credits from courses done at other colleges, through apprenticeships, military or other training. Students need to have at least 56 credits to be eligible for financial aid and scholarships.

The Labor College offers college degrees, certificates and union skills courses, all taught from a labor point of view. Degrees and certificates are offered in:

Whether you need one more class or are halfway to your college degree, now is the time to enroll in an online degree program at the Labor College. Click here for more information or visit www.nlc.edu or call 1-888-427-8100 to speak with an admissions counselor.

Aer Lingus Flight Attendants Stand Strong in Face of Management Attacks

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Darren Shiroma, executive assistant to the international president of the Flight Attendants-CWA, sends us this.

Last year, a small and brave group of flight attendants approached the Flight Attendants-CWA with a goal to become union members with rights to collective bargaining with their employer. Today, they are being attacked by a textbook anti-union campaign run by a management that boasts positive labor relations with the 1,100 unionized Aer Lingus Cabin Crew in Ireland. Management honors the contract in Ireland and works collaboratively with IMPACT, the union representing 65,000 transport workers, while imposing lesser pay, benefits, work rules and an oppressive work environment for the 53 American-based Aer Lingus Flight Attendants.

“The U.S. based Flight Attendants working for Aer Lingus perform the same essential first responder duties as their Irish counterparts and 25,000 United Flight Attendants, without the same pay, benefits and work rule protections afforded by a legally binding contract,” said AFA International President Veda Shook.

This joint venture was dreamed up by management for the sole purpose of avoiding the legal obligations of a contract and a commitment to workers. It’s a failed labor model and the U.S. based Aer Lingus Flight Attendants made that clear by calling for an election to gain a voice at work and the right to collective bargaining,

Following the new U.S.-E.U. Open Skies Treaty, United Airlines and Aer Lingus launched a “joint venture” in 2009 by combining United marketing and domestic feed with Aer Lingus equipment and non-union, U.S. based Aer Lingus crews. This joint operation was created to service the route between Washington, D.C., and Madrid—and was established by management solely to circumvent union labor and union contracts. The Flight Attendants-CWA contract at United Airlines ensures work performed by United employees includes anything owned and operated by United Airlines. But while affirming that provision, an arbitrator determined United did not have a controlling interest in the Aer Lingus “joint venture” deal. AFA continues the fight to close that loophole through legislation, yet the impetus for Congress to protect good, union jobs is minimal at best.

Without a contract, management has latitude to discipline or terminate employees without due process. Without protections in place, workers are often left to face punitive, management-imposed whims on their own. After the voting period for Aer Lingus flight attendants was announced, an inflight manager flew into a rage when he discovered a group of flight attendants having conversations in the galley after the service was completed. He told them as punishment, they were no longer entitled to their customary rest break and placed a padlock on a cart with their crew meals inside. When a crewmember questioned him and said, “You can’t do that—that’s a human rights issue,” the manager told her she would be fired for questioning it.

Since the Aer Lingus joint venture launched from Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., in March 2010, the turnover for flight attendants has been enormous. Either the absence of work rules, benefits and decent pay drive flight attendants to find other jobs or, a flight attendant dares to speak up for basic human rights and is bluntly told, “You’re fired.”

In December, Aer Lingus flight attendants approached AFA for representation, and without a bit of assistance, quickly gathered enough cards among their peers to file for an election. Desperate to gain protections at work, yet terrified for fear of retaliation—even the union organizers remain unknown amongst their flying partners.

(Here’s how you can help: Their voting closes on March 6, and the fear and intimidation tactics are in full swing, including one-on-one meetings with each flight attendant. We would like to send messages of support from the labor community to the flight attendants at Aer Lingus in Washington, D.C. Please send your message to info@yourafa.org, and we’ll post them on the AFA organizing website and send them to the brave flight attendants of Aer Lingus in Washington, D.C.)

Flight Attendants-CWA looks forward to the strong statement these brave workers will make to United Airlines, Aer Lingus and the rest of the industry when the vote whether to unionize. They will not get around our contracts and they will not replace us without a fight. These 53 flight attendants at Aer Lingus are standing up for themselves and their families—and they are also standing up for all workers in the United States—backing up industry contracts and the right to be respected for the work flight attendants perform as first responders in the sky.

Make no mistake—their election will not be an easy one as management has already begun its one-on-one meetings, or interrogations, along with its anti-union smear campaign. Shay Cody, general secretary of IMPACT, the union that represents flight attendants at Aer Lingus in Ireland and England sent the following statement to AFA:

I am writing to convey the full support of the IMPACT Trade Union for your organizing drive for Aer Lingus Flight Attendants based in Washington Dulles.

Matt Staunton, national secretary of the IMPACT Services and Enterprises Division, wrote:

I want to make it clear that your colleagues in our membership are horrified and aghast at the attitude of Aer Lingus toward you seeking to be organized members of a labor union. Some of the correspondence issued from Aer Lingus management has come to our attention, and we are simply shocked at its tone and tenor. We urge you to waste not one vote in sending the message to the company that what’s going on will not to be tolerated.

“The right to join a union is a human rights issue that is understood around the world,” stated Shook.

UAW political activists to gather in Washington

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:19:59 +0000

**PLEASE NOTE DEADLINE TO REQUEST CREDENTIALS IS FRIDAY, FEB. 24 @ 5 PM**

WASHINGTON - More than 1,600 active and retired UAW members will gather here from Feb. 26 - March 1 for the union's National Community Action Program (CAP) Legislative Conference.

The conference will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel at 2660 Woodley Road, N.W., in Washington.

The President’s Corporate Tax Reform Message: Say What?

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:19:37 +0000

The Obama administration released a “framework” for corporate tax reform yesterday, proposing to lower corporate tax rates, and pay for that by closing various corporate tax loopholes. The “framework” isn’t really a corporate tax reform proposal. It is a message document, framed in a bitterly partisan election year when no reforms are about to take [...]

Unions Rock

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Unions rock. That’s the consensus of Van Halen and Bruce Springsteen, who have both sung the praises of workers on their latest albums.

In Valen Halen’s hit single, “Tattoo,” David Lee Roth sings, “Uncle Danny had a coal tattoo, he fought for the union, some of us still do. On my shoulder is the number of the chapter he was in. That number is forever like the struggle here to win.”

In a recent interview, Roth calls today’s struggle for workers’ rights, “poignant.”

Bruce Springsteen’s “Shackled and Drawn” from his new album Wrecking Ball tells the plight of workers in a Guthrie-esque style only the Boss could replicate. He sings, “I always love the feel of sweat on my shirt. Stand back, son, and let a man work. Let a man work, is that so wrong. I woke up this morning shackled and drawn.”

Van Halen and Springsteen are just the latest singers to thank workers and labor unions in their work recently. Former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello (who joins The Boss on his new album), protested on behalf of workers in Wisconsin last February and his most recent album The Nightwatchman pays tribute to workers.

Murder Strikes Guatemalan Banana Workers Union Again

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:30:23 +0000

Seven current or former members of the Guatemalan banana workers’ union have been murdered since 2011. Most recently, Miguel Angel González Ramírez, a member of the Izabal banana workers’ union, was shot while he was holding his young son.

No one has been arrested for the murders that the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) calls “the slow moving massacre of the largest private-sector union in Guatemala.”

On the day of Ramirez’s murder, the Guatemalan government had lifted its 24-hour security protection for the union’s secretary general.

In 2008, under the terms of Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), the AFL-CIO and six Guatemalan unions filed a complaint with the Labor Department outlining the systemic failure of the government of Guatemala to enforce its own labor laws or to take reasonable action to prevent violence against trade unionists.

In 2009, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) named Guatemala the second most dangerous country for trade unionists, behind Colombia. Click here to read a Solidarity Center report on workers’ rights in Guatemala.

Meanwhile, says USLEP, violence has sky-rocketed against one of the main filers of the complaint, SITRABI, sending a clear message to trade unions in Guatemala that it could be dangerous to engage in the DR-CAFTA process.

Click here to read more from USLEAP and here to take action.

Bob Edwards—Radio Legend and Union Activist—Reads and Signs

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:27:29 +0000

David Cohen from the AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees (DPE) sends us this.

How many books do you know that include a union business rep in the dedication?

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, you’re invited to a reading, book-signing and brown-bag lunch featuring radio legend—and union activist—Bob Edwards. Hear Bob read from his new memoir, A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio.

A longtime broadcaster and committed union leader, Bob Edwards is a peerless storyteller with great vignettes to share—including the true tale of how even legends benefit from unions.

A member of the Radio Hall of Fame and first vice president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Edwards joined National Public Radio in 1974 as a co-host of “All Things Considered” and then launched “Morning Edition” in 1979, where for 24-and-a-half years he attracted millions of listeners. Today, he hosts “The Bob Edwards Show” on SiriusXM and “Bob Edwards Weekend,” distributed to public radio stations by Public Radio International. Edwards has interviewed more than 30,000 individuals, including newsmakers, journalists and entertainers. He authored two previous books, Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism and Fridays with Red, which chronicles Edwards’ radio friendship with the legendary sportscaster Red Barber.

The event is free and open to the public. It runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the AFL-CIO, 815 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. The Department for Professional Employees is sponsoring the event with co-sponsors AFTRA and the Albert Shanker Institute. DPE is also providing drinks.

Please RSVP to Marcie Lawrence, mlawrence@dpeaflcio.org.

EGT signs ILWU, but County Attorney still prosecuting workers

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:11:52 +0000

Unity was key at EGT: This photo was taken after Local 21 members voted unanimously to support the framework agreement. Pictured here from left to right are: Bob McEllrath, ILWU Int'l President; Dan Coffman, Local 21 President; Leal Sundet, ILWU Coast Committeeman, Jake Whiteside, Local 21 Vice President (front); Byron Jacobs, Local 21 Secretary-Treasurer.

When the grain ship MV Full Sources arrived at EGT’s multinational grain export facility in Longview, Washington, on February 7, it marked a significant victory in one of the most militant labor disputes in recent decades: the fight to keep all major grain export terminals on the West Coast represented by the ILWU.

A new five-year collective bargaining agreement, signed on February 10, ensures that ILWU Local 21 members will perform all of the landside and shipside operations at EGT’s state-of-the-art, $200 million grain elevator. Both production and maintenance work are covered by the agreement, with a regular

ILWU workforce employed for daily operations and a pool of employees available to work as needed when servicing incoming vessels, barges, trains and performing other tasks.

The workforce is entirely made up of registered longshoremen from the ILWU/PMA joint dispatch hall, and all pension, healthcare, vacations, and holidays are paid through the ILWU/PMA benefit plans. Like the grain companies that make up the Pacific Northwest Grain Elevator Operators – signatories with the ILWU to the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers’ Agreement that has been in member participant, meaning that all payroll will be through the PMA.

However, while the ILWU and EGT have taken this important step forward and are now working together toward reconciliation and a productive labor management relationship, the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney is busy filing new charges stemming from protests that took place months ago.

“The contract with EGT is a big win for the ILWU and the Longview community,” said ILWU International President Robert McEllrath, who led the settlement effort with ILWU Coast Committeeman Leal Sundet, Local 21 President Dan Coffman, and members of Local 21’s Negotiating Committee.

McEllrath added: “But, this is not over. Individuals are still facing criminal charges related to our protest of EGT last summer. I won’t consider this over until the last member and supporter who stood up and said ‘no’ to the loss of our historic work is cleared.”

Legal issues remain

The resolution with EGT does not encompass all outstanding legal issues, including more than 100 cases filed against ILWU members and supporters by the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney, Susan Baur, and more than $300,000 in fines sought by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the Taft Hartley Act and assessed against the ILWU by the Federal District Court in Tacoma. A number of legal issues remain pending before the NLRB, in the civil court system, and with the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. These unresolved legal issues require attention and union resources.

In fact, as recently as Monday, February 13, Baur filed serious felony charges against an ILWU member who allegedly drove his log loader near a train last fall. Baur also indicated Monday that her office continues to review cases related to last summer’s labor dispute and that more charges may be coming. Baur’s escalation of criminal cases against ILWU members at a time when the Longview community is beginning the healing process, her continued prosecution of individuals with little to no evidence, and the pressure being placed on individuals to plead guilty to minor misdemeanors or face more serious felony charges is being addressed by the ILWU International leadership. Locally, union members are concerned and dismayed by local law enforcement’s continued retaliation against the ILWU.

“The ‘file charges first and look at the evidence later’ approach to law enforcement is wasting tons of taxpayer dollars and appears to be fueled by something other than pure and evenhanded administration of the law,” stated ILWU Coast Committeeman Sundet. Local 21 President Coffman added, “We are not criminals for protecting our jobs; the continuous intimidation tactics and this lately conceived escalation of charges have no place in our community that’s now trying to heal.”

To date, dozens of charges against ILWU members and supporters have been dropped for lack of evidence, and there have been a number of “not guilty” jury verdicts in train blocking and trespassing cases. These dropped charges and jury acquittals highlight the County’s lack of evidence and the outright waste of taxpayer money in pursuing individuals for their exercise of the First Amendment right to protest in a labor dispute.

In April, ILWU International President McEllrath himself is scheduled to go to trial on trespass and train obstruction charges related to his involvement in a protest that took place on September 7, 2011. McEllrath is firm in his resolve to face the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney with all remaining ILWU defendants and answer for the charges that stem from the union’s protest against EGT.

Appreciation for ILWU members, international solidarity, and the governor

Notwithstanding the work ahead to resolve the outstanding legal issues, the ILWU is reaching out to supporters to express gratitude for their aid in resolving the dispute with EGT. ILWU International President McEllrath praised Local 21 members and pensioners for their “courage and determination to win” and recognized the critical support that came from Locals 4, 8, 40 and 92, who worked Local 21’s round-the-clock pickets at EGT, protested alongside Local 21 on train tracks, and got arrested with their Longview brothers and sisters. McEllrath noted that locals from the Puget Sound, Columbia River, and Northern and Southern California had all sent representatives on multiple occasions to Longview to rally in support of a Local 21 contract at EGT, and he thanked Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire for “helping us find common ground with EGT.”

McEllrath pointed out that unions representing millions of workers both domestically and around the world sent messages of solidarity and offered their support. He said, “The men and women of the ILWU, together with support from our friends and allies in local communities and around the world, won a labor dispute that many said couldn’t be won.”

Looking back on the dispute with EGT

The fight for ILWU jurisdiction began in 2009 when EGT, a multinational joint venture made up of Bunge North America, Korea-based STX Pan Ocean, and Japanese conglomerate Itochu, received a sweetheart deal from the Port of Longview and tax breaks to build a massive grain export terminal in exchange for the promise of good local jobs. Concerns were raised at the outset when EGT used non-union construction contractors, many from outside the region, to build the new facility instead of employing local union workers. Local 21 negotiated with EGT for approximately 14 months in an effort to reach an agreement with EGT similar to the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers’ Agreement, but negotiations stalled in the face of EGT’s nonstarter proposals. The boiling point came when EGT cut off negotiations with Local 21 and hired a subcontractor to begin operating its new facility.

The subcontractor hired workers represented by Operating Engineers (OE) Local 701 in Gladstone, Oregon, a move that enabled EGT to claim that it was “hiring union” despite the fact that EGT had no contract with OE Local 701 and could end its relationship with the subcontractor employing OE Local 701 members at any time.

A series of conflicts followed in the summer and fall of 2011 as EGT attempted to operate its facility without Local 21 members, who had performed the longshore work associated with grain export at the Port of Longview for more than 70 years. Major media sent cameras and reporters to Longview to document 24-hour picket lines, demonstrations on railroad tracks, and rallies with hundreds of people in attendance.

Boost from local businesses

Very early on in the dispute with EGT, Local 21 members began reaching out to local business owners with whom they built a solid base of support. Owners were approached one on one to enlist their support for the ILWU’s “good jobs” fight. This eventually yielded support from about 400 local business owners who posted signs in their windows supporting the ILWU.

“People in Longview know that union jobs, wages and benefits make our community much healthier,” said Local 21 President Coffman, who credits Local 21 members for doing the legwork needed to marshal support from local businesses.

ILWU outreach and billboard

Local 21 also got their “good jobs” message out to the community by going door-to-door in neighborhoods and by renting a billboard in town. “Everyone who came to Longview saw our positive message about the ILWU’s longtime commitment to the community,” said Local 21 Vice President Jake Whiteside.

Showdown looming

The stage was set for a showdown in early January 2012 when ILWU International President McEllrath announced that the ILWU would take action if EGT tried to load the ship that was expected soon in Longview. Community groups independently announced their own action plans for Longview, and President Barack Obama’s administration made the outrageous decision to employ the Coast Guard to “protect” EGT and escort the private corporation’s ship from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Port of Longview. Local law enforcement came to EGT’s aid as well and planned a large presence at the port for the ship’s arrival, a move they later passed off as a training exercise in the local newspaper.

Breakthrough on January 23

The first major breakthrough in the dispute with EGT came on January 23, when Washington State Governor Gregoire announced that a tentative settlement had been reached between EGT and ILWU representatives on the pending legal issues between the two parties. Her announcement followed months of difficult negotiations between the ILWU and EGT. EGT promptly released the subcontractor that it had hired to run its operation and as a consequence OE Local 701 workers ceased working at the facility.

Unanimous support for settlement

Members of Local 21 met in their union hall the day after the Governor’s announcement to discuss the proposed settlement with EGT. After extensive discussion, the Local 21 rank and file voted unanimously to approve the settlement.

Union recognition

On January 30 and 31, workers at EGT’s Longview facility signed union authorization cards indicating their choice to be represented by Local 21. On February 1, an arbitrator verified that the cards were authentic and that a majority of workers had chosen Local 21 as their collective bargaining representative.

EGT and ILWU representatives then signed a recognition agreement and committed to negotiate the details of a collective bargaining agreement for all landside and shipside operations in the days ahead.

The ship calls

On February 6, the bulk grain ship that had been escorted up the Columbia River by the Coast Guard was tied up and loaded at the EGT facility by Local 21 members. As the grain ship MV Full Sources docked at EGT, Local 21 Secretary Treasurer Byron Jacobs, who had been arrested several times during the demonstrations, told the local media, “We’re excited to be moving in the right direction and to do what we do best – loading and unloading ships.” There is no lingering animosity, he said, just “positive feelings. … We’re ready to move forward and mend our relationship.”

Contract signed

On February 10, Local 21 signed a collective bargaining agreement with EGT.

Looking ahead

The Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers’ Agreement – the collective bargaining agreement that the ILWU has negotiated for decades with the owners and operators of the six major grain export facilities in Seattle, Tacoma, and Vancouver, Washington, and in Portland, Oregon – will be up for renegotiation in less than a year. Meanwhile, changes in the global economy, including China’s growing consumption and Canada’s restructuring of the way it exports grain, mean that the grain export business will be lucrative for many years to come.

ILWU Coast Committeeman Sundet stated, “The ILWU contract with EGT is key to standardization of the grain export industry on the West Coast, particularly with respect to labor costs. This standardization brings stability for everyone from the farmer to the overseas importer, and it guarantees profit throughout the market chain.”

Final resolution

While the ILWU considers its contract with EGT an important milestone in ILWU history and for the labor movement in general, ILWU International President McEllrath is quick to remind people not to celebrate too soon or lose sight of the individuals who made the contract possible with the courage of protest. “Like I said and keep saying, I will not stand down until every person who stood up for the ILWU during this long and often bitter labor dispute is free from threat of criminal prosecution. That’s my job, and I’ll see it through whatever the outcome.”

Cutco: World-Class Cutlery Made in America by Steelworkers

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:44:18 +0000

Every Cutco Cutlery knife, flatware set, pair of scissors, cooking gadget, pot, pan, and garden and hunting tool is made in America by members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union. The company, with sales of about $250 million a year, makes its cutlery, including pieces with Cutco’s trademarked serrated edge called Double D, in the [...]

Working People vs. Credit Card Fees: Security Officers Protest Unfair Pay System at U.S. Security Associates

Ashley Wood — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:38:31 +0000

Security officers in New York are taking on the financial industry and its seemingly endless fees by standing up to U.S. Security Associates' newly introduced -- and deeply unfair -- payroll practices.

Officers of U.S. Security Associates (USSA) are protesting a new pay card system they say is taking hard-earned wages right out of their pockets. The private security contractor imposed the system on its employees in New York City without the workers' consent, and officers have started incurring high fees taken from their already modest earnings.

"We did not have any say when they decided to give us our paychecks by pay cards," Kenesha Henry, an officer from Brooklyn and a single mother with a four-year-old daughter, said. "No discussion. They gave it to us and we just had to accept it."

The shift to pay cards is a dangerous sign of companies aligning with Wall Street banks, which have time and time again shown zero obligation to seeing the average American succeed.

Pay card systems have plenty of benefits for a company's profits -- but not for its employees. Pay cards take the financial risk off of the employer and puts it onto the employee and his or her family. They can easily be stolen, and can come with high fees for simple things like inquiring account balances and withdrawing funds. This forces many workers to withdraw all of their pay at once, leaving them vulnerable to being robbed, or unable to maintain a savings account or pay certain types of bills.

Luis Pena, an officer from the Bronx, was suspended from work without two days pay for protesting USSA's new policy. "They came in unannounced with a mandatory card, something we did not want," Pena said. "The pay card and all the fees they charge are unfair."

New York City Council Members have spoken up in support of the officers, urging USSA to listen to the concerns of its employees. "This is about dignity and respect in the workplace," Councilman Brad Lander of Brooklyn said. "Imposing a pay system like this that takes their hard-earned money out of their pockets is not a way to show you respect your employees."

American workers in low-wage industries already struggle to support their families, pay bills and save enough money to make ends meet. They shouldn't have their own earnings taken from them by the financial firms that have crippled our nation's economy.

Working People vs. Credit Card Fees: Security Officers Protest Unfair Pay System at U.S. Security Associates originally appeared on SEIU.org on Thursday, Feb 23, 2012.

Here are 3 easy ways to support locked-out American Crystal Sugar and Cooper Tir...

AFL-CIO — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:21:01 +0000

Here are 3 easy ways to support locked-out American Crystal Sugar and Cooper Tire workers as they march together from Fargo to Findlay on a Journey for Justice.

1. ADD A COMMENT below this image with a message of solidarity for the workers! (Make sure to include where you're from!)

2. SHARE THIS IMAGE so your friends can learn about this fight against corporate greed.

3. VISIT http://crystalgreed.com/journeyforjustice/ to learn more about this 1000-mile journey.

Wall Photos
Here are 3 easy ways to support locked-out American Crystal Sugar and Cooper Tire workers as they march together from Fargo to Findlay on a Journey for Justice.

1. ADD A COMMENT below this image with a message of solidarity for the workers! (Make sure to include where you're from!)

2. SHARE THIS IMAGE so your friends can learn about this fight against corporate greed.

3. VISIT http://crystalgreed.com/journeyforjustice/ to learn more about this 1000-mile journey.

Corporate Tax Rate Reduction In Obama Plan Would Fix Bush Manufacturing Loophole

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:16:32 +0000

The Obama administration’s corporate tax rate overhaul received lukewarm reviews from economists for its promise of explicit corporate perks without corresponding details on how they would be paid for. But one particular provision aimed at boosting American manufacturing could serve as a silver lining to the proposal. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that it hopes [...]

Father McDonnell introduced a young Cesar Chavez to social justice teachings

UFW — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:42:56 +0000

Father McDonnell introduced a young Cesar Chavez to social justice teachings

Father McDonnell introduced a young Cesar Chavez to social justice teachings
Before Cesar Chavez became a community organizer and more than a decade before the United Farm Workers was founded, “my education started when I met Father Donald McDonnell, who came to [the impoverished East San Jose barrio of] Sal Si Puedes [or “Get Out If You Can”] because there...

Meet the Worst of the 1%: Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:00:30 +0000

The average wealth of the 1% is 225 times bigger than the wealth of the typical household – the highest it’s ever been. Video by Robert Greenwald, Brave New Foundation.

Report: Boosting Manufacturing Boosts Jobs, Economy

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:53:28 +0000

A new paper by the Brookings Institute outlines why a healthy made-in-America manufacturing sector is a vital component of the nation’s economy, desribes the type of manufacturing industries which have the most impact and outlines the key areas that needed to be strengthened to build high-wage and exportable products.

Manufacturing matters to the United States because it provides high-wage jobs, commercial innovation (the nation’s largest source), a key to trade deficit reduction, and a disproportionately large contribution to environmental sustainability.

Why Does Manufacturing Matter? Which Manufacturing Matters?— also says that the key segments of made-in-America manufacturing best suited to meeting those goals are computers and electronics, chemicals (including pharmaceuticals), transportation equipment (including aerospace and motor vehicles and parts) and machinery.

While U.S. manufacturing performs well compared to the rest of the U.S. economy, it performs poorly compared to manufacturing in other high-wage countries. American manufacturing needs strengthening in four key areas:

Research and development

Lifelong training of workers at all levels

Improved access to finance

An increased role for workers and communities in creating and sharing in the gains from innovative manufacturing

The paper also calls for public policies that promote high-road production; are geared to entire economy, specific industries and individual manufacturers, and:

Encourage workers, employers, unions, and government to share responsibility for improving the nation’s manufacturing base and to share in the gains from such improvements.

Click here for the full paper by Susan Helper, Carlton Professor of Economics, Case Western Reserve University; Timothy Krueger, Research Assistant, Policy Matters Ohio; and Howard Wial, Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program, The Brookings Institution.