Netroots Nation: Tell Us Your Ideas for the Labor Caucus

by Tula Connell, Jul 13, 2010

Netroots Nation, the annual gathering of some 2,000 progressive bloggers and activists, is coming up fast—July 22–25—and we need your input on topics we should focus on at the Labor Caucus we hold there every year.

Labor communicators from the AFL-CIO, Change to Win and independent unions take part in the Labor Caucus, as well as allies from groups such as Jobs with Justice. This year, Matt Browner-Hamlin from SEIU and I are co-hosting it, and we want your input to help frame the agenda.


Participants in the Labor Caucus focus on issues affecting our work as labor communicators—how we can improve what we do and effectively reach union members and the public. Last year, we explored how to build our own online union community, connecting labor to the progressive blog world and utilizing our resources to make changes at the state and local levels, to support union members and campaigns

Netroots Nation: Vote on a Union Beer

by Laura Clawson, Jul 13, 2010

By popular demand, Working America and the AFL-CIO are bringing back last year’s “Raise a glass for the working class” booth—otherwise known as the beer booth—at Netroots Nation. If you come by our booth anytime the exhibit hall is open and take an action for working families, you’re entitled to come back and sample union beer during the happy hours we’ll be holding next week on Thursday and Friday of the convention.

We’ll have updates coming soon about what actions you can take and exactly when beer will be served. (Last year the actions included writing to your members of Congress about health care reform or the Employee Free Choice Act, or joining Working America.) But right now, the big question is: What beer should we serve?

WWW Center Hosts Historic Merger Summit

United Airlines Senior VP of Labor Relations Doug McKeen (left) and Continental Airlines Human Relations & Labor Relations Senior VP Mike Bonds (right) visited the Winpisinger Center and answered questions from IAM representatives and members regarding the proposed United-Continental merger.

Thu July 8, 2010

The prospect of a greatly consolidated airline industry is responsible for an unprecedented conference taking place at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Southern Maryland.

More than 100 IAM representatives and members from Districts 141, 142 and 143 are taking part in the first-ever Transportation Merger Summit, designed to coordinate resources for upcoming representation elections at Delta Air Lines and to consider implications of the pending United-Continental merger.

As the largest union in the airline industry, the IAM represents employees at each of the carriers involved in this latest round of consolidation. District 141 represents more than 16,000 employees at United Airlines; District 142 represents about 11,000 Flight Attendants at Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia and Express Jet; and District 143 represents 12,500 employees at the former Northwest Airlines.

Local 1297 Hosts Annual ‘Ride For The Guide’

Nearly 300 Years: Delbert Fruth, 89, Ed Souder 83, John Groves, 74, and Dick Zerger, 74, rode the entire 100 miles in their second Ride for the Guide. All plan to return for next year’s event

Thu, July 8, 2010

Members of Local 1297 in Ashland, OH, held their 19th annual “Ride for the Guide” to benefit Guide Dogs of America (GDA). Nearly 550 riders, members and friends participated in the 100-mile poker run.

The event raised more than $10,000, which will provide guide dogs and instruction in their use – free of charge – to blind and visually-impaired men and women in the United States and Canada.

Volunteers from Local 1297, led by President Fred Confer, prepared more than 500 pounds of BBQ to serve at the rally. The event also included contests, drawings and live music

Washington State Workers Rally to Keep Tanker Made in America

In this cross-post, Kathy Cummings, communications director of the Washington State Labor Council, reports on a rally Friday in support of Boeing workers. Boeing is in competition with European-based Airbus for the Air Force’s $35 billion tanker contract.

With as many as 50,000 jobs at stake across the country, members of the Machinists (IAM) and SPEEA/International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 2001 rallied along with Washington State’s congressional delegation and a host of community and business leaders Friday in Everett. We rallied in support of Boeing, as the company turned in their bid for the contract to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of air re-fueling tankers

Call-In Day, July 13: Tell Congress to Pass Currency Legislation

by James Parks, Jul 12, 2010

Now that the Treasury Department once again has refused to label China as a currency manipulator, it is more important than ever for Congress to pass strong legislation quickly to stop the unfair and illegal advantage against U.S. producers that China and other nations gain by undervaluing their currency.

On July 13, tens of thousands of manufacturers across the country—members of the Fair Currency Coalition and the Coalition for a Prosperous America—will join with union members and citizen trade groups in a National Currency Call-In Day to ratchet up the pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to hold currency manipulators accountable.


A bipartisan group of senators is considering attaching S. 3134, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2010, to legislation that may pass at anytime. Introduced by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the legislation would give our government the tools it needs to address currency manipulation.

Work and Walk in Union-Made Boots with Discounts for Union Members

by Mike Hall, Jul 11, 2010

With apologies to Nancy Sinatra, these boots are made for working. And, they’re made by union members in Wausau, Wis.

The American-made, union-made boots by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) locals 668 and 717 members at the Weinbrenner Shoe Co., are available online at TheUnionBootPro.com—and union members get a 27 percent discount. Walter Brown, owner of BootPro Solutions LLC, says roughly 98 percent of the work boots sold in the United States are made overseas, primarily China.

“As other well-known brands move operations offshore, the UnionBootPro has become the go-to website for union members to find the work boots they demand—boots made by American workers.”

APALA Mobilizing Asian Americans for Organizing and Political Action

About a dozen workers testified before the first national workers’ rights hearing for Asian Pacific American workers last November.

by James Parks, Jul 10, 2010

One of the fastest growing segments of the union movement, Asian Pacific Americans, are mobilizing to make their voices heard in politics and in the workplace. With the crucial midterm elections just four months away, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is urging workers and their communities to take action and make a difference in the upcoming elections. The Asian Pacific American vote could be especially decisive in Nevada where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in a tough bid for re-election.

Late last month, several Asian Pacific American leaders visited Las Vegas seeking to mobilize local residents in political action. They also urged Asian Americans to register and vote during elections.

AFT Leader Outlines Vision to Build Better Public Education System

by James Parks, Jul 9, 2010

Saying America’s teachers would “lead and propose, not wait and oppose,” AFT President Randi Weingarten outlined a vision to “build a system of public education as it ought to be.”

She said real changes could be made by focusing on good teaching, creating a curriculum that provides opportunity for students to learn and sharing responsibility and accountability with parents and administrators.

Weingarten spoke yesterday at AFT’s biennial convention in Seattle, which runs through Sunday. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will address the convention tomorrow.

Alliance for Retired Americans - Friday Alert, July 9, 2010

Social Security: House Minority Leader Raises Renewed Privatization Fears
Social Security: House Minority Leader Raises Renewed Privatization Fears

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) stated this week that he is unsure whether the Republican Party will revive their 2005 movement to privatize Social Security. Recently, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), a member of the president’s Fiscal Commission on addressing the national debt, released a budget blueprint that included dramatic cuts to Medicare and Social Security before effectively privatizing both systems. Boehner has distanced himself from Ryan’s blueprint without mentioning where he stands, leaving many advocates for seniors uneasy about the fate of these programs should Republicans return to power. “Representatives Ryan and Boehner must not have seen what I saw when we put unbridled faith in the markets and Wall Street,” said Barbara J. Easterling, President of the Alliance. “We need to continue our work to protect Social Security. It is a valuable lifeline which has kept millions of retirees out of poverty.”

Shopping for Perks Among the Big Airline Alliances

Certain Air France fliers can't earn Delta miles, though both are in the same alliance.

The Wall Street Journal
Thursday, July 8, 2010

Airlines pitch their global alliances as seamless networks, yet there are so many hitches that consumers may want to shop around.

Alliances have existed for more than a decade as airlines have sought to market themselves jointly. But the companies have found that splicing together computer systems and competitive instincts has been difficult and is still evolving. As a result, perks and policies vary among each of the three big alliances—Star, oneworld and SkyTeam.

"There are still really deep pockets of incompatibility. It's not always what it's cracked up to be," said Randy Petersen, publisher of frequent-flier magazines and founder of the website FlyerTalk.com.

Passport Fees Going Up Next Week

All of the increased security and the anti-fraud measures added to passports in recent years come at a cost, officials say.

By A. Pawlowski, CNN
July 7, 2010 10:15 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- Get ready to open your wallet a little wider to satisfy your travel bug: It is soon going to cost more to apply for a new U.S. passport or renew an old one -- a move criticized by the public and some lawmakers.

Starting next Tuesday, adults applying for their first passport book will have to pay $135 -- a 35 percent increase from the current $100 fee.

(The cost of the wallet-size passport card, which Americans can use on certain trips closer to home, is rising from $45 to $55 for first-time applicants.)

Want to add more visa pages to your passport book? It's free now, but you will have to shell out $82 under the new fee schedule.

The renewal fee for passport books will rise to $110 -- up from the current $75.

75th Anniversary of National Labor Relations Act: Unions the Answer Then and Now

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis addressed the AFL-CIO Executive Council in March.

by James Parks, Jul 7, 2010

In this crosspost from Huffington Post, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis reaffirms the importance of the National Labor Relations Act, which gave workers freedom to form unions.

July 5 marked the 75th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act—also known as the Wagner Act—one of the lesser known, but key components of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. In addition to Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, a federal minimum wage and laws regulating child labor—all controversial concepts at the time that we now take for granted as basic elements of fairness—the New Deal included the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) which protected workers’ rights to join or form unions and engage in collective bargaining

Minnesota Nurses Ratify New Contract

by James Parks, Jul 7, 2010

After more than three months of tense negotiations that included a 24-hour strike, some 12,000 nurses in Minnesota’s Twin Cities yesterday voted to ratify a new three-year contract with 14 area hospitals. The new pact contains no concessions or give-backs and maintains the pension plan.

Although they did not win new safe staffing language they sought, the nurses maintained safe staffing language already in their contract, in which a nurse has a right to close a unit when it becomes unsafe to admit any more patients. The nurses are members of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU).

Trumka: Arizona Suit a First Step, But Not Enough

by James Parks, Jul 7, 2010

The Obama administration’s suit to stop Arizona from implementing the anti-immigrant law, known as SB1070, is an important first step towards protecting the fundamental civil rights of working people in the state, but does not go far enough, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said.

In a statement late yesterday, Trumka said the administration can— and should—revoke the authority the Department of Justice has delegated to Arizona under agreements in which Homeland Security trains members of eight state and local law enforcement agencies in Arizona, including the state police, which allows the officers to enforce immigration laws

Union Values: Made In America

Dave Johnson writes for the Campaign for America’s Future and adapted this post for us.

Our country was born out of a fight to cast off colonial rule by a wealthy elite and govern ourselves as We, the People. This fight continues, and nothing more clearly represents this American effort to lift each other up than organized labor. On July 4, as we celebrate our independence I encourage people to recognize our ongoing battle by buying Made in USA goods, and by working for democracy and the rights of workers everywhere

Arizona Court Says Secret Ballot Measure Unconstitutional

by James Parks, Jul 2, 2010

Opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act were dealt a blow June 30 when an Arizona state court judge struck down as unconstitutional a proposed state constitutional amendment that sought to restrict how workers can vote in union representation elections.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Robert Oberbillig granted an injunction sought by Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 99 to prevent Proposition 108 from appearing on the ballot in November. The proposition, which was backed by the anti-union group Save our Secret Ballot (SOS Ballot), would have required secret ballots in all union elections and elections for public office. Employee Free Choice Act opponents wrongly claim the legislation would take away the right to a secret ballot election for union representation. In fact, the act would give workers—not employers—the option to choose whether to vote on union representation by signing union authorization cards

Alliance for Retired Americans - Friday Alert, July 2, 2010

Alliance Executive Director Testifies in Front of the Fiscal Commission

On Wednesday, Alliance Executive Director Edward F. Coyle testified in front of the president’s Fiscal Commission, which is charged with addressing the nation’s national debt. Coyle conveyed to the committee’s board members that retirees are deeply disturbed by the talk coming out of the Commission of cutting Social Security benefits and raising the retirement age. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) had said earlier this week that if the Republicans were to win control of the U.S. House, the party would try to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70 as part of a fiscal reform plan. “John Boehner’s call to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70 is not only deeply hurtful and insensitive to workers, but also reflects a dangerously flawed misunderstanding of how Social Security is financed and operates,” Coyle told the Commission. In response to critics who blame Social Security for America’s budget deficit, Coyle challenged them to find a federal program that functions as efficiently as Social Security. Coyle proposed raising the payroll tax cap for the wealthiest Americans in order to further strengthen Social Security’s financial structure.