Ohio, Wisconsin Shine Spotlight on New Union Battle: Government Workers vs. Taxpayers

By Peter Whoriskey and Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, February 28, 2011; 12:10 AM

Wisconsin budget battle: Protesters rally against anti-union bill
Demonstrators at the Capitol building in Madison are protesting Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposed legislation to cut public employees' benefits and eliminate most of their collective bargaining rights.




COLUMBUS, OHIO - Across Ohio last week, the legislative push to restrict the union rights of government workers was greeted again and again by noisy protests.

But in this state dotted with manufacturing plants and their locals, this may have been more striking: At least some elected officials normally sympathetic to industrial unions were questioning whether they should side with government workers.

"I believe in what unions do, but as an elected official I represent the taxpayers," said Jeff Berding, a registered Democrat on the Cincinnati City Council who ran as an independent after he opposed the party on a union issue. "I'm trying to get the best deal for them."

Chicago Solidarity Rally: Pro-Union Demonstrators Show Wisconsin Support (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 02-28-11 01:58 PM | Updated: 02-28-11 01:58 PM
All photos below by HuffPost reader Andy Lorenc.

On Saturday, Chicagoans joined the chorus of protesters across the country to support union members in Wisconsin and other states who are fighting to keep their bargaining rights.

More than 1,000 people reportedly turned out at the afternoon Thompson Center rally, chanting "Save the American Dream."

Demonstrators gathered elsewhere in Illinois as well. Hundreds of union supporters rallied in Springfield Saturday afternoon.

"If they bust the unions up (in Wisconsin), it's a matter of time before they bust the unions up here," laid-off Illinois electrician Rich Bonzani told the Chicago Tribune. "It's an assault on the middle class."

Scott Walker's Budget To Include Major Cuts To Schools, Local Governments

AP/The Huffington Post SCOTT BAUER First Posted: 02/28/11 06:02 PM Updated: 02/28/11 09:30 PM

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's explosive proposal to take nearly all collective bargaining rights away from most public workers represents just one piece of his vision for the state's future. Now he's ready to reveal the rest.

With the union rights proposal stuck in a legislative stalemate thanks to runaway Senate Democrats, Walker planned to forge ahead with the Tuesday release of his two-year spending plan that will include major cuts to schools and local governments to help close a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Tens of thousands of protesters have demonstrated for two weeks against Walker's collective bargaining proposal, which he calls necessary to free local governments from having to bargain with public employee unions as they deal with the cuts he'll outline Tuesday.

Union Solidarity at the Oscars

by James Parks, Feb 28, 2011

“The King’s Speech” may have ruled the Oscars last night, but union solidarity had a starring role in the remarks of several winners. According to the Associated Press, two awards recipients thanked their union crew — shots at Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who wants to take away public employees’ freedom to bargain.

Charles Ferguson, whose winning documentary “Inside Job” analyzed the causes of the global financial crisis of 2008, told the audience that those behind the crisis were criminals. “Not a single financial executive has gone to jail and that’s wrong,” he said to applause.

Here are some other Oscar quotes from the AP:

• “I think what’s going on in Wisconsin is kind of madness right now,”
said Wally Pfister, who won a cinematography Oscar for “Inception,”
during a press briefing backstage. Earlier, he thanked his “fantastic
union crew.”
• Gary Rizzo, who won for sound-mixing on “Inception,” thanked “all the
hard working boom operators and utility sound people that worked on the
production crew. Union, of course.”
• Another winner said that it was wrong that executives whose banks were
bailed out by the U.S. government had not gone to jail.

More Than 270 Lawmakers Oppose Taking Away Public Employee Bargaining Rights

Members of the Alliance for Retired Americans rallied this week in Nevada to support public employee bargaining rights.

by James Parks, Feb 28, 2011

UPDATE: As of this morning, 284 state lawmakers have signed on in support of Wisconsin Senators, according to Progressive States Network.

Progressive States Network today released a letter signed by a bipartisan group of more than 270 state legislators representing 44 states voicing their solidarity with the Wisconsin state senators who oppose an extreme measure to take away the right of public employees to bargain for good middle-class jobs.

The People Hold Their House

This is a cross-post from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

In a huge victory for Wisconsinites, those fighting to save the middle class will remain inside the Capitol tonight. At 4 p.m. the governor and Republican senators wanted the building cleared of all citizens in order to resume normal operating hours.

The deadline came and went. It soon became clear that those fighting for rights would hold their Capitol for another sleep. Community members and working families are spending the night in what is becoming known as “The People’s Cathedral.” Many more will gather at 8 a.m. tomorrow as the fight continues.

In Wisconsin, a Repeat of Revolutionary War History?

Berry Craig is a professor of history at the West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, a member of AFT Local 6010 and the author of "True Tales of Old-Time Kentucky Politics: Bombast, Bourbon & Burgoo" and "Hidden History of Kentucky in the Civil War."


by Berry Craig, Feb 28, 2011

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker reminds me of old Lord North. OK, I’m a history teacher.

North was the Revolutionary War-era British prime minister who wanted to bust the American colonies. Walker is the Wisconsin governor who wants to bust public employee unions in the Dairy State.

•North was an uber-conservative. So is Walker.
•North’s strategy was divide and conquer. I suspect Walker’s is, too.
•It backfired on North. It may boomerang on Walker.

Anyway, after the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773, North got Parliament to crack down on Massachusetts in part by closing the port of Boston until the tea the local patriots dumped in the harbor was paid for.

North figured other colonies would let Massachusetts suffer alone. After all, he reasoned, they weren’t being punished.

But the other colonies rallied to beleaguered Massachusetts. We know the rest of the story.

Walker Orders Capitol Cleared

by Donna Jablonski, Feb 27, 2011

Continuing his unprecedented power grab, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ordered the state capitol to be cleared at 4 p.m. local time Sunday, closing the building to Wisconsinites protesting his plan to gut the right to bargain for good jobs. Now he’s violating their freedom of assembly, too. Dozens of ministers, rabbis and priests joined workers and students from across the state, risking arrest to protest the closing of the capitol to the public.

Wisconsinites from all walks of life—nurses, firefighters, snowplow drivers, police officers, students, teachers, and others—have been in the capitol building peacefully for 14 days. During that time, they set up an elaborate community called “Capitol City” to keep the capitol building clean, protesters safe and fed and, most importantly, to keep up pressure on Walker to come to the table and open up a dialogue to get Wisconsin moving forward again.

Trumka: ‘This Is Not About a Budget Crisis’

by Donna Jablonski, Feb 27, 2011

“No person should have to face the loss of their rights or the loss of their jobs,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said today on NBC’s Meet the Press. His remarks came in response to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) threat to begin laying off public employees if he doesn’t get his way on a sham budget bill that would strip away collective bargaining rights.

Governors with state budget problems who sit down and bargain with public employees can solve problems, Trumka said, but Walker’s attack is not about budgets. Public workers have agreed to fiscal concessions Walker’s budget bill seeks, but in his drive to kill bargaining rights Walker has refused.

Assaults on Public Employees Deal a Sharp Blow to Blacks

Steven Pitts

by James Parks, Feb 27, 2011

Assaults on public employees’ right to bargain for a better life hurt all working people. But blacks are being hit especially hard. Black unemployment was 15.7 percent in January, compared with a national rate of 9 percent. Calls to slash the freedom of public employees could hit black job seekers especially hard because so many blacks are public employees.

In a Point of View column on the AFL-CIO website, Steven Pitts, a labor policy specialist at the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley, says these attacks are already dealing a sharp blow to the black middle class.

Amity Shlaes's Forgotten History: When Unions Go Bust, We All Do

Lynn Parramore.
Editor of New Deal 2.0; Co-founder of Recessionwire
Posted: February 25, 2011 11:10 AM

For years, American workers' wages have stagnated even as they produced more. Since 2008, they have been socked with staggering new bills for bank bailouts and hammered by a Great Recession brought on by the very same banks. Now public sector workers are confronted by a new crop of Republican governors who want to put an end to unions. Union workers in Wisconsin have already conceded all of Governor Walker's draconian demands. But they want to hold on to their right to bargain so that they won't be at the mercy of the whims of political appointees or rogue school boards. Tens of thousands have swarmed Madison to show their support for the working people of Wisconsin.

More than 100,000 Rally in Wisconsin

by Tula Connell, Feb 26, 2011

This is a crosspost from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

On a snowy Wisconsin Saturday over 100,000 union members, working families, community members, faith leaders, activist groups and concerned citizens gathered in Madison to tell Gov. Walker to stop the attacks on the middle class and kill the bill.

Despite the weather today’s rally was the biggest in the thirteen days of protests. The people of Wisconsin will continue to fight for their rights. It is time for our elected officials to show leadership, come to the table and move Wisconsin forward.

Wisconsin’s teachers, nurses, snow plow drivers, and other public employees have agreed to Walker’s pension and health care concessions, which he said would solve the budget challenge. The Governor’s continued attacks on our state’s working families harm us all. It is now up to the Governor to be reasonable and listen to his constituents.

The whole nation has taken notice of what we are doing in Wisconsin. Today solidarity rallies were held in all fifty states, as America stands with Wisconsin.

What’s happened in our state has made the whole labor movement stronger. None of this would have been possible without the support, dedication and solidarity of both union members and non-union members who understand more than they have in a long time just how much we’re all in this together.

For photos of past rallies and select solidarity actins visit the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO flickr page. Be sure to “like” us on Face Book and follow us on twitter so you can be up-to-date as we continue the fight for worker fights

Follow Solidarity Rallies with Public Employees Here and Take Action

by Tula Connell, Feb 26, 2011

Dozens—even hundreds—of rallies are taking place across the nation today as people show their solidarity with embattled public employees in Wisconsin, Ohio and all states where governors and legislatures are trying to slash the right to bargain for good middle-class jobs. Here’s how you can join them.

•Follow the action via our live Twitter feed here, as people around the country live-tweet from rallies and events via the hashtag, #WeAreWI.
•Watch as MoveOn.org live webstreams from rallies around the country. Click here to watch.
•Sign the petition telling Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) to stop attacking workers and the American Dream. Sign here.
•Write a message of solidarity to workers at the “We Are One” Facebook page.
•Add ”We Are One” Facebook and Twitter avatars to show your solidarity with state workers. Click here for icons.

NBA Union Backs Wisconsin Public Employees

by Tula Connell, Feb 25, 2011

The National Basketball Association’s Player’s Association (NBAPA) is backing Wisconsin public employees who are fighting for their right to bargain for good middle-class jobs. NBAPA Executive Director Billy Hunter denounced last night’s vote in the state assembly to take away collective bargainig rights. This from the Nation:

Last night’s vote by the Wisconsin Assembly was an attempt to undermine organized labor and the men and women across the country who depend on their unions for a voice in the workplace. The NBPA proudly supports our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and their stand for unequivocal collective bargaining rights.

4,000 in New Jersey Show Support for Wisconsin Public Employees

by John Goltz, Feb 26, 2011

This is a crosspost from the New Jersey State AFL-CIO.

The unity rally at the State House was a tremendous success, and you made it happen. Union members from across the state and nation, from all sectors of our labor movement, joined with our community partners and stood together – over 4,000 strong – to show solidarity for the Wisconsin workers. (CLICK HERE for photos of the rally and to see solidarity in action.)

Everyone who believes in solidarity and knows what’s at risk for the middle class was there. Although the rain started falling, a little downpour was not cause for hesitation; it simply meant that we were more determined than ever to stand together. Our signs were held higher, and a swell of umbrellas joined the concert of colors which swept across the crowd. Standing shoulder to shoulder at the rally were bakery workers and iron workers, teachers and laborers, nurses and electricians, firefighters and plumbers, painters and social workers, carpenters and grocery workers, teamsters and bus drivers, secretaries and steelworkers, professors and sheet metal workers, police officers and plasterers, toll collectors, and asbestos workers, a wide range of state workers, and the list goes on.

Solis: Govs. in Wis. and Ohio Want Workers to Give Up Their American Rights

by Tula Connell, Feb 26, 2011

The nation’s governors are meeting right now in Washington, D.C., for their annual conference. Well, not all of them. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is a no-show, preferring to make the rounds on the weekend television interview programs to explain away why he wants to take away the freedom of public employees to bargain for good middle-class jobs.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) also is meeting this weekend. Here are excerpts from the statement Labor Secretary Hilda Solis made this morning when meeting with the DNC. Walker needs to read these remarks. And so does Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who’s right on the heels of Walker in his attacks on nurses, teachers and EMTs.

Florida Tech Flight Instructors vote IAM

Flight instructors at the Florida Institute of Technology voted to join the IAM after concerns about unpaid hours and benefits.


Thu. February 24, 2011

A five-month campaign to organize flight instructors at the Florida Institute of Technology came to a close this week after the instructors voted 34-7 to join the IAM.

The newest members of District Lodge 166 say their vote was based on concerns about pay and benefits. Despite the hours they spend at the Florida Tech flight school, instructors are only paid when the airplane engine is on or when working with a student. They are also unable to receive health care benefits, sick days and vacation until they’ve clocked in 3,000 hours of instruction, which can reportedly take up to five years.

EEOC Probes Jobless Discrimination Claims

Thu. February 24, 2011

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces U.S. laws prohibiting employment discrimination, is investigating recent claims of employers discriminating against the jobless. The commission held a public meeting last week in which it heard testimony from various employment advocacy groups who say some employers are posting want ads with a disclaimer to unemployed applicants.

The message “Unemployed Need Not Apply” is a growing trend in the labor market amongst employers looking to fill their payrolls with “experienced” workers. The assumption, said Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP) Christine Owens when testifying before the EEOC, is that unemployed workers’ skills are outdated

IAM Flight Attendants at Continental Ratify Industry Leading Agreement

Fri. February 25, 2011

Washington, D.C., February 25, 2011 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today announced that Flight Attendants at Continental Airlines have voted to ratify a new interim collective bargaining agreement that will raise their top base pay to $52.53 per hour while providing a no-furlough guarantee for the duration of the accord.

The contract was ratified by 68 percent of voting members, with 70 percent of the overall membership participating. The new interim agreement covers 9,300 Flight Attendants based in Houston, TX, Newark, NJ and Cleveland, OH. The 20-month contract is retroactive to January 1, 2010.

“This interim agreement provides immediate raises and important merger protections as United and Continental integrate their operations,” said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. “After we win representation rights for the combined Flight Attendant group, we will return to the table and negotiate long-term improvements for all 25,000 Flight Attendants.”

19 Latino Organizations Denounce Assaults on Public Employees

by James Parks, Feb 25, 2011

Nineteen Latino organizations, including the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), have come together to oppose the attacks on public servants. Governors or legislators in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Iowa and Florida are pushing extremist legislation that would take away the freedom of nurses, police, firefighters and other public employees to bargain for a middle-class life.

Wisconsin Police Set to Stage Sleep-In to Keep Capitol Open

by Tula Connell, Feb 25, 2011

The leader of the police union in Wisconsin is calling for Gov. Scott Walker to keep the state Capitol open—and today announced plans for a sleepover to make sure that happens.

State lawmakers approved a rule change two days ago that clears the way for limiting the public’s access to the state Capitol and ejecting people protesting Walker’s bill to take away public employees’ rights to bargain for good middle-class jobs.

Solidarity with Wisconsin Public Employees Growing

by James Parks, Feb 24, 2011

Some 2,000 working people rallied at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul Tuesday to make it clear that Wisconsin-like attempts to destroy collective bargaining will not succeed in their state.

Gov. Mark Dayton joined the rally and the crowd roared when Dayton declared:

“Drastic, extreme measures will not become law here. They won’t become law—because I’m here.”

In Hartford, Conn., working people, union members and their allies gathered near the north entrance of the Capitol building yesterday in a show of solidarity with state workers in Wisconsin. Gov. Dannel Malloy briefly addressed the crowd, saying he views the unions as partners in his quest to close a budget gap estimated as high as $3.7 billion.

USW Rally Hits Attack on Public Service Workers

by James Parks, Feb 24, 2011

Hundreds of working Americans overflowed the lobby of United Steelworkers (USW) headquarters today into the streets of Pittsburgh, in a rally to show solidarity with teachers, nurses and other public service workers in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio whose freedom to bargain for a better life is under attack.

Boeing Wins $35 Billion Tanker Contract

The NewGen Tanker demonstrates its ability to refuel two aircraft.

by James Parks, Feb 24, 2011

The Air Force has given a major boost to U.S. job creation by awarding a $35 billion contract to build the next generation of air refueling tankers to Boeing Co. The announcement was made at the Pentagon late this afternoon after the financial markets closed.

Which Audrey?

Posted by Bob Campbell, Communicator IAM Local Lodge 731

Voters of Jacksonville, do not be fooled by this sign. To many people in Jacksonville, when you hear the name Audrey you immediately think of Audrey Gibson, our Florida House Representative, District 15.

SHE IS NOT RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF JACKSONVILLE.

This is the campaign sign of Audrey Moran. I only wish that she had used her first and last name on the sign. (Yes, at the very bottom it does say Audrey Moran, Republican for Mayor of Jacksonville). But who reads the small, fine print? Not Every Voter! The voters only see Vote Audrey for Mayor. How many Audreys are there, if you do not read the small, fine print? These signs are posted throughout Jacksonville.

I personally believe the sign to be very misleading to voters, especially to the constituents of Audrey Gibson, who may not realize that this is not their Audrey.

AUDREY L. GIBSON
FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 15

Audrey Moran, Jacksonville mayoral candidate, 2011

Assault on Unions Is an Attack on Basic Civil Rights

Rev. Jesse Jackson
Civil rights activist
Posted: February 22, 2011 06:15 PM

It looks like "Cairo has moved to Madison," said conservative Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, as 50,000 citizens took over the state's Capitol building. He got the spirit right, but the location wrong. In Madison, folks wearing Packers jerseys stand together with folks wearing Bears colors. Madison is this generation's Selma, the epicenter for the modern battle for basic human rights.

In 1965, the drive for basic voting rights was stalled in the U.S. Senate. President Johnson pushed Martin Luther King to stop demonstrating. Instead, Dr. King went to Selma. Selma was not a big city, but it held a mirror to the nation. There, on Bloody Sunday, peaceful demonstrators were met with dogs, clubs and hoses, and touched the conscience of a nation. Two days later, Johnson, invoking the famous words, "We shall overcome," introduced the Voting Rights Act. Five months later it was signed into law.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Warns Of 'Dire Consequences' If Budget Bill Fails To Pass

AP/The Huffington Post
Posted: 02/22/11 07:58 PM

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says failing to pass a bill stripping union rights for Wisconsin public workers would have "dire consequences."

Walker said in a speech broadcast live statewide Tuesday evening that if lawmakers don't pass the bill up to 1,500 state workers could be laid off by July with another 6,000 forced out of work over the next two years.

Top Obama Economic Aide: Social Security Reform Not A Part Of Discussion On Fiscal Future

February 22, 2011
HuffPost Reporting
stein@huffingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON -- Lost amid the budget battles in Congress and the anti-union legislation being considered in several states has been the White House's deliberate decision to take the topic of Social Security reform off the deficit debate menu.

The latest move in that direction came on Tuesday, when Jason Furman, deputy director of the President Barack Obama's National Economic Council, insisted that talk of Social Security reform "is not one you care about" if "you are worried about our long-run fiscal future."

Wisconsin Fight Goes to Core of ‘Who We Are as a People and Country’

by Mike Hall, Feb 22, 2011

Michael Peck, a board member of the Apollo Alliance, writes that the Wisconsin workers who have been in the streets and the Capitol Rotunda in Madison for more than a week:

are fighting for more than balancing a budget and even more than the
right to bargain collectively for our own welfare. Indeed, the stakes
are much, much higher and go to the core of who we are as a people and
country.

Poll: Public Opposes Taking Away Freedom to Bargain

by Tula Connell, Feb 22, 2011

A new poll shows the public strongly opposes laws taking away the collective bargaining power of public employees to address budgets. Some 61 percent of the public say they would oppose a law in their state similar to one being considered in Wisconsin, compared with 33 percent who would favor such a law, according to poll out today by USA Today/Gallup.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, widely perceived to be on the verge of attacking the rights of public employees to bargain for middle-class jobs, already figured that out. Scott said today he would not consider taking away bargaining rights from public employees. Instead, Scott said in an interview:
as long as the discussion is honest about what benefits employees are
getting, he has no objection to public employees being members of
unions.

Locked Out of Capitol, Ohio Workers Sing ‘God Bless America’

by Tula Connell, Feb 22, 2011

Ohio workers today, locked out of their own statehouse today as they tried to rally for the freedom of public employees to bargain for middle-class jobs, stood outside the capitol building singing, “God Bless America” (video). This from the ground in Columbus:

Republican Governors Desert Wis.’s Scott Walker

by Tula Connell, Feb 22, 2011

Memo to Gov. Scott Walker: Your allies are deserting you. They know something you don’t seem to: the public supports the freedom to bargain for good middle-class jobs.

Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott:
My belief is as long as people know what they’re doing, collective
bargaining is fine.

Republican Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbitt:
We’ll begin negotiations with the public-sector unions and anticipate
we’ll conduct those in good faith.

Solidarity for Workers’ Struggles Grows

by Mike Hall, Feb 22, 2011

From California to North Carolina to Poland, workers, community and faith activists are standing in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin, Ohio and around the nation in their fights against a coordinated attack on middle-class jobs.
In a letter of support to Wisconsin workers, Piotr Duda, President of the Polish Trade Union Solidarnosc, writes:

Indiana Gov. Daniels (R) Urges GOP Lawmakers to Drop ‘Right to Work’ Bill

by Mike Hall, Feb 22, 2011

Here’s some great and startling news out of Indiana. The Indianapolis Star reports that Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) says that Republican legislators should drop the so-called “right to work” bill so lawmakers can get on with important state business.

Earlier today, Democratic members of the House headed out of state in order to block action on the bill. Reports the Star

From Cairo to Madison: Hope and Solidarity are Alive

by Medea Benjamin
Co-founder, CODEPINK: Women for Peace
Posted: February 21, 2011 03:58 PM

Here in Madison, Wisconsin, where protesters have occupied the State Capitol Building to stop the pending bill that would eliminate workers' right to collective bargaining, echoes of Cairo are everywhere. Protesters here were elated by the photo of an Egyptian engineer named Muhammad Saladin Nusair holding a sign in Tahrir Square saying "Egypt Supports Wisconsin Workers -- One World, One Pain." The signs by protesters in Madison include "Welcome to Wiscairo," "From Egypt to Wisconsin: We Rise Up," and "Government Walker: Our Mubarak." The banner I brought directly from Tahrir Square saying "Solidarity with Egyptian Workers" has been hanging from the balcony of the Capitol alongside solidarity messages from around the country

What Happens in Wisconsin Will Affect Workers Across the Nation

by Tula Connell, Feb 21, 2011

John August, executive director of Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions and native Wisconsinite, sends us this on events there. The coalition is an alliance of 29 local unions representing 90,000 health care workers.

I am a proud Wisconsinite—not just because of the recent victory of the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 45, but also because of the state’s great progressive traditions. Those traditions include a strong labor movement and the birth of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the major public sector union, in 1936.

Yet all of those great, progressive traditions are fragile.

In many states today, including Wisconsin, public sector employees’ jobs, wages and benefits are on the line. The very right to have effective collective bargaining for public employees is at great risk all across the country.

Mission Impossible with Heston Blumenthal

Posted on February 16th, 2011

Not many chefs have faced the challenge of serving food for 100,000 customers a day at 35,000ft, so when famously innovative chef Heston Blumenthal asked British Airways if he could try it, the airline jumped at the opportunity.

The experiment is part of Heston’s new Channel 4 programme, ‘Heston’s Mission Impossible’ where he pushes the boundaries of food development across a number of great British institutions.

Union Plus Can Help with Health Care Costs

Jennifer Wright Dorr at Union Plus sends us this feature examining Union Plus health care savings plans for union members.
As high health care costs keep working families away from the doctor or dentist, Union Plus is fighting back with a health savings program that can make health care services more affordable.

With the help of savings on dental care, union member JonDa Tanner was able to land her dream job at sea by allowing her to pass the medical exams.

“Without the Union Plus Health Savings Program, I wouldn’t have my Seafarers International Union (SIU) job,” says Tanner, an adventurous 32-year-old from Seattle. Tanner explains that the dental discounts available through the Union Plus Health Savings Program allowed her to afford dental work necessary to show that she was in good health, a requirement for the SIU apprentice program to which she was applying.

Though not an insurance program, the Union Plus Health Savings Program makes health care services affordable to union members and union retirees through a discount program covering a wide variety of health care needs. Participating union members can enjoy significant discounts on dental, vision, hearing, physicians and hospitals, foot and ankle, and prescription drugs. In addition, union members may add other members of their household—children, spouses, parents—to their plan, for no additional fee.

Moreover, the Union Plus Health Savings Program features an extensive network of providers throughout the country. A full listing of participating providers is available for viewing at UnionPlus.org/HealthSavings or by calling 1-877-570-4845.

Tanner, who was drawn to the union movement because of her passionate belief that workers benefit from a collective voice, makes a point of learning what union benefits are available to her union sisters and brothers.

She says:

The Health Savings Program has been great. I’ve enjoyed savings on dental work and on prescriptions. You really can save a lot of money. I hope other union members take advantage of the savings.

No doubt, Tanner will have a plenty of time to inform her fellow crewmates of the value of unions and the array of union benefits, including those offered by Union Plus, that are available to them. Her job as a cook for about 24 crew members on a cargo or container ship will last from 60 to 142 days per trip. It is a job that gives her the opportunity to travel around the globe, exploring everything from the rare wildlife of Africa to the unique markets of Turkey.

The Union Plus Health Savings program is just one of a wide array of offerings available to union members and retirees. Union Plus’ hallmark programs include the Union Plus Credit Card, Union Plus Insurance, and the Union Plus Mortgage.

Union Plus also offers discounts on AT&T wireless service, college test preparation, Goodyear tires, car rentals, hardship assistance, movie tickets and much more. To learn about the more than 40 Union Plus programs available to union members, visit www.UnionPlus.org.

Showdown in Indiana over Right to Work

Fri. February 18, 2011

February 18, 2011 - The Republican leadership of the Indiana House of Representatives has just announced that the House's Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee will hear House Bill 1468, which contains so-called "right to work" language on Monday, February 21at 9:00 a.m. at the Indiana Statehouse.

This last minute addition to the schedule is designed to give the public as little notice as possible and prevent working men and women from coming to Indianapolis to oppose this bill.

It's time to fight back.

Indiana residents should call their state representatives at 1-800-382-9842 immediately and tell them to vote "NO" on House Bill 1468.

Email your state representative here, right now, and tell them to oppose House Bill 1468

Come to the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, February 21 to stand up and oppose this bill.

House Bill 1468 will be heard in Room 156 at 9:00 a.m.

Union Difference

Mon. February 14, 2011

Some of the most important benefits that workers get from Union membership are impossible to put a price tag on: representatives in the workplace of our own choosing, an active, collective voice to bargain over working conditions, and due process on the job. As union members, we know that collective bargaining is the best way to promote basic, democratic principles of fairness and dignity at work. But being in a union confers significant economic benefits as well. Unions have historically been the most effective institutions in our society at making sure the economic gains that workers help to create are shared widely rather than being channeled solely to the executive suite. The data below illustrates “The Union Difference” and shows why more and more people are joining unions today.

Best Protest Signs and Trumka Delivers Speech and Brats

by Mike Hall, Feb 19, 2011

The serious work of fighting against Gov. Scott Walker’s vendetta against Wisconsin’s teachers and other public workers was the focus all our time and coverage during the past few days.

So here are a few things from the lighter side. When it comes to sign making and sloganeering progressive activists are usually pretty creative and sometimes find that funny bone that seems to be missing from the conservative body politic. For example

Labor College Offers Green Workplace Representative Program

by James Parks, Feb 19, 2011

Courses in the National Labor College’s (NLC’s) new Green Workplace Representative Certificate Program will begin on June 26. The program consists of four required, weeklong courses. Students must complete 12 credits to earn the certificate.

Students who enroll in the program will learn how to conduct workplace sustainability audits, which can save energy and water, reduce waste, use environmentally-friendly products, recycle materials, maintain employee health, adopt clean technologies and reduce carbon emissions, while retaining good jobs at family-sustaining wages.

Mike Hogan, Alvin Brown Split Union Endorsement in Jacksonville Mayoral Race

Submitted by Abel Harding on February 16, 2011 - 7:00am

Republican Mike Hogan and Democrat Alvin Brown picked up a co-endorsement in their bid to be Jacksonville's next mayor from the North Florida Building & Construction Trades Council, a 50-year old organization that represents area construction trades unions.

The group said its influence reaches approximately 10,000 construction workers and their voting age spouses, family members and friends.

The group also endorsed Duval County Sheriff John Rutherford in his bid to win a third term, Property Appraiser Jim Overton and former state Rep. Dick Kravtiz's bid for Tax Collector.

In addition, endorsements were issued in the following races:
City Council District 1: Clay Yarborough
City Council District 2: Bill Bishop
City Council District 3: Mario Rubio
City Council District 5: Lori Boyer
City Council District 6: No Endorsement
City Council District 7: No Position
City Council District 11: Doug Moore
City Council District 12: Doyle Carter
City Council District 13: No Endorsement
City Council District 14: Jill Dame
City Council District 1 at Large: David Taylor
City Council District 2 at Large: John Crescimbeni
City Council District 4 at Large: Jim Robinson
City Council District 5 at Large: Robin Lumb

Even Clay Superintendent Surprised by Board’s Rejection of Teachers Contract

Posted: February 18, 2011 - 6:45pm

By Beth Reese Cravey, Dan ScanlanShock and disbelief. That’s what Clay County teachers are dealing with in the aftermath of the School Board’s denial of a long-debated contract Thursday night.

The 4-1 vote came after Clay County Education Association members gave the 2010-11 contract tentative approval after eight months of sometimes contentious negotiations with the School Board.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos Says He is Opposed to High-Speed Rail, Too

Submitted by Matt Dixon on February 18, 2011 - 9:23am

Two days after Gov. Rick Scott rejected $2.4 billion in federal funds for high-speed rail, Senate President Mike Haridopolos says he supports the move.

Friday morning he sent out a release under the headline "Senate President Haridopolos Rejects Federal Funds for High-Speed Rail." Remember, this is two days after the initial rejection.

Also, here is a reminder from the Orlando Sentinel that Haridopolos, who is also running for U.S. Senate, at one point was supportive of the plan.

Anyway, here's the full release:

SENATE PRESIDENT HARIDOPOLOS REJECTS FEDERAL FUNDS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL

TALLAHASSEE - Senate President Mike Haridopolos released the following statement today on the status of high-speed rail funding in Florida:

Jacksonville Firefighters Endorse Mike Hogan for Mayor

Posted: February 18, 2011 - 8:24am

By Jim SchoettlerMike Hogan had the guns. On Friday came the hoses.
The 1,200 member Jacksonville Association of Firefighters voted Thursday to endorse Hogan for mayor over two other candidates they interviewed - Audrey Moran and Alvin Brown.

Union president Randy Wyse said the group did not interview candidate Rick Mullaney because he said he didn't intend to seek union endorsements.

Hogan got the firefighters’ support when all but one of about 150 people gathered for the vote voiced their approval of Hogan, Wyse said.
He said among the many pluses Hogan brings is his prior work as a labor relations manager for Southern Bell

Hogan got the firefighters’ support when all but one of about 150 people gathered for the vote voiced their approval of Hogan, Wyse said.
He said among the many pluses Hogan brings is his prior work as a labor relations manager for Southern Bell.

NFL, Players' Union Agree to Mediation

Posted: February 18, 2011 - 12:17am

By Barry WilnerAssociated Press

NEW YORK - The NFL and its players' union agreed Thursday to mediation in their labor dispute, two weeks before the collective bargaining
agreement expires.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent U.S. government agency, will oversee negotiations in Washington beginning today.
After holding separate discussions with representatives from the league and the union, FMCS director George H. Cohen said both sides agreed to have the agency get involved in the stalled talks

IAM Urges Sen. Paul to Respect Flight Attendants

Tue. February 15, 2011

Last week, the Machinists Legislative team met face-to-face with Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) congressional staff to express our strong opposition to the Senator’s amendment to strip safety and health protections for professional flight attendants from the pending FAA Reauthorization bill (S.223).

The Legislative team presented Sen. Paul with a letter from IAM President Tom Buffenbarger and adamantly urged the Senator to reconsider his opposition to extending OSHA protections to flight attendants and to withdraw his amendment to strike Section 509 from the FAA bill.

“Flight attendants have been the first to die in hijackings and the very last to leave a burning or sinking plane, making sure everyone else made it out first,” said IAM Legislative Director Matt McKinnon. “They suffer permanent injuries in turbulence and endure inhuman schedules when weather and mechanical problems disrupt flights. At the very least, they are entitled to the same OSHA workplace protections that all other American workers enjoy.”

Machinists Break New Ground with Moduline

Thu. February 17, 2011

The IAM has broken new ground in its latest collective agreement with Moduline Industries Canada Limited in Penticton, British Columbia.

“For the first time, our workers over the age of 55 or with 30 years seniority can volunteer for a reduced work week schedule,” said IAM District Lodge 250 Directing Business Representative Stan Pickthall. The language calls for a four-day workweek and the participants must sign up for one calendar year and re-apply each December if they wish to continue on the reduced work schedule. “If more than ten employees apply, the shift will be granted on the basis of seniority,” added Pickthall.

House Committee Passes Unfair NMB Voting Rule Amendment

Thu. February 17, 2011

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved legislation that would repeal a recently updated National Mediation Board (NMB) voting rule for air and rail workers. The language included in the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011 would restore the unfair advantage carriers have enjoyed in union representation elections for more than 75 years.

Trumka: Walker ‘Can’t Have Our Freedom’

by Mike Hall, Feb 18, 2011

Huge cheers and applause are echoing across the Capitol plaza in Madison as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka fires up those in the crowd, many of whom have been there for all the weeklong demonstrations.

“Incomes have stalled…now leaders like Walker want to take away our basic freedoms – like to have voice on the job.” #StateSOS #WIunion

“Gov. Walker, that’s too much to ask. You can’t have our freedom!” -Trumka #NotMyWI #WIunion #StateSOS #1u

New Yorkers: Solidarity with Cheeseheads

by Tula Connell, Feb 18, 2011

New Yorkers looked particularily festive in their bright yellow swiss cheese hats today, as hundreds became honorary Cheeseheads while marching in solidarity with embattled workers in Wisconsin.

Bob Fertik writes about the event at the Jobs Party blog:

In just 24 hours, NYC supporters of Wisconsin workers organized a spirited Cheesehead Rally in Manhattan to launch the Cheddar Revolution nationwide….

BREAKING: Wis. Republican Lawmakers Give Up Until Tuesday

by Donna Jablonski, Feb 18, 2011

Wisconsin’s Republican legislators have put off a vote on a bill that would undermine good, middle-class jobs and take collective bargaining rights away from some 200,000 public employees, according to JSOnline and other news reports.

AFL-CIO Blog Archives for January 2011

Read the AFL-CIO blog for January 2011.