Nearly 85 Percent of TSOs Vote for Union

by James Parks, Apr 20, 2011

In one of the biggest union elections in recent years, nearly 85 percent of the transportation security officers (TSOs) voted to join a union. AFGE led the voting and will face a runoff with another union to determine who will represent the 43,000 TSOs at 450 of the nation’s airports.

The ballot offered three choices: AFGE, no union or NTEU, an unaffiliated union. The voting began March 9 and ended April 19. In order to win, one of the choices had to gain 50 percent plus one vote of all the TSOs voting. No date has been set for the runoff.

Even though the TSOs did not have collective bargaining rights, more than 12,000 TSO members are currently in 40 AFGE local unions across the country. It took 10 years before the TSOs finally gained the right to bargain. At its March meeting, the AFL-CIO Executive Council approved a statement supporting the officers right to bargain, which said, in part:

Having won the right to bargain collectively, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) workers are now poised to elect their exclusive union representative…. With the support of AFGE, which has worked so persistently and aggressively on their behalf, and with the full backing and assistance of the AFL-CIO, these workers will be successful.

The AFL-CIO also is asking union members to speak with the TSOs whenever you’re in an airport and urge the workers to “Vote Yes for AFGE.”

NLRB Issues Complaint Over Boeing’s Move to S.C.

by James Parks, Apr 20, 2011

A complaint issued today by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the Boeing Co. is a victory for all American workers—particularly aerospace workers in both Puget Sound and South Carolina, officials with the Machinists (IAM) said.

NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon issued the complaint, which alleges that Boeing’s decision in 2009 to locate a Dreamliner 787 final assembly line in North Charleston, S.C., represented illegal retaliation against IAM members who work for the company. The NLRB is seeking a court order requiring Boeing to operate the second 787 line, including supply lines, with union workers in the Puget Sound

“Boeing’s decision to build a 787 assembly line in South Carolina sent a message that Boeing workers would suffer financial harm for exercising their collective bargaining rights,” said IAM Vice President Rich Michalski.

Federal labor law is clear: It’s illegal to threaten or penalize workers who engage in concerted activity.

The decision by Boeing to locate the assembly line in South Carolina followed years of 787 production delays and an extraordinary round of mid-contract talks in which the IAM proposed an 11-year agreement to provide Boeing with the labor stability it claimed was necessary to keep 787 production in the Puget Sound area.

The board’s action reinforces the fact that “workers have a right to join a union, and companies don’t have a right to punish them for engaging in legal union activities,” said Tom Wroblewski, president of Machinists District Lodge 751 in Seattle, which represents Boeing workers.

Taking work away from workers because they exercise their union rights is against the law, and it’s against the law in all 50 states.

The board’s complaint comes in response to an unfair labor practice charge filed in March 2010 by District 751. Wroblewski added:

Had we allowed Boeing to break the law and go unchecked in their actions, it would have given the green light for corporate America to discriminate against union members and would have become management’s new strategic template to attack employees.

“A worker’s right to strike is a fundamental right guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act,” the NLRB’s Solomon said.

We also recognize the rights of employers to make business decisions based on their economic interests, but they must do so within the law.

Seattle Theaters Showcase Union Support

by James Parks, Apr 20, 2011

With workers under attack across the nation, all the major theaters in the Seattle area affirmed their support for workers everywhere to organize and bargain collectively. In a statement, the 24 theatrical, sound and stagecraft employers, who all have contracts with the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15, said:

We are proud to be a union employer. We are committed to bargain fairly and in good faith with our employees, and to maintaining our history of respect for, and cooperation with, the labor community.

Said Local 15 President Andrew Willhelm:

This says loud and clear that Seattle is still a union town. Just as in Wisconsin, the public supports labor. We’re doing all we can to make sure that corporate interests don’t hijack our government, the way they have in Wisconsin.

In addition to signing the statement, Seattle theaters joined in the We Are One national day of action April 4 by putting up signs honoring their relationship with unions.

“Our theatrical employers share our vision for social justice,” said Bess Sullivan, who chairs Local 15’s Defense Committee.

I spent a week at the State Capitol in Wisconsin with the thousands of public sector workers fighting back against union-busting, and we want to make a clear statement that we won’t tolerate that kind of attack in Washington.

“Our goal [on April 4] was to involve our members, and not just have a statement from our union,” said Amanda Quinn, a Seattle stagehand who coordinated the local’s We Are One actions.

We had our members raising issues with their coworkers and employers at their worksites, and planned an action at a location where many of our members work.

In addition to the 24 employers signing the Local 15 statement, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming the city’s “support for public employees to organize and to bargaining collectively,” and opposed “any attempt to restrict or eliminate collective bargaining in the State of Washington.”

After 10 Years, Consolidated Biscuit Workers Will Vote on Union

Workers at Hearthside Food Solutions in McComb, Ohio, hand out information about joining a union.

by James Parks, Apr 20, 2011

After a decade of struggle, workers at cookie maker Consolidated Biscuit Company (CBC), now Hearthside Food Solutions (HFS), in McComb, Ohio, are a big step closer to joining a union. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced the 825 workers will vote May 5–6 on whether to join a union.

Fed up with low pay, minimal benefits and hazardous working conditions, workers at CBC approached the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) about joining the union in 2001.

For Selena Smith Packer, a 15-year veteran at the plant, the issue is consistency.

Every time a new manager or a new owner takes over, they make changes for their interest, not ours. We have no vote or say in the matter. As a union, we’ll get to vote on changes and even make some demands that are in our best interest.

The NLRB overturned an initial election in 2002 because CBC had repeatedly violated federal labor laws. The labor board ordered the new election more than two years ago and the decision was affirmed by the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Both the NLRB and the appeals court ruled that CBC harassed union organizing activities, and confused and scared workers into voting against joining BCTGM.

The court and board required CBC to reinstate employees Bill Lawhorn and Russell Teegardin in 2008, six years after the company fired them for trying to form a union. Lawhorn testified before Congress as an example of why the Employee Free Choice Act is necessary.

Fla. Nurses Win Union Voice; NNU Puts New Spin on Bad Govs

by Mike Hall, Apr 20, 2011

In Planation, Fla., registered nurses at Florida Medical Center voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee-Florida, an affiliate of the National Nurses United (NNU).

The 250 RN’s join the more than 5,000 Florida nurses in 14 hospitals around the state who have recently voted for a union voice to help them boost patient care. Says Delia Kan, an intensive care RN at the hospital:

Florida Medical Center RNs want to improve nurse-to- patient staffing in our hospital which will help us retain and recruit experienced nurses. RNs are gaining the power to have an effective independent voice in everyday patient care decisions that will improve the quality of care that our patients and our community deserve.

Also today, NNU announced a new online game show, Wheel of Misfortune. Unlike Wheel of Fortune where most of the slots are winners, there’s not a single winner on this wheel.

The game divides the Wheel of Misfortune into 10 slots, one each for the 10 worst governors in the natoon: Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Jan Brewer of Arizona, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Rick Perry of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida, Paul LePage of Maine, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Rick Snyder of Michigan, Chris Christie of New Jersey, and John Kasich of Ohio.

You won’t walk away with a bundle of cash when you spin this wheel. Instead you’ll have a chance to solve the puzzle of just who is America’s worst governor. Even if you buy a vowel, that’ll be a tough job.

Each time you spin the wheel and it stops on one of the governors, you’ll find a treasure trove of frightening facts. Some are well-known–like Walker’s and Kasich’s elimination of collective bargaining rights for public employees. But others are more obscure. Did you know Perry packs a Ruger .380 and calls Social Security a “ponzi scheme”? Or that Brewer eliminated state funding for low-income patients in need of organ transplants and wants to drop 250,000 Arizonians from Medicaid? Click here to take spin the wheel.

Workers Memorial Day Honors Those Killed on Job, Including BP Rig Workers

by Mike Hall, Apr 20, 2011

A year ago today–as workers were being pushed to finish drilling faster than some thought was safe, according to news reports–the BP Deepwater/Horizon drilling platform, 72 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico exploded. Eleven workers were killed, the rest were rescued.

The BP well then begin spewing 206 million gallons of oil—19 times more than the Exxon Valdez disaster—triggering the worst environmental and economic disaster ever in the Gulf Coast.

Two days later the rig sank to the bottom of the Gulf—likely carrying with it the bodies of the dead workers that have yet to be recovered.

On April 28, as they call for tougher job safety laws as part of the 22nd annual Workers Memorial Day, workers across the country will honor those killed on the BP Deepwater/Horizon rig and the thousands more killed on the job each year. (Click here to find a Workers Memorial Day event near you or to register an event).

In 2009, (the latest figures available) 4,340 workers were killed on the job and another 50-00060,000 died of occupational diseases. Also more than 4.1 million workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in private and state and local workplaces.

Seafarers Send Out SOS to Stop Piracy

by Mike Hall, Apr 19, 2011

High seas piracy, especially in the Arabian Gulf and most of the Indian Ocean, “is becoming more savage and widespread,” says Seafarers (SIU) Secretary-Treasurer David Heindel.

A coalition of international maritime groups has now launched “Save Our Seafarers” (SOS), a new anti-piracy campaign to push governments to do more to protect sailors and ship and prevent pirates from “hijacking the world’s economy.” (Click here to visit the SOS channel on YouTube.)

As Heindel says, “the world has lost control of piracy.”

All the Arabian Gulf and most of the Indian Ocean are now effectively lawless. Yet there is a way that control can be regained: by actively going after pirates, stopping them and prosecuting them. Not this ludicrous situation of taking away their guns and setting them free to strike again.

Even when the mostly Somali pirates—who are currently holding about 800 international seafarers hostage—are captured, 80 percent are released to attack again, according to the SOS campaign.

With Eye on 2012, Republicans Trying to Block Votes

by James Parks, Apr 19, 2011

The anti-middle class agenda of conservative legislators across the country is not limited to attacks on collective bargaining, education and the nation’s safety net. Even before some legislatures took up state budgets and anti-worker legislation, they began trotting out claims of potential voter fraud to try and disenfranchise large groups of voters.

With the White House and control of Congress on the line in 2012, Republicans are pushing changes that would make it significantly more difficult for some traditionally Democratic voters to even cast a ballot–college students, immigrants, rural voters, senior citizens, the disabled, the poor and the homeless.

One popular tactic being used to block votes is to require voters to present their birth certificate before registering to vote and show a DMV-issued photo identification at the polls. In its Progress Report, the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP) estimates voter ID bills would depress Latino turnout by as much as 10 percent. The bills also would cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Conservatives have claimed their assault on voting rights is necessary to combat the threat of mass voter fraud. Yet a study by New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice found that voters are more likely to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud. In fact, the Bush Justice Department’s five-year so-called “War on Voter Fraud” resulted in only 86 convictions out of 196 million votes cast.

Plan Now for 2011 Guide Dogs Banquet

Tue. April 19, 2011

The 31st William W. Winpisinger Charity Banquet to benefit Guide Dogs of America (GDA) will be held Saturday, November 19, 2011, at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

The annual event is the premier fundraiser for GDA, a charitable organization whose mission is to provide guide dogs to visually-impaired individuals free-of-charge. Founded by an IAM member in 1948, GDA and the Machinists Union have been strong partners ever since.

This year’s fundraising activities begin Thursday, November 17, with the Hawgs for Dogs motorcycle ride, followed by the benefit golf tournament on November 19 and culminating with the banquet dinner and awards ceremony on November 20.

Invitations with complete details about this year’s events will be mailed out by mid-July. You can also go to www.GuideDogsofAmerica.org for information as it becomes available.

Thousands Rally in Olympia to Support Workers

Western Territory GVP Gary Allen spoke at a rally in Olympia, WA, and urged lawmakers to acknowledge the true causes of the nation’s financial problems.

Tue. April 19, 2011

“Working families didn't create this mess, and we are not just going to sit by and get blamed for it,” said Western Territory GVP Gary Allen at a rally in support of workers’ rights held in Olympia, WA. “We didn't walk away with billions in bonuses and tax breaks, and we shouldn't have to pay for their mess.”

By some accounts, the rally was the largest held at the Capitol in more than a decade. The crowd displayed signs calling for fairness and demanded accountability for pain caused by corporate excesses, legislative blindness and the lack of sensibility in trade policies.

“We do not have a budget deficit,” Jeff Johnson, president of the Washington State Labor Council, one of the rally’s main organizers, told the crowd. “We have a social services deficit, we have a jobs deficit, we have a revenue deficit, and we have a deficit of leadership.”

Dan Twohig, a worker from the state ferry system said, "Corporations walk away with billions of taxpayer dollars every year, while working families are forced to make do with less and less. The state would do well to stop attacking the workers, we aren't the ones with the money.”

Wisconsin state Sen. Spencer Coggs, one of the " Wisconsin 14," got the biggest applause. He said it was labor groups across the country who “had our backs.”

IAM Honors Retired Activists

Retired DBR John Capobianco is presented with 60-year membership certificate and pin from International President Tom Buffenbarger and General Secretary-Treasurer Warren Mart.

Tue. April 19, 2011

If the labor movement in America has a “greatest generation,” then retired IAM members John Capobianco and Dick Cummings deserve to be in its forward ranks, decorated with respect and appreciation for the decades of service they have given to the cause.

At a recent meeting of the Michigan State Council of Machinists, International President Tom Buffenbarger and General Secretary-Treasurer Warren Mart honored Dick Cummings for a 45-year IAM career that included 20 years as president of the Michigan State Council in addition to active service at every level of the IAM.

Initiated into IAM Local 218 in October of 1966, Cummings’ IAM career included service as a District 60 Business Rep from 1978 to1984 and Directing Business Rep from 1984 to 1996.

Long-time IAM activist John Capobianco was similarly honored for six decades of service to IAM members during the annual meeting of the New England Council of Machinists in Portsmouth, NH. Capobianco headed District 170, formerly District 64, for many years.

“The IAM and its members are very fortunate to have activists like Dick Cummings and John Capobianco in our ranks,” said GST Warren Mart. “We honor them for the depth of their commitment, as well as for their years of service.”

Retired DBR Dick Cummings was honored at the Michigan State Council of Machinists meeting for his twenty years as state council president.

Labor Board Rules for IAM in AutoNation Case

Fighting the good fight (left to right): District 166 Organizer Javier Alamazan, Mercedes Auto Technicians Dean Catalano, Juan Cazorla and David Poppo.

Tue. April 19, 2011

The IAM scored an important legal victory recently for workers at Mercedes of Orlando in Florida, who endured harassment, intimidation and even firings after they voted to unionize. The ruling from the National Labor Relations Board requires the dealership, which is owned by AutoNation, to reinstate five workers who were fired for their union activities, with full back pay.

Auto Tech Juan Cazorla was one of those fired and describes his two-year struggle to overcome the effects of losing his job. “This has ruined my life,” said Cazorla, who claims he was blackballed in the industry by AutoNation. “I’ve been raised to fight for what I believe in, and I still think I did the right thing. Who are they to try to destroy my life, and make it so I can’t find a job? I’m happy with the decision, it proves I was right, but they’ll never be able to give me back what I lost.”

Mercedes of Orlando has indicated it will appeal the decision, and not bring back the techs at this time. This is a normal tactic of the anti-union industry, further punishing the workers by dragging the process out as long as possible.

Cazorla is happy to see workers in other states starting to stand up for their rights. “It feels good that there are a lot of people who are standing up for their rights,” said Cazorla. “We have to stand together for the future.”

“We have a group of technicians at Mercedes that have remained solid,” says Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez. “They have shown a great deal of dedication and bravery, not just for themselves, but because they care about their profession, and to help technicians regain their ability to make a good living.”

In addition to ordering reinstatement and full back pay for the fired workers, the NLRB ordered Mercedes of Orlando to bargain in good faith with the IAM.

Flight Attendants Sound Off on Reserve Flying

Reserve Flight Attendants from United and Continental met at the Winpisinger Education Center in Maryland to explore reserve issues at the new United Airlines.

Tue. April 19, 2011

Most Flight Attendants love their work and wouldn’t trade jobs with anyone, but it’s hard to find even one who believes the current system of creating a Flight Attendants’ work schedule can’t be improved. That’s just one reason why the IAM invited Flight Attendants from both Continental and United to the WWW Center to take part in the first Reserve Summit for Flight Attendants at the new United Airlines.

Over 20 Flight Attendants took part in the summit and compared the reserve systems at both carriers and discussed strategies to fix the worst problems facing reserves. The group also examined scheduling practices in place at other major carriers. Ultimately, the group examined the possibility of establishing an entirely new system to meet the needs of Flight Attendants at the merged airline. To that end, a survey was developed that specifically focuses on reserve issues, ensuring that every voice will be heard in addressing reserve issues.

Click here to view a video of the Reserve Summit.

“Reserve Flight Attendants have taken the first step toward defining their careers at the new United Airlines,” said Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “The foundation they have laid will be enhanced through additional meetings, surveys and a Reserve subcommittee in negotiations. With direction and active participation of reserve Flight Attendants, the IAM will develop a new, better Reserve system at the new United Airlines.”