US Airways traffic up

The Business Journal
Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 1:19pm EDT

US Airways Group Inc. saw a 1.6 percent increase in passenger boardings last month to 4.4 million, up from 4.3 million in April 2010.

The airline, which is the busiest airline at Piedmont Triad International Airport, flew 4.95 billion revenue-passenger miles last month, up 4.3 percent from April 2010.

The carrier’s passenger-load factor, or percentage of filled seats, was 82.6 percent, down from 82.7 percent the previous year.

Capacity rose 4.4 percent to 6 billion available seat miles.

Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways (NYSE:LCC) operates 3,200 daily flights to 200 destinations in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.

Walker Scales Hypocrisy Summit with Worker ‘Recognition’ Awards

by Mike Hall, May 4, 2011

Some might call it gall, others might say chutzpah. I’m leaning toward calling it two-faced with several words preceding it that got me into a lot of trouble with my mother when I was a kid.

But whatever you decide to call Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s announcement that he has launched a series of state employee recognition awards rewards just weeks after his long and bitter fight to eliminate their collective bargaining rights, it’s hypocrisy at its worst. (Speaking of hypocrisy, check this out from Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich.)

Walker’s action comes just days after he appointed the partner in a union-busting Milwaukee law firm as the new commissioner and chairman of the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC). That’s the state body that decides disputes between state workers and management and now with Wisconsin workers’ rights eroded is even more important.

First the “coveted” awards and then a word about the new labor commish.

Walker says that his new State Employee Recognition awards program is his way of saying “thanks” for the hard work and dedication of state workers and to “highlight the most outstanding employees with recognition. ” Walker’s sincerity just oozes out of that quote. Brings the word “smarmy” to mind, doesn’t it?

Meanwhile, Walker’s new WERC chair, James R. Scott, comes to his post straight from the law firm Linder & Marsack S.C. which tells prospective clients:

Since our founding, we have aggressively represented our non-represented clients in pursuit of their goal to maintain a non-union status in furtherance of these goals.

Read more from Judd Lounsbury at the Uppity Wisconsin blog, including cases where Scott “specifically fought against government workers.”

Rite Aid Warehouse Workers Win Tentative Contract

Protestors in Oakland, Calif., send a message to Rite Aid during a national day of action last December.

by James Parks, May 4, 2011

The 500 workers at Rite Aid’s distribution center in Lancaster, Calif., overcame a relentless five-year anti-worker campaign to eventually gain a tentative contract and union recognition.

The new three-year deal, reached May 1, guarantees fair health insurance rates, job security, a worker voice in production standards and wage increases in each of the next three years.

“We’re excited about winning this victory, even if it took longer than it should have,” said Carlos “Chico” Rubio, a 10-year warehouse worker.

The Rite-Aid employees decided to seek a voice through Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 more than five years ago. Rite Aid responded by hiring an expensive team of union-busting “consultants and threatening or even firing workers who supported the union, workers said.

But the Rite Aid workers stayed united and, in the end, won a contract and union recognition. “Rite Aid made this process much more difficult on workers and families than it needed to,” said ILWU Vice President Ray Familathe, who helped workers in the negotiations.

Republicans Cry ‘Thug’ Over NLRB Action in Boeing Move

by Mike Hall, May 4, 2011

There was a time when Republicans claimed the “law and order” mantle was theirs and theirs alone.

But Republican senators’ recent cries of outrage against the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) issuance of a complaint against the Boeing Co. for trying to skirt federal labor law show they’re all for law and order as long as it’s not labor law.

With charges from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and others that the NLRB is acting like “thugs” from a “third world country” and is bullying poor little old Boeing, you’d think the labor agency was taking rubber hoses to some poor schoolyard weakling.

Here’s the case in a nutshell. In April, the NLRB issued a complaint against Boeing for moving a planned production line for its 787 Dreamliner from its unionized Puget Sound, Washington plant to a non-union facility in South Carolina. The complaint alleges that the move was in retaliation against the Puget Sound workers for having previously exercised their federally-guaranteed right to strike against Boeing and to prevent these workers from striking in the future.

According to the NLRB’s fact sheet on the complaint Boeing allegedly violated

two sections of the National Labor Relations Act by making coercive statements and threats to employees for engaging in statutorily protected activities, and by deciding to place the second line at a non-union facility, and establish a parts supply program nearby, in retaliation for past strike activity and to chill future strike activity by its union employees.

South Carolina senators and the right-wing noise machine went in full-gear hysteria over the NLRB’s complaint and say that along with so-called government thuggery, it’s an insidious attack on right-to-work laws.

But the NLRB charge has nothing to do with right to work. Boeing’s move is simply retaliation for workers’ exercising their rights by moving work to a state where workers’ rights and living standards are low.

Myrtle Beach Sun News columnist, Issac Bailey says South Carolina leaders leaders touted the state’s weak labor laws to Boeing.

They said it was an attack on “right-to-work” states—a term that guarantees no one here a job and in some cases even a fair hearing to keep the one you have. Right-to-work really means right-to-keep-unions-neutered and little else, which is precisely why Boeing chose South Carolina, and which is precisely how South Carolina leaders pitched the state to the company as it was considering a move.

But to hear our leaders scream last week—you should have seen some of the email blasts sent out to the media—you’d think Armageddon had begun prematurely.

Tom Wroblewski, president of IAM District Lodge 751 in Seattle, which represents Boeing workers, says:

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.

Looks like Republicans are all for law and order as long is not a corporate scofflaw caught on the wrong side of the law.

Trumka: Make It In America Agenda A Step in Right Direction

by James Parks, May 4, 2011

Rebuilding America’s manufacturing base is central to rebuilding our nation’s economy and it’s time for Congress to focus on jobs, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said today. Trumka commended Democratic House Whip Steny Hoyer for refocusing attention on job creation by introducing the bipartisan “Make it in America” agenda, a series of proposals that together would create a national manufacturing strategy.

The nation has seen too many jobs move overseas, Trumka said, including research and development capacity. The loss of the nation’s innovative, technical and industrial capacity not only undermines opportunities in America, it also threatens our national security, he added.

The Make It in America agenda also would address the long-term issue of the Chinese government’s currency manipulation, which has had a devastating impact on our economy, Trumka added.

“This nation can no longer live on legacy,” he said.

We need to invest trillions in the coming decades to build a 21st century infrastructure and we must ensure that we actually make the technology and materials for the things we are building and installing. The Make it in America agenda is a big step in the right direction to resolve our manufacturing crisis.

Read the entire statement here.

Special Election Repudiates Walker—Again

Onalaska based Democrat Steve Doyle speaks to his supporters Tuesday at Seven Bridges restaurant in Onalaska after defeating Republican John Lautz for the 94th District Assembly seat formerly held by Republican Mike Huebsch. PETER THOMSON photo


by Mike Hall, May 4, 2011

In a race that centered on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) attack on the rights of public employees to bargain for middle-class jobs, Democratic state Assembly candidate Steve Doyle easily won a seat that had been held by Republicans for 16 years.

In a special election to replace the previous assembly member whom Walker tapped for a top job in his administration, Doyle won 54 percent to 46 percent over Walker-backed candidate John Lautz.

The La Crosse Tribune reports that Doyle won despite:

a barrage of television and radio attacks by third-party groups, along with mailings from the Jobs First Coalition, a Brookfield, Wis.-based group tied to Scott Jensen, the former Republican state Assembly speaker who left office in 2002 amid misconduct allegations.

Before leaving to become Walker’s second-in-command, Rep. Mike Huebsch (R) held the longtime safe Republican seat since 2000 and won his six elections by an average of nearly 20 percentage points. This is just the latest backlash against Walker and his elimination of collective bargaining rights for teachers, nurses and other public service workers.

In April, Walker’s hand-picked successor to take his place as Milwaukee County executive, Rep. Jeff Stone (R), was trounced by Chris Abele (D) 61 percent to 39 percent. Abele was never shy about proclaiming, “I believe in collective bargaining for all workers.”

Meanwhile, six Republican state senators who voted for Walker’s bill to take away the rights of workers to bargain for a better life face recall elections. In each district, activists mobilized soon after the vote and quickly collected far more than the required number of signatures to trigger the recalls.

Union Plus Offers Assistance to Severe Weather Victims

Jennifer Wright Dorr of Union Plus reports on financial aid available to union members facing hardships from the recent severe weather.

Union members who are facing financial hardship due to the recent severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, and who participate in Union Plus programs, may be eligible for financial help.

As part of its Union Safe program, Union Plus is giving disaster relief grants of $500 each to help participants in the Union Plus credit card, insurance or mortgage programs who were impacted by the severe weather. The money does not have to be repaid.

To qualify for a Union Plus disaster relief grant, the union member must:

•Have a Union Plus Credit Card, Union Plus Mortgage or Union Plus Insurance policy for at least 12 months with the account or policy in good standing (be up to date on payments).
•Have experienced a significant income or property loss within the past six months, as a result of a natural disaster or emergency in counties designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for individual. Visit www.UnionPlus.org/Disaster for a list of qualifying counties in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
•Describe his or her circumstances and document the loss of income or property.

Union Plus Credit Cardholders should call 1-877-761-5028 to speak directly with a specially trained representative. Representatives in the United States handle all customer service calls to the Union Plus Credit Card Program.

Union Plus mortgage and insurance holders should call 1-800-472-2005. For more information about the Union Plus disaster benefits, click here.

Washington Hospital Center Nurses Reach Tentative Contract

by Mike Hall, May 4, 2011

Registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., who have been fighting for safe patient care and strong nursing standards for nearly a year, reached a tentative agreement last night on a new contract with the hospital. The nearly 1,700 nurses are members of National Nurses United (NNU).

Lori Marlowe, RN, a cardiac nurse who is a member of the union’s bargaining team, says:

We are pleased to have achieved an agreement with the hospital that strengthens our ability to effectively advocate for our patients and protects RN professional and economic standards.

Details of the settlement are being withheld pending membership meetings with the nurses before they vote on the contract.

The nurses at the largest hospital in the nation’s capital—owned by the MedStar Health chain—have been without a contract since June. In October they voted by a 15-1 margin to join the NNU. In March hospital management temporarily locked out the nurses. With the proposed agreement, the RNs are canceling picketing at the hospital that had been scheduled for Friday.

5,000 Rally in Pa.: Budget Should Not Be Balanced on Backs of Workers

The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO communications team, Jim Deegan and Karen Gownley, sent us this report.

Some 5,000 private- and public-sector union workers came together in Harrisburg, Pa., yesterday to rally for a responsible budget. Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Richard Bloomingdale called it an incredible event because it

“wasn’t just about public sector workers—this was about ALL working men and women in our state. Today they all came together and demanded that the budget not be balanced on the backs of working families.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s recent budget proposal slashes millions from public education and other vital public services. Meanwhile, big corporations like Marcellus Shale gas drillers, pay little or no taxes to the state. As Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder put it:
The corporate loopholes must be closed. It is time corporations pay their fair share.

The rally was sponsored by the CLEAR Coalition, which is made up of labor organizations across the state, and represents more than 1.1 million people. AFSCME Council 13 Executive Director David Fillman emceed the event, in which workers from SEIU, UFCW, PSEA and others spoke about their experiences.

On 100th Anniversary of Worker Compensation Law, Wis.’s Progressive History Is Remembered

This is a cross-post from the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO by Karen Hickey in AFL-CIO Field Communications.

One hundred years ago today Wisconsin’s Republican governor put aside partisan politics to sign a law protecting workers. On May 3, 1911, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Francis McGovern signed the nation’s first constitutionally upheld workers’ compensation law.

The law, which helps workers who have been hurt or injured on the job, was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the state Senate and Assembly, reminding us that Wisconsin has a progressive history of coming together to protect the working people of the state. This law also was passed because workers and their unions organized, fought and demanded action from employers and their government.

“In a drastic turn of events, 100 years after the legislature put aside party politics to ensure fair treatment of workers, we are seeing severe political attacks on Wisconsin’s working families,” explained Phil Neuenfeldt, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO president.

Instead of working together to ensure the safety of all workers in our state, our current governor is pushing through a partisan agenda, which punishes workers in order to pay back corporations and political allies.

“What we are seeing in our current administration is shameful,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, secretary-treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Wisconsin has a progressive history where our elected leaders put aside party differences for the good of the state. On this day, the 100th anniversary of the passage of the nation’s first workers’ compensation law, we commit to fight the assault on workers’ rights to bargain for fairer workplaces, safer workplaces and a better life and a brighter future for all.

For more information on workers’ compensation, visit the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development by clicking here.

Senators reject Rick Scott’s pitch to fight unions

The governor makes last-ditch appeal to rescue bill to target union dues but measure appears dead for session.


By Mary Ellen Klas
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
April 28, 2011

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott paid a rare, personal visit to the offices of four Republican senators Wednesday in a last-minute attempt to rescue an anti-union bill that appeared destined for defeat.

The governor asked the same question to Miami Sen’s. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, Rene Garcia, Anitere Flores and Inverness Sen. Charlie Dean. And he got the same answer: No.

Scott’s intervention was the “Hail Mary” pass of Sen. John Thrasher, the Jacksonville lawyer and former Republican Party of Florida chairman whose top priority was passage of the bill to ban public employee unions from using automatic payroll deduction to collect dues. But by the end of the day, Thrasher had all but conceded defeat.

“If it isn’t right and we can’t get the votes to get where we need to get to, we’ll come back and fight another day,’’ he said.

Scott’s failure to change the minds of fellow Republicans underscored the lack of popularity of the bill and of the freshman governor — who adopted the talking points of the nationally-watched issue but lacked the political juice to get it.

The governor is getting used to the rejection. In recent weeks, Scott has threatened to veto the budget if it didn’t include some of his $2.4 billion in cuts to corporate income taxes and fees, urged legislators to pass an Arizona-style immigration bill and has lobbied lawmakers to end the state’s traditional defined contribution pension plan and replace it with a 401(k)-style retirement plan. Each has been scuttled by lawmakers, raising doubts about the success of the governor’s session agenda.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos on Wednesday painted a more positive portrait.

“We’ll have a balanced budget without raising taxes, without raising fees and we’ll have some tax decreases and some fee decreases,’’ Haridopolos said. “One thing the governor’s really added to this discussion is everyone knew he would not support a tax increase…I consider that to be a success for the governor and the entire state of Florida.”

Although Scott never campaigned on the union dues issue, and never mentioned it as a session priority, he started to push the issue as it became a talking point of Republicans in other states.

Unemployment comp passes Senate

From the Orlando Sentinel
Uncategorized — posted by khaughney on May, 3 2011 5:06 PM

The Senate passed a major rewrite of the state’s unemployment compensation law Tuesday by a 29-10 vote, but the measure doesn’t go along with a House-passed measure that would restrict state-paid benefits to 20 weeks.

The Senate-passed measure maintains the current maximum of 26 weeks of benefits, if the state’s unemployment rate equals or exceeds 12 percent. State benefits would drop to just 12 weeks when the rate drops to 5 percent or lower.

The Senate bill also requires that people collecting unemployment have a skills review and show proof they’re looking for work. It prohibits people who are in jail from collecting unemployment.

“It cleans up a lot of things that shouldn’t have crawled in there in the first place,” said Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, who sponsored the bill. But Detert rejected the 20-week limit, which was a major priority of Florida’s business lobby.

Democrats largely objected to the bill.

“Times are bad,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa. “The Medicaid rolls are full. The food stamp lines are long. And people are standing on corners saying ‘please.’”

In shot at Romney, Florida Dems to host Deval Patrick

By WILLIAM MARCH | The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 03, 2011
Updated: May 03, 2011 - 12:01 PM

The keynote speaker at the Florida Democrats' annual fundraising gala June 11 will be Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who has functioned recently as a Democratic point man on potential GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

In interviews recently, Patrick, who succeeded Romney as governor of Massachusetts in 2006, has repeatedly praised Romney for something the former governor doesn't want to be praised for—passing a universal health care plan for Massachusetts that Democrats note is very similar to the plan passed by the Obama administration.

That record is probably Romney's biggest headache in seeking the GOP presidential nomination. Patrick's administration is currently implementing the plan.

"One of the best things he did was to be the co-author of our health care reform which has been a model for national health care reform," Patrick said of Romney in an ABC news interview in February. "We have 98 percent of our residents insured today. ... On that one issue, I think he deserves a lot of credit."

AFL-CIO Blog Archives for April 2011

Read all of the AFL-CIO blogs for April 2011 here.