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News :: Labor |
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Labor Headlines 2-7-04 |
Current rating: 0 |
by Peter Miller
(No verified email address) |
08 Feb 2004
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Headlines broadcast during the Illinois Labor Hour, Saturday at 11 am on WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign. Grocery Store Owners Reject Arbitration in CA Dispute, Division in House Leads to Unemployment Extension, Government Employee Unions Fight Weakening of Civil Service System, United Battles Attendants Union, Sears to Eliminate Retiree Health Subsidy, Switch Employees to New 401(k) System |
Grocery Store Owners Reject Arbitration in CA Dispute
The California grocery strike by 70,000 workers in Southern California re-emerged in the headlines this week. The four-month strike and lockout has seen no contract negotiations since before the holidays, but this week, offers were made and rejected to reach a contract settlement. The Reuters news service reported on Wednesday that the grocery stores asked to resume contract negotiations while the union representing workers at the three grocery chains asked to enter into binding arbitration to end the dispute. In a letter addressed to the chief executives of Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union proposed an immediate end to the strike and lockouts, with all replacement workers being terminated and all striking and locked-out workers returning to work immediately. In a statement, the union said, quote "It is time to end this conflict. We ask the supermarket companies to agree to this reasonable proposal for binding arbitration and put our members -- their employees -- back to work without delay." unquote. The next day, the companies rejected the union proposals. The supermarkets say they need workers to assume a bigger share of health care costs so they can compete against non-union rivals, such as Wal-Mart. The union says the costs to workers would reach $95 a week after three years making health care unaffordable for most of the grocery workers. In addition, the supermarkets want to institute a two-tier compensation system under which new hires would earn less and receive fewer benefits.
URL: sfgate.com/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/02/05/BUGJM4P5QQ1.DTL
Division in House Leads to Unemployment Extension
The US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to create a program that would extend unemployment benefits for about 2 million workers. Democrats have spent weeks trying to provide federal aid to workers whose unemployment benefits expired in late December. Blocked by Republicans on several occasions, they opted to attach the language to a popular bill providing community service grants. While the floor debate divided strictly along party lines, 39 Republicans broke ranks to approve the measure 227 to 179. While the vote was largely symbolic since the Senate would have to adopt the measure, and then lawmakers would have to take a separate vote appropriating the funds, it underscored lawmakers' concern over rising unemployment. Bill Samuel, legislative director for the AFL-CIO said, quote, "This shows there's more anxiety about the economy and unemployment than the administration would like to admit. What happened today is the dam broke. The Republican leadership was caught napping." unquote. Before the final vote count, Republican leaders thought the amendment would be defeated and spent several minutes trying to sway wavering members. But when it became clear it would pass, the leaders let their members vote aye.
Note: US Rep. Tim Johnson voted in favor of extending unemployment benefits.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A13899-2004Feb4?language=printer
Government Employee Unions Fight Weakening of Civil Service System
Is the Bush administration trying to get rid of the entire federal civil service system, making all government employees hired at-will, subject to political hiring and firing, and other forms of corruption? The American Federation of Government Employees called on Congress to block what he called " the first step to the wholesale destruction of the civil service system." A Defense Department memorandum aimed at kicking off discussions about the pending National Security Personnel System prompted the angry denunciations from union officials. Pentagon officials sent the memo to union representatives on Friday explaining the agency's thinking on labor-management relations under the new system. AFGE spokesman John Irvine said the union is concerned about a provision that would allow the agency to conduct reductions in force, or layoffs, without considering veterans preference, and eliminate all provisions of the old labor-relations system at the agency, which was governed by chapter 71 of Title 5 of the U.S. Code. Last year, Congress passed legislation giving the Defense Department broad exemptions from Title 5, which sets rules for civil service employment, and gave the Pentagon the right to create a new personnel system. Defense Department managers would have the right to waive collective bargaining during emergencies or for national security reasons. And under the proposal, managers also would have the right to set pay, cash awards and incentive pay, and determine performance ratings and buyouts. The Defense Department would likely scrap the General Schedule pay system. Consultation between the unions and Defense management on bargaining issues would be limited to 60 days. If the unions and management were unable to reach agreement, management could move forward with the changes it proposed.
http://www.govexec.com/news/index.cfm?mode=report2&articleid=27609&printerfriendlyVers=1&
United Battles Attendants Union
The Association of Flight Attendants filed a motion in bankruptcy court in Chicago on Feb. 2 asking the judge to appoint an examiner to investigate whether United Airlines deceived over 2000 flight attendants into retiring early by suggesting that this would lock in their health insurance benefits. Last month, in a move to reduce retiree benefit costs to the level of current employee concessionary benefit costs, United said it wanted to cut retiree health benefits either through negotiation or through imposition by the bankruptcy judge. The union is conducting informational pickets at airports and public events, plans to lobby in Washington, and has mounted a media campaign to draw attention to the issue.
Wall Street Journal, vol. 243, no. 23, February 3, 2004, p D5
Sears to Eliminate Retiree Health Subsidy, Switch Employees to New 401(k) System
In a measure to increase profits, Sears, Roebuck & Co. said on Jan. 28 that it will change its compensation, pension, and retiree health insurance plans. A company spokesperson said that the company would reduce some bonus and stock option plans for salaried workers, and wages would be changed for hourly workers. A key aspect of the plan will be to shift employees out of a defined benefit plan into a revamped and less-secure defined-contribution, or 401(k) plan. All new employees will be enrolled in the new plan and retirees will have the option of switching. Another part of the revision is the elimination of subsidized health insurance for retirees. They will still be able to participate in the company insurance plan at the group rate. Those who have already retired will have their subsidy capped at the 2004 rate. The spokesperson declined to say how much money this would save.
Daily Labor Report, #18, January 29, 2004, p A-6 |
See also:
http://www.labourstart.org
http://www.ilir.uiuc.edu/lii/
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This work is in the public domain |
