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News :: Labor |
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Labor Headlines for 2-28-04 |
Current rating: 0 |
by Peter Miller
(No verified email address) |
01 Mar 2004
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Headlines broadcast during the Illinois Labor Hour, Saturday at 11 am on WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign. Bush Ed Secretary: "America's Educators are Terrorists"; Tentative Agreement Reached in Southern Cal Grocery Dispute; Textile Workers & Hotel Workers Plan to Merge; Some in Labor Support Same Sex Marriage |
Bush Ed Secretary: "America's Educators are Terrorists"
Secretary of Education Rod Paige made national headlines this week when he referred to the nation's largest labor organization as a "terrorist organization." Paige made the remarks during a private White House meeting with governors on Monday. He later said he shouldn't have used the word "terrorist", but he stood by his sharp criticism of the union. Wisconsin's Democratic governor Jim Doyle disclosed Paige's remarks to the press, and Republicans immediately sank into a defensive posture, hoping to convince the public that Paige's remarks were a joke. NEA president Reg Weaver, a native of Danville, issued a statement saying that NEA has heard from thousands of educators who were again insulted by hateful words from this Republican administration. Weaver and the NEA have criticized Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law because it contains dozens of unfunded mandated for already under-funded public schools and because it contains unworkable rules that hurt educational opportunities. Weaver said the NEA's 2.7 million members deserve more than unfair labels and mean-spirited apologies and he called for Paige to step down from his post. Education secretary Rod Paige was formerly the superintendent of the Houston public schools, where he was credited with privatizing certain schools and raising test scores dramatically. Independent analysis of those claims by the district's own researchers showed Paige's claims to be false.
http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2004/nr040224.html
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040224/ap_on_go_ot/paige_teachers_union_7
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040223/ap_on_go_pr_wh/governors_bush_5
Tentative Agreement Reached in Southern Cal Grocery Dispute
The Southern California grocery lockout and strike may be reaching a conclusion. Yesterday, it was announced that the parties had reached a tentative agreement in the four month long dispute that has put 70,000 employees temporarily out of work. The grocery workers' union and three chains settled on a tentative contract Thursday, after 16 straight days of negotiations. Before then, talks had broken down several times since the start of the dispute on Oct. 11. Union leaders are briefing the clerks this morning the details of the proposed agreement. If a majority of the employees ratify the tentative contract, many could be back at work by midweek next week. The dispute between the United Food and Commercial Workers and the supermarket operators — Albertsons, Kroger Co. and Safeway — resonated nationwide because it was seen as a referendum on affordable employee health care. Details of the contract were not being released until union members vote. But in a statement, the United Food and Commercial Workers said the deal "preserves affordable health care, maintains pensions and achieves job security." Similarly, in a statement late Thursday, the companies said quote "the tentative agreement squarely addresses the challenging health care costs and competitive issues we face." unquote. Many employees said they were anxious to find out the details of the agreement, but welcomed the prospect of returning to their old jobs after going through months without pay and benefits. Esther Barillas, a pharmacy technician at a Ralphs in Los Angeles said, quote "We want to go back to work. But we hope it's a good deal."
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-react27feb27,1,1595093,print.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business
Textile Workers & Hotel Workers Plan to Merge
Two unions representing hotel and restaurant employees and retail, textile and laundry workers are merging to create a single labor organization with 440,000 members. The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees, called HERE, and the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, known as UNITE, announced the merger Thursday. UNITE President Bruce Raynor told the AP, quote, "This merger substantially increases our ability to fight for the rights of our members and the tens of thousands of new members that we will represent in the future, and to make sure that America's working families share in the success of the world's richest nation." Raynor will serve as general president of the union, called UNITE HERE. HERE president John Wilhelm will be president of the hospitality division. Both will share executive, budgetary and personnel authority. Union sources said that HERE's struggling financial condition was one significant motivator for the merger, although the unions are philosophically united, as well. Raynor and Wilhelm are part of a faction of union leaders unhappy with labor's organizing efforts under the leadership of AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, and have formed a coalition called the New Unity Partnership. The group is pushing for big changes in the labor movement, including a realignment of unions into large, broadly defined sectors.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=6&u=/ap/20040226/ap_on_re_us/union_merger_2
Some in Labor Support Same Sex Marriage
In the debate over same-sex marriage, gay rights activists have found a strong ally -- at least in the Boston area. John Murphy, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 122 in predominantly Catholic South Boston commented quote, "People, whatever their sexual orientation, want the same things -- good jobs, better wages, job security." unquote. Local union leaders rallied at the Massachusetts State House earlier this month against a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, but labor officials say the two groups have found much in common during the past two decades as they worked together at rallies and along picket lines to boost wages and benefits and to protect workers' rights. The show of solidarity on Beacon Hill, however, does not mean that there are no underlying tensions or that labor is united in support of same-sex marriage. The Teamsters' Murphy, who is also a special assistant to Teamsters President James P Hoffa, said that many in the labor movement are still grappling with the issue. Local unions supporting legalization of same-sex marriage include the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Service Employees International Union Locals 2020 and 509, and the National Association of Government Employees, along with a few labor councils and some trade unions. By contrast, the 400,000-member Massachusetts AFL-CIO has not said it supports gay marriage. It does oppose the amendment to ban same-sex marriage because it would strip some workers of domestic partnership benefits or stymie attempts to introduce the benefits for gay and lesbian couples at the bargaining table.
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2004/02/28/partnership_forged_in_labors_trenches/ |
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