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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Labor Headlines 1/26/2002 |
Current rating: 0 |
by Peter Miller
Email: peterm (nospam) shout.net (unverified!)
Phone: 217-344-8820
Address: 218 W. Main St., Urbana IL 61801 |
26 Jan 2002
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Headines as broadcast during the Illinois Labor Hour, Saturdays at 11 a.m. on WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign. Abominable disrespect of core labour standards in Pakistan., Judge Overturns Bush Order Requiring Notice That Union Dues Optional, Steelworkers Ratify New Contract at Republic, Steelworkers Decry Commerce Dept Steel Finding, Federal Teamster Oversight Reduced, Union Courts Republicans, Litchfield Plant Hit by Strike, ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE AFL-CIO, ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE ASSOCIATION FOR UNION DEMOCRACY |
Abominable disrespect of core labour standards in Pakistan.
As the dictatorial government of Pakistan stands as one of America's newest and closest international friends, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions issued a new report highly critical of that country's labor policies. The ICFTU has once again condemned Pakistan's brazen flouting of every core labour convention. Despite having ratified seven of the eight ILO conventions on core labour standards and receiving more favourable treatment for trade with the European Union due to efforts to combat illegal drugs, the situation for workers in the country remains as abominable as ever. The ICFTU report was written conjunction with its three affiliates in Pakistan, which have a combined membership of nearly one million workers. The report cites regular violation of all basic worker rights, such as the exclusion of classes of workers from the protection of labor law, workers in export processing zones and many so-called "essential services" may not join unions, and workers are blacklisted in efforts to fight organizing campaigns. Child labor and forced labor also remain a major problems for services and goods produced in Pakistan.
http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991214566&Language=EN
Judge Overturns Bush Order Requiring Notice That Union Dues Optional
A federal Judge overturned one of President Bush's first executive orders on January 2, ending a policy designed to weaken unions. Reinstating an order originally implemented by George Bush the first, and quickly overturned by Bill Clinton, the current president would have required that all federal contractors post notices telling workers that they do not have to join unions and that they do not have to pay for union political activity. The measure has been promoted by the National Right-To Work committee. The AFL-CIO sued the government on the grounds that earlier supreme court decisions prevent the white house from over-riding rules written into the National Labor Relations Act. The AFL-CIO also said that unions would not have opposed the posting requirement so long as federal contractors were also required to post notices about the many other rights protected by the National Labor Relations Act, including the right not to face retaliation by employers for supporting a union. The president's staff have said they will appeal the judge's ruling.
Steelworkers Ratify New Contract at Republic
Unions have had a very hard time negotiating industrial union contracts while the United States rapidly shifts industrial production outside the country, and when so-called "free trade" agreements accelerate that process. Last week, the United Steel Workers of America successfully ratified a contract with Republic steel, one of twenty seven steel corporations under bankruptcy protection. The new contract was ratified one year before the old contract's 2003 expiration date. The four-year contract contains serious--but temporary--wage cuts, as well as workforce reductions. Wages for both union and non-union salaried employees will drop by 15 percent for a five month period, and workers have agreed to delay raises and bonuses that were due last November. Republic will also cut the equivalent of 200 full-time employees, including outside contractors. The new contract will also increase the number of union-appointed directors on the company's board of directors from one to two, it will consolidate several health plans into a single preferred-provider structure, and -- as stated in the company's press release -- it will, quote, "[modify the contract's] employment security provisions to provide more operating flexibility and to more closely conform to industry standards." The new contract at Republic Steel covers 3500 workers at twelve facilities in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New York, and Ontario.
www.repsteel.com/
uswa1011.org/history/republicmassacre/republic-massacre.htm
Steelworkers Decry Commerce Dept Steel Finding
In other steelworker news, the United Steelworkers of America issued a statement on January 10 saying that the union is, quote, "bitterly disappointed" unquote with a Commerce Department finding on the import of steel components. The secretary of commerce is President Bush's top staff person dealing with trade issues, and his department concluded that increased imports of iron ore and semi-finished steel do not harm the nation's national security. Imports of semi-finished steel quadrupled in the 1990's, resulting in the loss of 26 percent of the iron ore industry in the US; and since the year 2000, fifteen steel plants have closed down, reducing US steel production capacity by seventeen percent on only two years. Steelworkers president Leo Gerard urged the president to quickly adopt strong remedies to end the so-called dumping of unfairly priced steel in the United States, pointing to recent speeches by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and President Bush himself, in which the politicians stated that over-reliance on foreign-made steel can diminish the nation's defense capabilities.
www.whitehouse.go/news/releases/2001/08/20010826.html
www.uswa.org/press/ironore011002.html
Federal Teamster Oversight Reduced, Union Courts Republicans
A long-sought goal of old-guard leaders in the Teamsters union began to become a reality on January 10, exactly one week before renewing their support for President Bush's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. On January 10, the Teamsters announced that they had reached an agreement with the government to end a component of federal oversight over the union's finances. The action by a federal judge and the U.S. attorney, who is an employee of President Bush, is the first step in removing government oversight of the union, according to the Teamsters. The union has been operating under a federal consent decree for the past thirteen years, giving the government broad authority over the union's internal practices, although financial oversight only began in 1997. The union agreed to set up internal procedures to prevent further financial corruption. One week after the announcement, the Teamsters hosted President Bush for a press conference supporting the controversial proposal to drill for oil in the environmentally-sensitive arctic refuge. And one week after that--yesterday, that is--the teamsters hosted Repblican congressional leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, as well as Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. A Teamster press release issued yesterday said that the Teamsters are making an aggressive effort to expand its political influence in Congress and build a, quote, "pro-Teamster majority, regardless of party affiliation," unquote.
Litchfield Plant Hit by Strike
In yet another health insurance-related labor dispute, for the first time in the history of the company, workers at Worksaver Inc. in Litchfield, a manufacturer of farm implements and landscaping equipment near St. Louis, went on strike on Jan. 22. The workers, who are represented by Boilermakers Local 486, had been working without a contract since Oct. 15 and voted 33 to 4 to strike after rejecting the company's last offer. At issue in the dispute are wages and "affordable health care". The company wanted to increase workers' contributions for health insurance from 20-30% and double the deductible. The union is seeking no increases in health insurance contributions and a pay increase of $1 per hour in each year of a 3-year contract. No negotiations are currently scheduled.
State Journal-Register, January 23, 2002, p 11
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE AFL-CIO
How much longer will laid-off workers and their families have to wait for relief? On Tuesday, Democrats in the U.S. Senate will push for a vote to help laid-off workers with improved unemployment benefits. But in an outrageous move, for the fourth time since Sept. 11, Senate Republicans are now blocking worker relief from even coming up for a vote.
Even though our nation's unemployment rate has skyrocketed, Congress has yet to pass legislation that would provide relief to America's laid-off workers and their families. The Republican minority in the Senate is holding economic stimulus legislation ransom for a bounty of corporate tax breaks and Big Business giveaways.
The proposal under consideration on Tuesday, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would extend and increase unemployment benefits. In the last three months of 2001, more than 735,000 workers used up all of their unemployment benefits without finding work. This legislation would help working families suffering job loss now and in the coming months.
It is urgent that your senators hear from you today. Take a few minutes right now to fax your senators by clicking on this link: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/durbinui/bsuzftex
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE ASSOCIATION FOR UNION DEMOCRACY
New on the AUD website, January 14, 2002
1. January's Legal Rights and Organizing Question: "We are having a discussion in our union about whether, in legal terms, it is necessary or forbidden to give to each candidate for office a list of the eligible voters... required or not is it a good idea?" For the rest of the question, and our answer, see http://uniondemocracy.org/Legal/faqs.htm
2. New Links: Connecticut Laborers District Council, a Laborers for Justice site, "To provide the members with easy access to any and all information to help them exercise their right of self governance; Speak Norwegian? Norsk Transportarbeiderforbund has an article on AUD posted on their site -- with a photo; United Campus Workers, "an independent, rank-and-file union of hourly workers at the University of Tennessee"; The Independent Union Connection, part of the UE website, with information on independent unions; and Living Wage Resource Center (ACORN), with a brief history of the national living wage movement, background materials such as ordinance summaries and comparisons, drafting tips, research summaries, talking points, and links to other living wage-related sites. See http://uniondemocracy.org/Resources/AUDLinks.htm.
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