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News :: Labor |
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Labor Headlines 1-10-2004 |
Current rating: 0 |
by Peter Miller
(No verified email address) |
10 Jan 2004
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Headlines broadcast during the Illinois Labor Hour, Saturday at 11 am on WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign. Overtime Take-Away is Coming, Corporations Support Overseas Outsourcing of Service Jobs, Immigration Reform Proposal, US Senate Candidate wins AFL-CIO Backing, State Workers May Take a Hit. |
Overtime Take-Away is Coming
The Labor Department says it will finalize changes to overtime rules by March, according to the Washington Post. The changes are strongly opposed by labor groups because overtime pay could be taken away from 8 million workers currently eligible for overtime pay. The Bush administration has strongly supported the legislation, attempting to claim that more low-income workers would become eligible for overtime pay. However Bush's labor department published what amounts to an employer's guide to avoiding overtime pay in the Congressional Record last week, a move that drew attacks from Democratic Presidential hopefuls and the AFL-CIO. In a published statement, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called the labor department's action "deeply disconcerting", saying it "reveals once again that big business, and not working Americans, is the priority of the Bush administration." Both the House of Representatives and Senate voted to oppose Bush's overtime changes, but Bush threatened to veto a major piece of legislation if the overtime changes were included. Rep. Tim Johnson ultimately voted in favor of Bush's plan to reduce overtime for hourly workers.
http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr01072004a.cfm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48243-2004Jan1.html
Corporations Support Overseas Outsourcing of Service Jobs
Remember all that talk about how the "new economy" will provide new jobs in the service sector? That we shouldn't be worried about daily factory closings because everyone can move into high-paying service jobs? Well, as we enter 2004, the news for service workers isn't so good. Two articles this week point to the difficulties facing people in service industries. First, Reuters reported that the Institute for Supply Management index for non-manufacturing jobs fell by 5%, contradicting an expected increase in demand for service sector jobs. The second blow to workers came on Wednesday when leading technology companies weighed in with Congress and the White House, urging them to keep the door open to the practice known as "off-shoring" jobs. The Computer Systems Policy Project, headed by Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, argued that moving jobs to countries such as China or India -- where labor costs are cheaper -- helps companies break into lucrative foreign markets and hire employees in countries where students perform far better than U.S. students in math and science. Hewlett-Packard's Fiorina said, quote "There is no job that is America's God-given right anymore." In response, a Marcus Courtney, president of the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers called the corporations' message an outline for job destruction. Courtney said, quote, "This is a recipe for corporate greed. They're lining up at the public trough to slash their labor costs."
Immigration Reform Proposal
Last week, George Bush called for sweeping changes in immigration rules, allowing roughly 8 million undocumented workers in teh US to remain in the country if they have a job and apply for a guest worker card. Several different versions of guest worker bills are under consideration by Congress, and leaders have been eagerly awaiting Bush's proposal. The president's plan would allow undocumented workers to stay in the country for a three-year period that could be renewed. Participants in the guest worker program would be allowed to travel freely between their home country and the United States. Undocumented workers in the United States will be required to pay an as-yet undetermined registration fee; applicants in other countries will not have to pay. Guest workers would pay federal taxes, administration officials said. Some of that money would be returned to them once they go back to their home countries. Senator Edward Kennedy, who has worked extensively on immigration issues, commented, quote "I certainly hope the administration's long-awaited re-involvement in this fundamental debate is genuine and not because of election-year conversion." unquote. The AFL-CIO reacted strongly in opposition to Bush's announcement. AFL President John Sweeney said, quote, "Despite an egregious history of failed temporary foreign worker programs in the United States that have hurt immigrant and domestic workers alike, the president proposes a new enlarged temporary worker program that will do nothing to strengthen protections for wages, benefits and other rights of immigrant and domestic workers." Sweeney continued, "The president’s plan would formalize an even larger class of workers accorded only second tier status in American workplaces and will exacerbate the decline in job quality and job security for all workers. The plan will serve large corporations’ needs over those of immigrant workers and their families." unquote.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/07/bush_seeks_shift_on_immigration/
http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr01082004.cfm
Hynes Garners AFL-CIO Backing
An important endorsement in the US Senate primary was announced last week. On January 8, the Illinois AFL-CIO endorsed the candidacy of state comptroller Dan Hynes for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate. More than 75 percent of the roughly 120 delegates voted to support Hynes. To win the endorsement, a candidate needed support from two-thirds of the delegates, who represent the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO. The comptroller's father, Tom Hynes, is a former Illinois Senate president and a Southwest Chicago ward leader, and he has worked for decades with labor to win elections and enact worker-friendly laws. Although state senator Barack Obama (D-Hyde Park) failed to receive the federation's endorsement, Mr. Obama's candidacy has been endorsed by AFSCME, the Service Employees International Union, and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Obama says he's not surprised at the outcome but that he's pleased with the union support he has received. According to the AFL-CIO's legislative scorecard, Obama has a strong pro-labor voting record, voting in support of AFL-CIO-supported bills 91% of the time.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0401090063jan09,1,5871717.story
State Workers May Take a Hit
On Jan. 5, the state of Illinois began negotiations on a new contract with AFSCME Council 31. The state budget director says he wants to hold down wage increases and to have employees pay half of their pension contributions in an effort to balance the state's budget. In 1991, AFSCME traded a wage increase in return for the state's paying the entire amount of employee pension contributions, and the practice has continued since then. AFSCME Council 31 leader Henry Baer took issue with the budget director's comments, saying negotiations should happen at the bargaining table, not in the media, and that AFSCME members should not be asked to take a pay cut. Salaries, benefits, and working conditions for tens of thousands of state employees depend on the outcome of these negotiations. AFSCME's negotiations will also determine health insurance benefits for state university employees and others covered by the state's department of Central Management Services. The current contract expires on June 30.
State Journal-Register, January 6, 2004, p 1
www.afscme31.org |
See also:
http://www.ilir.uiuc.edu/lii/
http://www.labourstart.org
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This work is in the public domain |
Comments
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Re: Labor Headlines 1-10-2004 |
by B
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
12 Jan 2004
|
WashTech's fight against the offshoring of tech jobs has been one of the worst labor campaigns I have seen. Being a computer programmer myself, I do not see the current CWA campaign succeeding in bringing better paying jobs to US workers. There is way too much nationalistic bias of "Buy American" within the campaign and very little substance outside of complaints that major corporations are sending jobs overseas at cheaper wages. There is no proof being given that people in India are being exploited within the tech industry; the only fact that is agreed upon is that they work for less money. From what I have read, CWA's strategy is to focus on the largest corporations and attempt to organize them while paying little to no attention to anything else. There are no alternatives given to people working for big corporations when they get layed off either, just yelling and screaming for their job back.
While I do agree that mass layoffs hurt the US economy, I do not think the solution is to just yell at the corporations and expect them to listen. These corporations exist to make a profit. Success in Computer Science has to be one of the most sought after industries in America today. Look at the top headlines on every news program about the latest tech trade shows. All these expensive overpriced gadgets are just waiting to be bought by US consumers even though there are huge segments of the US population who do not even understand half of the latest technology and are still using Windows 98 if they are even using a computer at all.
I believe that the best solution to the tech layoff problem is increased education and the release of useful, scientific information for people who have tech careers. I am betting my career on Open Source technologies which allows for new companies to be formed which can compete against these big transnational corporations who are concerned only about profits. The biggest problem facing small start up organizations is the ability to learn and create new technology to be sold to XYZ organization. I am self employed because I do not want to work for State Farm or Boeing and let my job security rest in their hands. Unfortunately, being self employed means that I do not have any other representation outside of myself and thus I do not have any one looking out for my pension, health insurance, etc. If I were to be in a Labor Union under my current employment model, I would need to be in a Guild, not a traditional Union. Unfortunately there are no existing tech guilds that are affiliated with the AFL-CIO. There should be. I have contacted the Newspaper Guild and the Graphic Artists Guild and they have both told me to join WashTech. I do not want WashTech because I do not think their strategy serves my interests. I don't want to give money to Washington lobbyists who I do not believe are even being successful.
The truth of the matter is that all programmers ultimately are responsible for their own careers based on how much education they have and how valuable it is to either a corporation who will hire them or to the market. To lump all programmers together creates a situation where the differences of skills between one person and another is completely ignored. I have seen a lot of bad programmers while in school and I do not doubt that they are having trouble following the easiest method of employment by major corporations doing exactly what they are told to do. Like actors or musicians, programmers have diverse skills and should be recognized individually to determine who is getting the job done right and who is not. The method used by CWA of organizing the largest corporations first shows complete ignorance of the technology possibilities for the vast majority of people who do not work for IBM, Microsoft, SBC-Ameritech, State Farm, Boeing, and so on.
I do not want to tell CWA to stop trying to organizing these corporations because I believe that all workers should have a voice at work, however I would like to see more respect for small organizations who are trying to compete against the multinationals.
If I ever get the chance to expand my business beyond myself, I plan to look into creating a technology guild which would focus on business planning and organization models instead of just pointing the finger at large corporations. Is there any valuable way to determine how much a programming job is worth? I have not found any, the only way I know of to negotiate is to ask for the highest possible price and settle for whatever the client is willing to pay. I haven't seen WashTech help me find a better way to negotiate my skills and I do not know what other self employed programmers in the same situation as I am have done to succeed. While I have strong support for labor, I think that understanding business is far more important than being in a union for IT workers today. |
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Re: Labor Headlines 1-10-2004 |
by B
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
12 Jan 2004
|
http://www.hireamericancitizens.org/
This is the most biased link I have found on CWA Local 4250's website which is another part of why I am currently against WashTech and CWA's organizing strategy. CWA Local 4250 is a sister local to WashTech and are based out of Chicago.
Keep in mind while visting this site that the United States is the largest market in the world. Any organization, regardless of their country of orign, wants to compete here.
Should we create an atmosphere of international competition by yelling "buy american"; or can we try to work with people in other countries who have just as much of a right to work in the technology sector as we do? The anti-sweatshop movement has the right idea when they say they want to improve working conditions around the world, not when they say bring those jobs back to the USA. WashTech needs to realize that the jobs that are being lost will not come back. |
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