NC State A.F.L. – C.I.O.

HCAN members and supporters of health care reform took a bus up to Washington D.C. to meet with Senator Hagan last week. The Senator joked that she felt right at home seeing so many North Carolinian faces in D.C. During her short speech, she addressed the issue of health care reform.

“I think that what you’re here for is the most important thing going on in our country today. The United States needs to figure out a way to bring affordable health care to every American. We need a system in which people will pre-existing conditions are able to qualify for health insurance, or buy a policy that they can afford,” said Senator Hagan.

Hagan is a member of the Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee. As such, she is a critical component to health care reform. “I’ve been working day in and day out to pass comprehensive health care reform,” said Senator Hagan. “We have 10 billion dollars set aside for prevention and wellness. But we in America have to do a better job of taking care of ourselves and passing good habits onto our children, such as eating right, exercising, and not smoking.”

Senator Hagan emphasized the need for workforce coverage and having positions available to treat all the people currently uninsured. She also committed to reducing fraud and abuse in the system.

“I know how important health care reform is to you because just all of you being here speaks volumes,” said Senator Hagan. “I will work for better health coverage, affordability, and accessibility to make sure you get the treatment you need.”

Insurance companies to Congress: We won’t stop canceling policies on sick people

On Tuesday, executives from three of the largest health insurance companies in the United States testified before a House oversight committee that they would not stop canceling policies – after the fact – for people diagnosed and treated for serious illness.

The L.A. Times reports that the practice has left thousands of people to foot the bill for their medical coverage despite having paid insurance premiums:

An investigation by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations showed that health insurers WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Assurant Inc. canceled the coverage of more than 20,000 people, allowing the companies to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims over a five-year period.

The health insurance industry calls the practice “rescission”. Most people would call collecting money and not providing services “fraud”. Yet the executives say they are the ones trying to prevent fraud – by patients:

But rescission victims testified that their policies were canceled for inadvertent omissions or honest mistakes about medical history on their applications. Rescission, they said, was about improving corporate profits rather than rooting out fraud.

[Witnesses] from around the country accused insurers in testimony of gaming anti-fraud laws to take policyholders’ premiums, only to drop people who developed serious illnesses. They testified that they or a deceased loved one had had policies canceled over innocent mistakes and inadvertent omissions on their applications.

A Texas nurse said she lost her coverage, after she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, for failing to disclose a visit to a dermatologist for acne.

The sister of an Illinois man who died of lymphoma said his policy was rescinded for the failure to report a possible aneurysm and gallstones that his physician noted in his chart but did not discuss with him.

The testimony from all sides left both Republican and Democratic members fuming:

“No one can defend, and I certainly cannot defend, the practice of canceling coverage after the fact,”said Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Tex.), a member of the committee. “There is no acceptable minimum to denying coverage after the fact.”

It won’t surprise most readers that health insurance companies reward their employees for this practice. WellPoint’s Blue Cross gave employees who could deny the most coverage high marks in performance reviews. One Blue Cross employee, the Times reports, was given a perfect rating for “dropping thousands of policyholders and avoiding nearly $10 million worth of medical care.”

When put on the spot by committee chair Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who asked if the executives would at least commit to stop canceling policies without evidence of “intentional fraud”, the three executives responded, flatly, “No.”

“This is precisely why we need a public option,” said [Rep. John] Dingell (D-MI).

Public Option would prevent these kinds of abuses

In a free market, when a private health insurance company takes your premiums but denies you coverage, you should be able to take your business elsewhere. But there is no free market for health care in this country. In our health care system, private insurance companies are the only game in town, and they have no incentive to put people before profits.

A public option which doesn’t use your premium dollars to pay shareholder dividends and insane salaries to executives, doesn’t deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions, and doesn’t cancel your policy when you need it most will give Americans a real choice and force private insurers to treat you fairly or risk losing your business.

Health care reform without a public option is no reform at all.

Are you listening, Congress?

NBC and the Wall Street Journal have published results of their latest national poll, and the news is not good for those who want to maintain the stranglehold of private insurance companies on our health care system. When asked:

In any health care proposal, how important do you feel it is to give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance – extremely important, quite important, not that important, or not at all important?

76% of Americans said the choice of a public option is either “extremely” or “quite” important to any reform of our broken health care system.

But that’s just one poll. The results must be an outlier, right?

Wrong. Results of a new poll by the non-partisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) show even stronger support for a public option. When asked about reform that includes “creating a new public health insurance plan that anyone can purchase” – 83% said they support it, including a majority – 53% – who “strongly support” such a plan.

But wait, there’s more! The EBRI poll was paid for by opponents of health care reform, including the association of insurance companies everyone loves to hate, Blue Cross Blue Shield, a foe of reform in the 1990s and today.

Health care reform & public option – winning issues

It’s time for members of Congress to do a little soul searching about who it is they went to Washington, DC to represent.

Is it private health insurance companies that monopolize health care, cancel polices on sick people after collecting premiums, deny coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and raise rates year after year, on and on?

Or will our elected leaders in Washington stand with the vast majority of Americans who are sick of being sick because they cannot afford care and tired of being tired from fighting for the coverage they paid for and depend on?

URGENT – Call Sen. Hagan today (!) at 877-662-2889

Tell Sen. Hagan health care reform must:

• Include a public health insurance option that will bring down costs and guarantee quality affordable health care for all.
• Require employers to pay their fair share to prevent them from shifting costs for their workers to taxpayers and firms that offer good benefits.
• Ensure affordable coverage for pre-Medicare retirees, who cannot get affordable coverage on their own.
• Reject schemes to tax health benefits, which would unfairly raise costs for workers – especially vulnerable workers.

This isn’t a game of inside the beltway process. The need for reform is real, and the dithering in Congress over a public option has real life consequences.

Health care reform without a public option is no reform at all – just another waste of money, time and patience – which for the millions of Americans without health insurance (and those going bankrupt even though they have it) is running out.

***We cannot overstate the importance of these phone calls*** Senator Hagan has not declared herself on the public option, but her staff is telling us they’re getting an earful from ideologues that oppose it.

We have info about buses leaving from NC

Join thousands of union leaders, members and allies who will gather in our nation’s capital to demand real health care reform that works for real people. Help make this the largest health care lobby day in history!

What: National Rally & Lobby Day for Health Care reform When: Thursday, June 25 beginning at 11 AM
Where: Washington, DC

Download the flyer for this event.

Buses will leave from Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh. The bus from Charlotte will make a stop in Greensboro on its way to Washington, DC.

Bus 1 (Leaving from Charlotte, NC)

1st Pickup Location: Eastland Mall Parking Lot, 5471 Central Ave Charlotte, NC

Departure Time: 1:00 am

2nd Pickup Location: Beloved Community Center, 417 Arlington St, Greensboro, NC

Departure Time: 3:00 am

Bus 2 (Leaving from Durham, NC)

Pickup Location: Durham ACORN Office, 115 Market St, Durham, NC

Departure Time: 5:00 am

Bus 3 (Leaving from Raleigh, NC)

Pickup Location: NC Fair Share Office, 3824 Barrett Dr, Raleigh, NC

Departure Time: 5:00 am

For more information, call Dustin Bayard at hbayard@gmail.com / 919-247-3726

Contractors working on gas lines at time of disaster

Federal investigators are focusing on a possible cause of the explosion at a ConAgra plant in Garner, NC which killed three workers and sent dozens more to area hospitals – natural gas vented inside the building.

Meanwhile, the first lawsuit related to the workplace disaster has been filed against the contractor whose employees allegedly did work in the area of the gas leak. Crews were trying to get a newly installed water heater up and running.

Union appeals for assistance for workers affected by disaster

The workers’ union, UFCW Local 204, has setup a disaster relief fund to collect donations to help workers at the plant – and the families of those who died – recover. Donations can be sent to:

UFCW Local 204 ConAgra Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 466
Clemmons, NC 27012

In addition to the disaster relief fund, the union has set Saturday, June 27th as the date of a BBQ fundraiser, to be held in Raleigh.

Triple Play at Lobby Day

On May 26 public employees and supporters from across North Carolina converged on Raleigh for HOPE’s second Collective Bargaining Lobby Day. Hundreds of people from 22 counties lobbied their legislators in person and through HOPE’s virtual lobby and call-in day.

Our strategy this year followed on three tracks: 1. Mock funeral for G.S. 95-98, the 50 year-old statute that bans public employee bargaining. 2. Meetings with NC House Speaker Joe Hackney. 3. Hearing of NC Senate State and Local Government Committee. Additionally, participants in our Virtual Lobby for HOPE campaign sent over 1,700 emails to the Senate committee!

Read the full report and see a picture slide show from Lobby Day at the HOPE web site, nchope.org. Here’s video of the mock funeral:

Protest of destructive budget cuts outside legislature

Lawmakers in Raleigh are considering a budget proposal that would balance the books on the backs of working families by cutting essential programs and services needed now more than ever. Decisions made in the legislature threaten to turn an economic crisis for the state into a state of emergency for the public.

What: Rally followed by a march to the NC General Assembly to say “No” to destructive budget cuts and “YES” to a balanced solution

When: Monday, June 15, 2009 at 5:30pm

Where: outside Jones St entrance to the legislative building

Check www.togethernc.org for more information.

House lawmakers are proposing to eliminate thousands of jobs in education and health care, the effects of which will push many families over the edge of financial ruin and increase demand for scarce public resources like education, health services, and unemployment assistance.

Join us for a rally that says “NO” to destructive budget cuts and “YES” to a balanced solution that is fair and progressive and includes new revenue.

We can afford to raise some revenue from targeted increases on people making more than $350,000 a year, closing loopholes that let corporations off the hook for paying taxes on income earned in North Carolina, and enacting taxes on some services that are now tax free.

Our message is this: don’t risk the health of our economy even more with these very deep cuts. Tell them we need a balanced approach with revenue from the right places, along with cuts where necessary. A fair budget is better for working families, who are counting on good quality education and health care for their children, safe streets and a decent quality of life.

3 workers die, 38 others hospitalized

An explosion in the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, NC killed three workers and sent 38 others to the hospital on Tuesday. The cause of the blast is not yet known. Federal agents are to begin an investigation today.

The blast was powerful enough to knock down one of the plant walls. The roof collapse that followed trapped some workers under rubble, while fire and fumes from busted ammonia lines burned and sickened others. About 300 people were in the plant at the time of the incident.

The names of those who died are Barbara McLean Spears (43) of Dunn and Rachel Mae Poston Pulley (67) and Lewis Junior Watson (33), both of Clayton.

WRAL-TV in Raleigh reports that a public candlelight vigil to remember the victims is planned for 8 p.m. Friday at Wake Baptist Grove Church, at 302 E Main St. in Garner.

ConAgra has not yet said if the plant, which makes Slim Jims, will be rebuilt or reopen. The company has told employees it will pay full salaries this week and next, but layoffs are possible after that.

Union launches disaster relief fund, plans fundraiser on 6/27

Workers at the ConAgra plant are represented by Local 204 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. The union has created a disaster relief fund to aid victims of the workplace disaster. Donations can be made out to:

UFCW Local 204 ConAgra Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 466
Clemmons, NC 27012

In addition to the disaster relief fund, the union has set Saturday, June 27th as the date of a BBQ fundraiser, to be held in Raleigh.

We will keep you posted with new information as we receive it. In the meantime, please keep the workers and their families in your hearts and minds.

“AFGE Members are Working for EFCA”

Last week J. David Cox, National Secretary-Treasurer of AFGE, attended the NC AFL-CIO Executive Board meeting. He spoke to me about the Employee Free Choice Act and its significance for AFGE employees.

“The Employee Free Choice Act creates a level playing field for employees. It gives them the right to decide if they want to form a union and eliminates the game that companies and management play when they fight unionization.”

Although AFGE members, as federal employees, will not be affected by the Employee Free Choice Act, they are still investing time and resources in its passage.

“Many of our local members are writing letters to the editor, appearing in rallies and visiting members of Congress over the Employee Free Choice Act. This is an important issue and we support our brothers and sisters in the AFL-CIO.”

David explains that the benefits of passing the Employee Free Choice Act will extend to all employees, public and private. “Any time that people have the right to form or join a union, we all benefit. Public and private sector employees are in the labor market together,” he says.

“Having unions creates better wages and benefits, it services the community, and helps to strengthen the middle class,” he says. “Unions created the middle class, and that is the real American Dream.”

David encourages everyone to get out and support the Employee Free Choice Act. “It’s the right thing to do for the working men and women in this country.”

Working people are backbone of America

Larry Murray is the Staff Representative for USW in District 9, serving North and South Carolina locals. He is an active participant in the campaign to pass the Employee Free Choice Act and to reverse myths about union members.

“The Employee Free Choice Act is vitally important because on top of the poor economic situation, the playing field is not level. Companies have an enormous advantage in the current system.”

Larry believes that most people are misinformed about what the Employee Free Choice Act means, especially in regards to the secret ballot. “This legislation is not a major change to what we do today. There will not be a big bad gorilla gang of union bosses watching you vote. Workers will still have the privacy to vote in their own way.”

Larry points out that 80% of North Carolina residents would vote for a union if not for fear of harassment and intimidation. “The intimidation tactics are outlandish,” says Larry. “Management says things like, ‘if you vote for a union, we’ll close the plant’ or they threaten to take away your health care benefits. Sometimes they make nice promises, or maybe even give a small raise in the midst of a union organizing campaign. It’s just a gimmick. People won’t vote for fear of losing their jobs.”

I asked Larry about the USW and their contribution to the EFCA campaign. “Our president Leo Gerard has made it a top priority. Staff members work additional house on top of contract negotiations to make time for the Employee Free Choice Act. We do it with pride.”

Larry hopes that promoting the Employee Free Choice Act will help change the public image of unions. “Union folks have been demonized by the far right,” he says. “But we are a prominent part of communities. We go to church. We coach Pop Warner football. We are not the big gorilla in the room.”

Larry ends on a hopeful message. “I see this country slowly coming around to the fact that working people are America’s backbone. I am optimistic that perceptions will change and we will be able to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.”

Something needs to be done

Dwaine Atkinson is a retired UAW member and resident of North Carolina for the past 20 years. He is a strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act and workers’ right to bargain collectively.

“The Employee Free Choice Act is necessary because the table is tilted too far towards the employer,” Dwaine says. “It should be up to the employee, not the employer, whether to form a union through majority sign-up or secret ballot elections.”

The Employee Free Choice Act doesn’t aim for radical change. The majority sign-up versus secret ballot option has always existed under the current labor laws, and many progressive companies, such as AT&T and Kaiser Permanente, have opted for majority sign-up. As Dwaine points out, the only difference is that under EFCA, the workers choose.

Dwaine believes that the Employee Free Choice Act would not only ensure that workers have a voice on the job, but would also eliminate many problems in the time leading up to union elections.

“Something needs to be done to level the playing field,” says Dwaine. “I believe that the Employee Free Choice Act is that something.”

Free Choice and health care are linked

Linda Suggs, AFT, is passionate about issues affecting American workers, particularly health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act. She believes both are essential to rebuilding the middle class, and should be passed this year.

“Twenty million Americans are without health insurance, often because they lost their jobs,” says Linda. “Uninsured people need our help, and they need it now.”

“Unemployment checks are not enough to pay for health care premiums, which is why public sector health insurance is important,” explains Linda. “We need quality, affordable health care for all Americans.”

Linda also believes that health care access is closely linked with workers right to choose how to form a union. She supports the Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers to decide whether to form a union through majority sign-up or secret ballot.

“The Employee Free Choice Act will rebuild the middle class and the economy,” says Linda. “I believe that North Carolina is due for a union comeback. When the workforce is unionized, workers have an opportunity to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions.”

Linda points out that we have a president poised to sign the Employee Free Choice Act into law, if only it gets through Congress. “Our hard work and dedication towards passing this legislation will pay off in the end,” she says.

Enough is enough

Jim Moore of AFSCME, is retiree coordinator in North Carolina. At a recent conference for the Alliance of Retired Americans, Jim spoke to us about the Employee Free Choice Act and what it means for workers.

“The Employee Free Choice Act is important because in many companies, management uses awful tactics against their employees. The Act would allow workers the free choice to say ‘Enough is enough,’” says Jim.

Jim’s comment comes at an opportune time, because a recent study by Kate Bronfenbrenner of the Economic Policy Institute reveals that more than ever, Big Business is resorting to coercive and intimidating tactics to deny their employees the right to organize a union.

According to the sample study, employers illegally fired workers in 34% of elections, threatened to close the plant in 57% of elections, and threatened to cut wages and benefits in 47% of elections. Even if employees vote to form a union, 52% of workplaces did not have a first contract a year later, and 37% didn’t have one two years later.

The Employee Free Choice Act not only holds corporations accountable for their actions against workers trying to organize, but also helps workers secure a first contract. The Act provides a level playing field for the workers who keep this country running.

“AFSCME employees across the country are proud of services we provide to communities,” says Jim. “Day in day out our folks build and maintain safe roads. We work in schools and people entrust their kids to us. We keep the wheels turning in this economy.”

EFCA: How will it Affect Public Employees?

Jon Bray is one of several employees of AFSCME hired to mobilize membership around the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and health care reform. Jon’s many tasks include canvassing to educate members on EFCA and attending local meetings to encourage members to become involved.

In his interview, Jon discussed the possible impact of EFCA on the 1.4 million AFSCME employees across the country. “The Employee Free Choice Act doesn’t affect public sector employees directly, but we are seeing that because of the actions against unions in the private sector, public sector unions are hurting too,” explains Jon.

“Our public servants, people who pick up your garbage, guard prisons, and work in local government, are seeing lower wages and benefits as private sector unionization weakens.”

Jon believes that by allowing workers to choose if and how they form unions, EFCA will stop downward pressure on public employees and help to protect jobs and contracts. “AFSCME is committed to the Employee Free Choice Act because our members will see better wages and benefits if there are more unions in the private sector,” says Jon.

One of Jon’s primary tasks is to encourage union members to contact their senators about EFCA and why they should support it. “We need to correct the lies by anti-worker groups and show our elected representatives why we support this bill,” says Jon.

This motion picture approved for all audiences

They are 47 artists, including Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony award winners and nominees. They are sitcom stars, character actors, musicians, comedians, and Broadway performers. They are all union members, working with union writers and an all union crew, and they all support the Employee Free Choice Act.

Artists For Workers Choice (artists4workerschoice.org) has come out with a fantastic video that makes a strong case for unions and the Employee Free Choice Act as essential to creating an economy that works for everyone:

“The best way for working men and women to get ahead is by uniting with our co-workers and forming a union. The Employee Free Choice Act does exactly what it says: It gives workers a choice of how to unionize.”

If you’ve been waiting for one great video to forward to friends and relatives that explains why we need the Employee Free Choice Act, this is it:

“People associate actors with fame and glory. The truth is for a long time my union contract was the reason I could support my family.” — Actress Amy Brenneman

“I’ve belonged to three unions in my life… If all workers don’t have the freedom to form unions, I don’t see how we can fix our economy.” — Actor and comedian Jerry Stiller

Watch the video and then share it with your family and social network.

“EFCA is about Social Justice”

Miriam Thompson, an outspoken, retired UAW member, is also a member of the Alliance of Retired Americans and the labor chair of the local NAACP chapter in Chapel Hill. Miriam is a vocal advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that she believes will restore democracy in the American workplace.

“The Employee Free Choice Act shows respect for workers,” says Miriam. “It shows respect for their choice to form a collective body through secret ballot or majority sign-up.”

In her interview, Miriam addressed the issue of North Carolina’s low union density. Many critics of EFCA argue that higher rates of unionization would be detrimental to the state’s economy.

“Unions bring an expertise and stability into the workplace that will help advance North Carolina’s economy,” explains Miriam. “They allow a climate in which employees and management can work together. I see a more stable and reliable workforce as a tool to attract potential employers to North Carolina.”

As a retired UAW member, Miriam also addressed the problems in the auto industry. “In one plant the management tried to get rid of the union and hire unskilled workers. Afterwards, they had higher accident and injury rates, not to mention the atmosphere of intimidation. I don’t think that makes for healthy business practice.”

Miriam expressed her support for the president’s plan for workers. “We have a president who has come on strong to protect workers and to show workers that they are appreciated and respected, because their labor makes the economy and the country move forward.”

Though mainstream America seems to have forgotten it, the labor movement is responsible for many of the benefits we enjoy today. “The Employee Free Choice Act is a continuation of the labor movement’s history of fighting for social justice,” says Miriam.

She adds that people can get involved with this issue by contacting unions in their area or the local NAACP, and also to call their member of Congress to make sure they support this bill.

Investors speak out for Employee Free Choice Act

Right now is the right time for Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act says a coalition of investors who manage almost $400 billion in assets in a letter to the bill’s primary sponsors.

The support of these 26 leaders from the investment community is a welcome addition to our coalition and comes from a business community that has thus far vehemently opposed passage of any law that would level the playing field for workers who want a union:

“As investors, we understand that constructive and positive labor relations are essential for improving corporate performance, efficiency and workplace safety. Effective partnerships between employees and employers enhance productivity and corporate loyalty, enabling companies to attract and retain skilled staff in order to better drive corporate innovation.”

The collapse of collective bargaining has “contributed to dangerous and unprecedented disparities in wealth and income in the United States,” and makes the current economic crisis worse, write the investors:

“In the face of a global economic collapse born largely in the U.S. market, a key component to a global recovery is strengthening the purchasing power of American workers. Today, consumer activity accounts for roughly 70 percent of the U.S. economy. For many years, U.S. workers sustained their consumption through debt, yet such debt-driven consumption is clearly not sustainable. Workers need to be adequately rewarded for their productivity, and earn the income they need to purchase basic goods and services.

“The decline in unionization in the United States, exacerbated by a variety of anti-union responses from companies and weaker U.S. labor law, has damaged the fragile relationship between management and employees and depressed the prospects for sustained economic recovery.”

Unlike opponents of Employee Free Choice Act, this group of investors cite studies that show “unionization can have strong long-term benefits for individual companies,” including one study of 750 large, publicly traded firms that found returns to shareholders at companies with best labor practices “are three times greater” than companies with weak practices.

Ultimately, “workers, not employers, should decide if and how they join a union,” the investors conclude:

“As the law now stands in the U.S., it is employers – not workers – who decide what method may be used for unionization (either majority sign-up or secret ballot election). We believe workers should have the right to choose how they want to form a union, just as they have that right in dozens of countries around the world…In reality, we believe that a choice of methods is necessary and appropriate, since there is credible evidence that the secret ballot process has been abused in the U.S.”

You can read the group of investors’ entire letter here (opens PDF). It includes a list of the many other developed and developing nations that provide workers with a majority sign-up option and how workers in those countries can freely exercise their rights.

1,000 plus scholars declare support for Employee Free Choice Act

Citing the thirty-year decline in workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement as a major cause of the growing gap between worker productivity and wages, more than 1,000 scholars have also signed their names to a letter calling for quick passage of the Employee Free Choice Act:

“This gap has contributed to the current financial crisis and deepening recession, as credit and unsustainable asset appreciation took the place of wage increases. The suppression of wages has also exacerbated economic inequality, and with it a host of other serious economic and social ills.”

From the AFL-CIO Blog:

The academics who support Employee Free Choice are a diverse group, spanning a range of disciplines, and include Nobel Prize-winning economists, historians and business school professors. Authored by historian David Brody, the letter addresses the need for the Employee Free Choice Act from this broad array of fields of study. These scholars, Brody says, know what the freedom to form unions and bargain means for individual workers, communities, workplace democracy, the economy and human rights. As the scholars say in the letter:

“[W]e understand the importance of a strong, independent and democratic labor movement as a counterweight against excessive corporate power and a bulwark of social inclusion and political participation.”

David Zonderman, professor of history and labor at NC State University, is one of the scholars who signed their letter of support for the Employee Free Choice Act. You can see video of our three part interview with Professor Zonderman, in which he makes the historical case for reforming U.S. labor law. Watch Part 1 of 3, Part 2 of 3, and Part 3 of 3.

Global solidarity of labor for Employee Free Choice Act

Just as collective bargaining agreements at some companies can lift wages and improve working conditions for non-union workers in the United States, the anti-worker, anti-union corporate culture which has developed here has consequences for employees in other countries.

A report released at the Global Summit on Organizing in December 2007 showed that anti-union tactics are being exported by multi-national corporations to other countries where they do business.

The global union movement is responding to this threat by strongly supporting passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and calling out U.S. employers’ deceptions about the bill:

“As part of its multi-million dollar campaign against the Employee Free Choice Act, US employers, that violate – every day and on a massive scale – the basic rights of U.S. workers to organise and bargain, are invoking “democracy” to cover their misdeeds. They are pitting what they call democracy against the fundamental human rights of workers to be free to form trade unions and to bargain collectively.”

Read more about global support for the Employee Free Choice Act at the AFL-CIO Blog.

Join the discussion coming to a town near you

Together NC, a coalition of organizations – including the NC State AFL-CIO – committed to promoting wise policy choices for shared prosperity, is organizing a series of town hall discussions on the necessity of public investments in North Carolina.

Our state government has to fix a large budget shortfall that – if the wrong choices are made in Raleigh – threatens to undercut essential public services needed now more than ever.

It’s critical that elected officials hear from folks in their communities about the importance of public programs and services so they can make budget decisions that support communities and families and do not undermine the state’s economic recovery.

The institutions North Carolina families rely on, education, health care, unemployment insurance, and housing assistance, to name a few, are in jeopardy this year.

Make your voices heard by attending a Together NC town hall near you:

• Asheville: Monday, May 18 from 8:30 to 10:30am
  United Way, 50 S French Broad Ave, Asheville, NC
• Fayetteville: Monday, May 18 from 10am to 12 noon
  Cumberland County Bordeaux Branch Library, 3711 Village Drive, Fayetteville, NC
• Elizabeth City: Friday, May 22 from 9 to 11am
  Pasquotank 4-H office, 1209 McPherson St, Elizabeth City, NC
• Charlotte: Thursday, May 28 from 6 to 8pm
  Mecklenburg County Main Library, 310 N. Tryon St, Charlotte, NC
• Pittsboro: Thursday, June 4 from 7 to 9pm
  Central Carolina Community College, Buillding 2, 764 West St, Pittsboro, NC

For more information contact Meg Gray at 919-856-3192 or meg@ncjustice.org.

Walker will be Associate Deputy Secretary at DOL

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis has announced the appointment of Naomi Walker to be the Associate Deputy Secretary at the Department of Labor. Naomi will be responsible for policy development and outreach to the labor movement, and knowing her work at the AFL-CIO for the past 12 years, we are certain that working families across the country will benefit from her passion and commitment to social and economic justice.

Naomi has served as the Director of the AFL-CIO Office of State Government Affairs, and has worked closely with many state federations and labor legislators on developing and advancing a pro-working families agenda in state legislatures across the country. While Naomi’s expertise and experience will be missed, the work she has been doing is well underway and will continue.

Please join us in congratulating Naomi, as well as complimenting President Obama and Secretary Solis for this wise choice for America’s workers.

HOPE Coalition, lawmakers to discuss repealing ban

The Fayetteville Area HOPE Committee will be meeting with Margaret Dickson and other Cumberland County legislators on May 21 at the Bordeaux Library. The meeting begins at 5pm and the legislators will arrive at 6pm. A facilitator and speakers will be on hand to make the case for repealing the 50-year old ban on public employee collective bargaining.

Please join if you can and invite other people in your organizations to come as well. Everyone who would like to come should RSVP Chelsea Earles at 919-491-6936 or info@nchope.org.

What: Meeting with Cumberland County lawmakers
When: Thursday, May 21, 2009 from 5 to 7pm
Where: Bordeaux Library branch, 3711 Village Dr Fayetteville, NC

A ‘total absence of any employee or union abuse’ for Illinois workers

The University of Illinois published results of a study authored by Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment policy, on Illinois’ Majority Interest Petition (MIP) process, which grants public employees in that state the option to form a union using majority sign-up. The findings are not good news for corporate spin masters who repeatedly (and falsely) claim majority sign-up exposes workers to coercion:

“The results of the study unambiguously revealed that the majority sign-up provision was used extensively without hint of union or employer abuse.

“In brief, from 2003-2009, 21,197 public sector workers employed in state, county, municipal and educational institutions voluntarily joined a union. Most importantly, contrary to business claims, in nearly eight hundred petition cases, there was not a single confirmed incidence of union coercion.” [emphasis added]

The Employee Free Choice Act would guarantee workers nationwide the right to choose majority sign-up when deciding on union representation. Majority sign-up has been available for decades, but under current law, employers can veto workers’ choice and force an election.

Big Business’ claims that allowing workers to decide for themselves how to form a union would open the door to coercion and intimidation have no basis in fact:

“While the extensive use of MIP and their representativeness of the state”s workforce are impressive, the most dramatic outcome of the provision”s administration is the total absence of any employee or union abuse.”

In the over 1,000 times Illinois workers invoked majority sign-up since given the right in 2003, there was only one allegation of coercion, which when investigated by the state Labor Relations Board was found to be groundless. Even when the process didn’t lead to certification of the union, “In no case was a petition withdrawn or dismissed because of union coercion,” the study found.

Meanwhile employer abuse of labor law is rampant

Since the National Labor Relations Act established the majority sign-up process for forming unions in 1935, there have been 42 cases of union misconduct in the signing of authorization cards.

In 2007 alone, 29,559 workers received back pay from employers in cases alleging illegal firings for trying to form a union, according to reports by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which adjudicates such cases.

This reality bears repeating. Cases of union misconduct in 75 years of majority sign-up: 42. Cases of illegal employer firings of workers trying to form a union in just one year: 29,559.

While Big Business wants Congress to focus on what they say could happen with a majority sign-up process that the boss can no longer veto, our elected representatives (and the media) should focus on reality. Majority sign-up works:

“Illinois has provided a mechanism for over 20,000 public sectors workers to express their interest in becoming union members. The process has worked without systematic or episodic employer or union abuse. Illinois’ majority sign-up provision, like many other state laws across the country, is very similar to the proposed federal Employee Free Choice Act. As the debate over the national legislation continues, it is important for policy makers to have access to hard data detailing the impact of a majority sign-up provision. States like Illinois can make a valuable contribution to the pursuit of an informed judgment about labor law reform.”

On the web:

• A Study of Illinois’ Majority Interest Petition Provision (PDF)
• Corporate Interference by the Numbers
• Dropping the Ax: Illegal Firings During Union Election Campaigns (PDF)
• The Employee Free Choice Act

Food drive is this weekend

Get out your cans, your boxes, your bags of non-perishable food gathering dust in your cupboard and put them in a bag next to your mailbox before your letter carrier delivers your mail on Saturday. The Letter Carriers will take care of the rest, and you’ll have done a little something that will go a long way to stamp out hunger in your community.

From the AFL-CIO Blog:

With U.S. unemployment at 8.5 percent in March, the highest rate in 25 years – and expected to get even worse when April’s figures are released this week – the Letter Carriers (NALC) annual national food drive on Saturday comes at one of the most critical times in its 17-year history.

You can help “Stamp out Hunger” by collecting canned goods and dry food, such as tuna, canned meat, soups, pasta, rice and cereal, and leaving them in a bag or box by your mailbox. Your letter carrier will pick them up as they deliver your mail Saturday. NALC members will deliver the goods to local food banks, pantries and shelters to help needy families in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.

Columbian workers pay high price for Mom’s gifts

Thousands of workers, mostly female and many themselves mothers, toil on flower plantations in Columbia to farm, cut and trim the flowers many of us will give our mom on Sunday. From the AFL-CIO Blog:

This Mother’s Day, remember the mothers in Colombia who grew, cut and trimmed the flowers you receive. Six days a week, Amanda Camacho and thousands of her co-workers at flower plantations in Colombia cut and trim at least 350 flowers an hour. In the weeks before holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, the work extends deep into the night – all for about $8 a day, less than the cost of a bouquet of carnations in the United States.

More than 60 percent of the flowers sold in the United States come from Colombia. Two-thirds of the nearly 100,000 flower workers in Colombia are women, many working mothers. They often are required to work 12 to 15 hours a day with few breaks. Although they generally work long hours, the flower workers often are denied overtime pay.

The struggle of these workers to organize for a better life in the most dangerous country on earth to be a union member is the focus of a tour next week sponsored by the International Labor Rights Forum’s (ILRF) Fairness in Flowers campaign.

Amanda Camacho (pictured at right with her 10-year old son), is a Colombian union leader and activist who has worked six days a week cutting 350 flowers an hour for 14 years. She says she’s stayed on for so long to organize her co-workers and improve working conditions. Camacho is the featured speaker on ILRF tour.

“The fight now is to organize more workers. The only way to enforce your rights is to organize.”

Jason Rosin, IATSE Business Agent and President of the Southeastern North Carolina CLC, spoke on the Employee Free Choice Act and its importance to North Carolinians.

“The Employee Free Choice Act answers the fundamental questions, ‘Whose choice is it to form a union and how you form a union?’ The answer is, ‘It should be the workers’ choice.’”

Jason pointed out that passing the law would allow workers an easier pathway to organize for better wages, working conditions and pensions, which is good news for workers in North Carolina.

Jason also addressed attacks against the unions involved in the U.S. auto industry. “It’s not the workers’ fault that auto makers chose to make cars that are not competitive in the global market. This issue should be about management’s poor choices, not what workers earn for a fair days work.”

With the Employee Free Choice Act expected to be up for a vote soon, Jason encourages union and non-union members to educate themselves on this issue and to get involved in the fight for workers rights.

“To learn more about EFCA, you can check out employeefreechoiceact.org or contact your friends in the labor movement,” says Jason. “Also, you can search the U.S. House of Representatives’ website for facts on the bill’s provisions, or if you are in southeast North Carolina, you can look me up and I’d be glad to help.”

‘Why We Need Unions’ on Saturday, 5/9

The Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF), one of several community groups to rally support for Moncure workers during their 8-month strike, is hosting a teach-in entitled “Corporate Rule, Bailouts & Greed: Why We Need Unions” in Chapel Hill on Saturday, May 9.

The teach-in will feature notable speakers, including NC State University professor and labor historian, David Zonderman, Change to Win labor federation Executive Director, Chris Chafe, workers from Moncure, and North Carolina public employees.

What: Teach-in on today’s struggle for workers’ rights
When: Saturday, May 9, 2009 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm
Where: Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC

Come to the teach-in to learn about pending state & federal legislation that need your support. In this era of corporate supremacy, let’s protect workers!

This event is free of charge and open to the public. Download the flyer for more information or call 919-370-4114.

VoteVets.org mobilizes for freedom to organize

Saying the freedom to organize and form unions is one of many American values for which veterans have fought and died, the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council and VoteVets.org are teaming up to fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

“The freedom to organize is an American value, one of the many values we veterans fought to protect,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, and Chairman of VoteVets.org. “Past generations of veterans were able to enter the middle class because unions were there to fight for fair wages and benefits. The Employee Free Choice Act ensures that veterans and civilians in the workforce will continue to get a fair shake, which is why we’re proud to support it.”

The 105,000 member VoteVets.org will host events and rallies in a dozen states considered battlegrounds in the effort to get the Employee Free Choice Act passed. Fourteen percent of union members are veterans, some 2.1 million in all. The entry of this important constituency into the debate over the need to reform our labor laws could help wavering Senators decide who they stand with, says reporter Sam Stein of the Huffington Post:

“Considering the respect they engender at home, having these groups and individuals on the frontlines of the pro-EFCA campaign puts a different type of political pressure on those senators whose position on the bill is still up in the air.”

The Employee Free Choice Act will return to employees alone the power to decide how and when to form a union. Currently, even when a majority of employees exercise their right to union representation, employers can veto that choice and force them into an election process they control. It’s wrong when veterans are denied basic rights at work after fighting for their country, says Chris Lane of Richmond, Virginia:

“When I signed my enlistment papers, my signature was my pledge to fight for freedom and the honor of my country. If my signature was good enough for that, it should be good enough for my government to show that I want a union in my workplace.”

Unions give vets a path out of unemployment and low wage jobs

The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that 18 percent of vets recently returned from deployment are unemployed, and 25 percent of vets who do find work earn less than $22,000 a year. “This is an unacceptable situation,” says Stephen Jackson, VFW Post 4312 Commander and member of Steelworkers Local 1283, in a recent op-ed published in the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald:

“The men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country deserve a chance to be a part of the American dream. They deserve a job that puts food on the table and a roof over the family’s heads. They deserve benefits so that they and their families can be healthy and thrive. They deserve the right to join any organization that will help improve their situation. They deserve to have the chance to be a part of the middle class and help rebuild our economy.”

Studies show that wages for union workers are 8 percent higher than for their non-union counterparts in North Carolina, and union workers nationwide are 28 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance. More unions would bring greater opportunities for returning vets, says Jackson:

“The Employee Free Choice Act will give veterans a better chance when they get back home to get better jobs with better benefits, and a better shot at the middle class. I support the Employee Free Choice Act. It’s my way of honoring those who served our country.”

Are you a veteran who’s been denied your right to form a union free from employer intimidation and retribution? If so, we’d like to hear from you! Give us your feedback at our web site.

Handy one-pagers to help you make the case

In honor of International Workers Day (May Day), the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) created a series of one-pagers on the benefits of unions for America’s workers. These are a great resource for any union member or labor activist (links open PDF documents).

All workers:

• The Benefits of Unionization
• Dropping the Ax: Illegal Firings During Union Election Campaigns

By demographic:

• Women workers
• African American workers
• Latino workers
• Young workers

Types of workers:

• Low wage workers
• Service sector workers

Find these one-pagers and full papers about unions on CEPR’s website at: www.cepr.net/index.php/the-benefits-of-unionization.

Mother Jones on her 100th birthday, May 1, 1930.

And now, a word from Mother Jones

Mary Harris “Mother” Jones (1830-1930) celebrated her 100th birthday party at the Burgess Farm in Adelphi, Maryland on May 1, 1930.

A newsreel cameraman was present and a short “talkie” was made of “the Grand Old Champion of Labor.”

“And I long to see the day when Labor will have the destinies of the nation in her own hands and she will stand a united force and show the world what the workers can do.” Listen:

Thanks to Con Carbon for the tip. Learn more about Mother Jones on the web.

More on May Day from the AFL-CIO Blog:

Today as we celebrate May Day and the birthday of legendary labor advocate Mother Jones, workers and other progressives must think about how we use our values to build a struggle for human sustainability, including a sustainable environment, sustainable jobs, sustainable health and a sustainable economy.

Stewart Acuff, an assistant to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, says [...] we need a series of actions to make the global economy work for every person, Acuff says, including:

• Tapping renewable sources of energy. But to tap this energy requires skilled crafts people to build the windmills and turbines and build and install the turbines that can be turned by the tides of the sea.
• Creating good green jobs that help save the environment and provide a decent living. Sustainable jobs that help preserve a sustainable environment.
• Providing universal health care.
• Renewing the freedom to join unions by passing the Employee Free Choice Act.

Here’s a May Day message from International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC) General Secretary Guy Ryder:

Getting sick is nothing new. The way we fight the spread of infectious disease – regular hand washing, getting vaccinated, avoiding travel and staying home from work if sick – are common sense things that everyone can do.

Well, not everyone.

Nearly 1 in 2 workers in North Carolina lack even a single day of paid sick leave. For these workers, missing a day of work to care for themselves or a sick family member is not an option. For these workers, doing the right thing – following the expert advice of the Centers for Disease Control and state health officials – could cost them a full days pay or worse if they lose their jobs over it.

From the AFL-CIO blog:

One key recommendation to prevent the spread of swine flu is to stay home from work if you become infected with the virus. But as we reported in September, nearly 50 percent of private-sector workers have no paid sick days. For low-income workers, the number jumps to 76 percent. Says Pat Garofalo at the Think Progress Wonk Room:

“Unfortunately, staying home due to illness is simply not possible for a large number of Americans….These workers have to decide between the health of themselves and their co-workers, and the wages that they lose by staying home.”

Hopefully we can keep the current Swine flu outbreak contained here in North Carolina, but it’s a good reminder why paid sick days are about our community’s public health. When workers go to work sick because they can’t risk a day’s pay, their germs become our germs.

That’s why the NC State AFL-CIO and our partners in the NC Paid Sick Days Campaign are working heard to move legislation through the NC General Assembly, the Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act (HB 177, SB 534), that would guarantee all workers in North Carolina a basic number of paid sick days.

Your help needed to win paid sick leave

We know that paid sick days benefit everyone: our families, our businesses, and our public health. But corporate business lobbyists are putting up an extremely tough fight and the legislation needs your help.

Our bills are set to be heard by House and Senate committees in the coming weeks. We need you to make sure committee members know why paid sick leave is important.

Please contact your representatives now, particularly those in the House Commerce Committee, and tell them to support HB 177 and guarantee paid sick days for all workers.

Key House Commerce Committee Contacts (targets only, not inclusive):

• Rep. Margaret Dickson (Cumberland)
  Margaret.dickson@ncleg.net, 733-5776
• Rep. Becky Carney (Mecklenburg)
  becky.carney@ncleg.net, 733-5827
• Rep. Bruce Goforth (Buncombe)
  bruce.goforth@ncleg.net, 733-5746
• Rep. Edgar Starnes (Caldwell)
  edgar.starnes@ncleg.net, 733-5931
• Rep. Randy Stewart (Nash)
  randy.stewart@ncleg.net, 733-5802
• Rep. Winkie Wilkins (Person)
  winkie.wilkins@ncleg.net, 715-0850
• Rep. Lucy Allen (Franklin)
  lucy.allen@ncleg.net, 733-5860
• Rep. Marilyn Avila (Wake)
  marilyn.avila@ncleg.net, 733-5530

Even if you don’t live in these districts, these folks need to hear from all of us that now is precisely the time and the reason we need the Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act.

FLOC demonstration at Reynolds shareholders meeting on May 6th

Join with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) at Reynolds Shareholders Meeting to show decision-makers that we support FLOC’s struggle.

Reynolds must address the injustices farm workers endure in their supply chain and give workers the respect they deserve!

What: Rally outside Reynolds American shareholders meeting
When: Wednesday, May 6, 2009 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Where: Lloyd Presbyterian Church, 748 N Chestnut St, Winston Salem, NC

Download the flyer for this event.

Reynolds has a monopoly on the procurement system, as well as the marketing and distribution of its products. Reynolds determines what price they pay farmers, and therefore the pay and conditions of field workers. This system with layers of subcontracts is designed to avoid responsibility for what happens down the procurement chain.

Changing this system will require Reynolds to change the way it does business. You can be part of this effort by joining us on May 6 to rally for justice in the tobacco fields.

Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working conditions. However, the threat of going to work healthy and coming home severely injured – or not coming home at all – remains all too real.

According to estimates (PDF document)by the International Labor Organization (ILO), worldwide, 1 million workers suffer a workplace accident and more than 5,500 workers die each day due to accidents or disease from their work.

The AFL-CIO’s 18th annual “Death on the Job” report shows that on an average day in the United States alone, 15 workers lose their lives as a result of injury or disease in the workplace, and 10,959 are injured.

We remember these workers on April 28, Workers Memorial Day.

North Carolina ESC held ceremony to honor the dead

For the past eight years, the North Carolina Employment Security Commission (ESC) has held a ceremony to honor workers who have lost their lives on the job.

“Workers Memorial Day gives us the opportunity to remind ourselves just how critical it is to be observant about workplace safety each and every day,” said ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. “That is why we host this event, because safety and having a productive workforce go hand-in-hand.”

NC State AFL-CIO president James Andrews was the featured speaker at the event and was joined by Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, who also delivered remarks in observance of Workers Memorial Day. Andrews listed several needless disasters that could have been avoided:

“The explosion at the BP refinery in Texas that killed 15 workers, the Sago mine collapse in Utah where 6 miners and 3 rescue workers died, the explosion at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Georgia that claimed 14 lives, and the New York City crane collapse that killed 6 construction workers. These workers should not have died.”

In addition to stepped up enforcement of existing health and safety laws, Andrews pointed to the need for workers to have a voice on the job as a way to protect themselves:

“With a union, workers can raise job safety concerns without fear of employer retaliation and make jobs safer. With a union, workers can bargain for increased safety and health protection and training. With a union, workers have the power to make sure that safety and health regulations are followed and fully enforced.”

National workers memorial dedicated in Maryland

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis speaks at national workers memorial dedication April 28, 2009.

Newly appointed Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, joined AFL-CIO leaders John Sweeney and Richard Trumka and the heads of several major unions in a ceremony at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD to dedicate a new national workers memorial to honor those who have died on the job or as a result of workplace related illness. Said Solis of the reason for a workers memorial:

“It is appropriate that we dedicate this memorial at the National Labor College. Not only will this calm and quiet spot serve as a gathering place to pause and remember the men and women who have lost their lives while pursuing their livelihood, but it will serve as a reminder to future labor leaders about the importance of workplace safety.”

Secretary Solis used the occasion of the memorial dedication to announce two new major workplace safety rules – one to avoid combustible dust explosions like the one that killed 13 people at Imperial Sugar in Georgia on Feb. 7, 2008, and a second to protect workers from exposure to diacetyl, a dangerous chemical additive that causes the severe and sometimes fatal respiratory disease “popcorn lung“.

The rules are a reversal of Bush administration decisions to block the implementation of standards urged by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board in 2006 that could have prevented the Imperial Sugar disaster and another decision to delay emergency standards to regulate workers exposure to diacetyl. No such standard currently exists, and Solis’ action yesterday will fast-track its development.

Mine Workers President, Cecil Roberts, was one of the leaders on hand for the dedication, where he challenged anyone who would oppose DOL’s stepped up enforcement of health and safety rules in the workplace:

“We just come to work here. We don’t come to die here.”

MaryBe McMillan was the keynote speaker for the APRI Banquet fundraiser. At the event she gave a stirring speech on the Employee Free Choice Act and collective bargaining rights for public employees, and was honored with an award for her service.

In her speech on the Employee Free Choice Act, MaryBe dismantled the falsehoods perpetrated by EFCA opponents; among them, the comparison of a union election with a presidential election.

“A union election is more like a sham election in a dictatorship than a presidential election,” said MaryBe. “Imagine if your boss told you, ‘If you vote for Obama, I’ll close this plant down.’ Imagine him saying, ‘In the weeks leading up to the election, I’ll assign Obama supporters to the hardest tasks at this plant, and I might even fire people to really set an example.’”

MaryBe urged attendees to take immediate action, starting by writing a letter to Senator Hagan using the papers and envelopes on each banquet table. “If you are tired of corporate greed, and sick and tired of being sick and tired, then stand up for workers rights,” said MaryBe.

She also urged union members to leaflet their worksites and talk to co-workers about the Employee Free Choice Act. “Workers need the Employee Free Choice Act, and they need it now.”

In Raleigh, the AFL-CIO, ACORN, AFSCME, HCAN and the NC Justice Center banded together to put on an event to commemorate Obama’s 100th day in office. Since taking the oath on January 19th, Obama has passed progressive policy on women’s pay, health coverage for children, and job creation. He promises to continue the fight for working families by pushing a comprehensive budget plan, reformed health care and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Ajamu Dillahunt, of the NC Justice Center, opened the event by saying, “We are here to celebrate 100 days of making history and making progress, but also to remind everyone that now is the time to identify our accomplishments and to determine what remains to be done.”

Elaine Mejia, of the NC Budget & Tax Center, remarked that she was honored to be with all the participants “who recognize that health care reform, workers rights and responsible fiscal policies are all necessary for progress.”

Our health care speaker was Lynice Williams of Health Care for America Now. She spoke on the need for “quality, affordable coverage so that we are no longer at the mercy of the private sector.”

“Our current health care system is unaffordable for working families,” said Lynice. “We need health care reform and we need it now.”

MaryBe McMillan, Secretary-Treasurer of the NC AFL-CIO, spoke on the Employee Free Choice Act. “Every 23 minutes a worker is fired or discriminated against for exercising his or her right to organize, and our labor laws are helpless to stop it. We urge Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act soon. Working people can’t wait any longer.”

Jonathan Bray, an AFSCME organizer, visited Guilford College last weekend to talk to the College Democrats about the Employee Free Choice Act and its relevance to students.

“Unions aren’t just for factory workers anymore,” explained Jon. “People who graduate from college are entering white collar jobs as dentists and psychologists are forming unions too.”

Jon explained that unions hold corporations accountable for environmental and labor violations, and provide job protection in these uncertain times. The response from the students was positive and they expressed interest in helping to advancing the rights of workers.

During the meeting, students and professors wrote letters to Senator Kay Hagan and Representative Miller, urging them to support the Employee Free Choice Act.

“I feel that unions are vital to helping our country in this period of economic crisis,” said Matt Clausen, president of the Guilford College Democrats. “Passing the Employee Free Choice Act will strengthen unions and improve the economy over time.”

Charlotte CLC Speaks Out on Employee Free Choice Act

In a show of solidarity, the Southern Piedmont CLC of Charlotte turned out large numbers last week at the HOPE Coalition meeting. After the meeting, I was able to interview the whole labor council on the Employee Free Choice Act and individual reasons for supporting it.

“Workers want the same rights as CEOs. They all have the right to negotiate a contract, so why can’t we?”
– Pam Foxx, USW

“Every employee should be able to freely choose if they want to bring a union into their workplace.”
– Tracy Nail, UAW

“We should have the right to make constructive decisions about what governs our lives.”
– Shelia Prince, APWU

“We need the Employee Free Choice Act to restore to employees the right to choose a union. Under current law, the employer has that right. This needs to change.”
– Will Cashion, IAM 1725 and president of the Southern Piedmont CLC

“I believe in the Employee Free Choice Act because when power to control the workplace is in the hands of employees, everyone benefits.”
– Laura Owinski, HOPE Coalition

“EFCA levels the playing field and helps protect employees from management intimidation.”
– Ben Lee, BLET

“The Employee Free Choice Act will bring things back to the way they used to be when the middle class was strong and working men and women had a say in what happenedd in their lives.”
–Cindy Foster, APWU

Letter Carriers National Food Drive more important than ever

Saturday, May 9, 2009 – letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and town across America will deliver much more than mail. They will also gather donations of non-perishable food in the largest one-day food drive in the nation, the 17th annual NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

In 2008, 73.1 million pounds of food was collected by the 300,000 members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO and delivered to local community food banks, pantries, and shelters.

All you have to do to take part is place a box or can of non-perishable food next to your mailbox before your letter carrier delivers your mail on Saturday, May 9, 2009. The carrier will do the rest, taking the food back to a postal station where it is sorted and delivered by union volunteers to area food banks and pantries for needy families to access.

Look for a Campbell Soup-Priority Mail postcard to be delivered to postal customers this month as a reminder to leave donations by mailboxes on May 9th.

Hypocrisy of EFCA opponents knows no limits

The Employee Free Choice Act will do three very important things:

1. Take away the employer’s power to decide how workers choose union representation, giving the choice to employees alone
2. Provide for mediation on first contract disputes after 90 days and binding arbitration if either side fails to negotiate after 120 days
3. Increase penalties on employers who violate labor law

The Employee Free Choice Act gives employees the choice on how to form a union. They can choose a secret ballot or majority sign up, where a majority of workers indicate their choice by signing authorization cards. Either choice is available and legal under current law. Now, however, the boss gets to choose for you. With EFCA, that choice is yours alone.

Big Business says taking away their power to force a secret ballot is undermining workplace democracy. When else does the boss encourage you and your coworkers to make decisions in the workplace using a secret ballot?

Can you hold a secret ballot to decide if your boss can stop contributing to your 401k? Does your boss let you vote to decide between layoffs and million dollar bonuses for executives? Do employees where you work get to cast a secret ballot to determine executive compensation at all? Are even shareholders entitled to make those decisions by secret ballot?

No. Where you work isn’t a democracy; it’s a dictatorship. Here’s Wall Street Journal columnist Thomas Frank on Big Business’ “yawning hypocrisies“:

The business community has opportunities every day to stand up for a “democratic workplace.” Why don’t the Chamber’s member companies just let their workers vote whenever management wants to increase the deductible on their health insurance? Why doesn’t the Employee Freedom Action Committee run indignant TV commercials every time a company moves a factory overseas without first consulting its work force?

The answer, of course, is that most workplaces aren’t democracies at all. They are dictatorships, of varying degrees of benevolence.

Nor do most big employers really have anything against intimidation and coercion during elections. These are the everyday tools of what is politely called “union avoidance,” and companies routinely use them when their employees try to organize: threats to move the operation abroad if the union wins the election, compulsory meetings to listen to anti-union propaganda, termination for select pro-union employees.

Got a problem? Take it to the judge arbiter

Have you ever signed up for cable or satellite TV or mobile phone service? Do you have private health insurance or any credit cards? Have you ever worked for Walmart, Home Depot, or for any number of other corporations?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, you have probably been forced to agree to binding arbitration to settle any and all disputes with the company. Forcing people to give up their constitutional right to access the courts is just one of the ways corporate America does business.

Then why are corporations like Caterpillar objecting to a provision of the Employee Free Choice Act which would mandate mediation, then arbitration, if the company refused to negotiate a first contract with the union?

Thirty-two percent of all new unions fail to get a first contract within a year of voting for representation. Even though it is illegal, there are no penalties for anti-union employers who engage in “surface bargaining”. In fact, if the company can drag things out to a stalemate, they can unilaterally impose working conditions!

When it suits their interests, Big Business is all too happy to force you into binding arbitration. When it’s in the interest of establishing a collective bargaining agreement, they say mediation and binding arbitration will lead to “the demise of civilization“.

Contracts for the boss, but not for your labor

Corporate executives wouldn’t work a day without an employment contract to protect their hyper-inflated sense of self worth with multi-million dollar salaries, stock options, golden parachutes, supplemental retirement plans, and ridiculous bonuses – pay and perks handed out even as some of them drive their companies (and the economy) off a cliff!

In one academic study, 46 percent of CEO’s at Standard & Poor’s companies had an explicit employment agreement as of 2000. Yet executives routinely deny workers the opportunity to negotiate their own contract to determine wages and benefits. Only 14 percent of American workers have a written contract according to a 2008 census report.

Even executives who do not have written employment agreements receive far more generous benefits than those negotiated by workers. Check out this video by American Rights at Work about corporate hypocrisy on contracts, pay and perks at your new job:

Tell Bank of America: We’ve Had ENOUGH – fire CEO Ken Lewis!

Taxpayers didn’t cause this economic crisis – but we sure are paying the price.

At the same time our families are getting squeezed, banks like Bank of America keep taking billions of our tax dollars. And for what? Billions in bonuses and the same failed practices that got us into this mess.

CEO Ken Lewis’ Bank of America leads the way in this predatory, self-serving culture that gets executives rich at the expense of everyone else.

Bank of America took $45 billion in taxpayer bailouts. That makes us – the American taxpayer – the single largest shareholder of the bank.

Rally at Bank of America Shareholders Meeting

A delegation of community and national leaders will deliver our “taxpayer proxy card” demands to Charlotte on April 29, when the Bank of America board meets. Together, we will demand an economy that works for everyone – not just those bankers living the high-life at taxpayer expense!

What: Taxpayer Day of Action to Hold Bank of America Accountable and Fire Ken Lewis
When: Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
Where: Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC

Download the flyer and your “proxy” card, print and fill it out, and bring it with you on Wednesday, April 29th in Charlotte.

For more information, you can folow this event on Facebook or visit www.TakeBacktheEconomy.com to sign up.

Personal stories from strike part of documentary studies presentation

The students of the class “Behind the Veil: Documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South” will present the story of the recent strike at Moncure Plywood, as told by the workers themselves.

What: Presentation on Victory at Moncure Plywood (download the flyer)
When: Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Center for Documentary Studies Auditorium, 1317 W. Pettigrew St, Durham, NC

Nearly 120 members of IAMAW Lodge W369 were on strike 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from July 20, 2008, to March 31, 2009, for their what they saw as their basic human rights. New management had demanded a 60-hour workweek, increases in health insurance premiums, and the elimination of seniority, but a deeper look at the situation reveals that the strikers, who were mostly African Americans, were protesting racial injustice as well.

Through the excerpts of Moncure Plywood workers’ personal histories and other research, the “Behind the Veil” class will illuminate the long history and stormy present of the ongoing struggle for racial and economic justice amongst African Americans in the South.

Students of the “Behind the Veil” documentary studies class conducted a series of interviews with the Moncure workers and complied a multimedia presentation on the strike, including its sometimes subtle, but at other times overt racial overtones.

This event is co-sponsored by the “Behind the Veil” project, the Center for Documentary Studies, and the Triangle Labor and Civil Rights Working Group.

Dinner will be provided, so please RSVP to efd3@duke.edu if you plan to attend.

Media Fund effort depends on viewers like you

Greed. Fabric of America. The Real Secret. Hope & Change. We Don’t Ask. The Boardroom. See Saw.

These are the national television spots made possible by contributions to the AFL-CIO Media Fund from local and national unions, state federations like ours, central labor councils, and thousands of individual union members, friends, family members, and allies alike.

Corporate America and its anti-worker front groups have mounted an aggressive, multi-hundred-million dollar ad campaign on TV, radio, and in print to spread lies about the Employee Free Choice Act. That Big Business would use its deep pockets (and even tax-payer funded bailouts) to try and buy the defeat of critical workers’ rights legislation shouldn’t surprise anyone. Money is clearly their strong suit.

Our strength is people power. In North Carolina alone we have made thousands of contacts with Senator Kay Hagan and our members of Congress with handwritten letters, phone calls, and constituent meetings. Dozens of community and union members attended one such meeting at our office with Rep. Bob Etheridge just last week.

However, we cannot let Big Business’ campaign of lies and disinformation go unanswered in the media. The public needs to hear from us, too. Each of us as individuals – and the unions and community organizations to which we belong – must be willing to chip in to fund ads like this newest one:

At our 2009 Legislative Conference, delegates raised with dollar for dollar matching by the NC State AFL-CIO over $3,835 for the Media Fund. Whatever the amount – $5, $20, $50, $100 or more – please give what you can afford to the AFL-CIO Media Fund, today.