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The Mobilizer |
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Friday, March 05, 2010
LERA Rochester:
WNY LERA chapter (Buffalo) is accepting applications
for their scholarship program. Candidates must be
pursuing a career in either Labor Relations or Human
Resource Management at either the undergraduate or
the graduate level. Interested persons can contact
Linda Donahue (LHD4@cornell.edu)
for more information about the criteria and an
application form, which is due no later than March
31st. SAVE THE DATE!! Rochester LERA's next regular
meeting will be held on April 13. We will be taking
a tour of the Genesee Brewery beginning at 4:00.
Look for more information soon.
Re-Announced RLC Dinner!
Just re-announced, the re-planning of the Rochester
Labor Council, AFL-CIO Annual Delegates Dinner
(postponed from December due to blizzard conditions)
- Thursday, May 13, 2010. Tickets already purchased
and paid for the December dinner will be honored.
All others are encouraged to join us for this
re-scheduled event. Additional details and event
specifics will begin to become available next week.
Fiscal Policy Institute Update – February 2010:
This is an update on the recent work of the
Fiscal Policy Institute.
For more information, visit
www.fiscalpolicy.org
or contact
Frank Mauro
or
James Parrott.
NEW YORK STATE BUDGET: In early February, in
both Albany and New York City, the Fiscal Policy
Institute (FPI) presented
a detailed briefing
on New York State's Economic and Fiscal Outlook for
2010-11. In cooperation with
New Yorkers for Fiscal
Fairness, FPI will be presenting
budget briefings in Rochester on March 1, Elmira on
March 2, and Poughkeepsie on March 3. For details on
these and other upcoming presentations, check the
FPI events
page. FPI also worked with New Yorkers for Fiscal
Fairness and the other members of the
Better Choice Budget
Campaign to develop a menu of
revenue-raising and
cost-cutting options for the
Governor and the Legislature to consider as they
work to adopt a balanced budget for 2010-2011. The
Fiscal Policy Institute's Deputy Director and Chief
Economist
James Parrott
and FPI Senior Fiscal Policy Analyst
Carolyn Boldiston
both testified at the joint legislative hearings on
the Governor’s 2010-2011 Executive Budget proposal.
James
testified
at the Economic Development budget hearing and
Carolyn presented
testimony
at the Human Services budget hearing.
NEW YORK CITY BUDGET: With support from New
York Community Trust, FPI is now monitoring and
analyzing the New York City budget. On February 9,
as part of this effort, FPI presented a
briefing on the mayor's
preliminary budget for FY 2011.
The briefing examined the Mayor's proposed budget
cuts for this year and next year, his contingency
cuts related to reductions in the Governor’s
proposed state budget, and options for a more
balanced approach to dealing with City budget
pressures.
THE GREAT RECESSION IN NEW YORK: In November,
FPI released
A Tale of Two
Recessions: While Wall Street recovers, New York
City's Main Street economy remains mired in the
Great Recession and followed up in
December with a
report that analyzed
unemployment by neighborhood, race, and ethnicity
in New York City. That report's estimates were used
by both the
Wall Street Journal
and the
New York Times
as the basis for interactive maps that are posted on
their websites. FPI Research Associate
Michele Mattingly
will discuss the urgent need for job creation at two
town hall meetings convened by Representative
Carolyn Maloney in New York City on March 6 and 7.
For details, check the
FPI events
page.
IMMIGRATION AND THE ECONOMY: FPI analyzed the
contribution of immigrants to the economies of the
nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas in
Immigrants and the
Economy, released this past
November. This was the second major report by FPI's
Immigration Research Initiative, directed by senior
fellow
David Dyssegaard
Kallick. Funding was provided by
the Carnegie Corporation of New York and 32BJ SEIU.
The report was prominently cited in a New York Daily
News editorial,
The Boon of Immigration,
and garnered attention in news outlets across the
country. News coverage can be found on FPI's
immigration web page.
STIMULUS FUNDS: GOOD FOR STATES, LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND FAMILIES: Several components of
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
have been critical in addressing state budget gaps
and in providing assistance to the unemployed and
other vulnerable populations. FPI has sought to
quantify ARRA benefits for New York State and New
York City and for individual New Yorkers in its
State of Working New
York 2009 report, in a column in
the
Gotham Gazette,
and its recent
state
and
city
budget briefing books. Together with the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities, FPI
released data
in December showing that the ARRA helped keep more
than 400,000 New Yorkers out of poverty in 2009.
HUMAN SERVICES: In
testimony
presented to the joint legislative hearing on the
Human Services proposals in the Governor's 2010-2011
Executive Budget proposal, FPI senior fiscal policy
analyst
Carolyn Boldiston
examined Temporary Assistance to Needed Families (TANF)
funding and spending in New York as well as issues
relating to child care subsidies. Last summer,
Carolyn was the lead author on a
series of briefs
that looked into the rules governing the new TANF
Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) that was created by
the ARRA, reviewed New York's experience with the
pre-ARRA TANF Contingency Fund, and explored the
situations under which New York may qualify for ECF
funds.
LABOR PRACTICES: Building on FPI's earlier
research regarding the increasing tendency for
unscrupulous employers to employ workers off the
books or as so-called independent contractors,
James Parrott
testified before the labor committees of both the
Assembly
and
Senate
in January on the fiscal costs to the state of
unlawful labor practices.
The
Fiscal Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and
education organization committed to improving public
policies and private practices to better the
economic and social conditions of all New Yorkers.
Founded in 1991, FPI works to create a strong
economy in which prosperity is broadly shared.
Rally for a Fair Contract:
Pride at Work & CSEA will join with the Monroe
County Federation of Social Workers (IUE-CWA 81381)
to demand a fair contract for Monroe County
Employees. Tell the County: "We want justice now".
Union members and friends need to make their voices
heard loud and clear. Signs will be provided.
Rally: Tuesday March 9th
Where: County Office Building - 39 West Main Street,
Rochester
When: 5:15 - 6:15
Media Coverage of Whirlpool Activities in Evansville, IN:
Special thanks go to the IUE-CWA Local 808 members
at Whirlpool, and to all the unions and State
Federations and Labor Councils who sent members,
helped collect tens of thousands of petitions and
helped deliver petitions to Whirlpool headquarters
in Michigan.
Story on AFLCIO.org homepage, with two youtube
videos of rally speeches:
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/02/28/community-labor-unite-with-iue-cwa-at-whirlpool-rally/
Two more youtube videos from the march to the
Whirlpool factory door:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwSWwlmDmjc
Petition Delivery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vd-cJWyDzY
A collection of rally and march photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/labor2008/
Some of the media coverage:
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=12053728
Thousands Bussed In For Labor Rally NBC14
http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=134561HYPERLINK
http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=134561
Whirlpool Rally Draws Thousands FOX 7
http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=134581
FOX 7 Rides Along on Rally Buses FOX 7
http://www.wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=12052911
Whirlpool Employees Prepare For Life After Layoffs
NBC 14
http://www.freep.com/article/20100227/BUSINESS07/
2270308/1002/BUSINESS/Business-news-briefs-Whirlpool-plant-closing-protested
Whirlpool Plant Closing Protested Detroit Free Press
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/27/no-headline---271/HYPERLINK
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/27/no-headline---271/
Buy American Goods and Save American Jobs (LTE)
Evansville Courier & Press
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/26/protest-to-save-jobs/
Protest to Save Jobs Evansville Courier &
Press
http://michiganmessenger.com/35269/union-files-charges-against-whirlpool-over-threats
The Pros and Cons of
Mayoral Accountability for the Rochester City School
District:
March 23, 2010 ? 7:30-10am, Rochester Riverside
Convention Center, Rochester, NY. Click
here
for more information on this important discussion!
The Rochester Business Journal, in an effort to
foster a community dialogue and generate fresh,
firsthand information and conversation, has
assembled a panel of proponents, critics and
experts. They will share their views and state their
arguments for and against mayoral control on March
23 at a breakfast forum. The panelists also will
answer questions. The event is an opportunity to get
a clearer picture of what mayoral control would mean
here. These national experts and local leaders will
share their views and answer questions: Robert
Duffy, Mayor, City of Rochester; Margaret Raymond,
Director of the Center for Research on Education
Outcomes, Research Fellow, Stanford University; Adam
Urbanski, President, Rochester Teachers Association;
Dennis Walcott, Deputy Mayor for Education and
Community Development, New York City; Van White,
Rochester City School Board Member; Kenneth Wong,
Professor of Education, Political Science and Public
Policy and Director of the Urban Education Policy
Program, Brown University. Click
here
to purchase tickets to this important event!
Questions? Please contact Kerry McGlone at
585-546-8303, ext. 102, or
events@rbj.net.
"Celebrating Our Past, Present and Future":
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Dinner & Dance,
Commemorating Rochester's 10th Anniversary as a
chapter of CBTU. Friday, April 9, 2010, 6pm, Rick's
Prime Rib, 898 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY. $50
Registration Fee. Keynote Speaker: Terry Melvin, New
York State Secretary-Treasurer, AFL – CIO and
Regional Director of the Coalition of Black Trade
Unionists. Frederick Douglass Award Recipient:
Pastor George F. Nicholas of Grace United Methodist
Church. Bill Lucy Award: Recipient: Shelly D.
Clements, Labor Relations Specialist, NY State
United Teachers. Questions: Please contact Zola
Brown at (585) 244-0830 ext. 318 or email her at
zola.brown@1199.org.
Deadline: Please RSVP by March 19, 2010
Democrat and Chronicle Online:
The Democrat and Chronicle reports: "You can get
your piece on DemocratandChronicle.com via our 'Get
Published' feature. These pieces are not held to the
length restrictions of our printed Editorial Page
and also can be accompanied by photos. Click on the
'Get Published' link on the Opinion section of the
DemocratandChronicle.com to publish your work
online."
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/section/OPINION
EPI Reports:
Where has all the income gone? Look up:
The 400 American households with the highest incomes
also have enjoyed a much faster pace of income
growth than have the vast majority of households,
says EPI president Lawrence Mishel in today’s
Snapshot.
The snapshot shows that while pre-tax income for
those 400 households grew by a staggering 409%
between 1992 and 2007, after-tax income increased
even more, by 476%.
The China Trade Toll:
The China Trade Toll,
a 2008 paper by international economist
Robert Scott
about the U.S. jobs that have been lost or displaced
because of increased trade with China, continues to
influence trade policy discussions. Last month, when
President Obama discussed tougher enforcement of
trade rules with Senate Democrats, Senator Arlen
Specter cited the paper's findings that 2.3 million
U.S. jobs had been lost or displaced between 2001
and 2007 as a result of a trade imbalance with
China. Scott's paper also looks at how this trade
imbalance has suppressed wages and finds that even
when workers displaced by the growing trade deficit
found new work, it was typically at a much lower
salary, with an average annual loss of $8,146 per
worker between 2001 and 2007. Last week Scott
published an op-ed in The Huffington Post where he
addressed
The Myth of the
Manufacturing Recovery, and said
that growing trade deficits were largely to blame
for the six million U.S. manufacturing jobs that had
been lost since 1998.
Address jobs now, deficits later:
One of the biggest political barriers in the way of
a major jobs creation effort is concern over the
federal deficit. This concern is misplaced: The fact
is that we can't reduce the deficit without first
creating jobs for the millions of Americans who are
out of work. EPI has come together with the Peter G.
Peterson Foundation, which focuses largely on
long-term fiscal issues, to stress that the U.S.
must
Address jobs now and
deficits later. EPI President
Lawrence Mishel
and Peterson Foundation CEO David Walker co-authored
an op-ed, which was published February 24 in
Politico.
"With more than a fifth of the work force expected
to be unemployed or underemployed in 2010," the
authors stress, "there is an economic and a moral
imperative to take action." While Mishel and Walker
may not share the same perspective on many policy
issues or the proper role of government, they agree
that the severity of the current jobs crisis means
that "Today's high deficits will have to go even
higher to help address unemployment." So many jobs
have been lost that the country entered 2010 with
fewer jobs than it had a decade earlier. A
survey
conducted for EPI late last year found that one in
four American families had suffered a job loss.
Within the private sector, one out of every 20 jobs
has been lost since the recession started in late
2007.
We now need more than 10 million jobs to get the
country back to pre-recession levels of employment.
The situation would be far worse were it not for the
Recovery Act, but still it's clear that much more
needs to be done. Earlier this week, Mishel
testified before the House Committee on Financial
Services where he warned that unless Congress acts
quickly and at a sufficient scale, "high and
damaging unemployment will continue for years." EPI
maintains that the Senate's $15 billion jobs bill is
too small and of questionable efficacy. EPI's
American Jobs Plan
proposes spending $400 billion to create 4.6 million
jobs in one year. In their Politico piece, Mishel
and Walker also agree on the need to develop a plan
for addressing structural deficits, which are
projected to persist even once the economy has
recovered. But they argue that spending on job
creation must come first. Mishel and Walker said
they co-authored the piece in an effort to change
the thinking about job creation and deficit
reduction, which too often are misrepresented as
opposing goals. Their op-ed is available on
Politico
and on
EPI.org.
Foodbank Donations Being Collected:
Foodbank Collections Begin for Fall and Winter
Seasons: IBEW Local 86 has asked members to donate
canned/non-perishable goods and will continue
collecting donations throughout the winter. Please
remember to bring your donation to the next RLC
Delegates meeting.
Union Made Vehicles:
For those who want to drive union-made wheels,
here's a list of 2010 vehicles made by UAW and CAW
members in the US and Canada:
http://www.uaw.org/news/newsarticle.cfm?ArtId=565
Press release here:
http://www.uaw.org/uawmade/auto/2010/index.cfm
NYS AFL-CIO Legislative Alert:
NYS AFL-CIO Legislative Department:
http://www.nysaflcio.org/index.cfm?zone=view_page.cfm&page=
Legislative20Issues
Other Significant Topics:
Follow the AFL-CIO at:
Facebook:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/c1a2q4d1kB_m/
Twitter:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/dda2q4d1kB_7/
YouTube:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/cda2q4d1kB_E/
Jobless Rate Remains at 9.7 Percent, Long-Term
Unemployment a Crisis
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/05/jobless-rate-remains-at-97-percent-long-term-unemployment-a-crisis/
Tell Big Insurance: We're Sick of It
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/tell-big-insurance-were-sick-of-it/
NUMMI Closing Highlights Need for U.S. Manufacturing
Policy
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/nummi-closing-highlights-need-for-us-manufacturing-policy/
14 Union Supporters Fired at E-Z Pass, Take Action
Now
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/14-union-supporters-fired-at-e-z-pass-take-action-now/
Delta Flight Attendants Release 'OUR Song' Video
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/delta-flight-attendants-release-our-song-video/
Detroit School Official's Unilateral Order Puts
Office Workers Near Poverty Line
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/detroit-school-officials-unilateral-order-puts-office-workers-near-poverty-line/
A Tire Plant Closes, A Community Withers
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/a-tire-plant-closes-a-community-withers/
Executive Council Supports Aid to Chile, Haiti and
Backs Mexican Workers
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/executive-council-supports-aid-to-chile-haiti-and-backs-mexican-workers/
Bunning Put a Face on Obstructionist, Mean-Spirited
Republican Party
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/bunning-put-a-face-on-obstructionist-mean-spirited-republican-party/
Solis: Let's Roll Up Our Sleeves and Work Together
to Get America Back to Work
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/j7a2q4d1Da_i/
Central Falls Superintendent Agrees to Resume Talks
with Teachers
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/jpa2q4d1Da_k/
Greed, Not Need, Drives Health Insurance Costs Up
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/j1a2q4d1Da_n/
'Can They Do That? Retaking Our Fundamental Rights
in the Workplace'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/upa2q4d1Da_h/
Jobless Benefits Extended After Sen. Bunning Relents
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/jda2q4d1Da_8/
Executive Council Approves Action to Create New,
Good Jobs
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/41a2q4d1JQLP/
Thousands of Workers Without Jobs Due to One
Senator: Kentucky's Bunning
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/4pa2q4d1JQLY/
Executive Council: Central Falls Students Deserve
Better than Mass Teacher Firing
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/4da2q4d1JQLQ/
Chavez-Thompson Wins Texas Lt. Governor Primary
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/r1a2q4d1JQLT/
Adjunct Faculty Joins AFT/NEA Union
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Xpa2q4d1JQLp/
New Push to Organize the South Focuses on Jobs
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/47a2q4d1JQLR/
At Orlando Forum, Residents Hard-Hit by Jobs Crisis
Share Their Hardships
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Upa2q4d1JB_J/
Biden to Executive Council: We Need A Middle Class
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/y1a2q4d1JB_D/
Thousands of Workers Without Jobs Due to One
Senator: Kentucky's Bunning
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/ypa2q4d1JB_V/
Toyota NUMMI Closure Would Kill Jobs, Destroy
Communities
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/y7a2q4d1JB_Z/
Economic Crisis Hitting Young Workers Hard
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/yda2q4d1JB_K/
Community, Labor Unite with IUE-CWA at Whirlpool
Rally
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/R7a2q4d1-BAT/
Thousands Tell Whirlpool: Keep It Made in America
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Y1a2q4d1-BAG/
Bunning to Jobless Workers: 'Tough Sh*t'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Ppa2q4d1-BAl/
Holt Baker: 'We Have to Be Bold to Turn Economy
Around'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Qda2q4d1-BAp/
NASA Workers Launch Effort to Save Jobs
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/R1a2q4d1-BAR/
California Investigating 7 Health Insurers for
Denying Claims, Hiking Rates
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Q1a2q4d1-BA0/
Writers Guild Honors the Best of the Year
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Rda2q4d1-BAY/
Ohio Workers Demand Good Jobs Now
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Q7a2q4d1-BAP/
Without Manufacturing Base, Nation's Future
Threatened
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Qpa2q4d1-BAQ/
IBEW Team Makes Super Bowl Work
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Rpa2q4d1-BAH/
IUE-CWA Files Charges Against Whirlpool
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/7pa2q4d1Fj_o/
Whirlpool Exec's Letter Strengthens Workers' Resolve
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/u7a2q4d1Fj_p/
L.A. Unions Send Caravan of Food, Hope to Locked-Out
Rio Tinto Miners
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/uda2q4d1Fj_0/
Firing of Central Falls, R.I., Teachers 'Illegal,
Unjust, Disgraceful'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/u1a2q4d1Fj_l/
News Stories:
Sit-In Vet: 'Never Request Permission to Start
a Revolution':
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/01/greensboro.four.sitins/index.html?hpt=C1
This week in labor history for the week
of March 1 to February 7, 2010
March 01
The Granite Cutters National Union begins what
is to be a successful nationwide strike for the
8-hour day. Also won: union recognition, wage
increases, a grievance procedure and a minimum wage
scale - 1900
Joseph Curren is born on Manhattan’s Lower East
Side. At age 16 he joined the Merchant Marines and
in 1937 went on to lead the formation of the
National Maritime Union. He was the union’s founding
president and held the post until 1973, when he
resigned amidst corruption charges. He died in 1981
- 1906
IWW strikes Portland, Ore. sawmills - 1907
(Actually leap year Feb. 29) Screen Actors Guild
member Hattie McDaniel becomes the first
African-American to win an Academy Award, honored
for her portrayal of “Mammy” in “Gone with the Wind”
- 1940
After five years of labor by 21,000 workers, 112 of
whom were killed on the job, the Hoover Dam (Boulder
Dam) is completed and turned over to the government.
Citizens were so mad at Pres. Herbert Hoover, for
whom the dam had been named, that it was later
changed to Boulder Dam, being located near Boulder
City, Nev - 1936
The federal minimum wage increases to $1.00 per hour
- 1956
March 02
Postal workers granted 8 hour day - 1913
U.S. Steel yields, recognizes the Steel Workers
Organizing Committee as the sole representative for
its workforce. The agreement led directly to many
other steel firms recognizing the union - 1937
More than 6,000 drivers strike Greyhound Lines, most
lose jobs to strikebreakers after company declares
“impasse” in negotiations - 1990
March 03
Birth date in Coshocton, Ohio of William Green, a
coal miner who was to succeed Samuel Gompers as
president of the American Federation of Labor,
serving in the role from 1924 to 1952. He held the
post until his death, to be succeeded by George
Meany - 1873

Congress approves the Seamen’s Act, providing the
merchant marine with rights similar to those gained
by factory workers. Action on the law was prompted
by the sinking of the Titanic three years earlier.
Among other gains: working hours were limited to 56
per week; guaranteed minimum standards of
cleanliness and safety were put in place - 1915
The Davis-Bacon Act took effect today. It orders
contractors on federally financed or assisted
construction projects to pay wage rates equal to
those prevailing in local construction trades - 1931
March 04
In his inaugural address, President Thomas Jefferson
declares: “Take not from the mouth of labor the
bread it has earned.” - 1801
Pres. William Howard Taft signs legislation creating
the Department of Labor. Former United Mine Workers
Secretary Treasurer William B. Wilson is named to
lead the new department - 1913
President Franklin D. Roosevelt names a woman,
Frances Perkins, to be Secretary of Labor. Perkins
became the first female cabinet member in U.S.
history - 1933
UAW workers win sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan,
forcing General Motors to recognize the union. In
the 40-day action, the strikers were protected by
5,000 armed workers circling the Fisher Body plant -
1937
Machinists strike Eastern Airlines (pictured above),
are soon joined by flight attendants and pilots in
the nationwide walkout. Owner Frank Lorenzo refuses
to consider the unions’ demands; Eastern ultimately
went out of business - 1989
March 05
British soldiers, quartered in the homes of
colonists, took the jobs of working people when jobs
were scarce. On this date, grievances of ropemakers
against the soldiers led to a fight. Soldiers shot
down Crispus Attucks, a black colonist, then others,
in what became known as the Boston Massacre. Attucks
is considered the first casualty in the American
Revolution - 1770

United Shoe Workers of America merge with
Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union - 1979
March 06
Joe Hill’s song “There Is Power In A Union” appears
in “Little Red Song Book” - 1913
With the Great Depression underway, hundreds of
thousands of unemployed workers demonstrated in some
30 cities and towns; close to 100,000 filled Union
Square in New York City and were attacked by mounted
police - 1930
International Brotherhood of Paper Makers merges
with United Paperworkers of America to become United
Papermakers & Paperworkers - 1957
The federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act is
enacted - 1970
Predominantly young workers at a Lordstown, Ohio GM
assembly plant stage a wildcat strike, largely in
objection to the grueling workpace: at 101.6 cars
per hour, their assembly line was believed to be the
fastest in the world - 1972
President Jimmy Carter invoked the Taft-Hartley law
to halt the 1977-78 national contract strike by the
United Mine Workers of America. The order was
ignored and Carter did little to enforce it. A
settlement was reached in late March - 1978

March 07
6,000 shoemakers, joined by about 20,000 other
workers, strike in Lynn, Mass. They won raises, but
not recognition of their union - 1860
3,000 unemployed auto workers, led by the Communist
Party of America, braved the cold in Dearborn, Mich.
to demand jobs and relief from Henry Ford. The
marchers got too close to the gate and were gassed.
After re-grouping, they were sprayed with water and
shot at. Four men died immediately, 60 are
wounded - 1932
Steel Workers Organizing Committee – soon to become
the United Steel Workers – signs its first-ever
contract, with Carnegie-Illinois, for $5 a day in
wages, benefits - 1937
IWW founder and labor organizer Lucy Parsons dies -
1942
Musicians strike Broadway musicals and shows go dark
when actors and stagehands honor picket lines. The
strike was resolved after four days - 2003
Sources:
Toil and Trouble, by Thomas R. Brooks; American
Labor Struggles, by Samuel Yellen; IWW calendar,
Solidarity Forever;
Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor,
edited by Robert E. Weir and James P. Hanlan;
Southwest Labor History Archives/George Meany
Center; Geov Parrish’s Radical History; workday
Minnesota; Andy Richards and Adam Wright,
AFL-CIO Washington DC Metro Council (graphics
research). [Reprinted
from Union Communication Services, Inc.
www.BigLabor.com]
Remarks from Local Labor Leaders:
Media Releases and National AFL-CIO Commentary:
http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/
Jesse Lenney, President, Metro-Jusitce of
Rochester, President's Address at the Metro-Justice
of Rochester Annual Meeting:
http://www.rgvalf.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/83354
Bruce Popper, Vice-President, 1199SEIU,
Remarks 29th Annual Celebration of Life and Legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
http://www.rgvalf.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/83355
Dan DiClemente, President, BENTE-AFSCME,
Democrat & Chronicle, Guest Essay,
"Don't Take Public Out
of Education"
Jim Bertolone, President, R&GV Area Labor
Federation, AFL-CIO, Rochester Business Journal,
"Anti-Union Contractors
Profit by Exploiting their Workers"
Flo Tripi, President, CSEA Region 6, Democrat
& Chronicle, Guest Essay, "Stop
Blaming Public Workers"
Upcoming Labor Council Meetings:
Finger Lakes Labor Assembly, AFL-CIO General
Meeting:
Monday, March 8, 2010, 5:30pm, IBEW Local 840,
Geneva, NY
Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO, COPE Meeting:
Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 5pm, NYSUT, Rochester,
NY
Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Executive Council:
Thursday, March 11, 2010, 5pm, IBEW Local 86,
Rochester, NY
Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Delegates Meeting:
Thursday, March 11, 2010, 7pm, IBEW Local 86,
Rochester, NY
Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Education
Committee:
Thursday, March 18, 2010, 5pm, IBEW Local 86,
Rochester, NY
Steuben/Livingston CLC, AFL-CIO, COPE Meeting:
Thursday, March 25, 2010, 6pm, NY
Steuben/Livingston CLC, AFL-CIO, General Meeting:
Thursday, March 25, 2010, 7pm, NY
Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation,
AFL-CIO Annual Meeting: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Please note this date has been corrected from
the USPS mailing sent previously.
For More Calendar Updates or to register for events,
please visit
www.rgvalf.org and
select "Events"
Cornell ILR Classes: For detailed listings of
announced seminars & classes, please visit
www.rgvalf.org
Finger Lakes Occupational Health & Safety:
http://www2.envmed.rochester.edu/envmed/occmed/fingerlakeswelcome.html
Job Openings: For detailed job postings, please
visit
www.rgvalf.org |
Published by
the Rochester & Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation,
an AFL-CIO "Union Cities" Area Labor Federation whose
300 affiliated union locals represent 100,000 union
members in the Rochester & Finger Lakes region of New
York State. JAMES V. BERTOLONE, PRESIDENT.
Editors: Carol Leber & Aron Reina
Executive Editor: James Bertolone
News for the Mobilizer? Call (585) 263-2650 or Fax
(585) 263-4671 or
RLCAFLCIO@aol.com |
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Collective
Bargaining Digest |
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Join the AFL-CIO's Good Jobs Now Campaign - The
AFL-CIO Executive Council kicked off the
campaign with a
Call to Action on Jobs by the entire labor
movement, arguing that 11 million unemployed
is intolerable and that we must put America
back to work.
To join the campaign, click here.
Top News
- The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA-Ind.)
will hold a strike vote next month for
American Airlines flight attendants. APFA
leaders are meeting with the National
Mediation Board (NMB) next week to request an
end to mediation.
°°
Negotiations have begun for a new contract
covering 30,000 doormen, superintendents,
handymen, concierges and porters in New York
City apartment buildings. Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) 32BJ is negotiating
with the Realty Advisory Board, the
association of building owners.
°°
The Columbus City Council
approved a new contract for more than
1,100 city workers. The members of Columbus
Municipal Association of Government Employees
(CWA-CMAGE) will receive a 6 percent wage
increase over the term, but will also see
small increases to their pension and
healthcare contributions in order to help the
city with its budget shortfall.
°° Thousands of union members and other healthcare reform supporters
hit the streets of Washington, D.C. yesterday
to
protest a meeting of the American Health
Insurance Plans (AHIP), a group of the big
insurance companies that are trying to block
reform efforts.
Education
- After 93 Rhode Island teachers and support staff were fired two
weeks ago, their union, Central Falls
Teachers' Union (AFT) and the school
superintendent
will begin talks on how to improve the
Central Falls High School. Yet the state
education commissioner has made clear to
superintendent Frances Gallo, that should any
improvement plans affect teacher pay or
working conditions, the two sides must enter
negotiations.
°° Three
months after the Pulaski, Ark. school board
ended recognition of the teachers union,
Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers (NEA-Ind.),
a circuit court judge
ordered the school district to enter mediation
with the union. PACT was shocked by the
board's December decision to withdraw its
recognition of the union and is looking
forward to discussions.
Global Labor Movement - British
Airways and Unite, the union representing
cabin crew, have
agreed to extend talks in the hopes of
reaching a last-minute deal to avoid a strike.
Yesterday's deadline has been moved to 5pm
today.
°°
Dockworkers in Finland
continue their strike as talks
resume between the Finnish Forest Industries
Federation and the Confederation of Finnish
Industries. The two sides are reportedly still
far apart on a number of issues, as each day
of the strike costs approximately $135
million.
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Ontario County School districts look to share
By Michele E. Cutri-Bynoe
A feasibility study for a regional high school
within Ontario County — in which districts could
combine courses while maintaining separate
districts — is in the works. The study is to
recommend management improvements and how best
to pool and share resources to, potentially,
save money.
“One of the positives about doing a study is, we
get a lot of information about schools and how
to share services,” said Don Raw, Canandaigua
school superintendent. Until the study is
completed, he said, superintendents won’t know
the extent of savings possible by sharing
services.
Raw expressed interest in a shared business
office with one central payroll for all the
Ontario County school districts.
Other superintendents suggested sharing more
than payroll. Mike Chirco, superintendent of the
Marcus Whitman district, suggested districts
share all the business office functions. He’d
also possibly like to share a transportation
director.
However, Chirco said, such a move by the
districts “might not create that much savings,
especially in the first year, due to funding
caps on salaries.” He said BOCES aid only covers
the first $30,000 of the salary, and sharing
would reduce the amount of aid each district
would receive.
All nine school districts in Ontario County have
agreed to a feasibility study for a regional
high school program, according to Wayne-Finger
Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services
(BOCES) officials. This was good news for school
officials in the aftermath of an attempted study
in Seneca County that failed when one district
voted against the study. There is a study
currently under way in Wayne County, where the
concept of a regional high school has met with
resistance from many residents. A final report
for Wayne County is due in March.
A regional high school program would allow
districts in Ontario County to combine high
school courses, while still maintaining separate
school districts. It does not mean constructing
a new building. High school programs would be
combined in existing schools. Middle school,
elementary and primary programs would not be
involved. The benefit of sharing programs would
be to provide more opportunity for students,
said superintendents.
A regional high school is an option for kids
with specialized interests such as medical
technology, said Raw, explaining individual
school districts wouldn’t be able to offer such
programs.
“The study is just looking at how school
districts can share resources,” agreed Red
Jacket Superintendent Robert Leiby. “I’m willing
to share anything, including a pencil, if it
provides additional opportunities for our
students in a cost-effective way without having
to relinquish local control.”
Ontario County districts — Canandaigua, Marcus
Whitman, Red Jacket, Naples, Bloomfield,
Midlakes, Honeoye, Victor and Geneva — each gave
approval for BOCES to apply for grants that
could cover between $25,000 and $50,000 of the
study’s cost.
“The study has not gone out to bid — at this
point, the only thing that has happened is all
the Ontario County school boards of education
have agreed to participate in the grant
application process,” said Jeanna Savage, the
public information coordinator for Wayne-Finger
Lakes BOCES.
“We don’t know how much the study will cost, but
it can not exceed the amount of grant money
available,” she added.
Area schools feeling pressure with cut in state
aid
Meaghan M. McDermott
High
school seniors could see shorter
school days.
Librarians could be on duty only four days a
week.
Elementary school class sizes could swell from
22 to 28 students and there may be no elementary
and middle school summer school programs next
year.
These cuts and more are being considered in the
Greece Central School District, where in light
of declining revenues, officials are struggling
to stave off a hefty tax increase by trimming
$14 million in spending from next year's budget.
Even with the cuts, residents could see their
taxes rise by nearly 7 percent, or about $100 a
year. Without the cuts, taxes would rise nearly
13 percent.
"Unfortunately, I don't see that there's a whole
lot else they can do," said Gary Elling,
co-president of Greece's
Parent Teacher Association Council.
"They're confronted with what's simply a lack of
funds. Until we find a better way of funding
education, either the students will lose out or
taxes will go up."
Across the county, and across the state, other
districts are in similar straits while coping
with Gov. David Paterson's proposal to strip
away more than $1.1 billion in state education
aid to help plug a budget deficit for next year
that's approaching $10 billion. In Monroe
County,
schools expect to lose more than $60
million, with $7.2 million of that coming from
Greece alone.
"It's not just that school districts are going
to see less in state aid, but they're also
facing increased expenses," said David Albert,
spokesman for the state School Boards
Association.
"Double digit increases in health insurance and
pension costs are really driving budgets upward
at the same time."
Albert said he's seeing school systems across
the state cutting into their athletics, boosting
class sizes, trimming summer school and even
closing school buildings as trickle down from
the Great Recession hits their districts.
"Boards recognize they're not in a position this
year where they can go forward with large
property tax increases," he said.
"So a lot of districts are having conversations
with their communities about
how to save money or anything else
they can do as far as revenue raising or finding
cost savings."
In the Hilton Central School District, officials
are asking their community to use an online
survey to help prioritize potential cuts. Under
Paterson's proposal, the district would lose
more than 10 percent of its state aid next year,
about $3.1 million.
That, along with projected cost increases, would
have meant a near 20 percent tax increase next
year if the district made no cuts.
"There are going to be reductions in our
programs and our staffing," said Superintendent
David Dimbleby. He said it was premature to
discuss specifics, but that "everything we do is
under the microscope."
The district is considering class size
increases, staff cuts, eliminating some
after-school clubs and activities and a tax
increase of between 3 percent and 5 percent.
Webster, Penfield, Wheatland-Chili, Honeoye
Falls-Lima and others are also looking at
significant staff cuts, and both Penfield and
Brighton are thinking about cuts to their
athletic programs.
State money
Paterson proposed steep cuts in state education
aid last year too, but the state's final budget
restored that funding and kept aid mostly equal
to the year before. School leaders aren't
expecting a repeat this year, given the state's
ever-deepening deficit. And, with less than a
month to go before the March 31 deadline for a
new state budget, the governor and lieutenant
governor haven't even started budget
negotiations with the Legislature.
Since Paterson's proposal is the only guidance
schools have as far as next year's aid, they
must use his numbers to create their 2010-11
budgets.
In East Irondequoit, as in Greece, cost
increases for union salaries, health care and
pension benefits and other rising expenses,
coupled with the aid loss, would have resulted
in a tax boost next year that was "wholly
unacceptable" said John Abbott, the district's
deputy superintendent for business.
With a plan to keep spending for next year
roughly in line with this year's $63.6 million,
officials there are considering more than 100
line-item cuts and dipping into about $2 million
in reserve funds.
"We're trying to find ways to get through this
year without making draconian cuts," said
Abbott. He said it was still too early in budget
development for specifics on what his district's
cuts will entail.
He expects a budget draft to go to the school
board later this month. "Our cuts will be
noticeable, but we think we can get through this
year without cuts that are damaging to our
programs."
That's not the case in Greece, where
Superintendent Steve Achramovitch has been
instructed by his school board to come up with a
proposal for next year that's nearly $2 million
less than this year's $195.5 million spending
plan. He will present that plan to the board on
Tuesday, and the board has until mid-April to
make adjustments and approve a proposal that
will go before voters on May 18.
Greece's property taxes have remained flat over
the past three years, and over that time, the
district spent down some reserve funds, leaving
the district less able than some others to cover
Paterson's reductions with
savings.
Achramovitch said the cuts he's been asked to
make go too far.
"These cuts will significantly impact our
programs and our class sizes, they will have an
impact on how we educate kids," he said.
"If all these reductions go through, we will set
our district back."
'Give a little'
Libby Carbone, 18, is a senior at Greece Athena
High School.
Last month, she took honors in a regional
science research competition she entered because
of an elective class at her school. There are
only 10 students in her class.
The district is considering eliminating all
electives next year that don't have at least 15
students enrolled.
"I'm really thankful for the opportunity I had
taking this class, and would have been very
disappointed if it were cut," said Carbone.
She's also not impressed by a district proposal
to have high school seniors take only the
classes they need to fulfill graduation
requirements, rather than be required to take a
full day of classes.
At the extreme, that could mean a high school
senior could only have to attend school to take
English, social studies and physical education
instead of a full 6.5
credit load.
Staying in school all day, Carbone said, gives
seniors a chance to take courses they might not
otherwise take, as she did with the science
research class.
Parent Sandra Dailor has one son in elementary
school and another who's a senior.
She's concerned by Greece's proposal to cut
summer school programs for elementary students
because she fears losing early intervention
would be more costly in the long run, both for
the district and the students who lag behind.
She also wouldn't like to see seniors attending
half-day school.
"And I don't think larger class sizes are the
greatest thing," she said. "But I think we're at
the point where everybody's got to take a
realistic look at what's going on and realize
everybody's got to give a little."
Greece, the Rochester area's ninth-largest
employer and the state's eighth-largest school
district, is looking at nearly 90 job cuts,
including more than 30 teaching positions,
assistant coaches, counselors, special education
monitors, teacher aides and administrators.
Greece Teacher Association President Don Palozzi
said the proposed class size increases are
allowed under the teachers' contract, but said
the students would be better off with more cuts
at the administrative level.
If the economy improves, "it's easier to rebuild
an administrative team than it would be to
restore your programs and put teachers back in
the classroom," he said. "I think that teachers
understand, though, if class sizes go up it's
not preferable, but what you have to do."
Other cuts under consideration in Greece include
eliminating the school resource officer program
that puts Greece police officers in the school
buildings and maintenance cuts that would mean
less opportunity for community groups to use
schools for athletic events, meetings and
musical programs. Prekindergarten students could
also lose their rides to school, as would summer
school students.
Achramovitch said the district is trying to
balance programs and services for students with
the burden taxpayers are willing to bear.
More details about what's on the table in other
districts will be revealed in coming weeks as
school boards continue their deliberations over
next year's budget. |
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