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National News
People Gloomier Than Ever About Economy
April 11, 2008
 Offering the gloomiest assessment of economic well-being in close to half a century, a new survey has found that most Americans say they have not made progress over the past five years as their incomes have stagnated and they have increasingly borrowed money to finance their lifestyles.
As many Americans struggle with declining housing values, increasing food and energy prices and growing unemployment after a long period of flat wages, well over half of respondents said they are either losing ground economically or are stuck in the same place, according to the report released yesterday by the Pew Research Center. Only four in 10 said they have moved forward in the past five years -- a record low, Pew says, and far off the record 57 percent who in 1997 said they had moved forward in the previous five years.
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PA Union Members Hear Obama, Clinton
April 3, 2008
More than a thousand union members from around Pennsylvania gathered in Philadelphia in the first week of April for the 38th annual Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Convention, where they heard from both Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the two contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Focusing on this fall’s elections, workers are discussing the key issues in play and getting ready for the unprecedented mobilization of hundreds of thousands of union members across the state.
Clinton and Obama are trying to make their case to workers as the crucial April 22 Pennsylvania primary approaches. Union members have come out to vote in huge numbers this primary season, contributing to record-breaking turnout numbers.
Clinton, who was introduced by AFSCME President Gerald McEntee. She praised the union movement, saying that “unions are America, unions built America.� Clinton also spoke about the challenges ahead and the opportunities for the next president to build a better country. She announced a plan to create an infrastructure fund and make investments in transportation and energy.
What am I going to do for the American people today? What am I going to do to make sure you’ve got good jobs that can’t be outsourced? What am I going to do to make sure we have trade agreements that are pro-American and pro-worker and make sure that we can compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime? If you give me the chance, that’s the kind of president I will be.
She also offered sharp criticism of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive Republican nominee.
John McCain admits he doesn’t understand the economy—and unfortunately he’s proving it in this campaign. He looked at the housing crisis, and he blamed consumers. His plan for the economy is to extend George Bush’s tax cuts for billionaires and give a $100 billion additional corporate tax cut. The Bush-McCain philosophy could not be clearer—it’s the “ownership society,� which really means, “You’re on your own.�
Obama was introduced by Henry Nicholas, the president of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE). Obama also discussed the importance of electing a pro-worker president and the opportunities to turn around America.
I’m tired of playing defense. I know the AFL-CIO is tired of playing defense. We’re ready to play some offense. We’re ready to play offense for a decent wage. We’re ready to play offense for retirement security. We’re ready to play offense for universal health care….It’s time we had a president who didn’t choke saying the word “union.�
Obama also criticized McCain’s anti-worker agenda.
Like George Bush, Sen. McCain is committed to more tax cuts for the rich, and more trade agreements that fail to protect American workers. His response to the housing crisis amounts to basically standing on the sidelines and watching millions of Americans face foreclosure. And some of his top advisors were lobbyists for the special interest when they went to work for his campaign, so it’s not hard to guess who they’ll be working for if they get into the White House.
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NLRB Continues It’s Anti-Worker Ways
November 28, 2007
The National Labor Relations Board continues to take away workers’ rights. The situation has gotten worse as President Bush has been able to name a majority of NLRB members.
In a partisan vote, the board ruled Sept. 29 that if employers voluntarily recognize a union based on union authorization cards (also known as card-check), anti-union employees have a 45-day window to petition for an NLRB decertification election.
The employer has to give employees notice of their 45-day window to petition for a decertification election. Just 30 percent of the employees need to sign the petition even though more than 50 percent of employees have already chosen union representation by signing authorization cards.
In effect, this means 30% of employees can force an NLRB election, even if a card-check/neutrality agreement was reached before recognition, and even if a bargaining agreement has been reached in the 45-day period.
In a ringing dissent, NLRB members Wilma Liebman and Dennis Walsh said the decision “cuts voluntary recognition off at the knees.�
This NLRB attack on card-check comes less than a month after the board upheld an employer’s withdrawal of recognition without an election. After employees at Shaw’s Supermarkets submitted slips signed by bargaining unit employees saying they no longer wanted the union to represent them, the board ruled that it was perfectly OK for the employer to simply withdraw recognition from the union without an election.
When Liebman complained that Shaw’s should have waited for the election results, the board amazingly said the process takes too long. In regard to the time that it can take to resolve a decertification case, we note that, in many cases, “blocking charges� are filed and delay the election until the charges are resolved. And, even absent such charges, a union election loss can be contested by challenges and/or objections.
Ironically, union members have been saying the same thing about the time it takes for an NLRB vote. That is one main reason workers support and use card-checks.
A year ago, in three cases, collectively known as the Oakwood cases after the lead case, Oakwood Healthcare Inc., the board reinterpreted the definition of “supervisor� in a way that greatly expanded the number and type of workers who can be classified as supervisors.
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OSHA: Employers Must Pay for PPE
November 15, 2007
On. Nov. 14, workers won a tremendous victory when OSHA announced it would finally issue the rule requiring employers to pay for personal protective safety equipment - a measure that will prevent tens of thousands of workplaces injuries every year.
The announcement has been nine years in the making, and is the result of tireless efforts by the UFCW and the AFL-CIO. The two organizations petitioned for a rule on personal protective equipment (PPE) in 1997. In 1999, OSHA promised to issue the final PPE rule in July 2000. But it missed that deadline and has missed every self-imposed deadline since. The agency has failed to act in response to a 2003 petition by the AFL-CIO and UFCW and numerous requests by the Hispanic Congressional Caucus. The two groups filed a lawsuit in early 2007 to seek an end to the delay.
This rule is a basic requirement that puts into law OSHA's long-standing policy that it is the employer's responsibility to pay the cost of protecting workers from safety and health hazards. The rule makes clear that employers must pay for hard hats, goggles, face shields, chemical resistant suits, and other required safety equipment. It does, however, include some exemptions from the employer payment requirements, most notably for safety shoes and prescription safety glasses that can be worn off the job.
The UFCW will be reviewing the rule in detail to determine if it provides workers with the level of protection that is needed and required by law.
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New UFCW Site for Young Members
September 13, 2007
The UFCW is excited to announce the launch of our NEW website for young UFCW members: www.MyUFCW.org
At MyUFCW.org, you can:
• Connect with other young workers through the MyUFCW blog.
• Get info on issues important to today’s young workers.
• Ask questions about rights in the workplace, and what to do if they're being violated.
• Find resources on scholarships, political action, and ways to get involved.
If you’re a young worker or you know someone that is, be sure to check out www.MyUFCW.org today!
Spread the word—tell a young co-worker, friend, or family member about the new website—and find out more at www.MyUFCW.org .
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