National Nurses Movement Action Diary

URGENT ACTION NEEDED - CALL NOW!

Your calls are needed to keep single payer amendments alive in the U.S. House of Representatives. The message is simple: "Keep the Kucinich Amendment!"

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
  DC 202.225.4965 - SF 415.556.4862
  
  
• Representative George Miller:
  DC 202.225.2095 - Concord 925.602.1880
  
• Representative Henry Waxman:
  DC 202.225.3976 - LA 323.651.1040
  
  
• Read the National Nurses Blog Post

And don't forget to rec up that dKos diary and leave a comment thanking them for all the National Nurses Movement does if you are a member there.

We Apologize For Being Correct, Yet Again

Those of us in the left Blogosphere of Connecticut and the nation that have a nasty habit of being right so often that it is truly embarrassing to the political elite, the media, the voters and activists that don't read and pay attention to the warnings we give you would like to apologize to all of you for, yet again, being proven correct.

Via Paul Bass at the New Haven Independent:

Three years ago the state AFL-CIO convened in New Haven and embraced U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman’s reelection. Thursday the AFL-CIO reconvened here — and made Lieberman its target.

The occasion was the state labor movement’s biennial convention at the Omni Hotel. The convention runs through Friday. A central theme of this year’s convention: Push politicians in Washington to pass universal health care with a “public option” — government-backed insurance.

Healthcare CEO Phone Sex

Courtesy of getofflikeaceo.com:

Health Insurance Companies are Toxic: Do Something About It

Insurance Company Rules
Health Care for America Now
Campaign for America's Future
AFL CIO
SEIU
MoveOn.org
Labor for Single Payer
Families USA
Health Care Now!
Health Care United
Health Beat Blog of the Century Foundation

GOP Declares War on American Economy

How else can you anyone view what they are doing right now?

Republicans spent the last eight years like drunken sailors on their first shore leave after years at sea. They wantonly drained the treasury of billions and billions of dollars on harebrained schemes to induce "birthpangs of democracy" around the world, chasing phantom enemies and enriching their defense contractor contributors. They created a lobbying culture so corrupt it finally collapsed of its own weight. They deregulated the financial industry so thoroughly that it created an elaborate ponzi scheme that has just about destroyed the world economy.

They have no standing to lecture anyone about responsibility, fiscal or otherwise, and no right to obstruct the cure for the problem they created.

It's true that Democrats have, over the years, enabled Republicans and helped their ideology to run amock. But right now they are all we've got and their intentions, quite clearly, are to keep the economy from tanking, if only out of self interest.

And, clearly shown, the GOP's hatred of the American worker... They blame you hard working Americans for the banking scams the GOP caused and that flushed this country down the drain.

Fortunately for us in this case... The GOP knows absolutely nothing about winning wars. See Afghanistan and Iraq.

Open and Shut Case at Window and Door Factory

Or is that a Shut and Open Case in a very real class war?

A company managed by the wife of Republic Windows and Doors owner Richard Gillman recently purchased an Iowa plant that manufactures similar products, according to public records.

Gillman has come under fire in recent days for abruptly closing Republic's Goose Island plant and refusing to provide workers there with the 60 days notice and pay required by federal labor law.

Echo Windows and Doors was created two weeks ago and lists Sharon Gillman as its manager, according copies of records obtained by the Daily News from the Iowa Secretary of the State. According to Cook County property tax records, Sharon Gillman is Richard Gillman's wife.

The couple purchased a $2.6 million Oak Street condo together in 2007, according to property records.

This is emblematic of the heartwarming story of lifestyles of the rich and blameless:

The Los Angeles Times covers the story through the lens of the disconnect between Main Street and Wall Street:

Here, in this corner of the recession, the standoff between the workers and Bank of America has quickly evolved into a symbol of the divide between the financial rescue plans for Wall Street and Main Street.

and:

When they heard the news, some workers were furious. Others cried. Rangel panicked. His wife had been sick for weeks and had recently seen the family physician.

"I got a call from the doctors. The insurance company said they won't pay because the company canceled all our policies and didn't tell us," Rangel said. "I have a mortgage. I have a child. What do we do if he gets sick?"

While it wouldn't resolve the unethical behavior of people that run businesses in the same way as people like the Gillmans, single payer universal health care would help mitigate some of the inhumanity of it.

[update] In comment, from RBA at ePluribus Media:

So it turns out BofA may have been right in the first place: it's Republic's problem. Even so, BoA is 'extending credit' to Republic for the employees. 'Journamalism'. Gotta love it. Another story that got phoned in without deep background on the principals.

Get the feeling that BoA's new found interest in extending credit lies in a mix of CYA with the PR and wanting to be able to reason continuing business with the Gillmans and Ecko in Iowa? (Just taking a guess there...)

If it simply came down to the PR aspect I can't see them doing it. There has to be more of a profit motive behind it, IMHO. And YES! I am cynical. lol

McCain Thinks American Workers Aren't Good Enough

As we get close to labor day you need to know that while Obama says "Yes you can!" McCain says "No you can't!" to American workers, telling them that they can't do the job.



In McCain's fragile mind the real problem isn't about paying a man or woman fair wages for an honest day's work... McCain thinks the problem is that Americans just aren't good enough - hard working enough - to do these jobs.

I guess McCain thinks that you need to work harder at finding a pill-popping sugar momma beer heiress 2nd wife, like Cindy McCain, to pay your bills for you if you want to be able to succeed like he did?

[update] I know that the work is hard as hell. And it is only made worse by operations that hire undocumented immigrants and put the workers through hellish conditions that are nothing more than modern day slave labor. Those are the issues that McCain would rather ignore.

Rather than forcing the companies to hire by honest free market rules McCain and the GOP will let these companies continue to exploit fellow human beings and claim that Americans can't or won't do the work.

It is not Jon Stewart

But that's ok, 'cause skippy says it's not the daily show:

So Much For the American Worker

Joe Dinkin at My Left Nutmeg caught this failure for the average American worker:

Just wanted to make sure this got mentioned here, even though it's not a strictly Connecticut issue, although it certainly effects many people here. The employee free choice act, one of the top priorities of labor in this year's congressional session, is dead. This bill would have allowed workers to form a union by card-check. The Senate did not reach cloture to end debate and vote. (51-48. They needed 60 votes to force a vote) Steven Greenhouse from the New York Times:

The bill would have given workers the right to insist on a procedure, known as majority sign-up, that allows employees at a workplace to form a union as soon as a majority of them signed cards saying they wanted one. Under current law, an employer facing a unionization drive can insist on a secret-ballot election. The bill fueled a feverish lobbying battle between business and labor. Corporate lobbyists and their Republican allies asserted that the bill would infringe on workers’ rights by denying employees the right to a secret-ballot election. Union officials and their Democratic allies said the bill was needed to help reverse labor’s decline, because employers often defeat unionization drives by intimidating and firing workers during secret-ballot elections.

60 Million Workers would join a union if given the opportunity. But this bill didn't even get the chance to get a presidential veto. And those 60 million workers can continue to get harassed and intimidated, and never have the option to gain a measure of job security, fair wages, decent benefits, and self-determination in the workplace.

Sirota sums up exactly what I was thinking when I read the previous link:

So again the question is why? Why would Democratic leaders bring up EFCA as a standalone bill - that is, in a form that is most politically easy for the average Republican to oppose? Is it just that Democrats have no “strategery?” Or is it something more insidious?

Does it have something to do with Democrats wanting to set up a situation that allows them to claim they care about workers and labor rights, while making sure that those labor rights continue to get trampled? This wouldn’t be unprecedented…at all. In fact, we saw this situation recently on the Iraq bill, where Democrats manipulated parliamentary procedure to deliberately engineer a situation that let them simultaneously claim they were doing all they could to oppose the war while helping make sure the war continues. Are we experiencing the same thing now with worker rights? And if we are, does it have something to do with the spate of stories about Big Business showering top Democratic leaders in cash and throwing Democratic Hill staffers offers of six-figure corporate lobbying jobs?

I honestly don’t know the answer, as it can sometimes be very tough to tell whether the behavior from folks in Congress is driven by short-sightedness or corruption. That said, its not like Senate defeat of EFCA was a surprise - Democrats knew from the get-go that it would lose as a standalone bill, meaning it really is possible they don’t truly want it to pass in the first place. Nonetheless, moving forward, the bottom line is clear: If Democrats really want to get EFCA passed - as American workers need them to and as they should as the supposed party that represents those workers - it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than setting up legislative scenarios that make sure EFCA doesn’t pass.

Bus Drivers: Vote on Decertifying Union Fails

Previously reported in the NewsTimes on June 8th:

School bus drivers voted today on decertifying Teamsters Local 677, but the outcome of the vote might not be known for weeks.

A number of the votes cast today have been challenged, according to a press release from All-Star Transportation.

snip

The vote would nullify the contract they voted 48-11 to ratify two weeks ago.

All-Star Transportation offers the moon, but as I said previously, this looks more like classic union busting techniques:

NEW MILFORD -- In the wake of a stalemate Friday over efforts to decertify Teamsters Local 677, it may be weeks before local school bus drivers learn the fate of their pay-enhancement contract with All-Star Transportation.

snip

Mary Boland, a non-union bus driver from New Milford, said "36 voted to put the union out, 40 voted for the union. Two votes were challenged by the petitioner and NLRB, and another seven were challenged by the union."

snip

Non-union drivers said they are hoping they will receive a 5 percent increase next year, with new drivers to earn $12.40 an hour and senior drivers $16.

I say "union busting" because it becoming clearly apparent that some people are doing everything they can to get rid of the union, and stalling the ratification of the contract that the union agreed to with All-Star.

I heard a rumour that All-Star is offering a 401k plan to them if they decertify the union.

First things first: Don't these drivers realize that they will be the ones funding the 401k, and not the company? What a great offer!

And second thing: Considering how the negotiations have gone so far it doesn't look there is much reason to trust All-Star to follow through on any offers, even offers that are meaningless.

And a third thing: Isn't it illegal for All-Star Transportation to be making offers to anyone but the union? (unless this rumoured 401k offer was sent through the union?)

And a last note: The drivers better not put too much hope in getting a fair shake at the NLRB. The bush administration has been stacking the NLRB with flunkies guaranteed to deliver to "corporate interests" time and time again.

Nathan Newman writing at TPM Cafe's labor issues arm, House of Labor, pretty much sums up how I feel about statements and actions from companies that are blatantly illegal:

If you wonder why I get angry when folks say nice things about corporate criminal union busters like Wal-Mart, maybe you should read the new report by American Rights at Work which details the extent and severity of that corporate crime wave, a crime wave where tens of thousands of workers are victimized each year with stolen jobs and crushed lives.

As this study highlights, a typical union organizing drive starts with a majority of workers signing cards in support of having a union. Yet in the course of the elections, corporations embark on full-scale illegal assault on their workforce:

• 30% of employers fire pro-union workers.
  
• 49% of employers threaten to close a worksite when workers try to form a union.
  
• 51% of employers coerce workers into opposing unions with selective bribery or favoritism.

The end result is that despite starting almost every union drive with majority support, by the time the corporate wave of crime is over, only 31% of union elections end with a vote in support of the union.

I am pretty certain that the same can be said about companies interference in labor contracts after a union has been legally formed and represents employees in contract negotiations. Today's companies will say and do whatever they can to get what they want, and the NLRB has been quite generous in supporting anti-union activities since bush took power. Some people might even think it has been corrupted to the same degree as the Department of Justice has.

Is the Bus Strike Really Settled?

The NewsTimes is reporting that some drivers are getting a little pissed again:

All-Star Transportation school bus driver Wendy Demers was fuming Friday afternoon that her weekly paycheck did not contain a promised raise and retroactive wages.

snip

"They promised the raises for a change to get a 'yes' vote and they got their 'yes' vote, so now give us our money.''

snip

For the 23 veteran drivers there was to be an immediate $250 bonus and another $250 in the fall. Several said they received the first bonus this week after complaining to the union representatives that they had not gotten them last week. But they are still waiting for the retroactive pay raises.

All-Star transportation is saying that the contract has yet to be ratified, and the Board of Education Chairman Wendy Faulenbach is hoping the drivers will remain patient concerning any misunderstangs about the contract process.

I sure as heck hope this is just the process and nothing more.

The school board is still looking at recouping losses due to the failure to provide the services in the contract that All-Star Transportation signed.

"We are monitoring the bus driver situation daily,'' Faulenbach said.

The Bus Strike is Over

Yesterday, the drivers went back to work but I didn't write anything on it as there were no details available on what bargaining results ended the New Milford bus strike. Today, the NewsTimes had this report up:

On Saturday, the school bus drivers voted 48-11 to accept a five-year contract with All-Star Transportation, which the drivers said is a compromise between what they wanted and what the company is willing to pay.

The offer increased the starting pay from $11.40 to $12.33 and top pay for those with at least 10 years of experience from $14.75 to $15.95.

The contract provides drivers a first-year increase of 4 percent and as much as 5.25 percent in the final year.

At the school district office, Thomas Corbett, director of operations, was relieved to report the resumption of bus service at all six schools Monday went smoothly.

Judging by the previous numbers discussed, the drivers and All Star Transportation met pretty much in the middle on this. Thankfully we will not have to worry about this for the next 5 years.

The traffic on the roads was pretty crazy during drop-off and pick-up times and made a mighty strong case for the usefulness of Mass Transit for those of us that had to drive through it everyday.

Judge Tells All Star to Get the Buses Rolling

The NewsTimes is reporting that the Judge John Pickard has told All Star to get the buses back on the road:

The Board of Education won the first round of its legal battle to end the bus drivers' strike Wednesday, when a judge told All-Star Transportation to immediately restore full service to the town's six schools.

Litchfield Superior Court Judge John Pickard's ruling is a hollow victory, however, because there are not enough licensed and certified drivers available to cover all the routes.

If you go to the story the comments section is pretty funny. I don't know if those of you wanting to sue the union realize how silly that idea is. They didn't sign a contract with the city, All Star did. And since there are no real health or safety issues involved there is very little the judge can say to the union to force them back to work. This isn't like an ambulance, police, or nurse strike where basic services are deemed a necessity for the public good. This is an inconvenience, not a hazard, to the community. I may not be a lawyer, but this seems like common sense to me.

I am starting to think that All Star, judging by their behaviour, is purposely trying to get this contract canned by the city.

Did they stupidly negotiate a bad contract with a ridiculously low cost of fuel figured in or something? (There is a war AND an occupation going on right now... Figure the odds that fuel prices would go up? D'oh!)

If the contract gets tossed who is there left for the town to renegotiate a new and more lucrative contract with? (All Star is the only game in town at the moment... And they know it.)

Or maybe the company will close up and sell off to another company OR resurface incorporated under another name in order to avoid dealing with the union at all... (Classic union busting techniques, yes?)

With the way politics works these days I would not be surprised to see the BOE fire them, only to sign a new contract with the same company (under a new name or not) that is more profitable to the company. There has to be more to this than just the 50 cent difference between what the company is offering and the drivers want. It should be interesting when the judge orders arbitration, which is the only likely legal recourse available at this point in time.

A Little More on the Bus Strike

According to the Danbury NewsTimes All Star Transportation released a statement today:

"Over the past year, the company has met continually with the union to iron out a fair economical contract that both sides could live with. Both sides have bargained in good faith and have a respectable relationship with each other. The company and the union understand that this is a new contract with several obstacles. A final proposed contract was offered to the union negotiating team on Friday. The union refused to recommend the contract, so it was withdrawn. All-Star Transportation urges the drivers to return to their job, which is servicing the students, parents and the Board of Education of the community of New Milford."

Here I thought it was All-Star's job, "servicing the students, parents and the Board of Education of the community of New Milford", since they were the company that signed the contracts with the city's school system. The drivers job is to drive a bus for All Star. Anyways...

The schools were handing out flyers directing everyone in town to their website for updated information on "how and when" to drop off and pick up your kiddies at the schools.

I stopped by and talked to the drivers that are picketing out front of All-Star and asked them about the situation from their POV. Their complaints stem from the fact that they are paid about $2 per hour less than bus drivers in nearby communities. All they were asking for was a $1 raise.

All-Star has, in recent times, had a hard time keeping on drivers over the long term because as soon as they get an opportunity to work for one of the higher paying companies the drivers leave All Star. They must be wasting a lot of money on constantly training new drivers and could, likely, save quite a bit of money on that just by raising the salaries to something a little more competitive. They might even save more than the 60 cent difference between the raise they were offering the drivers and what the drivers wanted. Penny wise and pound foolish, I guess?

I transcribed a flyer that the drivers were giving out to parents at schools. I figure if the newspapers will print out the corporate side of it verbatim from their press release... Maybe someone ought to give the drivers the same benefit for the sake of "BALANCE IN THE NEWS":

We are sorry for the inconvenience this strike is causing all of our families. The purpose of this leaflet is to give you the facts concerning the current unfair labor practice strike.

• Each day, you entrust us with the safety of your children and we take this responsibility very seriously.



• We are all professional drivers who have undergone extensive safety training and possess Commercial drivers' Licenses.



• We are paid $11.40 per hour, which is $2,00 per hour less than surrounding communities.



• We receive NO FRINGE BENEFITS.



• New Milford bus drivers voted to join Teamster Local 677 in May 2006.



• For the past year we have attempted, without success, to negotiate a fair collective bargaining agreement.



• On Monday, May 7th, 2007 All Star withdrew its offer of a 3.5% wage increase, which equals 40 cents per hour.



THIS STRIKE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF
ALL STAR WOULD BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH




• Most of us drivers are New Milford residents

Our Children attend New Milford schools and ride New Milford Buses.
We are New Milford taxpayers.
We deserve a fair contract.
We appreciate your support.

They also ask that you call All Star and tell them you support the drivers.

All Star Transportation can be reached at (860) 354-2705

Not only are these drivers required to get driving and safety training, but they must pass a background check through the police to get the job to begin with. A safety precaution that has been put in place in the last few years for the benefit of your children's safety.

As a side note, I did a quick check on the math (assuming the pay they make and the % raise offered is correct in this leaflet?) and the raise is really only 39.999 cents per hour raise. Can you say cheap?

Again, the video that ctblogger uploaded for our benefit:



[updtae] It appears that today the NewsTimes put up a story that is, at least, a little more than just a press release from All Star Transportation. Some might even call it news... heh
(h/t to Ghengis Conn at CLP)

A Little on the Bus Strike

When my wife told me there might be a bus strike the first thing I said was that they would likely use the cost of gas as a reason for a low profit margin and the need to hold down wages... Sure enough they did use it as one reason for that. My beef with this tactic is that anyone with a half a brain has known that gas was going to continue to skyrocket so the bus companies should have made considerations for that when they worked out their last contracts for the services to the cities and schools.

ctblogger at Hat City Blog was nice enough to upload this video for us New Milford folks:



Kids get one day off from school but they will be back tommorrow so get used to driving them in to school until the bus drivers go back to work. Who knows how long this strike will be?

Short Circuiting Labor

Ever see a great reason for the resurgence of unions? The Hartford Courant shows you one:

courant.com | Circuit City Step Risks Backlash:

"A new plan for layoffs at Circuit City is openly targeting better-paid workers, risking a public backlash by implying that its wages are as subject to discounts as its flat-screen TVs

The electronics retailer, facing larger competitors and falling sales, said Wednesday that it would lay off about 3,400 store workers - immediately - and replace them with lower-paid new hires as soon as possible"

Risking a public Backlash??? They have got to be kidding?

They are kicking 3400 employees to the curb and then replacing them with even lower paid workers.

A nice little extra thought to warm the hearts of those recently unemployed curb dwellers via Vassmer at dKos:

And of course, Circuit City's CEOs' salaries will not be cut for being overpaid:

Circuit City Chief Executive Officer Philip Schoonover was paid $8.52 million in fiscal 2006, including a $975,000 salary. Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson received $3.85 million, including a $1.17 million salary.

Mmmm, what do you expect from a company who donates 90% of its political contributions to Republicans, according to BuyBlue?

Figure the odds? Well... I guess I am not shopping at Circuit City ever again.

This is the epitome of the bush economy. Someone should unionize those workers just to fuck with these unethical bums.

[update]
The Onion does an intersting parody of blaming immigration for these kinds of problems. An issue that republicans will try to push, hopefully with the same laughable results, in the next election cycle:

Immigration: The Human Cost


It is obvious that, in the case of Circuit City's fiscal abuse of employees to continue the enrichment of incompetent Management like their CEO, it has little to do with immigration and everything to do with the deterioration of workers rights in the USA under the Corporate owned Republican party.