New Members reported in this week's WiP:6,286
New Members reported in WiP, 1999:190,542

Tens of thousands of union members, workers trying to exercise their freedom to choose a union and community supporters came together during 7 Days in June at more than 120 marches, public forums and rallies in 37 states to expose the coercion and intimidation tactics workers face when they try to gain a voice at work. Visit this link for a look at some of the events.

FIELDCREST CANNON WORKERS UNITE—While 285 challenged ballots remain, workers at Fieldcrest Cannon and UNITE organizers are confident they have achieved an historic victory at six of the sheet and towel makers plants in North Carolina. Rallying around the slogan, "We deserve a say," the 5,000 workers voted June 23. The election culminates a 25-year campaign by workers at the company to organize. In previous elections, most recently in 1997, the NLRB found the company violated labor law and tossed out the results with a call for new elections with special requirements to ensure workers could vote free from intimidation. "We hope the NLRB will make its final determinations on the challenged ballots quickly so we can begin working with the employees on their first contract,"said Bruce Raynor, UNITE secretary-treasurer.

CAL DOCS SEEK UNION CURE—While doctors talk union nationally, SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents and the California Medical Association are taking action. The two groups reached an agreement in which they will encourage resident physicians to join both groups and the pair also will advocate shared policy positions. The new mutual endorsement plan paid off June 11 when 600 resident physicians at four San Francisco area hospitals voted to join CIR.

HEALTH WORKERS CHOOSE LIUNA—Some 525 health care workers at the Cambridge Hospital and Neville Manor Nursing Home, both in Cambridge, Mass., chose to join the Laborers last week. With the victory, workers at every Cambridge Health Alliance facility have chosen LIUNA.

UP ON THE ROOF—After a two-year battle, some 250 Las Vegas roofers have reached a settlement with Willis Roofing, the citys largest roofing contractor. The four-year agreement includes $400,000 in back pay, wage increases and, for the first time, pension benefits, plus comprehensive, employer-paid health, dental and vision insurance. Willis performs all of the areas roofing work for mega-home builder Kaufman and Broad. The fight heated up this year when the United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers began a public campaign to press Willis to respect its workers choice to join a union. "By sticking together and reaching out to unions across the country, the workers demonstrated their determination to have a voice at work and a better future for their families," said John Martini, union executive vice president.

THREE FOR THREE—Workers in Massachusetts, Michigan and New York recently chose to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW. Ninety-five demolition and asbestos removal workers at AIA in New York City won card-check recognition. Sixty workers at Michigan Employee Benefit Services, an insurance company, voted to join Local 386. In Westminister, Mass., all six city custodians signed authorization cards and the city agreed to recognize their choice.

UNIONS A HEALING FORCE—In yet another sign that health care professionals are fed up with the corporate-driven trends in managed health care, the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association voted to form unions. A majority of AMA delegates voted for the move during the groups annual meeting in Chicago last week. "Our objective here is to give Americas physicians the leverage they now lack to guarantee that patient care is not compromised or neglected for the sake of profits," said Dr. Randolph Smoak Jr., chairman of the AMA Board of Trustees. Like their physician counterparts, leaders of the 190,000-member American Nurses Association recently voted to form a separate labor entity. "Neither nurses nor doctors organizing unions is new," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "Both have been represented by AFL-CIO unions for many years....But these high-profile endorsements give a boost not only to millions of front-line health care employees, but to American workers in dozens of industries who are forming and joining unions." Meanwhile, Texas recently became the first state to exempt doctors from antitrust laws, allowing them to bargain collectively with health plans over contract and reimbursement issues; last week, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held hearings on a similar exemption on the federal level.

THE RESULTS ARE IN—More than 85 percent of 66,000 workers in the Puerto Rico Department of Education said they wanted to join unions in the first election held under a new law allowing public-sector workers to form unions. The balloting began in May, and the results were announced last week. "We want a union contract so we can build the best possible future for ourselves, our families and the children we teach everyday," said Nancy Cardona, a teacher and member of the Federacion de Maestros/AFT. The workers are teachers, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, clericals and others. A second election will determine which union—AFT, AFSME, SEIU or UAW—the four bargaining units want to represent them. About 84,000 other public employees will vote this summer.

NYU GETS AN 'F'—Although a majority of the more than1,500 graduate teaching assistants have signed union cards, the administration at New York University refuses to recognize their right to choose a voice, according to Kimberly Johnson, an NYU teaching assistant involved in an organizing drive by the Graduate Students Organizing Committee/UAW. NYU is launching its own website to oppose the GSOC and is claiming in NLRB hearings that the graduate assistants are not employees. Johnson spoke at a June 25 public hearing in New York City on the workers freedom to choose a voice at work. She was joined by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and New York City Central Labor Council President Brian McLaughlin.

WORKERS RE-BOOK ELECTION—Some 10,000 passenger service agents soon will be voting again whether to join the Communications Workers. In September 1997, the agents voted for CWA, but in May a federal appeals court invalidated the vote and US Airways refused to recognize the union, even though 84 percent of the workers had signed membership cards. The CWA sought an expedited election and last week the National Mediation Board agreed. The ballots will go out July 16, and votes will be counted by Aug. 20. CWA President Morton Bahr said the new election is a "big victory for the thousands of employees who are determined to have representation and a contract guaranteeing wages, benefits, working conditions and job security."

IS JUSTICE CONTINGENT?—Nine current and former Atlantic Richfield employees filed a class-action suit in federal court charging the company with misclassifying workers as temporary, leased or contract workers—instead of ARCO employees—to avoid paying health and pension benefits. The suit is expected to cover about 1,000 employees. The AFL-CIO is fighting the growing use of "perma-temps" and so-called independent contractors by such employers as ARCO and Microsoft, which are trying to shirk their responsibilities to the employees. Some workers are seeking to join unions like WashTech in Seattle and unions are backing federal legislation to make it more difficult for employers to misclassify workers.

WHAT A PAIN—In an incredible example of bowing to big business, the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee passed a GOP bill last week that blocks OSHA from issuing ergonomics standards or guidelines to protect workers from crippling repetitive strain injuries. Despite studies from the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and medical and occupational organizations that show repetitive motion injuries—which strike 600,000 workers a year—can be reduced and prevented by ergonomic standards, the bill calls for yet another two-year study. "These injuries are serious, disabling and costly....Its time to let OSHA issue real ergonomic standards," said Laborers President Arthur Coia. Business groups have made the fight over ergonomics one of their top priorities in Congress this year, and 23 of the 24 Republican committee members voted for the bill. Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) was the lone Republican to stand up for worker safety and vote against the bill.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY—After the U.S. Senates failure June 22 to pass legislation to provide relief to workers hurt by foreign steel products dumped here, Steelworkers President George Becker promised a continued battle "to win justice for workers, families and communities that are threatened by the illegal dumping of steel." The measure was supported strongly by the USWA, whose nearly yearlong grassroots campaign of lobbying, letter-writing and demonstrations helped persuade the House in March to pass legislation limiting steel dumping. In other USWA news, 800 South African employees of General Tyre Ltd. walked off the job in Port Elizabeth for almost two hours to demonstrate support for 1,450 Steelworkers on strike since September at a General Tire plant in Charlotte, N.C. The workers marched to the office of the CEO, who promised to forward their demands for a U.S. strike settlement to the German headquarters of the parent company, Continental AG. Their actions "have given new meaning to the old union adage that 'an injury to one is an injury to all, " said Becker.

IBT BREWERS TO VOTE—Ballots will go out this week to 8,000 Teamsters who will vote on a new five-year contract with Anheuser-Busch. Workers at 12 A-B breweries rejected two previous contracts and have been working under a management-imposed final offer. The tentative accord significantly improves that pact, said Jack Cipriani, director of the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Conference.

COURT STRIPS RIGHTS—The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that workers have no right to sue states that do not comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The court ruled 5-4 on June 23 in Alden v. Maine that sovereign immunity bars state probation officers from suing the state of Maine to gain overtime pay. The ruling leaves state workers with no means to enforce their rights under the FLSA, said Justice David H. Souter in a ringing dissent. The court majoritys notion that the federal government could sue to force states to enforce the law is "whimsy," he added. State workers only recourse now is through the Department of Labor.

'INVEST IN OUR FUTURE'—Hundreds of General Electric workers from 29 states rallied in Memphis, Tenn., June 26 to demand that the company reinvest profits in plants and provide workers with job security. GE has announced plans to close its Memphis lamp plant and put 250 people out of work. The rally was sponsored by the 14 unions that make up the GE Coordinated Bargaining Committee. Job security is a key bargaining issue for GE workers, whose contract expires next year. The rally was the first in a yearlong campaign to show GE management that the workers are united.

BAR THE DOOR—More than 250 members of Congress have signed a letter urging President Clinton to continue restricting access by Mexican trucks into the United States, the Teamsters announced. "The line in the sand has been drawn, Mr. President: We must protect Americas highways and keep our families safe," IBT President James P. Hoffa said. The Transportation Departments inspector general has questioned the U.S. governments ability to protect highways from unsafe trucks and unqualified drivers and has been sharply critical of the effectiveness of U.S. border inspections.

Voice@Work, June 19-25—freedom to choose a union.

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