https://socialistaction.org/2017/05/18/labor-briefing-for-may-2017/
Labor Briefing for May 2017
/ 1 day ago
May 2017 Washington transit
By BILL ONASCH
Movers Become Shakers In D.C.—The motto of Amalgamated Transit Union
Local 689 is We Move This City. Their 9000 members keep the second
biggest (in mileage) subway system in the USA running—as best they can
with the Metro’s austerity budget—in addition to dozens of usually
standing-room-only bus lines and paratransit services. Their contract
with the Washington Metro Area Transportation Authority expired last June.
Local President Jackie Jeter told WAMU radio that WMATA wants $100
million in take-aways. Included is a wage freeze and denying pension
benefits to new workers, who would be put into an equivalent of 401(k)
accounts—with no guaranteed retirement income.
These attacks are nearly identical to those by the Chicago Transit
Authority on ATU train and bus locals. In both cities workers have been
refusing overtime and working to rule, and there have been selective
“sick-outs.” Even more importantly, they have been building solidarity
among their riders and with other unions and environmental groups. These
allies show up to all the public meetings of the transit boss boards and
join in frequent ATU demonstrations.
The unions hope that pressure will force the employers to agree to an
acceptable contract without a strike that would cause hardship for their
passengers who have been supportive.
Repatriating Jobs—Last year, after a strike involving 40,000 workers,
the Communications Workers of America was able to restore thousands of
outsourced and offshored jobs to the bargaining unit and established a
new beachhead in the growing wireless market.
Currently, CWA is involved in tough negotiations with dozens of units of
AT&T—remnants of the original breakup of the old Ma Bell monopoly. About
10 years ago, CWA got a big boost when the carrier acquired unionized
Cingular to be the base of today’s ATT Mobility—the second largest cell
phone network.
But since 2011, ATT has offshored 8000 call center jobs to the Dominican
Republic, Mexico, and the Philippines. The union is demanding that those
jobs be restored. After a one-day strike purportedly over grievances,
the union won a contract settlement covering landline and internet
workers in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas that provides
annual wage increases, a $1000 signing bonus, and two-weeks paid
parental leave. And a big breakthrough was achieved when that company
unit agreed to hire 3000 union workers for positions currently offshored.
However, other units employing 21,000 union workers in 36 states have
yet to budge. At this paper’s deadline, the union has served notice that
they may walk out at any time.
They Took On the Challenge—After a three week strike, newly organized
UAW workers won a first contract at Challenge Manufacturing’s Kansas
City plant. Lured by generous tax incentives, Challenge opened the plant
in 2015 to supply parts to the General Motors Fairfax Assembly plant in
Kansas City, Kansas. The new contract meets industry standards for
outsourced parts production—but is considerably less than what Big Three
UAW members enjoy.
Grounds For Celebration at Philly IA—Last month 1400 baggage handlers,
wheelchair attendants, SkyCaps, and other passenger service workers
employed by contractors at Philadelphia International Airport voted
overwhelmingly to be represented by Service Employees International
Union 32BJ. It took four years of demonstrations, informational
picketing, and job actions to get this Labor Board election. The various
employers hired by the mostly unionized airlines also agreed to be bound
by Philadelphia’s “living wage” requirement for contractors on public
facilities. That’s currently $12 an hour—hardly a princely sum. But it
means more than a $4 an hour raise for most of these workers—a start to
build on.
Preempted Poor—The Fight for 15 and a Union campaign, which includes
airport service workers, home care aides, contingent college faculty as
well as fast food workers, has also been involved in successful
struggles to win higher state and city minimum wage laws. But the bosses
and their kept politicians are now using state legislatures to suppress
this movement through what has been dubbed “preemption.” This refers to
legislation, or amendments to state constitutions, prohibiting local
governments from setting minimum wage rates higher than those of the
state—in many cases no more than the federal minimum—currently a poverty
level $7.25.
Because this affects workers of color most of all, many civil rights
groups—above all the NAACP—are joining with unions to fight preemption
through demonstrations and civil disobedience. This was a feature of May
Day strikes and protests in North Carolina, Minnesota, and Kansas City.
It should also be a reminder that the working class needs a party of our
own to win these most basic struggles.
Deserving Honors—On May Day, ABC news reported: “Eight graduate student
teachers at Yale University have been on hunger strike since last
Tuesday in an effort to push a collective bargaining agreement with the
university forward. The protesters, including four men and four women
who are part of the new Local 33-Unite Here union, say that their fast
is indefinite or until the school’s administration agrees to discuss an
agreement with the eight departments that joined the union. They say
they have only consumed water.”
Thanks to Mike Elk and Michael Schreiber for contributions to this
month’s Briefing. If you have a story suitable for this feature please
contact billonasch@xxxxxxxxxxx.
Photo: Transit workers rally in Washington, D.C. From atulocal689.org.
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May 18, 2017 in Labor.
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