It was massive, several thousand CWA and IBEW members rallied outside Verizon headquarters, one main objective, stop subcontracting their work

UPDATE to-> CWA plans massive Verizon worker rally in New York, IBEW sending members, as contract negotiations continue with Aug.2nd deadline (7/22/08):

I would have been there in support, but I was attending a rally for New York's 13th Congressional district seat candidate Michael McMahon, who is running for the spot vacated by Vito Fossella. McMahon is a staunch labor supporter, from a NYS AFL-CIO press release (7/1/08):

Upon receiving the New York State AFL-CIO's endorsement, Michael McMahon stated, "I am honored to have the support of the AFL-CIO. As Councilman, I worked every day to improve the lives of the working men and women in my district. As Congressman, I will continue to fight for working families by creating good paying jobs, lowering taxes on the middle class and ensuring that Brooklyn and Staten Island receive our fair share of education, healthcare and transportation funding."

Saturdays Verizon rally in NYC
A Sea of CWA red

From The New York Times article "Unions Rally, Vowing Strike at Verizon" by By Javier C. Hernandez (7/27/08):

The unions representing 65,000 Verizon workers on Saturday resounded a pledge to strike if demands for higher wages, caps on health care payments and limits on outsourcing jobs are not honored.

Joe's Union Review staunchly supports the workers stance against outsourcing, on many occasions Verizon has had low standards on who they use as subcontractors. The Times continues

With one week to go before a contract expires, several thousand telephone workers affiliated with the Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers gathered at Verizon headquarters in Lower Manhattan.

They chastised Verizon executives for proposing sharp increases in health care payments and reductions in coverage for retirees. Some held signs reading “Hands Off Our Benefits,” vowing to take to the picket line on Aug. 3 if the two sides did not reach a settlement.

Joe Connolly, president of Local 1101 of the C.W.A., said that the union was pushing for a 5 percent annual wage increase, larger pensions and expanded medical benefits. “Right now, employees have to make a choice: Are they going to eat or get benefits?” Mr. Connolly said.

In light of the slow pace of negotiations, a strike was likely, he said. “There’s been nothing resolved on any level at this point.”

A major point of contention between the unions and Verizon is the outsourcing and subcontracting of jobs. Union members have said that work like telephone technical support and laying new wires should go to union laborers. But Verizon has said that awarding some jobs to outside firms gives the company the flexibility to create, for instance, a new call center on the spot, or to quickly find laborers for a one-time construction job.

Verizon's use of undocumented workers via subcontractors seems to be wide spread

Flexibility, sure, just pick them up from the corners of 65th. Street in Brooklyn.

Verizon is a scum corporation that puts profits over people every single step of the way. In February I wrote of one such Verizon subcontractor who was breaking every labor law on the books and found themselves fined and a possible jail term in the article "Claiming ignorance, Verizon tolerated illegal alien work force through a subcontractor"

"One worker told agents B&B paid him $100 per day for a 12-hour shift minus $60 a week for housing and utilities, according to records. Some said they were put up in a house off Oceana Boulevard in Virginia Beach."

Just last month a group of undocumented day laborers was protesting against Verizon in the same exact location over unpaid wages from a Verizon subcontractor. ABC news picked up the story on June 24th. in the article entitled "Day Laborers Rally Against Verizon for Unpaid Work"

"We're here today to demand that Verizon pay us," said Nerbin Rodriguez.

Rodriquez, an immigrant from El Salvador, says a Verizon sub-contractor owes him for two months of work, all 10-hour days. "We have the right to recover our money for the work that we've performed," he said.

"Verizon needs to tell the subcontractors to quit cheating the people out of their money in this way," said Carlos Ortiz..

"We certainly don't agree that anyone should do a hard day's work and not get paid for it," said Sandra Arnette with Verizon.

Verizon says they promise to investigate but says it's the responsibility of the contractor or sub-contractor and not Verizon to pay the workers.

When ABC 7 reporter Andrea McCarren tried to ask one of the day laborers protesting if they were in the country illegally or if the subcontractors were hiring illegally, she was interrupted by a CASA de Maryland lawyer. They said McCarren couldn't ask the question.

"We would hope that people are hiring workers that are documented, that can actually do the work and they're not doing it illegally," said Arnette.

Some of the laborers allege they haven't been paid for jobs completed as far back as three years ago. Some workers at the demonstration actually won judgments in federal court against Verizon sub-contractors, totaling more than $200,000.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm in Brooklyn and according to a former shop steward friend of mine at Verizon, in NYC, the company hasn't hired a single street mechanic for the last 6 years, guess they want to take advantage of all the day laborers they can muster up to install FIOS around the area. Yeah I'm still waiting.

Verizon, screwing the public and workers every chance it can.

CWA plans massive Verizon worker rally in New York, IBEW sending members, as contract negotiations continue with Aug.2nd deadline

UPDATED ->It was massive, several thousand CWA and IBEW members rallied outside Verizon headquarters, one main objective, stop subcontracting (7/27/08)

Verizon, who has been screwing it's wireless and business workers who want to join unions, who has taken down a veterans flag which was flown over Iraq and Afghanistan from it's Verizon business office, and has allowed subcontractors who enslaved undocumented workers to do Verizons work, is playing hard ball with it's 65,000 union workers on the East Coast, but these workers have been preemptive and are geared to storm New York with a contigent of workers from all around the East coast tomorrow at Verizon's headquarters.

Verizon, where should I start, first off I gave them the goodbye when they sent their tech support to India for their DSL services in favor of services from Optimum Online, which is also staunchly anti-union, but at least the tech support workers are here in Long Island, New York. Both companies are terrible when it comes to workers rights. In fact Verizon business has been so terrified of union organizing, when union leaflets were making their way around the cubicles and onto the common wall of their office up in Massachusetts, the word came down to remove everything from the walls. One of those items was an American flag, a flag that was flown over Iraq and Afghanistan by employee and Air National Guardsman, Terry Skiest. A co-worker of Skiest's reported that a local manager said that the American flag "could be considered to be propaganda" and "might be offensive to some workers."

AT&T is the only wireless company that is completely unionized

Unfortunately before I knew all this and how staunchly anti-union the company was I was already locked into one of their cell phone plans, that will change in a few months when I switch to AT&T, who when taken over by Cingular, continued with the American Free Choice like card check system of getting union representation, if the workers want to be union, all they need is 50+1% of the workforce to sign cards. Now that's a company for working people, they even have a discounts for union members, from the Union Plus website:

"For union families, AT&T is the clear choice for wireless service. AT&T is the only wireless company that is completely unionized, and that believes that fair treatment of employees is good for business and good for customers.

We urge every union member to make AT&T their wireless provider."

— Larry Cohen, president, Communications Workers of America

The scoop, as far as I've been reading

Verizon and the unions, including CWA and IBEW were in early negotiations as far back as about 1 year ago, the company wouldn't budge on health care issues and the CWA walked out until recently, members have on more than one occasion held preemptive pickets in many areas on the North-East, but according to some updates I've scanned through, there does not seem to be too much progress as of yet and according to Crain's New York, 91% of workers voted to authorize a strike if the negotiations fail. More at IBEW LU 2222

A little note, while awaiting the approval of the city of New York to alow inner city people to get FiOS, a high speed fiber optic system capable of delivering faster internet and a wide array of television programming, being the newest crap that Verizon wants to sling at us. Verizon has neglected their core landline and DSL customers to the point that we have all went on to bigger and better ventures, such as VOiP, the cable system phone service and eliminating the landline in favor of cell service. According to a friend and shop steward in my area, Verizon has not hired a single street utility worker in the last 6 years. Can't wait for FiOS, that should take around=, um, forever.

The Rally in New York

Many CWA workers from around the East coast along with affected IBEW member will gather in New York City at Verizon's headquarters to tell them thay will not back down and settle for less than what they deserve.

From PR Newswire:

Workers to Rally at Verizon Headquarters for Fair Contract

Media Advisory for Saturday, July 26

NEW YORK, July 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A mass rally outside Verizon Communications headquarters on Saturday, July 26 will bring thousands of Verizon workers and supporters to lower Manhattan, pressing Verizon to negotiate a fair contract. CWA President Larry Cohen, Vice Presidents Chris Shelton, District 1; Ron Collins, District 2 and Ed Mooney, District 13, among other speakers, will join the call for fairness for Verizon workers.

Contract negotiations between the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Verizon are continuing; the contract covering 60,000 workers expires at 12:01 am, Aug. 3.

CWA members from New England to Virginia will join the rally, traveling to show their support for the union bargaining team's determination to achieve workers' goals of quality jobs and quality benefits.

What: Rally to support a fair contract at Verizon

When and Where: Saturday, July 26, at 1 pm, 140 West Street, lower Manhattan.

SOURCE Communications Workers of America

More rally information and pictures from IBEW LU 2222:

Members Rallied at the Allens Ave. Garage in Providence, RI on July 24, 2008 as part of our series of "rolling rallies". Rallies will be held on Saturday July 26 in New York City, and will conclude with a massive rally on Thursday July 31 in Boston (185 Franklin Street, 6 PM)

Good luck CWA and IBEW members,
In solidarity
Joe

Con Edison, Union Continue Early A.M. Negotiations

UPDATE->: There is a tentative agreement, I gotta go to work

UPDATE FROM->:Midnight strike looms for Con Edison workers, keep up to date with the newsfeed

From NY1:

	Con Edison, Union Continue Early A.M. Negotiations
July 02, 2008

As of midnight Wednesday, Con Edison and a union representing 9,000 of the utility's workers were still at the bargaining table, but expected a resolution by morning.

Disregarding a second strike deadline of midnight, the utility and Local 1-2 were continuing negotiations that continued since Tuesday morning.

A union spokesman said that the utility agreed to let workers keep their pensions, but that health benefits and salaries still needed to be finalized.

The spokesman also said that Governor David Paterson was instrumental in resolving tensions, and that without the governor's intervention, the workers would have already been on strike.

Midnight strike looms for Con Edison workers, keep up to date with the newsfeed

Updated again->:Con Edison, Union Continue Early A.M. Negotiations

"As someone who has dealt with incompetence and lies of the top management at Con Ed, I can only imagine what these hard working people who do the real work on the streets are going through," "A strike could lead to a potentially dangerous situation. It took nine days to restore power even with these trained professionals working around the clock. We might still be in the dark if they weren't there."- Queens Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.

Following up on Sunday's story:"Con-Ed to workers: Take your 0.5%, give us a 2-tier and shut up"

From NY1 (7/1/08):

	Midnight Strike Deadline Looms For Con Ed
July 01, 2008

Consolidated Edison and the union representing 9,000 of its workers headed back to the bargaining table today with a midnight strike deadline looming ahead.

The utility and Local 1-2 have been in a "cooling off" period for the last 72-hours, after round-the-clock negotiations this weekend yielded little progress.

Workers say they are prepared to walk off the job at midnight if a new agreement cannot be reached. A spokesperson says wages, health care costs, and pensions remain the sticking points.

Con Ed said supervisors are ready to step in to keep the system running without any disruptions in service. The utility says half of its management rose through the ranks and is familiar with the system.

Yet, Queens Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. said he is worried that a strike could have a large impact.

"As someone who has dealt with incompetence and lies of the top management at Con Ed, I can only imagine what these hard working people who do the real work on the streets are going through," Vallone said in a statement. "A strike could lead to a potentially dangerous situation. It took nine days to restore power even with these trained professionals working around the clock. We might still be in the dark if they weren't there."

A strike would involve electric, gas and steam workers in every borough but Staten Island.

Just for shits and giggles, lets take a looksie

How bout Con Ed's CEO? In 2007 the CEO of Consolidated Edison,Kevin Burke, 57, made a total of $5.5 Million, 24% more than he made in 2006, that would only stand to increase if he brings wages down on this contract, take a look at American Axle CEO’s reward for slashing wages—$8.5 million bonus

Keep up to date with the NewsFeed below

NY: Business, labor and government convened to discuss and learn more about prevailing wage and employee misclassification law.

He also made clear his opinion that in the long run school systems are better served by union, yes he used the "U" word, contractors , as their employees are better trained in both skills and safety.

By Bill The Lather


Commissioner, NYS D.O.L.,M. Patricia Smith

This past Friday, industry leaders from business, labor and government convened to discuss and learn more about prevailing wage and employee misclassification law. Local 46 was aptly represented by Business Agent Ronnie Richardson.

The opening remarks were given by Nassau County Executive, Tom Suozzi, who openly called for business and labor to come together in common interest and forge a Project Labor Agreement that will serve to raise wages, increase the tax base and provide a safer, healthier environment in our schools. He cited the current agreement that exists between the NYC School Construction authority and the NYC Building Trades as a model for just such a plan.

Representatives from Nassau county District Attorney's office, the NYS Attorney General's office, and New York State's Commissioner of Labor, herself, have all put their political will behind these pro-worker pieces of legislation that benefit in turn all residents of the state. In addition to not paying prevailing wages, many unscrupulous contractors will cheat the system by misclassifying workers as "independent contractors." This misclassification results in workers receiving no worker's compensation, unemployment or health care benefits. It also results in the state incurring financial losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Those losses are, of course, passed on to us in the form of property and sales taxes.

Christopher Alund, Director of Public Works for the New York State Department of Labor explained to local school board members that their responsibility to make sure such laws are adhered to are greater than ever before. He also made clear his opinion that in the long run school systems are better served by union, yes he used the "U" word, contractors , as their employees are better trained in both skills and safety. He summed up his presentation by saying: " There is no factual evidence that prevailing wage in any way increases the cost of construction." To me, that sounds like a ringing endorsement for union labor.

Con-Ed to workers: Take your 0.5%, give us a 2-tier and shut up

UPDATED (7/1/08)->: Midnight strike looms for Con Edison workers, keep up to date with the newsfeed

On June 13th. 9000 members of The Utility Workers local 1-2 (UWUA1-2), when faced with the idea of no raise in their upcoming contract(note: the last expired this morning), voted overwhelmingly to strike if their memberships needs were not addressed by the "Privately owned" Consolidated Edison.

In talks with a high ranking official of Local 1-2, the latest offer by Con Ed included a two-tier system where new workers would see a serious lack of benefits, almost no raise and as expected in todays day and age, raises in co-payments of health care. While the Governor has negotiated a 72 hour "cooling off period" whereby negotiations will continue Tuesday at 9AM, and the workers will remain on the job at least until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night, there is the great possibility of a strike as of Wednesday.

According to Stephen Greenhouse and Ken Belson's article in Fridays NY Times, "Union Says It and Con Edison Are Far Apart on Contract", (6/27/08):

The union is opposed to company proposals to phase out a defined-benefit pension plan and to deduct workers’ compensation awards from employee pensions.

“If they continue to press the issue, we will walk,” promised Joe Flaherty, a spokesman for the union, which represents Con Edison workers everywhere but on Staten Island. “It seems to us that they want to force us out.”

Mr. Flaherty said his union was asking for wage increases because of rising prices for fuel, food and other basics. He noted that many cable splicers, meter readers, engineers and others must drive to work because they often travel among several locations.

Mr. Flaherty said that unlike previous negotiations, when only a handful of details remained unresolved so close to the contract’s expiration, this time the two sides had yet to agree on a host of significant issues.

“I’ve never seen it at this stage, when there’s absolutely nothing resolved,” he said. “I would say their position is stonewalling.”

A spokesman for Con Edison, Michael S. Clendenin, declined to respond to the union’s claims, saying: “We don’t negotiate in the press.”

That sounds a lot like the 2-tier system that I warned you about, and has made the auto-industry in the United States a working poor job.

If I worked for Con Ed, i would gladly go on strike, but I await the Main Stream Media's response that will ignore the facts and make it a "Unions fuck the people of New York" front page story like the NY Post editorial which attacked the striking Broadway Stagehands back in November 2007. (see "NY Post spin-doctoring and the IATSE Stagehands" (11/20/07) and "Remember if there is a strike, BLAME AMTRAK, not the union workers!" (1/17/08) )

Be prepared reader, Crain's and some other publications are already trying to make it a construction worker Vs. utility worker fight, meanwhile my source has assured me that they have gotten countless calls of support from other union officials, including many in the Building and Construction trades. They see the writing on the wall, and know that the greater fight is for a better future for New York's workers against this private utility monster.

Privatization Vs. American Workers, what GHI and HIP workers should expect
"One can only hope that the Utility Workers Union is serious about its strike threat. Pulling the workforce off the job for a protracted amount of time may help New Yorkers see that vital city functions such as the operation of utilities cannot be run privately." -Counterhegemonic at Independent Media Center

Talk about avoidance of a real news story, I have been following the misdeeds of HIP for quite some time, since I learned how the company fleeced our tax money to build downtown after 9/11 and promised to keep good paying jobs in the city and then moved those jobs out of the area, in fact 1 1/2 hours away by train to Long Island, in the article "HIP replaces 186 Downtown, NY jobs, breaking a massive promise", and how the privatization of both HIP and GHI will devastate New Yorker's who rely on their medical coverage in the article by "Building Bridges"

Heres a great article I found at NYC Independent Media Center entitled "Con Edison Workers and the Real Face of Privatization" (6/28/08):

Administrative workers at the currently non-profit health insurance companies GHI & HIP face the very real prospect of having their employer become a for-profit company. The exact meaning of this may seem murky. Nearly every study of privatization, particularly privatization in the healthcare industry, has demonstrated that spending on administration increases. Bad news for subscribers who need healthcare but seemingly great news for workers in search of fat paychecks, right?

Well, the more than 9,000 workers currently employed by Con Edison would beg to differ. Contract talks between their now privately held employer and the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 have reached an impasse. The utility's stingy management has offered a 0.5% per -year wage increase and the union has threatened to walk off the job. As usual, the employer has appealed for mediation and "productive discussion" despite the fact that their wage offer is nearly 3% below the annual rate of inflation.

Con Ed supplies and maintains most of New York City's electric, gas and steam service. Since the company was de-regulated in 1998 there have been a series of high profile disasters. In 2005, stray voltage killed a woman who was walking her dog after she stepped on an electrified plate. 2007's disaster was even larger as an 83 year-old steam pipe burst in Midtown resulting in the death of one person and 40 injuries. Finally, the company is largely blamed for a massive blackout in Queens in 2006 for which they offered "inconvenienced" customers a $100 rebate check and a "brief apology."

Con Ed is the largest for-profit utility company in the country. Most urban utilities are either run by state-owned companies or tightly regulated non-profits. Con Ed has also spun out an energy subsidiary called Con Ed Energy which nationally markets electricity produced in NYC plants. This practice is held to be a root cause of a persistent wave of blackouts nation-wide.

So, in NYC a massive for-profit company is charged with servicing an infrastructure which is essentially crumbling under the weight of its own age. There has been no substantial effort post-1970s fiscal crisis to upgrade the urban infrastructure. This is perfectly fine with Con Ed executives as it ensures a steady line of funding for patchwork projects.

Now, however, even this is not enough. Now the company intends to squeeze every last penny out of both NYC citizens and its own workers paychecks. One can only hope that the Utility Workers Union is serious about its strike threat. Pulling the workforce off the job for a protracted amount of time may help New Yorkers see that vital city functions such as the operation of utilities cannot be run privately. The only motivation is profit - whether it come from soaring customer bills, work contracts from our city budget or from the wallets of workers.

Mark this as a little lesson for GHI & HIP workers and other folks facing possible privatization. The promised returns to you are just thinly veiled mirages. Lurking behind the seduction is a grim future where management is preparing to grind every last penny out of your pocket. The less protection you have the easier this will be.

By Counterhegemonic http://counterhegemonic.blogspot.com/

This is the third and last in my tirade against the Main Stream, you can view some of my favorites below:

• Now Big Media can hurt workers better - Freepress (12/19/07)
• I'm As Mad As Hell #1 - "The Part That Big Media Left Out !!! - Union Review (10/27/07)
• Video: Bill Moyers addresses conference for media reform: labor, health care, middle-class, tying it all together - (6/7/08)
• Iraq Veterans Against War, one Long Island mans account, and the bigger issue of propaganda and censorship in the war - (5/7/08)
• Stop union buster Rupert Murdoch from owning more NY media! - (4/24/08)
• Carpenters video release: Globalization, who's next? A must see for all US construction workers (4/7/08)
• KS: State passes bill that will encourage more illegal immigration and punishes unions who try to help the workers (4/2/08)
  
• Slavery: Alive and well in USA Pt.2, Indian pipefitters abused in H2B Visa scam, main stream media picks up story full year after facts are released (3/13/08)
• Anti-Union blogging, adding more misinformation for the masses (1/26/08)
• Center For Union Facts ? Anti-Union Lobby At It's Worst - Union Review (9/17/07)
• Offshoring and H1B Visa abuse, the 1-2 punch to knockout US tech workers (2/26/08)
• The state of the media in the USA today - via Broadcast Union News reposting an article from IBEW Local 1212 website (2/25/08)

The Employee Free Choice Act

Oh, just so I don't forget, those powers that control the media also don't want you to sign the petition that will be delivered to the next president of the United States with 1,000,000 American signatures on it, since I got your attention, give a minute of you time and sign the petition for the Employee free Choice Act. It's getting blatantly obvious that the corporations and the law firms that profit on our misery are terrified of the labor movement and will do everything in their power to curb this legislation. I recently wrote about how with guns and threats towards their employees, and the corporate controlled NLRB, who's last chairman, Robert Battista has joined up with America's largest union-avoidance law firm, how the current system does not work.

Click the image on the left to sign your name to the petition, do it for the 58 million American's who desperately want to be union, but are terrified of the bosses reprisals in the wait between signing the cards and the election.

NY Construction members take to buses to promote unions

The ad is simple and effective and drives home the point that unions are not special interests they are the people who make everything in this country work. - Bill


*Click image for large view

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to make everyone aware of the new bus ad campaign on the NYC buses, sponsored by the Concrete Alliance. It asks the question: "Why Union?" Then it shows a family that is healthy and happy. The ad is simple and effective and drives home the point that unions are not special interests they are the people who make everything in this country work. We often hear talk of family values these days. What higher value can we place on our families than securing the wages, health benefits, and other essential family needs that become available through union membership? I'm really proud of my Local for participating in the campaign.

Bill the Lather

---

Joe's Note: Firstly welcome aboard Bill, it's a privilege to have you writing here, secondly, I am really looking forward to seeing these ad's running on the NYC buses. It's important people know the benefits of union membership.

Heres a little more info from the Concrete Alliance, Inc., who's member unions are sponsoring this ad:

"Unions are all about family values," says says Al Gerosa. President of the Concrete Alliance. Membership brings superior health benefits for union workers and their families. he notes, "and we want qualified non-union workers to be aware of what they can gain by joining."

Families of union members can also enjoy the advantages of middle class living standards. he adds. Followed by a strong pension program when the breadwinner retires. The public benefits as well, because union workers are trained and re-trained in safe working practices. "This emphasis on safety clearly pays off",declares Mr. Gerosa, "because construction sites with union workers have far fewer accidents."

"Raising public awareness of how unions benefit New York City as a whole. especially through improved safety on city streets and construction sites, is another reason for taking to the streets with this new campaign,"

Supporters of the bus advertising campaign include:

• Cement & Concrete Workers District Council
• International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14-14B
• International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 15, 15A, 15B, 15C & 15D
• Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 46
• New York City District Council of Carpenters
• New York Concrete Construction Institute, Locals 6A, 18 and 20
• Teamsters Union Local 282
• United Cement Masons Union Local 780

Word is, many more unions will be advertising on 1010 Wins news in the drive times, thats good news.

NY Construction members take to buses to promote unions

The ad is simple and effective and drives home the point that unions are not special interests they are the people who make everything in this country work. - Bill


*Click image for large view

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to make everyone aware of the new bus ad campaign on the NYC buses, sponsored by the Concrete Alliance. It asks the question: "Why Union?" Then it shows a family that is healthy and happy. The ad is simple and effective and drives home the point that unions are not special interests they are the people who make everything in this country work. We often hear talk of family values these days. What higher value can we place on our families than securing the wages, health benefits, and other essential family needs that become available through union membership? I'm really proud of my Local for participating in the campaign.

Bill the Lather

---

Joe's Note: Firstly welcome aboard Bill, it's a privilege to have you writing here, secondly, I am really looking forward to seeing these ad's running on the NYC buses. It's important people know the benefits of union membership.

Heres a little more info from the Concrete Alliance, Inc., who's member unions are sponsoring this ad:

"Unions are all about family values," says says Al Gerosa. President of the Concrete Alliance. Membership brings superior health benefits for union workers and their families. he notes, "and we want qualified non-union workers to be aware of what they can gain by joining."

Families of union members can also enjoy the advantages of middle class living standards. he adds. Followed by a strong pension program when the breadwinner retires. The public benefits as well, because union workers are trained and re-trained in safe working practices. "This emphasis on safety clearly pays off",declares Mr. Gerosa, "because construction sites with union workers have far fewer accidents."

"Raising public awareness of how unions benefit New York City as a whole. especially through improved safety on city streets and construction sites, is another reason for taking to the streets with this new campaign,"

Supporters of the bus advertising campaign include:

• Cement & Concrete Workers District Council
• International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14-14B
• International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 15, 15A, 15B, 15C & 15D
• Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 46
• New York City District Council of Carpenters
• New York Concrete Construction Institute, Locals 6A, 18 and 20
• Teamsters Union Local 282
• United Cement Masons Union Local 780

Word is, many more unions will be advertising on 1010 Wins news in the drive times, thats good news.

Bloomingdales flagship store in New York gets 4 year deal

A little late news on my part, sorry people. Bloomingdales and RWDSU Local 3 now have 4 year agreement.

From UNI Global Union (5/6/08) :

New York flagship department store gets four year collective agreement

Workers at Bloomingdales, New York's upmarket department store, have achieved a four year collective agreement. The deal came after difficult and drawn out negotiations, where the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union finally was forced to announce a strike on behalf of the 2,000 Bloomingdales workers.

The new contract will give workers an hourly average pay raise of 2,15 USD over the four year period. There is also a productivity bonus of 30 cents, which will depend on the department store's performance. Other benefits include better possibilities for part time workers to get full time contracts.

Ida Torres, President of Local 3 RWDSU was satisfied with the result:

- Our members work hard and deserve all of the benefits of a good contract. We're pleased to have negotiated a new collective agreement with Bloomingdale’s that provides for many improvements and protections including a guaranteed wage increase in each of the 4 years of the contract. I am proud of our members and their resilience and determination to secure a contract that is right for them.

Late last year, RWDSU organised over 1,000 shop workers at leading global fashion retailer H&M after more than 90 per cent of participating employees cast their votes for union representation.

Bloomingdales flagship store in New York gets 4 year deal

A little late news on my part, sorry people. Bloomingdales and RWDSU Local 3 now have 4 year agreement.

From UNI Global Union (5/6/08) :

New York flagship department store gets four year collective agreement

Workers at Bloomingdales, New York's upmarket department store, have achieved a four year collective agreement. The deal came after difficult and drawn out negotiations, where the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union finally was forced to announce a strike on behalf of the 2,000 Bloomingdales workers.

The new contract will give workers an hourly average pay raise of 2,15 USD over the four year period. There is also a productivity bonus of 30 cents, which will depend on the department store's performance. Other benefits include better possibilities for part time workers to get full time contracts.

Ida Torres, President of Local 3 RWDSU was satisfied with the result:

- Our members work hard and deserve all of the benefits of a good contract. We're pleased to have negotiated a new collective agreement with Bloomingdale’s that provides for many improvements and protections including a guaranteed wage increase in each of the 4 years of the contract. I am proud of our members and their resilience and determination to secure a contract that is right for them.

Late last year, RWDSU organised over 1,000 shop workers at leading global fashion retailer H&M after more than 90 per cent of participating employees cast their votes for union representation.

Teamsters 237 Rallies Against Bush's Housing Cuts

Update to: Stand with 500,000 New Yorker's, Teamsters and Housing Authority workers on 5-1-08, Rally at City Hall! (4/10/08)

From Joshing politics (5/1/08) :

Teamsters Local 237 was outside City Hall today on the Broadway side of the park. They had a nice sized rally with a great band to get the rhythm going. The issue at hand is the massive amount of cuts that the Bush Administration has handed the NYCHA and the hundreds of layoffs within the city agency. That dismantling of public housing in New York City is a serious detriment to those that can not afford the rents of five borough. Obviously George Bush doesn't care, but these spirited Teamsters do.

NY: Bloomingdales and RWDSU continue negotiations for 2 more weeks

According to Womans Wear daily (4/30/08):

NEW YORK – The management of Bloomingdale’s and leaders of Local 3 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union have reached a tentative agreement, the retailer said this morning.

The two sides failed to reach an agreement on one issue – health care – and will continue to negotiate that point for two more weeks.

Stuart Applebaum, president of the RWDSU, this morning confirmed that a tentative settlement has been reached. It is subject to ratification by the union membership on Thursday. The union's previous contract expired on March 1, but talks had been extended through tonight. The union had authorized a strike if an agreement couldn't be reached by 6 p.m. Bloomingdale's said the agreement "eliminates any possibility of a strike being called against the retailer."

Original Story (4/27/08)
Read Full Story

NY: Workers Memorial Day construction mass

From 1010 Wins radio (4/28/08)

Construction Workers Hold Mass for Dead Colleagues. Construction workers killed on the job are being remembered at St. Patrick's Cathedral as New York City sharpens its focus on the dangers of their work.

Construction Workers Hold Mass for Dead Colleagues

NEW YORK (AP) -- Holding hard hats high to salute helmets on empty chairs in St. Patrick's Cathedral, thousands of city construction workers Monday paid tribute to their colleagues killed in a growing number of deadly accidents this year.

1010 WINS AUDIO: Al Jones Reports

Construction workers held an unprecedented Mass to remember fallen workers, joined by the families of victims in a March crane collapse and several other high-profile accidents in the city. Many came straight from construction sites in work boots and jeans after several contractors closed down jobs early.

Bells rang as labor officials recited the names of 26 union and nonunion laborers who died in the city in the past year. The dead include six of seven victims of the March 15 crane collapse, a window washer who fell off a Manhattan skyscraper and a man who plunged 40 stories to his death off a Donald Trump tower.

``They didn't die in vain,'' said Father Brian Jordan, who served as a chaplain at ground zero. ``They upheld the dignity of human labor.''

The ceremony was on Workers Memorial Day, which is held annually to commemorate the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act. But city construction workers have not held a Mass this large before and many said the crane collapse called greater attention to the high risks of their industry.

``I went to three funerals in a week'' after the collapse, said Ralph DiDonato, a senior superintendent at Bovis Lend Lease. ``Construction workers are the tightest crew when it comes for caring for people.''

The number of deaths cited at the service does not match the city Buildings Department, which also lists non-construction worker deaths and has said fewer people have died: 13 this year, 12 last year.

Organizers couldn't immediately explain the discrepancy, although federal agencies compile different data for construction-related deaths, sometimes using criteria that include a wider range of projects.

The city's buildings commissioner resigned last week, days after disclosing at a hearing that the building under construction before the crane collapse had improperly received construction permits. The city's acting commissioner, who attended Monday's service, ordered a review of high-risk construction practices, including crane and concrete pouring operations.

Several times the workers raised their hats to nine empty chairs, each with a different colored hard hat and roses or daffodils on the seats. Eight referred to the union construction workers who lost their lives in the past year, while the ninth represented the 18 who died in nonunion jobs, Jordan said.

The workers held a moment of silence after OSHA officials Richard Mendelson and Janet Kenny finished reading the names. Edward Malloy, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council, said prayers are always said on sites when they learn a worker has died.

No one will forget the fallen workers, Malloy said, because ``the legacy of all construction workers ... is the skyline of New York.'

NY: Bloomingdale's flagship store, workers authorize strike

---

*Update-> NY: Bloomingtons and RWDSU continue negotiations for 2 more weeks (4/30/08)

---

RWDSU, The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, workers have voted to authorize a strike if the negotiations have not come to an agreeable contract offer by Thursday. Nearly 2,000 workers will walk out at any time after the deadline, the union is still at odds with Bloomingdale's over health care and wage increases.

The RWDSU is affiliated with the UFCW, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and has recently had a large membership increase with with workers in the union friendly H&M clothing stores sign up. The H&M labor friendly policy was actually what would be expected if there was a passing of the Employee Free Choice Act. They agreed to respect their workers wishes to form a union by a card check, From RWDSU press release (11/20/07) :

Under the terms of an agreement negotiated earlier this year, H & M agreed to a process called “card check recognition” which required the company to respect the decision of employees to have representation once a majority signed cards affirming their support for the union. The company also pledged not to interfere with the workers’ efforts to organize.

“By respecting the right of employees to join our union, H & M is setting an example other retailers should follow,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, adding that he expects the National Labor Relations to certify the union as the workers’ collective bargaining agent.

Bloomingdale's

From NY1 (4/26/08) :

	Bloomingdale's Workers May Go On Strike

April 26, 2008

Workers may hit the picket lines at Bloomingdale’s flagship store on the Upper East Side as early as next weekend.

The famous department store’s employees said they will strike if a contract agreement is not reached by the time their current deal expires on Thursday.

Negotiations between the company's Executive Board and the local chapter of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union have been lasting for more than two months.

A union spokesperson said that negotiations will continue, but nearly 2,000 workers at the store have authorized a walkout. The union said the date for the strike has not been set.

The group is fighting for a general wage increase and to protect the employees' current health coverage.

This would be the first time the store has been shut down by a strike in 43 years.

Stop union buster Rupert Murdoch from owning more NY media!

Every time I see a union person with the NY Post under their arm I wish they had a fucking clue.

In December, the FCC, against 99% of the American publics wishes, overturned a longstanding rule of media, which stopped over-consolidation of media in any one area. That means, there was a rule which made sure that there was a reasonable chance that you might get more than one view on any given story.

Since then Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox Five, News corporation, MySpace (who banned the largest atheist group from its site), etc., the union-busting media tycoon has been on a buying spree, first came the Wall Street Journal and now NY Newsday is on the wish list. If you ever read the way the NY Post, another Murdoch holding, berates union workers you would understand why his ever increasing movement towards monopoly is a dangerous situation. Thats not the only thing, when he chaired News International, a UK organization which encompassed massive amounts of UK tabloids, he pitted unions against one another and forever changed the UK Labour Movement. From Wikipedia, on the 1986 Wapping dispute:

News internationals strategy in Wapping had strong government support, and enjoyed almost full production and distribution capabilities and a complement of leading journalists. The company was therefore content to allow the dispute to run its course. With thousands of workers having gone for over a year without jobs or pay, the strike eventually collapsed on 5 February 1987.

Heres my post in regard to the 12/18/07 FCC allowance of more media consolidation, Originally published on FreePress Action Network (12/19/07):

Now Big Media can hurt workers better

Submitted by Joe638NYC on December 19, 2007 - 11:41pm.

Hello, my name is Joe, I am a rank and file union member and on staff at the independent labor movement website UnionReview.

While we are primarily a labor news site, we also monitors news items that tie directly to the communication of the modern labor movement, such as Network Neutrality, the squelching of free speech and the spin doctoring of main stream media.

This ruling is a tremendous blow to the American working citizen. Information is power, the gathering of ideas based on different points of view is critical. When so very little can brainwash so many, what hope do we have.

Stand up people. Stand up for places such as Workers Independent News and Brain Labor Report, who continuously report on the airwaves about the struggles of the common working man and social injustices that never make it to the main stream.

Labor hardly got any attention in the main stream media before this was passed, and any if broadcast or published almost always portrays union workers as lazy, greedy and enemies of the public. A good case in point is an article I entitled NY Post spin-doctoring and the IATSE Stagehands, in which I retort the Rupert Murdoch News Corp.owned NY Post's so-called editorial about those greedy stagehands that closed down Broadway Thanksgiving week.

Does News Corp., Viacom, Disney, etc. have a stake in portraying unions as bad to the public? Absolutely, they have to negotiate with them at every step of their business, they are the employer, directly and indirectly of writers, screen writers, engineers, truckers, service employees, construction workers, screen actors, communication workers, stagehands, make-up artists and a host of other labor groups. It suits them well that there is a growing majority of ignorant people in this country that believe that unions are bad for them personally. They have the power to repeat in every media form their message and use the theory that if you continuously lie over and over the masses will believe it to be truth.

That suits Big Media and their corporations fine, by leveling the public against workers, by speaking generally without a fact basis, they perpetrate half-truths and outright lies that get embeded into the heart and mind of the public. By instilling hopelessness and fear they divide us into more and more fractions of smaller groups, pitting each against one another, dividing and conquering, making working people feel as if they are lucky to have a job, and that they must accept the final offer by employer.

This is not acceptable for my country, I thank the work of all those who contribute here, I regret that I have found this late, after seeing this at the AFL-CIO WebBlog, I couldn't help but get involved, firstly by writing a story on my new site Joe's Union Review the Anti-Union BlogSpot (theres reasons for the name), porting the story to UnionReview and MySpace, and by posting the links to our site and the AFL-CIO's story globally onto Labourstart, the global newfeed which reaches thousands of labor sites worldwide.

If we do not stop consolidation of the corporate main stream media and we give those same corporations complete control of the internet, our sources for free independent and diversified news and information will dry up.

Sites, such as freepress and UnionReview, that exercise our freedom of speech, that communicate important social matters and move people to take action may no longer be viewable or in the worst case scenario, have nothing to write about.

Thank you for putting this together, please contact me if anything I write at the site is erroneous, or if theres any other way I can help.

I leave you with this

"Such a small percentage try to make the world a better place, leaving the work to a scarce few. If those that did next to nothing did just a tiny bit, the world could be a better place for all." - me 7/7/07"

How dangerous can consolidation be, heres a snip from a report on Murdoch's adventures in China, which explains the European media holdings, From The Guardian.co.uk

But I am sure it is true that anticipatory compliance is Murdoch's most powerful weapon. I doubt he needed to tell all 247 of his editors to support the invasion of Iraq, but they did. He might not even have had to lean on Tony Blair to ensure - as Blair's former spin doctor Lance Price reveals - that no British minister said "anything positive about the euro". Power is sustained not by force but by fear, as everyone seeks to interpret the wishes of his master and to meet them even before he asks.

The Senate Commerce Committee has taken the first step in Vetoing the Dec.18th. FCC ruling. From the Freepress Action Network Blog post "Senate Commerce Committee Did the Right Thing" by jtorres (4/24/08)

The Senate Commerce Committee did the right thing today by unanimously voting out of committee a "resolution of disapproval" sponsored by Sen. Bryon Dorgan (D.N.D.) that would overturn the FCC’s Dec. 18 decision to relax the longstanding limits on how much media one company can own in your town.

It’s the first step toward an official Congressional “veto” of the FCC’s new rule, which permits one company to own both a major daily newspaper and a broadcast outlet in the same market.

Dorgan, as well as Democratic and Republican leaders, had warned FCC Chairman Kevin Martin last December not to lift the 30-year ban that forbids "newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership."

But the Murdoch empire still has NY Newsday (as well as Yahoo) on its to buy list, you can help fight the sale of Newsday by donating to FreePress, from the E-Mail:

Dear Joseph, Chip in to Stop Murdoch and Big Media Before Time Runs Out! This morning, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved the "resolution of disapproval" we've been fighting for. It's the first step toward an official congressional "veto" of the Federal Communications Commission's new rules that gut media ownership limits. This vote couldn't have come at a more important moment. Just this week, Rupert Murdoch announced plans to buy his third New York newspaper — Newsday. (Murdoch already owns the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and two television stations in this one media market!) We can stop this runaway media consolidation by passing the resolution of disapproval in the full House and Senate. To do that, we need your help right now. Donate to Stop Rupert Murdoch and Big Media. Time is of the essence. Senate rules require a floor vote on the veto within the next few weeks. So your immediate contribution is critical. With your support today, the Free Press Action Fund will: Line up more senators to support the resolution. We’ve already secured 25 co-sponsors, and we need to exert serious pressure to get the rest. (Murdoch’s greedy grab for Newsday will help, but you can be sure he’ll be fighting us every step of the way.) Counteract Big Media’s misinformation campaign. Huge newspaper conglomerates like Murdoch’s News Corp. and Tribune Co. are spending heavily to convince Congress that the FCC rules don't go far enough. They want to swallow up even more local media. Setting the record straight. If we can raise enough funding today, part of your contribution will pay for ads to get the attention of Washington decision-makers. Reach out to our hundreds of thousands of media reform activists -- and allied groups throughout the country to make sure they flood the Senate with letters, phone calls and e-mails. Help get this job done -- donate now! Since the FCC plan was announced in December, more than 250,000 activists have called on Congress to block it. Today's vote is the result — proof that when we pull together behind a clear strategic goal, we get results, even though industry lobbyists outspend us in Washington more than 200-to-1. The time to stop Murdoch and Big Media is now. I urge you to make your contribution right away. Gratefully, Alexandra Russell Program Director Free Press Action Fund www.freepress.net P.S. The clock is ticking. We must win full Senate approval of the FCC veto within the next few weeks. That means we must start right now. Please chip in today to win this essential victory for media reform!

Big thanks to the fine people at laborcommunicators Google group for bringing a lot of this to my attention

NY: Workers Memorial Day, construction unions and construction managment to stand together in Construction Workers Memorial Mass at St. Pats

From The planning Committee for the Construction Workers’ Memorial Day Mass:

Dear friends of the BCTC and the BTEA,

Greetings, April 28 is Workers’ Memorial Day and in light of the terrible tragedy of March 15 in the East Side of Manhattan, members both from construction worker unions and construction company management have come together to sponsor a special Construction Workers’ Memorial Mass on that same day. The Mass will begin sharply at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 28th in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st.

All construction workers, union members and construction management personnel are most welcome to attend. Not only will we solemnly remember the six construction workers who were called home to God on March 15 but also the other Workers who died on the worksite since last year’s April Workers’ Memorial Day.


We respectfully request that all construction workers who are attending the Mass as a Sign of solidarity among construction workers in New York City, be by St Patrick’s Cathedral by no later than 1:30 p.m. We will have the New York Police Department coordinate a procession route on 5th Avenue and adjoining streets in which participating construction workers WEARING HARDHATS will process into St. Patrick’s Cathedral where you will be seated by the ushers.


Please bring your hardhats for this procession. You will take them off after the opening prayer! Management is encouraged to join in the procession wearing hardhats as well. Those not wearing hardhats should not process but just enter through the side doors of the church.

HARDHATS ARE MANDATORY!

All family members of our deceased brethren will be up in the front of the church previously seated. All family members should be in the Cathedral by no later than 1:45 p.m. Please identify yourselves to both the ushers and the union representatives who will greet you and escort you to the front of the church of your assigned seating.

The Memorial Mass will include appropriate music performed by the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Music Ministry, readings and the general intercessions to be read by family members. There will be a special ritual of remembrance in which family members, select union officials and management officials will participate to honor our loved ones. Along with the homily, there will be some brief reflections about the solemnity of Workers’ Memorial Day. The Memorial Mass should conclude between 3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Besides the deceased, we will also remember those injured on the worksite this past year.

This Memorial Mass will also serves as a spiritual sign of solidarity among construction workers in our city. This noble profession of construction work poses greater risks than the NYPD or FDNY. Construction workers are more liable to death and injury than most other professions in this great city, THEREFORE, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT ALL UNION CONSTRUCTION WORKERS MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE PRESENT AND PRAY FOR OUR CO-WORKERS AND SHOW SOLIDARITY!

Thank you ---The planning Committee for the Construction Workers’ Memorial Day Mass.

The committee has also made preparations for St. Pats' to waiver the no hat ruling in the church, through dispensation, I have been trying to get this e-mail forwarded to me, I finally found it on Local 157 Blogspot, thanks John

Another NYC construction death

From The New York Times (4/14/08):

Worker Dies in Fall After Nylon Strap Fails
By Thomas J. Lueck

Patricia J. Lancaster, the commissioner of buildings, right, entered the Laurel condominium complex, where a worker fell from the 23th floor on Monday morning. (Photo: David Goldman for the New York Times)

Updated, 3:32 p.m. | A worker who was installing windows in a condominium tower under construction at 400 East 67th Street, near First Avenue, fell to his death around 10:30 a.m. today after a nylon safety strap failed, officials said. The man — who was later identified as Kevin Kelly, 25, of Bayside, Queens — fell from the 21st floor to the 14th floor, but it was not clear what broke his fall, the authorities said. No one else was injured, and it was not clear what caused the fall.

Patricia J. Lancaster, the commissioner of buildings, told reporters at the scene that the worker had been installing windows on the 21st floor and fell when a piece of required safety equipment failed. She said an initial investigation indicated the the man’s D-ring — part of his safety harness that is attached to a hook embedded in the building’s concrete — snapped or somehow gave way.

Ms. Lancaster, who was still on the scene shortly before 1 p.m., said it was unclear who was at fault. “We will be holding the individuals responsible for this terrible tragedy accountable,” she said.

“We are very focused on safety,” Ms. Lancaster said. “Construction companies, owners, architects and engineers have to obey the law.”

She said a second worker, who apparently had witnessed the accident but was not directly involved, complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital for observation. She declined to identify that man, or the one who fell to his death.

Later, the Buildings Department issued this statement from Ms. Lancaster, which offered a revised account of what happened:

Construction site and worker safety begins with proper site safety measures. A tragedy happened here today. It appears the nylon safety strap connecting the worker to the building failed. As part of our investigation, our team is now auditing the method the crews used to install the safety straps throughout the building. We will pursue the toughest enforcement to the full extent of the law. Development cannot be at the expense of the workers building our City. The Buildings Department has imposed a full stop work order on the site. A full safety inspection is under way, and Buildings forensic engineers are investigating the incident.

The worker was employed by New York Window, a subcontractor retained by the general contractor, Hunter Roberts Construction Group, to install window panels. Preliminary reports indicate the accident occurred on the northeast corner of the building’s 23rd floor, and that the worker fell to a 14th-floor balcony. At this time, it appears a failure of the safety strap connecting the worker to the concrete ceiling played a role in the incident.

The building was designed by the architects Costas Kondylis & Partners and is in the process of receiving a LEED certification, awarded by the United States Green Building Council, for environmentally sustainable construction.

The construction manager is the Hunter Roberts Construction Group, a large construction company that is at work on several projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Officials of Hunter Roberts did not immediately return a phone request for comment. The company’s Web site describes The Laurel as luxury condominium, scheduled for completion next January, with 129 apartments, an indoor pool, 14,000 square feet of retail and office space and two levels of underground parking.

The developer is the Alexico Group, based in Manhattan. Officials of Alexico did not return a phone request for comment.
Sewell Chan contributed reporting.

Al Jazeera writes on safety in NY sweatshop construction industry

Other workers say they are discouraged from going to see a doctor when injured. "He tell my friend, if you go to the hospital, tell them you hurt your foot playing soccer,"

In deepest sympathy of the worker who fell to his death today, while trying to find news on the story, I stumbled across this piece from AlJazeera.net (4/7/08):

Workers pay price of NYC boom
By Kristen Saloomey in New York

Activists are concerned that many construction workers in New York do not know their rights

New Yorkers who live next to construction sites – and there are thousands of active sites in the city – have been a little uneasy lately.

A few weeks ago, a crane 60 metres long tipped over, crushing a nearby building and killing seven people.

Four of them were construction workers. *Three of them were just hanging out on a Saturday afternoon.

And it was not an isolated incident. There has been a string of highrise construction accidents in recent months, including two window washers who plunged more than 40 floors to what should have been certain death.

Miraculously, one survived.

Further victims

The fact is, on average one construction worker dies a week in New York City - and for every one killed many more are injured.

Latinos make up the largest, and fastest growing, group of victims, like "Juan", 35, who fell and split his head open on the job three years ago.

Juan had been thrilled to make as much as $130 a day at building sites, enough to take care of himself and his wife and four children back in Mexico.

He could make more money and work fewer hours in construction than he did washing dishes.

Then he fell through a hole in the floor, landing on his back in the cement basement. He lost a lot of blood and was unconscious in the hospital for a week.

Most construction fatalities are the result of falls. Of the 43 incidents that took place in New York in 2006, almost half of them involved Latinos, according to the Department of Labour Statistics.

Fatalities rose 87 per cent that year, the most recent for which numbers are available.

Luzdary Giraldo, an outreach worker for the New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, says the construction industry targets immigrants who do not speak English well.

"They know they don't know about their rights. And they know they will do their job, regardless," Giraldo told Al Jazeera.

"If confronted with dangerous conditions the worker will go and do [the work] because it is the only option he has."

Immigrant issue

Undocumented workers are easy to find. Every morning they group along 69th street in Queens, at a community centre on Staten Island, and in many other New York neighbourhoods where recent immigrants live.

Contractors in vans or pick-up trucks drive up looking for cheap labour. Typically, the workers swarm and there is a brief period of negotiation, then a few men jump in and are whisked off to job sites.

They have been in high demand. Spending on construction climbed seven per cent in 2007 to $26.2 billion, according to the New York Building Congress, a trade organisation.

According to New York Construction Workers United, about 64 per cent of the city's 250,000 construction workers are immigrants who do the vast majority of non-union work.

Basic security equipment like harnesses and – in Juan's case - hard hats are often lacking from job sites.

Those who do receive safety equipment are often forced to pay for it themselves. Many are afraid to complain because they do not want to be blacklisted or risk being deported if they are illegal.

No rights


This man said many injured workers
are too afraid to seek medical help

After two week in the hospital, Juan's boss showed up and took him home.

"He told me it was nothing, I should go back to work the next week," Juan told Al Jazeera through an interpreter. He never went back.

Other workers say they are discouraged from going to see a doctor when injured.

"He tell my friend, if you go to the hospital, tell them you hurt your foot playing soccer," one man told Al Jazeera.

The friend too was afraid to seek medical help.

Giraldo says even undocumented workers have rights in the US, but many do not know it.

The employer is required to pay for on-the-job injuries, and they may also qualify for workers compensation.

Juan remembers being alone in his apartment and barely having the strength to call his wife, two weeks after the accident.

He stayed in bed for months before hiring a lawyer to help him get compensation. He still suffers from dizzy spells, hearing loss and headaches.

Economic pressures

Contractors pick up workers for jobs every
day in New York's Queens neighborhood

Three years later, he has been offered a one-time workers compensation settlement of $35,000, but he does not think it is enough.

He says his two brothers in Wisconsin have been supporting him and his family and he needs more money to pay for his children's education, so they can have a better life in Mexico.

"Like everybody, I come to this country for economic reasons," Juan said.

Now his wife is planning to spend $3,000 to be smuggled across the Mexican border so she can join him in New York and work as a domestic while a grandmother raises the children back home.

Juan has never met his six year-old son, who was born after he left Mexico.

The crane accident has prompted municipalities from cities such as Philadelphia to Dallas to review the regulations governing construction sites – and many have found them lacking.

Advocates like Giraldo feel more has to be done to ensure undocumented workers receive the same treatment as others.

"They are responsible for building the economy," she said.

And one thing is clear after the March crane accident that killed seven people - dangerous construction sites can put the entire public at risk.

*6 workers, 1 pedestrian

Stand with 500,000 New Yorker's, Teamsters and Housing Authority workers on 5-1-08, Rally at City Hall!

Local 237/NYCHA members are stretched to the point of collapse, and residents of public housing – 500,000 citizens of NYC – are threatened with destruction of core services.

From Central Labor Council e-update
Teamsters Local 237 Rally at City Hall to Stop NYCHA Cuts – Thursday, May 1st, 12:00pm at City Hall. During the last eight years, the Bush administration has slashed the budget for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) by $611 million. As a result of the latest cuts announced by Bush, NYCHA has now announced it may be forced to lay off 190 more employees. Local 237/NYCHA members are stretched to the point of collapse, and residents of public housing – 500,000 citizens of NYC – are threatened with destruction of core services. Teamsters Local 237, representing 8,000 employees of NYCHA, has called a rally to spotlight the Bush destruction of public housing in NYC. Show your solidarity by supporting our Local 237 brothers and sisters at this rally!

From Teamster Local 237's website:

The layoffs, scheduled for mid-April, include only one of the 8,000 Local 237 members who work for NYCHA, but lacking support staff, “Members will have to work even harder,” President Gregory Floyd was quoted in The Chief Leader as saying. About 1,500 of our members both live and work at HA facilities. “I hope the residents of public housing who have been silent and who need these services desperately begin to speak out.”

At press time, NYCHA was planning to send a caravan of 20 buses to Albany filled with public housing tenants, tenant advocates and labor union representatives to lobby for increased state funding for NYCHA.
Read More

Bronx, NY: Victory! SEIU 32BJ comes to terms for better contract after strike is called

Update to this mornings->Bronx NY: SEIU 32/BJ walking off the job, 4,000 now on strike!

WOW! Got the news at the New York Central Labor council, sources say the agreement came around 1:00AM. Hope they saw the story on the site. Though it needs member ratification, there is now a tentative agreement on the table.

From NY1 (9 hours ago on 3/20):

Video Link in Real Media format

A strike that would have put thousands of Bronx apartment building workers on the picket line has been avoided.

Local 32BJ announced Thursday morning that it had reached a tentative deal with the Bronx Realty Board after encouraging talks overnight.

Nearly 4,000 building workers threatened Wednesday to walk off the job. About 300 buildings would have been affected.

The new deal calls for a wage increase that amounts to $20 a week for the maintenance workers, porters, and doormen who have been working without a contract. Union leaders say that it is the largest increase ever negotiated with the Bronx Realty Advisory Board.

The new contract also calls for pension increases, along with improved health care and worker training programs.

"They reserve respect and dignity on the job," said Local 32BJ Executive Vice President Kyle Bragg. "One way of doing that is to be able to come to work with a peace of mind, knowing that you make a livable wage and that you have benefits in place that will provide security for yourselves and your family."

"We reached a package we were aiming for and I'm happy," said a union member.

Some local residents who spoke with NY1 said the workers deserve a fair wage.

"The building is clean and they keep in safe," said a Riverdale resident. "They're really great people."

"I hope the garbage doesn't pile up," said another. "But they work very hard and I don't understand why they don't get paid what they deserve."

The three-year contract still needs to be ratified by the union members.

I think the resident were going to be behind them 100%, Joe's Union Review and everyone who the guy who runs this site certainly was. Avoiding a strike is a victory for the workers and for the residents.