I am trying to raise funds from friendly readers and activists to get a batch of hardhat stickers. I have one left from the last batch ... and it is mine! Now I want to get a few thousand to send to anyone who wants them; but I need to raise some funds. The $500 would go to the cost of the stickers and the shipping; the vendor I want to use are GCC-IBT members out of Texas. If you are in, please click the donation button and send over what you can ...Richard has informed us he now has $100 in the till, c'mon people, you like what we do help spread the word, the stickers help.The last batch of stickers were donated and made the rounds. One of my favorite hardhat experiences was going to NY for a confernece and seeing the sticker on a construction worker's hat. We didn't know who each other were -- and it was great to introduce ourselves to one another. He told me he checks the site often and probably got the sticker from Joe, who got a 100 of them when they first came out.
Let's get together and get this going. So far I have put aside $50 toward the campaign, and earlier someone sent in a five, so ... we have 450 to go ... help out, get a sticker, have fun, work safe ...
Showing posts with label UnionReview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UnionReview. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Union Review needs donations for more hard hat stickers
A message from Richard Negri over at Union Review
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The NY Times actually mentions Indian Slave pipe-fitters, Rick Berman, need for teaching about unions, IN: Laborers get 1st raise after 3 years, more
We start with a story that Omaha Steve pointed out in the Labor section at Democratic Underground, it seems that Rick Berman's firm has launched a new nationwide ad campaign against unions and the Employee Free Choice Act.
Richard at Union Review points an article at Forbes, which shows how the corp's are in fear of a rise in union membership.
Laborers Local 274 in Indiana, gets new deal after 3 years without pay raise and strike
- Labor Officials Denounce Union Attack Ads -WCSH6/Maine (6/6/08):
The ads depict workers talking about how unions take away their rights and bully people into joining unions.The next story is by Donald P. Russo, a labor attorney from Bethlehem, PA
"What the ads play on is a sense that, 'I'm not gonna win, I should keep my head down and I can't make a difference, because somebody out there is going to beat me down,'" McKay said. "That's exactly the problem unions see."
- Young people need new lessons about labor unions- The Morning Call.com (6/7/08):
Big business and the Republican Party have done a remarkable job of convincing young people that unions are bad. The propaganda campaign has been a remarkable success. Young people working at low-wage, part-time jobs, with no health insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation or pension benefits actually think that they are doing well and that it would be a bad thing to bring in a union. As an employment attorney, I am seeing situations that are slowly bringing me to the realization that ''union busting'' is now a full-time pursuit in the workplace. What is most disconcerting, however, is the split I am observing among liberal Democrats.Tula Connell over at the AFL-CIO WebBlog brings us some distressing news on the latest unemployment figures
The corporate media mouthpiece Bloomberg may say the nation’s economy is “stalling” in the wake of today’s announcement that the jump in the U.S. unemployment rate is the worst in more than two decades, but working Americans know the real word for it: Disaster.Holy crap, Julia Preston at The New York Times is actually reporting on the Indian slave pipefitter hunger strike
Jobs fell by 49,000 after a 28,000 drop in April, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The unemployment rate increased to 5.5 percent, the fifth straight month in a row that jobs decreased.
Source: Department of Labor. Prepared by the Staff of the Committee on Ways and Means, 5 June 2008.
- Workers on Hunger Strike Say They Were Misled on Visas - NY Times (6/7/08)
Maybe a phone call to The United Association would have been a better idea, Mr. Marler. Fpr more info on this topic and a few other related articles here at Joe's Union Review, check out the links below, maybe the Times has a spot for me.
Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
Reji Davis, center, and other workers from India on a hunger strike on Embassy Row in Washington. They say they were promised permanent residency.“I sold my home to raise that money,” said Mr. Pazhambalakode, 43, who is one of the protesters and has a wife and child. “I can’t go home empty-handed because of that great debt.”
Meanwhile, on the Gulf Coast, Signal was seeking skilled workers, overwhelmed with orders for repairs on oil rigs battered by Katrina.
“We were on our knees,” Mr. Marler said, “and we wanted to contribute to turning the Coast around. We were approached by these labor providers, and we jumped at the chance.”
Richard at Union Review points an article at Forbes, which shows how the corp's are in fear of a rise in union membership.
- Forbes: Fears Of A Union Renaissance- UnionReview (6/6/08):
Forbes is running a piece today called "Fears Of A Union Renaissance." In the article they menion that the US Chamber of Commerce is fearful of a potential union resurgence in the United States.You can see more about their tactics in the first link I posted above, and heres another tactic, illegally firing organizers and union sympathizers...
The article says, "Now the group, which represents business interests, is opposing a laundry list of bills fluttering about Capitol Hill, which the chamber says would make it easier to organize a union, expand worker benefits at the expense of employers and lift the caps on punitive damages sought by employees in lawsuits."
They are referring to the Employee Free Choice Act.
- Starbucks Fires Outspoken Michigan Barista for Union Activity- Starbucks Union(6/6/08):
Starbucks' pretext for the illegal anti-union firing was that Dorsey was guilty of some months-old attendance infractions.Starbucks, I like the coffee and the way they have legal workers in their stores and the fact that their is organizing drives and some union workers, I'm hoping they will have all union stores one day, heres some more Starbucks info at this site, speaking of this site, I got a nice plug from a fellow labor blogger
"Today I joined the growing number of baristas that Starbucks has fired in its relentless union-busting campaign," said Cole Dorsey. "Starbucks' disrespect for the right to join a union is appalling and absolutely will not stop our efforts to have a voice at work."
- New Link - Far Left Field (6/7/08):
If you haven’t checked out the site please do so. The blog is proudly pro-union, despite the strange site address, and covers everything from organizing drives to music to an unbelievable list of labor links that I was shocked to find myself on!He's talking about us here at Joe's Union Review, I'm very proud to have been noticed, I urge my readers to check out the stories there as most are labor related, with social and political issues and some music thrown in. No shock needed, Far Left Field's 3rd article, well over a year and a half ago was about the Employee Free Choice Act, and continues to this day bringing forth labor news and views such as last Fridays "Investing In Workers". Hers some more news
Laborers Local 274 in Indiana, gets new deal after 3 years without pay raise and strike
- Labor strike settled against contractors in Indiana- WISHTV8 (6/5/08):
The laborers asked contractors for more money and better benefits. Union leaders said they just reached an agreement for a new contract and will not be picketing on Friday.Seems they didn't feel like writing much, so heres a bit more from some previous stories
Thursday morning, picketers were outside Wilhelm Construction in Indianapolis, one of Central Indiana's largest contractors. Laborers also picketed in Lafayette, Terre Haute, and Bloomington too.
- Construction workers strike local projects - 18WLFI (6/4/08)
Other building trades are showing support by stopping work on the job sites. Local 274 President Jim Terry said several union contractors who are not part of the Indiana Construction Association have signed an interim agreement with the union.even when they report about it, they seem to get it wrong, they have had a contract, which expired on May 31st., they have not had a raise in 3 years
That temporary agreement will allow work to continue on some construction projects.
Union members said they have not had a new contract in three years and hope an agreement will be reached soon. "In the three years, we haven't had a cost of living increase," Steve Foltz said. "And we're just trying to catch up with the other trades. We're trying to get this settled, hopefully before the end ofthe week. It's just a security thing, a few extra cents to the hour."
- Several construction projects stop -News10 (6/4-5/08)
Indiana State University's new recreation center is supposed to open in 2009, but a dispute between the Laborers International Union of North America Local No. 204, and Hannig Construction could change that if the two don't come to an agreement on a new contract, which ended May 31.Theres some more news out there, check out the headlines over at these blogs and sites
"You would think that the contractors would have enough respect for the people who work on their projects, when they know that they have not had a pay increase in over three years," said Charlie Toth, Business Manager for Local 204.
The NY Times actually mentions Indian Slave pipe-fitters, Rick Berman, need for teaching about unions, IN: Laborers get 1st raise after 3 years, more
We start with a story that Omaha Steve pointed out in the Labor section at Democratic Underground, it seems that Rick Berman's firm has launched a new nationwide ad campaign against unions and the Employee Free Choice Act.
Richard at Union Review points an article at Forbes, which shows how the corp's are in fear of a rise in union membership.
Laborers Local 274 in Indiana, gets new deal after 3 years without pay raise and strike
- Labor Officials Denounce Union Attack Ads -WCSH6/Maine (6/6/08):
The ads depict workers talking about how unions take away their rights and bully people into joining unions.The next story is by Donald P. Russo, a labor attorney from Bethlehem, PA
"What the ads play on is a sense that, 'I'm not gonna win, I should keep my head down and I can't make a difference, because somebody out there is going to beat me down,'" McKay said. "That's exactly the problem unions see."
- Young people need new lessons about labor unions- The Morning Call.com (6/7/08):
Big business and the Republican Party have done a remarkable job of convincing young people that unions are bad. The propaganda campaign has been a remarkable success. Young people working at low-wage, part-time jobs, with no health insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation or pension benefits actually think that they are doing well and that it would be a bad thing to bring in a union. As an employment attorney, I am seeing situations that are slowly bringing me to the realization that ''union busting'' is now a full-time pursuit in the workplace. What is most disconcerting, however, is the split I am observing among liberal Democrats.Tula Connell over at the AFL-CIO WebBlog brings us some distressing news on the latest unemployment figures
The corporate media mouthpiece Bloomberg may say the nation’s economy is “stalling” in the wake of today’s announcement that the jump in the U.S. unemployment rate is the worst in more than two decades, but working Americans know the real word for it: Disaster.Holy crap, Julia Preston at The New York Times is actually reporting on the Indian slave pipefitter hunger strike
Jobs fell by 49,000 after a 28,000 drop in April, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The unemployment rate increased to 5.5 percent, the fifth straight month in a row that jobs decreased.
Source: Department of Labor. Prepared by the Staff of the Committee on Ways and Means, 5 June 2008.
- Workers on Hunger Strike Say They Were Misled on Visas - NY Times (6/7/08)
Maybe a phone call to The United Association would have been a better idea, Mr. Marler. Fpr more info on this topic and a few other related articles here at Joe's Union Review, check out the links below, maybe the Times has a spot for me.
Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
Reji Davis, center, and other workers from India on a hunger strike on Embassy Row in Washington. They say they were promised permanent residency.“I sold my home to raise that money,” said Mr. Pazhambalakode, 43, who is one of the protesters and has a wife and child. “I can’t go home empty-handed because of that great debt.”
Meanwhile, on the Gulf Coast, Signal was seeking skilled workers, overwhelmed with orders for repairs on oil rigs battered by Katrina.
“We were on our knees,” Mr. Marler said, “and we wanted to contribute to turning the Coast around. We were approached by these labor providers, and we jumped at the chance.”
Richard at Union Review points an article at Forbes, which shows how the corp's are in fear of a rise in union membership.
- Forbes: Fears Of A Union Renaissance- UnionReview (6/6/08):
Forbes is running a piece today called "Fears Of A Union Renaissance." In the article they menion that the US Chamber of Commerce is fearful of a potential union resurgence in the United States.You can see more about their tactics in the first link I posted above, and heres another tactic, illegally firing organizers and union sympathizers...
The article says, "Now the group, which represents business interests, is opposing a laundry list of bills fluttering about Capitol Hill, which the chamber says would make it easier to organize a union, expand worker benefits at the expense of employers and lift the caps on punitive damages sought by employees in lawsuits."
They are referring to the Employee Free Choice Act.
- Starbucks Fires Outspoken Michigan Barista for Union Activity- Starbucks Union(6/6/08):
Starbucks' pretext for the illegal anti-union firing was that Dorsey was guilty of some months-old attendance infractions.Starbucks, I like the coffee and the way they have legal workers in their stores and the fact that their is organizing drives and some union workers, I'm hoping they will have all union stores one day, heres some more Starbucks info at this site, speaking of this site, I got a nice plug from a fellow labor blogger
"Today I joined the growing number of baristas that Starbucks has fired in its relentless union-busting campaign," said Cole Dorsey. "Starbucks' disrespect for the right to join a union is appalling and absolutely will not stop our efforts to have a voice at work."
- New Link - Far Left Field (6/7/08):
If you haven’t checked out the site please do so. The blog is proudly pro-union, despite the strange site address, and covers everything from organizing drives to music to an unbelievable list of labor links that I was shocked to find myself on!He's talking about us here at Joe's Union Review, I'm very proud to have been noticed, I urge my readers to check out the stories there as most are labor related, with social and political issues and some music thrown in. No shock needed, Far Left Field's 3rd article, well over a year and a half ago was about the Employee Free Choice Act, and continues to this day bringing forth labor news and views such as last Fridays "Investing In Workers". Hers some more news
Laborers Local 274 in Indiana, gets new deal after 3 years without pay raise and strike
- Labor strike settled against contractors in Indiana- WISHTV8 (6/5/08):
The laborers asked contractors for more money and better benefits. Union leaders said they just reached an agreement for a new contract and will not be picketing on Friday.Seems they didn't feel like writing much, so heres a bit more from some previous stories
Thursday morning, picketers were outside Wilhelm Construction in Indianapolis, one of Central Indiana's largest contractors. Laborers also picketed in Lafayette, Terre Haute, and Bloomington too.
- Construction workers strike local projects - 18WLFI (6/4/08)
Other building trades are showing support by stopping work on the job sites. Local 274 President Jim Terry said several union contractors who are not part of the Indiana Construction Association have signed an interim agreement with the union.even when they report about it, they seem to get it wrong, they have had a contract, which expired on May 31st., they have not had a raise in 3 years
That temporary agreement will allow work to continue on some construction projects.
Union members said they have not had a new contract in three years and hope an agreement will be reached soon. "In the three years, we haven't had a cost of living increase," Steve Foltz said. "And we're just trying to catch up with the other trades. We're trying to get this settled, hopefully before the end ofthe week. It's just a security thing, a few extra cents to the hour."
- Several construction projects stop -News10 (6/4-5/08)
Indiana State University's new recreation center is supposed to open in 2009, but a dispute between the Laborers International Union of North America Local No. 204, and Hannig Construction could change that if the two don't come to an agreement on a new contract, which ended May 31.Theres some more news out there, check out the headlines over at these blogs and sites
"You would think that the contractors would have enough respect for the people who work on their projects, when they know that they have not had a pay increase in over three years," said Charlie Toth, Business Manager for Local 204.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
FAA Inspectors Union Applauds Foreign Repair Station Bill
"Remember, for evil to triumph, good men need only to be silent." - Bill Hohlfeld, Local 46 Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Ironworkers, Labor Management Cooperative Trust
If you write about it, they will read it and eventually, just maybe, something will be done. Many people do not understand the power that is the internet Blogger, this site and many of my fellow labor bloggers sites are actively being read by Senate, Congress, the news media, the FAA, OSHA, as a matter of fact I have noticed quite a few corporations reading stories about their misdeeds. This is power.
The power to change the world.
One of the more recent stories floating around this and other labor sites is the absence of standards for mechanics in countries where aircrafts from American companies are now outsourcing maintenance to, heres 2 recent entries:
With much respect to Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for introducing legislation that all Americans can agree upon, heres the Press Release (excerpted) from PRNewswire (6/5/08):
I'm sure it's not a done deal, but it's a start in the right direction, I personally feel that the American based airlines which sucked our tax money for a bailout after 9/11 and are now sucking our citizens eyes out, shouldn't be allowed to use workers from other nations, but thats just one mans opinion, or is it?
If you write about it, they will read it and eventually, just maybe, something will be done. Many people do not understand the power that is the internet Blogger, this site and many of my fellow labor bloggers sites are actively being read by Senate, Congress, the news media, the FAA, OSHA, as a matter of fact I have noticed quite a few corporations reading stories about their misdeeds. This is power.
The power to change the world.
One of the more recent stories floating around this and other labor sites is the absence of standards for mechanics in countries where aircrafts from American companies are now outsourcing maintenance to, heres 2 recent entries:
- American Airlines, from 911 bailouts, customer rights law overturn, outsourcing, lax FAA enforcement, the Allied Pilots Association and the Teamster
- Southwest Airlines outsources maintenance and puts customers at risk
With much respect to Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for introducing legislation that all Americans can agree upon, heres the Press Release (excerpted) from PRNewswire (6/5/08):
Bipartisan Senate Bill Calls for Increased FAA Oversight of Foreign
Repair Stations
WASHINGTON, June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senators Claire McCaskill
(D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today introduced the Safe Aviation
Facilities Ensure Aircraft Integrity and Reliability Act of 2008 calling
for more strict oversight of foreign repair stations, and the Professional
Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union that represents more
than 11,000 FAA employees, including aviation safety inspectors, are
commending the action. PASS National President Tom Brantley released the
following statement regarding the bill:
"In light of recent failures of FAA management in addressing
inspector's repeated safety concerns in this country, it is clear that the
FAA must be more vigilant in how it oversees the industry. The
McCaskill-Specter SAFE AIR Act takes aggressive action by ensuring that all
major air carrier maintenance work only be performed by certificated repair
stations, that foreign certificated repair stations are inspected at least
twice a year by an FAA inspector, and that all workers working on U.S.
aircraft at foreign repair facilities be drug and alcohol tested. If a
foreign repair facility wants to work on U.S.-registered aircraft or any
aircraft that operates in this country, meeting the same safety standards
as domestic repair stations should be non-negotiable.
''U.S. air carriers are increasingly relying upon overseas repair
facilities to perform critical maintenance work on its aircraft, and yet,
many of these facilities are not subject to the same level of oversight,
scrutiny and inspections as domestic repair stations. With airlines taking
tremendous cost-cutting steps to reduce overhead and operating expenses,
now is the time for the FAA to increase its oversight of airline
maintenance, especially oversees.
I'm sure it's not a done deal, but it's a start in the right direction, I personally feel that the American based airlines which sucked our tax money for a bailout after 9/11 and are now sucking our citizens eyes out, shouldn't be allowed to use workers from other nations, but thats just one mans opinion, or is it?
FAA Inspectors Union Applauds Foreign Repair Station Bill
"Remember, for evil to triumph, good men need only to be silent." - Bill Hohlfeld, Local 46 Metallic Lathers & Reinforcing Ironworkers, Labor Management Cooperative Trust
If you write about it, they will read it and eventually, just maybe, something will be done. Many people do not understand the power that is the internet Blogger, this site and many of my fellow labor bloggers sites are actively being read by Senate, Congress, the news media, the FAA, OSHA, as a matter of fact I have noticed quite a few corporations reading stories about their misdeeds. This is power.
The power to change the world.
One of the more recent stories floating around this and other labor sites is the absence of standards for mechanics in countries where aircrafts from American companies are now outsourcing maintenance to, heres 2 recent entries:
With much respect to Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for introducing legislation that all Americans can agree upon, heres the Press Release (excerpted) from PRNewswire (6/5/08):
I'm sure it's not a done deal, but it's a start in the right direction, I personally feel that the American based airlines which sucked our tax money for a bailout after 9/11 and are now sucking our citizens eyes out, shouldn't be allowed to use workers from other nations, but thats just one mans opinion, or is it?
If you write about it, they will read it and eventually, just maybe, something will be done. Many people do not understand the power that is the internet Blogger, this site and many of my fellow labor bloggers sites are actively being read by Senate, Congress, the news media, the FAA, OSHA, as a matter of fact I have noticed quite a few corporations reading stories about their misdeeds. This is power.
The power to change the world.
One of the more recent stories floating around this and other labor sites is the absence of standards for mechanics in countries where aircrafts from American companies are now outsourcing maintenance to, heres 2 recent entries:
- American Airlines, from 911 bailouts, customer rights law overturn, outsourcing, lax FAA enforcement, the Allied Pilots Association and the Teamster
- Southwest Airlines outsources maintenance and puts customers at risk
With much respect to Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for introducing legislation that all Americans can agree upon, heres the Press Release (excerpted) from PRNewswire (6/5/08):
Bipartisan Senate Bill Calls for Increased FAA Oversight of Foreign
Repair Stations
WASHINGTON, June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senators Claire McCaskill
(D-Mo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today introduced the Safe Aviation
Facilities Ensure Aircraft Integrity and Reliability Act of 2008 calling
for more strict oversight of foreign repair stations, and the Professional
Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union that represents more
than 11,000 FAA employees, including aviation safety inspectors, are
commending the action. PASS National President Tom Brantley released the
following statement regarding the bill:
"In light of recent failures of FAA management in addressing
inspector's repeated safety concerns in this country, it is clear that the
FAA must be more vigilant in how it oversees the industry. The
McCaskill-Specter SAFE AIR Act takes aggressive action by ensuring that all
major air carrier maintenance work only be performed by certificated repair
stations, that foreign certificated repair stations are inspected at least
twice a year by an FAA inspector, and that all workers working on U.S.
aircraft at foreign repair facilities be drug and alcohol tested. If a
foreign repair facility wants to work on U.S.-registered aircraft or any
aircraft that operates in this country, meeting the same safety standards
as domestic repair stations should be non-negotiable.
''U.S. air carriers are increasingly relying upon overseas repair
facilities to perform critical maintenance work on its aircraft, and yet,
many of these facilities are not subject to the same level of oversight,
scrutiny and inspections as domestic repair stations. With airlines taking
tremendous cost-cutting steps to reduce overhead and operating expenses,
now is the time for the FAA to increase its oversight of airline
maintenance, especially oversees.
I'm sure it's not a done deal, but it's a start in the right direction, I personally feel that the American based airlines which sucked our tax money for a bailout after 9/11 and are now sucking our citizens eyes out, shouldn't be allowed to use workers from other nations, but thats just one mans opinion, or is it?
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Jimmy Hoffa, on campaign through PA. stops for an interview on Free Trade
Thanks to Kevin at Union Review for pointing this out, and Richard who wrote about this yesterday
04/08/2008 - 3:05pmRichardHundreds of workers will be out of work once Hershey closes one of its plants in Reading, Pa and moves on off to Mexico.
In an effort to raise awareness of how horrible it is for this to be happening (because of NAFTA), Teamster President Hoffa will be in Reading tomorrow at noon to talk with the workers and the press. If you are there or near, you will want to read this to know where to go.
(continued)
For more than six months, we have covered the news that the Hershey plant in Reading, Pa. would be closing and heading to Mexico. Aside from the insult of making America's favorite food in another country, hundreds of Teamster jobs will be eliminated. (Someone wake me up when NAFTA helps American workers).You might have heard that the Teamsters Union is on a road trip through Pennsylvenia to talk to members about jobs, the economy, this country's failed trade policies and Senator Barack Obama's positions on these and other issues affecting working families.
For more information about the Hershey workers and the decision to move the Pepperment Patty plant to Mexico, check out these stories:
http://unionreview.com/hershey-foods
http://unionreview.com/hersheys-fiesta-when-does-worker-beating-stop
http://unionreview.com/hershey-close-reading-plant
http://unionreview.com/teamsters-hit-road%21
http://unionreview.com/hershey-learns-mexico-and-now-sells-candy-spiffy-new-drug-packets
From (4/9/08) :
Theres a lot more of the interview at that site. Yes, we have been writing about the Hershey's move for quite some time, I would also suggest you watch the Carpenters release about "Globalization" entitled "Carpenters video release: Globalization, who's next? A must see for all US construction workers"Berks County, PA - A mint wrapped in chocolate and dressed in silver and blue is the best example of the failings of the national trade policy, the leader of the country’s most powerful labor union said Wednesday.
James P. Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said the Hershey plant that makes York Peppermint Patties would not be moving to Mexico from Reading at the end of the year if the United States had balanced trade laws.
Companies are moving operations to foreign countries because labor is cheaper, but America is getting nothing in return, he said.
The North American Free Trade Agreement and others based on it should be scrapped and replaced with a policy that says the United States will buy products only from countries that buy products from the United States, he said.
If the balance gets out of whack, America should follow the lead of European countries and impose duties and tariffs, Hoffa said today in an exclusive interview with the Reading Eagle.
WATCH: James P. Hoffa discusses why he is supporting Barack Obama
WATCH: Hoffa talks about his personal life
DISCUSS: Presidential Campaign Forum
“We don’t want to build a wall around America,” he said. “We want fair trade.”
Hoffa, son of the most famous Teamster in history, Jimmy Hoffa, arrived in Berks County in a convoy of four trucks driven by Teamsters.
He talked to about 300 workers at Associated Wholesalers Inc. in Robesonia and 50 workers at the Hershey plant on North Eighth Street.
The message he delivered is that Teamsters should vote for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Pennsylvania’s primary election April 22.
Obama of Illinois and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York are in a tight race for the Democratic nomination.
“I believe he will change this country,” Hoffa said. “I don’t think Hillary is going to change. Hillary is basically the 1990s. We need new ideas.
“He said he will change NAFTA. We’ll take out all of those benefits and subsidies. There would be incentives for companies to stay here.”
Hoffa said he recalls President Clinton saying NAFTA would be wonderful for the country.
“Just the absolute opposite happened,” he said. “It was like a nightmare.”
Job losses, such as the 250 expected at Hershey, hurt the workers and the community in which they pay taxes and buy the necessities, Hoffa said.
“It’s an epidemic,” he said. “It’s got to stop.”
Obama has pledged to create jobs, and one way he would do it would be investing in development of alternative energy sources, Hoffa said.
Instead of making candy, American workers may be manufacturing windmills or generators, he said.
“There are no simple answers to this,” he said. “We could say that there’s no hope, and no matter what we do we’re doomed. I don’t believe that.”
The Teamsters can make a difference in setting policy and the outcome of an election because the union has a membership of more than 1.4 million, including 23,000 workers added in the last 10 months, Hoffa said.
More Teamsters are registered to vote and actually vote than the rest of the population, he said.
“They (candidates) listen to the union,” he said. “We have a major impact on every race.”
Barrie N. Higo Jr. of Maidencreek Township, the head union steward at Hershey, said Hoffa was 100 percent correct.
“You have these companies moving to Mexico and taking our jobs there,” he said. “Are you getting a reduction in candy prices? Absolutely not.
“There’s going to be 250 good jobs leaving Pennsylvania. We’re mad as hell about it. This is what NAFTA has done to this country.”
Contact reporter Mary Young at 610-478-6292 or myoung@readingeagle.com.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Boston Verizon union members proactive in upcoming negotiations.
Attention: Updated (7/25/08)->CWA plans massive Verizon worker rally in New York, IBEW sending members, as contract negotiations continue with Aug.2nd deadline
Update To-> Boston: Stand with IBEW and CWA on March 13th in a practice picket against Verizon
Verizon workers have been proactive in their road to contract negotiations in the coming months, I admire their campaign. Heres some updates and views from their March 13th. practice picketing. From IBEW Local 2222:
Update To-> Boston: Stand with IBEW and CWA on March 13th in a practice picket against Verizon
Verizon workers have been proactive in their road to contract negotiations in the coming months, I admire their campaign. Heres some updates and views from their March 13th. practice picketing. From IBEW Local 2222:
Thursday, March 13, 2008
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
Main Stream Media, are they lazy, or is it in their best interest not to report factual information.
In November 2007, I wrote a story entitled "Slavery Alive and Well In New York and the rest of the US" at Union Review , in which i run through the various ways in which is not only tolerated and unregulated but the facts are so underground the real tallies on these human rights infractions are almost impossible to figure. From the Long Island, NY perfume barons who had actual slaves living in their house, the slave like conditions in which undocumented workers in the construction industry must endure, to the prostitution industry that uses indentured servitude to pay their way to the states which the NY Times reported on way back in 1994. Before that story, back in 7-08, I wrote about the H1B Visa abuse, mostly in the tech sector, that a law firm actually had the audacity to produce a video training seminar where they boast on how to use this procedure. That story, "Corp Objective: Disqualify Qualified American Workers, Get H-1b Visa's For Non-Citizens." and it's follow-up, "Offshoring and H1B Visa abuse, the 1-2 punch to knockout US tech workers" are among my two most read entries since I have been writing about the labor movement. Which brings us to the newest in the trend of slavery and Visa abuse that is alive and well in these United States.
From:ABC News 3-07-08
Whatever your thinking, know this as a fact, this information was out there a full year ago and the suppressive corporate media didn't acknowledge it.
It is us against them, at so many levels. Turn off the damn TV and get to learning.
We knew about the abuses in New Orleans, the facts are never reported on, just take a look at the article at Union review published by Chuck Lazette in Sept 0f 2007, entitled "In the Lawless Post-Katrina Cleanup, Construction Companies Are Preying on Workers", and its further backed by a comment I found on the upcoming attack on the guest commentary found in the NaplesNews that was published on Labor Day in 2007 about unionized teachers entitled "Labor Day ’07: Union bosses’ agenda scary", by corporate lobbyist, and the mind behind "The Center For Union Facts" and other disillusioning bullshit against the people of America, Rick Berman. Here is the counter "attack" and I use the terms loosely, because Mr.Charlie Ward uses FACTS in his comment.
There is a war against the workers here in the United States and using Labor Day to push our faces in it is showing you just how brazen they are. I don't think if you add all the facts you could come to any other conclusion. Rick Berman, who this site got it's name from, has now launched a new agenda, to find the worst unionized teacher, in the same week here in New York the United Federation of Teachers is fighting for the city to keep its funding for students. Yeah those bad teachers fighting for kids. What a bunch of bullies.
In November 2007, I wrote a story entitled "Slavery Alive and Well In New York and the rest of the US" at Union Review , in which i run through the various ways in which is not only tolerated and unregulated but the facts are so underground the real tallies on these human rights infractions are almost impossible to figure. From the Long Island, NY perfume barons who had actual slaves living in their house, the slave like conditions in which undocumented workers in the construction industry must endure, to the prostitution industry that uses indentured servitude to pay their way to the states which the NY Times reported on way back in 1994. Before that story, back in 7-08, I wrote about the H1B Visa abuse, mostly in the tech sector, that a law firm actually had the audacity to produce a video training seminar where they boast on how to use this procedure. That story, "Corp Objective: Disqualify Qualified American Workers, Get H-1b Visa's For Non-Citizens." and it's follow-up, "Offshoring and H1B Visa abuse, the 1-2 punch to knockout US tech workers" are among my two most read entries since I have been writing about the labor movement. Which brings us to the newest in the trend of slavery and Visa abuse that is alive and well in these United States.
From:ABC News 3-07-08
Revolt in Mississippi: Indian Workers Claim 'Slave Treatment'How is it that we have temporary Visa's for Foreign workers when we have vast unemployment here in the United States? It's amazing how they are getting away with this, under the cloak of labor shortages, I fucking know plenty of welders who are quite capable of doing the job for an honest days pay. Never mind the fact that big business wants more Visa's. People's Weekly World has a more in depth article, from way back in March 2007:
Workers Call for Signal International to Be Prosecuted on Alleged Human Trafficking Charges
Rebelling against alleged "slave treatment," some 100 workers recruited from India staged a dramatic protest at a Mississippi shipyard Thursday, claiming they had been tricked into coming to the United States.
The workers, brought from India to work as welders and pipe-fitters at Signal International shipyard in Pascagoula, hurled their hard hats at company gates and demanded a federal investigation.
The workers claim they were defrauded by a Signal International recruiter in India who promised them green cards and permanent residency in the U.S. in exchange for a $20,000 fee. The workers allege that they instead received 10-month work visas, which was only enough time for them to pay off their recruitment fees.
The workers also claim that Signal forced them to live in substandard housing, with 24 men crammed into a small room. The men say Signal charged them more than $1,000 a month to live in company housing.
"For more than one year, hundreds of Indian workers at Signal International have been living like slaves," said former Signal worker Sabulal Vijayan. "Today the workers are coming out to declare their freedom. This trafficking needs to end."
The workers have reported their situation to the U.S. Department of Justice and are calling for Signal International to be prosecuted on human trafficking charges.
Signal International strongly denied the workers' allegations. The company released a statement saying, "Unfortunately, a few of the workers whom Signal had sponsored for H2B visas and recruited have made baseless and unfounded allegations against Signal concerning their employment and living conditions." According to the statement, "The vast majority of the workers whom Signal recruited has been satisfied with the employment and living conditions at Signal."
Signal called its housing complex "state of the art" and said government inspections have "found that Signal's practices and facilities are fully compliant with the law."
The Mississippi Gulf Coast has faced a severe labor shortage in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and many companies have replenished their workforce with overseas labor brought in under a guest worker plan. Human rights groups, however, charge that many foreign workers have been exploited by their employers.
"The U.S. State Department calls it 'a repulsive crime' when recruiters and employers in other parts of the world bind guest workers with crushing debts and threats of deportation," said Saket Soni of the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice. "This is precisely what is happening on the Gulf Coast."
Guest workers fired after protesting ‘slave’ conditionsSuppression of News that mattersHundreds of guest workers from India are protesting conditions in a Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard that immigrant rights activists compare to slavery.
Strike line formed when more than 200 workers walked off of the job at Signal, March 9, in solidarity with at 3 employees that they believe were wrongfully terminated and illegally imprisoned by management on Signal’s property. MIRA photo.
Many of the workers gathered in a church on March 11 in this Gulf Coast port, after their employer, Signal International, threatened to send some of them home. Signal is a large corporation that repairs and services oil drilling platforms around the world.
According to Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, “they were hired in India by a labor recruiter sent by Signal. They had to pay exorbitant amounts to the company, to the recruiter and to the attorney who did the labor certification for them.”
Labor traffickers globalized
Signal brought about 300 workers from India in December to work in its Mississippi yard, and another 300 to work in two yards in Texas. The workers are part of the H2B visa program, in which the U.S. government allows companies to recruit workers outside the country and bring them here under contract. The visas are good for 10 months, but the company can renew them for those it wants to keep longer. The workers must remain employed, and if they lose their jobs, they must go home.Workers say they were promised jobs as welders and fitters, and had to pay as much as $20,000 each to the recruiting contractor, Global Industry. Workers also say they were promised that Signal would refund the money.
Signal H2B worker Joseph Jacobs talking to WLOX reporter March 9, about the general despair of mistreated Indian H2B workers at the Signal International, LLC, plant in Pascagoula, MS, including a young man who attempted suicide when he learned that he might have to return to his country without the opportunity to earn the money he had borrowed to come to the United States. MIRA photo.
“I had to pay $14,000,” says one of those workers, Joseph Jacob. “I worked for years in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, and I spent all the money I had to get the visa, which the recruiter promised would be a permanent residence visa. But that visa never came, and finally he said they could get us a H2B visa. That would give us 10 months of work, and if the company renewed it, we might get as much as 30 months. I thought that was the only way I’d ever be able to get back the money they’d taken.”
Signal put the Indian guest workers to work in the yard alongside U.S. workers doing the same job — welding and fitting. The company claims it pays workers from India the same wages as domestic employees. The guest workers say they were promised $18 an hour, but many were paid only half that after the company said they were unqualified. Chandler says the company recruiter in India determined the workers knew their jobs during the process of hiring them.
The new ‘company town’
Out of their wages, workers pay an additional $35 per day to stay in a labor camp Signal set up inside the yard. “The conditions are very bad here for the H2B workers,” Joseph says bitterly. “Twenty-four of us live in a room in a barracks that measures 12 feet by 18 feet, sleeping on bunk beds. There are two toilets for all of us and only four sinks. We have to get up at 3:30 in the morning, just so all of us have time to use the bathroom before going to work.”
Fired for meetingA month ago, the Indian guest workers began meeting in a local church to discuss how they might get the company to refund the huge sums they paid to come to the U.S., and to protest the bad conditions. They organized a group, Signal H2B Workers United. It was after the company found out, they say, that it accused workers of being unqualified for their jobs and cut their pay. Eight were told they were completely incapable, and Signal announced it was sending them back to India immediately. Joseph was fired. “I am now terminated because I attended the meeting,” he says. “That’s what the company vice-president told me.”
Indian H2B workers from Signal International, LLC, marine fabrication company meet at a Pascagoula hall to strategize how to present their demands against substandard living and working conditions, March 4. MIRA photo.
Signal International President Dick Marler told the Mississippi Press that although workers had been employed since December, the company only discovered recently that they had no skills. Federal law required the company to fire them, he asserted.
Signal did not return calls for this story, but a statement on the company web site says the workers “receive the same pay and are taxed the same as all other Signal craft personnel. Workers from India have a reputation for being pleasant and hard-working.” It quotes Marler, who says, “We are fortunate the U.S. government has such a program that allows us to supplement our workforce during a time of emergency created by hurricanes.”
Deportations, company lock-up
When the company announced the terminations, one worker disappeared. Another, Sabu Lal, slashed his wrists and was taken to the Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula. He told the Mississippi Press that dying would be better than being sent home.
“Lal and I are from the same place in India,” Joseph explains. “I knew he had sold his home, and had no place to return to. He was only able to make back a small part of the thousands of dollars he paid to the recruiter, and he said he couldn’t go home like that.”
Company security guards locked the fired workers in what they call the TV room, and wouldn’t let them leave.
Their co-workers contacted the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, which went to the Pascagoula Police Department. The police went out to the yard and eventually freed the imprisoned workers. Outside the yard, dozens of workers and activists denounced the firings and mistreatment.
DANGER: Guest worker programs“We’ve learned about case after case of workers in Mississippi, Louisiana and all along the gulf in these conditions,” Chandler says. “There are thousands of guest workers who have been brought in since Katrina and subjected to this same treatment. Mexican guest workers in Amelia, La., were held in the same way. They also got organized, and came to Pascagoula to support the workers here when they heard what happened.”
Signal International plant in Pascagoula, MS. MIRA photo.
According to Chandler, Signal imported hundreds of workers from Peru a year ago, and after sending them home, brought the present group of guest workers from India to replace them. He says the experience of these workers highlights the problems inherent in proposals introduced into Congress over the last two years, which would set up similar schemes for the importation of as many as 400,000 guest workers per year.
“Organizations that are fighting for the rights of workers and advocating on behalf of workers should be totally opposed to these kind of programs,” he says. “The conditions that people work in here are so exploitative they’re worse than the conditions for even undocumented workers.”
The Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance and the Southern Poverty Law Center plan to go to court to stop the deportations. Meanwhile, workers say they are determined to continue challenging the company until the money they paid the contractor is returned to them.
Whatever your thinking, know this as a fact, this information was out there a full year ago and the suppressive corporate media didn't acknowledge it.
It is us against them, at so many levels. Turn off the damn TV and get to learning.
We knew about the abuses in New Orleans, the facts are never reported on, just take a look at the article at Union review published by Chuck Lazette in Sept 0f 2007, entitled "In the Lawless Post-Katrina Cleanup, Construction Companies Are Preying on Workers", and its further backed by a comment I found on the upcoming attack on the guest commentary found in the NaplesNews that was published on Labor Day in 2007 about unionized teachers entitled "Labor Day ’07: Union bosses’ agenda scary", by corporate lobbyist, and the mind behind "The Center For Union Facts" and other disillusioning bullshit against the people of America, Rick Berman. Here is the counter "attack" and I use the terms loosely, because Mr.Charlie Ward uses FACTS in his comment.
More for Rick Berman: Why didn't the Right to Work Committee defend the rights of the American workers in Louisianna(which is, after all, a right to work state? Recently, the State of Arizona (which is also a right to work state), passed legislation stating that businesses can not hire illegal workers, and illegals can not own businesses. These illegals are leaving Arizona by hundreds a day, selling their houses, leaving for other states or heading back to their homeland. The U.S. workers of Arizona have had enough of their wages being undermined and demanded change--and they got it. Guess who is challenging this new law? The United States Chamber of Commerce. Where is the outrage by you and the Right To Work Committee? Union membership in Arizona has grown by 30% in the past two years. One wonders why. With respect to The Employee Free Choice Act,tell the truth. The glitch in the bill that you and the Right to Work Committee object to is not the way a union is voted in.(card vs. secret vote--they are both legal and valid, and it is diversionary to assert that this is the issue. The issue really is that this bill would stop management from stalling for time and finding bogus reasons not to sit down and negotiate--just as you and the Right to Work Committee assert that unions use this tactic to slow down a decertification process. What is really not wanted is the clause that would require a federal mediator to step in if management and the union representation can not come together, and any employer who commits unfair labor practices shall be fined $20,000.00 for each violation. Thus far it has been passed by the House and it is up to the Senate. They are being lobbied strongly against this bill---by you know who. You are correct, unions do lobby and donate to politicians that they perceive will help them with their issues. As you know,all union members have the right to use the Beck Right Law, which states that they can request that none of their dues be used for political interests to which they do not subscribe. It's a law. Conversely, anti- union organizations and businesses also lobby strongly and donate heavily for support of their interests. So, where's the beef? It's politics. Right now, the NLRB is stacked with anti-union people, mostly Republicans. And yes, you are right, if the Democrats win, the pendulum will swing the other way. That, too, is politics as usual. The only thing The Right to Work Committee has done has been to assure that an individual does not have to join a union or pay dues, even if there is a union in their workplace. But they have done their best to undermine labor laws for all workers: i.e. minimun wage, overtime laws, OSHA and reduced workmans comp entitlements , which have been reduced as much as 50% in some right to work states already, and other laws which protect the rights of workers both union and non-union. In closing, Mr. Berman, I would like to say that with all the faults unions have, they have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, education, betterment of all races, and for the developing of character in man than any other association of men. Clarence DarrowOne more note about Labor Day, according to WIN, Workers Independent News Radio on 3-14-08 "The Department of Transportation came under fire by Senator Byron Dorgan on Tuesday over a controversial “pilot program” that allows Mexican trucks to operate on US roads.", that program, which is Illegally being funded by Mary Peters DOT, was being pushed into operation directly by President Bush to have had a start date of Labor Day 2007.
Remember, before there is profit, there is labor. Abraham Lincoln (Republican President)
Happy Labor Day. Charlie
There is a war against the workers here in the United States and using Labor Day to push our faces in it is showing you just how brazen they are. I don't think if you add all the facts you could come to any other conclusion. Rick Berman, who this site got it's name from, has now launched a new agenda, to find the worst unionized teacher, in the same week here in New York the United Federation of Teachers is fighting for the city to keep its funding for students. Yeah those bad teachers fighting for kids. What a bunch of bullies.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Boston: Stand with IBEW and CWA on March 13th in a practice picket against Verizon
"I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees"
Lyrics from Ballot's Not Bullet's - 24-7 Spyz
In 143 days the Verizon contract with IBEW Local 2222 workers is set to expire, with the recent misdeeds towards Verizon worker in that area, Verizon's union employees are expecting the worst.
Need we remind you of the returning veteran Terry Skiest flag incident. You know the one where Verizon who was terrified of labor organizers literature being hung in a non-union workplace, that they took three time vet Mr.Skiest's USA and Massachusetts's flag down from the public area and a manager claimed that it "could be considered to be propaganda" and "might be offensive to some workers.". I have wrote on this already and you can read more and take action at PutUpTheFlag.org, this just three months ago, two National Labor Relations Board regional directors charged Verizon Business with "interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights" to join a union.
Needless to say Verizon is not a friend of the worker, so in preparation of hard fighting negotiation's leading to the contract expiration on Aug. 2nd 2008, The joint IBEW/CWA T6 Mobilization Team is hitting the streets this Thursday March 13th. in a practice picket. You can read about it and download the PDF flyer at IBEW local 2222's Website: Verizon - You Will Hear Us Now
Big thanks to the AFL-CIO's Communications Coordinator, Rand Wilson for bring us (UnionReview,AFL-CIO Weblog,etc.) news of this and all communication matters that deal with workers and communities.
Other Links of interest
Lyrics from Ballot's Not Bullet's - 24-7 Spyz
In 143 days the Verizon contract with IBEW Local 2222 workers is set to expire, with the recent misdeeds towards Verizon worker in that area, Verizon's union employees are expecting the worst.
Need we remind you of the returning veteran Terry Skiest flag incident. You know the one where Verizon who was terrified of labor organizers literature being hung in a non-union workplace, that they took three time vet Mr.Skiest's USA and Massachusetts's flag down from the public area and a manager claimed that it "could be considered to be propaganda" and "might be offensive to some workers.". I have wrote on this already and you can read more and take action at PutUpTheFlag.org, this just three months ago, two National Labor Relations Board regional directors charged Verizon Business with "interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights" to join a union.
Needless to say Verizon is not a friend of the worker, so in preparation of hard fighting negotiation's leading to the contract expiration on Aug. 2nd 2008, The joint IBEW/CWA T6 Mobilization Team is hitting the streets this Thursday March 13th. in a practice picket. You can read about it and download the PDF flyer at IBEW local 2222's Website: Verizon - You Will Hear Us Now
Big thanks to the AFL-CIO's Communications Coordinator, Rand Wilson for bring us (UnionReview,AFL-CIO Weblog,etc.) news of this and all communication matters that deal with workers and communities.
Other Links of interest
- Free Choice At Verizon - Site listing Verizon misdeeds
- American rights at Work report: Verizon Violates Workers' Freedom to Form Unions, Abandons Customers 10-22-07
- Union Review:Verizon management boasts about creating new jobs while it is eliminating hundreds of jobs 3-11-08
- IBEW LU 2222: New Jobs at VZ ??? 3-11-08 - blog story for link on report above
- American Rights At Work: Verizon's Broken Promises 10-22-07
- Union Review: Stories on Verizon
- Joe's Union Review: Claiming ignorance, Verizon tolerated illegal alien work force through a subcontractor 2-24-08
- The Bay Ridge Rover: Parents march on Verizon cell store, employees baffled 3-07-08
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Follow up to 'E-Activism can help our returning vets to become workers, not homeless. Help fix the insufficient GI Bill.
Regardless of your views on the war, our returning troops need to get the help they deserve from their former employer, the US government. The last thing we need is more homelessness.
This is a follow up story to: E-Activism can help our returning vets to become workers, not homeless. Help fix the insufficient GI Bill.
Lets help our returning vets, Get E-Active
This is a follow up story to: E-Activism can help our returning vets to become workers, not homeless. Help fix the insufficient GI Bill.
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Reminder: Help give our vets a chance of a secure future of employment. Get E-Active!
There are so many ways we can help our recently returning veterans. The easiest is to send an e-mail via the IAVA: The Iraq and Afghanistan Veteran's of America in support of their 2008 Legislative Agenda. Which I wrote about last week in the story: E-Activism can help our returning vets to become workers, not homeless. Help fix the insufficient GI Bill.
The last thing our country needs is more homeless veterans.
You can help, send an E-Active E-Mail to congress asking for them to adopt the IAVA recommendations on rewriting the GI Bill and while your at it put your name on the petition called Drowning Pool, for better Mental Health Care for our vets.
Click below to see proposals.
As I stated last week:
The last thing our country needs is more homeless veterans.
You can help, send an E-Active E-Mail to congress asking for them to adopt the IAVA recommendations on rewriting the GI Bill and while your at it put your name on the petition called Drowning Pool, for better Mental Health Care for our vets.
New York cracks down on 1099 employee misclassification
From: Change To Win's Web Blog:
We told you back in September about a task force set up by New York Governor Eliot Spitzer to investigate "misclassification" -- the scam where employers weasel out of paying for their workers' health care and benefits by claiming them as "independent contractors", even though they work full time for their company -- in New York State.
Well, yesterday we saw the first results of that task force's work -- a crackdown on misclassifying companies that found millions of dollars in owed payments that New York employers had held back:
In 15 enforcement sweeps, state investigators found $19 million in wages that were not reported to the state and $3 million in underpayments to workers, the state’s labor commissioner, M. Patricia Smith, said at a news conference. Investigators also uncovered nearly $1 million in taxes that had not been paid to the state’s unemployment insurance fund...
In their sweeps, which investigated 117 companies, state officials found that 2,078 employees had been misclassified as independent contractors. The task force also found 646 workers who were owed minimum and overtime wages totaling about $3 million.
Commissioner Smith noted at the announcement that the corporate crooks they caught were just the tip of the iceberg:
“I wouldn’t doubt that 10 percent of the state’s workers are either misclassified as independent contractors or work off the books,” Ms. Smith said.
The task force also published a report on their findings to date -- unfortunately it doesn't seem to be posted on any of the various state government sites yet, but once I track down a copy I'll link it in from this post.
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Huge win, myself and the fellas at UnionReview have been covering this story for quite a while, you can see the links with a search at UR for Misclassification. The intra-agency communication in the misclassification task-force is a big part of it working. Looking forward to seeing this report.
According to the NY Times 2-12-08
Ms. Smith noted that soon after being visited by the task force, one employer began paying unemployment insurance taxes for 205 employees it previously had not reported.
The employers that were found in violation of various state labor laws will be required to pay back taxes, back wages and unpaid workers’ compensation premiums, with state officials often assessing additional penalties.
The sweeps were undertaken by the state’s Labor and Tax Departments, Workers’ Compensation Board and attorney general’s office, and the New York City comptroller’s office.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
E-Activism can help our returning vets to become workers, not homeless. Help fix the insufficient GI Bill.
Regardless of your views on the war, our returning troops need to get the help they deserve from their former employer, the US government. The last thing we need is more homelessness.
How can you help our returning vets? Take a look at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who has made Congressional recommendations in five key areas to assist our new veterans:
You can help, send an E-Active E-Mail to congress asking for them to adopt the IAVA recommendations on rewriting the GI Bill and while your at it put your name on the petition called Drowning Pool, for better Mental Health Care for our vets.
Sources: (1) Associated press (2-7-08) (2) IAVA
(1)Strained by war, recently discharged veterans are having a harder time finding civilian jobs and are more likely to earn lower wages for years due partly to employer concerns about their mental health and overall skills, a government study says.While there are great mostly independently resources such as Helmets to Hardhats, Hire A Hero, VetJobs and for getting them into the workforce once they return. While the health care isn't horrible, it's just not speedily available, the VA cannot adequately help the most severely injured and the veterans must rely on independent groups such as the Wounded Warrior Project, who I featured in an article in Union Review about a retired Fireman and 638 Steamfitter who go to extreme lengths to help the most severely injured to get the medical attention that our own government fails to. How? They go job to job and sell FDNY, NYPD and Union Construction Workers "Support Our Troops" T-shirts. They aren't alone there are hundreds if not thousands who help the WWP, think of all the good an organization like that could do if the government had kept their end of the bargain, and if Congress doesn't step up to the plate, we are going to have quite a few thousand new homeless veterans in this country.
The Veterans Affairs Department report, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, points to continuing problems with the Bush administration's efforts to help 4.4 million troops who have been discharged from active duty since 1990.
The 2007 study by the consulting firm Abt Associates Inc. found that 18 percent of the veterans who sought jobs within one to three years of discharge were unemployed, while one out of four who did find jobs earned less than $21,840 a year. Many had taken advantage of government programs such as the GI Bill to boost job prospects, but there was little evidence that education benefits yielded higher pay or better advancement.
How can you help our returning vets? Take a look at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who has made Congressional recommendations in five key areas to assist our new veterans:
(2)mental health, homecoming, health care and benefits, military readiness and government accountability. From these areas, they have chosen six IAVA Legislative Priorities: for 2008.These men and women who risked their lives for this war need our help. The GI bill needs updating. They need better Mental Health Care.
(2)Rates of psychological injuries among new veterans are high and rising. At least 30 to 40% of Iraq veterans, or about half a million people, will face a serious psychological wound, including depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Multiple tours and inadequate time at home between deployments increase rates of combat stress by 50%.
In addition, when troops are near an exploding mortar or roadside bomb, the blast can damage their brains without visible injury. Traumatic Brain Injury can lead to emotional problems; vision, hearing, or speech problems; dizziness; sleep disorders; or memory loss. Between 150,000 and 300,000 of the 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have traumatic brain injuries.
The ramifications of psychological injuries are clear. Untreated mental health problems can and do lead to unemployment, domestic violence, substance abuse, homelessness and suicide. Twenty percent of married troops in Iraq say they are planning a divorce. At least 40,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been treated at a VA hospital for substance abuse. The current Army suicide rate is the highest it has been in 26 years.
and they need better education.
(2)President Roosevelt spoke more simply:The last thing our country needs is more homeless veterans, they risked their lives for our country.
“[The GI Bill] gives emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down.”
Today, 1.5 million troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to a very different future than the one FDR made possible for the Greatest Generation. The current educational benefits offered to veterans are far lower than the original GI Bill, covering only 60–70% of the average cost of four years at a public college or university, or less than two years at a typical private college. National Guardsmen and Reservists, “citizen soldiers” who leave behind civilian lives to serve alongside active-duty troops, receive even lower education benefits, and are inadequately protected against job discrimination. And Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are already swelling the ranks of the unemployed and the homeless. Nearly 200,000 veterans of all generations are homeless on any given night.
You can help, send an E-Active E-Mail to congress asking for them to adopt the IAVA recommendations on rewriting the GI Bill and while your at it put your name on the petition called Drowning Pool, for better Mental Health Care for our vets.
Sources: (1) Associated press (2-7-08) (2) IAVA
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Postal Employees Say Big Brother Is Watching Them
by Mike Hall at AFL-CIO WebBlog , Jan 24, 2008
Most of us believe our medical records are a private matter between us and our health care providers. But postal employees learned recently the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been snooping into their medical records, according to a suit filed by the Postal Workers (APWU) and Letter Carriers (NALC).
The unions filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Jan. 17. They say that beginning in 2006, the postal service’s OIG began surreptitiously seeking and obtaining the medical records of postal workers directly from doctors and hospitals that had provided medical services to postal employees.
The suit alleges that the OIG has routinely instructed medical providers that they must submit records to the OIG and they should refrain from notifying affected employees that the records have been requested by the OIG. It says the snooping continues and the OIG claims it has a right to review the records as part of oversight or investigatory activities.
The unions are asking the court to declare the practice illegal and issue an injunction against the OIG and the USPS. As APWU President William Burrus says:
will do everything in its power to reign in this outrageous conduct by the OIG. This federal lawsuit is the first step. If more is needed, we will take further action.
Richard Negri at Union Review wonders what would happen if the investigative shoe was on the foot of workers.
Most of us believe our medical records are a private matter between us and our health care providers. But postal employees learned recently the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been snooping into their medical records, according to a suit filed by the Postal Workers (APWU) and Letter Carriers (NALC).
The unions filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Jan. 17. They say that beginning in 2006, the postal service’s OIG began surreptitiously seeking and obtaining the medical records of postal workers directly from doctors and hospitals that had provided medical services to postal employees.
The suit alleges that the OIG has routinely instructed medical providers that they must submit records to the OIG and they should refrain from notifying affected employees that the records have been requested by the OIG. It says the snooping continues and the OIG claims it has a right to review the records as part of oversight or investigatory activities.
The unions are asking the court to declare the practice illegal and issue an injunction against the OIG and the USPS. As APWU President William Burrus says:
I am outraged that OIG would use the tactics of a police state to investigate workers compensation or sick-leave cases. The OIG has no legitimate business investigating routine personnel matters. The use of these methods demands the strongest possible response.NALC President William Young vows NALC
will do everything in its power to reign in this outrageous conduct by the OIG. This federal lawsuit is the first step. If more is needed, we will take further action.
Richard Negri at Union Review wonders what would happen if the investigative shoe was on the foot of workers.
As this slimy, slippery and surreptitious practice continues, the OIG says it has every right to review the records as part of its oversight and investigatory activities…oh really?I had to repost this here, big thanks to Richard Negri and Mike Hall for getting the message out, my local postman couldn't believe it. So I'm gonna print it and leave it in the mailbox for him.
So, I began thinking about this: What if a group of workers, clearly invested in the well-being and longevity of their company or organization, found that their top brass was slacking. They became somewhat concerned as they all agreed they needed their jobs. Then, without saying a word to anyone, began poking at the medical records of said-top brass. What would happen? My educated guess is that we’d have a group working people carted off in chains, loaded into a paddy wagon and beamed out on the six o’clock news.
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