tagged w/ Worker's Rights
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"Issue 2 was defeated by a nearly whopping 23-point margin. Regardless of the margin, last night was historic as no Governor of Ohio has ever seen voters repeal any portion of their agenda within the first year in office...is itself incredibly rare...this is the only time it worked. So even a one-vote victory...would have been historic. A twenty-point margin, by comparison, just looked like overkill.”
http://veracitystew.com/2011/11/09/voters-kick-kasich-its-clear-the-people-have-spoken-video/"Issue 2 was defeated by a nearly whopping 23-point margin. Regardless of the... more
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Wisconsin Senate Republicans just rammed through a bill taking away workers' rights. It's shameful, unprecedented, and probably illegal. We can't let them get away with this. We have to recall the Republican state senators who did this.
Progressives in Wisconsin have already gathered thousands of signatures to do just that, but they need our help to get the job done.
Can you help make sure these senators lose their seats over their outrageous actions by chipping in $25 to the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which is organizing the recall efforts right now?
And if you can, chip in to MoveOn to help us keep fighting to save the American Dream in Wisconsin and across the country.
http://www.actblue.com/page/wiscrecallWisconsin Senate Republicans just rammed through a bill taking away workers'... more
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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/new-wisc-gop-governor-pushes-hard-for-rolling-back-workers-rights-by-decades.php
http://firedoglake.com/2011/02/11/late-night-the-shock-doctrine-in-wisconsin/#
MADISON, Wis. —
Gov. Scott Walker says the WisconsinNational Guard is prepared to respond wherever is necessary in the wake of his announcement that he wants to take away nearly all collective bargaining rights from state employees.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Scott Walker proposed stripping nearly all government workers of their collective bargaining rights…. Under his plan, which he’ll include in his forthcoming budget proposal, most state workers would no longer be able to negotiate for better pensions or health benefits or anything other than higher salaries, which couldn’t rise at a quicker pace than the Consumer Price Index.
… He also says this plan is non-negotiable — as in, he’s cut off negotiations with prison guards, teachers and other state workers.
Walker said Friday that he hasn't called the Guard into action, but he has briefed them and other state agencies in preparation of any problems that could result in a disruption of state services, like staffing at prisons.
The governor also said the National Guard is at the ready to take control of state prisons if correctional officers strike or take job actions. No union official has endorsed such a job action, but Walker said he was prepared for any contingency.
The Capitol news conference where Walker announced his plan had unusually high security, with four Capitol police offers stationed outside of it and checking on who was attending the event.
Walker says he has every confidence that state employees will continue to show up for work and do their jobs and he's not anticipating any problems.
His plan would require higher pension and health insurance contributions and remove bargaining rights except in a limited way over wages.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-budgetwoes-nation,0,771747.story
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/02/10/1455148/wis-governor-wants-to-cut-union.html
http://www.jsonline.com/polls/115922949.html?results=y&mr=1&oid=3&pid=115922949&cid=8500544
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/111922624.html
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/111561299.html
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/115911379.html
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/111463779.html
http://www.examiner.com/bronx-county-independent-in-new-york/wisconsin-corporations-skate-as-governor-targets-public-employees
http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/02/11/wisconsin-workers-reeling-from-anti-union-bill/
http://www.thedailypage.com/blaska/article.php?article=32225
http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=32223
http://www.thedailypage.com/blaska/article.php?article=32170
http://www.thedailypage.com/emilyspost/article.php?article=32194
http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=32231
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/blog/article_33e4f1c0-363b-11e0-9d70-001cc4c03286.html
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_731a787a-3644-11e0-8c16-001cc4c002e0.html
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_7ff37af2-3562-11e0-8ff9-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=storyhttp://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/new-wisc-gop-governor-pushes-hard-for-rollin... more
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Wisconsin's new Republican governor has set a new benchmark in fraying state-union relations in the wake of massive GOP victories in the November elections.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Scott Walker proposed stripping nearly all government workers of their collective bargaining rights. And as a warning shot across the bow, he told Wisconsin reporters Friday that he's alerted the National Guard ahead of any unrest, or in the event that state services are interrupted. Under his plan, which he'll include in his forthcoming budget proposal, most state workers would no longer be able to negotiate for better pensions or health benefits or anything other than higher salaries, which couldn't rise at a quicker pace than the Consumer Price Index.
According to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer "The proposal would effectively remove unions' right to negotiate in any meaningful way. Local law enforcement and fire employees, as well as state troopers and inspectors would be exempt."
He also says this plan is non-negotiable -- as in, he's cut off negotiations with prison guards, teachers and other state workers.
Walker's casting the move as a part of a broader need to tighten the state's fiscal belt. But it would basically turn Wisconsin into a right-to-work state overnight.
To get it done, he'll need the help of the newly Republican state legislature. Republicans have a 19-14 majority in the state Senate and a 60-38-1 edge in the state Assembly. The question is whether this plan goes too far even for the Republican legislature -- but he's pushing them to pass the plan quickly.
Workers and their allies are responding as rapidly and forcefully as possible.
more at link...Wisconsin's new Republican governor has set a new benchmark in fraying... more
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The legacy of the Mexican-American civil rights activist and labor organizer lives on, though many farm workers today still struggle to attain the most basic rights.
Today, the birthday of farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez, is celebrated as Cesar Chavez day in eight US states. Most of them mark the occasion with symbolic commemoration, but a few, notably California, have actually made today into an official holiday. Chavez's legacy is so important, however, that there's a movement underway to have the day declared a national holiday.
Chavez (1927–1993), a Mexican-American farm worker and civil rights leader, joined with Dolores Huerta in founding the National Farm Workers Association in 1965, which later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). The first successful farm workers' union in the country, the UFW succeeded in securing some of the nation's most disadvantaged workers better wages, benefits, working and living conditions and job security. The UFW rallying cry, "Sí, Se Puede!" will strike Obama supporters as familiar: In English, the chant is "Yes, We Can!"
If Chavez Day does become a national holiday, it would be more than just another day off work. This is a day not only to celebrate Chavez's positive impact on the rights of farm workers, but also to pay attention to the fact that many farm laborers today, lacking the benefit of union protection, still lack the most basic rights. These workers are often cruelly exploited or even kept as slaves, and the fight for their rights is still agonizingly difficult and too frequently disappointing.
There are brave groups doing something about this situation aside from the UFW, which carries on fighting for its members. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Immokalee, Florida, is organizing a three-day, 25-mile Farmworker Freedom March next month, in which workers will march from Tampa to Lakeland, Florida. The organization is also touring the mobile Florida Modern Slavery Museum around the state to educate people about the fate of modern farm workers.
Additionally, the organization Student Action with Farmworkers has named this Farmworker Awareness Week. So take a moment to think about those who picked the tomatoes in your lunchtime sandwich. And then forward this on to a few others who might appreciate knowing about this too.The legacy of the Mexican-American civil rights activist and labor organizer lives on,... more
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Exploring life in a Dominican Batey (a sugarcane town), the
story follows two Haitian men who live there. Their lives
intertwine in Batey 6, revealing the different realities of
what it is like to live and to work in the sugar cane
economy on the island.
Time: 6pm @ 2nd Ave and 2nd Street
Join us for a brief reception after the film.Exploring life in a Dominican Batey (a sugarcane town), the
story follows two... more
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Want to understand why so many American workers find it so hard to organize unions in their workplaces? Look no further than Wal-Mart, a researcher for Human Rights Watch says.
Wal-Mart is a case study "of the abysmal workers' rights regime we have here in the United States," said Carol Pier, senior researcher on labor rights and trade for Human Rights Watch, an independent, nongovernmental organization that investigates human rights violations around the world.
In a speech last week at the University of Minnesota, Pier described her two-and-one-half-year study of Wal-Mart's labor-management record, which culminated in a 210-page report, issued in 2007, titled "Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart's Violation of U.S. Workers' Right to Freedom of Association."
The report found that while many American companies use weak U.S. laws to stop workers from organizing, the retail giant stands out for the sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of its anti-union apparatus. Many of its anti-union tactics are lawful in the United States, though they combine to undermine workers' rights. Others run afoul of soft U.S. laws.
"I like to think about it as a 'death by small cuts' strategy," Pier told the audience gathered at the University of Minnesota Law School. "And the effect is devastating."
In the course of her research, Pier interviewed dozens of current and former Wal-Mart "associates" (the term the company uses for its employees) and supervisors in six states and pored through thousands of pages of material from the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that enforces U.S. labor law.
Wal-Mart uses a subtle form of union-busting that starts with new employee orientation, where training includes watching an anti-union video, Pier said. The corporation has a 24-hour hotline for managers to report any signs of union organizing activity and a "labor relations team" is quickly dispatched to assess the situation.
Depending on the level of union activity, workers may be subjected to mandatory "captive audience" meetings where they are lectured on the evils of unionism. In some stores, Wal-Mart has crossed the line from subtle to heavy-handed by conducting surveillance on employees, disciplining and firing some.
When those actions are taken – clearly in violation of U.S. labor law – the failings of the system become clear, Pier said. Wal-Mart takes advantage of the exceedingly slow NLRB process to draw out cases for years. When a worker finally wins a case, the company faces no penalty – other than the requirement to reinstate the worker with back pay (minus anything he or she earned in other employment) and to post a notice saying "they won't do it again."
With nearly 1 million employees in the United States, Wal-Mart is the country's largest private employer. Yet none of these workers belongs to a union. Employees at two stores in Quebec, Canada, finally won union representation, but both stores have been closed – the second one earlier this month.
The International Labor Organization has cited the lack of penalties – and the fact that workers can be "permanently replaced" if they strike – as reasons that U.S. labor law fails to meet international human rights standards, Pier said.
more@linkWant to understand why so many American workers find it so hard to organize unions in... more
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More corporate corruption in the name of Coca Cola. From Nazi sponsorship, to racism, to allegations of murder and workers' rights violations in Columbia, Coca Cola like so many other companies shows that it cares little for anything else but profit. Watch and make up your own mind... I however, have not and will not ever use any product put out by this company.
This video has four other parts.More corporate corruption in the name of Coca Cola. From Nazi sponsorship, to racism,... more
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Stuart Townsend, Director/Writer/Producer of film "Battle in Seattle," discusses the riots that erupted around the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 in Seattle, Washington.
Battle in Seattle is In theaters now.Stuart Townsend, Director/Writer/Producer of film "Battle in Seattle,"... more
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"Tensions have flared between Somali workers and officials at a Colorado meatpacking plant over when employees can break for prayer during the Muslim observance of Ramadan."
"Tensions have flared between Somali workers and officials at a Colorado... more
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