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Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 675 in Las Vegas ratified a new three-year contract May 24 with Medco Health Solutions Inc., ending an illegal lockout of about 580 mail-order pharmacy workers that began April 5.
Workers had refused to give up their right to bargain over benefits, according to USW. The contract provides for a medical and dental plan that cannot be altered or changed during the life of the contract, USW said. Other benefits such as life insurance and the 401(k) plan are restored.
The agreement, which runs through Sept. 1, 2008, provides an immediate wage increase of 3.5 percent, another 3.5 percent increase this September and a final 3.5 percent in September 2007. Workers also will get three lump-sum bonuses totaling about $3,800.
Union members across the country used their purchasing power to urge Medco to end the lockout and bargain fairly with the USW. More than 6 million union members and their families, about 25 percent of the company’s business, are covered by one of the company’s prescription plans.
USW represents more than 5,100 workers at Medco facilities in Las Vegas; Tampa, Fla.; Willingboro, N.J.; Columbus, Ohio; North Versailles, Pa.; Fort Worth and Irving, Texas; and Liberty Lake, Wash.
UAW Strike at Delphi Authorized…About 95 percent of the 24,000 members represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) at Delphi have authorized a strike if their contracts are canceled by a bankruptcy court or the company.
Delphi and the unions resumed bargaining last week, with General Motors also at the table. Delphi is due back in bankruptcy court May 31. GM had asked the court to adjourn for two months while Delphi and the unions try to reach an agreement, but the bankruptcy judge denied the request. GM wanted the delay, in part, to allow workers to jump through the buyout window that remains open until June 23. Meanwhile, lower-paid temporary workers are being hired to fill spots vacated by retiring workers.
On May 15, The Washington Post had a good profile of Ron Gettelfinger and his history of navigating painful changes as UAW president. The Los Angeles Times also ran an article about Gettelfinger and the tough choices facing Delphi and GM workers.
Other Strike Updates…Nearly 370 members of the United Steelworkers are on strike against Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin, Tenn., in a dispute over employee benefits. USW members rejected a proposed six-year contract offered by the company to replace a four-year pact that expired May 15. The proposed contract would have changed workers’ retirement and health insurance plans at the nuclear fuel facility.
Employees represented by the Electrical Workers (IBEW) at city-owned Cleveland Public Power went on strike May 25. They have been working without a contract for two years. IBEW represents 180 workers, including linemen, workers who care for traffic lights and some responsible for telecommunications. The Cleveland City Council rejected a fact finder’s report and a union offer for binding arbitration.
Meanwhile, some 9,000 steelworkers at 15 Alcoa plants around the nation authorized the USW to call a strike if a settlement for a new agreement is not reached by the contract expiration May 31. The company has been training managers to operate its plants in case of a strike. Find out more at the union’s campaign website: http://www.leavenoonebehind.org/.
Budgets are getting tight for UAW strikers who have been out since March 27 against ESAB Welding in Hanover, Pa. The company is hiring permanent replacements. The UAW and the welding company are negotiating but are stuck over retirement benefits for active workers and mandatory overtime.
AK Steel held its shareholders meeting May 19. The company locked out 2,700 workers at its Middletown (Ohio) Works in March. The CEO told shareholders the union is “out of touch with reality.” The union talked with Wall Street analysts to tell its side of the lockout. The union, Armco Employees Independent Federation, is considering affiliation with the Machinists (IAM). The local made a settlement proposal this week to the company that would put the workers in the IAM pension plan.
Transportation Sector…In California, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) averted a strike by reaching a last-minute agreement with the Riverside Transit Agency. The union, which represents bus drivers and mechanics, reached a tentative contract agreement May 16, just minutes before employees were scheduled to launch what would have been the first strike against the city bus service.
Bus drivers represented by ATU Local 1755 in Denver may strike soon against First Transit, which operates about 20 percent of the city’s public transit system. ATU Local 1001 reached agreement recently covering most of the system after a short strike in April.
On the East Coast, the judge in New York overseeing a $2.5 million fine against Transport Workers (TWU) Local 100 ordered the union to pay monthly installments of $208,000 for a year until the fine is paid. The fine was levied after a five-day strike in December against the Metropolitan Transit Authority. After the city receives the $2.5 million, the union’s right to deduct dues from paychecks will be suspended for at least three months, the city said.
Nearly 25 years ago, nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers, then represented by PATCO, went on strike against the FAA and were fired by former President Ronald Reagan. Today, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) represents the controllers, and they are in a showdown with the FAA over implementation of the agency’s last offer. Legislation before Congress could force arbitration, but the FAA’s offer can be implemented June 5 if no action is taken.
A group that represents retired Delta Air Lines pilots wants a bankruptcy court to reject the latest wage concession agreement with active pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots (ALPA). The retired pilots’ request is due to be heard May 31, the same day the votes by the active pilots on the concessionary agreement will be counted. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) came out in opposition to the Delta deal with the pilots. PBGC says the contract saves $280 million and terminates the pension plan, dumping unfunded obligations on the PBGC while promising pilots $650 million in notes. PBGC says it should get the $650 million to fund the pension plan.
Doing Some Homework…Bucking a national trend, Wayne State University is considering adding health benefits for AAUP-AFT represented faculty retirees. The university has formed a joint committee with the faculty union to study the feasibility of adding school-subsidized health insurance for the retirees. Administrators say such a benefit would help Wayne State attract and retain talent. Retirees now have access to coverage under the university’s employee plans, but they must pay 100 percent of the premiums.
In Los Angeles, six cities in the L.A. Unified School District have made a proposal, backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, to take over control of their schools from the district. Los Angeles teachers represented by a joint AFT-NEA local are seeking a 14 percent pay hike in their negotiations.
In Other News…Alltel and the Communications Workers (CWA) announced a new contract in Kentucky covering 350 local land-line service workers. Alltel is planning to spin off its land-line operations.
Workers at R.J. Reynolds, amid threats and intimidation, reject joint representation by the Machinists (IAM) and the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM). R.J. Reynolds has been on the AFL-CIO boycott list since 1955.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have agreed to back a plan to study advertising industry revenue models with the employers. The commercial industry contract expires Oct. 29, and both sides are in talks to extend the agreement for at least a year while they study the revenue models.
Employees represented by AFSCME Local 1733 in Memphis are fighting a proposed two-year wage freeze sought by the city. The history of negotiations in Memphis is full of strife and violence. Longtime AFSCME leader Taylor Rogers talks about the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike and how things are today.
In Indiana, AFSCME is fighting privatization of state food stamp and welfare program jobs.
Longtime Ladies Garment Workers attorney Morris Glushien passed away May 18 at age 96. Without him, we wouldn’t have the organizers’ home visit. He successfully argued a case (Staub v. Baxley, Ga.) before the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned state laws that sought to nullify the Wagner Act by prohibiting union organizers from contacting workers at home.
The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily bargaining related news and research resources to more than 700 union leaders throughout the country. Union leaders can register for this service through our website at Bargaining at Work.
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[...] The AFL-CIO blog has a weekly digest from their collective bargaining department every week. It’s a gathering of some of the best articles dealing with the labor movement from coast-to-coast. It’s certainly an important resource. [...]