Archive for June, 2007
Even Bush’s Labor Dept. Finds Huge Support for Family and Medical Leave
When the Department of Labor in December asked workers and employers to comment on their experiences with regulations that implement the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), many observers believed it was the first step by the Bush administration to revise the rules to restrict access to family leave—as big business has clamored for since it was enacted in 1993.
Under FMLA, companies employing 50 or more people must allow workers up to 12 weeks a year of unpaid leave to care for themselves or family members during illnesses or for the birth or adoption of a child.
The overwhelmingly positive response from workers, family members and other advocates appears to have put the brakes on the corporate-backed changes—at least for now.
Wal-Mart’s China Imports Cost Nearly 200,000 U.S. Jobs
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| Wal-Mart’s imports from China led to loss of nearly 200,000 U.S. jobs from 2001-2006. | |
Wal-Mart claims it creates jobs across America, but a new report shows a much different reality.
The giant retailer’s reliance on cheap goods made in China has cost this country nearly 200,000 jobs since 2001, says the report, The Wal-Mart Effect, by the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute (EPI).
The report shows Wal-Mart has played a major role in creating a record trade deficit with China that has eliminated some 1.8 million jobs, mainly in manufacturing.
The U.S. trade deficit with China reached a whopping $233 billion last year, and imports for Wal-Mart alone accounted for $27 billion—11 percent of that total. This year’s first-quarter $46.4 billion total deficit is twice as large as in the same period last year.
Sicko the Nation’s Health Care? See the Movie and Sign the Petition
This Friday, Michael Moore’s new documentary, “Sicko” opens in theaters nationwide.
The film peels back the curtain on our nation’s health care industry, revealing the plight of millions of Americans who either lack health insurance entirely or suffer because greedy insurance companies refuse to pay for their prescriptions and procedures. (To read our discussion of the film with Michael Moore, go here.)
Political, Union Leaders Say Fight for Employee Free Choice Is Not Over
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The fight to allow workers a free choice to join a union without employer interference is far from over. After a handful of obstructionist senators blocked a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act yesterday, an array of political and union leaders made it clear the momentum is growing for this legislation and that it’s a matter of when, not if, this bill becomes law. The next step: Elect a Senate that will pass the bill and a president who will sign it.
Here’s a sample of some statements issued after the vote:
- AFSCME President Gerald McEntee: “The struggle to enact the Employee Free Choice Act is not over. A majority of senators are now on record supporting an America where the middle class thrives, seniors can afford their prescriptions, parents can afford to send their children to college and workers can afford to retire with security.” (See video.)
House Hearing on Katrina Shows Massive Wage Abuse by No-Bid Contractors
Workers who headed to New Orleans in 2005 to help rebuild the Hurricane Katrina-devastated city were abused and exploited, according to a report by Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) and testimony from worker groups at a House hearing today.
And says Ted Smukler, IWJ public policy director who testified at the hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Domestic Policy Subcommittee:
A series of executive orders by the Bush administration in the wake of Katrina set the stage for a lawless race-to-the-bottom labor market….
Egyptian Labor-Support Organization Banned After Strike Actions
Veteran labor communicator Ray Abernathy is traveling in Egypt, where he is meeting with workers to hear their struggles for justice. Below is Abernathy’s first dispatch from Egypt.
CAIRO—The more than 200 strikes are over. Tens of thousands of workers are back on their jobs, after winning several small but important victories in the most widespread labor unrest in Egypt in decades. But the Center for Trade Union & Workers Services (CTUWS) is out of business, its four offices closed and its activities banned in retaliation by the Egyptian government for the role it allegedly played in sparking the workers’ protest movements and strikes.
Thank Your Senators…Or Tell Them to Stop Obstructing the People’s Will
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A big THANK YOU to all the senators who voted 51-48 for cloture on the Employee Free Choice Act today: All the Democratics, both Independents and one Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.). And a special thank you to Sen. Edward Kennedy, who has championed this bill when it was first introduced in 2003, when many Capitol Hill pundits thought it didn’t have a chance. The union movement and our allies proved the pundits wrong, with a majority in the Senate for the first time in a generation voting for a bill that would level the playing field for workers seeking to form unions.
By voting for cloture, these senators supported efforts to bring the bill to a vote in the Senate. But the 48 Republican senators who opposed cloture basically slammed the door on legislation that would have strengthened the nation’s middle class—and on the efforts of America’s workers to improve their lives and working conditions through unions.
Handful of Senators Deny Employee Free Choice—For Now
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The battle for the Employee Free Choice Act moves to the 2008 election after a handful of obstructionist senators have blocked a vote on the bill. On a vote of 51-48, the Senate voted for cloture, that is, shutting off debate. Sixty votes were needed to invoke cloture and end the debate and move to a vote on the bill. So even though a majority of the Senate voted for cloture, a small group of Republicans denied workers a free choice to join a union.
But the momentum for this bill is growing. The grassroots movement behind this legislation is bigger and more exciting than anyone believed last year. Working families across the country mounted a massive campaign to win passage of the bill. Sixteen governors and nearly 1,300 state and local elected officials expressed support for the legislation in all 50 states. Seven presidential candidates also back the bill.
Senate Vote This Morning on Employee Free Choice
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The Senate will continue debate this morning on the Employee Free Choice Act and likely will vote for cloture on the bill before noon. The cloture motion will determine if the Senate is even allowed a straight up or down vote on the Employee Free Choice Act.
It’s our last chance to contact senators and urge them to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act. Contact your senators here.
The act would level the playing field for workers seeking to join unions. The act would ensure workers have the option to choose a union either through a secret ballot election or majority sign-up (card-check). It also would help eradicate much of the employer intimidation and harassment workers now face when seeking to form a union.
