Archive for November 24th, 2008
U.S. Government Using Rusty Tools to Watch Development Money
One way President-elect Obama can make the federal government more efficient and effective is by adopting practices already used by state and local governments to ensure that companies receiving economic development subsidies are held accountable for creating jobs and protecting the environment.
A report, Uncle Sam’s Rusty Toolkit, released recently by Good Jobs First, together with the AFL-CIO, Change to Win, Green for All, the National Employment Law Project and the Partnership for Working Families, examines five large, commonly used federal programs that together pump more than $8 billion into the economy each year.
The report found that all five of the federal programs are far behind similar state and local programs when it comes to having rules in place to make sure taxpayer money is being spent for what it was intended. Local governments also have created better strategies to use economic development money to address climate change issues, the report says.
CNN Ordered to Rehire 110 Workers Fired for Belonging to a Union
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This report likely won’t be on CNN’s “Headline News,” but after five years, former workers at CNN have finally gained justice. In a decision made public today, an administrative law judge ordered the network to rehire 110 workers who were fired because they were union members. CNN also was ordered to recognize the workers’ unions, National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA (NABET-CWA) locals 31 and 11.
Judge Arthur Amchan found that CNN violated the rights of more than 250 employees at the network’s bureaus in Washington, D.C., and New York City when it ended its subcontract with Team Video Services (TVS), whose employees were represented by NABET-CWA. He also ruled that CNN discriminated against TVS employees who wanted to continue working at CNN’s bureaus to avoid having to recognize and bargain with the union.
Senate Candidate Martin Joins Union Phone Bank as Election Approaches
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Just eight days remain to get out the vote in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff election between Jim Martin, an ally of working families, and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, a Bush crony who repeatedly has voted against the interests of workers.
Martin, who is campaigning hard around the state, dropped in on the phone bank at the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 613 union hall in Atlanta for a visit last week. Jimmy Hyde, Labor 2008 director for Georgia, reports that Martin phone banked alongside hardworking union volunteers.
Martin…reiterated to everyone how important and meaningful the work we are doing is. Martin acknowledged that we need the labor movement to win this election and that union volunteers reaching out to their brothers and sisters during the phone banks, worksite leaflets, labor walks, and through local union mail are going to make the difference.
Georgia’s union members are mobilized around the state to get out every vote in this critical election.
Screen Actors Seek Strike Authorization
Members of the Screen Actors (SAG) will soon begin voting on a strike authorization after talks between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) broke off early Saturday morning. SAG had asked a federal mediator to join the talk, but after 27 hours of marathon negotiations, the mediator was unable to broker an agreement. In a statement, SAG said:
Management continues to insist on terms we cannot responsibly accept on behalf of our members. As previously authorized by the National Board of Directors, we will now launch a full-scale education campaign in support of a strike authorization referendum. We will further inform our members about the core, critical issues unique to actors that remain in dispute.
35,000 Theatrical Stage Employees Set to Get New Pact and More Bargaining News
Some 35,000 members of Theatrical Stage Employees agreed to a tentative three-year contract, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
IATSE, Major Studios: Some 35,000 members of the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) agreed to a tentative three-year contract with the major Hollywood studios. The current agreement is set to expire in August 2009. The proposed replacement agreement was modeled on similar pacts negotiated by writers, directors and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) that established pay terms for programs streamed on the Web.
