Workers Join AFSCME, Machinists and IUE-CWA in Recent Campaigns
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Some 2,600 family child care providers in New Mexico recently voted to join Child Care Providers Together (CCPT)/New Mexico, an AFSCME affiliate. Meanwhile, aerospace workers in Georgia voted for Machinists (IAM) representation and car rental workers in Boston chose IUE-CWA.
In New Mexico, the child care workers—who care for children whose parents are eligible for state child care assistance—topped off their three-year fight for a voice at work last week when their vote to join CCPT was certified.
In April, Gov. Bill Richardson (D) signed legislation the workers had fought for since 2006 to win the right to join a union to improve their lives and the quality of home child care services in the state.
22,000 L.A. Workers Win Pact with City that Saves Jobs—and More Bargaining News
Some 22,000 Los Angeles workers win pact with city that prevents layoffs—and more bargaining news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,200 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
Multiple, City of Los Angeles: The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved a pact with the Los Angeles Coalition of City Unions, a group made up of AFL-CIO and Change to Win unions and representing 22,000 city workers. The agreement avoids layoffs and furloughs and will save the city more than $77 million by offering an early retirement plan, reducing the number of hours worked and postponing pay raises until after 2011. A deal with the Los Angeles Police Protective League/IUPA also was approved Friday and will save the city $63 million.
Washington Workers and Supporters Rally to Save People With Disabilities
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This cross-post from AFSCME highlights the protest by members of AFSCME Local 573 in Washington State against Gov. Chris Gregoire’s (D) plan to close two residential facilities to help balance the state budget.
Members of the Washington Federation of State Employees (AFSCME) Local 573, Council 28, the City Council of Medical Lake and community supporters are protesting the planned closure of Lakeland Village, a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities. Council 28 and others say the state did not take into account the cost of relocating most of the patients to state-run group homes or privately supported living facilities.
The shutdown of Lakeland Village is part of the governor’s Office of Financial Management’s plan to close down all of the state’s intermediate care facilities by 2018.
“This isn’t about saving money,” said Council 28 President Carol Dotlich, who joined the picket at the governor’s Spokane office Oct. 19.
It’s about letting for-pay corporations into the state and making some money off our disabled citizens.
Federal Judge Blocks California In-Home Service Cuts
This cross-post from AFSCME reports the good news that a judge has blocked California’s plans to reduce or drop in-home care services for 130,000 people.
United Domestic Workers Homecare Providers Union (UDW/AFSCME) and its partners in a class-action lawsuit have won a key victory in their battle to prevent as many as 130,000 low-income seniors and people with disabilities from losing critical in-home care services.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland this week issued a preliminary injunction stopping the state from changing rules in November that would have caused 40,000 people to lose in-home services, such as meal preparation and housekeeping. Services for another 90,000 would have been significantly reduced.
AFT Civil Rights Conference: Help Turn America Around
Public school teachers must work hard to make the nation’s schools places where the suffering of the nation’s children is alleviated. In her keynote address to AFT’s Civil, Human and Women’s Rights conference, Oct. 23-25 in Miami, union President Randi Weingarten said teachers can help turn America around by advocating for change inside and outside the classroom.
Building on the conference theme, “Rise, Advocate, Collaborate, Educate: Our Civil Rights,” Weingarten urged the hundreds of union members and allies to fight for health care reform, affordable housing and after-school activities for students, as well as for tools and resources in the classroom.
Said Weingarten:
We know that it takes a village to raise children. We have to pull in partners and fight to ensure that parents and children get the services they need.
Karen See Elected to Lead CLUW
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Delegates to the 15th Bienneial Convention of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) earlier this month looked to the future by electing a new slate of officers. Karen See, a member of the Postal Workers (APWU), was elected president, succeeding Marsha Zakowski.
More than 600 delegates and observers at the convention in Los Angeles discussed strategies for building the organization and recruiting younger members.
See says the convention theme, “The Rising Tide of Change: Activism, Leadership–Union Women!!” summarizes her goal of rejuvenating CLUW and getting union women more involved in the leadership of the union movement.
1,800 Boeing Workers Ratify Pact with Pay Increases—and More Bargaining News
Some 1,800 Boeing workers ratify pact with pay increases, 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 1,200 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
UAW, Boeing: Members of UAW Local 1069 at Boeing’s Rotorcraft plant near Philadelphia ratified a new five-year contract yesterday, after their contract expired Oct. 1. The new pact covers nearly 1,800 workers and includes annual raises between 2 percent and 4 percent and improves pension benefits.
Wisconsin Soldier Answers the Call
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This cross-post from AFSCME profiles Sgt. 1st Class Chet Millard, one of hundreds of AFSCME members serving their country in the active military in Iraq and Afghanistan. Millard was on the Oct. 12 cover of Time magazine.
Every day, public service workers answer the call of duty. Many—police officers, firefighters and corrections officers, for example—take enormous risks to save lives.
Others keep our roads in good repair, make sure our children arrive safely at school and perform back-breaking work caring for the sick and disabled.
Others, like the hundreds of AFSCME members who have been placed on active military duty since 2001, have gone an extra mile by serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or in the United States.
Sgt. 1st Class Chet Millard is one of these dedicated public service workers. Employed as a corrections officer at the Jackson Correctional Institution in Black River Falls and a member of Local 219 (Council 24), the 32-year-old commander of Wisconsin National Guard’s 951st Engineer Company has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.
AFSCME Members Make ‘House Calls for Health Care’
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Across the country this weekend, AFSCME nurses and community leaders made house calls, getting their neighbors mobilized to pass health care reform that provides affordable coverage to everyone. These nurses and volunteers asked the people they visited to contact their senators and House members and demand health care reform that really works.
Clad in green scrubs, the AFSCME members went door to door in key states, including Arkansas, Nebraska, Maine, Ohio, North Dakota, Louisiana, Indiana and Delaware. Working America members also took part in door-to-door canvasses for health care reform.
Valentina Zamora-Arreola, a registered nurse in Arkansas, said that health care workers see every day the need for a fairer system:
One of the most important things that we want to see is that healthcare reform is done right. We want to make sure that nurses have their voice out there. We deal with the people when they are sick and we want to make sure that we are looking at healthcare reform options and that we have a public health option.
Union Movement Rallies in Solidarity with Puerto Rican Workers
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| Thousands of workers rallied in Puerto Rico against the governor’s drastic layoffs. The sign says “Give me back my job.” | |
In states across the country, working people marched and rallied in solidarity today with their Puerto Rican brothers and sisters against draconian budget cuts and cancellation of their collective bargaining rights.
As 200,000 people march in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to protest Gov. Luis Fortuño’s plan to slash the budget deficit on the backs of workers, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka sent a letter of support and solidarity and rallies were held in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities.
In his letter of support, which was read at the San Juan rally, Trumka said:
We are fully aware of the attacks being afflicted on the workers and their families on your island and we will do whatever we can to stop them. We are completely committed to bringing the full force of the AFL-CIO to fighting for the rights and well being of our affiliated unions, their members, and the people of Puerto Rico.
