Politics Major Factor in Decreased Unionization
Many economists and policymakers say the drop in unionization rates is an inevitable consequence of the changing global economy and advancing technology. But a new report finds that national politics plays a bigger role than globalization or technology in the decline in unionization in the United States and the 20 other nations studied.
The report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) looked at 21 countries with advanced economics facing the same globalization and technology changes. It found that economies with few labor protections such as the United States showed a higher decline in unionization rates than nations with economic and national policies where workers’ rights have a more prominent place in the market.
National politics are a major determinant of national unionization rates and changes in those rates in recent decades. At the same time, the data contradict the view that a decline in unionization rates is an inevitable implication of “globalization” or technological change.
Click here for the full report.
At G-20 Summit, Union Leaders to Demand ‘Robin Hood’ Tax on Speculators
As world leaders head to France for the the G-20 economic summit in Cannes, labor leaders from around the globe will gather nearby to represent the needs of the world’s workers. Among their demands is a Robin Hood tax on banks and financial institutions that would exact a nano-percentage of each financial transaction to the tune of 0.5 percent. (See video.) That’s one half of 1 percent on every bond or derivative traded, stocks sold and a host of other “financial instruments” bought and sold by the very institutions bailed out by the world’s taxpayers.
Also known as a financial speculations tax, or a financial transactions tax, the idea is catching on in the United States through the activism of unions, especially the National Nurses United (NNU), which has been joining with Occupy protesters to support the Robin Hood tax. The idea has already gained significant momentum across the pond, where British activists are using creative means, such as this video, to sell the public on the Robin Hood tax.
Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), explains it this way:
Join and Follow Nov. 3 Rallies to Make Wall St. Pay Its Fair Share
From California to Capitol Hill to Cannes, France, on Nov. 3 nurses from National Nurses United (NNU) and other union members and community activists will call on the leaders of the world’s top economies—known as the G-20—to adopt a small Robin Hood tax (financial speculation tax) to create jobs.
The Washington, D.C., action will kick off with a rally at Lafayette Park across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, followed by a march to the U.S. Treasury Department and an afternoon of lobbying Congress. You can join in and follow the action on Twitter with the hashtag #taxwallstreet.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka also will join the Labor-20 in calling on the G-20 leaders to adopt a plan for jobs and recovery that sustains the recovery and stems the immediate jobs crisis.
In addition to the Washington, D.C., event, NNU and nurses from other nations, along with global activists will hold a press conference in Cannes calling for a financial speculation tax. Actions also are planned in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Click here for details.
U.S. Ratchets Up Pressure on Guatemala to Enforce Labor Laws
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The Obama administration is ratcheting up the pressure on Guatemala to enforce its labor laws. Yesterday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced it was moving forward with arbitration against Guatemala for violating fundamental labor rights under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).
Arbitration would be the third step in the process outlined under the DR-CAFTA, to compel a nation to enforce its labor obligations under the agreement. Last May, the United States requested a meeting of the Free Trade Commission—which includes ministers of the member countries—when consultations failed to resolve the dispute. The commission met last June.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka applauds the decision, saying it protects workers’ safety and voices. Read his full statement here.
Decent Work Key To Haiti’s Reconstruction
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| Fire Fighters members of Fairfax County (Va.) Urban Search and Rescue conduct a rescue operation at the Montana Hotel in Port-au-Prince in January 2010. | |
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| Anthony Jones | |
This is a cross post from International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) online.
In this interview, Anthony Jones, the resident representative of the ITUC and the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) in Haiti, highlights the urgency of placing decent work at the heart of Haiti’s reconstruction program after the devastating earthquakes in January 2010. He also insists on the importance of training to support the Haitian trade union movement.
Q: What has been so far the role of decent work in the reconstruction effort?
Jones: The issue of decent work has not been discussed for reconstruction purposes. What has been discussed is creation of jobs, but not decent work. People are operating in the short term and not taking into account standards needed to protect workers and ensure that their rights are also enforced.
Q: Are trade unions prepared to face this massive challenge?
Jones: There is a great need to reorganize in Haiti and help unions to reach out to new members. In construction, for instance, workers are walking round with no protection, no helmet and no gloves on. The international trade union movement should be in this area. You would go to make the sector safer. It would create a class of workers that are skilled and who could work effectively and be a valuable part of the reconstruction process.
Financial Speculation Tax Could Help Heal America
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When the Statue of Liberty got “sick” over what’s happening to her country, the nation’s nurses rushed to New York City to try and help her get well.
One by one, members of National Nurses United (NNU) and their friends diagnosed what was making Lady Liberty ill. Some of the people were victims of the foreclosure crisis spawned by Wall Street’s greed. Others were victims of a broken health care system. Even more were jobless.
Finally, Lady Liberty perked up when one person pointed to the Stock Exchange across the street and said the nation needs a financial speculation tax to make Wall Street pay its fair share to heal America.
This street theater was the centerpiece of a huge protest as thousands of working men and women converged on Wall Street today to demand that the same financial market speculators who plunged our economy into the recession pay to rebuild the nation. Chanting “Hey Wall Street! Heads Up! The People Won’t Give Up,” the crowd of union members, faith and community activists rallied today as part of a global day of action for a financial speculation tax.
First Step in China Trade Policy—Stop Currency Manipulation
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The U.S. government, American businesses and consumers all can play a role in combating China’s unfair trade policies that are weakening the nation’s economy, stealing jobs and giving China unparalleled economic advantages.
But the first steps must be taken by the government to declare China a currency manipulator—either through legislation or executive action—and then follow through with sanctions if China fails to respond, said a panel of trade and economic experts this morning at a special China trade policy forum in Washington, D.C.
The forum, sponsored by the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA), used the recent book Death by China: Confronting the Dragon—A Global Call to Action as the jumping off point for the discussion.
Authors Peter Navarro, professor of economics and public policy at the University of California-Irvine, and Greg Autry, an entrepreneur and educator, explore China’s trade policies, near nonexistent workers’ rights laws, environmental standards, product safety rules and its military and espionage actions. Death by China shows how those policies threaten the U.S. economy and jobs.
Immediate action must be taken on currency manipulation, said Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and former chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden.
China Drops Some Wind Power Subsidies After USW Complaint
Here’s some good news on the trade front: U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk announced today that China has ended certain wind power equipment subsidies that gave its companies an unfair advantage in the global market.
The action came after the United Steelworkers (USW) filed a Section 301 trade complaint last October charging that China’s government uses hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, performance requirements, preferential practices and other illegal trade activities to dominate the renewable energy market.
The subsidies take the form of grants to Chinese wind turbine manufacturers that agreed to use key parts and components made in China rather than purchasing imports. The size of the individual grants range between $6.7 million and $22.5 million, according to the USTR.
Rebuilding Economy Requires New Policies, Focus on Manufacturing
The United States can lead the global economy of the future but it will require a combination of government policies that level the playing field and encourage manufacturing and innovation and corporations willing to make changes in the way they do business, three experts said today.
By moving our manufacturing overseas in search of short-term profits, we are losing our edge in innovation, Ron Bloom, assistant to President Obama for manufacturing policy, said today. A strong manufacturing base is essential to test and improve those new ideas, he said.
Chandra Brown, president of United Streetcar, the nation’s only streetcar manufacturer, agreed with Bloom, saying her company makes sure the engineers and designers work closely with the workers on the floor to get new ideas perfected quickly. But you can’t do that, she said, when the production floor is overseas and the designers are here.
Join STITCH’s Delegation to Learn About CAFTA’s Impact
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Join the human rights advocacy group STITCH and the women of its Central America Network of Women for Social and Economic Justice on a 10-day delegation July 27 to Aug. 6, 2011, to Honduras to see firsthand the impact of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) five years later.
Women workers are hit particularly hard by the global economy because they are concentrated in low-wage jobs and are often the least likely to belong to a union. Participants will meet with women union leaders in various industries, including teachers, nurses and women in the textile and banana sectors.
You will hear how the 2006 passing of CAFTA has affected the lives of women in the past five years and the challenges facing women workers throughout the region. You also will experience the unique methods used to empower and organize women in their unions and workplaces in an intense two-day retreat with nearly 40 women from Central America.
