UAW Members Ratify Pact with Oshkosh—and More Bargaining News
UAW members in Wisconsin ratify a new contract with Oshkosh Corp., 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 1,400 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
UAW, Oshkosh Corp.: Members of UAW Local 578 voted to ratify a new five-year deal with Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh, Wis. The 3,100 workers approved the agreement, following two earlier rejections, after the company dropped proposals that would have allowed it to hire temporary workers.
AFT, Philadelphia School District: Teachers at Philadelphia’s public schools approved a one-year contract extension with the school district. The contract now runs through August 2013 and covers 15,000 members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (AFT).
AFSCME, University of California: Patient care workers and service workers at University of California campuses ratified new contracts that will provide wage increases for some 20,000 AFSCME members. The patient care contract runs until Sept. 30, 2012, while the service contract expires Jan. 31, 2013.
300 Join Labor College Fundraising Gala
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Lara Manzione of the National Labor College reports on last night’s “Time to Build” fundraising gala at the college.
Following the first day of the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting held at the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md., the college hosted a “A Time to Build” gala last night. The gala honored Mark Ayers, president of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), and the presidents of five entertainment unions: Ray Hair, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM); Ken Howard, Screen Actors (SAG); Matthew Loeb, Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE); Roberta Reardon, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA); and Nick Wyman, Actors’ Equity (AEA).
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says he selected the NLC as the location for this Executive Council meeting because “education is such an important part of the future of the labor movement, and a key way for us to transmit labor’s values during a time of change in our economy and our society.”
Digital Theft Agreements a Good Start
The next time you download music, a TV program or a video game from the Internet, you may get an alert that you are about to steal copyrighted material.
Internet service providers, payment system operators and motion picture and recording industry officials reached two voluntary agreements last week that will help curb digital theft, copyright infringement and product counterfeiting on the Web.
Using materials produced for the Internet by the actors, writers, musicians and others without these safeguards cheats the creative artists who should be paid for their work, just like any other worker. It is estimated that downloading copyrighted material from the Internet costs 140,000 jobs and more than $5.5 billion in sales each year.
Seattle Theaters Showcase Union Support
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With workers under attack across the nation, all the major theaters in the Seattle area affirmed their support for workers everywhere to organize and bargain collectively. In a statement, 24 theatrical, sound and stagecraft employers, who all have contracts with the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15, said:
We are proud to be a union employer. We are committed to bargain fairly and in good faith with our employees, and to maintaining our history of respect for, and cooperation with, the labor community.
IATSE President Matthew Loeb said:
There are plenty of good employers out there that understand the value of unions to their employees, and respect the bargaining process. It’s encouraging when they say so and I am grateful for their support in these trying times.
Local 15 President Andrew Willhelm added:
This says loud and clear that Seattle is still a union town. Just as in Wisconsin, the public supports labor. We’re doing all we can to make sure that corporate interests don’t hijack our government, the way they have in Wisconsin.
Doctors, Teachers, Bakers and More Win Union Voice
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While Republican lawmakers and right-wing talking heads try to demonize the union movement, physicians, nurses, flight instructors, technicians, bakers and more are the latest workers to choose a voice on the job with AFL-CIO unions.
More than 1,900 AT&T technicians across Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 3 in the Southeastern United States recently joined CWA through majority sign-up. The workers perform installation and repair for AT&T’s U-Verse TV, Internet and voice service.
In Portland, Ore., 156 workers at Dosha Salon and Spa voted for CWA Local 7901 in a hard-fought, 18-month campaign that included fierce anti-union campaign. Organizing Coordinator Al Kogler said the hair stylists, massage therapists, nail technicians, spa hosts, schedulers and laundry workers at the four salon locations didn’t back down.
Instead, the workers stayed upbeat and stuck together, wearing red T-shirts to anti-union meetings and temporary pro-union tattoos.
Soap Cancellations Wash Out Thousands of Jobs
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The cancellation of the ABC soap operas “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” will not only deprive millions of viewers of their favorite shows, it will deprive thousands of union members—actors, crew members, writers and production staff—in Los Angeles and New York of a regular paycheck.
In a statement, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) said the cancellations are “a devastating loss for thousands of AFTRA members.”
The AFTRA actors of these two ground-breaking serial dramas have entertained generations of viewers around the globe for more than 40 years with stellar performances and dedication to their craft.
AFTRA notes that serial dramas, once a prolific source of employment and benefits for television actors, have been challenged by the new economics of television, stating:
Illegal Downloads Steal Wages, Benefits From Workers
Too few people who download entertainment illegally recognize that they are stealing wages and benefits from workers, Paul Almeida, president of the AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees (DPE) told a bipartisan Capitol Hill press conference today.
Almeida joined with members of Congress and business leaders to discuss the continuing harm illegal downloads and other online infringement or counterfeits pose to American jobs and the economy. According to estimates, intellectual property theft costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion every year and results in the loss of thousands of American jobs.
Crew at ‘Biggest Loser’ Back at Work—and More Bargaining News
Some 50 workers reached a contract agreement and are back on the job at the reality show, “The Biggest Loser,” 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 1,300 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
IATSE, Reveille Productions: Striking crew members of reality show “The Biggest Loser” are back at work after they approved an agreement reached between show producers and the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Some 50 workers went on strike Nov. 8, after producers failed to recognize their decision to have IATSE represent them.
Unions Back New Plan to Battle Intellectual Property Pirates
Intellectual property theft—anything from pirated copies of Hollywood blockbusters and popular music to counterfeit brand-name airplane parts—steals American jobs and hurts the economy. This week, the Obama administration outlined a new strategy to stem the global flood of pirated property.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and other union leaders applauded the new battle plan. Says Trumka:
Intellectual property fuels some of the most vibrant sectors of the U.S. economy. When digital thieves steal entertainment, or counterfeiters make cheap copies of quality products, they rob American workers of jobs and income.
Telecom and Satellite TV Workers, Police Officers and More Join AFL-CIO Unions
Telecommunications workers, satellite TV installers, police officers and freight handlers are among the latest workers to win a voice at work with AFL-CIO unions.
In Indiana and Michigan, 315 AT&T Mobility workers joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The former Centennial Wireless workers joined through a majority sign-up agreement between CWA and AT&T.
In Indiana, some 290 customer care representatives at the Fort Wayne call center and a 10-person statewide unit of technicians now are represented by CWA Local 4900. In Michigan, a unit of 15 network technicians from Michigan won representation by Local 4100. Also, in Berlin Township, N.J., 19 workers in the town’s public workers department joined CWA Local 1040.
In Rancho Dominguez, Calif., 204 DirectTV installation technicians voted to join the Machinists (IAM). IAM organizer Felix Osuna says the workers’ concerns included unfair discipline, job security, respect on the job and poor compensation. Also joining the IAM was a group of service contract workers employed by Science & Management Resources Inc., at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.
