Iowans Tell Wisconsin Gov. Walker to Go Home
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AFL-CIO Field Communications staffer Cathy Sherwin sends us this report.
When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker headed over to Iowa to raise money for the right-wing special interest group, the Heritage Foundation, union members and Occupy Des Moines protesters were there to greet him. A crowd of more than 200 filled the sidewalk outside the fundraiser: teachers and jobless Iowans, construction workers and retirees, community activists and families with children.
Joining the crowd, Iowa Federation of Labor President Ken Sagar talked with reporters about why this “Welcome Walker” protest was so important.
Gov. Walker needs to understand that we recognize what he’s done to working people and the middle class in Wisconsin and we don’t need that here in Iowa. We don’t need to destroy jobs, we need to create jobs.
Inside the private event, Iowa’s Gov. Terry Branstad seems to have been listening intently to Read the rest of this entry »
Midwest Floods Still Rising, Union Members Still There to Help
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AFL-CIO Community Services Director Will Fischer reminds us that residents in the Midwest are still struggling with flood waters—and union members are there to assist them.
As the waters of the Missouri River continue to rise, union members are mobilizing to help and preserve labor landmarks along the river’s bank.
Union members have rushed in to help evacuate those in need from the rising waters, including three of our brothers and sisters from Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7400 who live in Missouri Valley, Iowa. Following an e-mail appeal from Omaha Federation of Labor Community Service liaison Marie Smith, union members showed up en masse with dollies, trucks and moving equipment to help move these families to a safer area.
And as always, the labor movement is keeping a watchful eye throughout the community on the immediate and long-term needs in case the waters spill farther into the community.
Iowa Gov. Won’t Launch Wisconsin-Like Assault on Rights, But Other Threats Remain
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Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R ) says he will not mount an all-out attack on public workers’ right to bargain for middle class jobs like his fellow Republican governors Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio.
“This is not Wisconsin. It’s Iowa,” he told reporters. But he is backing legislation that while not as sweeping as that in Wisconsin and Ohio, would weaken public workers collective bargaining rights.
Also when he took office in January, Branstad issued an executive order banning the use of project labor agreements (PLA) on any construction project that receives state funding.
That has lead to a stand off between Branstad and the city of Cedar Rapids that in December included a PLA for a $75 million convention center complex due to receive $15 million in state funds. The city says the PLA was authorized before Branstad’s order and the governor says he will not release the funds.
PLAs are pre-hire agreements between labor and management. The agreements require all construction jobs to be filled by local workers, include diversity requirements, establish wages and work rules covering overtime, working hours and dispute resolution and ensure that safety guidelines on the job site are enforced.
Iowa Labor 2010: Grassroots Outreach Among Retired Americans
Michael Uehlein, Field Communications director for the Iowa Federation of Labor, sends us this report.
In Iowa today, the Alliance for Retired Americans is on the ground talking with seniors and Iowans about issues that affect retired older Americans. A proud union partner, the Alliance works for the security of working families heading into retirement.
The organization is focused on strengthening Social Security as a safety net for those who have paid into it and, in Iowa and around the nation, is a valuable partner to the labor movement and working families. The Alliance “has been a fantastic asset,” says Iowa AFL-CIO President Ken Sagar.
They’re working not simply for Americans who are currently retired, but for those who will be retired in the future.
Iowa Labor 2010: Staying Home this Election Not an Option
Michael Uehlein, Field Communications director for the Iowa Federation of Labor, sent a report on the 54th Iowa AFL-CIO Convention.
Hundreds of excited and energized union members from around the state gathered in Altoona last week to discuss the future of the union movement in Iowa. Iowa AFL-CIO President Ken Sagar took the opportunity to talk about the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Terry Branstad is not our friend. His policies are an extreme insult to the goals and aspirations of the working people in this country.
Rep. Leonard Boswell (D) opened the convention by informing the crowd of a recently passed jobs bill. Voted on only the day before and immediately signed by President Obama, the bill will send $96 million to Iowa to save the jobs of more than 3,000 firefighters and teachers from across the state. Boswell also spoke of his fight for working families across Iowa.
We can’t go back to the time when your insurance company can drop you while you’re in the hospital.
26,000 CWA Members Approve Pact with AT&T—and More Bargaining News
Some 26,000 CWA members ratify pact with AT&T in the Southwest, 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
CWA, AT&T: AT&T workers in the Southwest ratified a new four-year contract. The 26,000 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 6 had been working under a contract that expired April 4.
IUE-CWA, Dresser Rand: After nearly two years without a contract, workers at Dresser Rand’s Painted Post facility in New York ratified a contract, effective through March 1, 2013. The contract covers 340 members of IUE-CWA Local 313.
Today’s Health Care News
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Here’s the latest news from the battle for health care reform:
• While much of the media focuses on the Senate, the House bill is expected to be released tomorrow, with a vote coming soon. Call your members of Congress and ask them to support real reform.
• In the Washington Post, Harold Meyerson writes that a health care excise tax could hurt middle-class families because companies
have the power to impose health care costs and cutbacks on workers, who have little or no power to resist. if employers opt for cheaper policies to avoid the excise taxes on more expensive plans, their savings may not be passed on to workers as higher wages but simply kept by the employers. Out-of-pocket health costs for workers would rise, but into-pocket wage increases to cover those costs might not be forthcoming.
The senators’ version of health care finance assumes that workers will pocket the benefits of a cost-conscious system. The senators assume wrong.
Employee Free Choice Act: A Signature Battle for Our Future
At the three-day America’s Future Now! conference going on now in Washington, D.C., many workshops are focused on empowering people and building a stronger, fairer economy, and few issues are more critical to those goals than the Employee Free Choice Act and restoring workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life.
At a session this morning on the Employee Free Choice Act, some of the people most involved in the fight to pass the bill discussed why we need it and how we’re going to make it happen.
Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the leadership in the Senate is strongly behind the bill and he won’t back down on giving real freedom to workers who want a union, making sure workers can get a first contract and that there are meaningful penalties to violations of workers’ freedom.
If senators refuse to compromise, if they refuse to come to the table in good faith, I will take the original bill to the floor and demand an up-or-down vote. We will see where everyone stands, and working people can vote accordingly.
5,300 Employees at Southwest Airlines Reach Tentative Pact, and More Bargaining News
Some 5,300 employees at Southwest Airlines reach a tentative pact, and more updates 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
IAM, Southwest Airlines: Some 5,300 customer service and reservation agents at Southwest Airlines, represented by the Machinists (IAM) District 142, reached a tentative four-year agreement. The agreement, which still needs ratification by workers, is retroactive to last year and runs through October 2012.
Workers at American Airlines Protest CEO Bonuses, and More Bargaining News
Workers at American Airlines protest massive stock bonuses for top execs—and more updates 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.
WORK STOPPAGES AND JOB ACTIONS
TWU, American Airlines: Thousands of mechanics and ground workers at American Airlines, represented by the Transport Workers (TWU), protested outside the carrier’s Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters in reaction to the stock bonuses for top executives and managers that were paid out on April 16.
