Another Lawmaker Calls for T-Mobile to Respect Workers’ Rights
 |
After meeting with T-Mobile USA workers in his home state of Connecticut over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) sent a letter to Rene Obermann, CEO of T-Mobile’s parent Deutsche Telekom, urging the company to respect the rights of T-Mobile workers to make a decision about whether to unionize in an open, free and fair environment.
“The right of workers to unionize is guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act and is critical to a healthy workforce,” Blumenthal said in the letter.
Employees who wish to collectively bargain through a union should be able to do so without fear of discrimination or reprisal. I expect that T-Mobile management will cease all intimidation tactics and allow these technicians and all Connecticut T-Mobile employees to have the uninhibited opportunity to vote on union representation.
Sen. Cardin: New NLRB Rules Afford Workers the Right to Vote
 |
Speaking on the Senate floor, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin (D) eloquently described why new rules proposed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week would help level the playing field for financially struggling workers and their families. Statements supporting the proposed rule by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) follow.
“Mr. President, I rise today to praise the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for issuing new proposed rules that will modernize the process that workers use to form a union. These new rules will improve the consistency and efficiency of the election process [and] protect workers’ right to a timely vote….
America’s middle class is struggling. Hard-working families are finding it hard to make ends meet. We are recovering from the deepest recession since the Great Depression, and there are workers who are trying to achieve for their families what we all want: financial stability that keeps our families secure. However, as workers see their benefits, hours and pay being cut, they feel powerless. Meanwhile, executives can and do negotiate their employment contracts. Where is the fairness?
Unions can level the playing field for workers, but the process for choosing a union is outdated. Current NLRB election procedures produce extensive delays, encourage litigious stall tactics and provide opportunities for intimidation. Further, the organizational structure of the NLRB has created inconsistencies in the processing of the election petitions. It is time for the NLRB to address these important procedural shortcomings, and I am encouraged by their response.
McMahon Body Slams Minimum Wage in Conn. Senate Race
Connecticut’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon said yesterday Congress should consider lowering the federal minimum wage. She made the remarks at a press conference where day she received the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), a group that has long battled against the minimum wage.
On top of that, McMahon, the multi-millionaire CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment, didn’t even know what the Constitution state’s minimum wage is—$8.25 an hour.
(E-mail Linda McMahon now and give her the facts: The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and Connecticut’s is $8.25. And neither is enough to live on.)
Says Connecticut State AFL-CIO President John Olsen:
It is outrageous that multi-millionaire McMahon is open to reducing the minimum wage, and mind boggling that she doesn’t even know how much it is. We have said from the very beginning that multi-millionaire McMahon is not looking out for the working people of this state and she certainly proved it again today. Read the rest of this entry »
Connecticut Attorney General to Investigate Insurance Company Abuses
 |
|
The state of Connecticut has asked six leading insurance companies—Aetna, ConnectiCare, HealthNet, Anthem, United Health Group and WellCare—to fully disclose what they’re telling their members about health care reform.
The request comes after Humana, another insurance provider, was caught providing misleading and scare-mongering information to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D customers about the future effects of health care reform legislation.
The investigation follows a call by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka for more accountability for insurance companies and a serious examination of whether these companies’ political activity and lobbying are a contributor to skyrocketing rates and rising costs for consumers.
In recent days, Trumka sent a letter to Connecticut’s insurance commissioner, Thomas Sullivan, asking him to investigate the impact of health insurance companies’ lobbying expenditures on health insurance premiums and adopt regulations to prevent lobbying costs from being transferred to consumers through excessive rate increases.
