Tens of Thousands March for Voting Rights
Marvin Bing, a member of the AFL-CIO Special Committee on Labor-Community Partnerships, sends us this report.
Tens of thousands of labor and civil rights activists on Saturday marched from the New York offices of Koch Industries, whose owners have supported restrictive voting legislation modeled by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing think tank funded by brothers David and Charles Koch. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who took part in the event, put it this way:
You can’t accomplish anything if you’re not prepared to fight.
The coalition of labor, civil rights and community organizations marked Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, with the Stand for Freedom march and rally where they voted to roll back new voting rules passed in several states.
Some of the laws passed in more than a dozen states around the country include Read the rest of this entry »
Mass. Nurses Approve New Contract—and More Bargaining News
Nurses from the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA/NNU) ratified a new contract with two hospitals 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
MNA/NNU, Cape Cod Hospital Group: Members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA/NNU) at Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals ratified a new three-year contract, retroactive to Oct. 1, 2010. The contract includes staffing improvements, placing strict limits on the hospitals’ use of mandatory overtime and creating a staffing committee to review staffing levels for patient and nurse safety.
Nurses and Health Professionals /AFT, Milwaukee County: The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP/AFT) won a one-year contract extension for Milwaukee County nurses, just before the state’s new anti-collective bargaining bill takes effect. AFSCME District Council 48, which represents 3,500 county workers, is hoping to similarly reach a new deal before Wednesday, when the state law goes into effect. Read the rest of this entry »
N.Y. Coalition Tells Big Banks Do More to Stop Foreclosures
A coalition of New York City unions and community groups, joined by city Comptroller John Liu, told some of the biggest banks that received hundreds of billions in taxpayer bailouts that it’s time to help out New York homeowners facing foreclosure.
In letters to JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC, Wachovia and U.S. Bank, the group says the banks are not doing enough to modify mortgages to help homeowners stay in their homes.
Charter School Teachers Join AFT
Teachers at a New York City public charter school now have a stronger voice in their workplace after they joined the United Federation of Teachers/AFT (UFT). The teachers at Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) Amp, a middle school in Brooklyn, say they want a stronger voice on the job because the demands on them are so rigorous. They also say they want to insure a fair discipline and evaluation system.
Nearly three-quarters of the 22 workers signed union-authorization cards to be represented by UFT. What makes the KIPP teachers’ decision significant is that the employer is a major player in the national charter school movement, which is almost all nonunion. KIPP has 66 schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
