Labor Union Blog

Economic Report:

Foreclosure activity was down by 10 percent in comparison to October, but in comparison to November 2006 it is up, up, up. That’s what new foreclosure numbers from RealtyTrac are saying about November’s foreclosure numbers. According to the organization foreclosures jumped by leaps and bounds in November – 68 percent over 2006. And the 2006 number? Well, that wasn’t all that great either. Coincidentally foreclosures activity was also up by 68 percent in 2006 when compared to 2005.

An Arizona law that could sanction businesses who hire illegal immigrants could be blocked. Jesse Russell reports:

The law is called “The Legal Arizona Workers” law and it is set to go into affect on January 1. Thanks to a suit brought by businesses that could be impacted by the law, a federal judge could be preparing to block the law. However, U.S. District Judge Neil Wake said he may turn down the request to block the law because the group of challengers failed to include county attorneys as defendants in the case. The challengers say the law puts an unfair burden on employers, but Wake said law abiding workers need to be considered in the judgment. Wake said that when the legislature passed the law in June, they were speaking for those citizens. The law says that employers who violate the law would have their business license suspended for up to 10 days with a second offense resulting in the license being revoked. Employers who use a computer system called E-Verify which allow them to check the legal status of new hires they will be shielded if it later turns out that employee was an illegal worker. Wake plans to issue a written decision by the end of the week.

By Doug Cunningham

Seventeen year old Nataline Sarkisyan is in a coma in intensive care at UCLA Medical Center. She needs a life-saving liver transplant, but the giant health insurer Cigna has denied the transplant. So the California Nurses Association is going to Cigna’s headquarters in Glendale today to join Nataline’s family in demanding the life-saving transplant. The California Nurse’s Association Liz Jacobs’ says Cigna is denying the transplant claiming its experimental when four UCLA doctors say it’s medically necessary.

[Jacobs]: “That’s why we push fora Medicare for all single payer health care system where the insurance companies are out of business.”

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps addresses the Stop Big Media Rally in front of the FCC headquarters in October.

Unions representing media workers roundly condemned yesterday’s decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow big-media moguls like Rupert Murdoch to swallow up more local media across the country and reduce the diversity of news and programming.

Ignoring strong public sentiment against the move, the FCC approved on a 3–2 party-line vote Chairman Kevin Martin’s proposal to allow a single corporation to own both a broadcast and newspaper operation in the 20 largest media markets as long as at least eight other independent news sources exist in that market.

Members of the UAW International Executive Board have chosen an official “no endorsement” position. As a result, UAW locals, retiree groups and other bodies also will make no primary endorsement.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger says the decision was made, in part, because many candidates have offered proposals that would protect working families.

The Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) union has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president in 2008.

The endorsement came as a result of a major outreach program to the union’s 160,000 active members and retirees. All members and retirees received a survey by mail.

With negotiations on hold until January, striking members of the Writers Guild continue to gain support across the industry and the country. They also are trying a few new ideas in their effort to gain a fair share of the expected revenues from new media such as the Internet.

After negotiators for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) stalked out of talks last week, writers announced they plan to begin negotiations with individual producers. They will formally approach studios today to discuss their willingness to make individual deals with companies.