Labor Union Blog

By Doug Cunningham

Workers at a small food co-op in the Columbus, Ohio area fought for four and a half years to form a union – and they won. John Liuzza says the 21 workers will sit down with UFCW union reps next week to begin work on negotiating their first contract. Despite having to fight in court and on the job with management, Liuzza says organizing a union is worth it.

[John Liuzza]: “Because ultimately I think having a voice that protects your rights is very important. This cooperative started this process four and a half years ago and people have gotten fired along the way. And other people have just quit in discouragement. But this core of workers came through and I think we’re going to be happy with our contract.”

By Doug Cunningham

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new prime time TV contract. The tentative deal increases wages and employer contributions to the AFTRA Health and Retirement plan. It also establishes union jurisdiction over programs distributed over the internet.

By Doug Cunningham

A coalition of labor and community activists including members of the United Federation of Teachers is calling on SEIU to stop trying to take over the 42,000 member Puerto Rican Teacher’s union. Rafael Feliciano Hernandez is president of the Puerto Rican Teacher’s Federation.

[Hernandez]: “They are launching an attack to our union. They are making a rising campaign against us to substitute our rank and file union for a business union.”

The Puerto Rican Federation of Teachers went on strike earlier this year to get wage and other improvements. The Federation says SEIU’s Dennis Rivera approached Puerto Rico’s governor during the strike in a bid to take over the teacher’s union. In New York City on Wednesday, a coalition of labor and community activists including the United Federation of Teachers, The New York Nurses Association and the National Nurses Organizing Committee all demanded that SEIU stop its actions against the Puerto Rico teacher’s union.

By Doug Cunningham

A group of labor and community activists including the United Federation of Teachers is calling on SEIU to stop trying to take over the 40,000 member Puerto Rican teacher’s union. Rafael Feliciano Hernandez is president of the Puerto Rican teacher’s federation.

[Hernandez]: “They are launching an attack to our union. They are making a rising campaign against us to substitute our rank and file union for a business union.”

The Puerto Rican Federation of Teachers went on strike earlier this year to get wage and other improvements. The federation says SEIU’s Dennis Rivera approached Puerto Rico’s governor during the strike in a bid to take over the teacher’s union. In New York City Wednesday a coalition of labor and community activists including the United Federation of Teachers, The New York Nurses Association and the National Nurses Organizing Committee demanded that SEIU stop it’s actions against the Puerto Rico teacher’s union.

By Doug Cunningham

Despite winning a majority of the votes cast the Association of Flight Attendants – CWA won’t be representing Delta flight attendants just yet. The union says Delta flight attendants narrowly missed a chance to form a union because of federal rules and Delta management’s voter suppression. The rules require a majority of the workers to cast ballots. The union says Delta management aggressively suppressed the vote. About 40 percent of the eligible flight attendants voted, so the union did not get certified to represent the workers at Delta. But another vote in connection with Delta’s merger with Northwest is coming up and the union is optimistic that workers will get their union then.

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have tentatively agreed on a three-year contract covering prime-time television shows.

The tentative deal announced today includes wage increases, payments for work used on the Internet and other “new media,” increased employer contributions to the union’s health and retirement plans and other contract improvements.

AFTRA President Roberta Reardon says the pact achieves:

meaningful gains in compensation and working conditions for performers. It also establishes AFTRA jurisdiction in the dynamic area of New Media, and it preserves performers’ consent for use of excerpts of traditional TV shows in new media.

Union members gathered in Denver to highlight key issues in the 2008 election and ask Sen. John McCain to pay attention to the issues that affect working families and veterans. McCain was in the Mile High City yesterday for a fundraiser, and as they have at McCain campaign stops across the country, union members turned out to meet him.

Some 38 percent of AFL-CIO members are veterans, so veterans’ benefits like health care and education are important issues for union members. (If you’re a veteran or from a military family, take our survey and let us know.) The federal government employees’ union, AFGE, has launched a campaign to convince McCain to change course and support fully funded public services for veterans, as well as a new G.I. Bill to expand college access for returning veterans. Mike Coulter, a Vietnam-era veteran and union member, served the people of the United States as an air traffic controller and federal employee for 25 years.

It’s important for union members to stand up for veterans’ issues. Last week, Sen. McCain spoke out against the increase in VA funding, and that is unfortunate.

Sen. John McCain headed to his home state for a fundraiser yesterday, alongside a guest who he’s stood with for many years: President Bush.

McCain’s campaign treasury reaped the benefits of Bush’s taxpayer-funded trip to Phoenix, but McCain tried to avoid the appearance of running as a third term to the least popular U.S. president on record.

McCain was willing to appear alongside Bush for all of 47 seconds, even though he’s been willing to vote with him 100 percent of the time in 2008. Maybe he’s trying to prove he’s not the “McSame” as we’ve had the past seven years—but his voting record isn’t encouraging.

Shareholders scored victories in corporate boardrooms across the nation this spring, gaining the right to vote on universal health care proposals spearheaded by the AFL-CIO, as Daniel Pedrotty from the AFL-CIO Office of Investment explains.

Because of an initiative led by the AFL-CIO and a broad coalition of investors, shareholders have won the right to vote on universal health reform proposals at several corporate annual board meetings this spring.