Labor Union Blog

By Doug Cunningham

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association both say they’re happy to see House passage of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. The bill awaits Senate action. The flight attendants say the bill includes important enhancements for safety and health protections for flight attendants. The air traffic controllers union says the bill addresses the stability of the air traffic controller workforce and provides for a safer, more modern air traffic control system. The FAA reauthorization bill also establishes what the air traffic controllers’ union says is a air process for dealing with future labor contract disputes.

By Doug Cunningham

As workers coast to coast honored our nation’s military veteran’s on Veteran’s Day Monday, the AFL-CIO said one of the best ways to honor and serve veterans is to make sure they return to an economy that works for everybody. The AFL-CIO says twenty percent of veterans recently returned duty are unemployed. One-fourth of vets who do find jobs earn less than $21,840 a year. The AFL-CIO says passing the Employee Free Choice Act would give returning veterans a real opportunity to join unions and provide good middle class incomes for their families after their military service.

As GM considers bankruptcy, Ford is offering more time to workers who may be considering a buy out package. Jesse Russell reports:

Ford workers mulling over the buy out option are being offered more time to make that decision. The buyout package has been offered to nearly all of the company’s 42,000 hourly employees and the extension will now give them until June 26 to take the option. General motors could file for bankruptcy as early as next week and if it does it could have an impact on Ford. The buyout package is small in comparison to previous packages offered to workers by the company. It offers a lump sum payment of $40,000 to skilled workers eligible for retirement and $20,000 to those in production. Workers who have at least one year of service, but aren’t eligible for retirement could accept either a $50,000 lump sum payment or a education package that offers $15,000 in tuition assistance and living expenses for two-years. All workers who take a buyout would receive a $25,000 voucher for a new Ford.

By Doug Cunningham

GM’s bond debt holders are supposed to decide by today whether or not to accept GM’s offer of ten percent of stock in return for roughly $27 billion in bond debt. UAW Local 1853 President Mike Herron says the bondholders have the power now to either keep GM out of bankruptcy or force it into bankruptcy.

[Herron]: “The UAW’s done a remarkable job doing their piece of this. The bondholders hold the key to this thing right now. And as we move closer to June first it’ll play out. And just pray for the best of everybody here as we move forward.”

June first is the government deadline for GM to have bond debt and union agreements in place for its restructuring plan to qualify for further government assistance to salvage the company.

As pundits and policymakers debate the Employee Free Choice Act, it’s worth remembering what this fight is really about: giving workers the freedom they deserve to bargain for a better life. In a new newspaper op-ed, Mike Allen explains why we need the Employee Free Choice Act and how it can ensure workers have the tools they need to bargain for a better life.

Allen, a U.S. Air Force veteran and member of the Letter Carriers (NALC), writes in the Bangor Daily News that the freedom to form a union gives returning veterans and all workers the chance they deserve to bargain for a better life and join the middle class.

Working hard used to give everyone a chance to improve their lives, but working families really have it rough right now.

The news for veterans is not any better. One out of five veterans who recently returned from tours of duty remains unemployed. One out of four veterans finding a job since leaving the service earns less than $21,840 a year.

Honoring the brave men and women who serve our country starts with fighting for an economy that works for everyone. They should have the same opportunities I have had. It is no surprise that the decline of the middle class can be linked to the decline of unions in America. One solution to making sure workers can level the playing field is by giving them the opportunity to collectively bargain for fair wages and benefits. If we continue down the path we have followed for the past 30 years, the middle class will quickly disappear.

I support the Employee Free Choice Act because if enacted, it would let workers form a union when a simple majority of workers in the workplace sign cards indicating they want one instead of going through a company-controlled process.