Labor Union Blog

House Republicans tonight are expected to reject a bipartisan Senate compromise that extends unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for the long-term jobless and also extends the payroll tax cut for workers and employers. Without House approval, the UI benefits and tax cut expire Dec. 31.

Call House Speaker John Boehner at 202-225-0600. Tell him to stop playing politics with the lives of working familes–pass the Senate’s bipartisan bill to extend unemployment aid and middle-class tax cuts now.

Says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:

While the bipartisan compromise negotiated by Senate Republican and Democrat leadership and approved overwhelmingly by 89 senators is not ideal, it would give millions of working families some assurance as they head into the holidays that their unemployment benefits will not be cut off in January.

Previously House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) indicated he supported the measure. But the Republican tea party wing raised such a ruckus, Boehner changed his tune and now says the compromise should be rejected. Says Trumka:

Now is not the time to play politics with the lives of so many.  Speaker Boehner needs to lead his caucus—not the other way around—and that means passing this modest compromise to help millions of families and restore a minimal amount of balance to our economy.

Last week, House Republicans voted on a UI extension bill that cuts by more than half the number of weeks jobless workers can collect unemployment insurance (UI) benefits next year. The bill also extends the payroll tax cut, but rather than financing it with a small surtax on multimillionaires, it slashes federal workers’ pay and imposes higher health care premium costs for low- and middle-income families and seniors. Says Trumka:

The two things House Republicans seem to be most passionate about are protecting millionaires from having to pay taxes and cutting unemployment benefits for the jobless.

The Department of Justice must “go up Massey’s chain of command as far as possible” and hold accountable those individuals responsible for the deaths of 29 coals miners at Massey Energy’s Big Branch (W.Va.) mine in 2010, a group of lawmakers urged Attorney General Eric Holder.

In a letter to Holder from Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) and 15 other House members, they say that although the recent settlement between the federal government and Alpha minerals—which took over Massey several months after the deadly disaster—includes a non-prosecution agreement with Alpha in exchange for $210 million in investments in mine safety and research, civil penalties and restitution to families,

It does not prevent the Department of Justice from investigating or bringing criminal charges against the individual’s responsible for the April 5, 2010 disaster.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) investigation of the blast found that individuals acting both alone and in concert were responsible for the unsafe mining practices and conditions that led directly to the explosion.

Though these individuals stood at the head of the disaster, they have thus far escaped justice.

Former Massey CEO Donald Blankenship and 18 other officers and non-employee directors were entitled to $196 million in the merger agreement with Alpha and lawmakers say that “dwarfs the $46. 5 million in civil restitution provided for survivors under the non-prosecution agreement.”

The lives of those affected will never be made whole, but you can continue to investigate to ensure that those who acted criminally will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Click here for the full letter.

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma (R) may be trying to deliver lumps of coal to Hoosier workers with so-called right to work legislation, but that didn’t discourage a chorus of worker carolers from offering Bosma a gift, along with a song of holiday cheer.

Last week, a group of Central Indiana Jobs with Justice (JWJ) members gathered outside Bosma’s Indianapolis home to serenade the right-wing lawmaker with their version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the first day of Christmas Brian Bosma gave to me, a right to work bill under the tree…

On some of the other days of Christmas, Bosma gave “Eight managers firing…10 lobbyists schmoozing…12 billionaires toasting.”

On Wednesday, again in the holiday spirit, the group will offer up another round of caroling at Bosma’s office when they present in him with the Central Indiana JWJ Scrooge of the Year award.

Last week, Gov. Mitch Daniels (R)  officially last week threw his support behind the right to work for less legislation—not that there was any real doubt he stand with his extremist allies in the legislature and corporate friends.

He claimed that because the state has no right to work law, it has lost hundreds of new businesses that chose not to locate in Indiana.  But as the Fort Wayne News Sentinel reported last week:

The top state economic-development agency can’t provide documentation or statistics to back up Gov. Mitch Daniels’ assertion that a fourth to half of companies don’t give Indiana a shot at new business because it lacks a right-to-work law.

After Daniels announced his support of the anti-worker measure, Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott said the state’s union movement and allies will mount a major fight against the bill.

Even with the Governor’s support, this bill has a long way to go before it becomes law and we intend to fight it every step of the way.  The labor movement in Indiana will be united like never before and together with our community allies, we will fight and we will win.  When working people stand together against an attack like this, they win.

At a statehouse rally before Daniels announced his support, Guyott told hundreds of workers and supporters:

Big corporations and their elected friends want to bust up unions, eliminating the last group of people standing in the way of unfettered corporate control. They want to drive down wages and increase profits. They want to eliminate the voice of working people in the political process.

Speaking of big corporations and their elected friends, State Impact, a reporting project of Indiana public media and NPR, connect some of the dots between state legislators and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The right-wing, corporate backed group has been instrumental in writing model bills and moving legislation that undermines workers’ rights and pushes a corporate agenda. Visit ALEC Exposed for the bills and more information.