Labor & Economic News Blog


Thursday, April 27, 2006

Jobless claims rise 11,000 last week (Reuters)

Jobless claims rise 11,000 last week (Reuters)
Reuters - New claims for U.S. jobless aid rose by a larger-than-expected 11,000 last week, Labor Department data showed on Thursday, but remained at levels suggesting a healthy job market.

 

Grad workers at University of Illinois, officials begin contract talks

Grad workers, officials begin contract talks
Source: News-Gazette
With the rising cost of health care and student fees on their minds, members of the UI's Graduate Employees' Union started negotiations with university administration this week.
Their aim: to assemble a new contract they hope will lower student fees and provide for better health care.

 

Stanford, UC tackling global poverty issues / Schools join trend by creating centers to study inequality

Stanford, UC tackling global poverty issues / Schools join trend by creating centers to study inequality
By Carrie Sturrock
Stanford University and UC Berkeley have joined a trend among the nation's elite universities and are developing centers dedicated to fighting poverty worldwide as economic inequalities grow ever starker. Both are fledgling efforts aimed at marshalling...

 

High cost for health insurance / Massachusetts plan would run billions more in California

High cost for health insurance / Massachusetts plan would run billions more in California
By Victoria Colliver
Providing health insurance for all Californians under a plan similar to what Massachusetts recently adopted would cost about $9.4 billion more in this state, according to a study to be released today. Massachusetts, earlier this month, became the first...

 

Labor's complex situation

Labor's complex situation
By Kathleen Pender
Abig part of the illegal immigration debate centers on this question: Do immigrants depress wages of native-born Americans? Simple economics would tell you the answer is yes: Increase the supply of anything, in this case labor, and the price, in this...

 

Degrees hold keys to state's success / Report: College-educated workers to drive job growth

Degrees hold keys to state's success / Report: College-educated workers to drive job growth
By Tom Abate
A new report offers Californians some advice: Attending college is not only good for students but essential to the state economy. That's the upshot of "Keeping California's Edge," a report released Wednesday by the Campaign for College Opportunity, a...

 

DTE gives union job-cut details

DTE gives union job-cut details
Source: Detroit News
DTE Energy Co. has told its largest union that more than a quarter of the jobs it represents will be eliminated by the end of 2007 even as company profits continue to grow. In a brief meeting Tuesday with negotiators from Local 223 of the Utility Workers Union of America, DTE officials said 1,245 positions will be affected. DTE previously estimated 1,000 to 1,200 union jobs would be cut.

 

Chicago principals flunk more than 1,000 teachers

Chicago principals flunk more than 1,000 teachers; Union says it's a strike issue
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
The non-renewal policy, instituted last year and negotiated by a different CTU president, allows principals to sit at their computers, pick one of six reasons from a drop-down menu -- including the kitchen-sink category of "other"-- and press a button to "not renew" the job of any non-tenured teacher they choose.

 

McClatchey deal has many nervous; Union cut out as buyer

McClatchey deal has many nervous; Union cut out as buyer
Source: AP
In Detroit, a union leader said employees were disappointed at voluntary buyouts and a decision not to print a Sunday edition of The Detroit News, owned by MediaNews. In San Jose, Calif., where the Mercury News is part of Wednesday's deal, a union leader said he's concerned about staffing levels.

 

MTA chief angrily refuses to act on union contract

MTA chief angrily refuses to act on union contract
Source: NY Times
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority yesterday rebuffed a demand that it vote on the contract proposal approved by its largest transit worker's union, provoking a heated exchange that suggested the two sides are as far apart as ever in their long and bitter standoff.

 

CUNY faculty approve contract after working four years without agreement

CUNY faculty approve contract after working four years without agreement
Source: NY Times

MANHATTAN: SETTLEMENT FOR CUNY FACULTY The union representing 20,000 City University faculty members, who have been working without a contract since November 2002, announced a tentative 58-month settlement yesterday. The union, the Professional Staff Congress, said the accord includes raises totaling 9.5 percent for 11,000 full-time and 9,000 part-time professors. "It's the best possible agreement within very tough political and economic constraints," said Barbara Bowen, the union's president. The agreement raises sabbatical pay to 80 percent of salary, from 50 percent, and gives nontenured faculty members a paid year to do research without teaching. STEVEN GREENHOUSE (NYT)

 

Spanish-language radio DJs tone down call for action on May 1

Spanish-language radio DJs tone down call for action on May 1
Source: SFChronicle
Building upon six weeks of huge demonstrations, immigrant-rights organizers and Spanish-language radio DJs are urging supporters to take action on May 1 -- whether it be staying home from work, joining a march or not spending any money -- showing the movement's ability to appeal to grassroots activists while not alienating lawmakers in Washington.

 

A 10-month strike at Berkeley Honda is over, following vote by union members and Teamsters to accept a new contract

A 10-month strike at Berkeley Honda is over, following vote by union members and Teamsters to accept a new contract
Source: Mercury-Register
Members of the East Bay Automotive Machinists Lodge 1546 and Teamsters Local 78 voted 14-1 to accept a five-year contract, said Berkeley Honda general manager Steve Haworth.
Under the deal, workers will be rehired and phased in as business improves. Berkeley Honda also has agreed to fund a defined pension plan for them.

 

Unicco's health, safety record slammed by pro-labor group

Unicco's health, safety record slammed by pro-labor group
Source: Boston Business Journal
A pro-labor group has named Unicco Service Co. of Newton -- a prominent target of union organizers -- one of its "dirty dozen" employers for its workplace health and safety record.
The National Council on Occupational Safety and Health said the building maintenance subcontractor, which has earned contracts to clean the John Hancock Tower, the Boston Convention and Exposition Center and the Hynes Convention Center, had seven workplace fatalities between 1999 and 2005.

 

Corporations are coming under fire for using recruiters to find and hire workers who are in the United States illegally

Corporations are coming under fire for using recruiters to find and hire workers who are in the United States illegally
Source: AP
The allegations against corporations will figure prominently in arguments before the Supreme Court on Tuesday when justices hear an appeal by a Georgia floor-covering company. Mohawk Industries Incorporated, a rug and floor-covering manufacturer, is accused by current and former employees of hiring hundreds of illegal immigrants to suppress wages.

 

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Less Than Half of Nissan Workers to Move

Less Than Half of Nissan Workers to Move
By AP
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nissan Motor Co. said less than half the employees at its North American headquarters in California plan to move when the automaker relocates to Tennessee.

 

Changes Aim to Speed Immigration Cases (AP)

Changes Aim to Speed Immigration Cases (AP)
AP - With an Arab-American rights group threatening mass court filings, a U.S. immigration spokesman said Tuesday that the government would change its naturalization procedures to stave off such legal challenges.

 

Jump in middle-income Americans who go without health insurance

Jump in middle-income Americans who go without health insurance
By Victoria Colliver
The number of moderate-to-middle-income Americans of working age who lack health insurance has risen dramatically in recent years, a study to be released today found. Forty-one percent of adults with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 a year did not...

 

Economists support entry of educated foreigners / Experts see biggest impact of influx on low-skilled workers

Economists support entry of educated foreigners / Experts see biggest impact of influx on low-skilled workers
By Carolyn Lochhead
Senators heard leading economists examine Tuesday one of the most highly charged issues in the emotional debate over immigration: Are immigrants cheap labor for business, or do they fill jobs like lettuce picking and chicken packing that native workers no...

 

Lewis Laments Layoffs at Bank of America

Lewis Laments Layoffs at Bank of America
Laying off workers after acquisitions is "the most difficult thing we have to do," Bank of America Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Ken Lewis told shareholders Wednesday, adding that the overall strengthening of the bank justifies the painful cuts....

 

Report: Delphi, Union Talks Collapse

Report: Delphi, Union Talks Collapse
Talks have reportedly broken off between Delphi Corp. and its second-largest labor union over the auto supplier's plan to cut wages and jobs. The International Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of America, which represents 8,500 Delphi...

 

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Vigil Held for NYC Transit Union Chief (AP)

Vigil Held for NYC Transit Union Chief (AP)
AP - After a boisterous send-off complete with speeches, cheering crowds and a march across the Brooklyn Bridge, transit union boss Roger Toussaint began serving a 10-day jail sentence. Supporters started an overnight vigil in his honor.

 

Unions reach deal on cell phone TV shows

Unions reach deal on cell phone TV shows
Source: Reuters
The Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America all hailed the unprecedented agreement for establishing a template covering compensation for future programing on new digital platforms.

 

After quitting AFL-CIO, Change to Win suggests reunion of sorts

After quitting AFL-CIO, Change to Win suggests reunion of sorts
Source: NY Times
The coalition of unions that broke away from the A.F.L.-C.I.O. has asked that federation to join it in creating a third union federation that would concentrate on political and legislative efforts.
But the federation's president, John J. Sweeney, dismissed the idea, mocking the "obvious irony of a proposal to essentially recreate the A.F.L.-C.I.O. as it existed prior to" the decision by the service employees and three other unions to break away last year.

 

Major league umps to support strikers

Major league umps to support strikers
Source: AP
Major league umpires are scheduled to join their striking minor league counterparts on a picket line Tuesday before Hagerstown plays Lake County in a Class-A South Atlantic League game.

 

In Miller's spirit, minor-league umpires hold the (picket) line

In Miller's spirit, minor-league umpires hold the (picket) line
Source: NY Times
Miller, the players' renowned labor leader, was referring to minor league umpires, probably the most ill-treated group in baseball. Not many people are aware of it, but minor league umpires are on strike. They are on strike because the National Association, the umbrella organization of the minor leagues, refuses to pay a living wage.

 

Organized labor fails to heal rift

Organized labor fails to heal rift
Source: AP
Efforts to heal the sharp divisions in organized labor are faltering as the AFL-CIO and the breakaway unions in the Change to Win coalition quarrel over the best way for the divided unions to cooperate from afar.

 

Monday, April 24, 2006

Many Mexicans Say Immigration Inevitable

Many Mexicans Say Immigration Inevitable
By By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer
They name their babies Johnny and Leslie, so certain are they that their kids' future lies in the United States. Returning migrants sprinkle English into their speech as they talk knowingly about job markets in U.S. towns. America may want to stop...

 

Bush pushes bill to put illegal immigrants "in the back of the line" for U.S. citizenship

Bush pushes bill to put illegal immigrants "in the back of the line" for U.S. citizenship
By Carla Marinucci
President Bush, speaking today to business leaders in the epicenter of California's growing debate on immigration, said the nation must "make sure this border is as tight as it can possibly be," but urged Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that...

 

With recess over, immigration awaits / Senators on both sides urge Bush to help bridge conflicts among GOP lawmakers

With recess over, immigration awaits / Senators on both sides urge Bush to help bridge conflicts among GOP lawmakers
By Carl Hulse, Sheryl Gay Stolberg
Prodded by large demonstrations and the prospect of another on the horizon, Senate leaders will try to revive stalled immigration legislation this week, with some urging President Bush to mediate personally the sharp differences among Republicans on the...

 

Bush says massive deportation is not realistic

Bush says massive deportation is not realistic
By By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
President Bush, rebutting lawmakers advocating a law-and-order approach to immigration, said Monday that those who are calling for massive deportation of the estimated 11 million foreigners living illegally in the United States are not being realistic....

 

Federal security ID could cause delays at ports, industry; Union says millions could lose their job

Federal security ID could cause delays at ports, industry; Union says millions could lose their job
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
LOS ANGELES -- Cargo industry officials are worried that a federal ID system aimed at boosting security could cost many port workers their jobs, something that would bottle up the flow of goods destined for virtually every U.S. community. Details of the program - more than three years in the making - are still being worked out. But according to industry officials who have discussed it with the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard, illegal immigrants and people convicted of certain crimes might be barred from the positions they now hold.

 

Labor talks for Alcoa workers at 15 plants resume in May

Labor talks for Alcoa workers at 15 plants resume in May
Source: AP
Alcoa and its unionized workers resume negotiations next month on a new contract for workers at 15 plants, with the two sides divided on health care, pension and other issues. The world's largest aluminum producer and the United Steelworkers of America are set to resume talks May 18 in St. Louis on a national deal for about 9,000 unionized workers, whose five-year contract expires at the end of the month.

 

Detroit public employee unions open to cuts

Detroit unions open to cuts
Source: Detroit News
City union leaders say they're close to a deal on health care cuts and other cost savings as the City Council prepares this week to tackle Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's budget for the upcoming year.

 

Local Delphi workers mull job options

Local Delphi workers mull job options
Source: Dayton Business Journal
With a court date looming that could send thousands of Delphi Corp. workers to the picket lines, many area workers are studying whether they should retire, search for a new job or cling to their positions at the bankrupt auto parts supplier.

 

If GM fails, then what?

If GM fails, then what?
Source: LA Times
The carmaker says it has no intention of entering Chapter 11, but some analysts say a bankruptcy filing in the next few years is a definite possibility. The ripple effects on the economy would be huge

 

Roger Toussaint, the transit workers' union president, will report to jail after a send-off march across the Brooklyn Bridge with union members and la

Roger Toussaint, the transit workers' union president, will report to jail after a send-off march across the Brooklyn Bridge with union members and labor leaders
Source: NYT
Insisting that the state's Taylor Law, which prohibits strikes by public employees, was biased against labor, he said authority officials had engaged in illegal behavior but were not being punished. Even though the Taylor Law bars public-sector employers and unions from insisting on pension changes in contract talks, the authority's negotiators demanded that the union agree to a far less generous pension plan for new transit workers.

 

Under New Management: To Hire Sharp Employees, Recruit in Sharp Ways

Under New Management: To Hire Sharp Employees, Recruit in Sharp Ways
By WILLIAM C. TAYLOR
Resourceful recruiters are looking beyond help-wanted ads and job fairs.

 

After a Boxing Giant's Departure From the Bronx, a Tiny Contender Steps Up

After a Boxing Giant's Departure From the Bronx, a Tiny Contender Steps Up
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
The Everlast boxing equipment company left the Bronx in 2003, but the grandson of its original founder and five employees are now making gloves under a new name.

 

Immigration from east Europe is 'elixir' for British economy, experts say (AFP)

Immigration from east Europe is 'elixir' for British economy, experts say (AFP)
AFP - Eastern European immigrants are an 'elixir' for Britain's economy, easing inflation, boosting output and raising tax revenue, according to a study.

 

That padded resume won't help break your fall / Fudging facts isn't new but it's easier than ever to verify facts

That padded resume won't help break your fall / Fudging facts isn't new but it's easier than ever to verify facts
By David Koeppel
Lying on a resume to enhance a mediocre educational or employment record is hardly new. But several recent surveys, as well as anecdotal reports from hiring managers and recruiters, indicate that resume falsehoods are on the rise and are just as likely to...

 

In immigration debate, Boxer doesn't think boycott will help cause

In immigration debate, Boxer doesn't think boycott will help cause
By Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
California Sen. Barbara Boxer has a message for those planning to join in on the pro-immigration work boycott planned for May 1 -- cool it. "You've made your point,'' Boxer told us Friday. "And while I support your right to boycott, I don't think it...

 

SEIU President Supports Striking Janitors (AP)

SEIU President Supports Striking Janitors (AP)
AP - The president of the Service Employees International Union joined a fast to support janitors who have been striking at the University of Miami since March.

 

Immigrants Rely on Patchy English Teaching (AP)

Immigrants Rely on Patchy English Teaching (AP)
AP - For Lidia Veras and Elena Clarisa Sepulveda, the pace of life is achingly slow, weighed down by confusion and delay.

 

Report: Some College Faculty Salaries Rise (AP)

Report: Some College Faculty Salaries Rise (AP)
AP - Salaries of full-time college faculty posted modest increases this year, though the gap between pay at private and public colleges continues to widen, a new report says.

 

Feds Arrest 183 Illegal Immigrants in Fla. (AP)

Feds Arrest 183 Illegal Immigrants in Fla. (AP)
AP - Federal immigration authorities arrested 183 fugitives and other illegal immigrants in Florida alone last week, the state's largest roundup in a single week, officials said Monday.

 

Veterans Drawn Into Immigration Debate (AP)

Veterans Drawn Into Immigration Debate (AP)
AP - Marcial Rodriguez, a U.S. Marine who grew up in a Mexican farming village, is offended that the country he went to war for might deport his relatives who are living here illegally.

 

The Industry Isn't Going South, It's Just Moved There

The Industry Isn't Going South, It's Just Moved There
By Warren Brown
The domestic automobile industry seems to have gone to hell in a handbasket. The appearance is framed by bankruptcies in the automotive parts manufacturing business and by the enormous financial difficulties facing General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.

 

Containerized Shipping Born at Port Newark

Containerized Shipping Born at Port Newark
By AP
NEWARK, N.J. -- Fifty years ago on April 26, a trucker from rural North Carolina ran an experiment here that forever altered international trade and the global economy.

 

Friday, April 21, 2006

Fed Chief Calls for Better Data Collection (AP)

Fed Chief Calls for Better Data Collection (AP)
AP - Gathering more and better information on communities that have fallen on economic hard times is crucial to efforts to revive these areas, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday.

 

Hotel rooms get plusher, adding to maids' injuries

Hotel rooms get plusher, adding to maids' injuries
Source: NY Times
The beds may mean sweet dreams to hotel guests, but they mean pain to many of the nation's 350,000 hotel housekeepers. Several new studies have found that thousands of housekeepers are suffering arm, shoulder and lower-back injuries.

"It's gotten harder," said Dolores Reyes, a 55-year-old housekeeper responsible for 16 rooms a day at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. "I've been trying to get my body used to it, but instead I'm feeling more pain. I've had to go to the doctor about my shoulders. That's what's killing me right now."

 

Union officials' visit to support farmworkers

Union officials' visit to support farmworkers
Source: Ft. Myers News-Press
Top officials of the AFL-CIO and the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy will meet Sunday with Immokalee farmworkers, continuing pressure on McDonald's to pay more for tomatoes. The visit by John Sweeney, president of the national labor union, its organizing director Stuart Acuff and Ethel Kennedy also highlights a trend toward organization among more than 11 million undocumented workers in the United States.

 

Rally for Oakland teachers tenses up when State administrator shows up

Rally for Oakland teachers tenses up when administrator shows up
Source: SF Chronicle
A rally intended to celebrate a tentative contract for Oakland teachers turned contentious when the state administrator in charge of the district stopped by this afternoon.

 

District, Oakland teachers avoid walkout
Source: SF Chronicle
Oakland schools will reopen their doors to students today, and district operations should return to normal after a tentative contract agreement was reached between the school district and the teachers union, which had planned a one-day walkout for Thursday.

 

Raids intensify focus on employment of illegal workers

Raids intensify focus on employment of illegal workers
Source: LA Times
In raids that set a record for workplace-enforcement arrests in a single day, immigration officials announced Thursday that they had taken 1,187 illegal immigrants into custody at wood products plants in 26 states and had charged seven company managers with crimes that can carry long prison terms. The operation targeted about 40 plants operated by IFCO Systems North America, a Dutch company based in Houston that is the largest manufacturer of wooden pallets in the country. Two California facilities were hit, with eight arrests in Bakersfield and 29 in San Bernardino.

 

Los Angeles County: Employees must obtain approval to participate in boycott organized by immigrant rights groups

County: Employees must obtain approval to participate in boycott organized by immigrant rights groups
Los Angeles County employees are being warned that they must obtain prior approval to participate in a May 1 nationwide boycott being organized by immigrant rights groups or face possible disciplinary action."While we respect employees' free speech rights, it is important that we be able to maintain public services," read a memo sent this week to human resources administrators in all county departments. "Any employee who is absent on May 1, 2006, without prior approval may be considered Absent Without Pay (AWOP) and subject to disciplinary action."

 

As crisis deepens: Is a comeback for labor in the cards?
Source: Monthly Review
As labor activists from around the country and world converge on Dearborn, Michigan in early May for the Labor Notes Conference, it's worth reflecting back on a year that has brought back hopes for a revitalization of the labor movement. Several months ago, the Wall Street Journal described an increase in strikes in the United States. But the modest revival of grassroots activity in the U.S. labor movement at the end of 2005 has largely been missed by the mainstream press.

 

Tentative deal averts strike by New York City's Local 32BJ SEIU doormen

Tentative deal averts strike by New York City's Local 32BJ SEIU doormen
Source: NYT
The deal calls for a raise of 8.5 percent over the four years for doormen, elevator operators, porters, handymen and superintendents at buildings in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

 

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Immigrant Groups Plan Campaign to Bring Legal Changes

Immigrant Groups Plan Campaign to Bring Legal Changes
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
Leaders of the demonstrations that drew hundreds of thousands of immigrants into the streets last week announced Wednesday that they were planning voter registration and citizenship drives across the country in an effort to transform the immigrant community into a powerful, organized political force.

 

NWA attendants to vote next month on contract

NWA attendants to vote next month on contract
Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press
Northwest Airlines flight attendants will vote next month on a contract that includes a 21 percent reduction in base pay as well as cuts in medical and retirement coverage, in-flight meals and other benefits.

 

Organizers of immigrant rights marches sharply divided over boycott issue

Organizers of immigrant rights marches sharply divided over boycott issue
Source: LA Times
Sharp divisions are emerging among organizers of the pro-immigrant rallies that brought hundreds of thousands of marchers into the streets across the nation, with two leading coalitions calling for starkly different approaches to the next major action scheduled for May 1.

 

It's pitching-in time for tenants as looming strike forces self-help

It's pitching-in time for tenants as looming strike forces self-help
Source: NY Times
The denizens of several thousand New York City apartment buildings have launched into that triennial rite of spring — volunteering for doorman duty, garbage detail and elevator operation in anticipation of a possible walkout by building service workers, which may (or may not) happen at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow when their current three-year contract expires.

 

Lawmakers Never Faced With Losing Benefits

Lawmakers Never Faced With Losing Benefits (AP)
AP - Members of Congress occasionally lose elections, but they never lose retirement and health benefits that most Americans can only envy.

 

Census: Americans Are Fleeing Big Cities

Census: Americans Are Fleeing Big Cities
By By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer
Americans are leaving the nation's big cities in search of cheaper homes and open spaces farther out. Nearly every large metropolitan area had more people move out than move in from 2000 to 2004, with a few exceptions in the South and Southwest,...

 

Oakland classes canceled, still students show up

Oakland classes canceled, still students show up
By Jason B. Johnson
(04-20) 09:52 PDT OAKLAND -- Scattered groups of parents and students showed up at public schools across Oakland today, unaware that classes remained canceled despite a tentative labor agreement reached with teachers Wednesday night.

 

OAKLAND / School district, teachers reach tentative pact / Both sides agree today's walkout stands -- parents urged to keep children home

OAKLAND / School district, teachers reach tentative pact / Both sides agree today's walkout stands -- parents urged to keep children home
By Simone Sebastian
After two days of round-the-clock negotiations, Oakland teachers and school administrators said they had reached a tentative contract settlement Wednesday night -- but parents are still being urged to keep their children home from district schools today

 

Leading indicators slip but jobs stay solid

Leading indicators slip but jobs stay solid (Reuters)
Reuters - A measure of U.S. economic activity slipped for a second straight month in March, hinting at slower growth through the summer, although separate figures on Thursday pointed to continued strength in the labor market.

 

Executives Arrested in Immigration Raids

Executives Arrested in Immigration Raids (AP)
AP - Immigration agents arrested seven executives and hundreds of employees of a manufacturer of crates and pallets Wednesday as part of a crackdown on employers of illegal workers.

 

Air traffic controllers' impasse looms over employees at BIA

Air traffic controllers' impasse looms over employees at BIA
Source: Bangor Daily News
Local members of the air traffic controllers' union are outraged by what they see as the Federal Aviation Administration's lack of respect for their jobs, which they say has been demonstrated by the two groups' inability to reach contract agreements. Controllers at Bangor International Airport are concerned that many of their colleagues will retire if the FAA presents unsatisfactory contracts, leaving the airport understaffed.

 

Western Michigan University teaching assistants vote 'yes' for AFT

Western Michigan University teaching assistants vote 'yes' for AFT
Source: AFT Michigan
Teaching Assistants at Western Michigan University voted overwhelmingly today for union representation, giving themselves the right to negotiate health insurance, salary, tuition waivers, and other conditions of employment with the university administration. The vote, 290 in favor, 14 against, certifies the Teaching Assistants Union (TAU) as a collective bargaining agent affiliated with AFT Michigan, AFL-CIO. Eligible to vote were approximately 700 graduate students who work teaching, grading, and tutoring on the university's Kalamazoo campus. The election was conducted yesterday and today by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC).

 

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Colorado Students Rally to Support Immigrants

Colo. Students Rally to Support Immigrants
By By MELISSA TRUJILLO, Associated Press Writer
Waving U.S. and Mexican flags, hundreds of high school students descended on the Colorado Capitol Wednesday for a rally in support of illegal immigrants. The State Patrol anticipated up to 2,000 students from 14 high schools and had squad cars...

 

Washington State employment picture looking up

Employment picture looking up
The state's jobless numbers offered good news for the second straight month, with employers snapping up workers in March, the state said Tuesday.

 

Seattle: China-U.S. trade a 'win-win"

China-U.S. trade a 'win-win'
Calling his country's relationship with the Boeing Co. an example of the "win-win" potential of China-U.S. trade, Chinese President Hu Jintao said China will need thousands of new planes in coming years.

 

Political Clout in the Age of Outsourcing

David Leonhardt: Political Clout in the Age of Outsourcing
By DAVID LEONHARDT
Unlike programmers or textile workers, doctors have the power to erect trade barriers, and they have effectively blocked foreign competition - for now.

 

George K. Wong -- San Francisco pioneer labor leader

George K. Wong -- pioneer labor leader
By Vanessa Hua
A funeral will be held today for George K. Wong, a pioneering Chinese American labor leader who unionized the first business in Chinatown. Mr. Wong died on April 10 of pneumonia in a San Pablo hospital. He was 91. He was born in 1914 in San...

 

San Francisco 911 dispatch center sorely understaffed

S.F. 911 dispatch center sorely understaffed -- what will happen if the Big One hits?
By Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross
For all the big talk this week of being prepared for the Big One, the fact is, San Francisco is hard-pressed just to handle routine emergencies where it counts most -- the 911 dispatch center. According to the city controller, the city is supposed to...

 

SAN FRANCISCO / An OK for independent contractor minimum wage

SAN FRANCISCO / An OK for independent contractor minimum wage
By Charlie Goodyear
House cleaners, baby sitters and even newspaper vendors who hire out their services as independent contractors could earn no less than San Francisco's minimum wage of $8.82 under legislation given initial approval Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors....

 

OAKLAND / 1-day walkout set for Thursday as teachers seek new contract

OAKLAND / 1-day walkout set for Thursday as teachers seek new contract / Sticking point is who pays for costlier health care benefits
By Simone Sebastian
Union officials distributed picket signs and Oakland Unified School District leaders reviewed contingency plans Tuesday as both sides prepared for thousands of teachers to stage a one-day walkout on Thursday. The contentious two-year contract dispute...

 

Alcoa strike could hurt both sides

Alcoa strike could hurt both sides, analysts say
Source: Reuters
Analysts are divided over whether next month's negotiations will result in the first major test in the industry since a six-week strike at Alcoa in 1986.

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's biggest teachers' union plans to file a lawsuit tomorrow

Indiana teachers' union plans to sue state
Source: Louisville Courier-Journal
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's biggest teachers' union plans to file a lawsuit tomorrow alleging that the state isn't spending enough to fund its schools or help its neediest students succeed.

 

Labor union challenges Los Alamos management transition

Labor union challenges Los Alamos management transition
Source: KC Star
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) - A labor union is challenging the legality of the transition from one manager to another for Los Alamos National Laboratory, saying workers are being forced to make ``truly impossible and coerced'' decisions about their future. The University Professional and Technical Employees Union and four lab workers filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday in California Superior Court over the transition.

 

Pentagon appeals labor union ruling

Pentagon appeals labor union ruling
Source: UPI
The Pentagon has filed an appeal of a February ruling prohibiting the agency's planned labor relations overhaul. The Justice Department, which filed the appeal Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of the Pentagon, is seeking to overturn Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision that Defense went beyond congressional intent in forming its new labor rules, GovExec.com reported.

 

Farm union helps in recruiting and hiring immigrant workers

Farm union helps in recruiting and hiring immigrant workers
Source: Houston Chronicle
AT a time when the debate about the issue of migrant workers has never been louder, Baldemar Velasquez's union already may have found one answer. The muscular 59-year-old grandfather heads the Toledo, Ohio-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee, composed of about 8,000 undocumented workers and another 6,000 Mexicans recruited for short-term work.

 

Supersize picker's pay: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is fighting exploitation in the fast-food industry

Supersize picker's pay: The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is fighting exploitation in the fast-food industry
Source: Minnesota Daily
The Coalition of Immokalee workers — an organization that represents mostly Hispanic farm workers — has begun a campaign to get the fast-food giant to pay its tomato-picking farm workers 1 cent more per pound of tomatoes. Last year, the same organization was successful in forcing Taco Bell to give a similar raise to its farm workers after organizing a four-year national strike and boycott against the chain.

 

Blue Diamond Growers won't appeal NLRB decision

Blue Diamond Growers won't appeal NLRB decision
Source: Phoenix Business Journal
Blue Diamond Growers has decided not to appeal a National Labor Relations Board decision that the company had violated a federal labor law. The almond cooperative has offered to rehire two employees fired during a union organizing campaign at the company's Sacramento plant.

 

State jobless rate drops to 4.1% in Minnesota

State jobless rate drops to 4.1%
In StarTribune.com Business
Widespread job growth helped to lower Minnesota's unemployment rate in March to 4.1 percent, from 4.4 percent in February. The March unemployment rate was lower than for any month since January 2005, and it suggests that February's blip up to 4.4 percent was an anomaly, said Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development The U.S. rate dropped only one tenth of a percentage point to 4.7 percent in March. On a seasonally adjusted basis, employment grew by 8,000 jobs over the month in March in Minnesota.

 

Core inflation posts biggest gain in a year

Core inflation posts biggest gain in a year (Reuters)
Reuters - Core inflation in March rose at its fastest rate in a year as clothing and housing costs jumped, according to data on Wednesday that led markets to trim expectations for a quick end to Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes.

 

Immigrants' Interest in Citizenship Surges

Immigrants' Interest in Citizenship Surges (AP)
AP - Efforts by Congress and local governments to crack down on illegal immigration; and the protests that followed those efforts; have produced a surge of interest in learning how to become a U.S. citizen.

 

Some Fear Immigration Protest Backlash

Some Fear Immigration Protest Backlash (AP)
AP - Organizers of the movement that has led hundreds of thousands of immigrants onto the nation's streets are split over whether to press ahead with the next big protest — a May 1 national work stoppage and student boycott.

 

New York Building Workers Rally Against a Wage Freeze

New York building workers rally against a wage freeze
Source: NY Times
The chief negotiator for New York City's real estate industry said yesterday that the two sides remained far apart as the union representing 28,000 apartment-building workers continued to threaten a strike for Friday.

 

New York offers housing subsidy as teacher lure, but union says it treats others unequally

New York offers housing subsidy as teacher lure, but union says it treats others unequally
Source: NY Times
New York City will offer housing subsidies of up to $14,600 to entice new math, science and special education teachers to work in the city's most challenging schools, in one of the most aggressive housing incentive programs in the nation to address a chronic shortage of qualified educators in these specialties.

 

Benefits threatened, auto workers line up for elective procedures

Benefits threatened, auto workers line up for elective procedures
Source: NY Times
The auto industry's efforts to rein in employee health costs is drawing an expensive reaction, as union workers and their spouses hurry to Michigan doctors for knee replacements and other elective procedures before they lose their comprehensive medical benefits.

 

General Motors workers must make decision about buyout

The calculus of taking the buyout
Source: NY Times
Consciously or not, the tens of thousands of General Motors workers who face decisions about the company's buyout offers before an early June deadline are getting a crash course in medical cost-benefit analysis.

 

Transit union approves contract, 71-29 percent, that it rejected before

Transit union approves contract, 71-29 percent, that it rejected before
Source: NY Times
The union's legal standing and the relevance of its revote — if any — remained unclear. Roger Toussaint, the president of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union, trumpeted the results and emphatically urged that the authority's board vote on the contract proposal at its meeting next Wednesday.

 

Despite arrest, U.Va. students committed to helping workers

Despite arrest, U.Va. students committed to helping workers
Source: Washington Post
When Kevin Simowitz volunteered at the Salvation Army last year, many of the homeless men and women he met had jobs. Some had two. But he was surprised to learn that they worked at the University of Virginia, where the 20-year-old sophomore from Cincinnati majors in American studies. One even served food in Simowitz's dining hall.

 

New York apartment-building workers rallied on the upper East Side

Doormen get in step for strike
Source: NY Daily News
Thousands of New York apartment-building workers rallied on the upper East Side yesterday, vowing to walk off the job rather than compromise their pay and health insurance. "We're not going to take a step back - we're going to draw the line," Local 32BJ President Mike Fishman vowed to an estimated 5,000 union members, who filled Park Avenue from E. 79th to 83rd Sts. at an afternoon rally.

 

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Black-owned businesses on rise. US Census Bureau

Black-owned businesses on rise
Women, Hispanics also making inroads, Census Bureau reports Black-owned businesses are among the fastest-growing segments of the American economy, the government said today.


Black-Owned Firms, 2002: http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/sb0200csblk.pdf

The National Black Chamber of Commerce: http://www.nationalbcc.org/

 

Gary Indiana at 100 years: Steeltown

Gary at 100: gritty, worn and looking for new life
GARY, Ind. -- Elbert H. Gary could not have predicted the city that bears his name would endure so many twists and turns over the years. Consider his Midwestern company town an austere example of 20th century industrial boom and bust -- staggering initial growth followed by melting-pot politics, racial friction, job cuts and a surge of drug crime that has left a stubborn imprint of decay.

 

Academia Dissects the Service Sector, but Is It a Science?

Academia Dissects the Service Sector, but Is It a Science?
By STEVE LOHR
A growing number of universities see a bright future in a new hybrid field that seeks to improve the performance of service businesses. On his Asian trip last month, President Bush urged Americans not to fear the rise toward prosperity of emerging economies like India. Education, Mr. Bush said, was the best response to globalization, climbing further up the ladder of skills to "fill the jobs of the 21st century."

 

IAM wants to organize Northwest Airlines replacement mechanics

IAM wants to organize Northwest Airlines replacement mechanics
The ground workers union at Northwest Airlines Inc. wants to organize the company's mechanics, hired to replace those who went on strike in August. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is collecting signatures from 275 Northwest mechanics who work at Detroit Metro Airport to prompt an election so those mechanics can have a chance to vote in the IAM as their union.

 

Anger rises on both sides of strike at Univ Miami

Anger rises on both sides of strike at Univ Miami
The janitors have been on a hunger strike for 13 days, the students for 6 — all part of a labor dispute that has turned unusually personal, with faculty members, students, union leaders and members of the clergy sharply criticizing Dr. Shalala.

 

Delta pilots union to review agreement Wednesday

Delta pilots union to review agreement Wednesday
Source: Cincinnati Business Courier
The union representing Delta Air Lines' pilots said its leaders will meet Wednesday in New Orleans to decide whether to submit a tentative agreement to the pilots for a vote, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.

 

High Court Weighs Retaliation at Work

High Court Weighs Retaliation at Work
By Charles Lane
Sexual harassment in the workplace is against federal law. An employer is also liable if he or she discriminates against an employee who files a sexual harassment complaint. But the law is vague on a key question: How harsh does the employer's retaliation have to be before it violates the law?

 

'Economic Patriotism' Casts Doubt in EU

'Economic Patriotism' Casts Doubt in EU (AP)
AP - The European Union has often struggled to persuade governments to look beyond narrow national interests, as it inches toward its goal of becoming a vast free market. But now an unabashedly populist ideal is taking root among governments: economic patriotism.

 

Nokia to expand infrastructure R&D center in China

Nokia to expand infrastructure R&D center in China (Reuters)
Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE) is to expand its research and development center in Chengdu, China, hiring up to 150 more staff, to boost mobile network infrastructure product development, the company said on Tuesday.

 

Ga. Governor Signs Strict Immigration Bill

Ga. Governor Signs Strict Immigration Bill (AP)
AP - Georgia's governor signed a sweeping immigration bill Monday that supporters and critics say gives the state some of the toughest measures against illegal immigrants in the nation.

 

Arizona Gov. Vetoes Criminal Immigrant Bill

Ariz. Gov. Vetoes Criminal Immigrant Bill (AP)
AP - Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill that would have criminalized the presence of illegal immigrants in Arizona, citing opposition from police agencies that want immigration arrests to remain the responsibility of the federal government.

 

Union files suit against lab to block pension plan changes

Union files suit against lab to block pension plan changes
Source: San Jose Mercury-News
A labor union that also represents Lawrence Livermore Laboratory workers has filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking Los Alamos National Laboratory's new management from "coercing" workers to transfer out of their current pension fund in exchange for future job guarantees.

 

Monday, April 17, 2006

It's not just Ford jobs that are leaving

It's not just Ford jobs that are leaving
In StarTribune.com Business
Every month, 10,000 to 12,000 Minnesotans watch their jobs disappear. That's the equivalent of a closed Ford plant every five or six days. Most of those lost jobs are not in manufacturing. But those that are reflect an abiding pattern: Manufacturing jobs, as a share of Minnesota employment, have been on the decline for generations, falling with the advent of technology improvements and productivity gains. Companies continue to make more with less, a phenomenon that puts a check on consumer prices but makes manufacturing-job security harder to come by each passing year. In 1990, nearly one

 

Made Elsewhere

Made Elsewhere
In StarTribune.com Business
U.S. manufacturing jobs -- as a share of total employment -- have been declining since the end of World War II, but some of the steepest drops have come in the past 15 years. Even so, Minnesota continues to employ a higher share of workers in manufacturing jobs than does the nation as a whole.

 

Boeing to Lay Off About 900 Kansas Workers

Boeing to Lay Off About 900 Kan. Workers
In StarTribune.com Business
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Citing defense budget cuts and delays, Boeing Co. announced Monday it would restructure its Wichita operations and lay off about 900 workers, or about 25 percent of its current work force at the plant. The Chicago-based company said its Wichita defense plant will focus on military 747 and wide-body aircraft modifications and upgrades. It also plans to continue its engineering center, focusing its engineering work here on the B-52 Stratofortress and other defense and civil aviation related businesses.

 

Growers and union hail new agreement for Global Horizons, UFW

Growers and union hail new agreement for Global Horizons, UFW
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic
John Verbrugge could never have predicted a year ago that he would be prepared to let union farm workers pick apples in his orchards. But that's what the Wapato grower has agreed to under a new labor contract signed this week in Seattle by a national labor contractor and the United Farm Workers of America union.

 

UNF and faculty come to agreement on first contract

University of North Florida and faculty come to agreement on first contract
Source: Jacksonville Business Journal
Retroactive pay increases, redefining criteria for tenure and merit-based pay raises are the first terms implemented under the new faculty contract at the University of North Florida.
The contract, ratified March 15, includes provisions for department-specific tenure criteria, merit pay and summer class rotation.

 

Strike looms for workers at New York City apartment buildings

SEIU Local 32BJ union representing 28,000 workers in New York City apartment buildings is gearing up for a walkout
With a strike deadline set for 12:01 a.m. Friday, the union representing 28,000 workers in New York City apartment buildings has told more than 2,000 strike captains to gear up for a walkout, and many building owners and managers are rushing to hire replacement workers to guard front doors and lug garbage to the basement.

 

For Immigrants and Business, Rift on Protests

For Immigrants and Business, Rift on Protests
By MONICA DAVEY
Hundreds lost their jobs after skipping work to attend rallies against legislation in Congress cracking down on illegal immigrants.

 

Business Lobbyists Call for Action on Immigration

Business Lobbyists Call for Action on Immigration
By KATE PHILLIPS
Business lobbies and trade groups have turned to their grass-roots partners to put hometown pressure on lawmakers during the two-week Congressional recess.

 

Economic View: Cost of Illegal Immigration May Be Less Than Meets the Eye

Economic View: Cost of Illegal Immigration May Be Less Than Meets the Eye
By EDUARDO PORTER
While some are contending that illegal immigrants are causing harm to Americans in the competition for jobs, the economic data suggests that the argument is overstated.

 

Court OKs sex-based grooming standards / 7-4 ruling says casino can require makeup on women

SAN FRANCISCO / Court OKs sex-based grooming standards / 7-4 ruling says casino can require makeup on women
By Bob Egelko
Employers can set different dress codes and grooming standards for women than for men, as long as the rules aren't burdensome or based on sex stereotypes, a federal appeals court decided Friday in the case of a female casino bartender who was fired for...

 

NY Fed factory index falls to 6-month low in April

NY Fed factory index falls to 6-month low in April (Reuters)
Reuters - Manufacturing activity in New York State factories fell to a six-month low in April, weighed by a large drop in new orders and shipments, but prices remained steady, the New York Federal Reserve said on Monday.

 

Delta Pilots, Court Must Approve Deal

Delta Pilots, Court Must Approve Deal
By AP
ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. and negotiators for its pilots union reached a tentative agreement Friday on long-term pay and benefit cuts that could avert a strike at the nation's third largest carrier and ease uncertainty among travelers over the busy holiday weekend.

 

Boeing Parts and Rules Bent, Whistle-Blowers Say

Boeing Parts and Rules Bent, Whistle-Blowers Say
By Florence Graves and Sara Kehaulani Goo
Jeannine Prewitt knew there was a problem when the holes wouldn't line up. Whether questionable parts ended up in hundreds of Boeing 737s is the subject of a bitter dispute between the aerospace company and Prewitt and two other whistle-blowers. The two sides also have enormously different views on what that could mean for the safety of the jets.

 

Tentative pact averts Seattle trash strike

Tentative pact averts trash strike
Intense weekend negotiations between the garbage-haulers union, two firms that employ them and a federal mediator have ensured garbage pickup will continue in King and Snohomish counties for the next two weeks, pending ratification of a final labor contract. The tentative agreement averting a garbage strike was hammered out late Saturday between Teamsters Local 174 and Allied Waste Industries. On Sunday morning, Waste Management and the union also reached a tentative understanding.

 

Wal-Mart to Offer More Health Coverage

Wal-Mart to Offer More Health Coverage (AP)
AP - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Monday it will relax eligibility requirements for part-time employees who want health insurance, allowing an additional 150,000 workers to gain coverage if they choose.

 

NYC Transit Union Fined $2.5M for Strike

NYC Transit Union Fined $2.5M for Strike (AP)
AP - A judge fined the city transit union $2.5 million Monday for the illegal strike that brought buses and subways to a standstill for three days just before Christmas.

 

Friday, April 14, 2006

U.S. Firms Recruit Cheap Labor in Mexico

U.S. Firms Recruit Cheap Labor in Mexico
In StarTribune.com Business
SASABE, Mexico (AP) - When Pedro Lopez Vazquez crossed illegally into the United States last week, he was not heading north to look for a job. He already had one. His future employer even paid $1,000 for a smuggler to help Vazquez make his way from the central Mexican city of Puebla to Aspen, Colo. "We're going to Colorado to work in carpentry because we have a friend who was going to give us a job,'' Vazquez said. Vazquez, 41, was interviewed along the Arizona border after being deported twice by the U.S. Border Patrol. He said he would keep trying until he got to Aspen.

 

St. Paul Ford plant: It's not over yet, state officials say

St. Paul Ford plant: It's not over yet, state officials say
In StarTribune.com Business
After dodging one bullet over the closing of St. Paul's Ford plant in January, state officials said they would have been prepared to put on the table whatever financial incentives were needed to keep the plant open. But this week, they conceded the realities of the global marketplace: that tax cuts, rebates or other financial incentives would have had little effect on the automaker's decision to shutter the Highland Park plant in 2008.

 

Northwest Pilots to Get Equity in Reorg

NW Pilots to Get Equity in Reorganization
By AP
MINNEAPOLIS -- Northwest Airlines Corp. pilots will hold an $888 million claim to be paid in stock when the carrier emerges from bankruptcy, the pilot's union said in a presentation to members.

 

Ford Plans to Shut It's Norfolk Plant

Ford Plans to Shut Its Norfolk Plant
By Sholnn Freeman
Ford Motor Co. said yesterday that it plans to close the Norfolk plant where it builds the popular F-150 pickup truck, along with a truck plant in St. Paul, Minn., as fallout from the industry's troubles continues to shake local communities.

 

Economy May Leave Ford Employees Behind

Economy May Leave Ford Employees Behind
By AP
RICHMOND, Va. -- Ford Motor Co.'s 2,400 employees in Norfolk probably don't need an expert to tell them that they could be left behind as the economy moves ahead.

 

U.S. Industry Carries Momentum Into Spring

U.S. Industry Carries Momentum Into Spring (AP)
AP - U.S. industry headed into the spring with a full head of steam: Production at factories, mines and utilities rose by 0.6 percent in March in the latest encouraging sign for the economy.

 

Buyouts Cut Costs, But at What Price?

Buyouts Cut Costs, But at What Price?
By Amy Joyce
When General Motors Corp. announced last month that it would offer buyouts to as many as 131,000 GM and Delphi Corp. workers, it was following a path well worn by troubled companies seeking to reduce costs.

 

Delta, Pilots Union Reach Tentative Deal

Delta, Pilots Union Reach Tentative Deal
By AP
ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc. and negotiators for its pilots union reached a tentative agreement Friday on pay and benefit cuts that could avert a strike at the nation's third largest carrier and ease uncertainty among travelers over the busy Easter weekend.

 

Thursday, April 13, 2006

The Road to Bankruptcy

The Road to Bankruptcy
George F. Will Column in the Washington Post

It is better to be fired by General Motors than it is to be hired by most companies. Remember this when you are rightly ridiculing the riotous French who have successfully insisted that even workers under 26 should have property rights to their jobs. Remember because the accelerating crisis of private-sector welfare states such as GM prefigures the coming crisis of the public sector's entitlements.

 

Jobless claims increase sharply

Jobless claims increase sharply (Reuters)
New claims for U.S. jobless aid rose an unexpectedly large 12,000 last week, government data showed on Thursday, but underlying measures of the labor market continued to show robust conditions.

 

Small Business: More Women Are Enjoying Being Their Own Bosses

Small Business: More Women Are Enjoying Being Their Own Bosses
By BARBARA WHITAKER
Women are the fastest-growing demographic of entrepreneurs and more often than not they are going it alone. Even before being laid off, for the fourth time in 14 years, from a job as a purchasing manager, Annastine Allen of Bridgeport, Conn., was putting down the foundation — literally — for a new career in construction.

 

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Detective's Death Tied to Ground Zero Fumes

Detective's Death Tied to Ground Zero Fumes
By KAREEM FAHIM
For the first time, the death of an emergency responder has been formally linked to fumes at the World Trade Center site.

 

Wal-Mart May Be Looking at Site in Queens

Wal-Mart May Be Looking at Site in Queens
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Wal-Mart, which has tried unsuccessfully to open a store in New York City, appeared to be trying once again with a notice published in a construction trade report.

 

University Ends Boycott of Coke

University Ends Boycott of Coke
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 11 (AP) — The University of Michigan agreed to resume the purchase of Coca-Cola products on Tuesday, saying it was satisfied with plans for investigations into the company's labor and environmental practices in Colombia and India.

 

Schwarzenegger - Go slow in fight on warming

Governor: Go slow in fight on warming / He wants to protect industries while addressing global problem
By Mark Martin
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called Tuesday for California to become a national leader in combatting global warming but cautioned that the state should move slowly in imposing controls on industries that emit greenhouse gases, a step environmentalists argue is...

 

San Francisco/ Tentative teachers pact

San Francisco/ Tentative teachers pact / Accord with district reached in wee hours, ending strike threat
By Heather Knight, Nanette Asimov
Now that the San Francisco Unified School District and the city's teachers union have reached a tentative contract agreement and averted the threatened strike, the hard work really begins -- figuring out how to pay for it. Both sides were ecstatic when...

 

Oakland California/ School district overseer declares state of emergency

Oakland California/ School district overseer declares state of emergency / Order allows hiring of interim teachers if workers walk out
By Simone Sebastian
The state administrator overseeing Oakland schools declared a state of emergency Tuesday, freeing the district to hire as many as 1,000 noncredentialed temporary teachers in the event of a strike. State Administrator Randy Ward declared the emergency...

 

Berkeley, California / 18 arrested at 'sweatshops' sit-in

Berkeley, California / 18 arrested at 'sweatshops' sit-in
By Charles Burress
Eighteen students demanding that University of California-logo apparel not be produced in "sweatshops" were arrested at a sit-in at the UC Berkeley chancellor's office Tuesday afternoon. The students from Berkeley and other UC campuses were released...

 

Delta Pilots Picket Outside Headquarters

Delta Pilots Picket Outside Headquarters
By By HARRY R. WEBER, AP Business Writer
More than 300 Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots marched near the company's headquarters Wednesday and placed a giant inflatable rat on a street corner to symbolize what they see as corporate greed in management's effort to void their contract and impose pay cuts.

 

GM, Ohio Workers Reach Tentative Agreement

GM, Ohio Workers Reach Tentative Agreement
General Motors Corp. and workers at its assembly plant in suburban Moraine have reached a tentative contract agreement that would put the facility in position to build a new generation of sport utility vehicles, a GM official said Wednesday. GM...

 

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Farmworkers' union is set to announce first national contract for guest workers

Farmworkers' union is set to announce first national contract for guest workers
The union, the United Farm Workers, and Global Horizons, a labor contractor based in Los Angeles, have signed an agreement that provides employer-paid medical care, a seniority system and a grievance procedure to help ensure that farms comply with state and federal laws.

 

Employers Push White House to Disclose Medicare Data

Employers Push White House to Disclose Medicare Data
By ROBERT PEAR
The nation's largest employers say data on the cost and quality of care provided by doctors around the country would help rein in their health insurance costs.

 

Unions in Santa Clara seek binding arbitration

Unions in Santa Clara seek binding arbitration
Source: San Jose Mercury-News
Hateful glares and bickering have long been par for the course during Santa Clara's labor negotiations. Three years ago, the contract talks got so ugly that the city fired its chief negotiator in response to an outpouring of complaints about him. Despite the friction, the police and fire union generally end up satisfied with their contracts; after all, they're among the highest-paid in Santa Clara County. But the ugliness has got to go, say union officials. That's why they plan to ask the council today to put a measure on the November ballot that would allow a neutral arbitrator to make final decisions on contracts if negotiations fail.

 

NYC transit union leader sentenced to 10 days in jail for strike and fined $1000

NYC transit union leader sentenced to 10 days in jail for strike and fined $1000
Source: NYT
Roger Toussaint, the president of the transit workers' union who led bus and subway workers in a strike that crippled New York City for three cold days in December, was sentenced yesterday in a surprise ruling to 10 days in jail.

 

SF teachers reach tentative agreement
By Nanette Asimov and Elizabeth Fernandez
(04-11) 12:58 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco teachers reached a tentative contract agreement today, averting a classroom walkout, but district officials warned that the new pact could lead to budget cuts down the road. Terms of the settlement are...

 

HUGE CROWDS MARCH FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM / Up to 2 million nationwide vow to use ballot-box power / NATION: Protesters are careful to wave U.S. flags this time
By Edward Epstein, James Sterngold
Immigration-rights supporters showed Monday that they can turn out well over a million marchers. Now they hope politicians will see those marchers as votes. As many as 2 million immigrants and their supporters rallied across the nation, warning...

 

France in a quandary in hiring new workers / Job-for-life promises leave little room for first-time job hunters
By Elizabeth Bryant
Lana Strika graduated last summer from Paris V University with honors and a master's degree in clinical psychology. The 24-year-old Parisian speaks five languages -- three fluently -- and boasts a smorgasbord of internships at French health centers....

 

French Students Protest, Despite Victory
By By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writer
Students and unions staged new protests Tuesday across France, hoping to ride the momentum that led President Jacques Chirac to scrap a youth labor law and force the government to pull other contested reforms. Chirac's retreat and school vacations that...

 

LOS ANGELES / Results of UC pay, perks audit delayed
By Tanya Schevitz
The scheduled release of an audit of the University of California's compensation practices has been delayed until April 24, but a task force appointed to review UC's policies and procedures in the wake of a pay scandal will issue recommendations for reforms...

 

Delta Stays Quietly Hopeful
By Keith L. Alexander
Barring a last-minute agreement between Delta Air Lines and its 6,000 pilots, the nation's third-largest airline could be grounded as early as next Tuesday.

 

Northwest mechanics told to stop picketing or lose jobless benefits
Source: St Paul Pioneer Press

Former Northwest Airlines mechanics who lost their jobs while on strike could get jobless benefits and worker retraining money if their union stops picketing against the airline, according to a state unemployment official.

 

Monday, April 10, 2006

Monitoring Employee Communications in the Enterprise (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - As the number of workers using the Internet for pleasure as well as business grows, so does anxiety among corporate higher-ups worried about productivity and exposure to security risks.

 

Denver Trains and Buses Rolling Again (AP)
AP - Trains and buses started rolling again Monday to the delight of thousands of Denver-area commuters who had to find another way to get to work during a weeklong transit strike.

 

Graduates Prefer Cities for Jobs, Culture (AP)
AP - College graduates are flocking to America's big cities, chasing jobs and culture and driving up home prices.

 

NYC Transit Union Boss Now Faces Jail Time (AP)
AP - The union president who called an illegal strike that halted New York City's subways and buses in December should be jailed for 10 days and fined $1,000 for criminal contempt, a judge ruled Monday.

 

Executive Pay: A Special Report: Off to the Races Again, Leaving Many Behind
By ERIC DASH
While new technology and low-cost labor overseas are holding down the wages of the average American worker, executive pay continues to rise at an astonishing rate.

 

Advice on Boss's Pay May Not Be So Independent
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON
The secretive and often conflicted world of compensation consultants has grown into a big industry.

 

States sign on to '65 percent solution' for funding schools; 'It's a simplistic attempt to deal with a real issue,' says Ed McElroy, head of the American Federation of Teachers
Source: USA Today
A bid to force school systems to cut the fat by putting 65% of their dollars directly into classrooms has found favor in a number of states and is gaining momentum in others.
Versions of the "65% solution," so dubbed by columnist George Will, have been adopted in four states and are being considered in another six. Department of Education research shows that 61% of school dollars now go directly to the classroom for items such as teacher salaries, chalk, textbooks and computers.

 

Stream of officials from the banking industry, unions and consumer groups urged federal regulators to reject Wal-Mart banking plans
Source: Business Week

 

France Puts End to Controversial Jobs Law
By By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER, Associated Press Writer
President Jacques Chirac caved in to protesters on Monday, canceling a law on youth employment that fueled nationwide unrest and raising questions about France's ability to reform rigid labor laws in a globalized world. Unions declared victory, but...

 

Low unemployment no inflation risk yet: Treasury (Reuters)
Reuters - Low U.S. unemployment reflects a vigorous economy but so far it has not fueled inflation, U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy Mark Warshawsky said on Monday.

 

Disney Hong Kong hit over pay
BBC News
A union at Disney's Hong Kong theme park accuses the company of unfair pay and working conditions.

 

Job hunt a challenge for disabled
NEW YORK -- Bruce Morgan knew he was in for a long job search.

 

Friends and bosses? It's rare in this era of self-preservation
True friendships, as well as honest working relationships, are among the casualties of the modern office.

 

Machinists OK 3-Yr. Deal With Lockheed
Union workers at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. accepted a new contract with higher wages and a limited increase in employee contributions to health care costs. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 776 approved the...

 

Chirac Scraps Part of Youth Jobs Law
By By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER, Associated Press Writer
President Jacques Chirac on Monday scrapped a controversial part of a youth labor law that triggered massive protests and strikes, bowing to intense pressure from students and unions and dealing a blow to his loyal premier in a bid to end the crisis....

 

Strike? Consumers Couldn't Care Less
By Warren Brown
At last word, negotiators for the bankrupt Delphi Corp. and the United Auto Workers were at loggerheads.

 

France to replace youth job law
BBC News
French President Jacques Chirac has announced that the new youth employment law that sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests will be scrapped. He said it would be replaced by other measures to tackle youth unemployment.

 

Friday, April 07, 2006

Unions Wield More Influence in Bankruptcy
By AP
ATLANTA -- Bankrupt companies hold a big stick in how their reorganization turns out. They can cancel contracts, eliminate stock options and wipe away debt.

 

Delphi Gets Court OK on Retirement Plan
By AP
NEW YORK -- Auto parts maker Delphi Corp. is free to move ahead on its plan to induce thousands of hourly employees to retire, a bankruptcy judge ruled Friday, marking a key milestone in the company's effort to tame staffing levels amid falling production.

 

Jobless Rate Jumps for Katrina Evacuees (AP)
AP - More than a third of Hurricane Katrina evacuees still out of their homes were unemployed in March, a sharp jump from February, the federal Labor Department reported Friday.

 

Mediating the fracas over 'flexibility' at Homeland Security
Source: Washington Post
"You know what Justice Black used to say? Flexibility is mush."
With that quip, Judge A. Raymond Randolph cut into the opening statement of the government's lawyer, who was defending new workplace rules at the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Department of Homeland Security argues bargaining case
Source: Washington Post
Two federal appeals court judges grilled a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security yesterday, challenging his contention that DHS can unilaterally dissolve future union contracts within its new personnel system.

 

Janitors Union, Chicago building owners piece together talks
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
The union negotiating a contract for 15,000 janitors who clean commercial buildings in downtown Chicago and the suburbs was headed for a showdown with management Thursday, when building owners blinked.

 

Unions divided on guest workers
Source: Washington Times
A group of union members booed Sen. John McCain this week because of his support for a guest-worker program for illegal aliens. But organized labor isn't speaking with a single voice on the contentious immigration issue that is dominating the attention of Congress and has led to weeks of rallies in cities across the country.

 

Hollywood unions battle over turf
Source: LA Times
Long-simmering tensions have worsened in the last month since Thomas Short, president of the powerful International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, rebuked Writers Guild of America leaders in a letter to his members suggesting that the guild was out of touch with writers because it was run by "certain officers who don't work in the industry."

 

Dissidents urge New York City transit workers to reject contract plan again
NY Times
With the transit workers' union in the midst of a second vote on the proposed contract that it narrowly rejected in January, a group of dissidents urged fellow members yesterday to reject it again, saying the revote "undermines union democracy."

 

Labor official notes pension disparities
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The AFL-CIO, pushing for more federal regulation of lucrative corporate salaries and pensions, released information Thursday about some of the sweetest executive retirement deals in the country.

 

Africa needs millions of nurses
BBC News
Million health workers are needed to combat the "chronic shortage" in Africa, experts warn.

 

Teachers' pension fund takes action on Sudan / Board orders plan to divest in firms to protest genocide
By Jim Doyle
The California State Teachers' Retirement System, the nation's second-largest public pension fund, took a big step Thursday toward divesting its assets from companies with ties to the government of Sudan. Citing the genocide in Sudan's troubled region...

 

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