LETTER LABOR ADVISORY BOARD JULY 2015 Vol
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Published By AMERICAN INCOME LIFE & NATIONAL INCOME LIFE LETTER LABOR ADVISORY BOARD JULY 2015 Vol. 47 No. 4 NEWS FROM THE Steel covering thousands of workers and vote. The campaign against the Trans-Pacif- AFL-CIO, CTW, at ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel ic Partnership Agreement unified organized INTERNATIONAL & maker, where the union faces tough nego- labor unlike any trade issue in the past. The tiations. A weaker U.S. economy, a stronger agreement has been secretly negotiated al- NATIONAL UNIONS dollar and a rash of imports have plagued though lobbyists for leading corporate in- steel producers in recent months with ship- terests have been allowed to see draft copies. The United Electrical, Radio ments by U.S. steel mills down nearly 10 Opposition in the Senate was led by Demo- and Machine Workers of America and percent through April. cratic Senators. Sherrod Brown (OH) and IUE-CWA negotiated tentative four-year Elizabeth Warren (MA) who warned fast- agreements June 21 with General Electric The AFL-CIO waged a fierce track would cost thousands of American Co. after three weeks of talks. The contracts lobbying campaign against fast-track ne- jobs and allow multi-national companies to provide $2,000 ratification bonus, three ac- gotiating authority for the president which evade U.S. law. Brown noted that lawmak- celerated cash payments totaling $8,000, was finally approved by the Senate on June ers have little idea of what shape the TPP four fixed cost of living adjustments (CO- 24. “It will do nothing to prevent repeat- trade agreement will take despite approving LAs) and one general wage increase. In ad- ing the mistakes of failed trade policies that fast-track consideration of the deal. “We’ve dition, there will be no increase in health have contributed to stagnating wages, in- gotten the worst of both worlds because care premiums and improvements in bene- creasing inequality and the closure of more we’re voting on TPA and we haven’t been fits. “I am extremely proud of our bargaining than 60,000 factories since 2000,” the Fed- able to see what’s in TPP,” Brown said be- team for their persistence and focus on de- eration wrote in a letter prior to the Senate fore the vote. tail in achieving this new national contract, which I’m confident will be viewed by our membership as a winning contract that will increase their job security while also giving them improvements in benefits and wages,” IUE-CWA President Jim Clark said. The United Steelworkers union is bargaining three big contracts that expire this summer with major metals pro- ducers. Talks with Allegheny Technologies, where most of the 2,450 union workers are employed at the specialty metals producer’s plants near Pittsburgh, do not appear to be going well, according to news reports. The four-year contract expires at the end of June and the company has made significant concessionary demands, including defin- ing the normal work day as 12 hours. On September 1, three-year pacts expire at U.S. Protesting the TPP. Flickr.com photo used under Creative Commons from stopfasttrack. TERRY O'SULLIVAN, President - Laborers International Union of North America, Chairman - AIL/NILICO Labor Advisory Board VICTOR KAMBER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Executive Director - AIL/NILICO Labor Advisory Board ROGER SMITH, President & Chief Executive Officer - American Income Life Insurance Company, President - AIL/NILICO Labor Advisory Board DENISE BOWYER, Vice President - American Income Life Insurance Company, Secretary - AIL/NILICO Labor Advisory Board Pg 2 LABOR LETTER them to move to another factory. Workers Coast Labor Council Secretary Arthur at Shenzhen Artigas Clothing & Leather- Rorris. “We’re not prepared to wait for ware in southern China said they demand one boardroom meeting of one company negotiations for the relocation after man- in Melbourne to determine the future not agement shut down the plant. Artigas is just for our steel industry in this country managed by Lever Style Limited, which but also whether our region goes into a very has refused comment. But the Japanese re- deep recession,” he said. “You cannot lose tailer Uniqlo has threatened to terminate its thousands of jobs in this region and every- contract with the supplier if matter remains thing that goes with it and expect to have an unresolved. Hong Kong-based China La- unemployment rate without double digits.” bor Bulletin reported more than 1,000 col- Citing the U.S. as an example, he said sup- lective actions have been taken by Chinese porting locally made steel happens in other workers since January who are taking to countries around the world but the govern- group actions to fight for their rights. The ment needs to lead the way. human rights organization reported 1,379 workers’ strikes in China in 2014, up from More than 50,000 Mexican 656 the previous year. farmworkers joined a strike started in March CWA Vice President Ed Mooney. Flickr.com in the San Quintín Valley in the Northeast- photo used under Creative Commons from Dominican Republic’s labor ern part of Baja California. According to Bernard Pollack. unions recently warned Congress against news reports, they are aggressively protest- amending the Labor Code unilaterally “and ing low pay, poor working conditions and The Communications Workers above all if it reduces workers’ rights.” The human rights abuses. Led by the Alliance of America (CWA) and Internation- unions issued the warning during a meeting of National, State and Municipal Orga- al Brotherhood of Electrical Workers with legislators in a hotel in Santo Domingo. nizations for Social Justice (AONEMJS), (IBEW) did not formally respond to Ve- “Any amendment to the Labor Code must workers are seeking a wage increase from rizon’s latest contract offer, but called for be based on benefiting the worker instead $8.00 to $13.50 per day. They also demand “fairness” for the 38,000 union wirelines of harming them, like businesses want,” said employers pay into Mexico’s social security workers covered by negotiations. According Unions Federation (CNUS) president Ra- and health insurance system, and obey la- to news reports, Verizon offered raises and fael Pepe-Abreu. He said unions withdrew bor laws. The workers’ alliance called for lump sum payments, but is seeking higher from talks with the National Salary Com- an end to sexual harassment in the fields health insurance payments from workers mittee, which sets a national minimum and revocation of contracts with unions af- and greater management “flexibility.” The wage, after learning about a secret deal with filiated with the Institutional Revolutionary current three-year contract expires August the private sector. He charged the commit- Party (PRI). Millions in crops have rotted 1. Workers are covered under 27 differ- tee issued a resolution prior to the meeting in the fields as growers refuse to accept the ent contracts that follow a similar pattern. based on an agreement between employers workers’ demands. During the height of CWA represents most of the workers and and government. He said decisions taken the dispute, protesters blocked the main the union’s lead negotiator is CWA Vice without labor’s presence violate Dominican north-south highway and Transpeninsular President Ed Mooney. “We are united in Republic’s commitments to international Highway, and partner strikes have sprouted our commitment to fight for fairness – we treaties, especially the Free Trade Agree- across the state. are the foundation upon which the success ment with Central America and United of Verizon rests,” Mooney said in a release. States (DR-CAFTA). “We have helped to boost the company’s NATIONAL AND earnings and productivity even through a Australia’s South Coast Labor POLITICAL EVENTS global recession. It is now our turn to share Council has launched a campaign to save equitably in that growth.” BlueScope’s Port Kemble steelworks. The Tata Consultancy Services company stoked fears about the plant’s and Infosys, two India-based outsourcing future when officials announced “a game- companies, are under investigation by the INTERNATIONAL changing” approach to significantly cut U.S. Department of Labor for violations of LABOR NEWS costs to stock analysts. In response, the rules for H1b visas for foreign technology union movement wants state and federal workers. The investigation was spurred by More than 300 Chinese work- governments to use Australian made steel publicity over the firing of U.S. IT work- ers at a garment factory that supplies in- on taxpayer funded projects. Stopping steel ers who were forced to retrain their foreign ternational brands such as Uniqlo began production would lead to thousands of job replacements in order to secure severance a protest in June over what they say is a losses and plunge the Illawarra coastal re- benefits. The incident involved a contract unilateral decision by management to force gion into a deep recession, warned South they held with Southern California Edison LABOR LETTER Pg 3 which recently laid off more than 500 tech- REGIONAL & as other major carriers. In a letter to Al- nology workers. H1b visas are temporary legiant’s board of directors, union president work permits which allow U.S. firms to LOCAL LABOR Daniel C. Wells warned the airline is cut- hire foreign workers. But U.S. workers are NEWS ting corners on maintenance and opera- not allowed to be displaced by H1b im- tions. The airline has suffered a number of migrants. Disney in Florida recently made Steelworker’s Local 13-1 strik- recent incidences over maintenance issues national headlines when 250 employees in ing workers from Galveston’s Marathon involving delayed and canceled flights. the IT section were laid off and forced to Petroleum Corp’s Galveston Bay Refin- “Passengers shouldn’t have to wonder if train their replacements from India on H1b ery ended a five-month walkout June 23 their Allegiant flight will be the next one to visas employed by Cognizant.