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Individual Contracts Undercut Equal Rebuilding the IWW at NYC campaigns winning, Atom Spies, Horizontalism Armed men break Streetlight shelter but face stiff resistance and IWW history strikes in Philippines 5 7 8-9 10 INDUSTRIAL WORKER OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER O F T H E I N D U S T R I A L W O R K E R S O F T H E W O RLD November 2007 #1701 Vol. 104 No. 11 $1 / £1 / €1 Individual contracts undercut equal pay By Australian Council of Trade Unions The research shows the unfair The pay gap between men and industrial relations laws have women has widened under the Liberal particularly hurt women on AWA Party of Australia government led by individual contracts. Women on AWAs John Howard. Women on Australian only earn 81 cents for every dollar Workplace Agreements (AWA)— earned by men on AWAs. Women individual contracts between worker and on collective agreements fare better, boss—are falling furthest behind. earning 90 cents for every dollar earned Australian Council of Trade Unions by men. (ACTU) President Sharan Burrow “Women on AWAs are earning on revealed the findings of this study at the average $87 less per week than their national conference, Shaping the Future counterparts on collective agreements of Women in Australia, in Sydney on and for part-time women, the difference October 10. can be as much as $140 per week,” said The most recent data shows the gap Burrow. between men's and women’s earnings Australia’s booming economy is has widened in the past three years. also leaving women worse off. In July Women working full-time now earn 2007, wage costs in higher-paid, male- only 84 cents for every dollar earned by dominated industries such as mining a man working full-time—a drop from and construction were growing three three years ago, when it was 87 cents for times faster than wage costs in low paid every dollar. sectors such as retail and hospitality, In November, We Remember... “Workplace Relations Minister where many women are employed. The laurels of victory are lain on the head of a Haymarket martyr at their Joe Hockey’s claim that the wages gap Also on the conference agenda were memorial grave in the old Waldheim cemetary in Chicago, United States. The between men and women has narrowed strategies to improve paid maternity Haymarket martyrs were executed on November 11, 1887. The mobilizations under the Howard government is simply leave, promote accessible childcare, around their trial and execution inspired a new generation of labor activists, not supported by the evidence. Mr. support women in leadership, and including many who joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. Hockey is wrong again," said Burrow. increase women's influence. Analysis NLRB permits decertification campaigns UAW strikes to get GM, Chrysler contracts The 73,000 United Auto Workers GM gained key concessions that for voluntarily recognized unions (UAW) at General Motors struck for divide the workforce. New hires won't By americanrightsatwork.org the first time since 1976, bringing the get the same health benefits as current The US national labor board has paign by a minority of anti-union em- automaker back to the bargaining table employees and their starting pay will be undermined voluntary recognition of ployees. This protection allowed stability in just two days. lower than the current rate. unions by allowing a decertification cam- during the bargaining of a first contract. The UAW also used a six hour strike In turn, GM agreed to hire 3,000 paign within 45 days of recognition. In the current case, both Dana Corp. on October 10 to force Chrysler to make temporary workers into “full-time, Voluntary recognition is when em- and Metaldyne Corp. voluntarily recog- a tentative agreement, which has yet to traditional employment,” which for the ployers agree to recognize a union once nized that a majority of their workers be ratified by the rank-and-file. union, removes a potential threat to a majority of workers sign union cards. formed unions with the United Auto The new four-year GM contract, workplace solidarity. It’s a peaceful and quick way to get to the Workers. When the Regional NLRB ratified October 10 by 66 per cent of Still, GM looks to be the big winner bargaining table and, for workers and Director dismissed decertification peti- workers, was widely reported to have by shedding the long-term health cost bosses, a better alternative to the flawed tions filed by anti-union employees a few created a US$50 billion health fund that for current workers and retirees. Not National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) weeks after recognition was granted, the would be run by the UAW on behalf of having this liability will mean it will be election process. anti-union National Right to Work Legal 411,000 current workers and retirees. in a stronger position to demand more The appointed Republican major- Defense Foundation filed charges on GM will also protect jobs on the basis concessions during the 2011 contract ity of the Board sided with anti-union behalf of these employees to challenge of seniority. Last year, GM shut 12 plants negotiations. Auto workers in unions groups to allow as few as 30 per cent of this longstanding protection. and cut 34,000 jobs. such as the Canadian Auto Workers will anti-union employees to petition an elec- As the dissenting Board members While UAW leaders may have now have to compete with a contract tion to decertify the union. wrote, a minority of anti-union employ- breathed a sigh of relief that their gambit that has lowered standards and, thus, This latest NLRB ruling, the Dana ees can now “hijack” this important peri- worked, the contract gives pause. put them at a bargaining disadvantage. Metaldyne decision, will remove a key od of time when an employer and union protection for new unions who could need to begin bargaining a contract, and otherwise face a decertification cam- destabilize the new relationship. German occupied bike factory ready to roll By John Kalwaic Industrial Worker Bicycle workers in Germany who oc- Union) and have launched a website Periodicals Postage PO Box 13476 cupied their factory to prevent its closure www.strike-bike.de to take orders and PAID have met their goal of 1,800 orders to publicize this new direction. Philadelphia, PA 19101 Philadelphia, PA keep it running under workers’ control. Production is planned to start on Oc- ISSN 0019-8870 and additional “Never before in the Federal Re- tober 23. The staff received orders from mailing offices public of Germany [has] self-managed most European countries as well as from ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED production in an occupied factory took Australia, Canada, Egypt, Israel, South place,” said Strike-Bike’s website. Africa and the United States. Workers of the Thuringian Nordhau- The workers are “overwhelmed from sen bicycle factory in Germany occu- the dimension of worldwide solidarity” pied their factory on July 10 to prevent displayed, according to a statement on closure by owner Bike Systems GmbH. the website. While the boss declared bankruptcy on To order bikes, contact: August 10, the workers stayed put and Bikes in Nordhausen e.V., c/o. André decided to found Strike-Bike, a worker- Kegel, Bruno-Kunze-Str. 39 - 99734 owned cooperative that would keep the Nordhausen or telephone 03631-622 124 135 employees in work and in control of and 03631-403 591 or fax 03631-622 the factory. 170. Email is [email protected]. The strikers are affiliated with the Subscribers: The number (top line of label ) reflects the last issue due on your subscription. anarchosyndicalist FAU (Free Workers With files from the IW. Page • Industrial Worker • November 2007 of any organization that claims its goal is to unite every person on the planet. IW editor adds ‘context’, panders to Zionist Histradut I hope that these measures taken by I was pleasantly surprised at the My major criticism is to the charac- the Women’s Caucus are nothing more coverage of the Palestinian General Fed- terizations of Histradrut in the article than a grand redundancy or there is no eration of Trade Unions (PGFTU) in the bearing my byline. I did not write this. better way to state our group’s inclusive- September IW. I guess I jumped the gun Excluding material is one thing, but, ness than to prevent any official writ- on my concern to see it in print. press protocol mandates that, if addi- ing that would not include a person or A few comments, however. It seems tional material is added to an article, the ‘Culture of inclusion’ persons. to have sparked enough interest in author of that additional material must redundant in IWW Simply put, the fact that there are Palestinian labor struggles to include in be included in the byline, or, if the article so few requirements for members and the same issue several remarks in print, is a group effort, that there be no byline. Regarding the Women’s Caucus in officers speaks volumes of how inclusive seemingly added for “political balance”. Please, either include the added author’s the October Industrial Worker, I am we already are and always have been. A A portion of my article dealt with the name or omit mine. unsure as to whether I should feel it of- real act of inclusion would be to sign up extensive history of the struggles of Pal- Apparently someone felt that His- fensive or redundant. It shames me that new members and organize workplaces. estinian labor (1920-present), particu- tradrut should be consulted before the people aligned with our organization Proposing a ‘Culture of Inclusion’ is, in larly the PGFTU, including their break article appeared.
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