Published By AMERICAN INCOME LIFE & NATIONAL INCOME LIFE LETTER LABOR ADVISORY BOARD SEPTEMBER 2014 Vol. 46 No. 5 NEWS FROM THE 2013 “report card” of the American Society The AFL-CIO Executive Coun- AFL-CIO, CTW, of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the U.S. must cil announced it will organize a high-level INTERNATIONAL & spend $3.6 trillion by 2020 to modernize labor delegation to investigate the root infrastructure. “The condition of the nation’s causes of the Central American Child Ref- NATIONAL UNIONS roads and bridges is a scandal — danger- ugee crisis and develop recommendations ous, economically wasteful and inadequate for addressing them. The Council called for Congress must “pass a long- to the task. Poor road conditions are a fac- a “comprehensive approach” to the refugee term surface transportation bill without de- tor in nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities situation that should take into account the lay, backed by dedicated funding adequate and cost Americans $67 billion in vehicle long-term impact of U.S. policies on im- to the task,” urged the AFL-CIO Executive repairs,” the Council said. They also said the migration, trade, development and foreign Council which met in Washington, D.C. natural gas infrastructure is “decrepit and affairs. “Central American nations are suf- at the end of July. The Council said the wasteful” and the nation’s electrical grid, fering from acute problems with violence, nation’s infrastructure is “out of date and designed more than 100 years ago, is today lawlessness and lack of decent work oppor- falling apart,” and funding the necessary substandard. “Fixing our infrastructure will tunities. Shifting U.S. foreign policy mea- projects and repairs “requires leadership to not be inexpensive, but the cost of inaction sures in the region to focus on job creation, keep the nation strong.” According to the is higher,” the Council stated. decent work and meaningful protection of labor and human rights would reduce the ‘push factors’ that breed desperation and drive people away from their homes and communities,” the Council said. The Amalgamated Transit Union paid $31.4 million to acquire the former National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland. Union President Larry Hanley said the union will relocate its in- ternational headquarters from Friendship Heights and use the 46-acre campus for training and education for its members. Hanley said the union will renovate the main building on the campus, the Meany Center, but has no immediate plans to re- develop other parts of the property. “The principal development we’re interested in is in developing the minds and skills of people to restore democracy from being stripped away from the U.S. and Canada,” Hanley said. The property was purchased by I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis from miker / Shutterstock.com. the AFL-CIO in September 1971 to locate 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 the George Meany Center for Labor Stud- IKEA locked out about 350 workers on South America, although outlawed in most ies which was formally dedicated in 1974. May 13, 2013 after bargaining broke down. countries. They are responsible for making Facilities and programs were expanded The union said no bargaining sessions have iPhones, garments and even work in mines over the years, culminating with the 1997 been held since December. The union com- for minerals used in electronic batteries. establishment of the National Labor Col- plained to the labor board that the company lege, which was authorized to grant bacca- offered locked-out workers an extra $2.50 laureate degrees by the State of Maryland an hour, additional weekend premiums and NATIONAL AND Higher Education Commission. other incentives to cross picket lines on its POLITICAL EVENTS website. Dawson said the offer made direct- United Mine Workers Union in- ly to employees was for more than what was The United States has lost 36 tensified its campaign against proposed rule offered during bargaining. The Richmond percent of the jobs in primary metal man- by the Environmental Protection Agency store is one of only two unionized IKEA ufacturing since 2000. These jobs include (EPA) that would restrict the use of coal outlets in the country. steelmaking and smelted or refined metals to generate electricity. More than 5,000 such as iron and copper. Fourteen years UMW members and their supporters re- Bolivia became the first coun- ago, 625,000 workers across the country cently rallied and marched in downtown try in the world to legalize child labor after worked in the primary metals manufac- Pittsburgh against the proposal. The union Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera signed turing sector, according to the U.S. Bureau charged the EPA’s power plant rule will cost a new law July 17 which dropped the legal of Labor Statistics. Today, the workforce tens of thousands of jobs for coal miners, age of workers from 14 to 10. The law stipu- is about 400,000. In 2000, nationwide utility workers, boilermakers, railroad work- lates children are allowed to work as long as employment at U.S. steel mills was about ers and others. The EPA is holding a series the child has permission from parents and is 135,000 which has fallen to about 91,000. of public hearings regarding this proposed enrolled in school. Human rights and anti- The steel industry consolidated but also rule, one of which is scheduled in Pittsburgh child labor groups decried the law saying it became more efficient because of technol- the same day as the rally. “It is beyond belief goes against international standards. “Child ogy and automation. ArcelorMittal USA’s that the EPA would refuse to hold one of labor already exists in Bolivia and it’s difficult recently published 2013 Fact Book noted a its public hearings in the coalfields where to fight it. Rather than persecute it, we want single steelworker accounted for 831 tons the people who will be most adversely af- to protect the rights and guarantee the labor of raw steel production a year in 2000. To- fected by this proposed rule live and work,” security of children,” one of the bill’s spon- day, a single worker is responsible for 1,054 said UMWA International President Cecil sors told Associated Press. “Bolivia’s move is tons of raw steel production, or about 27 E. Roberts. “We believe that EPA still can out of step with the rest of the world,” said percent more than at the turn of the 21st and should hold a hearing in the coalfields, Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch. “Child century. With only two-thirds of the but since they have not scheduled one yet, labor may be seen as a short-term solution workforce from 14 years ago, U.S. mills we decided to bring the coalfields to them.” to economic hardship, but is actually a cause produced 95 million tons of steel last year, of poverty.” Child workers are common in only about 10 percent less than they made INTERNATIONAL most parts of Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and between 2000 and 2007 despite weaker LABOUR NEWS demand and increased imports. Wisconsin Supreme Court on Canada’s Teamsters Local July 31 upheld a controversial law that lim- 213, representing locked-out workers at its collective bargaining rights for public IKEA’s flagship store in Richmond, B.C., employees. By a 5-2 vote, justices rejected report the provincial labor board has found arguments that the law restricts collective the Swedish retail giant guilty of unfair la- bargaining rights so severely that the Con- bor practices. According to the union, the stitutional rights of workers are violated. board ruled IKEA bargained in bad faith “No matter the limitations or ‘burdens’ a and violated provincial labor law by trying legislative enactment places on the collec- to bargain directly with workers through a tive bargaining process, collective bargain- website posting. The company was ordered ing remains a creation of legislative grace to remove the website posting and stop and not a constitutional obligation. The paying workers to cross the picket lines. First Amendment cannot be used as a ve- IKEA said in the statement that it will ap- hicle to expand the parameters of a benefit peal the ruling. Union spokeswoman Anita that it does not itself protect,” wrote Justice Dawson said the company refuses to ne- Michael Gableman for the majority. The gotiate an end to the lengthy dispute even Protesting child labor. Flickr.com photo used bill, known as Act 10, repealed most union though it makes billions of dollars a year. under Creative Commons from Takver. bargaining for most public employees and LABOR LETTER Pg 3 barred the automatic deduction of union October 2013 after Kellogg demanded the “company unions,” unless the workers are dues from workers’ paychecks. The law pro- right to hire cheaper labor with “alternative” represented by a certified union. Germany’s voked a national controversy, leading to a re- schedules.” Workers were given the choice powerful IG Metall union is a visible and call election against Governor Scott Walker of accepting management’s demands or be effective supporter of the UAW at VW. that he won. The law remains an issue in locked out. “We have people who have been Even without union recognition, the UAW Walker’s re-election campaign this year.