October 8, 2007

Outrageous NLRB decision will
“cut voluntary recognition off at the knees”

   Voluntary recognition has been used in union campaigns in the last few years with great success.  Enter the Bush NLRB.

   Under last week’s Dana decision, even if a company agrees to a card check campaign and the union wins, 30% of anti-union employees can demand a secret ballot NLRB election within 45 days.

   Decertification petitions have been banned for a "reasonable" amount of time if a company voluntarily agreed to a card check process.   National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation lawyers challenged this system at two auto parts suppliers recently organized by the United Auto Workers.  

  Dissenting NLRB members Walsh and Liebman note that from now on, "An employer has little incentive to recognize a union voluntarily if it knows that its decision is subject to second-guessing through a decertification petition."  This will “cut voluntary recognition off at the knees.”

   AFL-CIO President John Sweeney condemned this “shameful decision”:  “The NLRB has shown itself again to be little more than a political tool of right-wing Republicans in their continuing assault on America's working families.“ 

 Dana Corp., 351 NLRB No 28 (September 29, 2007)

Bush Veto of Children’s Health Care
“disgraceful,” says Sweeney

Childrens Do Get Left Behind

      Recently, while promoting No Child Left Behind and surrounded by children, George W. Bush was caught on camera saying: “Childrens do learn.”  A few days later, with one stroke of his veto pen, President Bush made health insurance unavailable for millions of children.

     AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called this veto “disgraceful,” saying it “shattered the peace of mind of countless families” that might lose their SCHIP coverage.  Sweeney said the President “added insult to injury” by proclaiming Child Health Day the very same week of his veto.  Override efforts by Democrats are pending.

     If the President were serious about children’s health, said Sweeney, he would “give them annual checkups, vaccinations and regular contact with a pediatrician who knows and cares about them” instead of a press release.

How Many Days of the Bush Iraq War Would Pay for
Children’s Health Care?

How Many of Iowa’s
Children will Suffer if Bush’s Veto is not Overturned?

AFL-CIO Weblog, 9/24/07

36,286

50,563

Kids Eligible, but not enrolled

33,877

Help Working America Extend Its Outreach

     More than 1.55 million people—working men and women, retirees, students and people out of work—have joined Working America and with millions of AFL-CIO members are making their voices heard.  Working America has members in every state.  Earlier this year, Working America began a canvass effort in Polk County, Iowa and recruited over 20,000 members.  They are now canvassing in Black Hawk County, and hope to achieve similar results.

     If you have friends or family—parents, sisters, brothers, adult children—without the benefit of a union on the job, ask them to join by filling out the information below and sending it to:

Working America,
815 16^th St. N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20006

YES!

I want to join Working America to build a stronger voice for working families.

Working America is a community based affiliate of the AFL-CIO.  If you are NOT a union member but would like to get information on issues and become part of the AFL-CIO, click here.

Federal Court Approves Maine Fair Share Law

The Maine State Employees Association can legally charge a service fee to nonmembers—their version of Fair Share—says the federal appeals court for the First Circuit in August.

Twenty anti-union state employees had challenged the fee, saying collection of the fee violated their constitutional and civil rights.

Why the challenge?  Because a District Court judge had ruled in 2006 that the union did follow the law when it implemented a service fee and required all state workers to join the union or pay a portion of the dues.  Now the higher federal court agrees.

No surprise

 The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which helped represent the 20 employees who sued, said no final decision had been made about a further appeal.  (See above for more of the National Right To Work committee’s disgraceful activities.) 

Labor Center

in cooperation with the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO,  presents:
2007-08 Courses for Union Members

        Iowa Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Topics Include:

• Overview of the law (Iowa Code Chapter 20)

• Mandatory and permissive topics of bargaining

• Drafting and analyzing contract language

• Understanding budgets and other government financial information

• Researching and effectively using comparability data

• Making your case at an impasse arbitration

• Health insurance bargaining issues

“Someone has described this country as having socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor.” Anonymous

Anonymous was an insightful observer of the American economy.

John Ratzenberger, host of  the Travel Channel’s  John Ratzenberger's Made in America, (and beloved actor from Cheers)  is traveling across the country to highlight the growing demand among voters that the presidential candidates address the challenges facing American workers and manufacturers.  

Come and get the facts and arguments you’ll need to approach candidates and ask the key questions.

We need to be asking the Candidates:

1. As President, how will you save American manufacturing jobs?

2. What specific policies will you support to strengthen the American manufacturing base, which is vital to our economic and national security?

3. What steps will you take to enforce our trade laws and hold countries like China accountable?

We can stand up for American workers and manufacturers by demanding that all of the candidates for President have answers to critical questions involving the future of US manufacturing.

When:
Wednesday, October 17th

Where:
Iowa Events Center
Hy-Vee Hall, 
730 3rd Street

 Des Moines, IA

Program:
     5pm -Light Dinner

      6:30pm -Program Begins
èCall Toll Free 866-365-2203
  to reserve your seats & dinner. 

      No Cost

This Town Hall meeting is sponsored by the Alliance for American Manufacturing: a partnership of the United Steelworkers and leading American manufacturers.   www.americanmanufacturing.org/