On the picket line

Nurses on the move in D.C.

Nurses United of the National Capital Area, which represents 1,600 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center, plan to picket the hospital May 11 to protest its demands to reduce earnings and change staffing levels and work rules that would negatively impact both patients and nurses. The current contract at the District of Columbia's largest civilian hospital, which expired April 24, was extended through May 10. "Under the Washington Hospital Center's new management team, there seems to be a short sightedness and a disturbing tendency to focus on market trends instead of excellence in patient care," Dottie Hararas, president of the nurses' organization, told the May 6 Union City!, the online daily newsletter of the Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO. "But for nurses, the patient is always the center of everything we do." Will WHC management learn from the recent four-week strike by nurses at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia that successfully defeated similar demands? Stay tuned.

FLOC demands rights for tobacco workers

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee held a protest both outside and inside the May 7 shareholders meeting of Reynolds American in Winston-Salem, N.C. FLOC is demanding the tobacco giant use its clout to make growers provide better wages and living conditions for the state's 30,000 mostly immigrant tobacco workers. Though Reynolds' spokespeople denied responsibility for the workers, FLOC leader Baldemar Velásquez described the confrontation as "a modest breakthrough" because Reynolds acknowledged that there was "a guest worker problem." He vowed that FLOC will persevere in the struggle for tobacco workers' rights. (Winston-Salem Journal, May 8)

CIW continue fight for tomato workers

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers staged a 22-mile march in mid-April to get Florida-based supermarket chain Publix to take a stand against abusive work conditions in the state's tomato fields. The three-day march began in Tampa and ended at Publix corporate headquarters in Lakeland. CIW, whose ongoing campaign on behalf of tomato workers has persuaded McDonalds, Whole Foods and Subway to pay an extra penny a pound for tomatoes, is urging the public to boycott Publix until it stops buying produce from criminal growers. It took Publix more than a year to stop buying from two Florida tomato farms whose bosses were convicted of slavery charges in 2008. CIW's latest victory occurred April 1 when food service giant Aramark agreed to pay 1.5 cents more per pound of tomatoes and to abide by a supplier code of conduct. It's estimated the raise will boost workers' pay by 40 percent to 70 percent.

Over two hundred groups support Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Pride at Work, the lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer affiliate of the AFL-CIO, announced on April 21 that the new transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act introduced by Rep. Barney Frank has been endorsed by 236 organizations and individuals. Unlike earlier bills, the new bill includes gender identity in its definition of those who cannot be discriminated against by civilian nonreligious employers with more than 15 employees. Beside LGBTQ endorsers, ENDA supporters include allies representing faith, labor and civil rights communities.

Calif. teachers pass resolution to end Afghan war

The California Federation of Teachers passed a resolution on March 20 to end the Afghanistan war and use the money to support domestic programs. Sponsored by United Teachers Los Angeles, American Federation of Teachers Local 1021, the resolution demands that the military budget for that war be redirected "to meet urgent human needs domestically, such as education, healthcare, housing, jobs, and other social programs and public services." In addition, it calls for reparations to support infrastructure and social programs for the Afghan people. The resolution will be raised at the AFT convention in July.