On the picket line
By
Sue Davis
Published Jul 15, 2005 10:30 PM
SF newspaper workers in struggle
Workers in the five unions at
the San Francisco Chronicle and their supporters rallied July 11 to demand
decent contracts. The rally was called in response to the June 30 expiration of
the contract covering the 900-member Northern California Media Guild. The Guild,
which represents staff writers, has been in around-the-clock negotiations since
mid-June.
The Hearst management at the Chronicle won’t budge. The
workers can tell the bosses have been preparing for a strike-or maybe even a
lockout-since Jan uary. That’s when Hearst hired Frank Vega as publisher.
Vega headed the Detroit Newspaper Agency for 14 years, during which time he
earned the name “Darth Vega” because of his role in the hard-fought
newspaper strike there 10 years ago.
Vega is using the same anti-worker
tactics in San Francisco. He recently hired an outside security company; in
Detroit he ordered the hired guns to attack the strikers. And he’s trying
to divide and conquer the five unions that represent the workers at the
Chronicle.
But the unions have pledged not to ratify or sign an agreement
until every union has an agreement. While the unions concede that some job cuts
may be inevitable based on their examination of the Chronicle’s books,
which show the paper has been in the red since 2002, they are determined to
stick together. Their pledge has been in effect for more than 40 years, reported
the website of The Newspaper Guild (www.newsguild.org). (June 17) That gives new
meaning to the old labor slogan: An injury to one is an injury to
all!
Guild holds the line in Youngstown
Though they’ve
been on strike for the past eight months, staff writers represented by the
Newspaper Guild at the Youngstown, Ohio, paper owned by the Vindicator are
hanging tough. The Detroit Guild hosted a party July 9 to raise funds for the
Youngstown strikers. They also billed the event as a 10-year reunion to
commemorate their hard-fought battle in Detroit.
The last federally
mediated negotiating meeting in Youngstown ended May 31 without progress. The
National Labor Relations Board heard three complaints against management on June
14.
Immokaleeactivists target other chains
In June, after the
Coalition of Immoka lee Workers’ recent precedent-setting agreement with
Taco Bell, activists announced the second phase of their campaign. Now
they’re targeting McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway.
After a
nearly four-year boycott, Taco Bell agreed to pay a penny-per-pound increase to
nearly 1,000 workers who harvest tomatoes for its suppliers. That marks about a
75-percent increase over the usual rate of 1.3 cents per pound. In addition, the
fast-food chain’s parent company agreed to lead an industry-wide effort to
provide greater protections and better working conditions for the migrant
workers, predominantly immigrants, who earn about $8,000 each year.
California nurses vote to strike July 21
Some 9,000
registered nurses who work for University of California hospitals have voted
overwhelmingly to reject the contract offered by UC administrators and call a
one-day strike for July 21. It is believed that it will be the largest single
strike by RNs in this country.
Issues of retirement security, safe
staffing and a safe lift policy-all linked to previous attacks by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger-are at stake. While Schwarzenegger wants to privatize pensions
for all state workers, UC wants to mandate that 8 percent of the workers’
pay be automatically put into the pension system. The California Nurses
Association wants no changes in the nurses’ pension, retiree health or
other benefits for the life of the contract.
Safe staffing is a critical
issue. Last year the governor issued an emergency order postponing from 2005 to
2008 the implementation of a one-to-five RN-to-patient staffing ratio law. The
State Supreme Court overturned the governor’s order in June, but he filed
an identical emergency order in early July to appeal the court decision. The CNA
insists that the safe staffing ratio be included in the UC contract.
In
addition to competitive wages, the nurses are demanding a safe lift policy.
Schwarenegger vetoed such a CNA-sponsored bill last year. The U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics reports that nursing personnel lead the nation in work-related
back injuries, with 37.5 percent more than truck drivers. Surveys show 52
percent of all nurses report chronic back pain.
“Failure to listen
to what nurses need to care for their patients and families will lead to a
revolving door of inadequate care,” said nurse negotiator Maureen Dugan in
a July 8 CNA news release. The release noted that four CNA leaders were
suspended after the strike vote, though such anti-worker retaliation is illegal.
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