On the picket line

California nurses vote to strike July 21

Some 9,000 registered nurses who work for University of California hospitals voted overwhelmingly to reject the contract offered by UC administrators and called a one-day strike for July 21. The nurses belong to the California Nurses Association (CNA), representing 60,000 RNs, most of them women.

Issues of retirement security, staffing and a “safe-lift” policy—all demands attacked previously by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger—are at stake. Schwarzenegger wants to privatize pensions for all state workers, and UC wants to mandate 8 percent of the workers’ pay be automatically put into the pension system. The CNA wants no changes in nurses’ pensions, retiree health or other benefits.

The CNA insists that a safe staffing ratio be included in the UC contract. Last year the governor postponed the implementation of a one-to-five RN-to-patient staffing ratio law from 2005 to 2008. Even though the Sacra mento Supreme Court overturned the governor’s order in June, Schwarzenegger re-filed an identical emergency order in early July to reject the staffing change.

In addition to competitive wages, the nurses are demanding a “safe-lift” policy. Schwarzenegger vetoed such a CNA-sponsored bill last year. Government labor statistics show that nursing personnel lead the U.S. 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 press release. The release noted that four CNA leaders were suspended after the strike vote, though such anti-worker retaliation is illegal.

Qwest workers in tough negotiations

Communication mega-corporation Qwest claimed it needed to “save money” and wanted givebacks in health care, work hours and job conditions from 25,000 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America. But the union bargainers shot back: “We didn’t make this mess—you did.”

With the contract set to expire Aug. 13, the workers are gearing up for a big fight. The CWA says the “retrogressive bargaining demands” include eliminating pension and retiree health coverage for new hires. Designed to divide and conquer, that tactic is another way to cheat workers out of what they earn.

Three class action law suits

Utility workers in California, African American truck drivers in Arkansas and workers on TV reality shows are taking legal action to defend their rights.

Workers at the Southern California Gas Company have filed a federal suit to stop changes made in their pension fund in 1998. They charge that the changes violate federal and state laws against age discrimination, as well as a federal provision requiring companies to notify workers in advance of benefit reductions. The July 11 New York Times noted that reinstating the former pension plan would be “very costly” for the company.

African American truck drivers filed a federal suit on July 12 against Wal-Mart, charging that the company discriminated against them by denying them jobs because of their race. Statistics show that only 2 percent to 3 percent of Wal-Mart drivers are Black, compared with 15 percent of all highway truck drivers. One driver applied for positions at Wal-Mart 22 times between 1998 and 2004 and was turned down for “illegitimate reasons” each time.

The Writers Guild of America, West, filed a federal suit on July 7 on behalf of nearly 1,000 workers who edit and produce reality TV shows. These workers toil for long hours at low wages with no health or pension benefits, unlike their counterparts on scripted TV shows. Broadcast and production companies, which include ABC, CBS, Turner and WB, instruct workers to falsify time cards so as not to reflect actual overtime hours they worked. For example, one worker logged 84 hours but was paid a flat rate of $7.41 per hour.