On the picket line

D.C. area unions organize to counter attacks on public sector workers

With attacks on public service workers threatened by all levels of government, unionists in the Washington, D.C., area met Dec. 17 to devise a fightback strategy. Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO President Joslyn Williams opened the meeting by showing a new video by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, “Stop the Lies.” According to Williams, it shows “the only thing attacking public service workers does is divert attention from the real culprits of our country’s economic troubles and inequality” — Wall Street, corporate CEOs and right-wing pundits and politicos. In fact, the Jan. 2 New York Times reports, “A raft of recent studies found that public salaries, even with benefits included, are equivalent to or lag slightly behind those of private sector workers.” The D.C. unionists, who invite others to join them, agreed that a winning strategy requires support from both labor federations and all national unions. (Union City, Metro Council’s online newsletter, Dec. 17)

Companies must post notices of workers’ right to unionize

The National Labor Relations Board announced Dec. 21 that it was requiring companies to post notices on their bulletin boards — and maybe send out email — to inform employees of their right to unionize under federal law. This is the first time since Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 that the NLRB has made such a requirement (though it doesn’t cover agricultural, rail and airline workers). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce immediately claimed that “these actions are consistent with a general ramp-up of enforcement against employers we are seeing across the board.” (New York Times, Dec. 22) In what universe? In 2010 employers aggressively tried to break unions with demands for take-it-or-leave-it, poverty-level pay cuts and higher-cost benefits as well as interference in collective bargaining elections. Will the NLRB require notices to be posted in government offices as well?

EEOC sues to stop racial discrimination

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the Kaplan High Education Corp. on Dec. 22 for discriminating against Black job applicants by using credit histories in its hiring process. This comes after mounting evidence that employers are using credit histories, often based on inaccurate data, though creditworthiness is not relevant to the job. Several states, including Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Illinois, have banned or restricted use of such reports because they could prevent unemployed, financially-strapped workers from being hired. Other states and Congress are considering similar laws. The EEOC charged that since January 2008, Kaplan has rejected job applicants based on their credit history with a “significant disparate impact” on African Americans. The EEOC is seeking lost wages and benefits as well as employment offers. (New York Times, Dec. 22)

Locked-out Honeywell workers confront CEO

About 230 workers at Honeywell’s uranium facility in Metropolis, Ill., have been locked out for more than six months because United Steelworkers Local 7-669 members refused to accept the company’s proposal to eliminate retiree health care and pension plans for new hires and increase workers’ out-of-pocket health costs to $8,500 a year. Good health care coverage for retirees is critical; uranium workers suffer rates of cancer 10 times higher than the rest of the public due to daily contact with radioactive materials.

More than 100 workers traveled to Honeywell’s headquarters in Morristown, N.J., to confront CEO David Cole in November, but he wouldn’t meet with them. On Dec. 1 two members were prepared to confront Cole during a Deficit Commission hearing in Washington, but as soon as they stood, security hustled them out. Cole then testified about the need to continue the Bush tax cuts while cutting Social Security and called, so hypocritically, for “labor and business to work together.” (A Nov. 30 report by U.S. Chamber Watch notes that Cole will pocket $1.2 million from the tax cut extension.)

Local 7-669 estimates Honeywell spent $48.8 million on scabs in the first four months of the lockout, but retaining current health and retirement benefits would only cost $20 million over the three-year contract. Scab labor created scary leaks of toxic materials on Nov. 30 and Dec. 23. To support the workers, call the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Safety Hotline at 800-695-7403 and ask the NRC to shut the plant run by untrained scabs as a health hazard. For other ways to aid the workers, click on Take Action at www.usw7-669.com. (Mike Elk, blog.usw.org, Dec. 4)