On the picket line

Registered nurses may strike across country

Nurses all over the country are demanding better working conditions and no hike in health care and pension contributions. After taking a strike vote, more than 6,000 nurses at three New York City hospitals have called a demonstration on Dec. 20, while 23,000 nurses at nine hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area and Long Beach are walking out for 24 hours on Dec. 22. Strikes are under discussion in New Jersey and Minnesota.

The New York State Nurses Association notes that hospital management is demanding that nurses at Mount Sinai, Montefiore and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt contribute for the first time to health insurance, while paying executives millions of dollars. Mount Sinai’s CEO, for example, got a $1.2 million bonus last year, which boosted his pay to $2.6 million. (New York Times, Dec. 16) Meanwhile, 3,000 registered nurses at New York-Presbyterian approved a four-year contract the week of Dec. 5. They won improved staffing guidelines and 9 percent raises over the four-year contract, and will make no health or pension contributions (www.nysna.org, Dec. 13), showing it’s time to pay for the skilled nursing services that people deserve.

32BJ prepares for NYC strike

With their contract set to expire in the new year, 22,000 doormen, porters and cleaners at commercial buildings in New York City are ready to strike if industry negotiators don’t drop aggressive demands for a two-tier wage structure that would drive a wedge between current workers and new hires. That’s why Service Employees Local 32BJ called out its members for a protest march and rally on Dec. 14 and more than 10,000 showed up. Union leaders argue that workers need to keep pace with the high cost of living in the city, which “is the number one city for real estate in the world.” (www.seiu32BJ.org, Dec. 16)

New regulations proposed for 2 million home-care workers

Nearly 2 million home-care workers will soon receive minimum wage guarantees and overtime protection for the first time, according to new federal labor regulations proposed on Dec. 15. Currently, these workers, 92 percent women, with nearly 30 percent African-American and 12 percent Latina, are classified as “companionship” workers, in the same category as babysitters, and are excluded from the 1974 Fair Labor Standards Act. But in the intervening 37 years, home care for elderly and disabled Americans has multiplied many times over. Some 40 million people are more than 65 now. An estimated 72 million will top 65 years old in 2030, with about a third needing home care. It’s no surprise that home care is one of the fastest-growing work forces. But, according to industry figures, home-care workers generally earn $8.50 to $10 per hour, earning $17,000 to $20,000 a year. No wonder 40 percent must rely on public benefits like Medicaid and food stamps to make ends meet. In addition to receiving time and a half for working more than 40 hours a week, these workers will also be paid for travel time between patients’ homes. (NY Times, Dec. 15)

Federal action needed to stem African-American unemployment

A report issued Dec. 15 by the Economic Policy Institute calls for federal intervention to reduce the African-American jobless rate, now twice that of whites. Author Algernon Austin states: “Unemployment rates for African Americans have been far higher than those of whites for the past 50 years, even in good times. In fact, since 1960 the [B]lack unemployment rate has been about twice the white rate. Had [B]lacks had the same unemployment rate as whites in 2010, an additional 1.3 million [B]lacks would have been employed.” The EPI proposes that a three-part plan, including the creation of public sector jobs, job training with job placement programs, and wage subsidies for employers, be implemented in all counties and metropolitan areas with high unemployment. (www.epi.org, Dec. 15)

AFSCME celebrates 75 years of struggle

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union announced Oct. 28 that it will spend the next year celebrating its 75th anniversary of fighting for workers’ rights. AFSCME was founded in 1936 by civil servants in Madison, Wis., who organized to keep hiring of public employees separate from political influence. With 1.6 million members nationwide, AFSCME is now the largest union in the AFL-CIO. Observances include a traveling exhibit that will feature its fight for civil rights, pay equity for women, health care for all, actions to protect Social Security and current battles to defend collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin and Ohio. n