Well, I hope the AFL-CIO doesn't mind me cross posting their stuff, cause I'm going to do it anyway:

The U.S. Senate today moved a step closer to approving legislation that would protect the collective bargaining rights of tens of thousands of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and other public safety officers.

By a 69–29 vote, the Senate killed a filibuster led by several extreme anti-worker Republican senators against the workers’ rights bill. Eighteen Republicans joined all Democrats in backing the move to end the filibuster. The vote on final passage is expected later this week.

Some 20 states do not fully protect the bargaining rights of firefighters, police officers and other first responders. Two states—Virginia and North Carolina—prohibit public safety employees from collectively bargaining.

With final passage near certain, the only thing that stands in the first responders’ path to securing the workplace rights most other workers enjoy is a veto threat from the Bush administration. But today’s veto-proof vote, coupled with last July’s 314–97 House vote, provides more than the two-thirds majority needed in each chamber to overturn a veto.

Says Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Harold Schaitberger:

More than 80,000 of our brother and sister firefighters in more than 20 states do not currently enjoy basic employment rights. This bill will ensure that every firefighter has the right to collectively bargain.

The bill, the Public Safety Employee-Employer Cooperation Act of 2007 (H.R. 980), guarantees first responders:

The right to join a union.
The right to have their union recognized by their employer.
The right to bargain collectively over hours, wages and terms and conditions of employment.
A mediation or arbitration process for resolving an impasse in negotiations.
Enforcement of the bill’s provisions through the courts.
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) says:

Fairness means firefighters and police officers having a voice at the table in life-and-death discussions about their work. They know best how to do their jobs effectively, efficiently and safely. Everyone benefits when they’re given the chance to share that knowledge at the bargaining table.

But last week in a letter to Senate leaders, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wrote they will suggest that President Bush veto the bill. In addition to the veto threat, the trio wrote that if first responders were allowed to join unions, it would hinder the nation’s ability to respond to terrorist and other threats.

Says AFL-CIO President John Sweeney:

This claim impugns the integrity of first responders who risked and sacrificed their lives on 9/11 and in the aftermath of Katrina. Every one of the 343 firefighters who perished at Ground Zero was a card-carrying union member.

In a May 12 response to the letter by Chao, Mukasey and Chertoff, Schaitberger said:

Your decision to attack the integrity of America’s firefighters cannot be left unanswered. Claiming that the legislation will hinder the nation’s ability to respond to terrorist attacks is both factually inaccurate and offensive. Every one of the 343 firefighters who perished at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, was a card-carrying union member who enjoyed collective bargaining rights. Most of the responders to the horrific tragedy were not even on duty that day. They simply did what firefighters always do: They put their own safety at risk to save the lives of others.

The same is true of the courageous responders to Hurricane Katrina. Despite losing their own homes and fearing for the security of their own families, union firefighters waded into the toxic floodwaters for days on end searching for survivors. To suggest that their collectively bargained contracts hindered these life-saving efforts flies in the face of reality.

Says Kennedy:

Collective bargaining is good for our national security, and it’s good for public safety officers. These heroic men and women deserve more than just our gratitude and respect. They deserve the right to be treated fairly on the job

The reason this is so important is that even when unions exist for firefighters, they still run into cities and other municipalities screwing them over kind of like the way that Calitics pointed out 2 months ago and CBS also ran a story on it...

Vallejo Fire Department temporarily closed two fire stations on Thursday in a deal with its firefighters union aimed at helping the city avoid bankruptcy, officials said.

>snip<

Firefighters described the closings as a sad situation.

"Everyone's moving, everyone's getting new crews and we're all going to get a lot busier," said Fire Capt. Eric Diaz, who had been working out of station 22.

In addition to the closure of the fire stations, minimum staffing levels will be reduced from 28 firefighters to 22 firefighters per day as well as staffing reductions in Fire Administration, Fire Prevention and Fire Training Divisions, officials said.

From the Vallejo Firefighters local 1186

City Hall has not rescinded the paramedic layoffs - they have simply postponed their decision. Threatening lay-offs is an attempt to force firefighters to agree to the city's demand to reduce Vallejo 's minimum staffing requirement. Even paramedics who may lose their jobs will never agree to cut minimum staffing, because any cuts would jeopardize the safety of their fellow firefighters and the public. Firefighters took this job to protect the public, and they will gladly lose their jobs for the same reason - if City Hall persists in their threats.

To protect the city, we must have a combined total of 28 firefighters scheduled daily. The City wants to eliminate 4 positions per day. This would take us from 28 to 24 firefighters per shift. These cuts mean shutting down the ladder truck, closing additional engines/stations, laying off 13 paramedics, and an emergency services coordinator.

Communities like Vallejo have opted for lower taxes. Maintaining lower taxes means less revenue to pay for necessary services like Fire and Police. As a mom, this isn't an acceptable level of risk for my family.

A few years ago, my 12 year old was propositioned and then touched by a high school student as she walked home from school. The police in DC were so helpful. Although they never caught the kid who did it, my daughter felt like she had a safe place to go and someone she could call if she were in danger again. Not only did a horrible incident bring about her ability to find help and believe in herself, but it also illuminated for her and I the kind of work that our police do on a daily basis.

I won't try to sugar coat the lack of solidarity I see among 1st responders, it's there. They are called on to turn hoses on protests or to arrest demonstrators and I don't think we need to revisit the images of the recent American Axle Strike rally and a Detroit Police Officer chokeholding a woman crossing the street or the vile things he said to the strikers. There's work to do with First responders. Of course, I think the first step is to make sure that they can be represented by a union. Like the fire fighters in Vallejo. If they hadn't had a union, I have no doubt that the staffing numbers would have been further reduced.

When our safety is concerned, isn't it worth ensuring that 1st responders are able to be represented? I think it is. And now, let's work on that darn solidarity thing. Cause I have to also point out here that in typical McCain fashion, he didn't even bother to show up to vote on this. Clinton and Obama both voted yea. That should speak volumes to every American interested in their safety and it should be even more important to Police, Fire fighters and other first responders who often vote Republican. In the end, who's really got your back?


picture credit: local 1186 website

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Well, looks like GM may finally enter the Fray on American Axle and Dick Dauch’s resolve not to negotiate, from CBS channel 3 News in Michigan:

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - It looks like striking American Axle workers will stay on those picket lines a little longer.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger says the company didn't do much negotiating with the union over the weekend.

He says he's not sure when they'll actually reach an agreement.

I think they might have gotten this information from the AP or perhaps the Detroit News. There’s also the Ft Wayne Paper…

Gettelfinger told reporters before speaking to a Detroit-area Democratic Party dinner that American Axle isn't negotiating much.

>snip<

"I would hope we could resolve Axle, but we cannot negotiate an agreement with ourselves," he said before a speech to Livingston County Democrats. "It seems like it's all give on our side."

>snip<

Gettelfinger said in his speech that American Axle Chairman and CEO Richard Dauch made $258 million from 1997 through 2007 but wants workers to work for nothing.
"They use the word competitive until they wear it out, but are they competitive with their own salaries?" he asked.

What is interesting in all of this is that GM still isn’t putting public pressure on Dauch to bargain in good faith, of course, I do hope they are putting the screws to him behind closed doors, but that’s probably a pipe dream . With more than 30 GM factories affected by the strike, I have to wonder when they will. I suppose Fort Wayne Indiana is also thinking about it.

The unemployment rate for the Fort Wayne metropolitan area shot up to 6.4 percent in March, 1.5 percentage points higher than the 4.9 percent rate from March 2007, a state unemployment report showed Friday.

>snip<

The strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. was cited as one of the factors. The strike, which began in late February, has caused several shutdowns and layoffs in the auto manufacturing industry.

“Unfortunately, the effects of the American Axle strike are being felt here and have had an impact on our unemployment numbers,” Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, said in the report.

American Axle is a key supplier to General Motors Corp., which has a truck assembly plant in southwest Allen County. Production at the plant was shut down between Feb. 29 and April 7 because of a lack of parts, affecting 2,500 hourly workers. Currently, the Allen County plant is back to normal production on a temporary basis.

With the American Axle strike now affecting employment rates in other states, over 30 GM plants, and the workers at American Axle as well, perhaps it’s finally time for the candidates to address this issue and take a stab at understanding what it really means to HAVE to WALK A PICKET LINE and how important this strike is for US workers. Of course, it's also time for GM to get its head out of the sand and publicly address Dauch and his cronies on this. Of course, it's been time for the candidates and GM to answer this call. Wonder when they finally will.

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Cross Posted on Joe's Union Review and Dailykos. Picture from Detroit Free Press's Andre Jackson.

When strikes are called, they are the last resort for the union and workers. It usually means that the companies are pushing for things the workers just can't accept. In the case of American Axle, this strike is a problem for this country, not just these workers, but nothing has been heard from these candidates.

American axle is asking its HOURLY workforce to take up to a 60% pay cut but won't talk about management and executive salaries and perks.

From the Detroit Free Press (virtually the only source of news on the strike)

On Feb. 26, 3,650 UAW members at American Axle went on strike after negotiations on a new contract collapsed. The company is seeking to cut wages and benefits in half, saying it needs to cut labor costs to compete with other suppliers that have won concessions from their unions.

The UAW, which has said it needs more data to substantiate those demands, argues the cuts are too steep for a company that is not in bankruptcy and made a profit last year.

I asking everyone to help here because we've become so consumed with the current primary that we're missing the kind of impact this strike is having on these workers and our economy.

Again, from the freepress:

As companies draw closer to the end of the first quarter, a Wall Street analyst warned that he expects the strike to take a toll on profits. Earlier this week, Deutsche Bank auto analyst Rod Lache cut first-quarter earnings estimates for GM, American Axle, Lear Corp. and Magna International Inc. because of the strike.

"There is concern that the prolonged shutdown could cause significant distress amongst smaller suppliers, ultimately translating to additional costs for tier 1 suppliers and automakers," Lache said in a note to investors Wednesday.

The affects on GM:are very serious:

So far, the strike has forced GM to cut production or shut 29 factories. That number is expected to rise to 30 by Monday.

>snip<

Lache expects GM to lose $2.41 a share in the first quarter, compared with his previous estimate of $1.05.

This strike has affected their suppliers as well as GM and that means, it is affecting other communities outside of the striking facilities from the Adrian Daily Telegram

ADRIAN — The strike at Detroit-based American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. has entered its fourth week, and its impact has extended to some local companies.

Inteva Products LLC in Adrian, which is the former Delphi Interiors and Closures facility, and Hi-Lex Controls Inc. in Hudson are among companies affected as a result of the strike that started Feb. 26 after American Axle failed to reach a contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union on economic issues.

UAW Local 2031 President Melissa Rogers said Tuesday the strike is the reason employees are experiencing job layoffs from Inteva Products. Those layoffs officially began March 3.

This is a HUGE ISSUE and we aren't discussing these families, these cities, these companies, we aren't asking any of the three candidates to even address these issues and we certainly aren't putting pressure on Dick E Dauch or his son, an executive with American Axle, Dick F Dauch, to fairly negotiate with the UAW.

So, today, I'm begging each of you to take a minute and do something, I'm asking you to:

1. contact the campaigns of Clinton, McCain, and Obama
2. ask them where they stand on the American Axle strike and
3. ask them what they're going to do about it.

When you've done that, let the strikers know by contacting the locals and the region. Your support is more important than you know.

Local 262
12432 ECKLES RD
LIVONIA, Michigan 48150-1037
Phone #: 734-464-2190

Local 235
Address: 1840 HOLBROOK ST
Detroit, Michigan 48212-3442
Phone #: 313-873-7250

Region 1
27800 George Merrelli Drive
Warren, MI 48092
TEL: (586) 427-9200
FAX: (586) 427-7142

Please Don't Let American Axle become an American Tragedy.

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I read Ferraro's comments and felt ill beyond compare. I mean, who the hell does she think she is to be talking on behalf of US women. I don't want a 3rd Clinton term, weren't the first 2 bad enough? For my labor brethren, we know the answer is yes, it was. And since Mrs. Clinton doesn't have any experiences outside of her husband, save her stint in the Wal-Mart boardroom, well, let's just say I'm done with her. If by some miraculous event she convinces the super delegates to be idiots and hand her the nomination, I'm not even holding my nose to vote for her in November.

Mrs. Clinton, it's now time for you to go. It's long been time for you to drop out. For once, do the right thing.

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From the Globe and Mail

Since 75 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S., Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton's musings about reopening the North American free-trade pact had caused some concern.

Mr. Brodie downplayed those concerns.

"Quite a few people heard it," said one source in the room.

"He said someone from (Hillary) Clinton's campaign is telling the embassy to take it with a grain of salt. . . That someone called us and told us not to worry."

Government officials did not deny the conversation took place.

Then this bright smilie piece of the puzzle

But others said the content of Mr. Brodie's remarks was passed on to CTV's Washington bureau and their White House correspondent set out the next day to pursue the story on Ms. Clinton's apparent hypocrisy on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Although CTV correspondent Tom Clark mentioned Ms. Clinton in passing, the focus of his story was on assurances from the Obama camp.

He went to air on Feb. 27 with a report that the Democratic front-runner had given advance notice to Canadian diplomats that he was about to engage in some anti-NAFTA rhetoric, but not to take it too seriously.

So, Mrs. Clinton, when you gonna lie to hard working Americans again? Today? Perhaps tomorrow? Clearly, the Globe and Mail know exactly who you are Mrs. Clinton:

Clinton used the story to cast him [Obama] as a double-talking hypocrite — winking and nudging at Canadians while making contrary promises to American voters.

I know, you loved NAFTA once so you could say you don't love it now; problem is that you still love it and you don't give a damn about voters in my homestate...OHIO!

Somehow, this just isn't a surprise to me at all.

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Well, really this is more about TeamsterPower. I've had the pleasure of meeting him and talking to him about union issues. He totally rocks. I try to keep up on anything he posts on all the diary based sites, but things do fall through the cracks. For instance, I missed his recent post on Dailykos which detailed why every union worker should vote for Obama.

He opens with

Two words: Replacement workers.

And it just gets even better after that...

Permanent replacements have been around since 1938 when the Supreme Court said in NLRB v. Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co. that a company does not have to reinstate "economic strikers" if it hired strikebreakers to continue the business. Now, for you business majors out there, that may sound well and good. Why should I rehire a worker who went on strike for a raise if I can find someone to do the job for less money? Why? Because it's fair. It's the right thing to do. Because many times, these workers have sacrificed to make your business a success and when it succeeds they should be rewarded, not treated like draft animals or machines.

Consider the workers at Diamond Walnut in Stockton, Calif. In 1985 Diamond was facing bankruptcy and turned to its workers for help. The workers, Teamsters from Local Union 601, agreed to take pay cuts of up to 40% to help the company weather the tough times.

By 1991 Diamond had reached the Fortune 500 and bragged of record profits. But instead of giving those profits back to its employees, the company demanded more concessions.

On Sept. 4, 1991, the workers went on strike -- a fight that would last 14 years only because Diamond was prepared. As soon as the strike was called the company began hiring replacement workers.

I hated Diamond, but I really loved how the workers on strike for 14 years were able to work with the scabs and bring both groups into the same union. More from TeamsterPower on Diamond Walnuts and supporting Obama.

But today, Barack Obama is the only presidential candidate left who supports a ban on permanent replacement workers. (Edwards also supported such a ban.)

If you value your union, if you value the right to collective bargaining, if you value the labor movement, then you will vote for Barack Obama. The Employee Free Choice Act is important. Renegotiating NAFTA and stopping other trade agreements that sell out working Americans is important. But if workers continue to be denied the right to strike, they lose the ability to fight for economic justice. Unions must organize more and more workers to exceed losses. And what value is solidarity if you're all unemployed?

The members of Local 601 are heroes. They took a stand on principal and through ingenuity and perseverance actually succeeded in a situation where most strikers fail.

After more than a year of crossing the picket line, the replacements realized they were Diamond's pawns. See, even "permanent" replacement workers can be fired at will without a union contract to protect them. They voted with the strikers for union representation with the Teamsters. The workers turned the tables on Diamond.

Having followed the Diamond strike (yep, I really am that girl, surprise surprise!!), I knew everything that he wrote about, but I couldn't put it so eloquently.

So, way to go TeamsterPower!

And, here's hoping today's voting reminds every union household out there who has always supported worker's rights (read UNITE-HERE's endorsement for more on that) through actions and not dissing workers by sitting on the board of Wal-Mart.

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So, that is now UNITE-HERE, UFCW, SEIU and now the Teamsters. Only the UFW has endorsed Clinton from the Change to Win unions. I suppose they take their name seriously, huh? We really do need to Change to Win, change the party, change the way we organize, change the way we look at the country and our foreign policy. (BTW, it's CNN that broke the story for me, no link yet)

Change, it's a powerful thing.

UPDATED, here's the link.

I love my old union!!

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