:: rawblogXport ::

:: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 ::

Exporting of jobs spurs unions By T.A. BADGER, AP, Detroit Free Press
"I get a call last week from Intel, I get a call from Microsoft, I get calls from places we never used to get calls from," said Andy Banks, organizing director for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers in Silver Spring, Md. "People are realizing that labor unions are the best-kept secret in America. You have no employment rights at work unless you have a collective bargaining agreement."

The issue's potency, particularly during a jobless economic recovery, was proven last month when the Communications Workers of America negotiated a new contract with SBC Communications Inc after a 4-day strike. As part of the deal, the San Antonio-based phone company agreed to work with the union to bring an estimated 3,000 jobs in India and the Philippines to the United States.

During the strike by CWA's 102,000 SBC workers, thousands of picketers around the country hoisted anti-offshoring signs saying "SBC Unpatriotic" and "Keep Jobs in America."

"There is something to be said for shaming a company if you say 'This company will outsource good jobs from our community,' " said Christian Weller, a researcher at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank. "In the current environment, it's a land mine for the company. There's a real receptive audience for this."

posted 6:34 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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