:: rawblogXport ::

:: Friday, July 16, 2004 ::

AFL-CIO Failed to Mobilize Its Members In Fight to Retain Overtime Pay Rights LaborTalk By Harry Kelber
The AFL-CIO leadership had 16 months to mobilize union members for an all-out fight to save overtime pay, but they did virtually nothing, except to initiate a letter-writing campaign. They failed to reach out to the millions of non-union workers who will also be losing overtime income they had come to depend upon.

It might have helped to get the attention of Congress if the AFL-CIO had organized a rally in Washington, attended by 100,000 angry workers who would confront the nation’s lawmakers and demand that no cuts be made in their eligibility for overtime pay.

Why wasn’t it done? Why were our national union leaders so complacent and ineffective in defending one of labor’s most important, long-time federal laws affecting a worker’s pay check?

The 54-member AFL-CIO Executive Council that meets in Chicago on Aug. 9-10 still has a chance to redeem itself before the new rules on overtime go into effect on August 23. It can issue a strongly-worded statement calling on union members not to work overtime unless they receive time-and-a-half pay.

The statement should be publicized far and wide so that it reaches millions of unorganized workers who are urged to do the same. This can be an important step in persuading non-union workers that organized labor has their interests at heart.

posted 6:35 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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