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"The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people." Cesar Chavez |
:: Sunday, February 29, 2004 ::
IWA, USWA begin union negotiations on merger By Stuart Hunter, The Province
Two of Canada's largest unions are beginning the process of amalgamation.
The national executive of the Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada has set the wheels in motion to merge with the United Steelworkers of America.
A resolution was passed at the IWA convention last September 'to aggressively pursue a merger with a larger compatible union' and after talks with several unions, the executive endorsed merger with the Steelworkers.------------------------------------------- posted 8:51 PM :: reference link ::
0 comments ::
25 Years of Labor Notes Helps Rank and File Weather Employer-led Storm by Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes
When we published the first issue of Labor Notes in February 1979, we didn’t know what we and the labor movement were in for.
At the time, our purpose was much as it is now: to link together activists in different unions and locations, providing information and analysis to support their work. We knew about rank-and-file labor activists across the United States -- in the Steelworkers, the Auto Workers, the Teamsters -- who didn’t have a good way to know about each other. Labor Notes would help them to communicate. The coal miners’ strike of 1978 and the massive solidarity it received indicated that some workers were looking for a fight.-------------------------------------------
Obligatory Confined Space Link Of The Day. posted by C Bryan Lavigne, The Mad Prophet Blog
There is a reason why Confined Space is my favorite blog and why I link to it constantly. Maybe it's how angry I get reading it (not angry at Jordan, mind you, but about the issues.)-------------------------------------------
UFCW International President's Statement thebakersfieldchannel
No worker should ever again be forced to choose between a paycheck and health care benefits. No worker should ever again be forced into the streets for five months to protect health care for their families.
The UFCW will lead the fight for health care reform. And, I believe, with members like our Southern California members, the UFCW will win that fight.-------------------------------------------
You're a long time dead, so out of that coffin and back to work Opinion: Richard Glover
Certainly some Australians are spending too much time on the life-death transition. They are stopping work 20, maybe 30 years before they die. No wonder, once they die, they are virtually unemployable. Any employer - even those in need of a simple scarecrow - is going to look at this sort of curriculum vitae and wonder: why the big gap? People must understand: only by working right through can you really guarantee a busy and productive time after death.-------------------------------------------
How to keep the building boom from going bust By Lyn Danninger
An educated, drug-free workforce is critical, union advocate says
Quality, not quantity, is the issue when addressing questions about whether Hawaii will be able to meet the employment needs of a growing construction industry.
'We can take on work. We have a workforce. The challenge is do we have a qualified workforce?' asked Bruce Coppa, executive director of Pacific Resource Partnership, an advocacy group for union contractors.
Coppa, who also is on the state Land Use Commission, estimates the construction workforce will need anywhere between 8,000 to 12,000 new employees over the next 10 years.
But developing a trained workforce is proving to be problematic, he said.-------------------------------------------
Workplaces still discriminate, experts say By Mary Jo Feldstein, STL Today
The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2665 and FLAME, an association of black firefighters, have disagreed for years about whether the county's fire departments systematically discriminate against blacks in hiring.
But union president Dennis Murray and the association's president, Airest Wilson, do agree that guidelines, like a civil service exam, could make hiring less subjective and possibly improve opportunities for minority firefighters.-------------------------------------------
Kerry, Edwards want NAFTA 'fixed,' not killed By Tom Diemer, Plain Dealer
At a union hall in Dayton, Sen. John Kerry was pressed by a United Auto Workers shop steward seeking a promise that a President Kerry would stop U.S. jobs from being 'outsourced' to other countries.
Kerry told the story freely during a Democratic candidates debate in Los Angeles Thursday night. 'I can't promise that,' he told the union man at a stop earlier this month.
'Some of those jobs are going to go overseas, and I have been very honest about it,' he said of the quest of some American companies for lower production costs and cheaper labor offshore.-------------------------------------------
:: Saturday, February 28, 2004 ::Georgia voters in foul mood By Gayle White, AJC
Bush 'wasn't presidential material, and he ain't supposed to be president,' said Walter Mathis of Rome, a 62-year-old retired electrical worker and union member. 'He's got the whole world stirred up, all these people out of work, and all these people's kids going to bed hungry.'-------------------------------------------
United Steelworkers pleased with woodworkers' union decision to talk merger talk-back.ca Ontario Labour News
"We will do everything we can to accommodate IWA members and create a merger that works in the interests of everybody."
McBrearty added that the industries that spawned the Steelworkers and the IWA have been cornerstones of Canada's economy.
Steelworker President Leo Gerard said the addition of the IWA would strengthen the unions' agenda on international issues, particularly trade.
"We intend to work as hard with IWA members on the softwood lumber issue, as we have with our members to safeguard the steel industry in North America," he said.-------------------------------------------
Leaders' sex harassment battle spells disaster for union By Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun
IBEW international vice-president Donald Lounds is singled out for his failure to deal effectively with Pynaker's complaints.-------------------------------------------
United Front By Harold Meyerson, The American Prospect
Two of the country's most innovative and effective unions are joining together, making them 440,000 members strong.
They are, by conservative estimate, the two most goddamn tenacious unions in the United States. The Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), which Thursday announced their intention to merge, are each known for two of the most remarkable long-term campaigns in American labor history.
Labor Unions UNITE and HERE to Merge Source: UNITE; HERE
Presidents Raynor and Wilhelm are known as dynamic and innovative labor leaders. Along with the presidents of the carpenters, laborers and service employee 's unions, they have formed the New Unity Partnership, which has recommended many changes to the structure of unions, including the need to join together in larger, more powerful organizations.-------------------------------------------
Community caring buoys ironworkers By MIKE WILKINSON, toledoblade
'The response is overwhelming,' said Joe Blaze, business manager for Ironworkers Local 55. The four men who died were all ironworkers. 'The community has been fantastic.'
So far, ironworkers have received about $45,000 for a fund to help the children of the victims to attend college.-------------------------------------------
Crane topples at Ikea site; OSHA opens investigation By William Kaempffer, New Haven Register
John Dolan, of Skanska USA Building, the general contractor for the project, said the 35-ton crane was lifting a piece of steel to set it upright when it tipped over. The boom of the crane came down on a smaller bucket lift. A worker in the bucket was not injured and the crane operator also escaped uninjured.-------------------------------------------
:: Friday, February 27, 2004 ::OSHA Identifies Workplaces with Highest Injury and Illness Rates U.S. Newswire
The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health has alerted approximately 13,000 employers throughout the country that their injury and illness rates are significantly higher than the national average and encourages them to take steps to address safety and health hazards in the workplace.
In a letter this month to those employers, John Henshaw explained that while their rates were higher than most other businesses in the country, the notification was simply a proactive step to encourage employers to take steps now to reduce the rates and improve safety and health for their employees.-------------------------------------------
Labor Department takes a break Comment & analysis, Financial Times
Is the Department of Labor keeping banker's hours? In the 24-hour world of the internet, part of its website is only open 8am EST to 6pm EST.
Al Belsky, spokesman for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration - the division of the Department of Labor that makes sure you don't get hurt at work - says the agency had to limit hours because every time someone used the site to look up employer workplace violations it cost OSHA money.
This hasn't stopped people on the internet from speculating about darker motives. Confined Space, a blog dedicated to workplace issues, wrote, 'What's next, holidays and snow days for computers?'
Belsky says the practice, which began last month, will not continue much longer, although he did not have a date for things to change. "It won't be an inordinately long time. It will be weeks rather months."
Until then, west coast workers, three time zones behind the east coast, are stuck in the Flintstone era. "People can still write to us for that information," Belsky says - as long as they are able to walk to the post office.-------------------------------------------
Construction fatalities: 'It's a scary number' By SIMON AVERY, theglobeandmail
'We need to review the way we train people,' Mr. Lyall says. 'There needs to be more of an emphasis on risk awareness. Let's not pretend there aren't risks.' Specifically, workers need to be reminded of the consequences of cutting corners or ignoring regulations and every worker stepping onto a work site needs to have received health and safety training, he says.-------------------------------------------
Company gives workers independent contractors title By Linda Lipp, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
The Indiana Department of Labor's investigation into alleged wage law violations by nonunion subcontractors on the IPFW student housing project Tuesday was expanded to include general contractor MW Builders Inc.
But most of the Indiana Labor Department's attention has focused on sister carpentry companies Kajn Framers/Better Builders of Wylie, Texas, and Hough Drywall of New Palestine. Both have been accused by workers of paying far less than Indiana's required Common Wage for public construction projects, and both have been thrown off the IPFW site.-------------------------------------------
7 million Fords later, Edison plant closing By WAYNE PARRY, AP - Newsday.com
EDISON, N.J. -- Its workers built nearly 7 million cars and trucks in its 56-year history. It was the first place outside Detroit that a Lincoln was ever built.
Ed Sullivan hosted a Christmas party for the kids of its workers, and it grew to be one of central New Jersey's economic powerhouses, cranking out Mustangs, Mercurys, Rangers and other vehicles that were sold throughout the northeastern United States.
But on Friday, Ford's Edison Assembly Plant will close for good, taking 900 jobs and a $70 million payroll with it. Many workers punched out for the last time Thursday, after the last two Ford Rangers rolled off the assembly line.
GM closing old Fisher Body By JOSEPH SZCZESNY, Oakland Press
"It would be nice to see them use if for something else," said Tiedeman, who observed that the impending move continues a trend that has steadily hollowed out the employment base in Pontiac over two decades. Since the early 1980s, Local 653 membership has dropped from 15,000 to 5,000.
"It's terrible. It eventually effects everybody in town," he said.
Plant workers will find out today if they still have jobs By Bush Bernard
The Nashville plant has been a fixture in the area's manufacturing community since 1939, when it opened as Stinson Aviation Co. But it is the only aircraft manufacturing plant in the area. Finding another job could be a challenge for the plant's workers, Maynard said.-------------------------------------------
Training, Safe Operating Procedures? Nah, Just Get The Job Done blog posted, Confined Space
Workers Use Tape to Secure Aging Nuke Bomb
WASHINGTON — Workers dismantling an aging nuclear weapon secured broken pieces of high explosive by taping them together, federal investigators found. An explosion could have occurred, they said.-------------------------------------------
Forest safety group calls for changes in attitude, training: The message must be taken directly to the workers, the report says By Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun
When Interfor's Squamish logging manager Keith Rush knocked on the door of the wife of a good friend on an autumn day in 2002 to tell her that her husband had just been killed on the job, the sordid safety record of British Columbia's forest industry really hit home.
There isn't a log out there that is worth anybody getting killed over, Rush said Monday at a news conference announcing the release of a B.C. Forest Safety Task Force report. The report calls for sweeping changes in attitude and training by both companies and workers to tackle the high number of logger deaths and injuries.
In the past 10 years, 250 forest workers have died in B.C.-------------------------------------------
:: Thursday, February 26, 2004 ::Court Blocks Age Bias Suits by the Young By GINA HOLLAND
The Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by about 200 General Dynamics Corp. workers who claimed they suffered a type of reverse discrimination because they were too young to get benefits being offered to colleagues age 50 and over.
The workers, all in their 40s, sued General Dynamics when it changed its retirement benefits in 1997. Until then, longtime company employees could retire and receive full health benefits. Under the new union contract at plants in Lima, Ohio, and Scranton, Pa., only longtime workers 50 or older could receive full health benefits after retirement.-------------------------------------------
for the first and last time on this blog: an op/ed by ann coulter...
AFL-CIO MOTTO: KICK ME AGAIN! By Ann Coulter
Wicked Witch of the Right chickenheart queen of clubs-------------------------------------------
L.E. Myers and MYR Group: Losing Lives 'While Winning With Safety' By Jordan Barab, Confined Space
I'm not a lawyer, so maybe that's why I really don't understand this what's going on here.
I reviewed an extremely disturbing article in the Chicago Tribune last November about L.E. Myers, an electrical contractor that seemed to have the habit of electrocuting large numbers of its employees.
Rolling Meadows-based L.E. Myers has a long history of on-the-job deaths, accidents and safety violations. At least 35 employees have died--17 by electrocution--in the three decades the government has been keeping workplace safety records.
The deaths and accidents at L.E. Myers raise questions about the company's commitment to safety as well as about the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, created by Congress in 1970 to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.
It also underscores the safety problems inherent in an industry that relies heavily on union hiring halls for its workers, often without evaluation of individual job skills or experience.
L.E. Myers is awaiting trial on criminal charges in U.S. District Court in Chicago for allegedly violating job-safety regulations that led to the deaths of Blake Lane and Wade Cumpston. The company has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say it is the first time an electrical contractor has been charged with criminal violations of federal safety rules in connection with the deaths of workers on high-voltage transmission towers.-------------------------------------------
The price of steel lowers boom on construction Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun
Demand by the industry in China is having a worldwide impact on consumers
'I've managed this company for 10 years, and we haven't raised our prices for nails in all that time. But we're being told to expect a price increase of $10 per carton, to $35 from [the] $25 current price for a box of three-inch bright commons,' Coakley said.
'We've been getting announcements from our suppliers of rebar, steel studs, metal roofing, nails, screws, fasteners, pretty well anything that has steel in it,' Coakley said. 'The minimum increase is 10 per cent.
'In the case of our steel stud supplier ... there's an initial 15-per-cent increase, and subsequent increases of 10 per cent a month right through August -- and these are the minimum increases.'-------------------------------------------
Eurofile - Your rights at work By Stefanos Evripidou
Under EU law, it is illegal to discriminate against workers on the grounds of gender, disability, race, ethnic origin, religion, and for the first time ever, age. When a worker’s rights have been violated, the worker is entitled to seek a legal remedy.
Now, something that should interest many bosses is that the EU has a specific law applying to women who suffered some sort of discrimination. The law makes it easier to get a remedy by shifting the burden of proof from the woman making the case to the employer. In layman’s terms, this means the woman alleging discrimination does not have to prove it. She simply announces the charge, and then it is up to the employer to prove that there was none.
Bad smell leads to fair dismissal of employee Business Report, South Africa
The employee was unionised and the company, with the shop stewards and later the union officials, had tried to deal with the smelly situation for nine months. The shop stewards tried to discuss the situation with the employee but she would not acknowledge any problem or smelly condition.-------------------------------------------
Coke’s Killers - Soft drink giant to review union deaths By Mischa Gaus, In These Times
Coca-Cola representatives told a fact-finding delegation that its employees may have collaborated with paramilitaries in the deaths and torture of Colombian union members.
Despite the possible collaboration, Coca-Cola officials in Colombia have not undertaken any internal or external investigation into the assaults against its employees.-------------------------------------------
:: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 ::Hoffa's Comments on Kerry Leave Some Perplexed By Robert B. Bluey, CNSNews
Teamsters union chief Jimmy Hoffa has confused both environmentalists and free-market advocates after saying that Democratic front-runner John Kerry, if elected president, would 'drill like never before' across the United States.
Hoffa made the comments during a Feb. 17 segment on Hardball with Chris Matthews. Matthews had asked Hoffa why the union chose to endorse the Massachusetts senator even though Kerry opposed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
'Well, we talked about that,' Hoffa responded. 'He says, look, I am against ANWR, but I am going to put that pipeline in and we're going to drill like never before.'
The union supports drilling in ANWR and the creation of a natural gas pipeline that could stretch from Alaska to Chicago. Neither plan draws much support from Kerry's environmentalist base, however.
-------------------------------------------
Working: Wal-Mart practices lead race to bottom By Mary Conroy, madison.com
Wal-Mart could learn a lesson from Henry Ford. Back when he began his assembly-line factories, he realized one basic principle: if he wanted America to buy his automobiles, his own workers had to be part of that America. Therefore, he paid his employees enough so that they could afford to buy the cars they made.
'Everyday low prices' may eventually mean everyday low salaries and benefits for you and your family. In the case of Wal-Mart, both individuals and communities get what they pay for.-------------------------------------------
The Lost Right to Unionize washingtonpost.com
Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein was online to talk about his column on the National Labor Relations Board's failure to defend the rights of U.S. workers to unionize. A transcript follows.
Take Action: Fight Discrimination at the Washington Post unionvoice.org
Please support the Mailers and Helpers at the Washington Post who are battling discriminatory treatment and an attack on their overtime pay in contract talks with the enormously profitable newspaper. Tell me more
-------------------------------------------
California Company Faces Healthy Fine for Double Fatality Safety.BLR.com
The case involved one of the largest fines ever levied in California in connection with an occupational fatality. Cal/OSHA initially investigated the April 25, 2002 confined space accident, and cited Petaluma for eight serious safety violations. The workers were asphyxiated while cleaning a 12-foot-tall steel tank that filters flax seed oil used in products made by Spectrum. Reportedly, the tank the men were cleaning had been pumped full of argon gas, a step taken to displace oxygen and kill bacteria. Cal/OSHA investigators found that the workers did not have safety harnesses, oxygen monitors, and breathing gear as required in confined space operations.
OSHA Schedules Stakeholder Meetings on Hearing Conservation for Construction Workers U.S. Newswire
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is inviting the public to participate in informal stakeholder meetings next month for discussions on reducing noise exposures and hearing loss of workers in the construction industry.
The meetings, scheduled for March 24-25 in Chicago, are a continuation of OSHA's information gathering process that began with an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Aug. 5, 2002, that addressed the issue. At that time, OSHA asked for comments on whether the agency should add a requirement for a hearing conservation program to its construction noise standard similar to those requirements that cover general industry workers.-------------------------------------------
Jobs Not Well Done By David Moberg, In These Times
But the problem isn’t simply the loss of 2.4 million jobs since the recession started—the greatest sustained job loss since the Great Depression, according to EPI—and anemic jobs creation. There’s also a shift for the worse in the kinds of jobs available. On average, the jobs being lost pay 21 percent more than those in growth industries, says EPI researchers Michael Ettlinger and Jeff Chapman.
The long period of job loss also is taking its toll on people who are still employed: Real hourly wages fell for middle- and low-wage workers last year even as economic output grew, says Jared Bernstein and Lawrence Mishel of EPI. But not everyone lost out. Profits have grown dramatically, claiming a share of the growth in the corporate sector more than double the average of past recoveries.-------------------------------------------
Middle Management Can Benefit From Studying Middle Earth The Wiser Agency, U.S. Newswire
The importance of delegation is one of the lessons learned by Frodo, the Hobbitt. 'Frodo tried to carry the weight of Middle Earth on his shoulders, but without the help of Samwise Gamgee and the rest of the Fellowship, he would have failed.' Among the other lessons Wiser notes within the film are (1) Support your superiors, as evidenced by Sam's loyalty to Frodo; (2) Be wary of Smeagol-like sycophants with hidden agendas; (3) Look for unconventional alliances, following Aragorn's example of building bridges with elves, dwarves, and even ghostly murderers when necessary; (4) Lead, even when you face a personal crisis, unlike Denethor, who is paralyzed with grief over his son's death; (5) Understand that fear is a limited motivator, and that if you must watch your minions constantly, your reign will not last; (6) Lead by example, like Aragorn, who fights alongside farmers and stable boys; (7) Offer help when it is needed, as Gandalf does; (8) Know your weaknesses, or your competitor may penetrate your seemingly indestructible fortress; and (9) Discrimination is dangerous, a lesson learned by the Lord of Nazgul, who is undone by the assumption that his opponent is a man.-------------------------------------------
Labor pact sets tone for building industry By Lyn Danninger
At its height, the Ford Island project will employ nearly 400 people and involve a payroll of around $100 million. The entire project will take about four years and create almost 500 homes.
Ronald Taketa, financial secretary/business representative for the Hawaii Carpenters Union Local 745, characterized the agreement as 'a good beginning.'
'This project (Ford Island) is not as big as the upcoming housing projects, but it is the first of its kind between the trades and the contractors. It allows the contractors greater flexibility. They don't have to deal with 17 different agreements. It's a recognition that there can be cooperation with the trades and the contractors,' he said.
Lowe's should hire local folks for local work norwichbulletin.com
Chuck Appleby, president and business manager of Local 24 of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, said the number of out-of-state workers is 'at least 50 percent.' Interestingly, when Gov. John G. Rowland visited Plainfield last year to herald the Lowe's deal, several unions were handing out leaflets warning that out-of-state workers probably would be brought in to build the place.-------------------------------------------
Fixer-Upper Opportunities: Old Houses Cost Less But Tend to Lack Amenities, Census Bureau Says U.S. Newswire
Housing units built before 1920 were valued at a little more than half the amount of those built since 1990 and the older houses generally have fewer amenities, the U.S. Census Bureau reportedtoday.
In a report titled These Old Houses: 2001, the bureau said the median value of the 4.5 million detached, owner-occupied housing units built before 1920 was $98,794, compared with $183,502 for the 9.9 million units constructed since 1990. The country's total housing stock in 2001 was 119 million units.
Older buildings offer financial attractions for people with lower incomes. The value of old homes allows more opportunities for home ownership and older properties are often less expensive on a day-to-day basis, based on the figures for monthly housing costs.-------------------------------------------
Bush Suppressing Pentagon Report on Global Warming Disaster By Mark Townsend and Paul Harris, Guardian/Observer
Last week the Bush administration came under heavy fire from a large body of respected scientists who claimed that it cherry-picked science to suit its policy agenda and suppressed studies that it did not like. Jeremy Symons, a former whistleblower at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that suppression of the report for four months was a further example of the White House trying to bury the threat of climate change.
Senior climatologists, however, believe that their verdicts could prove the catalyst in forcing Bush to accept climate change as a real and happening phenomenon. They also hope it will convince the United States to sign up to global treaties to reduce the rate of climatic change.-------------------------------------------
:: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 ::Cintas Sues Union for Defamation, Trade Secret Violations and Other Actions Cintas, PR Newswire
Cintas Corporation filed Tuesday a multiple-count federal lawsuit against UNITE, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees, for defamation, illegal use of trade secrets and other actions that the union has taken in its year-long campaign against Cintas. The union seeks to organize Cintas' employees without giving those employees the democratic right to decide for themselves through a secret-ballot election whether or not they want union representation.
Former worker takes Cintas to court By Kristin Cavarretta
Miguel Campos, 21, of Chicago, was fired from his job at Cintas more than a year ago, and now he is taking the largest uniform provider in North America to court to prove he was fired for trying to join a union.
Cintas, which employs about 27,000 people in the United States and Canada, has been a target of labor rights groups for more than a year because activists say it does not provide good working conditions and Cintas prevents its employees from joining a union.
Fortune Magazine Names Cintas One of 'America's Most Admired Companies' for Fourth Consecutive Year source: Cintas, PR Newswire
Company Ranked Number One In Diversified Outsourcing Industry-------------------------------------------
Land of opportunity - How Studebaker lured black families north in search of a better life By MAY LEE JOHNSON
According to Glen Evans, a former Studebaker employee, between 1940 and 1970, a lot of black men left their homes in the South and moved here looking for better lives.
The migration, dating to the Great Depression of the 1930s, included white and black men. But blacks weren't always treated equally by northern employers.
This migration resulted in one of the biggest population shifts in U.S. history, known to historians and many blacks in this area as the Great Migration.-------------------------------------------
Union under investigation for misappropriation of funds katu.com/news
CORVALLIS, ORE. - The Corvallis branch of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners is under investigation for misappropriation of union funds.
'There is money missing, and a lot of it,' said Michael V. Draper, the union's western region vice president, speaking by phone Monday from his office in Bend.
Based on preliminary information from an ongoing audit and investigation, union officials believe that tens of thousands of dollars in dues has been siphoned from the local's accounts.
Carpenters union General President Douglas McCarron declared an 'emergency situation' and placed Corvallis Local 1094 under the parent organization's direct supervision.-------------------------------------------
Plant managers meeting hears OSHA's 'top ten' violation list The Tullahoma News
Construction scaffolding and the lack of training on the handling of hazardous materials are the two most common OSHA violations nationwide, Coffee County Plant Managers Association was told this week.
Stone presented a chart of the 10 most common safety and health violations reported to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 2003: 1. Scaffolding/construction, 8,804 cases reported; 2. Hazard communication, 6,800; 3. Fall protection/construction, 5,544; 4. Lockout/tagout, 4,506; 5. Respiratory protection, 3,939; 6. Machine guarding, 3,400; 7. Electrical wiring, 3,112; 8. Powered industrial trucks, 2,774; 9. Bloodborne pathogens, 2,354; 10. electrical systems, 2,233.
U.S. Shelves Nuke Safety Rules Proposal By NANCY ZUCKERBROD, AP
The government shelved a proposal Monday that would have let contractors at federal nuclear facilities pick which safety rules they should follow.
The idea had come under fire from lawmakers, a government safety board and even some contractors themselves.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said in a letter to John Conway, chairman of independent Defense Nuclear Safety Board, that he was suspending the drafting of new regulations for implementing the proposal to get more suggestions.
Abraham said he was "deeply concerned by the perception" that the rule proposed by the agency two months ago would have endangered workers.-------------------------------------------
Carpenters To Recruit southbaynews
The Empire State Carpenters Apprenticeship Committee will conduct recruitment through August 31 for five apprentices, State Labor Commissioner Linda Angello announced.
Applications will be available in person only, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1 pm to 4 pm at 270 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge.
Building Industry Launches Public Campaign BUSINESS WIRE
OAKLAND, Calif. Major contractors and union carpenters in Northern California have joined together to promote the benefits of using union labor. The campaign launches this week on various Northern California radio stations and touts 'An Organized Approach to Jobs and Community.'-------------------------------------------
DOE admits toxic screw-up By STEVE TETREAULT
DOE estimates between 1,200 and 1,500 individuals were involved in carving a five-mile exploratory tunnel into Yucca Mountain or participating in experiments to determine its suitability for nuclear waste storage. The department has initiated a screening program to identify how many might have been exposed to toxic levels of silica or other cancer-causing fibers.
Chu's remarks came in a letter sent Tuesday to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the wake of reports that some former Yucca Mountain workers have contracted silicosis and other lung ailments they believe stemmed from their work at the site.
Former workers said even when worn, masks were ill fitting and of little use against the clouds of dust kicked up during drilling, which was conducted "dry" so as not to interfere with experiments.
Lack of Safety Is Charged in Nuclear Site Cleanup By SARAH KERSHAW and MATTHEW L. WALD, NY Times
Tom Peterson, 51, an ironworker rigger who has worked at Hanford for 25 years, is one of 21 workers with chronic beryllium disease, an illness unknown at the height of the cold war. Dr. Takaro said 84 more have been 'sensitized,' to beryllium, which means they are at high risk of contracting the full-blown disease.
'I went to work out there figuring I was going to support my family,' Mr. Peterson said. 'I didn't expect to go out there and be poisoned and nobody fess up to anything. If they would have told me ahead of time what I was getting into, maybe I wouldn't have taken the job.'
Electricians, a group not generally thought at high risk, are among those showing symptoms of exposure to asbestos and other hazards, as well as health physics technicians, who help monitor workers' radiation exposure.-------------------------------------------
:: Monday, February 23, 2004 ::New life: salvaging old wood from buildings a growing industry By NICK GEVOCK, Boseman Chronicle
The most important element of any building is a good set of corners, because the timbers themselves can be cut to reshape the building. For example, a fireplace and chimney or windows can lengthen a side, which allows an architect to stretch a building.
And the corners reveal some of the best of Montana's historic craftsmanship. The Scandinavian, German and Dutch immigrants who settled Big Sky country brought their Old World woodworking skills with them.
They found the fir and pine here easy to work with, and chiseled out quality dove tailed corners, Hern said.
'Some of those guys were better carpenters than we'll ever be,' he said. 'You can hardly get a piece of paper through (the corners), and they made them with hand tools.'
Hidden, hungry invader threatens city of Mardi Gras CNN.com
Known as 'super-termites' for their ability to quickly destroy massive amounts of wood, experts think the bugs arrived in New Orleans aboard a military transport ship returning from Asia after World War II. From a mere four colonies in the 1960's, the termites have now expanded to dozens of colonies all over the Southeast -- often traveling inside recycled wood from old railroad ties.
The massive Formosan colonies pose a more formidable threat than other varieties. They are hard to find because their tunnels can stretch more than 300 feet -- over three times longer than the typical termite tunnel -- and they can chew through an entire building with military precision.-------------------------------------------
Absent Without Leave By Matt Hutaff, Canon Fodder
Last time I checked, contrasting Bush’s hawkish take on foreign affairs with his shoddy ability to participate in them is an extremely telling thing, particularly when Bush’s current agenda includes widening the “War on Terror” to Syria and Iran. Should we condemn the obvious irony that the leader of the military should have been kicked out of the National Guard were it not for his parents’ connections?-------------------------------------------
Men Who Sleep With Wolves: Conspiracy or Stupidity? ufcw.net MfD
If you run with a pack of wolves, are you destined to eventually become one yourself?
If you are a labour leader, can rubbing shoulders with anti-labour corporate gurus affect your perspective or your integrity? Do you start thinking like one of the big boys once you've been hanging out with them long enough? And once you are thinking like them, do you start acting like them?
These are questions that need to be addressed in relation to the leaders of Canada's mainstream labour movement before they piss away all our money and propel us into a future that resembles the 19th century.
In 1872 the government of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald introduced the Trade Unions Act. Canada's first piece of pro-worker legislation, the Act recognized that when workers banded together to fight for better conditions, their actions were not to be considered an illegal conspiracy.-------------------------------------------
Borosage Defends Teachers From White House Attack; Bush Administration Calls Teachers Group 'Terrorist Organization' IAF, U.S. Newswire
-- STATEMENT OF ROBERT BOROSAGE
I know President Bush wants to run as a wartime president, but this is ridiculous. Our public school teachers protect millions of children from the terrors a lack of education brings. They are not terrorists.
American Federation of Teachers Statement on Sec. Paige Comments Calling the National Education Association a 'Terrorist Organization' AFT, U.S. Newswire
At a time when our nation faces the very real threat of terrorism, it is both unconscionable and irresponsible for any public figure, let alone a U.S. cabinet member, to undertake this kind of name-calling. There is no excuse for such crude and inflammatory hate speech.-------------------------------------------
Union rat makes appearance on Excelsior Ave. By JIM KINNEY, The Saratogian
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Union plumbers brought out their 12-foot-tall inflatable rat Wednesday to show their dissatisfaction that nonunion plumbers are working on the 146-room Courtyard Marriott hotel on Excelsior Avenue.
'The people in Saratoga Springs will have to deal with the effects of this project, both good and bad,' said Larry S. Bulman, business manager of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 773 in South Glens Falls. 'It's only right that they should benefit from the jobs.'-------------------------------------------
Former teachers' union boss begins sentence at Kentucky prison hospital BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
Pat Tornillo, the one-time political dynamo who led the Miami-Dade teachers union for four decades, only to have his legacy tarnished by greed and fraud, surrendered this morning to begin his sentence at a federal prison hospital in Lexington, Ky.
Based on his declining condition and the length of the sentence, the 78-year-old union boss will likely spend the rest of his life in the 2,000-bed prison hospital, according to his own doctors and lawyers.-------------------------------------------
Union approves deal to end strike at Falconbridge operations in Sudbury, Ont Canadian Press
More than 1,000 workers walked out on Feb. 1. Union leaders and the nickel giant reached the accord late Saturday. Of those who voted Sunday, 93.5 per cent were in favour of the agreement, said Canadian Auto Workers local 598 president Rick Grylls. major issue driving the strike was the company's position on contracting the development of its Nickel Rim South project out to non-union workers.-------------------------------------------
Charleston, S.C., Bridge Builders Hit Milestone By Jessica Vanegeren, Post and Courier
It was a bridge construction milestone as crews raced each other toward completion of the first land-to-land roadway connection over Town Creek, half the length of the bridge.
'It's kind of like we beat out all the other work crews to win the Super Bowl,' said Robert Eman, a crew foreman with Palmetto Bridge Constructors, the primary contractor for the $632 million bridge. 'You have to be competitive out here. It's the ironworker's way.'
As Logan's crane held the girder steady, coworkers hustled 80 feet above the water to twist and tighten about 160 bolts into place. The lofty height did not slow down the crew, Eman said.
'We're kind of like the daredevils of the construction industry,' he said. 'Fear is not a factor.'-------------------------------------------
Tool Can Now Cut Holes Faster, Easier for Metal Outlets, Octagon Boxes, Recessed Lights PRNewswire
Feb. 16 -- Python Tools today announced new templates for its one-of-a-kind Python Perfect Cutter electrical-hole cutting tool. Now, commercial electricians can use the tool to more easily and quickly install metal electrical boxes, recessed lighting and more.
The company's patented Python Perfect Cutter electrical-hole cutting tool was designed by electrician Greg Tillemans, an IBEW member with more than 30 years experience.-------------------------------------------
Shifting Gears By Matt Thompson, TAP
After LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem, the crowd above the grandstands started cheering; those below booed.
Then Bush's motorcade drove by. One middle finger went up in the crowd, then another, and soon they were everywhere.
As the crowd scattered to their seats, one of the few black fans I spotted at the racetrack ran by and saw me scribbling in my notepad. 'Writing for a newspaper?' she asked. Before I could respond, she shouted, 'Tell them Bush sucks!' Then she disappeared back into the fray.-------------------------------------------
:: Sunday, February 22, 2004 ::Survey: Anger against Bush growing louder Salon.com
Political analysts say the intensity of the anti-Bush sentiment could translate into higher turnout by mobilizing the Democratic base. The possible pitfall for Democrats, however, is that strident anti-Bush rhetoric could turn off swing and independent voters who like Bush personally but might be convinced through reasoned argument that his policies are wrongheaded.-------------------------------------------
AFL-CIO for Kerry: Unions represent 13 million workers By Kirk Semple, NY Times
Labor unions have skirmished for months over which Democratic candidate to support for president, and the candidates have tried to strike the necessary chords to appeal to the unions' call for a candidate who will protect American jobs and industry.
But no union endorsement is potentially as influential as that of the 13 million-member AFL-CIO, which is often credited with having the nation's most effective get-out-the-vote operation.-------------------------------------------
Canadian official touts trade / Foreign minister says new leadership to keep up U.S. ties By David Armstrong, SF Chronicle
Graham expressed frustration with a long-running trade dispute over Canadian softwood exports. Washington says Canada's forests are illegally subsidized by that country's provinces. Canada denies the charge.
Graham said the softwood spat has gone before trade regulatory bodies 10 times so far. "We spent $50 million in legal fees on the last round alone,'' he said. Graham expressed frustration with a long-running trade dispute over Canadian softwood exports. Washington says Canada's forests are illegally subsidized by that country's provinces. Canada denies the charge.
Graham said the softwood spat has gone before trade regulatory bodies 10 times so far. 'We spent $50 million in legal fees on the last round alone,'' he said.-------------------------------------------
Developing Workers' Autonomy: An Anarchist Look At Flying Squads By Jeff Shantz, Punching Out Collective (NEFAC-Toronto)
Recently much interest and discussion has been generated by the emergence of union flying squads in Ontario. Flying squads -- rapid response networks of workers that can be mobilized for strike support, demonstrations, direct action and working class defense of immigrants, poor people, and unemployed workers -- present a potentially significant development in revitalizing organized labor activism and rank-and-file militancy.
Here are organizations with rank-and-file participation working to build solidarity across unions and locals and alongside community groups, engaging in direct action while striving to democratize their own unions. No wonder then that the re-appearance of flying squads in Ontario, in a context of halting resistance to a vicious neoliberal attack, notably among some sectors of the labor movement, has been cause for much excitement.-------------------------------------------
Hundreds Attend Funeral of Rail Worker By Emma Gunby, The Scotsman
Two rail workers had failed in a desperate bid to stop the runaway wagon involved in the accident.
One of the men was injured as he ran after the 17-ton trailer and held on to it with his bare hands, while the other worker tried to push rails from the vehicle in a desperate bid to block its path.
Details of the rescue attempt were included in a report by Network Rail safety director John Abbott, which also confirmed that the trailer had been secured by wood.
Health and safety experts said yesterday that brakes fitted to the trailer which killed the railway workers were not functional.-------------------------------------------
Ashcroft's Subpoena Blitz By Noah Leavitt, FindLaw.com
In the 1950s and 60s, similar types of 'fishing expedition' subpoenas, as well as the threat of grand juries, were often used to harass political dissenters and their lawyers, as well as to threaten people with jail terms or other penalties if they did not act as an informer on their colleagues. Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin commented about the Drake situation, 'I don't like the smell of it...It reminds me too much of Vietnam when war protestors were rounded up, when grand juries were convened to investigate people who were protesting the war.'-------------------------------------------
Union Organizers Visit Northrop Grumman Newport News, Va., Shipyard By Peter Dujardin
Organizers from the United Steelworkers of America took to the gates outside Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard Friday morning, passing out blank union cards and urging more shipyard workers to sign up.
"Come on, guys, power up," said Mike Lee, a yard worker and union organizing committee member, handing the cards near the corner of 46th Street and Washington Avenue as streams of shipbuilders filed past at about 6:15 a.m. "Sign up a friend today, and help us out."-------------------------------------------
:: Saturday, February 21, 2004 ::Builders hurt by strike start layoffs By Mary Vorsino, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Ron Taketa, Hawaii Carpenters Union financial secretary and business representative, has said he expects to see 'massive layoffs' beginning next week, with as many as 1,000 of the state's 5,500 active carpenters losing their jobs.-------------------------------------------
His teeth were there: Was he? Doonesbury@Slate
If you personally witnessed George W. Bush reporting for drills at Dannelly Air National Guard Base between the months of May and November of 1972 we want to hear about it. Help Mr. Bush put this partisan assault on his character behind him, so he can focus on more serious issues like jobs, the deficit and the coming civil war in Iraq. Just contact us below with the salient details. If we think you're a possible winner, we'll get back to you pronto. Good luck to all contestants!
GW Bush's 1973 National Guard dental health record Michael Moore.com-------------------------------------------
I.M.P.A.C.T. with Union Ironworkers; A Conversation with Eric Waterman an Advisory from Industrialinfo.com
Iron work has long been perceived as a Rust Belt industry and IMPACT is using their recently developed Web site (www.impact-net.org) to dispel that image and to promote themselves to industry professionals, such as architects, designers, engineers, and even general contractors. One notable feature available to the local unions exclusively is IMPACT Trac Project Tracking System, which helps the locals partner with signatory contractors and fabrication shops, as well as providing sophisticated reporting, which might otherwise be cost prohibitive and thus out of reach to the individual locals.-------------------------------------------
President's National Hire Veterans Committee Announced U.S. Newswire
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today named the members of the President's National Hire Veterans Committee, which will focus on efforts to raise the awareness of the value of hiring veterans. The committee will meet Feb. 25 in Washington, D.C.
... and Andris J. Silins, general secretary-treasurer of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.-------------------------------------------
Chevrolet Nomad Gets Prelim. Green Light The Car Connection
The Nomad takes its cues from a memorable, if difficult-to-describe, concept vehicle that first appeared 50 years ago at the legendary GM Autorama traveling road show. The newest model shares the basic, wagon-like exterior, integrating elements of both a sports car and an SUV.-------------------------------------------
Appeals Court Doubts Workers 'Liked' Racial Slurs NBC5.com
CHICAGO -- A federal appeals court in Chicago has rejected a company's argument that its employees 'liked' being referred to with racial slurs.
The Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a judge in Indianapolis to allow a class-action lawsuit by 350 black employees. They're suing International Truck and Engine Corporation, which is a part of Navistar that used to be International Harvester.
The appeals court contends the company's claim that employees liked the slurs and laughed at cartoons about lynchings 'strained credibility.' The opinion was handed down Friday.-------------------------------------------
Labor Leaders' Salaries: Who Made What in 2002 By Darren McKewen, WSJ
Other union presidents reporting lower salaries were John Wilhelm of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees, whose earnings fell from $273,120 in the 2001 reporting year to $245,809 in 2002, and Douglas McCarron of the International Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. Mr. McCarron reported a salary of $320,000 in 2002, down from $336,745 in 2001. His salary had increased nearly 49% from 2000 to 2001, according to the LM-2 forms. The Carpenters didn't return calls from BNA seeking comment.-------------------------------------------
:: Friday, February 20, 2004 ::Remaking America In Wal-Mart's Image By Black Commentator
Let’s make it plain: The problem is not that there is too much competition in the retail food business, even of the cutthroat, Wal-Mart kind. Rather, the chains have loaded themselves down with debt to eliminate the previously existing competition, and there are not enough customers with enough income to buy enough goods to pay off creditors and satisfy the ever more ravenous demands of investors at the same time. So they decided to cut labor costs by forcing a strike and lockout of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) members throughout southern California. Wal-Mart provided the excuse to do what comes naturally to the corporate class in George Bush’s America. Wal-Mart is leader of the pack, but they are all wolves.-------------------------------------------
An Air That Kills, a Review By JOHN HOLT, CounterPunch
Greed, Apathy, Dead People
An Air That Kills: How the Asbestos Poisoning of Libby, Montana, Uncovered a National Scandal is about small-town Montana and the devastating horrors visited on it by a vermiculite mine owned by those fun-loving corporate bastards at W.R. Grace & Co, and the Zonolite Company before it. The mining of vermiculite, used in products ranging from insulation to potting soil, led to exposure to asbestos that caused and is causing the deaths of hundreds of Libby residents. Grace knew of the dangers, but didn't tell the workers or their families of the deadly dangers associated with living in an environment where more than two and a half tons of asbestos were released into the town's air every day, when One heavy exposure or even one tiny fiber can inaugurate the downward spiral to the grave.-------------------------------------------
New York City - Worker Dies in Building Fall By Lindsay Faber
According to building officials, Brown was climbing down a ladder leaning precariously against a residential building he was working on at 1180 Jackson Ave. A 12-foot stationary scaffold was positioned six feet away from the building itself, and the ladder was angled against the scaffold pointed towards the roof, Buildings Department spokeswoman Ilyse Fink said.
'The weight of the worker and the angle of the ladder pried the scaffold away from the building and the worker fell three stories,' Fink said.-------------------------------------------
Thousands face job loss as Victoria reallocates timber By Gordon Hamilton, Vancouver Sun
'You are going to end up with gypsy crews going from contract to contract,' said Darrell Wong, president of the coastal local of the Industrial, Wood & Allied Workers of Canada. 'Instead of people living in good homes in our resource towns, all you will see is a lot of pick-ups parked down at the local motel.'-------------------------------------------
Authorities investigate Sikorsky Bridge accident By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
The crane operator killed in Tuesday's accident at the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge had been having mechanical problems with his crane and was so upset by the carelessness of new employees that he considered quitting, his sister told The Associated Press Wednesday.
She said when her brother returned to work he complained there were new employees who were careless and incompetent. He had called home a day before the accident to say he planned to talk to his boss about his concerns as soon as he could, his sister said.
"He was real upset -- told my mom he was just about ready to pack up and come home," Etheridge said. "He said he'd come closer than ever to packing up and coming home. It was that bad."
Jordan, the divorced father of three children, planned to retire in two years, his sister said. He was very safety conscious, once refusing to work on a job because of high winds, she said.
"He was the best heavy equipment operator in the world," Etheridge said. "He always said safety was his main thing, particularly for others."-------------------------------------------
Bush team makes case for recovery By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian
Labor union protesters, including members of Clark County Carpenters Local 1715, staked out the entrance to the suburban Portland campus on Wednesday with picket signs and banners that said "Stop Corporate Greed." Monte Frazier, an unemployed carpenter from Vancouver, said he opposed cuts in unemployment benefits and the export of American jobs overseas.
"Bush's job recovery isn't getting it done for working people," said Jerry Auvil, organizer for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters. "His rules on overtime are really hurting the working class."-------------------------------------------
Beer Nazis? By Newt Briggs, Las Vegas Mercury
Union utters the H-word in battle with Hofbrauhaus
On Friday afternoon, more than a dozen union carpenters and organizers gathered at the Hofbrauhaus, the newly opened Bavarian beer hall across from the Hard Rock Hotel. The group, however, wasn't there to wet their whistles on Bavaria's finest lagers or to dine on the region's famous schnitzels and wursts. Instead, they spread out along the sidewalk in front of the building and distributed tabloid-style leaflets that claimed to offer "The secret history that Hofbrauhaus doesn't want you to know" and mock drink coasters that declared, "Welcome to the Hofbrauhaus, where the Nazi party got its start."
According to Daniel O'Shea, senior organizer for the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, the union's sudden historical concern was inspired by Hofbrauhaus' failure to meet area wage and benefit standards during the construction of the new building.-------------------------------------------
Kiss, make up, clean dam by Keila Szpaller
The loosely organized Blue-Green movement has seen more recent collaboration, too. Home improvement chain Lowe's, says Schwan, had considered contracting with a metal company with a bad labor record. The Blue-Greens jointly signed a letter welcoming Lowe's into the community and asking the company to at least pay union wages.
"They wouldn't expect the environmental community to come out and say, 'We want you to build this union,'" says Schwan. Lowe's eventually contracted union labor from Missoula's Quality Supply, Inc.
But not everyone is excited about the emerging Blue-Green flirtation.
"The extreme lefts have marginalized themselves," says Dennis Daneke with Regional Council of Carpenters. "The extreme rights have marginalized themselves."-------------------------------------------
UK : National Work your Proper Hours Day! union-network.org
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom have set Friday February 27th as the day that all workers should work their proper hours. Research has found that the average person gives their employer extra hours every week. This has been added up and basically the average worker works for free for 40 days a year. The TUC says this results in lost income for the individuals as well as giving you added stress and fatigue which reduces productivity.-------------------------------------------
Standing Up For Workers' Rights By Stewart Acuff, FPIF
"The boss said he would sell the company or burn it down before he would see a union at Sterling." To the cheers of a responsive Washington, DC audience on December 10, 2003, Sterling Laundry worker Evelyn Thomas vowed to continue the battle for the freedom to form a union at her workplace, in spite of fierce employer opposition.
Thomas' tale was just one of the dozens of horror stories told by workers who rallied on International Human Rights Day to call attention to the widespread abuse of the rights of workers. In 90 events in 37 states, tens of thousands of workers and their allies campaigned to restore the freedom to form a union guaranteed under American law and international human rights codes, but sadly eroded in our country today.-------------------------------------------
:: Thursday, February 19, 2004 ::Realtor seeks to avoid testimony By Lorell Fleming
HAMMOND - A real estate agent facing federal charges wants to invoke the Fifth Amendment - his right to not testify on the grounds of possibly self-incrimination.
But it isn't his case he wants to keep mum about.
Carl Paul Ihle Jr. had been served with a subpoena from the U.S. attorney's office to testify in the case of an alleged kickback scam involving the carpenters union's questionable Coffee Creek land investment deal.-------------------------------------------
Deadly '99 blast is safety lesson By Romy Varghese, Of The Morning Call
The crater is gone. The hazardous chemicals are cleaned up.
New buildings on the site just north of Allentown give no hint of the destruction, the showering of debris over homes of frightened residents, the loss of five lives.
But the explosion five years ago today at Concept Sciences Inc. in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, has left a legacy that can be felt from Hanover to Harrisburg to beyond.
It spurred tougher state reporting rules for companies that work with large amounts of hazardous materials. It galvanized county emergency officials to create a special rescue team and streamline radio communications. It led the township to make sure it knows all about the chemicals local manufacturers use.
The disaster also inspired creation of a local chemical industry group that meets regularly to share information on safety and new rules.-------------------------------------------
Improper Practices, Gear Cited in Fatal Falls
BY BRUCE TAYLOR SEEMAN, Newhouse News Service
In every fatal fall, experts say, death could have been avoided. Today's safety equipment includes netting, harnesses, and warning lines that alert workers who are nearing disaster.
But none of the safeguards can nullify human mistakes -- by workers who develop bad habits, employers who skimp on safety or tell crews to cut corners.
'You give a guy a harness with a lanyard,' says Daniel Paine, a safety consultant. 'What you've given him is part of the solution. How's he going to use this thing? Is there an anchor he can tie to? You need to make sure that from the time he steps off terra firma to the time he comes back down, he has fall protection.'
Government reports show the limitless ways workers can die:-------------------------------------------
Kerry Gets AFL-CIO Nod, Calls Bush 'Fuzzy' on Jobs By Patricia Wilson, Wired News
White House advisers have distanced themselves from their own forecast that the country would add 2.6 million jobs by the end of the year.
'Well, ladies and gentlemen, it just doesn't take a lot of fuzzy math to count to zero,' Kerry said. 'We're not asking George Bush to count the jobs, we're asking George Bush to create the jobs and fight for working people.'-------------------------------------------
Coming Soon to a Location Near You: Union Busting, Federal Style By Jordan Barab, Confined Space
And make no mistake about it, the Department of Defense labor plan, combined with the attacks on union rights for Department of Homeland Security employees, are just the precursor of their plans for the entire federal government labor force. And as we experienced more than 20 years ago with PATCO, private industry tends to take their labor-relations cue from the federal government. Although, in this case, government may be taking its cue from private sector union busters.-------------------------------------------
Killing the Messenger, AFL-CIO's Attack on Harry Kelber By Mike Griffin, CounterPunch
One might wonder what dire threat a ninety-year-old writer and labor educator might be to the mighty AFL-CIO. As a labor reporter with press credentials, Harry had access to AFL-CIO Executive Council meetings and conventions, a seat in the press box and an uncanny understanding of the workings of labor's hierarchy. From that understanding and inside information, Harry was able to offer legitimate criticism and even dared to offer alternative solutions to ease labor's woes. Most damming, Harry wrote about union corruption, in particular, the ULLICO scandal involving Morton Bahr, CWA President. What made the assault on Harry difficult were his impeccable credentials, his honesty and integrity. Decades of service to the labor movement, including years of educational service to the New York AFL-CIO, made it difficult to discredit the often-chiding senior statesman of the rank and file. They stooped to use a past due dues payment to remove his union membership even though he sought to pay them. Will Harry Kelber be allowed to return to the AFL-CIO press box? I think not.-------------------------------------------
NBC's Conan O'Brien Issues 'Apology' to Quebec Reuters
Late-night comedian Conan O'Brien sought to defuse a flap over a recent segment poking fun at the French-Canadian province of Quebec by issuing a self-deprecating 'apology' on Tuesday in French.
'People of Quebec, I'm sorry,' the host of NBC's 'Late Night' show said in English, as a translator recited in French, with English subtitles, 'People of Quebec, I'm an albino jackass.'-------------------------------------------
Union members ratify agreement with Suncor Energy PRNewswire
This joint release was issued by Suncor Energy Inc. and Communications Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union Local 707
'Members of Communications Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union Local 707 in Fort McMurray have voted in favour of a new three-year agreement with Suncor Energy Inc. The agreement includes a 9.5 per cent wage increase over three years.
Contract talks underway for employees on Nfld's Terra Nova offshore platform CP Atlantic Regional News
The Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers union presented its opening proposal to the employer Tuesday. More talks will be held Wednesday. They're trying to get a first contract for the 90 employees who voted to join the union last year.
Over at Hibernia the effort to get a first contract for some 420 workers isn't going so smoothly.-------------------------------------------
Fourth crane crash victim dies AP
Investigators searching for cause of collapse
TOLEDO -- A construction worker died Wednesday from injuries he suffered when a crane collapsed earlier this week on an interstate bridge project and killed three other workers.
Ironworkers mourn three comrades lost in Toledo tragedy Catherine Gabe and Molly Kavanaugh
'See the red there,' he said, pointing to a stained portion of a concrete pillar. 'That's his blood up there.'
Schiewe described a worker dangling from the machinery until he was delivered into the arms of ironworkers, who carried the dead and injured to ambulances.
'That meant a lot to us,' Blaze said of that step in the healing process. 'We dispatched them to the project, and it's important we take them home.'
A communitywide memorial service has been planned for 5 p.m. Sunday at St. Stephen Catholic Church, near the bridge.
Tuesday, a bar maid at Consaul's Tavern, in the same neighborhood, consoled weeping ironworkers. She pointed toward the ceiling, where a can of beer was safely tucked. 'We saved a beer for Bubba,' she said.-------------------------------------------
'Wobblies' live on at TV station By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News
At Free Speech Television, workers organize union with a view to the past
BOULDER - Free Speech Television bills itself as the 'antidote to Fox News,' broadcasting anti-war rallies and documentaries about global labor struggles.
So when workers at the nonprofit, Boulder-based satellite station wanted a union, they rejected conventional labor organizations. Instead, they chose the Industrial Workers of the World, a group that offered a socialist alternative to men who toiled 12 hours a day in Colorado mines a century ago.-------------------------------------------
Lead dust prompts DIA tests on trains By Jeffrey Leib, Denver Post
The tests found that lead on the lunchroom floor at the maintenance center exceeded the guideline for public areas, Gagnon said.
The surveys also found that employees working in the train tunnels 'had low levels of lead dust around them,' the report said. Two employees doing preventive maintenance on the trains were exposed to lead levels slightly below 'action levels' set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Gagnon said.-------------------------------------------
:: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 ::Laborer's union protests USA Remediation By Dusty Smith
Armed with protest signs, a bullhorn and a 15-foot inflatable rat, a regional laborers union protested contractor USA Remediation of Warrenton as that company conducted work on Fauquier Hospital.
A small group of representatives for the Laborers Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition said the protest was in no way directed at the hospital, but rather intended to bring their concerns about USA Remediation to the hospital's attention.
'(USA Remediation is) involved in a criminal case right now,' said Erin Hutson, a research analyst for the coalition. 'We're just concerned about the safety of the workers.'-------------------------------------------
Courts rule BC Carpenters Union need not useUBCJAnamesake By Josh Coles, Provincial Organizer
After a hearing and consideration on the matter, the BCLRB overruled the employer and granted the application to proceed without any reference to the UBCJA. The BCLRB ruled that "the objections raised by the employer have more to do with internal union matters and not with the bargaining relationship." The decision went on to say that "Local 2736 [the Millwrights] is a valid British Columbia trade union entitled to represent its members employed at the employer."
In short, the BCPCC and/or its Local Unions need not mark themselves as part of the UBCJA.
This is another spike in the long railroad that the BC Carpenters Union have been traveling on in our battle for independence from the UBCJA.
Our union's autonomy movement picked up steam in 1996 when the UBCJA General President, Doug McCarron, demanded arbitrary internal union restructuring that amounted to nothing more than a centralization of union power from BC to Washington DC.
Since 1996, BC members have voted for autonomy from UBCJA in numerous referendums and elections. Last year members voted over 82% to join a Canadian union that supports the political and operational independence of the BCPCC.
The February 6 BCLRB ruling flows from previous decisions at the BCLRB that have established the UBCJA simply as a club that the BCPCC and its members belong to.-------------------------------------------
Michael Moore, You Used to Be My Hero By Glenn Sacks
Spending every day hanging by my hook belt off the side of a rebar skeleton 50 feet up in the air, my life seemed to be out of a Michael Moore documentary. Our electricians often had to work near live wires because the company refused to bear the expense of shutting down part of the plant so we could work safely. As an apprentice, one of my main jobs was to stand 10 feet behind these men as they worked, holding a rope attached to a harness they'd put themselves in. If they hit a live wire and started to fry, it was my job to pull them out and save their lives.-------------------------------------------
Crane collapse kills 3 By JOE MAHR and CHRISTINA HALL, ToledoBlade
Disaster leaves 5 injured, shuts down busy highway
In the Toledo area’s worst construction accident in decades, three ironworkers died and five other workers were injured yesterday after a 2-million-pound crane collapsed at the southern end of the new I-280 bridge in East Toledo.
Rescue crews spent four hours recovering the dead as fellow construction workers held vigil in 20-degree weather and onlookers stood stunned at a construction project touted for its engineering ingenuity and safety record.
"They were very experienced ironworkers. None of them were rookies. They were very good, top men," said Joe Blaze, business manager of Ironworkers Local 55 in Toledo. "This is just a tragic day for the ironworkers and their families."
Worker Killed in Conn. Bridge Accident By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, AP
The cranes, working on removing the old bridge, were lifting a girder when one crane fell off its barge and into the river and the boom of the other crane snapped, said Chris Cooper, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.-------------------------------------------
Puppet's rant filters south of border CURTIS RUSH, THESTAR
The crying over Conan was heard across the 49th parallel as well.
American newspapers weighed in on the debate over Late Night with Conan O'Brien's lampooning of Quebec but to a much lesser extent.
In weekend editions, most stuck to reporting the outrage over Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, but no less an authority than the New York Times called the remarks about Quebec 'crass.'
Under the headline 'An insolent puppet roils Canadian politics,' the Times wrote about the issue in yesterday's editions.
'Conan O'Brien came to Toronto last week and he nearly started a civil war. Just kidding, sort of,' the Times wrote.
Canada called terrorist haven By Jim Bronskill, CP
U.S. report cites liberal values as threat to security
The report notes the recent co-operation between Canadian and U.S. officials in fighting terrorism. It also acknowledges Canadian steps to toughen anti-terrorism and immigration laws, but casts doubt on whether they go far enough, saying Canada's 'liberal democratic identity' may limit adoption of sterner measures.-------------------------------------------
Lack of Information Deters American Workers from Retirement Planning, Nationwide(R) Survey Reveals PR Newswire
Among workers surveyed who have access to a 401(k) plan but choose not to participate:
- More than one in six say they will never stop working and don't plan to retire (17 percent).
- Almost 30 percent say they're counting on Social Security to be the largest source of funding for their retirement, and 20 percent will use "other personal savings".
- Four in ten (42 percent) say they do not contribute to a 401(k) plan because they cannot afford it, and 12 percent say they have more pressing saving priorities. Twenty-two percent say they plan to invest, but haven't gotten around to it yet.-------------------------------------------
Wal-Mart foes detail costs to community / Public subsidizes workers, study says By Charles Burress, SF Chronicle
Miller released a 22-page report by the Democratic staff of his House committee detailing how nonunionized Wal-Mart, the largest employer in both the United States and Mexico, allegedly imposes financial burdens on local governments. A certain percentage of its workers must turn to subsidized medical care, free school lunches, housing subsidies and other taxpayer- supported welfare services, Miller said.
A typical Wal-Mart store with 200 employees would cost taxpayers $420,750 per year, according to the report. Its employees were paid an average of $8.23 an hour in 2001, compared with $10.35 for a supermarket worker, the report said.
Wal-Mart's chief spokeswoman, Mona Williams, called Miller's attack irresponsible and his figures 'pure fantasy.'
'His so-called study is clearly aimed at pleasing the labor unions who make up such a large part of his financial support,' Williams said by phone Monday from the company headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.-------------------------------------------
:: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 ::Two transportation bills stall in House By Deanna Wrenn
Unless Indiana passes the open container bill, the state must shift more than $13 million in federal road construction money to safety funds, and will lose $1.3 million outright. Indiana could lose nearly $115 million over the next six years if the state doesn't pass a federally compliant open container law and if a federal funding bill currently before Congress passes.
Bill supporters, who have not received a hearing for such legislation in the House since 1994, say the state needs the money.
Bill Livvix, a lobbyist with the Indiana Regional Council of Carpenters, said the construction jobs paid for by the federal dollars are an important reason to pass the bill.
''We need them a lot more than we need to be able to drink a beer in the back seat on the way to a ball game,'' he said.-------------------------------------------
CWA President, Stung by Kelber's Criticism, Expelled Him From Union Without a Hearing
There are reasons why Bahr would like to damage Harry Kelber's reputation. It was Harry, who was the first labor journalist to expose a scandal involving 27 current and former national union officers, including Bahr, who, as directors of Union Labor Life Insurance Co. (ULLICO), approved an insiders' stock trading scheme in which many of them profited for a total of more than $7 million. Bahr, under pressure, had to return more than $24,000 in profits to the insurance company.
Kelber has ridiculed Bahr's defense of the AFL-CIO's undemocratic convention voting rules, by which incumbent members of the federation's executive council are re-elected again and again, without opposition. Bahr, the AFL-CIO's point man on this issue, repeatedly argues that the current voting procedures are fair and representative, while opposing the democratic "one delegate, one vote" rule. "As my student, Morty Bahr learned very little from my lectures on union democracy," Harry says.
But what really angered Bahr and other AFL-CIO leaders was Kelber's publication of a new pamphlet, "10 Ways to Reform an Undemocratic AFL-CIO." Here, for the first time, was not only criticism of the AFL-CIO leadership, which they never bothered to respond to, but a plan for reform which it was hard to ignore.
Many union members see Bahr's decision as a crude attempt to banish Kelber from the labor movement in the hope that as an "outsider," his influence as a critic of the AFL-CIO leadership would diminish. If the expulsion stands, it will certainly have a chilling effect on rank-and-file activists, they say.-------------------------------------------
charges filed by UBC against local98.com owner local98.com a non UBC site
What do you do when The Truth hurts?
Well if you are afraid of The Truth, then you do your best to cover it up with lies and illegal procedures. It seems that is exactly what a high ranking official of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters did today at an executive board meeting in Spokane. Charges of causing dissension among the members of the United Brotherhood were brought against the owner of local98.com for telling the truth and assisting his Union brothers and sisters here at local98.com.
This official is also intimately involved with the pension fund of the Washington, Idaho, Montana Carpenters-Employers Retirement Trust and under his reign, pension rates have dropped to an all-time low of $11.00/month for each 1,500 hour year worked. Under this official's guidance, it now takes a Spokane area carpenter 25 years to receive a pension of $250.00 per month. That amount is horrendous and it is not surprising that anyone remotely responsible for this disgraceful act would want to keep it a secret, especially if they were corrupt. Fortunately, The Truth can be had here at local98.com and the exercise of our free speech rights is a daily occurrence.-------------------------------------------
Vigilance goes long way toward preventing workplace violence By Kathy Gurchiek, Salt Lake Tribune
Threatening e-mails, verbal taunts, even fistfights. Workplace violence is a safety issue often leading to increased absenteeism and decreased productivity. When it results in death, employers and co-workers often are left wondering what ignited the fuse and how it could have been prevented.-------------------------------------------
Labor pains By Mark Shields, CNN
Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.5 million member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) is the kind of guy who could single-handedly give opportunism a bad name.
But let it be known that he is the exception, that there are many in labor for whom their word is their bond and for whom loyalty -- especially when the going gets tough -- remains their guiding value.-------------------------------------------
Workforce shortages prompt conference By Robert Howk, Alaska Journal of Commerce
'It's a combination of baby boomers who are retiring, out-of-state workers who are taking construction jobs and young people who are not interested in jobs in the industry,' Andrews said.
The prime reason for the conference, he said, was to get the myriad agencies, employers and educators and others affected by the issue to begin taking a 'comprehensive' approach in thinking about the future.
'We all have to work together - government, industry, organized labor, apprenticeship training programs, community-based programs and Alaska Native organizations,' he said.-------------------------------------------
EPA Cuts Funding For Cleanup of Asbestos-Contaminated Libby, MT posted by Jordan Barab, Confined Space
And to add insult to injury
In another slap at Libby last month, cleanup workers learned at 4 in the afternoon that their hourly wages would be cut starting the next day, from a minimum of $24 to $14. With workers complaining, the EPA now is considering raising their pay back to $19 an hour. Still, residents are afraid the pay cut will damage morale and undermine the quality of the cleanup.
At the peak of the cleanup last summer, 120 people were working for EPA contractors in Libby, and these were some of the best jobs in the economically depressed town.
“We have a very dedicated workforce,” Sullivan says. “These are people who really give a hoot. Why is the EPA hurting their pride?”-------------------------------------------
:: Monday, February 16, 2004 ::US: Protesters accuse Coke in Colombian violence source: just-drinks.com
Families of union members who have been murdered are suing locally owned Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia for using paramilitaries to intimidate union members with a terror campaign.
But Coca-Cola said in a statement on Friday: 'Colombian labor union SINALTRAINAL's oft-repeated allegations against the Coca-Cola Co. and its Colombian bottling partners are completely false.-------------------------------------------
How the White House Shelved MTBE Ban By PETE YOST, AP
The Bush administration quietly shelved a proposal to ban a gasoline additive that contaminates drinking water in many communities, helping an industry that has donated more than $1 million to Republicans.
The Environmental Protection Agency's decision had its origin in the early days of President Bush's tenure when his administration decided not to move ahead with a Clinton-era regulatory effort to ban the clean-air additive MTBE.
The proposed regulation said the environmental harm of the additive leaching into ground water overshadowed its beneficial effects to the air.-------------------------------------------
Union Members Protest Downtown Development TheSanDiegoChannel
SAN DIEGO -- Angry union carpenters protested Monday in the downtown streets of San Diego, 10News reported.
The protesters are angry because nonunion workers have taken over a major redevelopment site at First and Island avenues.
The union members believe the work is being done below their standards.
Arvin workers won’t receive extra benefits By SCOTT HALL, Johnson County Daily Journal, IN
“The decision was made not to move anything to Mexico,” Hanley said. “It’s just going to get rerouted to U.S. facilities.”
The decision was bad news, though not totally unexpected, said William Whited, president of Local 2993 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.
Employees were awaiting the decision on the additional benefits and had not yet received any official word, he said. The uncertainty was frustrating to those who were debating whether to seek new manufacturing jobs as soon as possible or wait for additional benefits that would help them prepare for a more promising career in another field.-------------------------------------------
Twenty tons of death By PHIL CARDY, TheSun, UK
Last night a fellow railworker said grimly: “It hit them like 20 tons of death out of the dark. They would have had no idea it was coming.”-------------------------------------------
Hispanics gaining more jobs By GREG REEVES, Kansas City Star
Hispanics — only 5 percent of the area's population — now make up 31 percent of roofers.
That is just part of the influx of Hispanic workers into the building and construction trades here and nationally, according to recently released census figures. To some extent, the growth reflects the growth in the Hispanic population.
In Kansas City, the share of Hispanic carpenters tripled from 2 percent in 1990 to 6 percent in 2000. Nationwide, 15 percent of carpenters are Hispanic.
The proportion of plumbers and pipefitters in the area who are Hispanic grew from 4 percent in 1990 to 5 percent in 2002, but up to 12 percent nationwide.-------------------------------------------
Disastrous death of trades and apprenticeship program NUPGE.CA
B.C. Liberals kill program that trained 4,000 students a year
Victoria - Gordon Campbell's Liberal government has dealt a final blow to the Industry Trades and Apprenticeship program by issuing final layoff notices to the people who staff ITAC offices in communities around the province.
A total of approximately 100 B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) members will have lost their jobs when all ITAC offices are closed for good on March 31, 2003.
These ITAC workers ensured the 4,000 students annually enrolled in trades training programs received the highest standard certifications, and supervised the worksite placements of 16,500 apprentices throughout their four-year terms.
“The elimination of ITAC is a major betrayal of young men and women who are seeking essential job skills,” says BCGEU president George Heyman.-------------------------------------------
Special Report: Jobs in an evolving economy By GREG BARRETT, MarionStar
To the lowest bidder go the lowest paying jobs
'Sad thing is that I can remember when we used to put a label on the boxes and on the bikes that said something like, 'Made Proudly in America,'' said Larry Stelzer, a former Huffy accountant who now works as Mercer County's director of economic development.
The American label used to be a powerful marketing tool, he said.
'Now it has just been thrown out the window.'-------------------------------------------
Victims of job exodus in Wisconsin place blame on Bush BY DICK POLMAN, Phladelphia Inquirer
MANITOWOC, Wis. - It was dusk in the old factory town, the dying sun was sending shafts of light across the floor of the deserted union hall, and the bells of St. Boniface Church were poised to begin a mournful tune. That's when the phone jangled.
Gary Miller, a former union official, clad in a steelworkers sweatshirt and nursing a Mountain Dew, gave it a glance. He said it was probably his wife, since nobody called about union business anymore. He checked his Green Bay Packers wristwatch, hoisted the receiver, and found himself talking to an organizer from the John Kerry campaign. The guy was looking for labor help and figured the steelworkers local was a good place to start.
But Miller cut him off: 'OK, you should know that our local went out of existence. (Pause) Yup, a few months ago. (Pause) The company we worked at is gone, took all the jobs to China and Mexico. We have no members now. We do nothing. (Pause) Wish I could help you more, sorry.' He hung up, and started to stew.-------------------------------------------
County to evaluate minority contracting policies By Virginia Terhune
Jurisdictions began doing disparity studies following a landmark court case in which the J.A. Croson contracting firm sued Virginia in 1983, because Richmond had required that non-minority prime contractors set aside at least 30 percent of the contract amount for minority subcontractors.
The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 1989 that the practice violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution's 14th Amendment, resulting in a setback for minority hiring.
Jurisdictions have the authority to set goals to prevent discrimination in their spending, but they need to do a study to find out what percentage minority firms make up of the total vendor community.
Since then, disparity studies have become commonplace, often replacing goals set based on population rather than available vendors.-------------------------------------------
Move Bush! Get out the way! Get out the way! By Buddy Grizzard, Guerrilla News Network
The cacophony that greeted the President and sustained itself for the duration of his wreath-laying ceremony was impressive to experience. The chant of the day was "Move Bush! Get out the way! Get out the way! Get out the way," an adaptation of a tune by local product Ludacris (what y'all know about that ATL style?). The protest itself was beautifully diverse, and carried a communal vibe that was a pure joy to be a part of. I was proud to be from Atlanta. For some reason, Atlanta Police decided not to imitate police in Miami and Portland, where freedom of speech and assembly, two of the fundamental rights which make us Americans, apparently no longer exist. And Bush, a man who came to office through the electronic disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of mostly black voters in Florida, was shown that he could not pull off a cheap photo-op here in the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. There'd be no plastic turkey moments in our town that day, we made sure of it.-------------------------------------------
1971 Photo of Kerry Doctored By Michael Rothfeld, Newsday
As a 20-year-old photographer documenting the country's struggle over the Vietnam War, Ken Light snapped the picture of John Kerry at a peace rally in Mineola. It captured the future senator alone at a podium, squinting into the sun.
Light did not photograph Jane Fonda on that warm June Sunday in 1971. The actress, who is reviled by many Vietnam veterans for her vocal stance against the war, did not even attend.
But when opponents of the Democratic presidential hopeful began e-mailing Light's picture to one another four days ago, it depicted Fonda standing by Kerry's side. The photo had been doctored.
"I'm horrified," said Light, 52, who grew up in East Meadow and now heads the graduate photojournalism program at the University of California at Berkeley. "I think this kind of alteration is probably one of the scariest forms of trickery, particularly when it's done against a political candidate."
1971 Photo of Kerry Doctored Infoshop News
Doctored photo found on FreeRepublic.com - compared with original-------------------------------------------
