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february 2006

• Utah WRB Hears Testimony from Low-Wage Workers
• Solidarity Works for McCall Oil Workers!
• Health Care Staffing Disclosure Bill Passes VT House
• Update from India
• World Social Forum
• JwJ Takes Action to Stop Corporate Greed at Wal-Mart!
• Jobs with Justice Takes Action: Workers’ Rights are Human Rights!

Utah WRB Hears Testimony from Low-Wage Workers

On February 14, 2006, the Utah Workers’ Rights Board heard testimony from low-wage workers about the need to raise Utah’s Minimum Wage. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 19,000 Utahns are working at or below minimum wage. Utah’s current minimum wage, the same as the federal minimum, has not been increased in eight years. This wage provides an income of only $10,700 per year for a full-time worker. The real value of the minimum wage is near its lowest point in 50 years. If the minimum wage in 2005 was worth what it was in 1968, it would be $8.88 an hour. Nationwide, fourteen states have raised their state minimum wage above the federal minimum.

The WRB panel hearing testimony included Cathy Hoskins, Executive Director of Salt Lake Community Action Program; Salt Lake County Council member Joe Hatch; Glen Bailey, Executive Director of Crossroads Urban Center; and Dee Rowland, Director of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Catholic Diocese. Robert “Archie” Archuleta, Chair of Utah Coalition of La Raza and former Administrator of Minority Affairs under Mayor Rocky Anderson, moderated the panel.

Among those testifying were several workers making less than $7.00 an hour, including a receptionist for the United States Forest Service, a fast-food worker struggling to provide for her three children, and an oil company worker supporting a developmentally disabled son with substantial medical bills. In addition, the Board heard expert testimony from economist Dr. Sarah Wilhelm, of Voices for Utah Children. Some of their testimony:

“Low paying jobs are not being filled just by school age kids. I, and many others just like me are working these same jobs… I should be able to have a better quality of life; I am a productive citizen and tax payer.” – Marilyn, seasonal job worker

“I worry constantly about being able to pay for my utilities, because my son is on oxygen, and if my lights are turned off, it would endanger his life. If I could make more money I would be able to take care of my family’s needs.” – Kim, Conoco Oil Refinery worker

“I attended two colleges to try and get a better education and acquire a better paying job. This only ended me up in a government job that only pays minimum wage and limits what I can earn at a second job. I want to remain independent, but had to file bankruptcy because the credit cards were the only way I could get medicine, food, sometimes pay my bills.” – Linda, United States Forest Service Worker

“We, the workers do the work cleaning and scrubbing the store from wall to wall in order to get excellent ratings, only for the manager to receive all the bonuses. The prices of sandwiches at Arby’s has gone up, but the wages have not gone up.” – Lydia, Arby’s worker

The hearing was part of the Citizens’ Day at the Legislature, organized by Utah Issues. Legislation introduced by Sen. Ed Mayne would increase Utah’s minimum wage to $7.00 an hour. After hearing testimony, the WRB called on the Utah legislature to increase the state’s minimum wage and urged the federal government to do the same.

Solidarity Works for McCall Oil Workers!

At 12:01 a.m. Dec. 5 the workers from McCall Oil and Chemical in Portland walked off the job in an unfair labor practices strike to demand a first union contract with the Inland Boatmen’s Union of the Pacific, the marine division of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU). McCall’s 10 operators and one maintenance man voted unanimously to join the IBU March 8, 2005.

As the workers walked off the job, Portland Jobs with Justice helped to turn out 100 people for a rally to support the workers. JwJ helped to keep people on the picket line 24 hours a day until the morning of December 6 th, when workers returning to their jobs were greeted by over 40 supporters in a late-morning rally. “I’ve been on strike many times and never seen this kind of support, not only from the ILWU and the IBU but from people in the community,” IBU Columbia River Region Executive Board member Joe Maresh said. “Jobs with Justice put a lot of people out there.” During the strike, McCall management decided to go back into contract negotiations. On January 31st, the workers unanimously ratified their first contract, which includes 16% wage increases over two years and seniority rights for scheduling and vacation!

Health Care Staffing Disclosure Bill Passes VT House

On February 2nd, dozens of health care workers from across the state engaged their legislators to push for needed changes to our health care system including safe staffing in hospitals, public disclosure of staffing levels, fighting mandatory overtime, and fighting funding cuts to the mental health system at the Fourth Annual Health Care Workers Conference and Action Summit in Vermont. This day demonstrated the power and commitment of health care workers leading the fight for health care for all.   

"The problems in the headlines now -- our Medicaid shortfall, the prohibitive cost of prescriptions, the rising number of uninsured Vermonters -- all show the need for fundamental reform. We who work to heal people and keep them healthy know that the system itself is sick. As healthcare workers, we have a unique role to paly in bringing about the changes that will heal Vermont," commented Sue Lucas, RN at Copley Hospital, United Nurses & Allied Professionals Local 5109.

The Justice for Health Care Workers Campaign, a coalition of health care workers and their unions coordinated by the Vermont Workers’ Center - Jobs with Justice, recently passed a bill for the Public’s Right To Know: Staffing Disclosure through the House of Representatives and it is now in the Vermont Senate.  

Justice for Health Care Workers consists of health care workers and citizens from around Vermont, including the Brattleboro Federation of Nurses, Local 5064 UPV/VFNHP/AFT, at the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital; the nurses and mental health workers at the Brattleboro Retreat, United Nurses & Allied Professionals Local 5086; the RNs at Copley Hospital, United Nurses & Allied Professionals Local 5109; the RNs and LPNs at Fletcher Allen Health Care, Local 5221 UPV/VFNHP/AFT; the RNs at Rutland Regional Medical Center, OPEIU Local 6; and the union mental health workers at the Howard Center and Lamoille County Mental Health of AFSCME Council 93.

Update from India

It has been a year since the “International Workers Rights Tour” organized by Jobs with Justice during which India’s union leaders from the New Trade Union Initiative toured with JwJ coalitions in nine cities. Our collaboration with NTUI has grown in exciting ways. Here are a few highlights!

Putting a Floor on the "Race to the Bottom"
Groups have worked together to form an alliance of unions and labor organizations across Asia called the “Asia Floor Wage Alliance”. To date, it represents 14 Asian countries and 34 organizations. Close to half the workers of the world are in Asia, and these are the working poor of the world. If we want global justice for all workers, it is impossible to achieve it without an economically and socially just Asia for workers. The Alliance is proposing a demand for an Asian Floor Wage in order to put a floor on the race to the bottom. Wal-Mart is one of the possible targets for such a demand.

Can Labor Speak in One Voice?
NTUI, CWA and JwJ are collaborating on a bi-national report on outsourcing and offshoring in customer service work. The report focuses on two cities, Delhi and Mumbai, two top US multinationals, and one top Indian company. Hundreds of workers and several managers have been interviewed. It has been an eye-opening exercise to look at this non-union industry in India. The report will be available in Spring 2006.

Healthcare: Not Just an American Issue
The healthcare industry is the world’s largest industry with global revenues of an estimated $2.8 trillion. India is speculated to become a major player. It is already the sixth most privatized country in the world in terms of healthcare. JwJ is working closely with the largest hospital workers’ union in New Delhi and will be researching privatization, the growth of private hospitals, and the scope for organizing unions in the private hospitals. The goal is to strengthen India's public hospital unions and to initiate new organizing by building a national team of hospital unions.

World Social Forum

The premise of the World Social Forum is to provide an alternative to the World Economic Forum, an annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where some of the world’s richest and most powerful countries come together to outline plans that affect the entire world. The WSF, held around the same time as the Davos meeting, sets out to create a platform where those that are most adversely and directly affected by global economic policies can voice their own solutions to deal with issues such as poverty, inequality and institutionalized forms of injustice.

This year’s World Social Forum was polycentric, meaning that the forum was divided between three different venues to make it accessible to more people. The three venues were: Bamako, Mali, Karachi, Pakistan and Caracas, Venezuela.

Ariana Flores of E. Massachusetts JwJ represented Jobs with Justice in Caracas, Venezuela, as part of the larger Grassroots Global Justice delegation from the US. Chicago and Portland JwJ also sent delegates to Caracas. The forum hosted a wide array of workshops on a wide rage of topics including the effects of imperialism, indigenous rights, efforts against water privatization, and trade agreements. It was particularly interesting was the opportunity to observe and learn about the current political situation in Venezuela. While people brainstormed and compared ideas in workshops and panel discussions, participants were able to go a step further and learn about how the Venezuelan community is tackling issues such as hunger, inadequate housing, neighborhood violence and illiteracy.

JwJ Takes Action to Stop Corporate Greed at Wal-Mart!

Over 20 Jobs with Justice local coalitions across the country participated in a series of actions targeting Wal-Mart throughout the holiday season. We partnered with key allies including: UFCW’s Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaign; Wal-Mart Watch; Brave New Films; and ACORN.

Beginning with the Higher Expectations Week organized by Wal-Mart Watch from November 13-19, 2005, Jobs with Justice coalitions organized more than 65 film screenings of Robert Greenwald’s, “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”. Throughout the JwJ network, coalitions organized multiple film screenings, educating and engaging hundreds of people in local communities about Wal-Mart. In Cleveland, JwJ organized a few film screenings reaching about 380 people; in Rochester, they educated over 800 people through 2 screenings; in Vermont, they engaged 750 people; and in DC, they organized a film screening with over 175 people in attendance.

JwJ coalitions organized more than 30 actions targeting Wal-Mart during Higher Expectations Week . In Bend, OR, Our Community First and Jobs with Justice publicized and garnered community support for their ongoing fight against a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter site. They hosted 2 film screenings at a local movie theater with over 550 people in attendance and followed up with a creative action of over 75 people at the nearby proposed site for a Wal-Mart Supercenter, getting positive press coverage in the local media.

In Philadelphia, JwJ, the Ruckus Society, SEIU, Teamsters, UFCW, UNITE-HERE, AFSCME, AFT, and TWU organized a march of workers and community members to confront Wal-Mart at the doorstep of the S. Philadelphia Wal-Mart store. SEIU International President Andy Stern, along with 200 labor activists and youth and community leaders presented a list of demands to the general manager of the store which included the need for health care benefits, living wages, and collective bargaining rights for Wal-Mart workers. In an effort to bring together arts, culture, and organizing, Philly JwJ organized a 500 person film screening at which they premiered a series of locally produced alternative Wal-Mart commercials, which were part of a local contest sponsored by JwJ and Philly IndyMedia.

On Long Island, JwJ organized a series of guerilla theater actions at five local Wal-Mart stores. The actions involved having people sell union made baked goods to raise money for Wal-Mart workers’ health care insurance, and an appearance by “Lee Scott” who heckled the bake sellers by saying, “we have a great Health Care plan: we are only going to hire healthy people, and we’re going to keep all the workers fit by making them do some physical activity.” These smaller actions were used to build for a large action with over 150 people in front of a Wal-Mart store, where they launched their Nassau County Fair Share for Health Care act campaign. This health care campaign is following their recent victory in the passage of a similar bill in Suffolk County, which was organized by the UFCW Local 1500, Long Island JwJ, the Working Families Party, and The Long Island Federation of Labor.

Many JwJ local coalitions participated in UFCW’s Wake-Up Wal-Mart Campaign from November 25 through December 18, 2005 . JwJ coalitions in Eastern Massachusetts, Long Island, Buffalo, Rochester, Philadelphia, Central Florida, South Florida, Chicago, Central Indiana, Kentucky, Cleveland, Toledo, Colorado, Washington State, Portland, and Eugene-Springfield. The campaign included a series of mini-campaigns highlighting multiple issues impacting workers and communities, as well as weekly mobilizations in front of Wal-Mart stores and in neighboring communities. The overall goal was to have an impact Wal-Mart’s December sales.

Coalitions kicked off their involvement in this campaign on November 25, the morning after Thanksgiving Day known as “Black Friday” in the retail business, by organizing leaflets with UFCW locals and ACORN chapters. JwJ coalitions assisted the UFCW in handing out over 1 million leaflets that day! To keep the pressure on Wal-Mart, coalitions continued educational events in the community, organized community canvasses in areas neighboring current stores, and engaged faith leaders to stand up against some of Wal-Mart’s corporate practices. Coalitions in Portland, Eastern Massachusetts, Buffalo, Denver, and Chicago organized faith candlelight vigils in front of stores where religious leaders announced their refusal to shop at Wal-Mart.

JwJ also released our National Workers’ Rights Board report and DVD, “Wal-Mart: A People’s Perspective,” during this campaign. This report and DVD are based on testimony at the JwJ National Workers’ Rights Board Hearing on Wal-Mart that took place on September 24, 2005 in St. Louis, MO. Towards the end of the holiday season, JwJ coalitions organized actions in front of stores highlighting the need for health care justice at Wal-Mart. Local coalitions worked very hard to organize weekly actions, build relationships with new allies, and sign-up new JwJ pledge activists and supporters of the Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaign. As a result of this hard work, Wal-Mart Stores did in fact experience its weakest December sales growth in five years!

Since the holiday season campaign, a network of JwJ coalitions are continuing their work to change Wal-Mart’s corporate practices. Coalitions are continuing to educate the broader public about the negative impacts of Wal-Mart’s current corporate practices – impact on the community, as well as workers. In addition, some JwJ coalitions are engaging in local site fights, while others are supporting Fair Share Health Care legislation in their states, and still others are exploring innovative strategies to support Wal-Mart workers who are standing up for their rights. The JwJ network is continuing to support UFCW’s Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaign and continuing to partner with ACORN in some local communities. JwJ is also exploring a collaboration with ACORN, the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), and the Center for Corporate Ethics on Big Box strategies.

Jobs with Justice Takes Action: Workers’ Rights are Human Rights!

Jobs with Justice coalitions across the country organized more than 35 local actions in 30 cities during the AFL-CIO’s December 10 th week of action commemorating International Human Rights Day. Over 60,000 workers and their allies participated in D10 events in the U.S. and around the world. In the U.S, there were 132 events in 105 cities– from Seattle, WA to Columbus, OH to Atlanta, GA to Burlington, VT. We are building a movement-wide campaign to restore the right to organize and collectively bargain!

Jobs with Justice Put Hundreds Of People In The Streets!!

Portland JwJ extended their extraordinary record of community mobilization for workers’ rights on December 10, leading a mobilization of 2,700 people for a march and rally – the largest labor mobilization in Portland in decades! The action featured AFL-CIO Organizing Director Stewart Acuff, and tied together a host of related issues: globalization and WTO, the right to organize, the attacks on federal workers, and local workers’ struggles.

Eastern Massachusetts JwJ worked with the MA AFL-CIO to mobilize over 4,000 activists in the December 8 th “Workers' Freedom Trail” event, a rally and march in honor of International Human Rights Day. The march was meant to highlight the gross violations of workers' rights by America’s corporations, as well as the severely anti-worker Administrations of President Bush and Governor Romney. Thousands of workers from unions and community groups joined together in a profound march to four meaningful locations. The first stop on the march was the former Filene's location in Downtown Crossing where unions and community groups successfully fought attempts by Wal-Mart to locate in downtown Boston. Mass JwJ, UFCW locals, and ACORN organized a pre-rally here, which joined the march as it passed. The march then stopped at a Verizon Wireless location where another pre-rally organized by JwJ and CWA joined the march. Next the march passed by the offices of anti-union law firm Jackson Lewis and Harborside Healthcare. Last year, Harborside Healthcare accused one of its Haitian employees of using voodoo to influence workers votes in the union election. The historic Workers' Freedom Trail ended at the Massachusetts State House, where a skit brought home the clear messages of the day.

Jobs with Justice supported worker organizing campaigns!

Many JwJ coalitions including Tucson, Utah, Cleveland, Chicago, Buffalo, Providence, Indianapolis, and St. Louis mobilized to support workers involved in union organizing drives. In Chicago, JwJ and allies organized a 200 person rally (in a terrible snow storm!) to highlight AFSCME’s Resurrection campaign, IBEW’s Comcast fight, and local day laborers. In St. Louis, over 700 people attended a rally in support of miners (UMWA) calling for card check recognition at Peabody Energy. After the rally, the group marched to the Wainwright state office building where they chided Missouri Governor Matt Blunt for revoking collective bargaining rights for state workers. In Cleveland, JwJ and labor allies gathered with the Mayor Thomas O'Grady and State Rep. Dale Miller to stand in solidarity with mechanics striking for recognition of their union, IAM, at Haleen Chevy. They met with the general manager and delivered a WRB letter urging the company to participate in a process that would allow a settlement. Utah JwJ continued their great work in support of the Co-Op Miners. Utah JwJ and the State AFL-CIO brought supporters out to the mine for an anniversary rally on December 17 th. The NLRB has reinstated the miners fired the day before the union election with full back pay, but due to ongoing conflicts and employer stalling tactics, the ballots from the election still haven’t been counted. In Tucson, JwJ organized a spirited picket line in support of a casino worker fired for organizing at the Tohono O’Odham reservation. Rhode Island JwJ joined with 265 workers at the Westin Hotel who are fighting for a fair contract with their union, UNITE-HERE 217.  Central IN JwJ helped organize 300 people for a rally at the statehouse to help public sector workers regain the right to collectively bargain in the state of Indiana. Speakers included Ken Zeller, IN AFL-CIO, David Bonior, former US Congressman and Chair of American Rights at Work, and Stewart Acuff of the AFL-CIO. On December 6 th, a letter was delivered to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Speaker Brian Bosma, and Senate Pro-Tem Robert Garton with a petition signed by Hoosiers who support the right to collective bargaining for all public employees. JwJ coalitions in Buffalo, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, and Columbus joined with CWA and IBEW locals to take action in support of Verizon Wireless workers.

JwJ Stood In Solidarity With Federal Workers!

In several D10 events, the struggle of Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security employees to protect their basic human right to a voice on the job took center stage. In Washington, DC, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President John Gage helped lead a demonstration of 3,000 people that highlighted the issue. DC JwJ was instrumental in the planning and mobilization for this rally and march. In Washington State, JwJ joined with AFGE and the Washington State Labor Council to sing topical songs and talk with people at six different locations in the suburban Congressional District of Dave Reichert, educating and mobilizing on the National Security Personnel System and the Employee Free Choice Act.

JwJ Organized Workers’ Rights Boards Hearings, Events, and Forums for Dec 10 th!

Community and union members in South bend, IN joined in the inauguration of the St. Joseph Valley Project Jobs with Justice Workers’ Rights Board. Two hearings were held on Public Employee Labor Rights. The first hearing highlighted the revoking of union rights after 50 years of representation by AFSCME for the Elkhart Highway workers and workers at the City of Goshen, who were represented by IBT. The second hearing was about state employees and privatization of their work. Dave Warrick, executive director of AFSCME Council 62, gave testimony on privatization and the myth that privatizing state work save the state any money but reduces care for the needy of the state. State senator John Broden is willing to co-sponsor a bill to support the right for public sector employees to join a union and have the state recognize these employees collective bargaining rights. The Vermont Workers’ Center/JwJ held a WRB hearing at UVM in honor of international human rights day, chaired by Rep. Bernie Sanders. Over 100 people came to listen to testimony from workers from some of the largest Vermont employers, including four workers trying to organize at the University of Vermont (UVM) and workers from Wal-Mart, IBM, Verizon, Casella Waste Management, Vermont public schools, and local construction firms. On Long Island, JwJ organized a WRB delegation to investigate working conditions and reports of exploitation of immigrant workers at Mayco Building Services, Inc. The Columbus WRB conducted a survey of local unions and their recent experiences with organizing drives and held a press conference at the State House to release results of the survey.

Philadelphia JwJ worked with the Central Labor Council and other labor allies to organize a worker forum that highlighted local campaigns such as Justice for Janitors, Models Guild, White Dog Café, GET UP, Wal-Mart and Verizon Wireless. Republican Senators Welden and Fritzpatrick endorsed EFCA at a news conference that morning. JwJ coalitions in Albany, NY and Oakland, CA helped identify testifiers and mobilized for workers’ rights forums organized by the Central Labor Councils in both cities.

EFCA, A Global Call for Human Rights, and Building a Global Movement!

Four Members of Congress became co-sponsors of the Employee Free Choice Act in December, including Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Republican Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut, and Republican Reps. Curt Weldon and Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who participated in the forum in Philadelphia. That brought the total number of co-sponsors to 208 in the House and 42 in the Senate. In addition, 11 Nobel Peace Laureates, including Jimmy Carter, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Lech Walesa and the Dalai Lama, signed a Global Call for Human Rights in the Workplace, which was published in the New York Times, Washington Post, and International Herald Tribune. The AFL-CIO was successful in engaging other labor movements around the world on Dec. 10 th with 24 events in other countries including Hong Kong, Cambodia, Mexico, Bahrain, Bosnia, Canada, Haiti, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa and Thailand.