AFL-CIO Weblog

Begich Win in Alaska Means 58 Pro-Worker Senators

superuser — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:23:18 -0500

U.S. Sen.-elect Mark Begich

Big news out of Alaska last night: As the final votes were counted, Mark Begich took the lead over incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens, and Begich will be headed to the U.S. Senate for the next six years, joining a strong pro-worker majority.

As of the latest totals, Begich has defeated Stevens—who has held the seat since 1968—by 3,724 votes, just over 1 percent of the votes cast. With the margin this close and some absentee ballots left to be counted, a recount is still possible.

Union volunteers worked hard to elect Begich through door-to-door walks, phone banks, worksite visits and local union mail, and clearly, every vote mattered in this tight race. Just before Election Day, Begich spoke to Labor 2008 volunteers about the stakes in the race and the importance of getting out the vote.

We are not leaving anything to chance, no matter what the circumstances that are out there. We are not going to take anything for granted. We are going to work double time. And you folks have been unbelievable, what the labor movement has done….I see it everywhere I go. It’s a fantastic support base out there. You folks are going to make the difference.

Chicana Art Exhibit Opens Today at AFL-CIO

superuser — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:23:18 -0500

If you’re in Washington, D.C., in the next four months, make sure to stop by the AFL-CIO to view a dynamic and rich art exhibit by Chicana artists. The exhibition includes more than 30 prints, paintings, posters and photographs by women who reflect on the experiences and struggles of Mexican Americans.

In the late 1960s, inspired by the civil rights and labor movements, Mexican Americans coined the name Chicano/Chicana to describe an individual's self-identification with a rich, complex fusion ancestry and culture. The name expresses pride in the culture of the indigenous, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo people of Mexico and denotes support for struggles against discrimination, brutality and poverty.

The Chicano/Chicana movement spawned a dynamic and creative arts community that includes many of the most prominent artists in the nation. Some of their work will be on display at the AFL-CIO in Chicana Art and Experience: Mujeres con Garbo (Women with Attitude).

Chambliss Faces Subpoena Over Sugar Blast that Killed 14 Workers

superuser — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:24:50 -0500

Tragedy struck a Georgia factory in February when combustible dust caught fire and exploded at the Imperial Sugar plant in Port Wentworth, killing 14 workers and injuring many more.

Now, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), an opponent of working families who's in a tough runoff to defend his Senate seat, is facing questions about whether he improperly aided Imperial in its efforts to avoid the consequences of its negligence.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) hit the company with $5 million in fines for "willful and egregious safety violations" over the blast. And a Senate subcommittee held a hearing in July, finding that Imperial had no plan to deal with the dangerous combustible dust and ignored warnings about plant safety.

UAW President: Millions Will Be Devastated Unless Congress Passes Bridge Loan

superuser — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:24:50 -0500

Testifying before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee this afternoon, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger didn't mince words about the auto industry's need for Congress to approve a bridge loan.

The situation, said Gettelfinger,

is critical. It is a crisis....If the Detroit–based auto companies are forced into liquidation, the consequences would be truly devastating, not only for UAW members, but also for millions of other workers and retirees across this nation, and for the entire economy of the United States.

Gettelfinger and the three top executives of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler called on the committee and Congress to approve a $25 billion emergency bridge loan to help automakers weather the current credit and economic crisis that has driven car and truck sales to the lowest level in 25 years.

Wal-Mart Part of $1 Billion Skim-Scam Flimflam

superuser — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:24:50 -0500

Big-box retail chains like Wal-Mart are skimming some $1 billion a year in local and state tax revenues and pocketing the cash, according to a new report by the non-profit research center Good Jobs First.

Skimming the Sales Tax: How Wal-Mart and other Big Retailers (Legally) Keep a Cut of the Taxes We Pay on Everyday Purchases says the biggest losses to local and state tax coffers come from programs—known by names such as “vendor discount” or “collection allowance”—that pay retailers for collecting sales tax on behalf of governments.

Weingarten Calls for ‘Common Ground’ Solutions to Brunt Impact of Financial Crisis on Schools

superuser — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:24:50 -0500

Jobs, home foreclosures, failing banks and falling stocks are often the focus of today's economic discussions. But as AFT President Randi Weingarten reminds us, an often overlooked impact of the nation's financial crisis is its effect on education.

Faced with declining tax revenues, state and local governments are cutting back on their most essential investment—educating the next generation. This disinvestment in education may help states and local government's bottom lines this year. But it places our economy in a race to the bottom for years to come.

Speaking before an audience of lawmakers, education policy experts and union leaders at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., yesterday (see video), Weingarten outlined proposals to improve public education that would also make a long-term investment in the nation's lagging economy. She signaled a willingness to find solutions on several long-standing controversial issues.

Union Volunteers in Georgia Mobilize to Defeat Anti-Worker Sen. Chambliss

superuser — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:24:27 -0500

The 2008 election isn’t over yet. In Georgia, the U.S. Senate race is headed to a Dec. 2 runoff, and union members are working hard to oust anti-worker Saxby Chambliss and send Jim Martin to the Senate.

On Nov. 4, neither candidate won a majority of the more than 3.75 million votes cast, which triggered the Dec. 2 runoff. As the election rapidly approaches, the AFL-CIO and thousands of union volunteers will carry out the largest labor mobilization ever attempted in a runoff campaign.

Union volunteers will continue the efforts that were successful in states across the country. They'll deliver thousands of worksite fliers, make thousands of phone calls, send union mail and knock on doors across the states.

National Ad Campaign Urges New Congress to Pass Employee Free Choice

superuser — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:24:04 -0500

As the nation’s economy continues its tailspin, the American public is hungry for measures to strengthen the middle class. With the new 111th Congress set to convene in less than two months, a broad coalition of progressive groups is making sure the lawmakers and the new president hear the message loud and clear that the Employee Free Choice Act must be a key part of efforts to rebuild the economy.

Yesterday, the workers’ advocacy group American Rights at Work launched the first issue advertising campaign for the new Congress. The nationwide TV ad campaign reminds lawmakers of the broad public support for the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give working people the freedom to make their own decision about whether and how to form a union. (Check out the video above.)

Nurses Rally in Texas for Patient Protection and More Bargaining News

superuser — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:24:27 -0500

Hundreds of registered nurses in Texas, represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, rallied for the Texas Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2009—and more news from the "Bargaining Digest Weekly." The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

WORK STOPPAGES AND ACTIONS

CNA/NNOC, Texas: Hundreds of registered nurses in Texas, represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), rallied at the state Capitol in support of the Texas Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2009, which cracks down on unsafe hospital practices.

Tell Congress to Pass a Bridge Loan for Automakers

superuser — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:24:27 -0500

Congress passed a big bailout for Wall Street financial giants last month—so why are some lawmakers on Capitol Hill willing to let the auto industry twist in the wind? Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher says it just might have something to do with the fact that the auto industry is unionized—and some ideologically driven lawmakers would like to see a big unionized industry fail.

But withholding aid from automakers could literally eliminate millions of good U.S. jobs: The Big Three companies employ some 240,000 workers, and their suppliers an additional 2.3 million, amounting to nearly 2 percent of the nation’s workforce, as Louis Uchitelle points out today.