Labor Notes - Stewards Corner feed

Bargaining in a Recession

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:42:05 -0500

Author(s):
Derek Blackadder

Excerpt:

There’s no rocket science to a contract campaign during a recession. But it is different. You can even come out the other side with a stronger union. Here are a few ideas on how. . .

Body:

There’s no rocket science to a contract campaign during a recession. But it is different. You can even come out the other side with a stronger union. Here are a few ideas on how.

1. Start now. Even if your contract isn’t up for two years and you think you have some lag time. Or you think your employer isn’t going to be affected for a while. You can’t wait. Can’t.

An aggressive employer is going to use the recession as an excuse to come after your collective agreement. They won’t wait to see how the recession hits your workplace. Or even if.

Do everything you would normally do, but start way sooner, and do much more of it.

Available Online:
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Building a Union-Community Alliance that Lasts

Fri, 15 May 2009 07:34:40 -0500

Author(s):
Jeff Crosby

Excerpt:

Workers and homeowners, union members and community activists—all had a reason to march against Bank of America this spring. In Lynn, Massachusetts, our protest was another step in building the relationship between unionized working people and working-class community organizations, especially among immigrants. . . .

Body:

A march in Lynn, Massachusetts, for the Employee Free Choice Act and against the Bank of America’s home foreclosures helped build a relationship between unionized working people and community organizations, especially among immigrants. Photo: Bill Rouseville

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Yes

Taking a Contract Campaign Public

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:15:10 -0500

Author(s):
Carol Lambiase

Excerpt:

As town leaders in Wallingford, Connecticut, grudgingly lined up to approve health care benefits for the school district’s paraprofessionals, they complained they felt browbeaten into taking their toughest vote ever. . . .

Body:

Town leaders in Wallingford, Connecticut, complained that they felt browbeaten by these school district para professionals, who built an effective public campaign for health benefits. Photo: Carol Lambiase

Available Online:
Yes

A Contract Campaign Across Unions

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:29:27 -0600

Author(s):
Doug Swanson

Excerpt:

As Wisconsin faces a nearly $6 billion budget deficit, state employee unions are determined to make sure the crisis isn’t “solved” on our backs. All union contracts with the state will expire June 30. As we strategize, we’re remembering our successful campaign—“A Deal’s a Deal”—from 2003. . . .

Body:

In February 2003 a joint committee of the Wisconsin legislature refused to approve 16 agreements that had been ratified by the members of six state employees’ unions. Over the years, state employees had consistently been used as punching bags by many of the legislators holding the contracts hostage.

Available Online:
Yes

How Republic Workers Occupied Their Plant

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:53:25 -0600

Author(s):
Leah Fried

Excerpt:

December 5 was to be the last day of work at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago. But managers soon realized that workers would not go quietly: they had voted to occupy the factory. . . .

Body:

December 5 was to be the last day of work at Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago. But managers soon realized that workers would not go quietly: they had voted to occupy the factory.

Members of United Electrical Workers (UE) Local 1110, they’d made plans to scatter throughout the plant, chain themselves to machines, and risk arrest. This is the story of how they did it.

The occupation that won workers their back pay and the admiration of union members around the world didn’t happen out of the blue. It was the culmination of years of struggle to build a democratic, fighting union able to take on the boss.

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Yes

Understanding and Defending Past Practices

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:47:18 -0600

Author(s):
David Cohen

Excerpt:

Body:

Stewards need to know what a valid past practice is and what the past practices in their workplace are—to defend them from erosion by management. A past practice is any longstanding, frequent practice that is accepted and known by both union and management. Bona fide past practices are considered part of the contract, so grievances can be filed if management violates them. Be sure to check your contract for language that limits their use for grievances. In most cases management cannot end a past practice without first bargaining with the union. In some cases management must wait until contract negotiations to change a past practice.

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Yes

Handling Insubordination Grievances

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:30:58 -0600

Author(s):
David Cohen

Excerpt:

Ella was having a bad day. Her machines weren’t running right, but her foreman came over and said, “Ella, we need those machines up and running, and since Rafael is out today, I want you to start up his machines, too.” “No way,” said Ella. . . .

Body:

“No way,” said Ella. “I’ve got my hands full, and the contract says I don’t have to run extra machines except in emergencies.”

“I’m telling you to get over there and start up those machines,” yelled her foreman. “If you don’t, you’ll be fired for insubordination.”

Sally, the department steward, went to the supervisor’s office. “We have to talk about your foreman,” she said. “He’s threatening Ella and trying to make her run more machines than she’s supposed to.”

Available Online:
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Sympathy Strikes & the Law: Is Solidarity Legal?

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:09:57 -0500

Author(s):
Robert Schwartz

Excerpt:

I work at a company where the production workers and the technicians are in different unions. The techs' contract runs out this year while ours has a year to go. If the techs call a strike, can the production workers respect their picket lines? . . .

Body:

A Sympathy Strike Within the Same Local

University of California public employees planned a strike this summer—and faced hurdles trying to organize a sympathy strike of their own members. UC workers are under California state law rather than the National Labor Relations Act.

Contracts had expired for both service workers such as janitors and groundskeepers and for patient care workers at UC hospitals. Management was bargaining with the patient care workers, which meant they weren’t legally allowed to walk. But the service workers were at an impasse—and they called a five-day strike. The union, AFSCME Local 3299, knew the service workers’ strike would be more effective if the patient care workers stayed out, too. But, says UC Davis organizer Amy Hines, “We were not legally allowed to point patient care workers in that direction. Neither were board members. “We had Member Action Team leaders who aren’t on AFSCME pay, and they promoted solidarity strikes. As a result, then, it was a grassroots effort.”

Available Online:
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'Why Privatize? We Can Run It Better!'

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:35:28 -0500

Author(s):
Dave Cohen

Excerpt:

That’s the question United Electrical Workers Local 274 and the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) asked when their wastewater treatment plant was threatened with privatization....

Body:

“Why privatize? We can run it better!” That’s the question United Electrical Workers Local 274 and the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) asked when their wastewater treatment plant was threatened with privatization.

The city council—called a Selectboard—in Montague, Massachusetts, a town of 8,500 in the western part of the state, was concerned about the treatment plant because it had lost a large industrial customer. But the Selectboard never thought to ask the people who worked there what to do.

Instead, it solicited bids to privatize the plant in hopes of saving the town money. Soon four companies had handed in proposals, most of which promised big savings. Because of intense pressure from union members, none of the proposals called for layoffs or wage cuts (except, perhaps, cuts in management).

Available Online:
Yes

How To Lose Your Next Election — A Step-by-Step Guide

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:24:56 -0500

Author(s):
Dan Campbell

Excerpt:

Put these suggestions to work for you and it’s guaranteed: you’ll have no problem coming in dead last in your next election. These not-too-carefully guarded secrets have been tried and tested by many well-meaning former leaders. . . .

Body:

Editor’s note: Dan Campbell has been a co-chair of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, a union organizer, a business agent, and an assistant to local presidents. Here he gives advice to new officers elected on a platform of reforming the union and mobilizing the members.

SELL OUT TO THE EMPLOYERS

Available Online:
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Building Strong Strike Support

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:54:31 -0500

Author(s):
Chris Kutalik

Excerpt:

During his time in Detroit, Labor Notes’ recently departed editor was a coordinator of strike support committees for the American Axle and Northwest mechanics strikes. Here he shares a few hard-earned tips on how (and how not) to build support committees. . . .

Body:

Editor’s Note: During his time in Detroit, Labor Notes’ recently departed editor was a coordinator of strike support committees for the American Axle and Northwest mechanics strikes. Here he shares a few hard-earned tips on how (and how not) to build support committees.

Maureen Taylor of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization speaks at a June tribute for the American Axle strikers.

As the clock struck 4 p.m., committee organizers paced anxiously around the empty banquet room. Dinners for 500 strikers and supporters sat simmering in unclaimed trays. By 4:30 the mostly still-empty room had reduced some of them to open worry.

Available Online:
Yes

Let’s Talk Immigration in the Union

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:14:49 -0500

Author(s):
Tiffany Ten Eyck

Excerpt:

When New York’s governor announced last year that the state would stop asking people who wanted drivers licenses for proof of citizenship, a firestorm of anger erupted—so hot that the governor rescinded his proposal. . . .

Body:

Jim West/jimwestphoto.com

Guillermo Perez, a labor educator and the president of the Albany, New York, chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), was appalled.

Available Online:
Yes

Protecting Lesbian, Gay, and Transgender Members

Thu, 29 May 2008 23:59:27 -0500

Author(s):
Donna Cartwright

Excerpt:

Too many lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender workers are simply fired if they come out—or are “outed” involuntarily—at work. LGBT workers may be fired outright, or they may be harassed until they quit. In many states, they have no recourse under the law. . . .

Body:

Too many lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) workers are simply fired if they come out—or are “outed” involuntarily—at work. LGBT workers may be fired outright, or they may be harassed until they quit. In many states, they have no recourse under the law.

Their unions are the only place they can turn to if they run into bias on the job, from discrimination to denial of benefits. Unions can prevent such treatment by negotiating for expanded nondiscrimination language.

Many contracts already bar unfair treatment based on race, sex, religion, national origin, and other categories. These clauses should be expanded to include “sexual orientation,” which would protect gay, lesbian, and bisexual workers, and “gender identity and expression,” which would protect transgender workers.

Available Online:
Yes

Laying the Groundwork Before You Run

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:59:33 -0500

Author(s):
Chris Kutalik

Excerpt:

Your mother might have been right about that old “try-and-try-until- you-succeed” saw. That is certainly the case for the victory of Teamsters (IBT) reformers at Local 743 in Chicago. . . .

Body:

Members of the 12,000-member Teamsters Local 743 launched a reform movement a decade and a half ago. Their New Leadership Slate swept to victory last October. Photo: New Leadership Slate

Your mother might have been right about that old “try-and-try-until-you-succeed” saw. That is certainly the case for the victory of Teamsters (IBT) reformers at Local 743 in Chicago.

Late last October, the New Leadership Slate swept to victory over the incumbents. It was the fourth election in over a decade’s time in which Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU)-affiliated reformers had tried to oust the old guard in the 12,000-member local.

Available Online:
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A New Contract and a New Kind of Steward

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:09:35 -0600

Author(s):
Hetty Rosenstein

Excerpt:

More than two years ago, the Communications Workers, told New Jersey CWA locals that the union was beginning an organizing drive for the state’s 12,000 home childcare workers. The plan was to get assistance from ACORN community organizers and knock on 12,000 doors....

Body:

More than two years ago CWA Local 1037 began organizing thousands of home child care workers in New Jersey. The drive started much the way it has in other states—but ended in a victory for new kind of home care workers union that focuses on building active members. Photo: CWA Local 1037.

More than two years ago, the Communications Workers (CWA), told New Jersey CWA locals that the union was beginning an organizing drive for the state’s 12,000 home childcare workers. The plan was to get assistance from ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) community organizers and knock on 12,000 doors.

Available Online:
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Setting Up No-Match Action Networks

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:25:00 -0600

Author(s):
Jerry Mead-Lucero

Excerpt:

When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in August a policy that gave employers a freer hand to punish workers with mismatched social security numbers, a committee of unions, workers’ centers, and immigrant rights groups in Chicago swung into action. . . .

Body:

Mike Konopacki. Click for pop-up.

Available Online:
Yes

Using the Airwaves to Educate & Mobilize

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:04:27 -0500

Author(s):
Tiffany Ten Eyck

Excerpt:

If you happen to be scanning the radio dial near two unique towns in the United States, you could stumble across something unusual: FM radio run by and for farmworkers. In Woodburn, Oregon and south central Florida, farmworkers have added low-power community radio to their organizing arsenal. . . .

Body:

To set up their radio stations, the two organizations—Oregon’s Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United (PCUN) and Florida’s Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)—called on Prometheus Radio Project.

The non-profit helps low-wage communities set up radio stations and learn the technical aspects of keeping a radio station alive. Called “low-power” radio because the signal does not travel as far as commercial outlets, the stations target the communities they serve, with a range of five to seven miles.

Available Online:
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Youth Committees Involve Young Members

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:25:16 -0500

Author(s):
Tiffany Ten Eyck

Excerpt:

When Cami Automotive in Ingersoll, Ontario hired 500 new employees, Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Local 88 wanted to make sure it had a plan to get the new hires, many of them under 30 and starting their first union jobs, involved in the union. . . .

Body:

Local 88 leaders came up with an inspired answer: start a youth committee. According to Local 88 President and Labor Notes Policy Committee member Cathy Austin, “The original concept was to get a youth committee started and if that was successful, to get a youth member-at-large on the union’s executive board.”

WINNING THE UNION OVER

Not everyone in the union was enthusiastic about the idea at first. “There was a lot of debate in the union and quite the debate on the floor,” said Austin. “In the beginning people asked, ‘Why do they need a special committee? I never had a youth committee.”

Available Online:
Yes

How To Build Ties with Immigrant Workers

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:26:26 -0500

Author(s):
Dan La Botz

Excerpt:

You probably already know that immigrant workers want pretty much the same things any unionized worker wants. A decent job. A living wage. Respect and trust. Some measure of control over their lives.

The other thing you should know is. . . .

Body:

Editor’s Note: As debates around immigration policy continue throughout the U.S., immigrant workers play increasingly important roles in the labor movement. Despite their growing numbers and their willingness to fight for respect and power on the job and in their communities, immigrants are not always welcomed by unions. Even when unions try to reach out to immigrants, cultural barriers of many sorts can stand in the way. This excerpt from A Troublemaker’s Handbook 2 provides some basic advice for union officers and activists who are new to working with immigrant members.

Available Online:
Yes

Using the Web to Get Out Labor’s Message

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:13:40 -0500

Author(s):
Eric Lee and Derek Blackadder

Excerpt:

Most unions still do not fully exploit the Internet. The vast majority of U.S. union members have never received an email from their union. Chances are though that most union members are online in a big way—and they expect anyone or anything that lays claim to their interest or loyalty to be online. If your union isn’t, that could be a problem. . . .

Body:

Most unions still do not fully exploit the Internet. The vast majority of U.S. union members have never received an email from their union.

Chances are though that most union members are online in a big way—and they expect anyone or anything that lays claim to their interest or loyalty to be online. If your union isn’t, that could be a problem.

The website LabourStart is one activist resource that can help. Indeed, that’s one of the reasons LabourStart exists: to encourage unions to use the Internet and spread the word about labor’s online innovations and successes.

Available Online:
Yes

Bargaining Tactics for Pensions

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:42:55 -0500

Author(s):
David Cohen

Excerpt:

The retirement system in our country is under attack. Everyday we hear of large corporations terminating their defined benefit pension plans and replacing them with 401k or other defined contribution plans that will provide employees with a lower standard of living when they retire. . . .

Body:

In every recent United Electrical Workers (UE) negotiation, whether in the private or public sector, the workers have faced demands to pay more for health insurance and to take cuts in their pension plans. Our response has been to step up our educational programs for members on how to bargain, fight for, and defend pensions and health insurance.

Available Online:
Yes

Stewards Corner: Running a Multi-Pronged Contract Campaign

Mon, 28 May 2007 07:39:33 -0500

Author(s):
John Braxton, Karen Schermerhorn

Excerpt:

Can strikes work for public employee unions in 2007, when public treasuries are stretched thin? The 1,300 faculty and staff at Community College of Philadelphia answered that question with a clear “Yes!” in a recent two-week strike. . . .

Body:

Besides winning better wages, a two-week strike at the Community College of Philadelphia resulted in a new group of rank-and-file activists and a new sense of unity. Photo: John Majewicz.

Available Online:
Yes

Winning Sick Leave at the Citywide Level

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 21:33:06 -0500

Author(s):
Young Workers United

Excerpt:

Young Workers United, a multi-racial San Francisco organization of young and immigrant workers, won an historic November victory when they achieved citywide paid sick day legislation. . . .

Body:

Young Workers United (YWU), a multi-racial San Francisco organization of young and immigrant workers, won an historic November victory when they achieved citywide paid sick day legislation.

Voters approved Prop F for Paid Sick Days by 61 percent on November 7, 2007, making San Francisco the first and only place in the nation where workers are guaranteed the right to a paid sick day for themselves and their families.

The paid sick days ordinance represents another step towards raising standards in the low-wage, non-union service sector in San Francisco.

Young Workers United works with young people in restaurants and on campuses to improve their working conditions. Matt Garron, a YWU member and bartender said, “There have been times when I’ve been sick and dragged myself to work anyway. It was a choice between my health and my rent. Nobody should have to make that choice.”

Available Online:
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Fighting for Domestic Partner Benefits

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:33:57 -0500

Author(s):
Julie Robert and Helen Ho

Excerpt:

When Michigan voters went to the polls in November 2004, they were asked to consider Proposal 2, which asked whether “the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.” To most voters, Proposal 2 was about restricting the legal definition of marriage to union between a man and a woman. Many underestimated the importance of the proposal’s seemingly benign phrase, “for any purpose." . . .

Body:

Proposal 2 passed, and although supporters of the amendment insisted that it would not affect domestic partner benefits (which allow lesbian, gay, and transgender couples to receive health coverage through their partner’s benefit plans), the right to these benefits was quickly challenged in court.

Available Online:
Yes

Labor-Community Coalitions That Work

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:31:45 -0600

Author(s):
Greg Asbed, Lucas Benitez

Excerpt:

When you read about building coalitions, it can almost sound easy, like part of a do-it-yourself organizing recipe. You find a chapter titled something like “Building Effective Coalitions,” read a few general rules, check out a couple of examples from successful campaigns, and off you go to call churches, community groups, and other like-minded organizations to build a coalition around your campaign. . . .

Body:

It’s never that easy.

FULL PLATES

The toughest part of building a coalition around your campaign is the fact that it’s your campaign. In today’s world, just about any organization, especially if it’s a labor organization, has more than enough on its own plate to keep it busy, much less take on your campaign too.

Available Online:
Yes

Dealing with ‘No-Match’ Letters

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:25:17 -0600

Author(s):
Dan La Botz

Excerpt:

Although lack of legal status does not technically prevent workers from exercising their right to organize a union, it does give employers the opportunity to threaten workers who do. The threat of a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement can help keep workers from organizing. . . .

Body:

Another threat is the Social Security Administration (SSA), which has recently become more aggressive in monitoring phony Social Security numbers. When the SSA notices an error on a Social Security account, it sends a “no-match” letter to the employer stating that an employee’s number doesn’t match the administration’s database.

Available Online:
Yes

Stewards Councils and Community Coalitions

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 11:57:55 -0600

Author(s):
Paul Krehbiel

Excerpt:
Some problems are so big that it takes more than a good stewards council to solve them. Budget shortfalls, outsourcing, business closings, political corruption, health care and education crises, the war—you need a lot of clout to take on these types of issues. . . .

Body:

Some problems are so big that it takes more than a good stewards council to solve them. Budget shortfalls, outsourcing, business closings, political corruption, health care and education crises, the war—you need a lot of clout to take on these types of issues.

On its own, even a strong stewards council doesn’t have this power, but it can provide a solid foundation for building campaigns around these problems. To take on bigger problems, labor needs to reach out to local communities, and stewards councils can serve as the spark behind community-labor coalitions.

BUDGET CRISIS

For many years there has been a budget crisis in Los Angeles County, but in 2002, it reached a breaking point. The county announced that due to the big budget shortfall ($700 million in the Department of Health Services alone) it was going to close all 28 county health clinics, shut three hospital emergency rooms, close two hospitals, and lay off 8,000 health workers.

Available Online:
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Returning to Work with an Inside Campaign

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 13:11:35 -0600

Author(s):
Robert Schwartz

Excerpt:

When an employer begins to hire permanent replacements, the union must carefully evaluate its position. If the numbers of replacements are small, the union may be able to shrug off the hiring as a scare tactic. But if the employer appears intent on replacing a sizable portion of the bargaining unit, the strike, and indeed the union’s future, may be in jeopardy. Three options are available. . .

Body:

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Strikes, Picketing, and Inside Campaigns: A Legal Guide for Unions. It describes the “Trojan Horse” approach to saving a strike once an employer begins to hire scabs as permanent replacements.

The author offers this word of caution: “Applying the Trojan Horse method in a timely fashion can prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. If, however, the employer has already hired a large number of permanent replacements, an all-or-none offer may be a better choice.”

Available Online:
Yes

Using Maps to Identify Health & Safety Problems

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 16:20:24 -0500

Author(s):
Dorothy Wigmore

Excerpt:

The first step in a health or safety campaign is to find common problems. Then comes the detective work to find the hazards behind the symptoms. Many health and safety activists use body and workplace maps to see how workers are injured in their workplaces now or how they are affected by what they did years ago...

Body:

Body maps can show the patterns of symptoms and the long-term effects of hazards. Drawing: Margaret Keith

Mapping is participatory and fun. It involves most senses, can be used where workers speak different languages or don’t read well, and is a quick way to make sense of complex situations. Maps can show the different experiences of workers by age, seniority, job, or gender.

Available Online:
Yes

From Democracy Is Power. . .Using the 'New Officer's Checklist' To Help Reform Your Local

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:13:41 -0500

Author(s):
Erik Larsen

Excerpt:

I ran for office to make changes in my union, the Municipal Employees Federation (MEF), one of 12 chapters that make up AFSCME Local 101 in Santa Clara County, California. I ran mainly because I was angry about 2005 contract negotiations, which were disorganized and chaotic...

Body:

I ran for office to make changes in my union, the Municipal Employees Federation (MEF), one of 12 chapters that make up AFSCME Local 101 in Santa Clara County, California. MEF represents workers at the City of San Jose. I ran mainly because I was angry about 2005 contract negotiations, which were disorganized and chaotic.

Labor Notes has been very helpful to me as both a member and an officer. I've used Labor Notes' monthly newsletter and various books that I've bought from Labor Notes to create an election strategy and run for office.

Available Online:
Yes

Build a Stewards Council from the Bottom Up

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:07:58 -0500

Author(s):
Paul Krehbiel

Excerpt:

I was a rank-and-file worker at a company with a good steward structure years ago, so I knew something about how it worked. After I began working as a union representative for Service Employees (SEIU) Local 660, I was assigned to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. I saw immediately that the union there was weak...

Body:

Want a stronger union at work? Consider building a stewards council.

With only five stewards for 1,700 workers, demoralization was high. Many members complained that the union did nothing, and they wanted out. The only solution was to build the union at the facility.

Available Online:
Yes

New Officers: Start Off on the Right Foot

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 14:55:07 -0500

Author(s):
Mike Parker and Martha Gruelle

Excerpt:

Immediately after winning election, local officers need to plan and assign a wide range of tasks. Many can be started during the lame-duck period; others can be planned before the election and implemented after you take office.

Body:

Editor’s Note: The following checklist is from the Labor Notes book, Democracy Is Power. That book devotes 32 pages to sound advice for new union officers determined not to repeat their predecessors’ bad habits. Order the book.

Not all these tasks will fit your situation, but this list can be a guide.

Available Online:
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Solidarity Defends a Fellow Worker

Mon, 01 May 2006 17:20:04 -0500

Author(s):
Dan La Botz

Excerpt:

Management often goes after workers who appear to be weak or disadvantaged. Gregg Shotwell, who works at a Delphi auto parts plant in Coopersville, Michigan, tells how members protected one of their own...

Body:

“There was a woman in our department who had attention deficit disorder,” says Shotwell. “It made it difficult for her to learn new tasks. She was often late. She was a thorn in management's side.”

The supervisor monitored this worker--we'll call her Rosie--with constant questioning and criticism, which heightened her learning disability.

“She picked on Rosie because she was less able to defend herself,” says Shotwell. “It was cruel.”

Available Online:
Yes

Working to Rule Builds Pressure from Within

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:24:56 -0600

Author(s):
Pam Galpern

Excerpt:

At Verizon, the largest phone company in the United States, the unions chose a work-to-rule strategy to fight extreme concession demands in 2003...

Body:

At Verizon, the largest phone company in the United States, the unions chose a work-to-rule strategy to fight extreme concession demands in 2003.

Partly this was because management was itching for a strike. While the unions had been mobilizing, they weren't nearly as prepared as the company, which had lined up non-union call centers to take over customer service and 30,000 managers and scabs to do installation and repairs. Verizon had hired extra security to monitor strikers and had reportedly reserved eight months' worth of hotel rooms.

So staying on the job would reverse the balance of power, in a way. The company's strike preparations were costing millions each day, but since the union could still call a strike at any moment, Verizon had to keep its expensive contingency plan in place.Meanwhile, the unions--the Communications Workers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers--could pressure the company from the inside while preparing to strike if necessary.

Available Online:
Yes