Labor Notes - politics

Unions Talk Race as Election Nears

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:41:37 -0400

Author(s):
Jane Slaughter

Excerpt:

Labor leaders who want desperately to chase the Republicans from the White House are confronting a hurdle in their outreach to members: the question of race. Obama’s record on economic issues, they say, should put him way ahead of John McCain with working-class voters. But will the facts be enough to overcome some members’ deep-seated prejudice?

Available Online:
Yes

Day 2 - Anna Burger, Politics and Accountability

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:43:00 -0400

Today was Anna Burger's day in the spotlight. Her stump speech was about the 2008 elections, and why politics was so important to SEIU's future. Burger, who heads up Change to Win, is apparently the czar of SEIU's political operations, and it was nice to hear her say, "There is no question that organizing and politics go hand and hand," acknowledging the link between SEIU's growth and their work in the political arena.

But inside SEIU's world, what is cause and what is effect? Right before she uttered those words Burger said, "Make no mistake--our political strength is a direct result of the one million new members who have joined our union since 1996."

Seems to me the reverse is more true, that SEIU's rapid growth is the result of their political operations (savvy, more than strong, I would argue).

Labor’s Political Game Falls Short Without Pressure From Below

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:21:51 -0500

Author(s):
Chris Kutalik

Excerpt:

The noise, exhilaration, and sheer drama of horse races don’t lend themselves to sober reflection. As the political fortunes of the Bush administration have waned, many labor activists have been on their feet with excitement, watching the wide-open presidential primary contest unfold. But serious questions remain. . . .

Available Online:
Yes

Help Mexico Teach North Carolina About Unions

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:13:35 -0500

Body:

North Carolina is under new scrutiny for its poor labor standards, this time from a foreign government. Under a side accord in NAFTA called the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, the Mexican government is challenging the state to implement collective bargaining rights for public sector workers. It has also requested a progress report on a recent inquiry by the International Labor Organization (ILO) into the state’s prohibition against bargaining.

Earlier this year, the ILO ruled that North Carolina’s failure to comply with “freedom of association principles...has resulted in grievous working conditions for many public sector workers.” It called on the U.S. to ratify and adhere to the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which includes collective bargaining.

Expiration Date:
Mon, 12/31/2007 - 10:59pm

Pakistan’s Union Activists Face Death Penalty

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:10:54 -0500

Body:

Thousands of Pakistani citizens have been arrested for joining widespread protests against the declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan. When President Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution, fired supreme court judges, and enacted martial law in early November, crackdowns on labor ensued as well.

Two days after the decree, outspoken union leader Rana Ayub Aki was arrested and jailed. Aki is the leader of the 130,000-strong union inside the Pakistani Water and Development Authority. In the wake of these crackdowns, many labor leaders are being forced into hiding.

Union members and other activists organized a protest in early November at the Karachi Press Club, where police violently disrupted the gathering and arrested journalists, lawyers, and two labor leaders. One, Liaqat Ali Sahi, a leader at the State Bank of Pakistan and in the Hotel Workers Solidarity Committee, has been charged with treason for calling for the return of democracy at the November 5 rally. Musharraf’s emergency rule has given military courts the power to try civilians, and Sahi and three others face the death penalty.

Expiration Date:
Mon, 12/31/2007 - 10:59pm

Top 10 Things Heard in the White House after the November 5 elections

Thu, 19 Dec 2002 11:29:11 -0500

Author(s):
According to the AFL-CIO

Excerpt:

10. "Social Security to be replaced by giant Bingo game -- brought to you by Wall Street."

Available Online:
Yes

GOP Election Victory Opens Door for Intensified Anti-Worker Offensive

Thu, 19 Dec 2002 11:03:54 -0500

Author(s):
Justin Jackson and Chris Kutalik

Excerpt:

This fall the AFL-CIO kicked its election strategy into full gear. Promising “No More Business As Usual” for candidates who refused to embrace labor’s issues, the federation committed massive amounts of cash and manpower to mostly Democratic Party candidates.

That support failed to push the Democrats to victory on Election Day. Reports from Washington indicate that GOP leaders are planning new attacks on unions and a revival of old anti-labor legislative assaults either delayed or partially implemented in the past decade.

Available Online:
Yes

What If Citizens Got To Decide the City Budget? Brazil’s Workers Party Tries "Participatory Budgeting"

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 00:00:00 -0400

Author(s):
Micah Maidenberg

Excerpt:
Brazil will vote for a new president October 6. If the Workers Party (or PT, for Partido dos Trabahadores) wins, South America’s largest country will be governed by a party that was created by the labor movement and dedicated to building movements of workers and the poor...

Available Online:
Yes

Tue, 01 Aug 2000 00:00:00 -0400

Author(s):
by Marsha Niemeijer

Excerpt:

A dispute over which union will represent 30,000 Ontario health care workers is threatening to split the Canadian labor movement. The Canadian Labour Congress has imposed far-reaching sanctions on the Canadian Auto Workers, following accusations that the CAW had attempted to raid eight Ontario locals of the Service Employees International Union. The CLC stripped CAW delegates of the right to vote in district labor councils, provincial labor federations, and other CLC bodies.

Available Online:
Yes