Selected Articles, March 2010
Hundreds of workers rallied at the California State Capitol February 11 with a clear message to legislators in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C.—Jobs are priority number one. Read More...
Profits for the nation’s 10 largest health insurance companies increased 250 percent between 2000 and 2009—10 times faster than inflation—but that hasn’t stopped the private insurance industry from trying to reach even deeper into consumers’ pocketbooks with huge premium increases. According to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the nation’s five largest insurance companies took in combined profits of $12.2 billion last year, up 56 percent over 2008. Read More...
By Leah Sugarman,COPE chair, AFT 3267 Jefferson Elementary Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
On March 5th in Los Angeles, the California Federation of Teachers will hold a demonstration to kick off an unprecedented six-week long march to demand better funding for California’s public schools. The March for California’s Future will begin in Bakersfield on March 6 and end with a rally in Sacramento on April 21—bringing teachers and our community allies together to maximize public awareness of three urgent issues: the need to restore the promise of public education, the demand for a government and an economy that works for all people, and the assurance that our government will promote a fair, progressive taxation policy to fund California’s future. Read More...
Selected Articles, February 2010
Union members turned out in force for the State Senate Committee hearing on High Speed Rail January 21 in Palo Alto. State Senators Joe Simitian and Alan Lowenthal from the Senate Joint Budget and Transportation committees heard public input from proponents and opponents of siting the rail line on the Peninsula. When built, it would move passengers from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. Read More...
United Airlines Flight Attendants picketed at San Francisco International Airport January 7 as part of an international day of action to protest the failure of United Airlines management to negotiate a new contract on time. The company and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) at United Airlines had agreed last year that January 7, 2010 would be the date for having a new flight attendant contract in place. In a press release announcing the action, AFA United president Greg Davidowitch said that, “Negotiations began last April, but United has shown no interest in discussing improvements or reaching a new contract unless we agree to concessionary demands. Flight attendants are angry because management seems only interested in delaying a new contract, refusing to discuss any improvements.” Read More...
San Francisco hotel workers kicked off the New Year with a spirited march and rally January 5 to highlight their struggle for a fair contract with the city’s hotels. Members of UNITE-HERE Local 2 were joined by members of many unions who marched in solidarity with the hotel employees whose contracts expired last August. About 1,000 hotel workers and another 500 union members and supporters from community organizations rallied at the Local 2 Plaza between the Marriott Hotel and Four Seasons Hotels, and marched to the San Francisco Hilton, where 142 union members and labor leaders were arrested after blocking the entrances to the hotel, including UNITE-HERE International President John Wilhelm and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Read More...
Selected Articles, January 2010
While holiday shoppers bustled joyously around San Francisco’s busy Union Square shopping district, a diverse group of religious leaders and health care advocates stood in stark contrast as they quietly gathered in the center of the square to solemnly commemorate the 45,000 Americans who lost their lives this year because they didn’t have health insurance. Read More...
With the Senate’s version of health care revision apparently going from bad to worse for workers, unionists on Dec. 10 rallied and lobbied on Capitol Hill against one of the worst ideas in it: Taxing their health benefits. Read More...
Gary Saunders, Plumbers, Steamfitters and Refrigeration Fitters Local 467 Business Manager and Labor Council Executive Board member, announced his retirement last month. Saunders represented that union for 8 years as a business agent, and 22 years as the Business Manager. Read More...
Labor News Briefs, January 2010
Workers Call on Big Banks to Help California Families Recover from Economic Crisis
Hundreds of labor and community activists demonstrated outside of Wells Fargo in San Francisco December 17, demanding that the six largest banks in the nation—Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley —help California working families recover from the economic recession by preventing home foreclosures, providing healthcare and unemployment benefits, and solving the $6.3 California budget shortfall. The protesters demanded that Wall Street executives be held accountable for helping ordinary people struggling to weather the economic recession, instead of enriching themselves.
“It’s clear that Wall Street isn’t going to reform itself—so we are demanding that Congress and the Obama Administration reign in their greed and excess,” said SEIU organizer Pete Vargas. “We will not allow the Big Banks to reward themselves with the biggest payout in history, after they crashed our economy and took trillions in taxpayer bailouts.”
Selected Articles, November 2009
More than 500 union members and health care activists packed the sidewalks in front of and across the street from the meeting of the giant health insurance lobby group, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) in Washington, D.C., October 22 in support of health care reform. Read More...
Despite recent negative news reports, the activist group ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) continues to advocate for poor and working class people in California and around the U.S. Read More...
Labor News Briefs
Helmets to Hardhats Launches ‘Good to Go’ Site for Returning Troops
Making the transition from military life to a civilian life is not easy. Many veterans and their families are unprepared when that day comes. Now Helmets to Hardhats, a nonprofit program of the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), has launched a new website to help veterans better prepare for re-entry into civilian life.
Good to Go (www.areyoug2g.com) provides service members with customizable checklists that cover everything from employment and housing to setting goals for the future. “The best welcome home for a returning service member is a seamless transition into a quality civilian career,” said Darrell Roberts, executive director of Helmets to Hardhats. Helmets to Hardhats helps match vets and soon-to-be vets with apprenticeship and training programs offered by the BCTD’s 15 unions. Veterans can use their G.I. Bill education benefits as they complete the certified apprentice programs. Helmets to Hardhats has helped more than 5,000 military vets find new careers as electricians, plumbers, roofers and other skilled trades.
Selected Articles, October 2009
President Barack Obama had a strong, inspiring message for delegates to the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention: We’re going to make this country work again. Read More...
In a historic vote that adds the nation’s leading voice of American workers to a broad national campaign, the AFL-CIO voted unanimously at its national convention to endorse the enactment of single-payer, universal healthcare for all Americans. Read More...
The last day of the AFL-CIO Convention September 17 opened with a big bang as newly elected AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka stood on stage with UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm to make the dramatic announcement that UNITE HERE is reaffiliating with the federation. The 250,000-member UNITE HERE was one of the unions that left the AFL-CIO in 2005 to form a new federation. Read More...
Candidates for local office heard from union members at a candidate orientation meeting organized by the San Mateo County Central Labor Council and Building and Construction Trades Council August 20 at the IBEW Local 617 union hall in San Mateo. About 40 candidates for City Councils, School Boards and Special Districts attended. Read More...
Selected Articles, September 2009
Hotel workers and their allies took UNITE-HERE! Local 2’s contract campaign to the streets of San Francisco Aug. 14. Over 1,700 union members and supporters from community organizations rallied at the Local 2 Plaza between the Marriott Hotel and Four Seasons Hotels, marched along Market Street and made a loop to Union Square, passing the Parc 55, Hilton, St. Francis, Grand Hyatt and other hotels along the way. Read More...
California workers have been hit hard as the national economic crisis has resulted in layoffs, home foreclosures, bankruptcies, and declining revenues for the state and local governments. The recent state budget deal cuts billions of dollars from education and state programs that provide vital services to Californians. Line-item vetoes by the governor will reduce those essential services even further. And as the state’s unemployment rate approached 12 percent and state workers are ordered to take unpaid furlough days, California families have less money to spend, with the resulting ripple effect of more businesses closing, and further declining tax revenues for the state. Read More...
The active participation of union members helped to change the tone of the health care reform town hall meetings held during the August congressional recess. What began as forums for anti-Obama propaganda become platforms for real debate over what kind of reform is needed. Read More...
For most working families, the idea of a health care public option is just a notion. But in San Francisco, it’s reality. And it works. Read More...
After a protracted battle, striking members of the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) Columbus, Ohio Local 12 and Knoxville, Tennessee Local 197 reached a settlement agreement in July with the George Fern Company, a general service contractor with warehouse facilities in seven major cities. Read More..
The San Mateo County Central Labor Council honored retired Glaziers Local 718 Business Representative Doug Yamamoto, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and striking mechanics and service reps at Grace Honda in San Bruno at its annual COPE Banquet August 7. The COPE (Committee on Political Education) banquet is the Labor Council’s fundraiser for the political work. Funds raised at the banquet enable the Labor Council to produce campaign materials, pay for phone banking operations, and provide meals for volunteers. Read More..
Selected Articles, August 2009
Union Leaders Meet with President Obama on Employee Free Choice Act, Health Care
Leaders of the 11 member unions of the National Labor Coordinating Committee met with President Obama in July to discuss the status of health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act. This group includes leaders of the National Education Association, AFSCME, SEIU, United Steelworkers, United Food and Commercial Workers, Laborers’ International Union of North America, American Federation of Teachers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO and Change to Win labor coalition. Read More...
Thousands Protest Gov’s Mismanagement of Budget
On July 15 a diverse coalition of workers, educators, health care advocates, people with disabilities, students, community leaders, legislators and others who are effected by the Governor’s draconian budget cuts joined in a state-wide protest outside each of Schwarzenegger’s five offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego. Read More...
Airport Workers, SFO Officials Speak Out Against Increased BART Surcharge
Employees at San Francisco International Airport and SFO Commissioners spoke out against an increase in the fares BART riders pay to commute to the SFO BART station at the Airport Commission meeting July 7 and a press conference at the airport July 8. On July 1, BART raised fares by 6.1 percent and increased the one-way surcharge levied on riders using the SFO station from $1.50 to $4. Read More...
Selected Articles, July 2009
Assemblymember Jerry Hill:Labor’s Voice Needs to be Heard in Sacramento
About 50 union members attended the meeting to discuss labor issues and legislation with Assemblymember Jerry Hill May 29. Read More...
Workers Hungry for Justice, Fast for Employee Free Choice Act
As part of the labor movement’s campaign to win passage of the Employee Free Choice Act in Congress, workers congregated outside the offices of Sen. Dianne Feinstein across the state June 3 to urge her stand up for workers and get behind the Employee Free Choice Act. Read More...
Selected Articles, June 2009
Selected Articles, May 2009
Selected Articles, April 2009
Selected Articles, March 2009
Selected Articles, February 2009
Study Finds State’s Green Policies Bring Job Growth
California’s energy-efficiency policies created nearly 1.5 million jobs from 1977 to 2007, according to a new study from UC Berkeley’s Center for Energy, Resources and Economic Sustainability.
California’s green energy policies also improved overall compensation in the state by $44.6 billion, including $1.2 billion in the light industrial sector, $11.2 billion in wholesale and retail trade and $17.8 billion in the service sector. According to the study, the energy-efficient policies have allowed consumers to reduce energy spending, and the savings are being diverted to other sectors.
To learn more, see http://are.berkeley.edu/~dwrh/CERES_Web/index.html.
Selected Articles, January 2009
Selected Articles, Dec. 2008
Selected Articles, Nov. 2008
Selected Articles, Oct. 2008
Selected Articles, September 2008
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June 21, 2010
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San Mateo County Labor
