Selected Articles, October 2011

Nurses Press Congress to Tax Wall Street to Heal America

Dozens of Registered Nurses staffed a soup kitchen at the San Francisco federal building September 1 to call attention to the need for new priorities that help Main Street, not Wall Street. The nurses’ union said it would call on legislators, Republicans and Democrats alike, to sign a pledge to support a Wall Street transaction tax that will raise sufficient revenue to make Wall Street pay for the devastation it has caused on Main Street, and help create jobs. Read More ...

San Mateo County Unionists Stand with Verizon Workers

San Mateo County union members leafletted at San Mateo and Burlingame stores September 9 in a show of support for the striking workers. They passed out leaflets and urged consumers to not shop at the stores until the Verizon workers are treated fairly. Read More ...

Rep. Speier Tells Labor She Will Oppose “Free Trade” Deals

The San Mateo County Central Labor Council hosted a breakfast meeting with Congressmember Jackie Speier in San Mateo September 1. Several union members were able to ask the Congresswoman about labor issues and hear her thoughts about President Obama, defense spending, job creation efforts, and her efforts to ensure pipeline safety. Read More ...

Selected Articles, September 2011

Seniors, Unions Tell Senator Feinstein: Protect Social Security

Seniors, students, union members and disabled people rallied in San Francisco August 17 in front of the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Activists presented the senator’s staff over 1,000 personal stories about how Social Security helps her constituents survive in tough economic times. Read More ...

Verizon Workers’ Fight for Middle-Class Jobs

Members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) at Verizon Communications returned to work on August 23 after the unions reached an agreement with the company on renewing contract negotiations. The union members went on strike August 6 after the company refused to budge from the same list of unreasonable concessionary proposals it put on the table when contract talks opened in June. Read More ...

Jobs Committee Chair Bows to Corporate Interests, Stalls Job-Saving Bill

Assemblymember Jerry Hill Sought to Close Corporate Tax Loophole

You’d think the priority of the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy would be creating and protecting jobs. You’d never know it after a committee vote August 23 on AB 1278. By voting against AB 1278, Committee Chair V. Manuel Perez (D-Imperial Valley) stalled important legislation that would have prevented companies from laying off workers to claim big tax breaks as part of the flawed Enterprise Zone program. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), sought to protect jobs in today’s harsh economic environment while helping end the practice of rewarding companies that lay off workers with taxpayer subsidies. The bill failed to get out of the committee on a 3-3 vote. Perez joined the two Republicans on the committee in voting against the bill. Read More ...

Candidates Get Primer on Labor Issues from Union Members

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 22 at the IBEW Local 617 union hall in San Mateo. About 40 candidates for City Councils, School Boards and Special Districts attended. Read More ...

Labor Council Supports Environmental Review Process for Saltworks Project

The Saltworks Project in Redwood City has received a lot of attention in recent months, both from media outlets and from various unions. The San Mateo County Central Labor Council, within whose jurisdiction the project lies, has only taken the position to support the Environmental Impact Review (EIR) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. After a great deal of discussion in council meetings, we feel it is important to have an analysis that actually examines the plan and reveals additional issues that will need to be addressed if the project is to move forward. Once completed, we can review the results to determine what, if any, the position of our council should be. Read More ...

Hotel Workers Protest Hyatt

Over a 1,000 hotel workers and community allies protested Hyatt’s unfair treatment of workers at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco’s Union Square July 21. A group of 80 hotel workers and supporters were arrested after engaging in non-violent civil disobedience—blocking the street in front of the hotel

As part of a nationwide action, thousands of hotel workers protested at Hyatt hotels in nine cities. The union said that Hyatt is abusing housekeepers by cutting jobs, replacing experienced employees with minimum wage temporary workers and imposing dangerous workloads on the remaining housekeepers.

The actions followed months of strikes, public demonstrations and boycotts, which show no signs of slowing down. The Hyatt workers have been supported by community allies, faith groups and members of other unions. Several members of San Mateo County unions participated in the march and rally at the Hyatt.

According to the Hotel Workers union, housekeepers at some Hyatts clean as many as 30 rooms a day, nearly double what is typically required at union hotels. This leaves room attendants as little as 15 minutes to clean a room, resulting in fewer jobs and dangerous working conditions for housekeepers.

In a statement, the union noted that, “Hotel workers are the invisible backbone of the hotel industry. The grittier aspects of our jobs—scrubbing toilets, changing sheets, cleaning dishes—are the hidden foundation on which the atmosphere of luxury and comfort are built.”

Demonstrations took place in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Honolulu. The San Francisco demonstration was organized by UNITE HERE Local 2.

The union has called on the public to boycott the Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf, and Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.

For more information and updates, check www.onedaylongersf.org/.

LABOR NEWS BRIEFS:

CalPERS To invest $800 Million in California Infrastructure Projects

The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), one of the largest investors in the world, voted September 12 to pump $800 million—about 0.4 percent—of its assets into infrastructure investments in California.

Service Employees International Union 521 member and COPE chair Brian O’Neill was at the meeting to encourage the CalPERS board to make jobs for Californians a priority. “Today we saw the first step in the right direction for California and for PERS participants,” he said. “We are investing in our infrastructure, our future and rebuilding the California dream. As a PERS member, public servant and a Californian, I know this is only the beginning to truly rebuild California.”

Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese encouraged CalPERS to invest in California in an Op-Ed in the San Jose Mercury News: “California’s infrastructure desperately needs an overhaul, from the electric grid to transportation. CalPERS’s investments in clean energy, transportation or health care would create a significant number of jobs. What makes this idea truly a win-win is that CalPERS could increase its return on investment by investing in these projects.”

UNITE HERE Local 2 Wins Improved Contract at SFO

UNITE HERE Local 2 recently settled a new contract with the multi-employer group of restaurants and cafes at San Francisco International Airport.

Local 2 Business Rep. Lamoin Werlein-Jaen said that the union won improved wages and protected the health care and pension benefits of the 700 Local 2 members who work for the 30-plus SFO concessionaires. The union also won strong contract language to strengthen the ability to organize, and a clause that forces the employers to apply any wage increases they make to non-union workers to the unionized workforce. The union’s legislative strategy and support from the SF Board of Supervisors was instrumental in winning a good contract, Werlein-Jaen said.

Local 2 is currently engaged in organizing concessionaires at SFO’s new Terminal 2. Four of the six companies have agreed to go union so far.

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