On this date in labor history Mother Jones died in 1930 and the anti-WTO march was held in Seattle in 1999. I know that we have some readers who were in Seattle for the 1999 demonstration, so a special thanks goes out to them today.
Photo taken from the Oregon AFL-CIO
The Oregon AFL-CIO listed the following in the Oregon Labor Dispatch under today's date:
Tomorrow: Friday, December 1, Urban Plaza, SW Mill St in Portland at noon
SEIU Local 503 members are rallying at PSU to show they are united, strong, and fighting for the fair contract they deserve. Join with them to send a strong message to PSU administration!
University of Oregon Labor Center Collective Bargaining Institute
December 3-8, University Place Hotel, Portland Oregon
Want to be ready for your next round of bargaining? Join union leaders from around the state at the Labor Education and Research Center's Collective Bargaining Institute. In this hands-on program, participants learn all the fundamentals of effective negotiations -- from drafting proposals and contract costing, to managing the bargaining team and finding a settlement. Scholarships are available! Click here for more details and to register online.
81st Annual Children’s Holiday Party - Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter December 9, 9:00am -12:00pm, Ken Allen AFSCME Labor Canter, 1400 Tandem Ave NE in Salem
Join the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter for a free and fun-filled event with cookies, crafts, gift bags, live music and the one and only Caesar the No Drama Llama.
The Labor Market: Flea Market and Maker FairDecember 9-10, Goldsmith Blocks Building, 412 NW Couch in Portland, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind film worker flea market and maker fair! The Labor Market will feature original works of art, handcrafts and other creative products made by film workers, and a flea market where treasures you’ve seen on the screen in locally filmed tv shows and movies could be waiting to be discovered. All sales of goods go directly to the Union member-vendor. The market will have live music, entertainment, raffles, and special guest Santa Claus.
The following graphic comes from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). IATSE is one of many unions that, along with the AFL-CIO, are marking Native American Heritage Month.
We at the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter strongly encourage you to go to PCUN's website and support PCUN as you are able to.
In other news...
* Labor's Community Service Agency has issued an appeal for support for union families over the holidays. Part of the solidarity appeal reads as follows:
Our message: Please help out if you can. Remember the old adage to give 'til it hurts and then 'til it feels good.
* The National Domestic Workers Alliance is gathering stories from people who have had to stay home because of issues with childcare. Collecting these stories is an important part of their campaign, but the Alliance is working on many other issues as well. Please go to their page and submit your story, but also consider joining in their December 11 Zoom event with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su.
* The Oregon Center for Public Policy has a new plan out to build economic justice in Oregon. This means raising incomes, building workers' power, changing the tax system and much more. Can you get space on your union meeting or Chapter or Council agenda to discuss their plan and perhaps have a speaker from the Center?
* The Communications Workers of America is reporting a string of union organizing victories. According to the union, "Over the past month, workers have joined CWA at Education Week and Rising for Justice (Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild, TNG-CWA Local 32035), The Guardian and Journal Pioneer newspapers (CWA Canada Local 30130), Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (United Media Guild, TNG-CWA Local 36047), Google Help (Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009), and Wisconsin Watch (Milwaukee Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA Local 34051)." This short list does not include Wells Fargo workers at two bank branches in Albuquerque, NM, and Bethel, AL. who filed for the bank’s first-ever union elections on Monday.
* Trader Joe's United, the union seeking to represent workers at Trader Joe's, is working on a campaign to end junk fees and hold greedy corporations accountable to consumers. This campaign potentially affects most workers and deserves everyone's support. Also, please check in with the union as you consider your holiday shopping options.
* Starbucks Workers United is claiming a victory after their recent strike. The union says that "Our Red Cup Rebellion, where more than 5,000 Starbucks workers went on strike, has already landed a major victory - the ability for workers to pause mobile orders during especially busy rushes."
They need our help spreading the word on social media.
* A great learning and activating opportunity here: Minnesota unions and their community partners are gearing up for an unprecedented wave of potential strikes and community actions with a deadline of the first week of March 2024. This date likely coincides with similar potential action here in Oregon. Representing tens of thousands of workers with contracts expiring and other deadlines at that time, labor and allied organizations are working together to align their demands and narratives to win at the bargaining table and push politicians at city hall and the state capitol. We have much to learn from this organizing.
Join Bargaining for The Common Good, In These Times, The Center for Innovation in Worker Organization, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, The Action Center on Race and The Economy, The Kalmanovitz Initiative, Workday Magazine and other partners on Tuesday, January 9th, 2024: at 3:00 PM (PST) for a webinar featuring representative labor and community leaders from across the movement. The talk will be about going on the offensive and winning. Go to Bargaining for the Common Good to register for the event.
* An article by Julia Conley posted on Common Dreams yesterday under the headline "UAW Launches Largest Union Organizing Drive in US History" indicates that the United Auto Workers has been taking lots of calls from workers employed in non-union auto plants and parts suppliers since setting the contracts with the Big Three auto companies and feels confident that it can lead a new wave of mass organizing now. This union push will have to have two sides to it---organizing workers in the plants and taking on politics---because many of the plants are in "right to work states" and the union will face strong opposition from Republican office holders. Conley quotes the union's president as saying, "You don't have to worry about how you're gonna pay your rent or feed your family while the company makes billions. A better life is out there. It starts with you—UAW."
The AFL-CIO meanwhile announced that "After 11 weeks on strike, the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network (BCN). The contract includes the reduction of wage progression from 22 years to five, significant general wage increases, a $6,500 ratification bonus for Blue Cross Blue Shield workers, a $5,000 ratification bonus for BCN workers, inflation protection bonuses of $1,000 each year of the contract and protections against outsourcing. Members will remain on strike during the ratification process."
Photo from the AFL-CIO's Daily Brief of
November 30, 2023 and a UAW press release
No comments:
Post a Comment