Attacks on UAW and Other Unions Seek to Curb Union Power, not “Anti-Semitism”

From the United Electrical Workers:

August 11, 2024

Pittsburgh

Statement of the UE officers

In the face of rising working-class militancy, anti-union forces have launched various legal attacks on the labor movement, using the false claim that union involvement in protests demanding a ceasefire in Gaza is somehow “anti-Semitic.” Most prominently, the federal monitor charged with rooting out corruption in the United Auto Workers has engaged in wildly inappropriate behavior, in a clear attempt to use his immense legal power over the union to shut down their criticism of Israel. The National Right to Work Committee and union-busting law firms like Jones Day have also launched a series of legal cases, including some against UE locals, aimed at undermining union shop and exclusive representation.

On December 13, a little under two weeks after the UAW released a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the court-appointed monitor overseeing the union, Neil Barofsky, made a phone call to UAW President Shawn Fain, urging him to reconsider the union’s position. In February, Barofsky sent a letter to the UAW executive board reiterating his criticism of the union’s position, and also brought it up in a virtual meeting with the executive board on February 19.

Barofsky was appointed in 2021 as part of a consent decree between the union and the federal government, stemming from rampant corruption under previous UAW leadership. In his role, Barofsky has extensive power to oversee all aspects of the union’s operation, including the power to impose discipline on UAW officers and members. The current leadership of the union was elected to reform the union; they have democratized the UAW and led important and militant fights, and have in fact worked closely with the monitor to root out corruption.

The consent decree which gives Barofsky authority over the union charges him with “remov[ing] fraud, corruption, illegal behavior, dishonesty, and unethical practices” from the union. Nothing in this mandate is applicable to the union’s position calling for a ceasefire, a position voted on by an executive board elected through a democratic process overseen by Barofsky himself.

After the union refused to change its position, and sent Barofsky a letter raising concerns that he was acting outside of his jurisdiction, Barofsky opened a new investigation into the union and demanded that the union turn over more than one hundred thousand documents, including communications that could potentially expose the union’s internal plans for taking on corporations

The attacks on labor over positions on Israeli policy towards Palestinians are not limited to the UAW, however. In July, a lawsuit against the Professional Staff Congress, the union representing faculty and professional staff of the City University of New York, was appealed to the Supreme Court. The National Right to Work Committee, which is providing legal counsel in the case, seeks to further weaken public-sector unions by asking the Supreme Court to eliminate the principle of exclusive representation. If exclusive representation is eliminated, then employers will be free to reward non-members with higher wages and other perks. This would further undermine public-sector unions, which are already suffering under the effects of the 2018 Janus decision outlawing union shop in the public sector. Two UE locals have also been the target of legal actions making false claims of anti-Semitism to attempt to undermine the union shop in the private sector, instigated by the National Right to Work Committee and the notorious union-busting law firm Jones Day.

These lawsuits, like the UAW monitor’s attack on that union, are justified by personal differences of opinion with positions taken by the union’s democratically-elected leadership, or in some cases by the membership as a whole. However, in a democracy, differences should be resolved, not by lawsuits, but by persuasion. UE has never taken action against a member for holding an opinion which differs from the union’s policy. Indeed, the preamble to our constitution directs us to unite all workers regardless not only of “craft, age, sex, nationality, race, [and] creed,” but also of “political beliefs,” and we encourage robust discussion of the union’s policies through our democratic structures.

It is ironic that several of these legal assaults alleging that criticisms of Israel’s military actions constitute “anti-Semitism” are being supported by the National Right to Work Committee, an organization whose history is steeped in actual prejudice against Jewish people. Vance Muse, the lobbyist who was central to the passage of so-called “right-to-work” laws throughout the country in the 1940s, was both a rabid anti-Semite and a committed white supremacist. His organization, the Christian American Association, sought to portray CIO unions like UE and UAW as agents of “Jewish Marxism” — precisely because our organizations united workers regardless of race, creed, and political beliefs.

It is not an accident that these attacks are specifically targeting unions which are growing, leading militant struggles, and daring to take independent positions on U.S. foreign policy. In this and in many other ways, they resemble the attacks on the progressive wing of the labor movement in the 1940s and 1950s when the unions which were growing, leading militant struggles, and taking independent positions on U.S. foreign policy were tarred as “communist-dominated” and subjected to government persecution — all of which only aided the corporations. The attacks on so-called “anti-Semitism” are nothing more than a new McCarthyism.

Just as we have always rejected any attempts by the government, corporations or special interests to dictate UE policy, we forcefully condemn the attempts by the federal monitor to influence the policies of the UAW, and to retaliate against them for taking a courageous and just stand for peace. We urge the court which appointed Barofsky to replace him with a monitor who will not exceed his authority.

More broadly, we condemn the cynical misuse of claims of anti-Semitism to attack union security and exclusive representation. We call upon the rest of the labor movement to close ranks against these attacks on exclusive representation, on the union shop, and on the right of unions to democratically take policy positions independent of the government or any political party.

Carl Rosen
General President

Andrew Dinkelaker
Secretary-Treasurer

Mark Meinster
Director of Organization

Come Celebrate Juneteenth In Salem!

 

PRIDE Means UNION PRIDE Means SOLIDARITY Means DIGNITY Means GOOD JOBS Means STRONG UNION CONTRACTS Means PRIDE

It seems that we are seeing more union support for Pride and Pride Month this year then we have seen in years past.

Please check out the Pride At Work page for lots of great info and graphics. 

American Postal Workers Union

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

Jobs with Justice

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

One of the most important messages from the AFL-CIO regarding Pride and Pride Month says the following:

The labor movement proudly celebrates Pride Month because everyone deserves to live and work as their full, authentic self. No matter who you love or your gender identity, your union has your back. We have no tolerance for hate in our movement. Sadly, LGBTQIA+ people still lack basic federal legal protections in the workplace; at the state level, protections vary. In 16 states and two territories, there’s no prohibitions for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in state law. This leaves too many of America’s workers with no legal workplace protections whatsoever based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The best tool workers have to fight back is a union contract. Union contracts are legally enforceable in every state. They protect LGBTQIA+ workers from harassment, and can mean real progress for working people and our families to gain health care, savings, a future, and so much more. Check out some model contract language from our partners at Pride at Work. We previously asked you to share what your union means to you as an LGBTQIA+ union member. Here are some stories by workers who are protected by a union contract and are LGBTQIA+ or union allies: “Long before marriage equality, my union bargained for and got partnership benefits and has kept them for non-married couples after marriage equality was won in the courts.”—Anonymous “Trans students often reach out to me, and I offer them a safe space to talk. LGBTQ+ musicians often tell me that my simply existing in this role has helped them to see that their own aspirations are possible. If you don’t see yourself out there, you begin to doubt you can do it.”—Sasha Romero, Principal Trombone, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) “Whenever I see a young person new to the union who feels comfortable being their whole self, and knowing that in some small way I helped create the space for them to do that, I can’t think of anything that makes me feel more pride as a queer IATSE member than that.”—Jenny Reeves, President, Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 849 “My union, the Operating Engineers, made it possible for me to learn a trade as a heavy construction equipment operator, through a bargaining agreement of an apprenticeship, which immediately led to a way out of poverty at the age of 21. I had experienced poverty and homelessness during part of my youth. “Homophobia has been successfully used by employers as a tool to divide workers and destroy union organizing efforts. I’ve seen this tactic used when I was an active part of my union’s efforts, and it seems particularly effective in the construction industry. “I fully support all efforts to fight oppression and promote freedom in every way possible. The labor movement is Inclusive of the fight against oppression in all other movements, for people of color, women and the gay community.”—Anonymous “As an out and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have a strong conviction to be my authentic self, thus creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all people, just as my union does for me.” —Maria Perez, Executive Assistant/Communications Director, Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 30 “Having a union job means I can raise my teenage grandchild in relative comfort. I can adequately clothe and feed him as well as music lessons. I wake up each day knowing that even if I have a bad day or make a mistake at work, I will still have a job the next day. I spent decades looking for a job like this.” —Anonymous You can add your story here.

Union Support Is Growing For The 6/29 Moral March On Washington, D.C.

“Workers’ rights, civil rights and human rights are on the ballot this election. American voters will decide: Do we want to stay the course and keep on this path toward a more compassionate government or revert back to this morally bankrupt nation? The American labor movement is committed to registering and mobilizing union members and union families around the mass mobilization on June 29. We're going to elect lawmakers who will advocate for workers and poor people to elect leaders who will put people over profits, protect our democracy, and advance worker and civil and human rights.”---Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO

“Here in the wealthiest nation on earth, millions of people lead lives of desperation and deprivation. They can’t pay the rent. They don’t have enough to eat. They struggle to afford and access basic health care. But working people are rising up to demand structural change, to fight the scourge of poverty, to ensure that everyone can live with dignity. AFSCME is proud to be a part of this movement. Organizing for social, racial and economic justice has always been essential to who we are, long before and since the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ strike. We are honored to be participating in the June 29 mobilization and to partner with Repairers of the Breach and the Poor People’s Campaign in all of their important work.”---AFSCME President Lee Saunders

Go here to learn more and get involved!

Labor Historians & Academics Protest The Use Of Police To Quash Peaceful Campus Protests

On April 26, the Board of Directors of the Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA) unanimously issued a statement condemning the use of police to quash peaceful campus protests. Since issuing that statement, we have been horrified to learn that a number of LAWCHA members have been arrested while engaged in peaceful protests and that at least one of those -- Annelise Orleck of Dartmouth -- was thrown to the ground and arrested on May 1 and has now been banned from the campus where she has taught for 34 years. In light of these disturbing developments and on behalf of LAWCHA, the Executive Committee has added the language in bold below to our original statement:

The elected board and officers of the Labor and Working-Class History Association (LAWCHA), the majority of whose members work and study on college and university campuses, is alarmed by the recent deployment of uniformed officers to forcefully break up peaceful demonstrations on multiple campuses around the country. We strongly condemn the deployment of law enforcement officers to shut down and disperse nonviolent protests and we urge campus officials to respect the free speech rights of students, faculty, and staff. Furthermore, we demand that colleges and universities immediately rescind bans of faculty, students, or staff from their campuses as a result of their exercising rights to free speech and assembly.


This statement was unanimously approved by the LAWCHA Board of Directors

Joseph A. McCartin, Georgetown University, President
Eileen Boris, University of California at Santa Barbara, Vice President
Cindy Hahamovitch, University of Georgia, Immediate Past President
Erik Gellman, University of North Carolina, Secretary
Liesl Orenic, Dominican University, Treasurer
Janine Giordano Drake, Indiana University, Bloomington, Board Member
Danielle Phillips-Cunningham, Rutgers University, Board Member
Kim Phillips-Fein, Columbia University, Board Member
Aldo A. Lauria Santiago, Rutgers University, Board Member
Colleen Woods, University of Maryland, Board Member
Natanya Duncan, Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of History,
Queens College, CUNY, Board Member
David “Mac” Marquis, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of South Carolina, Board Member
Verónica Martinez-Matsuda, University of California, San Diego, Board Member
Samir Sonti, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, Board Member
Jane Berger, Moravian University, Board Member
Keona K. Ervin, Bowdoin, Board Member
Aimee Loiselle, Central Connecticut State University, Board Member
Gordon Mantler, George Washington University, Board Member
Joel Suarez, Harvard University, Board Member

Liat Spiro, College of the Holy Cross
Faith Bennett, UC Davis
Rebecca Jean Emigh, UCLA, Sociology
Emily E. LB. Twarog, University of Illinois
Omari Averette-Phillips, UC Davis
Paul Ortiz, University of Florida
Harry Targ, Purdue University. Retired
Joan Flores-Villalobos, University of Southern California
Nate Holdren, Drake University
Bill Barry
Alan Wierdak, University of Maryland
Tamar Carroll, Rochester Institute of Technology
Cathy Brigden, University of Tasmania
Dennis Deslippe, Franklin & Marshall College
Tom Alter, Texas State University
Laura Murphy, Dutchess Community College
Erik Loomis, University of Rhode Island
James Young, Pennsylvania Labor History Society/National Writers Union
David Brundage, University of California, Santa Cruz
Aaron Jesch, Washington State University Vancouver
Anne Lewis, UT Austin, TSEU-CWA 6186
Lois Helmbold, San Jose State U, emerita professor
Lorenzo Costaguta, University of Bristol
David Brody
Rosemary Feurer, Northern Illinois University
Greg Kealey, University of New Brunswick
Michael Pierce, University of Arkansas—UAEA/Local 965
Naomi R. Williams, Rutgers University
Anita Rupprecht, University of Brighton, UK
Lisa Phillips, Indiana State University
Thai Jones, Columbia University
Heather Ann Thompson, University of Michigan
Miriam Cohen, Vassar College
Jon Bekken, Albright College
Peter Rachleff, Macalester College (Emeritus)
Eladio Bobadilla, University of Pittsburgh
Brian Greenberg, Monmouth University
Peter Cole, Western Illinois University
Lane Windham, Georgetown University
Cristina Groeger, Lake Forest College
Michael Kazin, Georgetown University
Andrea Taylor
Ruth Needleman, Indiana University
Aaron Jaffe, The Juilliard School
Beth Robinson , Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Shannan Clark, Montclair State University
John Enyeart, Bucknell University
Eric Fure-Slocum, St. Olaf College (emeritus)
Rick Halpern, University of Toronto
Robert Bruno, University of Illinois
Michael Lansing, Augsburg University
Jeff Schuhrke, Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University
Priyanka Srivastava, Department of History, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Greta de Jong, University of Nevada, Reno
David Vaught, Texas A&M University
Sean Ahern, UFT
Michael Damien Aguirre, University of Nevada, Reno
Ian Rocksborough-Smith, University of the Fraser Valley
William Jones, University of Minnesota (past LAWCHA president)
Jacob Dorman, The University of Nevada, Reno
Michael Honey, University of Washington (past LAWCHA president)
Julie Greene, University of Maryland (past LAWCHA president)
Miriam Frank, retired professor of Humanities at New York University
Dan Graff, University of Notre Dame
James Bearden, SUNY Geneseo
Barbara Walker, UNR
Donna Haverty-Stacke, Hunter College, CUNY
Maggie Gray, Adelphi University
Deborah Cohen, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Robert Woodrum, Perimeter College of Georgia State University
Christopher Martin, University of Northern Iowa, United Faculty AFT/AAUP
Nelson Lichtenstein, University of California, Santa Barbara
Joe Berry, retired U of IL and City College of SF
Elizabeth McKIllen, University of Maine
Mary Reynolds, Reflective Democracy Campaign
Arman Azimi, College of the Holy Cross
David Zonderman, NC State University
William Keach, Brown University
Alex Miller, University of Washington Tacoma
Jeannette Estruth, Bard College and the Harvard Berkman-Klein Center
Kirsten Schultz, Seton Hall University
Edwin Rubel, University of Washington
Benjamin Goldfrank, Seton Hall University
Grace Reinke, University of New Orleans and United Campus Workers of Louisiana
Lynn Thomas, University of Washington
Raya Fidel, University of Washington
Dexter Arnold
Jana Lipman, Tulane University
Jacquelyn Hall , Emeritus UNC Chapel Hill (past LAWCHA president)
Leslie Bunnage, Seton Hall University
Margot Canaday, Princeton University
Rudi Batzell, Lake Forest College
Renata Keller, University of Nevada
Jennifer Brooks, Auburn University
James Kollros, retired
Emily Hobson, University of Nevada Reno
Kimberly Enderle, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Alyssa Ribeiro, Allegheny College
Jennifer Guglielmo, Smith College
Thomas Guglielmo, George Washington University
Shelton Stromquist, University of Iowa (past LAWCHA president)
Lizabeth Cohen, Harvard University
Jillian Jacklin, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Some Leading Labor Movement News And Events: organizing, a boycott, attacks on civil rights, requests for solidarity, and union victories!

From Portland Jobs with Justice:

The monthly Early Ed social is happening this Friday, April 12th, on the heated back patio at Bye and Bye, 6:30 - 9pm. Get support and strategies from fellow early educators, about anything from working conditions to education!

Under 21 welcome until 8pm. Tell a friend.
Preschool teachers, nannies, sitters, any childcare workers - please stop by if you can! Solidarity means a lot to people working in a tough field.

Friday, April 12th from 6:30 - 9pm!
Bye and Bye (1011 NE Alberta St)
Contact: pdxccla@gmail.com / IG @pdxchildcarelaboralliance

Please join Postdocs at OHSU for a picket on April 16, gathering at Elizabeth Caruthers Park outside of OHSU CHH2 building. This marks the only day of mediation that OHSU is willing to schedule, despite that they have made no indication they are willing to invest in their postdoc researchers. Join us to call for justice for Postdocs!

Tuesday, April 16 from 12 - 2pm
Elizabeth Caruthers Park (outside of the OHSU Center for Health & Healing)

Radio Jornalera - Day Laborers & Oregon Migrant Community Launch Community Radio Station - Get involved!

On Friday, March 29, Viva Inclusive Migrant Network and NDLON (National Day Laborers Organizing Network) launched Oregon’s “Radio Jornalera” at Augustana Lutheran Church! The radio station in Portland will aim to promote migrant rights, workers rights, music, art, and culture through programs hosted by Day laborers, other members of the migrant community, and other social justice movements.

How you can help:

* Volunteer to support the radio show and expand the programming by adding your own show, too! Every Wednesday there will be a training on the boards.
* Are you skilled in content creation (banners, flyers) or setting up websites? Help the radio station with theirs.
* Do you have experience with setting up 501c3s, websites, and/or writing grants? Viva Inclusive Migrant Network is looking for help with setting up its nonprofit.
* Connect with Viva's community defense project, Defensa del barrio, to be ready to respond when there is wage theft or when there is a raid.
* Please tune in to the programming on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, which is currently Monday and Friday, 6pm.

Please email, call, text Francisco Aguirre at VIVA Inclusive Migrant Network at  francisco@oregonviva.org, 503-752-4882) about any of these opportunities.

Boycott Coors!

The Coors family, executives, and stockholders are living the high life while refusing to negotiate a fair contract with workers who make the beer. The workers behind the Molson-Coors brand beverages and record profits were forced onto the picket line Feb. 17 after the company refused to offer more than 99 cents an hour in new wages. Teamsters have renewed their long-running national boycott of the brand for it's anti-worker positions.

Until Molson Coors serves up a fair deal for hardworking Texas Teamsters in Fort Worth, join us in putting them on ice. Take part in a bit of history, renewed by Texas Teamsters, and join us in supporting the Boycott!

Teamsters Local 223 members in Eugene kicked off a Day of Action by flyering customers and supermarkets about the Boycott. Here in Portland, members circulated flyers and promoted the Boycott at recent actions! Support the Boycott and circulate the flier, here!

From Red Hot Worker Hits:

From Portside:

FEDERAL COURT STRIKES MAJOR BLOW TO BLACK VOTING RIGHTS

A federal district court’s order on Thursday allowing South Carolina to use a racially discriminatory congressional map for the 2024 election cycle is a gut punch to Black voters.

“For over a century, the NAACP has worked fervently to protect Black Americans’ access to the ballot box. Make no mistake — these discriminatory maps are a direct attempt to suppress Black voices ahead of a consequential election,” Brenda Murphy, the president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement.

Without a fair map, it would be enormously difficult for Black voters to elect a representative who has their interests at heart and who would fight for them on issues ranging from education to criminal justice to health care. READ MORE HERE.

From Jacobin:

Ron Carey’s Lessons in Labor Movement Reform by STEVE EARLY RAND WILSON

Books about union presidents are usually penned by professional writers — either academic historians, labor journalists, or paid flacks. Past accounts of the life and work of labor organization chiefs like John L. Lewis, Walter Reuther, Jimmy Hoffa, or Cesar Chavez have run the gamut from hagiographic to constructively critical. Few have had a biographer whose view of their leadership role is rooted in firsthand experience as a blue-collar worker in the same industry and union.

Ken Reiman’s personal connection to the subject matter of Ron Carey and the Teamsters resulted from his long career as a UPS driver and activist in the local union that Carey led before becoming president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in the 1990s. Reiman’s insights into the workplace culture and organizational politics of IBT Local 804 in Queens, New York, before, during, and after Carey’s presidency provide a rank-and-file perspective on the challenges of institutional change in organized labor over the past fifty years.

Carey’s story, as told by Reiman, contains many important lessons for younger union activists, whether they are Teamsters or involved in other unions. Organized labor today is in a state of very positive ferment. A reform movement in the United Auto Workers (UAW), modeled after Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), has had similar success winning direct election of top officers and using that system to oust old-guard officials. READ MORE HERE.

From IATSE:

Following three days of in-person negotiations, IATSE Local 871 reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on their craft-specific issues on Wednesday. Now seven of the 13 West Coast Studio Locals (80, 600, 695, 706, 729, 800 and 871) have reached tentative agreements with the AMPTP.

More information regarding these Local agreements will be provided to members by their Local Unions once Memorandums of Agreement have been formally drafted by the lawyers of both parties and submitted to the corresponding Local for approval. It’s important to note the process is not complete until the conclusion of Basic Agreement General Negotiations, which cover issues like wage increases, pension and health contributions, artificial intelligence (AI), job security and residuals. In other words, members should expect the Local agreements to be only part of the overall package to come in the General negotiations, which are expected to restart on April 29 and run through May 16. READ MORE HERE.

Dodger Stadium Tour Guides Vote to Unionize Join Local B-192

During a National Labor Relations Board election on Tuesday afternoon, a group of nearly 40 tour guides, tour leads and one plant data collector (a.k.a. the guide of the stadium’s “garden tour”) voted to join IATSE B-192, a growing Local that represents fellow tour guides at Universal Studios Hollywood and ushers at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Workers are responsible for leading the wide array of tours that the stadium now offers — from basic stadium tours to pregame tours to Jackie Robinson and “Fernandomania” (devoted to Fernando Valenzuela) tours, with offerings in English, Spanish and Japanese — the tour guides work year-round.

Glamour, Travel, Sexism: When Flight Attendants Fought Back

I believe that this story ran in The New York Times under date of February 19, 2024 with the photograph that I added from the Association of Flight Attendants--CWA. It is certainly an inspiring story.

Decades ago, “stewardesses” earned less than men, couldn’t get married or gain weight, and had to retire at 32. A key figure in a landmark lawsuit looks back at a not-so-golden era.

In 1958, when Mary Pat Laffey Inman became a stewardess — as they were then called — for Northwest Airlines, she was 20 years old and the clock was already ticking. At 32, she would be forced to retire. That is, if she didn’t marry, get pregnant or even gain too much weight before that: All were grounds for termination. It was the golden age of aviation for everyone except, perhaps, the women serving in-flight meals to the nattily dressed passengers.

Six years later, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and female flight attendants began to join forces against sexism.

In 1970, Ms. Laffey Inman, a union leader and Northwest’s first female purser — the lead attendant on a flight — spearheaded a class-action suit, Laffey v. Northwest Airlines Inc., that resulted in the airline paying more than $30 million in damages and back wages in 1985. It also set the precedent for nondiscriminatory hiring of flight attendants across the industry. But even then, not everything changed: Flight attendants on some airlines were still subjected to “weigh-ins” into the 1990s. (Northwest merged with Delta Air Lines in 2008.)

Now, decades after the landmark decision, Ms. Laffey Inman, 86, is one of several former flight attendants featured in “Fly With Me,” an “American Experience” documentary that chronicles how women fought to overcome discrimination in the airline industry. It premieres on PBS on Feb. 20. The New York Times spoke to Ms. Laffey Inman about how she made history. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What inspired your career in the airline industry?

I was working at Montefiore Hospital, in Pittsburgh. I always wanted to travel, ever since I was a kid. As a flight attendant, I could travel — all expenses paid. I thought it was wonderful. Other stewardesses and I laugh about how lucky we were to be in the industry at that time. We would bid for three-day layovers in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo. A limo would be there to pick you up and take you to the hotel.

What was involved in training at the time?

Flight attendants had a six-week session where we learned about the airline and had emergency and safety training. We learned the commands to use in case of emergency. And we had grooming classes — women came and taught us how to put on our makeup and polish our fingernails.

Aside from keeping up appearances, how was sexism evident in the industry?

When I started, senior stewardesses talked about younger men being hired to be in charge of the aircraft and the crew, bypassing stewardesses who had been flying for quite a while. They discussed this in whispering tones, or sometimes not whisperings. It was always a bone of contention. Men were elected to positions that controlled the union, and they did the negotiating. Stewardesses could not really look at the job as a career because we had to quit when we got married or when we were 32. That was always in the back of your mind.

How did you become the first female purser?

In 1968, Northwest hired four men off the street to be pursers. I called the director of labor relations and said, “You must post this bid!” When they did, many women were intimidated, but I applied and got the job.

How were flight attendants’ duties different in the 1960s?

We had to work with military air contracts. In times of emergency, the U.S. military has a right to commandeer aircraft to be used on a military basis. We flew to Vietnam quite often during the Tet offensive in 1968. I was a purser, but I was new and didn’t have any seniority, so I was assigned to those flights. We’d bring 165 soldiers to Okinawa, then shuttle them to Vietnam and bring 165 back — hopefully. We got in and out of Vietnam as quickly as possible because there were missiles going back and forth.

Taking on a giant corporation is no easy feat, especially as young women in the 1960s.

We didn’t have a leg to stand on legally until the Civil Rights Act, which included discrimination based on gender. That was our renaissance.

What role did you play?

In 1967, I became the head of the union at Northwest, and negotiated the first nondiscriminatory contract with the airline. We could prove women flight attendants had equal skills and responsibilities. That’s when we brought back the stewardesses who were fired because they were over 32, or because they were overweight or because they were married.

How did you end up with a class-action lawsuit?

In 1969, negotiations for the next contract commenced. The negotiating committee was dominated by men. I had expected changes, but Northwest refused to include language that would treat women pursers the same way as male pursers. I talked to a labor lawyer, who said we had a case. Ultimately, 70 percent of the union signed on. The airline dragged it out for 15 years — took it to the Supreme Court twice, but the case was remanded back to the Federal District Court of Appeals, where Ruthie Bader Ginsburg was the judge who’d written the opinion in our favor.

At the time you filed the lawsuit, did you have any idea of the impact you would have on the industry — and on history?

No, I was just looking for equality in pay. I wasn’t thinking 40 or 50 years ahead. I was simply hoping every step on the judicial ladder would go our way.

As far as flying today, with the many reports of passengers behaving badly on flights and the stress that causes the crew, what do you think can be done to make flying better?

I’d like someone to pass a law to widen the seats. That’s one of the reasons there’s so much tension.

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Some Union Struggles & Union Wins In The Headlines This Week

 

Fairfax Connector bus service workers, members of ATU Local 689, 

are on the  12th day of their strike. Photo from

the Metro Washington Labor Council. 

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) reached a new 

milestone of 300,055 members in February!

AFGE voices support for a new piece of legislation that would prevent states

 witha history of voter discrimination from enacting new laws that would suppress

 the vote. This is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Named in honor of the late Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon and member of

 Congress,the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was introduced in the Senate

 by Sens. Dick Durbin and Raphael Warnock. The bill is needed because there have been 

efforts to erodevoting rights since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark

 law that removed race-based restrictions on voting such as literacy tests and poll taxes.

Text and graphic and photo from AFGE.

During a Thursday Austin (Texas) City Council meeting, a group of local Google

 workers who are members of Alphabet Workers Union-Communications Workers of 

America (AWU-CWA) Local 9009 learned they’d lost their jobs while commenting on

 a proposed city resolution intended to support their cause. Photo and text

from the AFL-CIO.

Go here for more information.

It looks like a Teamster win at Anheuser-Busch!

Black History Movie Night In Portland On Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7:00 PM

 

Join SEIU Local 503 AFRAM Caucus, the Oregon Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and Portland Rising for a Black history movie night at the SEIU Local 503 office on 2/29 at 7pm. Representative Travis Nelson and Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Sarina Rohrer will be leading the event.

Solidarity needed now, a few learning opportunities, and some quick labor news

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered the keynote address

at the University of Michigan’s Black Men in Unions Conference.

Read about it here.

Teamsters Local 223 & Eugene/Springfield Solidarity Network

stands in solidarity with Oregon Nurses Association! Photo from Tizoc

Arenas.

From a press release signed by Johnny Earl, SEIU 503 Higher Ed Bargaining Team Chair and
Custodial Coordinator, University of Oregon:

Here are some more ways you can help:

1. Send an email to the University Presidents asking them to settle a fair contract with classified workers and to tell management’s bargaining team to stop their hardball tactics at the negotiating table. (Click here for a list of the president’s email addresses.) If you have questions, please ask Len Norwitz at norwitzL@seiu503.org.

2. Attend one of the action the list below next week. If you can attend any of these, we would love to have your support. Please wear purple if you can, but if you can’t we’d still love to see you there. To RSVP or to get more information, email Len Norwitz at norwitzl@seiu503.org.

Come to Western Oregon University (Monmouth) on Thursday, February 22nd, from 11 am to 1 pm to help distribute flyers and have conversations with the campus community and students. And participate as we deliver our support petitions. Get oriented/meet at the Werner University Center on North Monmouth Ave.

Come to Portland State University (Portland) Smith Memorial Student Union on Wednesday, February 21st, from 9:30 to 11:30 am for an open campus strategic planning session hosted by President Ann Cudd.

Come to Oregon State University (Corvallis) McNary Dining Center on Friday, February 23rd, from 11 to 11:30 am and be a part of our delegation – “OSU cannot ignore us!” - to the Annual UHDS Soup-Challenge event that is open to the community.

Come to the University of Oregon (Eugene) EU Ampitheatre on Monday, February 26th, from noon to 1 pm and be a part of the gathering and delegation to the President’s office - “We will not be ignored”.

Southern Oregon University (Ashland) - 2/26 – Event info TBD

Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls) - 2/26 – Event info TBD

Eastern Oregon University (La Grande) - 2/26 – Event info TBD

We appreciate your continued support for our Higher Ed members and thank you in advance for seeing this through to a fair contract.

From Portland Jobs with Justice:

On Monday, the editorial staff of the Portland Mercury, The Stranger, EverOut Portland, Bold Type Tickets and across Index Media have announced they have joined together to form the Index Media Union, as members of the Pacific NW Newspaper Guild! JWJ was thrilled to hear about this new union at our most recent Steering Committee meeting, as all workers deserve a union! We strongly urge management at Index Media to voluntarily recognize the union in order to proceed swiftly to negotiating a fair first contract! You can find JWJ's letter of support, here!

Share their announcements over Instagram and Twitter, and give them a follow, too!

Please join the Oregon Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, JWJ's Portland Rising, and the SEIU-AFRAM Caucus for a special Black History Month Movie night! It will feature two short films and a special presentation moderated by Vinnie Blanco Jr.:

Travis Nelson, Representative, House District 44 will talk on health care inequities and efforts to create a new health care system, and

Sarina Roher, Secretary-Treasurer, Oregon AFL-CIO will talk on bargaining challenges for health care unions and the challenges of being a health care worker.

Thursday, February 29 from 7 - 9pm
SEIU Local 503 (525 NE Oregon St Portland OR 97232)
Masks encouraged!Join Coalition of Black Trade Unionists for great Black History Month programming all month, including the 2/15 Health Forum (on Zoom.) Find more at this link!

 

Get the truth and gain an understanding on AP African American studies here.

All of the members of the Georgia State Senate Democratic Caucus wore red bandanas last week in solidarity with CWA members who are leading the fight against an anti-union bill. The bill would make companies that respect their workers’ right to form unions through voluntary recognition ineligible for state economic incentives. (Photo and text from CWA)

My heart was troubled to learn this morning that Remington Arms is moving from New York to Georgia and that our United Mine Workers of America will be losing about 300 members as this move takes place. Perhaps Remington workers will go union in Georgia.