NLRB election changes help workers

Reforms made to the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB's) union election rules last April are paying dividends for workers seeking to organize around the country, according to a new report.

According to statistics compiled by Bloomberg BNA, during the first four months following when the NLRB instituted the changes, the agency fit 31 more resolved elections in compared to the same period in 2014. And all of those additional elections ended in a victory for the union.

What's more, the median length of time it took a union's representation petition to reach the election stage fell from 38 days in May-August 2014 to 24 days during the same four months last year.
As a BNA Bloomberg blog stated:

This is significant, the report says, because quicker elections have favored labor over management for many years. Calendar years 2014 and 2015 were no exceptions: Elections that were resolved within 24 days went the union’s way 88 percent of the time in 2014, and 75 percent of the time in 2015. But because about half of the elections in the 2015 sample clocked in at 24 days or less, this translated to 140 union wins—compared with only 21 union wins in 2014.

The Teamsters are strong advocates of the rule change. Back in August 2011, General President Jim Hoffa filed comments saying the changes would streamline the process and make election rules more fair for workers looking to organize.

But not surprisingly, there have been plenty of opponents who have been looking to rein in the NLRB's action. Republicans in Congress took aim at trying to stop the implementation of the changes last year but failed.

But overturning the rule changes through the courts remains a possibility. The Fifth Circuit U.S. Appeals Court in New Orleans is due to hear the case Feb. 29, and if they side with the plaintiff, it could invalidate the results of all those elections.

Teamsters deliver petitions telling UPS to drop ALEC membership

Teamsters deliver petitions to UPS this morning in Washington.

The Teamsters have for some time been calling for UPS to drop its membership in the anti-worker American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). But today, it showed the union's largest employer it is not alone in its stance.

In separate events in Washington and Atlanta, Teamster representatives led delegations that included environmental and community activists in delivering thousands of signed petitions to company offices in both cities. In all, some 75,000 signed petitions collected call on UPS to drop its ALEC membership.

Ken Hall, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer and Package Division Director, said:

There is absolutely no good reason why UPS should continue its membership in ALEC. ALEC is an organization that is committed to destroying every protection and gain middle class working families have fought so hard to secure. 

Representatives from Local 639 in Washington and Local 728 in Atlanta led the delegations. The Teamsters Union represents more than 250,000 members at UPS and UPS Freight. UPS continues as an active member of ALEC despite the state legislative group's anti-worker and anti-union agenda.

The signatures were collected during a massive petition drive led by the Teamsters, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Stand UP to ALEC, Jobs with Justice and the American Postal Workers Union.

Randy Brown, President of Local 728 and a former UPS driver, led the delegation that delivered the petitions to UPS world headquarters. He expressed his disappointment in the package delivery giant's refusal to leave ALEC:

UPS' membership in ALEC is distributing to me on a personal level. How can a company with the largest unionized workforce in the country participate in an organization that attacks the very workers that makes UPS so successful? It's time for UPS to do the right thing and leave ALEC.

Today's action is just the latest in the fight to get UPS to quit ALEC. In July, hundreds of Teamsters demonstrated outside ALEC's annual meeting in San Diego and called on the company to drop its affiliation with the group.

ALEC has served as a legislative clearinghouse which authors model bills that are often brought to state capitals by lawmakers and introduced as-is. The group also acts to connect lawmakers with corporate big-wigs. It is funded, in part, by billionaire industrialists the Koch Brothers.

D.C. paid leave bill stands up for workers

Dignity in the workplace is sorely lacking for many, especially those in low-wage jobs. That's why it's refreshing to see some elected officials fighting to change it, one piece of legislation at a time.

A new measure introduced yesterday in the nation's capital would grant 16 weeks of paid leave to nearly all part- and full-time employees in Washington, D.C. It would allow time to be taken to bond with an infant or adopted child, recover from sickness, recuperate from a military deployment or care for a sick family member.

As The Washington Post wrote:

The broad new worker benefit, enthusiastically supported by the Obama administration, would be paid from a fund created by a new tax on D.C. employers. The benefit would dwarf family-leave assistance in all 50 states and would also mark a step toward benefits offered by most European countries, where parents can take as much as a year of paid time off following the birth of a child.

America's lack of paid leave is a major mark against this country's employment system. While other nations give upwards of a year off, for example, for parental leave, only three states have enacted paid leave laws in the last decade. And at its best, it is limited to six weeks of partial paid leave.

At a time when there is increased focus on equal pay for women, the paid leave component cannot be left out. After all, policies like these will keep more women in the workforce and help fight income inequality. It also will level the playing field for those attempting to advance on the job.

Elected officials have sided often with the corporate class. So it's good to see one local government challenge the status quo and watch out for its residents. Here's hoping others will choose to do the same.

Teamster port truck driver to speak at White House summit

Driver Alex Paz will be at the White House Wednesday.

Alex Paz, a Local 848 member, will be a panelist at the first-ever “White House Summit on Worker Voice” tomorrow in Washington. As a nonunion port truck driver, Paz was misclassified for years as an independent contractor but fought for, and won, the right to be recognized as an employee.

The professional driver, a husband and father to two young children, now works for Eco Flow Transportation and is in the process of negotiating his first union contract with the company and committee of co-workers.

Paz, who is based in Los Angeles, was selected among nominees from around the country to lend his voice to the summit. The event will focus on how workers can make their voices heard in the workplace, and energize a new generation of Americans to come together and recognize the potential power of their voice at work.

At the summit, Paz will be joined by Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa and International Vice President Rome Aloise, along with union leaders, workers and employers from around the country.

President Obama will deliver opening remarks and take part in a town hall at the summit.

The summit will be livestreamed starting at 10:30 a.m. EDT here: www.whitehouse.gov/live.

Stay tuned to this blog for an interview with Paz and more on the White House Summit on Worker Voice.

Walker wants to take anti-worker platform nationwide

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a war on workers yesterday. But this time, he's going after all of America instead.

Walker, currently flailing in his attempt to capture the Republican presidential nomination, released a plan that would roll back worker rights and cut pay all for the benefit of massive corporations who could then pay less and make more. Instead of trying to address income inequality, the Wisconsin union buster is doubling down on it.

The Washington Post summarizes Walker's anti-worker platform:

On the long list of changes Walker wants to make: enact national right-to-work legislation, dissolve federal unions and repeal President Obama's labor regulations. Walker would work with Congress to enact many of these changes, "or when appropriate, use the power of the executive to make commonsense changes to some of the workplace rules set by Washington," according to an advance copy of an eight-page proposal the campaign shared with reporters.

This doesn't come as a surprise. After all, Walker made his name by embracing a platform pushed by the billionaire industrialist Koch Brothers and the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council in Wisconsin to impose so-called RTW at the expense of everyday workers. So why not spread it nationwide?

Of course, the Teamsters have challenged all efforts to implement no-rights-at-work across the country. General President Jim Hoffa, in fact, just yesterday challenged an effort to override Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of the anti-worker legislation in that state. Although the piece speaks about that RTW bill specifically, change "Missouri" to "America" and the concerns are just as valid:

If the Legislature were to override Gov. Nixon's veto, it would be harder for workers to protect their wages and job security and their voice at the workplace would be silenced. Meanwhile, big business would get even more power at a time when CEO pay has grown to 373 times that of the average worker. 

This effort needs to be called out for what it is -- a corporate-fueled attack on everyday people who are just trying to earn a living to support their families. It's part of a national effort being pushed by the same big companies and business executives who for years have boosted their profits by sending American jobs overseas. These out-of-state special interests are targeting Missouri to lower wages and cut benefits for workers so they can increase their profits even more.

Luckily for workers, it seems Walker is his own worst enemy in his run for the White House. At this point, it is unlikely he will get a chance to implement his plans himself. But workers shouldn't be naive. Other anti-worker politicians could grab hold of the mantle and punish everyday Americans themselves.

RTW is a ruse. It lowers pay and benefits. That's why workers need be aware of the issues and stay involved in the process. That way, workers win. Teamster Strong, America Stronger!

Let's get America working!

The Teamsters want greater investment, better jobs.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is unveiling a new “Let’s Get America Working” campaign in advance of the 2016 election that will encourage both Democratic and Republican lawmakers to endorse a pro-worker platform.

At the center of the platform is the need for this country to invest in infrastructure, which in turn will create good jobs for everyday Americans. Working on transportation, energy and water projects will put thousands to work in construction jobs across the country. It will also improve roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure, which in turn will help business and improve the U.S. economy.

The U.S. Labor Department’s own statistics support the Teamsters’ initiative. The median union worker earns more than $200 a week more than the median non-union worker. That’s an extra $10,000 a year that goes into the pockets of union workers. These jobs also offer health benefits and a pension.

Teamster President Jim Hoffa said:

While unemployment is down, the vast majority of jobs being created pay low wages. We can stop this trend and create good-paying union jobs if government invests in our nation’s workforce.

Infrastructure presents an opportunity to break the political gridlock. Congress in late July approved a three-month extension for spending on transportation projects that provides a temporary patch until the end of October for the continuing issue of road and rail funding. But it is not a real solution.

Since 2008, Congress has transferred more than $62 billion from the general fund to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat, and it has been more than a decade since Congress has passed a highway bill more than two years in duration. Meanwhile, the transportation system continues to crumble and the safety of those who work and travel along the vast network of U.S. roads and rails is being jeopardized. Our nation’s failure to maintain and improve our infrastructure is costing Americans more and more.

There also is a significant need to move forward with a broader agenda that puts U.S. workers first. That means standing up against lousy trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership that send American jobs overseas; protecting workers’ rights to form unions and collectively bargain; increasing affordability of college and vocational schools; and ensuring retirement and pension security for working families.

Lawmakers need to remember that dollars invested in education, job training and supporting retirement for those who worked hard all their lives helps not only individuals, but our society as a whole. These are promises each generation in this country has made to the next and we can’t forget it.

But if this nation is going to improve the lives of its citizens, Congress needs to advance bipartisan policies that will encourage good job growth. And it must put the current and future generations of workers in a position to succeed in the workforce by giving them the skills they need.

There was a time when all these issues weren’t partisan issues – they were American values, something everyone could support. But government is broken. Partisan bickering has replaced finding solutions. That’s why it’s essential for the Teamsters and like-minded allies all over the country to join together and push this message with lawmakers, colleagues, friends and family.

If elected officials from both parties want to rebuild and repair the trust between government and workers, they need to reinvest in people that have and can continue to make this country great. Better pay will lead to more spending and improve workers’ quality of life. That way everyone wins.

Let’s Get America Working! Now is the time to Build, Repair and Maintain America!