Anti-unionism is real reason behind Supreme Court case

Everyday Americans are facing a real battle keeping their heads above water financially. While unemployment continues to fall, incomes aren't rising for most workers. So it is particularly troublesome that the Supreme Court seems to be setting its sites on lowering incomes for thousands of public sector employees.

On Monday, the nation's highest court heard arguments why several California public school teachers don't think they should have to pay reduced fees that cover collective bargaining costs of their contracts. Those fees, mind you, are not used for political donations. But no matter, their attorney said it's all political and violates the the First Amendment rights of plaintiffs in Friedrich v. California Teachers Association.

Attorney Michael Carver, hired by right-to-work (RTW) forces, also insisted the case would not hurt unions:

Their burden of justification is much higher, because they can’t possibly show that abolition of the agency fees would lead to demise of unions.

Of course, that's exactly what it would do, and why the plaintiffs brought the case in the first place. And the Supreme Court appears ready to side with them, according to numerous media reports. As columnist Dana Milbank wrote in The Washington Post:

The huge political consequences of the case were unstated in the chamber, but the argument was at times as partisan as a debate on the House floor. Carvin frequently interrupted and talked over the three female justices — classic “mansplaining,” as Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick observed from the press seats. Carvin referred to the other side’s argument as the “so-called opposition” and pronounced Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s surname as “Soto-my-ear.” At one point he quipped that he has a First Amendment right not to join the American Bar Association, “because virtually every word out of their mouth I disagree with.” Justice Samuel Alito guffawed. 

The argument was mostly for show, because there was little doubt the 1977 Abood decision will go down. This will make it easier for public-sector workers who benefit from collective bargaining but who don’t want to be in unions to avoid paying fees to the union, even for nonpolitical functions. Union finances will be further drained at a time when labor is historically weak.

Hard-working Americans deserve more than to be shunted to the side by this nation's government. But that is exactly what will happen if the high court rules with the plaintiffs in this case. Union membership will likely further decline, wages will fall and fewer and fewer workers will have access to quality health care and retirement benefits.

A recent study showed that that a reduction in union membership was responsible for more than a third of the 7.6 percent decrease in the share of workers in the middle class between 1984 and 2014. That's what's at stake with this decision. 

The Teamsters and workers can't change the decision of the Supreme Court. But both can counteract any such a ruling by continuing to organize and pushing our lawmakers for policies that benefit workers. That why the Teamsters unveiled their "Let's Get America Working" platform last year and why it will continue to fight like hell to get it implemented.

Never forget -- Teamsters Strong, America Stronger!

• Press Associates, Inc., contributed to this report.

Hall on hand to kick off defeat of RTW in W.Va.

The following is the first of what will be occasional dispatches from a Teamster on the ground about the battle to defeat so-called right-to-work (RTW) in West Virginia this year.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- We arrived yesterday, greeted by a gusty snowfall on the way into Charleston — hopefully nothing compared to last year, where West Virginians braved the coldest winter in 20 years as they fought (and successfully defeated) state lawmakers' previous attempt to pass RTW here. Once again, Teamster Nation is on-the-scene to report from the Mountaineer State.

Okla. union members spoke out against RTW today.

After a year of preparations, the day West Virginia workers have long been waiting for has finally come. The first day of the legislative session is here, and the gloves are off —
and union members are ready for the fight of their working lives.

They have long been aware that the future of their state hangs in the balance of pending RTW legislation, which, according to delegates, could be introduced in the Legislature as early as tonight, following Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s State of the State address. IBT General Secretary-Treasurer and Local 175 President Ken Hall has been leading the fight for months, appearing on television and writing op-eds to warn his fellow Mountaineers what is at stake. Today, he is set for a full day at the Statehouse.

We are just halfway through the day, and already there is much to report. The day began with a press conference with union members from the Oklahoma, who delivered their cautionary tales of what West Virginia should expect should the legislature pass RTW:

We’ve lost stable and gainful employment in my state. The so-called RTW law is an unnecessary government intrusion. Since passing in Oklahoma, too many unions are unable to negotiate contracts and thousands of jobs have been sent to Mexico.

There will be more workers from RTW states as well as academics on hand throughout the afternoon at the Statehouse today, so stay tuned for more on Teamster Nation to hear what they have to say. In the meantime, we will be with GST Hall as he prepares for an action later this afternoon before the State of the State address, where workers are planning to crowd the rotunda and tell delegates "Not In My State." In an op-ed that ran in the Charleston Gazette-Mail today, Hall gave a preview of what he plans to tell the elected officials:

Right-to-work won’t create jobs. It is only an attack on unions, plain and simple, and union jobs that provide fair wages and benefits to workers. West Virginians deserve to hear the truth and they aren’t getting it from our Senate or House leadership and certainly not from the Chamber of Commerce.

VIDEO: Here's what some will do for paid family leave

The U.S. maybe know as the Land of Opportunity, but it fails to provide many basic necessities to its workers that other nations around the world make available. 

Chief among those is paid family leave, which the Teamsters and other advocates have stood up for in the past as a necessary provision to help female and male providers better provide for their families. Currently, 87 percent of Americans don't receive any, and thus are left in a real conundrum when they have children.

Last month, the Economic Policy Institute introduced a 12-point policy for making women's lives better, and paid leave was part of it. Now, some in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry are joining in to demand it as well.

As the video above shows, their message isn't subtle. But hopefully it will be effective in bringing more dignity to workers.

New Calif. law will bring equal pay for all

Once again taking the lead where the dysfunctional U.S. Congress failed to do so, California’s legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown – with significant lobbying from the Teamsters and other unions – pushed through a strong equal pay law that brings fairness of all workers.

Jerry Brown signed the bill into law in October.

The California Fair Pay Act (CFPA), which takes effect Jan. 1, closes loopholes created since the federal Equal Pay Act passed in 1963, at least in the Golden State, home to one of every eight people in the U.S. The CFPA is among almost two dozen pro-worker laws the Democratic-run pro-labor legislature approved in its 2015 session.

The California law expands federal equal pay rights by mandating that employers pay workers, regardless of sex or gender, equally for “substantially similar” work, not just strictly equal work. Federal courts have been increasingly strict in deciding what is “equal work” the federal law covers. They’ve turned most such pay discrimination cases down.

The California law also strengthens worker protection against employer retaliation and requires firms to keep employment records, including pay records, for three years, not two.

A legal summary says California bans paying workers of the opposite sex less for "substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility." And the employer must take account of "similar working conditions," not just wages at the worksite or company branch involved.

California employers could still discriminate in pay, but only if they can show the wage differences “are due to a seniority system, merit system, a system that measures the quantity or quality of production, or a ‘bona fide factor other than sex, such as education, training, or experience,’" the law adds.

And if they cite those reasons, they must be directly job-related – and show that the factor that produces wage discrimination is “consistent with business necessity." The new law then gives workers a defense against business necessity by showing “an alternative business practice exists that would serve the same purpose without producing the wage disparity.”

The California law also bans employers from retaliating against workers who disclose their own wages, discuss other workers’ wages, ask about others’ wages or help other workers exercise their rights. But if the worker asks about wages, the
employer can refuse to answer.

If the employer is guilty of breaking the law, the worker gets back pay plus interest, an equal amount in damages, and attorney’s fees.

• Press Associates, Inc., contributed to this report.

The middle class deserves lawmakers' attention

America's middle-class majority is dead. And that's not likely to change unless dramatic economic changes are made, a new Pew Research Center report states.

The document shows that those making up the upper- and lower-income households overtook those in the middle in 2015, and Pew said it could be a tipping point for the U.S. demographically away from middle-class workers to the nation's most wealthy.

A summary of the survey tells the story:

[T]he nation's aggregate household income has substantially shifted from middle-income to upper-income households, driven by the growing size of the upper-income tier and more rapid gains in income at the top. Fully 49% of U.S. aggregate income went to upper-income households in 2014, up from 29% in 1970. The share accruing to middle-income households was 43% in 2014, down substantially from 62% in 1970.

And middle-income Americans have fallen further behind financially in the new century. In 2014, the median income of these households was 4% less than in 2000. Moreover, because of the housing market crisis and the Great Recession of 2007-09, their median wealth (assets minus debts) fell by 28% from 2001 to 2013.

This shouldn't be news to readers here. But this Pew study does detail the middle class's precipitous fall. In 1971, 61 percent of households made between two-thirds and double the nation's median income for a family of three. Now, it is just short of half.

Two major reasons for the demise of the middle class can be traced to the drop in unionization as well as lousy trade deals like NAFTA and the teed-up Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). As a result, there are fewer skilled labor jobs paying an honest wage that can support a family.

It's all part of the reason the Teamster debuted our "Let's Get America Working" platform back in September -- to push Congress to invest in this country so workers can get paid a good salary and the economy will benefit from the spending that results from increased incomes.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill took the first step last week when it approved a long-term transportation bill. But they have to follow that up by passing more policies that will help all Americans.

Higher wages won't substantially raise prices

Many low-wage employers have been waging a war of fear against raising the minimum wage upwards of $15 an hour. They put out a message, for example, that a fast-food hamburger will now cost $10 and will make products unaffordable.

But a new New York Times piece shows that just isn't the case. Where some jurisdictions have raised their local minimum wage to levels approaching $15 themselves, several restaurant chains are reporting it hasn't caused them to dramatically increase prices. Representatives from Shake Shake, Domino's Pizza, Chipotle and Chili's said prices haven't gone up more than two percent.

As the Times' article states, inflation is not likely to run rampant if salaries are increased:

The last seven years have featured flat wages in inflation-adjusted terms, combined with rising corporate profit margins, two phenomena that aren’t completely unrelated. The behavior we’re seeing out of major restaurant chains may just be a sign that this is reversing, and that worker compensation will gain at the expense of corporate profits. If that’s the case, worker pay has some room to run before consumer price inflation is a real problem.

Workers' salaries should not be held hostage by obscene corporate profit margins. Hardworking Americans have been getting the short end of the stick for far too long. They only want to be able to earn a fair wage so they can support their families. But right now, that's a real struggle for many of them.

Despite what critics of a higher minimum wage might believe, the U.S. businesses will not be devastated by an increase in the salary floor -- even to $15 an hour. Instead, raising wages will improve the economy because it will give people more money in their pockets to spend. And that's good for everyone.

Finally, more retailers are being thankful for their employees

The good news is that it seems more and more retailers are getting the message that workers should be able to spend Thanksgiving Day with their families, not toiling away at work.

The bad news? Some companies still aren't complying and probably never will. Paging Walmart ...

Anyway, employees of Costco, T.J. Maxx, Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel, American Girl, Burlington Coat Factory, The Home Depot, Marshalls and Staples won't have to be on the job next Thursday. REI, meanwhile, is doing one better -- closing Thanksgiving Day as well as Friday. They're even paying their workers too!

Walmart still refuses to close on Thanksgiving.

But that good cheer is not being extended to employees of Walmart, Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Kmart or Kohl's. They still are putting financial gains above time with family. Or so they think.

The real kick in the pants is that opening for a few hours on Thanksgiving does not even yield more profits for companies. They're just taking in funds that they would have earned eventually during the holiday shopping season anyway. So thousands of workers give up their holiday for nothing.

As The Street noted:

Labor groups have pushed back on big chains forcing employees to come in for the holiday, while consumer groups have called for shoppers to boycott going out on Thanksgiving 

And stores have started to answer -- though likely more because the strategy of opening on Thanksgiving doesn't add to the bottom line, rather than for workers' morale. Indeed, retailers are finding that being open on Thanksgiving isn't necessarily boosting holiday sales, but rather that Thursday's sales are simply coming at the expense of those on Black Friday.

Whatever the reason, it's the right call. It's time for others to do the same.

High court rulings could affect workers

The future for workers on the job could be shaped significantly by a spate of cases set to be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court during its current term. And it is something more everyday Americans need to be aware of and consider.

Already, one high court decision is being lauded by the Teamsters. The justices this week denied the petition of Amerijet International, Inc., which sought to appeal a federal appeals court ruling that said worker disputes must be arbitrated under a collective bargaining agreement regardless of whether it occurred outside of the U.S.

The case originated from the dismissal by the cargo airline of a Teamster crew member while he was flying to Trinidad and Tobago. Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division, said the justices made the right call:

It comes as no surprise that the Supreme Court would refuse to hear this case, and in doing so, uphold the Eleventh Circuit Court's reasoning that this lawsuit is without merit. The lawsuit by Amerijet is unnecessary and a blatant abuse of the legal process in an effort to circumvent the legally established standards of labor law.

But that's far from the only hurdle the Teamsters and other unions could face in front of the high court. At the top of the list is agency-fee case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. As has been mentioned here previously, if the court was to effectively institute so-called "right to work" for public sector jobs across the country, wages would likely fall far below what those in the private sector earn for the same work.

The Teamsters represent about 273,000 public sector workers, and other unions represent millions more. These government employees are everyday Americans just trying to earn a living and support their families. But that will be increasingly difficult if union rights are curtailed nationwide.

Meanwhile, two other cases warrant mentioning. The first case arose Nov. 10, when the justices heard a confused class-action dispute involving computing how much money Tyson Foods workers lost. The firm did not pay 3,300 of them at its Storm Lake, Iowa, plant for mandatory time spent putting on and taking off protective gear, such as steel aprons, goggles and heavy work boots.

As part of Tyson Foods v. Peg Bouaphakeo et al, the AFL-CIO, Chicago-based pro-worker Interfaith Worker Justice and the National Employment Law Project filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the Tyson workers. The IWJ-NELP brief told the justices that letting Tyson get away with its behavior would reward employers for breaking the law by not keeping accurate records of time their workers toiled.

The federation said the case is important to all workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act – the wage and overtime law – who are forced to sue when they don’t get paid.

And justices will hear arguments on Nov. 30 on USPS whistleblower Marvin Green’s case. Green, who is African-American, says he was “constructively discharged” – in essence, forced to quit, which is illegal under labor law – after he filed a whistleblower complaint in 2009.

His complaint arose out of a racial job discrimination claim after he sought a supervisory post in Englewood, Colo. He was turned down, because, he told federal equal employment officials, of his race. USPS later suspended Green for allegedly delaying the mail – a false charge – and the harassment and pressure forced him to quit.

The court must decide how long a whistleblower such as Green has to sue. The Postal Service argues that whistleblowers have 45 days to sue from the time the agency committed the offense – if it did. Green says the time starts from the day he was forced to quit.

• Press Associates, Inc. contributed to this report.

U.S. kids are watched by people in poverty

The availability of child care is often identified as essential to ensuring that more adults can enter the workforce. But in many places, the service is unaffordable for everyday Americans. And that includes those working in the field itself.

Some child care teachers are taking a stand for fair wages.

A report released by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) this month found that the median hourly wage for child care workers is $10.31 a hour, nearly 40 percent lower than workers in other occupations. Most of the 1.2 million nearly-all female workers in the field don't receive health insurance or other benefits either.

Elise Gould, EPI's senior economist, said that leaves a lot of workers in the lurch:

While child care is a large expense, it's not because child care workers are overpaid. Despite the critical role they play in the economy, child care workers are some of the lowest-paid workers in the country. We need a bold solution to improve the working conditions of child care workers and make child care accessible at the same time.

As it stands, in 32 states and the District of Columbia, center-based infant care costs are equal to more than a third of a typical preschool worker's earnings. And in 21 states and D.C., non-preschool child care workers would have to spend over half of their annual earnings to pay for center-based infant care.

This is yet another example of the failing American economy. Child
care workers play a necessary role that benefits the entire U.S., but they don't make a wage themselves that allows them to provide for themselves or their families.

Lawmakers need to craft solutions that benefit workers. This nation needs to find a way to allow parents to pursue employment outside the home while paying people a fair wage to engage with our greatest resource -- out future generations.

U.S. is not only country where companies don't pay their fair share

American multinational companies are making an increased habit of shifting their profits around to avoid paying taxes. And their actions aren't just hurting U.S. taxpayers, but many other nations as well.

A new report released by Public Services International, the Tax Justice Network, Oxfam and the Global Alliance for Tax Justice shows that these U.S. companies make 65 percent of their sales, employ 66 percent of their staffs and hold 71 percent of their assets in this country. But only 50 percent of their profits are kept and taxed in America.

Overall, the "Still Broken" document estimated that U.S. multinational corporations shift a quarter of their profits -- between $500 and $700 billion -- out of the U.S., Germany, the United Kingdom and elsewhere to countries like the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Switzerland and Bermuda in 2012. That same year, those same companies reported $80 billion in profits in Bermuda, more than the profits those companies reported in Japan, China, Germany and France combined.

The loss of revenue is not just effecting the world's largest economies -- known as the G20 countries. In actuality, it hits low-income developing nations like Honduras, the Philippines and Ecuador the hardest because corporate tax revenues make up a higher percentage of their national income.

Claire Godfrey,Oxfam's head of policy for its "Even it Up" campaign, said:

Rich and poor countries alike are hemorrhaging money because multinational companies are not required to pay their fair share of taxes where they make their money. The heaviest costs are being felt in the poorest countries. Under-funded public services affect everyone the world over, bu the vulnerable suffer most.

The news out of this report is not surprising, at least to those who have been paying attention. The fleecing of U.S. taxpayers by corporate America has been going on for years, with Congress doing little to stem the tide of lost tax dollars. Meanwhile, everyday workers are expected to pick up that tab.

Enough is enough! It's time to bring those profits home to the U.S. Those repatriated tax dollars could help fund badly-need infrastructure projects that would put Americans back to work earning a decent wage. Let's Get America Working!

Mo., Ky. show businesses don't need RTW

Anti-union forces pushing so-called right-to-work (RTW) legislation from state to state often tout the measure as one that will boost business creation. The thinking is RTW boosts business creation by cutting wages.

But that's just not the case, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data. It shows that in the latest numbers available, the top two states for jobs creation nationally were Missouri and Kentucky, states that currently allow collective bargaining but are being targeted by the corporate class and their legislative friends to make them RTW.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon rejected RTW earlier this year and the Legislature could not overturn his veto. He said the statistics show his state is on the right path:

Small businesses are the engines of our economy, and that’s why we’ve worked hard to help entrepreneurs turn cutting-edge ideas into high-paying jobs for Missourians. This report -- showing Missouri is not only bucking the national trend, but leading the country in new business creation -- is proof positive that our efforts are paying off in a big way.

Business creation increased in 2013 by 16.7 percent. That was followed by Kentucky at 6.1 percent. An additional 1,293 businesses were created in the Show Me State than the previous year, while the Blue Grass State created 251 more than in 2012.

Statistics show that RTW states consistently produce lower pay – thousands of dollars per year per worker -- and fewer protections for workers. But businesses justify their pro-RTW campaigns by saying RTW creates new businesses, which in turn create jobs.

However, only three right-to-work states – Nevada, Arizona and Mississippi – saw any kind of new business growth. Mississippi and Arizona grew less than half a percentage point, while Nevada, at 4.25 percent, lagged far behind Missouri. The other eight growing states, led by Missouri and Kentucky, were non-RTW.

Mike Louis, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO, said:

Right-to-work doesn’t spur new business development. Business is created through innovation and workers earning a decent wage, which they can then invest in the economy.

While Missouri, Kentucky and six other non-RTW states grew, over the same time period, 39 states saw a decrease in new business creation. Of the states that did see an increase in the number of new businesses, Missouri outperformed them dramatically – experiencing a bigger growth in new business creation than all 10 of those states, including the three RTW states on the growth list, combined.

• Press Associates, Inc. contributed to this report.

Voting begins for Clark County school workers

Ballots went out yesterday to more than 11,500 Clark County School District (CCSD) workers in Nevada. After more than a decade fighting an unfair supermajority election rule, the support staff workers at the nation’s fifth-largest school district are finally taking part in a free and fair election.

According to Local 14 Secretary-Treasurer Larry Griffith, the vote for representation by simple majority was a result of support staff's determination for strong union representation:

The unit first came to us in the early 2000s seeking strong union representation. The odds were against them but they never gave up. I couldn’t be prouder of this unit’s determination. Finally, we will put an end to the pay cuts and concessions by uniting at the bargaining table to win support staff a strong Teamster-backed contract.

CCSD support staff has already voted overwhelmingly two times in favor of Local 14 representation – in a vote tabulated Feb. 3 and in 2006. Despite democratically voting to join the Teamsters, in both elections a supermajority, 50-percent-plus-1 of eligible voters was required to unseat the unit’s current representation, the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA).

After Local 14 overwhelmingly won with 71 percent of workers voting to join the Teamsters over the ESEA in February, however, the workers rallied in protest. Following the vote, on Feb. 12, support staff united once again at the Employee Management Relation Board (EMRB).

This time their voice could no longer be ignored and the EMRB ruled in favor of a third election – this time by a simple-majority vote – take place, acknowledging that the supermajority election rule for the support staff was not in the best interest of the employees. After hundreds of workers joined Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on stage at the Teamsters Unity Conference this year, CCSD support staff launched a new campaign. This time, the rules are fair and democratic.

The excitement for Teamster representation is at an all-time high, says Carlos Pinto, head custodian at CCSD:

It’s been a long time coming, but change is finally here. We are all thrilled to become members of Local and win back what we have lost. We can’t wait to win a Teamster contract that will provide the respect workers deserve and the security our families need.

Congress needs to solve stagnant wages

The U.S. economic recovery is not what it seems. Yes, it is clear that the unemployment rate has fallen dramatically since the Great Recession ended. But the benefits that usually follow such a change, like wage hikes for everyday Americans, have been much harder to find.

In fact, low- and middle-income earners are struggling just to reach their salary levels before the recession. Nearly 15 percent of Americans lived in poverty last year, and the household median income hasn't budged in recent years. Why is that? There are a multitude of reasons.

As former labor reporter Steven Greenhouse wrote in The New York Times:

In fact, the labor market is a lot softer than a 5.1 percent jobless rate would indicate. For one thing, the percentage of Americans who are working has fallen considerably since the recession began. This disappearance of several million workers — as labor force dropouts they are not factored into the jobless rate — has meant continued labor market weakness, which goes far to explain why wage increases remain so elusive. End of story, many economists say. 

But work force experts assert that economists ignore many other factors that help explain America’s stubborn wage stagnation. Outsourcing, offshoring and imports exert a steady downward tug on wages. Labor unions have lost considerable muscle. Many employers have embraced pay-for-performance policies that often mean nice bonuses for the few instead of across-the-board raises for the many.

The Teamsters have been sticking up for workers on this issue for years, and renewed that push as part of our "Let's Get America Working" platform rolled out in September. Finally, it seems others are beginning to take notice as well. Income inequality is becoming rampant in this country. But how do we overcome it?

It begins by having Congress reject lousy trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would ship thousands of jobs overseas and reduces the wages for many that are left behind. Elected officials also need to invest in infrastructure, which in turn will create good-paying jobs. And they must allow workers to organize for more power and fairness on the job.

Lawmakers can no longer turn a blind eye to the nation's workers. They need to be recognized and represented. That means approving policies that help them, not just big business.

Report: Union membership helps the next generation

The importance of unions is something that can't be underestimated. This blog has noted it many times. However, a new report goes even further. It states union membership could even help your kids' future.

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) document says that union members make up a disproportionate amount of the middle class, due largely to the premium pay such workers receive. In addition, the offspring of union parents have higher incomes than the children of otherwise comparable non-union parents. And finally, kids hailing from communities with higher union density have higher average incomes than those from communities with lower union density.

As Business Insider wrote:

The correlation, the study said, could have serious implications in the way that the public thinks about unions.

"A strong union movement is not simply sufficient for high levels of intergenerational mobility and middle-class membership, but it could be necessary," wrote the researchers.

"If that is the case, it will be difficult to meaningfully increase intergenerational mobility and rebuild the middle class without also rebuilding unions or some comparable worker-based organizations."

The Teamsters have been outspoken advocates for union membership as well because it helps everyday Americans. It's a fact, as Bureau of Labor Statistics' data shows the median union worker makes more than $200 a week than the median non-union one.

Increasing union density is a top goal of the Teamsters' "Let's Get America Working" platform. Union jobs give hardworking Americans a path into the middle class, as the NBER report attests. That's why unions and workers need to join together. Union Strong, America Stronger!

Finally, some are getting the message on wages

What is a middle-class wage? Evidently, the United Automobile Workers (UAW) have taken a significant step towards defining it in their latest contract agreement with Fiat Chrysler.

The deal would raise the salaries of both veteran workers and newer workers up towards $30 an hour over a four- and eight-year period, respectively. Those salaries, in turn, will set a standard that even non-union foreign carmakers in the U.S. will feel pressured to follow, as The New York Times stated. In short, the effort shows the power organized labor. But it also shows the importance of efforts like the Teamsters' "Let's Get America Working" campaign. As the Times points out:

Clearly, unions can lift middle-class wages to a point, but more needs to be done. Higher federal spending on necessary public projects would lift pay by creating jobs; stricter laws on worker classification would ensure that employees are not wrongly denied overtime and benefits.

Of course, there are others in the private sector who also realize more has to be done to combat income inequality in this country. Earlier this year, for example, Seattle-based Gravity Payments announced it would pay all of its 120 workers at least $70,000 a year. The move by founder Dan Price didn't bankrupt the company; in fact, profits soared.

Even some franchisers, like one who owns a handful of Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants in northern Colorado, is raises wages. Steve Laurer told the Greeley Tribune the move will not only help his workers, but his businesses as well.

It is good to see that some employers are getting the message. But there is still a long ways to go for most workers. Misclassification, as the Times mentioned, is a huge problem for port truck drivers and workers in other industries like construction as well. Too many companies are still interested in pocketing all the profits at the expense of their employees.

As we enter the 2016 political campaign season, candidates and elected officials need to listen to the voices of everyday Americans. They are being treated unfairly and have had enough. Those who choose to oppose them do so at their own peril.

Sanders, Pocan unveil card check bill

Card check recognition -- which unions and their allies call “majority sign-up” -- is the key feature of a labor law reform measure Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) introduced this week.

Sen. Bernie Sanders

The Workplace Democracy Act, announced the day before a White House summit on workers rights, also would mandate mediation and arbitration between labor and management if they don’t agree on a first contract following union certification.

Card check recognition and first contract arbitration are two key provisions of the former Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a large rewrite of federal labor law which unions and their allies started pushing almost a decade ago. Another section – high and multiple fines for corporate labor-law breaking – was in a separate bill, the Wage Act, unveiled in September.

Sen. Sanders said:

Millions of Americans who want to join unions are unable to do so because of the coercive and often illegal behavior of their employers. The benefits of joining a union are clear: higher wages, better benefits and a more secure retirement. If we are serious about reducing income and wealth inequality and rebuilding the middle class, we have got to substantially increase the number of union jobs in this country. 

Card check recognition mandates that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certify a union represents workers if a simple majority of them sign valid authorization cards, rather than going through the time-consuming, often-delayed NLRB election process. Firms often abuse and manipulate the elections process, besides openly breaking labor law during campaigns. The Sanders-Pocan bill also says that once the union is recognized, the firm must open bargaining within 10 days.

If they can’t agree on a pact within 90 days, the union or the bosses can seek compulsory mediation. If they still can’t agree after a month of that, they submit remaining issues to binding arbitration.

• Press Associates, Inc., contributed to this report. 

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.

New jobs don't make dent in U.S. poverty rate

The U.S. economic recovery is not everything it might seem to be at first blush. Anyone looking at the number of jobs created or the falling unemployment rate would certainly be encouraged by the nation's path forward since the end of the Great Recession, for instance.

But when it comes to standard of living, however, the economy is not delivering. In nearly every state in the nation, the poverty rate remains higher than where it stood pre-recession. And despite the growth in jobs, poverty overall has remained persistent, according to new U.S. Census Bureau statistics this month.

Data culled from the 2015 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement found:

• Changes in income inequality between 2013 and 2014 were not statistically significant as measured by the shares of aggregate household income.
  
• The poverty rate for families and the number of families in poverty were 11.6 percent and 9.5 million in 2014, neither statistically different from the 2013 estimates.
  
• In 2014, 6.2 percent of married-couple families, 30.6 percent of families with a female householder and 15.7 percent of families with a male householder lived in poverty. For married-couple families, both the poverty rate and the number in poverty increased. For families with a female householder, the poverty rate was not statistically different from 2013, while the number in poverty declined. Neither the poverty rates nor the estimate of the number of families in poverty showed any statistically significant change between 2013 and 2014 for families with a male householder.

Here's one thing we do know -- the jobs being created are paying low wages. They don't allow everyday Americans to earn enough to support their families. They are not going to put this country on a real path to economic recovery.

That's why the Teamster rolled out a plan earlier this month called Let's Get America Working that would create good-paying jobs by investing in infrastructure and vocational education. These are sustainable opportunities that will help not only workers, but U.S. businesses as well.

It's time for America to move beyond being a fast-food jobs nation. It must become a real jobs nation that provides employment that gives respect and dignity to workers.That's how this country will truly get back on track.

Increased job deaths show need to focus on workplace safety

Why do we need unions? The reasons are many, but a key statistic released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlights an often-overlooked one -- to monitor workplace safety.

Too many people die at the workplace. The Labor Department reported that 4,679 workers were fatally injured on the job in 2014, up two percent from the previous year. The numbers were particularly grim for the workforce's oldest participants, who saw fatalities rise by nine percent. The 1,621 recorded deaths for those 55 and over is the highest since the agency began tracking such numbers in 1992.

Labor Secretary Tom Perez said the numbers are not acceptable:

Far too many people are still killed on the job -- 13 workers every day taken from their families tragically and unnecessarily. These numbers underscore the urgent need for employers to provide a safe workplace for their employees as the law requires.

Construction injuries – many of them falls – killed 874 workers last year, up from 828 the year before, BLS reported. The construction death rate is triple the death rate among all workers from occupational injuries, which was 3.3 per 100,000 last year, unchanged from 2013.

Meanwhile, BLS said 181 oil and gas extraction workers died on the job last year, 17 percent more than the year before. That industry’s death rate was 14.1 per 100,000 workers, second only to agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (24.1 deaths per 100,000 workers) in fatality rates. The most-dangerous occupations last year were loggers (109.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers), fishers and related occupations (80.8), aircraft pilots and engineers (63.2) and roofers (46.2).

Some of the most economically vulnerable workers are also among groups with high on-the-job death numbers. Perez called 789 Hispanic-named workers who died on the job last year a figure that’s “unacceptably high.” And 827 of 2014’s dead workers were foreign-born.

Unions have a long history of overseeing safety concerns. That's because the Teamsters and others labor groups have workers’ interests at heart. Legislation like so-called right-to-work hampers their ability to do so. Workers don't feel safe to air their concerns when they don't have an advocate.

Everyday Americans deserve better. That's why the Teamsters and other unions continue their push to make workplace safety a reality.

• Press Associates contributed to this report.

Possible government closure is politics at its worst

Same stuff, different year. It's certainly true when it comes to a budget crisis in D.C.

If it seems like Congress has been down this federal government shutdown road before, that's of course because it has. As usual, it is one issue that a few lawmakers have gotten a bee in their bonnet about that is causing this. And they are willing to close the doors to the Capitol and throw millions out of work temporarily to prove their point.

Workers protested the last federal shutdown in October 2013.

Even though the public has time and again shown it doesn't support government shutdowns for whatever reason, that isn't stopping the most conservative elements of Congress from pushing for it. And if those on Capitol Hill decide to do it again, it will be yet another shining example of broken government.

As The Fiscal Times wrote:

Washington begins this week on high alert, with the very real prospect that federal workers will be sent packing, government buildings and museums will be shuttered and national parks and the Washington Monument will be closed to the public in a week and a half unless both sides come to their senses. Politics are as fractured as ever today, with right wing Republicans not only battling with President Obama and the Democrats over spending issues and the Iran nuclear deal, but also threatening to topple their own leaders.

The Teamsters, as part of our "Let's Get America Working" campaign, have stressed the need for government to work in a bipartisan manner to improve the lives of workers and the economy. Any move that shutters the government, obviously, doesn't help accomplish that goal. In fact, it just makes people more angry.

This union is pushing for rebuilding, repairing and reinvestment not only because it will improve infrastructure, but as a way to rebuild and repair the trust between government and workers by reinvesting in people that have and can continue to make this country great. Better pay will lead to more spending and improve our quality of life. That way we all win.

Nobody wins, however, when the federal government is shut down. Not politicians, not corporations, not the economy. And certainly not everyday Americans just trying to support their families.