Teamsters fight back against right-to-work-for-less

You wouldn't call him a man of his word. But you could call him a weasel.

Hoosier politicians who serve corporations rather than the people who elected them might get the feeling that working people despise them.

These corporate manservants They haven't seen anything yet.

The recent passage of right-to-work legislation, by 28-22, has caused a firestorm among Indiana’s working families. They have pledged to fight both the legislation and those politicians who supported it. And our brothers and sisters are leading the charge.

Starting Friday, Feb. 17, International representatives will travel to Indiana to teach business agents about right-to-work-for-less legislation, what it means, how to work under it and, most importantly, how to overturn it.

Bobby Warnock, president of Local 364 in South Bend, said Indiana Teamsters are already developing a statewide program to educate working people—union or not—about the legislation. The core of the training will focus on the politicians who voted in favor of right-to-work legislation and why they voted the way they did. Said Warnock:

We know who supported us and who didn’t. We are going to great pains to reach out to our members, other union members, community supporters, neighbors and friends to tell them who voted for right-to-work. We’re going to remind everyone why these particular politicians voted the way they did.

Unlike Wisconsin, Indiana does not have a recall process. But all of the House seats will be up for election and re-election this November. Through education, perseverance and pure anger, Warnock hopes labor will be out in full force during the election season to vote corporate manservants out of office.

This has woke up a lot of people. The vote count was so close—we lost 28-22. One way of looking at that is, if we could have turned just four people to our side, we wouldn’t be a right-to-work state right now. On the other hand, if four more people who cared about working families had been elected, this wouldn’t have happened. There were people before who weren’t energized and didn’t think they could make a difference. I think that vote count showed them that there is power in the voting booth.

We had a governor who campaigned openly time and time again that he would never support right-to-work. Then, his very last year in office, when he’s not running again, he completely flipped and supported this legislation openly with television and radio ads. When asked who paid for those million-dollar ads, the governor refused to say. That has also angered many people here. People in Indiana feel betrayed.

Warnock encourages Hoosier Teamsters to educate their friends, relatives, and neighbors about what right-to-work will do and who supported the legislation. He encourages Teamsters in other parts of the country to write letters of support to Indiana’s working people and talk openly with any friends, relatives, or business associates they have in Indiana. Said Warnock:

We’re not giving in. It is possible to turn this over, but we’re going to need all the support we can get. Every little bit helps.

Today's Teamster News 02.03.12

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New poll demonstrates public support for manufacturing, investment in infrastructure  manufacturethis.org   ...70% of voters would be “somewhat more inclined” or “much more inclined” to vote for a presidential candidate who "has a very strong position on strengthening manufacturing industries and creating more manufacturing jobs...”
Teamsters Prepare to Strike Northern Ohio Red Cross  Local 507   ...More than 200 Teamsters who work as blood collection workers and mobile unit assistants for the American Red Cross in Northern Ohio announced today that they intend to strike on Feb. 14 over concerns about donor safety...

Goodish news on the Sotheby's front, and an awesome story...



That Upper East Side picket line.

 ...This is a terrific story about a retired teacher who took the proceeds from an auction sale and donated them to the locked out Teamsters. From ArtInfo:

Sotheby’s union art handlers have been picketing outside the auction house’s Upper East Side flagship for months. It wasn't long before people in the neighborhood began to walk by without paying much attention. One day last fall, Merry Tucker, a retired teacher, was heading to Sotheby’s offices to consign two pieces of Georgian 18th-century silver she had inherited from her mother. Rather than walk right by the Teamsters, she took a pamphlet and read up on the cause. After the sale, she decided to give a portion of the $5,000 she made to the workers, who have been locked out of their jobs since August in a protracted contract dispute.

“I thought, I never did anything to earn this money,” Tucker told us. “My mother stipulated that a lot of her estate go to charity, and when I learned about the workers’ situation I felt a lot of sympathy for them.” Tucker, who said she is appreciative of her own union-obtained health care, was particularly motivated to give after learning that the art handlers’ health insurance expired January 1. (Workers earn unemployment benefits plus an additional $200 a month from their union during the lockout. However, as of the New Year, they are no longer entitled to health care without a contract.) "I was afraid to let them [the union] release my name until I got the money from Sotheby's," Tucker said, "but the check just came."

Meanwhile, negotiations are taking a "slightly better tone," according to Julian Tysh. But the art handlers are standing firm on against Sotheby's attempt to slowly dissolve the union.

Stay strong, brothers!

Inspiration Thursday: 'Union Man Dues'

In honor of our brothers and sisters in Indiana. Singer-songwriter Turner Corn is a Hoosier and proud member of Laborers Local 795 in New Albany, Ind. The video includes footage of him playing at various spots in Indiana.

Today's Teamster News 02.02.12

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Teamsters flood Indy for huge protest against RTW4less

Thousands of working people crowded the Indianapolis streets today to protest the passage of right-to-work-for-less legislation. Our Teamster brothers and sisters were there in force, along with members of other unions, their families, their friends and their neighbors.
As many as 20,000 were estimated to have spoken out against the legislation that will lower wages for all Hoosier working families.

Said labor activist Cathy Sherwin via Twitter:

Hoosier workers as far as I can see!

Another Twitter post read:

Union member Rose has been directing traffic for 25 minutes. Marchers keep coming.

The bill passed 28-22 earlier today, despite shouts of disapproval from ever-growing crowds inside the Statehouse. Later, a rally was held outside the Statehouse lawn, followed by a march to Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be held.

Here's the AFP on what happened:

While Super Bowl players prepared for Sunday's NFL title showdown, protesting workers marched on the host stadium after a vote Wednesday by Indiana lawmakers to weaken union power in the state.

With thousands of protesters in and around the Statehouse in the shadow of the NFL host hotel, the Indiana Senate voted 28-22 for a bill that forbids companies from making deals with unions that force non-members to pay dues.

"It's a union-busting tactic all the way," said protesting carpenter Mike Coomes. "You just create more poverty. They want us to go back to slavery. We've worked 150 years to get here and they wiped it out in one vote."

Today's Teamster News 02.01.12

Indiana poised to enter right-to-work era as unions prep protest amid Super Bowl festivities  Associated Press   ...The Indiana Senate scheduled a Wednesday morning vote on the bill that, if passed, would be sent to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, who has said he will sign it as soon as it arrives on his desk...
Prison privatization plan debated in Senate  Associated Press   ...Faced with opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike, Senate President Mike Haridopolos cut off debate Tuesday on a South Florida prison privatization plan that once seemed likely to be approved and now is being harshly criticized...
In Atlanta, Housing Woes Reflect Nation’s Pain  New York Times   ....In November, prices of single-family homes were down close to 12 percent compared with a year earlier, the largest decline among major metropolitan areas, according to data released on Tuesday in the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index...
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Norwood CertainTeed settles contract with Teamsters Local 25  Norwood Patch   ...The employees voted overwhelmingly, 69-0 to accept the contract offer and will be returning to work today with full shingle and granule production beginning at that time...