LABOR TODAY
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Published by Labor United in Class Struggle Spring/Summer 2015 “The workers create all value!”
Let’s Stop the Attacks on Our Labor Rights! By Daniel Vila For some forty years, the business sector and the government apparatus they control have waged a relentless war against all the rights workers had gained at the cost of thousands of lives and countless battles. The percentage of US workers belonging to unions has been drastically reduced, labor laws have become “flexible” in order to facilitate even greater exploitation, millions of persons have been designated “contract employees” to deny them the rights which they would otherwise enjoy if they were classified as “workers”, socalled right-to-work laws have been approved in many states, millions of full-time jobs with benefits have been eliminated and replaced with part-time, temporary jobs with no benefits. Finally, wage theft has grown to epidemic proportions with an estimated $1 billion dollars withheld from workers nationally every day by employers. The courts and state labor departments are worthless since they almost always favor employers. And most unions have fallen into the hands of corrupt officials who are more interested in personal gain and collaborating with the bosses than defending the rights of workers or organizing new members. We should point out that these attacks on our rights as workers increased shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. After that the powerful capitalists here saw no reason to concede to the demands of the working class and tried to convince us that socialism was defeated permanently. Indeed, many of those rights were won as a result of the fierce struggles waged by US workers led by Communists and Socialists since the beginning of the 20th Century. So where do we start in order to regain and increase our labor rights? 1. We need to regroup the dispersed forces of the working class, just as a military force would after a serious whipping on the battlefield. Although many unions have degenerated into tools of class collaboration, millions of unionized and non-unionized workers throughout the US strongly want to fight back! Today, more than ever, we have the tools to communicate with liked-minded workers whom we may not even know. At the workplace, in our communities and by using social media, we can link up with other people
interested in stopping the advance of anti-labor measures. We should begin in our unions, organizing small groups of rebels willing to resist and turn back the reactionary tide! These groups may have to be secret at first but should come out publically after gaining strength. 2. Create union-like labor organizations which defend labor and human rights by and for workers who have no union representation. Over the past decades, hundreds of so-called “workers’ centers” have been created across Continued on page 4
Government and private sector workers are under vicious attacks by the corporate elite. All labor rights and civil liberties are being restricted and gradually eliminated. Its time for all workers to unite and launch our fight-back!
Don’t Let The 1% Steal The People’s Post Office By John Dennie The ruling class is on the cusp of one of their greatest victories – the naked theft of what has been a service operated for the public good since 1775: The People’s Post Office. Since the 1970’s, when the Post Office was required by the Postal Reorganization Act to be operated on a ”business-like” basis, right-wing think tanks like The Cato Institute (heavily funded by the Koch Brothers) and The American Enterprise Institute have been trumpeting full privatization for the Postal Service. The question is not whether the Post Office will be privatized, but rather can the piecemeal privatization of the past 40 years be reversed. Mail is hauled by private freight companies not represented by the IBT; the likes of JB Hunt have a huge share of this market. Mail is processed in non-union plants for the benefit of large corporate mailers. These companies receive huge discounts from the USPS for their “pre-sorting,” in many cases bringing the revenue received down below the cost of processing. And now USPS management has cut a dirty deal with the Staples chain to operate postal counters in all of their 1500 stores. Make no mistake: this is a union-busting move designed to replace good-paying union jobs at the Post Office with low-wage “associates.” So, who are the beneficiaries of postal privatization? Monopoly enterprises like Staples
(currently in merger talks with Office Depot); the big non-union freight haulers like J. B. Hunt); the big corporate mail consolidators and pre-sorters like Piney-Bowes and Quad Graphics (almost completely non-union despite the unionization drive launched some years ago and then aborted by a previous APWU administration); huge real estate firms like CB Richard Ellis, (a board member and former CEO, Richard Blum is married to Diane Feinstein, Senator from California), which has a no-bid contract to sell off the nation’s post office buildings, often to their clients in deals where they represent both buyer and seller. In short, the beneficiaries are the corporate class. And who suffers from the dismantling of this national treasure?
Rural people: it is not profitable to deliver in rural areas and UPS and FedEx currently hand off rural deliveries to the USPS; --The under-banked who are currently paying a huge premium to the payday lenders and the check-cashing industry. The unions and their allies in the community have been pushing for re-instituting postal banking including loans, but the current chair of the Postal Governors, Mickey Barnett has served as a lobbyist for the payday loan industry in New Mexico--Any reduction in postal employment disproportionately affects African-Americans who make up some 22% of postal employees; in fact adding Asians and Latino/Latinas brings the non-white component of the postal workforce to 40%; and the 25% of postal workers who are veterans will be impacted as well. So, what can we do? Contact our representatives in Congress and urge them to remove the $5 billion albatross which requires the USPS to prefund its retiree health benefits at 100% for 75 years into the future; members of unions can ask their locals to cancel any contracts for purchase of office supplies from Staples; educate ourselves with the truth about the value of a public postal service operated for the benefit of we the people (see the website: www. savethepostofice.com) “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone.”
Contact Us! Labor Today P.O. Box 1641 Manhattanville Sta. New York, NY 10027 718-667-4740 LaborToday@hotmail.com
Why the AFL-CIO Should Join WFTU Capitalism is going global; labor organizations should too
By Joseph Hancock
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is the largest trade Editorial Board: Angelo D’Angelo union federation in Retiree, American Federations of the world. In our Teachers, Local 2* hemisphere, the only Jessica Colon unions not affiliated Non-union federal employee with it are in the John Dennie USA and Canada. National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Why? Because AFLLocal 300* Tracy Ford CIO leaders are tied International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to the politics and Local 97* history of the past, and can’t seem to move Jim Greene beyond the cold war era. Former member, Local 107, DC 1707, The year 1949 was the unofficial start AFSCME* of the cold war, the competition between Joseph Hancock capitalist and socialist economies. The American Federation of Musicians, Local 47* United States represented what was David Maynard referred to as the “free world,” the leader American Federation of Government of the capitalist world economy, while Employees, Local 0547* the USSR represented the leadership of Daniel Vila the socialist world economy. A lot has Sisa Pakari Labor Center changed since then, both politically and Ed Wlody economically. Our trade union leaders Public Employees Federation, Division 326* have to change too, or risk going out of existence. Should this happen in the *Organizations for identification United States, American workers will be purposes only the losers. That is why at this time in history, it How do the rich get richer is urgent to unite all workers into one from the labor of the workers? labor federation that is worldwide and can have the greatest impact on the working conditions of all workers around the world. That is why the AFL-CIO must take the lead and begin talks with the WFTU about working together. The politics of the AFL-CIO are largely determined by the U.S. State Department and the USAID organization. The AFLCIO receives millions of dollars from these sources to undermine legitimate trade unions in other countries. The leadership must develop an independence Join a New York City reading from the U.S. government if it is interested group on Karl Marx’s Value, Price in growth. and Profit. It is no accident that the decline in union We will learn how labor is the membership began about the same time as source of all value, and how those the cold war began. Capitalist economies who hire labor power, the capitalists, were not able to compete with the socialist make their profit from the surplus ones. We now find ourselves in a situation value produced by those workers. where there are more union members in Contact us at: 646-351-2508. the public sector than the private sector.
That is why the Postal Service is under attack. It’s highly unionized. That’s why Ronald Reagan busted the air traffic controllers union in the 1980’s. Too many union members fighting back! Good paying union private sector jobs are being replaced by jobs at Walmart and McDonalds that offer employees no health insurance or other benefits. Workers are forced to live on federal subsidies to make ends meet. In other words, the government is subsidizing these large non-union corporations with tax-payment money. It is going to take a worldwide effort to organize these corporations. All the more reason why the AFL-CIO should coordinate its efforts with their brothers and sisters at the WFTU. No matter whether it’s teachers in Cuba, electricians in Mexico, or miners in Peru and Chile, the WFTU is there. And so should be the AFL-CIO. All over our hemisphere the WFTU is organizing and defending workers’ rights and building effective organizing strategies. Where is the AFL-CIO? They are immersed in the defeatist politics of the Democratic Party and retreat and concessions. It’s a fact that most workers don’t belong to either of the two major parties. They remember that whatever workers give away, they never get back. The AFL-CIO’s history is one of concessions and compromises with capital which is represented by the Democratic Party, a house of millionaires. Free enterprise means freedom to exploit workers, and to super exploit workers of color and women. The WFTU is the only trade union federation that has the strategy and tactics necessary to end this shameful history. A united front of all workers is what is needed at this time. It is up to union members and AFL-CIO affiliates to demand it. It’s time to join the WFTU!
New York City Workers’ Contracts Lead to Declining Real Wages We need workers’ caucuses that will lead a fightback By Jim Greene New York’s former mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, had refused to negotiate new contracts with the municipal workers in his last term on office. Unfortunately, the bureaucratic leadership of our unions refused to fight, and put their hopes in the new mayor to provide better contracts for their members. When liberal Democrat Bill de Blasio took office last January, he set about negotiating new contracts. But they have all contained raises that are below the rate of inflation, leaving workers even worse off that they were before. For example, the largest city union, DC 37, covering some 120,000 workers in most city agencies, signed a new contract last year that provided wage increases of 10% over 7 years (including retroactive increases back to 2010), but over the life of the contract, prices are expected to go up by some 15%, leaving the workers about 5% short in what their wages can buy. Similarly, TWU Local 100, representing 34,000 bus and subway workers, signed a 5-year contract retroactive to 2012, with total raises of 8%. However, the total rate of inflation for that period is expected to be more than 9%, again leaving the workers poorer than before, particularly after one adds an extra .5% wage reduction Consumer Price Index: for the increase in Urban Wage and health-care payment. Clerical Workers Moreover, under Year Annual increase the new contract, 2.1% it will take new 2010 3.6% hires 5 years until 2011 2.1% they reach full pay, 2012 further dividing 2013 1.4% them from current 2014 1.5% workers. Average 2.14% Finally, the http://data.bls.gov/pdq/ UFT, representing SurveyOutputServlet
some 100,000 public school teachers and paraprofessionals, signed a 9-year contract retroactive to 2009, providing for a total raise of 18%. But again, including the expected future rate of inflation, prices will rise over 20% in that period, once again leaving the teachers behind. Furthermore, the contract provides for merit pay and the use of student scores on standardized tests in evaluating teachers, both old Bloomberg demands. All these contracts were ratified overwhelmingly by the members. The lowest approval rate was by the UFT, where some 23% voted “No.” Why did the great majority of the workers vote for contracts that left them worse off than before, and why did a much larger percentage of the teachers vote “No”? First, so many workers voted for the new contracts because they thought that they were as good as they could get. Also, the retroactive wages and in some cases a so-called “signing bonus” (basically a bribe to get the workers to vote “Yes”), meant a few thousand more dollars, which could help pay some bills in this time of continuing crisis for working people. But why did a larger percentage of teachers vote “No”? Because in the UFT there is an organized opposition in the form of the MORE caucus (Movement of Rank and file Educators). Despite its serious weaknesses, MORE campaigned actively for a “No” vote. In earlier years, many municipal as well as private sector unions had caucuses of active members who opposed the bureaucratic leadership of most of the unions. One of the largest was New Directions in the TWU. This caucus was finally undermined by its own success. In 2000, its candidate, Roger Toussaint, won the election for the presidency of the TWU. Shortly after, he decided that the caucus was no longer necessary and had it disbanded. Without a rank and file organization among the members,
he cut short the 2½ day strike in 2005, which had won for members a small wage increase but also accepting a provision that members for the first time pay 1.5% of their salary for health insurance. A caucus is an important tactic for workers to combat bureaucracy in the unions. It is completely legal, and can be used to ensure that the rank and file have a voice regardless of who is in the union leadership. Such a caucus should have a clear platform based on the needs of the members in that particular union. It should be open to workers of all political views who agree with the platform. If you want help in organizing such a caucus, please contact us.
Abolish Anti-Strike Provisions of the Taylor Law The New York State Taylor Law contains provisions against strikes by public sector unions as well as severe fines and even jail time for striking workers. These provisions have been used to stifle the militancy of these workers, and were used against TWU Local 100 during their 2005 strike. The International Labor Organization, a UN agency, declared that the Taylor Law violates the rights of workers. Of course, the U.S. government never mentions this when it criticizes governments it does not like for alleged human rights violations. The anti-strike provisions of the Taylor Law (Section 210) must be abolished for the public sector workers to be able to play their key role in New York.
Tampa Bay activist workers are fighting on numerous fronts in the class struggle. “In addition to the push for higher wages and find ways to join together in action.” By Dave Maynard At 5:00 a dinner was held for all low wage On 3/18/15 a march by 200 fast food workers unionization, the Florida Fight for $15 is also and their allies was made to several fast food committed to creating racial and social justice, as workers including fast food, home healthcare, establishments across from Tampa’s Busch well as enabling community and labor solidarity. adjunct professors and graduate assistants at the Gardens. A rally was held at the McDonalds there. While we may all be aiming for different policy University of South Florida Interdisciplinary All of the restaurants cater to tourists. The workers change, our struggles are all related. We are all Science Building. It was followed by a Forum that had two main demands. The first was a $15 an hour committed to undoing systemic economic, racial, featured community representatives from underpaid wage. The second was recognition by the fast food and social injustice. It’s crucial that we listen to the unorganized labor. The Forum was lively with corporations of whichever union the workers chose. voices of those engaged in parallel struggles, and many stories being told. What marks the day’s activities Union recognition is ultimately a most is that the whole community was more important demand because involved including the university, the bargaining collectively results in ninth largest in the country. improvements for workers while On Saturday 3/21/15 there was a bargaining as an individual is Parade and Concert in St. Petersburg usually fruitless and is a form of by farmworkers and their allies in begging. support of the Fair Food Campaign During the march there were led by the Coalition of Immokalee honks of support from motorists on Workers. Attendance was large busy Busch Boulevard. Some of and the music was the best. The the customers at the McDonalds, performers included internationally including foreign tourists, voiced famous Ozomatli and Grammy Award their support for the marchers. winner La Santa Cecilia. Several of the participants said our banner (our Party’s) was the best El Pueblo Unido and we should lead the march back Jamas Sera Vencido. to the staging area which it did. Workers around the country are fighting for $15 an hour an a union
The Oil Strike – A Return to Labor Militancy
By Jessica Colon
The most dangerous job in America
Picket at refinery in Whiting, Indiana In the 1940’s, there were nearly 5000 strikes on average per year! In China last year (according to the Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin), there were 14,000 strikes, yet, in the US there was a record-breaking low of only 11 strikes during the same period. In an age where strikes are literally almost non-existent, the United Steel Workers Union (USW) called for a strike on February 1 to protest unfair labor practices and unsafe working conditions. Beginning in 9 locations, it quickly spread to 15 and encompassed over 7,000 members! Across the U.S. the USW represents more than 30,000 workers in over 230 refineries, oil terminals, pipelines and petrochemical facilities. Of these, 65 are refineries that process nearly two-thirds of the crude oil in the nation.
According to the AFL-CIO, there have been 27 deaths in the last 5 years and more than hundreds seriously injured. In the past 8 years, 349 fires have been reported, some of which have wrecked havoc in the communities they were located in. These are caused both by overworked workers falling asleep on the job and the oil companies hiring inexperienced workers for less money with no safety training to replace experienced ones earning more. As profits are the bottom line, these large companies are not concerned with the safety and well-being of their workers or the communities. The CEOs of the companies don’t care because it is not their lives that are on the line, but those of the workers and the communities where the industries are located. Though Chevron maintains that employees have a “stop work authority” in case of emergency, this is untrue. As USW managers attest, employees are forced to work despite leaks and serious hazards and are suspended and even fired if they try to invoke the “stop work authority”. In Conclusion
Workers have the right to safe working condition and jobs that treat them with dignity and pay a fair wage. While record profits are being made by the Ruling Class, there has been a race to the bottom in this country when it comes to workers pay and standard of living. During the 1930’s and late 1940’s, communist-led unions organized militant strikes. It was because of this militant leadership that the working class won the 40 hour work week, end of child labor, social security, unemployment insurance, and a relatively high standard of living. McCarthyism destroyed this. Today most unions have become extensions of management. Since the 1980’s, the working class has lost many of the concessions it had won from the Ruling Elite earlier. However, as they were able to wrest The Ruling Class gets raises, while the workers get crumbs concession in the past, workers can do so once again. Six times the refinery Attempting to use resentment and pit workers against each other, Shell Oil workers rebuffed Shell Oil’s offers, which all included higher wages, but and the mainstream media have vilified the workers thoroughly, claiming that would not address unsafe labor practices and conditions or quality of life oil workers earn more than double what the average US workers earns and are improvements. As of this date, however, management has finally capitulated demanding even more, especially during hard economic times. This despite and is negotiating with the workers over these issues in addition to potential the fact that the main demand of the USW is not for higher wages, but for yearly raises of 12% over 4 years. The oil strike shows that even in a bad safer work conditions and practices. Moreover, the CEOs make an average of economy it is possible to make demands and win concession. It is just a $14 million per year and the big oil companies earn over $26 billion in profits question of militancy, vision, and organization. yearly – who are they to accuse the workers who produce the profits as earning too much? Negative Quality of Life While CEOs go on luxurious vacations around the world, workers have no quality of life. They are forced to endure shifts of 14 to 16 hours a day routinely for weeks at a time with consistently varying work schedules that change each week from day to night and vice versa. These long hours and varied work schedules cause exhaustion, sleeping disorders, and serious health problems. In addition, they cause family problems when workers can’t find time to spend with their children or spouses. This has led to high rates of juvenile delinquency, divorce, and even suicide.
Richmond, CA oil refinery fire
Stop Attacks on Labor Rights Continued from page 1 money from foundations and sometimes unions. As a result, they are NOT controlled by workers and are often characterized by paternalistic policies, by which “Good Samaritans” campaign on behalf of the oppressed and exploited workers. Unfortunately, even in the rare cases where the workers triumph, no organizational structures remain at the workplace and the workers who benefit from the victories do not even become members of the centers. So we propose worker-controlled Labor Centers which have paid membership that actually organize at the workplace and force employers to respect the rights of workers. With the creation of several such centers in different regions of the country, it is possible that they could unite to form a federation of such Labor Centers and launch a national offensive for labor rights. Needless to say, immigrant, Black and Latino workers would have to be at the vanguard of such Centers. 3. The third element needed to break the back of the corporate offensive against our class is for workers to stop voting for the Democratic and Republican parties. Both of those parties are totally controlled by Wall Street, and even so-called Left Democrats almost always end up supporting repressive, antiworker measures and legislation related to housing, health and education which hurts our communities. In fact, the Democrats have been just as viciously antilabor as the Republicans. They obey their true masters, the corporate elite. US workers must see ourselves as a Class and create our own political party. How this should be done must still be decided, but the first step must be to end all support for the parties of our class enemies, the corporate elite. If you would like to initiate a circle of like-minded workers in your union or a labor center to fight for greater power for our class, contact Labor Today.