SHORT STAFFED WORKPL ACE
TYLER VASSEUR
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS, BRANCH 9
M A I L C a r r i e r
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Great Resignation,” an aging workforce, cost cutting measures from Postmaster General DeJoy’s disastrous 10-Year Plan, and poor working conditions have created a staffing crisis for the post office. In many areas letter carriers are working forced overtime of 10, 12, and even 14 hours a day, and entire towns and communities are experiencing mail delays of up to a week or more. We’ve been told to file grievances against management in hopes the sheer amount of them will force federal arbitrators to intervene, but grievances filed in July have still not been processed! National bargaining in our union started on February 22 and a lot is at stake. In 2022, NALC (National Association of Letter Carriers) Branch 9 in Minneapolis formed an Organizing Committee. The purpose of this committee was to help build solidarity and support for other unions who are going on strike or for organizing campaigns, and to organize internally within our union and strengthen rank and file involvement. Organizing Committees like this should be formed in every NALC branch across the country. We need clear demands to energize our membership. This includes abolishing the two-tier payscale. Start new hires on the Table 1 (meaning an immediate raise for new hires from $19 to $32 an hour), raise max pay to $42 (similar to UPS), end mandatory overtime, and fully fund the post office to hire staff. Clear demands like this should be linked to building public rallies across the country to mobilize public support behind the post office, an agency that polls show is viewed multiple times more favorable than Congress. J
JOE SUGRUE
NORTHSHORE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
T E A C H E R
In the last two years, public education lost about 7% of its educators. A survey done by the NEA last year found that an alarming 55% of teachers have made plans to leave before retirement. Teachers are fed up with comparatively low wages, increasing behavioral challenges, feeling disrespected and safety concerns, excessive paperwork and planning, and lack of administrative support. This is deeply unfortunate, both because of the necessity of a strong public school system, and because most teachers join the profession in the first place with a passion for educating. Rank-and-file teachers need to become active and organized in their unions, and not buy into negotiating tactics such as “interest-based bargaining” which see the district and the workers as equal partners. Also, we should not view “the district” as the only enemy, because sometimes it is true that the district itself has no more money to give; that responsibility lies squarely with the politicians who have been unwilling to tax the rich to fully fund education. All educators need an immediate 25% raise and reimbursement for classroom expenses. We need tuition reimbursement for people entering the field. There is much more we can do to make the job better. Educators need more control over curriculum, input over testing and professional development. We need to fully fund public schools and end the expansion of charter schools, many of which are non-union, for-profit, and ineffective. We need real solutions to the deep social crises our students face, including free breakfast and lunch, common sense gun control, etc. None of this will happen if our unions continue to support the same corporate politicians, mostly Democrats, who caused the crisis educators face. J
MARCH 2023
U N I O N W O R K E R S O N T H E S TA F F I N G C R I S I S ADAM BURCH
AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION, LOCAL 1005
B U S D R I V E R
Metro Transit is down some 300 drivers from the normal 1,200 bus drivers. Transit workers were among the hardest hit during the pandemic. Politicians, mainly Democrats, have taken the opportunity to propose cuts to services. Safety is a big issue, but more police isn’t the answer. This narrow focus doesn’t address the structural issues that put operators and riders at risk, and make the job seem impossible. Transit workers’ wage increases have not kept up with inflation, which is why ATU 1005 is demanding a cost of living adjustment back in our contract this year, along with a series of proposals to expand transit, make it safe, and bring back ridership. Unfortunately, the ATU International President John Costa is pointing in the opposite direction, blaming reduced fares for the crisis, doubling down on a failed strategy scapegoating homeless people while cheerleading the same politicians who created this mess. Skilled social worker teams should be employed to rapidly respond to potentially dangerous situations to de-escalating conflict and offer state resources to those that need them. We need to reduce fares, end chronic short-staffing, and expand transit routes. Studies have shown that there is safety in numbers. Assaults are more likely to occur when there are fewer people on trains and buses. We need to tax the rich and fully fund housing, health care, and social services. There is a direct correlation between the chronic underfunding of healthcare, housing, and basic social services, and the increase in antisocial behavior. Without real answers to these structural issues, transit operators and riders are forced to the front lines of this social crisis. J
MARTY HARRISON
PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF STAFF NURSES AND ALLIED PROFESSIONALS
N U R S E
Health care workers and patients are in a desperate situation created by our profit-driven health care industry, then exacerbated by the profound crisis of the pandemic. Thousands of our co-workers left the field forever. Young workers have taken up the challenge, but there are too few seasoned, experienced workers to provide them with the on-the-job training they need to be competent. Patients are suffering. Their meds are late, they are in pain. All because we are short-staffed. Ongoing supply chain disruptions mean that every day, some essential medication, supply, or piece of equipment is unavailable. The massive pandemic-related stimulus to the hospitals and relaxation of Medicaid income limits for patients, which benefited so many, are winding down. This combination is setting up a perfect storm of budget cuts, hospital closures, and benefit denials which will further undermine public health and our ability to combat the next crisis. Patients need Medicare for All with mental health care, dental care, and preventative care. Restoring public health will require real investment in treating underlying social crises which are manifesting as opioid abuse and gun violence. Millions of healthcare workers are not yet members of any union. Healthcare workers’ unions must launch a national organizing drive to bring these workers into the struggle for our patients and our livelihood. To win, our unions must take a fighting, class struggle approach and be prepared to strike, to shut our institutions down, until the boss delivers what we need to provide safe, quality care at the bedside. J
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