WSLC Reports Today -- March 6-10, 2000

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Reports for March 6-10, 2000

FRIDAY, March 10 -- Women in Washington tell of stress balancing work, family
In today's Olympian -- Hailstorm of worker discontent brings thunder to Rotunda
...and also -- State pension bill passes
In today's Seattle Times -- Boeing strike drags down profit expectations, stock
In today's New York Times -- White House says votes lacking on Chinese trade
At the AFL-CIO website -- Minimum wage: $11 for the rich, $1 for low-wage workers
In today's Washington Post -- OSHA readies ergonomics roadshow

THURSDAY, March 9 -- Come to Olympia for SIT-IN FOR JUSTICE!
In today's Seattle Times -- Going nowhere in Olympia
In today's Olympian -- Steelworkers, state employees raise ruckus
In today's (Everett) Herald -- Unionists protest House's inaction on bills
In today's Seattle P-I -- Tempers flare after Ballard blocks bills

WEDNESDAY, March 8 -- Kaiser's financial problems continue
plus... -- Governor Locke calls for BPA "corporate citizenship clause"
In today's Seattle Times -- AFL-CIO solidarity bolsters striking Boeing engineers
In today's New York Times -- Bradley to drop out, endorse Gore
In today's Roll Call -- GOP seeks gain from defeat of China measure
In today's (Tacoma) News-Tribune -- Is special legislative session inevitable?
In today's Washington Post -- Legislation addresses pension gap

TUESDAY, March 7 -- BE THERE: Major fair trade rally April 12 in D.C.
In today's Seattle Times -- CWA boosts SPEEA aid fund
In today's Olympian -- Collective bargaining bill on "life support"
...and also -- Patients Bill of Rights passes Senate 45-1
In today's Spokesman-Review -- Kaiser to rebuild Gramercy plant

In the March 3 New York Times -- Clinton to send China trade bill to Congress soon

News from previous weeks: Feb. 29-Mar. 3 -- Feb. 21-25 -- Feb. 14-18

FRIDAY, MARCH 10
Women in Washington tell of stress balancing work, family

One in four working women in the U.S. today holds a job with normal hours at night or on weekends, as do women in Washington. Half of working women nationwide, and 42 percent in Washington state work different hours than their spouses or partners, according to a new study by the AFL-CIO. These findings help explain working women’s continuing exasperation trying to balance work and family in today’s "24-7 economy."

As they move into this election season, working women in Washington and across the nation also report remarkable unanimity in their top legislative priorities: equal pay, paid family leave, health care and retirement security were the top concerns of women despite race, income or educational level.

The study, entitled "Working Women Say...", is based on a new national telephone survey of 765 working women over the age of 18 nationwide, conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates, Inc. research. The survey was commissioned by the AFL-CIO, which with more than five million working women members is the nation’s largest organization of working women. The study included an oversample in Washington and offers state-specific results here and in four other states.

"Working women in Washington mirror the concerns of women across the nation," said Susan Levy, Vice President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. "Their top concerns—equal pay, health and retirement and family leave—will sway their votes in November."

The survey found that while most working women today feel secure on their jobs, nearly one in four Washington women say at least part of their working hours are in the evenings or on the weekends. Women in the lower income brackets are more likely to work irregular hours. Equally striking is that 42 percent of women who are married or living with a partner say they work different schedules. That's just slightly less than the 46 percent who say this is true nationwide.

"Surprising numbers of working women in Washington state are doing without the basic benefits they need to care for their families," said Diane Sosne, President of District 1199NW/SEIU, a union that represents predominantly health care workers most of whom are women. "They say they don’t have sick leave, paid leave to care for a baby or sick family member, and child care benefits."

The realities highlighted by the survey help explain why women’s top legislative priorities are paid family leave, health care, retirement security and equal pay—no matter what their race, income or educational level. The survey found:

-- Women strongly support measures to help them meet family obligations while working. An overwhelming 83 percent of working women say that expanding the Family Medical Leave Act and providing paid leave is important to them. In Washington, the corresponding number was 79 percent. Thirty-four percent of women nationwide say their employers don’t offer flexibility over their hours—in Washington, the number was 31 percent. Fifty-four percent of U.S. women don’t have paid leave to care for a baby or sick family member (45 percent in Washington), and 74 percent don’t have child care benefits (75 percent in our state).

-- Across the board, stronger equal pay laws are working women’s No. 1 legislative priority, with a full 87 percent saying it’s important. In Washington, 89 percent said strengthening equal pay laws is important. Statistics show that working women earn only 73 cents to the dollar than men earn, even as corporate profits and productivity soar.

-- Women are keenly aware that they need better health care benefits, with more then 44 million Americans uninsured. Roughly one-quarter of working women say their jobs don’t offer secure, affordable health insurance, as do 23 percent in Washington. The vast majority of working women, 84 percent, and (87 percent in Washington), say making quality health care more affordable is important.

-- Finally, because women will earn less and accumulate less wealth during their lifetimes, they are far more likely than men to retire poor. More than a quarter of all working women don’t receive a pension or retirement benefits on the job, which is also true for 25 percent of Washington women. That’s why legislation to improve pensions and protect Social Security is a top priority—fully 84 percent of working women in Washington say it is important.

Working women say they want a strong voice in the workplace and they want respect—they see working together as the way to achieve their goals. More than three-quarters of women say respect and recognition for a job well done is what they want most on the job—that figure rises to 84 percent among women making less than $25,000 a year. More than eight in 10 working women (82 percent) say they want the backing of an organization, as do 85 percent in Washington.

These findings echo the results of another AFL-CIO poll, done by Peter Hart Research Associates, Inc. in 1999, which found that women are more likely than men to say they would vote for a union tomorrow if given the chance. Working women who are members of unions already experience the benefits of working together. They are more likely than women without a union to have employer-provided pension and health benefits, equal pay, paid sick leave and family leave. Women who have a union make 35 percent than women without one, according to 1999 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

"Washington women are forming unions because they want to be heard, and they know that working together will give them a stronger voice," said Maureen Bo, Business Manager of Office and Professional Employees Local 8, one of the fast-growing unions in Seattle which represents predominantly women.

The "Working Women Say..." study is part of a yearlong project by the AFL-CIO Working Women’s Department to highlight women’s issues and concerns going into the 2000 elections. The AFL-CIO hosted 5,000 group discussions in workplaces, kitchens, conference rooms and town halls across the country, and followed up with the survey.

The release of the study will kickoff the AFL-CIO’s Working Women 2000 Conference in Chicago, March 11-12, which will bring together more than 5,000 working women from around the nation. Vice President Al Gore and once-jailed Indonesian labor activist Dita Sara will be among the honored guests.

A delegation of members of the Washington State Labor Council Women's Committee will be attending the conference in Chicago.

(Also check out today's Washington Post story, "No average workdays for women, study finds".)

THURSDAY, MARCH 9
Come to Olympia for SIT-IN FOR JUSTICE

A spontaneous overnight sit-in is NOW IN PROGRESS inside your State Capitol Building in Olympia, protesting the refusal of Republican Co-Speaker Clyde Ballard to allow the democratic process to proceed for two labor-supported bills that already have enough votes to become law.

Please clear your schedule, and come to Olympia NOW to participate in this critical struggle. Contrary to some press reports, this fight is not over until the final gavel falls. It appears as though the session will be extended past today's conclusion of the "regular session."

All day long (and then some, if necessary), union supporters will be outside the doors of the House Chambers in the Capitol Building shouting for Ballard to DO THE RIGHT THING and allow votes on a bill to grant collective bargaining rights to state employees and to allow locked-out workers, like Kaiser Aluminum's, to receive unemployment benefits.

DON'T MISS OUT on this opportunity to literally send a message to anti-worker, anti-union legislators that are holding our government hostage for personal philosophical reasons. BRING YOUR FAMILY and FRIENDS. NOW!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8
Kaiser Aluminum's problems continue

Kaiser Aluminum continues to report net losses, absent unusual gains from insurance recoveries, and continues to suffer from operating and financial problems resulting from its lockout of employees represented by the United Steelworkers of America at five locations, union representatives said Tuesday.

"The $39.0 million profit reported by Kaiser Aluminum for the fourth quarter 1999 is its first since the labor dispute began on October 1, 1998." said David Foster, USWA District 11 Director and the union’s chief negotiator with Kaiser. "Unfortunately, it took an explosion at the Gramercy alumina refinery and $85 million in insurance recoveries to put them back in the black."

Absent the insurance gain, the Company reported a net loss of $16 million for the fourth quarter of 1999.

"While we applaud the Company's commitment to rebuild the Gramercy plant, we hope Kaiser Aluminum now recognizes the need to operate its plants with an experienced, trained workforce," said Foster.

"We call on the Company to finally make a similar commitment to its workforce and solve the problems it created for itself when it locked out USWA members in January 1999," Foster said.

"The Company still faces challenges of getting reasonably priced power due to the ongoing labor dispute and the Union's customer campaign. The only way for Kaiser Aluminum to return to stability and profitability is to negotiate a fair labor agreement," Foster said. "The USWA stands ready to do so."

In addition to its operating and financial problems, the Fourth Quarter 1999 and First Quarter 2000 saw these developments:

Kaiser Aluminum's stock price continues to lag the other North American aluminum producers. During the period between December 31, 1999 and March 6, 2000, Kaiser's stock dropped by 28.5%, compared to 19.3% for Alcoa, 19.6% for Alcan, 6.9% for Century and 26.7% for Commonwealth Industries.
Three workers at the Newark, Ohio extrusion plant were injured and operations disrupted on February 11, 2000, when a replacement worker punctured a gas line with a forklift.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued its final report on the Gramercy accident on February 5, 2000, concluding that "Management’s failure to identify hazardous conditions and unsafe practices and to initiate actions to correct these conditions and practices" contributed significantly to the July 5, 1999, explosion at the Gramercy facility.
On January 4, 2000, the Mine Safety and Health Administration issued 21 citations and fines that could range up to $55,000 per violation following the investigation of the cause of the Gramercy accident.
Dee Zee Inc., a leading manufacturer of truck accessories, announced to the USWA on January 10, 2000, that it would no longer purchase aluminum tread plate from Kaiser Aluminum's Trentwood mill. Dee Zee had ordered over 2 million pounds of aluminum from Kaiser in 1999.
Aluminum shot from Kaiser Aluminum's plant in Tacoma, WA, suspected to have been water contaminated, exploded and injured a worker at Cominco's plant in Trail, British Columbia, on December 31, 1999. This followed a similar incident on December 22, 1999.
Pepsi Bottling Group announced on October 1, 1999, that it would no longer use Kaiser metal in its beverage cans following the end of 1999. Anhueser-Busch made a similar announcement on December 15, 1999.

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is 63%-owned by Maxxam, Inc. whose controversial CEO, Charles Hurwitz, has been the target of continued environmental protests over the clearcutting of old-growth redwoods by the company’s Pacific Lumber subsidiary. Hurwitz is also the target of several lawsuits filed by the Office of Thrift Supervision and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation seeking to recover in excess of $1 billion in losses from a Hurwitz-owned Savings and Loan.

USWA members struck Kaiser Aluminum in response to the company’s unfair labor practices and substandard contract offer on September 30, 1998, and offered to return to work on January 13, 1999. On January 14, 1999, the company locked out over 2,900 USWA members at its plants in Gramercy, Louisiana, Newark, Ohio, and Tacoma and Spokane, Washington.

For more information, contact John Youngdahl at (253) 351-0511 or John Duray at (412) 562-2592.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8
Governor Locke calls for BPA "corporate citizenship clause"

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) recently concluded taking public comment on whether to include a Good Corporate Citizenship Requirement (GCCR) in its 2001 - 2006 contracts for direct purchasers of BPA power. The GCCR would require Direct Service Industries and public and investor-owned utilities to demonstrate a law-abiding record in their conduct of labor, environmental, safety and health, and other commercial affairs in order to receive cost-based electric power from the BPA.

If such a policy is adopted and Kaiser Aluminum, which has locked out its union workers for the past 14 months, fails to comply with the GCCR, Kaiser's electric power rates could increase as much as 50 percent above the current tax-subsidized levels.

The GCCC initiative is supported by labor and environmental groups, and Washington Governor Gary Locke and other public officials from the Pacific Northwest. In a Feb. 24 letter to the BPA, Locke wrote:

I believe that (the GCCR) is wholly reasonable. BPA power is a valuable but limited public resource, made possible by significant public investment and made available at below-market prices. Direct service industries have historically enjoyed access to this public resource precisely because the federal government recognized their contribution to the region's economy. For decades, they have provided family-wage jobs for Northwest citizens and been the economic backbone of many communities.

However, if a company is no longer providing those benefits to the local economy or is persistently or egregiously violating state and federal laws, it is appropriate for BPA to ask whether the public interest is being served by continuing to make power allocations to that company, or whether the resource should be put to use in a way that better contributes to the region's economy or promotes the health and safety of its citizens.

TUESDAY, MARCH 7
BE THERE: Major fair trade rally April 12 in D.C.

We mobilized for the Seattle WTO meetings to demand that the global economy work for working people, and our efforts were an unqualified success.

Now a major rally in Washington D.C. is being organized for Wednesday, April 12th to tell Congress "No Blank Check for China!" Union members and leaders from all over the nation will go to D.C. to lobby against proposals to grant China -- a notorious human and workers’ rights abuser -- permanent Normal Trade Relations status so it can be admitted into the WTO.

We must send as many people as possible from Washington state. Our state’s delegation will participate in the rally, and visit members of the Congress from Washington state to ask them to oppose granting China permanent NTR.

Don’t miss this opportunity to maintain the WTO momentum for international trade agreements that include labor, environmental and human rights standards.

More information about the week’s activities, which actually begin Sunday, April 9th, will soon be posted here. If you plan on attending or want more information contact David Groves at 206-281-8901, and visit the AFL-CIO web page devoted to the rally.

If you have news items regarding unions or workplace issues in Washington state that you would like to see posted here, please submit them via e-mail to David Groves or via fax to 206-285-5805.