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Reports for September 24-26, 2001
News from previous weeks: September 17-21 -- September 10-14 -- September 4-7
WEDNESDAY,
September 26 -- GOP
leaders balk on promise to help laid-off workers
In
today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing
layoffs begin Dec. 14
In today's SCJ -- Boeing
books new orders worth $1 billion
In today's Everett Herald -- Boeing
optimistic on future growth
In today's News-Tribune -- Democrats
push new Boeing relief bill (The measure is similar to a provision
Democrats sought to include in a $15 billion airline bailout bill approved
by Congress last week. Republican leaders refused to include the provision
granting extra unemployment and health care benefits to workers who face
layoffs.)
Why the Republicans' airline bailout isn't enough...
Rep. Adam Smith:
"Not one dollar for workers" in airline bill
In today's Oregonian -- Laid-off
American Airlines workers will get no severance pay
In today's L.A. Times -- Northwest
also says it will not pay severance in layoffs
In today's Seattle Times -- Southwest
Airlines workers offer to work for free
In other news:
Anti-union
Right-to-Work (for less) passes in Oklahoma
In today's Seattle P-I -- New
EFF-funded teachers organization opposes existing union
In today's N.Y. Times -- Supreme
Court agrees to look at school vouchers
In today's Seattle Times -- Incomes
in state dropped most, census reports
TUESDAY,
September 25 -- Jobs
with Justice plans honoree dinner Oct. 26
In today's Washington Post --
Labor
seeks aid for workers laid off in wake of attacks
In today's News-Tribune -- Taking
construction safety seriously
...plus -- President
of Labor Ready to step down
...plus -- Police
union crosses line in search for chief (editorial)
In today's Everett Herald -- Airline
woes arrive at Goodrich; 400 to 450 layoffs
In today's Oregonian -- Unions
to vote on Freightliner cuts
In today's L.A. Times -- American
Airlines won't give workers severance pay
In today's Washington Post -- Debate
over federal screeners delaying airport-security bill
In today's N.Y. Times -- Union
seeks permission for pilots to carry guns
...plus -- Senate
votes to lift barriers to Jordan trade (The measure commits the two
nations to upholding workers' rights and environmental standards, the first
time a full-scale trade agreement has passed Congress with labor and
environmental provisions at its core.)
In today's WSJ -- Buying
American may not be so easy
MONDAY,
September 24 -- Labor-endorsed
candidates Sullivan, Berkey win
In Saturday's Seattle P-I
-- Sullivan
carries party's hopes in 21st
In Sunday's Columbian -- State
tax debate has changed, too (Former
Secretary of State Ralph Munro scoffs at I-747's public vote provision. "There's
a myth in America that elections are free. They're very, very
expensive," he said. "I don't want my firefighter to be a
campaigner and a politician and be begging for support. I want him to be a
full-time firefighter.")
In today's Seattle Times -- State
panel set to redraw legislative maps
...plus -- Unions
struggle to survive; organizers seek to broaden base
In Friday's WSJ -- IAM
asks Boeing to cancel any contracting plans
In today's L.A. Times -- Flight
attendants: If job is still there, do you stay?
In today's N.Y. Times -- Changes
called likely on policy towards immigration
...plus -- Democratic
leaders say they back a government takeover of airport security (or
"A Case Study of Why Unions Oppose Contracting Out Government Services
to the Lowest Bidder")
In The Nation -- Dust-up
in the Dust Bowl (re: Oklahoma vote tomorrow on
Right-to-Work-for-Less)
At WorkingForChange.com -- Deunionization
of America has brought increased inequality
News from previous weeks: September 17-21 -- September 10-14 -- September 4-7
LATE
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 26
GOP leaders balk on promise to help laid-off
workers
The following story appeared in the New York Times:
WASHINGTON, D.C. House Republican leaders balked today at the idea of helping thousands of laid-off workers by extending unemployment compensation and health care benefits despite a commitment last Friday by Speaker J. Dennis Hastert to consider such legislation.
"The model of thought there, and quite frankly, the model of thought that says we need to go out and extend unemployment benefits and health insurance benefits and so forth is not I think one that is commensurate with the American spirit here," said Representative Dick Armey of Texas, the majority leader. He said a higher priority was to pass an economic stimulus bill.
Representative Tom DeLay, the majority whip from Texas, seemed no more enthusiastic about the Democratic plan, which was first proposed last Friday when Congress approved the $15 billion airline industry bailout. The idea was rejected by Republicans in a late- night negotiation session.
"Sometimes people jump out too quickly on an issue," Mr. DeLay said, referring to Democrats. "They want to develop an issue."
The idea of unemployment help has generated more interest from the White House, at least for now. President Bush plans to travel to Chicago on Thursday to thank airline workers, and some are hoping he will offer them some sort of assistance. At a breakfast meeting today, Democratic leaders said Mr. Bush told them he had directed the Department of Labor to review the administration's options.
"He acknowledged this was a problem," said Representative Richard A. Gephardt, the Democratic leader, who today introduced one of several bills to help laid-off workers.
John Feehery, Mr. Hastert's spokesman, reiterated that the speaker planned to keep his commitment to Democrats and "move forward on this in a bipartisan way." But, he added: "I'm not sure where it's going to go. I don't think a decision has been made."
As for the reluctance among some Republican leaders to move a workers' bill, Mr. Gephardt said they would face the same pressures as Democrats when laid-off employees ask them, "What about us?"
"I'm not sure in the end they won't have to move something," he said.
Immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the government ordered all airplanes grounded, a decision that left the airline industry in financial disarray. Since then, the airlines and aerospace companies have said they will lay off more than 100,000 workers. Ronald Reagan National Airport, adjacent to Washington, has been shuttered since the attack, putting thousands of airport workers there in limbo.
On Friday, Congress approved the bailout for the airline industry to help it recover. The bill included a provision allowing airline executives to keep collecting their large salaries, which angered Democrats. On Monday, the chairman of American Airlines, Donald J. Carty, said he would forgo his salary for the rest of the year and asked other executives and nonunion workers to volunteer to take pay cuts. This week, American announced it would not pay severance to the 20,000 workers it planned to let go.
Democrats were infuriated when Republicans refused to include a bill to help workers as part of the initial bailout bill, and criticized their own leaders for agreeing to move the legislation to the floor without an employee assistance measure.
A number of them were assuaged by a commitment made by Mr. Hastert that Congress would consider proposals addressing the issue. But many remained distrustful of the promise, and they now feel as if their suspicions were warranted.
"That's why we wanted to do it last week," said Representative George Miller of California, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Work Force Committee, who opposed the bailout bill. "Of course, we got rolled. Once you give away what they want, why should they give you what you want."
"Our leadership needs to play tougher next time," Mr. Miller added.
Hoping to put pressure on Republicans, both Mr. Gephardt and Mr. Daschle said they planned to attach a workers' aid bill to legislation on aviation security. Mr. Daschle, as majority leader of the Senate, could do that easily. The idea, though, is opposed by Senate Republican leaders, who say it will only complicate passage of a bill that will make Americans feel safer on airplanes.
"We have indicated to the White House and to our Republican colleagues that it would be very difficult for us to pass the airline security bill without attaching some legislation that allows us to address the myriad of problems we're facing with unemployed workers," Mr. Daschle said. "We addressed airline problems last week. We've got to address employee problems very soon."
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 26
Rep. Adam Smith: "Not one dollar for
workers" in airline bill
Following is a statement made last week by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-9th) regarding the congressional vote on the airline stabilization package:
Mr. Speaker, it is with great disappointment that I vote against this legislation before us tonight.
The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have shocked and saddened all of us. In the weeks, months, and even years ahead, they will challenge us to fight for our freedoms and our values, and to figure out precisely how best to do that. As a member of the United States Congress, representing not just the 650,000 people of my district, but the nation as a whole, I want to do my part to decide what action must be taken and to constantly work with the people I represent so that their views and concerns can be heard, and so that I can keep them informed of the actions our nation is taking and plans to take.
Last week, I voted to authorize necessary and appropriate force in response to the attacks, and I voted for $40 billion in emergency funding to assist the victims and fund the investigation. I looked forward to supporting a package that would keep America's economy strong, by providing assistance to the American airline industry, helping our workers, and improving safety so that Americans feel confident in our skies again.
I looked forward to doing all of this in a bipartisan way. I know there are many differences of opinion in this body, even in times of great national emergency, regarding corporate liability, job training, federal control of aviation security, and other critically important issues, but I hoped that both sides would be able to give a little and compromise so that we could quickly put forth a package that would help heal the economic wounds that have been inflicted since September 11.
The leadership of both parties in both the House and the Senate and their staffs have worked tirelessly to put together a package that could garner bipartisan support and address all of these issues I've outlined, and I appreciate that. However, I don't believe this package in front of us tonight is nearly well-balanced enough because it doesn't address the worker concerns or safety concerns. I am opposing it because I think we need to go back to the drawing board and fix it. If it takes until tomorrow, or Monday, or Tuesday, we need to get this right.
This legislation provides $5 billion in direct aid to the airlines, $10 billion in loan guarantees to airlines, government aid with insurance for airlines, and caps the airlines' financial liability. I support all of these provisions.
However, I believe it would be irresponsible not to also address safety issues and employee issues. After all, we cannot have a strong and vibrant airline industry in this country without people who want to fly, and that will require both people who have money in their pockets to buy airline tickets, and a dramatic improvement in consumer confidence that will only come with real safety improvements.
This legislation will cost over $15 billion. I find it unbelievable that we could not find one dollar to cushion the blow for the workers who will be affected -- by latest estimates, approximately 100,000 workers will be laid off as a direct result of the attacks on September 11. Bolstering the airline industry so that we can minimize these layoffs is imperative, but the sad truth is, even this $15 billion will not save very many of the jobs lost due to the terrorist attacks. Many workers in my district, who work at Boeing's 737 plant in Renton, fear a layoff notice as early as next month. I'm sure the thousands of Alaska Airlines and SeaTac Airport employees in my district are worried too. I have faith that the industry and the economy will recover, but that won't help with these workers' mortgage, electric bill, or car payment.
Right now, if a group of workers can prove that their job was lost due to trade, they are eligible for a series of benefits including job training and income support. Why can't we extend the same benefits for the thousands of workers who will lose their jobs and have trouble finding a new one right away? Can't we send just a few dollars to the men and women who will no longer fly the planes, sell the tickets, load the bags, attend to the passengers, or build the planes?
Before he passed away, my father was one of those men. He worked for thirty years as a ramp serviceman for United Airlines at SeaTac Airport, so I know firsthand how important these jobs are to Americans, and I can't imagine what my father would have said if, after this attack, Congress had passed a relief package that gave $15 billion to the airline industry and not a dollar for the thousands of workers who will be impacted within the next weeks.
Let me just say a few words about safety and security issues. I strongly support the U.S. airline industry, and I believe that we should, at this critical moment in history, stand behind them. However, I think we have to fairly and reasonably examine the events of September 11. Our current airport security system allowed four U.S. planes to be hijacked by men with knives, some of whom were on the terrorist watch list. It's safe to say that the airport security system failed us.
If we are passing legislation to improve the condition of the airline industry, shouldn't we also address this issue? Perhaps airport security should truly be a security issue, not merely a business issue that, until last week, was mostly considered in terms of a company's bottom line. Don't get me wrong - the bottom line is important to our capitalist economy, but I have come to the conclusion that airport security should not be subject to those concerns. There are many interesting ideas out there for how to improve it, but I believe first and foremost we need to make airport security a responsibility of the federal government: perhaps under the Department of Transportation, or the Coast Guard.
In conclusion, I want to again express my disappointment at having to oppose this bill. I sincerely hope that the President, Senate leaders, and House leaders will work to address these important concerns before a package is signed into law.
WEDNESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 26
Anti-union Right-to-Work (for less) passes in
Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma voters Tuesday approved a measure that makes the state the 22nd to ban labor contracts requiring workers to pay union dues.
With 98 percent of the vote counted, the measure was ahead with support from 54 percent of the voters.
"I am excited for Oklahoma," said Gov. Frank Keating, a Republican who supported the measure. "This is the first step in the liberation of Oklahoma's economy."
Jimmy Curry, head of the Oklahoma A.F.L.-C.I.O. and an opponent of the measure, said the labor movement would "back up and regroup."
The vote came after the most expensive election campaign in state history, pitting business and labor interests in a rematch of a battle 37 years ago over the issue. Unions won the battle in 1964 by fewer than 25,000 votes. Until today, no state had passed such a measure since 1986.
Supporters argued that Oklahoma was losing jobs because companies shied from states without such laws, and that workers should be allowed to choose whether they wanted to support a union.
Opponents said requiring all workers to pay dues was fair because federal law mandates that unions represent all workers in a union shop, including nonmembers.
Less than 9 percent of Oklahoma workers are in jobs covered by union contracts.
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 25
Jobs with Justice plans honoree dinner Oct.
26
This year's honorees will be:
- Ron Judd, Western Regional Director AFL-CIO, who successfully negotiated among all the groups who shut down the WTO.
- Rev. Harriett Walden and Mothers for Police Accountability for their long struggle for prison reform, and Education not Incarceration.
- The Newspaper Strikers who walked the line and stood up for the rights of all the workers.
Single Dinner $35.00
Table of 8: $250
Call for low-income prices for strikers, students and others. No one is turned away because of lack of funds.
If you cannot attend or wish to sponsor a
low-income person, please send your check to:
P.O. Box 9662
Seattle, WA 98109
There will be an program / advertising book. Prices are as follows:
Signature ad (Individuals only) $15.00
Ό page $150
½ page $300
Full page $600Special Table of 8/Fullpage ad/Special Mention $1,000.
Call Jobs with Justice at (206) 441-4969 for more information, or email wsjwj@igc.org.
MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 24
Labor-endorsed candidates Sullivan, Berkey
win
Labor Neighbor program continues;
YOUR help is needed!
The labor-endorsed candidates have both won their primaries in special legislative elections that could break the 49-49 tie in the State House of Representatives -- a political deadlock that has stymied working families' legislative agenda and paralyzed state budget and transportation negotiations.
In the 21st Legislative District, WSLC-endorsed Brian Sullivan won a narrow victory over fellow Democrat D.J. Wilson and credited the Labor Neighbor program of door-to-door visits by union volunteers to union households in his district as making the difference. At latest count, Sullivan is ahead by 416 votes. Wilson has conceded and vowed to help Sullivan win this important race against Republican appointee Joe Marine in November.
"Our (Labor Neighbor) volunteers' hard work paid off," said WSLC Political Director Diane McDaniel. "This shows that talking to our members one-on-one about why Brian earned labor's endorsement is the way to win."
In the 38th Legislative District, Rep. Jean Berkey -- who was appointed to replace the late Pat Scott as State Representative last year -- ran unopposed by a Democrat, and edged out Republican challenger Erv Hoglund 46 to 43 percent.
Hoglund earned the ire of union leaders when he sent out a deceptive "Vote Union, Vote Hoglund" mailer right before the primary that made it appear he had labor's endorsement. In fact, he refused even to fill out candidate questionnaires from labor organizations, and his union credentials are limited to the fact that he was a member of the Air Line Pilots Association.
"That mailing was particularly offensive because of the anti-labor positions Erv Hoglund has taken on so many issues," said McDaniel. "He has done things like fight against 1998's minimum wage initiative and oppose paid family leave while supporting bigger tax breaks for business. He is about the furthest thing from a union candidate that I can think of."
McDaniel said Hoglund's tactic may backfire because he has inspired labor volunteers to redouble their efforts in the 38th District to make sure all union members know the truth about his positions, and by contrast, the unwavering support Rep. Berkey has shown for working families and their issues.
Labor Neighbor continues and needs YOUR help
The Labor Neighbor program needs more volunteers to keep the momentum for the labor-endorsed candidates that could break the tie and retire Republican House Co-Speaker Clyde Ballard. All union organizations are asked to recruit at least 3% of their members in the 21st and 38th Districts, and even unions with no members in those districts are invited to do the same and join in a massive, urgent voter registration drive.
Labor Neighbor Doorbelling Days are scheduled for the next two weekends (Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 6-7). The deadline for voter registration for the November election is October 6.
"It is imperative that we make sure all non-registered union members in these districts get signed up to vote, and those already registered get signed up to vote by mail," said McDaniel.
Volunteers are urged to wear their union jackets, t-shirts, caps, etc. Each will be provided with a "Labor Volunteer" button before heading out. Please RSVP to Mitch Seaman at (425) 252-4752 or (425) 879-0450.
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.
Copyright © 2001 Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO