UPDATED DAILY -- M-F by 9 a.m. (Pacific)

Links to commercial press stories are functional at the date of posting. In some cases, links "expire" when the source would like to begin charging you for old news. WSLC Reports Today  links to all stories of interest to organized labor; some positive, some negative. The intention is to inform.  The creation of a link does not constitute an endorsement of that story's content.

Reports for December 9-12, 2003

Previous weeks' news: Dec. 1-5 -- Nov. 18-21 -- Nov. 10-14

FRIDAY, Dec. 12 -- Every Washington Democrat backs Employee Free Choice Act
...plus -- America: A nation of hypocrites on labor rights (from today's L.A. Times)
...plus -- Federal charges filed in Eastside janitors' fight for health care
— In today's Seattle P-I -- WestFarm/Darigold floats new contract offer; Teamsters see little new
...plus -- Are Boeing directors on board with Everett?
— In today's Everett Herald -- More signs point to Everett getting Boeing 7E7; N.C. backs off
— In today's News Tribune -- Everett has location and workforce, but N. Carolina has economics
...plus -- Regional transportation panel looks to Olympia
— In today's Seattle Times -- Poll may shape regional transportation package
— In yesterday's Daily News -- Buyer for Longview Aluminum smelter? Trustee says maybe
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- No ruling on teacher free speech issue (AP)
— In the Walla Walla U-B -- Legislature should explore binding arbitration for teachers (editorial)
...plus -- Rossi can win if he snags the political center -- Column: Rossi went after Gregoire for her close ties to organized labor, implying that she is beholden to unions. Rossi might want to rethink the approach. Using a hard edge to go after Gregoire... could backfire.
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Eyman receives $20,000 "gift" from King County jail guards' union
— In today's News Tribune -- Building for the future (photo of Iron Workers 86 member on the job)
— In today's Salem S-J -- Sides gear up for Oregon tax-increase vote -- Oregon Business Association spokesman, just one state -- but one world -- away, defends tax increase: "We cannot recruit or keep businesses in our state if we do not make the choice to provide essential educational services for our employees’ children and basic governmental services for businesses in the community.”
At AFLCIO.org -- Senate Democrats stand up for OT pay, block Bush spending bill
— In today's L.A. Times -- Eastern grocery workers reach pact with Kroger -- Pact in WV, OH and KY caps employer contribution to the union's health-care plan. The ongoing labor dispute in Southern and Central California similarly centers on employee contributions to health insurance.
— In today's Washington Post -- Judge allows Amtrak protest; unions split on value of walkout
— In today's S.F. Chronicle -- Latinos plan 1-day strike after Arnold revokes immigrants' licenses
— In The Onion -- CEO's marital duties outsourced to Mexican groundskeeper

THURSDAY, Dec. 11 -- Hundreds rally in Seattle rain to restore freedom to join unions
— In today's Seattle Times -- Unions rally for right to organize
— In today's Olympian -- Workers protest labor policies (AP)
...plus -- Workers face higher costs for workers' compensation program (editorial)
— In the P.S. Business Journal -- Extended unemployment benefit programs may end
— In today's Seattle Times -- Ferry food service may have to go (editorial)
...plus -- Nethercutt-Murray race for U.S. Senate to get nasty?
— In The Stranger -- Queen Christine: Gregoire stymies Dem rivals early in governor's race
— In today's Everett Herald -- Voters balk at sales tax hike for roads, poll says
...plus -- Marysville schools' salaries questioned; new board members ask why 9 make 6 figures
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Airbus on lookout for undue Japanese government aid for 7E7 (AP)
— In today's King Co. Journal -- The troubled reign of Phil Condit (from Business Week)
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- B.C. ferries' union remains on strike (AP)
— In today's Salem S-J -- Oregon nursing home workers close to organizing with SEIU 503 (AP)
At AFLCIO.org -- Tens of thousands mark Dec. 10 to support freedom to join unions
...plus coverage of rallies in the L.A. Times and N.Y. Times
— In today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch -- Overtime: Stiffing the working stiffs -- Editorial: When the U.S. House and Senate agree on something in a proposed piece of legislation, you'd think it would end up in a bill sent to the president. Not so when it comes to a measure to protect ordinary workers' overtime wages. When corporate campaign contributors get in a lather, the Bush White House will snap its fingers and the offending items vanish into the hot air on Capitol Hill. That's what's likely to happen to efforts to save overtime pay for about 8 million Americans.
— In today's Washington Post -- Supreme Court upholds campaign finance law
...plus -- McCain-Feingold ruling angers activists on both left and right
...plus -- Homeland Security boss Ridge revives debate on immigrant status
— At BusinessWeek online -- Where free trade hurts (besides here in the U.S.) -- The end of textile quotas makes economic sense. But the international social disruption will be huge.

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 10 -- Union food service workers vindicated by ferry agency ruling
— In today's Bremerton Sun -- Ruling could delay reopening of galleys -- This horribly biased news story has already prompted an angry response from at least one ferry commuter.
— In today's Seattle Times -- Union pact upheld in ferry-food operation
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Everett faces one last 7E7 hurdle
— In today's Everett Herald -- Scenarios for 7E7 make head spin (Corliss column)
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Gregoire leads, gubernatorial poll finds
— In today's News Tribune -- Locke, Talmadge spar over Boeing tax-break plan (AP)
...plus -- HERE 8 protests stall food contract for new convention center
...plus -- New Medicare bill still needs major surgery (editorial)
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Seattle fire officials clash with union over safety inquiry
...plus -- Want a competitive state? Bolster education, says panel
— In today's Seattle Times -- Regional transportation plan might not make 2004 ballot
...plus -- Seattle Times concession eases danger to P-I for four years
— In today's King County Journal -- State's extended jobless benefits program in jeopardy
...plus -- Citing improved economy, Congress doesn't extend jobless benefits (AP)
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- Reneging would cost more than employees' severance (editorial)
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- City budget drops 35 positions, including police, fire fighters
...plus -- Canada orders striking B.C. ferry workers back to work (AP)
— In today's Oregonian -- Union add string of victories -- SEIU 503, "one of Oregon's foremost labor groups," organizes 10 nursing homes after the owners stand aside to achieve shared goals.
— Today from the AP -- Workers often face hurdles forming unions
— In today's Washington Post -- After Democrats object, Senate delays vote on spending bill
— In today's L.A. Times -- Grocery strike cuts deeply into sales at Ralph's/Kroger's

TUESDAY, Dec. 9 -- Right-to-organize rally tomorrow is "most important since WTO"
— In Sunday's Seattle Times -- Plan to put 7E7 in Everett tied to transformation -- Boeing sought contract extensions with IAM 751 and SPEEA to ensure labor peace during its implementation of its "lean global enterprise" plan to continue outsourcing design and production work. A source says the Machinists refused to grant the contract extension, and Boeing suspended talks with both unions.
...plus today -- Air Force seeks to extend investigation of Boeing contracts
...plus -- Talmadge blasts aid for Boeing, says company mistreats state
— In Monday's Olympian -- Civil Service Reform begins to reshape state workplaces
...plus today -- Revised rules on state personnel, salaries deserve our close scrutiny (editorial)
— In today's Everett Herald -- Job no. 1 for legislators: No more job losses -- Another local Chamber issues cookie-cutter legislative agenda calling for lower business taxes, but also better funding for higher education and transportation.  Another local reporter forgets to ask how they would pay for it.
— In today's Seattle Times -- Lumber trade fight might be near end; deal could lift Canadian tariffs
— In today's Seattle P-I -- Forest policy causes upheaval (op-ed by Robert Hemsley of AWPPW)
...plus -- Washington Mutual plans pilot project to outsource IT work to India
...plus -- Big King County contractors may have to ante up benefits to workers' domestic partners
— In today's Spokesman-Review -- City Council tables plan to extend domestic partner benefits
...plus -- Spokane Transit Authority warns 150 employees their jobs are in danger
...plus -- Spokane County Dem chair Keefe resigns, citing time, money issues
— In today's King Co. Journal -- County trims garbage services; savings will go to human services
— In today's Bellingham Herald -- Strike slows, stops B.C. ferry service (AP)
— In the Portland Business Journal -- Nursing home workers unionize with SEIU 503
— In today's L.A. Times -- No end in sight for grocery strike as talks break off without progress
At AFLCIO.org -- U.S. House leaders ignore workers' pleas to protect overtime pay
— In today's Oregonian -- GOP stalls on jobless benefits; money's there but "it's just not a priority"
— In today's N.Y. Times -- No cheer for the unemployed -- Editorial: With a perverse sense of holiday timing, President Bush and the Republican leaders of Congress are blithely accepting the expiration of emergency benefits badly needed by the nation's long-term unemployed.
...plus -- Citing "best chance," Gore endorses Dean for presidency -- AFSCME chief McEntee says this "may be the beginning of the end for the other candidates. I don't know how they stop (Dean)."

Previous weeks' news: Dec. 1-5 -- Nov. 18-21 -- Nov. 10-14

FRIDAY,  DECEMBER 12
Every Washington Democrat backs Employee Free Choice Act

Since reporting last week that Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Brian Baird have co-sponsored the AFL-CIO-supported Employee Free Choice Act, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Reps. Norm Dicks and Adam Smith have also formally signed the measure.  Meanwhile, Reps. Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen and Jim McDermott all have committed to signing the measure but can't until the U.S. House of Representatives reconvenes in January.

This historic legislation articulates the kind of labor law reform necessary to level the playing field for American workers and restore the freedom to join unions. Since being introduced last month, the list of lawmakers backing the measure has steadily grown: S. 1925 now has 26 co-sponsors and H.R. 3619 now has 113 co-sponsors (not including those like Inslee, Larsen and McDermott who will sign when they return to Washington, DC).

The Employee Free Choice Act would:
(Links are to PDF files at AFLCIO.org explaining the necessity for each in more detail.)

• Allow employees to freely choose whether to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.

• Provide mediation and arbitration for first contract disputes.

• Establish stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first contract negotiations.

Notably absent from the sponsorship list are any Republicans from Washington state: Reps. Jennifer Dunn, "Doc" Hastings and George Nethercutt, who now seeks to replace Murray in the U.S. Senate. The Employee Free Choice Act has little chance of passage as long as that party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.

At Wednesday's rally in downtown Seattle calling for the restoration of the right to join unions, Gregory Junemann, President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, declared: "Today -- Dec. 10, 2003 -- is Day One in Campaign 2004 to win our government back."  He said next year's election will be one of the important first steps in regaining freedom from employer intimidation and harassment.

The AFL-CIO and its affiliated international unions has launched a multiyear campaign -- called Voice@Work -- to restore the right to join a union. Although that effort includes the Employee Free Choice Act, it will involve much more than simply passing more laws to protect workers' rights. It will involve taking those rights back on our own.

The Washington State Labor Council urges all union organizations and working people in this state to contact us when Washington employers threaten and harass employees who support unionization. In addition to being charged with the crimes they are committing, these employers deserve to be shamed publicly and our allies in the community need to know which employers are denying our freedoms and fundamental human rights.

The next local event in this ongoing campaign is a Voice@Work Training Session on the evidence that Americans would like to join unions, that unions are good for democracy and American society, that workers are being denied the right to join unions, and what we are going to do about it.  This inspiring, powerful interactive workshop has been given to thousands of union leaders, staffers and rank-and-file members across the country.  It will be Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Hall 1 of the Seattle Labor Temple, 2800 1st Ave.  Space is limited. If you are interested in attending, contact Verlene Wilder of the King County Labor Council at (206) 441-7102. Download a workshop description (MS Word).

FRIDAY,  DECEMBER 12
America: A nation of hypocrites on labor rights  

The following op-ed, which appears in today's Los Angeles Times, was written by law professor Julius Getman and F. Ray Marshall, a former U.S. Secretary of Labor who is now an economics and public affairs professor at the University of Texas:

The rights of workers to organize, to strike and to bargain collectively are essential attributes of human liberty, recognized as such by treaties, court opinions, papal encyclicals, government officials and every major international rights treaty. One is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the United States ratified in 1992 but has done little to implement.

Bush administration officials do not dispute the importance of these rights. They would probably even agree that sustainable growth and political and social stability all require free and democratic labor movements. They claim that worker rights are adequately protected and recognized in the U.S. After all, our basic labor statute, the National Labor Relations Act, sets forth that workers have "the right to self organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations to bargain collectively … and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." It also makes interfering with these rights an unfair labor practice.

But the reality is far different. The rights enunciated almost 70 years ago are constantly challenged and frequently denied. Those who oppose the right of workers to organize and strike have learned to phrase their opposition in the language of liberty and to justify it in terms of the best interests of working people. There are few areas where hypocrisy is more firmly entrenched.

This hypocrisy has been woven into the structure of our labor laws. The right to organize is frustrated by the election system used in deciding whether employees are to be unionized. Firing of employees involved in union campaigns is common today. Though the law declares such firing to be illegal, anti-union discharges are difficult to prove, and the remedies are woefully inadequate. Even when the National Labor Relations Board finds that employees have been illegally fired, they rarely return to their jobs.

And even if the union election is not preceded by unfair labor practices, the law gives employers a significant advantage. Before the election is held, employers have the right to deliver speeches to a captive audience of employees. These speeches, typically written by anti-union consultants, play upon fear and ignorance. The union has no right to reply, and its organizers usually are barred from the premises.

Our national hypocrisy is even greater when it comes to the fundamental right to strike. The law specifically proclaims such a right, and our system of collective bargaining requires it. But employees who exercise that right can lose their jobs to permanent replacements.

In Jay, Maine, an entire force of 1,200 production workers was replaced in 1988 by International Paper Co., and in Decatur, Ill., in 1992, a similar fate befell employees of Caterpillar. Those communities were devastated and remain so today. Families were divided. Workers lost their savings, their homes and their sense of dignity. As the former town manager of Jay stated to the Senate Labor Committee: "What Jay once was — a proud, caring community — is now a divided, closed society which judges each individual on the basis of which side you may have taken in this labor dispute."

Unions today are afraid to strike, and many workers are afraid to join or support them. We all lose when workers are denied an opportunity in workplace and political decisions.

The United States has no reason to be proud of its labor relations system and its lack of protection of basic human rights.

FRIDAY,  DECEMBER 12
Federal charges filed in Eastside janitors' fight for health care

The following press release was distributed Friday by the Justice for Janitors campaign:

BELLEVUE - Four new federal charges to be filed this morning raise the stakes in local janitors fight for health care.

 

Workers who have been fighting since late last year to receive family medical insurance coverage enjoyed by most local janitors are getting support from the community, while their employer thumbs its nose at the law.

 

When Vasily Kuzick got an infected tooth he risked his life by taking aspirin because he and wife Galina couldn't afford a dentist on what they make at Allied Building Services. They are janitors at the Paccar Building in Bellevue, one of the locations of Thursday's pickets.

 

Janitors at Allied Building Services charged threats and retaliation and other actions against janitors exercising their legal right to choose a union. A similar case is already under investigation by the NLRB and the board has issued numerous complaints to Allied during the past year.

 

Local janitors held informational pickets outside three of the buildings where they work Thursday. Today they filed four new federal charges with National Labor Relations Board. Similar public actions were taken in front of ABS-cleaned buildings in five cities.

 

Galina and Vasily are just two among hundreds of janitors trying to get a union to win health care coverage. The area's 2,500 union janitors won employer-paid health care in July after a campaign of action that brought them to the brink of a strike. Other janitors across the country have organized with Service Employees International Union and mounted demonstrations, workplace actions and even strikes in places like Los Angeles, Boston, and Silicon Valley to fight for secure health care and a living wage.

 

ABS janitors have been organizing with Service Employees International Union Local 6 since 2002. 

 

Allied, a subsidiary of Houston-based Associated Building Services, has been steadily losing customers as janitors have fought for health coverage.  Allied's legal entanglements have created the possibility that during the Christmas season there may be demonstrations and even strikes protesting Allied's unfair labor practices at a number of building locations cleaned by Allied including Nintendo of America, One Convention Place and Equity Office Properties.

For more information, contact Daniel Lathrop at (206) 448-7348 x323.

THURSDAY,  DECEMBER 11
Hundreds rally in Seattle rain to restore freedom to join unions

Several hundred union members and their community allies rallied in downtown Seattle's noontime rain Wednesday to demand that Americans regain the freedom to join a union.

Although the law says you have the right to join a union in this country -- free from threat, intimidation and coercion by your employer -- that right is routinely denied across the nation and in Washington state. Dec. 10 was a National Day of Action in cities throughout the United States marking the anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption in 1948 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to join a union.

A number of Washington workers who have been denied that right told their stories Wednesday to the raucous crowd:

Woody Bebout was an employee of Skagit Harley-Davidson when he and his co-workers decided to organize a union. In a single day, they obtained all the signatures necessary. As soon at the NLRB notified the employer of their petition, the company hired a union-busting attorney from Vermont and began a 5-week campaign of anti-union propaganda, forced one-on-one meetings and intimidation. But on Oct. 7 when all 21 employees voted, the union won, 11-10. It turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory. On Oct. 8, a lot worker was laid off. On Oct. 9, a clerk was fired allegedly because her hair was wet and another clerk's hours were cut in half. On Oct. 11, at the end of the workday, Woody was told his job had been eliminated. All of the laid-off workers were union supporters. Other union supporters have been laid off in the weeks since, including a mechanic who was told he was not qualified after already working on Harleys for several months. Today, only 2 or 3 of the original 11 who voted for the union are left, and Woody believes their days are numbered.

Linda Wolfe, an X-ray technician at Providence St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia for 13 years, decided to support organizing a union at her workplace because of concerns over short-staffing. In response, she says the hospital created an atmosphere of fear and distrust by circulating anti-union literature and conducting one-on-one meetings with supervisors, where some reported threats of wage cuts if workers voted for the union. Break rooms were designated "work areas" so employees couldn't talk in favor of the union or distribute its literature. A few days before the election, the hospital shut down an entire department to hold a captive-audience meeting opposing the union. The union has since filed NLRB Unfair Labor Practice charges, delaying the election.

Lois Cruikshank, who has worked for more than 20 years at Snokist Cannery, a food processing plan in Yakima. After the company abruptly dropped medical coverage and fired a number of employees, almost all of the remaining workers signed Union Authorization Cards. The company refused to accept their decision and forced an NLRB union election in October 2002. Although the employees voted 236 to 5 for the union, the company has repeatedly appealed the election. The NLRB has sided with the union in each of these appeals, but today, the workers still don't have a first contract with Snokist.

Wednesday's rally marked the beginning of a multi-year campaign by the AFL-CIO and its affiliated international unions -- called Voice@Work -- to restore the freedom to join a union.  It includes labor law reform in the form of the Employee Free Choice Act, and greater efforts in the community to publicly shame employers who deny fundamental union rights.  But speakers at Wednesday's rally cautioned that much work lies ahead, and union members and their allies can't expect labor law reform from this anti-union Congress and president.

"Today -- Dec. 10, 2003 -- is Day One in Campaign 2004 to win our government back," declared Gregory Junemann, President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which co-sponsored the Seattle rally.  He said that will be one of the important first steps in regaining the right to join unions free from employer intimidation and harassment.

Other rally speakers, including U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott and WSLC President Rick Bender, shared that sentiment. (Reps. Jay Inslee and Adam Smith and gubernatorial candidates Ron Sims and Phil Talmadge, were also on hand to demonstrate support for the cause.)

"We are under attack, not just from anti-union corporate behavior, but also from a president and national administration that wants to destroy unions," said Bender. "George Bush is a president who denied collective bargaining rights for 60,000 airport screeners. George Bush is a president who eliminated union rights and civil service protections for 170,000 Homeland Security employees, including folks in that (Federal Building) right behind you."

In addition to the IFPTE and WSLC, Wednesday's rally was co-sponsored by the King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Pierce County Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Washington State Jobs with Justice; and many other labor organizations.

The next event in this ongoing campaign is a Voice@Work Training Session on the evidence that Americans would like to join unions, that unions are good for democracy and American society, that workers are being denied the right to join unions, and what we are going to do about it.  This inspiring, powerful interactive workshop has been given to thousands of union leaders, staffers and rank-and-file members across the country.  This session will be Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Hall 1 of the Seattle Labor Temple, 2800 1st Ave.  Space is limited. If you are interested in attending, contact Verlene Wilder of the King County Labor Council at (206) 441-7102. Download a workshop description (MS Word).

WEDNESDAY,  DECEMBER 10
Union food service workers vindicated by ferry agency ruling
Blaming state's unlawful RFP, IBU works to avoid, minimize food service disruption 

The following press release was distributed Tuesday afternoon by the Inlandboatman's Union:

On December 8, the Marine Employees’ Commission, the agency that oversees labor relations on the state ferries, ruled that the WSF unlawfully omitted long-established worker protections from its Request for Proposals for food service concessionaires. For nearly fifty years, the ferry system required food service contractors to give preferential hiring to the existing galley workers and honor their current wages and benefits. The commission ordered the WSF to retract the current Request for Proposals because they failed to include these provisions. The state is expected to revise and reissue a new Request for Proposal promptly.

The Inlandboatmen’s Union Marine Division of ILWU believes the state should have done this all along. The IBU membership of 130 galley workers are relieved to finally get some good news after months of struggle to save their family-wage jobs. They believe that WSF should have included them in the Request for Proposals from the beginning and the failure to do so has created confusion and uncertainty for both them and prospective bidders. The union believes that the state’s actions are to blame for the potential disruption of service onboard, starting January 1, 2004.

The union is still working hard with its allies in the Labor Movement and in Olympia to help find a way to keep the galleys open on January 1. The workers are concerned with not only their jobs but the safety and comfort of the passengers and hope that WSF management will help in that effort.

Dennis Conklin, business agent for the union, filed unfair labor practice charges when the state broke from its practice of requiring new food service contractors to give hiring preferences to the existing galley workers and honor the terms of their labor agreement.

“For almost five decades, the ferry system has made sure that food service work paid a living wage with full benefits. That’s why we have had such a stable, experienced, and skilled workforce,” said Dave Freiboth, president of the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, which represents the food service employees whose livelihoods hang in the balance.  “This decision will help to ensure that passengers continue to get quality service, and that employees maintain livable wages and benefits.”

---

The following is a Letter to the Editor of The (Bremerton) Sun, from a righteous ferry commuter outraged by The Sun's news coverage today:

Dear Editor:

The Sun did its readers and our community a huge disservice -- and the Washington State Ferries a big favor -- with your Dec. 10 story, "Ruling could delay reopening of galleys."  The story completely swallowed the WSF spin that the food service workers' union is to blame for the impending disruption of service, and almost totally dismissed the workers' side of the story.

 

The Marine Employee's Commission has ruled that the WSF's attempt to toss the food workers' union contract was illegal, just as the union claimed months ago.  There is every reason to believe that the uncertainty and confusion about existing workers' rights and status contributed to the fact that no contractors submitted bids.

 

The Sun's story should have been that the WSF made a irresponsible and costly mistake in its effort to squeeze more revenue out of the food service contract.  The WSF shouldn't have assumed it could waive food workers' rights and allow a new contractor -- for the first time in more than 40 years -- to avoid hiring existing workers and not honor current wages and benefits.

 

The Sun should be taking the WSF and its CEO, Mike Thorne, to task for its sloppy attempt to cut wages for food service workers.  Even if you support such an effort -- which I certainly don't -- the WSF clearly screwed up.

 

Of course, the WSF's response is to suggest this ruling could delay reopening of the galley!  Again, they seek to absolve themselves for this debacle and blame the union. Nowhere in your story is there reference to the fact that WSF, while unlawfully offering to toss the union contract as incentive, also demanded a greater share of revenue in the new contract.

 

The bottom line is that Mike Thorne thinks ferry food workers make too much money. He wants to allow contractors to hire new people and pay them less, not because it's the only way to preserve food service, but because the WSF wants to increase its share of the revenue.

 

As a daily ferry commuter, I think this is an outrage. And compounding it is the fact that our local newspaper seems to be championing the WSF's cause in its news coverage.

 

If The Sun believes our friends and neighbors who work on the ferries for $9.94 to $14.50 an hour are overpaid, go ahead and say it -- but do so on the editorial page.

David Groves, Bainbridge Island

WEDNESDAY,  DECEMBER 10
Major right-to-organize rally TODAY at 11:30 a.m. in Seattle

Union activists and their supporters in the community will gather in downtown Seattle TODAY in what is being called the most important labor rally in this state since WTO to call attention to the fact that Americans have lost the freedom to join a union. The Workers' Rights Are Human Rights rally is from from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jackson Federal Building, 2nd & Marion in downtown Seattle.

Although the law says Americans have the right to join a union, free from threat, intimidation and coercion by their employer, that right is routinely denied across the nation and in Washington state. More than a dozen Washington workers will speak at Wednesday's rally about the abuses they suffered under their area employers when they sought to organize a union.  U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-7th) will also speak.

December 10 is a National Day of Action in cities throughout the U.S. marking the anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption in 1948 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that includes international labor rights to join unions which are binding in many countries, but not the United States.  According to a recent Human Rights Watch report: "Legal obstacles tilt the playing field so steeply against workers’ freedom of association that the United States is in violation of international human rights standards for workers."

"This is the most important labor rally in Seattle since WTO," said Rick Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, one of the rally's co-sponsors. "Nothing is more important to unions today than restoring our fundamental right to join unions."

In addition to the WSLC, today's rally is co-sponsored by the King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Pierce County Labor Council, AFL-CIO; International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; Washington State Jobs with Justice; and many other labor organizations.

Union members and all supporters of the right to join a union are urged to attend today's rally, and to bring friends and family for this important event. For more information, visit www.wslc.org/voice.htm.