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June 10, 2009 |
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
On Monday, the Oregon State Senate did what the Democrat-controlled State
Legislature in Washington refused to do in 2009, it held a vote on
legislation to allow workers to opt out of employer meetings on politics,
religion, union organizing or other matters of individual conscience. The
Worker Freedom Act (SB 519) passed 16-14, and now heads to Oregon's House of
Representatives, where similar legislation has previously passed. Oregon
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has said he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
Read more.
► In yesterday's Salem S-J -- Senate approves bill about company-organized meetings -- Two Democrats joined all 12 Republicans against it. Republicans proposed a substitute, moved to send the bill back to committee and sought to postpone a vote. All failed on party-line votes.
► At HorsesAss.org -- Oregon Dems play ball; Washington Dems lack 'em -- Over the past few weeks one house or the other of the Oregon legislature has voted to increase taxes (just yesterday, in fact), close corporate tax loopholes, and protect worker privacy… all agenda items that were strictly off the table in Olympia during our recently ended session. Why?
Memorial services for WSLC Vice President Howard Ocobock, a longtime Department of Transportation member activist for WFSE Local 1326 who passed away last weekend, will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, June 15 at Terrace Heights Chapel and Reception Center, 2807 Terrace Heights Drive in Yakima. A reception will follow there. (See Monday's posting for more information.) Those of you who knew Howard are encouraged to post your thoughts at In Remembrance of Howard Ocobock, set up by the WFSE.
Boeing news:
►
At SeattlePI.com -- Washington
state forms a team to go after tanker --
Washington state has brought together a group
of leaders who will campaign to attract aerospace jobs and promote Boeing to
win a multi-billion dollar aerial refueling tanker contract. The
Washington Aerospace Partnership (co-chaired by WSLC President Rick Bender) seeks to "mount a
unified effort to ensure that Washington remains the leading location in the
world for aerospace." The group will coordinate with Washington's new
Council on Aerospace, and the Aerospace Futures Alliance.
► At SeattlePI.com -- How should the state go after tanker? -- Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce boss and Washington Aerospace Partnership co-chair Tayloe Washburn answers.
► At Sen. Murray's website -- Murray, Secretary Gates continue to oppose tanker dual-buy -- Sen. Patty Murray questions the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the plan for a fair and transparent competition for the tankers.
► At The Olympian.com -- Gregoire: Weed is "essence of an innovator" -- What is Rogers Weed, the former Microsoft exec who just took over the re-named Department of Commerce, doing? The first thing I picked was aerospace because I felt there were some key decisions coming up about Boeing making some production location decisions in the next six to 12 months, and the difficulty with the strike they had in the fall. So I thought anything I can do to get involved in that situation and increase their chance of success was going to be a big priority."
Local news:
► In today's Yakima H-R -- Foes of illegal immigration place petitions in newspapers -- Opponents of illegal immigration are paying for their petitions to be sent to newspaper subscribers in Yakima and in Skagit County. The Respect for Law committee is backing Initiative 1043, which would make it harder for illegal immigrants to be hired and access public services. They need to collect 241,000 signatures to make the November ballot.
► Today from AP -- Plan to free damaged tunnel machine under Bothell -- Contractors have a plan to repair a tunnel-boring machine that is blocking a $1.8 billion sewage treatment plant near Woodinville. Crews will begin drilling six wells late this month. The wells will remove water from around the damaged boring machine, which is 340 feet under ground, so it can be repaired.
► In today's Everett Herald -- Snohomish Health District forced to cut more staff -- The countywide public health agency chops another half-million dollars from its budget and cuts 15 positions.
► In the Daily World -- Up to 10 Ocean Shores city employees will be laid off -- After months of "unsuccessful" union negotiations, the mayor says six to 10 city workers will get layoff notices.
► In today's Seattle Times -- King County employees should pay part of health tab (editorial) -- While county employees do not pay premiums, they do pay annual deductibles, a portion of drug costs and co-pays at the time of a doctor's visit. But the status quo of not paying premiums is zapping the budget, forcing cuts in needed services, including public safety.
Employee Free Choice Act:
►
In today's Bangor Daily News -- U.S.
laws fail to protect rights of American workers (op-ed
by director of the Bureau of Labor Education at the Univ. of Maine) --
Many years ago, the preeminent U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
stated: “Justice delayed is justice denied.” For all too many workers,
the right to obtain justice on the job through unionization has been either
denied or delayed. Enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act will enable
workers and their organizations to remedy this injustice.
► At the Daily Kos -- Rabbis send Sen. Specter a message: Support EFCA -- A coalition of dozens of Philadelphia-area rabbis and rabbinical students meet with Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter to make the case for labor law reform to restore the freedom to unionize.
National news:
► Today from AP -- Kennedy health plan includes long-term care -- Proposals that would help disabled seniors and healthy young adults are among dozens of provisions tucked into sweeping health care legislation that senators will begin considering next week. The 651-page bill released by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy calls for a new long-term care insurance program that would provide modest assistance at an affordable premium to help disabled people keep living in their own homes. It also would allow children to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26. That issue is currently regulated by the states, which set widely different requirements.
► In BusinessWeek -- Work visa bill threatens Indian outsourcers -- The bill would change many of the rules companies must follow to obtain temporary work visas, known as H-1Bs and L-1s. The most controversial new rule would bar companies with more than 50 U.S. employees from getting any additional work visas if more than 50% of their U.S. workforce is made up of H-1B or L-1 visa holders. Sponsors say the "50/50" provision would help protect American jobs.
► At Huffington Post -- Obama administration to issue new Wall Street pay limits -- Nearly three months after AIG bonuses provoked an angry reaction in Congress, the Obama administration is ready to issue broad new principles on how to compensate top financial sector executives.
► At Huffington Post -- Whitacre, new GM chairman: "I don't know anything about cars" -- "A business is a business, and I think I can learn about cars. I'm not that old, and I think the business principles are the same." (He is 67 years old.)
► Today from AP -- Actors ratify 2-year Hollywood, TV contract -- After a year of nasty infighting, members of the Screen Actors Guild decided by a large margin that the show must go on.
WEDNESDAY,
JUNE 10, 2009
Oregon's Worker Freedom Act advances
Democrats in Salem allow
something Democrats in Olympia refused: A vote
On Monday, the Oregon State Senate did what the Democrat-controlled state legislature in Washington refused to do in 2009, it held a vote on legislation to allow workers to opt out of employer meetings on politics, religion, union organizing or other matters of individual conscience.
The Worker
Freedom Act (SB 519) passed 16-14, and now heads to Oregon's House of
Representatives, where similar legislation has previously passed. Oregon
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has said he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
In contrast, after a vote on Washington's version of the legislation -- called the Worker Privacy Act -- was blocked by Democratic leaders in Olympia, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said, "I made it clear before this took place that if the bill applied to Boeing, it will not get past my desk." Boeing and business lobbying groups aggressively opposed the bill.
House Speaker Frank Chopp, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown and Gregoire all refused to allow a vote on the Worker Privacy Act, blaming an e-mailed report of an internal labor meeting inadvertently copied to a few legislators. The e-mail suggested that unions might refuse to contribute to State Democratic Party funds if the Worker Privacy Act was killed by Democrats. (Read a more detailed account here.)
Oregon's Worker Freedom Act would make it illegal for an employer to discipline or fire a worker who chooses not to attend a meeting on politics, religion or union organizing during work hours.
"Workers should not have to give up their opinions or be lectured about their employer’s beliefs to get a paycheck," said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain.
Almost all anti-union campaigns are marked by mandatory meetings where employers or their union-busting consultants use a variety of tactics to intimidate workers. In many cases, workers who speak out for the union are disciplined and even fired. Chamberlain says the forced meetings are not always about politics. One Oregon worker told the state federation that he was disciplined after walking away from a lunchroom after his employer started making anti-Catholic statements.
Like in Washington, business groups in Oregon argue that the Worker Freedom Act violates their right to communicate with employees under the National Labor Relations Act. But unlike in Washington, Oregon's legislative counsel's office, which advises lawmakers, offered a differing view.
"In fact, the (federal law) accords employees the right to refrain from attending union meetings about labor relations," the opinion said. "With that in mind, we believe a court is more likely to find that Senate Bill 519 is in harmony with the (federal law) than in conflict with it."
At the request of Republican legislators in Olympia, a deputy at the Office of Attorney General Rob McKenna wrote a cursory "informal analysis" of the Worker Privacy Act determining it violated federal law. The memo's findings were refuted, not only by the Washington State Labor Council's legal analysis, but also by extensive legal analyses by the former General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, Connecticut's Attorney General, and many legal scholars and experts who agree that states absolutely do have the right to enact such a law.
During the last election campaign, Wal-Mart forced workers to attend meetings in which managers told them electing Democrats to the White House and Congress could threaten their jobs. Wal-Mart is one of the leading corporate voices in the multimillion campaign battling the Employee Free Choice Act that would allow workers to form unions free of that type of intimidation and harassment.
Copyright © 2009 -- Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO