King County Labor Council

 

 

Labor's Voice
November 2002

 

Executive Secretary’s Report: It Takes Vision to Avoid Bush-Whacks!
 Many say the national Democratic leadership had no message this year, and that the Republicans did. It’s true, but the Democrats’ weakness is not about scripting. The Democrats must stand for something to have a message. No vision equals no message.

The Republican agenda demanded a clear message. Their objectives were: 1) preventing the continuing economic woes from becoming 2002 or 2004 election liabilities and, 2) undermining the labor movement’s political and electoral clout. President Bush’s war on Iraq and the numbing reminders of ill-defined security threats are two components of his plan to take our minds off the economy. Bush’s newest post-election pledge to privatize as many as 850,000 federal jobs in the guise of "reducing costs" — privatization actually costs more due to the profits required by private sector — reveals that undermining workers’ electoral clout is a top line priority. It’s a twin win for Bush as unorganized workers don’t vote as effectively against the Republican/corporate agenda and he tosses a big bone to the corporate privatizers.

Did Bush or the candidates he led to victory campaign on privatizing nearly a million jobs? Of course they didn’t. But they set the stage with the trial balloon of removing union protection from the 170,000 federal workers who will staff the Office of Homeland Security. The rationale: the ill-defined security threats once again. They talked war to distract us from their true intent, and the subterfuge worked.

The Democrats should have talked war too. They should have described Bush’s war on working families, and built a plan to get the economy rolling again by creating good jobs. They should have committed to deal with the issues all working families face, like health care and prescription drug costs. They should have pledged to protect retirement income, including Social Security. But without a uniting vision about how our government ought to work for working families, not help corporations battle workers, it’s unrealistic to expect a coherent message.

There is, of course, an antidote to being Bush-whacked. We must settle on a national vision for how working families can be better off, and work to win it. The scripting will flow. But without that vision, simplistic fixes are alluring, phantom enemies become priorities, and the choices that serve our own interests become less evident.

Eyman-Whacked, but not for long
Speaking of simplistic fixes, state voters fell for Tim Eyman’s unconstitutional Initiative 776. What really happened is quite remarkable. Statewide voters who don’t have to pay any taxes toward Sound Transit (because they are in neither the taxing district nor the service area) voted to prevent the rest of us from taxing ourselves. And now that the election results are in, we’ve learned that those of us within the taxing and service area of Sound Transit voted against I-776. We previously said we were willing to pay for it, and we said so again. In King County, the vote was nearly 60%-40% against I-776 and for continuing to pay for Sound Transit.

The problem is our votes were trumped by those who aren’t affected either way. But not for long. Initiative 776 will be challenged constitutionally, and it will likely go down because taxation with representation implies that only the taxed should be able to vote on their own taxation.

Tax Reform is the antidote
Again, the antidote to getting whacked by those who pose simplistic choices is an agenda. Workers know our state tax structure is unfair. When we put forth genuine tax reform, trust will return, and we’ll begin rebuilding this state to serve working families.

Who’s Leading Locally?
Many of the legislative candidate successes — and there were many — can be traced to the Washington State Labor Council’s Labor-to-Neighbor program. See the WSLC website for state legislative results and analyses. Union members knocked on fellow members’ doors and made thousands of phone calls. It worked! The WSLC provided the program leadership and everyone who volunteered provided leadership on the ground.

Further, the WSLC is an endorsing partner and leader in the Washington Tax Fairness Coalition. The Tax Fairness Coalition is a large group of allies working on the root issues around our grossly unfair tax structure in Washington State. In fact, we may live in one of the most regressive states in the nation when it comes to who pays what percentage of income in taxes. Last week, the KCLC followed the lead of the WSLC and joined the Coalition as an endorsing partner. Has your local union endorsed the Tax Fairness Coalition?

AFL-CIO Analysis
An AFL-CIO-commissioned Hart polling found the following:
• Union members overwhelmingly decided how to vote based on issues (54%) as opposed to candidate qualities (26%) or party affiliation (16%).

• 71% of union members are dissatisfied with the economic situation in the country today.

• Most union members said Democrats don’t have a clear plan about the economy (47% vs. 40%).

• In voting for US House candidates, union members cited “crack down on corporations/protect retirement plans” 81% of the time as one of their “most important/very important” goals. Compare that to “support action against Iraq” which garnered only 37%.

See complete AFL-CIO polling data power point demonstration here. - Steve Williamson
 

Seattle's Mayor Nickels Presents Special Award

Miss Wallie Smith, who retired from the King County Labor Agency this past year, was honored last month at the Mayor's End Hunger Awards luncheon with a lifetime achievement award. Wallie was the food bank director for the King County Labor Agency for 26 years, working to ensure union workers and community members in need didn't go hungry. 
 

Apple Campaign Growing Stronger
The United Farm Workers (UFW) apple campaign continues in Eastern Washington. They recently announced the arrival of an organic union apple at local co-op stores, including the Madison Market at 1600 E. Madison in Seattle. A bi-monthly e-mail campaign update is available for ongoing campaign news. To sign up for the updates, send an e-mail to apples@ufwmail.com with “subscribe” in the subject line.
 
The UFW is also pleased to announce the opening of their new Seattle office at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 65th and 23rd in Ballard. Postcards announcing locations where union label organic apples can be purchased are available, as are posters, flyers and solidarity forms. You can reach the office at (206) 789-1947.
 

Performing Arts Union Makes Strong Gains
Ongoing negotiations between the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the employers groups at the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet have finally produced tentative agreements for new four-year contracts that have been locally approved and are on their way to the AGMA board for final approval.
 
Considerable gains in compensation were made for choristers at the Seattle Opera, along with non-monetary gains such as validated parking at the Seattle Center. At both the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet, joint labor-management committees have been formed as a result of the negotiations and will undoubtedly make future bargaining sessions less contentious more productive.
 
 
Lame Duck Session Yields Important Unemployment Victory
In the October 2002 issue of Labor’s Voice Online, we reported on Senator Maria Cantwell’s efforts to get legislation passed to extend federal unemployment benefits for workers. We’re pleased to report that this bipartisan bill was passed by the Senate on November 14th and could protect unemployment benefits for 80,000 workers in our state alone. The legislation would extend the current expiration date of December 28, 2002 to March 31, 2003.
 
 
Holiday Assistance Program Gets a Boost
Meet the Winners, which was held November 6th at the Seattle Labor Temple, was a success by all measures. The event is the King County Labor Agency’s annual holiday fundraiser and brought in over $2000 for the holiday assistance program. With so many workers unemployed this year, the need is particularly acute. If you were unable to attend the event but would still like to contribute, call (206) 448-9277.
 
 
Justice for Janitors
Late last month, Boston-area janitors ended a three-week labor dispute with a contract deal that raised some janitors’ pay by more than a third and gave some part-timers health insurance. The strike targeted nearly 100 high profile buildings in the Boston area.

Local janitors and SEIU Local 6 have been watching Boston closely in preparation for next year’s contract negotiations in the Seattle area. In June 2003, over 2,000 janitors will be fighting for a fair contract when the Seattle Master Contract expires. As in Boston, Equity Office Properties (EOP) is one of the largest owners of commercial real estate. As bargaining approaches, Local 6 will work with other SEIU locals across the country to put pressure on EOP to do the right thing by their employees and bargain in good faith.

The Boston fight proved to EOP that SEIU janitors will not back down. If EOP wants labor peace at their buildings, they will need to be a partner in creating and maintaining family-wage jobs. For more information on the Justice for Janitors campaign, visit Local 6’s website or the SEIU National website.
 
 
Dock Employers’ Sanction Plea Fails
Justice Department prosecutors ruled last week that dockworkers as well as shipping companies are at fault for a productivity drop at West Coast ports after a 10-day lockout this fall — but neither party is so blameworthy that it should be sanctioned in federal court. To read the full article from the Seattle P-I, click here.
 
 
AFL-CIO National Boycott List update
The DISH Network, a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications, has been added to the AFL-CIO’s National Boycott List after CWA Local 1108 tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a first contract for over a year for DISH installers. Despite a settlement in an unfair labor practice case, the company continued to dodge actual bargaining and stall progress toward a first contract. To see the full AFL-CIO Boycott List, click here.
Despite the long list of companies who are unfair to workers, there are still plenty of union-friendly options. The Union Label and Service Trades Department has also released a “Do Buy” list just in time for the holidays, which you can view online. The list includes gift items, toys, household goods, greeting cards, clothing and everything you need to fill your holiday table.
 
 
Transportation Solutions One Step Closer
On November 1st, the King County Superior Court ruled on a lawsuit between Sound Transit and Sane Transit. Sane Transit is the anti-rail group that is trying to single out the light rail project to stop its construction. The judge ruled in Sound Transit’s favor on all counts. King County Executive Ron Sims called the ruling “good news for commuters who have been stuck in traffic for too long. Voters have said time and again they want us to stop talking about traffic and just build a regional system of transportation solutions. Today’s ruling allows us to keep moving forward on a key element of the system.”
The transportation improvement package, which was passed by voters in 1996, will include a commuter train, expanded regional bus service, capital improvements and light rail. Review the full text of the ruling here.
 
 
Pierce County Labor Council’s Patty Rose in the News
Patty Rose never set out to be a lifetime union member, much less lead an organization of 32,000 workers and become the first woman secretary-treasurer of the Pierce County Central Labor Council. But as of July 1st, she took over the reins of the council, which has had about six leaders, all men, since it began keeping detailed records about 70 years ago. The labor council actually started in the late 1800s... (click here to read the full story from the Tacoma News Tribune.)
 
 
Upcoming Events
Thursday, November 21st, 3:00 p.m.
UFCW National Day of Action at the Renton Wal-Mart, 743 Rainier Avenue South. Join UFCW and supporters from other unions and the community for this huge local action. Contact UFCW at (206) 763-1105 for information.
 
Wednesday, December 4th, 7:00 p.m.
KCLC Delegates Meeting, Hall One, Seattle Labor Temple.
 
Friday, December 13th, 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The King County Labor Council and Seattle/King County Building & Construction Trades Council Annual Holiday Party. Join other union members and our supporters for this fun, free event! Hall One, Seattle Labor Temple.