King County Labor Council

 

 

Labor's Voice
June 2002

 

Hospital workers join together to face changing economy, health care industry cutbacks
May was a breakthrough month for many hospital employees in Washington State as over 1,700 workers at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane and Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup voted for union representation.

At Sacred Heart, 1,200 service and maintenance workers saw through an intense anti-union campaign and voted by a large margin to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1001, based in Bellevue. First contract negotiations will begin soon. 

Service Employees Local 1199NW gained 550 new members following a vote of Good Samaritan Hospital technical and service employees, including respiratory therapists, certified nursing assistants, health unit coordinators, technologists, housekeepers, and dietary staff.

 

Kaiser lockout deemed illegal, back pay ordered
A National Labor Relations Board judge ruled last month that the Kaiser Aluminum lockout, which lasted from January 1999 to September 2000, was illegal and has ordered the company to pay 20 months back wages and benefits for 3,000 steelworkers. The ruling could end up costing Kaiser up to $200 million, though the company will likely appeal the ruling.

Kaiser is now in federal bankruptcy court after filing for Chapter 11 reorganization in February. Once one of Spokane’s largest employers, Kaiser has closed plants in Tacoma and Spokane and is operating its Spokane rolling mill with a much-reduced workforce.

 

Executive Secretary’s Report
The following is a letter to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer submitted by King County Labor Council Executive Secretary Steve Williamson in response to the P-I editorial of May 24th regarding the INS raid of Sky Chef workers. 

One fact stands out about undocumented immigrant workers: there are 8.5 million in the U.S. workforce today. 

Our economy functions partly because hardworking immigrants handle some of our toughest, dirtiest, and least desirable jobs. But instead of getting their piece of the American dream, they’re delayed by the red tape and failed policies of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. 

In defending the recent scapegoating of immigrant Sky Chef workers by the INS and suggesting that airport security was compromised, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer missed the fact that the workers had no tarmac access. The airline food they prepare offsite is subject to a separate, thorough, and independent security check. 

This confusion is consistent with some Americans’ love/hate relationship with immigrants. Many employers knowingly hire undocumented immigrants, pay poorly, and ignore workplace laws hoping immigrants won’t speak out. When the work is done, some call in the INS. 

We benefit, often at their expense. We get an amazing array of agricultural products and other services at low prices. And because immigrants pay taxes but are ineligible for most benefits, they contribute to services we receive. 

But scapegoating around security issues isn’t just unfair to immigrants; it also leads to unsound conclusions about how to create a secure society. 

Here’s reform that promotes security: 

1.      Amnesty, encouraging undocumented workers to step forward and register.

2.      Revised guestworker program (with full labor rights) to ease travel but increase documentation.

3.      Accelerated INS processing of citizenship/permit applications.

4.      Fair wages and adequate training, leading to reduced turnover and creating a more stable workforce. 

One of our post-9/11 duties is to build a more secure society. Another is to teach our children how to seek meaning from disaster. Scapegoating will accomplish neither. 

Unifying around principles of justice is where our long-term security and our legacy lie. - Steve Williamson

 

Online Resources
No Sweat Apparel and SweatX are new companies exploring the market for quality clothing produced without sweatshop labor. Check out their sites for more information.

 

Cascadia Community College workers join union ranks
Faculty at Cascadia Community College voted overwhelmingly last month to join the American Federation of Teachers by forming a new local called the Cascadia Community College Federation of Teachers. The new local will represent 22 full-time workers and 80 part-time workers. That number is expected to rise as the young college expands.  

Frustration with the college’s governance system helped move the workers toward union representation, as their governance system does not currently provide faculty with the ability to negotiate wages, hours, and working conditions.

 

Cineplex Odeon theaters added to Do Not Patronize List
IATSE Local 15, the union representing movie projectionists, requested that Cineplex Odeon theaters in King County be added to the KCLC Do Not Patronize/Unfair to Workers list. Though a representative from Cineplex Odeon was invited to attend the last meeting of the KCLC Executive Board, none did. The company has slowly reduced the union workforce and has not raised the projectionist wage rate since 1993. They have also cut the hours worked by union projectionists.

 

Tiffany & Co. target of day of action, affects positive change
On May 8th, 23 Tiffany locations were targeted by UNITE for informational picketing about Riva Jewelry, a main supplier of jewelry sold at Tiffany. Employees at Riva have been struggling over the past year to form a union, with the NLRB charging the company with 135 federal labor law violations. Workers have contended with unsafe working conditions, illegal firings for union activity, and constant suspicion from management.  

The UNITE local in New York has experienced recent success with their campaign at Riva. They convinced 45 of the city’s 51 city council members to sign on to a letter to Tiffany CEO Michael Kowalski calling on the company to demand that Riva immediately commence contract negotiations with UNITE.

 

Religious and labor communities join together in economic justice alliance
In Washington State, and across the country, a renewed alliance between congregations and unions is bringing greater economic justice to low-wage workers. Labor has found the religious community to be a powerful and natural ally in fighting for workers’ rights. 

In our state, religious groups are working in coalition with labor to pass a living wage ordinance in Bellingham, raise childcare provider wages in Spokane, challenge Aramark and Paul Allen’s company when they resisted allowing concession workers at the new football stadium to organize, and support farmworkers in a fair trade apple campaign. 

To find out more about this partnership, e-mail the Washington Association of Churches at livingwagemovement@thewac.org or check out the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice site at www.nicwj.org.

 

Upcoming Events
Friday, June 14th, 6:30 p.m.   Join union projectionists and IATSE Local 15 in their fight for fair contracts at King County movie theaters. They will be rallying at the Meridian Theater, 7th and Pike.

Wednesday, June 19th, 5:30 p.m.   Town hall meeting and reception with former Enron workers. Hear from workers, financial experts, and local leaders about how to protect your retirement security and make sure corporate abuse doesn’t rob your future. Moderated by actor and past Screen Actors Guild President Ed Asner. Hall One, Seattle Labor Temple. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday, June 30th   Join Pride at Work, AFL-CIO, at the Annual Gay Pride Parade and Rally on Capitol Hill. America @ Work, the AFL-CIO’s national publication, will be traveling to Seattle to cover the event. To march with the labor contingency, wear your union shirts, carry your union banners, and meet at 10th and Pike at 10:00 a.m.