King
County Labor CouncilKing
County Labor Council
Then they made history.
In winning their 40-day strike, 21,000 Boeing engineers and technical workers beat back the company’s demand for concessions, won pay raises, strengthened their union, and sent a powerful message that workers are ready to fight for respect. It was the largest private-sector white-collar strike in U.S. history.
"This was a tremendous achievement — we have made history," declared Charles Bofferding, executive director of SPEEA, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, after more than 70 percent of the union’s members ratified the contract on March 19th.
Last year, few people would have predicted a strike by Boeing engineers and technicians — certainly no one expected a 40-day walkout. A minority of Boeing engineers and technicians belonged to the union, which was independent, had no history of sustained job actions, and no strike fund.
In October, SPEEA members voted to affiliate with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. In becoming Local IFPTE 2001, they joined the AFL-CIO and pledged to link up with other workers.
Then the company put health and benefit concession demands on the table and began to implement benefit cuts for non-represented Boeing employees.
SPEEA activists launched an internal organizing campaign in response. Some 75 trained SPEEA members talked one-on-one with colleagues about the importance of standing together and joining the union. They built a recruiting network throughout the company’s vast array of worksites.
"We offered prizes to motivate people, but the real motivator was what happened when Boeing started implementing benefit cuts for non-represented staff," said SPEEA Organizing Director Paul Shearon. "SPEEA members knew that they would be next — if management had its way, everyone would be paying premiums. Once we got some momentum, SPEEA members saw that the power was truly based in increased membership, and the ball started rolling."
All told, between mid-October and the end of the strike in March, 4,700 Boeing engineers and technical employees joined SPEEA.
"In November alone, membership went up by 20 percent," Bofferding said. "We were probably the fastest growing union in the world, and all because the Boeing Company was making everyone so angry."
Pushed to the brink by the company’s inflexible bargaining stance, SPEEA members struck on February 9th, finding thousands of allies on the picket lines. Machinists, steelworkers, teamsters, service employees and other union members picketed and rallied with the strikers. Several unions donated staff and volunteer activists for strike support activities. The King County Labor Agency coordinated strike relief. The AFL-CIO, union internationals and locals contributed over $500,000 toward the relief effort.
‘One day longer, one day stronger!’ became the rallying cry on the picket line as the labor community gathered behind the SPEEA strikers.
"Boeing made a point of saying we’re not family anymore," said SPEEA member Barry Hance. "Well, when you’re out on the picket line at 2 a.m. and the machinists come out to support you, you realize who your family really is. And that you can’t replace family."
"Boeing miscalculated the resolve of SPEEA and the rest of the labor movement," declared AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, who visited picket lines and played an active role in final contract settlement talks. "Whatever we accomplished at the bargaining table was because of this kind of spirit, and this kind of solidarity, and a very special union, SPEEA/IFPTE."
With production flagging, plane deliveries stalled, and the national spotlight on Boeing, company executives returned to the table, and on March 17th agreed to a tentative settlement that removed all benefit takeaways, established a partnership agreement with SPEEA, agreed to respect a SPEEA vote on union security, and provided for across-the-board raises and a bonus. Two days later, SPEEA members ratified the contract then triumphantly returned to work on March 20th.
"We won with solidarity and participation," said Gene Blackman, chair of the SPEEA Membership Recruitment Committee. "By demonstrating the value of the union, we were able to drive up our membership and build the foundation to win a 40-day strike."
The SPEEA strike victory joins a growing list of white-collar workers who are organizing unions for a voice in the workplace. Both locally and nationally, doctors, technology workers and office professionals have begun to organize in greater numbers into unions.
The SPEEA victory also boosted other local labor struggles. Just a week after SPEEA members returned to work, 300 Boeing drivers — members of Teamsters Local 174 — reached agreement with the company on a new contract. The pact broke new ground in wage scales and pay levels.
Labor Agency ready
with support
As the 40-day SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001
strike wore on, many striking Boeing technicians and engineers found themselves
financially tapped-out. That’s when the King County Labor Agency stepped up to
offer immediate assistance.
The Labor Agency is the community services division of the King County Labor Council. Their funding comes from United Way and donations from affiliates. They offer assistance on a daily basis to union members as well as the community at large. Services include operating a food bank, offering union counseling courses, building wheelchair ramps for people with disabilities, and offering strike assistance when the need arises.
SPEEA helped members get in contact with the Labor Agency if they found themselves unable to make a critical bill payment or in need of food for their families. Over 700 strikers and their families received assistance with paying over one-half million dollars worth of bills. The labor community came through with many generous donations to help with the effort. Contributions from international unions and the AFL-CIO, along with thousands of local SPEEA supporters, tremendously increased the Labor Agency’s ability to offer help to those who needed it.
King County Labor Agency Director Nancy Holland-Young marveled at the show of support among our local labor community. "We received donations from so many different sources — past and present union members, community activists, affiliate unions, and people who just wanted to help these workers win their fight. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support that enabled us to continue offering assistance."
Unrepresented UW
workers fight for a union contract and voice at work
On March 15th, the Graduate
Student Employee Action Coalition (GSEAC)/United Auto Workers (UAW) capped a
phenomenally successful winter quarter organizing drive by delivering union
authorization cards from 80 percent of the University of Washington’s academic
student employees to the state’s Public Employment Relations Commission.
The union, which represents graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs), graders, and tutors, called upon UW President Richard McCormick to begin bargaining without delay. "It’s very clear that an overwhelming majority of us want a voice on the job," said GSEAC/UAW organizing committee member Rich Heyman. "We expect the University to recognize our union and negotiate a fair contract."
Unannounced cuts in health benefits and rising workloads, among other factors, have contributed to a growing sense of discontent among the 1,650 student employees at the UW. "We’re responsible for the bulk of undergraduate teaching here," said TA Roberta Gold, "but the university takes us for granted." For several years, student employee activists had been exploring ways to defend their interests. According to Steve Marquardt, a GSEAC organizing committee member, "When the UAW helped teaching assistants in the University of California system win union recognition last year, we realized that, with their help, we could win here too."
The UAW also represents academic student employees at the University of Massachusetts, and has filed to represent academic student employees at New York University. This kind of organizing is part of a national trend. TAs, graders and tutors at almost 30 universities have, or are negotiating, union contracts. Stephanie Burkhalter, a GSEAC activist who worked as a TA at the University of Oregon, where academic student employees have long had a union contract, discounted fears that unionization might disrupt education. "With a contract to clarify working expectations, things actually go more smoothly," said Burkhalter. "Everyone can focus on teaching."
The new union also hopes that the support of the local union members will help convince the university to negotiate. "We’ve already had a lot of help from the King County Labor Council," said Marquardt. "We’re excited about being part of the labor movement."
Community boost from
Boeing
Boeing employees are among the most
generous in the world. Last year, Boeing workers set a record by raising over
$36.8 million company-wide during the Employees Community Fund annual campaign.
This generous contribution to local community non-profit organizations was the
result of people working together.
Four members of the Fund’s eight-member board in the Puget Sound area are IAM District Lodge 751 members. In addition, many Boeing employees who have volunteered to talk with co-workers during the campaign are represented by unions, including IAM, SPEEA and the Teamsters. The participation of union members is key to a successful campaign for the employee-owned fund. Without that partnership and support, both in volunteering and in giving, fewer dollars would reach the local community services that are critical to so many.
This year’s campaign will take place May 1st – 12th. In the shop areas, office buildings and other Boeing facilities, volunteer "boosters" will talk with individuals about the Fund and ask for donations. Please take a moment to listen as union and non-union people work together for the betterment of their neighborhoods. We all stand to benefit from strong community organizations.
Since affiliating, Local 222 members have shown their commitment to union activism by attending shop steward trainings sponsored by Local 79 and by getting involved in the Washington Machinists Council. They also attended labor activities during WTO last year. Welcome to the Council!
Teamster garbage worker victory: Garbage workers ratified a new six-year contract on April 3rd, averting a strike that could have left millions of local residents without garbage pickup service.
The nearly 500 members of Teamsters Local 174 gained wage increases, a $1,000 signing bonus, health care improvements and beneficial changes in overtime rules. The contract was accepted by a 2-1 margin. Bob Hasegawa, Local 174’s secretary-treasurer, said "It was the solidarity of our membership and support from the community that got them this great contract."
Unions join together in struggle: "The labor movement is watching what Providence does," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney when he met with employees from Providence in early March.
He spent time talking with workers from several of the five unions that came together in January with KCLC and Seattle Union Now (SUN) to form Providence Unions Together in order to unite 3,200 workers in a common fight for recognition and fair contracts at the state’s largest health care provider. The unions involved are UFCW Local 1001, UFCW/USNU Local 141, SEIU Local 6, District 1199NW/SEIU and OPEIU Local 8. Each union has committed staff to the project.
The campaign encompasses fights for union recognition, first contracts, and contract renewals in Yakima, Everett, Olympia, and Seattle. The goal has been to unite workers around common strategies and tactics in demanding a union shop and a wage scale with steps.
The coalition’s accomplishments include bringing together 52 rank-and-file leaders from all the units to develop and implement common strategies, doing community outreach and picketing, and coordinating cross-unit and cross-union support activities.
We look forward to reporting future successes of this cooperative effort. Look for news in the next issue.
Victory for Sea Mar workers: On January 24th, OPEIU Local 8 received nearly 70% support from 335 workers at 20 Sea Mar Medical, Dental, and Treatment Facilities in Washington State. Sea Mar is a non-profit community organization primarily serving the medical and dental needs of Western Washington’s Latino population.
Rubby Sanchez, a social worker at the Sea Mar Clinic in Seattle, said, "I’m thankful that my co-workers went union with OPEIU Local 8. Right after we became union I had some difficulties at work. OPEIU immediately responded and the outcome was excellent. I know we are supported and helped in issues that effect us in the workplace."
The challenge was to organize wall-to-wall units with numerous job classifications such as RNs, LPN’s, chemical dependency counselors, dental assistants, medical record clerks, social workers, childcare teachers, and house managers. With the help of OPEIU Local 8’s Volunteer Organizing Committee, outreach was done within each clinic. The internal organizing leaders talked one-on-one with co-workers about how joining the union would benefit them, their families, and Sea Mar.
OPEIU Local 8 began representing Sea Mar homecare workers in 1990, then in 1998 added the Sea Mar Care Center. In both of these campaigns, Rogelio Riojas, executive director of Sea Mar, honored his commitment to workers by directing supervisors to remain neutral and let workers decide without management intervention. In 1999, Mr. Riojas went a step further by signing a neutrality agreement and agreeing to voluntary recognition if 60% of the workers supported the union, making him one of the most progressive employers around.
As OPEIU Local 8 Business Manager and International Vice President Maureen Bo stated during the February 2nd KCLC delegates meeting, "Our thanks to the workers at Sea Mar and Rogelio Riojas for their contributions in building a partnership between labor and the community. We believe this partnership will help us all in our mutual struggle to achieve social, economic and political justice."
Extra $25 million for home buyers
At the press conference, President Sweeney introduced some of the recipients of the AFL-CIO Homeownership Opportunity Initiative mortgage loans, including union members Raymond and Brenda Simon. Raymond, a city firefighter, and Brenda, a UW employee and SEIU member, wanted to buy a house closer to their work, but home prices in Seattle have escalated dramatically over the past few years. The Initiative provided the perfect solution, and today the Simons are the proud new owners of a home in the city. The program assists union members in learning about sources of homebuyer subsidies and provides homeowner-ship counseling, simplifying the home buying process for many.
"Owning a home and building strong, viable communities have always been high priorities for working families," said Sweeney. "Our members want to have a stake in the life of their city and neighbor-hoods as well as in providing a sound future for their families. Working families rank homeowner-ship right at the top of the list along with good schools, good jobs and benefits, safe communities, and caring for our seniors. This Initiative is an outstanding example of how union pension funds are making a positive and lasting contribution to the lives of our members and the community at large," he continued.
With the additional $25 million, the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, which sponsors the program, has committed over $50 million locally for union members and public employees to purchase their own homes. Since its start in 1998, 135 homeowners have received loans under the program, of whom 62% are first-time homebuyers. The program is administered by Continental (soon to be HomeStreet) Bank.
To find out more about this program,
call Continental at 206-628-0207 or check out their website:
www.continentalsavings.com/homeownership.stm.
Congress is currently considering legislation to give China a blank check: Some members want Congress to end its current system of reviewing China’s human rights record each year before deciding our trade policy. They want to grant China permanent "Normal Trade Relations" status, with no annual reviews.
These are the facts:
• China has violated every trade agreement it has signed with the United States in the past ten years, and top Chinese government officials say they have no intention of abiding by this agreement, either;
• China can flood the United States with cheap imports made by forced laborers and grossly underpaid workers. The growing trade deficit with China has already cost hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs and lowered our wages;
• China has not yet ratified the two United Nations covenants on human rights it agreed to sign before President Clinton’s 1998 visit;
• The Chinese government routinely tramples basic human rights, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of association;
• Trade agreements must protect people, not just profits.
Please call your members of Congress today to tell them China should not get permanent access to U.S. markets until it demonstrates that it has stopped unfair trade practices and respects human and workers’ rights. A vote is expected to take place in late May, so now is the time to make this call!
Busy political season ahead, key offices up for grabs
Federal Races
The Presidential race takes on increased urgency this year as we look at
the national political picture. Both chambers of Congress are controlled by
Republicans, who have demonstrated as a party that they are opponents of working
families’ issues. While we have not always agreed with the Clinton
administration, we have been fortunate to have a backstop in place to veto many
anti-worker pieces of legislation over the last seven years. For that reason,
winning the White House in 2000 is critical. If Congress and the White House are
both controlled by Republicans, we as workers will find ourselves under attack.
For this reason, the AFL-CIO has endorsed Vice President Al Gore for President.
Between the major candidates left in the race, Al Gore and George W. Bush, Gore
is far better on the issues important to working families.
We also have the rare opportunity to unseat one of the most anti-worker members of the U.S. Senate, Slade Gorton. At the top of the Democratic ticket challenging him will be either Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn or former Congresswoman Maria Cantwell. The winner of the Democratic primary will have six short weeks to unite the labor community and the Democratic party behind the shared goal of defeating Senator Gorton.
In addition, there are several key congressional races in King County. Representatives Jay Inslee (D-1st) and Adam Smith (D-9th) will face stiff challenges from well-funded opponents with terrible labor voting records. We will make a strong push to defend those seats, in keeping with the national goal of taking back the House of Representatives. Nationally, the Democrats need to pick up six seats around the country to take over control of the House.
Washington State Races
After a frustrating year with the state legislature, we will once again
watch the special session close without collective bargaining for state
employees and without relief for locked-out Kaiser steelworkers. Due to the
49-49 tie in the state House, all attempts to pass both bills have been blocked
by Clyde Ballard, the Republican co-speaker. We have the opportunity this year
to finish the job that we started in 1998 and restore control of the state
legislature to Democratic control. Voters will also elect a Governor, Attorney
General and Secretary of State, among other state-wide offices.
Labor 2000: How to get involved
Throughout the summer, unions will be registering members to vote. We
will be providing educational materials for our members about key election
issues and where candidates stand. In the fall, we will implement an aggressive
union campaign to get out labor’s vote in November. Watch for future articles
in Labor’s Voice for updates on endorsed candidates.
Seven years ago, I was honored when you elected me to serve as executive secretary of this Council. Since then, working together, we have accomplished an incredible amount of good work while building one of the most active and progressive labor councils in the country.
We’ve shared many struggles and victories over the past few years — fighting to support 5th Avenue Theater musicians in the streets of downtown Seattle in a successful effort to win a fair contract; supporting Machinists from District Lodge 751 in their 1995 strike against Boeing; working with SEIU Local 925 to pass a child care teachers living wage ordinance in King County; working with the Seattle Building Trades Council to develop project labor agreements and expand apprenticeship opportunities for women and people of color; fighting along side SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001 in their recent contract fight and subsequent victory against Boeing; and forever changing the global trade debate by organizing and placing tens of thousands of workers and allies in the streets of Seattle during the six days of WTO.
I can say without question that the time I’ve spent as executive secretary has been a rewarding, life changing experience. I thank you for giving me the opportunity.
In my new role, I look forward to working not only with the King County Labor Council, but with the many labor councils, state federations and affiliated unions within the Western Region to move our labor movement to new heights.
KCLC has grown in new and innovative ways most of us couldn’t imagine just a few short years ago. I urge you to continue your involvement, working with the new executive secretary, the executive board, and Council staff, pursuing the goal of building the most successful labor council in the country. On behalf of working families and our community, we must set high, aggressive standards of work and activities that we can all be proud of. Thank you. - In Solidarity, Ron Judd