Publications

January 11, 2005

Municipal filibuster

The struggle to gain collective bargaining rights in Oklahoma continued this week when workers of the cities of Bartlesville and Enid called on their city councils to voluntarily recognize their unions. Under a new law, municipal employees of cities with populations of 35,000 or more can unionize. But several entities — including Bartlesville — are fighting the law in court. While that city awaits a court ruling, its employees sought another way to settle the dispute. One of them, Theresa Hampton, told the council: "If you voluntarily voted to recognize us, there would be no reason for the hearing, and there would be no more reason for spending taxpayer money on lawyers." About 1,500 AFSCME members in Bartlesville and Enid signed a newspaper ad objecting to the cities' intransigence.

Gettin' it right

In Indiana, Council 62 activists have stepped up their internal organizing efforts. In the last eight months, the council's membership has increased more than 7 percent as organizers reached out to workers at various job sites. The affiliate's target: organize 1,000 members by June 2005. As of this week, the number stood at 800.

Holiday present

After building up pressure with weekly rallies, Missouri Local 410 (Council 72) has reached an agreement with St. Louis' Metropolitan Sewer District on behalf of its roughly 800 members. The deal provides 100-percent-paid health care and a 3-percent wage hike that's retroactive and covers three years.

Waves of support

AFSCME International has donated to assist with tsunami relief efforts, and President McEntee is urging councils and affiliates to make contributions as well. "In the same way that AFSCME supports the workers of America, we're reaching out to our fellow workers across the globe who've had their livelihoods and entire way of life taken from them by this devastating event," McEntee said. "They are in most cases people with precious little margin for economic reversals of any kind, let alone of this magnitude. Yet they face immediate hardships that are unimaginable to us here in the safe and comfortable West."

AFSCME officials and members are urged to donate to the AFL-CIO's special fund for tsunami victims by visiting the AFL-CIO web site and clicking on the tsunami item under "News" on the homepage.

Gregoire by a hair

In the narrowest gubernatorial-election victory on record, and one of the most bitterly contested, former Council 28 member Christine Gregoire (D) has won the Washington state governorship. Based on a hand count, Attorney General Gregoire beat Republican Dino Rossi by 129 votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast. But wait: It ain't quite over. Rossi's supporters have launched a campaign to hold a whole new election, and they are about to try to persuade the legislature to deny certification of Gregoire's election. (The GOP is also seeking evidence of election irregularities.) AFSCME members in the state are expected to lobby in support of her victory. In her pre-candidate days, Gregoire worked her way through state government from clerk typist to caseworker to head of the state Department of Ecology.

Won't give up

The AFSCME Employee Pension Plan is asking the SEC to reject the Halliburton Co.'s request to block a proposal that would give shareholders a greater voice in nominating corporate officers. The proposal, which the Pension Plan helped write, would give Halliburton shareholders the right to nominate one or two of the firm's 11 directors. The SEC staff has repeatedly dismissed similar proposals — including a recent one involving the Walt Disney Co.

Sweet victory

Minneapolis Board of Education Employees Local 56 has won an arbitration award that will provide roughly 450 members with approximately $500 each in back benefit pay. The ruling stems from a 2003 decision by the school district to switch its health care carrier. In doing so, the district reduced its costs by dropping all but the cheapest benefit option. The union charged that violated its contract, and an arbitrator agreed.

Dead on target

Prompted by Council 94, the Rhode Island Division of Occupational Safety recently cited the state medical examiner's office for 10 violations and unsafe conditions. Local 2870, which represents more than a dozen employees who conduct crime-scene investigations and provide secretarial support, filed a complaint and a 47-point class-action grievance. Among the points: a lack of training in how to work with formaldehyde. The examiner's office was ordered to make several changes in its operations, including following safety guidelines to provide respiratory protection and prevent exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Can't shut us up

A Maryland judge says the administration of Governor Ehrlich (R) failed to act in good faith when it demanded that Council 92 agree to a press embargo as a precondition of collective bargaining. The judge also found the state changed health insurance benefits in violation of the collective bargaining law. The case now goes to the State Labor Relations Board.

Important calendar item

10th National Nurses Congress, May 5-8 in Washington, D.C. For info, visit the AFSCME UNA web site.


 

 

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