Local News Roundup

SEIU a growing force in state's politics (Washington State)

In Washington state, the SEIU has raised the profile of long-term health care and is an increasingly powerful player in state politics.

But how is it that janitors, nurses and nursing home workers have built an empire in Washington [state] politics similar to what autoworkers had on the national scene decades ago?

There's so much talk about the demise of labor, and the national numbers don't lie: from 38% of workers represented in the 1950's, down to 12% today. But as new industries emerge, there has been a real effort to organize traditionally low wage jobs, like hotel and other service workers. It's imperative to get these workers organized for a number of reasons. First, obviously, is the social justice issue; paying below the poverty line to workers that clean schools, offices, hotels, restaurants, and all the other institutions that drive our economy; or take care of our sick grandparents at hospitals or at home; that's a sick statement on what we value as a society.

But additionally, as these industries grow and add more and more jobs, it's important to make sure that they start out as unionized jobs; trying to organize afterwards, after years of employers beating down workers.

And it's already starting to make a difference:

Chopp said the benefits the SEIU is fighting for have a clear overlap with basic priorities of the Democratic Party. Though they are among the lowest-paid workers in the service industry, "they are providing some of the most important work," he said.

Janet Rodriguez, a 50-year-old home care worker, agreed.

For more than 10 hours a day, Rodriguez feeds, bathes and cares for a developmentally delayed girl.

"The union helps me hold politicians accountable," she said. "The Legislature actually sets my pay. We had to come together as a force to contend with."

She said the union's lobbying resulted in a 20 percent increase in benefits, including her $9.73-an-hour wage and holiday pay.

Rodriguez said that before the union stepped in she worked for low wages and she felt like there wasn't much she could do about it.

"I believe we should be aggressive because if we stay quiet, we get nothing."

Back to the political influence, that's a self-perpetuating thing. Spend more money, get Democrats elected, and you rack up favors and ideologically similar lawmakers. Of course, after the 1990's, it's important to make sure the Dems you help are pro-labor:

In Washington, the SEIU's home health care workers local, 775, has developed a reputation for aggressive tactics, which includes gunning for powerful lawmakers who don't support their causes.

Notably, House Appropriations Chairwoman Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, narrowly held off an SEIU candidate in the 2004 primary. Though Sommers won and was re-elected, the message was clear -- nobody, no matter how established, is safe.

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Auto-Parts Maker Delphi, Union Reach Tentative Deal

The United Auto Workers and Delphi, the country's largest auto-parts supplier, reached a tentative agreement yesterday on a labor deal that could pull the troubled company out of bankruptcy protection and head off problems at General Motors.

...

Delphi executives have demanded that the company's union workers agree to a $12-an-hour starting wage, far less than the $27 an hour many senior workers had earned since the days when Delphi was the parts arm of GM. GM spun off Delphi in 1999 and is making payments to Delphi under the separation agreement. A labor deal is important to GM because a strike at Delphi could cripple the automaker, Delphi's biggest customer.

Delphi angered organized labor last year by threatening to have a bankruptcy court judge void the union's contract.

Local union leaders were meeting in Detroit late yesterday to hear details of the agreement, which could be put to a vote by UAW members next week. A Delphi spokeswoman said details would not be released until after ratification. The deal is also subject to the approval of bankruptcy court.

Gary N. Chaison, professor of industrial relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., said the deal could include "buy-down" provisions, or one-time payments to some senior Delphi workers to accept substantial wage cuts. "It's going to be a sweetener to accept the concession or a buyout to leave the company," Chaison said.

UAW has been coming under criticism for being too soft as they try to help preserve the slowly dying US automotive industry, so I would imagine this deal will be pretty good; it's their chance to show dissident members they've got some backbone.

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Contracts for University of Minnesota support staff workers, members of AFSCME, are set to expire, and negotiations are ongoing:

Phyllis Walker, president of AFSCME local 3800, which represents the University's clerical workers, said the union is focused on improving living wages for support staff.

"Our three top priorities are wages, wages and wages," Walker said.

AFSCME represents more than 3,500 technical, clerical and health-care workers on both the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses - every support staff job, from secretaries to laboratory technicians.

"Many, many clerical, technical and health-care employees cannot support their families on what they make at the 'U,' " Walker said. "They have to work second and third jobs to make ends meet."

Walker said she felt it was unfair support staff salaries have fallen 5 percent below the inflation rate in recent years, while administrative salaries, like that of Bruininks, have skyrocketed.

I highlight this story because university workers are near and dear to my heart. In a place that should be a natural source of allies for social justice crusaders, it's amazing how ignorant some students are about it. And some are just assholes:

Toby Madden, University doctoral student and parent to a first-year student, said he felt the budget money could be better spent elsewhere.

"The core mission of the University is teaching, research and public outreach," Madden said. "What does sweeping floors, cleaning windows or fixing boilers have to do with our core mission?"

Okay, okay, so he's a guy in his 40's going back for a doctoral degree, but you'd be surprised how many 20-year olds think this way. Here's a great response:

AFSCME member Greg Knoblauch spoke at the meeting in favor of support staff and their function at the University.

"AFSCME workers perform many vital University functions, working in nearly every University building and laboratory on every campus all over greater Minnesota," Knoblauch said. "The quality and quantity of our work has brought and continues to bring added value to the University. To be fair, the University should be giving some of that value back to the workers who created it."

You think people would go to a University where they couldn't register for class or make appointments with professors, or couldn't use the library because no one was organizing it? Please.