Modifications to Local 81359's Local Agreement for Waterford 2020
Accept - 76 (13.59%)
Reject - 482 (86.23%)
Non-cast - 1 (0.18%)
Both measures fail as a result of this vote. Thank you to all that turned out, over 550 votes were cast on this very important decision. Voting results from Local 81380 and Local 84707 will be posted as soon as they are released.
Vote on Latest LBFO - Tuesday September 6th
and Wednesday September 7th
Please come out and vote on Tuesday September 6th and Wednesday September 7th at the Halfmoon Firehouse, 2.7 miles north of the plant on Route 4&32, from 5am-5pm on both days. Board Members will be available to answer any last-minute questions you may have before you cast your vote.
Contract 2016 UNION Informational Meetings times and Location.... starting tomorrow August 30th !
Sisters and Brothers of Local 359 : The Executive Board and Bargaining Committee for Contract 2016 will be having more informational meetings starting tomorrow morning at the following times at the Halfmoon /Waterford fire station II approximately 3 miles north of the plant on Rt. 4€&32 where we normally do our Voting. It is extremely import and we ask EVERYONE to catch a session. WE ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE STOP BY FOR ONE OF THESE SESSIONS TO BE CLEAR WHY WE MUST REJECT THIS LATEST PROPOSAL AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS…. If there is a timeframe NOT listed that needs to be added, please contact myself at pres359@gmail.com or Secretary Stackman at bill@local81359.com. Thanks and see you there……
Tuesday August 30th
5:00am - 6:30am
7:45am - 9:00 am
1:00pm - 2:30pm
3:45pm - 5:00 pm
9:15pm -11:00 pm
11:45pm - 1:00am
Wednesday August 31st
7:45 - 9:00am
We can add more meetings between Tuesday and Friday if needed
REMEMBER , VOTING NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY…… Sept. 6th and 7th , 2016…… 5am- 5pm both days……
On another note , VOTING WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY , SEPT. 6TH AND 7TH. Once again, not knowing why Momentive seems to try to dictate when local 359 will be voting ???????
It's Time to Take a Stand 81359!
Strike Vote Results
We had approximately 90% turnout to vote and we ask you to individually thank each and every member of Local 359. We especially
Thank each and every Shop Steward, Alternate and Committee member that spent time working on this mobilization for a FAIR CONTRACT.
On the vote - 97.6% voted YES to support the bargaining team and CWA to use the Strike if needed…… This is HUGE and we thank you.
Remember, we didn’t have absentee ballots and this is the biggest vacation week of the year…. Amazing !
Also , Local 380 and 707 also received YES from their members…… Between the three Locals, the strike vote passed by over 96%.
President Dominick Patrignani
Strike Vote Being Held Tuesday August 2nd
and Wednesday August 3rd
Contract Talks to Resume in Syracuse Thursday August 4th
Please come out and vote on Tuesday August 2nd and Wednesday August 3rd at the Halfmoon Firehouse, one mile north of the plant on Route 4&32, from 5am-5pm on both days. The Bargaining Committee is fully committed to returning to Waterford with a fair contract for our members. Vote YES to authorize a strike, if necessary, to show the Company that we demand a fair contract. Final strike approval would be determined by CWA President Chris Shelton.
Also, we received late word that the Bargaining Committee will be returning to negotiations at 10am Thursday August 4th in Syracuse.
A note from President Patrignani -
Members,
Please note that there is voting tomorrow(Tuesday) and Wednesday for Strike Authorization only.
This is not a contract vote.
This is not a vote on the Company’s Last Best and Final Offer.
We need all Union members to vote. We need a unanimous turn out to vote yes to authorize a strike if needed. A strong Yes for authorization gives us bargaining power. This will only authorize the Union to use this if needed. A strike requires several more steps before being used, including CWA authorization and the CWA will exhaust everything that they can do before a strike. A strike will be a last resort used by the Union.
The Company has approached the Union and requested further bargaining. We have agreed and should be meeting again later this week after the strike authorization vote. update NOTE : we will be back in Syracuse Thursday and Friday back to the table ( just got the update )
Vote Yes tomorrow(Tuesday) and Wednesday for Strike Authorization, there will be nothing else on the ballot.
President Dominick Patrignani
President Patrignani Responds to Slanted Times Union Story
In an e-mail submitted to Times Union reporter Larry Rulison, President Patrignani responds to a story published on July 27th regarding Momentive's 'Best and Final' offer.
Larry, As distasteful as it was for Momentive to publicize a contract proposal that was rejected by the bargaining team , we feel we have no choice but to publicize the reasons why the 3 Union Presidents from IUE-CWA rejected this latest bargaining proposal ... They are as follows:
First and foremost MPM failed to mention upfront concessions the Union made for flexibility in the work rules that will save multi-millions of dollars that were done on the premise of a fair contract and with a provision to take care of the affected members involved . As of this proposal , this did not happen and there resides open proposals from the Union.
Health Care : currently over 80% of our members are in the PPO plans for their family care .. It's not cheap but affordable and works as health insurance with deductibles , copay's and co-insurance. The salary folks were stripped of this option, many were upset and now they want to do the same to represented employees. The plan they are switching to is consumer driven health care in which a large amount comes out of each family upfront ... This basically negates the pay increases over the life of this contract . The company also is drastically changing pre and post 65 retiree medical affecting so many of our members when they need insurance the most ...especially working in a chemical facility for so many years ... Add in reduced life insurance benefits to the mix .....This too is a major loss once again ...
In 2013 , over 50% of our members had their pensions frozen and promised an enhanced 401k with an enhanced company contribution. MPM is taking back on average 25% of their matching contribution from all those people . Their claim is the raises will cover this but forget to mention the health care changes took that money already .... They also did not mention the average Salary workers increases are 5% annually with bonuses . The wages at the Non-represented sites are higher than our facility . We can't forget the wage concessions of 2010.
Next comes changes to 60 percent of our members on vacation allotments that will potentially take $4MM away from members that was accrued vacation .
MPM advertises the signing bonus and wage increases and if you do the math, they just took from one group and gave to another once again trying to divide the workforce that works 24/ 7 , 365 days around the clock for our Company making over 2500 high value , high quality products ......
In short , we all have been extremely cooperative on health and safety , productivity initiatives and improving quality and cycle time reductions and did our best to get through everyhere with no labor disputes . We all hoped that in the end it would be appreciated by this company .....we were wrong .
2016 Contract Information Meetings Being Held This Week
Sisters and Brothers of Local 81359 : The Executive Board and Bargaining Committee for Contract 2016 will be having informational meetings starting tomorrow morning at the following times at the Halfmoon/Waterford fire station II approximately 2 miles north of the plant on Rt. 4&32 where we normally do our Voting. It is extremely import and we ask EVERYONE to catch a session. We have so much to explain and show you from the very start of this process to where we ended up and why. If there is a timeframe NOT listed that needs to be added, please contact myself at pres359@gmail.comor Secretary Stackman at mailto:bill@local81359.com. Thanks and see you there……
Check here daily for your Union-provided updates regarding 2016 Contract Negotiations.
Please note - negotiations will resume on Thursday, July 21st. Once bargaining resumes, updates will as well.
Text messages will be sent when the day's summary is posted, so please update your profile with your cell phone number if you wish to receive these updates.
Thank you to everyone that attended this year's IUE-CWA Local 81359 Steak Roast that was held at the American Legion in Halfmoon. The party was another successful gathering of Union brothers and sisters, past and present. There were around 300 attendees this year raising over $725 for the Capital District Food Pantry and another $500 in prizes raffled off for the attendees. Prize winners not in attendance will be contacted by Secretary-Treasurer Bill Stackman within the coming week.
$25 Gift Cards
Home Depot - Meg Caswell
Home Depot - Dom Timpanero - claimed
Home Depot - Kevin Mack - claimed
Lowe's - Rhonda Mabee
Lowe's - Brian Edwards - claimed
Lowe's - Dusty Peacock - claimed
Sunoco - Tommy Lewis - retired
Sunoco - Cosmas Munandi
Target - Tom Yupper Ryan - claimed
Target - Steve Muck Corey - retired
Target - Ron Czajkowski - claimed
Target - Emily Fonda - retired
$50 Gift Cards
Home Depot - Rick Legere
Lowe's - Robert Bechard
Sears - Billy Roberts, Jr. - claimed
Target - John Snay - retired - claimed
50/50 for $727.50 - with proceeds benefitting the Capital District Food Pantry - Michael Kane, CWA 1118 - claimed
Sisters and Brothers of Local 359,
Once again as one of our Charitable events this year we will be sponsoring our members to play on the Local 359 ChemiKazes team. The team is looking for other members to Join both gals and guys….
GE unions sue over retiree health insurance changes
Former hourly workers at General Electric Co. on filed a federal class action lawsuit Monday, charging their former employer violated federal labor law by changing the health benefits provided for retirees over 65.
The lawsuit is separate but similar to one already moving forward by retirees who were salaried.
Classified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy
If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door.
An Article & a Video from CWA Newsletter on TPP--A MUST Read & Watch
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) is focusing attention on another sneaky provision in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with negotiations again underway in Ottawa, Canada. This time, negotiators are looking to nullify the "Buy American" and "Buy Local" policies meant to create and keep jobs in the U.S.
Buy American--The Job You Save May Be Your Own !
Dear Union Brothers/Sisters,
New York lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade, and rather than being part of solution, the state is contributing to the problem by outsourcing materials for infrastructure projects to foreign countries.
Important News---Workers at Kelloggs Get NLRB Attention
NLRB Charges Kellogg with Unlawful Conduct in Memphis Lockout
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint Thursday against the Kellogg Co., charging the cereal maker with violating federal labor law in its more than five-month lockout of 22 workers at its Memphis, Tenn., plant.
STOP the Fast Track on the TPP—Trans-Pacific Partnership
Remember NAFTA? We cannot allow a blockbuster free trade agreement sail through Congress unchecked.
Who is involved: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) also known as “NAFTA on Steroids” is poised to become the largest trade agreement ever.
Please go here to see our Charter and the Letter from CWA to our Local Retired Members Chapter-81359--
Article on IUE-CWA RMC 81359 -- Also, on Left Menu under CWA Retired Members Chapter-81359
The Real Reason for the Decline of American Unions
An article published by Bloomberg...very interesting article comparing American unions decline and Canadians unions growing...why?
Part of our Union Education Articles (on left menu). Please read this great article, and Please share it with others.
This is a Brutal Attack on Postal Workers That WILL Affect Everyone--Labor, Service--Privatize, Customers
Please go here and read the article on our E-Activism page, and Sign the Petition to save the Post Office and Postal Workers!
Sign the Petition <-- Click here
House Panel Approves Rep.
Senate Reachs Deal to Confirm Full Board to NLRB
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put a stop to the politics of obstruction in the US Senate, and ensure a functioning National Labor Relations Board.
Contract 2013 Vote Results from All 3 Locals:
Friday July 3, 2013
2nd Tentative Agreement Reached
Friday, June 28, 2013
Click 2013 Contract tab for details!
Informational Meeting Monday.
Voting-- Tues., July 2nd & Weds., July 3rd, 2013, 5 AM to 5PM
Af the Halfmoon Firehouse -- North of Plant on 4 & 32.
NY STATE LABOR SUPPORTS IUE-CWA LOCAL 81359 IN THEIR CONTRACT BATTLE FOR THE MEMBERS !
Letters of Support from Many Area Labor Councils/Federations (See Attached Files)
Good Afternoon Brother Dominick,
I have attached a letter of support from President Mary Sullivan on behalf of the CDALF Executive Council.
From: Patrignani, Dominick
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2013 5:48 AM
Brothers and Sisters, I need to thank President Gil Carey from CWA 1118 in Albany for spending the day at the fire house and explaining to our members the support systems in place that the CWA offers in the event of a Job action.
With the release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership texts, it's finally time to learn whether the TPP is, in fact, nothing more than the latest in a long line of trade agreements negotiated by and for the 1 percent.
The Communications Workers of America, like many others, is reviewing the texts. But based on what we've already seen and learned about this deal, we're not likely to change our position that this TPP is a disaster for working families and communities.
Even a cursory review demonstrates how this trade deal fails working families. It forces U.S. workers to compete with the 65-cent an hour wages of Vietnamese workers and the slave labor employed in Malaysia. It allows multinational corporations to challenge environmental, financial, consumer and other regulations through international tribunals – and outside the court systems of member countries. It pays lip service to addressing real concerns about currency manipulation that costs American jobs and leads to more jobs being sent offshore. And it allies the U.S. with countries that abuse their own citizens, including Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia.
For nearly six years, from the start of negotiations that were kept secret from the public but gave full access to 600 corporate lobbyists, we've known who will benefit from the TPP.
CWA and a broad coalition of environmental, consumer, faith, immigrant rights, student and many other groups will continue to organize and mobilize against this deal and to hold accountable members of Congress who have chosen to side with the 1 percent.
Negotiators from the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries have announced agreement on a trade deal that will affect about 40 percent of the world’s economy. Despite all the hype, it’s clear that this TPP will continue decades of one-sided trade policy that gives away U.S. workers’ jobs and harms our communities, while benefiting multinational corporations and the 1 percent.
We’re concerned about the investor-state dispute settlement process that gives corporations an extra-judicial process to enforce their rights. Labor and environmental standards don’t get such special treatment. Instead, labor and environmental standards might look good on paper but basically are not enforceable.
Our country could negotiate a 21st century trade policy, one that benefits citizens and communities as well as corporations and investors. Unfortunately, the TPP is not that deal. Instead, we are being presented with a trade deal, negotiated in secret mainly by corporate lobbyists, that looks to offshore U.S. workers’ jobs and attacks workers’ living standards, raises real concerns about food safety and our ability to protect the environment, and allies the United States with governments that engage in forced labor and abuses of their own citizens, like Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.
Bad trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and others have brought about the loss of millions of U.S. jobs, affecting the lives of families from New Jersey to Michigan to California. In Detroit, for example, hundreds of auto plants closed as those jobs were offshored to Mexico and China. Residents lost their jobs and wages, tax revenues declined, the price of housing dropped, and the city eventually filed for bankruptcy. Too many communities today can tell that same story.
And because TPP also applies to service sector jobs, its impact will be even more disastrous.
A broad coalition of workers, environmental organizations, consumer groups, people of faith, students, immigrant rights groups and many others has been fighting against this flawed trade deal. We’ll continue to spotlight the failings of it, and we’ll make sure our representatives know that we are holding them accountable for the vote they will take. It’s time to decide: Which side are you on?
Statement from IUE-CWA President James D. Clark on Passage of Fast Track for TPP
Today is a difficult day for our IUE-CWA members who have been fighting tirelessly to put a stop to yet another trade deal that benefits the 1% and leaves working people out in the cold – the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Over the past two years, our members across the country have stood along-side our allies to fight this trade deal, which delivers more of the same broken promises we have seen under NAFTA, and other failed trade policies that have shipped our jobs overseas, and lowered our wages. We have been betrayed by our elected officials on Capitol Hill, who voted this week to Fast Track this trade deal – which is backed only by corporations. The message could not have been any clearer – thousands of calls and letters poured in to legislative offices, stating the public’s opposition to this trade deal. Yet members in both the House and Senate ignored the clear mandate from their constituents to vote No against granting Fast Track authority. Now President Obama has been given a green light to slam this massive trade deal through our Congress.
While it is an extremely disappointing outcome, we must not overlook the amazing work we have achieved. Though we did not win the vote, we made huge waves, and completely changed the national conversation about trade, and its impacts on workers. I want to thank each and every IUE-CWA member who took action to stop Fast Track for the TPP. Whether writing a letter, making a phone call, or visiting the office of their legislator – make no mistake, you did make a difference. Our members stepped up to the plate to get engaged and take action like never before – we are stronger for having fought this battle. Special thanks, to IUE-CWA’s Political Programs Manager Heather Atkinson, for a fantastic job in leading and coordinating our fight. Today we cannot change how these legislators turned their backs on working families, but we can and we will make them regret they did!!
So now it’s time to hold them accountable – the legislators who sided with the corporations, and voted to ship our jobs overseas with Fast Track for TPP. These people do not stand for us. We must let them know that we will mount an offensive, and vote them out of office come election time. I hope you will join me in educating our members about the voting record of every single legislator on the Fast Track for the TPP. Click here to view the vote record on the Fast Track bill in the House, and click here for the vote record in the Senate.
Please take the first step, by calling, writing, or emailing your elected officials to let them know your opinion on their vote on Fast Track. If they voted in favor of Fast Track, let them know that their vote was unacceptable - and that you will be spreading the word about how they voted on the TPP, and using the power of your vote to send them packing. If they voted against Fast Track, thank them for standing up for working people. To see who your Congressional elected officials are and to get their contact info click here. Below is a sample message you can use to tell your elected officials your opinion on their vote.
For all of us in the labor movement, we don’t stop – we have never stopped fighting for working families, and we will continue the fight to work with our allies to build our power, and make the system work for us.
Washington, D.C. -- The Communications Workers of America issued this statement on today’s Senate vote on the motion to proceed in discussion of Trade Promotion Authority:
CWA commends those Senators who refused to move forward on discussion of Trade Promotion Authority, or “Fast Track” for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and future trade deals.
Senators are right to be concerned that trade adjustment assistance for workers who lose their jobs because of these trade deals, language to address currency manipulation and other concerns will likely be left behind by the Majority Leader’s push to pass Fast Track authority.
Senators should not give away their right to amend a trade deal that has been negotiated in secrecy. Voting for Fast Track authorization does exactly that, and Senators are right to reject it.
Our broad coalition – workers, environmental activists, immigrant rights activists, students, public health and consumer groups and so many others -- remains strongly opposed to Fast Track and the TPP that would be a disaster for U.S. jobs, workers and communities
50 Million People Building a MOVEMENT for Economic Justice & Democracy
A MUST Read !!
Download By Clicking Image Above
Please See the Section BELOW for Our Local's Public News --
(Also, all current articles, news stories, etc... can be accessed from scrolling marque section above)
"What's New at 81359"
UPDATES This Week--PLEASE READ & Tell OthersTo Read!
** Do NOT Access This Website Via Company Computers **
Note:All information in this site is NOTfor publication Without APPROVEDWrittenAuthorizationof Local 81359 Leadership.
Remember:"We cannot survive as a movement if we let solidarity be simply a word and not a way of life."
Stay Informed--PLEASE Add your Info to this Site!
Welcome to our site: Take time to scroll down and read the articles. We have a very detailed section WITHIN this site for our Members. The Main Page is primarily for PUBLIC LOCAL 359 INFORMATION, the main public page will include Local Area Labor News and National Labor News. To get text updates and Flash e-mails you must include YOUR specifics in the "User Settings," with home e-mail and cell #.
You can order your copy of How Americans Can Buy Americanby clicking here.
How Americans Can Buy American Post Office Box 780839, Orlando, Florida 32878-0839 Tel: 1-888-US OWNED (1-888-876-9633) Emergency Backup: 407-234-4626 Email the Author:Roger Simmermaker Web:http://www.howtobuyamerican.com
If an iPhone is put together in a Chinese factory, where is it “manufactured”? Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it?
Here at the AFL-CIO, we keep an eye out for tricky things big corporations and the 1% try to do in Washington to hurt working people. So we see a lot of outrageous stuff, but this one even we can't quite believe. For years our government has made trade deals that hurt working people by destroying jobs and driving down wages. It’s gotten so bad that even many “free traders” now admit deals like NAFTA killed jobs. But this is kind of a problem if you’re a big corporation that wants to do more NAFTA-style trade deals.
So what’s the corporate plan? Simple—cook the books. Or better yet, get the government to cook the books by calling things that actually are made in Mexico and China “domestically produced” just because someone in America did something connected with the company that sells them. There are people in the Obama administration who are ready to cook the books by changing how the United States reports manufacturing and foreign trade data, making trade agreements and corporate outsourcers look good—and we need to stop them.
This proposal sounds too absurd to be real, but it’s happening—and it could have huge consequences for all of us.
Corporations and the politicians they control will use this doctored data to make another push for more job-destroying free trade agreements, like NAFTA, because the doctored data will hide the devastating effects “free trade” has on working families here and abroad and on our environment.
With public pressure from you, we were able to stall an irresponsible “fast track” trade bill from moving in Congress. Let’s do it again with this equally ridiculous idea.
Tell the Obama administration that cooking the books is just plain wrong, and hiding the consequences of bad trade deals just adds insult to injury to working families here and abroad:
Damon
----------------
Damon Silvers
Director of Policy, AFL-CIO
Visit us at www.aflcio.org | Facebook | Twitter Text WORK to AFLCIO (235246) to join our text action team. (Message and data rates may apply.)
If you’d like to unsubscribe from your AFL-CIO email subscriptions, please click here.
T-Mobile Workers Ask for Help--
About to See Their Jobs Shipped Overseas!
XXXXX,
I was on my way to work at the T-Mobile call center in Brownsville, Texas, when I got some bad news. My co-workers and I soon would be out of jobs because T-Mobile had decided to ship our jobs offshore. The company's decision had devastating effects on my family. Since then, I have been speaking out against T-Mobile’s anti-worker practices.
House and car payments, tuition for my oldest son’s college education and the expenses of caring for five children were the first things that came to my mind. No American worker should have to worry that their job will be taken from them unceremoniously and given to someone else. Even though I lost my job, I will not give up the fight for justice for T-Mobile workers—and you can stand up for workers with me.
T-Mobile has a record of offshoring jobs, intimidating and even humiliating workers. And now, with the media buzzing about a potential merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, some workers are scared that more jobs will be taken offshore. We can defeat T-Mobile and help these workers if we stand with them by taking action now.
In a small town like Brownsville, where many of my friends and neighbors also were T-Mobile employees, the effect of hundreds of people losing their jobs sent shock waves through the entire city. The local economy suffered, as many who relied on wages from T-Mobile as their sole source of income were forced to receive government assistance. Some even lost their cars and homes. T-Mobile should be focusing on treating its workers better, not figuring out ways to take good-paying jobs from American workers to ship overseas.
Stand with me and other workers by signing the petition to demand that T-Mobile improve working conditions and stop shipping America’s jobs overseas.
Perla
---------------
Perla Balli, former T-Mobile employee in Brownsville, Texas
Visit us at www.aflcio.org | Facebook | Twitter Text WORK to AFLCIO (235246) to join our text action team. (Message and data rates may apply.)
If you’d like to unsubscribe from your AFL-CIO email subscriptions, please click here.
The Senate moved closer to a vote on getting big money out of politics, with the full Senate Judiciary Committee’s markup and vote on S. J. Res. 19. It’s an historic action that, when fully enacted, will enable Congress and the states to limit political spending and get big money out of politics. Read More
As the 2014 midterm elections loom large, members from 16 CWA locals in North Carolina gathered in Charlotte this week to participate in an intensive one-day political training boot camp to prepare. Read More
The Senate moved closer to a vote on getting big money out of politics this week as the full Senate Judiciary Committee approved S.J. Res. 19. Read More
CDALF Request Your Participation in this E-Activist Campaign....
Dear XXXX,
The NLRB is charged with ensuring that workers can join together to improve their wages, benefits and treatment on the job. But, a recent proposal to consolidate the agency’s Buffalo Region into the Pittsburgh Region would inhibit its ability to protect these rights for millions of workers.
Corporations are already going to greater lengths than ever to prevent workers from exercising their collective bargaining rights. The proposed consolidation would only embolden and further empower them to do so by causing delays in investigations, decisions, enforcement and elections.
A centrally located Regional office Upstate gives workers a venue to directly register complaints and hold hearings in a timely manner against unlawful employers seeking to silence their voice on the job. New York workers cannot afford to have that forum undermined by a shortsighted consolidation proposal.
Connect With Us! You have received this email through your subscription to the NYS AFL-CIO email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
The U.S. Senate is taking a historic vote this summer on a constitutional amendment that would stem the tide of money from the mega-corporations and ultra-wealthy in our elections. Do your senators support S.J. Res. 19, a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court rulings of Citizens United & McCutcheon? Look to see if your senators have co-sponsored this amendment.
July 2nd and 3rd are National Action Days! Look to see what patriotic events are happening in your area.
Senators will be back in their home states from June 27 until July 7. If no event is already planned near you, sign-up to host an event!
Each year, New York spends $7 billion of your money on corporate tax subsidies in the name of job creation. But too much of this money is wasted on corporations that create no jobs, add poverty wage jobs, or even cut jobs.
The system is broken and too many New Yorkers are getting left behind. We can change that; we can make New York work for hardworking New Yorkers!
Unfortunately, right now much of New York’s economic development system is set up as a corporate piggy bank. Hundreds of agencies operate largely outside of public view, and most of the time, we have no idea we’re subsidizing these corporations.
The free ride on your dime needs to end. Our State Representatives need to step in to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth. We know they hear a lot from big corporations — now they need to hear from you:
Connect With Us! You have received this email through your subscription to the NYS AFL-CIO email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
Some of the largest U.S. companies, like GE, Apple and Pfizer, are stashing billions of dollars in profits overseas -- and avoiding billions of dollars in U.S. taxes. They’re hoping we won’t notice that they’re doing it.
They're lobbying Congress right now to get a special tax holiday that would allow them to bring these enormous profits back to the U.S. and pay just a tiny fraction of the taxes they would normally owe. That's outrageous!
Let's put a stop to it.
Get the word out about these American tax dodgers to your friends on Facebook and Twitter -- and tell them to share it, too:
Once again as one of our Charitable events this year we will be sponsoring our members to play on the Local 359 ChemiKazes team. The team is looking for other members to Join both gals and guys…. The tournament is held on April 17th starting at 10am at Siena College Sports Complex ………….Local 359 won the entire tournament 2 years ago and has had a team in this since its beginning….……Teams from all over the Capital district compete….examples : Albany County Sherriff’s, Union Bricklayers, Iron workers, Pipefitters, Painters, Albany County D.A.’s office, College teams, Banks and many Businesses compete in this fundraiser to support the Boys and Girls Clubs ( over 35 teams) ….. If you have a strong arm, stamina and the will to win please contact Phil Jarvis in B35 at Phillip.jarvis@momentive.com or x 2256 on “C” shift…… or Bill Stackman at bill@local81359.com.....thanks!
GE unions sue over retiree health insurance changes
Former hourly workers at General Electric Co. on filed a federal class action lawsuit Monday, charging their former employer violated federal labor law by changing the health benefits provided for retirees over 65.
The lawsuit is separate but similar to one already moving forward by retirees who were salaried. Together, some 65,000 retirees are affected by the change in benefits.
GE has announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2016, it will end retiree medical plans meant to supplement Medicare. Instead, the company will offer former workers the option of buying health plans through a private health exchange, akin to those offered by the government through Obamacare.
GE has told retirees that they will receive $1,000 a year to purchase plans through these exchanges, said John M. Phelps, president of the Waterford-based chapter of IUE-CWA, which represents about 300 retirees covered by the lawsuit.
But GE won’t guarantee the annual subsidy for the life of the retirees, Phelps said. Meanwhile, the change in benefits leaves many retirees with a huge increase in prescription drug costs.
GE spokesman David Lurie said the company’s benefits changes are consistent with trends among other large corporations.
“GE acted properly, lawfully and consistent with collective bargaining requirements in making changes to the post-65 supplemental Medicare and prescription drug benefits for retired union members,” Lurie said.
GE has previously said it will save $586 million in future obligations by canceling the Medicare plans and instead offering reimbursements of about $1,000 a year to retirees who obtain Medicare-supplement policies.
The hourly retirees’ lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Ohio, led by the IUE-CWA, the industrial division of the Communication Workers of America, and including members of unions representing electricians, auto workers, machinists, steelworkers, and technical engineers.
Classified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy
If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door. Read More...
An Article & a Video from CWA Newsletter on TPP--A MUST Read & Watch
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) is focusing attention on another sneaky provision in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with negotiations again underway in Ottawa, Canada. This time, negotiators are looking to nullify the "Buy American" and "Buy Local" policies meant to create and keep jobs in the U.S.(*)
"It's the worst trade agreement that you never heard of," Rep. Ellison said in a video. "Buy American could well be a thing of the past if the Trans-Pacific Partnership gets passed in the way that we understand it to be right now. We have people on both sides of the aisle who are very concerned about the Buy American provisions and that U.S. government procurement buying power should benefit U.S. workers."(*)
CWA Minnesota State Council President Mona Meyer praised Ellison for his deep commitment and for being an important ally on this issue. CWA Minnesota has been integral in the fight against the TPP, distributing flyers and holding public rallies, writing letters to the state's Congressional delegation questioning why Vietnam, which is notorious for child-labor violations, is taking part in the negotiations.(*)
"We've learned so much about TPP and have not yet found anything good coming out of the TPP negotiations," Meyer said. "CWA Minnesota tells the story and makes connections with people. What lasts with people is our stories. Those make the impact. What we have and how we could lose everything we have with this destructive, horrible TPP free trade deal."(*)
Passed in 1933, the Buy American Act requires the U.S. government to prefer products made in the U.S. in its purchases. Other Federal laws extend the requirements to third-party purchases that use Federal funds, such as highway and transit programs.(*)
End runs have been made around the policy in past international trade deals but the current round of TPP negotiations, which started on July 3 and is expected to last until July 12, may do away with the policy entirely because of the sheer size of the deal and the number of nations seeking to participate.(*)
Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) have written a letter to President Barack Obama that they are circulating among House colleagues for signatures of support asking the president to make sure U.S. trade negotiators do not undermine the policy in negotiations.(*)
They point out in the letter that 70 House members had written the president in May 2012 raising concerns about TPP proposals under consideration that would greatly limit the Buy American policies, adversely affecting American jobs, workers and manufacturers.(*)
"It is our understanding that now, two years later, U.S. TPP negotiators have agreed to provisions that would require all firms operating in any TPP signatory country to be treated the same as U.S. firms with respect to granting them U.S. government procurement contracts," they wrote in their letter. "Effectively, in exchange for procurement opportunities for some U.S. firms to bid on contracts in foreign procurement markets, we would agree to trade away our ability to ensure that billions in U.S. government expenditures are recycled into our economy to create jobs, strengthen our manufacturing sector, and foster our own new cutting-edge industries."(*)
Ellison said U.S. negotiators are going about the TPP deal all wrong, negotiating it in secret with corporations in the room but shutting out Congress while doling out piecemeal information to elected leaders.(*)
"Trade is reality so trade deals should lift labor standards around the world, not just create this race to the bottom," Rep. Ellison said.(*)
New York lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade, and rather than being part of solution, the state is contributing to the problem by outsourcing materials for infrastructure projects to foreign countries. Foreign companies have been awarded contracts for subway repairs, commuter rail projects and bridge work including just last year when the MTA spent over $34 million in public money on Chinese steel for repairs to the Verrazano. It's shameful.
Buy American will create both direct and indirect jobs by pumping public dollars back into our economy, and will ensure that the infrastructure our families take to school and work every day is built with quality American craftsmanship. It's time to end the outsourcing of American jobs with the public's money.
Connect With Us! You have received this email through your subscription to the NYS AFL-CIO email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
Important News---Workers at Kelloggs Get NLRB Attention
NLRB Charges Kellogg with Unlawful Conduct in Memphis Lockout
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint Thursday against the Kellogg Co., charging the cereal maker with violating federal labor law in its more than five-month lockout of 22 workers at its Memphis, Tenn., plant.
The NLRB complaint charges Kellogg with acting unlawfully when it made unlawful demands by insisting on the union’s agreement to change terms of an existing contract while it was still in effect and locking out its employees to achieve that result.
Durkee said the NLRB’s action is the “first step in validating all that the BCTGM and our locked-out members have consistently said since the beginning of this tragic lockout.”
STOP the Fast Track on the TPP—Trans-Pacific Partnership
Remember NAFTA? We cannot allow a blockbuster free trade agreement sail through Congress unchecked.
Who is involved:The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) also known as “NAFTA on Steroids” is poised to become the largest trade agreement ever. Current negotiating countries include the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. These countries represent 38% of total global economic activity.
Another back-room secret corporate deal
The TPP has been shrouded in secrecy and backers now want to rush it through Congress
All journalists and nearly all businesses and public interest groups, and the majority of Congress have been denied effective access to the negotiating texts. However, 600 corporate advisors — including Verizon and Wal-Mart — have been given access. The actual text will not be released until four years after the talks have been concluded or a deal has been reached.
Proponents of the agreement also want “Fast Track” authority for the TPP, which would prevent Congress from amending or changing any provision in the agreement and forcing them to vote the entire agreement up or down after a shortened debate period. Though it could be the largest trade deal in history, the sweeping changes envisioned in the TPP could become law without most Americans ever knowing what’s in it.
Fortunately, there have been some leaks of key documents so that we can have a sense of what is happening. The main goal of the TPP seem to be making the world safe for corporate investment and profits by harming workers, consumers, the environment and democracy.
The TPP is much more than a “free-trade” agreement. It is part of the overall corporate and Wall Street agenda to make the world safe for corporate investment and profits by reducing labor costs and undercutting workers’ rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health and financial laws and regulations that could impact profits; and setting up a process to resolve any disputes by going through special international tribunals rather than our own court system.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved a postal bill introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) by a vote of 22 to 17 on July 24. The vote was along party lines, with all Republicans voting in favor of the measure and all Democrats voting against it.
Take Action Now!
To contact your representative by phone, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Postal Service Protection Act
(H.R. 630 in the House /
S. 316 in the Senate) USPS Stabilization Act (H.R. 961) Protect Overnight Delivery Act
(H.R. 2459)
“If it is enacted, this bill will lead to the demise of the Postal Service,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “I call upon all APWU members to contact their U.S. representatives and urge them to vote ‘no’ when the bill is brought before the full House.
“The bill would punish postal workers and deprive the American people of vital services,” said Guffey. “It would subvert the Postal Service’s mission by privatizing major portions of USPS operations.” H.R. 2748 would:
Punish Workers
Prohibit postal unions and management from negotiating protection against layoffs;
Increase health insurance costs for employees;
Limit workers’ collective bargaining rights;
Reduce compensation for injured workers with dependents and force them to retire.
Deprive Customers of Vital Services
Impose a two- to three-day d elivery standard for first-class mail;
Close post offices, stations and branches;
Consolidate plants;
Reduce door delivery and end Saturday letter delivery.
Privatize Operations
Establish “competition advocates” to promote contracting out;
Prohibit customers from appealing decisions to close post offices, stations or branches if a “contract postal unit” is opened within two miles;
Establish a “temporary governance authority” whose broad powers would end only after the USPS achieves two consecutive years of profitability.
“H.R. 2748 would weaken the USPS and jeopardize postal jobs,” said Legislative and Political Director Gary Kloepfer. “And it wouldn’t do nearly enough to fix the financial crisis Congress created. We must defeat it.”
“We also must turn our attention to the Senate,” Guffey said. Before any postal bill can be enacted, it must pass both chambers of Congress. Differences between bills adopted by the House and Senate must be resolved, and the president must sign the final version of the legislation that emerges.
“We must highlight the drastic cuts in service that management has made and will continue to make if Congress doesn’t enact sensible reform now,” Guffey said. “We must demand that Congress take action to stop the dismantling of the mail processing network and stop the degradation of service to the American people.”
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put a stop to the politics of obstruction in the US Senate, and ensure a functioning National Labor Relations Board.
"A confirmed National Labor Relations Board will provide millions of workers with real protection of their rights to organize and bargain with their employers." - AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
Voting-- Tues., July 2nd & Weds., July 3rd, 2013, 5 AM to 5PM
Af the Halfmoon Firehouse -- North of Plant on 4 & 32.
Brothers and Sisters of Local 359,
The E-Board of Local 359 cannot say enough to thank each and every member for the effort once again put forward by everyone in this Local. It has been a tough fight and with everything considered, we tried our very best to stand up and fight for the majority of our members as the Vote Locally showed once again that continued to communicate this as another Concession Contract. Unfortunately, in a democracy we were unable to persuade enough of our members to hold the line and the total count is as follows :
Please do your best to hold your heads high for Standing up and trying your best. We've never seen so many stand together and it brought so many back together as a Local Union. We appreciate each and every member for coming out and even voting so close to the Holiday.
NY STATE LABOR SUPPORTS IUE-CWA LOCAL 81359 IN THEIR CONTRACT BATTLE FOR THE MEMBERS !
Letters of Support from Many Area Labor Councils/Federations (See Attached Files)
Good Afternoon Brother Dominick,
I have attached a letter of support from President Mary Sullivan on behalf of the CDALF Executive Council. We hope that this is helpful in your current contract struggle, and we stand ready to support you in whatever actions come next for you and the members of IUE-CWA #81359.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything further in reference to this letter of support.
- Dan.
In Solidarity,
Daniel C. Curtis
Director
Capital District Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO (CDALF)
Please accept the support letter attached regarding your current negotiations. All the best and keep up the good work you are doing for your membership and the labor movement!!
FYI Sent this letter of support out to Larry, James, and Bob this morning. Looks like the company is still counting votes and has no concept of fairness. Its part of the corporate disease that has infected this great country.
From: Patrignani, Dominick
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2013 5:48 AM
Brothers and Sisters, I need to thank President Gil Carey from CWA 1118 in Albany for spending the day at the fire house and explaining to our members the support systems in place that the CWA offers in the event of a Job action. He explained their 14 week event and that his members lost nothing due to the MASSIVE defense fund and Members relief fund that the CWA has. We have been paying into this with the 2.25 hrs/month of your dues and have full access if we go out. He explained how Medical assistance and Health care works and even Mortgages , loans and even rent assistance is available. He explained the CWA strike benefit which was increased at the last Convention and was impressed we have a suppliment Local fund as well. We never wanted to have to use it but again , its part of being a STRONG Union.
Sisters and Brothers of Local 359,
Once again as one of our Charitable events this year we will be sponsoring our members to play on the Local 359 ChemiKazes team. The team is looking for other members to Join both gals and guys….
GE unions sue over retiree health insurance changes
Former hourly workers at General Electric Co. on filed a federal class action lawsuit Monday, charging their former employer violated federal labor law by changing the health benefits provided for retirees over 65.
The lawsuit is separate but similar to one already moving forward by retirees who were salaried.
Classified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy
If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door.
An Article & a Video from CWA Newsletter on TPP--A MUST Read & Watch
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) is focusing attention on another sneaky provision in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with negotiations again underway in Ottawa, Canada. This time, negotiators are looking to nullify the "Buy American" and "Buy Local" policies meant to create and keep jobs in the U.S.
Buy American--The Job You Save May Be Your Own !
Dear Union Brothers/Sisters,
New York lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade, and rather than being part of solution, the state is contributing to the problem by outsourcing materials for infrastructure projects to foreign countries.
Important News---Workers at Kelloggs Get NLRB Attention
NLRB Charges Kellogg with Unlawful Conduct in Memphis Lockout
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint Thursday against the Kellogg Co., charging the cereal maker with violating federal labor law in its more than five-month lockout of 22 workers at its Memphis, Tenn., plant.
STOP the Fast Track on the TPP—Trans-Pacific Partnership
Remember NAFTA? We cannot allow a blockbuster free trade agreement sail through Congress unchecked.
Who is involved: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) also known as “NAFTA on Steroids” is poised to become the largest trade agreement ever.
Please go here to see our Charter and the Letter from CWA to our Local Retired Members Chapter-81359--
Article on IUE-CWA RMC 81359 -- Also, on Left Menu under CWA Retired Members Chapter-81359
The Real Reason for the Decline of American Unions
An article published by Bloomberg...very interesting article comparing American unions decline and Canadians unions growing...why?
Part of our Union Education Articles (on left menu). Please read this great article, and Please share it with others.
This is a Brutal Attack on Postal Workers That WILL Affect Everyone--Labor, Service--Privatize, Customers
Please go here and read the article on our E-Activism page, and Sign the Petition to save the Post Office and Postal Workers!
Sign the Petition <-- Click here
House Panel Approves Rep.
Senate Reachs Deal to Confirm Full Board to NLRB
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put a stop to the politics of obstruction in the US Senate, and ensure a functioning National Labor Relations Board.
Contract 2013 Vote Results from All 3 Locals:
Friday July 3, 2013
2nd Tentative Agreement Reached
Friday, June 28, 2013
Click 2013 Contract tab for details!
Informational Meeting Monday.
Voting-- Tues., July 2nd & Weds., July 3rd, 2013, 5 AM to 5PM
Af the Halfmoon Firehouse -- North of Plant on 4 & 32.
NY STATE LABOR SUPPORTS IUE-CWA LOCAL 81359 IN THEIR CONTRACT BATTLE FOR THE MEMBERS !
Letters of Support from Many Area Labor Councils/Federations (See Attached Files)
Good Afternoon Brother Dominick,
I have attached a letter of support from President Mary Sullivan on behalf of the CDALF Executive Council.
From: Patrignani, Dominick
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2013 5:48 AM
Brothers and Sisters, I need to thank President Gil Carey from CWA 1118 in Albany for spending the day at the fire house and explaining to our members the support systems in place that the CWA offers in the event of a Job action.
With the release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership texts, it's finally time to learn whether the TPP is, in fact, nothing more than the latest in a long line of trade agreements negotiated by and for the 1 percent.
The Communications Workers of America, like many others, is reviewing the texts. But based on what we've already seen and learned about this deal, we're not likely to change our position that this TPP is a disaster for working families and communities.
Even a cursory review demonstrates how this trade deal fails working families. It forces U.S. workers to compete with the 65-cent an hour wages of Vietnamese workers and the slave labor employed in Malaysia. It allows multinational corporations to challenge environmental, financial, consumer and other regulations through international tribunals – and outside the court systems of member countries. It pays lip service to addressing real concerns about currency manipulation that costs American jobs and leads to more jobs being sent offshore. And it allies the U.S. with countries that abuse their own citizens, including Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia.
For nearly six years, from the start of negotiations that were kept secret from the public but gave full access to 600 corporate lobbyists, we've known who will benefit from the TPP.
CWA and a broad coalition of environmental, consumer, faith, immigrant rights, student and many other groups will continue to organize and mobilize against this deal and to hold accountable members of Congress who have chosen to side with the 1 percent.
Negotiators from the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries have announced agreement on a trade deal that will affect about 40 percent of the world’s economy. Despite all the hype, it’s clear that this TPP will continue decades of one-sided trade policy that gives away U.S. workers’ jobs and harms our communities, while benefiting multinational corporations and the 1 percent.
We’re concerned about the investor-state dispute settlement process that gives corporations an extra-judicial process to enforce their rights. Labor and environmental standards don’t get such special treatment. Instead, labor and environmental standards might look good on paper but basically are not enforceable.
Our country could negotiate a 21st century trade policy, one that benefits citizens and communities as well as corporations and investors. Unfortunately, the TPP is not that deal. Instead, we are being presented with a trade deal, negotiated in secret mainly by corporate lobbyists, that looks to offshore U.S. workers’ jobs and attacks workers’ living standards, raises real concerns about food safety and our ability to protect the environment, and allies the United States with governments that engage in forced labor and abuses of their own citizens, like Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.
Bad trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and others have brought about the loss of millions of U.S. jobs, affecting the lives of families from New Jersey to Michigan to California. In Detroit, for example, hundreds of auto plants closed as those jobs were offshored to Mexico and China. Residents lost their jobs and wages, tax revenues declined, the price of housing dropped, and the city eventually filed for bankruptcy. Too many communities today can tell that same story.
And because TPP also applies to service sector jobs, its impact will be even more disastrous.
A broad coalition of workers, environmental organizations, consumer groups, people of faith, students, immigrant rights groups and many others has been fighting against this flawed trade deal. We’ll continue to spotlight the failings of it, and we’ll make sure our representatives know that we are holding them accountable for the vote they will take. It’s time to decide: Which side are you on?
Statement from IUE-CWA President James D. Clark on Passage of Fast Track for TPP
Today is a difficult day for our IUE-CWA members who have been fighting tirelessly to put a stop to yet another trade deal that benefits the 1% and leaves working people out in the cold – the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Over the past two years, our members across the country have stood along-side our allies to fight this trade deal, which delivers more of the same broken promises we have seen under NAFTA, and other failed trade policies that have shipped our jobs overseas, and lowered our wages. We have been betrayed by our elected officials on Capitol Hill, who voted this week to Fast Track this trade deal – which is backed only by corporations. The message could not have been any clearer – thousands of calls and letters poured in to legislative offices, stating the public’s opposition to this trade deal. Yet members in both the House and Senate ignored the clear mandate from their constituents to vote No against granting Fast Track authority. Now President Obama has been given a green light to slam this massive trade deal through our Congress.
While it is an extremely disappointing outcome, we must not overlook the amazing work we have achieved. Though we did not win the vote, we made huge waves, and completely changed the national conversation about trade, and its impacts on workers. I want to thank each and every IUE-CWA member who took action to stop Fast Track for the TPP. Whether writing a letter, making a phone call, or visiting the office of their legislator – make no mistake, you did make a difference. Our members stepped up to the plate to get engaged and take action like never before – we are stronger for having fought this battle. Special thanks, to IUE-CWA’s Political Programs Manager Heather Atkinson, for a fantastic job in leading and coordinating our fight. Today we cannot change how these legislators turned their backs on working families, but we can and we will make them regret they did!!
So now it’s time to hold them accountable – the legislators who sided with the corporations, and voted to ship our jobs overseas with Fast Track for TPP. These people do not stand for us. We must let them know that we will mount an offensive, and vote them out of office come election time. I hope you will join me in educating our members about the voting record of every single legislator on the Fast Track for the TPP. Click here to view the vote record on the Fast Track bill in the House, and click here for the vote record in the Senate.
Please take the first step, by calling, writing, or emailing your elected officials to let them know your opinion on their vote on Fast Track. If they voted in favor of Fast Track, let them know that their vote was unacceptable - and that you will be spreading the word about how they voted on the TPP, and using the power of your vote to send them packing. If they voted against Fast Track, thank them for standing up for working people. To see who your Congressional elected officials are and to get their contact info click here. Below is a sample message you can use to tell your elected officials your opinion on their vote.
For all of us in the labor movement, we don’t stop – we have never stopped fighting for working families, and we will continue the fight to work with our allies to build our power, and make the system work for us.
Washington, D.C. -- The Communications Workers of America issued this statement on today’s Senate vote on the motion to proceed in discussion of Trade Promotion Authority:
CWA commends those Senators who refused to move forward on discussion of Trade Promotion Authority, or “Fast Track” for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and future trade deals.
Senators are right to be concerned that trade adjustment assistance for workers who lose their jobs because of these trade deals, language to address currency manipulation and other concerns will likely be left behind by the Majority Leader’s push to pass Fast Track authority.
Senators should not give away their right to amend a trade deal that has been negotiated in secrecy. Voting for Fast Track authorization does exactly that, and Senators are right to reject it.
Our broad coalition – workers, environmental activists, immigrant rights activists, students, public health and consumer groups and so many others -- remains strongly opposed to Fast Track and the TPP that would be a disaster for U.S. jobs, workers and communities
50 Million People Building a MOVEMENT for Economic Justice & Democracy
A MUST Read !!
Download By Clicking Image Above
Please See the Section BELOW for Our Local's Public News --
(Also, all current articles, news stories, etc... can be accessed from scrolling marque section above)
"What's New at 81359"
UPDATES This Week--PLEASE READ & Tell OthersTo Read!
** Do NOT Access This Website Via Company Computers **
Note:All information in this site is NOTfor publication Without APPROVEDWrittenAuthorizationof Local 81359 Leadership.
Remember:"We cannot survive as a movement if we let solidarity be simply a word and not a way of life."
Stay Informed--PLEASE Add your Info to this Site!
Welcome to our site: Take time to scroll down and read the articles. We have a very detailed section WITHIN this site for our Members. The Main Page is primarily for PUBLIC LOCAL 359 INFORMATION, the main public page will include Local Area Labor News and National Labor News. To get text updates and Flash e-mails you must include YOUR specifics in the "User Settings," with home e-mail and cell #.
You can order your copy of How Americans Can Buy Americanby clicking here.
How Americans Can Buy American Post Office Box 780839, Orlando, Florida 32878-0839 Tel: 1-888-US OWNED (1-888-876-9633) Emergency Backup: 407-234-4626 Email the Author:Roger Simmermaker Web:http://www.howtobuyamerican.com
If an iPhone is put together in a Chinese factory, where is it “manufactured”? Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it?
Here at the AFL-CIO, we keep an eye out for tricky things big corporations and the 1% try to do in Washington to hurt working people. So we see a lot of outrageous stuff, but this one even we can't quite believe. For years our government has made trade deals that hurt working people by destroying jobs and driving down wages. It’s gotten so bad that even many “free traders” now admit deals like NAFTA killed jobs. But this is kind of a problem if you’re a big corporation that wants to do more NAFTA-style trade deals.
So what’s the corporate plan? Simple—cook the books. Or better yet, get the government to cook the books by calling things that actually are made in Mexico and China “domestically produced” just because someone in America did something connected with the company that sells them. There are people in the Obama administration who are ready to cook the books by changing how the United States reports manufacturing and foreign trade data, making trade agreements and corporate outsourcers look good—and we need to stop them.
This proposal sounds too absurd to be real, but it’s happening—and it could have huge consequences for all of us.
Corporations and the politicians they control will use this doctored data to make another push for more job-destroying free trade agreements, like NAFTA, because the doctored data will hide the devastating effects “free trade” has on working families here and abroad and on our environment.
With public pressure from you, we were able to stall an irresponsible “fast track” trade bill from moving in Congress. Let’s do it again with this equally ridiculous idea.
Tell the Obama administration that cooking the books is just plain wrong, and hiding the consequences of bad trade deals just adds insult to injury to working families here and abroad:
Damon
----------------
Damon Silvers
Director of Policy, AFL-CIO
Visit us at www.aflcio.org | Facebook | Twitter Text WORK to AFLCIO (235246) to join our text action team. (Message and data rates may apply.)
If you’d like to unsubscribe from your AFL-CIO email subscriptions, please click here.
T-Mobile Workers Ask for Help--
About to See Their Jobs Shipped Overseas!
XXXXX,
I was on my way to work at the T-Mobile call center in Brownsville, Texas, when I got some bad news. My co-workers and I soon would be out of jobs because T-Mobile had decided to ship our jobs offshore. The company's decision had devastating effects on my family. Since then, I have been speaking out against T-Mobile’s anti-worker practices.
House and car payments, tuition for my oldest son’s college education and the expenses of caring for five children were the first things that came to my mind. No American worker should have to worry that their job will be taken from them unceremoniously and given to someone else. Even though I lost my job, I will not give up the fight for justice for T-Mobile workers—and you can stand up for workers with me.
T-Mobile has a record of offshoring jobs, intimidating and even humiliating workers. And now, with the media buzzing about a potential merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, some workers are scared that more jobs will be taken offshore. We can defeat T-Mobile and help these workers if we stand with them by taking action now.
In a small town like Brownsville, where many of my friends and neighbors also were T-Mobile employees, the effect of hundreds of people losing their jobs sent shock waves through the entire city. The local economy suffered, as many who relied on wages from T-Mobile as their sole source of income were forced to receive government assistance. Some even lost their cars and homes. T-Mobile should be focusing on treating its workers better, not figuring out ways to take good-paying jobs from American workers to ship overseas.
Stand with me and other workers by signing the petition to demand that T-Mobile improve working conditions and stop shipping America’s jobs overseas.
Perla
---------------
Perla Balli, former T-Mobile employee in Brownsville, Texas
Visit us at www.aflcio.org | Facebook | Twitter Text WORK to AFLCIO (235246) to join our text action team. (Message and data rates may apply.)
If you’d like to unsubscribe from your AFL-CIO email subscriptions, please click here.
The Senate moved closer to a vote on getting big money out of politics, with the full Senate Judiciary Committee’s markup and vote on S. J. Res. 19. It’s an historic action that, when fully enacted, will enable Congress and the states to limit political spending and get big money out of politics. Read More
As the 2014 midterm elections loom large, members from 16 CWA locals in North Carolina gathered in Charlotte this week to participate in an intensive one-day political training boot camp to prepare. Read More
The Senate moved closer to a vote on getting big money out of politics this week as the full Senate Judiciary Committee approved S.J. Res. 19. Read More
CDALF Request Your Participation in this E-Activist Campaign....
Dear XXXX,
The NLRB is charged with ensuring that workers can join together to improve their wages, benefits and treatment on the job. But, a recent proposal to consolidate the agency’s Buffalo Region into the Pittsburgh Region would inhibit its ability to protect these rights for millions of workers.
Corporations are already going to greater lengths than ever to prevent workers from exercising their collective bargaining rights. The proposed consolidation would only embolden and further empower them to do so by causing delays in investigations, decisions, enforcement and elections.
A centrally located Regional office Upstate gives workers a venue to directly register complaints and hold hearings in a timely manner against unlawful employers seeking to silence their voice on the job. New York workers cannot afford to have that forum undermined by a shortsighted consolidation proposal.
Connect With Us! You have received this email through your subscription to the NYS AFL-CIO email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
The U.S. Senate is taking a historic vote this summer on a constitutional amendment that would stem the tide of money from the mega-corporations and ultra-wealthy in our elections. Do your senators support S.J. Res. 19, a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court rulings of Citizens United & McCutcheon? Look to see if your senators have co-sponsored this amendment.
July 2nd and 3rd are National Action Days! Look to see what patriotic events are happening in your area.
Senators will be back in their home states from June 27 until July 7. If no event is already planned near you, sign-up to host an event!
Each year, New York spends $7 billion of your money on corporate tax subsidies in the name of job creation. But too much of this money is wasted on corporations that create no jobs, add poverty wage jobs, or even cut jobs.
The system is broken and too many New Yorkers are getting left behind. We can change that; we can make New York work for hardworking New Yorkers!
Unfortunately, right now much of New York’s economic development system is set up as a corporate piggy bank. Hundreds of agencies operate largely outside of public view, and most of the time, we have no idea we’re subsidizing these corporations.
The free ride on your dime needs to end. Our State Representatives need to step in to make sure we’re getting our money’s worth. We know they hear a lot from big corporations — now they need to hear from you:
Connect With Us! You have received this email through your subscription to the NYS AFL-CIO email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
Some of the largest U.S. companies, like GE, Apple and Pfizer, are stashing billions of dollars in profits overseas -- and avoiding billions of dollars in U.S. taxes. They’re hoping we won’t notice that they’re doing it.
They're lobbying Congress right now to get a special tax holiday that would allow them to bring these enormous profits back to the U.S. and pay just a tiny fraction of the taxes they would normally owe. That's outrageous!
Let's put a stop to it.
Get the word out about these American tax dodgers to your friends on Facebook and Twitter -- and tell them to share it, too:
Once again as one of our Charitable events this year we will be sponsoring our members to play on the Local 359 ChemiKazes team. The team is looking for other members to Join both gals and guys…. The tournament is held on April 17th starting at 10am at Siena College Sports Complex ………….Local 359 won the entire tournament 2 years ago and has had a team in this since its beginning….……Teams from all over the Capital district compete….examples : Albany County Sherriff’s, Union Bricklayers, Iron workers, Pipefitters, Painters, Albany County D.A.’s office, College teams, Banks and many Businesses compete in this fundraiser to support the Boys and Girls Clubs ( over 35 teams) ….. If you have a strong arm, stamina and the will to win please contact Phil Jarvis in B35 at Phillip.jarvis@momentive.com or x 2256 on “C” shift…… or Bill Stackman at bill@local81359.com.....thanks!
GE unions sue over retiree health insurance changes
Former hourly workers at General Electric Co. on filed a federal class action lawsuit Monday, charging their former employer violated federal labor law by changing the health benefits provided for retirees over 65.
The lawsuit is separate but similar to one already moving forward by retirees who were salaried. Together, some 65,000 retirees are affected by the change in benefits.
GE has announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2016, it will end retiree medical plans meant to supplement Medicare. Instead, the company will offer former workers the option of buying health plans through a private health exchange, akin to those offered by the government through Obamacare.
GE has told retirees that they will receive $1,000 a year to purchase plans through these exchanges, said John M. Phelps, president of the Waterford-based chapter of IUE-CWA, which represents about 300 retirees covered by the lawsuit.
But GE won’t guarantee the annual subsidy for the life of the retirees, Phelps said. Meanwhile, the change in benefits leaves many retirees with a huge increase in prescription drug costs.
GE spokesman David Lurie said the company’s benefits changes are consistent with trends among other large corporations.
“GE acted properly, lawfully and consistent with collective bargaining requirements in making changes to the post-65 supplemental Medicare and prescription drug benefits for retired union members,” Lurie said.
GE has previously said it will save $586 million in future obligations by canceling the Medicare plans and instead offering reimbursements of about $1,000 a year to retirees who obtain Medicare-supplement policies.
The hourly retirees’ lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Ohio, led by the IUE-CWA, the industrial division of the Communication Workers of America, and including members of unions representing electricians, auto workers, machinists, steelworkers, and technical engineers.
Classified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy
If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door. Read More...
An Article & a Video from CWA Newsletter on TPP--A MUST Read & Watch
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) is focusing attention on another sneaky provision in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with negotiations again underway in Ottawa, Canada. This time, negotiators are looking to nullify the "Buy American" and "Buy Local" policies meant to create and keep jobs in the U.S.(*)
"It's the worst trade agreement that you never heard of," Rep. Ellison said in a video. "Buy American could well be a thing of the past if the Trans-Pacific Partnership gets passed in the way that we understand it to be right now. We have people on both sides of the aisle who are very concerned about the Buy American provisions and that U.S. government procurement buying power should benefit U.S. workers."(*)
CWA Minnesota State Council President Mona Meyer praised Ellison for his deep commitment and for being an important ally on this issue. CWA Minnesota has been integral in the fight against the TPP, distributing flyers and holding public rallies, writing letters to the state's Congressional delegation questioning why Vietnam, which is notorious for child-labor violations, is taking part in the negotiations.(*)
"We've learned so much about TPP and have not yet found anything good coming out of the TPP negotiations," Meyer said. "CWA Minnesota tells the story and makes connections with people. What lasts with people is our stories. Those make the impact. What we have and how we could lose everything we have with this destructive, horrible TPP free trade deal."(*)
Passed in 1933, the Buy American Act requires the U.S. government to prefer products made in the U.S. in its purchases. Other Federal laws extend the requirements to third-party purchases that use Federal funds, such as highway and transit programs.(*)
End runs have been made around the policy in past international trade deals but the current round of TPP negotiations, which started on July 3 and is expected to last until July 12, may do away with the policy entirely because of the sheer size of the deal and the number of nations seeking to participate.(*)
Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) have written a letter to President Barack Obama that they are circulating among House colleagues for signatures of support asking the president to make sure U.S. trade negotiators do not undermine the policy in negotiations.(*)
They point out in the letter that 70 House members had written the president in May 2012 raising concerns about TPP proposals under consideration that would greatly limit the Buy American policies, adversely affecting American jobs, workers and manufacturers.(*)
"It is our understanding that now, two years later, U.S. TPP negotiators have agreed to provisions that would require all firms operating in any TPP signatory country to be treated the same as U.S. firms with respect to granting them U.S. government procurement contracts," they wrote in their letter. "Effectively, in exchange for procurement opportunities for some U.S. firms to bid on contracts in foreign procurement markets, we would agree to trade away our ability to ensure that billions in U.S. government expenditures are recycled into our economy to create jobs, strengthen our manufacturing sector, and foster our own new cutting-edge industries."(*)
Ellison said U.S. negotiators are going about the TPP deal all wrong, negotiating it in secret with corporations in the room but shutting out Congress while doling out piecemeal information to elected leaders.(*)
"Trade is reality so trade deals should lift labor standards around the world, not just create this race to the bottom," Rep. Ellison said.(*)
New York lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade, and rather than being part of solution, the state is contributing to the problem by outsourcing materials for infrastructure projects to foreign countries. Foreign companies have been awarded contracts for subway repairs, commuter rail projects and bridge work including just last year when the MTA spent over $34 million in public money on Chinese steel for repairs to the Verrazano. It's shameful.
Buy American will create both direct and indirect jobs by pumping public dollars back into our economy, and will ensure that the infrastructure our families take to school and work every day is built with quality American craftsmanship. It's time to end the outsourcing of American jobs with the public's money.
Connect With Us! You have received this email through your subscription to the NYS AFL-CIO email list.
If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates, unsubscribe here.
Important News---Workers at Kelloggs Get NLRB Attention
NLRB Charges Kellogg with Unlawful Conduct in Memphis Lockout
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint Thursday against the Kellogg Co., charging the cereal maker with violating federal labor law in its more than five-month lockout of 22 workers at its Memphis, Tenn., plant.
The NLRB complaint charges Kellogg with acting unlawfully when it made unlawful demands by insisting on the union’s agreement to change terms of an existing contract while it was still in effect and locking out its employees to achieve that result.
Durkee said the NLRB’s action is the “first step in validating all that the BCTGM and our locked-out members have consistently said since the beginning of this tragic lockout.”
STOP the Fast Track on the TPP—Trans-Pacific Partnership
Remember NAFTA? We cannot allow a blockbuster free trade agreement sail through Congress unchecked.
Who is involved:The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) also known as “NAFTA on Steroids” is poised to become the largest trade agreement ever. Current negotiating countries include the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. These countries represent 38% of total global economic activity.
Another back-room secret corporate deal
The TPP has been shrouded in secrecy and backers now want to rush it through Congress
All journalists and nearly all businesses and public interest groups, and the majority of Congress have been denied effective access to the negotiating texts. However, 600 corporate advisors — including Verizon and Wal-Mart — have been given access. The actual text will not be released until four years after the talks have been concluded or a deal has been reached.
Proponents of the agreement also want “Fast Track” authority for the TPP, which would prevent Congress from amending or changing any provision in the agreement and forcing them to vote the entire agreement up or down after a shortened debate period. Though it could be the largest trade deal in history, the sweeping changes envisioned in the TPP could become law without most Americans ever knowing what’s in it.
Fortunately, there have been some leaks of key documents so that we can have a sense of what is happening. The main goal of the TPP seem to be making the world safe for corporate investment and profits by harming workers, consumers, the environment and democracy.
The TPP is much more than a “free-trade” agreement. It is part of the overall corporate and Wall Street agenda to make the world safe for corporate investment and profits by reducing labor costs and undercutting workers’ rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health and financial laws and regulations that could impact profits; and setting up a process to resolve any disputes by going through special international tribunals rather than our own court system.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved a postal bill introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) by a vote of 22 to 17 on July 24. The vote was along party lines, with all Republicans voting in favor of the measure and all Democrats voting against it.
Take Action Now!
To contact your representative by phone, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Postal Service Protection Act
(H.R. 630 in the House /
S. 316 in the Senate) USPS Stabilization Act (H.R. 961) Protect Overnight Delivery Act
(H.R. 2459)
“If it is enacted, this bill will lead to the demise of the Postal Service,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “I call upon all APWU members to contact their U.S. representatives and urge them to vote ‘no’ when the bill is brought before the full House.
“The bill would punish postal workers and deprive the American people of vital services,” said Guffey. “It would subvert the Postal Service’s mission by privatizing major portions of USPS operations.” H.R. 2748 would:
Punish Workers
Prohibit postal unions and management from negotiating protection against layoffs;
Increase health insurance costs for employees;
Limit workers’ collective bargaining rights;
Reduce compensation for injured workers with dependents and force them to retire.
Deprive Customers of Vital Services
Impose a two- to three-day d elivery standard for first-class mail;
Close post offices, stations and branches;
Consolidate plants;
Reduce door delivery and end Saturday letter delivery.
Privatize Operations
Establish “competition advocates” to promote contracting out;
Prohibit customers from appealing decisions to close post offices, stations or branches if a “contract postal unit” is opened within two miles;
Establish a “temporary governance authority” whose broad powers would end only after the USPS achieves two consecutive years of profitability.
“H.R. 2748 would weaken the USPS and jeopardize postal jobs,” said Legislative and Political Director Gary Kloepfer. “And it wouldn’t do nearly enough to fix the financial crisis Congress created. We must defeat it.”
“We also must turn our attention to the Senate,” Guffey said. Before any postal bill can be enacted, it must pass both chambers of Congress. Differences between bills adopted by the House and Senate must be resolved, and the president must sign the final version of the legislation that emerges.
“We must highlight the drastic cuts in service that management has made and will continue to make if Congress doesn’t enact sensible reform now,” Guffey said. “We must demand that Congress take action to stop the dismantling of the mail processing network and stop the degradation of service to the American people.”
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put a stop to the politics of obstruction in the US Senate, and ensure a functioning National Labor Relations Board.
"A confirmed National Labor Relations Board will provide millions of workers with real protection of their rights to organize and bargain with their employers." - AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
Voting-- Tues., July 2nd & Weds., July 3rd, 2013, 5 AM to 5PM
Af the Halfmoon Firehouse -- North of Plant on 4 & 32.
Brothers and Sisters of Local 359,
The E-Board of Local 359 cannot say enough to thank each and every member for the effort once again put forward by everyone in this Local. It has been a tough fight and with everything considered, we tried our very best to stand up and fight for the majority of our members as the Vote Locally showed once again that continued to communicate this as another Concession Contract. Unfortunately, in a democracy we were unable to persuade enough of our members to hold the line and the total count is as follows :
Please do your best to hold your heads high for Standing up and trying your best. We've never seen so many stand together and it brought so many back together as a Local Union. We appreciate each and every member for coming out and even voting so close to the Holiday.
NY STATE LABOR SUPPORTS IUE-CWA LOCAL 81359 IN THEIR CONTRACT BATTLE FOR THE MEMBERS !
Letters of Support from Many Area Labor Councils/Federations (See Attached Files)
Good Afternoon Brother Dominick,
I have attached a letter of support from President Mary Sullivan on behalf of the CDALF Executive Council. We hope that this is helpful in your current contract struggle, and we stand ready to support you in whatever actions come next for you and the members of IUE-CWA #81359.
Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything further in reference to this letter of support.
- Dan.
In Solidarity,
Daniel C. Curtis
Director
Capital District Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO (CDALF)
Please accept the support letter attached regarding your current negotiations. All the best and keep up the good work you are doing for your membership and the labor movement!!
FYI Sent this letter of support out to Larry, James, and Bob this morning. Looks like the company is still counting votes and has no concept of fairness. Its part of the corporate disease that has infected this great country.
From: Patrignani, Dominick
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2013 5:48 AM
Brothers and Sisters, I need to thank President Gil Carey from CWA 1118 in Albany for spending the day at the fire house and explaining to our members the support systems in place that the CWA offers in the event of a Job action. He explained their 14 week event and that his members lost nothing due to the MASSIVE defense fund and Members relief fund that the CWA has. We have been paying into this with the 2.25 hrs/month of your dues and have full access if we go out. He explained how Medical assistance and Health care works and even Mortgages , loans and even rent assistance is available. He explained the CWA strike benefit which was increased at the last Convention and was impressed we have a suppliment Local fund as well. We never wanted to have to use it but again , its part of being a STRONG Union.
TALC Treasurer Keenan Support Letter for 81359 to Cohen.pdf
Executive Board Support Letter 6-27-2013 - Larry Cohen.docx
Dear XXXX,
New York lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the last decade, and rather than being part of solution, the state is contributing to the problem by outsourcing materials for infrastructure projects to foreign countries. Foreign companies have been awarded contracts for subway repairs, commuter rail projects and bridge work including just last year when the MTA spent over $34 million in public money on Chinese steel for repairs to the Verrazano. It's shameful.
Part of our 
