Transport Workers Solidarity Committee

Worker ID Card at Center of Immigration Plan-Demos Pushing National Biometric Card For All Workers "It is fundamentally a massive invasion of people's privacy,"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954904575110124037066854.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEADNewsCollection

ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan

By LAURA MECKLER

Customs and Border Protection agent Jesus Gomez checks a passport at the vehicle crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in California.

Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.

Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.

The ID card plan is one of several steps advocates of an immigration overhaul are taking to address concerns that have defeated similar bills in the past.

The uphill effort to pass a bill is being led by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who plan to meet with President Barack Obama as soon as this week to update him on their work. An administration official said the White House had no position on the biometric card.

Costa Rica: Dock workers mobilise against government interference in union
http://www.labournet.net/docks2/1003/costar1.html

Costa Rica: Dock workers mobilise against government interference in union

Report by Movement towards Socialism (MAS)
Published: 05/03/10

via Martin Ralph

Dock workers in Limon, the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, have had several days fighting against government interference in their union, Sintrajap.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security created on 15 January a new leadership for the organization, elected in an unofficial meeting, convened by the president of the company. On 23 February, Sintrajap general secretary, Ronaldo blear, was reported to be sacked.

His replacement, Douglas Brenes, is a friend of the government, who promotes the privatization of ports in the region. In exchange for the support of workers, the government even offered a “compensation” of $ 137 million to the port. Another objective is to attack the labor rights of the port.

In response to the authoritarian intervention in the labor movement, unions in the province of Limon plan to strike, in addition to entering in court to contest the possession of the leadership submissive to the government of Óscar Arias.

TWA Former Flight Attendants Charge Betrayal By APFA And Threaten To Cross Lines Of American Airlines Flight Attendants
February 10, 2010

Ex-TWA flight attendants send another message to APFA
6:11 PM Wed, Feb 10, 2010 | Permalink
Terry Maxon/Reporter
At the risk of starting a new knife fight, I'm passing on the latest messages coming out of the Coalition for Union Principles, a group of ex-Trans World Airlines flight attendants that joined American Airlines and then got furloughed.

Last week, the group said they would be willing to work American flights if the Association of Professional Flight Attendants went out on strike. That prompted more comments than any other item Airline Biz has published, by a factor of at least three.

I won't rehash the issues involved here. Here are the messages:

Item #1:

TO: APFA
FROM: TWA Flight Attendants

RE: New Poll Tax

DATE: February 10, 2010

The former TWA Flight Attendants who have been the victims of your anti-union animosity since 2001 are well aware of your most recent action to disenfranchise us. The most recent slap that requires us to pay a poll tax in the full amount of monthly union dues even though all but about 20 of us are unemployed is well understood. We are also aware that the APFA membership voted down a dues increase of $1.63 per month for those who are active and working while requiring those of us who are unemployed and not working to shoulder the entire amount of monthly dues as a condition of voting.

900 axed Japan JNR rail unionists may get ¥29.5 million each in new deal
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100225a2.html

Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010

900 axed JNR unionists may get ¥29.5 million each
Kyodo News
A 23-year-old dispute over the dismissal of unionized workers at the Japanese National Railways may finally be heading toward a resolution now that the ruling bloc and an opposition party have drafted a ¥27 billion settlement plan.

The package, hammered out Tuesday by the three coalition partners andNew Komeito, calls for a payment of ¥29.5 million each to about 900 former JNR workers who have sued over their dismissal and asks the current Japan Railway companies to hire about 230 of them who are 55 years old or younger, according to sources.

In exchange, the workers will drop their lawsuits.

The proposed ¥27 billion payout would be undertaken by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency, an independent administrative agency that inherited JNR's debts after it was privatized and split up in 1987.

Representatives of the railway agency and the National Railway Workers Union, known as Kokuro, are expected to sign a compromise deal based on the package, the sources said.

Belgian rail workers take wildcat action over safety fears after fatal collision
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/feb2010/belg-f17.shtml

Belgian rail workers take wildcat action over safety fears after fatal collision
By Julie Hyland
17 February 2010
Workers on Belgium’s rail network took wildcat strike action yesterday following the crash between two rush-hour trains near the capital, Brussels, the previous day that left 18 people dead and almost 200 injured.
Rail workers said that their spontaneous walk-out was due to concerns over safety conditions on the network and deteriorating working conditions, including a shortage of personnel that meant another accident such as the one at Halle, just 15 kilometres from Brussels, was likely.
According to reports, train drivers, signalling staff, machinists and technicians are all involved in the action. Depots across the country were blockaded, causing widespread disruption to train services, particularly in Wallonia in the south.
Rail officials said the strikes could continue for several days, compounding widespread disruption to the network, including routes connecting some of the major cities in Europe.
The SNCB said that 85 percent of its depots were affected by the strike. There were mass cancellations of trains and international services. Eurostar and Thalys, which run between France, Germany and the Netherlands, said that they would be unable to continue operating normal routes.

Sick Call: Chicago ATU 241 Union Worker Tries to Incite Mass Call Off "We will not tolerate troublemakers.” Says Union President

http://www.nbcchicago.com/traffic/transit/Sick-Call-83798127.html

Sick Call: Union Worker Tries to Incite Mass Call Off
119 bus routes and seven El lines are running less frequently already
By KIM VATIS
Updated 8:14 PM CST, Tue, Feb 9, 2010

As the CTA service cuts get a trial by fire during the first weekday commute, at least one worker is trying to make things worse, officials say.
A CTA union member this morning showed up to a garage where bus drivers were coming to work and started handing out flyers imploring workers to call in sick to work.
"We’re going to look into the allegations," said CTA President Richard Rodriguez. "We will not tolerate troublemakers.”
CTA officials are trying to determine if it was a union steward that was causing the trouble.

Chicago's Pantsless CTA Ride

CTA Prez: Cuts Have Begun

CTA, Unions Point Fingers at Each Other
It shouldn’t be hard to find the perpetrator, who also left flyers at another garage. She posted her name on the leaflets.
The worker probably didn’t need to exacerbate the problems; the unions and the CTA are already at odds and riders are feeling the pinch already.

Chicago CTA ATU 241 plans slowdown if not given fair negotiation “They’re working us like a machine,”

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/2046755,cta-chicago-union-jesse-jackson-021310.article

CTA unions plan slowdown if not given fair negotiation
Comments

February 13, 2010
BY MARY WISNIEWSKI Staff Reporter
Union representatives for CTA bus workers and the Rev. Jesse Jackson say they want to meet with CTA management on Wednesday, and plan a slowdown if they don’t get a fair negotiation.

“There needs to be a fair negotiation, or there will be a slow road or no road,” Jackson said at a news conference Saturday at Operation PUSH’s South Side headquarters. He was surrounded by about 40 bus drivers, including some who had lost their jobs last week.

Darrell Jefferson, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 241, said a “slowdown” would mean strict adherence to the rules, i.e., no driving a bus more than 35 mph, and no taking off from a bus stop before a passenger is seated or at least hanging onto a strap. Jefferson said the CTA has been pushing drivers to go faster than the rules allow, in order to meet schedules.

CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney said following the rules is not a problem. But any worker participating in an illegal work action will be disciplined, which could mean getting fired, Gaffney said.

2/24 From the Docks to the Desert, an Emergency Caravan to Aid Locked out Boron Rio Tinto ILWU Local 30 Miners
From the Docks to the Desert, an Emergency Caravan to Aid Locked out Miners
On February 24, please join the LA Labor Movement for the "Docks to the Desert," an emergency caravan to bring food and show solidarity to 574 locked out miners in Boron, CA.

About the Rio Tinto Miners
Since February 1, about 574 miners in Boron, CA have been locked out by the Rio Tinto mining corporation, a London based company. The Rio Tinto miners are members of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 30.

Located about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles, the City of Boron is home to a close knit working class community of 2,000. Rio Tinto is the world's third-largest mining company with operations on five continents.

Check out a recent LA Times article about the Lock Out:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-boron1-2010feb01,0,362036.story

Two Ways You Can Help
1) Join the Caravan - On Wednesday, February 24, show your support for the Rio Tinto miners by joining the caravan from Los Angeles to Boron. (Stay Tuned for more details.)
2) Donate Money - Donate Money to Help Purchase Food for the locked out miners in Boron.

SF TWU250A Fare spat highlights growing tensions

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Fare-spat-highlights-growing-tensions-83414237.html

Fare spat highlights growing tensions
By: WILL REISMAN and WILL REISMAN
San Francisco Examiner
February 3, 2010

(Examiner file photo)
SAN FRANCISCO — A Muni operator was spit on and physically threatened in a fare dispute last week in the Sunset district, the type of altercation that has increased in the past year and could become more prevalent with the transit agency proposing a series of service reductions.
In 2009, there were 81 assaults recorded against Muni operators, a 33 percent increase from 2008’s 61 incidents, according to Municipal Transportation Agency statistics. With two separate fare increases going into effect in the past seven months, and Muni proposing a
10 percent service reduction, many operators are fearful that aggressive assaults will spike even more, said Irwin Lum, president of Transport Workers Union Local 250-A.
“There is no question that the situation will get worse,” he said. “People are already upset about the fare increases, and now they’re going to be waiting longer to cram into crowded buses. It just makes for a real tense situation.”

Sacramento RT may cut up to 30% of its ATU jobs in spring
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2500979.html?storylink=omni_popular

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Paul Kitagaki Jr. / pkitagaki@sacbee.com
Continuing budget problems have led Sacramento Regional Transit administrators to announce that layoffs and reduction in bus service, among other cutbacks, are probable in coming months.

Sacramento RT may cut up to 30% of its jobs in spring
STAFF, SERVICES AT RISK IF INCOME DOESN'T REBOUND

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

Mired in a protracted financial slump, Sacramento Regional Transit officials have answered with fare hikes, service cuts, pay freezes and furloughs.

But revenue keeps spiraling down, and now agency officials say they must use a word they were trying to avoid – layoffs.

RT General Manager Mike Wiley said Friday he expects that in two weeks, he'll begin issuing an undetermined number of notices.

Unless finances rebound this spring, as many as 300 employees – 30 percent of the work force – could lose their jobs, Wiley said.

The list would include bus drivers, maintenance workers, mechanics and managers. "All levels," Wiley said.