Transport Workers Solidarity Committee

A Thriving Industry Built on Low-Compensated Temp Workers In Chicago-The Union Free Environment

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27cncdryport.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

August 26, 2010
A Thriving Industry Built on Low-Compensated Temp Workers
By KARI LYDERSEN
Tory Moore worked at the same packaged-food warehouse in Kankakee for six years, but he was denied a loan and apartment rentals after being told he did not have a real job.

Mr. Moore, 37, was a “perma-temp,” one of thousands of workers in the Chicago area’s massive warehouse complexes who are laid off and rehired every few months by temporary-staffing agencies.

He said he never received paid vacation days, holidays, sick days or affordable insurance. He was fired in December, he said, for rallying other workers to demand better conditions.

“I’m someone who loves to work hard,” he said, “but you want the company to make you feel appreciated.”

The Chicago area is widely described as the country’s largest inland “dry port,” where the nation’s six major railroads converge with packed shipping containers from China and other far-flung locations. The containers are moved from train to truck at sprawling intermodal facilities, then hauled to hundreds of warehouses where they are unloaded by hand so the goods can be distributed to retail stores across the country. In early August, a new $2 billion intermodal facility was opened in Joliet, where Union Pacific trains bring goods from Western seaports and factories.

First Black Rail Labor Union Marks Milestone And The Redbaiting Of Leftists
Re: First Black Labor Union Marks Milestone

by Jean Damu

I salute all the tributes and accolades conferred upon
our first mostly Black union (Phillipinos were also
members, as well as women-so, so much for
"brotherhood.") However, as a former member of the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters who worked in the
Colorado Division of the Santa Fe Railroad out of
Albuquerque, New Mexico, I have to admit it gets a
little tiresome reading constant and continual incorrect
references to the Pullman Porters Union and never any
holistic political assessment to the political stances
of A. Philip Randolph and the acolyte who sat at his
right hand, Bayard Rustin.

George Pullman, the founder of the Pullman Car Co. was a
racist who sent his agents throughout the postbellum
South hiring formerly enslaved Blacks to work on his
Pullman cars. Ingeniously he made a specialty of hiring
the darkest skinned Blacks available. He wanted the
class distinctions to be as stark as possible and
thought the darkest Blacks would be the most grateful
for the job and cause the fewest labor problems. His
thinking proved accurate for a time.

First Black Labor Union Marks Milestone
http://www.blackradionetwork.com/page.php?storyID=16263

First Black Labor Union Marks Milestone

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On August 25th, 1925 the trajectory of African American and American history was changed forever. On that date, a group of Pullman porters formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, America's first African American labor union.

One of those porters, 99-year-old Linus Scott, described the job as "miles of smiles, years of struggle." This 85th anniversary celebrates the life and work of this remarkable group of men.

The founding of the Brotherhood was an important milestone in the labor movement, which had previously been all white. But more importantly, it laid the foundation for the modern civil rights movement, by proving that blacks could organize and achieve tangible results.

The Pullman porters worked on the Pullman train sleeper cars. They greeted passengers, carried luggage, made the beds, tidied the cars, served food and drink, shined shoes and were available night and day to wait on the passengers. Since they often worked 20-hour long days and were paid only $67.50 a month, they depended on tips to make enough money to support their families.

Two Unions Launch Major Organizing Drives at Delta Air Lines
http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2010/07/02/two-unions-launch-major-organizing-drives-at-delta-air-lines/
Two Unions Launch Major Organizing Drives at Delta Air Lines
By: laborite57 Friday July 2, 2010 3:26 pm

There has been a lot of grumbling in labor circles that Obama hasn’t done enough for the unions that supported him so strongly in the 2008 election, but you are not likely to hear much of that in the inner circles of two airline unions that launched major organizing campaigns on Thursday. The unions anticipate that these campaigns may bring some 25,000 Delta Air Line workers into the union fold.

Two labor organizations — the Association of Flight Attendants and the International Association of Machinists — filed the paperwork July 1 with the National Mediation Board to set in motion union elections among Delta’s cabin crew members, baggage handlers, fleet service workers, customer service agents, and others at dozens of airports nationwide. Unless the elections get tangled in new technical or legal challenges, most of the results should be in by the end of the year.

The more dramatic and compelling story belongs to the Flight Attendants, which has waged a long and valiant struggle against hostile and aggressive executives at Delta. Affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, the AFA-CWA began preparing a major organizing drive at Delta back in 1997, only to suffer stinging election defeats in 2001 and again in 2008. Things look much brighter for the union now, thanks to new Obama appointees at the National Mediation Board which oversees labor relations in the airline and railroad sectors, and the recently completed merger of Delta with Northwest Airlines.

Two Unions Launch Major Organizing Drives at Delta Air Lines
http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2010/07/02/two-unions-launch-major-organizing-drives-at-delta-air-lines/
Two Unions Launch Major Organizing Drives at Delta Air Lines
By: laborite57 Friday July 2, 2010 3:26 pm

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There has been a lot of grumbling in labor circles that Obama hasn’t done enough for the unions that supported him so strongly in the 2008 election, but you are not likely to hear much of that in the inner circles of two airline unions that launched major organizing campaigns on Thursday. The unions anticipate that these campaigns may bring some 25,000 Delta Air Line workers into the union fold.

Two labor organizations — the Association of Flight Attendants and the International Association of Machinists — filed the paperwork July 1 with the National Mediation Board to set in motion union elections among Delta’s cabin crew members, baggage handlers, fleet service workers, customer service agents, and others at dozens of airports nationwide. Unless the elections get tangled in new technical or legal challenges, most of the results should be in by the end of the year.

The more dramatic and compelling story belongs to the Flight Attendants, which has waged a long and valiant struggle against hostile and aggressive executives at Delta. Affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, the AFA-CWA began preparing a major organizing drive at Delta back in 1997, only to suffer stinging election defeats in 2001 and again in 2008. Things look much brighter for the union now, thanks to new Obama appointees at the National Mediation Board which oversees labor relations in the airline and railroad sectors, and the recently completed merger of Delta with Northwest Airlines.

Northwest Airlines union seeks vote at Delta
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i04X6c3DTJDaRDjQnx3kkUz0-u1AD9GMGCE80
Northwest Airlines union seeks vote at Delta
By JOSHUA FREED (AP) – 2 days ago
MINNEAPOLIS — Unions for thousands of flight attendants and ground workers at the old Northwest Airlines said they would seek a vote to represent those groups at Delta, taking advantage of new election rules that make it easier for them to win.
The federal rule that took effect Thursday covers airline and railroad workers. Delta Air Lines Inc. would be the biggest and most visible prize for organized labor, but union drives at other companies are expected to benefit from the new rule, too. On Thursday, the Teamsters said they filed for an election to cover 570 mechanics at Atlantic Southeast Airlines.
Under the old rule, it took votes by a majority of the entire group of workers to approve a union. That meant that workers who didn't vote counted as "no" votes. Now, unions can be voted in by a majority of workers casting ballots.
At Delta, the unions asked the National Mediation Board to find that it and Northwest are operating as a single carrier. Delta bought Northwest in late 2008 and the Federal Aviation Administration granted them a single operating certificate on Dec. 31. The request to the mediation board is a first step toward a worker vote on whether flight attendants and certain ground workers will stay unionized, as they were at Northwest, or be nonunion, as they were at Delta.

Delta Air Faces Union Recruitment Drive
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703957604575272444013395792.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection
MANAGEMENTJUNE 1, 2010
Delta Faces Union Contests
Unions Step Up Recruitment Following Federal Rule Change Targeting Aviation

By MIKE ESTERL

Delta Air Lines Inc., on the heels of last month's federal rule change making it easier for aviation workers to organize, is facing a stepped-up recruitment campaign by labor organizers.

While votes haven't yet been scheduled, unions have set to work putting up information desks at airline-staff lounges and visiting employees at their homes to prepare for elections that could be held this summer. At stake are tens of thousands of flight attendants, ticket agents and baggage handlers at the world's largest airline by traffic—and the last major U.S. carrier with less than half its staff covered by union contracts.

The high-stakes battle is being played across geographic and cultural fault lines, less than two years after Delta acquired Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines. Northwest was only about half as large as Delta, but roughly 95% of its workers were unionized. Only about 15% of Delta's pre-merger workforce was unionized, with many of its employees based in the south, where organizing efforts traditionally have struggled.

FedEx Spent $21.1 Million In 15 Months To Preserve Its Ability To Prevent Drivers From Unionizing
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/05/17/fedex-lobbying-prevent/
FedEx Spent $21.1 Million In 15 Months To Preserve Its Ability To Prevent Drivers From Unionizing
Currently, House and Senate negotiators are trying towork out the differences between each chamber’s respective bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration. One key difference between the bills is that the House version corrects an inequity in labor law that allows Federal Express to operate under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which poses higher barriers to union organizing than the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). FedEx’s competitors, such as the United Parcel Service, are governed by the NLRA. The Senate bill does not contain the change.

FedEx has been waging an intense campaign in order to preserve its special treatment, led by CEO Fred Smith, who was George W. Bush’s fraternity brother and has said that “I don’t intend to recognize any unions at Federal Express.” And according to Roll Call, in 15 months the company spent $21.1 million lobbying Congress:

Last year, it ranked 14th among all groups and companies in lobbying budgets, spending more than oil giant BP and defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The Memphis-based company also has tapped politically connected assistance, contracting with 14 outside lobbying firms that employ a number of former Senators. Not only is the Breaux Lott Leadership Group working for FedEx, but its founders, former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) and former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), are listed on the lobbying disclosure forms as personally working on the account. FedEx hired the international public relations firm Burson-Marsteller to work specifically on this issue.

As UAL & Continental airlines embrace, workers in Texas brace for job losses
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6988445.html
Continental chief says jobs to be lost here
By JENALIA MORENO and PURVA PATEL
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
May 3, 2010, 11:50PM

As Continental and United airlines officially announced plans Monday to create the world's largest airline, Houstonians and Continental employees braced for job losses the merger is expected to bring.
Officials did not disclose how many jobs would be lost as part of the $3.2 billion stock-swap deal but did acknowledge cuts are coming.
“There will be people who will lose their jobs at 1600 Smith (Continental's downtown headquarters), just as there will be people who will lose their jobs in Chicago,” said Continental CEO Jeff Smisek, who will become CEO of the new airline and move to Chicago but keep an office in Houston. “You eliminate duplicate functions. That's part of the savings of a merger.”
The new carrier, which will keep United's name but bear the Continental colors and tail logo on its jets, will be headquartered in Chicago.
“The loss of the corporate headquarters is tough on Houston,” Smisek said during a telephone interview with the Houston Chronicle.

Labor issues key to airline merger success
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6984637.html
Labor issues key to airline merger success
Unions’ happiness with a deal can make or break a combination
By JENALIA MORENO
Houston Chronicle
April 30, 2010, 10:48PM
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Matthew Miggins likens the expected merger of Continental Airlines and United Airlines to a shotgun wedding.
“Due to circumstances that are beyond our control, someone has deemed that we are forced to get married,” said Miggins, a Continenal pilot based in Houston. “There's no true love.”
Miggins, who also owns FuseLodge, a Humble crash pad where airline workers can sleep in between shifts, worries Continental will be the one rescuing United.
Concerns like that of Miggins may help determine whether the merger succeeds. That's because union workers who fly jets, load and unload baggage and perform other airline jobs can disrupt operations if they're unhappy. Integrating unions has traditionally been one of the most difficult aspects of airline mergers.
Continental's board met Friday to discuss merger plans and is expected to meet again on Sunday. An announcement about the merger is expected Monday morning. Neither company has publicly confirmed the merger talks.