Calling All Women Workers: AFL-CIO Launches Nationwide Survey

The AFL-CIO has launched the National Survey of Working Women for both union and nonunion women in all sectors of the workforce from across the country. The survey will cover all aspects of the lives of women in the workforce: economic interests, family and work life, and balancing those responsibilities.

“Working women need to stand together to let employers know what we need on the job. Our survey will reach out to working women from all different walks of life, both inside and outside the labor movement and will provide a much needed look into the daily lives of working women and how they struggle to achieve the ever-elusive work-life balance,” says Diann Woodard, president of the American Federation of School Administrators and vice-chair of the AFL-CIO Women’s Committee.

Launched this week, you may participate in the survey until December 4, 2015 at the website: go.aflcio.org/WomensSurvey. It only takes about 15 minutes to complete. Results of the survey will be published in March 2016 during Women’s History Month.

AFM Members Inducted into West Virginia Music Hall of Fame —AFM members Russ Hicks of Local 257 (Nashville, TN) and Bob Thompson of Local 136 (Charleston, WV) were inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame on October 24 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston. Hicks is a renowned pedal steel guitar player. He was a member of the Hee Haw house band for 13 years and has recorded with many musicians, including Marty Robbins; Local 257 members Jerry Lee Lewis, the Charlie Daniels Band, Ronnie Milsap, and Larry Gatlin; Don Gibson; and Townes Van Zandt. Jazz pianist Thompson and his band The Bob Thompson Unit have performed for audiences worldwide. However, he may be best known as the house pianist for West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio show Mountain Stage. Also inducted was late television and radio artist Buddy Starcher, a former member of Local 257.

Trump Hotel Sues Over “Deceptive” Flyers — The corporation that runs Trump Hotel Las Vegas (namely, Donald Trump and Phil Ruffin) are suing the Culinary Union and Bartenders Union over what they call “deceptively misleading” flyers about Trump’s campaign event held at nearby Treasure Island hotel in Las Vegas. Trump Hotel claims that by stating that Trump stayed at Treasure Island, not his own hotel, the public was led to believe accommodations at the Trump Hotel were not adequate for Trump himself. The lawsuit claims that Trump did stay the night in the Trump Hotel while in town. The Culinary Union and Bartenders Union is currently in a battle to unionize the Trump Hotel’s workers, numbering around 500. The National Labor Relations Board has received more than 10 complaints about the hotel since 2014.

Quebec Public Workers Enact Rotating Strikes — This week Quebec public sector workers—thousands of teachers, health care workers, support staff—began a series of rotating strikes to bring attention to stalled negotiations with the provincial government over public sector agreements that expired in March. The Common Front, uniting Quebec’s largest labor unions and the union of public employees, represents around 400,000 workers. Common Front is seeking a 13.5% salary increase (4.5% per year for three years), while the government has proposed a two-year salary freeze, followed by three years of 1% salary increases.

“We don’t believe the negotiations are moving forward, particularly at the head table, where the government has not budged an inch on its initial offer,” says Confederation of National Trade Unions President Jacques Letourneau in a The Globe and Mail article. “The negotiation process is not broken, we continue to hope the strike days this week will cause the Quebec Treasury Board to move.” Unless progress is made, rotating strikes will continue in November and December.

UAW Autoworkers Vote in Favor of New Labor Deal  — Following 2-to-1 rejection of a September labor deal, the United Auto Workers at Fiat Chrysler voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new deal, ending the threat of the nation’s largest strike since 2011. The new deal, approved by 77% of the 44,000 members, narrows the wage gap between veteran autoworkers and the approximately 19, 800 “tier-two” workers hired since 2007. Under the current contract, tier-two workers earn $17 to $24 an hour, while veteran autoworkers earn $28-plus an hour, as well as pension and retiree health benefits. The new deal brings the newer workers up to at least $28 an hour after seven years with the company and veteran workers will get their first raise in 10 years, a 3% immediately and another 3% in two years. They’ll also get a bonuses and profit sharing payments, including a signing bonus of $4,000 (veteran workers) and $3,000 (tier-two) for ratifying the contract.

PSAC Calls on New Parliament to Repair Worker Relations  —In response to the October 19 Canadian election results that firmly rejected the Harper Conservative government the Public Service Alliance (PSA) of Canada is calling for reform. “The new Liberal government has a strong mandate for change,” said PSAC National President Robyn Benson. “That change needs to include restoring public services and building a positive relationship with the federal public service. We call on the Liberals to practice a new kind of politics and to work collaboratively with the NDP and other progressives in Parliament to put Canada back together again.”

Before and during the election, the PSAC carried out a public information campaign to convince Canadians to stop cuts made by the previous Conservative government. “We know from our own campaign work that voters were fed up with the Harper Conservatives’ attacks on the public service. As the largest public service union, we look forward to sitting down with the new government as soon as possible to discuss how to repair the damage done, including how to improve labour relations in the federal public service,” said Benson.

Among other demands, the PSAC called on Parliament to repeal omnibus bills passed in its last four years that fundamentally changed collective bargaining laws, as well as health and safety protections for federal workers.