(Friends, Joe Hill has gotten political on us here, and he asked me if I thought this would be received in the proper manner. I personally think this is one of the best Joe Hill postings I've seen, but I'm sure some of you will disagree. Please read it all with an open mind, and try to keep your personal politics out of what you may learn here. Joe Hill has promised me that he will publish all your comments, good or bad, to this message on the Blog. It's my wish that we don't get into personal politics with Joe Hill, because, well, politics are personal. I believe that we all should vote from our heart and brain. So go out and do that. Vote for George Bush. Or vote for John Kerry. And if you have something constructive to add to this discussion, please do so. Add a comment on the Blog, or write to Joe Hill directly at Joehill_1915@hotmail.com Just remember, we are all Americans, and we are united in this union cause. God bless you all...JP)
Why your Contract Negotiations are Directly Related to the Election
Brothers and Sisters,
The project team made the decision that the Joe Hill LTD Project would not be politically positioned with regard to the 2004 Election. The time has come for this rule to be broken this one and only time.
As an aside there are many who believe that the Joe Hill LTD Project is the work of a single person. Those that believe that would be wrong. Some even think that non-LTD people are involved in the BLOG. That would be true, because information is priceless in developing a strong argument. For those who must know, more than one, and less than 10 persons outside of LTD employees, are involved in the project. It is true that the maintenance of the BLOG is basically developed by a member of our team - there are many contributors and writers to the Project. The Joe Hill LTD Project is the work of many, for the interest and benefit of the ATU at LTD.
The project team made the decision that the Joe Hill LTD Project would not be politically positioned with regard to the 2004 Election. The time has come for this rule to be broken this one and only time.
As an aside there are many who believe that the Joe Hill LTD Project is the work of a single person. Those that believe that would be wrong. Some even think that non-LTD people are involved in the BLOG. That would be true, because information is priceless in developing a strong argument. For those who must know, more than one, and less than 10 persons outside of LTD employees, are involved in the project. It is true that the maintenance of the BLOG is basically developed by a member of our team - there are many contributors and writers to the Project. The Joe Hill LTD Project is the work of many, for the interest and benefit of the ATU at LTD.
One additional thing readers need to be aware of and reminded of, is that the local union officers - while not knowing who the team members are - have complete control over the BLOG. A single email from the local union e-board will end this project and find the BLOG deleted.
The anonymity of team members have permitted us to take on the bosses that have been the source of the problems for LTD. Remember, the bosses keep blaming us for the woes of the District. We have been able to take some pokes at them for incredible bad decisions that would have cost many of us our jobs. Yet these managers can make $2.5 million mistakes and receive pay increases and meritorious praise by their bosses - the LTD Board of Directors. These same managers can make service decisions that result in complaints from riders because of reductions (that really are unnecessary). Isn't it amazing that customer complaints about drivers are meticulously documented and can result in discipline or even discharge? But when management decisions result in customer complaints there is no documentation, no concern, and especially no consequences.
Well back to the topic at hand - why this national election is also about our contract negotiations. The election, and George Bush, are setting the tone for many of the issues that we are seeing being pushed across the table at us. Is this surprising? Not when you consider the ties that the District's lawyers have with anti-union Republican politics. Gary Bullard has been at the forefront of every anti-union change to the Oregon Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act. Guess who Jackie Damm works for. But we must remember, not all Republicans are anti-union, and not all Democrats are pro-union. But this election is full of labor issues. Issues that have direct relevance to your contract and LTD employment.
Lets start with overtime pay. The Bush Labor Department has proposed regulatory changes that could remove more than 6 million workers from overtime pay. Is it any surprise that LTD has proposed taking away over time for work over 8 hours in a day? And the District wants to expand the mini board, remove guarantees for weekly hours, and make an entirely sub class of workers again by taking away benefits. The tone is coming from the top. The Presidential top! And LTD is all too happy to follow this greedy and bad example.
The Bush administration has taken every step to keep the rush to the bottom for wages a center piece of its labor policy. Bush has opposed every effort to increase the federal minimum wage, which saw its last increase 7 years ago. While we in Oregon have a more enlightened approach to minimum wages, it is so surprising that LTD is proposing essentially a zero sum solution in wages for union employees. The District proposal is as if we are presented with the offer of a very fine meal but the main course is your right arm, which Ken Hamm promises to barbecue nicely for you at Family Fun Day. Oh, by the way, you can wear your Hawaiian Shirt that day too! How nice.
Another bread and butter issue is health insurance. Did any of you notice that President Bush in the first and in the second debate mentioned Health Savings Accounts (HSA's) as one of his solutions to the health insurance crisis facing America? Now you know where LTD got the idea for us. It is nothing more than another "take away" plan courtesy of George Bush. You have to realize that with 6 million people losing health insurance during the Bush administration. it just puts pressure on the most expensive means of getting health assistance - the emergency rooms. Guess who pays for these costs. We do, indirectly, through the cost of Health insurance. The pressure on premium costs created by people losing insurance is immense. Our Management Solution at LTD is the same as Bush's - it is for employees themselves to contain the cost of insurance by paying for it themselves through HSA's. The real effect is that you might not seek treatment because your HSA is low on dough. You may not take care of something small until it becomes something really threatening and expensive. This is the age of personal responsibility, you see. The Joe Hill LTD Project has warned you about the risks of HSA's as now being proposed by LTD. Caro reported the the wage committee and LTD bargainers discussed health insurance at the last negotiation session. (revision) Carol reported that the District presented a vague plan filled with a lot of maybe's and expected us to agree so we could get a pay raise for you all. The wage Committee emphatically said, "NO"! We will not bargain against ourselves. The LTD plan is filled with unspecified hopes and promises. I tend to believe our wage committee in their representation of our intersts on health insurance, and it looks like HSA's are not the right solution.
Well back to the topic at hand - why this national election is also about our contract negotiations. The election, and George Bush, are setting the tone for many of the issues that we are seeing being pushed across the table at us. Is this surprising? Not when you consider the ties that the District's lawyers have with anti-union Republican politics. Gary Bullard has been at the forefront of every anti-union change to the Oregon Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act. Guess who Jackie Damm works for. But we must remember, not all Republicans are anti-union, and not all Democrats are pro-union. But this election is full of labor issues. Issues that have direct relevance to your contract and LTD employment.
Lets start with overtime pay. The Bush Labor Department has proposed regulatory changes that could remove more than 6 million workers from overtime pay. Is it any surprise that LTD has proposed taking away over time for work over 8 hours in a day? And the District wants to expand the mini board, remove guarantees for weekly hours, and make an entirely sub class of workers again by taking away benefits. The tone is coming from the top. The Presidential top! And LTD is all too happy to follow this greedy and bad example.
The Bush administration has taken every step to keep the rush to the bottom for wages a center piece of its labor policy. Bush has opposed every effort to increase the federal minimum wage, which saw its last increase 7 years ago. While we in Oregon have a more enlightened approach to minimum wages, it is so surprising that LTD is proposing essentially a zero sum solution in wages for union employees. The District proposal is as if we are presented with the offer of a very fine meal but the main course is your right arm, which Ken Hamm promises to barbecue nicely for you at Family Fun Day. Oh, by the way, you can wear your Hawaiian Shirt that day too! How nice.
Another bread and butter issue is health insurance. Did any of you notice that President Bush in the first and in the second debate mentioned Health Savings Accounts (HSA's) as one of his solutions to the health insurance crisis facing America? Now you know where LTD got the idea for us. It is nothing more than another "take away" plan courtesy of George Bush. You have to realize that with 6 million people losing health insurance during the Bush administration. it just puts pressure on the most expensive means of getting health assistance - the emergency rooms. Guess who pays for these costs. We do, indirectly, through the cost of Health insurance. The pressure on premium costs created by people losing insurance is immense. Our Management Solution at LTD is the same as Bush's - it is for employees themselves to contain the cost of insurance by paying for it themselves through HSA's. The real effect is that you might not seek treatment because your HSA is low on dough. You may not take care of something small until it becomes something really threatening and expensive. This is the age of personal responsibility, you see. The Joe Hill LTD Project has warned you about the risks of HSA's as now being proposed by LTD. Caro reported the the wage committee and LTD bargainers discussed health insurance at the last negotiation session. (revision) Carol reported that the District presented a vague plan filled with a lot of maybe's and expected us to agree so we could get a pay raise for you all. The wage Committee emphatically said, "NO"! We will not bargain against ourselves. The LTD plan is filled with unspecified hopes and promises. I tend to believe our wage committee in their representation of our intersts on health insurance, and it looks like HSA's are not the right solution.
What is the other major cost of health insurance premiums? According to the employees that served on the Benefit Committee, prescriptions costs' represent 20% of every premium dollar paid by LTD. What has the Bush Administration done about prescription drugs? They passed a bad Medicare prescription plan that does not permit employers to offer drug plans in their retirement health plans (even if they want to), does not permit the reimportation of drugs from Canada where they are cheaper, and gave a $139 Billion win-fall to the drug companies with no requirements or accountability. So, if nothing is driving the cost down (like reimportation or group purchase negotiations for the nations largest medical group - Medicare), what happens to our prices? Well, they continue to go up at 20% per year. This is a contract issue, plain and simple. We have some employees or their family members taking drugs that cost $500 to $3000 per month. LTD, you are matching up well with Bush so far.
Worker safety and health are important issues to us and our union. While workers were choking, and have throat irritations from the AVS buses, LTD fought the claims of the workers. Shoulder and other joints injuries account for most claims by drivers. But LTD cut the ergonomic cushions and pads for drivers. This is not different that what the Bush administration did. Within 3 months of taking office, President Bush's Occupational and Safety and Health Administration removed the ergonomic rules required of employers. With the tone for safety and health being minimized, the national leader set the pace for protecting worker safety.
In a classic display of petty bossism and 'followership' to the national agenda, paper towels used to clean interior windows (yes - a safety issue), rubber gloves in the shop were removed or limited. Even in the face of vast variety of chemicals used by workers, and even LTD workers, the Bush Administration removed OSHA protections measures for cancer causing chemicals and infectious diseases. Worker safety may not be important to you until you are injured or suffering. LTD's view is that we are just getting old. While that may be true, sticking your head in the sand to claims and injuries of pattern is foolish. But then, Mary Neidig has a strong reputation of fighting against worker injury claims while working for the State. A perfect fit for Boss Hamm. And she is no better than our former Human Resources boss, Dave Dickman, who said that LTD never did anything wrong to employees, and was the reason that LTD fought AVS bus driver workers comp claims.
Outsourcing and Buy America issues are important to us too. Remember the trip to Holland and France by Boss Hamm to look at European buses? Why was the first inclination to shop abroad by LTD? Well, maybe it was because of Bush's dismal record for manufacturing in the USA. Even President Bush's Chairman of Economic Advisors has said that outsourcing jobs is a good thing for America. Tell that to the 1.6 million workers who have lost their jobs during this administration. Not since president Hoover 72 years ago, has job growth been so bad.
You ask "why is this a contract issue?" Supply and demand is the answer. With so many job seekers - many not reflected in unemployment statistics any longer - the competitiveness in the oversupply of labor means lower wages. This is in fact what has happened, and for the first time since WWII, real incomes have fallen. Giveback bargaining is a direct and connected reflection of this economic condition. Why pay more when there are desperate folks out there who would gladly work for less and even half of our benefits? But is that the moral position? If it is, then we should surely be glad to do our jobs for less, too.
You know, outsourcing is just another way to say "contracting out." In the case of transit, you can't outsource our jobs to India or Argentina. But with so many people in the job market trying to find work in the "Walmart economy" of jobs, you see contracting out occurring at a rapid pace. LTD outsources engine overhauls. They would probably like to outsource customer service like Symantec did. They are outsourcing paratransit with SMS, a nonunion work for less contractor. The Joe Hill LTD Project has called this a scab operation, and we stand by this description. It is important for you to know that your job CAN BE OUTSOURCED. In fact the Bush Administration has been attempting to encourage outsourcing with provisions that favor privatization in the reauthorization of TEA-21, the primary vehicle for federal funding of mass transit. If Bush is reelected, expect the privatization efforts to be redoubled, and the risk of your job being up for grabs that much closer to likely.
Brothers and Sisters, our union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, has not endorsed Bush for a good reason. I have heard for years that the Union should stay out of politics and stick with our representation. They are. With the stroke of a pen by the politicians, your contract rights could disappear. Remember, it is only because of laws passed by politicians with the stroke of a pen that we have a contract in the first place. So you see, this election is about your contract and how it is affecting the negotiations. The Joe Hill LTD Project is not going to tell you whom to vote for in the election. The ATU has recommended that to you already. However, the Joe Hill Team is suggesting that you vote for your own economic interest, and the interest of protecting your contract.
In Solidarity,
Joe Hill
_______________________________________________
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end...There it is!"
You know, outsourcing is just another way to say "contracting out." In the case of transit, you can't outsource our jobs to India or Argentina. But with so many people in the job market trying to find work in the "Walmart economy" of jobs, you see contracting out occurring at a rapid pace. LTD outsources engine overhauls. They would probably like to outsource customer service like Symantec did. They are outsourcing paratransit with SMS, a nonunion work for less contractor. The Joe Hill LTD Project has called this a scab operation, and we stand by this description. It is important for you to know that your job CAN BE OUTSOURCED. In fact the Bush Administration has been attempting to encourage outsourcing with provisions that favor privatization in the reauthorization of TEA-21, the primary vehicle for federal funding of mass transit. If Bush is reelected, expect the privatization efforts to be redoubled, and the risk of your job being up for grabs that much closer to likely.
Brothers and Sisters, our union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, has not endorsed Bush for a good reason. I have heard for years that the Union should stay out of politics and stick with our representation. They are. With the stroke of a pen by the politicians, your contract rights could disappear. Remember, it is only because of laws passed by politicians with the stroke of a pen that we have a contract in the first place. So you see, this election is about your contract and how it is affecting the negotiations. The Joe Hill LTD Project is not going to tell you whom to vote for in the election. The ATU has recommended that to you already. However, the Joe Hill Team is suggesting that you vote for your own economic interest, and the interest of protecting your contract.
In Solidarity,
Joe Hill
_______________________________________________
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end...There it is!"
11 comments:
(Received by the Joe Hill LTD Project Inbox and posted by exactly as received - Joe Hill)
dear joe,
ok dude you got my dander up a bit with your last piece. this is not about personal politics but more about accuracy in reporting the facts. i have for sometime taken exception with the afl-cio position on "bush's" overtime bill. they claim our overtime is in danger and blue collar workers across america (6,000,000 is your and the union estimate). this is patently false. you must read the bill yourself and not take the afl-cil interpretation of it as fact. how about going to this site. it is the enemy for sure but it is their interpretation of this bill for their "clients" and how it affects them, including our own ltd. the "facts"are quite different from afl-cio facts and your own regurgitation of them. Please read the attachment.
i want to send you another attachment related to this very issue. a tv station in orlando relates a story of an afl-cio sponsored attack on the bush headquarters in this city gone wrong. this is part of 20 simultaneous nationwide "raids" on republican offices, all based on protest of the labor departments overtime bill. since we have no indication or example of any union or blue collar worker losing their overtime due to this bill, i find these tactics frightful, ignorant and shameful. if the above attachment is not sufficient in clearing up what this bill really intends to do i have a copy of it along with a list of sponsers and an explanation of it's intent. i will deliver it to your chosen representative upon request.
fraternally yours
jon
The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
Shortcut to: http://www.bullardlaw.com/pages/alerts/apr2304.htm
(Below is the news story referred to by Jon Jenkins in his email to the Joe Hill LTD Project. The AFL-CIO has 15.5 million members and 250 members at LTD. Misguided actions of a few should not characterize an organization of this size. However, the Joe Hill LTD Project condemns this protest as wrong and against the principles of the Joe Hill LTD Project and any law citizen of the Country. - Joe Hill)
Protestors Ransack Bush/Cheney Headquarters In Orlando
2 People Receive Minor Injuries During Protest
POSTED: 6:06 p.m. EDT October 5, 2004
UPDATED: 6:59 a.m. EDT October 7, 2004
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A group of protestors stormed and then ransacked a Bush-Cheney headquarters building in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, according to Local 6 News.
Protestors Storm, Ransack Bush-Cheney Headquarters In Orlando
Local 6 News reported that several people from the group of 100 Orlando protestors face possible assault charges after the group forced their way inside the Republican headquarters office.
While in the building, some of the protestors drew horns and a mustache on a poster of President George W. Bush and poured piles of letters in the office, according to the report.
"We told them to leave, they broke the law," Republican headquarters volunteer Mike Broom said.
Two protestors received minor injuries when the crowd stormed the building, including a Republican volunteer.
One of the protestors said she wanted to send a message.
"We want to send a clear message to Bush, we want him to take his hands off our overtime pay," protestor Esmeralda Heuilar said.
Local 6 News learned that most of the protestors were from the AFL-CIO and were taking part in one of 20 other coordinated protests around the country.
A spokesperson with the AFL-CIO told Local 6 News that the Orlando protest did not go as planned.
A protest similar to Orlando's demonstration was held at a Bush-Cheney office in Miami at the same approximate time, Local 6 News reported.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
(Joe Hill LTD Project received the following email init email inbox from Karen Koral - signed Joe Hill)
please take my name off your mailing list, this was a bit to much. remove transit77@msn.com thank you, k
Thanks Joe. This is your best and most firmly based piece to date. Labor has been seriously under attack for the past 25 years in this country. The CEO gets the golden goose mentality has even spread to Europe. Workers need to become tireless in digging out the truth. Hard working men and women need to think and act with political shrewdness to check the power brokers who lie to and deceive the vast majority. They would much rather that we fight amongst ourselves than flex our collective muscle. They must be challenged at the polls, in the courts, and when necessary in the the streets!
Joe,
I had almost given up hope for you, but you have finally come through with an astute observation of Union and Democratic principles. Finally, something besides name-calling and cartoons.
The gains made by labor with the FDR Administration were attacked and chipped away at almost immediately by Conservative politicians. And with the election of the Eisenhower Administration in 1952 the pace quickened and has not let up since.
I have always found it difficult to understand how a union member can support his own union but not what unionism stands for. It has always been about more than wages, hours and working conditions, although those have been the main thrusts. Unions have gone by the theory that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, so raise a union member’s wages and other’s will follow. But Unions have fought for so much more than that over the last century
With few exceptions, most pieces of progressive legislation to help the common man or woman and their families have been supported by pro-union politicians, and opposed by anti-union politicians.
You want some examples, try these on for size:
Child labor laws - work safety laws – minimum wage – right to organize – right to collective bargaining – right to strike - civil rights laws - equal rights laws - voting rights laws – consumer protection laws – decent health care for every American - Social Security – Medicare – the list is almost endless.
And in these fights the Unions could almost certainly turn to the Democratic Party for help while conservative Republicans have almost always turned away from what it was the unions were trying to accomplish for American workers.
Folks may have their own reasons to vote Republican, but strengthening organized labor and what it has stood for over the decades can’t be one of them. So it seems quite appropriate, to me anyway, for the JH Project to promote the party or candidate that will help strengthen the very resource that is needed in its fight with LTD.
Hank Perry
Haperry2@aol.com
RE: joe hill #68. As a member of the wage committee posting as anonymous. Concerning the statement reported by Joe Hill that Carol is telling us that the HSA proposal is or was dead on arrival on the bargaining table, NOT TRUE! Carol, to my knowledge has never said that and denies saying it. Your reporting of this gives the inferance that Carol and the wage committee have different opinions. NOT TRUE! Carol is a member of the wage committe! We are on the same page. This is why negotiations should be kept quiet until we have something concrete to bring back to the membership. Rumors from untruths or speculation are damaging to our cause. Please, check your sources for truth or don't report anything. I enjoy most of your reports, and do not want ATU to pull the plug on Joe Hill!
Response to Wage Committee;
The paragraph from concerning the Wage Committee and the HSA is based only upon the Oct 1, 2004 issue of the Labor Press which was reprinted in in JH 66. If this is an overstatement by Joe Hill in JH 68, then our apologies. But we thought no meant no.
Joe Hill
RE: Joe Hill #68. I reveiwed Carol's response in JH#66 and No does mean No! That was our response to the districts original HSA proposal, but we are still bargaining in good faith and have asked for more information from the district, which I am not at liberty to divulge. Just the way you worded it gives the inference that we are not all together on the same page as a wage committee. NOT TRUE! Anonymous member of the wage committee.
To anon. Wage Committee Member
The Wage Committee is united, of that we at the Joe Hill LTD Project are certain. Re-reading the JH 68 it appears that the language is awkward and not clear. You have my specific and group apology for this lack of precision. This draft went through a few hand before posting and it seemd clear to us in the discussion. It is easy to see how it could be seen differently. Our apologies.
Carol is the leader with the wage committe and you are doing a great and difficult job. You do not get enough recognition for your efforts. What the posting should have done is used the exact quote from the Labor Press Report and there would have been no complaints. Sorry for the confusion. - Joe Hill
This is how Joe Hill 68 was written. "The Joe Hill LTD Project has warned you all about the risks of HSA's, and Carol is telling us that the HSA proposal is or was dead on arrival on the bargaining table. Nothing could be more wrong, according to our bargaining Wage Committee. I tend to believe the Wage Committee first."
This is how it should have looked:
The Joe Hill LTD Project has warned you about the risks of HSA's as now being proposed by LTD. Caro reported the the wage committee and LTD bargainers discussed health insurance at the last negotiation session. Carol reported that the District presented a vague plan filled with a lot of maybe's and expected us to agree so we could get a pay raise for you all. The wage Committee emphatically said, "NO"! We will not bargain against ourselves. The LTD plan is filled with unspecified hopes and promises. I tend to believe our wage committee in their representation of our intersts on health insurance, and it looks like HSA's are not the right solution.
I hope this clears up the poorly written first version.
Joe Hill
Thank you for the clarification, Joe. And thanks to the members of the wage committee who bravely chose to speak up on this issue. Carol Allred, Executive Board Officer, ATU 757
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