Hurricane Katrina:
An Injury to One is an Injury to All


Indiana State AFL-CIO Elects Leaders

NEWS ARCHIVES

Indiana State AFL-CIO Elects Leaders

12-19-05 - In a show of unity, the Indiana State AFL-CIO re-elected its statewide leadership team by acclamation during its 24 th Biennial Constitutional Convention, held in Indianapolis from December 5 to December 7, 2005. President Ken Zeller, a member of the Unites Steelworkers (USW) was elected to his third term without opposition. Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Breedlove, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), was elected to his first full-term without opposition. Secretary-Treasurer Breedlove was initially selected to fill the unexpired term after the retirement of the previous incumbent of that position.

“I am honored by the trust Indiana’s working people have placed in me and look forward to working on their behalf of their interests in the days ahead,” commented President Zeller. “Our membership demonstrated remarkable unity throughout the convention and we will move forward together with great focus on the challenges ahead.”

Secretary-Treasurer Breedlove also commented on the unity displayed during the convention. “It is no secret that the labor movement has had some dissension within its ranks at the national level, but in Indiana we just haven’t seen that.” Some local unions affiliated with international unions involved in the national AFL-CIO disaffiliations have already signed solidarity charters and rejoined the Indiana State AFL-CIO and additional locals have indicated that they will do so in the near future. “The movement in Indiana is strong and by deciding to invest additional dues into the Indiana State AFL-CIO for the first time in ten years, our members demonstrated a commitment to being a strong voice for Indiana’s working families,” observed Breedlove.

All members of the Indiana State AFL-CIO Executive Council who chose to run again were also re-elected without opposition. Those returned to their positions as Vice Presidents of the Indiana State AFL-CIO were: Arnold Scott (American Federation of Government Employees), David Warrick (American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees),Rick Muir (Indiana Federation of Teachers/American Federation of Teachers), Steve Shoftsall (International Union of Painters and Allied Trades),Jim Robinson (United Steelworkers), Johnnie Johnson (International Brotherhood of Boilermakers), Roger Kent (Laborer’s International Union), Kenny Berg (Unity Team), Don O’Blenis (United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers), Tom O’Donnell (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), Jay Potesta (Sheet Metal Workers International Association), Charles Sosbe (International Association of Fire Fighters), Owen Stephens (United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters), Gerald Stone (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), Jerry Schaeff (International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers – Communication Workers of America), Bill Verdeyen (Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers – Teamsters), Russ Stilwell (United Mineworkers of America), Gisella Baker (United Steelworkers), Charlie Wyatt (United Steelworkers), Garland Stovall (United Steelworkers), Michael Betts (International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers – Communication Workers of America), David Baker (International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers – Communication Workers of America), and Ray Kasmark (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers).

Newly elected Vice Presidents are Tony Flora (National Letter Carriers Association), Pat Hansen (Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons International Association) and Bob Laughhead (United Food and Commercial Workers Union).

Bush Loots Workers’ Wages In Hurricane Devasted Areas

9-12-05 - Responding to an appeal from the most radical right members of Congress, Bush ordered the suspension of prevailing wage requirements for employers benefiting from Hurricane Katrina relief funds appropriated by Congress. This move will permit companies profiting from these taxpayer funds to pay workers less for the very dangerous and difficult work in the days ahead. It does not, however, require those companies to pass the savings back to taxpayers. In sum, workers make less, bosses pocket more and taxpayers pay the same.

Prevailing wage requirements ensure that companies using federal taxpayer dollars to perform construction work pay the wage typically paid for such work in that region. In many of the affected areas, where as we have seen, poverty was unchecked, these rates were already unacceptably low. For example, in the New Orleans area, laborers made an average of about $9.00 an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Bush’s order means that the area’s construction workers, already without homes and belongings, can be paid even less.

Bush’s order is unprecedented in scope. It includes several counties in Florida which have very little storm damage. It is also open-ended, expiring only when the President says so. While the Act’s requirements have been suspended three times in the past, those suspensions were of short duration. (President Roosevelt suspended the Act for three weeks, President Nixon suspended it for one month in 1971, and the senior Bush suspended it after Hurricane Andrew in late 1992 – it was reinstated by President Clinton when he took office in January). Incidentally, the order suspends these wage protections for all projects in the affected areas, even if they have nothing to do with Hurricane Recovery.

The workers impacted by this grant of permission for lower wages are already amongst the most vulnerable in America. Even before the Hurricane destroyed their communities, nearly a third of the residents of New Orleans lived below the federal poverty guidelines. And now, whatever possessions they had have been blown away by wind, or washed away by water. But rather than help them restart their lives by ensuring the payment of a decent wage for the rebuilding effort, Bush has authorized a reduction in wages and the community’s standard of living.

Edward C. Sullivan, President of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO commented, “They want to pay the poorest workers the lowest wages to do the most dangerous jobs. Suspending Davis-Bacon protections for financially distressed workers in the Gulf states amounts to legalized looting of these workers who will be cleaning up toxic sites and struggling to rebuild their communities while favored contractors rake in huge profits from FEMA reconstruction contracts.”

Congressional Democrats added their voices to the criticism of the Bush administration for this unprecedented attack on worker’s wages and urged an immediate reversal of this order. George Miller (D-CA), ranking minority member of the House Labor Committee, pledged to seek a congressional vote to reverse the executive order at the earliest opportunity.

Additional resources:

Davis-Bacon FAQs http://www.bctd.org/political/davisbacon/pdfs/46726BKLT.pdf

Building Trades Press Release concerning suspension http://www.bctd.org/news/newsreleases/2005/09.09.05.html

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney’s statement concerning suspension http://www.aflcio.org/mediacenter/prsptm/pr09082005.cfm

USW and NPA Announce Strategic Alliance, Condemn Union Busting by Walgreens in NW Indiana

 July 26 - The United Steelworkers (USW) today announced its support for 1,200 pharmacists in the Chicago area who were forced on strike by the Walgreen Company after it demanded a new contract that would rob their union, the National Pharmacists Association, of negotiating power and could endanger the public by increasing the possibility of mistakes caused by work overload.

The USW signed a strategic alliance with the National Pharmacists Association that would bring broad labor and public support to end Walgreens' attempt to break the union and assist the pharmacists in attaining a fair and equitable contract. The pharmacists also made an unconditional offer to return to work yesterday after striking for almost three weeks and will now take their issues directly to the public with support from the USW.

"Working with other unions, political leaders, and community activists, we intend to inform the public about these anti-union actions of Walgreens," said USW President Leo W. Gerard, who is attending the AFL-CIO convention in Chicago along with presidents from 52 other unions.

"We are pleased with our strategic alliance with the USW and know that eventually we will succeed in stopping Walgreens' union busting," said Tom Hanson, president of the National Pharmacists Association. "We will also improve pharmaceutical safety by eliminating Walgreens' attempts to speed-up the filling of prescriptions to unsafe levels."

The Chicago area and Northwest Indiana comprise Walgreens' second largest market, and 61 percent of the company's revenues come from prescription sales.

The USW pointed out that millions of prescriptions from union-negotiated health plans are filled every month at Walgreens.

"Walgreens should not be allowed to profit from the good benefits negotiated by the labor movement, and at the same time attack the union of its pharmacists," said Gerard. "We will focus our efforts first in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, where the union busting is taking place. If necessary we will gradually expand our efforts to other areas where Walgreens does business. We've only begun to fight!"

Walgreens, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is the nation's largest drugstore chain with revenues of $37 billion in 2004.

With 850,000 members the USW is the largest industrial union in North America and represents 10,000 pharmaceutical workers. There are 500,000 union members affiliated with the AFL-CIO in the Chicago area and 13 million nationwide.

AFSCME Workers Rally Against Loss of State Jobs