Labor Matters Compiled by Jeff Burman Striking Boeing Engineers Reach a Deal Aerospace engineers and Boeing agreed to resolve a 40-day strike, thus ending one of the biggest white-collar strikes in US history. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA, Local 2001) said the three-year deal includes guaranteed wage increases of at least 9% over the length of the contract, as well as enhanced medical benefits and cash bonuses. Describing themselves as newcomers to the union movement, 17,000 engineers in Seattle and six other states struck Boeing on February 9. These unlikely picketers, many of whom hold advanced degrees and pull down six-figure salaries, chanted and carried placards. One sign said, "No nerds, no birds." Bill Sandel, a 34-year-old liaison engineer never imagined he'd join a union. "I recognize their place for other people," said Sandel, "but philosophically, I didn't want to be represented by a labor union. I wanted to be represented by my training, my experience and my abilities. I really thought that was my bargaining chip. But now, I feel like joining a union was really the only effective way to make my voice heard at this company." Boeing acknowledged that the strike caused the company to miss more than half of its scheduled deliveries. The union claims that the strike's impact went further, saying that production work had virtually stopped because there were not enough engineers to sign off on parts and design changes. Labor leaders believe the strike is a harbinger of things to come. Organized labor is pressing to unionize high-tech workers who make up a large part of the new economy, most notably at nearby Microsoft. "This strike underscores what we've seen with doctors, teachers, now engineers," said Harley Shaiken, a labor specialist at the University of California at Berkeley. "There are many professionals who are feeling that they are the proletariat of the information age." A victory against Boeing is a major breakthrough for organized labor. For more, see www.speea.org/index2.html Sweeney Supports Teamsters'Strike AFL-CIO President John Sweeney pledged $500,000 to the Teamsters, strengthening the union's hand in its strike against Overnite Transportation Company, one of the country's largest nonunion trucking companies. The company has been resisting union recognition since 1995, and has faced a Teamster strike since October, 1999. "The New York Times" called the campaign "the nation's most visible labor dispute." The Teamsters accuse Overnite of more than 1,000 labor law violations, including withholding wage increases, coercion, illegal surveillance and illegal firings. AFL-CIO President Sweeney said "Overnite continues to use illegal and immoral tactics to block its workers freedom to choose to join a union." The AFL-CIO grant would be used to fund 30 additional organizers, radio and TV ads, a legal team and lobbying efforts. The NLRB issued an extraordinary decision in 1999, calling Overnite's violations of employee rights system-wide and directed by "the highest level officials," including the president, chief operating officer and general counsel. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. The depth of UP's anti-union stance can be seen on Capitol Hill, where company lobbyists have been diligently trying to persuade Congress to cut National Labor Relations Board funding by 30%. The Teamsters claim that the walkout is responsible for Overnite's $13 million loss in the fourth quarter of last year and that the company has spent millions of dollars to fight the union, far more than it would cost to settle the contract. Overnight claims that the company's shipments were down by only 9 percent and insists that they have not violated labor laws. Labor observers have called Sweeney's support for the Teamsters' strike a way to reduce tensions between him and Teamster president James P. Hoffa. Sweeney and AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Richard Trumka were vocal supporters of former Teamster president Ron Carey in 1996. Carey's victory was overturned when several aides were found to have illegally diverted union funds into his campaign. For more, see www.teamster.org For the text of the November 10, 1999 NLRB decision, see www.nlrb.gov/slip329.html UPS Revisited Looking back at the dramatic crescendo of former Teamsters president Ron Carey's term - the UPS Strike of 1996 - we find that concessions won in that strike's settlement have failed to be delivered on time. The Teamsters' 1997 master agreement with UPS called for 2,000 new full-time jobs in each year of the five-year contract. Only recently, an arbitrator ruled that United Parcel Service must create 2,000 new full-time jobs within 90 days. The newly mandated jobs will move part-time employees into full-time positions, one of the key points of contention during the strike. Approximately 60 percent of UPS' production personnel currently work part-time. The ruling also requires the company to pay back-wages with benefits, worth over $80 million. This is the largest award in Teamsters history. U.S. Strikes in '99 Hit New Low The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics has been keeping track of strikes involving more than 1,000 workers since 1947. Last year only 17 strikes met that statistical threshold, idling a total of 73,000 workers for an average of 16 days apiece. Of last year's walkouts, 12 were in the private sector and the rest saw teachers and education workers picket state and local governments. The longest strike in 1999 was at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. in Virginia, where the United Steelworkers struck for 117 days. In 1998, there were 34 walkouts involving 387,000 workers. The peak year for individual workers on strike was in 1952, when 2.7 million were involved in stoppages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that 1999 saw 14,909 "layoff events," claiming a total of 1,572,399 jobs. That's down from nearly 16,000 mass layoffs in 1998. For more, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics Yahoo! Deletes Virtual Picketing Yahoo!, a leader among the new wave of internet portals, abruptly pulled the plug on an advertising campaign designed to publicize a labor dispute between passenger service workers at Los Angeles International Airport, and their employer, Argenbright Security. The campaign used "virtual leaflets" which actually were banner advertisements prominently placed on Yahoo pages linking to Argenbright's parent company, AHL Services. Clicking on the ads sent readers to the strikers' site The cancellation came just days after Administrative Law Judge James L. Rose ruled that Argenbright was guilty of committing dozens of violations of federal labor law against these employees. The violations include some 40 suspensions and final warnings growing out of a legal strike by the employees in April of 1999. The SEIU-affiliated campaign opted to use this clever approach after Argenbright Security effectively silenced their traditional protests, and used legal and illegal means to thwart their efforts at forming a union. Yahoo!'s decision stands in sharp contrast to positions taken by Yahoo! executives in the past on free-speech issues. John Place, chief counsel for the web portal, has said "To me, the most exciting thing about the Internet is a democratization... everyone has a voice. It's the ultimate function of a participatory democracy." Unfortunately, Yahoo!'s actions speak louder than its good intentions. Hopefully, this company, still in its infancy, will see the error of its ways. For more on the SEIU, see the www.SEIU.org A New Window on Child Care Nearly three decades after first sounding the alarm about a nationwide child care crisis, the National Council of Jewish Women has issued a report showing that the lack of affordable, quality child-care continues to be a chronic problem. "Opening a New Window on Child Care" discloses significant obstacles faced by working parents at every income level. In 49 states, the average cost of daycare for a four-year-old in 1998 was more than the average tuition for a public college. In 15 states it would cost even more - double the average fees for a public college. In addition, low pay and high turnover for child-care workers hamper the quality of care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salaries of janitors and bartenders are higher than those of day care workers. The NCJW is a volunteer organization with over a century of community service and advocacy for families. The 90,000-member group recommends a four-part-plan to improve child-care. First, federal, state and local funding must be increased. Second, employers need to understand that the benefits of childcare programs are greater than their costs. In one example, Johnson & Johnson saved more than $4 for every $1 invested in its day care program. Third, access and quality need to be promoted by federal and state standards. Affordable, in-service training, tied to improved compensation must be made available to child-care workers. And, finally, consumers need to be educated, so parents can effectively select and monitor quality care. For more, see www.ncjw.org Nader Launches Presidential Bid Consumer advocate Ralph Nader announced his second run for president as the standard bearer of the progressive Green Party. Nader, a tireless opponent of corporate recklessness and profiteering, calls for a campaign to reclaim democracy. The last time he ran, in 1996, Nader's name appeared on 21 state ballots, drawing nearly 700,000 votes. This time, Nader says things will be different. Instead of "standing for election," this time he'll run. Instead of imposing a $5,000 spending limit on his campaign, he hopes to raise $5 million and spend at least 100 days campaigning on the road. He promises to fight hard for a place in the fall debates. And this is where he can do the most good. His well-reasoned opposition to current trade policy, corporate welfare and the corporate take-over of civic culture could energize the young and idealistic, and boost election turnout, helping the Democrats retake the House of Representatives. For more see the www.votenader.com   Jeff Burman is a Guild Board member representing assistant editors. He can be reached via email   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine Vol. 21, No. 2 - March/April 2000   Guild Home | Magazine Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 2000, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700