http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/labor/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Mon, 03 Sep 2001 15:33:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1640/the_brame_game/ Even as the Bush administration is erasing reforms--like ergonomics regulations aimed at preventing workplace injuries--it has desperately claimed to be moderate on labor issues. "The president is restoring the balance and the middle ground," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer recently intoned. Such rhetoric will continue to defy reality if Bush nominates J. Robert Brame to head the National Labor Relations Board. Brame, who served on the five-person board between 1997 and 2000 as a result of deals between the Clinton administration and staunch conservatives in the Senate, made his name as a dissenting voice whose quirky, sweeping opinions raised eyebrows. Now they are raising red flags. No mere management ally, Brame is a standard-bearer for the religious right whose ties… labor Fred Weir Mon, 01 Oct 2001 13:56:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1622/the_charleston_five/ This September, five longshoremen will go on trial in South Carolina. Elijah Ford Jr., Ricky Simmons, Peter Washington, Jason Edgerton and Kenneth Jefferson face felony riot charges arising from a confrontation on the Charleston docks on January 20, 2000. They could go to prison for five years. The port of Charleston, where the men work, is the fourth-largest in the country. And although South Carolina has the second-lowest percentage of union members of any state, all the longshore workers in the port, almost all of whom are black, belong to Local 1422 of the International Longshoremens Association (ILA). That union status came under attack last year, when Nordana, a Danish company,announced that it intended to load and unload ships using… labor Fred Weir Mon, 15 Oct 2001 13:18:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1617/never_let_them_see_you_sweat/ In an unprecedented international campaign to organize garment workers, unions in the United States, Asia and Central America are joining with student and religious groups to target the real powers in the global apparel business: big brand-name merchandisers like Eddie Bauer, Ann Taylor, Gap, J. Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch and the major retail chains. The clothing industry has changed dramatically in the past few decades: Roughly 30 major retailers now dominate the business, subcontracting work to thousands of workplaces employing 2 million people in 150 countries, whether in massive factories in China or Indonesia, highly mobile small workshops in Central America, or even individual homework in the United States. "Retailers led by the Wal-Marts of the world determine the price,… labor Fred Weir Fri, 12 Apr 2002 15:08:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1451/no_quiero_taco_bell/ While the South is still the most hostile terrain for workers and unions in the United States today, the region increasingly has become a battleground for militant labor struggles. One of the most notable efforts comes from an area where involuntary servitude is still a living reality—the Florida Everglades. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a farmworker organizing project there, based among immigrant Mexican, Central American and Haitian laborers. Utilizing the organizing traditions those workers have brought with them to the United States, the CIW has challenged the local growers as well as the fast-food industry that buys their produce. The coalition has specifically targeted Taco Bell, arguing that the company has grown wealthy by keeping down the price of… labor Fred Weir Mon, 20 Jan 2003 01:15:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/422/bush_attack_on_older_workers/ President Bush may or may not go to war against Iraq, but we do know that he has already declared war against the economic well-being of the middle class and working families of this country. While he cuts back on Medicare and the needs of veterans, he wants even more tax breaks for the very richest people in this country. While he pushes efforts to privatize Social Security, there is no attempt to raise the minimum wage above its paltry $5.15 an hour. While he expands disastrous trade policies that have already cost us millions of decent-paying manufacturing jobs, he is proposing to slash the pay and benefits of federal employees through a massive and dangerous outsourcing scheme. While our… corporations economy labor politics Fred Weir Fri, 13 Feb 2004 15:41:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/397/endorsement_up_for_grabs/ As Massachusetts Senator John Kerry continued to rack up early primary victories, exit polls consistently showed that the elusive characteristic of “electability” was weighing heavily on the minds of Democratic voters. The same can be said of labor unions, it seems. On February 9, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced that it was withdrawing its support for the flagging candidacy of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. The group, along with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), endorsed Dean in November. “We can’t be wasting time supporting a candidate who will not be the nominee,” explained one AFSCME organizer who worked for Dean in Iowa. “We need to focus on taking back the White House.” After… elections labor politics election 2004 Fred Weir Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:37:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/399/cokes_killers/ Coca-Cola representatives told a fact-finding delegation that its employees may have collaborated with paramilitaries in the deaths and torture of Colombian union members. Despite the possible collaboration, Coca-Cola officials in Colombia have not undertaken any internal or external investigation into the assaults against its employees. The company’s Colombian representatives insist any contact with paramilitaries, widely blamed for killing seven Coke unionists and thousands of others in recent decades, was unauthorized, according to a report released by Hiram Monserrate. This New York councilmember led a January delegation of U.S. unionists and students to Colombia. In a written response to the delegation, Coca-Cola says it “does not anticipate supporting in any way any form of ‘independent fact-finding delegation to Colombia,’” and that… civil liberties corporations economy labor south america Fred Weir Tue, 16 Mar 2004 09:00:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/714/all_against_one/ Bal Harbour, Florida—For Dan Radford, head of the Cincinnati Central Labor Council, the presidential campaign started last fall, long before Democrats had a nominee. And it will continue unabated throughout the year with more resources, more determination, more unity and a greater variety of tactics than ever before. Reflecting the national labor movement’s strategy and resolve, Radford’s work in his crucial battleground state is based in a profound fear of Bush’s re-election—a fear that already is producing glimmers of hope. “Working families are frightened of this administration for several reasons,” said Radford. “You take the issue of overtime [which could be eliminated for 8 million workers under new Bush administration rules]. They see their safety net being eroded. And they’re… elections labor politics election 2004 Fred Weir Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:24:01 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/409/cola_wars/ Protesting a mass firing of union leaders, 30 Coca-Cola workers in Colombia began a hunger strike March 15, which was met by death threats from paramilitaries known to have worked on the company’s behalf in the past. A group of 91 workers—nearly three-fourths union leaders—was dismissed in February after Coca-Cola closed several plants. Protesters say the company targets union shops, and the hunger strikers in eight Colombian cities demand reinstatement of the fired workers. A group affiliated with the country’s most notorious paramilitaries, the AUC, released a statement declaring war on the union leaders and promising to “finish them all off” if they do not leave the country in three months. Paramilitaries acting with at least tacit approval of Colombian… corporations economy labor Fred Weir Fri, 09 Apr 2004 13:10:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/718/the_china_syndrome/ More than 1,200 workers from the Tieshu Textile Factory in the Chinese city of Suizhou peacefully blocked railroad tracks this February to protest corruption among factory managers that had cost them nearly $25 million in pay, pensions and investments. Hundreds of police broke up the demonstration, beating many and arresting six for “disturbing social order.” It’s not unusual: Employers increasingly refuse to pay workers what they’re owed—nearly $40 billion in 2002. The violation of labor rights is the dark side of China’s economic boom. But it’s not just a problem for Chinese workers. It’s also a problem for Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, and Mexican workers in the maquiladora assembly plants along the country’s northern border, as hundreds of factories have moved… civil liberties labor asia Fred Weir Thu, 15 Apr 2004 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/720/downsizing_the_ceo/ The omnipotent corporate chief executive emerged in the ’90s as a popular economic superhero, rivaling the high-tech nerd as creator of the economic boom. But that came to a crashing finale with misdeeds at Enron and dozens of other high-profile businesses—when a mix of executive greed, lawbreaking and deregulation built up then burst the stock market bubble. In the angry aftermath, the labor movement worked closely with public employee pension funds to create a new model of accountability for corporate executives, and this spring the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to issue new rules that will make it easier for shareholders to nominate directors. “This is the most important corporate governance reform to correct past abuses that we’ve… corporations economy labor Fred Weir Wed, 21 Apr 2004 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/415/jobless_recovery/ Hassan Jum’a is an impressive negotiator. As head of the 10,000-member Southern Oil Company Union in Iraq, last December he successfully challenged the hiring and wage policies of Al Khorafi, a Kuwaiti subcontractor for the U.S. construction giant Bechtel and the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR). Jum’a’s union first flexed its muscles against Al Khorafi in October, when its members launched a two-day wildcat strike at the Bergeseeya oil refinery in Basra. They literally dragged out the predominantly Pakistani and Indian workforce Al Khorafi had imported and demanded that the company hire Iraqi workers in their place. Union members also protested at Al Khorafi’s headquarters, and tribal leaders topped off the strike by threatening to bomb the company’s… labor war in iraq middle east Fred Weir Mon, 17 May 2004 09:38:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/740/if_shirts_could_speak/ I’ve just returned from Bangladesh, and I am angry. Not, of course, with the people. They were incredibly warm and open, inviting us into their homes and sitting with us into the night in poorly lit windowless union offices telling us stories of their lives as garment workers. I am angry because of what is happening to these workers. There are 2 million garment workers in Bangladesh, and 85 percent are young women 16 to 25 years old. Each year they sew $2.8 billion worth of clothing for export to Europe and another $2 billion to the United States. One worker explained their situation like this: “We feel like prisoners. There is no value in our lives. We are like… civil liberties corporations economy international affairs labor Fred Weir Thu, 10 Jun 2004 14:55:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/774/the_wal_mart_effect/ Walter “The General” Brooks stood amid the vacant buildings of a former Reyerson Steel plant on Chicago’s South Side, the projected site of a shopping center anchored by a Wal-Mart discount store. “We need jobs,” exclaimed Brooks, owner of a nearby fried chicken restaurant. “There are no industrial jobs around. They’re all overseas.” But Wal-Mart may not be the answer to his prayers. In late May the Chicago City Council narrowly turned down plans for a Wal-Mart at this site, while approving a Wal-Mart in another largely black neighborhood on the city’s West Side at another closed factory site. Wal-Mart and its supporters, including local aldermen and some clergy and community leaders, said that its two stores would bring nearly… corporations economy labor Fred Weir Tue, 06 Jul 2004 03:26:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/823/the_gap_minds_itself/ “When I decided to join Gap Inc. in the fall of 2002,” writes Paul Presser, president and CEO of the clothing giant behind the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic brands, “one of the first things my teenage daughter asked was, ‘Doesn’t Gap use sweatshops?’ ” An aggressive global movement for workers’ rights has effectively pushed this question into consumer consciousness, and it has haunted Gap for nearly a decade. In May, the company released its first Social Responsibility Report, providing a window into how far that movement has come—and highlighting challenges that confront apparel workers in an industry where “remaining competitive” fuels a search for ever-cheaper production. Gap’s 40-page report attempts to take the sweatshop issue head on. Several… civil liberties corporations economy international affairs labor Fred Weir Thu, 12 Aug 2004 07:00:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/909/come_together_right_now/ Since last fall, organized labor has urgently focused on defeating George Bush—described by AFL-CIO president John Sweeney as “the worst president we’ve had to deal with.” Even if Kerry should win, the labor movement faces a wrenching debate over its future starting the day after the election. Despite Sweeney’s reform victory nearly a decade ago, the labor movement has made progress mainly in its political work, not in the crucial task of organizing in a globalized economy where many workers’ jobs are moved out of the country and U.S. workers increasingly face powerful multinational corporations. The debate after the election will focus on what kinds of changes labor must make to expand its ranks and its power. One key group… labor election 2004 Fred Weir Sun, 24 Oct 2004 19:01:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1359/class_warfare/ Rewarding the richest. Before the latest round of tax cuts skewed to the rich, Bush cut the corporate government expenses by nearly half and had provided the top 1 percent of households an average tax cut of $35,000 this year—54 times the average of $647 for the middle 20 percent. Stimulating recession. The flawed tax-cut package failed to stimulate the economy effectively. The result: nearly 1 million fewer jobs now than in 2000, including 2.7 million fewer in manufacturing. That means roughly 8 million fewer jobs than would exist now in a typical recovery from a recession. Real wages have stagnated in the recovery; profits have risen faster than average. Putting profits before people. Five million more people lack health… government: administration labor social justice election 2004 Fred Weir Thu, 18 Nov 2004 07:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/1697/how_can_we_fight_for_working_families/ The overall fight is clear: We must rein in corporate power and fight for working families’ core issues—good jobs, affordable healthcare, a secure retirement and strong communities. In the next four years, we must stake out and reinforce these areas where we cannot allow the dam to break under the Bush administration. We must create political movements that take advantage of, and maintain, the vibrant political activism of the left in the 2004 presidential campaign. We have to launch proactive fights that are driven by principle and show what we stand for. We can and will win a fight against privatizing Social Security. We will not allow this basic safety net to be dismantled so corporations can “get their slice.”… labor politics social justice election 2004 Fred Weir Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:00:00 -0600 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2036/which_comes_first_growth_or_clout/ What’s more important right now for the embattled labor movement, politics or organizing? At the spring meeting of the AFL-CIO executive council in Las Vegas, debate over this long-standing strategic conundrum took center stage, where it will remain until the federation’s potentially tumultuous July convention. But posing the question this way oversimplifies undercurrents of the conflict that are rooted in personalities, institutional power and unions’ different experiences in different industries. The current internal debate was triggered last November by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern. At its heart, Stern’s 10-point plan aims to spark an organizing renewal by dramatically restructuring the labor movement into fewer, bigger unions based on core industries or occupations. The Laborers, UFCW (food and… labor Fred Weir Wed, 20 Apr 2005 07:00:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2078/union_stations/ Add up the audience for all of the progressive independent press: national magazines, local newsweeklies, liberal blogs, Pacifica radio stations. It probably isn’t more than a few million households. But add other anti-corporate alternatives—the magazines and newspapers produced by American labor unions—and the audience soars by an estimated eight million households. Yet, the labor press wields little clout, even with union members. Could this sleeping giant, if awakened, play a role in the revival of labor unions and progressive politics? In the debate over what new directions the union movement might take, the labor press has received little attention. That reflects its sorry state. Labor unions once owned popular radio stations and produced thousands of publications. There were also many… labor media Fred Weir