Working Life 9/26/2007

Front page blog post at Working Life:

Union Busting 101: A Look Inside Jackson Lewis
by Steve Perez

I want to urge everyone to read Unionbusting Confidential, the cover story from the latest issue of In These Times. For the low, low price of $1,595, article author Art Levine signed up for a seminar on staying union-free led by attorneys from Jackson Lewis. As labor laws weaken, companies are spending literally billions on union busting, and Jackson Lewis is one of the go-to law firms. Here's a sample of what their seminar is about:

What if we felt like saying a lot of anti-union stuff to our workers? Lotito introduced a segment called "You Can Say It." Could we tell our workers, for instance, that a union had held strike at a nearby facility only to find that all the strikers had been replaced—and that the same could happen to the employees here? Sure, said Lotito. "It's lawful." He added, "What happens if this statement is a lie? They didn't have another strike, there were no replacements? It's still lawful: The labor board doesn't really care if people are lying."

But if everything failed, and we found ourselves negotiating with a newly formed union, then we still shouldn't lose heart. Instead, we could continue to undermine the union by rejecting all of its demands during negotiations. (In fact, in about a third of the cases after a union victory, employers don't even agree to a contract.)

Go read the rest.

We're familiar with Jackson Lewis here in New York.

Read this post on Edwize exposing a similar seminar, held in November 2005, on "union prevention" in New York state charter schools led by Jackson Lewis, with special guest Rod Paige as the lunchtime speaker.

The Albany Project, Daily Gotham, Working Life 8/28/2007

Front page blog post at The Albany Project, Daily Gotham and Working Life:

NYC Rallies for a Child's First Teachers
by: SteveUFT

Mark your calendars: tonight at 7pm is the next step toward bringing New York City's home child care providers into the same union as New York City's public school teachers.

For many New York City families, their child's first teacher is one of the 28,000 home child care providers caring for kids today. Home child care providers take care of kids from low-income families in pre-school and after-school settings, helping them with reading and learning colors and numbers.

But home child care providers aren't protected by a union. Their average salary is $19,000 a year in New York City with no pension, no health insurance and no paid sick days. That makes home child care providers among the lowest-paid workers in the region. Something needs to be done to make sure they get the respect and wages they deserve.

You can help. The UFT, which represents New York City teachers, is launching the largest organizing drive New York has seen in decades to unionize home child care providers. We're holding a kickoff rally tonight, August 28th, and we want to fill the room with 500 supporters. Can you come?

When: Tuesday, August 28th, at 7pm
Where: Alhambra Ballroom at 126th and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd (directions)

We have the opportunity to work with a child's first teachers. Home child care providers work with kids before they come into the school system. Early grade teachers are familiar with the skills and background experiences that will give these kids the best preparation possible when they do start school. Let's work to bring providers and public school teachers together so we can create a seamless transition for kids that starts them off on the right foot.