This is a Tribute to a
Great Friend of Organized Labor
USW Local 608's legal representation
since the 1980's In a man named John R. Tait.
Summarized and said most respectfully
by past President of the USW Local 608, current Idaho
State AFL-CIO Vice President Rian Van Leuven:
It is my understanding that the
Bar Association is looking for a few letters from the
Organized Labor Arena that have worked with John and
have had a personal and professional friendship with
John over the coarse of his Career.
As a past President of the now United
Steelworkers Local #608 and it's predecessor
Local Union's (United Paperworkers (UPIU), Paper
Allied Industrial Chemical and Energy (PACE) John and
I shared a very respectful memorable relationship. Our
relationship dates back to the mid to late 1980's.
John's office phone number is still
in the cell phone under my favorites and my VIP section
on the cell phone.
John's contributions to working women
and men of the state of Idaho have been long
unrecognized with a lot of fanfare and that is the way
John did things. The results of his accomplishments
were felt the strongest by his clients and as they
should be. That is not to say that some of John's cases
will for years set legal precedence.
His willingness to pick up the phone
and talk to us as if we were a family member when we had
a question or needed help speaks volumes about the man
whom cared so dearly for the plight workers. John
taught classes on the workers compensation to our
Stewards and would never send us an invoice, he just
wanted to give folks the general knowledge of the system
to make sure workers received the benefits they were
entitled to by the law.
When the National AFL-CIO
started the Union Privilege program John was one of the
first to research its meaning and apply as a Business to
join the program. John was a man that held the ideals
of the Organized Labor movement in high regards and knew
that without the Labor Unions the worker would be
employed at the will of the employer. Without a voice
and or any participation in the process. The same
Labor movement which built and made this nation strong
and was a part of the democracy and debate.
I could go on forever. I will always
hold John's dedication to myself and the members I was
fortunate to have represented in the past, as well
as those I am fortunate to continue to represent
today. The Local Union's of the North Central part of
the state will have to go a long way to find as strong
an advocate for their issues. You have many strong
Members in your Association that represent all of the
segments of this great state and they all have their
creditability, I write to you today to tell you that
John has and will continue to be the most creditable
fair dealing litigator I have ever been associated with,
and we all send all of our prayers and best wishes to
you all.
We have always worked, hoped and
prayed for the best, it is with deep sadness that we are
being told to prepare for the worst.
As Always We Remain,
Fraternally yours,
Rian Van Leuven
USW #608 and
Vice President Idaho AFL-CIO
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD:
An Action against Cooper Tire:
On January 14th we conducted an
Informational Action at the local
Cooper Tire Distributor to show our
support for the Steelworkers who
have been locked out because of
contract negotiations.
Our friends
at
American Rights at Work is
supporting locked out USW members by
asking supporters to e-mail Cooper
Tire's CEO and demand the company
end the lock out and bring back our
experienced members. Here's what
they wrote in a recent action alert
to their supporters:
On November 28, 2011, Cooper
Tire and Rubber locked out 1,050
workers in Findlay, Ohio. When
Cooper Tire was losing money in
2008, these employees gave up
$31 million in concessions to
help their employer stay alive.
Cooper has since rebounded,
raking in $300 million in
profits - and handing corporate
executives millions in raises
and bonuses. Workers simply want
a fair deal that recognizes
their sacrifice. Instead they
have been left out in the cold. Fight
back against corporate greed and
help Cooper Tire workers get
back to work.
Click here to join
American Rights at Work action to
support the locked out Cooper Tire
workers by sending a message to
Cooper's CEO.
Unemployment Aid in Jeopardy
Steelworker Gregory Romanyak is back in school, learning new
skills after his company was bought out and shut down this
past year. He and the nearly 90 others impacted by the
closure are piecing their lives back together in this
unwelcoming economy where there are still more than four
workers for every one job opening. “I’ve worked since I was
in high school. Now I find myself unemployed for the first
time at my age of 51,” says Gregory.
His
story is shared by millions of Americans. But, right now,
nearly all Republicans in the House of Representatives are
turning their back on jobless workers by not extending
federal unemployment benefits. Extending federal benefits
has been standard practice in times of high unemployment.
If it doesn’t happen by the end of the year, nearly two
million people will lose benefits, throwing them deeper into
economic distress.
The
Senate came to an agreement to pass a two month extension in
a rare bipartisan vote of 89-10. But, nearly all House
Republicans quickly rebelled and killed this extension
yesterday by voting to send it “to conference.” This
essentially tossed the bill into limbo since the Senate has
already adjourned for the year. The final vote was
229-193.
All
Democrats voted right (against this maneuver and for the
extension of benefits).
All Republicans voted wrong (to derail the extension) except
for the following: Reps. Charlie Bass (NH), Jaime Herrera
Beutler (WA), Chris Gibson (NY), Tim Johnson (IL), Walter
Jones (NC), Jeff Flake (AZ) and Frank Wolf (VA).
If you
are represented by one of the House
Republican
lawmakers who voted to derail the
unemployment
extension, call that lawmaker now. Dial
the Capitol
Switchboard toll-free and ask for your
Representative:
866-311-1889
Tell
your Representative to extend
unemployment aid now!
Reminder! Registration is now open for the 2012 Regional
Rapid Response Conferences!
Visit www.uswrr.org
for details.
GET ACTIVE NOW!
let's help the postal
workers
Below are links to Idaho's Senators and Representatives to
be able to write them... Nothing has more impact than a hand written letter from
a constituent... nearly 10 to 1 over a form letter or even a phone call.
WRITE WALT AND THE OTHER IDAHO CONGRESSMEN TODAY... Bill HR2309 - This bill
needs to be defeated to ensure workers rights in the future. Go to
www.apwu.org for more info!
Idaho Residents are represented in the US
Congress by 2-Senators and 2-Representatives
Pittsburgh, March 8, 2011 -- The United Steelworkers (USW) announced
today that USW Local 772 has reached a tentative agreement with Pinnacle
Airlines.
The parties began negotiations in November for the 800 USW
represented flight attendants working out of Atlanta, Detroit, New York
(JFK), Memphis and Minneapolis.
"This agreement was achieved due to the hard work and dedication of
the Local bargaining committee with the full support of the membership,"
said USW International Vice President
Carol Landry. "The committee made sure the members'
most important issues were addressed. This contract also reflects the
great commitment that our members have towards helping Pinnacle Airlines
continue to provide great service."
The highlights of the negotiated agreement addressed the membership's
primary concerns which, upon ratification, will include significant wage
increases and the quality of work life that is so challenging for flight
attendants.
This agreement demonstrates that employees are valued and have a seat
at the table," said Ken Ratliff, USW Local Union President. "The
contract emphasizes a commitment to work life balance, diversity, and
workplace flexibility, while taking into consideration the airline's
important work. Throughout the whole process, flight attendants and
managers listened to each other and our relationship is improved as a
result."
Plans are currently being made to visit each of the bases for
membership meetings to review the tentative agreement with the
membership prior to a vote.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America and has
850,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. It represents
workers employed in metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining,
airlines, atomic energy and the service sector.
March 08, 2011
USW Reaches
Tentative Agreement
with Pinnacle
Airlines Flight
Attendants
By Doug May
dmay@usw.org,
412-562-2281
Pittsburgh, March 8, 2011 -- The United
Steelworkers (USW) announced today that USW
Local 772 has reached a tentative agreement with
Pinnacle Airlines.
The parties began negotiations in November
for the 800 USW represented flight attendants
working out of Atlanta, Detroit, New York (JFK),
Memphis and Minneapolis.
"This agreement was achieved due to the hard
work and dedication of the Local bargaining
committee with the full support of the
membership," said USW International Vice
President
Carol Landry. "The
committee made sure the members' most important
issues were addressed. This contract also
reflects the great commitment that our members
have towards helping Pinnacle Airlines continue
to provide great service."
The highlights of the negotiated agreement
addressed the membership's primary concerns
which, upon ratification, will include
significant wage increases and the quality of
work life that is so challenging for flight
attendants.
This agreement demonstrates that employees
are valued and have a seat at the table," said
Ken Ratliff, USW Local Union President. "The
contract emphasizes a commitment to work life
balance, diversity, and workplace flexibility,
while taking into consideration the airline's
important work. Throughout the whole process,
flight attendants and managers listened to each
other and our relationship is improved as a
result."
Plans are currently being made to visit each
of the bases for membership meetings to review
the tentative agreement with the membership
prior to a vote.
The USW is the largest industrial union in
North America and has 850,000 members in the
U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. It represents
workers employed in metals, rubber, chemicals,
paper, oil refining, airlines, atomic energy and
the service sector.
The NFL owners and the NFL Players Association are currently
negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. You may have
heard about a potential lockout and the impact it would have on
workers and communities across the U.S.
If it happens, players won’t be able to play, fans won’t have a
football season and local economies will take a big hit.
Why are the NFL owners preparing to lock out its own players and
devastate its fans?
One word: Greed.
In ditching a labor agreement that has been making them millions in
profits, the owners actually want players to accept unjustified
concessions in wages and benefits, including taking away health care
benefits from players and their families.
It's only fair that NFL owners pick up the tab for health care when
players risk long-term disabilities and death for their teams. An
average football player's career lasts only three and a half seasons
– but the injuries they face on the job aren't short-lived. It’s a
violent sport and the intense physical trauma impacts a player for
the rest of his life.
Independent studies show that a lockout in the NFL would cost cities
an average of $150 million in lost revenues. It is estimated that a
lockout would impact 150,000 jobs -- and cause more than $140
million in lost revenue in each and every NFL city -- $4.5 billion
across America.
Given the stakes, how can the NFL owners be so arrogant? Probably
because they’ve already set aside $900 million to cover their costs
of the lockout, and they’ve signed TV contracts that’ll pay out
billions even if no football is played in 2011.
The USW always stands for fairness for all workers, no matter what
job they perform. NFL players are among the finest athletes in the
world. They are well paid and are not asking for an increase in
wages or benefits. They generate billions of dollars in profits
for the billionaire team owners. It’s only fair that the players
keep what they have and not have to accept concessions. That’s why
we encourage you to help prevent a lockout by visiting:
and signing your name to the online petition to "Block
the Lockout."
Thank you.
Help your Union Brothers and Sisters:
UPS is a company many of you will know. And in many countries, it recognizes
unions and bargains with them.
But not in Turkey, where management is fiercely resisting a union organizing
drive. Things have gotten so bad that in one city, a local manager
pulled out a gun and started shooting.
The union in Turkey and its global union federation, the ITF, have issued a
call for an online protest campaign. It will take you less than 60 seconds to
send off your message - please do so today.
Meanwhile in Mexico, unions have won what might turn out to be a victory.
Activists from the electrical workers union ended their hunger strike when the
government finally agreed to negotiate with them.
But they're not stopping there -- they've decided to show solidarity with the
three-year old strike by miners in Cananea. These are huge
struggles -- 44,000 electrical workers, 1,200 miners on strike.
Is your union using Facebook to organize and campaign? It's a great tool --
or is it? In this week's podcast on Labour and Technology, I talk about
five alternatives to Facebook that you should consider. You can
listen to
the podcast here or
subscribe through iTunes.
