VOLUME 1, NO. 4 • DECEMBER 2014

VOLUME 1, NO. 4 • DECEMBER 2014
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Joint Message from the
PRESIDENT
and the
GENERAL MANAGER
By David Rolley and Peter Nguyen
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Editor-In-Chief: Philip Hu
“We Are One” Staff: Jeff Apkarian,
Eileen Bissen, and Mike Davis
Table of Contents
Joint Message from President and GM 2
Member Appreciation 3
Local 1 Reflections & Goals 4
Help Overturn CoCo Sups’ 33% Raise 5
Steward Training 6
Organized Union Power 7 & 10
“This Board of Sups Has Got To Go!” 8-9
Political Action 11
Community Involvement 12
Pension Reformers Are Coming 13 & 16
Labor: A Short History, Part II 14-15
Cover Art by activist/artist
Ricardo Levins Morales
www.rlmartstudio.com
2
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
e wanted to keep the focus of
this issue—the final one of the
year—on all of the activity and
accomplishments Local 1 had in 2014. So
we’re combining our columns, and making
room for Local 1-wide features.
The most appropriate topic for a shared
message is our shared vision. From the very
beginning, in fact, from the very first phone
call that we shared after Peter was hired
as the new General Manager, we talked
about our mutual vision that no other union
should be providing better representation,
organizing, and political advocacy than
Local 1.
With mutual support, we’ve made tremendous progress for Local 1 in 2014. We
started by bluntly and honestly assessing
where we were as an organization and then
making the tough changes necessary to get
us to where we wanted to be.
The first order of business was to hire
top-notch people, the best we could get, and
then give them the resources and training
to achieve their full potential.
The credentials of all of our new hires are
impressive to say the least. Many of them
are lawyers or have significant legal training. Others have a proven track record of
successfully organizing and empowering
workers. Yet others have personal political
experience. As a result, our ability to file
air-tight Unfair Labor Practice charges,
pursue legitimate grievances, organize for
better results at the bargaining table, and
increase political clout have been dramatically enhanced.
We sent four Business Agents to a twoday Arbitration Seminar in San Francisco
and nearly a third of the field staff to Chicago to participate in a national multi-union
conference where cutting edge strategies
and ideas were shared. Local 1 has also
upgraded our technology to make our Business Agents and other staff more effective
and responsive, all to better serve our members.
Early on, an Organizing Team was
formed to fight off predatory unions and
to seek out new opportunities. This provided both the union and individual staff
members the opportunity to grow. Also, a
Strategic Operations Team has modernized
our communications and political capacity,
and you can check our new website (www.
peu1.org) for the endorsements we made
and the results of the recent election.
You can also join us on Facebook (facebook.com/WeAreLocal1) to see the string
of election related activities we undertook
this year. In fact, please do “friend” us on
Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@peulocal1). These days, often times, social media
becomes the swiftest way to get the word out
about actions and events that require instantaneous response and member participation.
We have had great success in securing
better contracts for our members; we have
begun winning a higher percentage of our
arbitrations; and we are far more effective
at dealing with the employers on day-today issues.
As a result of all this, Local 1 has begun
to look and feel like a modern labor organization on the go. We invite you to join in
the efforts of our newly invigorated Union.
All best to you and yours this holiday
season!
LOCAL 1
APPRECIATES
AND THANKS
OUR MEMBERS!
WE WISH YOU A
GREAT HOLIDAY
SEASON!
DECEMBER 2014
3
LOCAL 1 EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REFLECT
ON 2014, SET GOALS FOR 2015
JOHN BONILLA, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, BUTTE OFFICE:
In 2014, we have seen an increase in
participation by our membership which
includes health and safety committees
in Behavioral Health and labor management committees in the Department of
Employment and Social Services. We also
have many more stewards than we did at
the beginning of the year.
However, the biggest victory in 2014
was having one of our own BCEA, Local
1members, Diane Brown, forcing a runoff for the Butte County Assessor’s seat in
June. Fast forward to 11/4, it was evident
even before all precincts reported that
Diane had beaten one of the longest sitting members of the Butte County Board
of Supervisors, Bill Connelly, to become
the new County Assessor.
Looking towards 2015, I see the greatness of the fight BCEA, Local 1 members
have in them. It will be a tremendous tool
to stand up to the county and telling their
employer this tight-knit community of
workers has had enough. They will bring
home a fair contract via a strong contract
campaign that will catch fire, thus increasing member involvement and solidifying
BCEA, Local 1’s position as a premier labor
organization.
CEDRIC PORTER, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, BAY AREA OFFICES
(MARTINEZ AND RICHMOND):
The most telling achievement in the
Martinez/Richmond offices in 2014 is
the evident, measurable improvement
in our offices’ ability to advocate for our
members.
The new crop of recently hired, highly
talented Local 1 Business Agents have
raised our level of competency and member participation, and produced tangible
results which have kept our members
working while raising their consciousness.
In Merced, we are seeing great activity from both units. The Merced County
4
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
Trial Court Employees have reached a contract agreement through interest based
bargaining. This unit has an engaged leadership which communicates well with
membership. The Merced County Public
Employees Unit has finished the first step
in the MMBA Impasse Process by submitting a mediated settlement to the County
Supervisors. The Unit is now contemplating fact-finding. This group is quickly
learning the power of active membership
versus their past passive participation.
The goal for 2015 is to tap into the newly
found member awareness in all of these
units to drive bargaining unit contract
campaigns to assist Local 1 in delivering
much better contracts for our members.
an 85%-15% split for non-Kaiser and 92%8% split for Kaiser members.
We also successfully arbitrated members’ jobs back from proposed terminations
and won grievances that enforced our
members’ rights under the contract.
As we commence into 2015, we will
begin preparations for contract negotiations in the Court and in the County. We
will continue to strive in building the union
to better serve our membership. We will
further our commitment in being a union
that not only cares about our members in
the workplace but in their neighborhoods.
By strengthening our involvement in community actions we will be calling upon our
activist to commitment to volunteering.
JERE COPELAND, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, EL DORADO OFFICE:
GARY STUCKY, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, SUTTER/YUBA OFFICE:
While El Dorado County is in some turmoil
as of late with the forced resignation of the
Chief Administrative Officer and the revelation that there might be difficulty with
next year’s county budget, EDCEA, Local 1
has seen an increased participation at the
County by our members, both in board and
site rep representation.
As well, new contracts in South Lake
Tahoe and El Dorado Hills have been settled, with raises in both contracts.
What I would hope for next year
(and think we can achieve) is continued
strengthening of all our associations
through increased member involvement.
For the Yuba County contract, YCEA, Local
1 successfully resisted efforts to freeze salaries while preserving the longevity step
advancements of our members, which
amount to 1.2% per year. We also stopped
efforts to shift a large portion of pension
costs to our members.
For the Sutter County contract, SCEA,
Local 1 was able to secure a contract that
required the employer to pay the increased
cost of health insurance.
For the Yuba City contract, we have been
at the bargaining table since March and are
currently in mediation. The good news is,
we anticipate going to fact-finding. Why is
that a good development? Because the two
newly-elected City Council Members will
be on the council at that time.
Meanwhile, we have stopped a poorly
written Fraud Policy and a GPS Tracking
Policy (AKA Employee Tracking Policy),
both of which would have been used
against our members.
For 2015, our goal is to secure a contract
in Sutter County with salary increases, a
contract in Yuba City that ends furloughs
as well as increases salary, and improve
solidarity between our members in the
Sutter/Yuba area.
TED SOMERA, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, SACRAMENTO OFFICE:
UPE, Local 1 went through some tough
negotiations in 2014 with Sacramento
County and Courts. At the end of the rainbow, we were able to maintain our status
quo on benefits and restore our cost-of-living back into the contracts for our county
membership. In the Courts, we were able
to negotiate one-time monies for our members and maintain their health benefits at
REFERENDUM:
HELP OVERTURN CONTRA COSTA
COUNTY SUPERVISORS’ 33% RAISE
Local 1 will not stand for self-serving greed.
Help us overturn their raise. We have until
January 2nd…JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Help us overturn their raise. We have until January 2nd
to gather 30,000 signatures! Here’s what you can do:
1. Sign the petition
2. Help gather signatures. Come to one of our
numerous trainings and then get on it!
3. Donate to this good cause! Please send all donations,
along with your name and address, directly to:
Local One Issues Committee • ID #970884
PO Box 6783 • Concord, CA 94524-1783
www.peu1.org/referendum
Please check on a regular basis for signature gathering
locations and training session information.
REFERENDUM TO REVERSE UNREASONABLE AND AUTOMATIC PAY INCREASES
FOR THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Say NO to Greed
33% Self-Awarded Raise
It’s Not Just One Raise
Future Raises Automatic and Out of Public View
No Transparency or Accountability
On Top of 60% Raise in 2007
Higher Salary Than San Francisco Supervisors
Higher Salary Than State Legislators
Say Yes to
Accountability
Car Allowance and Higher Pension
Denied Employees The Same Counties As Comparables
Voters Deserve to Vote On This Raise
DECEMBER 2014
5
ORGANIZED UNION MEMBERS
HAVE THE POWER TO FIGHT ABUSES
By Chung Park, Business Agent, Richmond Office
In 2014, Local 1 held 9
independent, full-day steward
training sessions, along with
several smaller, ongoing trainings
that occur on a monthly basis,
for our members. Approximately
150 members stepped up,
signed up, and got trained. The
majority of those who attended
the trainings are now serving as
stewards in their units.
6
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
I
t was a little before 6am and the
sun hadn’t quite come up yet. I’d
been sitting in my car for almost
an hour when I see a figure coming
out of the house in front of which
I had been parked. He had his dog
on a leash. I approached him, called out his
full name. It startled him just enough to
slow his reflexes. “Um, yes,” he said, softly
and inquisitively.
I threw the envelope containing the subpoena down at his feet and showed him
my copy. “You’ve been served,” I declared.
I could hear him calling me names and
making threats as I drove off.
The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, where I worked at the time, had been
investigating this garment contractor for
years. Audits revealed he employed about
a hundred workers, paid them less than
minimum wage and no overtime.
Part of the difficulty in serving him was
that he had multiple homes in San Francisco; two in the Sunset District (upper
middle class area), and the one I served
him at just on the outskirts of the ritzy
St. Frances Woods area. Records indicated
the house was worth about $800,000. This
was in 2004.
That same year, I also worked a case
where an immigrant restaurant worker had
to work 70 to 80 hours a week at a fancy
restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach
area. Because he was allowed to sleep on
a cot in the supply closet, the owner only
“promised” him $600 a month. He hadn’t
been paid in ten months.
Just seven years earlier in 1997, one of
my Senior Deputy Labor Commissioners
investigated a case where over 70 Thai
immigrants were held captive in an apartment complex and forced to sew garments
for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. They
weren’t allowed to leave the complex.
The final case I worked for the Labor
Commission in 2006, we conducted an
early morning raid on a farm labor camp in
Napa. We found over fifty vineyard workers living in a rundown, two-room house
without running water.
I often ask myself how these working conditions still exist today. What
motivates those in power to abuse those
without?
Why does Walmart pay their workers
such low wages? What makes the fast food
industry resist paying their workers a living wage? What motivates Kaiser—the
largest HMO in the country—to deny
health benefits to some of their own
workers?
What motivated the Contra Costa Board
of Supervisors to give themselves a 33%
raise while denying their employees anything higher than a 4% increase?
Is it greed? Is it a total lack of empathy?
Is it self-importance and entitlement? Is it
a lack of concern for fairness? Probably all
of the above. But who knows?
What is for certain though, is all workers suffering horrible conditions share a
common denominator: they were scared
or uninformed, and felt that they had no
choice but to accept whatever conditions
the employer imposed upon them.
They were unorganized.
Workers who organized themselves to
form unions blazed the trail in the first
half of the 20th century to fight for and
win a majority of the protections we take
for granted today: the 8 hour workday;
child labor laws; vacation pay; sick pay;
pensions; even workplace safety standards.
In the 1930’s, Harry Bridges and the
International Longshore and Warehouse
Union (ILWU) allowed people of all
backgrounds regardless of race, color, or
religion into the union. They realized that
a worker was a worker and the only way to
empower themselves was to stick together.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” they
advocated.
From the post WWII era through the
1960’s, union membership peaked in
number and power. It was an era where
the working class could truly attain the
American dream: home ownership, good
education for their children, and security
that the next generation would have a better life.
Then things changed during the
post-Vietnam War era; union membership
began to dwindle while salaries for those
at the top began to rise. By the late seven-
ties, the average CEO of a company made
25 times the salary of the average worker
and that trend has continued to the present. Today, the average CEO of a company
makes 400 times the average worker.
So, what happened? Some blame Reaganonmics. Others blame our social
welfare systems. Still others claim union
busting.
There is a very historically clear correlation here: the more union members there
are, and the better organized they are, the
better the working conditions and wages.
Today, it seems that the dream of owning a home (or keeping our homes) seems
unattainable for a vast majority of workers.
We survive paycheck to paycheck with a
few glimmers of temporary hope.
Meanwhile, we see how the rich keeps
getting richer and expect us to make more
sacrifices. There are elected officials owned
by the affluent 1% who are seriously talking
about getting rid of the minimum wage.
How did we get here?
The freedom of workers to organize a
union is a human right recognized internationally, yet in the United States:
92% of private sector employers
force their employees to attend
closed door meetings filled with
anti-union propaganda
80% require supervisors to attend
anti-union training sessions
75% use paid consultants to undermine organizing efforts
50% threaten to shut down operations if employees organize
25% illegally fire workers who want
to organize
As a result of these union busting atrocities, today there are less than 15 million
union workers in the U.S. This downward spiral will continue unless the labor
movement (that is every single union
continued on pg. 10
DECEMBER 2014
7
LOCAL 1 DESCENDS UPON CONTRA COSTA
COUNTY SUPERVISORS AT 651 PINE ST.
T
he walls of the Board of
Supervisors’ chambers
were shaking on Election
Day, November 4th, coincidentally, a day where two
County Supervisors (John
Gioia and Karen Mitchoff)
were “reelected” without
any challengers.
Public Employees Union, Local 1 led
the effort to shame the supervisors for
“electing” to bestow themselves a 33%
pay increase in one fell swoop. We were
joined by other labor unions which represented workers in the county. Concerned
citizens also joined us by descending on
651 Pine Street.
We rallied with strength and conviction—and raucous noise—in the early
morning, outside the County Adminis-
8
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
tration Building. Unwavering chants of
“Shame On You,” “Vote Them Out,” “Board
of Sups, You Can’t Hide, We Can See Your
Greedy Side,” and “Who’s Got the Power?
We Got the Power! What Kind of Power?
UNION POWER!” trumpeted through the
morning air, helping to wake up (in every
sense) county residents passing by.
The Board was set to finalize its October
28, 2014 vote to “show leadership” and give
themselves a $32,000 a year raise.
News media (print, radio, and television) showed up and covered our protest
rally. General Manager Peter Nguyen,
serving as spokesperson, was interviewed by numerous media outlets. His
one abiding message: county employees are
disappointed and upset by the supervisors’
clearly, self-enriching action.
The protest group took over the side-
walk and entrance area to the building.
And then, when the time was right, we
marched on the Board chamber, chanting
“Hey, hey, ho, ho, this Board of Sups
has got to go” repeatedly with Nguyen
and Director of Organizing, David Partida,
leading the chants via two megaphones.
The crowd of nearly 50, carrying
picket signs, entered the chamber and
proceeded to the front, bringing the
meeting to a standstill.
The chamber reverberated, echoing the
disgust of public employees and residents
of Contra Costa County. And it went on for
over 20 minutes.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
Chair Karen Mitchoff attempted to
silence the group by banging a stapler
against the desk. We chanted louder.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
Mary Piepho found the actual gavel and,
perhaps having watched too much Judge
Judy, believed that a piece of wood wielded
by greedy hands would be enough to quell
the outrage felt by employees who had very
recently been told that they were underpaid by up to 38%.
Our response? We chanted even louder.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
This Board of Supervisors, knowing
their employees were underpaid anywhere
from 16% to 38%, still directed their bargaining team to offer only a 1.9% increase
to certain groups of county workers.
Their reasoning was county employees
can only be given a 1.9% increase because
there simply was no money. But there was
certainly enough money to give themselves
a 33% increase.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
Clearly, some of these Supervisors have
been on this board for far too long, and feel
like they are entitled to that elected office,
and that they can do no wrong. Or worse
yet, they’ve gotten so comfortable that
they believe they can do whatever they
want and voters will just return them to
those seats.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
When the banging of the stapler and
the gavel failed, the Supervisors turned
to the Deputy Sheriffs. Almost a dozen
of them arrived in short order and began
to stand between our protest group and
the supervisors.
These deputy sheriffs showed a commendable amount of professionalism and
respect for the Constitution and for their
fellow public employees. They had a job to
do, which was to escort the protesters from
the chambers, and they did it.
However, they did their jobs honestly,
with integrity, and with commitment to
serve the public, unlike the four shameful supervisors who voted themselves a
gigantic raise.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
The salary item on the agenda was moved
to the afternoon—a tactic employed by
the Supervisors twice in as many weeks
to dilute the number of news cameras and
bodies present at the meeting.
We came back and we made sure the
Supervisors heard loud and clear the
voices of county workers, retirees, citizens of Contra Costa County and all of
those that value democracy and integrity
in public service.
It’s unfortunate that only one of
them truly heard the message. Supervisor Candace Andersen, who had voted
no on this matter previously, publicly
stated she would waive the majority of
her raise, only accepting the same 4%
increase county workers received in the
last round of bargaining.
While John Gioia, Federal Glover, Karen
Mitchoff, and Mary Piepho still pushed
forward with giving themselves a big raise,
Public Employees Union, Local 1 stood up
on the front lines and told them we would
not tolerate such acts of selfishness.
Local 1 will continue to make it known
to these supervisors that when you mess
with our members’ livelihoods, we will
mess with yours. And that’s a promise.
“Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, This Board of
Sups Has Got to Go!”
DECEMBER 2014
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continued from pg. 7
member—which is us) stands up and
works to reverse this trend.
Unfortunately, most union members
today have grown accustomed to believing
nothing can be done. Most destructive of
all, some members “third party the union.”
They believe that the “union” is just an
entity to whom they pay dues.
They believe that just paying dues fulfills their commitment as a union member.
But then, they turn around and blame the
“union” for anything and everything that
they are unhappy with at work.
Those who think this way often believe,
if they are unhappy at work, the solution
is to switch to another union—once again
treating their union as a third party,
thereby undermining their own power.
This mentality only creates apathy. The
lack of ownership from union members
who do not participate and the willingness
to identify problems and place blame but
10
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
not enjoin in solutions is in large part what
has diminished union power. Unions get
their power from only one source: their
members.
It’s their members’ activism, dedication,
and drive that constitute the union’s power
and effectiveness.
We have forgotten that about a hundred
years ago, before there was social security,
before there was unemployment insurance,
and before there were state and federal
regulations that gave us the right to organize, workers rose up of their own will, and
stood together, and risked everything to
fight for their right to make a decent living.
They risked their lives; they actually bled
and sweat—and some literally died—to
demand a better life for themselves, their
families, and their children. Their sacrifices paved the way for the protections we
enjoy today.
Yet, as those hard-won privileges are
being eroded away, most of us have not
been willing to sacrifice a day’s pay, or a
few hours at night, or give up a weekend,
for the cause. For our own power base.
We must recognize that each and every
member makes up the union. We must stop
bickering about individual differences and
embrace the ideas of solidarity. We are all
in this together.
We are one.
What must we do as members? Begin
by attending unit meetings. Attend Shop
Steward Trainings to understand union
rights. Help advocate for fellow workers.
Learn and embrace what the union is doing
overall.
Most importantly, we must recognize
that the “rights” won by past union activists are not guaranteed. In fact, they are
being deteriorated with each election
bought by Big Business.
We are union members; this is the legacy
we inherited.
We have a responsibility to improve our
lives and the lives of the next generation
of workers.
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION
LOCAL 1
POLITICAL
ACTION
Local 1 showed new vigor this year and
exercised more political involvement,
leading to overall positive results for
our endorsed candidates, which will
ultimately lead to better working
relationships and improved contracts.
DECEMBER 2014
11
VENTURA COUNTY PENSION FIGHT
WILL BE GOING STATEWIDE SOON
Local 1 Involved in Our Communities
UPE Local 1 BA Jim Sellars
at Loaves and Fishes
Local 1 staff donating
to Buy A Bag
Executive Director
Ted Somera at
Loaves and Fishes
O
n Tuesday, November
18, the Local 1 “ big
board” was treated to an
in-depth, informative
presentation by Chuck
Hughes, Chief Deputy District
Attorney from Ventura County.
Hughes shared with our board
the firsthand experience public
employees of Ventura County had
with being targeted by the pension
reform movement.
Ventura County is a defined
benefit, “37 Act” county, much
like many counties where Local 1
members work. In his presentation,
Hughes mentioned that Ventura
has a pension responsibility of
$4.1 billion (as of June 2014), and is currently 80% funded. Historically, it has been
95.6% funded. “We are a very responsible,
very frugal county, and our pensions were
or two extreme statistical outliers and
then presented it as system-wide abuse.
In Ventura, they highlighted as the poster
child, a recently retired sheriff. This sheriff was making approximately
$230,000 a year while working.
He retired to a $280,000 a year
pension. Pension reformers seized
upon the fact he was collecting
more in pension payments than
in salary.
To make things worse, this
sheriff then sued the county for
an additional $75,000 in a supplemental pension plan to which he
believed he was entitled.
The pension reform propaganda
machine then went into full effect.
One of the County Supervisors
Chuck Hughes presenting
became the face and spokesperto Local 1 Board
son of the campaign. The reformers
put out mail pieces with visuals of
soundly funded,” Hughes said.
money raining from the skies and
And yet, their county was still targeted someone stuffing money into their suit
by the pension reformers.
jacket pocket. Next to these images, they
Pension reformers in Ventura used the
continued on pg 16
standard playbook: they zeroed in on one
How to Get Started with your
Buy A Bag
Fundraiser
Phil Hu & Peter Nguyen touring Los
Medanos College campus upgrades made
possible with construction bond
You can help the Food Bank of Contra
Costa and Solano turn a $1 donation into
multiple dollars worth of nutritious food by
participating in a Buy A Bag fundraiser.
• Please make checks to: Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
• Please mark Buy A Bag or BAB on the memo section of each check.
• Mail or deliver donations to: Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano,
Buy A Bag, PO Box 6324, Concord, CA 94524
BUY A BAG
I donated because every
$1 can provide multiple dollars
worth of nutritious food!
Name:
1. Contact the Food Bank and get your
colorful, Buy A Bag paper cutouts in one
of two designs. Find the registration
form here.
2. Choose a price for each Buy A Bag $1, $5 or $10
3. Ask co-workers, customers, friends
and family to Buy A Bag
4. Have them write their name or a
message on the Buy A Bag
5. Post for everyone to see in your office,
business, school or religious organization.
BA Madeline Jen Kin
demonstrating to
keep DMC open
12
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
Kennedy-King Scholarship
Awards Banquet
6. Bonus step: Send us photos of your
Buy A Bag display and share in Food Bank
communications and social media!
• All donations must be recorded on a Buy A Bag spreadsheet. An
electronic spreadsheet will be emailed upon request. Please fill in
all contact information requested on your spreadsheet. Use a new
spreadsheet each time you turn donations in to the Food Bank.
• Cash donations must be converted to a check or money order
before mailing.
• To receive an acknowledgment for tax-deductible donations,
contributions must be $10 or more; these will receive a thank-you
postcard. Donations of $100 or more will receive a thank-you letter.
FOOD BANK FACTS:
EACH $1 DONATED ENABLES THE
FOOD BANK TO DISTRIBUTE THE
EQUIVALENT TO TWO MEALS
1 IN 4 PEOPLE RECEIVING
EMERGENCY FOOD ARE CHILDREN
To obtain Buy A Bags, or, if you have
any questions, please call Kathy
Gleason at 925-676-7543 ext 218, or
email at [email protected].
• If a contribution of $10 or more is made in cash, include a
complete name and mailing address plus amount donated on the
submittal form—if check is submitted, that address will be used
for a thank you postcard or letter.
• To receive a thank-you postcard or letter for 2014 tax purposes,
donations must be received by the Food Bank by December 31, 2014.
www.foodbankccs.org
www.foodbankccs.org
PO Box 6324, Concord, CA 94524
Toll Free: 855-309-FOOD (3663)
DECEMBER 2014
13
when only 11.3 percent of workers were
unionized.
The steady decline in union membership
can be explained by the current anti-union
ideology in this country.
THE LABOR MOVEMENT:
A SHORT HISTORY PART II
By Eileen Bissen, Business Agent, Martinez Office
(EDITOR’S NOTE: SO WHAT’S
NEXT FOR LABOR?)
WORLD WAR II
The Second World War was a boon time
for labor unions. Wartime labor shortages
and increased wartime production needs
put labor in high demand. Labor unions
seized the opportunity to consolidate their
power. Union membership exponentially
increased during and immediately after
World War II. By the end of the war, it is
estimated more than 12 million workers belonged to a union. The good times
would not last though. With the increase
in union membership came a concerted
effort, through anti-union legislation, to
curtail the power unions had gained.
Filipino workforce had started against grape
growers in Delano, California. Under the
leadership of Chavez, Huerta, Vera Cruz and
Itliong, a multiethnic alliance of Latinos
and Filipinos worked in concert to protest
years of poor pay and working conditions.
The strike and grape boycott garnered
international attention, becoming known
as “La Huelga” (The Struggle). At the
height of the boycott, more than 14 million Americans participated by refusing
to buy grapes.
The struggle was not over, however. In
1970, in an effort to keep the UFW out
of California lettuce and vegetable fields,
growers sought a sweetheart deal that
would benefit growers at the expense of
workers. The Teamsters, in a self-serving
move, betrayed their UFW union brothers and signed a backdoor deal with the
growers. As a way to enforce their new deal
against the UFW, Teamsters often resorted
to violence, which is exactly the opposite
practice of leaders like Martin Luther King,
Jr and Mahatma Gandhi.
THE TAFT-HARTLEY ACT
(1947)
Republican majorities in both houses of
Congress—the first since 1930—wanted
to cure what they saw as union abuses
permitted by the National Labor Relations
Act (NLRA), also known as the Wagner
Act. The Taft-Hartley Act, designed to
amend much of the NLRA, was enacted
over President Harry S. Truman’s veto in
1947. The Taft-Hartley Act, a product of
an anti-union climate in the United States
following World War II, declared all closed
shops illegal, forbade secondary boycotts,
and disallowed unions from contributing
to political campaigns. Fanning fears of
Communism and scapegoating Labor at the
same time, one provision of Taft-Hartley
specifically required union leaders to take
an oath that they were not Communists.
Expectedly, Taft-Hartley eroded a number
of union gains.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 10988
LEADS TO SURGE IN
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
RIGHTS
Between 1946 and 1962, the number of
state and local employees nearly doubled.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed
Executive Order 10988, granting federal
workers the power to unionize. That
14
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNION, LOCAL 1
Executive Order set off a flood of collective
bargaining laws passed by state governments in the 1960s and 1970s, which
bettered the lives and working conditions
of many public employees. Between 1959
and 1984, approximately 35 states granted
collective bargaining rights to at least some
public sector workers. Even today, collective bargaining remains a vital cornerstone
of union workers’ rights.
CESAR CHAVEZ, THE DELANO
MANONGS, RFK & MLK:
WORKERS’ RIGHTS EQUAL
CIVIL RIGHTS
In the early sixties, Cesar Chavez emerged
and changed the face of the labor movement. Along with other civil rights and
labor leaders, he dovetailed methods from
the civil rights movement to garner public attention and support for the plight of
workers.
Chavez grew up as a migrant worker in
the fields of California, enduring deplorable conditions he would spend the rest
of his life trying to rectify for others.
He eventually rose to prominence for
his involvement with the United Farm
Workers (UFW), which he cofounded with
Dolores Huerta. Chavez, the born leader
and captivating speaker, and Huerta, the
skilled organizer and tough negotiator,
made a dynamic team, but they were not
the only labor leaders behind the UFW.
To form the UFW, Chavez and Huerta
joined with Philip Vera Cruz’s Agriculture
Worker Organizing Committee (AWOC).
Vera Cruz, a Filipino-American labor leader,
farm worker, and activist for the Asian
American Civil Rights Movement, served
as a long-time vice president of the UFW.
Cruz and Larry Itliong, also FilipinoAmerican, and a self-taught labor leader
and founder of the Filipino Farm Labor
Union (FFLU), convinced Chavez and
Huerta to join a strike the predominantly
PRESIDENT REAGAN
UNILATERALLY FIRES AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
Strikes by workers as a leverage tool, so
prevalent between World War II and 1981,
would soon come to a halt. In 1981, an
infamous labor dispute between air traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) ended with the
President of the United States delivering
an ultimatum to workers and breaking
their union.
The Professional Air Traffic Controllers
Organization (PATCO), the union representing the air traffic controllers, sought
an across-the-board annual wage increase
and a reduction in work hours. In response
to the $770 million package sought by the
union, the FAA made a $40 million counteroffer. On August 3, 1981, air traffic
controllers walked off the job after talks
with the FAA collapsed.
President Reagan unilaterally branded
the strike illegal and two days later, fired
more than 11,000 air traffic controllers
who ignored his order to return to work.
This act set off long-lasting implications
to labor. Private employers saw it as the
beginning of the end for collective bargaining and strikes, and routinely replaced
strikers with “scab” workers—often times
less trained or untrained—rather than
negotiate fairer deals.
Today, Reagan’s firing of the air traffic controllers is heralded by anti-union
politicians, like Governor Scott Walker of
Wisconsin, as the roadmap to eradicating
public sector unions.
What Reagan did was essentially remove
the one, final equalizer—a strike—which
objectively, was what kept all employers
from simply ignoring collective bargaining
and imposing whatever terms they desire.
ANTI-LABOR FORCES TRYING
TO ELIMINATE UNIONS
ALTOGETHER
If we were to write the headline for the current status of the labor movement, what
would it say? Sadly, it would likely reflect
the steady decline in the union membership, despite the troubling rise in low-paid
jobs, unemployment and underemployment, declining wages and crippling health
care costs.
While the unionization rate hit its peak
at 35 percent after World War II, in 2010,
union membership in this country fell
to 11.9 percent, the lowest rate in more
than 70 years. Things worsened in 2012,
Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes
nothing without a demand. It never did
and it never will.”
So it’s the workers. It’s always been the
workers.
Organized and unionized workers must
take the lead and not wait for “friendly”
elected officials to “do the right thing.” If
the history of the labor movement in the
US has taught us anything, it is that workers are taken advantage of and working
conditions deteriorate in the absence of
strong unions.
On the other hand, wages increase and
working conditions improve when workers have strong unions advocating on their
behalf. Strong unions have one thing in
common: strong and active members
willing to act, willing to participate, and
willing to take action.
Today, despite the plight faced by workers, union membership is at a historic low.
Where do we go from here? The answer is
that labor unions must rebuild and thrive,
or perish. Union members must step up,
commit, and invest. Unions are under
severe, concerted attack by wealthy corporate forces, extreme, ideological forces,
and a weak-kneed, feeble media that has
forgotten its role as the fourth estate.
Labor must either band together and
stand up to these forces now, or wait…
Wait for what?
Wait till these forces absolutely crush
Labor, snap the backs of workers, break
the spirit of the working class, and then
take us back to the days of robber barons,
poverty wages, and indentured servitude.
And perhaps, after 30 to 50 years of
those “Darwinian Capitalism” conditions
again, will the heart, passion, and courage
of the working class be stoked enough to
rise again.
The choice is ours.
“Labor cannot stand still. It must not
retreat. It must go on, or go under.”
–Harry Bridges, Labor Leader,
International Longshore and
Warehouse Union
DECEMBER 2014
15
Non Profit ORG
US Postage
PEU LOCAL ONE
PO BOX 6783
CONCORD, CA 94524-1783
continued from pg 13
printed in big letters: “Alarming Pension
Facts,” and “End Pension Spiking.”
Their specific goal was to create a
countywide ballot initiative. Their desire
was to completely get rid of defined benefit retirement plans in the county and
start using defined contribution plans.
With the runaway sheriff as example, the
hit piece mailers, and the general fear and
anger stirred up by the gross misrepresentation that all county employees were
getting this paradise pension, residents
and voters in Ventura began lining up
behind the reform movement.
Counter messaging went into effect
by a coalition of law enforcement unions
and other labor organizations. They put
out actual numbers of the majority of
pensions being paid out to county retirees: after 19 years of service, the average
pension was $42,000 a year; after 26
years, it was $62,000 a year. For the newer
employees who were placed on to the second tier (worse) pension plans, after 15
years, they would only collect $23,000 a
year. By and large, 95% of county retirees
make nowhere near $100,000 a year in
retirement, let alone $280,000.
But those facts did not deter the pension reformers, nor were the antagonized
voters particularly inclined to consider
anything—no matter how factual or
reasonable—outside of the poster child
example. Hughes noted, “when they started
gathering signatures to eliminate defined
benefit retirements for new employees, the
PAID
MSI
A packed board meeting
gatherers had no trouble at all.”
The pension reformers got nearly twice
the number of signatures needed to place
their initiative on the
November 2014 ballot.
Ultimately, the initiaLocal 1 President David Rolley, Chuck Hughes, and GM
Peter Nguyen share a quick moment after the presentation
tive was removed from
the November ballot by
court order because legally, a county can- ballot, he gave the pension reformers an
not withdraw from a state pension system. opportunity, and a time window, to appeal
“If not for the courage of one Ventura the ruling. The group did not challenge the
County Superior Court Judge to affirm the ruling. The coalition formed to fight back
law, this initiative would have been on the against the reformers believes it’s because
ballot and it likely would have passed,” they are now regrouping and recalibrating
said Hughes.
their plan.
For Local 1 members, this is a very
Initially, the reformers would have
significant matter because many of our taken this fight county to county had the
members work in Alameda, Contra Costa, Ventura County initiative worked. Now
Merced, and Sacramento Counties.
that it hasn’t, they plan to make one masEven more important is the fight that sive push on the state level.
is yet to come. When the judge removed
“The Reformers Strike Back” is yet to
this Ventura initiative from the statewide come. And we need to be ready.