Labour Start

Guaranteed Health Care for All

Support and Demand national health care. The United States Health Insurance Act (HR 676)

Repeal Taft-Hartley

The Labor Management Relations Act, also known as Taft-Hartley, has been on the books since 1947. The anti-labor, anti-workingclass provisions of Taft-Hartley, which were drafted by employers, include a ban on secondary boycotts, allows states to pass so-called right-to-work laws, prohibits strikes by certain government employees, and allows management to "interfere" in union organizing drives. It is time to repeal this law that infringes on workers civil and human rights. Visit the following sites to contact your Senators and Congresspersons

Global Labour University

Since its inception in 2004, the Global Labour University has welcomed trade unions in its Masters Programme in labour studies. The university is also a network of trade unions and universities aiming to facilitate research and spark debate. At its annual conference in 2009, trade unionists and scholars are invited to present papers and discuss the responses of labour to the challenge of financialisation and how financial markets increase the rates of return on their investments. Studies should respond to: The impact of global capital mobility on wages, working conditions and trade unions, Extending rights and collective bargaining to workers in precarious and informal employment. The deadline for receipt of proposals for papers to be sent in electronic format is November 1st 2008. For full details, see Call for Papers The inscription deadline for the Global Labour University programmes in Brazil and South Africa is September 1st 2008 and in Germany and India, April 1st 2009
Source: Public Services International World News

Trade Unions from Across Europe Meet in Budapest to Plan Action for Social Rights

Trade unions from across the European continent have gathered in Budapest to map out regional actions for social rights and economic progress over the coming year. The annual Summer School of the Pan-European Regional Council of trade unions (PERC), being held at the invitation of the Hungarian national trade union centres, brings together 39 trade union movements from 24 countries. Challenges being faced by the Hungarian workers and their trade unions – attacks on tripartism and social dialogue, tax changes which benefit large companies at the expense of workers and their families, moves to cut minimum wages – are familiar to trade unions in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. We need a social Europe, setting the highest standards for decent work in a changing world, said John Monks, general secretary of the PERC and of the European Trade Union Confederation. The meeting's focus on tax, pensions and health care throughout the continent will provide the basis for national and regional action in the coming period to stop the erosion of vital services and government functions. Another key feature of the discussions concerns preparations for the World Day for Decent Work on October 7, when European trade unions will join their colleagues from every other continent in a global mobilisation for workers' rights, solidarity and an end to poverty and inequality. The World Day for Decent Work will see trade unions in every corner of the globe organising all kinds of activities to focus public attention on the need to stop the erosion of social standards, and put people rather than profit at the centre of globalisation, said Jaap Wienen, deputy general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Source: ITUC OnLine

Zimbabwe’s Union Movement Remains Strong

Zimbabwe’s union movement remains strong, despite the government’s reign of terror and oppression, Wellington Chibebe, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), told a crowd of about 100 in a forum at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C. We are relatively strong, given the current situation both economically and politically. We are in the trenches and going strong, Chibebe said. Zimbabwe is a nation in crisis, says AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy, who chairs the AFL-CIO Executive Council’s international affairs committee. Lucy, who introduced Chibebe at the open forum, says the crisis in Zimbabwe affects every aspect of life, and it is all caused by the incredible desire of a government to hang on to power no matter what. Zimbabwe’s discredited President Robert Mugabe has launched a national campaign of intimidation, with union members as major targets. Mugabe has a long record of worker and human rights violations. On top of that, the nation has an 80 percent official unemployment rate, which Chibebe says is closer to 95 percent when you count people who are underemployed. Inflation is rising at an astronomical rate of 11 million percent. In May, the Zimbabwean government arrested and released on bail Chibebe and ZCTU President Lovemore Motombo. They are charged with “inciting the public to rise against the government and communicating falsehoods” in the midst of that country’s runoff presidential election. They were detained for questioning after Chibebe, winner of the AFL-CIO’s 2003 George Meany-Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award, told a May Day rally in Harare that post-election violence was increasing. As a condition of their bail, Chibebe and Motombo are not allowed to address any political gathering until this matter is finalized, says the judge. Their trial, which originally was set for June 23, has been postponed three times and now is scheduled for Aug. 27. If convicted, the two men could be sentenced to 20 years in prison. Chibebe says he doesn’t know what will happen at the trial, but he is prepared for anything. I am confident we are fighting for the right thing. Whether we are convicted, we cannot give up our rights. We are prepared to serve our sentences. Another sign of the global support for the ZCTU is the WeAreZCTU website where more than 2,000 workers around the world sent photos to create a mosaic of Chibebe and Motombo. Chibebe says the biggest disappointment about the current situation in Zimbabwe is that the dreams of freedom that were strong after the country became independent in 1980 have not materialized. Under Mugabe, the revolution that we once were proud of is now eating its own children. This time, we are back to the trenches, but through efforts at negotiation and pressure, not through the barrel of a gun. We fight because we wish to see a free and democratic society. But no matter who eventually takes power in Zimbabwe, Chibebe says the trade union movement in that country will remain strong and independent. No matter what political party is in power, come heaven or hell, the role of the labor movement is to challenge
Source: AFL-CIO NOW Blog

Israeli and Palestinian Trade Unions Reach Historic Agreement

The Israeli national trade union centre Histadrut and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), both of which are affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), have reached a landmark agreement to protect the rights of Palestinian workers employed by Israeli employers, and to base future relations on negotiations, dialogue and joint initiatives to advance fraternity and coexistence between the two peoples. The current agreement draws on the terms of an initial 1995 agreement, which it had not been possible to fully implement in the intervening years. The key features of the agreement include the reimbursement by Histadrut to the PGFTU of the outstanding balance of union and legal representation fees paid since 1993 by Palestinians working for Israeli employers. The reimbursement is based on a detailed year-by-year analysis of the fees paid by Palestinian workers, taking into account funds previously transferred to the PGFTU. The PGFTU will have sole discretion as to how the funds will be spent, in line with its Constitution. In the future, at least 50% of the representation fees paid by Palestinians working for Israeli employers will be transferred to the PGFTU, to enable both organizations to provide representation, legal and other trade union services to the workers. Implementation of the agreement, which was negotiated under the umbrella of the ITUC, will be overseen by a joint committee of the two organizations. This agreement is tremendously significant, at a time when the political authorities in Israel and Palestine and the international community are failing to find just and lasting solutions to the political impasse. It means that the PGFTU will be able to ensure much more effective representation for Palestinian workers, while those working for Israeli employers will also benefit," said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. The agreement calls upon the ITUC and its affiliates to continue to support future cooperation, and we are fully committed to do this, he added. PGFTU General Secretary Shaher Sae'd said "This removes a key obstacle to future cooperation and the full respect of the rights of Palestinian Workers. Decent work is a foundation stone for political and economic justice, and we will now be in a position to devote even more attention to tackling the appalling state of the Palestinian economy and playing a fuller part in the quest for justice, fairness and democratic rights in the building of a Palestinian state. We are very pleased that this agreement has now been reached," said Histadrut Chairperson Ofer Eini. Every worker, whether of Israeli, Palestinian or other origin, must have full rights to the protections offered by international labour standards. The outcome of our dialogue with the PGFTU can only help achieve this, and help lay the foundations for future cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian trade unions and progress in our shared quest for justice, peace and prosperity for all in the region, he added
Source: ITUC OnLine

ICEM’s Bridgestone Workers Network Meets in the United States

The Eighth International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM) Steering Committee of the Bridgestone-Firestone Global Union Network met in Las Vegas, Nevada, preceding the constitutional convention of the United Steelworkers (USW). The USW hosted the meeting, which was chaired by Tashiaki Hojo, President of the Japanese Rubber Workers’ Union Confederation (GOMU-RENGGO). The conference welcomed the Network’s newest trade union affiliate, the Firestone Agricultural Workers’ Union of Liberia (FAWUL), as well as Liberian Labour Minister Samuel Kofi Woods. FAWUL won bargaining rights for 5,000 workers at Firestone Rubber Plantation in Harbel last year, bringing a legitimate and democratic voice to workers long neglected by both management and a prior union. FAWUL President Austin Natee and General Secretary Edwin Cisco told Bridgestone-Firestone unionists about working conditions at the plantation, and their struggle to gain recognition through an internationally-monitored ballot. They also underscored the global solidarity they received from the ICEM, the USW, and the US-based Solidarity Center. “This is a moving moment for the ICEM and to one of our newest affiliates, we applaud your heroic struggle to bring dignity and full rights to your co-workers in Liberia,” ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda told the Liberians. Warda attended the network meeting along with ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal Öskan. Warda presented the current activities of the ICEM to the Bridgestone-Firestone network, and specifically outlined the resolutions and the work plan coming from the ICEM’s Fourth Congress in Bangkok last November. Öskan delivered a general report on global developments in the tyre and rubber industry, along with trade union activity within the industry throughout the world. Regional and country reports then were presented, followed by a full report on industrial accidents within the Japanese-based company from around the world. Delegates then engaged in a lengthy discussion on measures to improve occupational health and safety at Bridgestone-Firestone. Delegates attending included: Gen Tashiro and Akihiro Nagasawa, from the Japanese Bridgestone Workers’ Union; João Batista Goncalves, São Paulo Rubber Workers’ Union of Brazil (FUB); European Works Council Secretary Jesus Delgado and Eduardo Alonso, both of the Federation of Related Industries of Spain (FIA-UGT); Ron Hoover, John Sellers, and Melinda Newhouse, all from host union USW: and Yoshio Sato, General Secretary of ICEM’s Japanese Affiliates Federation (ICEM-JAF)
Source: ICEM InBrief

The World's First Global Union--Workers Uniting

The United Steelworkers (USW), North America's largest private sector union, and Unite the Union, the largest labor organization in the United Kingdom and Ireland, have signed an agreement clearing the way for the creation of Workers Uniting
Source: USW News Release

New Confederation of University Workers in the Americas - CONTUA

The 3rd meeting of workers from Latin America and the Caribbean took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Unionists from 15 countries participated in the meeting which was organised by Public Services International (PSI) affiliate APUBA, Argentina (Association of Buenos Aires University Staff) in collaboration with PSI. The meeting set down the foundations for the creation next year of a new organisation - the Confederation of University Workers in the Americas (CONTUA). The participants expressed their satisfaction at the high level of debate and the favourable prospects opening within the PSI to organise this group of workers in the short term. On the website www.3encuentro.org you can find all the documentation relating to the meeting (Español only). We will be adding elements about the construction process of CONTUA and its constitution in the Founding Congress to be held in May 2009. We especially recommend the Declaración del III Encuentro, which describes the ideological framework for CONTUA, and the Acuerdo de Buenos Aires which describes the union political process towards the creation of the new organization
Source: PSI World News

U.S. Anti-union Administration Weakening Labour Law Enforcement and Violating Fundamental Workers Rights

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) presents its biannual report on core labour standards in the U.S., coinciding with the Trade Policy Review of the U.S. at the World Trade Organization. It reveals a poor and worsening record on worker protection, particularly in the areas of trade union rights and child labour, areas in which serious violations continue to take place. U.S. law excludes large groups of workers from the right to organise. These include agricultural workers, many public sector workers, domestic workers, supervisors and independent contractors. Moreover, for most private sector workers forming trade unions is extremely difficult and anti-union pressure from employers is frequent. The report notes that there is a huge union-busting industry which aims at undermining trade union organising. Some 82 per cent of employers hire such companies that employ a wide range of anti-union tactics. Employers also force employees to listen to anti-union propaganda and threaten workers with company closures if they vote to form a trade union. The U.S. administration, rather than leading the way on protection of the rights of working people and on decent pay and conditions, has been intent on denying the freedom to join a union and bargain collectively to millions of American workers. This hurts America’s working people and has a negative impact on workers rights in other countries as well, said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. New figures from the U.S. Department of Labor show that the Bush Administration has been cutting back even further on labour law enforcement, now spending an average of only US$26 per employer, while spending on rigorous oversight of trade union activities amounts to an average of $2,500 per union/local union. The report further notes that the Employee Free Choice Act, which would redress some of the imbalances workers are subject to, was blocked by Senate Republicans last year despite passing the House of Representatives and gaining majority support in the Senate. Moreover, the National Labor Relations Board took a number of decisions in 2007 which withdrew various workers protections and weakened already ineffective remedies. Among these decisions was one that makes it harder for workers who are illegally fired to recover back pay and another to make it easier to discriminate against employees who are union representatives. Child labour is in many cases not effectively addressed in the U.S., particularly in agriculture and not least because of the hazardous conditions that children are exposed to. Many of the children are migrant farm workers, often Latino. Not enough urgency is being shown with the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE) currently before the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections of the House of Representatives, which would bring standards for children working in agriculture in line with standards for other sectors. Moreover, child labour inspections are falling, as shown in the report. Concerning discrimination and remuneration the report notes that women continue to earn less than men (80.8%), and that for most women of colour this gap is even larger. Women earn less in every occupational category, even in occupations where they outnumber men. Nurses and middle school teachers earn 10% less than their male colleagues even though over 80% of the employees are female. Finally, the report notes that forced labour remains a problem in the US, in particular with forced labour in agriculture for migrant workers, and manufacturing (garments) in US overseas territories, in particular the Northern Mariana Islands. Working conditions are severe, and recruitment practices often result in indentured servitude
Source: ITUC OnLine

Autoworker Unions Convene to Address Restructuring Challenges in the Global Auto Industry

Almost 200 delegates from 27 countries met in Brazil for the 12th International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) World Auto Council to address fundamental challenges of industrial and enterprise restructuring process sweeping the auto sector. "Solidarity and Sustainability - Responding to Global Auto Industry Restructuring" was the theme of the council proceeding at which delegates focused both on strengthening and building upon existing responses and presenting innovative strategies. Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the IMF Automotive Department, said in his keynote address that "We will either succeed or fail together in responding to the global restructuring of the auto sector by building union strength at the workplace, within our respective national political structures, and by exerting our influence over international trade and development agreements and policies," going on to emphasize that we must develop a pathway to build union strength at the major global auto producers and suppliers. In an overview of what has taken place in the sector during recent years, IMF general secretary Marcello Malentacchi underscored that the strength of IMF trade union affiliates in responding and ultimately protecting the interests of affected workers and their families have mattered tremendously. Yet the continuing challenges of restructuring means more must be done to ensure socially acceptable and equitable outcomes for all workers and their communities. To confront precarious work challenges, delegates urged a range of industrial, legal / political and international actions such as extending exiting collective agreements and full union membership to precarious workers and negotiating with principle employers. Among other recommendations were the use targeted recruitment campaigns, international framework agreements provisions, and mobilizing toward the Global Day of Action from on October 7. The Council delegates highlighted the importance of organizing in responding to competitive sourcing challenges that could include company-level, multi-plant campaigns. Building means for stronger cross border coordination of collective bargaining, and the expanded use of networks to support these activities, were also included among the Council's recommendations. Delegates stressed that green work should be unionised work that provides stable jobs with good salaries and safe working, and that the development, production and use of new and innovative clean vehicle and fuel technologies are integral to the industry's evolution. Sustainable development for the sector means that the protection of the environment, and public and workplace health and safety advances with a stronger employment base and deepened skills foundation
Source: IMF News

Documentary Trailer "Made in L.A."

Documentary Trailer "Heart of the Factory"

International Solidarity with Mexican Miners Continues

In the last two months International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) affiliates in Europe and the Americas took a range of actions in support of the Mexican Miners Union's struggle for union independence. In Mexico, the country's largest mining company, Grupo México, and the Mexican government, first under President Vicente Fox, and now under President Felipe Calderón, have systematically and repeatedly violated Mexican law and international standards to crush the National Miners and Metalworkers Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM). The IMF and its affiliates are calling on the Mexican government to: release all union funds illegally seized by the government; lift all charges still pending against Napoleón Gómez Urrutia and other members of the SNTMMSRM; prosecute in a court of law, immediately and transparently, all those responsible in the corruption of documents and facts; and investigate Grupo México's involvement in the murder of Reynaldo Hernández González and the detention and torture of 20 SNTMMSRM members in Nacozari, Sonora
Source: IMF News

AFL-CIO and Guatemalan Unions File First-Of-Its Kind Complaint Under CAFTA

The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), along with six Guatemalan unions, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs alleging violations of the labor chapter of DR-CAFTA. The complaint is the first of its kind under the labor provisions of DR-CAFTA. It lays out five separate cases where the Guatemalan government failed to effectively enforce its own labor laws and has fallen short of its commitment to respect international workers’ rights. The complaint demands that the Bush Administration formally initiate dispute settlement proceedings and require the government of Guatemala to take all measures necessary to assure that trade unionists in Guatemala can exercise their rights to freedom of association without intimidation, threats of violence, illegal dismissals by employers, or targeted assassination. The petition calls on the U.S. government to closely monitor the implementation of all remedies. The Guatemalan government made several promises, prior to the ratification vote by the U.S. Congress, to substantially improve the administration of labor justice in the country, according to the AFL-CIO’s complaint. Yet these changes never materialized, and the United States has applied little visible pressure on the country to comply with the labor provisions of the trade agreement. The government has yet to conduct a serious investigation into a number of murders, attempted murders and rapes directed at union workers and their families, according to the complaint. No one has yet been arrested in the two murders and numerous threats described by the petition. This petition will demonstrate that… labor conditions in [Guatemala] have remained unchanged or have worsened since the trade agreement was ratified. The level of physical violence against trade unionists increased markedly since the agreement entered into force in July, 2006. Violations of freedom of association and collective bargaining continue apace, and access to fair and efficient administrative or judicial tribunals remains elusive, charges the complaint. Guatemalan workers are being targeted for their union activity, said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. Without the freedom from fear to join unions and bargain collectively, how can we expect any workers to benefit from a trade agreement? Sweeney called on the Bush Administration to demand that Guatemala enforce its domestic laws and meet its international obligations to protect workers who speak out for their economic rights. In 2008 alone, four union leaders and/or their family members have been murdered in Guatemala, and many others have been victims of attempted murder and/or have received death threats. Workers who attempt to form or join a union, bargain collectively or conduct a strike are still routinely fired. According to the complaint, the Ministry of Labor does little to undertake serious investigations of workers’ claims and labor courts infrequently punish those employers who violate the law
Source: AFL-CIO Press Release

ILO Labor Standards

The International Labor Organization's labor standards take the form of International Labor Conventions which are ratified by member countries. Of the total number of ILO Conventions, eight are considered core labor standards, fundamental to the rights of workers

Trade Union Advisory Committee

The Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an International trade union organization which interacts on behalf of trade unions with a consultative status when meeting with the OECD Secretariat, committees, and member governments