Joseph Skues's List: LABOR

• prohibit employers from ever agreeing to unionization through “card check,”
• barring unions from using any portion of a union member’s dues for political purposes unless the member first gives written permission.
• eager than a Democratic-controlled one to approve free trade agreements that unions oppose,
• reluctant to enact stimulus plans
• ike the recent bill that gave states $26 billion to help save the jobs of teachers, police officers and other government employees.
• block a labor-backed bill that would give firefighters and police officers in every state the right to unionize.
• Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is spending $91 million
• Republican and business leaders say the card-check process is unfair because union organizers often pressure workers to sign the cards
• hat will be a victory for businesses large and small.
• Bill Samuel, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s legislative director.
• “Let’s hope the Republicans focus on putting people back to work, instead of taking away workers’ rights.”
• John Kline, a Minnesota Republican
• take economic threats — like tax hikes and card check — off the table and make the laws governing our workplaces more understandable, workable and effective for workers and employers.”
• Professor McCartin
• Mr. Kline is chief sponsor of the Secret Ballot Protection Ac
• two policies that are favorites of construction unions:
• Ronald E. Meisburg
• f a Republican-controlled House cripples labor-backed legislative efforts to make it easier for workers to unionize,
• even if they are not unionized
• Democratic-controlled labor board might take administrative steps.
• making a change in the timing of workplace elections after employees file a petition to hold a unionization vote, reducing the delay to just five or 10 days.
• employers complain that such quick elections deny them an adequate opportunity to campaign against unionizing
• It would be unfair to hold elections before employers have a chance to state their case.”
• When Republicans won control of the House in 1994, they tried to roll back 60 years of labor protections for workers,

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• employees can opt to include spouse/family members under the company scheme at a cost
• • Business travel accident insurance
   
  • Company paid accident insurance
• employee contributions, plus company contributions, into an employees
• pension account.
• offering financial protection for the employee and the employee and their families, both during the employee’s career
• and after retirement.
• employees can change which funds the pension account is invested in. 
• Long Term Disability insurance
• at no cost. 
• Employees will receive 50 percent of base salary from the scheme after six months absence from work. 
• benefits including Bechtel University online training, mentoring and leadership programmes
• professional membership reimbursement.
• The Well programme is offered to all employees at no cos
• nutrition advise and guidance
• breast cancer awareness workshops
• provides a health manager who is on site every Thursday and Friday
• advises employees on health issues such as high blood pressure, BMI, high cholesterol, diabetes, weight management, and work life balance;
• all employees receive at the beginning of employment with Bechtel.
• Confidential telephone and face-to-face counselling services are offered to all employees at no cost
• Bechtel recognises that everyone needs some assistance in dealing with the changes and challenges in their lives.
• a season ticket loan scheme for London office permanent staff
• Loans will be based on the actual cost of second class rail season tickets and/or London Zone Travel Cards between the employee’s home and London office by the most direct route that does not impose undue travel restrictions on the employee.
• mployees to sacrifice a maximum of £220 per month; in return, the employee receives childcare vouchers and savings in tax and National Insurance contributions.

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• company-paid accident insurance at no cost.
• Under the Choice of Super Legislation, employees are eligible to nominate a super fund of their choice
• provides at least the Superannuation Guarantee Charge, which is determined in accordance with federal government legislation
• The plan also includes insurances for death coverage and income protection coverage
• Confidential counseling services are offered at no cost to help
• Additional benefits include
• cholarship availability for children of full-time employees

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• one-on-one health coaching
• earn wellness credits each pay period, which may be applied toward the cost of medical coverage or taken as additional taxable income.
• other healthy activities may be available such as weight management programs and free flu shots.
• Coverage is available f
• Both plans allow employees to contribute up to $5,000 each year to each plan
• Confidential, short-term outpatient counseling services are offered at no cost

• at no cost to employees.  

   
   
  • Basic life insurance
   
  • Business travel accident insurance
   
  • Company paid accident insurance
• recognizes registered domestic partners for all applicable benefits. 
• nine paid holidays a year in the United States
• 20 days (160 hours) of paid time off per year, up to 80 days
• for vacation, sick leave, personal time off, or religious observance.
    
• This option allows employees to “buy” an additional 40 hours of vacation. The employee’s salary is reduced by one week’s pay, with the reduction spread over the entire year.
• Company matching and profit sharing contributions begin after one year of service. Immediate vesting entitles employees to the full value of company contributions.
• 
   Additional Benefits
   Additional benefits include Bechtel
• University online training

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• 81 percent was extending some form of the tax cuts passed during George W. Bush's presidency,
• Most in Congress seem to support at least a temporary extension of the income tax rates, although they disagree about whether extensions should apply to upper-income Americans as well as the middle-income Americans. An estate tax suspension will expire this year and the tax will go back into effect in 2011 at a higher rate than previously unless Congress votes otherwise.

• As the form of institutionalized representation of interests for employees within an establishment , the works council is an organ of the works  constitution .
• the establishment and the workforce
• t is empowered to conclude  works agreements for the establishment
• is authorized to institute legal actions under the "Beschluss" procedure if its rights are  disregarded.
• the duty to conduct its business impartially,
• manual workers
• white-collar workers
• Consequently,
• the individual departments of the establishment
• must have representation
• both sexes,
• proportional to their presence  among the workforce
• It is not bound by the decisions of  works meetings and cannot be voted out of office
• for gross violation of its duties.
• It can, however, be removed
• must observe the principles of the peace obligation and co-operation in good faith towards the employer
• is also required to co-operate with  those trade unions which have a presence in the establishment and with the relevant employers' association .
• five employees who are  eligible to vote
• four years.
• Council members enjoy special  protection against dismissal
• The works council is not capable of possessing assets and cannot be held  liable under the law
• employer bears the costs of the council's activities and in this respect is also liable for the council's actions
• In a group (of companies) , a group works council is  formed in addition to this
• f the
• interests of executive staff
• councils of the member companies so decide.
• by a separate representative body for executive staff .
• protected
• These bodies do not, however, have  institutional backing comparable to that of the German-style works council, nor corresponding rights.

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• incoming governors rejected $1.2 billion in federal funding for high-speed rail projects, which would have created tens of thousands of good jobs.
•  Scott Walker (Wis.) and John Kasich (Ohio) have turned away hundreds of millions of dollars to build the rail lines
• because their states would have to share a few million dollars a year in operating costs.
• 15,000 family sustaining jobs were lost today,
• distributed the rejected funds to a dozen states with high-speed rail projects on the books or already under way.
• California will receive the bulk of the rejected money
• Last month in Milwaukee, some 350 concerned citizens, representing a broad coalition of labor and community organizations, rallied in Milwaukee to protest Walker’s decision to stop construction on the project that was due to receive $810 million. Along with the rail project’s jobs, the vital commuter connection between Milwaukee and Madison would have spurred future economic development along the route.
• Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that high-speed rail will modernize America’s valuable transportation network:
• the “high speed rail” which wouldn’t actually be high speed.
• maybe 7,000 was more accurate over 3 to 4 years.
• There is already passenger rail between Milwaukee and Madison as well as Badger Bus service which is not bursting at the seems with customers.
• Most of our citizens would never use it
• d it will not create long-terms jobs.
• Our Union Representative need to adopt a different view on money because this thought process is clearly not working!!

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• • Europeans are generally satisfied and happy with life: on a scale from one to ten, the EU27 average is 7 for life satisfaction and 7.5 for happiness;
   
  • Disparities in household incomes across Europe are stark: in the EU27, Bulgaria and Romania have incomes almost as low as that of the candidate country, FYR Macedonia; to cope with inadequate income, around half of all households in the NMS12 and CC3 (with the exception of Cyprus and Malta) grow some of their own food;
   
  • The family is highly involved in child- and eldercare and remains the first port of call for personal support in emergencies; Europeans report high levels of satisfaction with their family life; women still spend more time than men in caring activities and domestic duties;
• • A good work-life balance is tricky to achieve and problems with it appear to be most common in south-eastern Europe: in Croatia and Greece, a little over 70% of working citizens say that they are too tired to do household jobs at least several times a month because of work;
   
  • 81% of EU residents said that good health was ‘very important’ for their quality of life: however, on average, only 21% of people rate their health as ‘very good’;
   
  • When asked to rate the quality of society, people in the eastern European NMS12 – and in Italy and Portugal – trust their political institutions the least. Citizens in the Nordic countries, and in Turkey, have the most trust in their institutions; people in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands also express the highest levels of trust in other people.
   
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  Page last updated: 05 February, 2010

• f a company's German operation has five or more employees then the employees have a right to establish a works council.
• If a company is registered in Germany with 500 or more employees, it must have a two-tier board. One-third of directors of the upper 'supervisory' tier must be elected by the German workforce.
• because the right to a paid vacation is written into the constitution. Employees have the right to carry forward any unused holiday perpetually from year to year.
• If such a practice is undertaken, the fourth contract will be automatically for an indefinite duration.
• A company's works council must be invited to make recommendations
• An employee may be entitled to up to 104 weeks' sick pay. If the necessary steps are not taken to reintegrate those returning from extended sick leave, a further period of sick pay entitlement may come into effect.
• Companies employing 100+ people are required to produce an annual working conditions report and pla
• The first twelve weeks of official strike activity
• it is unlawful to dismiss them for carrying out industrial action or lock them out

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• Tips and advice guides for organising in your workplace.
• Media and publicity guide - How to get the word out about your group or campaign? There are two main approaches, which should both be used: using the mainstream and corporate media, and building your own independent media. This page contains advice on both.

• Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden do not operate national minimum rates, but nevertheless have minimum rates set through sectoral collective agreements that jointly cover a high proportion of the working population
• statutory minimum rates in the construction, janitorial and postal sectors.
• minimum rates for able seamen
• nternational Labour Organisatio
• Austria ^[2]  1,000.00 euros  EUR  01.01.2009
• Belgium    1,440.67 euros  EUR  01.10.2008
• rance ^[6]  1,343.77 euros  EUR  01.01.2010
• Greece ^{[5] [9]}  740.00 euros  EUR  01.04.2009
• Ireland    1326 euros  EUR  01.01.2011
• Luxembourg ^[3]  1,682.76 euros
• nited   Kingdom    1005.33 pounds sterling  GBP  01.10.2009

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• Illinois In Ill. 'hometown' of Superman, a lockout lingers [Associated Press] 2010-12-2
• Rethinking ‘the Last Days of the Working Class’ [In These Times] 2010-12-21
• Workers Dig in, as Hotels Increase Profits and Escalate Threats [In These Times] 2010-1
• The ‘Repo-Demo’ Party’s Three Phase Austerity Plan for America [In These Times] 2010-1
• 
   GOP Kills Bonds Program: Secret Plan to Bankrupt States, Bust Public Employee Unions? [AlterNet] 2010-12-20
• Minnesota Jimmy John’s Workers Demand Holiday Pay: Sandwich Workers Bounce Back from Election Setback with Protest of Sub-Standard Pay [IWW] For more info 2010-12-2
• California Out-of-work San Franciscans descend upon City Hall with a special holiday request [Bay View] 2010-12-25
• Minnesota Fired workers protest at Chipotle [Twin Cities Pioneer Press] 2010-12-25
• UAW aims to organize U.S. workers at Asian, Euro auto plants [DriveOn] 2010-12-25
  
   California Sneak Attack On SF City Workers Seniority-SF Workers Speak Out [LVP] For more info 2010-12-24
• 
   Maryland Union organizing election fails at Baltimore Gas & Electric [The (Maryland) Daily Record] 2010-12-19
• Colorado Teamsters tell Pilgrim's Pride 'no clucking way' [Greeley Tribune] 2010-12-18
• Nevada Judge orders Wynn casino to reinstate fired union steward [Las Vegas Sun] 2010-12-17
  
   Massachusetts 500-plus workers join union forces [Berkshire Eagle] 2010-12-17
• 
   District of Columbia Activists wage campaign against Wal-Mart in DC [The Washington Post] 2010-12-16
  
   National Day of Protest Against Rite-Aid [Talkng Union] 2010-12-16
  
• U.S. cracks down on wage theft [PW] 2010-12-16
  
• Demonstrators to Rite Aid: Respect workers, respect communities [PW] 2010-12-16
• Minnesota Chipotle restaurant chain fires at least 80 Latino workers in Minnesota [City Pa
• 
   Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka On the 'Investing in America's Economy' Budget Blueprint [AFL-CIO] 2010-12-14
  
   New York Working Under a Teamster Contract, For Less Than Minimum Wage [Labor Notes] 2010-12-14
• Project Labor Agreements under Attack as Non-Union Contractors Try to Pick Off Public Jobs [Labor Notes] 2010-12-14
  
• 
   When Workers Fought Back: The 1970s’ ‘Rebel Rank and File’ [In These Times] 2010-12-14

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• Tim Walberg

  (R
• • rday, MoveOn.org issued a report, Buying Democracy,(see below) showing a corporate front group from Iowa, American Future Fund, has spent
    Image via Wikipedia
    $506,761thus far to defeat Congressman Mark Schauer in the 7th Congression
    Image via Wikipediaal District. GOP groups expect to spend over a $1 million in support
    of Schauer's challenger, Tim Walberg, who voters ousted two years ago. Walberg's connection to Big Oil was featured in a video Progress Michigan produced.
    
    Up until now, Gary Peters has been relatively untouched by outside money. But word this morning is that Grover Norquest's right-wing, anti-
    Image via Wikipedia
    government group, Americans for Tax Reform, has just made a $225,
    Image via Wikipedia000 TV ad buy in Peters' 9th Congressional District where he
    is being challenged by Rocky Raczkowski.
• Gary Peters

  (D

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• The truth, of course, is that your contributions are not put aside.  Social Security is simply a tax.  Like all taxes, the money collected is spent immediately as general revenue to fund the federal government
• But no administration will admit that Social Security is nothing more than an accounting ledger with no money. 
• The best way to fix the impending Social Security crisis is also the simplest: allow younger individuals to opt out of the program and use their tax savings to invest privately as they see fit.  This is the true private solution.  Your money has never been safe in the government’s hands, and it never will be

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• "Conservatives dominate campaign spending by interest groups"
• Everywhere you look, far-right, anti-union special interest groups are attempting to steamroll their way over working families
• stonewalled the Employee Free Choice
• opposed raising the minimum wage
• turned their backs on working families again and again. 
• surge of activity by shadowy organizations that use hidden donors to undermine the progressive social agenda for which organized labor has always stood.
• to enact an agenda that would set working families back by decades:
• Privatizing
• job-killing 'free' trade
• Cutting taxes for millionaires
• much more
• American Crossroads
• tens of millions of dollars
• Americans for Job Security: An insurance industry front group,
• winner of the 2006 "Outsourcing Excellence Award" for its success in shipping American jobs to China
• mericans for Prosperity
• The Club for Growth:
• eliminating Medicare, privatizing Social Security,
• 'phasing out' Social Security and abolishing Medicare
• FreedomWorks:
• opposed Wall Street reform.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• plans to spend $50 million this election to push its anti-working family agenda
• supports unfair trade deals like NAFTA and CAFTA,
• opposes strong workplace safety laws, and even opposed paycheck equity.

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• Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA), head of the House  Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. 
• Family Time and Workplace Flexibility Act
• expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• air Minimum  Wage A
•   The Chamber  also operates a website urging its members to pressure Congress on the  issue
• argue for rulings that limit the ability of workers to form unions
• One case could define millions of workers as supervisors, revoking  their right to organize
• Grover Norquist’s Alliance for Worker  Freedom “Labor Reform Working Group” meetings
• Attendees included Richard Berman,  along with representatives from the Chamber, the DOL, the anti-union  Associated Builders and Contractors, Senator Bill Frist’s office, and  Rep. Charlie Norwood’s office.

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