AFSCME Stands with Walmart Workers Fighting for a Fair Deal
by Joe Lawrence | November 28, 2012
AFSCME Council 28 members braved torrential rains in Renton, Wash., to stand with Walmart workers. (Photo courtesy Council 28)
From coast to coast, AFSCME members participated in Walmart Black Friday demonstrations for justice at America’s biggest private-sector employer on what is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.
The retailer’s ruthlessly enforced “everyday low wages” for its own workers has kept hundreds of thousands of its employees on public assistance. Its business practices with suppliers and its distribution network undermine the wages and living standards of those workers and the rest of the country. Walmart routinely retaliates against workers who speak out.
But Walmart employees, at great personal risk, are pushing back. And AFSCME is standing with them. From Secaucus, N.J., throughout Maryland, to Louisville, Indianapolis, Kansas City and St. Paul, and to Portland and Seattle and dozens of other cities, AFSCME marched with Walmart employees and a broad coalition of labor and community groups.
“Walmart’s retaliating against us, they’re trying to silence us, that’s why we’re on strike,” 10-year employee and Laurel, Md., Walmart striker Barbara Elliott told Carl Goldman, executive director of AFSCME Council 26. “All we want is to make enough money to support our families, so we don’t have to go to welfare to get food stamps, so we don’t have to go to welfare to get them medical care, so we can once in a while take our family on trips, like other families. Yet instead of listening to its associates and working with us, Walmart is trying to silence us from speaking out.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be this morning,” replied Goldman. “You’re on the cutting edge, and you’re helping us, too. The more people who are organized means we’re all stronger.”
Goldman committed to getting the word out to his council’s members on the importance of the Walmart struggle.
“When we stand together, they have to listen to us,” Elliott told Goldman. “You give us the courage to keep on going.”
Indiana AFSCME Council 62 member Jason Jones of Local 3730 sees the Walmart fight as raising the public’s awareness of what faces all of working America.
“They know something’s wrong,” he said after joining in the Indianapolis Black Friday actions. “But they don’t know why. This helps them understand it’s about the ability to organize.”
Council 28 members braved torrential rains in Renton, Wash., to make their point. Michele Stelovich of AFSCME Local 1060 sees a direct link between the Walmart workers fight and the fights AFSCME members face.
“We’re not immune from what these workers are facing,” she said. “If we don’t stand with Walmart workers, who will stand with us?”
Clark Memorial Scholarship Deadline is April 30
by Jon Melegrito | November 27, 2012
Jerry Clark
The Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship program for children of AFSCME members will provide two $5,000 awards to students who are currently sophomores and majoring in social sciences. This year’s winners will each receive the cash award for their junior and senior years of study, as well as an opportunity to intern with the AFSCME Political Action Department.
To be eligible, the student must be a child or financially dependent grandchild of an AFSCME member; must have a grade point average of 2.5 or better; must be in his/her sophomore year of study; must be a social science major (i.e. political science, sociology, ethnic studies, communications) at an accredited college or university; and must demonstrate a commitment to social justice and political activism.
Completed applications for the 2013 scholarships must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2013. Winners will be announced by Aug. 1, 2013.
Applications can be downloaded from the AFSCME website or requested from the AFSCME Education Department, or e-mail education@afscme.org.
The scholarship program was named after AFSCME's late political action director, Jerry Clark.
For more information, write to: AFSCME Education Department, 1625 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20036-5687 or telephone (202) 429-1250.
Giving Thanks, Remembering Those in Need
November 22, 2012
A Thanksgiving message from AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders and Sec.-Treas. Laura Reyes.
This Thanksgiving, we remember the many AFSCME members and their families that were severely affected by Hurricane Sandy. You can help these AFSCME sisters and brothers by making a contribution to our Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides assistance to members in need. Even a small amount helps. Click here to make a donation now.
More resources are available for AFSCME members seeking assistance, including Union Plus Disaster Relief Grants of $500 on a first come, first served basis to help eligible participants in the AFSCME Advantage/Union Plus Credit Card, Insurance or Mortgage programs who are facing financial hardships due to the disaster. To apply, AFSCME members who participate in the Union Plus Credit Card should call 1-877-761-5028. Participants in the Union Plus Insurance or Mortgage programs can call 1-800-472-2005. Download this flyer for more information.
Above all, we want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. Even in the hardest of times, there is always much to be thankful for. We are thankful for the work that AFSCME members do each and every day to make your communities a better place to live.
Stand with Walmart’s Workers on Black Friday
November 21, 2012
Walmart workers across the country are mobilizing for a “Black Friday” strike to protest working conditions, wages and retaliation against workers who speak out. The retailer took in $16 billion in profits last year, yet many of Walmart’s workers continue to receive poverty-level paychecks. Walmart’s low-wage strategy helps depress the wages of workers nationwide.
“Even worse, the company ruthlessly intimidates those who speak out against their destructive policies,” AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders said. “Walmart’s campaign of intimidation hurts their employees and the communities where they have stores. They threaten workers who stand up and then count on the rest of us sitting back in silence. Their policies undermine the fundamental American values of fairness and decency.”
Walmart store workers are asking people nationwide to support them on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. They ask that supporters take action that spreads the word about their strikes and demonstrates to Walmart a wave of support for workers who are speaking out about poor working conditions, low wages, irregular hours and more.
Here are some ways you can help from the Making Change at Walmart campaign:
- Take the Black Friday Pledge to say that you will stand with workers on the busiest shopping day of the year.
- Visit the Corporate Action Network website to find actions and events supporting Walmart strikers near you.
- Make a donation to sponsor a striker and help to ensure that Walmart strikers receive a $50 grocery gift card.
- Spread the word on Facebook by sharing this post and other Black Friday actions. On Twitter, use the hashtag #WalmartStrikers.
During this holiday season, we can all pull together and support the workers at Walmart in their efforts to get respect and a voice in the workplace.
Iowa AFSCME Member Gains Spot in Electoral College
by Jon Melegrito | November 21, 2012
President Obama poses for a picture with Marc Wallace (left) and other Obama campaign volunteers who were part of the Presidential motorcade that drove into a farm near Oskaloosa, Iowa, in August. (Photo courtesy of The White House)
Marc Wallace did everything he could to make sure President Obama is re-elected. He knocked on a thousand doors, made more than 500 phone calls, served as a Get-Out-the-Vote staging location captain and team leader in his Des Moines, Iowa, neighborhood, and voted early – like the 673,000 other Iowans who cast their ballots before Election Day.
But that’s not all. The 46-year-old state public defender and member of Local 2984 (Council 61) is one of six state electors who has the distinct honor of actually electing the President of the United States. That’s because Presidential elections are decided by the Electoral College, not by popular vote. With Obama winning the necessary amount of Electoral College votes (322 to Romney’s 206), Wallace gets to cast one of them on Dec. 17 when 538 electors gather at their state capitals to make the election results official.
“I will be casting my ballot in front of the governor of Iowa at the time we are entering contract negotiations,” says Wallace, who gained a spot as elector at the Democratic Party’s state convention in June. “I want to remind him [Republican Gov. Terry E. Branstad] that my sisters and brothers are skilled and dedicated workers who provide vital services to the public and put their lives on the line every day.” Council 61 Pres. Danny Homan has criticized Branstad for being “dead set on destroying our jobs, our benefits, and our right to collectively bargain.”
Wallace adds that he’s proud of AFSCME’s major role in electing a President who fights for working families and the middle class. And being an elector from Iowa, Wallace points out, is equally a source of pride. “As everyone knows, we are the first in the nation to choose our state party’s nominee for President of the United States. And it’s a choice made by real, everyday voters.” President Obama started his Presidential journey when he won in the 2008 Iowa caucuses. “Iowans re-elected him this year because we are feeling more optimistic about where the nation is headed,” says Wallace, a U.S. army veteran who also headed the Iowa campaign of Veterans and Military Families for Obama. “Veterans know President Obama has their backs.”
Reflecting on what being an elector has meant to him and his family, Wallace mentions his 10-year-old twins, Alexander and Zachary. “I hope someday they’ll appreciate the personal sacrifices I have made, being away from home the past few months. To make a difference, we have to be actively involved in our community.”
Adds his wife, Karen, a Drake University professor: “I don’t think our sons entirely understand it, yet, but we will certainly use it as an educational opportunity. What they know now is that Dad worked really, really hard during the campaign.”
Union Ads Echo Voters’ Voices from Across the Country
by Pablo Ros | November 20, 2012
On Election Day, voters from across the country spoke overwhelmingly in favor of protecting the best interests of the middle class, a mission AFSCME has long made its own.
That is why today, AFSCME and two of its closest allies — the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the National Education Association (NEA) — are joining forces to echo those voices and their call to protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and education.
A set of television ads in Colorado, Virginia, Missouri, and radio ads in Pennsylvania, Alaska and Missouri, will air throughout the week to urge key senators and representatives in those five states to heed the call of their constituents and oppose cuts to entitlement programs in balancing the budget.
“We cannot cut our way to job creation, balance the budget at the expense of the middle class, or destroy programs that provide a measure of economic security for millions of Americans,” said Chuck Loveless, AFSCME Federal Government Affairs director. “Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are bedrock programs for American families, providing retirement income to seniors, keeping millions of Americans healthy and providing health care for the sick and disabled.”
The new ads are aimed at nine Democratic and Republican senators and representatives.
AFSCME, SEIU and NEA have also released the results of a public poll conducted among general election voters that shows overwhelming support for job creation as the most effective route to deficit reduction, along with higher taxes on the wealthy.
In fact, the survey — conducted by The Mellman Group between Nov. 9 and 12 — reveals that twice as many Americans across party lines would rather see their elected representatives focus on creating jobs (67 percent) than on reducing the deficit (29 percent).
Among other findings from the survey: 89 percent of Americans oppose cuts in nursing home aid for the elderly covered by Medicaid; 87 percent oppose cuts to Social Security benefits; and 80 percent oppose cuts to Medicare.
Gobble, Gobble the Union Way
by Clyde Weiss | November 19, 2012
This Thanksgiving, show your solidarity with those hard-working, union-represented women and men employed in the industries that make or grow the goods that garnish our tables.
Union-made or grown turkeys, appetizers, breads, desserts, cookware and cutlery and other essentials are not hard to find. As you head out to the grocery store, just prepare your list with help from this shopping list on the AFL-CIO’s blog, courtesy of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor’s resource site, Labor 411.
Philadelphia Workers Drive Their Message Home to Nutter, Literally
by Pablo Ros | November 16, 2012
Philadelphia city workers drove home their message to Mayor Michael Nutter. Literally.
The members of AFSCME District Councils 33 and 47 Wednesday night staged a candlelight vigil right outside the mayor’s house to once again speak out for fairness and respect. Their message? We rejected Mitt Romney’s 1 percent agenda at the polls and now we stand against your Romney-esque agenda.
The public workers are fed up with being disrespected by an elected official who has more love for corporations than for his own people. The hundreds of AFSCME members, joined by community leaders and allies, demanded a better Philadelphia for ALL.
Video by Steve Mora, AFSCME District Council 47.
“The hard-working men and women of this city deserve our respect,” said DC 33 Pres. Pete Matthews. “They continue to go to work, moving our great city forward, yet they are struggling to get by, like all Philadelphians. We need a mayor who will stand with the people and not the corporations.”
Added DC 47 Pres. Cathy Scott, “Our communities are suffering under this 1 percent agenda. We stand today against the same policies that drove us to the polls last week to deny Mitt Romney the White House. Mayor Nutter needs to hear what we said at the polls and realize that we want a Philadelphia that is fair for all of its citizens.”
“As a librarian, I have dedicated my life to building a better Philadelphia for all its people,” said AFSCME DC 47 member Irene Wright. “Even after we came out in droves last week to re-elect Barack Obama, Mayor Nutter continues to promote policies that favor the few. We, the people, demand better for our city.”
Rising Income Inequality Revealed, State by State
by Clyde Weiss | November 15, 2012
That the rich are getting richer is no surprise, but a new report out today from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute reveals the depth of the growing chasm between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of us.
It’s a wage inequality gap that “not only raises basic issues of fairness but also adversely affects our economy and political system,” says the report, titled Pulling Apart: A State-By-State Analysis of Income Trends. The report (and accompanying state-based infographics) offers a sobering picture of a nation growing in two directions:
- Between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s, incomes fell by close to 6 percent among the poorest households, on average. During the same period, incomes rose 8.6 percent among the richest households.
- Among the top 5 percent, incomes grew a staggering 14 percent.
- Across all states, the average income of the richest households was eight times that of the poorest as of the late 2000s.
The report also presents a stark state-by-state picture of income inequality. In order of disparity, the largest gaps are in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Georgia, New York, Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Mississippi.
The causes of income inequality are numerous, and include long periods of high unemployment, increased foreign competition, a decline in high-paying manufacturing jobs, an increase in lower-paying service jobs, technology advances and – significantly – a decline in union strength.
“Unions have historically succeeded in both raising wages and benefits and in lowering wage inequality by standardizing compensation across competing employers,” the report notes. “Non-unionized workers typically are paid lower wages, have less job security, receive fewer benefits, and are more likely to work part time than union members.” (To read The Main Street Moment: Fighting Back to Save the American Dream, the book AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders co-authored on this subject, visit Powells.com.)
Union membership, however, has declined precipitously.
“Between 1979 and 2011, the percentage of workers belonging to unions dropped from 23.4 percent to 11.8 percent, the report states,” the report states. So-called “right to work (for less) laws” common in the South have contributed to this decline in union strength. Not surprisingly, the report notes that income inequality is greatest in the Southeast and Southwest states.
Doug Hall, co-author of the report and Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at the Economic Policy Institute, said during a news briefing on the report’s release that unions can help close the wage inequality gap.
“I think it’s all about organizing and highlighting for folks that organized labor is one way you can shift the pendulum of power back to working families,” he said. “And only then will we achieve greater worker prosperity.”
Hall and report co-author Elizabeth McNichol, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, conclude that states can help mitigate the negative consequences of this growing income inequality by taking action on several fronts. For instance, they suggested these state options:
- Raising and indexing the state’s minimum wage. The purchasing power of the federal minimum wage is 13 percent lower than at the end of the 1970s – far short of what’s necessary for a family’s needs.
- Ensuring that state tax systems are less regressive. Currently, states rely more heavily on sales taxes and user fees that hurt low-income households especially hard. They suggested relying more on progressive income taxes.
- Strengthening support for low-income workers, such as services for child care, transportation and health insurance.
- Restoring unemployment insurance benefits that have been cut during the recession, and fixing outmoded rules that bar many unemployed workers from accessing benefits.
- Protecting workers’ rights to bargain collectively and strengthening and enforcing laws and regulations to prevent abusive employer practices that deprive workers of wages that they are legally owed.
For more on wage inequality and how collective bargaining can close the gap for union and non-union workers, click here. Also, read more about how rising inequality experienced in this country during the past 30 plus years is the direct result of congressional policy choices.
Rhode Island AFSCME Members Honor Our Veterans
by Tim Burch | November 15, 2012
Providence, R.I. – In honor of those who are serving in our nation’s armed services and those who have served, Rhode Island Council 94 hosted a Veterans’ Day celebration at the council this past week. Leaders called on lawmakers to provide these veterans good jobs and education when they come home.
At the celebration, Rhode Island Council 94 resident military historian and Local 2869 Pres. Glen Dusablon displayed his extensive collection of military artifacts.
“It's a good opportunity to honor the veterans who served our country,” he said.
Council 94 retiree Santa Claus Almeida, also a post-WWII Marine veteran, thanked the council for celebrating the service of our nation’s veterans.
“We served in the military, like we do every day in public service, for one reason: love of country,” Almeida said.
“I am proud that so many of our members served in the military – in defense of our country and our values – to make our country as great as it is,” said Council 94 Pres. J. Michael Downey. “These brave men and women serve as an example of dedication and selfless sacrifice. When they come home, they deserve our gratitude and respect. They have mine and that of all 7,100 members of Council 94.”
Council 94 Exec. Dir. Ken Delorenzo called on elected officials to do right by veterans who have done so much for the country.
“It’s a shame that some elected officials continue to discount the sacrifice made by our veterans and public servants alike,” Delorenzo said. “We should honor their service every day not just one day a year. With the war in Iraq and Afghanistan drawing to a close, I call on the President and Congress to grow our economy by investing in good jobs and education for our veterans.”
