Workers Rights Are Human Rights: TeachIn on the Freedom to Form Unions

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Workers Rights Are Human Rights Teach-In on
the Freedom to Form Unions
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Topics for Today

• Why Workers Want Unions
• Why America Needs Unions
• The Freedom to Form a Union is a Fundamental
  Human Right
• Why Workers Cant Get Unions
• What We Can Do Mobilize for Workers Rights!

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1. Why Workers Want Unions

• Workers want to join together to win better
  pay, better benefits, job safety, better working
  conditions, fair treatment and a voice on the
  job.

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Part One Why Workers Want Unions Union
Advantage Wages, Health Care, Pensions and
Vacations
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Part One Why Workers Want UnionsUnions Help
Promote Family Life

• Negotiate for affordable and high quality child
  care
• Negotiate flexible schedules helpful for working
  parents and those with sick or elderly family
  members
• Negotiate for family leave policies that help
  working parents

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Part One Why Workers Want Unions Millions of
WorkersWant Unions
57 million
15.7 million
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• 2. Why America Needs Unions

AFL-CIO Voice _at_ Work Campaign
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Part Two Why America Needs Unions Collective
Bargaining Is a Public Good

• Raises everyones living standards
• Stimulates economy
• Reduces inequality and poverty
• Narrows race and gender wage gaps
• Strengthens our social safety net
• Increases political participation
• Counters excessive corporate power

AFL-CIO Voice _at_ Work Campaign
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsRaises
Everyones Living Standards
Weak Union States
Strong Union States
13.4
16.6
48,877
9,296
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13.6
40,333
6,561
Poverty Rate
No Health Care
Household Income
Education Spending (per student)
Sources U.S. Census Bureau Kaiser Family
Foundation U.S. Dept. of Education.
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsReduces
Inequality and Poverty
Nonunion
Union
24,274
24,211
23,275
23,338
19,115
18,824
18,366
17,950
Source U.S. Census Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsNarrows Race
and Gender Wage Gaps
Nonunion Wages
Union Wages
801
731
673
656
622
559
500
449
All Workers
Women
African Amer.
Latinos
29
31
31
50
Source BLS, 2006
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsCounters
Excessive Inequality
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsPromotes Civic
and Political Participation
Strong Union States Actual Voter Turnout
Weak Union States Actual Voter Turnout
2004 Presidential Election
Source Committee for the Study of the American
Electorate.
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsCounters
Excessive Corporate Power in American Society
Sources Tax Facts A Project of the Urban
Institute and the Brookings Institution,
www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/overview/source_g
dp.cfm U.S. Census Bureau, BNA, 2001.
AFL-CIO Voice_at_Work Campaign
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsStrengthens
Entire States Social Safety Net
Source AFL-CIO, The Silent War.
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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsStrengthens
Social Safety Net

• Social Security Act, 1935
  
• Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938
  
• Pension Disclosure Act, 1958
  
• Equal Pay Act, 1963
  
• Civil Rights Act, 1964
  
• Medicare, 1965
  
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), 1970
  
• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA),
  1974
• Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990
  
• Family and Medical Leave Act, 1993

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Part Two Why America Needs UnionsWho Will
Set the Standardsfor American Jobs?
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3. The Freedom to Form Unions and Bargain
Collectively Is a Fundamental Human Right
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Part Three Freedom To Form a UnionFreedom to
Form a Union Is a Legal and Human Right . . . In
Theory
Employees shall have the right toformlabor
organizations and to bargain collectively. N
ational Labor Relations Act, 1935
Everyone has the right to form and join trade
unions... Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, 1948
We support the right of . . . employees . . . to
organize for collective bargaining into unions.
Social Principles of United Methodist Church

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Part Three Freedom to Choose a UnionFreedom to
Form Unions Is Well Recognized by Our Leaders

• The labor movement was the principal force that
  transformed misery and despair into hope and
  progress. Those who would destroy or further
  limit the rights of organized labordo a
  disservice to the cause of democracy.
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Part Three Freedom to Form A UnionWhat Does It
Mean to Call Something a Human Right?
Calling something a human right means that it
prevails over considerations of convenience or
efficiency. If something is a human right then
it trumps mere economic interests of employers or
the public. Hoyt Wheeler Past President, IRRA
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4. Why Workers Cant Get Unions
What happens when workers try to win a voice at
work?
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Part Four Why Workers Cant Get
UnionsAccording To Human Rights Watch
Our findings are disturbing, to say the least.
Loophole-ridden laws, paralyzing delays, and
feeble enforcement have led to a culture of
impunity in many areas of U.S. labor law and
practice. Legal obstacles tilt the playing field
so steeply against workers freedom of
association that the United States is in
violation of international human rights
standards Human Rights Watch Director Kenneth
Roth

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Part Four Why Workers Cant Get Unions American
Workers Are Losing the Freedom to Form Unions
and Bargain Collectively

• 32 Million Workers Are Not Covered by Law
• Independent contractors
• Supervisors
• Farm workers
• Domestic workers
• Public employees in 23 states

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Part Four Why Workers Cant Get UnionsDenial of
Workers Rights Is Spreading

• Department of Justice
  Revoked union representation
  for hundred of workers.
• National Imagery and Mapping Agency
  Terminated collective bargaining rights for 1300
  employees.
• Department of Defense
  Attacked civil service
  protections of 750,000 employees.
• Department of Homeland Security
  Withdrew right to bargain collectively
  from 200,000 employees.
• Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky Republican
  governors strip state workers of rights.

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Part Four Why Workers Cant Form UnionsSystem
Designed to Protect Our Freedom to Form Unions Is
Broken!

• Outrageous delays
• Widespread violations of workers rights a
  worker is illegally fired or discriminated
  against for activity protected by NLRA every 23
  minutes!
• Employer penalties are weak
• NLRB election process has become a parody of
  democracy

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Employer Interference by the Numbers
92 force employees to attend mandatory
anti-worker presentations 78 force employees to
attend one-on-one anti-union meetings with
managers 75 hire consultants to help them fight
union organizing campaign 51 threaten to move
or close if workers vote to form a union 25
illegally fire at least one worker for union
activity during organizing campaigns
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Part Four Why Workers Cant Get UnionsNLRB
Elections Are Inherently Unfair and Insult Our
Democratic Traditions
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• 5. What We Can Do About It!

AFL-CIO Voice _at_ Work Campaign
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Part Five What We Can Do About ItIts Time to
Fight Back!

• 57 million U.S. workers want unions and cant get
  them.
• Students can help change that.
• Workers rights are human rights!

AFL-CIO Voice _at_ Work Campaign
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Part Five What We Can Do About ItWhat We Can Do

• Participate in National Student Labor Week of
  Action!
• Support campus organizing and collective
  bargaining campaigns.
• Urge university to adopt a code of conduct.
• Support legislation to protect freedom to form
  unions.

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Part Five What We Can Do About ItSupport the
Employee Free Choice Act,S. 842 and H.R. 1696

• Lead Sponsors
• Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Specter (R-PA)
• Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Peter
  King (R-NY)
• Guarantees employee free choice through
• Democratic majority sign-up
• First contract arbitration
• Remedies

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Part Five What We Can Do About ItEFCA
Student Action Checklist

• Find out whether your Representative and Senators
  have co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act.
• If they have, thank them.
• If not, ask them to become a co-sponsor.

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Part Five What We Can Do About ItHow You Can
Help Workers Form Unions
The AFL-CIO Organizing Institute recruits, trains
and places talented and committed people in
full-time positions helping workers form and join
unions in the American union movement. For more
information, visit www.organize.aflcio.org.
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Part Five What We Can Do About ItParticipate
in National Student Labor Week of Action
From March 31-April 4, 2006, students and labor
will commemorate the lives of Cesar Chavez and
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by highlighting the
plight of campus workers nationwide.
To find out how you can take part, visit
www.studentlabor.org.