Vol. 75/No. 13 April 4, 2011
Ohio public workers
fight union busting
CINCINNATI—More than 3,500 public employees and their supporters gathered at Fountain Square here March 15 to stage a spirited rally against union-busting Senate Bill 5.
Teachers, transit workers, firefighters, social workers, and parks workers were joined by union building trades workers, auto workers, meat cutters, steelworkers, and others in a display of solidarity. College and high school students were also on hand as well as nonunion workers who came to show their support.
“I believe they’ve opened a can of worms they hadn’t expected,” said John Love, a member of Local 4372 of the United Steelworkers, who works at Bway Corporation. “A few months ago you couldn’t have got this many people out here. Now that they have attacked us we’re going to stand strong.”
The bill, introduced by Republican State Senator Shannon Jones, would limit collective bargaining for public employees to little more than wages. It also would limit how much Ohio’s governments can contribute to employees’ pensions and health benefits. The bill passed the Senate March 2 and is now on its way to the State House of Representatives. House Speaker William Batchelder said he plans to have the bill on the governor’s desk by early April. Gov. John Kasich backs the bill.
The rally in Cincinnati was one of 13 protests organized throughout the state that day to voice opposition to the bill.
Many of the participants in the rally were African American. A large number were members of Local 627 of the Amalgamated Transit Union who work as bus drivers for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. They had been without a contract for seven weeks. “We’re all fighting over collective bargaining,” said Local 627 member April Cruse. “The governor is trying to take that right away from us. We need to be able to bargain over more than just wages—take health care, for example.”
Another was Clarence McCoy, a 20-plus-year veteran packinghouse worker and member of Local 75 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. He is also president of the Cincinnati chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.
It is doubly important for Black workers to be part of the fight, McCoy told the Militant. “The union has provided minorities a vehicle to fight for equal treatment. Prior to the unions you were at the mercy of your employer when it came to getting a wage increase or a promotion. The unions changed all that. In addition they helped raise the living standards of all workers. That’s what I’m out here defending today.”
—John Hawkins, a member of the Glass,
Molders, Pottery, Plastics, &
Allied Workers Local 166, Chicago.
Students, teachers stand up
against cuts in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA—A thousand teachers, students, unionists, and others joined a rally called by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers at the school board office here March 14. They were protesting a $1 billion cut in state funding to education proposed by Gov. Thomas Corbett in his new budget—almost $300 million of which would come out of Philadelphia—and plans by the school board for additional attacks on teachers. These include the transformation of 18 schools into charters or “Promise Academies.”
The school board has announced that it will increase class sizes, stop buying new textbooks, cut athletics and art and music programs, reduce student transportation funds, and lay off teachers.
As part of the overhaul, all teachers at the 18 targeted schools would be fired and forced to reapply for jobs. The school day and school year would be lengthened. These proposals have been met with a number of protests, both at the school board and at a number of the targeted schools, including Martin Luther King, West Philadelphia, Audenried, and Olney high schools.
The school board exiled popular Audenried teacher Hope Moffett out of the classroom and into an empty basement office, known as the “rubber room.” Moffett was charged with speaking out against the proposed transformation of Audenried, aiding students in attending protests against it, and with releasing “confidential” school documents—the written order transferring her from the school.
At the rally Moffett was joined by a group of students from Audenried, many wearing homemade T-shirts supporting her. “Free Hope,” one read. Moffett told the Militant that she was proud of the way her students took part in the demonstrations and was fighting to get back into her classroom.
On March 21 Moffett was returned to teaching at Audenried after court-ordered arbitration with district officials.
—John Studer
Iowa: ‘We Are One’ rally
defends public workers
OTTUMWA, Iowa—Some 350 people joined a “We Are One” rally here March 20 endorsed by 20 local unions and sponsored by the Southern Iowa Labor Council, AFL-CIO. This town of 25,000 is home to a large Cargill meatpacking plant of 2,400 workers organized by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 230 and a John Deere plant organized by United Automobile Workers (UAW) Local 74.
Miriam Kenning of the Ottumwa Education Association told the demonstrators that Iowa’s collective bargaining laws were enacted following a wave of teachers’ strikes in the early 1970s. Now public workers are under attack in the midst of state budget crises and lawmakers are trying to drastically restrict union rights workers have fought for and won.
A number of young meatpackers from Local 230 were at the rally. Brooke Billings told the Militant, “We have to help to support everyone.” Erica Billings added, “We want our voices heard.”
Paul Durban, a member of UAW Local 74 who has worked at John Deere for 10 years, brought his family to the protest. He told the Militant, “We need to rally against the taking away of our rights to collective bargaining. I have everything I own because of our union.”
Todd Miller, representing Local 48G of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, invited rally participants to join his local in a demonstration in Keokuk, Iowa, March 26. The unionists have been locked out by Roquette America for more than six months. Steve Siegel, president of the Southern Iowa Labor Federation, announced that the AFL-CIO has called for solidarity actions across the country on April 4. The action in Iowa will be in Des Moines.
—Helen Meyers
Nurses rally in Boston,
demand ‘Safe Staffing Now’
BOSTON— Chanting “Safe Staffing Now!” more than 200 nurses held a picket line here March 16 and passed out leaflets in English and Chinese to bring their case to the public.
The nurses work at Tufts Medical Center (TMC) and are members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, affiliated with National Nurses United. Since their contract with TMC expired in December, they have been working under a three-month extension.
Donna Ruffner, who has worked at TMC as a nurse for 30 years, explained: “The hospital is trying to give us more patients. Research shows more patients per nurse leads to more infections, more mortality. They’re also trying to get rid of older nurses, who are at the top of the pay scale; they want newer ones, at lower pay.”
Forced overtime is another important issue. “I work a 12-hour night shift, and at times they’re mandating us to stay another four hours. That’s how they’re filling the holes,” said Sherry Sutherland, a nurse with 21 years at the hospital. “You cannot give safe care when you haven’t had enough sleep.” The nurses are seeking contractually-guaranteed staffing levels, which would be adjusted based on the patient’s level of sickness, as well as prohibitions against forced overtime, and the “floating” of nurses from one specialized area to another where they might not be competent.
The day before, there was a protest outside WGBH, the public broadcaster whose 280 production workers, editors, writers and others had voted down a concession contract by 188-15. Despite the request to continue negotiations by their union, the Association of Employees of the Educational Foundation, Communications Workers of America Local 1300, management imposed the contract the next day.
—Sarah Ullman