TLMCLC News
UFCW Local 367 needs your help!
After 14 months of bargaining a first contract for Super Supplements, located at the intersection of Sleater-Kinney and Martin Way in Olympia, UFC2 367 Secretary-Treasurer Denise Jagielo reports they have hit a road block. The employees of the store came to the local and voted to go union so they could have job security and fair progressive wage increases, versus wage increases that are based on arbitrary and subjective reviews by their manager.Please help UFCW 367 by sending a message to Super Supplements that you look forward to shopping at another union store in this community. Let them know you're glad they are respecting their employees' rights to form a union and look forward to them getting a fair contract with fair wage progressions for all their employees. Visit their store and show them what solidarity looks like and tell them you support their efforts to get a fair contract.
Let's show them the meaning of "Union Strong!" Call Daniel Eiben at Super Supplements at 1-206-838-398, or e-mail daniele@supersup.com.
Posted: February 7, 2012
Washington's Prevailing Wage Law Works
Source: Washington State Building & Construction Trades CouncilEconomic Gain
Our state's Prevailing Wage law was enacted in 1945 to discourage importing cheap, unskilled labor and to ensure wages paid are based on the local economy in each county. Construction projects funded with public dollars should benefit Washington tax payers, and not out-of-state contractors and imported workers. Employment of local trades people and contractors from the region and community generates income that will be spent at small businesses and benefit the community as a whole.Train for the Future
States with prevailing wage regulations have more apprenticeship programs and opportunities for education and training of the emerging professional construction workforce. After prevailing wage laws were repealed in Utah and Kansas, apprenticeship programs dropped by 40% and 38% respectively. It has also a fact hat larger percentages of women and minorities receive education and training
Manage Cost & Improve Quality
Research over the last 30 years has repeatedly demonstrated that prevailing wage projects cost less, or no more overall, when all economic factors are evaluated. On average, labor costs account for a mere 20 percent of a project's total cost, and prevailed projects are more likely to be completed on time, on budget, representing superior quality and with reduced injuries and fatality rates.
Government Benefit
The employment of local construction professionals and contractors result in greater tax revenues for our state. States that have repealed prevailing wage laws have suffered significant losses in sales and income taxes, reflecting an overall loss of income among construction workers and broad economic stagnation for local companies.
Posted: January 16, 2012
Hot Coffee: Movie Night at the Capitol
Where: The Capitol Theater, Olympia
Source: washingtonjustice.org
Last summer an Oregon trial lawyer had a fantastic run with a documentary she made about the attacks on the civil justice system by corporations, and how dangerous these efforts are for the rest of us. Her film, Hot Coffee (a reference to the infamous McDonald's coffee case), premiered at Sundance, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at SIFF, and was then shown as part of HBO's Summer Documentary Series. It is a terrific, entertaining film, and we think people should see it so they better understand why access to justice matters. Our Thurston County members are sponsoring a showing at the Capitol Theater. We'd love to open up the invite to all of you who would like to come; consider it an entertaining and educational date night on the Washington State Association for Justice -- we'll provide the food, drink, and movie to any who are interested! Attached is a flyer, just please rsvp to chris@washingtonjustice.org.
The film will begin at 7 pm on January 24th, at the Capitol Theater located at 206 Fifth Avenue SE in Olympia.
More info: http://hotcoffeethemovie.com
Posted: October 26, 2011
Schedule for November 1, 2011 "The Girls" Monument Dedication
When: November 1, 2011, Tuesday, 4 pm.
Where: 2000 S. Market Blvd., Chehalis
Schedule of Events:
1. Welcome
2. Unveiling the monument for "The Girls"
3. History of "The Girls" -Terry Walker
4. Worker protection impact - Judy Schurke, Director, Department of Labor & Industries
5. Poem "The Girls" by Bonnie Jean Kay
6. Presentation of "The Girls" for photographs
7. Dismissal
8. Gathering at Eagles Club meeting room
The ceremony is scheduled to last 30 minutes. The gravesite is about 100 yards up the hill and attendees are asked to walk the distance to duplicate the original funeral service 100 years ago. Free parking will be available at the Eagles Club parking lot across the street from the cemetery at the intersection of Market Blvd. and 20th Street in Chehalis. The event will be held regardless of weather conditions.
The attendees are invited to the Eagles meeting room after the event for coffee and cookies supplied by the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council.
Misguided court ruling threatens timber industry, jobs
TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE, October 5, 2011
BY TOM GIDEON AND BOB GUENTHER
It is rare that an issue arises that brings together representatives of labor and industry, as well as Democrats and Republicans, in a common purpose. But a recent misguided ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that undermines 35 years of established Environmental Protection Agency policy on forest roads is doing just that.
We are concerned because this ruling opens the door to regulatory chaos and a tsunami of litigation that will do little or nothing to improve the health of our forest lands.
The court declared that each drainage pipe or ditch on tens of thousands of miles of logging roads should be treated as if it were a discharge from a factory or coal-burning plant. This means that forest owners and workers face a new and needless layer of bureaucratic regulation, and it opens the door to potentially hundreds of costly lawsuits and permitting battles, creating paralysis in timber country and costing thousands of jobs.
The regulatory issues involved are complicated, but the consequences are easy to understand. If this decision stands, the economic impact will be very serious. After Oregon, Washington is the second largest timber-producing state in the country. Half our state is forested, and the forestry industry here generates more than $5.8 billion annually and $4.8 billion in payroll.
That payroll supports more than 130,000 jobs, many in rural communities with high unemployment rates. Our forests are a sustainable, renewable economic engine that is now being put at risk by this ruling, at a time when unemployment is already far too high.
We already have a strong regulatory system for forestry in Washington, one that works well to protect our environment while allowing for sustainable timber harvest. That is why forest owners like Weyerhaeuser are calling for congressional action to correct the flawed decision. It is why the Washington State Labor Council recently passed a unanimous resolution asking for the same.
Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/10/05/1852054/misguided-court-ruling-threatens.html
Posted: August 18, 2011
Get Free Microsoft e-learning From WorkSource
Is your lack of computer skills keeping you from getting hired or getting a better job? Well guess what—you are in luck! WorkSource customers throughout Washington have a unique opportunity to improve their computer skills— for FREE.
The Washington State Employment Security Department has contracted with Microsoft to offer more than 1,000 different online courses to WorkSource customers.
From first-timer to basic user to expert user to computer professional, you have the opportunity to go as far as you want.
Learn more at http://www.wa.gov/esd/e-learning/default.htm.
Or contact your local WorkSource office for help:
- Aberdeen: 360-533-9318
- Chehalis: 360-748-2360
- Shelton: 360-427-2174
- Tumwater: 360-704-3600
Posted: August 1, 2011
Congressmen Inslee and Larsen Support Proposed NLRB Changes
July 14, 2011The Honorable Wilma B. Liebman
Chairman, National Labor Relations Board
1099 14th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20570-0001
Dear Chairman Liebman: We are writing regarding the National Labor Relations Board's proposed changes to collective bargaining election rules and regulations. It is our belief that the proposal put forth by your agency is a positive step toward streamlining the union election process, and we would like to express our support for the proposed changes.
As you are aware, our country is still slowly pulling itself from the depths of a severe economic downturn. At a time when too many middle class families are experiencing economic uncertainty it is essential that the basic rights of American workers in be protected and strengthened. The right to organize is a worker's most basic right, and the free exercise of this right requires a timely and transparent process for the exchange of information between employees, employers and unions engaged in a union election. We applaud you for proposing changes to union election rules that will help achieve these goals.
Businesses and workers alike deserve an efficient election process when workers seek to organize. Consolidating timelines for pre- and post-election procedures, mandating that parties specify and exchange any issues of dispute in an upfront manner, and allowing for electronic filing of documents, are common-sense reforms that will bring enhanced efficiency to this process. For this reason, we write in support of the proposal and we appreciate your efforts.
Thank you for your consideration.
Jay Inslee, Member of Congress
Rick Larsen, Member of Congress
Posted July 21, 2011
TLMCLC Writes WSDOT Of Talgo On-Board Technician Concerns
Ms. Paula Hammond
Secretary of Transportation
WSDOT
PO Box 47315
Olympia, WA 98504-7316
Dear Ms. Hammond
It has come to the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council's attention that WSDOT plans to remove On-Board Technicians, a unit of employees represented by IBEW Local 46, from Talgo trainsets as a cost saving measure by the spring of 2013.
On-Board Technicians have been employed for over 10 years to maintain the Amtrak-Cascades trainsets en route. We strongly believe that the removal of On-Board Technicians from the trains would not be in the best interest of WSDOT, Amtrak Cascades, and the general public.
On-Board Technicians provide an immeasurable benefit toward passenger and employee safety as well as the on time performance for Amtrak-Cascades routes. During just the month of January 2011, at least six annulments or other major mechanical failures had been avoided due to the presence of the essential On-Board Technicians. This measurement does not take into account the very important daily functions of On-Board Technicians to monitor and repair the mechanical systems that ensure the trains run safely and efficiently.
Any plan that aims to replace On-Board Technicians with computer monitoring systems fails to take into account a variety of essential functions that these technicians provide, that computers simply cannot do. On-Board Technicians repair suspension leaks, brakes and brake pads, air conditioning, generators, intercom system, clogged toilets, appliances, battery chargers, exterior doors which are unable to open, jammed baggage doors or interior doors. They replace blown air hoses, light bulbs, and restroom toiletries. They monitor FDA compliance, water levels, fuel levels and conduct inspections mandated by the FRA. These employees also operate ADA lifts, solve car electronics communications problems, conduct work orders for broken windows, set GPS systems, run the fuel savings program, and work on computer and Wi-fi issues. These are merely examples of services that On-Board Technicians provide and are by no means limited to just such duties. Without the presence of On-Board Technicians aboard the trains, these are just some items that will go without repair or detection while away from the mechanical facility.;
Talgo trainset equipment is far more technically intricate than other regional Amtrak trains. For conductors or engineers to be qualified to perform functions in the absence of On-Board Technicians, it would require additional extensive and continual training. Conductors are held to Amtrak Service standards that require them to "not operate, adjust, or make repairs to any tool, equipment, machine or utensil unless qualified and authorized to do so." In addition, Conductors and Engineers face responsibilities such as “focus zones” that require 100% of their attention be paid toward upcoming signals where, in the absence of On-Board Technicians, important running and safety systems would go unmonitored.
We ask that you to immediately cancel any plans to remove On-Board Technicians from the Talgo trainsets. Please contact me so that I can assure our council that WSDOT no longer intends to implement such a removal of On-Board Technicians from the Amtrak Cascades trains.
Sincerely,Bob Guenther
Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council President
cc: Governor Christine Gregoire
Representative Chris Reykdal
