That Union Thing

Unions, Unite!

Unions are about individual members working together to achieve common goals, and now even the unions themselves are uniting to work together.

The recent AFM Broadway strike increased its effectiveness by gaining the support of actors and technicians, and as reported in the last issue of SFM, 13 Broadway unions and guilds have formed COBUG to work together to strengthen the position of their members. SAG and AFTRA have agreed to present a unified front in upcoming commercials negotiations, and may even merge in the near future.

As SAG President Melissa Gilbert noted, the industry has changed dramatically in the past ten years. Corporate consolidation has led to corporate giants that dominate their industries. Eight companies produced 88% of motion pictures in 2001. Clear Channel owns 1200 radio stations nationwide, including  14 in south Florida. (Clear Channel has also been the target of anti-trust suits and FCC fines for payola violations.)

Our individual voices will never be as loud as the voices of these corporate giants, but thousands of voices in unison can.

President George Bush said of the  rescued coal miners who were trapped in Pennsylvania, “It was their determination to stick together and to comfort each other that really defines kind of a new spirit that’s prevalent in our country.”

If we stick together to protect the rights of working people, it can only  strengthen  democracy and freedom in America. 


Union News

Unions are Good  for the Economy

In a policy statement recently released, the World Bank has stated that labor unions help promote greater equity within societies and help national economies. Unions lower inequality of earnings and can help lower unemployment and inflation, increase productivity, and speed up adjustments to economic shocks. Good relations between labor and management can lead to a more stable economy and promote better investment climates.

From AFL-CIO Work in Progress

Twelve industrial unions have banded together to form the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council. They intend to use their combined forces to increase their political and lobbying might and draw attention to the significant loss of jobs in the manufacturing industry.

MOUNT SINAI CONTRACT--Almost one year after voting to join SEIU 1199 Florida in a hotly contested election, the more than 100 certified nurses aides, housekeepers, dietary, laundry and maintenance workers at Mount Sinai-St. Francis Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Miami ratified their first union contract Feb. 7. The new contract calls for higher wages, job security and expanded rights on the job.

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