That Union Thing
Wages Down, Prices and CEO Pay Up
While the economy may have expanded 4.4% last year, little of that growth is being passed on to the majority of American workers. Inflation grew 0.2% more than wages grew last year (2.7% vs. 2.5%). On the other hand, CEO salaries rose an average 12% last year, increasing the gap between CEO and worker pay to more than 300-to-1. The gap in most other wealthy nations rarely reaches even 100-to-1.
Increases from 1990 to 2003:
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313%: CEO Pay
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242%: S & P 500 index
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128%: Corporate Profits
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49%: Average Worker Pay
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41%: Inflation
Outsourcing Lawyers
As reported on NPR’s All Things Considered, even lawyers can now be outsourced. Detroit firm Lexadigm provides lower-cost Indian lawyers to American companies.
Judges Want a Union, Too
Increasing caseloads. Inadequate support staff. Lack of a voice on the job. When judges in Pennsylvania decided they wanted to improve working conditions and maintain professional standards, they called a union. Since 1999, the Association of Administrative Law Judges in Philadelphia has been affiliated with the AFL-CIO international Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. Thanks to the union, the Social Security Administration recently backed off on demands to increase caseloads for judges who travel.
SAG and AFTRA Ratify Deal
A new, three-year film and television agreement has been ratified by members of Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The agreement includes fee increases, increases in the number of union background actors, increases in contributions to SAG and AFTRA health and pension plans, and a decrease in the number of units sold before video and DVD residuals are paid.
SEIU to Organize Condos
Service Employees International Union has set its sights on securing union representation for south Florida condo workers. According to a study done by FIU professor Bruce Nissen, as many as 5000 condo workers in Miami-Dade county may be making little more than minimum wage, and most do not receive health insurance. SEIU, which also represents Palm Beach County teachers and nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital, has been meeting with workers and passing out leaflets, as well as holding protests and filing lawsuits against Continental Group, which manages several hundred condos and has been accused of intimidating and firing pro-union employees.
City Employees Join Union
Citing job instability, inequities among departments, and lack of respect from the city commission, Flagler Beach (FL) city employees recently voted for union representation through the Coastal Florida Public Employees Association.
Florida Farm Workers Voices Heard
After years of pressure involving boycotts, strikes, hunger strikes, and a march across Florida, Taco Bell has finally agreed to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve pay and working conditions for Florida tomato growers. The agreement signed in March establishes direct payments from the fast-food company to farmworkers, nearly doubling the percentage of the final retail price that goes to the workers. It also sets up a code of conduct for suppliers and establishes an investigative body to monitor worker complaints.
From AFL-CIO Work In Progress
TRUCKIN’ TO VICTORY—In Miami, 66 workers at three DHL contractor locations—D&P Express, M&P Express and Miramar—voted overwhelmingly April 22 for Teamsters Local 769.
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