At the Labor Caucus at this year's Netroots Nation, several dozen of us talked about how we can connect unions and the labor movement back to the rest of the progressive movement. There were a lot of great ideas, and a couple of us put together these resources to help people write about unions on Labor Day.
Well, Labor Day is this Monday, September 1. Almost 50 people signed up on TakeBackLaborDay.org to pledge to write about unions on Labor Day, but you can join in, too. (Don't forget to check out the all-star lineup at TodaysWorkplace.org with dozens of high-profile guest bloggers!)
Check out below the flip for great resources on the election, organizing drives, why unions matter, and the Employee Free Choice Act.
GREAT RESOURCES & WEBSITES
EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT
Cintas is trying to affect who their employees support in Congress in the interest of promoting their corporate agenda. The Cintas Votes website asks employees to lobby members of congress against the Employee Free Choice Act. Given the stories we’ve heard from workers it is hard to imagine why someone would turn to Cintas or Wal-Mart for political guidance (union gal makes this point well). However, when you consider the power employers can exercise over their employees in non-union situations and the new big budget anti-EFCA TV ad campaign that the corporate lobby is funding, we all need to do our part to speak truth to power.
WHY UNIONS MATTER
Great new compilation of stats & facts on Unions Making a Difference for all sorts of people & issues from my organization.
Some excerpts:
Unions reinforce the middle class and lift up America’s communities. States with higher rates of unionization have lower rates of poverty, crime, and failing schools.
Unions make the workplace more productive. Across the economy, unions raise productivity by 19 to 24% in manufacturing, 16% in hospitals, and between 17 and 38% in the construction sector.
Unions hold corporations accountable for pollution that damages worker and community health, as well as the natural environment. As leaders of the Blue Green Alliance, the United Steelworkers and Sierra Club not only support green-collar jobs and fair trade, but work to reduce toxic chemicals in the workplace and the environment.
ELECTION 2008
John McCain on Americans' work ethic:
Barack Obama on why we need unions & the Employee Free Choice Act:
Joe Biden on the Employee Free Choice Act:
WORKERS' STORIES & ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS
The Teamsters are dealing with SchoolBusWorkersUnited.org and Fedxmx.com. The first organizes school bus drivers to help make it better & safer for those who drive our children to school. The second organizes FedEx Air mechanics to stop changes in pension funds and other cuts.
United Farm Workers - California's Harvest of Shame
"California’s Harvest of Shame," a short documentary showing some of the current conditions facing California farmworkers, is timely as AB 2386 (Nunez) is making its way to the Governor’s desk. This bill would authorize secret ballot elections for farmworkers and helps to ensure that the laws on our books match the realities in the fields.
California's Harvest of Shame from California Assembly Access on Vimeo.