Labor Notes Magazine, June 2004, No. 303

Magazine

Chris Kutalik

Yes

Marsha Niemeijer

A day before SBC—America’s second largest telecommunications company—held its shareholder meeting in Columbus, Ohio, the company reached a tentative agreement on health care for 90,000-plus retirees and their families with the Communications Workers of America (CWA)...

Yes

Bill Pearson

There is no question that there was great support during the strike from other unions and groups of activists. But, suffice to say, no one who attended the forum was pleased with the employers’ actions, and they were even more disturbed by the union’s lack of aggressive response...

Yes

Carl Biers and Marsha Niemeijer

A group of members and local officers in the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is calling on members to reject a tentative master contract covering over 15,000 East Coast dock workers. They are demanding a “wage bridge” to end a multi-tier system that leaves many longshore workers earning far less than others who do the same work...

Yes

N. Renuka Uthappa

Unions are not known for their support of third-party candidates, especially when there’s also a Democrat in the race, but Hotel and Restaurant Employees (HERE) Local 2 endorsed Green Party candidate Matt Gonzalez in San Francisco’s 2003 mayoral election. Gonzalez nearly won that election, garnering 47 percent of the vote against Democrat Gavin Newsom. . . .


Yes

Carl Biers

One thousand bus drivers won raises and other benefits after a two-week strike against four private companies that provide para-transit service to the elderly and disabled in New York City. The strike was led by members of the Drivers Coalition, a rank-and-file caucus that has been organizing for several years for better representation in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181...

Yes

Nick Robinson

Concerns are mounting inside the Carpenters over International President Doug McCarron's controversial restructuring plan and other initiatives. Rank-and-file opposition has started to gel over moves by the International-moves, members say, have undermined democracy inside the union...

Yes