LaborPains.org

The SEIU Leadership in Canada prepares to take strike action with Red Cross workers.  Since when is the Red Cross a vicious employer?  Who’s next the Salvation Army?

Flawless logic from The Huffington Post:  Unions increase economic growth, but “corporate interests” don’t want economic growth.   Hmm…last time I checked Wall Street gets pretty excited about economic growth.

(The report itself, of course, doesn’t directly accuse the GOP and corporate interests of opposing economic growth and recovery, but reading its measured analysis of the economic benefit of unions leads to the inescapable conclusion that anti-union business leaders have a misguided zeal for low wages at all cost — regardless of the impact on their own workers, their firms’ productivity, their own long-term profits or the broader economy.)

Let me get this straight, because I’m still baffled. Businesses don’t care about productivity, long term profits, or the broader economy. Wow.  I think people both on the Left and Right can at least agree that businesses definitely care about productivity and long term profits!

Politico continues to report on the UNITE HERE battle.

GM and Chrysler hold out their hats.

A new survey shows that 64 percent of likely voters are against loaning the auto companies more money.

UHW speaks out on video regarding their feelings on Andy Stern and democracy.

Some Blue Dog Democrats may oppose EFCA.

UAW reaches a tentative agreement.

As I pointed out yesterday, small businesses will be hurt by EFCA.

3000 rally for EFCA in Chicago. We’re bound to see a lot more of these rallies as the introduction of the bill draws closer.

There is a rumor floating around Washington that the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act won’t affect small businesses.

In a recent OpEd in the Herald News titled “Free Choice and Small Business,” Sen. John Kerry wrote:

Employee Free Choice Act makes no changes to the small business exemptions under our nation’s labor laws. Small businesses employing an estimated four million American workers would still be exempt and completely unaffected.

It is true that EFCA makes no changes to the National Labor Relations Board’s Jurisdictional Standards, but the problem is that those standards haven’t been updated since 1959! And currently any non-retail business with revenues (not profits) over $50,000 from interstate operations is eligible for unionization. Retail businesses must top $500,000. Here are the NLRB’s “current” standards:

Jurisdiction will be asserted over any retail operations with a gross volume of business in excess of $500,000 annually and which has some business, greater than de minimis, across State lines. The nonretail standard requires $50,000 of direct or indirect inflow or outflow of goods or services across State lines.

But $500,000 a year in revenues is well below the federal government’s standard for a “small business.” In fact, the Small Business Administration’s “Size Standards” consider most non-farm businesses a “small business” if they have revenues less than roughly $10 million (with some exceptions; based on two sets of standards at $7 million and $14 million).

So how many small business are eligible for unionization under EFCA? For that we turn to the US Census Bureau (before it was politicized and moved into the White House). There are roughly 1.8 million small business employing 31 million Americans that are eligible for unionization under EFCA.

Want the latest scuttlebutt about And Stern and the SEIU? Well you’re in luck. Perez Stern has everything covered. Here’s how they describe themselves:

Perezstern.blogspot.com is a labor union related gossip site which publishes rumors, speculation, assumptions, opinions and conjecture in addition to accurately reported facts. Information on this site may or may not be true and perezstern.blogspot.com makes no warranty as to the validity of any claims.

The California budget battle rages on.  SEIU members are offered special protection from the layoffs.

SEIU’s own staff isn’t getting special treatment in regard to internal layoffs.

GM prepares a 900 page restructuring plan. “But G.M.’s plan to shrink its way to profitability will not mean much without an agreement with the U.A.W.”

A new poll reveals America’s disagreement with EFCA:

Voters who are currently aware of the Employee Free Choice Act oppose it.

Of the 19% who have seen, read or heard something about the Employee Free Choice Act, almost half (49%) say they oppose the measure, while just one in three (33%) support it. Almost one in five (18%) say they are undecided.

A majority of both Republicans (76%) and Independents (50%) oppose the Act, while a little more than half of Democrats (54%) support it.

Schwarzenegger and SEIU reach a deal.  Both sides gain in the compromise.

Former Milwaukee Police Union boss charged with forgery and misappropriation of entity identifying information.

Angry Mini autoworkers in England throw fruit at their union bosses.

Union sources said workers had thrown fruit at managers but BMW denied the claim. A spokesman said: “No BMW managers addressed the workers. I have confirmation that the fruit was thrown at union representatives.”

The UNITE HERE civil war continues.

The Waco Tribune-Herald editoralizes against EFCA:

Union officials say the bill wouldn’t require secret ballots on whether to unionize, only that a majority of employees sign a card indicating a willingness to join a union. Problem is, it could well be done as union officials look on.

That’s intimidation.

We urge lawmakers to rally against this bill and preserve the basic tenets of our democracy — even in a place sometimes as autocratic as the American workplace.

Schwarzenegger continues to wrestle with California’s SEIU. The current issues include paid holidays, furloughs, and labor rules.  Check out this labor rule that should definitely go:

Schwarzenegger also wants union concessions on how the state counts overtime to cut into the $750 million spent on it from the general fund each year. The state currently counts any paid leave time as though the time were spent at work.

For example, a state worker on a 40-hour-per-week schedule who vacations Monday through Friday and then agrees to work Saturday gets overtime pay for the weekend shift.

Corporate CEOs aren’t the only ones with private jets.  The machinists union has used dues for private jet travel as well.

In Washington state, “A judge has ruled that Gov. Chris Gregoire has the power to back out of labor contracts negotiated with state employee unions.”

Oregon’s SEIU agrees to concessions.

A high ranking SEIU official resigns after being accusing of charging the union $9,000 for personal expenses.

The Chicago Tribune says that Hannity gave Blogejevich “his most intense grilling yet.”

SEIU among others spends big bucks in California to influence politics.

More on the UHW/SEIU problems: “Stern’s dream is nothing less than a nightmare for local members of United Healthcare Workers West”

Harsh words continue to come from some at UNITE HERE, but John Wilhelm begins to take a gentler tone.