Labor in Illinois

Week of Apr 23

Discussions on Forming First Trans-Atlantic Trade Union

The United Steelworkers and the two largest manufacturing unions in the United Kingdom, Amicus and the Transportation & General Workers Union, have announced plans to work toward a merger that would represent over 3 million workers and retirees. Known as the Ottawa Accord, the agreement follows a strategic alliance signed by Amicus and the Steelworkers two years ago. In the UK, Amicus and the T&GWU have already agreed to merge. The Steelworkers, the largest manufacturing union in North America, has 850,000 members in the United States and Canada. With retirees, it numbers 1.2 million. USW president Leo Gerard said, “Unless we move, the corporations will be the ones who have he playing field.” – Daily Labor Report (19 April 2007): A-6.

AFL-CIO Backs Medicare-Based or Single-Payer Based, Nationalized Health Care

Union leaders from various industries with varying levels of employer sponsored or union and employer sponsored health care benefits stand behind the AFL-CIO’s decision to officially support nationalized public health care. Leo Gerard of the United Steelworkers said, “I’m not interested in having Wal-Mart sell insurance to people who can go to a Kaiser Permanente clinic in the store.” AFL-CIO health care specialist Gerald Shea said that they did not yet officially endorse any legislation but suggested that both the single-payer or medicare-based proposals are worth discussing. – Dupage County Labor Record (April 2007): 4.

Chicagoans Support Living Wage Proposal

Chicagoans again overwhelmingly approved a referendum for the Big Box Living Wage Ordinance, a proposal that would require large retailers in stores over 90,000 square feet and $1billion in sales to pay a living wage of $10/hour and $3 in benefits by 2010. the ordinance was passed by the Chicago City Council in 2006 with a 35-14 vote. Three months later, however, Mayor Daley vetoed the ordinance and the council fell three votes short of overriding the veto. In predominantly African American wards, 82 percent of voters support the ordinance, while in Latino and White wards support averaged 79 percent.—Federation News (April 2007):3.

Illinois Chemical Manufacturer in Violation of OSHA Standards

Universal Form Clamp of Bellwood was deemed by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation as unprepared in training and plans for the major accidental chemical release of June 2006. The plant was not designed in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association fire codes with an alarm system and regular emergency drills, a violation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s standards. The chemical safety board further recommended that the OSHA amend its standard governing flammable and combustible liquids to require the facilities that handle such liquids to implement OSHA’s emergency action plan. In December 2006, the OSHA issued $151,650 in proposed penalties to Universal Form Clamp for 40 alleged serious safety and health violations relating to the accident. – Occupational Safety and Health (12 Apr 2007): 326.

Separate Wage Classification Unnecessary for Landscapers, Illinois Appeals Court Rules

The Illinois Apellate Court denied a petition by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association for a new prevailing wage classification for landscape workers. The Illinois Department of Labor and Laborers’ International Union convinced judges that landscape workers “do not possess different skills, knowledge or abilities from those of laborers.” Recently, some Illinois landscape workers have organized through the International Union of Operating Engineers and International Brotherhood of Teamsters. – Construction Labor Report (18 Apr 2007): 254-255.

Racist Employee’s Influence Deemed Insignificant to Black Student’s Dismissal

University of Illinois African American graduate student Londell Brewer was fired from the personnel office after altering a parking permit on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Soon after, the parking scandal was used to tip the scales in his departmental evaluation which found that his grades fell fractionally short of the required minimum. Despite Brewer’s claims against the that his racist personnel supervisor told him to use the tag but later denied it, judges ruled that this supervisor was not connected closely enough to the departmental decision to terminate him. Brewer’s claims also failed because he could not identify a similarly situated, non-African American individual who was treated better. Judges decided that though it may be a violation in university policy to consider personnel office work in graduate program decisions, Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects against employment discrimination, “does not create liability for any decision that violates a university policy, only for decisions that violate Title VII’s policy against racism.” – Government Employee Relations (10 Apr 2007): 433.

Department of Labor Proposes Revisions to Youth Employment Standards

The Labor Department’s Employment Standards Administration announced its plans to work with the Occupational Safety and Health Report to revise the list of permissible jobs and occupations for 14 and 15 year olds. Paul DeCamp, administrator of the Wage and Hour Administration, has announced plans to study whether these younger teenagers can function as appropriate employees in the construction trades, banks and high technology companies. Currently, Department of Labor specifications have limited teenagers to retail establishments, food service, and gas stations. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor proposes to bar teens under 18 from working in Hazardous Occupations such as logging and sawmills, meat processing, bakery equipment, compacting and baling equipment, and certain cutting, shearing and guillotining equipment. – Daily Labor Report (17 Apr 2007): A-3 – A-5.