While the two sides reach tentative agreements on most other issues by Saturday November 14 that brought pay raises, improved health care coverage, and benefits for parents, the two sides remained at odds over tuition waivers, which the GEO insisted on having in writing to ensure that they were protected. Kerry Pimblott, the GEO's head negotiator, said the union received more than it had initially asked through the strike.

"We were asking for a re-opener, the right to re-open the contract," Pimblott said. "We actually got more than that. We got contract language in there that allows us to grieve if they do change anything on campus in terms of waivers. The language basically says there will be no change to the ongoing tuition-waiver policy. If violated, we can grieve it."

Pimblott credited the strike, in which the GEO estimates that over 1,500 graduate student workers participated, for achieving these results. "We tried everything for seven months in a room, and we were unsuccessful until the workers threatened to go on strike," Pimblott said.

Despite rainy, cold weather on both days, hundreds of graduate students picketed several campus buildings. The GEO also received considerable and crucial support from the University's faculty, many of whom canceled classes or moved them off-campus in support of the GEO's demands for a living wage, tuition waiver protection, and health and child care improvements. Undergraduate students also contributed to the strike, forming the Undergraduate/Graduate Alliance that worked with the GEO to solicit support from the University's large undergraduate body.

The result, according to GEO spokesperson Peter Campbell, was a resounding win for graduate student workers. "Unquestionably, this is a win for the GEO," Campbell said. "The bargaining team was able to secure language that we believe significantly increases protection for tuition waivers at Urbana-Champaign. We won a significant wage increase, and we won increases in health care and child care benefits."--Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette; Daily Illini (24 November 2009)

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/u_of_i/2009/11/24/geo_members_vote_to_ratify_tentative_deal_with_ui

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/u_of_i/2009/11/18/tentative_deal_between_ui_geo_ends_two-day_strike

http://www.dailyillini.com/news/campus/2009/11/11/undergrads-show-support-for-geo

September 17, 2009
William J. (Bill) Adelman Remembered
By Leslie F. Orear, President Emeritus, Illinois Labor History Society

A life of devotion to the pursuit of labor history came to an abrupt
end on September 15th with the death of William J Adelman, a founder
of the Illinois Labor History Society and its Vice President. The
cause of death was a heart attack.

Adelman began his professional career as a high school history
teacher. Later Professor Adelman joined the faculty of the Institute
of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

He was one of the few academics offering a labor history perspective
in the Chicago region during the 60s and 70s. His lectures, seminars
and tours to labor sites became extremely popular, particularly in the
labor union community. His content was always designed to produce the
maximum understanding of the historical roots of contemporary issues,
and his encyclopedic knowledge of the subject was legendary.

As one of an informal group of labor attorneys, educators and editors he helped create the Haymarket Workers Memorial Committee which issued a call for a ceremony in Haymarket Square on May 1, 1969 to correct public misunderstanding of the “so-called” Haymarket riot. The success of that effort led to the incorporation of the Illinois Labor History Society and Adelman’s election as Vice President that same year.

Aware of the need for better teaching tools, Adelman produced self-guided tours to the Pullman community where the great strike of 1894 had taken place and to areas associated with the Haymarket Tragedy of 1886. He continued the series with Pilsen and the West Side, including the Ashland Avenue neighborhood known as Union Row because of its numerous labor union headquarters. His visual works began in the 16mm days with “Packingtown USA” followed by “Palace Cars and Paradise,” a walking tour of the Pullman community with Adelman himself as guide. Both have been transferred to video. Most of these materials are available today through the Illinois Labor History Society.

He served on the official public committee to select the sculptor for
the Haymarket Memorial sculpture installed by the City of Chicago in
Haymarket Square in 2004 after 35 years of agitation by the labor
community. This historic event followed the naming of the Haymarket
Martyrs Monument in Forest Home Cemetery as a National Historic
Landmark by the U.S. National Park Service in 1998. Adelman had urged
such action at a conference held by the Park Service. .

In May 2009, Adelman’s “Haymarket Revisited” was republished in the English language by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions in New Delhi with a foreword by its president, M.K. Pandhe. In this new version entitled “Glorious Saga of May Day Martyrs,” Pandhe notes that he and his wife had been members of a Haymarket tour party in 2008. Pandhe declares: “…I must mention the remarkable guidance given by Prof. William J. Adelman….For over two hours he narrated the entire background to us in a lucid manner which reflected his firm commitment to the working class and their legitimate struggles… I was deeply impressed. by the book [“Haymarket Revisited”] and thought that Indian readers should know about the glorious struggle of the Chicago workers.”

Adelman was immediately informed when the book arrived at the ILHS
office in late August of this year, but unfortunately he did not have
the opportunity to see it before his untimely death.

Any questions regarding this or other prevailing wage issues or requests for outreach should be directed to the Illinois Department of Labor at (217) 782-1710. For more information, please visit our website at: www.state.il.us/agency/idol/.

September 14

Champaign

7 pm at 504 East Armory Street. Archie Green, labor educator and ILIR librarian, was founder of the American Folk Life Center which is part of the Smithsonian Museum. He organized and led the folksong group which was the largest student organization on the UIUC campus in the 1970s. Music, performances, singing, memories.

CHAMPAIGN CONFERENCES

Local Union Presidents’ School

Sept. 24th-26th, 2009, Champaign, IL

For elected leaders and officers, meet and share updates, strategies and case studies. Legal updates, trends in workers compensation, current struggles, labor and politics.

Conference Registration Deadline: Sept. 14, 2009.

Collective Bargaining Conference

November 19-21, 2009, Champaign, IL

Confronting the worst of hard times: budget cuts, plant closings, layoffs, furloughs, outsourcing and downsizing Living under the contract: considering enforcement while we negotiate. What does a good contract look like?

CHICAGO CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Basic Certificate in Labor Studies Classes (BCLS)

Chicago

Introduction to the American Labor Movement

6-wk course - Tuesdays, September 22, 2009 thru October 27, 2009 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Basic Steward Training

6-wk course - Tuesdays, November 10, 2009 thru December 15, 2009 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Advanced Certificate in Labor Studies Classes (ACLS) Chicago

Current Issues in the Labor Movement

6-wk course - Wednesdays, September 23, 2009 thru October 28, 2009 6:00-8:30 p.m.

Advanced Steward Training

6-wk course - Wednesdays, November 11, 2009 thru December 16, 2009 6:00 –8:30 p.m.

CHAMPAIGN CERTIFICATE CLASS
Building and Rebuilding the Labor Movement Champaign, IL

Thursday Evenings from 6:00–8:30 pm. From September 24 to November 19, 2009

Where did this crisis come from and where is it headed? How can we help our members in this crisis? Participants who complete the class will get a combined Union Community Action Network (UCAN) and Labor Education Program (LEP/LER) certificate.

September 17

Chicago

27th Annual Federal Sector Labor Relations & Labor Law Conference

Chicago-Kent College of Law presents a day of interactive discussion with some of the foremost federal sector labor relations leaders and practitioners. The conference focuses on federal sector and postal labor relations and law. IL MCLE Credit: 5.75 general hours, including 1.25 hours of ethics (pending approval).

September 18
“How Do We Get America Out of Debt?” Champaign UIUC YMCA
Thomas Geoghegan, Labor Lawyer and Author, Despres, Schwartz and Geoghegan Ltd. Noon to 1 pm.
Our country melted down because it lived beyond its means. Why is it that other high wage countries like Germany are able to run trade surpluses and out compete us in the world economy? Tom Geoghegan, author of “The Secret Lives of Citizens” argues that the only way to make the country more competitive is to move to a European-type social democracy. 1001 South Wright Street, Champaign. 217-337-1500

September 19

Chicago

The Banking Industry: What Workers Need to Know About the Current State of the Industry, the Roles of Bank Regulators, and the Federal Reserve

This course/symposium will address questions many working people are wondering about, including: if it’s still safe to keep their savings in a bank, how banks are regulated, what functions the Federal Reserve System is responsible for, and where the banking industry is headed.

September 29

Older Healthcare Workers: Addressing Health and Safety Challenges on the Job

Chicago

A conference sponsored by University of Illinois School of Public Health.

Learn about programs and policies to design safe workplaces and accommodate the work/life/health needs of an increasingly aging health care workforce. Detailed program information and registration: www.publichealthlearning.com, or contact Marsha Love at lovem@uic.edu

October 1-2

Chicago

Capital Stewardship & Fiduciary Duties Course

What is capital stewardship? Why is pension fund investment important? This course introduces trustees and union leaders to the importance of capital stewardship and pension activism. Offered in partnership with the National Labor College. You can earn one college credit hour by taking this course.

October 5th in English, October 26th in Spanish

Chicago

Worker’s Compensation

Learn about the law and what it means specifically to you. Learn what to do if you or someone in your group gets injured. Learn about your rights and get all your questions answered. Only $5!

Fall Online Labor Studies Registration

8-week classes start Mon. Oct. 19th

Don’t miss out on registering for shorter 8-week fall courses online. We offer Introduction to Labor Studies (LER 100), Labor and Social Movements (LER 110) and Contemporary Labor Problems (LER 120). Check out our website for class descriptions, then email illinoislabored@illinois.edu to register.

Customized Classes Online

LEP offers customized classes in the classroom, at your location and now we can design and teach customized classes online! For more information on how LEP can educate your members by putting your training online, contact Steven Ashby at (312) 996-8733.

CONTACTS: Chicago, Yesenia Vargas, 312-996-2624

Champaign: Martha Kelley, 217-333-0980

www.illinoislabored.org

Helena Worthen

Clinical Associate Professor

Labor Education Program University of Illinois

504 East Armory, Champaign, IL 61820

217-244-4095

hworthen@illinois.edu

communicate/coordinate/cooperate/collaborate

7-9 p.m. Monday, September 14, 2009

Wagner Education Center
School of Labor & Employment Relations
University of Illinois
504 East Armory Avenue
Champaign, IL 61820

Reception and refreshments following the program.
This event is free and open to the public.

Program:

Welcome
Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Dean School of LER

Archie Green . . . Only a Folklorist DVD
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

How Archie Taught Us to Learn from Music
Stephen Wade, performer, writer and folk music scholar;
accompanied by Jordan Kaye, bandleader of the Prairie Dogs

Archie as Trade Unionist
Mike Munoz, pile driver and union activist

Archie Green and Establishing the American Folklife Center
David Taylor, Head of Research and Programs, American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress

Folk Music and Laborlore: Valuable Lessons for History
David Roediger, Professor of History, University of Illinois

Personal reminiscences and reflections

The Fast Sooner Hound
Stephen Wade

August 15: ACCOUNTABILITY HEARING. Bring your stories of jobs lost, economic stress to a meeting with representatives of the Federal Reserve of Washington DC at Decatur Civic Center, 9:30 am. Sponsored by the Central Illinois Organizing Project (CIOP) and National Training and Information Center (NTIC). Call 309-827-9627 or 217-428-4336 to reserve your free ticket.

September 12: MOTORCYCLES. District 7 Steelworkers Solidarity Run and Roast to benefit Los Mineros de Cananea. $25 per rider, scenic run, hog roast, entertainment. Call Blanca Morales at 219-886-2596 or 1-800-937-8007 before Sept. 4th.

September 14: ARCHIE GREEN memorial celebration 7 pm at 504 East Armory Street, Champaign. Archie Green, labor educator and ILIR librarian, was founder of the American Folk Life Center which is part of the Smithsonian Museum. He organized and led the folksong group which was the largest student organization on the UIUC campus in the 1970s.

September 19: THE BANKING INDUSTRY. 9:00 am – 12:00 at CLEP offices, 815 West Van Buren, Chicago. Daniel Schmid, MA, 19 years of experience as bank examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, will explain and discuss banking industry trends. $25. Limited to 25 registrations. Call Nancy LaHare at 312-996-2127.

September 24-November 19, B&RB CLASS. Thursdays from 6:00 – 8:30 pm. Building and Rebuilding the Labor Movement: Confronting the Economic Crisis. Co-sponsored by the Campaign County AFL-CIO, UIUC Labor Education Program, Central Illinois Jobs with Justice, UIUC Campus Labor Coalition and Central Illinois IWW. Where does the crisis come from? Who is to blame? How have unions responded? How can we help our members? What resources are available locally? What would a good, sustainable, fair economy look like? What are our political opportunities in this period of EFCA, health care, stimulus money and the war? $70 per person. Call Joe Berry at 217-333-2388 or Martha Kelley at 217-333-0980.

September 24-25-26: SECOND ANNUAL LOCAL UNION PRESIDENTS CONFERENCE. For elected leaders. Champaign. Current Illinois struggles, case studies, legal update, how to perform your job, labor’s response to the economic crisis, honing the message of healthcare reform and the Employee Free Choice Act (do your members get it?), the next four years. $220 early bird, $325 regular. Call Monica Bielski at 217-244-4094.

Stan Rosen, professor emeritus of labor education at Illinois, wrote: “I have boxes of files on labor education I would like to send to anyone who might find them useful. Interested persons should contact me at 505-473-4454.”On Sunday, Sept 13, from 8:00- 10:00 pm Rosen will be doing his annual labor day folk program streamed on KSFR.org.

CONTACTS:

Chicago, Yesenia Vargas, 312-996-2624

Champaign: Martha Kelley, 217-333-0980

Helena Worthen

Clinical Associate Professor

Labor Education Program University of Illinois

504 East Armory, Champaign, IL 61820

217-244-4095

hworthen@illinois.edu

communicate/coordinate/cooperate/collaborate

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 482, representing stage hands and riggers in Champaign, held an informational picket outside Assembly Hall on Thursday July 23. The IATSE local asserts that the University of Illinois, by hiring a Florida contractor for renovation work at Assembly Hall, is violating its collective bargaining agreement. "This is work our local does. Several riggers do this. We've done the fly systems at Krannert, Parkland and Foellinger Auditorium. We have a contract with the university and this building and we feel as though they are violating our collective bargaining agreement," said Jim Bean, assistant business agent for the local. However, Tom Divan, assistant director of operations for Assembly Hall, argues that "We followed state and university guidelines in bidding this project because of the dollar amount associated with it. Any contractor able to do this work was able to bid on it." Although the local is using local union electricians and iron workers, it is displacing several local union members capable of performing the renovations, IATSE Local 482 member Sean Murphy asserted. Murphy also argued that the Florida contractor is not following proper safety guidelines. Many of our 35 members are capable of this work. A lot of it is done 90 feet in the air hanging from a fall-arrest harness. People who are doing the work in there are not wearing such gear," Murphy contended. --The News Gazette (24 July 2009) http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2009/07/24/local_union_upset_about_hiring_of

2.) Norma Gaines Wins Liberty Bell Award

The Madison County Bar Association awarded United Steelworkers (USW) member and labor educator Norma R. Gaines with their Liberty Bell Award in May. According to the Madison County Bar, "The presentation of the Liberty Bell Award is made annually to a non-lawyer who promotes better understanding of the rule of law, encourages greater respect for law and the courts, and stimulates a sense of civic responsibility. The Liberty Bell Award was established more than thirty years ago." Gaines, who was one of the first women to become a journeyman craftsman at the US Steel Granite City Works, is the Co-Coordinator of USW's District 7 "Women of Steel" group, which educates women in the union's district. It also formed the Phoenix Crisis Center to shelter and assist abused women and their families in Granite City, IL, and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the center through theatrical performances. Gaines has served as a teacher at the University of Illinois's Labor Education Program. --United Steelworkers of America. http://www.usw.org/action_center/women_of_steel/page?type=news&id=0009

3.) Teachers at Three Chicago Charter Schools Unionize

After a two-month fight with Civatas Schools' Chicago International Charter Schools (CICS), teachers at three charter schools in the city voted 73-49 to unionize. Although 75 percent of teachers at three charter schools--Wrightwood, Northtown Academy, and Ralph Ellison--signed cards expressing their desire to unionize in April, CICS pushed for an NLRB election even though Illinois labor law allows public-sector workers to unionize via card-check. Workload, work hours, and pay issues motivated the charter schools to unionize. At Northtown, the former CEO allegedly told teachers that they would be required to teach an additional class with no raise in pay. They were also told that, rather than teach summer school, they would instruct students who failed in night school. “If we didn’t like it, they basically told us ‘there’s the door,’” said Emily Mueller, a Spanish teacher. Teacher dissatisfaction resulted in high turnover rates at Ellison, with only six of twenty teachers returning to the school last year. --Labor Notes (August 2009) http://labornotes.org/node/2346

4.) Illinois Unemployment Rises to 10.3%

The unemployment rate in Illinois rose slightly to 10-3% in June, up from 10.1% in May. 683,000 people remain unemployed, the highest number in a month since November 1983. Construction and manufacturing were hit heavily, with construction losing 5,400 jobs and manufacturing 2,800. --Chicago Sun-Times (17 July 2009) http://www.suntimes.com/business/1671144,w-illinois-unemployment-rate-071709.article

5.) AFSCME Sues State to Ensure Members' Pay

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), representing 40,000 state workers, filed suit Tuesday July 14 to ensure that the state would pay its members despite the lack of a state budget in place. “We’re seeking a court order that state employees be paid on time, on schedule and in full,” said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The suit alleges that the state has violated not just the union contract, but fair-labor provisions of federal labor law. --Peoria Journal-Star (14 July 2009) http://www.pjstar.com/homepage/x488838235/AFSCME-files-suit-to-force-state-worker-paychecks

Professor Wagner served as director of the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations (now the School of Labor and Employment Relations) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, from 1958 to 1968. He continued as a professor until 1982, when he retired and was awarded emeritus status. Wagner played a central role in the development of public sector labor relations laws for the state of Illinois, including serving as the first chairman of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board and in leadership roles on numerous state and regional federal commissions and boards on training, labor-management relations, unemployment, wage-price controls, civil service, and related matters.

Early in his career, Wagner served in the WWII Office of Production Management and as a regional director for the National Labor Relations Board in San Francisco and Cincinnati. In 1948, he served as the founding executive director of the Louisville Labor-Management Committee, the nation’s first area labor-management committee. In that same year, he was a founding member of the Industrial Relations Research Association (now the Labor and Employment Relations Association), which recently honored Wagner with its lifetime achievement award. He was also recognized recently for 50 years of service in the National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA), a rare accomplishment as individuals are only inducted into the NAA after they have already achieved prominence in the profession. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) provided Wagner with a Lifetime Membership Award in 1996, a particularly significant accomplishment for a labor neutral.

At the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois, Wagner launched one of the early doctoral programs in industrial relations in 1966. He was beloved by former students and colleagues alike and is seen as having provided the core “dna” for what is one of the nation’s top programs in labor and employment relations.

Born on September 11, 1911, in Newport Kentucky, Wagner earned A.B. and M.A. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1933 and 1935 respectively. He was a Rhodes Scholar (Magdalen ’36), earning a B.A. from Oxford University in 1937 and later an M.A. from Oxford in 1960. At the 100th anniversary celebration of the Rhodes Scholar program in 2003, Martin Wagner was the third oldest recipient in attendance.

Wagner is survived by his son John, of Orlando, FL, his daughter Martha Wagner Weinberg, of Brookline, MA, and two grandchildren, David and Katy Weinberg. His wife Nelle Nordstrom Wagner preceded him in death in 1997. A commemorative celebration of Martin Wagner’s life and accomplishments is on Saturday morning, September 12th in the Martin Wagner Education Center at the School of Labor and Employment Relations, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a memorial service to follow on that weekend.

April 24, 2009

www.illinoislabored.org

JOB: Chicago. United Association for Labor Education Treasurer Bob Ginsburg is looking for a part-time assistant. Pay is $2,520 to be paid as $105 twice a month. Mailings, checking mailbox, send out dues receipts, data entry, routine filing and file maintenance, other work as assigned. Work will take place at 70 East Lake Street, Suite 1700. Contact him at rginsburg@igc.org

SCHOLARSHIPS: Union Privilege at www.UnionPlus.org/college-education-financing/diversity-scholarships wants us to publicize their program. These scholarships cover non-credit as well as credit programs. That means that you can apply to Union Privilege in order to, for example, attend the full cycle of Statewide Labor Education Conferences or to attend individual labor education classes. They also cover childcare and travel to labor ed programs. Go to the website to read more. The application is in the middle of the page. The deadline is May 30.

April 27: Champaign. Remember the Staley lockout? Steven Ashby and CJ Hawking, authors of “Staley: The fight for a new American labor movement,” along with Staley workers, will read from and discuss this new book on Monday at 6:30 pm in Mumford Hall Room 103, (1301 West Gregory). Email skashby@illinois.edu for more information.

April 28: Effingham. Anne Feeney plays a free concert at the VFW, 2304 South Veterans Drive off South Fourth Street, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Donations will be accepted for the Heartland Human Services workers who have been locked out since they offered unconditionally to go back to work last July. These workers are the “poster child” for the Employee Free Choice Act. Call 217-347-2936 to RSVP or for more information.

May Day (May 1): Chicago: Rally at 10 am, Union Park, corner of Ashland and Washington. The big march heads off at 12 noon. Reconvene at Haymarket (Randolph and DesPlaines) at 4:00 pm for dedication of a plaque from the AFL-CIO, a speakout about the Employee Free Choice Act, and a report by the President of UE Local 1110 at Republic Windows. The annual Illinois Labor History Society meeting will take place at 5 pm at the Musicians hall, 650 West Randolph, with Kim Bobo speaking on wage theft.

May 2: Champaign-Urbana: Celebrate May Day at the Central Illinois Social Forum, 1 pm to 12 midnight, at the Indy Media Center in downtown Urbana. Multiple workshops. There will be an anti-foreclosure/eviction group coming down from Chicago and activists from Charleston, Effingham, Decatur, Bloomington and Danville. For more information contact the Champaign-Urbana Jobs with Justice or Ricky Baldwin at 217-328-3037 or peoplespotluck@chambana.net

May 9: Chicago. What’s the backup plan in case EFCA doesn’t pass? It doesn’t hurt to think and act strategically. Come to the 2009 Chicago Troublemakers School at Malcolm X College on Saturday, May 9. Address: 1900 West van Buren, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. www.labornotes.org/chicago to register online, or call 313-842-6262.

May 14-17: St. Charles. The annual Regina V. Polk Women’s Labor Leadership Conference. Focus on bargaining and the impact of the Employee Free Choice Act and other developments under Obama. Waiting list.

May 21: Danville. Conference on Older Workers: Achieving work satisfaction, Avoiding health and legal problems. Danville Area Community College Bremen Conference Center Contact: www.ocdanville.com or w.gingold@uiuc.edu

LEP SUMMER ONLINE CREDIT CLASSES

(For more information about the online program and to view course syllabi, go to the online section of our website www.illinoislabored.org)

12 week session May 12 - July 31

LIR 130 Introduction to Labor and Working Class History

LIR 200 Globalization and Workers

8 week sessions June 9 - July 31

LIR 100 Introduction to Labor Studies

LIR 110 Labor and Social Movements

LIR 120 Contemporary Labor Problems

STATEWIDE CONFERENCES

LEP offers a sequence of statewide labor conferences in Champaign. Our intent is to repeat these or other conferences, depending on requests and input from the labor movement, on an annual basis. The goal of these conferences is to:

* Engage current Illinois labor leaders, elected, staff and rank and file;
* Identify and develop future leaders;
* Encourage them to meet each other and learn each other’s issues;
* Help them stay up to date on a wide range of issues critical to the labor movement;
* Facilitate communication and action across unions, trades and workplaces;
* Move an effective labor agenda in our unions, workplaces and in the public sphere.

The schedule proposed for 2009-2010 is:

Union Communications: the Face and Voice of Labor

June 25-26-27

Union Education: Why teaching is the first step in organizing

July 23-24-25

Local Union Presidents Conference

September 24-25-26 (tentative)

Collective Bargaining: Negotiations and Contracts

October 29-30-31 (tentative)

Safety and Health at Work

January 28-29-30, 2010

The rate for all five conferences is $1300, payable in advance. The cost of each conference is $325, with a $275 early bird rate except for the Union Communications conference which is only $220 with a $200 early bird rate. Most meals are included but hotel reservations are separate. For registration details call Martha Kelley at 217-333-0980 or email her at memoore1@illinois.edu

Three-quarters of the education staffs at Chicago's Northtown Academy, Wrightwood and Ralph Ellison schools have signed union authorization cards, seeking to become the first unionized charter school teachers in the city, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Illinois Education Labor Relations Board now has 30 days to review and certify the results. According to one teacher at Northtown, staring pay for charter school teachers is roughly the same as for unionized educators, but the school days and school years are longer, meaning more work time for the same pay. Their union would joint the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT). --Chicago Sun-Times (4 April 2009) http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1511088,CST-NWS-union04.article

2. Archie Green, Activist and Folklore Expert, Passes Away

Archie Green, a lifelong labor activist and groundbreaking expert in working-class folklore and culture, passed away at the age of 91 on March 22 in San Francisco. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba under the name Aaron Green, he moved to Los Angeles as a boy and became immersed in union activism and socialist politics. He joined in the Civilian Conservation Corps, and later became a shipwright in San Francisco. After serving in World War II, he became a carpenter, then later enrolled in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to study labor history. Based on research on the music and culture in southern Illinois, he wrote the article "Hillbilly Music: Source and Symbol" in 1965 in the Journal of American Folklore. Finishing his doctoral dissertation at Pennsylvania State University in 1972, Green spent most of his time working in academic and political circles to tout and preserve folklore culture. Green helped to compile folk music in the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He wrote several books, editing "The Big Red Song Book" that compiled song lyrics from various Little Red Songbooks from the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.). --New York Times (28 March 2009) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/books/29green.html?scp=2&sq=Archie%20Green&st=cse

3. Illinois Unemployment Rises Again

Illinois state unemployment hit 8.6 percent in February and 9 percent in the Chicago metropolitan area. All twelve metropolitan areas in Illinois saw jobless rates rise, with Rockford the hardest hit by a 5.8 percent increase from January's 8.2 percent to 14 percent in February. Kankakee (12%), Danville (11%), and Decatur (10%) also posted double-digit jobless figures for the month, while the hardest-hit sectors of the economy were professional and business services; trade, transportation and utilities; manufacturing; and retail.--Chicago Sun-Times (1 April 2009) http://www.suntimes.com/business/1505523,CST-NWS-jobs01.article

People interested in working on the May 2nd (tentative) Labor Notes Troublemakers School in Chicago contact paul@labornotes.org or 313-842-6262. Focus on the economy.

VIRDEN

Labor, Myth and Race: a Community Discussion

March 4 and 5 in Virden, Illinois

To create a “usable history”: School and community open discussion on the complex legacy and meaning today of a hard-won labor victory. Showing of interviews from Rose Feurer’s work-in-progress, the Battle of Virden video. http://www.lib.niu.edu/2006/iht1320610.html

HAZMAT CLASSES
Contact www.illinoishazmat.org at 217-333-0640

March 5, 2009

8 Hr HazWoper Refresher – Urbana

March 23-27, 2009

40 Hr HazWoper – Springfield

April 23, 2009

8 Hr Hazwoper Refresher - Springfield

April 20-24, 2009

40 Hr Technician - Peoria

GREEN JOBS SUMMIT

March 27th from 8 AM to 4:30 PM

Kennedy-King College, 6301 South Halsted Street in Kennedy-King College

$39 for Students (limited registration with a valid Student ID); $79 for Non-profits, educational institutions, or government; and $99 for for-profit businesses and organizations. Register at greencollarchicago.eventbrite.org or call 773-929-5552 x 226.

www.greencollarchicago.org

UALE 2009 CONFERENCE “Imagining Alternatives: The Challenge to Labor”

http://uale.org/

United Association for Labor Education, Annual Conference April 15--18 at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD. UALE is a professional organization for union-based, community organization-based and university-based labor educators. For more information contact LER-uale09@illinois.edu

POLK WOMEN’S LABOR LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2009

May 14-17 at Pheasant Run: Organizing and Bargaining under EFCA, the Employee Free Choice Act. Funded by the Regina V. Polk Scholarship Fund. Scholarship applications have been mailed out to all women on the LEP mailing list. Application deadline March 2. Applications may be downloaded at http://www.ler.illinois.edu/labor/images/Scholarship%20Application%20Form09.pdf

2009 LOCAL UNION PRESIDENTS SCHOOL

September 24, 25, & 26, 2009 at UIUC

WEB LABOR INFO

Labor in Illinois (an electronic clipping service): http://www.library.uiuc.edu/blog/labor/

Library portal: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ler/

CONTACTS

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President Ron Gettlefinger of the United Auto Workers urged the 42,000 members of his union who work at Ford to approve concessions to Ford Motor Company. Gettlefinger wrote the unionized Ford workers about the dire straits of the company and the auto industry, saying, "The company cannot continue to sustain this level of losses and stay in business." Ford, which operates a stamping plant in Chicago Heights and an assembly plant in Chicago, will make buyout offers to all its unionized hourly workers. The UAW has also agreed to take stock as up to 50% of the health-care payments that Ford makes to help sustain the UAW health-care trust fund for retirees. Ford currently owes the fund over $13 billion on a $23.7 liability. Concessions include changing time-and-a-half overtime pay to take effect after 40 hours instead of after 8 hours a day, and includes giving Ford the right to flexible scheduling such as four ten-hour days.--Chicago Tribune (25 February 2009) http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-ford-uaw,0,4573738.story

2. Opposition Mounting to Wal-Mart's Proposed Expansion into Chicago

Unions and various Chicago aldermen have posed strident opposition to the proposed expansion of Wal-Mart into the city's South Side. An outstanding issue for organized labor and certain politicians remains Wal-Mart's opposition to unionization. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based corporation ""would be welcome to come to Chicago if they gave their workers the right, if they so desire, to organize," according to Alderman Joe Moore (49th), a union ally. "We are simply asking them for that level of fairness." Wal-Mart is considering multiple South Side locations, including Chatham, Pullman, and Washington Park. However, the company has been rebuffed in Chatham, when last year the city's Department of Community Development would not approve a zoning request for Wal-Mart. Mayor Richard Daley has distanced himself from the issue in order to maintain organized labor's support for Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid.--Crain's Chicago Business (2 March 2009) http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=31406

3. Provisions for Unemployed in Stimulus Plan

The recently passed stimulus plan contains particular provisions that should assist Illinois's unemployed in the coming months. Among other things, the stimulus package will extend Emergency Unemployment Compensation that extends unemployment benefits an additional 20 weeks. This was due to run out near the end of August, but that date has been extended until December 31, 2009. It also eases workers' access to health care benefits through COBRA. Previously, laid-off workers had to pay for their own health insurance premiums. With the stimulus law, employers will pay up to 65% of the COBRA premiums, which the government will reimburse to them, and the provision is retroactive to September 1, 2008. The subsidy can last up to nine months. Additionally, the stimulus package will resuscitate government spending for the Job Training Partnership Act to put youths to work. --Kankakee Daily Journal (1 March 2009) http://daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=436272

4. Republic Windows and Doors Sold, to Re-Open in Months

After staging a six-day sit-in last December, workers at the former Republic Windows and Doors were excited to learn that a California-based company, Serious Materials, bought the bankrupt company for $1.45 million. Serious Materials plans to hire back some or all of the 250 former workers within several months. “They are promising to hire all of us back sooner or later, but they will start with a small crew,” said Mr. Robles, 39, who had been a maintenance technician. “Having another company reopen the factory was always our hope when we occupied the factory in December.” News of the sale came on the heels of word that Republic's former Rich Gillman, had halted operations at its Red Oak, Iowa plant--which had opened as a non-union factory late last year. --New York Times (26 February 2009) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/us/27factory.html?_r=1

5. State Attorneys File Complaint Against Caterpillar for Oil Spill

Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Will County State Attorney James Glasgow filed a seven-count lawsuit against Caterpillar, the Peoria-based earth-moving manufacturer, over thousands of gallons of oil that spilled from its Joliet facility on February 8. Roughly 65,000 gallons of oil overflowed from the facility, and it is estimated that 6,500 gallons flowed into the Des Plaines River. Glasgow noted that the company quickly reported the spill, and that no serious environmental damage occurred as a result. However, the complaint alleges multiple violations, including that the incident endangered the environment, and seeks thousands of dollars in fines. --Peoria Journal-Star (23 February 2009) http://www.pjstar.com/archive/x1739334294/Lawsuit-filed-over-Caterpillar-oil-spill

6. Arbitrator Rules for City Workers, Against Oak Forest in Health Care Dispute

Unionized city workers in Oak Forest, who paid higher out-of-pocket costs for co-pays and deductibles after the city changed its health care plan, will be reimbursed by the city, according to a January 30 arbitration decision. Arbitrator Robert McAllister ruled that Oak Forest did not offer "substantially the same" health insurance plan to "police, public works, clerical and telecommunicator employees" when the city change the plan on January 1, 2007. The city must also restore the prior health insurance plan that the workers had before the changes made at the beginning of 2007 or, if one is not readily available through an insurance company, work to create one. This is the second arbitration case in the last seven months that Oak Forest has lost. Last year, an arbitrator ruled that the city had to reinstate and pay back pay to Don Hall, a public works employee who had been fired. --Southtown Star (26 February 2009) http://www.southtownstar.com/neighborhoodstar/oakforest/1447607,022609OFlabor.article

Over 3,000 union members rallied on Chicago's West Side in support of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bill in Congress that would facilitate unionization for workers. Alderman Ed Burke and Congressman Danny Davis of Illinois joined the cheering crowd, with unions such as the Teamsters, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and others filling the Plumbers' Union hall. "A key component of the bill, supporters say, calls for a union to be formed immediately if a majority of of workers sign a card authorizing union representation, explained Anders Lindall, a spokesman for AFSCME Council 31." But the EFCA, if passed, would also strengthen penalties against employers that discipline and harass workers during unionizing drives, and would provide avenues to mediation and arbitration within 90 days of a union organizing for it to successfully negotiate a first contract. --Chicago Sun-Times (18 February 2009) http://www.suntimes.com/business/1436649,CST-NWS-labor18.article

2. Unions, Businesses Prepare for Major Fight over Employee Free Choice Act

Labor and business leaders expect the upcoming legislative battle over the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) to be one of the most hotly contested of the year. “We are here to let you know today, that this is organized labor's No. 1 on the agenda," said Dennis Gannon, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, this week. Business leaders are just as adamant over the bill. "We think this will be one of the most significant debates [of the year],” said Brian Turmail, spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America. “This debate will be about whether decisions will be made in places like Peoria or Greensboro, or in Washington." The bill's provisions allow workers to form a union through "card check," after a majority of workers sign cards for a union. It also provides a defined period of 90 days for mediation and arbitration that would allow a newly formed union to successfully negotiate a first contract, and stiffer penalties for companies that threaten, harass, or fire workers during union organizing drives. --Medill Reports Chicago (19 February 2009) http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=117573

3. Wal-Mart Plans Expansion in Chicago

Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retail franchise corporation, is making plans to expand its presence in Chicago. Currently, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based corporation has only one store within the city. Unions and community groups have thus far successfully blocked Wal-Mart from opening more store within city limits, and will likely do so again. "They're trying to take advantage of an economic crisis to move into these urban markets, but the dynamics have not changed," said Jerry Morrison, executive director of the Service Employees International Union's Illinois council. One of the locations Wal-Mart is apparently considering is in the predominately African-American South Side. --Wall Street Journal (11 February 2009) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123429120871869301.html

4. Addus HealthCare, SEIU Agree on Unionizing Health-Care Workers Plan

Palantine-based Addus HealthCare and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have renewed a neutrality agreement, first agreed upon in 2006, through 2010 stipulating that Addus would not oppose SEIU efforts to unionize their employees at 119 company facilities. The agreement paves the way for SEIU's push to organize the remaining one-quarter of Addus's 12,000-person workforce that is not currently unionized. SEIU president Andy Stern hailed the agreement in one of the lowest-paid but fastest-growing sectors of the US economy. “If you cast away ideology and just focus on the bottom line, this partnership works,” SEIU President Andy Stern said. “What’s sad is that too many people in business let their anti-union ideology get in the way of their bottom line.” --Medill Reports Chicago (10 February 2009) http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=115027

5. Elgin-Area Workers Hit Again with Layoffs

Three Elgin-area employers have planned to or have already begun to lay off workers, further adding to the city's economic difficulties. WMH Tool Group, a manufacturer of tool accessories, will have laid off about 60 employees by the end of the year. A Citi branch office laid off 51 employees when the branch closed on December 29, while Elgiloy Specialty Metals will start laying off up to 77 workers beginning March 16. All three businesses reported these layoffs to the state, in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN. --Suburban Chicago Courier News (19 February 2009) http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/business/1437101,More-layoffs-impact-Elgin_EL021809.article