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JOHN J. FLYNN President International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers .............................

Had Enough?
Issue 3 - 2006

We may not be able to have an immediate impact on many of the crises happening in our world. We may not be able to bring about world peace, prevent natural disasters or cure cancer, but there is one crisis impacting each and every one of us that we can help to resolve. That is the crisis facing working families.

In the U.S., if we contact our members of Congress now, and follow-up by voting in November, we can stop the enactment of laws that will harm union members and reverse the steady descent of working families into poverty. Even in Canada where elections are not imminent, there’s no time like the present to educate federal and provincial elected officials on working family issues before the negative trends U.S. workers are facing spill over the border.

If we act now, we can make conditions better for all workers, and secure our own bargaining rights to protect our families’

Today in the U.S., a person’s basic right to join a union is in jeopardy and a growing number of full-time workers are earning less than the poverty level. Several initiatives are underway that could further help or harm working families. We each need to know our members’ of Congress position, and let them know where we stand, on the following issues:

We strongly oppose expanding the definition of a ‘supervisor’ under the National Labor Relations Act because it would strip millions of workers of the protection of union membership and the right to bargain collectively for wages and working conditions. If decided in the employers’ and Bush Administration’s favor, the Kentucky River cases currently before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could strip as many as eight million private sector workers – including construction workers – of the right to be a member of a union. At issue is the definition of a ‘supervisor.’ If the NLRB agrees with employer groups’ and the Administration’s broad definition of a supervisor, then skilled workers who provide some level of guidance to less skilled workers are at risk of falling under the ‘supervisor’ category, not for an increase in pay, but to be denied the right to belong to a union and to collectively bargain over their wages and working conditions. A recent Wall Street Journal headline summed it up: “Pending Rulings Could Restrict Union Membership.”

We support the Employee Free Choice Act because it would ensure that all workers have the right to decide whether or not to form a union, free from employer coercion. The legislation was introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators in response to a dramatic rise in the incidence of employers intimidating and harassing employees trying to form unions and bargain collectively. If passed, the measure would provide union recognition and majority status verification through card check, first contract arbitration (to ensure that employers can’t delay signing an agreement), and stronger penalties for employers who use coercion or intimidation to prevent workers from joining a union.

We support an increase in the minimum wage. Although surveys by independent research groups have shown strong public support for increasing the minimum wage, the Republican-controlled Congress has only supported these efforts after adding provisions to benefit the wealthiest Americans. The current federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour or $10,712 per year before taxes – that’s $4,865 less than the poverty level for a family of three. On its own that’s disgraceful, but it’s worse when you consider that since 1997, the last time the minimum wage was increased, members of Congress have received a 24% pay raise, CEO’s have received a 73% pay raise, and the President’s salary has increased 100%. Shouldn’t every hard working American have the right to earn a living wage?

If we act now, we can make conditions better for all workers, secure our own bargaining rights, and protect our families’ standard of living. Let your voice be heard by logging onto www.bacweb.org and clicking on “Legislative and Political” and “Take Action.”

If we act now, WE WILL DECIDE the outcome of Kentucky River and the 2006 elections.

If you have ideas for stories or issues of concern, let us know by emailing us at askbac@bacweb.org or writing to:

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Attention: Communications Department
1776 Eye Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006