|
|
Brothers and Sisters,
"Our top priority is preventing the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act." - U.S. Chamber of Commerce website The Chamber of Commerce has never been a friend of workers. Over the years they have lobbied AGAINST things like safety regulations, unemployment compensation, minimum wage reform, and even family leave time. So I think we were all surprised when the Chamber first announced that they were staunchly against the Employee Free Choice Act because it took away the rights of employees. The Indiana AFL-CIO finds it hard to believe that after years of fighting against the workers that keep businesses going, now the Chamber is spending between $200-400 million to defeat the first shot at real labor law reform in over 50 years because they are concerned about workers’ rights. They’ve never been right on the issues before, and they’re not right on this issue now. Last week Jobs with Justice and local workers in Indianapolis gathered outside an anti-Employee Free Choice Act seminar in downtown Indianapolis, organized by the State Chamber of Commerce. Thirty activists turned out to cover shifts between 8am and noon, almost matching the participants inside the seminar. Similar actions have taken place around Indiana and I commend all of you for taking a stand and making sure the surrounding community knows that the Chamber is once again looking to defeat measures that could make a real difference for working Hoosiers. Click here to see photos from the event. Please continue to write, call, and email our elected here in Indiana, urging them to support and co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act. All your work is not going unnoticed so please keep hosting creative events like the one last week outside the Chamber of Commerce’s seminar. Each week we are a little bit closer to accomplishing our goal thanks to all of you. Keep it up, Hoosiers!
In Solidarity,
P.S. Don’t forget to regularly visit the Indiana Employee Free Choice Act blog for the most up to date pictures, videos, interviews, and news on the campaign in Indiana. http://employeefreechoice.typepad.com/in/ 1) Spotlight: NALC Branch 39
The National Association of Letters Carriers Branch 39 in the Indianapolis area proudly represents about 1,400 letter carriers, 900 active members and 500 retirees. Just like during Labor 2008, the Indiana Letter Carriers have stepped up to help lead the charge on the Employee Free Choice Act campaign. “Education is our primary objective in this current campaign,” explained President Paul Toms. “There’s a lot of misinformation and even downright lies going around out there and by educating our members we can further educate the public.” Video of President Toms can be viewed here. Branch 39 sends out The Hoosier City Thirty-Niner, a monthly newsletter that reaches the entirety of their membership, and each month Vice President John Triplett does an educational article on the Employee Free Choice Act. Further, Branch 39 continues to collect letters and petition signatures every chance they get. “Our middle class needs to be revitalized and that does not just mean creating jobs. I think we have to make sure those new jobs are good jobs, providing a livable wage and decent benefits,” said David Miller, the new President of the Indiana State Association of Letter Carriers and Branch 39 Secretary Treasurer. Click here to see video of David Miller. “Our history as letter carriers goes to show the difference a union can have on the quality of life for a workforce. Not too long ago, letter carriers were low-wage workers with practically no benefits. However, once we organized there were vast improvements across the board and I think there are a lot of workers now who are in the same situation we were at one point. We can all learn from history and restore the rights of workers to choose to belong to a union with this bill,” Triplett went on. See a video message from Branch 39 Vice President John Triplett here. The Indiana Letter Carriers not only contribute in their union, but also in their communities. Their annual food drive took place on May 9 this year and brought in over 310,000 lbs. of food for local food panties. Our pantries are certainly over taxed right now with rising unemployment and more and more families in need; now more than ever these contributions were genuinely needed. The food collected always goes directly back into the local community and Branch 39’s contributions were distributed in Indianapolis, Beech Grove, Shelbyville, Greenfield, Mooresville and Plainfield. In addition, since 1952 the NALC has worked with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) by helping to raise money and donating time. Dave Tunison is the MDA Coordinator for Branch 39 and leads fundraising efforts as well as donating a week each summer to volunteer at the Indiana MDA Camp for kids. Thanks to Branch 39 and all state Letter Carriers for their leadership and service in Indiana!
2) Ally of the Week: Congressman André Carson
Congressman André Carson represents Hoosiers in the 7th District of Indiana and is a strong supporter of labor and workers' rights. Below is a letter that Representative Carson sent to his colleagues in Congress. You can click here when you're done reading to send Representative Carson a 'thank you' message for supporting the rights of workers here in Indiana and across the country by not only co-sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act, but also actively engaging his colleagues to do the same. THANK YOU CONGRESSMAN CARSON, YOU ARE A CHAMPION FOR WORKING FAMILIES! ###
STAND UP FOR WILLIAM SELM: SUPPORT THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT"When I talk to doorman in other cities where they have unions, I'm always struck by their professionalism and years of service. I loved my job as a doorman. That's why I'm fighting to make our jobs better." - William Selm, former Westin doorman Dear Colleague, I write to call your attention to the real life experience of William (Bill) Selm, an award-winning hotel doorman in my district, the 7th Congressional of Indiana, who lost his job for speaking out on behalf of his fellow workers. For fourteen years, Bill Selm was the doorman at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. As the well-known face of the Westin to guests and the downtown community, he was much more than just a doorman. Bill was the Westin Employee of the Year (1998) and honored by the city with the Indianapolis ROSE Award (2003) for customer service excellence. In 2005, Bill even spoke on behalf of the Westin at a Statehouse rally to bring funding to our Convention Center expansion. What changed? Bill dared to speak up about the outsourcing of his co-workers' jobs. In November of 2007, a majority of workers from the Westin, including Bill, signed and delivered a petition to Westin management requesting a fair process for workers to choose whether to form a union in an environment free from intimidation. To this day, Westin management has ignored the workers' request. Instead, the Westin began subcontracting the bell/valet departments to another company, giving workers less than two weeks notice. Westin employees, including Mr. Selm, were rehired by the subcontractor with no seniority, pay cuts, and fewer benefits. When the Westin continued to outsource more jobs, Bill spoke up for his fellow workers. Within hours, he was banned from the Westin property and now works at another area hotel, where his pay has dropped from $8.40 to $3.50 an hour. We have all heard the arguments about the Employee Free Choice Act. The truth is that what happened to Bill and other Westin employees would not have happened if the Employee Free Choice Act were the law. Employers should not be able to punish workers who demand the right to unionize, nor should they be able to ignore workers' repeated requests to form a union. I encourage each of you to remember Bill Selm's story and join me in standing up for Bill and the millions of workers across this nation by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act. To cosponsor the Employee Free Choice Act, please contact Meredith Regine at meredith.regine@mail.house.gov Sincerely, André Carson Member of Congress 3) Upcoming Events
Picket Outside the Chamber of Commerce June 19, 2pm Location: 400 W. 7th St. Bloomington, IN
June 23, 6-7:30pm Location: UAW Local 685 929 East Hoffer Street Kokomo, IN
Visit this link to stay up to date on
upcoming events: 4) In the News
“Workers Deserve to Have a Choice” Terre Haute Tribune Star By Tom Szymanski http://www.tribstar.com/opinion/local_story_160163842.html Business Leaders for a Fair Economy Over 1000 business owners across the U.S. have joined forces in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. Visit their new website here: http://www.faireconomynow.org/ Are you a business owner who wants to sign on in support of this legislation? Please contact Susan Fuldauer at (317) 727-4505 or
susanfuldauer@sbcglobal.net
5) Take Action! Follow these easy steps to help make sure the Employee Free Choice Act gets to President Obama's desk! 1. Write a letter, email, or fax to Senator Evan Bayh. a. Click here for sample messages. b. Click here Senator Bayh's office locations and fax numbers. c. Click here to email Senator Bayh.
Still not sure what to
write?
6) Campaign Contacts President Indiana AFL-CIO: Ken Zeller (317) 632-9147 or kzeller@inaflcio.org State Lead: Ramon Becerra (312) 330-2040 or rbecerra@aflcio.org Member to Member: Steven Henderson (317) 632-9147 or shenderson@inaflcio.org Communications: Kaitlin DeCero (412) 417-5984 or kdecero@employeefreechoice.org Faith: Nancy Holle (317) 509-7453 or nancyholle1@aol.com and Lettie Oliver (317) 508-5184 or loliver@inaflcio.org Community: Allison Luthe (317) 450-4019 or Allison@centralindianajwj.org and Shawn Phetteplace (703) 606-2396 or sphetteplace@afscme.org Small Business: Susan Fuldauer (317) 727-4505 or susanfuldauer@sbcglobal.net Evansville Area Lead: Brenda Moon (248) 219-3697 or bmoon@aflcio.org
|
