Labor
Another season of professional baseball is upon us, another season of a
sport that’s billed as the “National Pastime,” yet bars half the population
– the female half – from the playing field.
Major and minor league teams, as well as most amateur and semi-professional clubs, have kept the game largely what it has been since its beginnings: a chewing, spitting, macho game reserved for men. Women are allowed to watch, but only rarely have they been allowed to come out of the stands and play.
Major League Baseball made it official in 1952, when teams were banned from signing major or minor league contracts with women.
Baseball officials have not even bothered to explain why they’ve barred women from play. Just about the only public explanation came many years ago from former Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
Voiding a contract between the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts and pitcher Jackie Mitchell in 1931 – the first contract ever between a men's professional team and a woman -- Landis declared that women were unfit to play baseball because it is “too strenuous” for them.
Major and minor league teams, as well as most amateur and semi-professional clubs, have kept the game largely what it has been since its beginnings: a chewing, spitting, macho game reserved for men. Women are allowed to watch, but only rarely have they been allowed to come out of the stands and play.
Major League Baseball made it official in 1952, when teams were banned from signing major or minor league contracts with women.
Baseball officials have not even bothered to explain why they’ve barred women from play. Just about the only public explanation came many years ago from former Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
Voiding a contract between the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts and pitcher Jackie Mitchell in 1931 – the first contract ever between a men's professional team and a woman -- Landis declared that women were unfit to play baseball because it is “too strenuous” for them.
It’s way past time that Congress declared the March 31 birthdate of Cesar
Chavez a national holiday. President Obama agrees. So do the millions of
people who are expected to sign petitions being circulated by the United
Farm Workers, the union founded by Chavez.
Eight states and dozens of cities already observe Chavez’ birthdate as an official holiday – and for very good reason. As the UFW notes, “He inspired farm workers and millions of people who never worked on a farm to commit themselves to social, economic and civil rights activism. Cesar’s legacy continues to educate, inspire and empower people from all walks of life.”
Obama says, “We should honor him for what he’s taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation,” and for providing inspirational strength, “as farm workers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages.”
Chavez showed, above all, that the poor and oppressed can prevail against even the most powerful opponents – if they can organize themselves and adopt non-violence as their principal tactic.
Eight states and dozens of cities already observe Chavez’ birthdate as an official holiday – and for very good reason. As the UFW notes, “He inspired farm workers and millions of people who never worked on a farm to commit themselves to social, economic and civil rights activism. Cesar’s legacy continues to educate, inspire and empower people from all walks of life.”
Obama says, “We should honor him for what he’s taught us about making America a stronger, more just, and more prosperous nation,” and for providing inspirational strength, “as farm workers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages.”
Chavez showed, above all, that the poor and oppressed can prevail against even the most powerful opponents – if they can organize themselves and adopt non-violence as their principal tactic.
The preliminaries are over and what’s certain to be one of the fiercest
political fights in many years is finally underway. It pits the nation’s
labor unions and their Democratic allies against the pillars of corporate
America and their Republican allies.
The stakes are huge. A union victory would give U.S. workers the unfettered right to unionization that would raise their economic and political status substantially. But that would come at the expense of employers, who have been able to block a large majority of them from exercising the union rights that the law has long promised all workers.
The union-employer fight began in earnest on March 10 with the re-introduction in Congress of the long-proposed Employee Free Choice Act. The bill would strengthen the National Labor Relations Act to make it easier for workers to form and join unions, the stated purpose of the NLRA.
The lack of solid legal protection is a primary reason that, despite the higher pay and benefits and other obvious advantages of union membership, only about 12 percent of the country’s workers belong to unions.
The stakes are huge. A union victory would give U.S. workers the unfettered right to unionization that would raise their economic and political status substantially. But that would come at the expense of employers, who have been able to block a large majority of them from exercising the union rights that the law has long promised all workers.
The union-employer fight began in earnest on March 10 with the re-introduction in Congress of the long-proposed Employee Free Choice Act. The bill would strengthen the National Labor Relations Act to make it easier for workers to form and join unions, the stated purpose of the NLRA.
The lack of solid legal protection is a primary reason that, despite the higher pay and benefits and other obvious advantages of union membership, only about 12 percent of the country’s workers belong to unions.
Yes, the National Labor Relations Act says workers have the right to
organize and join unions. Yet a new study shows that growing numbers of them
risk being fired for attempting to unionize.
In more than one-fourth of the union organizing campaigns since 2000 among workers covered by the law, some of the workers were illegally fired for being pro-union, according to the study by economists John Schmitt and Ben Zipperer of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The latest yearly figures, for 2007, show that about 30 percent of the campaigns involved illegal firings.
The number of workers fired was relatively small – no more than 1,500 overall per year. But that included an estimated 20 percent of the activists and organizers in particular campaigns. What’s more, the threat of being fired undoubtedly kept many workers who otherwise would have supported unionization from doing so.
In more than one-fourth of the union organizing campaigns since 2000 among workers covered by the law, some of the workers were illegally fired for being pro-union, according to the study by economists John Schmitt and Ben Zipperer of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. The latest yearly figures, for 2007, show that about 30 percent of the campaigns involved illegal firings.
The number of workers fired was relatively small – no more than 1,500 overall per year. But that included an estimated 20 percent of the activists and organizers in particular campaigns. What’s more, the threat of being fired undoubtedly kept many workers who otherwise would have supported unionization from doing so.
Those who are seeking reform of the woefully inadequate health care system
have a new and powerful ally that aims to put the bulk of the country’s
registered nurses behind a drive to guarantee decent health care to all
Americans.
The drive will be led by an alliance of three of the largest nurses’ unions, the United American Nurses – National Nurses Organizing Committee. It’s an AFL-CIO affiliate formed recently by the California and Massachusetts Nurses Associations, which have members in six states, and the Maryland-based United American Nurses, with members in 12 states.
The alliance represents 150,000 registered nurses. That’s only a very small part of the nation’s 2.5 million RNs, but an extensive organizing drive planned by the alliance in conjunction with its drive to improve health care is certain to unionize growing numbers of nurses and bring other nurses’ organizations into the alliance.
The drive will be led by an alliance of three of the largest nurses’ unions, the United American Nurses – National Nurses Organizing Committee. It’s an AFL-CIO affiliate formed recently by the California and Massachusetts Nurses Associations, which have members in six states, and the Maryland-based United American Nurses, with members in 12 states.
The alliance represents 150,000 registered nurses. That’s only a very small part of the nation’s 2.5 million RNs, but an extensive organizing drive planned by the alliance in conjunction with its drive to improve health care is certain to unionize growing numbers of nurses and bring other nurses’ organizations into the alliance.
After nearly a half-century of steady decline, American unions are showing
unmistakable signs that they’re finally reversing direction.
The clearest evidence of that comes in a survey by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that the percentage of workers belonging to unions grew last year for the second consecutive year– from 12.1 to 12.4 percent of the workforce.
Although that might seem insignificant, the percentage increase meant union ranks grew by more than 425,000 in 2008 to a very healthy figure of more than 16 million. That indicated to economists that union growth is likely to continue at that rate – or perhaps an even greater rate – in the years ahead.
Last year’s growth came despite the steady decline in job growth and increase in unemployment. Unions also had to cope with the fierce anti-union pressures of the Bush administration.
The clearest evidence of that comes in a survey by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that the percentage of workers belonging to unions grew last year for the second consecutive year– from 12.1 to 12.4 percent of the workforce.
Although that might seem insignificant, the percentage increase meant union ranks grew by more than 425,000 in 2008 to a very healthy figure of more than 16 million. That indicated to economists that union growth is likely to continue at that rate – or perhaps an even greater rate – in the years ahead.
Last year’s growth came despite the steady decline in job growth and increase in unemployment. Unions also had to cope with the fierce anti-union pressures of the Bush administration.
This is not a happy time for American autoworkers. Their employers are
cutting thousands of jobs, closing plants, and demanding – and getting –
major pay and benefit concessions from their union.
Normally, February would be a time of celebration for the union, the United Auto Workers – a time to mark the anniversary of a UAW victory in a sit-down strike in 1937 that led to making its members the world’s most secure and most highly compensated production workers.
But though they are losing that hard-won standing, autoworkers can draw important inspiration from that victory in Flint, Michigan, as they struggle against the severe employer pressures they’re facing today.
The victory ended one of the most dramatic and important economic battles in U.S. history. It pitted the UAW, then struggling for mere survival, against General Motors, then the world’s largest and most profitable manufacturer of any kind.
Normally, February would be a time of celebration for the union, the United Auto Workers – a time to mark the anniversary of a UAW victory in a sit-down strike in 1937 that led to making its members the world’s most secure and most highly compensated production workers.
But though they are losing that hard-won standing, autoworkers can draw important inspiration from that victory in Flint, Michigan, as they struggle against the severe employer pressures they’re facing today.
The victory ended one of the most dramatic and important economic battles in U.S. history. It pitted the UAW, then struggling for mere survival, against General Motors, then the world’s largest and most profitable manufacturer of any kind.
It’s the 90th anniversary this month of the general strike that brought the
city of Seattle to a virtual standstill -- one of the very few general
strikes in U.S.history and certainly one of the most dramatic and
disruptive.
Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson described it this way: “Street car gongs ceased their clamor. Newsboys cast their unsold papers into the streets. From the doors of mill and factory, store and workshop, streamed 65,000 working men. School children with fear in their hearts hurried homeward. The lifestream of a great city stopped.”
It was one of no less than 3,600 strikes that broke out nationwide in that post- World War I year of 1919. Steelworkers, coal miners, workers of all kinds – even policemen -- walked off the job.
They acted in response to drastic reductions in the wages that the heavy demand for labor during the war had brought them, the onerous working conditions that were now imposed on them and the widespread attempts by government and employers to destroy their unions.
Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson described it this way: “Street car gongs ceased their clamor. Newsboys cast their unsold papers into the streets. From the doors of mill and factory, store and workshop, streamed 65,000 working men. School children with fear in their hearts hurried homeward. The lifestream of a great city stopped.”
It was one of no less than 3,600 strikes that broke out nationwide in that post- World War I year of 1919. Steelworkers, coal miners, workers of all kinds – even policemen -- walked off the job.
They acted in response to drastic reductions in the wages that the heavy demand for labor during the war had brought them, the onerous working conditions that were now imposed on them and the widespread attempts by government and employers to destroy their unions.
Few government employees have more important responsibilities than the
federal air traffic controllers whose primary job is to protect the safety
of the ever-growing number of air travelers. Yet few federal employees are
more badly treated by their government bosses.
The bosses, who run the Federal Aviation Administration – the FAA – have been mistreating the controllers since at least 1981. That’s when President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,500 controllers who, seeking to improve their onerous working conditions, struck in violation of the law that prohibits strikes by federal employees.
It’s been downhill ever since for the controllers. The Bush appointees who’ve been running the FAA for the past eight years have adamantly refused to grant controllers even the basic right to bargain collectively for a contract that would guarantee them decent working conditions.
The controllers’ working conditions are so bad that nearly one-fifth of the controllers have quit over the past two years, reducing their number to the lowest level since 1992.
The bosses, who run the Federal Aviation Administration – the FAA – have been mistreating the controllers since at least 1981. That’s when President Ronald Reagan fired more than 11,500 controllers who, seeking to improve their onerous working conditions, struck in violation of the law that prohibits strikes by federal employees.
It’s been downhill ever since for the controllers. The Bush appointees who’ve been running the FAA for the past eight years have adamantly refused to grant controllers even the basic right to bargain collectively for a contract that would guarantee them decent working conditions.
The controllers’ working conditions are so bad that nearly one-fifth of the controllers have quit over the past two years, reducing their number to the lowest level since 1992.
Women are well on the way to overtaking men in the ranks of organized labor
-- and for good reason. As a new study shows, women who’ve joined unions
have significantly better pay and benefits than working women who have not
joined.
Although only about a fifth of women workers overall currently belong to unions, they already make up about 45 percent of all unionized workers. They’re expected to become a majority within a dozen years, according to the study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
The study makes clear the advantages of union membership that have attracted increasing numbers of women. Unionized women, for instance, average 11 percent or about $2 an hour more than non-union women. Three-fourths of union women have employer-financed health care benefits, but only about half their non-union counterparts have those benefits. Three-fourths of the unionized women have pensions, less than half of those outside unions have pensions.
Like other unionized workers, they also can expect paid holidays and vacations and premium pay for overtime work.
Although only about a fifth of women workers overall currently belong to unions, they already make up about 45 percent of all unionized workers. They’re expected to become a majority within a dozen years, according to the study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
The study makes clear the advantages of union membership that have attracted increasing numbers of women. Unionized women, for instance, average 11 percent or about $2 an hour more than non-union women. Three-fourths of union women have employer-financed health care benefits, but only about half their non-union counterparts have those benefits. Three-fourths of the unionized women have pensions, less than half of those outside unions have pensions.
Like other unionized workers, they also can expect paid holidays and vacations and premium pay for overtime work.