(BOSTON) - Part-time Professors at Boston University (BU) Have Filed Paperwork to Hold a Vote On Whether to Unionize, According to Officials Leading the Effort.

Organizers of the Effort Expect About 800 Adjuncts at BU Will be Eligible to Participate in the Vote, Which Will be Held On a Date Set by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Federal Agency That Oversees Unionization Votes.

“Through Our Union, We’re Asking Boston University to Support All its Teachers and Invest in the Classroom Experience,” Dan Hunter, a BU Adjunct Who Teaches Playwriting, Politics and Public Policy, said.  “We’re Critical to the Success That BU Has Attained, Yet Adjuncts Have ‘No Voice’ in the’ Future’ of the University, ‘Low’ Pay, ‘No’ Job Security and ‘No’ Benefits.”

Colleges Have Increasingly Relied On Adjunct Faculty, Who are Paid Less and are Willing to Work More Flexible Schedules.  In an Effort to Improve Their Pay, Benefits, Job Security and Other Work Conditions, Adjunct Faculty at Colleges Across the Country Have Taken Steps to Unionize Recently.

Locally, Part-Time Teachers at Tufts, Northeastern and Lesley Universities Have Voted to Unionize in Recent Months, and Tufts Adjuncts Several Days Ago Became the First Ones of That Group to Settle On a Contract, Which Included Increased Pay and Job Security.

A Vote to Unionize Adjuncts at Bentley University Fell Two Votes Short, But a Group of Part-Time Professors There are Planning to Arrange for Another Vote in the Coming Months.

Campaigns to Unionize are Also Underway at Simmons College and Other Area Campuses.

Officials With the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Which Has Helped Organize Adjuncts Locally, said That 41% of BU Faculty are Part-Timers.  Among Local Schools, BU Adjuncts are the Second-Largest Group, Behind Northeastern’s 960 Part-Time Faculty, to Consider Unionizing.

The BU Administration Has Been Criticized by Some Lawmakers Who Thought the Web Site That BU Recently Launched Was Too Negative About Unionizing.

The University Announced Plans Earlier This Week to Make More Part-Time Employees, Including Faculty, Eligible for Health Benefits.

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go to: www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/29/part-time-faculty-boston-university-file-paperwork-schedule-unionization-vote/La5WYjIU1elqb9majVGG2M/story.html?p1=Article_InThisSection_Bottom

Washington University Adjunct Faculty Take A Step Toward Unionization

(ST. LOUIS) - A Group of Washington University Adjunct Instructors Have Taken a Crucial Step Toward Forming a Union.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 Has Filed a Petition for a Union Election With the Federal Government On the Instructors’ Behalf.

The Petition Makes Washington University’s Adjunct Faculty the First Such Group in St. Louis to Reach That Milestone Amid a Larger Nationwide Push for Higher Pay and Improved Job Security.

Adjuncts are Typically Part-Time, Low-Wage Faculty Who Teach Classes When Full-Time Instructors are Already Overloaded With Courses.  Among Their Major Complaints are Low Wages and a Lack of Job Security.  Adjuncts Typically Work On Semester-Long Contracts, Not Knowing Whether They’ll be Asked to Work Beyond Their Current Semester.

Leonard Perez, an Administrator With the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for the St. Louis Region, said His Agency Could Hold a Hearing Between Washington University and the SEIU as Early as the End of This Week.

The Hearing, Perez Explains, Would Come Only if the University Challenges Whether Adjuncts Have the Proper Standing for the SEIU to Represent Them.  The University Could Also Go the Other Way, Perez said, and Voluntarily Agree to a Union Election.  At That Point, it Would be a Matter of Scheduling the Date and Time of a Secret Ballot Election.

Washington University Provost Holden Thorp said Although the University Has Been Aware of the Effort to Unionize for Months, Administrators Have Not Yet Decided How to Respond to The Petition: “We’re Very Mindful of the Concerns Our Adjuncts Have.  We’re Always Looking for New Ways to Help With (Job Security).”  Thorp Added Washington University Typically Offers Adjuncts Higher Wages Than Other Schools.

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go to:www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/washington-university-adjunct-faculty-take-a-step-toward-unionization/article_9f7ef62e-333e-5d5f-8c2c-5c3a316a302a.html

(BUFFALO) – Even Though 350 Workers Employed by the Community Action Organization (CAO) Made the Decision to Go Union 12 Months Ago, a First Contract Has Yet to be Bargained With its New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)-Represented Employees.  So the Early Childhood Staff Union (ECSU) Workers, Who are Employed at 19 Different CAO/Head Start Centers Across Erie County, are Holding an Informational Picket Outside CAO Headquarters in Buffalo Late Today (November 3rd) to Call Public Attention to Management’s Foot-Dragging and to Put Pressure On Management to Get the Contract Done.

“These Workers Unionized for Job Security, Workplace Rights and Better Wages,” NYSUT Organizer Rose Hennessy Told WNYLaborToday.com Just Hours Before the Informational Picket Was Scheduled to be Held Outside the CAO’s Harvard Place Headquarters, Where a Coalition of Community Members – Including Parents, Labor Leaders, Union Members and Elected Officials, Will Begin to Put Pressure On the CAO Board and its President, Nate Hare, to Get the Workers’ First Contract Done.

ECSU Negotiating Team Member Malikah Ramadan said: “Every Working Class Person ‘Deserves,’ at ‘Minimum,’ a Living Wage and That’s Exactly What We’re Fighting for in Our First Contract.”

After a Six-Month NYSUT Organizing Campaign, the CAO Workers Voted to Go Union at the End of October 2013.  The 350 Union-Represented Workers are Employed as Teachers, Family Partners (School Social Workers), Maintenance Associates and Nutrition Associates at 19 CAO Head Start Locations Across Erie County – From Within the City of Buffalo to Suburban Getzville to Gowanda.

 “Negotiations Have Gone Back and Forth and Non-Economic Issues Have Been Negotiated.  Now We’re Into Economic Issues.  Our Next Session is Scheduled for Early November and it Seems (the CAO) is ‘Stretching Out’ the Negotiations.  This is Silly,” said Hennessy, Who Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper That Some Workers - Including Some Teachers Who are Making as Little as $8.70 an Hour, Have Not Had a Wage Increase in 10 Years.  “They’ve Seen Nothing,” Hennessy said.

The ECSU Workers Also Plan to Present to the CAO Board and President Hare More Than 800 Signatures From its Community Partners, Demanding They Negotiate in Good Faith and Come to an Agreement On a New Contract.  “We’ve Built Quite a Large Coalition and They’ve Agreed to Help Us Put Pressure On the CAO,” Hennessy said.

A Number of Employees and Supporters Will Also Address CAO Management During a Public Board Meeting Before Returning to Finish Up Their Informational Picket.

State Senator Tim Kennedy, One of Several Elected Representatives Scheduled to Take Part in the Informational Picket, said: “We’re ‘All’ Proud of the Collective Commitment That So Many Passionate Individuals Have Made to Furthering the CAO’s Mission, Which is to Promote Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals, Families and Communities to Achieve and Sustain Self-Sufficiency Through Advocacy, Partnerships, Access to Services and Low-to-Moderate Income Housing Development, is Vital to Continuing Our Region’s Resurgence, and to Ensuring ‘All’ Western New Yorkers are Treated With the Dignity They Deserve.  I Support the Recently-Formed Early Childhood Staff Union, Who Represent the ‘On-the-Ground’ Employees of the CAO, in Their Efforts to Seek Fair Wages and Treatment.  These Hard-Working Men and Women are ‘Vital’ to the Organization's Success and Should be Fairly Compensated for the Tremendous Work They Do for Our Community." 

If You’ve Been Visiting and Reading the Array of Labor News Stories Published by WNYLaborToday.com – Your On-Line Labor Newspaper, in Recent Months, You Know How Important Today – Election Day 2014 – is to Working People. 

So We Respectfully Ask That You Take the Time to Vote Today and to Also Take Into Special Consideration Those Candidates Who Support Working People. 

Thank You in Advance for Your Involvement and Commitment. 

Together, Working People Can and Do Make a Difference!

And WNYLaborToday.com Also Asks That You Take the Time to Visit Our WNY Elected Community/Labor Endorsed Candidates Section.  Go to: www.wnylabortoday.com/index.php?src=news&srctype=lister&srctype=labor_endorsements_lister

And… Read Our Latest Endorsement Report at: WNY Labor Endorsement Updates From The Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Labor Council, The Buffalo Building & Construction Trades Council, SEIU Local 200 United & The Working Families Party.

In Solidarity,

Tom Campbell/Editor-Publisher

(BUFFALO) – Even Though 350 Workers Employed by the Community Action Organization (CAO) Made the Decision to Go Union 12 Months Ago, a First Contract Has Yet to be Bargained With its New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)-Represented Employees.  So the Early Childhood Staff Union (ECSU) Workers, Who are Employed at 19 Different CAO/Head Start Centers Across Erie County, are Holding an Informational Picket Outside CAO Headquarters in Buffalo Late Today (November 3rd) to Call Public Attention to Management’s Foot-Dragging and to Put Pressure On Management to Get the Contract Done.

“These Workers Unionized for Job Security, Workplace Rights and Better Wages,” NYSUT Organizer Rose Hennessy Told WNYLaborToday.com Just Hours Before the Informational Picket Was Scheduled to be Held Outside the CAO’s Harvard Place Headquarters, Where a Coalition of Community Members – Including Parents, Labor Leaders, Union Members and Elected Officials, Will Begin to Put Pressure On the CAO Board and its President, Nate Hare, to Get the Workers’ First Contract Done.

ECSU Negotiating Team Member Malikah Ramadan said: “Every Working Class Person ‘Deserves,’ at ‘Minimum,’ a Living Wage and That’s Exactly What We’re Fighting for in Our First Contract.”

After a Six-Month NYSUT Organizing Campaign, the CAO Workers Voted to Go Union at the End of October 2013.  The 350 Union-Represented Workers are Employed as Teachers, Family Partners (School Social Workers), Maintenance Associates and Nutrition Associates at 19 CAO Head Start Locations Across Erie County – From Within the City of Buffalo to Suburban Getzville to Gowanda.

 “Negotiations Have Gone Back and Forth and Non-Economic Issues Have Been Negotiated.  Now We’re Into Economic Issues.  Our Next Session is Scheduled for Early November and it Seems (the CAO) is ‘Stretching Out’ the Negotiations.  This is Silly,” said Hennessy, Who Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper That Some Workers - Including Some Teachers Who are Making as Little as $8.70 an Hour, Have Not Had a Wage Increase in 10 Years.  “They’ve Seen Nothing,” Hennessy said.

The ECSU Workers Also Plan to Present to the CAO Board and President Hare More Than 800 Signatures From its Community Partners, Demanding They Negotiate in Good Faith and Come to an Agreement On a New Contract.  “We’ve Built Quite a Large Coalition and They’ve Agreed to Help Us Put Pressure On the CAO,” Hennessy said.

A Number of Employees and Supporters Will Also Address CAO Management During a Public Board Meeting Before Returning to Finish Up Their Informational Picket.

State Senator Tim Kennedy, One of Several Elected Representatives Scheduled to Take Part in the Informational Picket, said: “We’re ‘All’ Proud of the Collective Commitment That So Many Passionate Individuals Have Made to Furthering the CAO’s Mission, Which is to Promote Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals, Families and Communities to Achieve and Sustain Self-Sufficiency Through Advocacy, Partnerships, Access to Services and Low-to-Moderate Income Housing Development, is Vital to Continuing Our Region’s Resurgence, and to Ensuring ‘All’ Western New Yorkers are Treated With the Dignity They Deserve.  I Support the Recently-Formed Early Childhood Staff Union, Who Represent the ‘On-the-Ground’ Employees of the CAO, in Their Efforts to Seek Fair Wages and Treatment.  These Hard-Working Men and Women are ‘Vital’ to the Organization's Success and Should be Fairly Compensated for the Tremendous Work They Do for Our Community." 

(BUFFALO) – With a Big Assist From U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Western New York Labor Has Been Successful in its Fight to Keep the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Regional Office in Buffalo, it Was Announced Friday (November 7th).

Assisting in the New York State AFL-CIO-Led Campaign, the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) Had Initiated a Massive Effort Over the Summer to Get the NLRB to Turn Away a Proposal That Would Have Designated Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Over Buffalo as its Regional Office.

“On Behalf of the WNYALF, We Would Like to Express Our ‘Thanks’ to Senator Schumer for His Tireless Efforts to Maintain the NLRB Office in Buffalo,” WNYALF President Richard Lipsitz Told WNYLaborToday.com After the Announcement Was Publicly Made.

“This is a ‘Clear Sign’ That Buffalo is Seeing an Economic Renaissance and That the Labor Movement is Strong and Vibrant in This Region.  (Labor) Couldn’t be More Thrilled With This Announcement the NLRB Will Have Such a Continued Designation Here,” Lipsitz said.

Meanwhile, the NLRB Released the Following Statement:

The NLRB Approved a Plan to Restructure the Territorial Coverage for Regional Offices in Buffalo, New York (Region 3) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Region 6).  Under the Approved Plan, Regions 3 and 6 Will Retain Their Full Regional Status.  In Reaching This Decision, the Agency Evaluated Feedback From the Public, Members of Congress and NLRB Staff.  The Approved Plan Reflects the Agency’s Need to Balance its Practical Operational Concerns With the Need for the NLRB to Enter its 80th Year Servicing This Country as the Strong and Accessible Presence Envisioned When it Was Created. The Agency Determined That There Were a Number of Counties Which Were More Accessible to Regions 3 and 6 Than to the Regions to Which They are Currently Assigned.  Consistent With the Agency’s Ongoing Effort to Explore Ways to Enhance Efficiencies, Streamline its Operations and Rationalize the Size of Regions in a Manner That is Not Detrimental to the Public or NLRB Staff, the Agency Will Shift These Counties to Regions 3 and 6 While Maintaining Each as a Separate Regional Office.  A List of the Counties Affected is Available Here.  This Reconfiguration Furthers the Agency’s Mission to Provide the Best Possible Service to the Public.

The NLRB, Which Has a Long and Proud History of Enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, is Considering a Proposal to, is Chaired by Buffalo Native Mark Gaston Pearce.

As Part of the Labor-Led Campaign Effort, More Than 500 Phone Calls and Letters Were Sent to the NLRB’s National Office in Washington From Labor Leaders and Union Members From Across Buffalo, Western New York and New York State.

The Buffalo NLRB Office Employs 30, Lipsitz Told WNYLaborToday.com Over the Summer.  Those Workers are Expected to Man the NLRB’s Buffalo Operation, but its Regional Director Position Would Have Ceased to Exist if the Consolidation Had Gone Through With Pittsburgh Gaining a New Regional Designation. 

Starting in the Great Depression, and Continuing Through World War II and the Economic Growth and Challenges That Followed, the NLRB Has Worked to Guarantee the Rights of Employees to Bargain Collectively, if They Choose to Do So.  It’s Charged With Ensuring Workers Can Join Together to Improve Their Wages, Benefits and Treatment On the Job.  

But, the Proposal to Consolidate the Agency’s Buffalo Region Into the Pittsburgh Region Was Viewed as Inhibiting its Ability to Protect These Rights for Millions of Workers, the New York State AFL-CIO said.  Corporations are Already Going to Greater Lengths Than Ever to Prevent Workers From Exercising Their Collective Bargaining Rights and the Proposed Consolidation Would Only Embolden and Further Empower Them to Do So by Causing Delays in Investigations, Decisions, Enforcement and Elections, Labor Leadership Had Argued. 

A Centrally-Located NLRB Regional Office in Upstate New York Will Now Continue to Provide Workers With a Venue to Directly Register Complaints and to Hold Hearings in a Timely Manner Against Unlawful Employers Seeking to Silence Their Voice On the Job, Labor Leaders said.  

New York Workers Could Not Have Afforded to Have That Forum Undermined by What Labor Leaders Had Initially Described as a Shortsighted Consolidation Proposal.

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Richard Lipsitz (Pictured Above) is President of the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF), an Umbrella Labor Organization That Oversees Western New York’s Central Labor Councils in Buffalo, Niagara-Orleans, Dunkirk, Jamestown and Cattaraugus-Allegany.  Combined, Western New York Labor Represents Just Under 150,000 Members Across the Region.

The Relationship of the Growing Gap Between Rich and Poor and the Decline of Union Density is a Real One– and Unless Addressed, the Wages of the Great Majority of the American People Will Continue to Decline Against Increases in the Cost Of Living.

It’s a Historic Fact That Only Through Self- Organization Can Working People Achieve Any Economic or Political Goals, Including Improving Their Economic Strength.

After the Onset of the Great Depression, the International Labor Movement Faced a Serious Decision: Should it Unite as One to Defend and Extend Economic Rights?  Or Succumb to the Triple Horrors of Fascism, Poverty and War?

In Europe, the Great Depression and its Aftermath - World War II, Decimated Working People.

In the U.S., While That Period Was Difficult, to Say the Least, Instead of Fascism We Found Our Way to a New Deal.

During the New Deal – Up Until the End of the 1940’s, the American Working People Enjoyed a Better Standard of Living Than Any Other Working Class in the World.

The Chief Reason for This Was the Great Drive for Self-Organization.

By the End of the 40’s, Worker Self-Organization - as Embodied Chiefly, But Not Solely by Trade Unions - Comprised Nearly 40% of the Workforce.

Public Policy Was Crafted by the New Deal Coalition and Wages and Benefits of the Workers Were Vastly Improved.

Paradoxically, the Decline Sets in at the Apex of the Influence of the Trade Unions With the Passage of the Anti-Worker, Anti-Democratic Taft-Hartley Bill in 1947.  

Taft-Hartley Stripped Real Power From the Labor Movement and Initiated the Long Decline That Continues to This Day.  

It Was Meant to Strip the Labor Movement of the Power Achieved During the New Deal and it Has Accomplished Just That.

Among the Worst Aspects of the Decline is the Growing Gap Between the Wealthiest Americans and - Now - Almost Everyone Else. 

In 1979, the Average CEO Made About 84 Times the Income of the Average Worker in Their Company.  Today That Percentage is at 475 Times! 

Further, According to the Bloomberg Report, the Income of the Average American Household Fell to its Lowest Level Since 1967 When Inflation is Factored Into the Equation.

Taft Hartley Immediately Put Pressure On the Labor Movement in Order to Reduce Its Policy Role.  In Short Order Other Pressures Emerged: The Rush to De-Industrialization; The Wholesale De-Regulation of Key Sectors of the Economy (Transportation in Particular); The Breaking of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization; Passage of the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA); and Two Recessions - One After 9/11 and the Other in 2008, Which Have Further Reduced The Organized Workforce. 

In Spite of All These Difficulties, Our Movement is Not Afraid and Has Always Fought Back.

The Fight For 15 is One Very Clear and Strong Response.

The Workforce is Changing and Our Economy Can Produce High Road Jobs With Good Pay and Benefits and We Need to Promote Such Economic Development.

However, and Here is the Most Important Point: Major Corporations Like Walmart and McDonalds are Paying Poverty Wages.

A Living Wage Must be at the Top of the Agenda for a Better and More Prosperous Future for This Country.

The Core Mission of the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation is the Defense of Living Standards and Working Conditions of the WNYALF’s Affiliated Unions and Their Members.

This is the Basis of Our Unity and it Must be at the Center Of Our Program.

Further, the WNYALF Has Taken the Stand That We Must Have Community Allies in This Fight.

In Point of Fact, We Need Each Other.

Whether On Immigrant Rights, Temporary Workers, Strikes and Tough Contact Negotiations or the Need for Saving Communities Decimated by De-Industrialization and a Changing Economy, We Must Find Common Ground.

And the Fight to Address the Impoverishment of Working People is One Such Way.

Today (Tuesday, November 11th) is Veterans Day.

WNYLaborToday.com Respectfully Asks That Our Readers/Viewers Take Some Time Today to Remember What Our Veterans Have Sacrificed for Us So That We Can Continue to Enjoy the Freedoms That We Have.

Thank You All for Your Service!

The Following Was Published in 2012 by the National AFL-CIO News Now Web Site.  It Was Authored by James Gilbert, Director of the AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council.  It Was Headlined: Veterans Day: AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council Says 'Welcome Home and Thank You':

Whether They Served On the Beaches of Normandy, the Rivers of Southeast Asia or the Deserts of the Middle East, November 11th is the Day We Honor Our Country's Veterans.

Originally Proclaimed a Holiday by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, November 11th Was Chosen Because Major Hostilities of World War I Were Formally Ended at the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month of 1918 With Germany Signing the Armistice. 

In President Obama's 2012 Veterans Day Proclamation, he said: “Our Veterans are Part of an ‘Unbroken Chain’ of Men and Women Who’ve Served Our Country With Honor and Distinction.”

We Could Not Agree With the President More and That’s Why the AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council is Bringing Union Members and Leaders Together to Advocate for Increased Career Opportunities, Fully-Funded VA Health Care and a Strong GI Bill for Veterans and Military Families.

The Greatest Part of Veterans Day is That it’s About Honoring and Thanking Veterans Among Us.

So if You Know a Veteran Family Member, a Co-Worker or a Neighbor, Take a Moment to Say: "’Thank You’ for Your Service."

On Behalf of the AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council Officers and Staff, I Would Like to Say No Matter When and Where You Served Our Country, "Welcome Home and Thank You."

A Common Myth: The Auto Industry is Dying.

The Reality: No, it's Increasing Employment, But Largely in Non-Union Assembly Plants in the South Owned by Foreign Companies Like Mercedes and Nissan, and at Independent Parts Suppliers.

Now, Let's See if This Breaks Open Some New Opportunities:

Via The Wall Street Journal: The United Auto Workers (UAW) Expects Volkswagen AG to Make an Announcement This Week That Would Pave the Way for the Union’s Local Bargaining Unit in Chattanooga, Tennessee to be Recognized at the German Auto Giant’s U.S. Manufacturing Plant.

News of the Potential Announcement Was Shared in a Letter Sent to Voluntary Members of a UAW Unit Formed This Summer After the Union Failed to Officially Organize the Tennessee Plant.  In That Letter, Provided to The Wall Street Journal, UAW Local 42 President Mike Cantrell said: “We Await Details From the Company.  Our Expectation That Volkswagen Will Recognize Local 42 is Based On Discussions That Took Place in Germany Last Spring, Between Representatives of the UAW and Volkswagen.”

In February, as Many Know, The UAW Lost the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-Sponsored Representation Election Amid Widespread Interference by Right-Wing/Anti-Union Organizations and Individuals, Including U.S. Senator Bob Corker.  There Was Much Debate, Among Pro-Union Advocates, About How the Organizing Campaign Had Unfolded - Principally, Whether the UAW Had Done Enough to Contact Workers - But What is Not Debatable is the Anti-Union Forces Illegally Interfered in the Election and Intimidated Workers by Threatening the Loss of Jobs.

Then, in April, the UAW Withdrew its Challenge, Based On the Documented Illegal Interference, Which Had Been Filed at the NLRB.

The Daily Kos Guesses There Were Already Contacts Between the Company and the Union About What Has Now Transpired.  

Indeed, in September, the UAW said it Had Established a Local There in the Wake of the Withdrawal of the Charges:

UAW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Casteel said Roughly 750 Volkswagen Workers Have Joined a Recently-Formed Union Local in Chattanooga.  The Drive Comes Just Months After the UAW Narrowly Lost an Organizing Vote That Sought Authorization for the Union to Represent the Plant's 1,500 Hourly Workers.  The Labor UAW is Asking VW to Accept it as a Representative for Those Workers Who Joined the UAW Local.  In July it Formed Local 42 With Some Employees After Talks With Volkswagen - Despite Originally Agreeing Not to Organize for a Year if it Lost the February Vote.

We’ll See Whether This Comes to Fruition and Whether it Helps Fuel More Organizing Among the So-Called Transplant Foreign Auto Companies in the South.

You Can Directly Access This Labor News Story at: www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/11/1344112/-BREAKING-Volkswagen-To-Recognize-UAW-In-Tennessee

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: It’s Anticipated the New Center For Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Which Will Offer an Array of Treatment, Support & Prevention for Any Work-Related Illness or Injury, Will Officially Open at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo Sometime in December.  However, the Labor-Driven Center is Already Seeing Workers.  Local Labor Leaders, Who Played a Major Role in Creating the New Center, Laud the Facility’s Medical Services That are for All Working People, Adding “It Would ‘Not Have Happened ‘Without’ the Involvement Of Labor.”  To Contact the New Center, Call 716-898-5858.  Pictured Above, From Left to Right are: Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Lipsitz; Dr. Wajdy Hailoo, the Center’s Medical Director; and ECMC Vice President of Operations Ronald Krawiec.  (WNYLaborToday.com Photo)

(BUFFALO) – The Western New York Labor Movement – Whose Leadership Tells WNYLaborToday.com the Overall Effort Would Not Have Happened Without Local Labor’s Involvement - is Extremely Excited About the New Center For Occupational & Environmental Medicine Housed Within the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo, Which Won’t Officially Open Until Sometime in December, But is Already Seeing Local Workers.

The Fully-Staffed First Floor Clinic at ECMC Features an Array of State-of-the-Art Equipment – and Labor Leaders say There’s No Other Such Medical Offering Within the Region That Will Compete With the Center, Which is Being Described as a “Step Ahead” of Anything That’s Been Offered Locally in the Past.

Described as Ground Zero Here in Western New York for All Occupational and Health Concerns, the Occupational Medicine & Therapy Center Provides Diagnoses, Screening and Treatment, as Well as Providing Disability Evaluations, Consultation on Environmental and Workplace Problems and Social Work Services.  The Center’s Team, Headed by its Medical Director – Dr. Wajdy Hailoo – Provides a Variety of Necessary Medical Care to the Injured, Impaired or Ill Workers Whose Maladies are the Result of a Variety of Workplace and Job Hazards, Including Asbestos, Noise, Violence, Smoke Inhalation, Falls and Exposure to Toxic Chemicals.  In Conjunction with the Area’s Workers, Labor Unions, Employers, Attorneys and Other Physicians, the Center Will Also Work to Improve Western New York’s Overall Worker Health and Safety, and Reduce Exposure to Dangerous Conditions and Environmental Threats.

Agreeing That the New Center For Occupational & Environmental Medicine Center is Labor-Driven, Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Richard Lipsitz Told WNYLaborToday.com the Center “Doesn’t Happen Without the Involvement of Labor.” 

“This Center Establishes Us at the Center of Progressive Medicine.  They Will See a Range of Workers, Who Will ‘Get What They Need.’  And This Center Has Been Driven by the Western New York Labor Movement.  This Truly is a Very ‘Big Deal.’  And With a Strong Advisory Role, (Labor) Will be in the Forefront On All Levels as We Spread the Word to Workers That This Wonderful Facility Exists,” Lipsitz said During a Recent Sneak Peak Provided to WNYLaborToday.com at ECMC. “There’s Nothing Like This in Western New York.  And it Was a Collaborative Effort.  We Have a Great Partner With ECMC at What Can Only Be Described as a ‘Union Hospital.’  This is Yet Another Example of the ‘Good’ That’s Going On Here in Western New York.”

The Center and its State-Funded Program ($3 Million Over Five Years) Will Also Offer a Range of Worker Screening and Testing for a Range of Workplace and Environmental illnesses and Injuries, Including Blurred Vision, Hearing Loss, Respiratory Problems, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Muscular Disorders.  The Center’s Professional Staff Will Also Identify and Treat All Occupational Illnesses, and – if Necessary, Provide Information and Documentation to Support a Workers’ Compensation Claim.

“I’m Very Excited,” Dr. Hailoo Told WNYLaborToday.com During a Walking Tour of the First Floor Screening and Treatment Rooms at ECMC as he Discussed the Center’s Focus On Specialized/Occupational Medicine, Including Environmental and Occupational Diseases Workers Suffer in Their Workplaces.  “We Will Focus On the Health of Workers at Work Who Suffer (Because of the Environment They Work in).  Labor Created This (Clinic).  They Wanted This to Happen and I Proposed We Link With ECMC.  Having ECMC Involved and Receiving Their Support Was Crucial.  They Too Helped Make This Clinic a ‘Reality.’”

Dr. Hailoo Decided to Return to Buffalo to Head the Center After Overseeing a Program That Worked and Treated 9/11-World Trade Center First Responders and Volunteers in New York City.  For Dr. Hailoo, Who Talked About His “Love” for the City of Buffalo, it is a Second Tour of Duty.  In the Mid-to-Late 1980s, He Ran a Similar Program in Buffalo Aimed at Helping Workers Exposed to Occupational and Environmental Problems in the Workplace.

“We’ve Built a Budget That Provides Support if a Worker Cannot Afford (the Center’s) Services,” Dr. Hailoo Noted.  “Our Focus is On ‘Help.’  We Want to ‘Help’ Older Workers Too, Women, Immigrant Workers Who Don’t Know Anything About Safety, the Medically-Challenged – and We Want to Focus On Our Target: Prevention.”

After Speaking at the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s October Delegates Meeting, Dr. Hailoo Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper That He Began Receiving Calls From Union Workers - and That Even Though the Center Has Yet to Officially Open, he Has Already Seen Several Workers Who are Employed Across the Region.

“I Saw a Worker From Niagara Falls Who Was Exposed to Dust in a Fabrication Operation, as Well as a Worker Exposed to Asbestos (in the Workplace) and Another With a Knee Injury Due to Standing for Long Periods of Time in His Work Environment.  I Spoke at Another Union Meeting and Had Interest From One-Hundred of Their Members,” he said. 

The Buffalo Center is Part of a Statewide Program That Was Originally Established in the 1980s (Including the One That Dr. Hailoo Oversaw Here).  “Buffalo ‘Led’ the Movement by Already Having a Clinic (in the Past) to Address Diseases That Most Workers Face On a Daily Basis.  Our Clinic is Now Available to ‘All’ Workers in the Community, Including Those in Tonawanda Who’ve Been Exposed to Environmental Pollution,” Dr. Hailoo said.

The Center’s Broad-Based Advisory Board Reads Like a Who’s Who of Western New York Labor, Including: Lipsitz; Buffalo AFL-CIO Labor Council President Michael Hoffert (Who Also Serves as an ECMC Board Member and Was Heavily Involved in Making the Center Happen); Communications Workers of America (CWA) Region One Director Deb Hayes; 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Vice President Todd Hobler; as Well as Representatives From the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 41; Painters District Council 4; Laborers Local 210; United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9; United Steelworkers (USW) District 4; the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT); and United University Professions (UUP). 

In Addition the Diverse Board Also Features Representatives From Buffalo’s Labor Law Community: Collins & Collins; Dolce Panepinto; Lipsitz Green; and Lipsitz & Ponterio; and Two Community Organizations: the Western New York Clean Air Coalition and Coalition For Economic Justice; as Well as a Union Employer: Tops Market’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Jack Barrett.

Ronald Krawiec, Who Serves as ECMC’s Senior Vice President of Operations, is Credited With Helping Shepard the Project Through to Completion.  Krawiec Also Spoke With WNYLaborToday.com During the Sneak Peak Tour: “A Year Ago, Lipsitz, Hoffert and Roger Cook (the Former Director of the Western New York Council On Occupational Safety & Health (WNYCOSH) – Who Also Had a Major Role in Bringing About the New Center at ECMC) Came to Us Needing Help in Filing the State Grant.  ECMC Has Thirty Clinics and This Center is Within Our Mission.  We are the ‘Safety Net’ and This is Where Patients From Across Western New York Come (for Treatment).”

In a Previous Sit-Down Interview With WNYLaborToday.com, Hoffert said: “This Center – for Working People – Took a Year to Get Done and is Long Overdue.  We Know Workers and Residents are at Risk.  We’ll be Able to Build an Informational Data Base on the Community and its Workplaces, from Tonawanda Coke to Love Canal, and the Diseases That Come From Working and Living Here.  We Have to Know How (Diseases) Work Before We Can Fix Them.  We Need to Learn the ‘Root Cause,’ Mitigate it and Change the Effect.  We Don’t Want This to Happen to Workers in the Future.  We Need to Take the Appropriate Precautions and Come Up With Treatments.  Workers Need to Take Advantage of What This Center Offers.”  

Speaking at Last Month’s Buffalo AFL-CIO Council Meeting, Cook said: The Center “Will Have the Top Occupational Specialists in the United States.  This is Really ‘Labor’s Clinic.’  One Third of the Members of its Board are From Labor Unions.”

The Diversity of Services, Combined With the Region’s Many Medical Professionals and Professionals – Many Who Come Through From the University at Buffalo, Made ECMC a Perfect Fit to House the Center, said Krawiec, Noting the Hospital’s Employees are Represented by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)/CSEA and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).

“This is a Great Commitment (by All),” Krawiec Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper.  “Serving the Eight-County Western New York Region, Offering Occupational Health and Safety Medicine – There are (Many Health Care Facilities) Out There That Don’t Handle This.  We’re Excited at ECMC Too.  This is Very Different and its Absolutely Been ‘About’ Collaboration.  (The Center) Will Service the Public and it’s Something We Can be Very Proud of.”

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is Scheduled to Hold a Rally and Press Conference on Friday (November 14th) Outside the Williams Street Post Office in Buffalo From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. as Part of the National Day of Action That Four Major Postal Unions are Holding Across the United States.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - This Friday (November 14th), Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Will Join With the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLC) for a National Day of Action to Tell U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Board Of Governors: Stop Delaying America’s Mail!

On January 5th, the USPS Plans to Close or Consolidate Operations at 82 Mail Processing and Distribution Centers Throughout the Country - a Move That Union Leaders say Would Practically Eliminate Overnight Mail Delivery, Even From One Address to Another Within the Same City or Town.

“The Postal Service’s Set to Make Severe Cuts in Mail Delivery Service That, if Implemented, Would Cause Hardships for Customers, Drive Away Business and Cause ‘Incalculable’ Harm to its Reputation,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said.  “This Plan Would Sacrifice Service While Failing to Address the ‘Real Causes’ of the Postal Service’s Financial Problems.”

The USPS Reported Losses Actually are the Result of a 2006 Congressional Mandate That Forces it to Set Aside, Each Year, Billions of Dollars - Money That’s Raised Solely by the Sale of Stamps and Postal Products, Not Taxes - to Pre-Fund the Health Benefits of Future Retirees.  No Other Government Agency or Private Enterprise is Required to Pre-Fund Such Benefits at All.  In 2014, the USPS Has Earned More Than $1 Billion in Profit From Operations.

Rolando is Encouraging Active and Retired Letter Carriers to Work With and Support Their Sisters and Brothers in the Other Postal Unions On Friday.  Why November 14th?  That’s the Date of the Board of Governors’ Final Public Meeting of 2014.  Postal Workers Across America Will Use This Day of Action to Send a Message to the Board of Governors and Congress That the Proposed Service Cuts are Both Unwise and Unnecessary.

As Such, the Four Postal Union Presidents Released the Following Statement:

The Postmaster General is Poised to Make Devastating Cuts in Service to the American People - Cuts So Severe That They Will Forever Damage the U.S. Postal Service.

On January 5th, the USPS is Slated to Lower Service Standards to Virtually Eliminate Overnight Delivery - Including First-Class Mail From One Address to Another Within the Same City or Town.  All Mail (Letters, Periodicals and Packages) Throughout the Country Will be Delayed.  And Beginning That Same Day, 82 Mail Processing and Distribution Centers are Scheduled to Close.  These Cuts Will Cause Hardships for Customers, Drive Away Business, Cause Irreparable Harm to the U.S. Postal Service and Lead to Massive Schedule Changes and Reassignments for Employees.

They are Part of a Flawed Management Strategy That’s Unnecessarily Sacrificed Service and  Failed to Address the Cause of the Postal Service’s Manufactured Financial Crisis: More Than 140 Plants Have Closed Since 2012 - as a Result, Mail is Delivered Much Later in the Day, Well Into the Evening; Retail Work is Being Sent to Staples, at More Than 1,500 Stores Throughout the Country; Door Delivery is Being Eliminated in Most New Housing Developments; Chronic Understaffing Frustrates Customers And Slows The Mail; and Six-Day Delivery is Under Constant Threat.

The Four Postal Unions are Joining Forces to Protect Service, Fight for Our Livelihoods and Defend Our Great National Treasure - the U.S. Postal Service.

We Have Many Allies in the Fight Against the Proposed Changes, Including More Than Half the Senate and 160 U.S. Representatives.

We are Calling for a National Day of Action On Friday, November 14th, the Day the Board of Governors Will Hold Their Final Public Meeting of the Year.

Let’s Send a Message to the Postmaster General and the Board of Governors: Stop Delaying America’s Mail!

We Urge Activists From the Four Unions to Work Together to Organize Rallies and Press Conferences in Your Areas.

(BUFFALO) - The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Which Has a Long and Proud History of Enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, is Considering a Proposal to Designate Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Over Buffalo as its Regional Office – Which Has Organized Labor in New York State Initiating a Campaign to Head Off the Possible Move.

Time is of the Essence, Since the NLRB – Which is Chaired by Buffalo Native Mark Gaston Pearce – is Looking to Issue its Decision by June 30th.  As of Today (Tuesday, June 24th), More Than 500 Phone Calls and Letters Have Already Gone in to the NLRB’s National Office in Washington From Labor Leaders and Union Members From Across Buffalo, Western New York and New York State – a Direct Result of a Campaign Initiated by the New York State AFL-CIO.  It is Being Assisted by the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF).

“As of Right Now, the NLRB is Looking at a Proposal That Would Combine the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Offices Into a ‘Newly’ Designated Region,” Lipsitz Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper. “While the Buffalo NLRB Office Would be (Physically) Retained, Organized Labor Wants the Buffalo Office to Continue to be the Designated ‘Regional’ Headquarters.”

Currently, the Buffalo NLRB Office Employs 30, Lipsitz said.  Those Workers Would Remain and Man the NLRB’s Buffalo Operation, but its Regional Director Position Would Cease to Exist if the Consolidation Goes Through and Pittsburgh Gains the New Regional Designation. 

Starting in the Great Depression, and Continuing Through World War II and the Economic Growth and Challenges That Followed, the NLRB Has Worked to Guarantee the Rights of Employees to Bargain Collectively, if They Choose to Do So.  It is Charged With Ensuring That Workers Can Join Together to Improve Their Wages, Benefits and Treatment On the Job.  

But, the Proposal to Consolidate the Agency’s Buffalo Region Into the Pittsburgh Region Would Inhibit its Ability to Protect These Rights for Millions of Workers, the New York State AFL-CIO Contends.  Corporations are Already Going to Greater Lengths Than Ever to Prevent Workers From Exercising Their Collective Bargaining Rights and the Proposed Consolidation Would Only Embolden and Further Empower Them to Do So by Causing Delays in Investigations, Decisions, Enforcement and Elections, Labor Leadership says. 

A Centrally-Located NLRB Regional Office in Upstate New York Gives Workers a Venue to Directly Register Complaints and to Hold Hearings in a Timely Manner Against Unlawful Employers Seeking to SilenceTheir Voice On the Job.  New York Workers Cannot Afford to Have That Forum Undermined by a Shortsighted Consolidation Proposal, Organized Labor says.

On the New York State AFL-CIO’s Web Site (http://nysaflcio.org/nlrb/), a Form Has Been Set Up for Those Within the Labor Movement to Send a Message to the NLRB.  It Reads:

I Write in Strong Opposition to the Proposed Consolidation of the Buffalo Regional Office of the NLRB Into its Office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

This Move Will Disenfranchise Millions of Workers Accessibility to a Centrally-Located Office That Covers the Vast Majority of New York’s Upstate Cities and 51 of its 62 Counties.

Elections and NLRB Proceedings are Bogged Down by Unnecessary Litigation. 

Employers and Their Lawyers Manipulate and Delay the Process, Which Unfairly Denies Workers Their Rights. 

A Centrally-Located Regional Office in Upstate NY Gives Workers a Venue to Directly Register Complaints and Hold Hearings in a Timely Manner Against Unlawful Employers Seeking to Silence Their Voice On the Job.

This Consolidation Will Add to the Already Heavily Slanted Process in Favor of Those Corporations Seeking to Silence a Workers Voice On the Job.

At a Time Where the NLRB is Looking to Modernize an Outdated, Bureaucratic Process, This Consolidation Will Only Lend Itself to Excessive Delays in Caseload of Hearings and Other Proceedings for Workers in New York State.

I Urge the NLRB to Reject This Proposed Consolidation, Which Will Surely Have a Negative Impact on Workers in New York State.

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: The American Postal Workers Union (APWU)-Led Rally That Was Held Friday (November 14th) Outside the Williams Street Post Office in Buffalo Was Part of a National Day of Action That Four Major Postal Unions Took Part in Across the United States.  Nearly 300 Took Part in the Buffalo Action, According to WNYLaborToday.com Correspondent Dan Boody, Against a Series of Planned Cuts by the United States Postal Service.  Pictures of the Buffalo Rally Courtesy of IUPAT/Painters District Council 4 Member William Mayer Via the Social Network Facebook.

(BUFFALO) – Marching in a Sea of American Flags, Nearly 300 Postal Workers and Union Members From Across the Buffalo Area Took Part in a National Day of Action Event That Was Held On Friday (November 14th) in Response to the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Planned Service Cuts.

The 90-Minute Demonstration Held Outside the William Street Post Office Was One of Hundreds Across the Country.  They Were Orchestrated by the Four Major Postal Unions: the American Postal Workers Union (APWU); the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC); the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU); and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLC). 

Ironically, the Demonstrations Coincided With a Surprise Announcement On Friday That Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is Stepping Down and That Megan Brennan, the Current Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Postal Service, Will Become the 74th Postmaster General.

On January 5th, the USPS Plans to Close or Consolidate Operations at 82 Mail Processing and Distribution Centers Throughout the Country - a Move That Union Leaders say Would Practically Eliminate Overnight Mail Delivery, Even From One Address to Another Within the Same City or Town.

“The Postal Service’s Set to Make Severe Cuts in Mail Delivery Service That, if Implemented, Would Cause Hardships for Customers, Drive Away Business and Cause ‘Incalculable’ Harm to its Reputation,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said.  “This Plan Would Sacrifice Service While Failing to Address the ‘Real Causes’ of the Postal Service’s Financial Problems.”

In Buffalo, Nearly 300 Rallied Outside the William Street Post Office – With Many Carrying Unfurled American Flags That Flapped in the Wind as They Marched Outside the Building, Reported WNYLaborToday.com Correspondent Dan Boody, Who Further Described the Local Demonstration as an “Impressive Rally.”

Meanwhile, APWU President Mark Dimondstein Released the Following Statement Regarding the Switch at the Top of the USPS: The Announcement Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is Stepping Down is Welcome News.  Over the Summer, Delegates to the American Postal Workers Union National Convention Voted Unanimously for His Resignation.  We Hope the Next Postmaster General Will Reverse Donahoe’s Policies of Lowering Standards, Reducing Hours, Outsourcing Work and Diminishing a Great American Institution.  We Call On USPS’ Board of Governors to Immediately Freeze Donahoe’s Policies and to Do No More Harm.

In Washington, the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Announced the Appointment of Megan J. Brennan, the Current Chief Operating Officer of the Postal Service, as the 74th Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  She Will Become the First Woman to be Postmaster General – and Replace Current Postmaster General Donahoe, Who Will Retire in Early 2015.

As COO, Brennan is Responsible for the Day-to-Day Activities of 491,000 Career Employees Working in More Than 31,000 Facilities Supported by a Fleet of More Than 200,000 Vehicles. She is Responsible for All Postal Service Operations, Including Mail Processing, Transportation, Delivery and Retail Operations.

Previously She Was Vice President of Eastern Area Operations.  As the Senior Postal Official, She Oversaw an Area That Encompassed Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky, Central and South Jersey, Western New York and Parts of Virginia and Indiana.  A 28-Year Veteran of the Postal Service, Brennan Served as Vice President of Northeast Area Operations From May 2005 Until Being Named Vice President of Eastern Area Operations.

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: For Further Labor News Coverage of the Postal Unions’ National Day of Action, Go to: LABOR NEWS UPDATE: Postal Unions Plan National ‘Day Of Action’ On Friday In Response To USPS Service Cuts, Including One In Buffalo

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: It’s Anticipated the New Center For Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Which Will Offer an Array of Treatment, Support & Prevention for Any Work-Related Illness or Injury, Will Now Officially Open at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo Sometime in Early 2015, ECMC Reps Told WNYLaborToday.com On Monday, November 17th.  However, the Labor-Driven Center is Already Seeing Workers.  Local Labor Leaders, Who Played a Major Role in Creating the New Center, Laud the Facility’s Medical Services That are for All Working People, Adding “It Would ‘Not Have Happened ‘Without’ the Involvement Of Labor.”  To Contact the New Center, Call 716-898-5858.  Pictured Above, From Left to Right are: Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Lipsitz; Dr. Wajdy Hailoo, the Center’s Medical Director; and ECMC Vice President of Operations Ronald Krawiec.  (WNYLaborToday.com Photo)

(BUFFALO) – The Western New York Labor Movement – Whose Leadership Tells WNYLaborToday.com the Overall Effort Would Not Have Happened Without Local Labor’s Involvement - is Extremely Excited About the New Center For Occupational & Environmental Medicine Housed Within the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo, Which Won’t Officially Open Until Sometime in Early 2015, But is Already Seeing Local Workers.

The Fully-Staffed, Ground Floor Clinic at ECMC Features an Array of State-of-the-Art Equipment – and Labor Leaders say There’s No Other Such Medical Offering Within the Region That Will Compete With the Center, Which is Being Described as a “Step Ahead” of Anything That’s Been Offered Locally in the Past.

Described as Ground Zero Here in Western New York for All Occupational and Health Concerns, the Occupational Medicine & Therapy Center Provides Diagnoses, Screening and Treatment, as Well as Providing Disability Evaluations, Consultation on Environmental and Workplace Problems and Social Work Services.  The Center’s Team, Headed by its Medical Director – Dr. Wajdy Hailoo – Provides a Variety of Necessary Medical Care to the Injured, Impaired or Ill Workers Whose Maladies are the Result of a Variety of Workplace and Job Hazards, Including Asbestos, Noise, Violence, Smoke Inhalation, Falls and Exposure to Toxic Chemicals.  In Conjunction with the Area’s Workers, Labor Unions, Employers, Attorneys and Other Physicians, the Center Will Also Work to Improve Western New York’s Overall Worker Health and Safety, and Reduce Exposure to Dangerous Conditions and Environmental Threats.

Agreeing That the New Center For Occupational & Environmental Medicine Center is Labor-Driven, Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Richard Lipsitz Told WNYLaborToday.com the Center “Doesn’t Happen Without the Involvement of Labor.” 

“This Center Establishes Us at the Center of Progressive Medicine.  They Will See a Range of Workers, Who Will ‘Get What They Need.’  And This Center Has Been Driven by the Western New York Labor Movement.  This Truly is a Very ‘Big Deal.’  And With a Strong Advisory Role, (Labor) Will be in the Forefront On All Levels as We Spread the Word to Workers That This Wonderful Facility Exists,” Lipsitz said During a Recent Sneak Peak Provided to WNYLaborToday.com at ECMC. “There’s Nothing Like This in Western New York.  And it Was a Collaborative Effort.  We Have a Great Partner With ECMC at What Can Only Be Described as a ‘Union Hospital.’  This is Yet Another Example of the ‘Good’ That’s Going On Here in Western New York.”

The Center and its State-Funded Program ($3 Million Over Five Years) Will Also Offer a Range of Worker Screening and Testing for a Range of Workplace and Environmental illnesses and Injuries, Including Blurred Vision, Hearing Loss, Respiratory Problems, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Muscular Disorders.  The Center’s Professional Staff Will Also Identify and Treat All Occupational Illnesses, and – if Necessary, Provide Information and Documentation to Support a Workers’ Compensation Claim.

“I’m Very Excited,” Dr. Hailoo Told WNYLaborToday.com During a Walking Tour of the Ground Floor Screening and Treatment Rooms at ECMC as he Discussed the Center’s Focus On Specialized/Occupational Medicine, Including Environmental and Occupational Diseases Workers Suffer in Their Workplaces.  “We Will Focus On the Health of Workers at Work Who Suffer (Because of the Environment They Work in).  Labor Created This (Clinic).  They Wanted This to Happen and I Proposed We Link With ECMC.  Having ECMC Involved and Receiving Their Support Was Crucial.  They Too Helped Make This Clinic a ‘Reality.’”

Dr. Hailoo Decided to Return to Buffalo to Head the Center After Overseeing a Program That Worked and Treated 9/11-World Trade Center First Responders and Volunteers in New York City.  For Dr. Hailoo, Who Talked About His “Love” for the City of Buffalo, it is a Second Tour of Duty.  In the Mid-to-Late 1980s, He Ran a Similar Program in Buffalo Aimed at Helping Workers Exposed to Occupational and Environmental Problems in the Workplace.

“We’ve Built a Budget That Provides Support if a Worker Cannot Afford (the Center’s) Services,” Dr. Hailoo Noted.  “Our Focus is On ‘Help.’  We Want to ‘Help’ Older Workers Too, Women, Immigrant Workers Who Don’t Know Anything About Safety, the Medically-Challenged – and We Want to Focus On Our Target: Prevention.”

After Speaking at the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s October Delegates Meeting, Dr. Hailoo Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper That He Began Receiving Calls From Union Workers - and That Even Though the Center Has Yet to Officially Open, he Has Already Seen Several Workers Who are Employed Across the Region.

“I Saw a Worker From Niagara Falls Who Was Exposed to Dust in a Fabrication Operation, as Well as a Worker Exposed to Asbestos (in the Workplace) and Another With a Knee Injury Due to Standing for Long Periods of Time in His Work Environment.  I Spoke at Another Union Meeting and Had Interest From One-Hundred of Their Members,” he said. 

The Buffalo Center is Part of a Statewide Program That Was Originally Established in the 1980s (Including the One That Dr. Hailoo Oversaw Here).  “Buffalo ‘Led’ the Movement by Already Having a Clinic (in the Past) to Address Diseases That Most Workers Face On a Daily Basis.  Our Clinic is Now Available to ‘All’ Workers in the Community, Including Those in Tonawanda Who’ve Been Exposed to Environmental Pollution,” Dr. Hailoo said.

The Center’s Broad-Based Advisory Board Reads Like a Who’s Who of Western New York Labor, Including: Lipsitz; Buffalo AFL-CIO Labor Council President Michael Hoffert (Who Also Serves as an ECMC Board Member and Was Heavily Involved in Making the Center Happen); Communications Workers of America (CWA) Region One Director Deb Hayes; 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Vice President Todd Hobler; as Well as Representatives From the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 41; Painters District Council 4; Laborers Local 210; United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 9; United Steelworkers (USW) District 4; the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT); and United University Professions (UUP). 

In Addition the Diverse Board Also Features Representatives From Buffalo’s Labor Law Community: Collins & Collins; Dolce Panepinto; Lipsitz Green; and Lipsitz & Ponterio; and Two Community Organizations: the Western New York Clean Air Coalition and Coalition For Economic Justice; as Well as a Union Employer: Tops Market’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Jack Barrett.

Ronald Krawiec, Who Serves as ECMC’s Senior Vice President of Operations, is Credited With Helping Shepard the Project Through to Completion.  Krawiec Also Spoke With WNYLaborToday.com During the Sneak Peak Tour: “A Year Ago, Lipsitz, Hoffert and Roger Cook (the Former Director of the Western New York Council On Occupational Safety & Health (WNYCOSH) – Who Also Had a Major Role in Bringing About the New Center at ECMC) Came to Us Needing Help in Filing the State Grant.  ECMC Has Thirty Clinics and This Center is Within Our Mission.  We are the ‘Safety Net’ and This is Where Patients From Across Western New York Come (for Treatment).”

In a Previous Sit-Down Interview With WNYLaborToday.com, Hoffert said: “This Center – for Working People – Took a Year to Get Done and is Long Overdue.  We Know Workers and Residents are at Risk.  We’ll be Able to Build an Informational Data Base on the Community and its Workplaces, from Tonawanda Coke to Love Canal, and the Diseases That Come From Working and Living Here.  We Have to Know How (Diseases) Work Before We Can Fix Them.  We Need to Learn the ‘Root Cause,’ Mitigate it and Change the Effect.  We Don’t Want This to Happen to Workers in the Future.  We Need to Take the Appropriate Precautions and Come Up With Treatments.  Workers Need to Take Advantage of What This Center Offers.”  

Speaking at Last Month’s Buffalo AFL-CIO Council Meeting, Cook said: The Center “Will Have the Top Occupational Specialists in the United States.  This is Really ‘Labor’s Clinic.’  One Third of the Members of its Board are From Labor Unions.”

The Diversity of Services, Combined With the Region’s Many Medical Professionals and Professionals – Many Who Come Through From the University at Buffalo, Made ECMC a Perfect Fit to House the Center, said Krawiec, Noting the Hospital’s Employees are Represented by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)/CSEA and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).

“This is a Great Commitment (by All),” Krawiec Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper.  “Serving the Eight-County Western New York Region, Offering Occupational Health and Safety Medicine – There are (Many Health Care Facilities) Out There That Don’t Handle This.  We’re Excited at ECMC Too.  This is Very Different and its Absolutely Been ‘About’ Collaboration.  (The Center) Will Service the Public and it’s Something We Can be Very Proud of.”

(BUFFALO) – Representatives From a Number of Western New York Labor Unions Took Part Today (Monday, November 17th) in a Unique Coalition For Economic Justice (CEJ)-Sponsored Magic Bus Tour of Three Buffalo Area Business That Have Received Support From Various Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), and in the Process Joined With Other Community Advocates in Calling Upon Those Agencies to Adopt Quality Job Standards That Pay Workers at Companies Benefiting From Public Subsidies a Living Wage.

The Bus Tour Highlighted One Company That Received Tax Breaks and Promised to Retain Good, Local Living Wage Jobs as a Positive Example of Economic Development and Two Others That the Advocates say are Creating Poverty Wage Jobs as Poor Examples.

Among Those Unions Taking Part in the Magic Bus Event Were the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF), the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1122 and 1168, the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 41, Iron Workers Local 6, IUPAT/Painters District Council 4, Teamsters Local 264 and the United Auto Workers (UAW). 

In Addition, Representatives From the CEJ, Citizen Action, the Partnership for the Public Good (PPG), the Western New York Worker Center, the Group - It Takes a Village, as Well as Several Local and State Elected Officials, Including State Senator Tim Kennedy (Pictured Below) – a Staunch Supporter of Organized Labor and Workers’ Rights.

“Far Too Many IDAs are Giving Tax Breaks to Companies That Create Low Wage Jobs or ‘Fail’ to Create ‘Any’ Jobs at ‘All,’” CEJ Executive Director Kirk Laubenstein said. “One of the ‘Best Ways’ Economic Development Agencies Can ‘Make Sure’ Public Subsidies Support Good Job Creation is by Adopting Living Wage Policies.”   

At the Start of the Bus Tour, the Advocates Joined Local and State Elected Officials for a Press Conference Applauding a Recent Economic Development Agreement Between the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) and Maclean-Fogg That Will Keep 165 Local Jobs That Pay Above a Living Wage at the Curtis Screw Facility in Buffalo.

Curtis Screw Was Recently Purchased by Maclean-Fogg, a Chicago-Based Company.  In October, Maclean-Fogg Agreed to Retain the 165 Jobs Currently at the Local Facility After the ECIDA Transferred the Remaining Six Years of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Package From Curtis Screw to the New Owners of the Company.

“The Agreement Maclean-Fogg Made With the ECIDA is a ‘Good Example’ of How Economic Development Incentives Can Keep Good, Union Jobs in Western New York,” WNYALF President Richard Lipsitz (Pictured Below), Who Also Serves as ECIDA Vice Chair, said. “By Following ‘High Road’ Economic Development Policies That Include Quality Job Standards and Accountability Measures, IDAs Can ‘Consistently Support’ Businesses That Create Family-Supporting Jobs and New Economic Opportunities for Local Workers.”

Afterward, the Advocates Boarded the Bus to Tour Two Projects Supported With Tax Breaks by the Lancaster IDA That Promised to Create Low Wage Jobs: a Catalyst Fitness Center, Which Received Tax Breaks in 2012 as a Gold’s Gym Franchise; and at the Site of a Marriott Hotel That’s Being Constructed by Scott Enterprises, Which Received Tax Breaks in Early 2014.

Meanwhile, the PPG Took the Opportunity Today to Release a New Policy Brief, Town IDAs In Erie County: 2011-2013, Which Looked at Five Town-Based IDAs With Erie County With an Operational Cost Of Nearly $1 Million Per Year. 

The Group Researched a Total of 287 Town IDA Projects That Were Active in 2013 and Found They Represented Nearly $10 Million in Tax Exemptions. 

PPG Then Examined the 32 Projects Which Received Public Financing From the IDAs From 2011 to 2013 and Found 27 of Them to be of Questionable Value to the Public, Including Three Restaurants, Two Fitness Centers, a Veterinary Practice, a Car Dealership, Two Hotels and a Movie Theater – No Project That Typically Grows a Region’s Economy and/or Produce a Net Gain Of Jobs.

“Based On Their Performance in the Last Few Years, the Five Town IDAs are ‘Wasting’ Very Large Amounts of Taxpayer Revenue On Projects That ‘Do Not Grow’ Our Regional Economy,” PPG Co-Director Sam MaGavern said.

The Coalition For Economic Justice Unites its Member Labor, Faith and Community Organizations and Activist With Allies and Resources to Win Campaigns That Promote Economic Justice for All Through Building Strong, Diverse, Sustainable Communities.

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Photo: The Photos From Today’s CEJ/Magic Bus Event are Courtesy of the Social Network Facebook. They Appear On the CEJ's Page and the UAW/GM Lockport’s Lonnie Everett’s Page, as Well as State Senator Tim Kennedy’s Page.

A Group of Walmart Employees Pushing for Higher Wages Have Announced They’re Planning Protests at 1,600 Walmart Stores Nationwide On Black Friday, Which is the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year in the United States.

The Labor Group, Our Walmart, Protested at 1,200 To 1,400 Walmart Stores Last Year On Black Friday, the Day After the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Wal-Mart Stores Incorporate - Which is the Owner of Walmart Brand Stores and the Largest Private Employer in the United States, Has Been a Target for Activists in the Contentious National Debate Over Proposals to Raise the Minimum Wage.

The Announcement Comes After Police Arrested 23 Individuals Late Last Week Outside a Los Angeles-Area Walmart, Who Were Protesting the Company's Low Wages and its Retaliation Against Employees Who Pushed for Better Working Conditions.

The Arrests Followed Several Hours of Protest by a Number of Walmart Workers in California, According to Representatives of Our Walmart and the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW).  About 30 Workers Entered a Walmart Store in the Crenshaw Neighborhood of Los Angeles On Thursday Morning and Held a Sit-Down Protest for Two Hours, a UFCW said.  The Workers Then Protested at a Walmart Store in Pico Rivera In Eastern Los Angeles Where the Arrests Eventually Took Place.  The 23 People Were Blocking an Intersection and Were Cited for Failure to Disperse and Then Released, Police said.

"Over The Last Year, Walmart Workers Have Pressured Walmart to Change its Pregnancy Policy, Provide Access to More Hours and Most Recently - to Pledge to ‘Phase Out’ its Minimum Wage Jobs," the UFCW said.

Wal-Mart Stores Chief Executive Douglas McMillon said the Company is Working to Phase Out Minimum Wage Jobs "Over Time," a Move Seen as Largely Symbolic as Just 6,000 of its 1.3 Million U.S. Workers Make Minimum Wage.

The Average Full-Time Hourly Wage at Walmart Stores is $12.92, Compared With the Federal Minimum Wage of $7.25, According to the Company.

You Can Directly Access This Labor News Report at: http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/315-19/26969-strikes-planned-for-1600-walmart-stores-on-black-friday

(POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK) - The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Ruled Earlier This Week That Marist College Committed Objectionable Conduct During the Course of the Union Election for the Nearly 500 Part-Time Adjunct Faculty Employed by the College, Who are Organizing With Adjunct Action/Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 200 United.  The Ruling Called for the Results of the Election to be Set Aside and for a New Election to be Held at a Time to be Determined.

Nicolas Veroli, an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Philosophy Department, said of the Ruling: “I Feel ‘Really Proud’ of Our Efforts to Organize Ourselves to Better Our Working Conditions and the Educational Environment for Students at Marist, So This Ruling is for Me a ‘Vindication’ That the ‘Time for Change Has Come’ for Adjuncts at Marist and ‘All Over New York State!’  We’re Making History Here and it’s a History That Will ‘Positively Impact’ Not Only the Current Generation of College Students, But Future Ones as Well.”

The Election Had Been Conducted by the NLRB Via Mail Ballot in June (2014).  The Result Had Previously Been Indeterminate Based On a Number of Outstanding Challenges by Adjunct Action/SEIU Alleging Marist College Had Stacked the Eligibility List With Administrators Who Were Not - in Fact - Eligible to Vote.

The NLRB Agreed With the Adjunct Faculty Who Alleged Marist College Committed Objectionable Conduct During the Election That Interfered With the Free Choice of Employees.

The NLRB Ruled the College Deliberately Censored Pro-Union Adjuncts From Communicating Effectively Over a Private College Listserv by Disparately Enforcing College Policy.

They Also Ruled College President Dennis Murray Flagrantly Promoted the Creation of an Internal Committee Just a Week Before the Election in an Attempt to Dissuade Adjuncts From Voting for Unionization.

Finally, the NLRB Ruled an Announcement of an Increase in the Starting Salary for Adjuncts Was Yet Another Attempt to Discourage Voting for Unionization.

Adjunct Faculty Member Karen Comstock, Who Teaches in the Education Department, said: “The Right to Form a Union ‘Without’ Employer Discrimination is ‘Essential’ to the ‘Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.’  It is ‘Unfortunate’ the Administration Decided to Spend Student Tuition Money On Lawyers That are ‘Known’ for Union-Busting Strategies.  I’m Very Glad the NLRB Came Down ‘On the Side’ of Democracy and That Our Effort to Organize is Helping Bring Attention to the Plight of Part-Time Faculty at Marist College and Across This Nation.”

The Union Organizing Committee Will Meet In The Near Future and Will be Requesting Input From All Marist Adjuncts to Discuss the Next Steps to Take.

Nationwide, Adjuncts are Organizing to Form Unions On Campuses and the Blatant Violations of Federal Labor Law Committed by Marist College are Not the Norm, SEIU Reps said.

Washington University in St. Louis Has Agreed to Allow for a Free and Fair Election Without Interference for its Adjuncts as They Seek to Organize With Adjunct Action/SEIU.

At Tufts University in Boston, Adjuncts Recently Have Ratified a Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement After a Long, But Collaborative Process With the College Administration That Dramatically Improves Working Conditions and Provides Real Job Security.

In New York, Adjunct Faculty at the College of Saint Rose in Albany Recent Voted – Overwhelmingly - to Form a Union in September and are Preparing for Contract Negotiations.

Meanwhile, Adjuncts at Herkimer Community College Have Filed With the New York State Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) To Form a Union.

You Can Directly Access This Labor News Report at: www.seiu200united.org/2014/11/18/nlrb-rules-in-favor-of-marist-college-adjunct-faculty-organizing-with-adjunct-actionseiu/

(WESTERN NEW YORK) – For the Past Four Days, I’ve Been Snowed in at My Home in Lancaster, New York – Located Just Outside Buffalo and a Stone’s Throw From the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.  A Wide Snow Band Settled in Early This Week and When All Was Said and Done, Lancaster Got More Than 80 Inches of the White Stuff.  Believe it or Not, Other Surrounding Areas Got Even More as I Watched the Local News Stations Go Round the Clock in Reporting On the Amazing Weather Blast and How WNYers Were Digging Out.

Earlier This Week, a Day or Two After the Non-Stop Snow Kept Falling, the Town Plows Started Coming Through – Followed by a Massive Payloader That Cleared the Snow From the Streets.  I Watched – Amazed– From a Second Floor Window the Work That Was Being Done and Was Thankful Our Town Had Public Servants Skilled in Their Craft to Get the Job Done So We Could Eventually Escape From Our Snow Prison and Return to Normal Life.

Here’s a Couple of Photos I Shot of the Snow in Our Driveway and in the Back of Our Home in Lancaster:

Watching the Local News Stations Report On These Men and Women Who Themselves Worked Non-Stop Over the First Three Days of the Storm This Week Showed Not Only What They Do Best, But Their Dedication to Being There for the Residents of Western New York.

And No, for Once– I Did Not Hear Any Bashing of Public Workers This Week, Which May Be a First.  I Did Not Hear Any Elected Public Official Take the Time to Criticize Public Workers and I Did Not Hear Any Citizen/Taxpayer Complain About Public Employees “Making Too Much Money” and “Retiring With Golden Pensions.”

That Point Was Underscored by Chautauqua Labor (www.facebook.com/chautauqua.labor?fref=nf) in a Posting On the Social Network Facebook: Was Watching the Severe Storm in Western NY and I Made the Following Observation: It Seems That No One is Bashing UNION MEMBERS Today or Complaining About Their Wages Because in Most Cases They are the First To Arrive and Offer Assistance.  Just Saying!

That Post Was Followed by a Facebook Response From Frank Gawronski of Dunkirk, New York: We Should All Take a Week Off Then Maybe They Might Understand How Important the Work Public Employees Provide.

A Number of Those Public Workers, Especially Those Employed in County, Town and Village Highway Departments are Represented by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA).

This is What CSEA Posted On its Web Site: CSEA Members and Other Public Employees in Western and Northern New York are Continuing to Respond to the Lake Effect Snowstorm That is Still Pounding Both Areas.  Public Employees From Other Parts of the State are Also Helping in the Clean Up Efforts in Western NY.  Despite the Difficulties, Other CSEA Members and Public Workers are Continuing to Provide Essential Public Services.  Thank You to All Members Who are Responding to and/or Providing Services During the Storm.  Please Stay Safe!

Flo Tripi Serves as President of CSEA Western Region 6, Which Represents as Many as 45,000 Workers Across Western New York.  Here’s What She Had to Say: "During Tight Budget Times, Public Employees are Often Made to be the ‘Scapegoats.’  When ‘Something Big’ Happens, Those ‘Same’ Public Employees are There, Doing ‘Whatever Needs to be Done’ to Protect the Community.  CSEA Members Have Been Working Around-the-Clock in Response to This Major Lake Effect Snowstorm.  Please Obey Travel Bans, Stay Off the Roads and Let These Hard-Working Men and Women ‘Do What They Need to Do’ to Help South Buffalo and Erie County Rebound From This Significant Snow Event."

Meanwhile, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz – Who’s Done a Masterful Job Overseeing the Response and Clean Up - said This On His Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/mark.poloncarz?fref=ts): Thanks To All Who Have Sent Me Messages or Kind Comments of Support.  Real Thanks Goes to the Plow Drivers and Emergency First Responders From All Across WNY and NYS.  All 5,000 of Them are Doing a Fantastic Job in Trying Conditions.

And Even Though it’s Friday and the Snow’s Finally Stopped, Western New York’s Dig Out is Not Over. 

It More Than Likely That Effort Will Take Several More Days.

What’s Even More Worrisome is an Upcoming Change in Temperature Into the 50s and 60s Over the Next Couple of Days That May Create Even More Problems as the Snow Turns Back Into Water and the Region Contends With Possible and Major Flooding.

But Make No Mistake About it– Public Workers Will Be There, Doing What They Do Best– in Both Good Times and Bad.

So, Please Remember That the Next Time Someone Bashes a Public Worker or Complains They Make Too Much.

Remind Them of the Snowvember Snowstorm in Western New York and How Those Public Workers Responded.

I Know I Wouldn’t Want to be Without Them.

And By the Way, Thank You to All Who’ve Done Such a Great Job!

It’s More Than Appreciated!

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: CSEA Western New York Region 6 Communications Director Lynn Miller Sent WNYLaborToday.com the Following Photos With a Note That Read: CSEA West Seneca Blue Unit President Brian Cummins Shared These Photos he Took as he Worked to Clear Snow This Week in West Seneca (Just Outside Buffalo).  Crews are Still Working Around-the-Clock to Move Mountains of Snow and Reopen Roads.  Driving Bans are Still in Place in Many Communities.  The Snow’s Still Falling in Some Areas.

(BUFFALO) – Quietly, Buffalo Area Teamsters’ Locals 449 and 375 Finalized a Merger at the End of 2013 for a Number of Reasons, Union Representatives Tell WNYLaborToday.com.  But After the Marriage That Occurred Nearly Seven Months Ago, the Future Appears to be Very Bright for a Teamsters’ Local That Now Represents More Than 3,300 Members Who are Employed in a Variety of Jobs Across the Western New York Region.

For Whatever Reason, the Merger Between the Two Locals is Not Commonly KnownOutside the Teamsters Union and Across the Western New York Labor Movement.  There Was No Big Announcement Made in Late December and Until Teamsters Local 449 President Jeff Brylski and Vice President Kevin Drysdale – Formerly With Local 375 – Recently Sat Down to Talk About the Merger With Your On-Line Labor Newspaper, it Marked the First Time Local 449 Officials Had Publicly Discussed the Partnership and What it Means to Both Locals, Their Combined Membership, the Teamsters and the Area’s Labor Movement.

The Merger Has Been “Fantastic,” says Local 449 President Brylski, Who Explained it Was Made for the Following Reasons: Consolidation of Services; Collective Organizing Opportunities; and More Experienced and Seasoned Union Representatives and Business Agents “Who Know What They’re Doing” to “Serve Our Members.”

“To Us, There Was No Interest in Being Part of the ‘Front Page News,’” Brylski said in Regards to Local 4499 Feeling a Need to Publicize the Merger.  “Our Main Concern is Our More Than Thirty-Three-Hundred Members.  It’s Easy to Put in Fifteen to Sixteen Hours a Day When You Love Who You Work for and Our International is Thrilled With Our Consolidation.”

Looking Back - Former Local 375 Secretary-Treasurer/Business Agent Kevin Drysdale, Who Now Serves as Vice President With Local 449, said: “We Recognized the Current State of the Teamster Locals (Here in Western New York) and Made the ‘Right Decision’ to Consolidate.  Local 375 Had the Smallest Amount of Members, but We Also Have a Diverse, Jurisdictional Teamster-Represented Membership That is ‘Not Specific’ to One Area.  It Was the ‘Right Thing’ to Do for Our Members.”

Asked What the Reaction of Local 449’s Membership Has Been, Both Brylski and Drysdale Responded: “Positive.”  “It’s Important to the Members and They’ve Definitely Seen the Changes,” Both said. 

Prior to the Merger, Cheektowaga-Headquartered Local 449 Represented 2,200 Workers at a Number of Buffalo Area Employers, Including Positions as Drivers With United Parcel Service, The Buffalo News, Praxair, Scranton and Thruway Builders – to Name Just a Few, as well as in the Construction, Dump Truck and Freight Industries, in the Local Motion Picture Industry, at Local Railroad Yards, in the Transport of Gasoline and Distribution of Liquid Materials, and at Ralph Wilson Stadium – the Home of the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.

Meanwhile, Formerly Kenmore-Headquartered Local 375 Represented Nearly 1,100 Members – Including Those Employed at Rural Metro Ambulance/Medical Services, as Freight Drivers With YRC, Buffalo Hospital Supply, Avis and Hertz Rent-a-Car, at Several Buffalo Area Cemeteries, at Linde Gas and With Several Other Major and Local Trucking Companies.

In All, Teamsters Joint Council No. 46 - of Which Local 449 is Part of - Represents 13,000 Members Across Western New York and Rochester.  Suburban Cheektowaga-Headquartered Teamster Local 264 is the Other Buffalo-Area Teamsters’ Local.  It Represents 4,400 Members Who are Employed in Both the Private and Public Sectors Across the Region.  

Local 375 Was Just Coming Off a Successful and High-Profile Job Action Involving a New Contract at Rural Metro Ambulance in the Summer of 2013, Which Featured a Very Short Strike That Lasted Several Hours, When it Reached Out to Local 449 Regarding a Possible Merger, Drysdale said. 

It Also Helped When Local 375 Representatives Began Building a Positive Relationship With Local 449 Officials, Whom They Would Continually Encounter at a Number of Area and Public Labor Actions Where They Walked the Picket Line Together and Began to Talk. 

“Once We Started to See Each Other at Union Functions, Things Started to ‘Open Up,’” Brylski said.  “We Were Very ‘Like-Minded.’  So We Sat and Met and Began Working Together.  Then We Started Talking About an Overlap of Services.  We Each Had a Building and There Was ‘Two of Everything.’”  “It Was About Representation and Organizing,” added Drysdale, Who said His Local’s Membership Had Dwindled Over the Years From a Once High of 5,000.

A Big Dividend From the Merger is the Fact That the New Local 449 Now Has a Total of Five Very Experienced and Seasoned Business Reps, Led by Principal Officer/Secretary-Treasurer George Harrigan (Who Was Not Available to be Interviewed by WNYLaborToday.com for This Labor News Report).  Both Brylski and Drysdale Had High Praise for Harrigan, Whom Drysdale Described as the “One of the Sharpest Labor Leaders in All of Western New York.”

“We’re Able to Continue to Service Our Members Without ‘Missing a Beat,’” Brylski said.  Added Drysdale: “To Sit Down and Bounce Ideas Off Other People Who Have the Same Expertise and Who’ve Successfully Bargained All Kinds of Contracts is ‘Unbelievably Invaluable.’  It’s an Amazing Exchange of Ideas With the Same Goals.”

Speaking of Contracts, Local 449’s Drysdale said Over the Past Six Weeks, the Union’s Bargained Several New Contracts That Have Been Successfully Ratified by Membership, Including a Four-Year Deal With Buffalo Hospital Supply, a Three-Year Agreement With Trucking Concern Cope Bestway Express, and a Three-Year Contract With Chemical Waste Management.  All Feature Better Wages and Benefits, he said. 

You Would Think With the Way Things are Currently Going, it Would Be Status Quo at Least for Now at Local 449, But According to Both Drysdale and Brylski, That Couldn’t be Further From the Truth.

“Our Long-Term Goals Now Include Organizing (Non-Represented Workers) Over the Next Five to Seven Years Through Hard Work,” Brylski Told WNYLaborToday.com.  “We Want to Grow This Local Union Into the Biggest and Sharpest Teamster Local in Western New York.”

The Union Will Also Become “Even More” Active With the Western New York Labor Movement.  “We’re Engaged in This Labor Movement,” Brylski and Drysdale said.  “Our Responsibility is to Our Brothers and Sisters.  We Have an Obligation to Them and Anyway We Can Help Them, We Will.  We’re Not in This for Personal Gain.  We’re Collectively Making Decisions (to Help Benefit All).”

In Addition, Both Local 449 Teamsters Leaders Made it a Point to Also Underscore the Local’s and its Membership’s Involvement in the Area Communities Where its Members Live, Work and Raise Their Families.  “We’ve Been ‘Out in Front’ When it Comes to Labor Here in Western New York, From Participating in the Annual Labor Day Parade to the Annual (Postal Carriers) Food Drive to Raising Money for the Variety Club Telethon,” Brylski said.

The Local Will Also Be Very Visible This Election Season “Supporting Pro-Labor Candidates,” he added.

On Another Front, Drysdale Also Pointed Out That Local 449 Works With Employers During Times When it’s Needed.  Case in Point, Standing Up and Speaking Out With a Host of Representatives at Buffalo’s City Hall for Rural Metro Ambulance When the Company’s Exclusive Contract With the Company Was Being Challenged Earlier This Year (See WNYLaborToday.com’s April 23rd Labor News Report: Teamsters ‘Stand Up’ For Rural Metro Ambulance Services).  “We All Need to Work Together,” Brylski added.

Drysdale, Who Knows What it Means to Not Only Work With, But at Times Take a Stand With an Employer – Noted the Strength Brought About by the Merger Between Locals 449 and 375 Should Also Send a Message to Anyone Who May Doubt the Overall Dedication and Strength of What Now is One Union. 

“Any Labor Union Can ‘Pick a Fight,’ But This Labor Union ‘Knows How to Win Them,’” he said.

(BUFFALO) - The Historic Snowfall That Hit Buffalo This Week Brought Traffic to a Standstill, Stranded Hundreds and Collapsed Roofs.  At the Same Time, it Brought Out the Best in Ford Employees – Including United Auto Workers (UAW)-Represented Workers - Caught in the Middle of the Swirling Drifts.

The Lake-Effect Snow Started Falling in Buffalo – Home to Ford’s Buffalo Stamping Plant (BSP) – Late Monday Night.  By the Time it Stopped, Parts of the Region Had Accumulated More Than Six Feet of Snow.

"I Live (North of Downtown Buffalo)," BSP Human Resources Manager Jeff Croff said.  "We Got Five or Six Inches of Snow.  Three Miles From Me is Lancaster (Where www.WNYLaborToday.com is Located) and They Got Sixty-Five Inches of Snow."

According to Stories Posted On-Line, the Storm Led to the Deaths a Dozen People, Some of Whom Had Heart Attacks While Shoveling.  Hundreds Were Stranded as Cars Got Stuck as the Storm Closed the New York State Thruway and Other Roads.  The State Called Out More Than 1,300 National Guard Troops to Help in What Governor Andrew Cuomo Called the "Largest Deployment Of Its Kind."

At the Ford Plant, Glenn Scott - a Diesel Mechanic and General Repairman Who’s Chief of the Plant’s Emergency Response Team (ERT), Was Just Coming Back From a Nine-Day Florida Vacation.  On His Way to Work Tuesday, he Picked Up Co-Worker Jeff Hosie, and by that Time, Scott said the Snow Was Already Dragging Along the Bottom of His 2013 Ford F-150.

Scott Made it to the Back Parking Lot at the Plant and Was Waist-Deep in Snow. 

At That Point, There Were About 110 to 120 Employees in the Plant, and the Security Office Was Inundated With Call-Offs.

That’s When People Started Walking in to the Plant.

"Two People Wandered In.  One Man Was Scheduled to Have Surgery in Buffalo and Hadn’t Eaten in Twenty-Three Hours," Scott said. 

The Couple Was the First of Nearly Thirty Stranded Motorists That ERT Members and Other BSP Team Members Took in Over the Course of the Storm.  "The Ramp (Outside the Plant) Was Clogged With Cars and Semis," Scott said.

"Obviously, You're Talking About People Who Were Driving and Just ‘Got Caught,’" Croff said.  "These People Were ‘Fortunate Enough’ to be Close to the Facility and Walk in.  We Brought 'em in, Clothed Them With New, Dry Coveralls, Fed Them and Took Care of Them (in the Plant Medical Department) Until They Could be Rescued."

Scott Called it a "Great Example of Teamwork at its Finest.”

“I Mean, That Was a ‘Team Effort’ That Was ‘Second to None,’" he said.

Plant Nurse Mary Raczka Stayed Through the Ordeal, Treating the Stranded Motorists for Hypothermia and Other Cold-Related Injuries.

Meanwhile, People Inside the Plant Were Starting to Get Hungry. 

You Can Read the Rest of This Labor News Story and Accompanying Photos at: http://m.at.ford.com/news/cn/Pages/Buffalo%20Stamping%20Goes%20Further,%20Becomes%20Refuge%20During%20Historic%20Storm.aspx

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: A Number of Buffalo Area Union Members Heard the Call Put Out by the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) On Sunday (November 23rd) and Joined With Other Unionists to Volunteer Their Time in West Seneca to Help Dig Out the Driveways and Walkways of Snowed-In Elderly Residents.  (Photos Courtesy Of The West Seneca Teachers Association and Local Unionist Bob Hellwitz)

(WEST SENECA) – Sunday is Usually a Day Many Spend Watching NFL (National Football League) Football in Their Warm Homes, “But What Better Way (to Spend the Day) Than Going Out and Helping Your Brothers and Sisters,” New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Regional Director Mike Deely Told WNYLaborToday.com Just Before Heading Out the Door With His Teenage Son, Josh, to Join a Host of Union Members Headed to West Seneca to Help Dig Out the Driveways and Walkways of Elderly Residents Living Just Outside Buffalo.

Deely Was One of a Number of Area Unionists Whose Offer of Snow-Shoveling Was Taken Advantage of by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Who for the Past Several Days Has Overseen and Directed Much of the Clean-Up Efforts After a Major Snowstorm Dumped Several Feet of the White Stuff in Communities Across the County.  As Much as Seven Feet or More Fell in Parts of Erie County, Bringing the Region to a Standstill and Accounting for as Many as 13 Storm-Related Deaths – Including Several Who Suffered Heart Attacks From Shoveling.

“We Saw the Call From the Area Labor Federation On Facebook and Twitter,” said Deely, Who Later Posted On His Facebook Page That he and His Son Has Spent Four Hours Shoveling On Sunday.  “There Was ‘No Vote Necessary’ to Engage Our Members (in This Effort).  This is Buffalo.  It Makes No Matter if You Have a ‘Union Card’ (or Not).”

Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) President Richard Lipsitz, Who Was Joined by His Wife, Liz (Pictured Below), Was One of Many Area Unionists Who Headed Out Early Sunday Morning to West Seneca to Offer Their Help.

“This is Wonderful and We’ve Got Quite a Few Union People Out Here This Morning,” Lipsitz Told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper Via Phone From West Seneca.  “First and Foremost I Want to Recognize All Those Public Employees Who’ve Been Working Around the Clock.  They’ve Been Doing a ‘Fantastic’ Job.  Other Union Members Wanted to Help Too, So We Contacted the County Executive and Helped Get Some of Our Members Out Here Today.”

West Seneca Teachers Association (WSTA) President Joe Cantafio - a West Seneca Resident Who’s Been Dealing With the More Than 50 Inches of Snow That Fell in His Neighborhood – Also Took Part in Sunday’s Effort.

“This is What (Union Members) Do.  Labor’s Helping in Any Way That We Can,” Cantafio said.  “We’re All Active in the Community.  We Got the Call and Here We are.”

Pictured Below is WSTA 1st Vice President Chris Galley Shoveling in West Seneca.

Schools are Closed in West Seneca Today (Monday, November 24th) as That Community Continues to Dig Out. 

“It Was Pretty Incredible.  I Had Snow That Was Higher Than My Four-Foot Fence.  We Tried to Stay On Top of it, But Our and Our Neighbors’ Snowblowers All Broke Down.  We Used the Parts to Get One of Them Going.  It Was ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors,’” Cantafio said.

As Did Lipsitz, Cantafio Praised Town Highway Workers for the Great Job They’ve Done.  “They’ve Been Fantastic,” he said.

WNYALF President Lipsitz Also Took Time to Publicly Praise Not Only County Executive Poloncarz, But Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Governor Andrew Cuomo, Who Has Spent the Past Several Days in Buffalo Helping Oversee the Clean-Up and Meeting With Area Residents.  “A Round of Praise Needs to Go to All Three,” he said.