Republican Senate leaders are so frightened that a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) might actually have an open mind about workers’ rights, that in two purely partisan maneuvers, they’ve blocked a majority vote on one of President Obama’s nominees for an NLRB seat. Read More>>

Earlier this week, we noted a new study that predicts health insurance premiums will jump between 10 percent and 11 percent this year. Now a new government report says health care costs last year took the biggest bite ever out of the nation’s economy. Read More>>

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis says workers face increasing obstacles when they try to form unions and “we need to restore their freedom to do so.” In testimony before the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee today, Solis looked back at the department’s actions in 2009 and forward to its 2010 agenda. Read More>>

Local Labor came out by the hundreds to support the Holiday Inn Express workers in their victory celebration of a settlement of their NLRB charges. Congressman Paul Tonko a great friend and consistent supporter of labor was their as well as Congressman Scott Murphy, both of whom pledged to fight for the Employee Free Choice Act.

Braving freezing temperatures not far from the shore of the Hudson
River, members of IUE/CWA 81359 and local area labor picketed outside the Waterford, New YorkMomentive plant Janurary 12 2010, protesting the anniversary of drastic unilateral pay cuts imposed by Momentive Performance Materials in late 2008. Credit to Jon Flanders for the video.

CWA 1118 found out that Verizon was bringing 40 workers to the capital region to do work starting on Jan 7th, 2010. Verizon was going to put the workers up at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham, the same Holiday Inn that has been on strike! After some quick action and the promise that no CWA member would cross a picket line, Verizon backed down. At more than $4,000.00 dollars a day in bookings for Verizon, Jim Morrell takes yet another finacial hit for his anti-union behavior.  www.cwa1118.com

On Mother's day of 2009, in Selkirk, NY, locomotive remote control operator Jared Boehlke was killed while attempting a repair as the sole member of a yard switching crew. He left a wife and a 2 year old daughter.

Within days of Christmas 2009 Samuel Lundy was killed in a Burlington Northern Santa Fe yard while using locomotive remote control. He left a wife and three children.

Nominations for the Schenectady Area Labor Council are going to be at the Janurary Meeting on Monday the 11th at 6:00pm in the VFW on union street. For more more information email me at kevin@cdalf.org

Local 471 is proud to announce that we won a significant battle in our boycott of Jim Morrell's Holiday Inn Express in Latham. We have been turning guests away from the hotel for almost 6 months now, and just two weeks ago we succeeded in convincing Jim Morrell's biggest customer, GE, to pull their business.

There was a fantastic turnout for the Stony Brook Research assistants who have been waiting for their first contract for almost a year. After some picketing around the GIANT inflatable corporate pig, everyone was able to listen to some of the RA's that are on the bargaining committee. Video thanks to Jim McCasey

Members of Greater Capital Region Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as CDALF leaders, participated in a rally on 4/22 at the Capitol.  Workers were advocating for Assembly Bill A3705 which would clarify the definition of public work.

 

To see video of the event, click here. 

 

Click on the name of your Senator and Assemblymember and sign your name at the end of the email.  Make sure they know that you want local jobs for local people!

 

Click here for full list of Capital District Statewide Elected Leaders!