Working Life

Yesterday, I highlighted the rolling out of a very important piece of legislation: the Trade Reform, Accountability, Development, and Employment Act of 2008 (cleverly, the TRADE Act). So far, the only Senate co-sponsors, who have joined the bill’s sponsor Sherrod Brown, are Byron Dorgan, Russ Feingold, Bob Casey and Sheldon Whitehouse. So, today, it’s worth […]

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The Obama pound, exchanged between Michelle and Barack on Tuesday night, marked a historic moment. Yeah, there’s that whole first black nominee for president thing. But more significant, is the fact that the greeting which has been described by confused white journalists as a "fist bump," "closed-fist high-five," "a frat-tastic fist bump" and a "’Hezbollah’ […]

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    This morning is a time to shake off the cobwebs of conventionitis. Conventionitis is a serious form of mental illness brought on by being cooped up in a climate-controlled atmosphere, where the air you breathe is not real, and the steady hum of many voices conversing at a low pitch combines to penetrate the […]

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    Immigration continues to be a very divisive topic. Too often, we don’t hear a basic point–most people don’t choose to leave their homes and travel thousands of miles to find work, often times at great risk to their lives. They are forced to. Today, at the SEIU convention, Gerry Hudson, a union executive vice […]

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    I’ve reached my max on the convention grind. What happens at conventions really is about relationship building, along with the content. But, hey, there is some SEIU-related stuff out there today that’s worth mentioning.     Quick. Snap question: after Wal-Mart, who is the second-largest employer in the country? Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, […]

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    The debate begins on the long-term care resolution: combining all long-term care workers in each state into one local in a state. There will be emotional language but the resolution will pass. A vote on Saturday at the meeting of the health care division supported the resolution so this vote is a foregone conclusion. […]

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    I think there is a serious issue that demands that SEIU be brought before the highest bodies in the land. It is a plot that I have uncovered–exclusively–and threatens the future of labor. Here it is: no union should be allowed to hold a convention in a place that serves rum. You laugh, you […]

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    Well, we’re in the midst of the first day at the SEIU convention and a resolution is now on the floor called "Uniting Working People To Change Our Lives". The resolution essentially implements the "Justice For All" program. It’s a long resolution and I don’t have a copy of it electronically. But, an amendment […]

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    As you probably know, per the previous post, SEIU is arguing that the labor movement cannot be a movement that is just worrying about its members but has to press for "Justice For All". I don’t think it’s entirely fair to say that other unions don’t think they are improving the lives of other […]

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    I had an interesting discussion today at a press conference held by Sal Rosselli, president of United Healthcare Workers West, which represents 140,000 S.E.I.U. members in California, who, as many of you know, is the public face of a group of delegates and leaders who object to some of the positions, actions and vision […]

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