Labor & Employment Law

Saints? Drew Brees Speaks out for NFL Players?and More Bargaining News

By Belinda Boyce

Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, speaks out on behalf of the NFL Players Association, and more news from the Bargaining Digest Weekly. The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,200 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

WORK STOPPAGES AND ACTIONS

NFLPA, NFL: Saints quarterback Drew Brees spoke out on behalf of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), articulating the concern about a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. In American Needle v. the NFL, the Supreme Court will decide whether the 32 NFL teams act as a single entity, a decision that could make it exempt from anti-trust laws and have a significant impact on the rights of players as well as the cost of tickets and merchandise. The NFLPA is currently in negotiations with the NFL on a new contract, and the threat of a lockout looms for the 2011 season. 

UNITEHERE!, Kaiser Permanente: UNITEHERE Local 5 will hold a “limited duration strike” at Honolulu’s Kaiser Permanente clinic, beginning Jan. 19 and lasting no more than two days. Local 5 hopes to block Kaiser from subcontracting workers’ jobs. 

RWDSU-UFCW, Saks Fifth Avenue: Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU-UFCW) Local 1102 has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Saks Fifth Avenue. Local 1102 says Saks perpetrated “gross labor violations” in firing 115 workers last month, which the local alleges was retaliation for the workers deciding to join the union. 

SETTLEMENTS

AFSCME, City of Hollywood, Fla.: AFSCME members in Hollywood, Fla., voted to take 20 hours of furloughs, saving the jobs of nine city workers. The pact will save the city $500,000. 

NEGOTIATIONS

BCTGM, Wendy’s: The fight for justice continues for bakery workers at Wendy’s New Bakery Co. in Ohio. The company wants to eliminate the pension and slash benefits for members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 57. BCTGM is asking unions to contact their local Wendy’s outlet manager to ask why Wendy’s is trying to gut the bakery workers’ contract. 

AFM, Cleveland Orchestra: Talks between the Cleveland Orchestra and its musicians broke down Wednesday. The musicians, members of the Cleveland Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 4, say pay and benefits have been slipping for years and they may strike as early as Jan. 18. The musicians have been working without a contract since August. 

CWA, AT&T: Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1298 in Hamden, Conn., is pointing to the layoff of 160 AT&T workers as a sign of the company’s greed and lack of commitment to service standards. William Henderson, president of Local 1298, joined state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (and the most recent candidate for Sen. Christopher Dodd’s seat) to highlight not only the need for worker justice but also the need to provide customers with reliable service. 

ALPA, Hawaiian Airlines: Hawaiian Airlines pilots last week began voting on a tentative agreement that was nearly three years in the making. The five-year, eight-month contract includes a 20.6 percent wage increase over the term of the agreement, as well as increased retirement contributions by the airline. The 436 members of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) will be voting until Jan. 14. 

UWUA, Entergy: Members of Utility Workers (UWUA) Local 1-2 at New York’s Indian Point nuclear power plant overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike should an agreement with the plant owner, Entergy, not be reached by Jan. 17. UWUA represents more than 400 workers at the plant. 

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only.  As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on January 11, 2010 (boomark / email).