November 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton edition of The Union News

IAM Union request NLRB to conduct election at Sun Buick

By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com

REGION, October 18th- The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Union, District Lodge 15 in Cincinnati, Ohio, filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region Four in Philadlephia requesting the agency conduct a election to determine if workers at Sun Buick Pontiac GMC on Birney Avenue in Moosic want to be represented by the union.

According to the petition filed by the IAM with the NLRB on October 14th, and obtained by the newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act, the union wants to represent all full-time and regular part-time flat rate and hourly service department technicians, new car service technicians, and used car technicians.

The union is requesting all parts department employees, service salesmen, lubricators, washers, polishers, lot men, office clerical employees, professional employees, guards and supervisors to be excluded from participating in the election.

Under NLRB rules, the petition requesting for the agency to conduct a election must have the support of at least 30 percent of the unit of employees. According to the petition, the IAM stated at least 30 percent of the employees want the NLRB to conduct an election.

The petition was signed by Brian Bryant, recognized as a IAM Grand Lodge Representative from Cincinnati, Ohio.

November 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton edition of The Union News

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 2244 wants to represent UGI Energy workers

By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com

REGION, October 10th- The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Union Local 2244, North Lincoln Avenue in Scranton, filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region Four in Philadelphia requesting the agency conduct a election to determine if workers employed by UGI Penn Natural Gas want to be represented by the union.

According to the petition, obtained by the newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act, the union is requesting all full-time and regular part-time utility specialist workers employed by UGI at its Honesdale and Milford Pennsylvania locations participate in the NLRB Representation Election.

The petition states, at least 30 percent of the workers support the agency conducting an election to determine if they want to be represented by the union. IBEW Local 2244 currently represents workers employed by UGI in and around the Scranton region.

The Utility Workers Union Local 406 represents workers employed by the utility company in and around the Wilkes-Barre region.

Philadelphia Attorney David Gaudioso signed the petition on behalf of Local 2244 requesting for the NLRB to conduct a election. The petition was filed on October 8th, 2008.

November 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton edition of The Union News

Unions conducting Get-Out-To-Vote (GOTV) program locally

By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com

REGION, October 20th- Organized labor is conducting a get-out-to-vote (GOTV) program by contacting their members by mail, phone, and at worksites asking them to be sure to get to the polls on November 4th and support Illinois Senator Barack Obama for President.

Since mid-summer the labor community has been active throughout the nation and Northeastern Pennsylvania with a political program that is intended to better educate union members about issues pertaining to the November election and how it will effect them and the working people.

In the region, the political program is being conducted out of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Union District Council 87 building in Dunmore and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Union Local 542 building in Wilkes-Barre.

Unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the Change-to-Win (CtW) labor federations are working together through the political program to better educate union members and their households about how presidential candidate Arizona Republican Senator John McCain hasn’t supported the labor community while in Washington and will oppose labor legislation if elected President in November.

Mr. McCain voted to prohibit application of Davis-Bacon laws in federal disaster areas, and repeatedly supported exceptions to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rules. He opposed a resolution that would have expressed support for Davis-Bacon and opposition to its repeal. Also, Mr. McCain on March 15th, 1995 voted to block President Bill Clinton’s order banning federal contractors from hiring permanent scabs to replace construction workers on strike.

Senator McCain opposes the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and on June 26th, 2007 voted against the legislation. The legislation passed the House of Representatives in March 2007, 241-185 but it failed in the Senate. Organized labor has made the passage of the law a priority for the 2009 legislative session.

Under the legislation, employers would be required to recoginize unions that receive majority support by employees through a card-check program. EFCA would sometimes replace government overseen elections in the workplace which are held following a sometimes lengthy campaign and after an employer hires consultants that specializes in keeping unions from winning representation elections. Workers could still request for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to conduct an election.

The unions effort includes members that are released from their regular jobs to campaign each day for labor supported candidates. They knock on doors of union members working from lists provided by their unions.

November 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton edition of The Union News

NALC Branch 17 charges Postal Service with violating NLRAct

By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com

REGION, October 20th- The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Union Branch 17 in Scranton filed multiple charges against the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office in Scranton.

Branch 17 represents 174 employees that deliver United States Mail to customers homes and businesses throughout Lackawanna County.

The union filed three Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges on October 9th, 2008 and one on October 10th alleging management of the Scranton Post Ofice on Stafford Avenue violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRAct).

According to the charges, all obtained by the newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act, Branch 17 President Thomas Gavin filed the Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board Region Four office in Philadelphia on behalf of the union.

Linda Shall, Postmaster of the Main Post Office in Scranton, is the employer representative named to contact on the complaints and several charges were filed against Ms. Shall directly.

According to the charge filed on October 10th, the union alleges the Scranton Post Office Management is disregarding the agreement by not allowing open vacation weeks to be filled, not allowing incidental annual leave and not giving Brach 17 President, Mr. Gavin, two hours union time daily.

In one of the three complaints filed on October 9th, the union alleges the Postmaster, Ms. Shall, is not allowing the union time to process and investigate grievances at the Main Post Office.

The charge alleges management is not giving the union any time to investigate and process the grievances against the Postal Service. “There is a backlog of grievances and more grievances everyday,” states the ULP.

“Management defies the National Agreement on a daily basis and then denies the stewards time to investigate and process these grievances. The union is not given any time to conduct interviews and investigations. Management will not allow carriers to talk to union stewards,” the ULP charge adds.

In the second complaint filed on October 10th, the union alleges the Scranton Postal Office management is targeting union officials with constant harassment on the workroom floor. “Management is standing behind union officials and telling them “I am watching you.” The stewards are being isolated by management by not being allowed to talk to carriers of the floor,” states the complaint.

The the final complaint filed by Branch 17, the union alleges the Scranton Post Office Postmaster, Linda Shall, is breaking the National Memorandum of Understanding by using unverified data to intimidate and harass letter carriers by ordering supervisors to claim data is valid thereby cheating carriers out of adequate time to complete assignments. “These actions are creating a hostile work environment,” states the NLRB charge.

Under NLRB rules, the complaints will be investigated by the agency and if they find merit in the charges a hearing(s) will be conducted. Should the employer be found to have violated the NLRAct, the agency could seek monetary fines or other remedies to rectify the situation.

November 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton edition of The Union News

During first two years in Congress Chris Carney supports labor

By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com

REGION, October 22nd- Christopher Carney, incumbent Democratic United States Representative in the 10th Congressional District in the first two years in Washington voted to support legislation important to organize labor.

The newspaper review of the 2007 House of Representatives scorecard of Mr. Carney’s labor voting record, prepared by the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) labor federation, indicates he voted to support legislation important to the AFL-CIO ninety-two percent of the time.

Mr. Carney is being challenged by Republican candidate Chris Hackett in the November 4th election. He is seeking a second term as the Representative from the 10th Congressional District.

Mr. Carney voted for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) H.R. 800 that would change how union elections are conducted in workplaces by allowing employees to sign authorization cards seeking union representation and recognizing the union when a majority of cards are signed. It would also establish a system of mediation and arbitration that would apply to an employer and union that are unable to agree on their first contract. The legislation passed in the House of Representatives on March 1st, 2007, but failed in the Senate. Labor has made the passage of the law a priority for the 2009 legislative session.

Mr. Carney voted to raise the minimum wage in January 2007, his first month in Washington. Voting for the increase was the first opportunity for him to vote in favor of labor legislation.

In July, 2008 he introduced the bipartisan “Made in America Act,” which cuts taxes for American companies that keep their jobs and businesses in the United States.

Mr. Carney said for America to stay competitive in the global market, tax cuts for businesses that keep jobs in America are needed.

Mr. Carney received most of the labor organizations endorsements during the 2006 campaign when he defeated incumbent Republican Congressman Don Sherwood. He promised during the campaign to support labor’s agenda while serving in
the House of Representatives.

November 2008 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton edition of The Union News

More arbitration victories expected by Catholic teachers union

By PAUL TUCKER
theunionnewsswb@aol.com

REGION, October 14th- Michael Milz, President of the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers (SDACT) Union estimates the overall costs to the Scranton Diocese for their failure to pay union teachers what was owed to them under the previous contract agreement could be more than $2 million.

The union that represented most of the teachers of the Diocese of Scranton recently won a major arbitration award that could cost them nearly $725,000. The union received the arbitrator award that will require the Scranton Diocese to pay the teachers the money owed to them for accumulated sick leave and severance pay when their employment with the smaller school system was terminated.

The union represented the teachers of ten of the fourty-two grade schools and nine of the ten high schools of the Scranton Diocese until Bishop Martino restructured the system in 2007. The new system eliminated the small school boards and created four regional boards. SDACT previously had contracts with each Board of Pastors that represented each school. Bishop Joseph Martino implemented a “Employee Relations Program,” which busted the union. Mr. Milz told the newspaper the Scranton Diocese teachers now have what could be called a “company union,” similar to what the coal barons had throughout the region before the United Mine Workers Union became the miners bargaining representative.

In May, 2008 arbitration hearings were conducted and on September 3rd, the first arbitration award was handed down that affected the teachers once employed at Bishop Hoban in Wilkes-Barre. The arbitration ruling ordered the employer to pay $725,000 in back payment for the sick leave and severance pay days not used by fourty SDACT members employed at Bishop Hoban which includes Mr. Milz. He was a 33 year employee of the Scranton Diocese who worked as a science teacher and later a social studies teacher at Bishop Hoban High School in Wilkes-Barre, now called Holly Redeemer, has been a vocal critic against the elimination of the union, and was laid-off by the Scranton Diocese during the summer.

Mr. Milz told the newspaper since the $725,000 award more arbitration hearings have been held that will likely result in the same findings and cost the Diocese of Scranton $1.3 million more. “The Diocese refusal to discuss the situation will cost them. But, I’m sure they will blame the union,” stated Mr. Milz.

SDACT has not represented the workers since August 2007, when their previous contract expired. SDACT now has 22 active members employed by the Diocese at St. Michael’s School in Tunkhannock. The current five year contract agreement with the Scranton Diocese will expire in August 2009.

Mr. Milz, is currently employed by the Northeastern Area Labor Federation (ALF) in Dunmore, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). He told the newspaper his brother, who was also a long-time teacher for the Scranton Diocese has retired.

The Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers represented the teachers of the Scranton Diocese since 1978 when Scranton Bishop James McCormick recognized the union.