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UNION NEWS
Mass AFL-CIO Staff
Get Paid Family Leave
Staff at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, represented
by OPEIU Local 6, have contract language that
entitles them to a maximum of 13 weeks paid leave
for the birth and care of a newborn, the placement
of an adopted or foster child, the care of a spouse,
domestic partner, child or parent who is injured
or seriously ill, or for his/her own serious medical
condition. Employees taking leave receive 2/3
of their weekly salary and can make up the lost
portion with annual leave hours. Employees taking
leave due to pregnancy and childbirth receive
full pay. Employees continue to receive medical
benefits while taking family leave. (OPEIU
Local 6 and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO)
Workers win
Right to Nurturing Leave
The Public Service Alliance of Canada negotiated
with Canada Post Corporation for the right to
up to five years of nurturing leave to care for
pre-school age children. Members may also take
unpaid leave for long-term elder care and for
the care of school age children. Employees may
take a minimum of four weeks unpaid leave for
long term care of parents, spouse’s parents
or foster parents, or for the care of children
ages 5 – 13. Employees are limited to a
total maximum of five years of such leaves during
their total period of employment with Canada Post
Corporation. (Public Service Alliance of Canada
and the Canadian Post Corporation)
Flexible Work
Arrangements Halt Layoffs
UNISON, the United Kingdom public employees union,
successfully negotiated a comprehensive voluntary
flextime policy to combat possible layoffs. The
policy includes reduced hours, job shares and
the option of working a school year schedule.
The union plays a key role in providing information
to its members on the pay and pension implications
of all the new work arrangements. Reviews take
place every three to six months so that any problems
are quickly identified and addressed. The new
flextime policy has proved popular throughout
the workplace. (UNISON and Tameside Metropolitan
Borough Council)
State Disability
and Paid Leaves
SEIU Local 790 has negotiated for the employer
to pay state disability premiums, usually paid
by employees. State Disability Insurance (SDI)
in California pays 55% of salary up to a maximum
amount for workers’ own disability, and
as of July 1, for paid family leave. The contract
also allows members to supplement any disability
insurance benefits paid under the SDI program
with accumulated sick leave and vacation. Members
use their sick or vacation leave to make up the
difference between the amount of insurance benefits
paid and the normal weekly base pay for each week
of disability. (SEIU Local 790 and City of
Oakland)
Child Care
Workers Get Access to Pre-Tax Program
UAW, representing the Staff at the Bright Horizons
Child Care Centers, won the right for members
to participate in the IRS Flexible Spending Account.
Members pay for covered dependent care expenses
using pre-tax money, deducted from their paychecks.
(UAW & Bright Horizons Children Centers,
Inc.)
Union Retirees:
Lifelong Activism Keeps the Union Strong
By Jenya Cassidy
Members of Teamsters Local 237 who weren't even
around in 1971 take pride in the fact that the
union shut New York City down that year in a dispute
with the state over pensions. They talk about
it like they were there. They talk about the union’s
role in the civil rights movement and seem to
know that today’s contract gains were bought
with yesterday’s struggles. What is the
union doing to foster its members’ pride
in its history?
New York Teamsters Local 237, the largest Teamster
local in the country, built one of the most active
retiree divisions – 7,700 members strong.
The oral history project – publishing stories
from older and retired members -- informs and
inspires new members and keeps the retirees active
in the union’s present life. The union also
invites retired shop stewards back to mentor new
shop stewards. “We say: ‘you retire
from the job, not from the union’,”
said newly retired member, Doris Welch. “Too
many organizations let talent and experience walk
out the door when someone retires. Bring them
back! They can teach the next generation.”
In addition to mentoring new members, Local 237
retiree division offers a variety of classes from
retirement planning seminars to art and theater
classes. What sets the division apart from other
retiree organizations is the power they get from
belonging to the union. “ I like to emphasize
that we are a division of the Local.” said
Nancy True, Director of the Retiree Division.
“We are funded and staffed like the rest
of the union -- this is not just a social club
for seniors.”
Local 237’s strong commitment to retired
members has kept the City from negotiating retiree
benefits away, in spite of numerous attempts.
Right now, the City pays a negotiated amount per
member into the retiree benefit fund. This fund
helps pay for benefits such as optical, dental,
prescription, hearing aids, pre-paid legal services
as well as helping fund the division itself. According
to Carl Haynes, President of Local 237, “Every
time contract negotiations roll around, the city
tries to take away some of our hard-won gains
-- retiree health and welfare benefits are always
at the top of their list. We keep beating them
back and we will continue to do so.”
Local 237 retirees often add their voices to on-going
campaigns around issues that affect seniors. They
recently joined health care activists in New York
to protest Corporate attempts to cut off the supply
of affordable drugs from Canada. Seniors and others
on a fixed income really depend on these lower
cost drugs.
“One thing I’ve learned is that people
want to be meaningfully involved – they
want to be part of the life of the union,”
said Nancy True. Doris Welch agrees, “When
I retired, I was looking for something important
to do and the union really provided that,”
she said. “I had a fire lit under me years
ago when I attended a retirement planning seminar.
I put what I learned to work and was able to retire
at 50. Now I can help other people do the same.”
For more information on the Teamsters Local 237
Retiree Division, go to www.local237.org
Message from the Executive
Director, Netsy Firestein
California made history on July 1 when
most workers in the state became eligible for
up to 6 weeks of paid family leave benefits, through
the state’s disability insurance program.
This means that if a worker takes time off to
care for a new baby or newly adopted child, or
to care for a seriously ill family member (parent,
child, spouse or domestic partner) in California,
they can get 55% of their salary up to a maximum
of $728 a week. The California Labor Federation
sponsored the law and the Labor Project played
a large role in organizing the coalition that
helped pass it. A newly released survey by UCLA
reports that while 22% of those surveyed have
never heard of the new benefit, 85% are in favor
of paid family leave. The good news for unions
is that unionized employers are almost 4 times
as likely to provide paid family leave! Unions
and advocates in California are working to make
sure workers know about paid family leave. Unions
have partnered with community groups in other
states to pass similar laws.
Healthy Families Act
Requires Paid Sick Days
The Healthy Families Act, co-sponsored
by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Representative
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT.) would require businesses
with 15 or more employees to provide seven paid
sick days annually. The leave could be used to
meet the employee’s own medical needs or
to allow him or her to care for the medical needs
of a family member. “Most Americans assume
that paid sick days are a right. They’re
not. Hardworking men and women deserve better
than that in this day and age. This bill is a
first step to guarantee that every worker who
needs sick leave can afford to take it,”
said Senator Kennedy.
In a new report from the Institute for Women's
Policy Research, Study Director Vicky Lovell found
that half of all workers -- over 59 million --have
no paid sick leave, while even more -- nearly
86 million -- do not have paid sick leave to care
for sick kids. Full-time workers, those in the
public sector, and union members have the best
sick leave coverage, while part-timers and low-wage
workers have very poor access to paid sick leave.
The report reviews research showing that paid
sick leave improves health outcomes and reduces
employers' overall absence and turnover. Being
able to take paid sick leave
to care for sick children helps kids get well
faster while preventing parents' job loss. Options
for making it easier for workers to take care
of their own, and their families', health needs
include increasing coverage by paid leave policies,
changing corporate cultures so workers feel comfortable
taking needed sick leave, and expanding flexible
work-hours arrangements. For a copy of the report,
go to www.iwpr.org/pdf/B243.pdf
. For a new report by the National Partnership
on Women and Families on laws governing sick leave,
go to www.nationalpartnership.org.
WHAT
DO WE WANT? CHILD CARE!
Graduate Students Fight for Child Care at the
Bargaining Table
By Amy Hines, UAW 2322 Bargaining Committee
When the Graduate Employee Organization, UAW 2322,
at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst went
into contract negotiations this past February,
they knew that child care issues would require
a fight. Sarah James, the GEO family issues advocate
had been gathering parent testimonies to use across
the table. “These parents won’t be
able to afford an extra fee,” she explained
“but it will be difficult to keep the UCC
[University Child Care Center] at all. We will
have to organize to make child care a priority
for the University during budget cuts.”
UMass didn’t propose to completely close
the UCC, but it did levy a slew of regressive
proposals targeting parents as a source of revenue.
The most pressing proposal was to open the possibility
of privatizing the University Center. Not only
did the University propose to absolve itself from
the responsibility of providing child care on
campus, but the administration is seeking to impose
fees for child care. The current childcare arrangement
allows students to apply for vouchers that waive
the entire cost. This proposal is the equivalent
to a 56% pay cut for graduate student parents.
Instead of paying nothing, they would be paying
$140.00 per paycheck for child care.
With raises looking bleak, mandatory fees rising,
graduate student housing costs soaring, and other
new fees, the additional child care costs will
be financially devastating to parents at UMass.
The union has set out a three month action plan
to keep the bargaining committee focused on the
fight for child care through the summer. When
graduate students return in the fall, they will
be ready.
FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS
– GOOD FOR WORKING FAMILIES
By Nicola Dones
What is a Flexible Spending Account?
The flexible spending account benefit is a government-designed
program that uses untaxed income to help offset
the cost of child care and uncovered medical expenses,
including co-payments, for you and your family.
How Does it Work?
An amount of money, decided by you, is deducted
from your paycheck every pay period and placed
in your flexible spending account. The deduction
is made BEFORE taxes are calculated. When you
incur a child care or health care expense covered
by the program, you are reimbursed from your account
with untaxed money.
For example:
John and Mary have 2 children and both work full-time.
The total household income is $45,000. They use
a flexible spending account using pre-tax wages
to pay for child care & health care expenses,
which total $375 each month. By taking advantage
of the flexible spending account, John and Mary
have an extra $143.75 a month, or $1,725 a year
in spendable income. (see table)
How Much Should I Put Into My Flexible Spending
Account?
This is a pre-tax program administered by your
employer under strict IRS guidelines. At the beginning
of each plan year you will decide on the amount
to be deducted each pay period. Money placed into
the account can only be used for covered expenses
incurred within the calendar year. Unused money
will not be refunded to you. Be sure to calculate
your annual amount carefully. You may want to
deduct a small amount the first year while you
get comfortable using a flexible spending account.
For example:
Mike is a single parent and earns $28,000 per
year. His childcare expenses vary from $220 to
$320 per month. Mike decides that he can put $260
of pre-taxed money into his dependent care flexible
spending account each month. This will cover most
of his child care expenses and ensure no money
is left in his account by the end of the year.
By participating in the program, he saves $92.50
per month, $1,110 a year.
How Do I Calculate Medical Expenses?
It is impossible to calculate all out-of-pocket
medical expenses you may incur during the year
because you cannot anticipate future health care
problems. However, it is possible to estimate
a minimum amount to deduct, especially if you
or a dependent have co-pays for regular prescriptions
or ongoing visits to the doctor or dentist, or
uncovered expenses like braces or prescription
glasses. Before deciding the amount, be sure to
review the complete list of covered expenses,
available from your HR department.
Can Everyone Participate?
Your employer must offer the benefit before you
can participate. Unions have successfully negotiated
for participation in flexible spending accounts
through the bargaining contract. The only cost
to the employer is minimal administrative costs.
For more information, visit www.irs.org
Covered medical expenses for you and your dependents
include:
co-pays, uncovered prescription charges, dental
charges, orthodontic expenses, eye exams, acupuncture,
some over the counter medications, and parking
fees incurred while seeking medical treatment.
Dependent care expenses include: licensed child
care centers and family day care providers, nursery
schools, caregivers for a disabled dependent.
AFL-CIO Survey Focuses
on Working Women
The AFL-CIO 2004 “Ask A Working Woman”
survey, the fourth in a series, confirms that
working women are the main bread winners or contribute
the majority of their families’ incomes,
and many work irregular hours and shifts different
than their spouses or partners. Finding and keeping
a job with basic benefits in today’s economy
is the leading concern of working women. . Nearly
half—48% —of working women say they
have been out of work in the past year or have
a family member or close friend who has been out
of work. One-quarter to one-third of employed
women lack basic benefits including affordable
health insurance, prescription drug coverage,
pension or retirement benefits, equal pay and
paid sick leave. Rising health costs are the biggest
worry for working women, leading to a dramatic
increase in support for laws to make health care
more affordable since 2000. To see the full report,
go to www.aflcio.org.
Labor Family News is published quarterly by:
Labor Project for Working Families
2521 Channing Way #5555
Berkeley, CA 94720
Ph: 510-643-7088
Fax: 510-642-6432
lpwf@berkeley.edu
www.working-families.org
Netsy Firestein
Editor
Jenya Cassidy
Managing Editor
Reprints Permitted With Acknowledgement. Call
us for an email version.
