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UNION NEWS
Child Care Subsidy for Overtime
Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 378 negotiated
for a subsidy to reimburse employees for child care expenses incurred when
employees are required to work overtime or be away overnight. When employees
have to pay additional child care expenses, they are entitled to reimbursement
up to $25 per day with a receipt for a maximum of 15 days a year. (OPEIU
Local 378 and British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority)
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2316 negotiated
reimbursement for dependent care expenses incurred as the result of having
to work unscheduled overtime of an emergency nature. The employer agreed
to reimburse expenses "provided they are reasonable" and with supervisory
approval. This contract does not stipulate a limit on the amount to be
claimed. (Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 2316 and Children's
Aid Society)
Child Care Assistance
United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776 has a child care fund
which was negotiated with multiple grocery store employers through a Trust
Fund. The funds are used to provide slots in child care centers at greatly
reduced prices. The Fund works with a "network" of thirteen centers where
members can send their children for $6 for a full day and $3 for a half
day. The Fund pays the remainder of the cost. These "network" centers are
required to keep a set number of slots open for the children of Fund participants.
Network centers, operated by one company, are open from 6:30 am to 6 pm,
Monday through Friday. Some facilities also provide before and after school
care. If a worker is unable to use a "network" center, the Fund reimburses
up to $10 per day per child for 5 days a week in a licensed center. (UFCW
Local 1776 and Participating Employers)
Reduced Hours, Full Pay
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1060 negotiated
reduced work hours with the same rate of pay for shiftworkers. Employees
who work weekends doing preventative maintenance are paid for 40 hours
of work, but work 36 hours. Employees work 12 hour days on Fridays, Saturdays
and Sundays and are protected from mandatory overtime. These shifts are
voluntary. The union also negotiated to maintain five hours of voluntary
overtime on Saturdays for those who wanted it. (IBEW Local 1060 and Thomas
Industries)
Work and Family Resolution passes AFL-CIO
On December 5, 2001, the AFL-CIO Biennial National Convention
voted to pass a resolution, "Respect Work, Strengthen Family." The AFL-CIO
has 66 member labor unions, representing about 13.2 million workers in the
U.S. Speaking strongly in favor of work and family issues, including more
funding for child care, paid family leave, control over work hours and organizing
child care workers were Art Pulaski, Secretary-Treasurer of the California
Labor Federation, Tom Mooney, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers,
AFT, Larry Mancino, Vice President of the Communication Workers of America
and Sherri Chiesa, Secretary-Treasurer of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant
Employees International Union. Among other issues in the resolution, the
AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions voted to:
- Step up efforts to win greater public and private
investments in caregiving for elders and early childhood education
and child care.
- Fight for new resources to increase pay for child
care workers and to reward education and training.
- Help child care workers gain a voice at work by
organizing into unions.
- Work to improve the quality of long term care and
the wages of long term care workers through organizing, bargaining
and policy work.
- Bargain for more employer contributions for
quality, affordable care for their children, elders and family members
with disabilities.
- Continue to help workers achieve and maintain greater
control over their work hours and to lead the fight on the state
and federal level for legislation against excessive hours and mandatory
overtime.
- Work to pass state and federal laws to expand family
and medical leave and make it paid and bargain for more family leave
benefits.
The resolution also states that it is time to "invest
significant resources in making affordable, high-quality, noncompulsory
preschool programs universally available to all children in the United
States." These programs would need adequate funding, credentialed teachers,
good curriculum and a voice at work for teachers and child care workers.
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Feeling Secure During Insecure Times - Unions Respond
to Layoffs
The recent downturn in the economy has already resulted in over 1.8 million layoffs, with over 625,000 of those announced after September 11. The telecommunications industry alone cut almost 300,000 jobs and, in the last quarter of 2001, the hotel and airline industries were both devastated by the sharp drop in travel and tourism. While layoffs are an automatic response to slumps in the economy, the costs that accompany this strategy are often overlooked. First, there is no guarantee that skilled employees will return when the economy improves, leaving the employer with hefty training costs of new employees. Second, a study by the Loyalty Institute found that following layoffs, remaining employees feel less secure in their employment and productivity can decline as staff view their employer in a more negative light.
Determined to keep their members working, unions have been finding and negotiating alternative solutions to layoffs. A good example of an innovative strategy is the volunteer package recently negotiated by the Canadian Auto Workers union, Locals 1990 & 2213, which represent sales and service workers at Air Canada. The current bargaining contract between CAW and Air Canada contains a 'no lay-off' agreement. However, the recent sharp decline in air travel resulted in the grounding of 84 aircraft and talk of potential layoffs, despite the contract language. Last November, CAW sat down with Air Canada, to negotiate alternatives to member layoffs. According to Tom Walker, consultant to CAW, "The union recognized that the layoff protection in the collective bargaining agreement could become moot in the face of corporate financial distress". The negotiations resulted in a comprehensive package of alternative solutions to cutting the workforce. The options are all voluntary and the expectation is that enough workers will participate so that no layoffs take place. The options include, but are not limited to:
- Worksharing - An employee works 32 hours per
week with the lost 8 hours being partially funded by Unemployment Insurance
(EI). This will be introduced for a 6-month period.
- Jobsharing - Two full-time employees split one
full-time shift position. Employees find their own partner and must
commit to a 6-month period. Both employees receive the same benefits
as full-time employees.
- Reduced hours - A 35-hour workweek with a reduction
in pay.
- Retirement Incentive Program - Full- or part-time employees age 50 or above can retire with a monthly incentive payment for 10 years or up to age 65, whichever comes first.
At least 18 U.S. states, including California, Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, and Washington have also implemented workshare programs, designed to help retain employees during a temporary slowdown. The programs only run for a maximum of 26 weeks, though it is possible to petition for an extension. Employees hours are reduced (usually by 10% or more) with the reduction in pay being supplemented by unemployment insurance. It can apply to one department but must include at least 10% of the workforce. Each state program varies. For example, in Massachusetts the program also includes a dependency allowance for employees with dependent children under 18 years of age. In 2001, states saw a huge increase in program participation. Minnesota's "Shared Work Program" had over 4,000 workers participate, an increase of 460% over the previous year. Currently, in California, there are 1,400 employers and 108,000 employees participating and the State has initiated an educational outreach campaign to inform California employers and unions about the worksharing program.
Last November in New York, when Verizon announced an "employee surplus", the Communication Workers of America Local 1034 negotiated a voluntary early retirement package for its members. According to Donna Dolan, CWA spokesperson, "We had already negotiated the model for our package in the 1994 contract to protect our workers during times of surplus". CWA's contract contains an Income Protection Plan (IPP) that is activated during periods of "employee surplus." Rather than laying people off, employees who choose to participate in the early retirement option receive a monthly income and lump sum payment. The number of monthly payments and lump sum amount are based on years at Verizon.
To meet this latest announcement, CWA negotiated a rich retirement package that doubles both the lump sum and monthly payments, gives employees the ability to cash-out pensions (if eligible) and provides an additional 5% in Pension Bonds. To help with the decisionmaking, Verizon is providing members with a financial advisory service. The hope is that 2500 employees will take the package.
Still suffering from the effects of September 11, the hotel industry has laid off thousands of workers as occupancy rates around the country have yet to pick up. 3,000 members of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local 2 in San Francisco are now without work and the union has kept busy not only providing food packages to those affected but also finding workable solutions to this devastating situation. First, the Union negotiated for the continuation of health benefits for 6 months, with money being redirected from its Trust Fund. Second, like CAW, the union is proposing a voluntary option where members can choose to work a 4-day week with the ability to supplement the loss in pay with a vacation day. Also, as part of the Child and Elder Care Plan negotiated by the union in 1994, participants in the plan whose hours drop below the eligible requirement will still receive reimbursement for their child and elder care costs for 3 months.
During an economic downturn, employers have usually responded by adopting a layoff strategy, not always realizing the costs involved. "You will be seeing more efforts at mitigating layoffs", states Walker, "in part because the smart employers realize that even though they may have a temporary labor surplus today, they may very well face a severe labor shortage in the near future." Unions have created their own strategies for minimizing layoffs by negotiating voluntary options. This has changed the climate in the workplace by keeping morale high amongst workers and creating a sense of security during insecure times.
Resources
Know Your Rights: Pregnancy Discrimination. On the
Road from Welfare to Work. National Partnership
for Women & Families. A basic fact sheet covering what pregnancy discrimination
is, your rights under the law, what you can do if you have a problem and
some related issues. Available in English and Spanish.
Why Americans Need Family Leave Benefits and How They Can Get Them. National Partnership for Women & Families. This guide addresses the need for paid leave, as well as cost-effective ways paid leave can be implemented. It highlights innovative proposals, such as establishing independent family leave funds, providing allowances for new parents who stay home with their babies, and allowing employees to donate their annual or sick leave to fellow employees, that have been proposed or already exist in some states.
Both publications are available at www.nationalpartnership.org
or contact the National Partnership for Women and Families at (202) 986-2600.
Labor Project Resources:
Bargaining Fact Sheets Available
Fact Sheets on Bargaining for Work and Family. Child Care, Family Leave,
Elder Care, Control Over Work Hours, Bargaining Questions on Work and
Family. Produced with the AFL-CIO, Working Women's Dept. Available at
http://www.working-families.org
or call us at (510) 643-7088 or the AFL-CIO at 1-888-971-9797, http://www.aflcio.org/women
Family Fact Sheets for California: Available January 2002!
Fact sheets on family friendly laws in California.
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.
