An Injury to One is an Injury to All! VOL. 123 NO. 14 JANUARY 25, 2017 WEDNESDAY (ISSN 0023-6667) See Dr. King’s...page 7 Janet Kennedy (holding sign) helped lead the singing and marching for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday in Duluth Jan. 16. One of the nicest days in the history of the King Holiday (Kennedy’s not wearing gloves) it brought out about 500 people to celebrate Dr. King. The current political climate may have helped attendance also. Friday night Sacred Heart was among hundreds of sites for “People’s Inaugurations” to counter President Trump’s. Music was a big part of this Duluth potluck, with many speakers and exhibits, and children on a triangle and bells keeping time with Terrance Smith and Friends. (See page 6) President Trump moves quickly to pull U.S. out of TPP, reopen NAFTA Also approves Keystone XL, Dakota Access pipelines King holiday seeks economic, social justice foreign investors and Big Pharma, protect our planet’s precious natural resources and ensure fair pay, safe conditions and a voice in the workplace for all workers.” Senator Al Franken (D-MN) said, “You only need to look at the Iron Range to see what unfair trade policies have done to working families, and I believe this country needs a trade policy that is fairer for Minnesota. While I was opposed to the TPP and it was effectively killed by bipartisan opposition in Congress, the for- mal withdrawal represents the final nail in the coffin of the flawed agreement.” Union-hating Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning said, “...global- ists lost with the victory of President Trump in November. (TPP) was always an ill-con- ceived attempt to usurp U.S. sovereignty and harm American workers by shifting more production overseas. President Trump’s withdrawal from the TPP keeps his prom- ise to put America first and to refocus U.S. trade policy away from massive, multinational deals to bilateral agreements that serve U.S. interests.” Also on his first Monday, Trump moved to limit federal hiring, and told business lead- ers in a meeting that he would impose a substantial border tax on companies that move manu- facturing out of the U.S. He promised them tax advantages if they produce products here. ment, Trump also signed exec- utive orders to push forward the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. Keystone was rejected in 2015 by former President Obama after a seven- year review. Trump’s orders clear the way to continue build- ing Energy Transfer Partner’s 1,172-mile Dakota Access project, which has been stalled since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted construction in December amid massive protests led by the Standing Rock Sioux. The 12-nation TPP had been one of Obama’s legacy pieces that had found much opposi- tion. Obama said the U.S. needed TPP to stifle China’s control of the Pacific Rim. “Great thing for the American worker that we just did,” President Trump said. AFL-CIO President Rich- ard Trumka made the following statement about the TPP move: “Last year, a powerful coali- tion of labor, environmental, consumer, public health and allied groups came together to stop the TPP. Today’s announcement that the U.S. is withdrawing from TPP and seeking a reopening of NAFTA is an important first step toward a trade policy that works for working people...They are just the first in a series of necessary policy changes required to build a fair and just global economy. We will continue our relentless campaign to create new trade and economic rules that end special privileges for Organizations on opposite ends of the political spectrum cheered Monday as President Trump made an early move in his administration to pull the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. On Tuesday (as this issue went to press) without com- By Mark Gruenberg PAI Staff Writer WASHINGTON~There is a tight interconnection between the causes of economic and social justice, including worker rights and civil rights, partici- pants at the AFL-CIO’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. com- memoration decided. The 3-day event, held Jan. 13-15, came just before the inauguration of Republican President Donald Trump, whose stands on those issues were very much on the minds of the delegates. Many of them participated the following weekend in the massive women's march on Jan. 21, the day after Trump was sworn in. “We can’t wait to see what they will do,” United Food and Commercial Workers activist Robin Williams, moderator of the kickoff panel, warned her colleagues about the new GOP- run federal government. “They’ve already told us. We must come up with an agenda to move forward. We have an obligation to fight and repre- sent all workers, not just on the job, but to make our communi- ties better,” she declared. Dr. King confab delegates particularly concentrated on threats to minorities and women. “Speaking truth to power, that’s our charge,” said AFL- CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler. The late and revered civil rights leader “dedicated his life to advancing equality, and he stood strong on the prin- ciple that we must unite work- ers of all colors in the work- place,” Shuler explained. She reminded listeners King was assassinated in 1968 while leading striking African- American sanitation men in Memphis, Tenn., who demand- ed the right to unionize. After his murder, they won the strike, and joined AFSCME. Threats to economic and social justice come from corpo- rations, from pols using divide- and-conquer tactics while catering to constituent pressure and right-wing bullying, from misleading words -- such as the phrase “right to work” -- and from the courts, speakers said. “We are at a zero moment,” declared Maya Rockeymoore, a former top staffer for the Congressional Black Caucus. “We’ve seen a campaign of hate and strife, taking advan- tage of the fear and anxiety of workers to turn us against each other.” That fear and anxiety also targets immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, said top immigrant rights attor- ney Julie Yihong Mao. She pre- dicted Trump would first target the “Dreamers”–some 700,000 youth brought to the U.S. as children who have been spared deportation under Democratic President Barack Obama’s executive order. But then, Mao said, federal immigration officials, with in some cases the aid of local police, would carry out raids to sweep up people -- legal and illegal – who look different. The most recent mass raids were in Buffalo, N.Y. So-called “sanctuary cities” are a good first step to fight back against those tactics, Mao said.
Transcript
An Injury to One is an Injury to All!VOL. 123
NO. 14JANUARY 25, 2017WEDNESDAY
(ISSN 0023-6667)
See Dr. King’s...page 7
Janet Kennedy (holding sign) helped lead the singing and marching for the Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. Holiday in Duluth Jan. 16. One of the nicest days in the history of theKing Holiday (Kennedy’s not wearing gloves) it brought out about 500 people to celebrateDr. King. The current political climate may have helped attendance also.
Friday night Sacred Heart was among hundreds of sites for“People’s Inaugurations” to counter President Trump’s.Music was a big part of this Duluth potluck, with manyspeakers and exhibits, and children on a triangle and bellskeeping time with Terrance Smith and Friends. (See page 6)
President Trump moves quickly topull U.S. out of TPP, reopen NAFTAAlso approves Keystone XL, Dakota Access pipelines
King holiday seeks economic, social justice
foreign investors and BigPharma, protect our planet’sprecious natural resources andensure fair pay, safe conditionsand a voice in the workplacefor all workers.”
Senator Al Franken (D-MN)said, “You only need to look atthe Iron Range to see whatunfair trade policies have doneto working families, and Ibelieve this country needs atrade policy that is fairer forMinnesota. While I wasopposed to the TPP and it waseffectively killed by bipartisanopposition in Congress, the for-mal withdrawal represents thefinal nail in the coffin of theflawed agreement.”
Union-hating Americans forLimited Government PresidentRick Manning said, “...global-ists lost with the victory ofPresident Trump in November.(TPP) was always an ill-con-ceived attempt to usurp U.S.sovereignty and harmAmerican workers by shiftingmore production overseas.President Trump’s withdrawalfrom the TPP keeps his prom-ise to put America first and torefocus U.S. trade policy awayfrom massive, multinationaldeals to bilateral agreementsthat serve U.S. interests.”
Also on his first Monday,Trump moved to limit federalhiring, and told business lead-ers in a meeting that he wouldimpose a substantial border taxon companies that move manu-facturing out of the U.S. Hepromised them tax advantagesif they produce products here.
ment, Trump also signed exec-utive orders to push forwardthe Keystone XL and DakotaAccess pipelines. Keystonewas rejected in 2015 by formerPresident Obama after a seven-year review. Trump’s ordersclear the way to continue build-ing Energy Transfer Partner’s1,172-mile Dakota Accessproject, which has been stalledsince the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers halted constructionin December amid massiveprotests led by the StandingRock Sioux.
The 12-nation TPP had beenone of Obama’s legacy piecesthat had found much opposi-tion. Obama said the U.S.needed TPP to stifle China’scontrol of the Pacific Rim.
“Great thing for theAmerican worker that we justdid,” President Trump said.
AFL-CIO President Rich-ard Trumka made the followingstatement about the TPP move:
“Last year, a powerful coali-tion of labor, environmental,consumer, public health andallied groups came together tostop the TPP. Today’sannouncement that the U.S. iswithdrawing from TPP andseeking a reopening of NAFTAis an important first step towarda trade policy that works forworking people...They are justthe first in a series of necessarypolicy changes required tobuild a fair and just globaleconomy. We will continue ourrelentless campaign to createnew trade and economic rulesthat end special privileges for
Organizations on oppositeends of the political spectrumcheered Monday as PresidentTrump made an early move inhis administration to pull theU.S. out of the Trans-PacificPartnership free trade pact.
On Tuesday (as this issuewent to press) without com-
By Mark GruenbergPAI Staff WriterWASHINGTON~There is a
tight interconnection betweenthe causes of economic andsocial justice, including workerrights and civil rights, partici-pants at the AFL-CIO’s annualMartin Luther King Jr. com-memoration decided.
The 3-day event, held Jan.13-15, came just before theinauguration of RepublicanPresident Donald Trump,whose stands on those issueswere very much on the mindsof the delegates. Many of themparticipated the followingweekend in the massivewomen's march on Jan. 21, theday after Trump was sworn in.
“We can’t wait to see whatthey will do,” United Food and
Commercial Workers activistRobin Williams, moderator ofthe kickoff panel, warned hercolleagues about the new GOP-run federal government.“They’ve already told us. Wemust come up with an agendato move forward. We have anobligation to fight and repre-sent all workers, not just on thejob, but to make our communi-ties better,” she declared.
Dr. King confab delegatesparticularly concentrated onthreats to minorities andwomen.
“Speaking truth to power,that’s our charge,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer LizShuler. The late and reveredcivil rights leader “dedicatedhis life to advancing equality,and he stood strong on the prin-ciple that we must unite work-ers of all colors in the work-place,” Shuler explained. Shereminded listeners King wasassassinated in 1968 whileleading striking African-American sanitation men inMemphis, Tenn., who demand-ed the right to unionize. Afterhis murder, they won the strike,and joined AFSCME.
Threats to economic andsocial justice come from corpo-rations, from pols using divide-and-conquer tactics while
catering to constituent pressureand right-wing bullying, frommisleading words -- such as thephrase “right to work” -- andfrom the courts, speakers said.
“We are at a zero moment,”declared Maya Rockeymoore,a former top staffer for theCongressional Black Caucus.“We’ve seen a campaign ofhate and strife, taking advan-tage of the fear and anxiety ofworkers to turn us against eachother.”
That fear and anxiety alsotargets immigrants, especiallyundocumented immigrants,said top immigrant rights attor-ney Julie Yihong Mao. She pre-dicted Trump would first targetthe “Dreamers”–some 700,000youth brought to the U.S. aschildren who have been spareddeportation under DemocraticPresident Barack Obama’sexecutive order.
But then, Mao said, federalimmigration officials, with insome cases the aid of localpolice, would carry out raids tosweep up people -- legal andillegal – who look different.The most recent mass raidswere in Buffalo, N.Y. So-called“sanctuary cities” are a goodfirst step to fight back againstthose tactics, Mao said.
Proctor school district referendum Feb. 7Delegates to the Jan. 12
meeting of the Duluth CentralLabor Body voted in unani-mous support of the ProctorPublic School District’s Equityin Athletic Facilities Referen-dum. Voters in the large ISD#704 will go to the pollsTuesday, Feb. 7 to make theirdecision on the effort toupgrade multiple facilities. Itwill be the only item on the bal-lot.
On December 20 followinga presentation by ProctorSuperintendent of SchoolsJohn Engleking, delegates tothe Duluth Building andConstruction Trades Councilmeeting unanimously endorsedthe referendum.
The major portion of the upto $12 million facilities’upgrade is a new multi-purposearena to be built on land thedistrict owns on the south sideof Kirkus Street. While themain purpose of the arena willbe as a hockey facility it will
Join CIA this SaturdayThe 19th Annual Citizens in Action conference is this
Saturday, Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Duluth’s CoppertopChurch, 230 E. Skyline Blvd. It is free and open to the public.
Citizens in Action is a training program designed to educatecitizens about the political process and how they can getinvolved at the local, state, and national level. Each year over150 participants attend and have an opportunity to meet witharea elected officials, network and receive many handouts withcontact information for area organizations and elected officials.
Keynote speaker is Duluth’s Human Rights Officer CarlCrawford, who started in the position last year.
Five different workshops follow on topics showing peoplehow to impact issues they are concerned about.
A light, free buffet lunch is provided at the noon hour.Coffee and conversation with government leaders is 1 to 2:30The closing session finds area state legislators addressing
passion, participation, and persistence.AFSCME Locals 66 and 3558 are among cooperating organ-
izations for Citizens in Action, which is sponsored by the Leagueof Women Voters. Lectures look at immigration
The College of St. Scholastica’s Alworth Peace & JusticeSeries will present two lectures on immigration. All of theseevents are free and open to the public.
On Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Mitchell AuditoriumPhilip Cafaro will speak on the topic of his most recent book,How Much is Too Many? The Progressive Argument forReducing Immigration into the United States.
Dr. Cafaro is professor of philosophy and an affiliated facul-ty member in the School of Global Environmental Sustainabilityat Colorado State University.
His position on immigration will be countered by AvivaChomsky on Tuesday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Mitchell. Shewill address “Justice and U.S. Immigration Policy.”
Aviva Chomsky is a professor of history and Coordinator ofLatin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Salem StateUniversity in Massachusetts. She worked for the United FarmWorkers in the 1970s, an experience that sparked her interest inmigrant workers, labor history and how global economic forcesaffect individuals.
Her books include Linked Labor Histories, A History of theCuban Revolution and, most recently, Undocumented: HowImmigration Became Illegal.
She is one of three children of Noam Chomsky and his firstwife, Carol Doris Schatz, who died in 2008.
SFL wants Paine for mayorThe Superior Federation of Labor (SFL) continues its screen-
ing and endorsement process for candidates seeking election inthe spring elections. The Primary Election is Tuesday, Feb. 21and the General Election is Tuesday, April 4.
The Feb. 21 Primary ballot won’t have a lot of contested elec-tions on it but it will still be very important for labor voters.
The SFL has endorsed Jim Paine as their candidate for mayor.There will be four names on the mayoral ballot for the Primary.
Paine, a member of the Douglas County Board, was endorsedfor mayor by the labor federation in the 2015General Election where he lost to Bruce Hagen.Hagen, 70, said last November that for profes-sional and personal reasons he would be seekingearly retirement. He has stayed on as interimmayor to avoid a special election for themayor’s post, instead allowing it to be held dur-ing these scheduled spring elections.
In his 2015 screening Paine said he thoughtlocal politics in northwest Wisconsin were fartoo conservative for how voters in the regionfeel. He said he was a proud Democrat and pro-gressive. He faces two of the same candidates that he defeated inthat year’s Primary.
The second contest on the Primary ballot will be a three waycontest for Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction.In the United States Wisconsin has the only non-partisan, elect-ed superintendent of schools of all the states. The rest are politi-cal appointees. It’s a good thing Gov. Walker doesn’t get toappoint someone to destroy public schools.
Tony Evers is the incumbent in that election and deserves tobe re-elected. In 2012 he came to Duluth to tour the Plumbers &Steamfitters Local 11 & 589 Training Center. Local 11 has juris-diction in Wisconsin. Evers was very impressed with what theunions were doing to train their apprentices and members. At theend of the tour Local 11 Business Manager Jeff Daveau said witha smile, “You can tell he’s a labor guy.”
When Evers won his election in 2013 Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt said, “This is great news forWisconsin education. Evers, a strong critic of Gov. Walker’svoucher school plan, will fight for Wisconsin students and workto keep our public schools strong.”
In other SFL endorsements that have occurred for city coun-cil both Bryce Harp and Jenny Van Sickle were endorsed inDistrict 2, and Craig Sutherland was endorsed in District 8. Theydid not screen their new SFL president Graham Garfield, who isrunning for re-election in District 6.
Screenings for school board candidates will be heldWednesday, Feb. 1 beginning at 6:45 p.m. at the Superior PublicLibrary.
also be used for other schooland community functions.
Artificial turf at the TerryEgerdahl Field is another majoraspect of the referendum.While that facility hosts highschool team competitions italso is an important venue forphysical education classes,marching band practice, andother youth activities. In addi-tion, athletic upgrades to facili-ties in the sprawling school dis-trict are planned in Canosia,Grand Lake, Solway andMidway townships.
“The present arena is 45years old arena and is well pastits projected years of practicaluse,” Engelking told the TradesCouncil. “The roof leaks, theconcrete floor heaves with thefrost and causes our boards tobe uneven, the seating is poorand the building is extremelycold. These conditions haveled to safety concerns as well.”
The arena on the ProctorFairgrounds is so outdated that
visiting teams don’t even haveshowers in their locker room.They wait to use the Proctorteam’s locker room or drivehome without showers.
By voting “yes” on the ref-erendum voters will be votingto increase their property taxes.The estimated tax impact on a$150,000 house in the schooldistrict for the bonding wouldbe $3.89 per month or $46.62per year.
Benefits forElla Mahnke
Friends and family of TCULocal 319’s Brian Mahnke, aCN worker on the TwoHarbor’s docks, are organizingtwo benefits to help his 9-yearold daughter. Ella Mahnke hasEwing’s Sarcoma, a rare bonecancer. She will receive chemothroughout the school year,will have more surgery, and isunable to attend school. Thefamily is incurring treatmentand care costs beyond theirmeans and missing work.
A Bean Bag Tournamentwith lots of prizes will be heldat The Beacon on Saturday,Feb. 4 at a cost of $100 for atwo person team. ContactBrent at 590-7692 to sign up.
A Family Benefit at Mr. D’sis Sunday, March 5 from 11a.m. to 6 p.m., food from noonon. Prize drawings will be heldhourly and there will be a silentauction and entertainment.Contact Christy at 428-7720 orKarl at 393-1070 for more.
CorrectionsThe lead headline on page 1
of the last issue incorrectly stat-ed the local number of theCleveland area Ironworkersunion that is being hit by pen-sion cuts approved by the U.S.Treasury Department. It isIronworkers Local 17.
Also the date of some of theMonday, Jan. 16 Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. Holiday activ-ities was incorrectly.
Labor World editor LarrySillanpa is embarrassed by themistakes.
PAGE 2 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 10Retirees’ LuncheonTuesday, Feb. 7, 1:00 p.m.
Burrito Union
Jim Paine
Well, I had hoped to departfrom all things Trumped uphappening to America, but,hey, he’s now our President andwe gots to live with it, and he’smaking moves on TPP andmaybe pipelines that will havemany union members happy.
Some fun starts now as theRepublican Congress calls forbi-partisanship and Democratsyell “WTF?” over Trump’schoices for his cabinet.
One Dem, who gets bi-par-tisanship even though shenever saw any of it in the lasteight years, is your own Sen.Amy Durenberger. She will bein Duluth Friday to talk abouthow great the Earned IncomeTax Credit is as a tool to keeplow income workers out ofpoverty. She’s correct. Thatcomes after she said she thinks“vulture investor” billionaireWilbur Ross is right forSecretary of Commerce. She’swrong. The USW also like
Ross for the post, citing hisstand against dumped steel byChina, a worthy point for theirmembership. But while USWcan thank Ross for trying tosave those jobs, many moreaccuse Ross of stealing theirs.This isn’t going to be easy is it?
Don Abicht, President ofCWA Local 3122 in Miami,Florida used “vulture investor”for Ross saying he destroyedthousands of jobs by purchas-ing bankrupt or distressed com-panies as a Wall St. investor.Ross would then seek newsources of profit usuallythrough policies that harmedemployees.
Not hard to find things onRoss who said in 2014 “the 1percent is being picked on forpolitical reasons.” It’s beentough for billionaires since thatOccupy movement was givencredence by the liberal media.
Abicht said, “For example,when Ross consolidated fivesteel companies as part of thenew International Steel Group,Inc in the early 2000s, the newcompany eliminated retireebenefits for nearly 200,000 cur-rent and former steel workersin the process.”
CWA says Ross said “I likethe TPP” last May, yet he’srailed against NAFTA.
Sam Pizzigati of TOOMUCH ONLINE, a great read,wrote this: “For private equityking Wilbur Ross, pensionsand benefits for workers have anasty habit of getting in the
way.” Ross has been workingthe bankruptcy system sincethe mid-1970s. Takes a whileto get to be a billionaire. He’sdone it by cutting costs (guesswho’s) rather than bona fiderestructuring of troubled busi-nesses in troubled industries.Offshoring of American jobsand union-busting are part ofthe Ross plan.
Pizzigati: “(Ross) waiteduntil two steel giants—LTVand Bethlehem Steel—hit thebankruptcy skids, then pickedup the two companies for asong, after going bankrupt hadenabled the companies to shifttheir pension obligations ontothe government-run PensionBenefit Guaranty Corporation.In no time at all, theInternational Steel Group thatRoss created in 2002 to househis steel company collectionwould become the nation’slargest steel producer. He thensold it, late in October 2004,for 14 times his original invest-ment.”
Ross has used that scenarioin coal (think Sago mine disas-ter/14 killed), textiles, andbanking (think foreclosures).Pizzigati says Ross, 78 (manthere’s a lot of old guys amongthese nominees...older thanBernie Sanders some) is nowlooking at marine shipping andmay be coming to a Twin Portsnear you with his LTV success.
Bloomberg reported Ross assaying “It’s harder and harderand harder to find value,” he’scomplaining, “even if you lookin the dustbin.”
And this poor guy is one ofthe bright lights in Trump’sgroup of Cabinet nomineesalong with Elaine Chao forTransportation. Yes, he’s hadsuccess, but your good job maydisappear too with his sense of“commerce.” And you too maybe looking at how the EarnedIncome Tax Credit can helpyour family as it does millionsof others. You’ll be able to send
LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 PAGE 3
LABOR WORLD(ISSN#0023-6667) is published
semi-monthly except one issue inApril, June, December (21 issues).The known office of publication isLabor World, 2002 London Road,Room 110, Duluth, MN 55812. Periodicals postage is paid at
Duluth MN 55806. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to: Labor World, 2002 London Rd.,Room 110, Duluth, MN 55812
MN; Mikael Sundin, Painters &Allied Trades 106; Dan O’Neill,
Plumbers & Steamfitters 11; Al LaFrenier, Workers’ United; Steve Risacher, Carpenters 361;
Tom Cvar, UFCW 1189Scott Dulas, NALC 114
S-70T W I N C I T I E S
D U L U T H
7
Loaves and Fishes thanksIBEW Local 242 volunteers
By Joel KilgourOn behalf of the Loaves and Fishes Community, I want to
express our heartfelt thanks to IBEW Local 242 volunteers andarea NECA Electrical Contractors for donating their time andskills to upgrade electrical service at two of our houses. It is ahuge relief to have the work completed by such talented and gen-erous professionals! We can’t thank them enough for improvingthe safety and usability of our houses for the many women, menand children who find a refuge here from homelessness.
Loaves and Fishes Community is an all-volunteer project. Werely entirely on donations of time, goods, and labor to continueto offer hospitality and advocacy to Duluthians experiencinghomelessness. It’s criminal that people face homelessness in therichest country on earth. Without strong worker protections, liv-ing wages and affordable housing and health care, it could hap-pen to any of us. Homelessness is a labor and economic justiceissue, and we are so grateful to IBEW Local 242 volunteers andto all our brothers and sisters in labor who have donated theirtime and skills to keep our houses in tip-top shape, collectedwarm clothing and supplies, and stood with homeless Duluthianswho are fighting for their rights.
We are stronger when we are united!
Kentucky is 27th RTW stateEarlier this month Kentucky became the 27th right to work
state in the nation. Workers there can now work in a union-rep-resented workplace and be allowed to union benefits withouthaving to pay dues. The union movement calls it right to work(for less).
Kentucky is controlled by both a Republican governor andstate legislature. Last November’s elections marked the first timeRepublicans won the majority in Kentucky’s state assemblysince 1921, making passing the right-to-work bill into lawalmost a sure thing. Efforts had failed in the past because ofstrong union opposition.
Those 2016 elections on both the state and federal level willcontinue to bring anti-union laws that will lessen the power ofunions, including their finances as right to work does. Wilbur Ross
These two good International Falls natives donated theirelectrical skills last month to help Loaves & Fishes’Hannah House in Duluth with a needed project. KentHoffman, left, is an IBEW Local 242 Master Electricianand Jeffrey Kostiuk is a 2nd-year apprentice. It was a per-fect volunteering and learning effort in helping an organi-zation that works so hard and so well at helping others.
~NOTICE~Labor World 2017 issues:Feb. 8, 22; March 8, 29;
April 19 (Workers’ MemorialDay); May 3, 24; June 14
(121st Anniversary), 28;July 12; Aug. 2 (PrimaryElection), 23 (Labor Day);
Annette Petersmeyer, Sheila Shusterich DFT choices for Teacher of YearAt a Jan. 19 Duluth Feder-
ation of Teachers’ reception atDenfeld High School AnnettePetersmeyer and Sheila Shus-terich were presented as theunion’s 2017 Teacher of theYear (TOY) nominees. They
join about 140 other Minnesotaeducators to be considered forthe statewide TOY award thatis underwritten by their union,Education Minnesota.
Annette Petersmeyer is aspecial education teacher for
grades 6-12 at Woodland Hills,Intensive Day Treatment. Shehas been a teacher for 28 yearsand been with the DuluthPublic Schools since 2001.
She has received grantsfrom the Northland Foundation
and Youth in Philanthropy butshe says she receives her great-est rewards from her students.
“I was rewarded last yearwith both a current and formerstudent graduating from highschool,” Petersmeyer said. “Iam rewarded each time a stu-dent successfully dischargesfrom WHA IDT and goes on tomake good choices and findsuccess at their mainstreamschool.” With three of her stu-dents in the room, she chokedup in recounting a studenttelling her that in the past theyhad been told they weren’tqualified students.
“I tell them it’s about choic-es they make in life, how theytalk to others, and how theymanage their time. You have togive them ample time to suc-ceed and make education realfor them,” she said of students.
Petersmeyer is an activevolunteer at Animal Allies andbrings students with her thereand to nursing homes.
“I walk dogs, work with thecats, help with special events,take an ambassador animal toUMD PAWS (Pet AwayWorries and Stress).” She isalso an active volunteer in herchurch, including with kids ingrades 7–12, but her 15 yearsworking with at risk youthbrings great pleasure to herwork life.
“I have a passion for thispopulation and a strong desireto see them succeed,” Peters-meyer said. “Sadly many ofthem are a product of theirenvironment. While I knowthat I can’t “fix them,” it is my
hope that I can provide a safe,welcoming environment forthem while showing them howthey can make positive changesthat will last a lifetime. There isnothing more heartwarming tome than when I hear of stu-dents being successful wherethey haven’t been in the past, orwhen they keep in contact withme to let me know the goodchoices they are making.”
She said the older she getsthe more she realizes howimportant teaching is. “Toteach is to touch a life forever”is a guiding principle for her.
Sheila Shusterich is theChoir instructor for grades 6–8at Ordean-East Middle School.She is in her 34th year of teach-ing from Pre-K through collegelevels, and in her seventh yearwith Duluth Public Schools.She received the 2009 Advo-cate for Choral ExcellenceAward from the MinnesotaChapter of American ChoralDirector’s Association.
Shusterich volunteers withthe American Choral DirectorsAssociation, is a NationalFederation of Music Clubs LifeMember, and past presidentand Piano Festival Adjudicatorof the Minnesota Federation ofMusic Clubs. She is a member,musician, and volunteer atCathedral of Our Lady of theRosary.
“I am passionate about edu-cation and teaching,” Shus-terich says. “I enjoy bringingjoy to others and music/singingis the vehicle to reach manystudents and enrich their lives!
PAGE 4 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Duluth Federation of Teachers President Bernie Burnham,left, and DFT Teacher of the Year Committee Chair AlChepelnik presented this year’s DFT nominees for thestatewide award. Sheila Shusterich, left, and AnnettePetersmeyer will move on in the selection process withabout 140 others. The winner will be announced May 7.
Almost all fraternal organizations like the Brainerd American Legion struggle financially.IBEW Local 242 has held unit meetings there for years and decided they would volunteerto retrofit 16 light fixtures in the Legion’s conference room. This group volunteered for thetask prior to their November meeting with materials purchased through the labor man-agement committee with their signatory contractors. (Submitted photo)
See DFT...next page
Here are some reasons why more Americans over age 55 are still working
Teacher of the Year application processrequires you do your homework
By Teri Morisi Bureau of Labor StatisticsIt’s a fact: our workforce is
aging. By 2024, nearly 1 in 4people in the labor force areprojected to be age 55 or over.This is a big change from 1994,when people ages 55 and olderrepresented only 11.9 percentof the labor force – a share
Education Minnesota’s2017 Minnesota Teacher of theYear will be named at a cere-mony Sunday, May 7, 2017, atthe Radisson Blu Mall ofAmerica. The winner moves onto the National Teacher of theYear Award competition.Minnesota’s program has beenhighly successful nationally –ranking second behindCalifornia with four NationalTeachers of the Year.
Al Chepelnik, a member ofthe Duluth Federation ofTeachers, decided three yearsago that his union needed to
revive their Teacher of the YearCommittee and he becamechair of it.
“It’s fun to recognize teach-ers, I’m pleased we can do it,”he said. In observing the TOYawards over the years he saidhe realized how few of the win-ners were from north of PineCity and he knew that shouldchange. This year 22 DFTteachers were nominated butnot all applied.
“I know you put a lot into itand many teachers do need toback out of the process becauseit is too much work to get
involved in because of theirworkloads,” Chepelnik toldAnnette Petersmeyer andSheila Shusterich at the TOYreception at Denfeld Jan. 19.Shusterich said she spent about50 hours on her application.
Anyone can nominate, orself nominate, a teacher for theaward between Oct. 1 and Nov.15 each year. To receive a nom-ination form call MeganMcKeen at 800-652-9073.
Eligible nominees must:• Teach in a public or non-
public Pre-K through 12th-grade school, working at least50 percent of the time directlywith students;
• Hold a bachelor’s degreeand Minnesota teachinglicense;
• Have completed threeyears of teaching by the nomi-nation deadline;
• Intend to teach during the2017-18 school year.
Organized and underwrittenby Education Minnesota, theMinnesota Teacher of the Yearprogram receives support fromEducation Minnesota ESI,Educators Lifetime Solutions,EFS Advisors, Harvard Club ofMinnesota Foundation,McDonald’s Restaurants ofMinnesota, Radisson Blu Mallof America and UnitedEducators Credit Union.
A selection committee rep-resenting state leaders fromeducation, business, and gov-ernment chooses the winner.
DFT names TOY nominees...from page 4Music is a lifelong skill that can be enjoyed well beyond the
school years.” She said she enjoys the intergenerational choirperformances she has her students partake in. “We just sang withan 86-year old,” she said of her efforts to have her students singat events and connect with their community.
As an educator since 1981, she says she feels privileged tohave taught at so many grade levels and to have been a part ofthe lives of thousands of children and families in more than adozen school settings in her career.
“I truly enjoy mentoring young pre-service teachers and stu-dent teachers, as well,” Shusterich says. “Good teaching is abeautiful craft that grows richer as it is shared and passed on.”
She said she was humbled at her selection and really appreci-ated the letters of recommendation she received from students,some of whom were in attendance at Denfeld.
“I want others to know how much we touch lives,” she said.That’s not often heard in the din of problems that get most of theattention she said. Some students shine in the arts and not at anyother school endeavors she said. After singing at a UMDWomen’s Hockey game recently she said she spoke to a stu-dent’s parent who wanted her daughter to take up the cello, butthe daughter told her mother, “I can’t leave choir, they need me.”
“That was a gratifying comment to hear,” said Shusterich.“Students don’t care how much you know, until they know
how much you care” is one her guiding principles she said.
smaller than those held byother age groups: 16-24, 25-34,35-44 and 45-54. But by 2024,their projected share will be thelargest among all age groups.
There are two reasons forthis trend. The first is an agingpopulation: baby boomers −those born from 1946 to 1964 −are moving into older age
groups. By 2024, the youngestwill be 59 years old.
The second reason is anincreasing labor force partici-pation rate among older work-ers. Research shows manyolder people are remaining inthe labor force longer thanthose from previous genera-tions. According to one study,about 60 percent of older work-ers with a “career job” retireand move to a “bridge job”;short-term and/or part-time.Another study found that abouthalf of retirees followed non-traditional paths of retirementin that they did not exit thelabor force permanently.
Why are older workerschoosing to remain in the laborforce? Here’s what we know.Longer, more healthful lives
Older workers wish toremain healthy and active.People have longer lifeexpectancies, and they need
enough income to live to high-er ages. In 2014, Americans atage 65 could expect to live anadditional 19.3 years accordingto the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, oruntil about age 84. That’s upabout 3 years since 1980.
Retirement plan changesFew private industry
employers now offer definedbenefit (traditional) retirementplans to employees, and theproportion of those offeringthem has been declining. In2015, only 8 percent offereddefined benefit plans toemployees, compared with 47percent of private industryestablishments offering definedcontribution plans.
Defined contribution planstypically include voluntarysavings accounts, such as401(k) plans, in which workersvoluntarily make deductionsfrom their pay into funds.Earnings from these funds arebased on the amount that work-ers choose to invest and howthe funds perform. There ismore uncertainty with definedcontribution plans versus tradi-tional defined benefit plans,which consist of lifetime peri-odic payments to the retiree ortheir spouse.
Social Security retirementage has increased
The age to receive fullSocial Security benefits was
raised in 1983, grows higheraccording to year of birth, andis currently 67 years of age forthose born in 1960 or after.Benefits are even higher if onewaits until age 70 to retire.
People may stay in the laborforce longer to get a higherSocial Security benefit ratherthan a reduced one if they retireearly. Currently, workers canretire at age 62 and receive areduced benefit, while if theywait until age 67, they can getfull benefits. The SocialSecurity earnings test waseliminated in 2000 for workerswho have reached their fullretirement age. This means thatif a worker is at their full retire-ment age, their Social Securitybenefits are not reduced if theyearn wages.
To keep employer-basedhealth care coverage
The percentage of business-es offering health care cover-age in retirement hasdecreased. According to astudy from the Kaiser FamilyFoundation, the percentage oflarge firms (employees greaterthan 200) offering retireehealth benefits to active work-ers was 24 percent in 2016,down from 66 percent in 1998.
Workers are not eligible forMedicare until age 65, so theymay choose to continue towork to have health coveragefrom their employer.
LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 PAGE 5
Millions come together in opposition to Donald J. Trump’s inauguration
Bill reintroduced in Congress to get rid of Cadillac Tax on health plans
The truth was too much tobear on the first full day ofPresident Trump’s administra-tion, so he lied Saturday. So didhis grim-faced Press Secretary,Sean Spicer, who we can try toenjoy as long as he lasts. At hisfirst press conference he tookno questions.
Both Trump and Spicerwere livid over press reports ofthe number of people thatshowed up to his inaugurationFriday, Jan. 20. They were surethe crowd stretched to theWashington Monument butphotos and video were able toprove them wrong. Yet theypersisted and blamed the pressfor the low count. Trump latersaid he has a “running war withthe media.” It has only begun ifthey do they jobs.
Not to be outdone, his cam-paign manager and now senioradvisor, Kellyanne Conway,said her boys were simply
Washington— On Jan. 10the Alliance to Fight the 40, abroad-based coalition commit-ted to repealing the 40 percenttax on employer-sponsoredhealth benefits – the so-called“Cadillac Tax” – applaudedSen. Dean Heller (R-NV), Sen.Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Rep.Mike Kelly (R-PA), and Rep.Joe Courtney (D-CT), for theirbipartisan, bicameral reintro-duction of legislation to protectthe health benefits of workersby repealing the onerous 40%Cadillac Tax.
Union health care plans areone of those that would be hithard for having done the rightthing for their members. Plansthat have done poorly for theirmembers are rewarded underthe Affordable Care Act. Whatsurvives in the ACA is still upfor question as the Republican-controlled Congress has said itwill get rid of it. Unions are
still wary as the Cadillac Taxcould cost each plan millions.
“The ‘Cadillac Tax’ is adirect threat to over 175 millionAmericans who rely onemployer-sponsored healthcoverage,” said James A.Klein, President, AmericanBenefits Council. “Whereverone stands on the future of theAffordable Care Act, there canbe no denying that we are at apivotal moment for health carereform. Now more than ever,we need a stable employer-sponsored health system. Weare proud to stand with ourbipartisan Congressionalchampions...who are workingto ensure the ‘Cadillac Tax’ isquickly and permanentlyrepealed.”
Senator Heller and SenatorHeinrich held a press confer-ence Jan. 10 highlighting theintroduction of the legislationin this new session of
Congress. Repealing the“Cadillac Tax” has broad bipar-tisan support in Congress. Inthe previous Congressionalsession (2015-2016), 154Republicans and 157 Demo-crats in the House of Repre-sentatives and 39 Senatorscosponsored repeal legislation.In addition, the Senate voted90-10 to repeal the tax.
Senator Heller and SenatorHeinrich introduced S. 58 andRep. Kelly and Rep Courtneyintroduced H.R. 173, A bill toamend the Internal RevenueCode of 1986 to repeal theexcise tax on high cost employ-er-sponsored health coverage.
The “Cadillac Tax” is a 40%tax on the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage thatexceeds certain premium bene-fit thresholds – initially, pro-jected to be $10,800 for self-only coverage and $29,100 forfamily coverage in 2020. More
than just health plan premiumsare counted when determiningthe “cost” of the plan. The costof wellness programs, on-siteclinics and other plan featuresdesigned to reduce planexpenses are also included, sothat ultimately virtually every-one in an employer-sponsoredplan, including low incomeworkers and families withchronic or catastrophic health
conditions will be affected. “The strong bipartisan sup-
port for repeal of the so-calledCadillac Tax is very encourag-ing and we look forward to see-ing a full repeal of this unjusttax on the benefits of working-class men and women in thisCongress,” said TerryO’Sullivan, LIUNA (Laborers)General President.
Drug test idea:Legalize weed
A recent Insights West pollfound 62% of Canadians saycompanies should be allowedto administer random drug teststo employees when marijuanais legalized. Few laws governdrug testing there, but courtshave restricted when and howemployers can test workers.
Canada’s Supreme Courtruled in 2013 that random drugtesting in the workplace vio-lates a worker’s right to dignityand privacy, but allowed someexceptions.
Oil firm Suncor last yearwon a round in its battle todrug-test employees, when aCourt of Queen’s Bench judgeoverturned an earlier rulingthat random drug-testing vio-lated the rights of the compa-ny’s employees.
introducing “alternative facts.”“Meet the Press” anchor ChuckTodd told her alternative factsare really “falsehoods” towhich she said: “I think we’regoing to have to rethink ourrelationship here.”
A unrefutable fact is thatmillions of Americans engagedin hundreds of protests tocounter Trump’s inauguration.
A women’s march inWashington DC had more par-ticipants than Trump’s inaugu-ration according to pressreports.
“We’re here not only tomarch, but we’re here to builda movement,” AFL-CIOSecretary-Treasurer Liz Shulertold the crowd in the nation’scapital. “It’s a movement forpaid family leave. It’s a move-ment for equal rights. It’s amovement for workers’ rights.It’s a movement for immi-grants’ rights. We’re going to
march together and standtogether in solidarity to makesure our voices are heard!”
In St. Paul Saturday some100,000, about five times asmany as were expected, turnedout for a Minnesota Women’sMarch. In Madison, Wisconsina similar number marched.
In Duluth The People’sInaugural Event was heldFriday evening at Sacred HeartMusic Center with 200 or morein attendance. A huge potluck,many booths of participatingactivist organizations, lots ofspeakers, and music allowedpeople to come together and tomove on an agenda quite dif-ferent that President Trump’s.
Duluth City CouncilPresident Joel Sipress, whowas also one of the musicalacts, invited everyone to takean oath to preserve, protect anddefend the Constitution of theUnited States: “I do solemnlyswear (or affirm) that I willfaithfully execute the Office of[President] MEMBER OFTHE BELOVED COMMUNI-TY, AMONG EQUALS of theUnited States, and will to thebest of my ability, preserve,protect and defend theConstitution of the UnitedStates.”
On Saturday morning aWomen’s March was heldthrough Duluth’s Skywalk tocoincide with the WashingtonMarch. USW Local 9460’sAdam Ritscher of thenorthernworker.blogspot.com estimat-
ed that packed crowd at 1,400.“Not since the early anti-
war protests in 2003 has ourregion seen protests of thismagnitude,” Ritscher wrote.
On Saturday as millions ofpeople came together acrossthe world to stand up forwomen’s rights and social andeconomic justice a new cam-paign, 10 Actions/100 Days,started calling on people tocontinue to engage in collec-tive action after the Trumpinauguration protests.
It offered printable post-cards to send to senators aboutwhat matters most to you - andhow you’re going to continueto fight for it in the days, weeksand months ahead.
You can find more informa-tion about the campaign atwomensmarch.com
Get connected to resources in Minnesota and WisconsinFor services provided by the Community Services Program
sponsored by the Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor Body andthe Head of the Lakes United Way...Call 218-726-4775
Rachel Loeffler-Kemp, Director424 West Superior St.
Suite 402 Duluth, MN 55802
Donʼt know where to turn? Dial 2-1-1 or 1-800-543-7709 or visit
www.211unitedway.org
AFL-CIOCommunity Services
PAGE 6 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Pres. Trump may not be lying about his healthcare plan.
About 1,400 people held a Women’s March in DuluthSaturday in conjunction with the one in Washington DCattended by over half a million to oppose President Trump’sInauguration and agenda, especially toward women. (AdamRitscher, thenorthern worker.blogspot.com photo)
Opposition continues to mount against most Trump Cabinet nomineesSenator Franken will vote“no” on Betty DeVos for
Education SecretaryWith the exception of
Wilbur Ross as CommerceSecretary and Elaine Chao forTransportation, PresidentTrump has gotten little love forhis nominees for other Cabinetpositions. As is his style, he hasnot backed down on any of hispicks.
DFL Party Chair Ken Martinin Wellstone Hall Jan. 30
Ken Martin, Chair of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party inMinnesota, is scheduled to be in the Duluth Labor Temple’sWellstone Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30. Give Martincredit for coming north as many DFL activists here are very dis-appointed in the party’s efforts in recent elections.
Two years ago Republicans in Minnesota said they weregoing to basically ignore statewide races and concentrate on tak-ing over greater Minnesota House districts. They did just thatand took over the majority in the House after an unbelievablesession of total DFL control in the previous two years.
And then last November Republicans took over the majorityin the Senate as well, leaving DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to be thelone firewall again for working families and progressives as hewas in 2010. The next statewide election is 2018 and alreadythere are as many as six, formidable, declared DFL candidatesfor governor, perhaps even Congressman Rick Nolan.
Martin was in the Labor Temple Oct. 6 talking optimisticallyabout the election a month away.
“We are so excited by the nightly reports,” Martin told about60 people at that noon meeting. “Duluth leads the way in hittingdoors, calling, and the number of volunteers involved.” But hehad also warned about 1998 when we woke up to findIndependence Party candidate Jesse Ventura had been electedgovernor after his campaign of over-the-top statements.
Dr. King’s Holiday a call toaction for unions...from page 1
The American Federation of Teachers has materials availablefor its members on how to be part of being a “sanctuary union.”
To resist, unionists and their allies must not only mobilize andhit the streets, but also pressure politicians to stand up to threatsand crackdowns, said top AFL-CIO staffer Cecily Counts, whomoderated the panel on threats through the courts.
Counts noted that new Senate Minority Leader ChuckSchumer, D-N.Y., already says Democrats there will opposeTrump nominees -- especially judicial nominees -- who are “outof the mainstream” on economic and civil rights.
“Call him and thank him,” she told delegates. Workers and their allies should prepare for federal hostility,
Mao warned. Noting that Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., a noted civilrights foe, is Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Attorney General, Maosaid “the other target” besides minorities “will be organizing.”One speaker deliberately used Sessions’ full name, JeffersonDavis Sessions, revealing the solon is named for the Confederatestates’ president during the Civil War.
“With Sessions as the AG, immigration organizers, civilrights organizers and labor organizers will be surveilled andtailed,” Mao predicted. “We'd like to work with labor on how tocombat that. We can’t let Trump divide us.”
But unions also face a problem in mobilizing around the eco-nomic and social justice issues, Shuler admitted. After the 2016campaign, when almost half of voting union members backedTrump -- despite leaders’ overwhelming support of Democraticnominee Hillary Rodham Clinton -- “we in the labor movementtalk about how we lost our members,” she said.
“They get their backs up when they don’t think we’re talkingabout issues, but just about party,” Shuler added. The response,Rockeymoore countered, is “This is not about political correct-ness, but about collectiveness,” educating people about the con-nections between economic and social justice, regardless of race,creed, sexuality or anything else.
That may be a long slog. “In the coming days and months, many men and women will
be tested about what they’re willing to fight for and who theyare,” Shuler concluded.
Most if not all of his nomi-nees have met withCongressional committees thathave oversight on issues intheir Cabinet posts. They soonwill come before the Republi-can-controlled Senate seekingconfirmation. With only 48Democrats in the Senate, all ofthem and three of the 52 Re-publicans voting with themwould be required to stop a
nomination. You can expectDemocrats to filibuster confir-mation hearings withRepublicans trying to find 60votes to stop them.
Unions have three nomineesthat are particularily trouble-some for them.
As you could expect theyfind Trump’s choice for LaborSecretary, Andrew Puzder, par-ticularly offensive. The 66-yearold fast food CEO of CKE(Hardee’s, Carl Jr., and Redand Green Burrito chains) has ahistory full of behavior unfit-ting of someone who shouldenforce labor law. He would beresponsible for enforcing mini-mum wage and overtime pay,job safety, health laws, equalpay and more and has beenaccused of violating all of themin his restaurants. He has alsobeen accused of sexual harass-ment and of victimizingwomen in his advertising.
Education Secretary nomi-nee Elizabeth "Betsy" DeVos,is an outspoken foe of publicschools and their teachers. TheSenate Health, Education,Labor and Pensions Committeeheld a Jan. 17 confirmationhearing for her – with no out-side witnesses. Committeemember Senator Al Franken(D-Minn.) says he will voteagainst her nomination basedon what he called her lack ofqualifications and woefullyinadequate performance at herhearing.
“One of the most pressingchallenges we face as lawmak-ers, federal officials, and mostimportantly as adults, is to helpprovide each and every studentwith the education theydeserve,” said SenatorFranken. “And I do not believethat Betsy DeVos, a billionairedonor that Donald Trumptapped to run the EducationDepartment, has what it takesto meet that challenge. After afull examination of Ms. DeVos’record, and based on (her hear-ing)—where she failed to ade-quately answer even the mostbasic questions about educa-tion policy—it’s clear to methat she is not qualified for thedemanding job of EducationSecretary, which bears respon-sibility for schools and studentsin Minnesota and across thecountry. I will vote no whenher name comes up for confir-mation.”
You can watch Sen.Franken’s questioning of BetsyDeVos at the EducationCommittee hearing athttps://www.facebook.com/
senatoralfranken/videos/1230139790405234/
Treasury Secretary nomineeSteve Mnuchin, a banker whomade millions during the GreatRecession by seizing fore-closed houses, even whenworkers made arrangements tocatch up has been dubbed the“foreclosure king” a practicethat Wilbur Ross was also verygood at.
California prosecutorsbelieve Mnuchin and his com-
pany may have been responsi-ble for “widespread miscon-duct” and violations of foreclo-sure law.
The latest report comes ontop of long-standing reportsthat Mnuchin, the formerGoldman Sachs partner profit-ed richly off the financial crisisby foreclosing on thousands ofsenior homeowners.
(Press Associates and othersources contributed to thisreport.)
LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 PAGE 7
Rep. Liz Olson (with stroller) had the day off from her firstterm in the Minnesota Legislature and marched with hus-band Tom Albright and their child, Florence, already hersecond march, for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holidayon the nicest day for it in memory.
Women should take to the streets,including for better wages, security
By Elise Gould, Economic Policy InstituteAnother reason women will march on
Saturday—for better wages and greater econom-ic security. As thousands of women gather on theNational Mall to advocate for women’s rights,here’s one issue that policymakers can address:wage growth. By closing the gender wage gapand eliminating the inequality that has kept near-ly all workers’ pay from rising with productivity,we could raise women’s median hourly wages by69 percent—from $15.67 to $26.47.
Over the last several decades, women haveentered the workforce in record numbers andmade great strides in educational attainment.Nevertheless, when compared with men, womenare still paid less, are more likely to hold low-wage jobs, and are more likely to live in poverty.
Typical women are paid only 83 cents forevery dollar paid to a typical man. Gender wagedisparities are present at all wage levels andwithin education categories, occupations, andsectors—sometimes to a grave degree. Forexample, relative to white non-Hispanic men,black and Hispanic women workers are paid
only 65 cents and 58 cents onthe dollar.
Closing the gender wagegap is absolutely essential tohelping women achieve eco-nomic security. But in order tobring genuine economic securi-ty to American women andtheir families, we must domore. In particular, we mustreverse the decades-long trendof stagnant wages for the vastmajority of workers. Indeed,while the gender wage gap haspersisted, hourly wage growthfor the vast majority of workershas stalled, as the benefits ofincreased productivity haveaccrued to those at the top. Thisis the result of intentional poli-cy decisions that have erodedthe leverage of the vast majori-ty of workers to secure higher
wages.To truly maximize women’s
economic potential, we mustfocus on closing the genderwage gap and raising wagesmore generally.
The figure (top left of page)shows how much higher wageswould be today for typicalworkers regardless of gender, ifwe eliminated the gender wagegap and pursued broadlyshared prosperity.
The bottom line: genderwage parity does not improvewomen’s economic prospectsto the greatest possible extent ifwages for men and womenremain equal but stagnant inthe future. Thus, wage growthis a women’s issue. To maxi-mize women’s economic secu-rity, we must raise wages bypursuing policies that inten-tionally tilt bargaining powerback toward low- and moder-ate-wage workers. Addition-ally, policies should be pursuedto end discrimination in hiring,pay setting, and promotions.Finally, better workplace infra-structure, such as paid sickleave and subsidized child care,should be implemented to pro-vide stability for women andworking families.
An interactive gender paygap calculator at epi.org/blog/another-reason-women-will-march-on-saturday-for-better-wages-and-greater-economic-security/?mc_cid=ea691626ad&mc_eid=12d3597c6f allowsyou to see how workers couldfare in a more equal work envi-ronment.
PAGE 8 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
In December of 2013, theMinnesota Supreme Courtdecided a case called DYKOFFvs. EXCEL ENERGY. Sincethen employers and insurancecompanies have interpreted theruling very broadly and used it todeny injured workers the benefitsthey deserve.
We do not believe thateliminating a broad range ofcomp claims was the intent of
this decision. We do believe thatmost of the workers, who havebeen rejected, will get fair benefitsin the end.
If you have received a "benefitsdenied" (or KISS OFF!) letterusing some of the reasons shownin quotes above, give us a call. Itcosts you nothing to meet withus. We can help you understandwhere your comp claim stands inlight of the Dykoff Decision.
A real worker agendaBy Lawrence Mishel, President, Economic Policy Institute Throughout the presidential campaign, Donald Trump was
long on populist rhetoric—positioning himself as the pro-work-er candidate—but in reality embraced the tried-and-failedChamber of Commerce playbook of tax cuts for corporationsand the rich, deregulation, and rolling back worker protectionsand union rights.
In the wake of the election, EPI has developed “A real agen-da for working people” that lays out concrete steps to returnprosperity to working-class Americans. The agenda provides ayardstick with which to measure the effectiveness of Trump’spolicy agenda in boosting wages for working people.
This detailed five-point agenda to boost working people’swages and quality of life includes policies to restore full employ-ment, strengthen rules that support wages and work, and protectand strengthen the right to collective bargaining, as well as reori-enting trade policy to support working people and raising top taxrates to fund necessary public investment and reduce the eco-nomic power of the top 1 percent.
In the months ahead, EPI will provide a clear-eyed and rig-orous assessment of the Trump economic agenda, using thisagenda as a standard for comparison.
Read the agenda at http://www.epi.org/workers-agenda/?mc_cid=f4c971ef22&mc_eid=12d3597c6f
