National Labor Relations Board "Closed for Renovation!"

The NLRB was "Closed for Renovation" by several National and Local Labor organizations across the country this November. From Washington D.C to Chicago and many other cities, labor organziations held protests in front of the offices of this organization. At the heart of the matter is the Bush administrations use of this organization to strike down union and worker rights in this country. More than 60 decisions recently handed down by the NLRB have landed a major blow to the union cause in America. The right to organize, to collect dues and for workers to receive back pay for rulings against the employer. The call went out to all union affliates of the National AFL-CIO to have their affiliates participate in the "Closed for Renovation" day. The call was extremely successful. Many affiliates joined community organizations as they brought out their workers to this very important rally.

In Chicago, the Illinois AFL-CIO, Chicago Federation of Labor along with Jobs With Justice marched at the headquarters of the NLRB. More than 50 protesters carried signs and chanted "NLRB Closed for Renovation"! James Thindwa (JWJ) with Orlando Velez of the (CFL) led the effort here.

They attempted to deliver a letter to the offices of the NLRB but were refused admittance. An unidentified official from the office met with the march leaders and accepted their letter. She stated that the letter would be delivered to the Executive Board and a copy would be sent to Washington, D.C. The marchers continued to protest for a while longer and vowed to continue the fight against the Bush administration and its all out assualt on organized labor in America.

How do you feel about the NLRB and the Bush administration? Share your thoughts here!

UnionizeAmericaNow.blogspot.com is under construction!

This is a new blogspot being developed to place the
"LABOR AGENDA"
at the forefront of the minds of working people in America. Over the years unions have seemingly slipped in their ability to organize and maintain their previous levels of strength in this country. I am developing this site to allow all union leaders, members and anyone who wants to join the effort to place unionization in its rightful place in America! Please feel free to comment and sign in whenever you visit the site! See you soon!

Thanks!
Alvis L. Martin




Disclaimer:
The information contained in this blog are the opinions solely of its author. No union or labor organizations view point is represented by the author of this site except if it is a previously stated public position or a public statement of that organization.

Transit Funding Crisis in Chicago!

The RTA which is the governing body for the three transit service boards (CTA, Pace and Metra) is on pins and needles as they wait for a funding proposal from the Illinois General Assembly. On the table is Senate Bill 572 sponsored in the senate by Sen. John Cullerton (D) Chicago. The original bill came out of the house mass transit committe chaired by Rep. Julie Hamos (D) Evanston. The Highlights of the bill were worked out between the CTA and the Amalgamated Transit Unions Locals 241 and 308. At the top of the bill are Pension and Healthcare reforms. These requirements were asked for by the Legislature and both local presidents and their lobbyists should be commended for the great work they performed. The Auditor General of Illinois conducted a yearlong audit of the 3 service boards and the RTA and recommended the sweeping changes to their organizations. However due to the fact that Gov. Blagoivech will not sign any legislation that allows for tax increases the bill has been placed on postponed consideration. Speaker Michael Madigan attempted to resurrect the bill again but held off due to a lack of having the needed votes to override the Governors veto. The Republicans are holding out for a capital bill for Illinois and they have tied S.B. 572 to that capital bill. The question being asked by many is, hey Democrats, what happened on May 31, 2007 the end of the session in Springfield? We salute the unions for their effort and we are hopeful for a successful outcome. For more on S.B. 572 visit www.juliehamos.org

What do you think about the transit crisis in Chicago? Speak out here!