WHAT IS THE LABOR COUNCIL?
The South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council is currently celebrating over a half-century as a chartered organization. The Labor Council represents over a hundred unions in Santa Clara and San Benito counties and over 110,000 union members.
The Labor Council is involved in many programs that are directly intended to improve the lives of working families in the Bay Area.
LABOR COUNCIL NEWS
Added July 2nd, 2009
A panel of experts, including leaders of government and labor, called for support of single-payer system as the basis for national health care reform at a June 24 event sponsored by the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council.
Dave Cortese of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors discussed how single-payer health care would save the county millions each year in coverage for their employees and pledged to take the lead on the issue with the county board.
More than 125 participants heard presentations by Cortese, union leaders Tom Alexander (United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters and Refrigeration Fitters Local 393), Greg Miller (California Nurses Association), Cindy Young (California School Employees Association), Michael Hejazi (United Auto Workers), Peggy Elwell (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) and Sarah Muller, director of health care policy for Working Partnerships USA.
Cindy Chavez, SBLC executive officer, moderated the discussion.
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Added July 1st, 2009
One year after housekeepers at the Hyatt Santa Clara began organizing for a fair process, the occasion was marked Thursday, June 25 with a rally featuring speeches, Aztec dances by Movimiento Cosmico and presentations to hotel management.
More than 200 housekeepers and their community supporters attended the rally organized by the Interfaith Council and Unite Here, which delivered 7,000 cards of support for the workers from the faith community and helped present a 15-foot long petition to hotel management with more than 2,200 signatures.
Progress has been slow, but worker unity and community support has begun to chip away at management’s position. The hotel has dropped its daily room-cleaning workload from 17 to 16 beds.
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Added June 23rd, 2009
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All, and Olympian John Carlos headed the list of award winners Monday night at the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council's COPE Garden Party. The event honors those recognized by labor for their values and work for justice and dignity for all.
Ellis-Lamkins was given the Visionary Leadership Award for her work as executive officer of the Labor Council and executive director of Working Partnerships USA. She left those two positions last spring to take over the national leadership of Green For All, a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy, strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
Carlos, a former track star at San Jose State University, electrified the 1968 Mexico City Olympics along with teammate Tommie Smith when they raised gloved fists on the medal platform to protest racism in the United States. He was given a Lifetime Courage Award.
Ash Kalra, elected to the San Jose City Council last November, was named Rookie of the Year.
Also honored were Campaign All-Stars John Comiskey, Omar Torres, Erik Larsen, Fred Hirsch and Carol Garvey for their successful volunteer work in opposing the recall of Madison Nguyen. Special recognition was accorded Unite/Here! Local 19 Hyatt workers, SEIU Local 1877 Cisco janitors, the Interfaith Council on Religion, Race, Economic and Social Justice, the Community Budget Working Group and the City Labor Alliance.
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Added June 23rd, 2009
SAN JOSE – A panel of experts, union leaders and elected officials will participate in a forum on single-payer health care at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24.
The forum, sponsored by the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, will be hosted at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall at 2125 Canoas Garden Ave., in San Jose. Among the topics to be covered are what single-payer health care is, the state of health care in Santa Clara County, budget savings to local governments and school districts, and benefits to the economy.
Participating on the panel will be Sarah Muller, director of health care and policy initiatives for Working Partnerships USA; Dave Cortese, Santa Clara County supervisor; Greg Miller of the California Nurses Association; Cindy Young of the California School Employees Association and Michael Hejazi of the United Auto Workers.
What: Forum on single-payer health care
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24
Where: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall
2125 Canoas Garden Ave.
San Jose
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Added June 15th, 2009
Religious leaders called on Cisco management to do the "right thing, not just the profitable thing" at a Tuesday, June 9 worship service that ended a week-long rolling fast in support of the high-tech company’s building maintenance work force.
Cisco janitors, 40 percent of whom have been laid off, and their supporters attended the service at St. Joseph's Cathedral in downtown San Jose, which was organized by the Interfaith Council on Race, Religion, Economic and Social Justice, a coalition of more than 400 clergy and people of faith.
Father Eduardo Samaniego, pastor of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Rabbi Melanie Aron of Congregation Shir Hadash and the Rev. Deborah T. Simon of Recalling Spirit Ministries led the interfaith service, which included songs, prayers and blessings, and the breaking and sharing of challah bread -- a symbol of community in the Jewish tradition.
"Myself, Rabbi Aron, Rev. Simon and a number of other religious leaders are calling on our congregations to help put pressure on Cisco's owners and command them to 'act justly,' as the prophet Micah invites us to do," Father Samaniego said in his homily. "'Justly' means doing the right thing, not just the legal thing. It means doing the right thing, not just the expedient thing. It means doing the right thing, not just the profitable thing. The bottom line is not God's bottom line. God's bottom line is what is of a PROPHET, not of PROFIT. God's bottom line is PRAYING FOR not PREYING ON."
Following service, Cisco workers and supporters left for a rally outside the Fairmont, where Cisco CEO John Chambers was being presented with an educational award.
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Added June 15th, 2009
Despite instructions from San Jose City Council for flexibility from both sides in negotiations, the City of San Jose's labor negotiator refused four times Friday to respond to new proposals made by Operating Engineers Local 3 (OE3) that address the City's budget crisis.
Hoping the two sides could reach agreement, the City Council earlier this week delayed a vote on imposing a contract on OE3. The City Council now faces the prospect of voting Tuesday on imposing a contract even though only the union was prepared to negotiate.
"There was no good faith bargaining by the City," said OE3 Business Agent Bill Pope said after Friday's meeting. "We came up with significant changes to our proposal after a meeting with our membership, but we were told by the City's negotiator that she had no authority to consider our proposals or make a counter-offer. We are prepared to meet all weekend if necessary to reach an agreement."
OE3 proposed that its members accept 40-hour furloughs in the coming budget year, saving the City the equivalent of 2 percent of its salary expense, as well as meeting the City’s demand for a wage freeze. In addition, OE3 members agreed to the City's demand for a $10 co-payment in its health benefit package.
OE3 represents the City of San Jose employees who operate heavy equipment in public works, water and sewer treatment.
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