When UAW International representatives showed up at a plant in Indianapolis this month to try to encourage the acceptance of a contract, they were booed and kicked out of a meeting. As the representatives were packing to leave, the standing-room-only crowd told them to take the local president with them. Seems the union members don’t feel that their union is representing their interests, but instead is focused on the 17% stake the union has in GM. Back in October, current UAW president (then vice president) Bob King was met with the same reaction when he tried to force an International-negotiated contract upon Ford UAW members.
It appears that there is a growing awareness among union members that the unions they belong to don’t necessarily have their interests at heart, and in fact may be holding them back. In California, 3 Boeing workers filed labor charges against the United Aerospace Workers union. When the three workers crossed a picket line during a recent strike and resigned their union membership as required, the union attempted to force them to pay fines.
At Pocono Medical Center in Pennsylvania, employees have filed a deauthorization petition, claiming the SEIU has not done anything for them. “They negotiated the contract and told us they could get certain things, but we didn’t get them — raises and bonuses, better health care — none of that ever happened,” dietary worker Steven VonCrep said.
In Washington state, AT&T employees initiated a decertification petition when their company voluntarily recognized the CWA based on a showing of union authorization cards at 11 AT&T Mobility locations.
At Citrus Valley Medical Center in San Gabriel Valley, CA, nurses have filed a decertification petition to oust the CAN, citing failure to live up to promises made almost 4 years ago. “Hundreds of nurses … are tired of paying dues to a union that has not been able to deliver on its promises and that is trying to break up our family,” stated one of the petition organizers.
In Arizona, SEIU-member city employees in Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe have quit the union to protest the SEIU’s “Arizona boycott” of the controversial immigration law. Chandler SEIU membership is down by about 30%, Tempe by 10%, and Gilbert by 16%.
Finally, in Waterford, NY, employees at Momentive Performance Materials are gathering signatures to void a contract secured by the IUE-CWA. “We’ve had it with them,” said John Phelps, who is organizing the petition drive. “We don’t think they’re working on our behalf. Somebody’s got to stand up to this stuff. This has got to stop.”
