NCPASS

50th Annual NC AFLCIO Convention: It’s a Wrap!

Our State Federation turned 50 earlier this year, and last month delegates from unions and affiliated organizations from across North Carolina gathered in Fayetteville to celebrate our Golden Anniversary on September 20-21, 2007.

The highlight of the 2007 Convention was our banquet keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. William Barber from the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP. Rev. Barber gave an amazing, rousing speech about the enduring connection between civil rights, workers rights, and human rights. Rev. Barber challenged everyone in the room to look for the connections in our everyday struggles: the connection between costly war abroad and poverty at home; between the loss of respect for human rights and the ongoing assault on workers’ rights. Again and again the reverend repeated, “If you keep the connections alive, you will see the change.”

Also at the annual banquet, the NC State AFL-CIO honored United Steelworkers Local 959 with the P. R. Latta Award for outstanding service to the labor movement coming out of their strike against Goodyear Tire Company late last year.

During the daytime sessions Thursday and Friday, delegates took part in a packed program, including speeches from Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue, State Treasurer Richard Moore, and Congressman David Bonior from the John Edwards 2008 campaign, as well as several workshops on topics ranging from healthcare, tax fairness, workers’ compensation, and Labor 2008.

The convention delegates adopted resolutions that will be used to guide our work over the next year on topics like universal health care, diversity, organizing, and legislation just to name a few.

N.C. AFLCIO Website

Senate panel votes to limit NSPS

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to limit the implementation of NSPS as well as including the 3.5% pay raise the House approved last week.

The new language would allow the system to move forward so long as it conforms to existing federal labor regulations.

Story here

A few thoughts on NSPS

While I understand that many of the PASS members in NC are FAA employees I still feel it is necessary to keep the state, and anyone who browses here, informed of what is going on with NSPS.

As most of us working for the DoD know, a US District Court struck down major portions of NSPS dealing with labor relations. So much so that rumor was circulating that BUEs wouldn't even be put under the system.

However, the DoD appealed to the Appeals Court in DC and their decision was released last week as I posted on already. This court effectively ruled that Congress granted the DoD the right to remove collective bargaining until November 2009 when they authorized the NSPS system.

What this means?

With implementing issuances, they can throw out existing contracts.

The Agency can decide what items are up for bargaining.

Even after they set up a new contract with you, or maybe even roll yours over with minor tweaks to get it in line with NSPS, they can turn around the following week and decide they do not want to adhere to it and throw it out.

Your recourse in all of this? You can appeal to a board of individuals appointed by the Sec of Defense. An "independent" board without any conflicting interest except for the fact that the SecDef can fire them if he feels the need. (See Attorney General issue currently in the media for a good insight in to how these positions will be staffed and what happens to people with views inconsistent with those of the SecDef and the Pres)

So you ask what happens next?

Currently there are 2 avenues that are out there.

1. The lawsuit can be appealed to the full Appeals Court (15 Judges) and/or the Supreme Court, this decision has yet to be made.
I'll add here that I think both courts are stocked well with supporters of Bush's Anti-Labor agenda. This may prove wrong, which I would love to see, but I am not generally hopeful.

2. Congress has added language to the Defense Authorization Act that would remove the language that the latest decision was based on. If this happens, and mind you it has to make it through both chambers of Congress, and it still has to be signed by the President. Take note here that the White House has already gone on record stating Bush will veto this bill if this language is included.

Now there is a 3.5% military pay raise included with this. Not to mention A-76 language that is favorable for the federal employee, so we may get enough votes to override a veto, but thats a little while down the road.

Moral of the Story? Keep up to date and contact your legislatures to inform them that this language needs to be included. The transition away from Title 5 for the FAA was no picnic, but compared to the NSPS program it was. We need to ban together across the country and in the State and get this bug in our Reps ears.

Find your:
Senators
Representative
And send them an email or preferably call them.

DOD Employees dealt a blow

For now at least...

The appeals court ruled on the issue dealing with the legality of the Labor portions of NSPS and it's not good.

The 3 judge panel voted 2 to 1 in determining that Congress granted the DOD the right to limit collective bargaining until 2009. You can read the full decision here.

DoD officials have said that the law allows them to override
collective bargaining agreements after they are reached and gives them
the ability to narrow the items subject to bargaining as much as they
want.

They can also now issue "implementing issuances" that allow the agency to effectively throw any provision of a current contract out the window. So tomorrow they could bring one down and your contract or portions thereof would no longer be enforceable.

The labor Unions that brought the suit to begin with are sure to appeal. They can go to either the full Appeals Court, the Supreme Court, or both.

Not to mention the House just passed legislation that would eliminate this from the get go by removing the language that the court used in it's decision. But the White House has threated to veto this legislation based solely on this language. The legislation also includes military pay raises and A-76 language as well. See this story

Thanks G-Bush, way to show support for the working man.