Resources
The Economic Footprint of Unions in Los Angeles (December 2007)
by Daniel Flaming, Economic Roundtable
This briefing paper prepared for the Los Angeles County
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, relates the wage advantage of union
workers over non-union workers and the impact of union workers on LA's
economy.
by Erin Johansson, American Rights at Work
Employer misclassification of employees as independent
contractors denies workers’ rights and tax revenue/contributions to
unemployment and workers comp funds. This report documents the
widespread use of employee misclassification at FedEx Ground, which
violates worker’s fundamental civil rights and workplace protections.
Unions and Upward Mobility for Low-Wage Workers (August 2007)
by John Schmitt, Margy Waller, Shawn Fremstad and Ben Zipperer, Center for Economic Policy and Research & Inclusion
This report analyzes 15 of the lowest paying occupations in
the United States and finds that unionized workers earn about 16% more
than their non-unionized counterparts. Unionized workers in the same
industries are also 25 percentage points more likely to have health
insurance or a pension plan.
N.J. Child Care Workers Win Right to Join AFSCME, CWA (8/7/2006)
by Mike Hall, AFL-CIO blog
An executive order passed by the governor of New Jersey grants child care workers employed by the state union bargaining rights.
What Is a Worker Cooperative? (June 2007)
by The United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives
This is a helpful fact sheet that defines worker
cooperatives and the difference between cooperatives, collectives and
other forms of democratically owned and operated business
organizations. Included are resources for starting or joining worker
cooperatives.
Iowa Child Care Providers Win with AFSCME
by AFSCME Publications
This brief article comments on the AFSCME win and its
perspective of the battle with SEIU for representation of child care
providers in Iowa.
Executive Order on Collective Negotiation by Day Care Home Providers (2/18/05)
by Rod R Blagojevich, Governor of Illinois
The executive order issued by Gov. Glagojevich addresses
the need to expand access to quality child care in the face of
declining numbers of licensed homes for day care. The order offers more
qulaity options for parents by ensuring representation for child care
workers.
Low-Wage America: How Employers Are Reshping Opportunity in the Workplace The Coffee Pot Wars: Unions and Firm Restructuring in the Hotel Industry (2003)
by Annette Bernhardt, Laura Dresser, and Erin Hatton
This excerpt analyzes the impact of unions on restructuring
in the hotel industry. It consists of background research on historical
trends in the hospitality industry and case studies of eight hotels in
four U.S. cities.
Democratic Workplaces in the News
Permalancers, Unite! (December 13, 2007)
by Anya Kamenetz, The Nation
The Nation describes the new online method of organizing
that Viacom's freelancers and "permalancers" have adopted in the face
of cutbacks by the profitable media firm. An increasing number of these
workers have been shifted to status as independent contrators and lost
health and retirement benefits with no change in their workload.
Home Health Assistants Vote to Join Union: Overwhelming 'Yes' Gives Momentum, Strength to SEIU (November 9, 2007)
by Jeffrey Krasner, The Boston Globe
The article describes the vote for Massachusetts home
health assistants and the larger role of the healthcare workforce that
SEIU hopes to attract in its membership.
Albany Ready to Give Union Rights to 52,000 Day Care Workers (6/28/2006)
by Danny Hakim, The New York Times
This article explains the state's potential costs of the unionization of day care workers and proponents' arguments.
