TBOU Education Alert- Friday December 4 2009 "The Great Recession and the Battle for Good Jobs in the Black Community "

Dear Friends and supporters of TBOU we would like to pass the word to you about the:

The CUNY Murphy Institute for worker education Fall 2009 series of Labor Breakfast Forums, we are pleased to announce a forum entitled “The Great Recession and the Battle for Good Jobs in the Black Community.” The speakers slated for this important discussion are:

Steven C. Pitts, author of Job Quality and Black Workers-A Multi-City Report and labor policy specialist at the Center for Labor Research and Education, University of California, Berkeley; and
David Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS).
The event will be held on Friday, December 4, 2009, from 8:30 to 10:15 AM, at the Joseph S. Murphy Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, 18th Floor.

While some economists have begun to discuss the formal end of the Great Recession, most also recognize that the economy will likely enter a jobless recovery worse than those following the recessions of 1990 and 2001. This situation promises to have particularly damaging impact on the Black community which entered this recession with disproportionately high level of unemployment and low-wage work. Racially stratified labor markets existed prior to the Great Recession; economic growth policies which ignore this reality will simply reinforce these racial hierarchies. What sort of legislative policies could help to remedy these problems? What new forms of organizing within the black community are needed to wield greater power locally and nationally to improve the quality of jobs held by Black workers? What role should organized labor and other allied movements play? Steven Pitts and David Jones will engage these and other crucial questions in what promises to be a timely and important conversation.


Please be sure to RSVP to Eloiza Morales at 212-642-2029 or eloiza.morales@mail.cuny.edu by Monday, November 30, 2009.
We look forward to seeing you.
Sincerely,
Paula Finn - Associate Director Editor, New Labor Forum
Rich Blint - Coordinator of Special Projects Center for
Labor,Community & Policy Studies

To Stay informed on all labor and community news visit www.tbou.org daily

TBOU Education Alert- Thursday November 19 2009 "The New York State Taylor Law goes International "

TRANSPORT WORKERS CHARGE: NEW YORK'S BAN ON PUBLIC SECTOR STRIKES VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

What: discussion by distinguished panel of experts on labor law on New York State's Taylor Law pursuant to changes filed with the ILO by TWU Local 100
Where: Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 102
When: November 19 4:00pm-6:30pm

Transport Workers Union Local 100 today filed a Complaint with the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva. The ILO is a tripartite UN agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states, which include the United States, "in common action to promote decent work throughout the world." The complaint, directed to the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association, tests the legality and the chilling effects of New York State's Taylor Law in light of ILO standards which protect the freedom of association and collective bargaining as fundamental human rights. The Taylor Law bars all strikes in the public sector, and punishes strikes with extensive fines, imprisonment of union leaders and loss of automatic dues deduction. The complaint alleges that these restrictions on strikes by public sector employees under New York's Taylor Law constitute "a serious infringement on core trade union rights" protected by international law.

To stay informed on all Union and Labor news check www.tbou.org daily

Take Back Our Union (TBOU) Action Update- NYfST Meeting Thursday November 12 @ 5:00PM

TBOU Action Alert-Taking Back Public Transit Thursday November 12, 2009 New Yorkers for Safe Transit (NYfST)is the only coalition of transit riders and transit workers working together to change mass transit policy and to make our mass transit system more safe for everyone so join please us on :

Date: Thursday November 12, 2009
Time: 5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.
Place: North Star Fund (Mid-Town Manhattan)
520 8th avenue 22nd floor (Between 36 & 37) street

Why are crimes and assaults going unreported on our subways and buses ?
Why where over 100 Subway booths closed without a public hearing ?
What kinds of violence do you see on NYC’s public transit system?
How can communities intervene? Respond?
What should the MTA do to curb/eliminate sexual harassment, assaults and hate violence?
What should perpetrator accountability look like?
Why are booths being closed in some communities and not others ?
Why are some booths being re-opened ?
Why are some bus lines being cut and not others?

New Yorkers for Safe Transit invites you to join us as we begin to explore ways transit riders and workers can work together to change mass transit policy in NYC:

So please join NYfST this Thursday November 12 from 5:00PM to 7:00PM in Mid-Town Manhattan at the North Star Fund located 520 8th ave 22nd fl.(bet.36st and 37st)
This event is being hosted by the Take Back Our Union (TBOU) movement www.tbou.org

TBOU Action Alert - Protest against Mayor Bloomberg Friday October 30 , 2009

Billionaire Bloomberg Rots the Apple! PROTEST Take Back Our Union (TBOU)urges all transit workers and our supporters to come out and protest on:

Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
Time: 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location: Bloomberg for Mayor Campaign Office
813 Broadway (between 11 & 12 sts.)

Mayor Bloomberg made billions from banking and vulture capitalism. He has used his mayoral powers to enrich the banks, corporations and real estate developers who are devouring our jobs, housing and education. A quarter of NYC's $50 billion budget -- $12.5 billion -- goes to tax-free debt service to banks. Join us to say that money needs to go to the people of NYC.

* Bloomberg says he's created jobs. Is this a joke? Unemployment is at record levels in NYC. The cost of living is up; wages are down. Homelessness is epidemic.

* Youth unemployment is over 50 percent. Youth need jobs and education, not repression and jails.

* Bloomberg did nothing to stop the closing of Stella D'oro, despite the company having received tax abatements. His planning board voted for the Bronx Armory developer, against community demands for decent jobs.

* Billionarie Bloomberg is running campaign ads promoting racism. He is in cahoots with former Mayor Giuliani, whose racist policies targeting Black and Latino/a communities are well-documented.

* Bloomberg rules over the public schools by fiat, preventing community control of schools that serve mostly people of color. He also forces educators to "teach to the test" for biased standardized tests.

* Bloomberg opposes a raise for Transit Workers. He's attacking the public service unions.

* Bloomberg has ignored the AIDS crisis completely. Health care in our communities has deteriorated.

JOBS AT LIVING WAGES YES!
RACISM NO!
UNION BUSTING'S GOT TO GO!


Initiated by the Bail Out the People Movement. We urge unions, community groups and organizations to mobilize and work together for this important demonstration.

Call 212-633-6646 or 646-353-2708
Email march4jobs@gmail.com for all your community and labor news visit www.tbou.org

Take Back Our Union (TBOU) Action Alert- TBOU Supports NYC Paid Sick Leave Campaign by Christine Williams

We all know how important it is to stay home from work when we're sick or to be able to stay at home and take care of a sick child. Many people take this for granted that you will get paid by your employer when you call out sick. Yet there are over a million workers in New York City who have no paid sick time. When workers can't afford to take off from work to recover from illnesses, this could become a health risk to co workers and the public.

The Take Back Our Union(TBOU) womens initiative committee has joined with the NYC paid sick leave coalition to get the NYC Paid Sick Time Act passed this year. Join TBOU and add your voice to the movement gaining momentum throughout the city and tell mayor Bloomberg that workers deserve paid sick days.

Important Upcoming dates
*october 26 2009* Launch of the paid sick days subway ad campaign Also public out reach and leaflet at the following subway station locations along the 4 5 and 6 line.
Time: 7:30-9 AM East at Lexington avenue 125th street
East 86th st and Lexington NW and SW corners on the downtown side
Union Square south end near 2 subway kiosks along East 14th street
Also at 10 am at Union Square there will be a demonstration and mass leafletting to the public.

*November 16 2009 *Press conference and rally on the steps of city hall! The city council will hold a hearing on the paid sick time bill.More details on this action at a later date.

*November 18 2009 *NYC paid sick time coalition. will sponsor a Forum
" Mobilizing women to speak out on paid sick days" Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM
NYU School of Law 245 Sullivan street, Furman hall-student lounge Featuring:
Gloria Steinem For more info on future actions go to :www.timetocare.ny.org/nyc for all your labor news always visit www.tbou.org

TBOU Education Alert-Monday October 26,2009 " AT THE POINT OF PRODUCTION"

Author's Forum : 5:30 P.M., October 26th, 2009 at Brooklyn College Graduate Center for Worker Education,25 Broadway , 7 floor to RSVP call 212 -966-4014

At the Point of Production The Social Analysis of Occupational and Environmental Health A Collection of Essays Edited by Charles Levenstein.

This book locates workers' health and safety problems in the board political economy, arguing that without a deep understanding of the social/political/economic context of particular industrial hazards.The chapters report a series of case studies, all of which use the " point of production " as framework to investigate particular problems or industries.

The first section of the book focuses on globalization - the impact of privatization on health and safety of workers and communities in Brazil and Mexico. The Next section addresses environmental issues : the unintended effects of environmental regulation on workers, the situation of hazardous waste workers and emergency responders, the implementation of toxic use reduction and the role of workers in pollution prevention. The third section explores the intersection of labor relations with gender relations at the point of production.The last chapters addresses practical issues involved in conducting occupational health research in the contested terrain of the workplace.These chapters were previously published in New solutions Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health Policy.

Sponsors : CUNY/Brooklyn College Graduate Center for Worker Education
Worker USA : Journal of Labor & Society
New Solutions Journal Occupational and Environmental Health Policy

TBOU Education Alert-Monday October 26,2009 " WOMEN ON THE LINE"

On Monday October 26 Join Miriam Glucksmann for talk on her book and experiences:
Thirty Year Reflections on Women on the Line - Changes and Continuities in Women's Work with comments by Linda Gordon of New York University.October 26th From 5:00PM - 7:00PM at The Tamiment Library located at 70 Washington Square South NYU Bobst Library, 10th floor between La Guardia and Greene Street in lower Manhattan for more info contact Michael Nash by email Michael.Nash@nyu.edu to stay updated on all labor education news always visit www.tbou.org

Things Are Falling Apart Inside TWU Local 100 from TA Surface

What is happening to TA Surface? The President, i.e., Roger Toussaint, talks about “accountability” but right here in TA Surface the Vice President, Stephan Thomas, continues to make a mockery of our Division.

We have elected Division Officers barred from dealing with the membership. The Division Chair is back on the bus, and the VP has told management not to deal with him (backed by an email from Toussaint to management). Yes, the Union Hall is using management to go against an elected officer of the union. What a travesty!

We have two Divisional officers, Willie Rivera and Armando Serrano,driving buses while there are two Depot vice-chairs, Keith Arrington and Carlos Clarke doing their work. We have the 1st Division Vice Chair, Lloyd Archer not doing any hearings while the ENY Depot Chair, Ron Carter, does disciplinary hearings in other depots and arbitration. Stephan Thomas and Toussaint give the discredited Grand Ave(appointed) Chair, Gale Lee, a job at the Union Hall and in the same week they fire John Farrington, a former officer and long time staffer who was the Coordinator at 2 Broadway. Competence gives way to cronyism.

Things are indeed falling apart. For Toussaint and Thomas“accountability” means one thing, listen to their orders or face retaliation. How can there be any “accountability” when the top officers see no reason to be accountable to the membership? Change is coming on December 8th, but we don't have to wait till then.We need to demand that the Union’s by-laws and the member’s rights be respected. Let the Division officers run the Division (as it always has been).
TAKE BACK OUR UNION (TBOU) movement www.tbou.org