What Are You Working For?

Is a paycheck what takes you work?

Young workers today face an unknown future, and a job may not be the only detail to think about in our changing lives. Healthcare? Retirement? Higher Education? Where do these things fall on your list of priorities?

It is no longer enough to just be "working for a buck." Check out our new video and comment below - "What are you working for?"

Why I Got Involved in My Union

This week's post is by guest blogger, Tamara Jones from UFCW Local 1116 in Duluth, MN. If you have a union story to share, contact youngworkers@ufcw.org

Seven years ago, when I started working in the nursing home, I didn’t really know what the union was about. I vaguely remembered reading the chapter in my high school social studies book about the Chinese railroad workers and some guy whose name I can barely recall wanting to make work safe for all workers. I just knew I had to belong and that it gave me health care, which I never thought I’d need. It also knew that because of my union, I got regular raises, which I thought was good.

Fast forward two years. A day shift in my department had come open at my job and I apparently had this thing called “seniority,” which meant I could have the day shift over other people in my department. I still wasn’t sure what it meant, but I thought it was cool that I could get the job that I wanted. However, one of my co-workers felt that she deserved to have the job, even though she'd been in the department less time. I didn’t know what to do. So I read my union contract, and then I talked to my union steward. I discovered that under my local union contract, Local 1116, I had “departmental seniority”, which meant that I got the job. I was really excited and started reading the contract more and more to find out what other rights I had as a union member and I started sharing this with my co-workers.

Pretty soon, people were coming to me and asking me questions about the contract. I would answer them as best as I could but I always said they should ask the union stewards. Eventually, I was asked if I would be interested in being a steward. I said that I’d be happy to help my co-workers out.

I had been a steward less than a week when I was asked to represent another steward who had gotten in trouble. I went in there really nervous, with my contract shaking in my hand. I listened to what the management had to say and I knew that they were wrong. I held up the contract and read the section that cleared my co-worker. I was told very firmly by our administrator that the job of the steward was to sit there and shut up. I looked at him and said “My job is to protect my co-worker. If you pursue this discipline, I will file a grievance.” I had taken my first step as an advocate for workers’ rights in the workplace, and we went on to file and win our grievance.

Throughout the years I worked as a steward, I found out that the best approach to solving problems was to find the common ground that both employer and employee had. In a nursing home, this was simple: what was best for our residents. From there, we had a starting point from which we could move forward and find solutions that benefited everyone. The employee did not always get what they wanted, and neither did the employer. We were always able to come to an agreement that both sides could live with and that, to me, was successful.

Are You A "Boomerang"?

Some scientists have labeled folks born between 1977 – 1989 as A boomerang is a device that when launched will return to its place of origin, the “Boomerang Generation,” is then a term to a describe a particular group of people born between 1977-1989 who much like a noting that, much like the Australian toy, we boomerang leave home for while and come right back. , in some cases many do not even leave home at all. Often times what happens is that individuals leave home for periods of time, whether it is for college or to simply assert their independence and then find out that the “real world” is much harsher than what they thought it was, soon after they find themselves back at home, hence the term boomerang.Social Scientists have examined this “boomerang generation” and often contrast it to previous generations which were considered more successful in asserting their independence sooner. Some critics have gone as far as labeling this generation as spoiled or coddled. These critics also express concerns regarding the negative implications that this trend can have on the financial and social independence of these individuals.

Is our generation really Is our generation really as spoiled as these sociologists claim? Just “mommy’s boys” and “daddy’s girls”? What’s really going on?

While I do agree that social critics have legitimate concerns, and that there are differences between this generation and previous generations, I do not agree with the assertion that this generation is spoiled. Instead I would like to point out that the actual root of the issue lies in transforming economic and political realities.

young people face a where Today’s “new economy” means many well paying, unionized jobs have been outsourced, leaving behind a growing service sector economy that consists of occupations like social services, insurance, retail and entertainment. Unfortunately, this section of the economy is largely non-union and many of these jobs, which are the major occupations of younger workers, simply cannot pay the bills.

In 2000, The Wall Street Journal reported that since 1974 real wages for an average individual with a high school diploma declined 20%. To make matters even worse in 2006, The New York Times reported that for two consecutive years, 2004 and 2005, real wages fell 0.8 percent each year.

There also seems to be a correlation wIt’s not coincidence that real wages are declining with the ith declining real wages and the relative decline of labor unions’s power. , employees bargaining power, and weakened Federal worker protections, all of which have political implications as certain Presidential administrations and politicians have been more hostile to labor unions and workers rights. Arandrajit Dube, a research economist at the University of California Berkeley’s Center for Labor Research also echo’s this sentiment and asserts that “Falling real wages reflect workers weakened bargaining position.”

What do we have? A new economy, a lack of healthcare, Tying these economic and political realities of the new economy, globalization, outsourcing, declining real wages, weakening Federal worker protections and hostility from certain Bush-appointed politicians toward labor unions and workers rights. iIt’ is easy to see that young people today face an uphill battle when leaving home. more complex world than previous generations with different sets of challenges. With odds seemingly stacked against young workers in this new economy it becomes no wonder why we have a “boomerang generation”. Because oThe odds are stacked against us, so we have to it is necessary for us to work together, demonstrate solidarity, and become proactive in the political process.

Not being able to move out of mom's, piled with student debt and not being able to pay the bills isn't about being spoiled; it's happening because of declining wages. Help reverse this trend.

SCHIP: Hope for children endangered by President Bush

Every child in the United States should have access to adequate health care, regardless of whether or not their parents are fortunate enough to have employer-provided insurance or are wealthy enough to purchase private insurance. This commonsense statement is supported by a significant majority of Americans, cutting across party and ideological lines—Americans believe that all children should have health care coverage.

Unfortunately such popular wisdom is lost on President Bush who, on October 3rd vetoed a bipartisan measure that would have extended health care to some 3.8 million uninsured children, under the State Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Bush was able to muster enough support for his out-of-touch position within the US House, which failed, by thirteen votes, to override his veto.

Since falling short in their attempt to overcome Bush’s veto members of Congress from both parties have been working to craft a new SCHIP expansion measure (HR 3963). The new SCHIP bill seeks to find common ground with Republican opponents of the vetoed measure and to answer criticisms from the administration, while still promising a substantial increase in the number of children covered by the program.

Despite these adjustments the Bush Administration and the Republican leaders in Congress have remained steadfast in their opposition to SCHIP expansion and another Bush veto is likely.

The health of American children is too important to play politics with. Urge your member of Congress to support the expansion of SCHIP!

Keep the pressure on Bush, and build the UFCW’s power by becoming a Volunteer in Politics Today!

UFCW local 1099 and Kroger have an agreement

After months of intense negotiations, The United Food and Commercial Workers Union and Kroger have reached an agreement for workers in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. These members stood firm for a good contract, with affordable health care coverage and wages that pay the bills.

Read more about the news in The Cincinnati Enquirer. Learn about Grocery Workers United here.

Stand with Cincinnati Workers

UFCW Local 1099 members in Cincinnati are standing together in solidarity, and standing up for affordable health care. Members recently voted to authorize a strike if necessary, to send a strong message to Kroger to get serious about a fair contract.

Despite the fact that the Kroger Company is headquartered in Cincinnati and is the largest grocery store chain in the nation, the company is insisting on making health care unaffordable for its employees there. That's just unacceptable to the Kroger employees that have worked so hard to make Kroger a success. Check out UFCW Local 1099 members discussing their fight for health care. Then, Sign this petition to show your support.