MA Hyatt boycott

sent:

Boston Globe’s Governor Threatens a Hyatt Boycott

reasoning:

for people who think the labor movement is dead, or unions are no longer necessary – blatant workplace violations like this are still happening.  3 Hyatt hotels in the Boston area laid off their entire housekeeping staff, citing challenging economic conditions, and replaced them with workers from an out-of-state firm they would pay much less and provide no benefits for. Originally, the staff trained the new workers under the pretense the new staff were only there to fill in on vacations and holidays. But after the morning shift on August 31, the workers were told not to come back to work the next day. it seems government officials rarely get involved in labor disputes, unless the industry affected directly relates to the operation of the country (ex: Reagan laid off the air-traffic controllers), the fight usually remains between the workers, the union and the company. But Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has stepped in, strongly denouncing the layoffs and threatening a boycott of the Hyatt Hotels by Massachusetts employees.

the Back & Forth

“I understand first-hand how difficult it is to manage through the current economic challenges without compounding the disruptions the times have caused,’’ Patrick wrote. “But surely there is some way to retain the jobs for your housekeeping staffs, as other hotels have done, and to work with them to help the company meet its current challenges, rather than tossing them out unceremoniously to fend for themselves while the people they trained take their jobs at barely livable wages.’’ – Governor Deval Patrick

The action “directly threatens the 600 associates who work in Hyatt properties and who live and work in Massachusetts at a time when businesses and individuals are cutting back on travel during the worst economic period we have seen in decades. We do not understand why the governor is putting more Massachusetts jobs at risk instead of working with us to find jobs for employees affected by the realities of these unprecedented economic challenges.’’ – Phil Stamm, general manager of Hyatt Regency Boston

The fight is still going-  last update I could find, lists the boycott growing with support from taxicab drivers, politicians, businesses leaders, and organizations, like the National Employment Lawyers Associations originally set to hold a conference at a Hyatt, canceling reservations.

women take over job market

sent:

USAToday: Women gain as Men Lose Jobs

reasoning:

Recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that for the first time more women are currently employed than men. women entered the workforce in expansive numbers during the wars of I and II b/c men were off fighting, and while we’re in a war situation now, this increase is attributed more to the recession. The industries hit hardest by the current crisis are those in construction and manufacturing, still heavily male-dominated sectors. While the few industries that seem to still be growing are healthcare, education and government, two of which are heavily female-dominated. so while there’s been a tipping of labor scales by gender, the industries affected are still one gender dominated and very much the same. “The change reflects the growing importance of women as wage earners, but it doesn’t show full equality”, says Heidi Hartmann of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, wage-wise-> women are still earning less than men. and men still hold most of the high-level executive jobs. this news isn’t to mark a turning point or new ear in the American payrolls, but simply to note that more women are working now than men, by sheer numbers, not by more jobs or increased wages across the job board.

2009 Triangle Fire Commemoration

recipient:

Old Lyme Gourmet company/ PO Box 375/ Old Lyme, CT 06371

sent:

UNITE HERE!’s 2009 Triangle Fire Commemoration

reasoning:

Friday, March 27, 2009 at 12PM

Corner of Washington Place & Greene Street, NYC

- East of Washington Square Park

For more information about the commemoration, please contact Ed
Vargas at evargas@unitehere.org or 212-265-7000

not entirely sure how this commemoration is going to go, i think it’ll be more of a rally/remembrance of the workers who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911 and all the other American workers who have lost their lives due to dangerous and unsafe workplaces since. in UNITE HERE!’s email, they include a link to this youtube video of Cintas worker Eleazar Torres-Gomez who was killed on the job because his non-union workplace lacked proper safety precautions.  certainly accidents happen, but some accidents can also be avoided. its tragic these incidents still occur in the US, even with all the regulations, OSHA, and work of the labor movement. certainly if you are in the military, or part of a security force like the police or firefighters – your life and the possibility of dying is part of the job description. do i really need to preface any of my writings as being idealistic, anymore? i just think we’ve gotten along far enough that you shouldn’t be concerned for your life when you go to work.

immigration in the new administration

recipient:

IdentitySecure/ PO Box 5561/ Binghamton, NY 13902-9920

sent:

Orange County Register article by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief – Under Obama, immigration reform may have to wait

reasoning:

i’m going to try and be more diligent about this ’series’ i’ve decided to do. i guess my deadline is january 20th, when obama takes office and the news will be actually what he is doing, and not just predictions of what he will be doing. while the issue of immigration is often seen as being overshadowed by the financial crisis, and the talks about healthcare reform, there is not a dearth of articles talking about immigration not being discussed in the news. working at The Migration Policy Institute also helps.

“I’m not particularly impressed with raids on plants that grab a handful of undocumented workers and send them home, leaving the company in the position where it can just hire the next batch.” Obama said in a 2007 interview with the Des Moines Register.

trickledown downsizing

recipient:

Relevant Magazine/ PO Box 11687/ St. Paul, MN 55111-9913

sent:

New York Times article Trickledown Downsizing

reasoning:

i interned for Domestic Workers United during the summer of 06. it’s an organization that is completely grassroots, and really about giving domestic workers the agency to take on their battles for justice. along with jacob blumenfeld and company, DWU was a huge part of why the summer of 2006 was so inspiring, to see these immigrant women who came for a better life, but were stillcaught in a disadvantaged position to speak up for themselves and each other that they are hard workers, what they do as nannies or housekeepers is actual work, and they deserve proper respect was incredible. 

i recently saw an editorial cartoon on slate that had a guy holding an umbrella that was failing to keep him dry from this huge rainy, stormy cloud titled “the economic crisis”. the word bubble said “finally, i am feeling the trickledown”. HOW TRUE. lately there’s been so much talk about how when business and capitalism was good, the rich didn’t want to spread the wealth around like socialism, but now that there is trouble, they are all asking for help and a bailout. and this whole situation has become something that’s really affected everyone, even the ones at the bottom or outside of the system.

how to be a volunteer firefighter

recipient:

Oriental Trading/ PO Box 2659/ Omaha, NE 68103-2659

sent:

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Volunteer Training Schedule and eHow’s How to Become a Firefighter

reasoning:

heading home for Thanksgiving, i was able to get a ride from RVW’s brother (and my friend), DVW.  a car ride with a good acquaintance is infinitely better than a tight, cramped, and long Chinatown bus ride with a bunch of strangers. however, our ride up to Bucks County, PA took much much longer than expected, we hit traffic every single time we entered a new state: MD, DE, and PA. but that gave us time to listen to Kanye’s new album (3 times!), Jim Gaffigan’s Beyond the Pale, and Mitch Hedburg’s Do You Believe in Gosh?

also, the ridiculous amounts of traffic gave us time to catch up. i learned that DVW is in the process of becoming a volunteer firefighter for fairfax county, va.  yes, people actually volunteer to go through classes, exams, and physical training to help out with firefighting duties – for no money. while they aren’t on call, they do get pages when any firefighting activity such as a hazmat spill, or water mane leak occurs, and in some particularly huge, and complicated situations, they will be called in to support. i asked DVW if he was simply going through this lengthy, and expensive (money and time) process just so he could run into a burning building, or fight against a hurricane – for no monetary funding – but out of the goodness of his heart to save people. he said yeah, that and the free gear -> apparently a lot of t-shirts, sweats, and being able to carry around your own complete firefighting outfit in the trunk of your car.

how to be a volunteer firefighter: 

• high school degree or GED, though a degree in Fire Science would be useful
• enroll with your local Fire Department and begin their training
• Physical Exam - test your ability to handle the stresses of emergency services
• EMT Basic
• VISIT (Volunteer In Station Training)
• Level I/II – classroom training about the history of firefighting but also how to tie knots
• EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operators Course) – parallel park a fire truck, and  which alarm is better for a hazmat spill and a cat being stuck in a tree
• hydraulics - the fundamentals of getting water through a pump to a fire

once fully trained, DVW is expected to donate about 20 hours/month, go to the station, temporarily replace career firefighers, act as a standby to other local fire departments, and help out with bingo night (which occurs every now and then). he can serve for 6 months, or however long he wants, continue his studies to become a career firefighter, or just stay on the volunteer lines.

Susan Shapiro – Only as Good as Your Word

recipient:

The Smith Fund/ PO Box 340029/ Boston, MA 02241-0429

sent:

postcard of Susan Shapiro’s Only as Good as Your Word

reasoning:

in Only as Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons from My Favorite Literary Gurus, Susan Shapiro tells of her relationships with several of her most important writing mentors to outline her own story as a writer. she starts with her high school modern lit teacher: Mr. Zucker, her older best-selling author and columnist cousin: Howard Fast, her very first boss at the New Yorker: Helen Stark, colleague, conspirator, and realist Ian Frazier, the unassuming legend Ruth Gruber, the fastidious editor Michael Anderson, and the unrelated poet Harvey Shapiro. in chronicling her partnerships with each, she describes the ups and downs of being a freelance writer: pressures to find the next assignment, dealing with unaccomodating editors, writing about things you don’t necessarily care about, or in the writing medium that is not your particular specialty, and the seductiveness of a full-time, salaried, but potentially very boring office job. 

Shapiro writes of mentor/mentee relationships between writers but her coming-of-age story to be a prominent and prolific freelance writer is more about the lessons learned from the relationships that we all seek out – either for advice, companionship, out of admiration, convenience, or necessity. there are people who are always pushing you to stay true to your craft, not to sell out, or there are those who are realistic when you get idealistic. there are some relationships that seems to be less mutual admiration, and more one-sided, those that just fade b/c one person decides to just cease contact – there are these life lessons about people and relationships, that you can’t keep them all, and they aren’t always on your terms, or any sort of mutual terms. it’s something i’m still struggling with as i realize how true and frequent to the world this scenario exists.

“Hadn’t I been a promiscuous protege myself? i’d cast a wide net, juggling many editors, older colleagues and superiors simultaneously, deserting a few gurus gone wrong, always searching for more gurus gone right.

3 states of the Union

recipient:

New Cardmember Services/ PO Box 15218/ Wilmington, DE 19885-5218

sent:

Philadelphia Inquirer’s State of the Unions: 3 Views, a question and answer by Jane M. Von Bergen

reasoning:

Labor Day was created as a day of rest for workers and to recognize them for their efforts and contributions to the company, economy, and country as a whole. something pushed, and spurned on by the labor unions in America, the meaning of the holiday is less recognized, perhaps in congruence with the dwindling power and prominence of labor unions in the country, as well. now, it’s mostly seen as the official last day of summer, last time to have a barbecue, jump in the pool, or wear white. there are many reasons why labor unions have lost recognition and membership in recent years – globalization, corruption, move into service sector industry, and business-friendly government.

with the economy being the biggest issue of this election: labor, unions, and corporations are much talked about entities. this article by Jane M. Von Bergen interviews 3 prominent leaders working within or outside of the labor movement. Lindsay Patterson is the traditional union member, who worked up the ranks to be president of the United Steelworkers Local 404-38, and is now working to elect Barack Obama. Joseph Brock is a former Teamsters member who became frustrated with the management and bureaucracy of the union, and now heads his own management consulting company that sometime instructs businesses on how to deal with the unions: keeping them out, or improving relations b/w them. and last, Kenneth MacDougall of Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that is focused on job training and demonstrating to employers that union workers are better skilled and worth the extra costs.

cops stealing from cops

recipient:

Discover Card/ PO Box 15162/ Wilmington, DE 19885-9508

sent:

Philadelphia Inquirer “Two charged with looting Bucks FOP” article by Kristin E. Holmes 

reasoning:

another case for why people do not trust labor unions in America.  while most work hard to properly represent workers from all sorts of trades, blue-collar, or service sector, even college professors and graduate students, getting them the proper benefits, contracts, and pay wages, it is the stories of stealing, deceit and trickery that get headlines. the union men and women that i’ve met in my very brief 1-2 year experience in the labor movement are the hardest working, family-oriented, salt-of-the-earth, good-natured American gritty, honest and kind people around.

it is unfortunate that the American labor movement has become entangled with politics, bureaucracy and corruption in recent years. given its long and, at times, questionable history (mob? communists?) in the country, perhaps it’s almost understandable or logical that people are generally skeptical of how much unions actually do accomplish to benefit the American worker.  

but it’s stories like this that set the whole movement back a couple of steps and add to the negativity that unions are corrupt and ineffective. to steal more than $93,000 from the members and the fund that you were trusted to protect and take care of, for your own personal finances is wrong, despicable and immoral. i don’t like to mix morals with politics and public life, but there are definitely things that almost everyone, living in this society, can agree to be wrong. the fact that union cops took money out of the account used for charitable causes, including a fund for their fellow, slain officers just adds injury to insult. stuff like this is why people generally do not trust the po-pos, the two caught and charged with stealing, they are hurting the cause of what they are supposed to stand for –  they should be reputable and trustworthy as union leaders and police officers.

fetching coffee for the boss

recipient:

BUST/PO Box 16775/North Hollywood, CA 91615-9272

sent:

Philadelphia Inquirer article: “Hot Controversy: Fetching Coffee for the Boss” by Jane M. Von Bergen

reasoning:

some say this woman has made too big a deal just out of coffee, but this case points to deeper employer/employee relations, and assistants or secretaries being historically women, a role in which is less socially acceptable for a man. while this woman desperately needed the job, how much of herself does she compromise in order to keep it? if she wasn’t comfortable getting the bosses coffee b/c she felt she’d be too soon pigeon-holeing herself into that position, then her grounds (as opposed to the District judge’s cheeky words – no pun intended) for a discrimination case appear to be justifiable. some people don’t mind it as a part of their job as long as they know they are valued for doing more important things, some try to break free from the business hierarchy by making coffee for those who may “rank” lower than them, and some bosses don’t even attempt to ask for coffee, perhaps in fear of a lawsuit, or with the changing, modern times, that it is “taboo”.

as i am now looking to enter into the employed world, i’ve realized that i am only somewhat qualified to apply for administrative positions. one of my fears is that i’ll become lost in the activity of copy machines, faxes, emails, Microsoft Excel, and potentially being the one to make coffee. i fear it’ll become too mundane, and i’ll become bitter. out of boredom, i found a small coffee machine during my internship at America Votes in Philadelphia, and gladly used it to make coffee for the staff each day. it was this one project that i created, and took on successfully by myself, so i had no problem implementing it. here, fetching coffee seems to be a case of whether you were asked, or if you took on such a task willingly – how much you consider it to define your job, and position at the organization, and yourself.