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PGO Union News May 2014 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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© 2014 Professionals Guild of Ohio. All rights reserved.

PGO Officers:

President

Eric Kanthak

Vice President

Joe DeStazio

Secretary

Lynn Pinkelman

Treasurer

Dan Rice

Executive Director

Chauncey M. Mason

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Published by

Professionals Guild

of Ohio

P.O. Box 7139

Columbus, Ohio 43205

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Questions or comments can

be directed to the Executive

Director.

E-Mail: [email protected]

Website:

www.professionalsguild.org

Like us on Facebook

Phone:

614-258-4401 or

800-331-5428

Fax:

614-258-4465

Produced and printed in-

house by members of the

PGO Staff Employees Union

The Professionals Guild of Ohio

May 2014

The U.S. Mail Is Not for Sale By Paul Henry, Esq.,

PGO Field Representative

Staples has partnered with the

United States Postal Service in opening

postal facilities in 84 of its stores as

part of a yearlong pilot program. If

deemed successful, it could be ex-

panded to the rest of its almost two

thousand retail outlets. This partner-

ship is highly detrimental to the postal

workers. The privatization of govern-

ment services will put postal workers

jobs at risk.

Unionized postal workers make an

average of twenty five dollars an hour.

This pay allows these employees to fall

squarely within the middle class. Sta-

ples pays its employees starvation

wages of 8 to 9 dollars an hour. It has

already been stated that Staples would

staff the postal facilities in its stores

with its own low wage workers. This

means that if postal facilities close be-

cause Staples has taken its customers,

more and more middle class jobs will

be lost and more working poor jobs

will be created.

Mark Dimondstein, the President

of the American Postal Workers Un-

ion, stated “Eventually these kind of

deals are going to shift living wage

jobs in the postal system to non-living

wage jobs in the retail sector.” Presi-

dent Dimondstein has also stated that

he would not be opposed to the open-

ing of postal facilities in Staples stores

if they were staffed by actual postal

workers and not Staples employees.

This request has fallen on deaf ears.

This move towards the privatiza-

tion of an iconic American institution,

one which has provided workers with

respectable middle class jobs, cannot

be supported by anyone who supports

working class Americans. In response

to Staples action, protests have begun

across the country at various Staples

stores. We need to make sure Staples

chokes on its decision to help under-

mine the U.S. Postal Service.

PGO Fires Staples

After years of using Staples for its

office supplies, PGO has cut ties with

the office superstore. This decision

was reached after it became apparent

Staples has no interest in providing or

protecting good union jobs.

Staples has partnered with the

United States Postal Service and plans

on providing postal services in its

stores. Instead of staffing these postal

service centers with unionized employ-

ees, Staples is filling these positions

with its own minimum wage workers.

PGO will not support Staples be-

cause of its greedy decision to destroy

good middle class union jobs. We will

give our business to a company that

respects workers and believes in their

right to earn a fair middle-class wage.


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PGO Supports Labor Notes Conference

By Nicole Jackson, Esq., PGO Field Representative

The Labor Notes Conference is put on every two

years by "Labor Notes," a network of rank-and-file

members, local leaders, and labor activists who want to

put the "movement" back in the labor movement. The

group started as a monthly magazine, and soon started

publishing books and holding national conferences.

The Labor Notes Conference was held April 4-6 in

Chicago this year.

This year was the largest Labor Notes Conference

to date, at least 2,000 union members, labor activists,

and union staff gathered to attend over 100 meetings

and workshops. Many of the meeting and workshops

were standing room only. The PGO delegation in-

cluded: Joe Destazio, PGO executive board vice presi-

dent and Lucas County Children Services PGO Council

13 president; Lynne Pinkelman, PGO executive board

secretary and Council 13 vice president; Dan Rice,

PGO executive board treasurer and Montgomery

County Children Services PGO Council 12 vice presi-

dent; Jane Hay, former PGO executive board and cur-

rent Council 12 secretary; PGO field representatives

Nicole Jackson and Paul Henry; and, PGO executive

director Chauncey Mason.

The weekend kicked off on April 4 which marked

the 46th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, with a special film

screening of "At the River I Stand." This moving

documentary recounted the two months leading up to

Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, as he lent support to the

65-day strike of 1,3000 Memphis sanitation workers.

Friday concluded with a main session featuring

speakers from the Chicago Teachers Union, fast food

strikers, and notably an international guest - Mr.

Stephan Chan from the Union of Hong Kong Dockers.

Stephen Chan spoke on the 40 day strike by 500 dock-

workers at the Hong Kong Port. This strike aroused

massive support in Hong Kong society and throughout

the world. Stephan Chan is a rank & file dockworker,

employed as a sub-contracted checker in the Kwai

Tung terminal. He helped to organize the Union of

Hong Kong Dockers (UHKD) in 2005 and served as its

first chairperson. He remains one of the core leaders of

the union and played a vital role during the April 2013

strike.

Labor Notes attendees show solidarity with the postal workers with an enthusiastic demonstration outside a Chicago Staples store. PGO member Jane Hay (middle of banner) lends her support to the cause.

On Saturday PGO staff and executive board mem-

bers attended workshops such as "Cutting Edge Argu-

ments in Discipline Cases," "Healthcare Bargaining in

the Age of Obamacare," and even joined the American

Postal Workers Union, Chicago Area Local 1, protest

against privatization outside a local Staples retail loca-

tion. PGO Field Representative Paul Henry and PGO

Council 12 Secretary Jane Hay loaded up on the buses

provided by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) dur-

ing a lunch-time demonstration and joined other con-

ference attendees to protest Staples setting up "postal

units" staffed by low-wage non-union workers.

The conference concluded on Sunday with more

workshops and meetings. One workshop on Sunday

titled "Dealing with Difficult Supervisors," provided

union stewards with strategies for dealing with the dif-

ferent types of supervisors, from the micromanagers to

the flamethrowers. Overall, the Labor Notes Confer-

ence was informative and a great way to network with

like-minded union members, activists, and leaders.


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Management Tricks to Avoid (The Snitch Trap)

By Nicole Jackson, Esq., PGO Field Representative

Sometimes, management will ask co-workers or

an employee it is investigating to write “witness state-

ments” or “incident reports.” The purpose of these

written statements is to trap the writer with the state-

ment and, almost always, such statements are used to

implement discipline or introduced as evidence in sub-

sequent administrative proceedings.

It is important to remember that once a written

statement is given to management, it will be difficult if

not impossible to retract. If you are asked to write a

statement that could result in discipline, for yourself or

a co-worker, the best thing to do is assert your right to

union representation. You should speak with your un-

ion representative in private prior to writing anything.

Never lie, but also never make any admissions, in writ-

ing or otherwise, without speaking to a union represen-

tative.

The other scenario that many workers face is when

management approaches a worker asking for a written

witness statement. Beware of these requests, especially

if you fear management will use your statements

against a co-worker. Never refuse a lawful direct order

and get accused of insubordination, but it is okay to tell

management that you wish to give a verbal statement

instead of in writing, or express your desire not to get

involved. If you aren’t a witness, say so up front (“I

didn’t see or hear anything”).

If Management orders you to write a statement,

keep it short, factual and to the point. Remember man-

agement probably wants you to throw a co-worker un-

der the bus, don’t oblige. Don’t be dishonest but do

not volunteer information or make assumptions. If you

don’t remember say so. If you weren’t a first hand wit-

ness, say so. Never report hear-say, state only what

you personally witnessed dispassionately and without

embellishment.

Many grievances are lost because the grievant or

witnesses changed their stories. Remember the motive

behind Management's request for a written statement is

to pin you to a statement and use it to implement disci-

pline or as evidence. If you are asked to "put some-

thing in writing" that could lead to you or a fellow un-

ion member being disciplined, always speak with your

union representative first.

Koch Brothers Spending Dwarfs Union Contributions By Paul Henry, Esq., PGO Field Representative

Unions have often been criticized by anti-union

factions for being “too political” and making large con-

tributions to Democratic candidates. Unions support

(or at least should support) candidates that support

workers and the middle class. Generally, but not al-

ways, these candidates tend to be Democrats. On the

other hand, Republican politicians tend to be anti-union

and support policies that hurt the middle class.

Even though unions may help fund the Democratic

Party, their contributions don’t come close to what a

pair of brothers gave to the Republicans back in 2012.

The Koch brothers have taken full advantage of the

Citizens United decision passed down by the United

States Supreme Court. This decision allowed for the

creation of Super PACs, political contribution black

holes which allow practically anonymous and limitless

funding to be injected into political campaigns.

The top ten unions contributed approximately 150

million dollars to political campaigns in 2012. Thanks

to the help of Super PACs, the Koch brothers contrib-

uted over 400 million dollars to the Republican Party.

Unfortunately, Citizens United allows this to take

place. One can only hope that citizens (real people, not

corporations) will rise up and demand an end to the

funding nightmare the Supreme Court has created. De-

mocracy is supposed to be a system governed by the

people, for the people, not by individuals with the big-

gest bank accounts for the corporations and the corpo-

rate elites.


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UPS Backs Down By Paul Henry, Esq., PGO Field Representative

In February, UPS chose to terminate an employee

named Jairo Reyes. Mr. Reyes had over twenty years

with the company. There had been a disagreement

about when the employees at UPS could begin their

workdays. Mr. Reyes believed that the less senior em-

ployees were receiving preferential treatment and were

being allowed to start their shifts earlier in the day.

UPS issued several warnings to Mr. Reyes when he

began clocking in earlier than usual. After the warn-

ings, UPS fired him for "time card violations" when he

continued to clock in early, claiming that he had falsi-

fied information on his time card. Mr. Reyes was ter-

minated without a hearing. His fellow workers were

outraged by this treatment.

In a show of support for their union brother, two

hundred fifty UPS employees walked off of the job for

an hour and a half. After they felt they had adequately

expressed their displeasure in how UPS handled the

Reyes situation, the employees went back to work and

continued delivering their packages. In response to the

"wildcat strike," UPS chose to fire all two hundred fifty

employees who had taken part in the protest. Notices

were issued to the employees stating that they would

lose their jobs as soon as replacements were trained.

UPS’ heavy handed tactics drew criticism not just from

its employees but also the community at large.

Ordinary people, including UPS customers, mem-

bers of the labor community, and politicians all stood

up to defend the terminated UPS employees. Letitia

James, an elected Public Advocate for the city of New

York, stated that the tax breaks and incentives that UPS

had enjoyed in the past would be on the table for dis-

cussion due to the dreadful treatment its employees

faced. The news of UPS acting as a bully was widely

reported not just on local television stations, but also

by the national news. After being faced with such tre-

mendous pressure, UPS finally agreed to rescind the

terminations.

People standing united in opposition to unfair

treatment can make a difference. When it was just the

workers, UPS ignored them. When everyone stood

unified in opposition, UPS backed down. If everyone

works together for a common goal, great things can be

accomplished. If there is any doubt, just look at the

two hundred fifty workers who now have their jobs

back.

Tennessee GOP Continues Attack on Organized Labor By Paul Henry, Esq., PGO Field Representative

The Tennessee GOP has found its new favorite

pastime: attacking organized labor. After the UAW

was defeated in Chattanooga, the Tennessee GOP de-

cided that they did not want to stop there. Flying high

off their “win,” they chose to aim their second shot di-

rectly at union picketing. HB 1688, which was pro-

posed by Republican Representative Jeremy Durham,

would make union picketing a criminal offense. This

is a direct attack on workers’ rights.

Fortunately, this legislation has already run into a

road-block. The First Amendment of the United States

provides the following: “Congress shall make no law

respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting

the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of

speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peace-

ably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a

redress of grievances.” The purpose of the proposed

legislation is to restrict union members’ speech by

criminalizing it. This type of governmental attack on

free speech is exactly the type of activity that the First

Amendment was designed to prevent. With such a

glaring constitutional violation, Tennessee’s Attorney

General has already stated that even if the bill were to

pass, he would not enforce it.

It was obvious that this bill was unconstitutional

the moment it was written. Unfortunately, anti-union

politicians in Tennessee are willing to do almost any-

thing to stamp out the voice of labor. We must keep

this in mind in November. Once politicians have be-

gun their attack on unions, they typically don’t stop.

Don’t forget Senate Bill 5! Even though SB 5 was

soundly defeated due to an impressive turn out by labor

in Ohio, this does not mean the war has been won.

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