Workers Memorial Day

Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working conditions. But the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are injured or diseased because of their jobs. AFSCME Local 965 and the unions of the AFL-CIO remember these workers on April 28, Workers Memorial Day.

The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada. Every year, people in hundreds of communities and at worksites recognize workers who have been killed or injured on the job. Trade unionists around the world now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning.

Workers Memorial Day 2008 Materials

• Read the 2008 edition of Death on the Job or download the complete 2008 report (PDF);
• Workers Memorial Day flier;
• Workers Memorial Day poster;
• Workers Memorial Day clip art in English and Spanish—
  • Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living and
  • Good Jobs, Safe Jobs—It's Time;
• Workers Memorial Day events form;
• Workers Memorial Day proclamation;
• Safety & health update (February 2008);
• Facts about worker safety and health;
• State-by-state profile of safety and health;
• Workers Memorial Day talking points;
• Sample media advisory;
• Sample letter to the editor;
• Sample newsletter article;
• Workers Memorial Day background;
• Fact sheet on Sen. John McCain's voting record on safety and health; and
• Order Workers Memorial Day materials from The Union Shop Online.™

Here are some other ways we honor workers who have been killed or injured on the job:

• A Collection of Workers' Memorials and
• Workers Memorial Day poems and tributes.

Bush Cuts Hurt Laid-Off Arkansans

Federal cuts threaten to harm efforts to help laid-off workers in Arkansas, Gov. Mike Beebe says. “The timing of this rescission couldn’t be worse,” Beebe said. “Amidst predictions of national economic downturn, the federal government cuts the very kind of work-force development that is vital to spurring the economy.”

A spokesman for the U. S. Department of Labor’s regional office in Dallas, Diana Petterson, declined to give reasons for cutting $4.3 million from the funds the state receives to train workers. “The rescissions were passed by Congress and the bill was signed by the president,” she said.

U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said the White House supported the cuts over objections from the Senate. “The buck stops at President Bush’s doorstep in regards to job-training cuts,” Pryor said. “It is amazing how out of touch the president and his administration are with working Americans. In addition, this year the president is asking for an additional $474 million cut in [work-force services nationwide], and we will strongly fight him on this.”

Pryor said the cuts weren’t in the original Department of Labor appropriation passed by Congress, but Bush vetoed it. The Senate then passed another appropriation bill without the cuts, but the House inserted them with White House support, Pryor said.

Beebe said Washington’s priorities aren’t straight. “The moneys depleted for these work-force-development programs in Arkansas could be paid for by what we are spending in Iraq in the next 24 minutes,” Beebe said. “I support our troops; that is not an issue. But the Bush administration is rescinding funds for programs that help our returning veterans get job skills to re-enter the work force, helps workers who’ve been laid off gain new skills for new jobs, and helps the underemployed and unemployed obtain better jobs and get off taxpayer assistance.”

Beebe said the federal government’s move rescinds money already committed by the state. That’s money, for instance, aimed at paying for dislocated workers taking classes at community colleges since last fall, said Artee Williams, director of the Workforce Services Department. He said the money is meant to help his agency respond when there are massive layoffs at a plant or when a plant burns down, similar to what happened with a Cargill meat-processing plant in Booneville earlier this year.

Excerpted from Seth Blomeley, “State Warns Cuts May Hurt Jobless,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 26 April 2008.

Spring Picnic This Saturday!

AFSCME Local 965 will be hosting our annual Spring Picnic on Saturday, April 26, at Agri Park in Fayetteville. Please come and bring the family and fellow employees who might be interested in joining. We'll have hamburgers, hot dogs, fellowship, and fun for the whole family between 10 am to 2 pm.

We have also invited our brothers and sisters from other union locals in Northwest Arkansas, so it should be a great event. This is the weekend of Springfest and the Dickson Street Music Festival, so add this event to your list from The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend.

This Date in Arkansas Labor History

April 23, 1936. LaFollette Senate Subcommittee exposes F. A. Roszel, secretary of local union at Hartford, as paid labor spy and undercover operative for Corporations Auxiliaries Company of Atlanta.

April 23, 1936. Robert B. Watts, general counsel for National Labor Relations Board, testified before U S Senate subcommittee that he had been forced out of Arkansas when he tried to hold a hearing on labor practices.

April 23, 1985. United States Supreme Court ruled that employees of the Alamo Christian Foundation are covered by federal labor laws, even if they are "volunteers" and don't want to be paid wages for working.

Today is Equal Pay Day

In 2005, the most recent year for which data is available, women continue to earn only 77 cents on the dollar to their male counterparts. To match men's earnings for 2007, women have to work from January 2007 to April 2008 — an extra four months.

In recognition of this inequity, Equal Pay Day will be celebrated on April 22, 2008. At the University of Arkansas we recognize Equal Pay Day, but AFSCME Local 965 does not celebrate it. More than a year ago, we asked Chancellor John White to address the documented disparity between salaries for male and female professors. He has done nothing to significantly reduce this inequality.

Pay equity is the achievement of the appropriate recognition, status and value for the work performed by women and people of color. Work value is reflected in the wage rate. But pay equity is more than money.

Achieving pay equity for all women is a long-term goal and there are a variety of ways to get there. As a resident of our local community you are the expert on what strategies may work in Arkansas right now.

GOP Blocks Tribute to Labor Hero

From rural agricultural fields to urban centers across this nation, Cesar Chavez's legacy has been profound. As the leader of the most successful farm workers union in American history, he made sure those who brought the food to the tables of America were treated with dignity and paid a fair wage. Quite simply, hundreds of thousands of Americans would not have access to health care, would not have the right to unionize, and would be far more likely to eat foods doused in pesticides if it were not for his lifetime of service

To mark what would have been Chavez's 81st birthday on March 31, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus, as well as members of Congress unaffiliated with either, devoted time to praise Chavez in the halls of government. Across the country, 65 cities in over 30 states are holding formal celebrations, and 10 states have declared statewide holidays.

The only people who refuse to celebrate, it seems, are some members of the Republican Party.

In an outrageous move, Senate Republicans blocked a resolution recognizing Chavez's life and work. They quietly blocked the resolution using parliamentary procedure, and gave no reason for doing so. Their votes implied that a man who Robert F. Kennedy called "one of the most heroic figures of our time" is not worth honoring, even with a symbolic gesture.

Unfortunately, this kind of insensitivity is part of a broader pattern in the Republican Party, a pattern of actions that is at odds with the values that Latinos hold dear.

Whether it has been blocking health insurance for children, voting against the rights of workers to organize for better wages, stopping comprehensive immigration reform, or preventing Latinos from attending college or joining the military if they are undocumented, even if their parents brought them to the United States in a stroller, Republicans have repeatedly acted against the interests of the Latino community.

If the Republican Party hopes to gain the respect of Latinos, as voters and as citizens, a good first step would be honoring one of the community's most legendary figures.

They will have another chance to do so; a resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives urging the creation of a national holiday celebrating his life, and encouraging public schools to teach about his work. (Not one House Republican has yet seen fit to announce their support.)

Whether or not we can ever come to agree on policy, we should never have to disagree about the accomplishments of this remarkable American hero. His life is not a political issue; it is a national inspiration.

The resolutions introduced in Congress are not just about honoring one Latino, they are about honoring the values, history and contributions of the Latino community. Can we build a spirit of bipartisanship in Congress strong enough to recognize those values and that history?

In the words of Cesar Chavez, "¡Sí Se Puede!"

U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, a Democrat from California, is chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, is a member of the caucus. This is an excerpt from their article posted on Alternet, April 22, 2008. http://www.alternet.org/workplace/83041/

Call Our Senators Today!

Call our senators toll-free, today at 866-338-1015, ask for Senator Lincoln, tell the aide who answers that you want Senator Lincoln to vote FOR the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Call again for Senator Pryor.

H.R. 2831 is an important legislative "fix" to a May 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.), which severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to sue and recover damages under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Without this "fix," the impact of the Court's decision will likely be widespread, affecting pay discrimination cases under Title VII involving women and racial and ethnic minorities, as well as cases under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Bush Guts Arkansas Workforce Training Funding by $4.3 Million

The Bush administration dealt a “staggering blow” to Arkansas’ economic development efforts by taking back $4.3 million in money already allocated for workforce training programs, Gov. Mike Beebe said yesterday.

The move by the federal Department of Labor rescinds funds for the Workforce Investment Act by $250 million nationwide. Rescission of the funds, which are vital to spurring the national economy, could not come at a worse time, Beebe said, with many economists saying the nation is experiencing a recession and predicting tougher times ahead.

“Who was thinking about the plight of the laid-off worker in Searcy or the 18-year-old high school graduate in Stuttgart when bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., decided to pull back support for workforce development?” Beebe said in his weekly radio address, which blasted the Bush administration.

Almost all of the money being taken back was already obligated for training contracts with colleges and other institutions to help unemployed and underemployed Arkansans get jobs, Beebe said. Some of the money was committed six months before word of the rescission, the governor said.

On Thursday, the Department of Workforce Services and the Arkansas Workforce Investment Board began presenting reduction amounts for the 10 Local Workforce Investment areas across the state. Three programs at each center — the adult service, the youth service, and the dislocated worker service — will be affected. Those services provide training, as well as support services, like transportation and child care.

Local workforce offices could be temporarily shuttered or their employees could be laid off for an indefinite amount of time, Beebe said. He said he anticipated more than 1,900 people will either receive fewer benefits of none at all, and some locations will no longer provide summer youth-employment programs, which aim to get kids off streets and into careers.

“It will certainly impose a long-term, negative impact on the confidence of workers, employers, and potential employers in workforce-development programs all across Arkansas,” he said.

Resolution on University Budget Priorities

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 965, debated and adopted the following Resolution on University Budget Priorities during the regular monthly meeting on April 17, 2008. Copies have been transmitted to UA administrators, the Board of Trustees, local news media, and the membership for further consideration in making funding decisions for 2008-2009 and during the preparation of the budget to be submitted for the next biennium.

Resolution on University Budget Priorities

WHEREAS, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees on March 28, 2008, approved a five percent increase in student tuition, said by Chancellor John White to be primarily needed to pay for higher operating expenses and to provide competitive faculty salaries, and an additional fee dedicated specifically to campus facilities needs, including major projects and deferred maintenance for such things as roofs, elevators, fire safety equipment and code compliance; and

WHEREAS, Chancellor-designate David Gearhart has said of his priorities, “Faculty and staff salaries must be at the top of our list if we are to remain competitive in the years ahead. It may be fair to conclude that we have built the university on the backs of our faculty and staff. Salaries run anywhere from 15 percent to 40 percent below the market;” and

WHEREAS, the University of Arkansas, already underfunded by $40 million annually, is likely to face a significant cut of approximately $4.7 million in state funding in the 2008-2009 fiscal year based on state revenue figures released by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, and such a cut would pose a potential threat to some university programs and is likely to significantly curb or eliminate the University's ability to meet its obligation for cost-of-living salary increases to faculty and staff in the coming year; and

WHEREAS, the recently completed study of "space utilization" of classroom space on campus found that of the nearly 400 classroom spaces available on campus, the campus-wide utilization rate is less than 20%, suggesting that the current classroom space could easily accommodate enrollment of 40,000 students, and a Facilities Management report to the Faculty Senate in March determined that our peer institutions do not build or expand physical space until the average is 60-70% space utilization; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, the University of Arkansas carried approximately $32 million in bonded indebtedness, with payments of about $7 million a year, the massive building program on campus in recent years led to $312 million in bonded indebtedness in 2007, with payments of approximately $36 million a year out of the University’s budget; and

WHEREAS, University administrative officers are considering further increasing student tuition and bonded indebtedness by an additional $60 million plus interest for 30 years to purchase unneeded buildings and property owned by the Fayetteville School District;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Local 965 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, representing University of Arkansas faculty and staff, requests that the University devote the limited state revenues and student tuition and fee income to meeting the critical needs of the institution, including adequate funding for existing academic programs and competitive faculty and staff salaries, instead of misdirecting scarce financial resources to acquire additional real estate and buildings for which no need has been nor can be demonstrated.

Approved this 17^th day of April, 2008.

Balancing Work and Family

The Washington County League of Women Voters will explore balancing work and family in a forum set for 6 p. m. today at the Fayetteville Public Library.

The panel discussion about family work policies in Northwest Arkansas will feature Missy Leflar, Human Resources Division manager for the city of Fayetteville; Bernice Hembre, owner of Terra Tots Natural Parenting; and Cindy Paladino, corporate human resources manager for J. B. Hunt Transport.

The group will discuss formal and informal family-friendly programs at their organizations and the challenges to offering innovative options for families. The panel will be moderated by Local 965 member Dr. Janine Parry, associate professor of political science at the University of Arkansas.

National Library Workers Day

In order to recognize the hard work, dedication, and expertise of library support staff and librarians that the Tuesday of National Library Week be designated National Library Workers Day; and, that on that day, interested library workers, library groups, and libraries should advocate for better compensation for all library workers and, if the day coincides with National Pay Equity Day, these individuals, groups, and libraries should recognize both days together.

Tuesday, April 15, is National Library Workers Day. AFSCME Local 965 recognizes the hard work, dedication, and expertise of library support staff and librarians at the University of Arkansas. They provide valuable knowledge and services to the faculty, staff, and students on our campus, and we stand with them for the fair compensation and benefits they deserve.

This Date in Arkansas Labor History

April 9, 1948. Six faculty members in Department of Psychology and Philosophy resign from UA over poor pay and general dissatisfaction with the institution.

April 9, 1921. Governor Thomas McRae refuses request by union officials to conduct inquiry or otherwise intervene after Citizens Committee at Harrison forces railroad strike leaders to flee the state.

April 9, 1951. Arkansas Supreme Court holds that United Brick and Clay Workers Local 602 pickets against Acme Brick in Malvern is not an illegal secondary boycott against MoPac.

April 9, 2000. Wal-Mart "Associate" Woodrow Swaim breaks bone in foot while pulling loaded pallet. Wal-Mart refuses tp pay his Workers Compensation claim. Court of Appeals eventually rules for Swaim's estate in 2005.

President McEntee on King's Legacy Today

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee issued the following statement on the anniversary of the 1968 AFSCME Sanitation Strike in Memphis and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

“Forty years ago this week in Memphis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood in solidarity with 1,300 AFSCME sanitation workers – workers denied their rights as free men and city employees. Forty years after the historic events in Memphis, we honor the man and the vision best by taking action to achieve a better America.

“Dr. King’s dream inspires our fight against an intolerant administration that puts profits before people, that rewards wealth instead of work. We have suffered under it for more than seven long years. We must end the nightmare and build the dream. We must create an America where opportunity is abundant and prosperity is shared. We must create an America that lives up to its ideals.”

Click here to view the video on Dr. King and the 1968 AFSCME Sanitation Workers Strike in Memphis.

Future of Fayetteville High School

The Future of Fayetteville High School Select Committee 2 will hold its first public comment session on the location of FHS at 6: 30 p. m. this evening in the Ramay Junior High cafeteria.

The first priority in deciding upon a location should be the best interests of the students in obtaining an outstanding education. We share the Fayetteville School District’s goal of strengthening the partnership with the University of Arkansas, and that means advancing the best interests of the students at both institutions. Our position, like that of the Fayetteville City Council and the Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods, is that we should build a world-class facility on the current site adjacent to the University of Arkansas.

The best interests of the students can be determined by a number of factors, some of which also involve the interests of our members. The current central location is especially convenient for our faculty and staff who have children attending high school, as well as for nontraditional students and single parents enrolled at the University. The current location allows high school students to walk to the University campus or the Fayetteville Public Library until their parents finish work or classes. Building a new high school in a remote location would weaken this bond and add concern for parents who would be unable to pickup and supervise the activities of their children to enhance their education or assure their safety.

The second point of concern is that the University of Arkansas has proposed buying the current campus with no idea of how it would be used or even why it is needed. Vice Chancellor Pederson has proposed to issue approximately $60 million in bonds to be paid off by raising student tuition by $1,100 per student for the next 30 years. When we have staff members working at wages below the federal poverty level, female employees paid less than their male colleagues, and all faculty paid less than the regional average, purchasing unneeded property by increasing tuition cannot even remotely be considered the first funding priority for our University.

The University budget will be further endangered by raising tuition for this speculative real estate transaction. The University has millions of dollars for full scholarships for hundreds of athletes and for Chancellor's Scholars, but it has a miniscule budget for need-based scholarships, those that go to the nontraditional returning students and the children of middle class working families who seek a better education to improve their lives. Raising tuition on those who can least afford it will result in some students having to drop out for financial reasons. That is a significant problem in itself, but it will also impact the University by a loss of tuition revenue and a reduction in state funding based on enrollment and graduation rates.

We oppose the sale of the centrally-located campus of the Fayetteville High School, and we support the proposal of UA Professor Tim Kring, a member of the School Board, to construct a world-class facility on the current campus. Attend tonight's meeting if you can, or sign the petition to support rebuilding on the present campus adjacent to the University.

Political Endorsements for May 20 Election

AFSCME Local 965 and the Northwest Arkansas Labor Council have endorsed the following candidates in the upcoming election on May 20th.



Arkansas Court of Appeals:
Courtney Henry
Courtney Henry is an honor graduate of the University of Arkansas and the UA~School of Law. She is especially qualified for the position, having served eight years as a law clerk for Judges Frank Arey, Terry Crabtree, and Special Judge Steele Hays on the Arkansas Court of Appeals.

Arkansas House of Representatives, District 99:
Tim Summers
Tim Summers has considerable legislative experience in three terms on the Bentonville City Council and seven terms as a member of the Benton County Quorum Court, where he has done an exemplary job. He is Director of Decision Point.

Arkansas House of Representatives, District 100:
Byron Warren
Byron Warren has legislative experience as a member of the Gravette City Council. He is a professional firefighter and has been an advocate in the state legislature as President of IAFF Local 2855 in Siloam Springs.


AFSCME Local 965 has operated since 1966 under charter as the Arkansas Public Employees Union for state, county, and municipal employees in Washington, Benton, Carroll, and Madison Counties.

Local 965 Members Honored by Sierra Club

Two members of AFSCME Local 965 were among those honored with Conservation Awards at the Arkansas Sierra Club's annual banquet last month.

Ward Four Alderman Lioneld Jordan received recognition as the state's Outstanding City Official on environmental issues. The awards committee cited his tireless work on the Fayetteville City Council in promoting transportation impact fees to reduce the public cost of sprawl, his support for the Ozark Botanical Garden, acquisition of the Mt. Sequoyah Woods and the Brooks-Hummel Nature Preserve, his backing for the city's trail system, and his leadership in advocating bike lanes and a landscaped median on the Crossover Road project.

State Representative Lindsley Smith received recognition as a state official for having a 100% Environmental Voting Record on the Sierra Club Legislative Scorecard for the second consecutive session. The awards committee also noted her sponsorship of the Citizen Participation in Government Act that protects activists from expensive SLAPP lawsuits, an appropriation of state funds for construction of Scull Creek Trail, her legislation expanding the Wetlands Mitigation Bank Act to include additional aquatic resources, and the Net Metering Act to promote conservation and alternative energy resources.

Alderman Jordan is a supervisor with UA Facilities Management, and Representative Smith is a Research Assistant Professor of Communication. We add our congratulations to that from the Arkansas Sierra Club.

Congratulations to Barbara Fitzpatrick

Local 965 member Barbara Fitzpatrick is unopposed for the Washington County Quorum Court position from District 6 in Fayetteville, and she will take office as a member of the county legislative body in January. Barbara is an administrative assistant at the University of Arkansas sociology department and has been active in the Fayetteville community for the past 11 years. She worked as an educator for about eight years, including as a science teacher in Fort Smith during the 1980s. She has a master's degree in education.

"Washington County has a diverse population with diverse needs, and I will work hard to build the necessary consensus for an effective government that addresses problems and finds practical solutions," Fitzpatrick stated.

"Declining tax revenues means that we will have to find ways to do more with less while maintaining a balanced budget."

In addition, Fitzpatrick stated," I am committed to an open process, both between myself and my neighbors I hope to represent, and in the operation of our county government.

"Just as we demand a financially stable county government, we must also work to ensure sustainable public policies and practices that protect the wonderful environmental blessings we have and preserve that natural heritage for our children and grandchildren," her announcement stated.

We wish Barbara the best and know that she will be an effective advocate for working families in her district.

This Date in Arkansas Labor History

March 17, 1937. U.S. Senator Joseph T. Robinson says, "Manifestly, the sit-down strike is unlawful."

March 17, 1944. United Garment Workers of America (AFL) representatives meet at Carpenters and Painters' Union Hall, 112 W Center in Fayetteville, to organize employees of Oberman and Company.

March 17, 2005. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette finally reports that the Arkansas Department of Human Services found that Wal-Mart Stores, with 3,971 of its 45,106 Arkansas employees on food stamps or Medicaid, 8.8%, had the highest percentage of all Arkansas employers with workers forced to seek public assistance.

March 17, 1898. The Arkansas Democrat boasts that the South has economic advantages over the North because Southern states gives big tax breaks to industry, and because Southern workers neither need nor want any increase in their wages.

This Date in Arkansas Labor History

March 15, 1935. Norman Thomas speech to Southern Tenant Farmers Union meeting at Birdsong was interrupted by planter opposition thugs, who informed him, "There ain't gonna be no speaking here," dragged him from the platform, told him to leave Arkansas immediately.

March 15, 2002. Benton County Circuit Judge Jim Spears issued a permanent restraining order against labor organizers with United Food and Commercial Workers International Union from soliciting members on any and all Wal-Mart properties in the nation.

March 15, 1991. Governor Bill Clinton signed Act 565 to authorize the Director of the Arkansas Department of Labor to determine hazardous occupations for children under 16 years of age.

Another Arkansas Worker Killed on Job

James Ivy, 29, of Etowah, died instantly at the Tenaris Hickman plant in Armorel this morning when the pipe he was loading on a rail car rolled back and crushed him against a backstop. This is the third fatal industrial accident in Mississippi County, Arkansas, in less than three months.

The toll of workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths remains unacceptably high. Each year, thousands of workers are killed, and millions more are injured or contract preventable diseases on the job. The state legislature is eager to provide millions of dollars in tax exemptions and direct subsidies for business and industry in the name "economic development," but a majority of our legislators and the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce oppose any improvement or expansion of the Workers' Compensation law to cover medical expenses for workers injured on the job.

With union backing, Congress passed important legislation to establish job safety and heath standards for every industry more than three decades ago. In recent years, however, many of the safeguards we fought hard for have been eroded by lax enforcement under the Bush Administration.