Hey, this is Nadia. I'm an SEIU staffer. Not sure how much this Ohio organizing debate is on the radar for folks who don't work for a union, but with the Labor Notes conference here this weekend, it's now local. Anyways, wanted to provide some context...

By now you may feel like you’ve heard quite enough of the back-and-forth between SEIU and the CNA over union representation of nurses and healthcare workers in Ohio. You may have also heard that the dispute runs deep and wide and goes back years and across state lines into Nevada, California, Texas and several others, and that the encounters have become more extreme.

And perhaps you’re wondering—why should I care?

If this were just about CNA and SEIU, or even just about a dispute at an isolated hospital in one state, you could move on. The thing is, these struggles are not taking place in a vacuum—and what becomes of them has far-reaching impact that touches us all. At a time when the economy is bad and getting worse, and the number of workers represented by a union in this country is an anemic 12%, labor unions face a choice…and workers everywhere face the consequences.

Unions can fight for turf within the ever-shrinking pool of unionized workers, or we can get back on the offensive by reaching out to help more workers join unions to strengthen the hand of more working families.

In the first-ever address by an AFL-CIO president to the influential Harvard University's John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, Sweeney will describe why America is not working for working people and what the AFL-CIO will do to create an America that works for all, including increasing member mobilization this election year and working to reform U.S. labor law to give workers a free chance to form unions. Says Sweeney:

We have an opportunity not only to restore the voice and vitality of the union movement, but to change the direction of our economy and our country. We're faced with a fundamental choice: continue down the low road we've been taking and end up in a swamp of inequality where corporations and the wealthy always get more, or turn around America and head back up to higher ground where working people get a fair share of the wealth they help create.

As the Governors’ State of the State approaches, to help boost our economy, what we would like to see is a strong commitment here in Michigan to renewable energy. Michigan is rated 4th best in renewable energy manufacturing potential. Studies have shown that investments in renewable energy will bring more jobs, helping to revitalize the large skilled and underutilized manufacturing base here in Michigan while helping to clean the environment and reduce global warming. The Blue Green Alliance supports the idea of a strong Renewable Energy Standard. 

The Blue Green Alliance is a formal alliance between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club. Together we combine to make over 1.5 million members.  

Formed in 2006 we focus on global warming, clean energy, fair trade and reducing toxics. Labor, environmental and human rights standards are at the core of the Blue Green Alliance.  

Our vision for a healthy community must include good jobs, clean air and clean water. The economy and the environment cannot be separated if we are to achieve our vision for a better world. 

We work through education and advocacy to create good jobs and clean the environment through the renewable energy sector.

We foster job security through energy efficiency and we work to ensure that we have a fair trade policy and that workers in the workplace and the surrounding environment are not exposed to dangerous toxins.

What great news! The following is from a press release issued by the MI AFL-CIO - 

3,500 Anti-Right to Work Activists Assist Presidential Primary Voters at Michigan Polls and Fight Off Petition Effort Lansing -

Over 3,500 activists monitored polling places for a potential Right to Work petition drive on primary day, Tuesday, January 15th statewide.

“The Labor community, along with other allies of Michigan’s working families, is sending a very powerful message to special interests that ‘Right to Work’ isn’t going to happen in Michigan. Although the Right to Work forces are gone for now, we intend to continue educating people on the importance of a good job to our state’s economy. We’re not going to bring the economy back by cutting wages,” stated Mark Gaffney, President of the Michigan State AFL-CIO.

The AFL-CIO and the Michigan Education Association combined forces with the Change to Win coalition and trained volunteers to educate Michigan voters for the primary.

“We want to thank our union affiliates – the Michigan Education Association and the Change to Win unions – who worked alongside the AFL-CIO during this huge effort. Michigan Labor is united once again in our efforts to protect living standards of all union and non-union Michigan workers,” proclaimed President Gaffney. 

Top o' the morning to you! First things first, if you haven't, please make sure that you get out and vote. No matter your candidate or party, it's an important privilege that we've all been given and it shouldn't go to waste.

As promised, I'm here at the Michigan State AFL-CIO Headquarters in downtown Lansing. The mood here is upbeat and positive and the reports from working men and women across the state indicate that so far there haven't been any "Right to Work (for Less)" petition collectors, but we know they could still show up.

We don't have any official numbers confirmed quite yet, but word on the street is that Michigan's workers have turned out in the thousands all across the state. Never ones to pass up an opportunity, our working men and women will also be handing out literature on the importance of healthcare in Michigan, letting them know that they care about all of Michigan's citizens.

Speaking of which, here's some interesting facts that you may or may not know...

 - workers in states with "Right to Work (for Less)" (RTW) laws earn on an average of almost $6000 less than in states without RTW laws

 - 21% fewer people have access to health care in states with RTW laws 

...and that's just a few facts that I'll be sharing throughout the day as I live-blog here.

 I'll also be speaking with men and women who are at the polling locations, and various labor officials here at the AFL-CIO. I've even brought the video camera with me, so expect some video to be up throughout the day as well.

Keep checking back to The Upper Hand all day long and let us know your experience at the polls.

Till the next post, this is Julielyn blogging in solidarity with Michigan's working men and women. 

Progress Michigan is proud to team up in solidarity with the Michigan State AFL-CIO and Michigan's working men and women on this special election day to bring you exclusive coverage of the Decline to Sign Campaign, designed to protect Michigan's families against out-of-state special interests.

Progress Michigan will be the only outlet for news from the Campaign, and we'll be updating you throughout the day with news, information on the fight for Working Michigan, and a little video-blogging. 

As we get started and progress throughout the day, tell us - were you asked to sign a so-called "Right to Work (for Less)" petition at your polling location? Have you recieved any robo-calls? Are you part of a Working Michigan family? We'd love to hear from you. 

Keep checking back throughout the day as we'll be bringing you the latest.  

Do you know what all of these have in common? 

Toxic toys, red-leaded steel, counterfeit circuit breakers, poisoned pet food, contaminated human food, the list of things to watch out for, stay away from just keeps growing.

They are all imported items.

They are all things that could be safetly produced by American workers, many of them right here in Michigan where we have such a strong and proud workforce. 

Instead these jobs are outsourced to countries without strong labor, environmental, health, or consumer safety protections. What's wrong with this picture? 

Like all great change that's occured here in Michigan and across our country, it takes motivated people to gather together and say No. 

You can help by joining others in your community and telling your Congressman to stop putting Michigan families at risk and start helping working families.

The United Steelworkers has declared this Wednesday, Jan. 16th as a national day of action. By taking action we can help protect our families, homes, workplaces and communities from toxic imports. 

Find the event in your district and sign up. Men and women from all over the state will visit the district offices of 100 members of Congress to tell them that cheap goods have a high price. On this day, we will demand that they take action. We will put them on notice that our trade laws must champion safety and environmental standards as well as workers' rights. 

Join us! Wednesday, January 16th at the following locations times:

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, 9:00 am - 3rd Street, Suite 203, Muskgeon, MI 49440 (contact: Tonya Devore 616.604.1997)

Rep. David Camp, 4:30 pm, 135 Ashman Dr. Midland, MI 48640 (contact: Tammy Beebe 989.667.0660)

Rep. Thad McCotter, 4:30 pm, 17197 N. LaurelPark Dr., Livonia, MI 48152 (contact: Linda Lucas 248.229.0473)

Rep. Mike Rogers, 1:00 pm, 1327 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 (Contact Ed Leary 231.557.8889)

Rep. Tim Walberg, 4:30 pm, 800 W. Granson, Jackson, MI 49202 (Contact: Jay McMurran: 734.218.4613)

Rep. Fred Upton, 4:30 pm, 157 S. Kalamazoo St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007  (Contact: Sue Browne 269.945.4443 (will meet at 4:00pm to assemble)

Because in the end, cheap goods really do have high costs. 

Every union member should take a minute to reflect on the value of having a union in their workplace. 

The union advantage improves the quality of life for members and society in general. Unfortunately, we are all so used to the advantages we have that we take them for granted. Advantages like the 40 hour work week, the fact that we have weekends and lunch breaks, workers’ compensation if we are injured and unemployment insurance if we are laid off. It’s easy to take such things for granted, but someone fought for these advantages and that someone was more often than not a union member. 

Unions have raised the standard of living for us here in Michigan through better wages, affordable health benefits, pensions, and workplace safety standards. But now, we are witnessing an organized attack on unions funded by radical right wing interests. This spring, “Right to Work” bills were introduced in the State House and Senate. Out of state right-wing groups are threatening to put right to work on Michigan’s 2008 ballot. These efforts are meant to break and bankrupt unions by forcing unions to use their resources and members’ dues to represent workers who refuse to pay dues. 

Right to work laws impose an unfair burden on union members who want to join the union and pay their fair share. These laws are intended to suppress union membership, drag the union down from “free riders” and weaken the union’s ability to provide aggressive representation for workers. It’s no wonder unscrupulous employers and right-wing fanatics would love to pass right to work in Michigan. 

But, what’s in it for workers?