State Of The Labor Union
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-11-26/state-labor-union
Labor issues are hitting some big-name companies, including Hostess cakes where management says a strike forced them to shut down operations permanently. Walmart workers planned Black Friday protests at 1,000 stores to kick off the holiday shopping season. And locally, the janitors' union at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center says paychecks have been delayed and even bounced. We explore the strategies of companies and workers, and whether labor movements are gaining traction after years of being on the defensive.
Guests
Peter Morici
Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland at College Park; former Chief Economist, U.S. International Trade Commission
Ken Margolies
Senior Associate of the Worker Institute at Cornell, Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Mary Kay Henry
President, SEIU
Comments
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Mary Kay Henry have spent a great deal of time in nursing homes over the last five years. Have now worked with nurses aides groups in the Dayton Ohio area who are working for better pay, health care, ratio of aid to patients and better working conditions. They work harder than any other group that I have seen up close for pathetic wages. Will you please talk about the SEIU's efforts to organize nurses aides who do the bulk of the work at nursing homes etc.
Also since the majority of people in nursing homes are either partially or fully paid by medicaid. Why is it that there are not federal standards applied to pay, ratio of aides to patients since these private for profit nursing homes are being funded with taxpayers money
Very sad and very telling your female screener allowed three males through not one female. Subtle gender issues. Well not so subtle. I have noticed this on the Diane Rehm show and on the Nnamdi show. Your screeners will allow women through on what our culture considers the "girl issues" but questions or comments on foreign policy, critical domestic issues I would say the ratio of female to male numbers are one woman to every 10 men. The screener also said not to go on too long and then Kyjo let the one man go on and on and on and he never got around to a question. Never.
Anyway Kyjo you needed to brush up on your Walmart facts. You needed to focus on how taxpayers actually subsidize Walmart. And one of your guest said there was no difference between the pay and insurance coverage of Walmart vs Starbucks vs Whole Foods workers. Kjo your team needs to do far more research before you try to pretend to cover these issues in any in depth way. The pay and insurance coverage between these three companies is extraordinarily different.
And your screener needs to start allowing women through on the more critical issues and not just the typical "girl issues" Very telling. Real gender issues on your show.
Please also focus on the pay of health care industry specifically nurses aides and how the SEIU is helping them organize. The big question is why is it that there are not nation wide federal standards on pay, ratio of aides to patients etc when the federal government is funding these private for profit nursing home industry