Every day, 16 workers go to work and don’t come home. They are killed on the job. But far too often, employers that have created or ignored dangerous workplace conditions are not held accountable. Civil penalties are weak and criminal prosecutions rare.

Now, “16 Deaths Per Day,” a new video from Brave New Films, shines a spotlight on the weak deterrence and penalties of the nation’s workplace safety laws.

In a post on Firedoglake, David Dayen of Brave New Films writes:

The video takes a look at the stories of several workers. Travis Koehler-Fergen, an employee at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, and Tina Hall, from Toyo Automotive Parts USA, both died at their workplaces in accidents. The Orleans was found by OSHA [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration] to have broken the law, but was never referred for prosecution. Sixteen safety violations were found at the Toyo plant prior to the accident that killed Tina Hall, but the highest fine ever levied on the company was $7,000.

Read more at the AFL-CIO Now Blog.

AFSCME Local 3299, which represents 20,000 workers at the ten campuses and five medical centers in the University of California system, is fighting to prevent budget cuts, fee hikes, layoffs and furloughs during this economic crisis.

Unfortunately, the union is also trying to set the record straight concerning some misleading and outright incorrect statements made in September by UC Pres. Mark Yudof during his budget outlook address to the Board of Regents. Among his outrageous assertions was this remark:

“We asked to engage with the unions and they would not even meet with us. Particularly Lakesha Harrison at the AFSCME union. They wouldn’t give us the time of day.”

Not true, says Harrison, who is president of Local 3299 and also an AFSCME International vice president. In a video rebuttal, Harrison says:

“The truth is I have requested meetings with President Yudof and he has refused. I met multiple times with other UC officials who requested, received and now refuse to engage in a set of sensible budget solutions for UC. Our union presented these budget solutions over a month ago, which would have saved UC campuses from devastating reductions to essential services.”

Harrison adds that AFSCME is “ready, willing and able” to work with UC to find reasonable alternatives to furloughs and layoffs, and to prevent devastating reductions to essential services. Also, she says her request to meet with Yudof “remains open.”

Watch Harrison’s video statement to learn what else Yudof got wrong.

Also, check out these stories in the San Francisco Bay Guardian and Los Angeles Times about thousands of UC faculty, staff, workers and students who protested in September about budget cuts, increased fees, layoffs and poor management.

President Obama just ended his speech to the delegates at the AFL-CIO 2009 Convention in Pittsburgh, where he pledged to grow the middle class and strengthen the labor movement:

“When organized labor succeeds, that’s when our middle class succeeds. And when our middle class succeeds, that’s when the United States of America succeeds. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

Obama also reiterated his call for action on health insurance reform now — including a public option — “Because in the United States of America, nobody should go broke just because they got sick.”

Watch the full speech here:

For more coverage from the AFL-CIO Convention in Pittsburgh, visit the official convention site.

Today young workers are less likely to have health care or economic security than they were 10 years ago, and one-third live in their parents’ home, according to a new national survey released by the AFL-CIO.

• 31 percent of young workers report being uninsured, up from 24 percent 10 years ago, and 79 percent of those without health care coverage say it’s because they can’t afford it or their employer does not offer it.
• One in three young workers live at home with their parents.
• Only 31 percent say they make enough money to cover their bills and put some money aside — 22 percentage points fewer than in 1999.

Young workers are facing many new challenges on the job, especially during this recession. AFSCME joins the AFL-CIO in working with young union members to build the labor movement, revitalize the economy, and to pass health care reform and the Employee Free Choice Act.

That’s why AFSCME started a special program, the Next Wave, designed to reach out to young union members and to provide them with the tools and connections to get them ready for future union leadership. The Next Wave is bringing new ideas and energy in into AFSCME and advancing the labor movement.

More than 600 young labor activists came together in Chicago this summer for the inaugural Next Wave conference. “Next Wave is dedicated to showing members 35 and younger how critical the union is and how it is relevant to them today,” said Natasha Pranger, a Next Wave activist from Washington Council 28, Local 304. “We are AFSCME and we are much stronger working together than alone.”

AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee issued a statement today calling Senator Ted Kennedy “Our closest ally and most steadfast friend in the U.S. Senate.”

Senator Kennedy called health care reform the cause of his life, first advocating for national health care in 1966. He made a surprise return to the Senate last summer to cast the decisive vote for the Democrats on a Medicare bill. In his memory, we must continue to do all we can to realize his goal of health care reform.

Read the full statement.

Earlier today on The Ed Schultz Show, President McEntee reflected on the legacy of Sen. Kennedy. Visit our tribute page to listen to the full segment.

This video, from the 2008 DNC Convention, celebrates the life and accomplishments of the Lion of the Senate:

Find more on AFSCME.org.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was reintroduced yesterday in the U.S. Senate.  Two Democrats – Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) – along with two Republicans – Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) – are named as the lead cosponsors, the first time the bill has had bipartisan lead sponsors in the Senate.

This bill, which would extend existing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination to protect people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, is much needed and long overdue.  AFSCME is a longtime supporter of the bill.

“Throughout our long history, Americans have fought to break down the barriers that deny opportunity and equality to our fellow citizens. Through civil rights legislation and constitutional amendments, we have worked to ensure that equal justice under law would be a standard for all who work and live in the United States. The passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) will write a new and important chapter in this proud story.” – AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee

Sen. Kennedy issued a statement saying:“The promise of America will never be fulfilled as long as justice is denied to even one among us. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act brings us closer to fulfilling that promise for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens.”

Senator Collins commented: “Similar to the current law in several states, including Maine, and the policies of many Fortune 500 companies, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would close an important gap in federal civil rights laws by making it illegal to discriminate in employment. I am pleased to join Senators Merkley, Kennedy and Snowe in introducing this important legislation which affirms the principle that individuals should be judged on their skills and abilities, and not by who they are.”

Pride at Work, the voice of the LGBT community in the labor movement, is encouraging union members to contact your senators to urge them to cosponsor this important legislation. You can send an email to your senators by clicking on this link: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/ENDA09_Senate

There is a “union difference” in family-friendly workplace policies, such as family and medical leave, paid sick leave for employees and their children, health care and flexible work arrangements.

According to a recently-published report by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education and the Labor Project for Working Families, unionized workers receive more generous family-friendly benefits than their non-unionized counterparts. These benefits include: increased compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, access to paid leave and flexible paid sick days.

“This study bolsters the case for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA),” says AFSCME International Pres. Gerald H. McEntee.

“Without the freedom to form and join unions, employees won’t be able to bargain for better health care, pensions, wages and working conditions. In these times of economic need, union membership can pave the way toward the American dream for more working families.”

To download “Family-Friendly Workplaces: Do Unions Make a Difference?” go to http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu or http://www,working-families.org

This post about worksite visits by AFSCME Local 1184 in support of the Employee Free Choice Act and health care reform is courtesy of the AFL-CIO Employee Free Choice Act blog.

AFSCME Local 1184 collected over 500 letters and signatures in support of the Employee Free Choice Act during worksite visits earlier this month.

AFSCME Local 1184, which represents 3,800 Miami Dade County school employees, visited the worksites of school bus drivers over a four-day span earlier this month with the South Florida AFL-CIO, UA organizers Rick Lindstrom and Javier Garcia and AFSCME representative Paris Walker collecting hundreds of signatures and letters in support of the Employee Free Choice Act and President Obama’s healthcare plan.

“Anytime you can educate the members on an issue, it is significant. People become empowered to get involved once they realize it will have an impact on their lives,” said Sherman Henry, President of Local 1184.

Local 1184 Vice President Vicki Hall said that visiting worksites is an effective way to reach out to membership. “Some of our members aren’t up to speed on the Employee Free Choice Act and other issues because they are so busy with work and their families. Talking to people on the job is a great way to get in touch with everyone and provide information.”

For their part, Rick Lindstrom and Javier Garcia are two of eleven UA organizers who have been driving the internal Employee Free Choice Act campaign across the state. Lindstrom and Garcia have been visiting the top 20 locals in the Miami area and offering their support to do activities like the AFSCME Local 1184 worksite visits.

“This is the biggest piece of legislation for the labor movement since 1935. We just had an employer who skipped town after his workers voted to unionize. People are starving out there, working without pensions and healthcare and they are sick of it,” said Lindstrom.

This team was able to collect over 500 letters and signatures in support of the Employee Free Choice Act at the AFSCME Local 1184 worksites. To date, unions of the South Florida AFL-CIO have collected tens of thousands of letters and made thousands of phone calls about the bill to federal legislators. Local 1184 President Henry plans to keep his members active on political issues and the local will be doing a voter registration drive in the near future.

Findings from renowned labor expert and Cornell University professor Dr. Kate Brofenbrenner reveal that employer tactics against workers’ efforts to form unions have increased and become more punitive than in the past.

A new report, “No Holds Barred: The Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organizing,” released this week by the Economic Policy Institute and American Rights at Work exposes the ugly truth about corporate abuse of workers trying to form unions and bargain for a better life.

An in-depth examination of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election campaigns, interviews with workers and investigations of unfair labor practice filings gives a clear picture of what the process of forming a union really looks like. Workers are regularly subjected to threats, interrogation, harassment, surveillance and retaliation for supporting a union.

Some of the findings:

• 63% of employers interrogate workers in one-on-one meetings with their supervisors about support for the union
• 57% of employers threaten to close the worksite
• 47% of employers threaten to cut wages and benefits
• 34% of employers fire workers

For more, read the full report and fact sheet.

This animation from the American Worker Project, courtesy of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), shows how labor law gives workers a raw deal, taking you step-by-step through the current process for forming a union. It’s not pretty.

Watch it and weep. Better yet, watch it and tell your Senators and Congressmember to support the Employee Free Choice Act.