AAnn IInnjjuurryy ttoo OOnnee iiss aann IInnjjuurryy ttoo AAllll!!VOL. 113

NO. 20APRIL 23, 2008WEDNESDAY

(ISSN 0023-6667)

See Workers wary...page 18

Workers Memorial Day this year will be a hard day with

so many deaths to rememberWhen the Duluth AFL-

CIO Central Labor Bodyobserves Workers MemorialDay for the 20th consecutiveyear Monday, April 28, it willbe one of the most soberingevents ever held here. The pastyear has been incredibly dead-ly for area workers. ThisWorkers’ Memorial Day we’llsadly remember:

• Deane Driscoll, USWLocal 6860, died April 18,2007, when a rotary drill fellon him while working atUnited Taconite’s Thunder-bird Mine.

• Donovan Dunblazier,USW Local 6115, died June 2007, when the crane he was oper-ating fell over at Mittal Steel’s Minorca Mine.

• Joseph Kimmes III, Operators Local 139, Scott Kimmes,Laborers Local 1091, Paul Cossalter, IBEW Local 242, andHarold “Tim” Olsen died November 1, 2007 after they wereovercome by toxic fumes in a manhole in the Town of Superior.

• Superior residents David Mussatti, Jr. and Steve Arnovich,USW Local 2-2003, died November 28, 2007, from an explosionand fire on an Enbridge Energy pipeline in Clearbrook, MN.

• Jason Zunker, Chippewa County (WI) Deputy Sheriff, diedJanuary 5, 2008, of injuries sustained the previous day when hewas struck by a vehicle while directing traffic.

• Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Pionk died January 9, 2008, in Iraqwhile serving his country.

In mid-July, 2007, two members of Laborers Local 132, JoeHarlow and Dave Yasis, were swept away in a St. Paul sewer

Greg “Jolly” Jolstad, Operating Engineers Local 49, diedAugust 1, 2007, when the I-35 bridge collapsed in Minneapolis.The PCI employee from St. Cloud was well-known to many inthe Trades. It took until April 20 for his body to be recovered outof the Mississippi River.

The Duluth observance on Monday, April 28 will begin witha free Solidarity Breakfast in the Labor Temple’s Wellstone andFreeman Halls (enter via South St.) from 7 to 9 a.m. It’s a greatfull breakfast, with pancakes made from scratch by Chef ToddErickson of UNITE HERE Local 99.

At about 9:15 a.m. an observance will take place beyond theLabor Temple’s back parking lot towards 21st Avenue East.Mayor Don Ness will read proclamations remembering thoseregional workers who have fallen. Family members of the work-ers have been invited and some of them will be in attendance.

Hopefully last year’s large number of deaths was an anomaly,because workplaces fatalities have been declining over recentyears. One would be too many and that is why unions worldwidecontinue their fight for workplace safety. Too many deaths alsoare the result of the long term effects of jobs, such as the IronRange mesothelioma deaths, and not one tragic incident. Thecall for stricter enforcement of all health and safety conditions onthe job is also a large part of Workers’ Memorial Day. As storiesin this issue reveal workplace safety is still a tough sell in spiteof the many deaths of the past year and the knowledge we’vegained about workplace hazards. So labor “Fights for the Living,As We Remember the Dead.”

Workers wary of NWA mergerBy Barb Kucera,, Editor, www.workdayminnesota.orgBLOOMINGTON, MN - Months of speculation ended April

14 with the announcement that Northwest and Delta Air Lineswill merge. But for employees of Northwest, the uncertainty isjust beginning. The merged carrier, to be called Delta Air Lines,“will serve more U.S. communities and connect to more world-wide destinations than any global airline,” Northwest said in astatement e-mailed to frequent fliers. “Our hubs – both Delta’sand Northwest’s – will be retained and enhanced.”

Twin Cities-based Northwest, employs about 31,000 work-ers; Atlanta-based Delta has about 47,000. A combined NWA-Delta will control nearly 18 percent of U.S. air traffic, making itthe largest carrier in the world, industry analysts said.

The new headquarters will be in Atlanta, affecting some1,000 NWA employees at Minneapolis-St. Paul InternationalAirport. Of even greater concern is the fact that, with the excep-tion of the pilots, all of Delta’s employee groups are non-union.

“We will need the solidarity of the membership if we are tohave any success protecting our jobs, our contracts and our pen-sions,” Machinists Air Transport Lodge 143 President Stephen

Oberstar doesn’t like NWA/Delta mergertee Chairman John Conyers, Jr.(D-MI) says the Committee’sTaskforce on CompetitionPolicy and Antitrust Laws willhold a hearing, “Competitionin the Airline Industry” tomor-row in Washington. MachinistsUnion International PresidentR. Thomas Buffenbarger willtestify on the merger’s impacton employees. The CEOs ofboth companies – Richard H.Anderson (Delta) and DouglasM. Steenland (Northwest) -will also testify.

Minnesota House MajorityLeader Tony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm) said that he will bemonitoring developments inthe proposed merger to makesure that area jobs are protectedand that Northwest workers aretreated fairly.

“We’re monitoring the situ-ation closely and scrutinizingthe proposed deal to make surethat the airlines keep their com-mitments to Minnesota andworkers at the Chisholm reser-vation center,” Sertich said.“My first priority is what’s bestfor the current employees ofNorthwest and their families.I’ve been given assurances thatproposed merger will not affectthe Chisholm reservation cen-ter, rural air service or the TwinCities hub.”

Sertich said he will beworking closely with officialsfrom Northwest and Delta,Oberstar and U.S. Senator AmyKlobuchar and the Iron RangeLegislative delegation to makesure state jobs are protected.

“We’re going to be makinga concerted effort to make sureMinnesota’s economic inter-ests are protected,” Sertichsaid. “The state of Minnesotahas been a strong supporter ofNorthwest. We stood by thecompany through hard times.The company has made firmcommitments to Minnesotaabout jobs and air service in thepast and we need to make surethose commitments are kept.”

The merged carrier, to becalled Delta Air Lines, “willserve more U.S. communitiesand connect to more worldwidedestinations than any globalairline,” Northwest said in astatement e-mailed to frequentfliers. “Our hubs – both Delta’sand Northwest’s – will beretained and enhanced.”

Proponents of the mergerclaim that rising jet fuel pricesare forcing airlines to jointogether and consolidate theiroperations. However, Oberstarsays this will only eliminatecompetition from the market-place, without addressing thehigh cost of fuel.

“The argument is hollow, itis simply an argument on thepart of chief executive officerswho see a way to grander rev-enues for themselves andaggrandizement of their placein the market,” said Oberstar.

Although Congress does nothave the authority to halt themerger, it can compel theDepartment of Transportationand the Department of Justiceto consider issues and evidencebefore making a final decisionon the deal. Oberstar says hewill use a series of hearings toshine a light on those issues.

“We will marshal all theforces we can within theCongress - and the communi-ties served by existing carriers -to insist that the departmentdoes a very thorough, meticu-lous, workman-like analysis ofthis merger proposal, he said.”

House Judiciary Commit-

The most knowledgeableand influential member of Con-gress on transportation issues,Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN8),chair of the House Transpor-tation Committee, was scathingin his response to the $17.7 bil-lion proposed merger ofNorthwest and Delta airlines.

In an April 15 news confer-ence, the day after the mergerwas announced, Oberstarcalled the proposal “probablythe worst development in avia-tion history” since deregulationwent into effect in 1978. Hesaid it will lead to fewer choic-es and higher prices for travel-ers, and promised to hold aseries of hearings in the monthsahead to examine the conse-quences of proposed merger.

If the deal is approved,Oberstar says it will spawnmore mergers and consolida-tions in the airline industry.

“If this merger goes for-ward, other carriers will follow,there will be a cascade of merg-ers,” he said. “Other airlinesand network carriers will notbe able to withstand the poten-tial power of the largest airlinein the world; it will be a globestraddling, mega carrier.”

WHAT’S INSIDE THIS ISSUE?NALC Food Drive, Free Democracy Summit.....page 2

Ditchview: Remembering Tony Mazzocchi.....page 3Will OSHA get pushed by Democrats?.....page 4

Mesothelioma study to be funded.....page 5ME Electmetal fined $11,100 by MNOSHA.....page 7

Colombia free trade pact stalled.....page 8Why not a picture of Valentini’s picketing:?.....page 9

DECC comes through in bonding bill.....page 10Labor will miss Rep. Frank Boyle.....page 11

Al Franken gets MNAFL-CIO endorsement...page 12Dan Olson, Warren Bender win in Superior...page 13

IBT boycott of Phillips liquor, Gallo, Karkov ....page 15Tax Day good for the rich.....page 16

Yvonne Harvey’s column remembers fallen......page 19Minnesota 8th, Wisconsin 10th in fatalities.....page 20

Help NALC “Stamp Out Hunger” May 10

Free Democracy Summit is this weekend

By Yvonne HarveyAFL-CIO Community Ser-

vices Activities, United Way ofGreater Duluth

Annually, Letter Carriersin more than 10,000 cities andtowns across America areasked to collect non-perishablefood items for the NationalAssociation of Letter Carriers(NALC) Food Drive on thesecond Saturday in May, whichis the 10th this year.

An estimated 35 millionpeople face hunger every dayin America, including morethan 9 million children. Thissuccessful food drive is oneway we can all come togetherto help alleviate hunger in ourcommunity.

The NALC Food Drive hasbecome the largest single vol-unteer event in America eachyear. In the first 15 years, the

By Chad McKennaField Organizer, NEALCFive years ago, students

from the Duluth Chapter of theMinnesota Public InterestResearch Group (MPIRG) setout to put on an event thatwould bring a wide range of

progressive individuals andorganizations together, in oneplace, during one weekend.Their hope was to start a dialogabout how issues are intercon-nected and how to build a pro-gressive movement. The FreeDemocracy Summit was born.

FDS has brought issues tolight that were once buried bythe media such as the barrels inLake Superior, educated thepublic on the WTO’s use ofpublicly funded riot police tosquash dissent, and has fea-tured big name progressives.Granny D shared her wisdomand told tales of her travels in2004. Jim Hightower gave aknockout speech in 2005. AndAl Franken attracted more than600 people to a barricadedSuperior street in 2006.

This coming weekend anew group of young, dedicatedrabble rousers are set to hostthe 5th annual Free DemocracySummit at venues aroundDuluth. You can find a com-plete lineup of the weekend’sevents at www.nealc.org byscrolling down to events.

Panel discussion topicsrange from how global climatechange is affecting differentsegments of our society tolooking at the media in thenorthland. An all-star panelwill explore “Learning our les-sons: NAFTA in its’ 15th year”including United SteelworkersJerry Fallos and Tara Widner.

Join MPIRG and FDS thisweekend and continue youreducation and activism.

event collected over 800 mil-lion pounds of food to feedhungry people. Last year, theone day nationwide driveraised over 70 million poundsof food for local food shelves.

Every day many of our ownbrothers and sisters in the labormovement have to make toughchoices over the essentialexpenses of living--paying util-ities, rent or mortgages, pur-chasing medications, or buyingfood to feed their families. Inthe upcoming summer monthstoo many kids will be hungrywithout their free school break-fast and lunch programs. Thesefamilies turn to food shelves toobtain needed nourishment.

This year the Twin Portsand surrounding area NALCFood Drive Committee has agoal to collect 200,000 poundsof food. The area includes

Duluth, Proctor, Superior,Cloquet, Two Harbors, andSilver Bay. Last year, thoseletter carriers picked-up151,870 pounds of non-perish-able food donations. So weneed your help Saturday, May10th! Please leave non-perish-able food out by your mailboxon the day of the food drive.

In addition, volunteers areneeded the day of the drive tohelp load, sort and unload foodat the main post office inDuluth and Superior. Volun-teers are also needed to go withcarriers on their routes to helpcollect the food from the doorsteps. We welcome anyonewho would like to volunteer.There are no special trainingrequirements. If you are willingto help sort food or pick foodup with carriers please contactYvonne Harvey at 728-1779.

Please Come Join Our Grand Opening

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I.U.O.E. Local 70Monthly Arrowhead Regional Meeting

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Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 10Retirees’ Luncheon

Tuesday, May 6, 1:00 p.m.Old Town (Superior)

The struggle forworkplace safety

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Duluth, Two Harbors & Silver Bay

Please join us Saturday, May 10for our National NALC Food Drive!Call Yvonne Harvey at 728-1779 to volunteer, and

leave non-perishables near your mailbox that day.

GGilberilbert Law Ot Law Officeffice(218) 625-8777 ggilbert@superiorlaw.netSuite 563 Duluth Technology Village 11 E. Superior St.

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In my years of doing thisjob there haven’t been a lot ofpeople that made me sit up andtake notice when I’ve heardtheir name. Tony Mazzocchiwas one that always didbecause he was always on theright side of an issue or work-ing on something that I thoughtwas important. I never met himso most of what I know camefrom official sources, includingthe Oil, Chemical, and AtomicWork-ers (OCAW) union pub-lication, AFL-CIO, and eventhe corporate media. He could-n’t be ignored.

Mazzocchi almost single-handedly brought OSHA intoexistence in 1970 after takingon his union’s industries onsafety and health issues. Hewas the first outspoken unionadvocate for single-payerhealth care. He was co-founderof the Labor Party. He was apeace advocate and environ-mentalist 50 years ago. Hecalled for free higher educationfor all.

He died Oct. 5, 2002 of pan-creatic cancer, but before hepassed he gave hours of inter-view time to Les Leopold, who

has written an incredible biog-raphy, The Man Who HatedWork and Loved Labor: TheLife and Times of TonyMazzocchi. The book gives acharacter and personality to thelabor movement of the 20thCentury. It’s all there in thestory of Mazzocchi’s life, “theman who never sold out” asone of his colleagues said.

Leopold says Mazzocchiwas boxed-in by his ownintegrity and the values helearned growing up inBrooklyn’s Bensonhurst. Hewas a poor student who could-n’t read, write or do math well.Though detractors called himBozo the Clown, his personalcharisma and organizing skillsmade him a magnet for work-ers needing leadership. Work-ers like Karen Silkwood, whowas killed as she went to tell areporter about Kerr-McGee’scoverup of bad welds in hernuke plant under Mazzocchi’sguidance. Mazzocchi had asimilar unexplainable “caraccident” just weeks later.

He couldn’t be ignored buthe was held in check somewhatby the business unionists inOCAW. He kept his word, hewouldn’t make deals, hewouldn’t backstab, and hewould never gain the interna-tional presidency of his union.

The book takes you insidethe despicable, self-servingfights for power in internation-al unions. Mazzocchi stayedrank-and-file his entire career.

He survived the Battle ofthe Bulge in WWII, he sur-vived fights with bogus mob-run unions, he was red-baitedand survived. He was takendown for his friendship withRalph Nader. Yet he always didthe right thing for others first.

In his prologue Leopoldwrites, “He was anti-corporateto the core. He thought that thedrive for ever-increasing prof-its was in fundamental conflictwith public health, workerhealth and safety, and a soundenvironment.” Leopold alsotells you in the book when hethinks Mazzocchi’s recollec-tions over the nine months ofinterviews were wrong. Thatmakes for a great biographybecause Leopold admiredMazzocchi a great deal andwas “there.” Leopold’s writingis incredibly good and hisinsights are right on. You’lloften find yourself stopping tothink about beautifully craftedsentences and ideas for andabout the labor movement.

You can’t help but admireMazzocchi too when you readabout fighting off the mob, cor-rupt unions in bed withemployers and the CIA, howhe stayed on his feet fightingfor workers who cared moreabout their jobs than the factthat their employers in thenuclear and chemical industrieswere poisoning them.

At one time OCAW had sixmedical doctors on their pay-roll because of Mazzocchiwhen OSHA had but one. Hehad gotten OCAW to establisha health and safety program,which was the foundation forfederal OSHA. He got tired ofdealing with widows he saidand got a congressional com-mittee to listen to workerstelling their stories of workingin poisonous production.

At a 1977 conference onrecombinant DNA Mazzocchisaid “to all the health profes-sionals present, the only timeyou think about workers iswhen they turn up on a mortu-ary slab.”

Tony Mazzocchi was aheadof his time on so many issues.He knew labor needed to getthe public on their side andcame up with the idea of cor-porate campaigns. He startedthe whole idea of blue-greenalliances. We’re still fightinghis fights because not enoughof our leaders have his guts, hisvalues or have just flat sold out.

An incredible life and story.An incredible book. This is notdry reading, it is a must read.As Pulitzer Prize-winning his-torian Doris Kearns Goodwinsays of Leopold’s book, “Thisis an important work in theannals of labor history.”

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 3

LABOR WORLD(ISSN#0023-6667) is published

semi-monthly except one issue inDecember (23 issues).

The known office of publication isLabor World, 2002 London Road,Room 110, Duluth, MN 55812. Periodicals postage is paid at

Duluth MN 55806. POSTMASTER:

Send address changes to: Labor World, 2002 London Rd.,Room 110, Duluth, MN 55812

(218) 728-4469 FAX: (218) 724-1413laborworld@qwest.netwww.laborworld.org

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Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor BodySubscriptions: $22 Annually

Larry Sillanpa, Editor/ManagerDeborah Skoglund, Bookkeeper

Board of DirectorsPresident/Treas. Mikael Sundin,Painters & Allied Trades 106; V.P. Paul Iversen, BMWED 1710; Sec. Marlys Wisch, CWA 7214;Tom Selinski, IBEW 242; MikeKuitu, Operating Engineers 49; AlLaFrenier, UNITE HERE! Shane Sweeney, BCTWGM 167GLarry Anderson, Laborers 1091;Susan Jussila, MN Nurses Assn.

6 7

Don’t increase H-2B visasby AFL-CIO President John Sweeney

The H-2B program - - a program under which employers canbring in temporary and seasonal workers from other countries -- is deeply harmful to both the workers working under the visas,and to U.S. workers. Until this program undergoes major reform- - such as a more transparent recruitment process, a meaningfulway for workers to enforce promises made to them by employ-ers, access to legal services and receive fair prevailing wages - -Congress should not vote to extend or expand any exemptionsthat would increase the number of H-2B visas beyond the cur-rent cap.

We applaud the House Subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lof-gren for holding a hearing to examine the H-2B seasonal guestworker program. The abuses within the H-2B program typical-ly start long before the worker has arrived in the United States,with recruiters commanding high fees and making false promis-es about wages, working conditions and location and length ofemployment. Once the workers arrive in the U.S. they can’tenforce the most basic labor protections and often face deporta-tion, blacklisting or other forms of retaliation. Many employersfind guest workers advantageous precisely because they willwork for far lower wages and benefits than other U.S. workers.

Better enforcement of labor standards for H-2B seasonalguest workers will not only help deter abuses of foreign workers,but will protect the wages and benefits offered to Americanworkers, who often compete for the same jobs.

We can no longer afford to grow the H-2B program withoutaddressing the myriad of well-documented problems associatedwith it. For this reason we applaud Chairwoman Lofgren’sefforts to hold a formal hearing before blindly accepting legisla-tive proposals that would simply increase the numbers of avail-able H-2B visas.

MOURN FOR THE DEAD,FIGHT FOR THE LIVING,

AND STAY ALERTFOR SAFETY FIRST!

Cement Masons,

Plasterers &ShophandsLocal 633

America’s Oldest Building Trades Union • Est. 1864

This Day In Historywww.workdayminnesota.org

April 23, 1820 - TheWorking Men’s Party wasfounded in New York.April 23, 1956 - TheCanadian Labour Congresswas founded, representingmore than 3 million Canadianworkers today. http://canadi-anlabour.ca/index.php/homeApril 23, 1993 - UnitedFarm Workers founder CesarChavez died at age 66. Formore go to http://www.ufw.org/_page.php?inc=histo-ry/07.html&menu=research

~NOTICE~Next issues of Labor Worldare: May 7, 21; June 4, 25;

July 9, 23; Aug. 6, 27; Sept. 17; Oct. 1, 15, 29;

Nov. 12, 25; Dec. 17.

Senators will hopefully move to push OSHA on worker safety issuesBy Mark GruenbergPAI Staff WriterSenators may be moving in

a bipartisan manner towardpushing the Occupational

Safety and Health Administra-tion to act on a range of workersafety issues if their commentsafter an April 1 hearing are anyindication. Senate Workplace

Safety Subcommittee chairPatty Murray (D-Wash.), whoco-sponsored legislation a yearago--after the death of Cintasworker Eleazar Torres-Gomez,sucked into a 300-degree dryerin Tulsa, Okla.—said theagency has done little to goafter such repeat violators.

Its top Republican, Sen.Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) saidone big fine against one keyfirm in an industry for a patternof ignoring worker safetywould send a signal to all theothers, through their trade asso-ciations, to obey the law.Isakson’s state was recently thescene of a fatal blast at a sugarrefinery caused by igniting dust

The senators spoke afterChange to Win Health andSafety Coordinator Eric

Frumin, former OSHA Admin-istrator Gerald Scannell, andUFCW Local 227 shop stewardDoris Morrow testified abouthealth and safety working con-ditions, 38 years after theOccupational Safety andHealth Act was passed. A fol-low-up hearing will be April 29

All agreed safety and healthon the job is not just a matter ofnumbers of deaths and injuries,which have been declining, butof corporate culture. If bosses,starting with company CEOs,make safety and health a prior-ity, injuries, deaths and fear onthe job go down, they said.

Otherwise, even at a unionshop, “many of the workers areafraid to complain about theworking conditions becausethey are fearful they will losetheir jobs,” Morrow said of her1,000-worker Tyson Poultryplant in Robards, Kent.

Those conditions, sheadded, are far worse than peo-ple imagine. A poultry plant,for example, has maximumtemperatures of 40 degreesFahrenheit, with wind whip-ping through on cold days, icyand dangerous floors, and com-mon respiratory and muscu-loskeletal problems affectingworkers who must lift heavytubs of chicken on a rapid pro-duction line at all times.

Cintas was repeatedlywarned of the danger of its con-veyor belts sucking workersinto its dryers long before onesucked Gomez in. OSHA hasfined Cintas for the same haz-ards since his death, Fruminpointed out. The fine, which

may be reduced on appeal, is$3 million. That’s “one day’sprofits” for Cintas, he said. “Onaverage, every single day 16workers die from injuries onthe job and another 130 diefrom occupational diseases.”“This is a reprehensiblerecord,” Frumin said, blamingdemand for short-term profitswhich pushes corporate man-agers to put profits above peo-ple, and sacrifice safety efforts.

That type of attitude led toGomez’ death, to the TexasCity, Texas BP oil explosion--which killed 15 workers threeyears ago--and an 8-yearrecord of nine worker deaths atMcWane Corp., a large suppli-er of steel pipe, Frumin added.

The sorry record led Murrayand Senate Labor CommitteeChairman Edward M. Kennedy(D-Mass.) to push legislationordering OSHA to moveagainst repeat and willful vio-lators of health and safety stan-dards. The Bush OSHA push-es “voluntary compliance”where industry jointly writesstandards--which are notmandatory--with agency offi-cials and where firms call inOSHA inspectors for technicalhelp. In turn, they’re exemptfrom stronger enforcement.

Even Isakson admitted thatdoesn’t get to the heart of theproblem. “If there’s a judicialprocess that made the CEOpersonally accountable for partof the fine, or that he could beordered to put in a safety offi-cer” that would wake compa-nies up, the Georgian said.

PAGE 4 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

This Workers’ Memorial Day we remember...

and their families.As we remember all workers who have been victimized by their employment, we renew our fight for strong workplace safety andhealth protections, andworld peace, so nations’resources can be used tohelp people. Unions lead the struggle for better working conditions,dignity, and respect on the job for all workers.

Duluth AFL-CIO Central Labor Body

Workers Memorial Day

2008Organize/Mobilize For Safe Jobs!

Join us for a free breakfast 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Monday, April 28, in the Duluth Labor Temple's Lower Level.

A Memorial Ceremony at 9:15 a.m. will remember all our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives, been injured

and/or fallen victim to disease as a result of workplace hazards or the Iraq war. We’ll call on Congress to not jeopard-

ize workers’ lives by destroying our workplace safety rights.

Scott Kimmes (Laborers #1091), Joe Kimmes (OperatingEngineers #139), Paul Cossalter (IBEW #242), Harold “Tim’’Olson, Steve Arnovich and David Mussatti, Jr. (both ofUSW #2-2003), Jason Zunker, Deane Driscoll (USW #6860),Donavon Dunblazier (USW #6115), Sgt. 1st Class Matt Pionk,Spec. Randy Pickering, and far too many other troops.

W e A p p r e c i a t e Y o u rP a t r o n a g e !The only Reefworth steering

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Happy Hour 4-7 p.m.7 Days a week

Pawlenty finally agrees to fund mesothelioma studyNorthern Minnesota legisla-

tors finally prevailed in St. Paulin their efforts to get state fund-ing to help with a mesothe-

lioma study. The battle, led bySenator David Tomassoni, andreps. Tom Rukavina, TonySertich, and Tom Anzelc, has

been raging for a year.Last June Gov. Tim Paw-

lenty had said the state willhelp fund the study by theUniversity of Minnesota but heobjected to using a workers’compensation fund to do it. Asurplus in a Dept. of Com-merce assigned risk fund is asource he agreed to tap.

The high incidence of thefatal, asbestos-related diseaseon the Iron Range has beenwell known for years, but littlehas been done about it. When itwas discovered that HealthCommissioner Dianne Man-dernach was found to havewithheld information on amuch larger number of deaths

than had been reported, it wastoo much for Iron Range resi-dents and their elected offi-cials. She officially resignedOct. 2 following the StarTribune uncovering that shehad suppressed information onmore mesothelioma deaths fora whole year. A 2003 MDH

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Congratulations to Labor World on your 107th Anniversary!Keep up the good work fighting for the workers of the

state and keeping them informed.

David TOMASSONI Tom RUKAVINATony SERTICH

We will continue to fight for saferworkplaces as we remember those that

were killed or injured on the job!

Paid for by the Rukavina Campaign Committee, 6930 Hwy. 169, Virginia MN; the Citizens for Anthony "Tony" Sertich, Rick Puhek, Chair, 1210 NW 9th Avenue, Chisholm, MN 55710; and, the Tomassoni Campaign, P.O. Box 29, Chisholm, MN 55719

Identifying risks to your safety andhealth is the first step in reducing thelarge number of avoidable workplace

deaths and injuries that occur. WORK SMART

STAY SAFE

Throughout your work year...TAKE A STAND,

DEMAND SAFE JOBS!Communications Workers

of AmericaLocal 7214

Representing workers at:

AT&T AVAYA Qwest Paul Bunyan TelephoneDex Media East, LLCPaw Communications, Inc

See Funding..page 6

Funding found for mesothelioma study...from page 5study had shown that 17

miners had died of mesothe-lioma but 35 more minerswere found to have died ofmesothelioma by 2006.

At a hearing in Mountain

Bricklayers and Allied

Craftworkers Local Union

#1, Minnesota/North Dakota

Bricklayers and AlliedCraftworkers Local 1Minnesota/North Dakota

Bricklayers and AlliedCraftworkers Local 1Minnesota/North Dakota

In Memorium

Iron on June 28, Rukavina toldMandernach that he had nofaith in her department andwas going to look to have theUniversity of Minnesota con-duct the study.

The multiple phase studywill cost $4.9 million withfunds from the assigned riskfund and the Iron RangeResources and RehabilitationBoard supplying $250,000.

John Finnegan, Dean ofUM’s School of Public Health(SPH), and Jeffrey Mandel,Associate Professor of environ-mental health sciences, willlead the study being called the“Minnesota Taconite WorkersLung Health Partnership.”

House Majority LeaderSertich said the funding billwill hopefully be signed byPawlenty this week. “This is agreat public health issue thatfolks wanted answersto...There are families of thoseaffected, families that couldpotentially be affected in thefuture, miners, retirees - theydeserve answers.”

The outline for the fourphase, 3-5 year study is atwww.sph.umn.edu/lunghealth.

If you have health questionsrelated to taconite worker lunghealth a Registered Nurse isavailable at 1-888-840-7590.

Too many of our members have had

their lives cut short, or the quality

of their lives severely affected, by

the materials they use and condi-

tions they work under every day.

We take Safety and

Workers’Memorial

Dayvery

seriously.Painters & AlliedTrades Local 106Leading the Way to Safety thru Training

PAGE 6 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

Our members work Our members work in an unsafe industry!in an unsafe industry!

We need the right to refuse unsafe work and protection

from discrimination for reporting injuries, illnesses

and unsafe conditions!We need a system of oversight

and coordination onmulti-employer projects!

We need an Office of Construction Safety, Health

and Education at OSHA!

Duluth Building & Construction TDuluth Building & Construction Trades Councilrades CouncilBoilermakers Lodge 647 ~ 724-6999

Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1 ~ 724-8374

Carpenters Local 361 ~ 724-3297

Cement Masons, Plasterers & Shophands Local 633 ~ 724-2323

Electrical Workers Local 242 ~ 728-6895

Elevator Constructors Local 9 ~ (612) 379-2709

Insulators Local 49 ~ 724-3223

Iron Workers Local 512 ~ 724-5073

Laborers Local 1091 ~ 728-5151

Millwrights & Machinery Erectors Local 1348 ~ 741-6314

Operating Engineers Local 49 ~ 724-3840

Painters & Allied Trades Local 106~ 724-6466

Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 11~ 727-2199

Roofers, Waterproofers Local 96~ 218-644-1096

Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 ~ 724-6873

Sprinkler Fitters Local 669 ~ (701) 281-1514

Teamsters Local 346 ~~ 628-1034

8 hours for work...8 hours for rest...

8 hours for what we will...That doesn’t seem unreasonable does it? In Northern Minnesota we know too manylives that have had those last two “8 hours”cut short or ruined by those first “8 hours.”Mesothelioma and other terrible diseases are foundhere at much higher ratesthan elsewhere, killing workers anddestroying families.

Why are answers so hard to come by?

Ask about our DiscountDiscount for

(218) 624-5650

Affiliated with IBEW Local 242

Union Households!Union Households!

We Install Peace of Mind!

Gary foundry, ME Electmetal, fined $11,100 for OSHA violationsME Electmetal’s (ME

Global) Duluth, Minnesotafoundry, 200 East CarterettStreet in Gary, has been citedby Minnesota OSHA for sixserious violations amounting to$11,100 in fines followinginspections done between Feb.7, 2008 and April 4.

Among the citations withfines were:

• two Lockout/Tagout vio-lations totalling $2,700;

• employees overexposedto silica totalled $2,800;

• failure to monitoremployees’ exposure to leadlevels totalled $2,100;

• failure to conduct med-ical surveillance of lead expo-sure above the action leveltotalled $1,400;

Our jobs are very important, but

nothing is more important than

getting home to our families safely.

I’ll work hard in the Senate on workplace

safety issues for working families.

Senator Yvonne Prettner Solon

Minnesota Senate District 7 F AFL-CIO & DFL Endorsed Paid for by the Prettner Solon Volunteer Committee, Elaine Hansen, Treasurer

• failure to provide allinformation in the lead stan-dard to all employees exposedto lead totalled $2,100.

In addition two serious cita-tions did not carry fines:

• failure to implementengineering controls;

• failure to establish andmaintain a respiratory protec-tion program.

“In my 23 years at thefoundry I have not seen suchabysmal air quality,” saidUnited Steelworker Local 1028President Bruce Lotti. “Wehave tried to no avail to re-establish a joint safety commit-tee after the company refusedto participate following the1999/2000 labor/managementdispute.”

He said prior to the unionstrike and subsequent manage-ment lockout, there had beenan active joint safety commit-tee where problems could beresolved before they becameserious. The union had triedunsuccessfully to re-establishthe joint safety committeethrough the collective bargain-ing process but the companyrefused.

In addition to the air qualityproblems, air temperatures inthe foundry reach 120 degreesor more said Lotti.

In 2006 the USW Safetyand Health Department offi-cials came from Pittsburgh totry to get the company to re-establish the committee and lis-ten to workers’ concerns. Again

the company refused the offer.“We had no choice but to

inform the company that USWLocal 1028 would have theirown safety committee to pro-tect the health and safety of themembership,” Lotti said.

Union complaints finallyresulted in management mak-ing dust collector changes thatproved to be inadequate.

“Those changes made nodifference in air quality,” saidLotti.

In frustration the union’sonly recourse to protect its 120workers at the foundry was tofile formal complaints withMinnesota OSHA.

“Silica and lead are carcino-gens that have fatal documen-tation with the United Steel-workers and anywhere elsethey have been monitored,”said Lotti. “We’re not scientistsbut we know enough to resolveproblems before they’re fatal.”

Lotti said the poor air quali-ty is visible but it’s what youdon’t see that can end upkilling workers with the longterm effects.

“Unfortunately, OSHAfines are just operating expens-es to too many companies,” hesaid. “We hope they willimprove the work environmentfor our members but we won’tbe surprised if we don’t see anyreal changes.”

He said 38 years afterOSHA was established fineshave hardly increased andcompanies often have them cutin half by simply filing anappeal.

The foundry has until April29 to contest the citations orpay the fines.

ME Electmetal has beenvery profitable in recent years.In fact, mandatory overtimehas been an issue for over tenyears and was a leading issue inthe strike/lockout. The Garyfoundry makes wear parts forthe mining industry worldwidewith about 40 percent of pro-duction being for iron mining.In the recent past the plant alsoproduced on a contract forNASA track pads to moverockets and satellites to launch-ing pads.

Construction workers die from work-related illnesses and injury 8 to 12 years earlier than white-collar workers.

We’re working to change that as we...F i g h t F o r T h e L i v i n g !

Boilermakers Lodge 107 (262) 798-1267

Bricklayers Local 2(715) 392-8708 or (715) 835-5164

Carpenters Local 361 (218) 724-3297

Cement Masons, Plasterers & Shophands Local 633-- (218) 724-2323

Electrical Workers Local 14(715) 878-4068

Electrical Workers Local 242 (218) 728-6895

Insulators Local 49 (218) 724-3223

Iron Workers Local 512 (218) 724-5073

Laborers Local 1091(218) 728-5151

Millwrights & Machinery Erectors Local 1348-- (218) 741-6314

Operating Engineers Local 139 (715) 838-0139

Painters & Allied Trades Local 106(218) 724-6466

Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 11 (218) 727-2199

Roofers, Waterproofers Local 96 (218) 644-1096

Sheet Metal Workers Local 10 (218) 724-6873

Teamsters Local 346(218) 628-1034

Northern Wisconsin Building & Construction Trades CouncilPresident Norm Voorhees, Ironworkers Local 512, (218) 724-5073

Vice President Dan Westlund, Jr. Secretary-Treasurer Larry Anderson

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 7

It says a lot about some employers

when unions can only get a safety

committee through the collective

bargaining process. Their grieving

comes because of more paperwork and

hearings. Ours is for workers killed,

injured, or made sick by their jobs.

USW Local 1028Affiliated with:

ME Electmetal Lerch Bros. (Allouez)

Duluth Steel Fabricators Cutler-Magner (Salt)

Township of Duluth (Police)

This nation has a terrible history of death, injury and illness in the workplace.

All working Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Unions for their efforts

in making work safer and more bearable.

Tim Andrew ~ Aaron BranskyRepresenting Unions and their Members302 W. Superior St. Suite 300 Duluth, MN 55802 218-722-1764

Andrew &Bransky, PA

Colombia free trade pact effort in troubleBy Mark GruenbergPAI Staff Writer

Even though Bush’s contro-versial U.S.-Colombia “freetrade” agreement has beenstalled--at least for now—organized labor and its con-gressional allies are continuingtheir drive against it.

The latest salvo came April15 featuring AFL-CIOPresident John J. Sweeney,Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)and Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.) andseveral human rights groups.

But several speakers alsomade it clear that if a newadministration submits a rene-gotiated agreement with stronglabor protections, and ifColombian President AlvaroUribe halts the constant mur-ders of unionists by RightWing paramilitaries and prose-cutes past perpetrators, thattrade pact would get a morefavorable reception.

Those are two very big“ifs,” however.

The murders continue, at arate of one per week, and no

perpetrators have been broughtto justice, even though Colom-bia’s attorney general is turningup links between the Uribegovernment and the paramili-taries, and in some cases, U.S.-based multi-nationals.

Yet Bush, after only a per-functory phone call to Demo-cratic leaders, sent the U.S.-Colombia FTA to Congress inearly April. The pact itself hasweak labor rights, and theenabling legislation--which thewhole Congress votes on--hasnone at all. And Congresscan’t change either of them. Soinstead, House Speaker NancyPelosi (D-Calif.) engineered achange in the House rules forconsidering the ColombiaFTA, introducing an indefinitedelay--over the howls of theRepublicans and Bush--by a224-195 virtual party line vote.

“These issues are moralissues,” Brown stated. “TheColombia FTA has the samecoalition of opponents thatCAFTA had,” referring toBush’s Central American FreeTrade Agreement. They

include unions both in the U.S.and Latin America, civil rightsgroups, environmental groupsand groups representingindigenous peoples.

Hare rejected yet anotherproposed trade-off, floatingaround Capitol Hill: Passingthe Colombia FTA in return forother legislation workers want,such as more health care forpoor kids or more aid workerswho lose their jobs to subsi-dized imports.

Lisa Haugaard of the LatinAmerican Working Group said,“We went there to investigate955 cases. They have all beendeliberate killings...There were13 extra-legal killings ofunionists in January alone, andColombian human rightsgroups bravely and repeatedlydocumented the trend. Yet thegovernment continues todenounce the human rightsgroups and the victims’ fami-lies for ‘undercutting the mili-tary...Only when the soldierssee as plain as day that therewill be prosecutions will theabuses end,” she said.

Representing Railway Labor and their families for injuries on and off

the job for over a half century!

HUNEGS, LENEAVE & KVAS

Attorneys at Law900 Second Avenue South, Suite 1650

Minneapolis, MN 55402

612-339-4511 1-800-328-4340~Investigators~

Arnie Flagstad Superior, WI. 715-394-5876

Clyde Larson Duluth, MN

218-348-3091

Railroad WRailroad Workers...orkers...On Workers’ Memorial DayWe honor and remember our Brothers and Sisters in Rail Labor who have losttheir lives or suffered serious injuries.

They Shall Not Be Forgotten!

PAGE 8 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

WORKERS’MEMORIAL

DAYIn memory of the deceased members of the Duluth Federation of Teachers, Local 692

We have all benefited by theircontributions to the union,

to educationand to the community.

DuluthFederation of Teachers

Local 692

©2008

Remembering... Our Sisters & Brothers...

Members of

UNITE HERE! Local 99Hotels and Inns

Restaurants & Eateries

Pubs and Taverns

Radisson Duluth 505 W Superior St, Duluth, MN727-8981 Hibbing Park Hotel1402 E Howard St, Hibbing, MN262-3481The LodgeGiants Ridge, Biwabik, MN1-877-442-6877

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites 200 W 1st St, Duluth, MN722-1202Holiday Inn 1500 Highways 11 & 71, International Falls, MN283-8000

Pickwick508 E Superior St727-8901Grandma’s in the Park Hibbing Park Hotel1-800--262-3481Porter’s207 W Superior St727-6746

Greenery207 W Superior St727-3387U.W.S. CafeteriaUW-Superior Campus394-8102Top of the Harbor505 W Superior St727-8981

TimbersGiants Ridge Biwabik1-877-442-6877Riverfront Bar &

GrillHoliday Inn International Falls1-218-283-4451

All American Club1931 W Michigan St727-9419Blue Crab1909 W Superior St727-9956City of Ranier Municipal-Ranier, MN286-3343Fifth Avenue Lounge505 W Superior St727-8981Kom-On-Inn332 N 57th Ave W624-3385Moose Lodge #1259Moose Bldg-Int’l Falls283-3615

North Pole Bar5606 Raleigh St624-9841O’Gilby’s Bar511 E Fourth St722-9139Reef Bar2002 London Rd724-9845Rustic Bar401 N Central Ave624-7463Sneaker’s Bar207 W Superior St727-7494T-Bonz Bar2531 W Superior St727-9582

Hanson's Outpost Hwy 53 & 18 St SInt’l Falls-283-9200Twins Bar501 E 4th St727-3871Viking Bar & Lounge412 3rd St-Int’l Falls283-4000V.F.W. Post #2948 236 3rd St-Int’l Falls283-8777

Note: If town is not listed,

establishment is in Duluth

We Thank You For Your Patronage!LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 9

Our Best Interests Are Best Protected By Safe Worksites

Training Is The Key To SafetyTwin Ports-Arrowhead Chapter of the

NATIONAL ELECTRICALCONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION

APi ElectricHibbing, MN

APi ElectricDuluth, MN

APi TechnologiesDuluth, MN

Agate ElectricTwo Harbors, MN

Alarm & Technolo-gy Systems, LLC

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Belknap ElectricSuperior, WI

Belknap Tel-ComSuperior, WI

Benson ElectricSuperior, WI

Benson ElectricVirginia MN

Bergstrom ElectricSuperior, WI

DECO, IncBaxter, MN

Duluth Electrical Contracting Inc.

Duluth, MN

Electric SystemsDuluth, MN

Electrical SystemsBrainerd, MN

Energy & Air Systems Superior, WI

Great Lakes EnergyDuluth, MN

Hart ElectricHibbing, MN

Hoffmann ElectricBrainerd, MN

Holden ElectricBaxter, MN

Johanson ElectricCloquet, MN

Kantor ElectricInternational Falls, MN

Laveau ElectricWrenshall, MN

M. J. ElectricIron Mountain, MI

North Country Electrical Services

Laporte, MN

Nylund ElectricDuluth, MN

Polyphase ElectricDuluth, MN

Seppala ElectricHibbing, MN

Service ElectricSuperior, WI

Various unions have taken turns every day this month tocontinue labor’s presence at the door to Valentini’s restau-rant on London Road. Carol Valentini had stated she wouldabsolutely build union but much of the project was non-union. “When will they think just one union contractor isplenty on a project,” asks Mike Syversrud, right, rep forCement Mason, Plasterers, and Shophands Local 633 alongwith Chris Wrazidlo, left, and John Burchfiel. Unions arediscussing many new tactics to inform the public asValentini’s prepares for the tourist season. The ad belowlists unionized restaurants, bars and hotels to patronize.

In the U.S. in 2003, 1,126 construction workers died on the job,far outdistancing the transportation/warehousing industry,which was second with 805 fatalities. In Minnesota that year therewere a total of 72 work fatalities with 10 of them in construction. Every one of our members knows how dangerous their job is andexpects their union to do all it can to make their jobs safer. It's the most important thing we can do for their families.

Safe working conditions are our chief concern.

In Memory Of Our Fallen Brothers And Sisters

Carpenters Local 361Hermantown, Minnesota

Increasing workplace safetywill improve all of our lives

ZENITH ADMINISTRATORS, INC.2520 Pilot Knob Road, Suite 325

Mendota Heights, MN 55120651-256-1900

750 Torrey BuildingDuluth, MN 55802

218-727-6668

DECC expansion (read “hockey facility”) makes TPaw’s bonding billThe third time was the

charm for state funding of theexpansion of the Duluth Enter-tainment Convention Center(DECC) as it made it past Gov.Tim Pawlenty’s line-item vetopen, which cut out $208 mil-lion in projects, and into the$717 million final bonding bill.

The DECC project was alive inthe 2006 legislative sessionuntil the final hours, in 2007 itwas in the final bill that wasvetoed by Pawlenty.

“It seems longer than that,”DECC Director Dan Russellsaid at an April 7 press confer-ence with many Building

Trades reps in attendance. Hesaid it took the MinnesotaTwins 11 years to get fundingfor their stadium.

The state will fund $38 mil-lion of the $78 million project,which overwhelmingly passeda voter referendum in 2006.Russell said construction willbegin in September.

“We have a good relation-ship with the Trades and wealways use Project LaborAgreements,” Russell said.“We know the legislature hadthat in mind when they madethe decision for the project.”

Craig Olson, President ofthe Duluth Building &Construction Trades Council,said 300 full-time constructionjobs are expected at the DECC.

“This will have a great eco-nomic impact in the communi-ty,” said Olson. “Bonding billsare jobs’ bill. The DECCexpansion will be good for ourmembers and their wages willcirculate many times through-out the community.”

The expansion is a hockeyfacility that is on track to be thefirst Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design in theworld. Russell said it will use50 percent less energy than atypical facility and he’d be dis-appointed if engineering stu-dents didn’t use it like a labora-tory and inspect it.

“We’ll have the secondnicest hockey facility in thecountry,” Russell said, “noth-ing can match Englestad.”That’s where the University ofNorth Dakota plays, a facilityprivately funded by RalphE n g l e s t a d(www.theralph.com). ScottSandelin, UMD’s men’s hock-ey coach and other members ofthe department, were veryinterested attendees at theDECC press conference.

Russell expects the expan-sion to make the DECC a muchbigger draw for events. It willbe able to seat 6800 people forhockey, 9,000 for concerts. AnNCAA Final Four could be inthe works. The last time it wasin Duluth was 1981 whenWisconsin won the nationaltitle 6-3 over Minnesota.Wisconsin Athletic DirectorElroy “Crazy Legs” Hirschdanced on top of an RV in ahastily closed off Superior

Street between second andthird avenues west, as policeallowed Badgermania to reign.

The expansion will be anew building so the rest of theDECC will be able to be usedduring construction. St. Cloudand Bemidji also receivedfunding for hockey facilities inthe bill.

UMD will get another bigshot in the arm from the bond-ing bill with $10 million for theSwenson College of Scienceand Engineering building. Nextyear a bachelor of sciencedegree in civil engineering willbe offered there for the firsttime.

Lake Superior college got$11 million but not it’s requestfor a health science addition.

Senator Yvonne PrettnerSolon said, “I’m pleased theGovernor didn’t veto the entirebill,” as some had feared andwas glad the DECC and otherlocal projects got passed.Enthusiasm was dampened bythe line item losses, however,including light rail.

One project -- the CentralCorridor light rail line linkingdowntown Minneapolis and St.Paul -- totaled $70 million ofthe $208 million in line-itemvetoes and had the Twin Citieslabor movement up in arms.

For a listing of locations visit www.thriftywhite.comPinetree Plaza

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Your local White Drug Pharmacy is more reliablethan mail order. We are always available to answeryour questions face to face with a local pharmacist.

PAGE 10 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

Unions have fought hard for years to improve working conditions for all American workers.

Our efforts have resulted in hugeimprovements in safety sinceOSHA became law in 1970. Still,nearly 6,000 U.S. workers a yearare killed on the job, and everyyear attempts are made to gutMinnesota and federal OSHA toimprove companies’ profit margins.

Mourn for the Deadbut continue to

Fight for the Living!SHEET METAL WORKERS LOCAL 10

It was a great day for many at the DECC April 7th, includ-ing members of the Duluth Building & Construction TradesCouncil. Director Dan Russell, second from right, held apress conference to announce the DECC expansion hadsurvived Gov. Pawlenty’s line-item veto of the bonding bill.

4781 Miller Trunk Hwy., Duluth, MN

KOLARAUTOMOTIVE GROUP

When Others Won’t...KOLAR Will

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Labor will miss retiring Wisconsin Rep. Frank Boyle Wisconsin State Represen-

tative Frank Boyle announcedApril 4th that he will not seekre-election in the fall.

“It has been a tremendousrun and I have enjoyed itimmensely,” Boyle said. “Butthe time has come for me toretire and enjoy each and everyday with my family.”

Boyle, 63, lives in the Townof Summit outside Superior.He was elected to representDistrict 73, which is comprisedof Douglas and Burnett coun-ties, and part of Washburncounty, in the State Assemblyin 1986. For 22 years he has

taken principled positions oncontroversial issues that haveoffended some folks, but he haswithstood every challenge tore-election. Medical marijuanaand death with dignity are notissues easily sold to voters, butBoyle always champions thosewho need help. He cares aboutwhat is happening in the worldtoday and he worries about theworld we are going to hand offto future generations. Thatmakes him a strong environ-mentalist, which was also atough sell when he first gotinvolved. Yet he also was themainstream guy who created

Superior Days, a great lobby-ing effort for the region inMadison.

Boyle is a 1967 graduate ofUW-Superior and did graduatework there and at UW-Madison for four more years.He worked the State Capitollike an educated blue collarguy, which earned him therespect of his colleagues.

He’s blue collar all right, asa 35-year dues-paying memberof the Laborers’ Union, first inSuperior’s Local 1050, andthen Local 1091, when the twomerged. Boyle has been out-spoken in his support of work-

ing families. “In his 22 years in the

Assembly Frank was alwayspro-labor and always a depend-able person,” said Jim Mattson,an AFSCME Council 40 repre-sentative, long time presidentof the Superior Federation ofLabor, and currently its vicepresident and legislative chair.“You never have to worryabout Frank wavering in hiscommitment on labor issues orour agenda. There was neverany question about his loyaltyto labor, and he is a very goodperson. Frank will be sorelymissed by all of us.”

Dan Olson, Business Man-ager of Laborers Local 1091and a Superior native, agreedthat Boyle will be missed.

“As a retired Laborer Frankalways understood our con-struction concerns in northernWisconsin and treated themwith a passion that I have neverseen before.”

Boyle has a 97 percent life-time voting record with theWisconsin State AFL-CIOthrough 2006. That’s hard to dowith the many divergent opin-ions to be found in labor’sbroad agenda.

When the Duluth AirportAuthority fired five long timeHERE Local 99 employees atthe coffee and gift shops in thefall of 2003, Rep. Frank Boylewas there on a Saturday morn-ing to support their first laborrally.

“It’s criminal what they’lldo to the lowest wage work-ers,” Boyle said that day as hecarried a picket sign and hand-ed out leaflets to the flying

public. “I hope the city councilwill do what’s right by theseworkers. I use this airport a lotand they’ve been friends ofmine for 15 years. That’s whyI’m here.”

And that’s why labor willmiss an elected official likeRep. Frank Boyle.

We value our workers’ safety morethan the excellent quality of their work

Thanks For Working Safely!LAKEHEADCONSTRUCTORS INC.

Twin PortsTwin Cities

Virginia, Minnesota

92 Years of Service! 1916 - 2008

General Contractors, Engineers and Equipment Rental Specialists

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 11

The Holidays are about tradition.Fighting for your rights is ours.

-Paul Schweiger, Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice AttorneyManaging Partner, Duluth office of Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey

218-722-6848

For over 50 years, our

attorneys have worked

together to fight for lost

wages and fair compensation

for injured Minnesotans.

After all, we know that

nothing is more important

than knowing your rights…

and fighting for them.

• Free Consultation

• No recovery/No Fee

Duluth Technology Village

11 East Superior Street

Duluth, MN 55802

www.knowyourrights.com

Auto Accidents Medical Malpractice Workers’ Compensation Wrongful Death

Duluth • Minneapolis • Fairfax • Lakeville

Like Unions, we have a proud tradition of fighting for the rights of injured workers and their families.

~Paul Schweiger, Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice AttorneyManaging Partner, Duluth office of Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey

Rep. Frank Boyle joined therally at the Duluth Airport in2003 on behalf of five firedmembers of HERE Local 99.

Clinton getsCement Masons

Hillary Clinton added theOperative Plasterers and Ce-ment Masons International toher long list of union endorse-ments for president April 16.The labor union representsabout 45,000 plasterers andcement masons in the con-struction industry in NorthAmerica.

Al Franken continues to pick up labor endorsements, now MN AFL-CIOThe Minnesota AFL-CIO

General Board on April 3rdvoted to endorse Democrat AlFranken for U.S. Senate. Theendorsement means that more

State Rep. David Dill is endorsed by:

Iron Range Building & Construction Trades

Duluth Building & Construction Trades

Iron Range Labor Assembly - MN AFL-CIO

U.S. Steelworkers of America, District 11

Paid for by David Dill for 6A Committee; JoAnne Pagel, Treasurer, P.O. Box 293, Orr, MN 55771

4 Duluth Building and Construction Trades4 Iron Range Building and Construction Trades 4 Iron Range Labor Assembly 4 USWA District 114 Minnesota Association of Professional Employees 4 Minnesota Farmers Union - PAC

4 DFL House Caucus Endorsed 4 Associated Contract Loggers and Truckers 4 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 633 4 Minnesota School Board Association "House Legislator of Year 2004"

Paid for by the David Dill for 6A Committee, Terrie Hoff, Treasurer, P.O. Box 293, Orr, MN 55771

Unions have worked hard to improve jobsite safety. As we’ve found out the hard way, politicians are able to

legislate it away. Know who it is that you’re voting for!

from your friends in the 19 affiliates of the

Iron Range Building & Trades Council

Contact us - we can direct you to high quality contractors who use highly skilled, area workers.

President John Grahek, 1-218-741-2482 Recording Secretary Dennis Marchetti

Financial-Secretary Michael Syversrud, 107 S. 15th Ave. W., Virginia, MN. 55792

than 300,000 AFL-CIO unionmembers across the state willwork to support Franken’selection to the U.S. Senate seatonce held by Paul Wellstone,

but currently occupied byRepublican Norm Coleman.

Minnesota AFL-CIO Presi-dent Ray Waldron said theboard interviewed both

Franken and his DFL oppo-nent, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer,before voting on the endorse-ment. Coleman did not respondto an invitation to meet with theboard.

In his remarks to theGeneral Board, Franken said,“It is not enough for GeorgeBush to go; his enablers mustgo to. We’ve got to defeatNorm Coleman.”

“Al Franken is a high-pro-file guy—and he’s also a unionmember who knows how tofocus pubic attention on the

issues that working people arestruggling with,” said SteveHunter, Minnesota AFL-CIOsecretary-treasurer. He addedthat Franken has spent over ayear criss-crossing the state,standing up for candidates forstate and local office—and lis-tening to voters’ concerns.

“Al is listening to workingMinnesotans and he shares ourgoals, including an economythat works for all, a world-classeducation for our kids, andhealth care for all.”

I r o nW o r k e r sLocal 512

Hermantown, MN.

To our Brothers of Iron Workers Local 512,whose deaths occurred while on the job

IN MEMORIAM.. .

Winston Churchill, White Pine, MI Leo Podvin, U.S.Steel, Duluth WorksOrlen Rehbein, Ironwood, MIHank Shields, White Pine, MI Leroy LeClaire, Cooley (MN) TaconiteRon Wiski, Silver Bay, MNBob Weideman, Blatnik Bridge, DuluthReino Hendrickson, Eveleth TaconiteGuy Axtell, Grand Rapids, MN, BlandinKenneth Maki, Hibbing, MNJoe Parendo, Hibbing, MNLen Pistilli, Mt. Iron, MNJohn Puttonen, Hoyt Lakes, MNJohnny Carlson, Soo LocksCharles Sarasin, Quinnisec, MIJohn Casper, Aurora, MNDarryl Roe, Duluth, MNJohn Zager, Duluth, MNRoy Salo, Grand Rapids, MNRobin Sutter, Minneapolis, MNArne Fliginger, Minneapolis, MNMike Rathjen, Two Harbors, MNRobert Wilkens, St. Louis Park, MN

PAGE 12 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

In Memory...Of our departed members,

who have died as a result of work-related accidents, injuries or illnesses.

. . . In Their Honor This Workers’ Memorial Day

Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 11

In Remembrance of Our Fallen

Brothers & Sisters

Carlton County CentralLabor Body, AFL-CIO

Dan Olson, Warren Bender win in SuperiorDan Olson and Warren

Bender, two union membersendorsed by the SuperiorFederation of Labor, won theircity council races againstincumbents on April 1. Bothwere first time candidates.

Olson, Business Manager ofLaborers Local 1091, won inSouth Superior’s District 1with 60 percent of the vote overTom Quick, an SMDC man-agement employee. The votecount was 255 to 169.

“I had a lot of people help-ing me hand out literature doorto door and talking with the

people at home and business-es,” Olson, who was born andraised in District 1 said. “Itmade a big difference gettingout and talking to the residents.I found they had a lot of thesame concerns that made medecide to run for council.”

Like Olson, Bender wasalso well know in his centralSuperior Third District. Hechairs the Douglas CountyDemocrats. He needed everyvote he received among the352 cast, winning by only eightvotes, 180 to 172, over threeterm incumbent Kevin Norbie,a member of AFSCME Local2829 at the Duluth Air Base.

Bender, a vice president ofthe Duluth Federation ofTeachers, will retire fromteaching this year.

Change is a theme of allelections this year andSuperior’s results proved itmay be more than just a catchphrase. In District 9 incumbentDennis Dalbec was runningunopposed only two weeks toelection day. Mick MacKenzieapparently went to MayorDave Ross, a tried and trueRepublican, with a concern andwas told if he had a problemwith the way things were beingrun he should run for office.With the filing deadline longpast MacKenzie did just that.He ran a write-in campaign anddefeated Dalbec 259 to 161.

Bob Finsland, a retired

Superior teacher and long timelabor activist, was easily re-elected to his 7th District seat.

In Douglas County Board ofSupervisor’s races CarolJohnson in District 26 was theonly SFL endorsed candidateto win as she retained her seatwith 63 percent of the vote.

Gil Davidson was SFLendorsed but was defeated byincumbent Lew Martin, a long-time Democratic activist, 71 to33 in Superior’s District 8.

SFL endorsee Jim Painewas defeated by incumbent JimO’Brien, a 50-year union man,87 to 79 in District 14.

SFL endorsed Mary LouBergman lost to incumbentGeorge Graven in District 28.

Retired Boilermaker BobBrowne won re-election easilyin District 2, as did JeffIsackson, a member ofLaborer’s 091, in District 4.

Three unopposed candi-dates running for the SuperiorBoard of Education, PatrickDorin, Mary Klun, and JohnHendricks, were endorsed.

Wisconsin voters voted tolimit a governor’s veto powersin statewide balloting duringDemocratic Gov. Jim Doyle’sadministration.

In a heated Supreme Courtcampaign Wisconsin StateAFL-CIO-endorsed incumbentLouis Butler was defeated byMike Gableman in an extreme-ly close race.

International Association of Heat& Frost Insulatorsand Allied Workers

Local 49Duluth, MNChartered 1937

In Memory...Of our manymembers who

have died because oftheir jobs

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 13

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY•APRIL 28 AFL-CIOGOOD JOBS I SAFE JOBS

WWorkerorkers Memorial Das Memorial DayyApril 28,April 28, 20072007

MinnesotaMinnesotaAFL-CIOAFL-CIO

5,702 killed by job injuries in 2005

50,000 workers die each year from occupational diseases

Hispanic worker job deaths at all-time high

Coal mine deaths doubled in 2006

9 million health care workers face pandemic flu threat

8.5 million public employees have no OSHA protection

WWorkerorkers Memorial Das Memorial DayyApril 28,April 28, 20082008

Thank You! ...to everyone who makessafety their top priority.

Proud to be a union contractorLAKEHEAD Painting Co.“Serving the upper midwest since 1965!”FREE ESTIMATES! Superior, Wisconsin (715) 394-5799

Workers’ comp benefits, costs have droppedU.S. workers’ compensation

payments for medical care andcash benefits for workers dis-abled by workplace injuries ordiseases declined in 2005 (themost recent year with data),according to the latest study bythe National Academy of So-cial Insurance. The dropreflects large declines inCalifornia, as reforms enactedin 2003 and 2004 took effect.

Nationally, workers’ comp

payments for injured workersfell by 1.4 percent to $55.3 bil-lion in 2005. The paymentsinclude $26.2 billion toproviders of medical care and$29.1 billion in cash wagereplacement benefits forinjured workers.

In 2005, employers paid atotal of $88.8 billion nation-wide for workers’ compensa-tion. A sharp drop in Californiaemployers’ costs (of 9.8%)

held down the national increasein employer costs to 2.3%.Outside California, employercosts for workers’ compensa-tion rose 6.5%.

Relative to wages, cash ben-efits in 2005 were the lowest in17 years ($0.56 per $100 ofwages). Nationally, total bene-fits (cash plus medical) andemployer costs fell relative towages in 2005. Cash and med-ical benefits combined were$1.06 per $100 of coveredwages in 2005, a drop of $0.07from 2004, while employercosts were $1.70 per $100 ofwages in 2005, down $0.05from 2004.

Minnesota’s cost per $100of wages went from 96 cents in2001 to 89 cents in 2005.

Wisconsin went from $1.13per $100 in 2001 to $1.27 in2005

Germany firstcomp law 1884

Germany enacted the firstmodern workers’ compensa-tion laws, known as Sicknessand Accident Laws, in 1884,following their introduction byChancellor Otto von Bismarck.

England came next in 1897.Workers’ compensation was

the first form of social insur-ance in the U.S. when it wasenacted into law in 1908 tocover certain federal civilianworkers. The first state lawswere passed in 1911. Today all50 states and the District ofColumbia have workers’ com-pensation programs. A separateprogram covers federal civilianemployees.

Other federal programs pro-vide benefits to coal minerswith black lung disease, long-shoremen and harbor workers,employees of overseas contrac-tors with the U.S. government,certain energy employeesexposed to hazardous material,workers engaged in the manu-facture of atomic bombs, andveterans injured while onactive duty in the armed forces.

INTERSTATESPUR

2700 W. Michigan St.GAS - DIESELGROCERIES

You’ll really like our car wash!

PAGE 14 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

John E. SomersUtility LinemanJune 11, 1971

Kenneth L. MeintsSr. Elect - Maint. & Construction

January 14, 1972

Teddy E. BurgraffUtility Maintenance & Repairman

April 13, 1979

Joseph W. StattelmanUtility LinemanAugust 13, 1981

Jeff RoweUtility LinemanOctober 1, 1990

Roger WhitesideUtility LinemanOctober 1, 1990

Kenneth W. GravesCable Splicer

September 19, 1997

Leslie R. BeachLinestakerJuly 4, 1999

Kerry RoeSappi Maintenance Electrician

November 11, 2003

Donald KingUtility Lineman

April 1, 1954

Robert HinkleyUtility Lineman

November 12, 1959

Tom BrownInside WiremanAugust 13, l963

Howard BluhmHead Utility Lineman

October 14, 1964

Charles A. EricksonMaintenance & Construction

February 9, 1965

Roy PaulsonConstruction Lineman

August 20, 1965

Lowell KramerUtility Lineman

November 25, 1968

Harlan W. LehtoMaintenance & Construction

June 19, 1970

Kenneth HamrenUtility Electrician

May 19, 1971

Francis LightnerHydro-Electric Operator

February 16, 1940

Louis SaelensMaintenance & Construction Laborer

March 31, 1943

Fred GrienerUtility Lineman

June, 1943

Roy MartiniUtility Lineman April 16, 1947

Walter S. JohnsonUtility Operator

December 20, 1948

George E. DionUtility Lineman

June 28, 1950

Richard J. AdamsonUtility Lineman

April 5, 1951

Toivo SillanpaaUtility Lineman

April 15, 1953

Dewey R. HarmonMaintenance & Construction Helper

September l8, 1953

Teamsters call for boycott of Phillips liquors, Gallo, KarkovBy Michael Moore

St. Paul Union Advocate editorTruck drivers and ware-

house workers at JohnsonBrothers Liquor Company’sfacility in St. Paul have been onstrike since St. Patrick’s Day.The 700 Teamsters are askingsupporters who drink Phillipsliquors, Gallo wines or KarkovVodka to boycott those labelsuntil the dispute is settled.

Teamsters Local 792’s con-tract with Johnson Brothersexpired Feb. 28, and LarryYoswa, principal officer of thelocal, said negotiations quicklybroke down in March, whenmanagement unilaterally gaveraises to supplemental employ-ees. “We were at the table, butwe weren’t even talking eco-

nomics yet,” Yoswa said.“Management was trying tosplit the group.”

In response, Local 792 fileda complaint of unfair laborpractices with the NationalLabor Relations Board. Nego-tiations resumed, but it becameapparent Johnson Brothers hadno interest in a new contract.

“They weren’t puttingoffers on the table,” Yoswasaid. “They weren’t bargainingin good faith.”

Union members walked offthe job at 4 a.m. March 17, anddeclared a statewide boycott ofthe brands distributed exclu-sively by Johnson Brothers:Phillips, Gallo and Karkov.

Johnson Brothers, a nationaldistribution firm headquartered

in St. Paul, hired replacementworkers and has placed adver-tisements seeking permanentreplacements – a move thatprompted a second NLRBcomplaint from Local 792.

“We feel this is an unfair-labor-practices strike, and it’sillegal for the company to hirepermanent replacements,”Yoswa said. “What we’re hear-ing from the inside is the owneris saying the union isn’t com-ing back. He’s going to try tobreak them. That’s why he’sput out an ad for permanentreplacements.”

Teamsters believe tempo-rary replacements were “fast-tracked” into jobs. If manage-ment bypassed drug screen-ings, background checks and

physical exams in hiring,Johnson Brothers is putting thepublic’s safety and security atrisk.

“Our members take theirjobs seriously and conform tosafety requirements that keepthe workplace and the publicsafe,” Yoswa said. “NowJohnson Brothers is taking arisk by disregarding provensafety standards and sendinguntested drivers out...”

Teamsters are using “rovingpickets” to spread the pain ofthe strike from JohnsonBrothers to its clients. Strikersfollow replacement drivers’trucks and erect picket lineswherever they try to unload.

“The beer (delivery) guys,the pop guys – those are all(Local) 792 members,” Yoswasaid. “They’ll go right by. Theywon’t cross those picket lines.”

Yoswa estimated JohnsonBrothers is making about 35percent of its regular deliveries– and losing accounts.

WW hen you a r e c on s i d e r i ngwhe r e you r f i na l r e s t i ng

p la c e w i l l b e , wou l dn ’ t i tg i v e you c omfo r t t o know

i t was i n a Union Ceme t e ry?

Teamsters Local 346 representsworkers at

Calvary and

Oneotacemeteries

NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR

YOUR FAMILY!

TEAMSTERSTEAMSTERS

LLOCOCALAL 346346LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 15

We honor those who have died in the workplace as we continue

to fight for workers’ safety.

AFFILIATED LOCAL UNIONS

Local 90 Claudia Pettit, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 120 Brad Slawson, Sr., Secretary-Treasurer

Local 160 Wayne Perleberg, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 238 Gary Dunham, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 289 Dan Bartholomew, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 320 Sue Mauren, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 346 Pat Radzak, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 421 Dave Baker, President

Local 471 Dave Laxen, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 638 Mark Rime, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 749 Randy Knudtson, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 792 Larry Yoswa, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 970 Dan Fortier, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 974 Tom Tweet, Secretary-Treasurer

Local 1145 Brad Slawson, Sr., Trustee

Teamsters Joint Council 32Minnesota • Iowa

North and South Dakota

EXECUTIVE BOARD

DANIEL L. FORTIERPresident

SUSAN E. MAURENSecretary-Treasurer

PATRICK M. RADZAKVice President

MARK C. RIMERecording Secretary

DANIEL BARTHOLOMEWTrustee

LAWRENCE YOSWATrustee

BRADLEY SLAWSON, SR.Trustee

All year longUnions fight for

safer jobs andworkplaces.

On Workers’Memorial Day

we understandwhy we do that.

~~~AFSCMELocal 3801

UMD Clerical &

Technical Employees

April 15, tax day, is more gifts for the richBy Holly SklarWhen it comes to cutting

taxes for the wealthy, PresidentBush can truly say, “Missionaccomplished.”

The richest 1 percent ofAmericans received about$491 billion in tax breaksbetween 2001 and 2008. That’snearly the same amount as U.S.debt held by China -- $493 bil-lion -- in the form of Treasurysecurities.

Do you want our govern-ment to mortgage more of ournation’s future to finance taxbreaks for the rich?

Tax cuts have alreadyhelped the richest 1 percent --whose annual incomes averageabout $1.5 million -- increasetheir share of the nation’sincome to a higher level thanany year since 1928 on the eveof the Great Depression.

Wall Street’s five biggestfirms paid “a record $39 billionin bonuses for 2007, a yearwhen three of the companiessuffered the worst quarterlylosses in their history” and areeliminating thousands of jobsas losses mount from the sub-prime mortgage market col-lapse, reports Bloomberg.

The International MonetaryFund says the United States isin the worst financial crisissince the Great Depression.Yet, we are borrowing moneywith interest to finance tax cutsfor Wall Street executives.

For Americans below thetop 1 percent, the tax cuts havebeen a giant swindle. The bot-tom 99 percent of taxpayerswere left with a bill of $3.74 indebt for every $1 in federal taxcuts from 2001 to 2006, reportsCitizens for Tax Justice. Onlythe top 1 percent came outahead.

Meanwhile, the federal

budgets for environmental pro-tection and housing for the eld-erly have been slashed morethan 20 percent since 2001,adjusted for inflation, theCommunity DevelopmentBlock Grant budget is down 32percent, and the lack of healthinsurance is an epidemic.

Most households aren’teven earning as much as theydid in 1999, adjusting for infla-tion. But the 400 taxpayerswith the highest incomes dou-bled their incomes between2002 and 2005.

According to the latest IRSdata, which excludes tax-exempt interest income fromstate and local governmentbonds, the richest 400 taxpay-ers reported an average $214million each on their federalincome tax returns in 2005 --up from $104 million in 2002.

As the Wall Street Journalobserved, “It’s also importantto remember that these figuresdon’t represent wealth or evenlifetime earnings -- merelyincome for a single year.”

Thanks to tax cuts, it’s nowcommon for the nation’s rich-est bosses to pay taxes at alower rate than workers. The400 richest taxpayers paid only18 percent of their income infederal individual income taxesin 2005 --- down from 30 per-cent in 1995.

“The drop in effective taxrates for the top 400 filers,” theCenter on Budget and PolicyPriorities reports, “worked outto a tax reduction of $25 mil-lion per filer in 2005.” It wouldtake 673 average workers earn-ing $37,149 a year to reach $25million today.

While tax cuts help thesuperrich compete over whohas the biggest submarine-car-rying superyacht, Katrina sur-

vivors are being hit with fore-closures, and neglected leveesand bridges around the countryare a disaster waiting to hap-pen.

Most of the provisions ofthe 2001 and 2003 tax cuts arescheduled to expire at the endof 2010. President Bush wantsto make them permanent.

The richest 1 percent ofhouseholds would receivenearly $1.2 trillion in tax cutsfrom 2009 through 2018,reports the Center on Budgetand Policy Priorities.

How much is $1.2 trillion?More than all the debt accumu-lated in the nearly 200 yearsfrom George Washingtonthrough Ronald Reagan’s firsttwo years in office. That’sbefore adding interest pay-ments on the borrowed $1.2trillion.

Tax cuts for the wealthy fuelrising inequality along with ris-ing debt and neglect. Taxpayerswith annual incomes above $1million in fiscal year 2012, forexample, would increase theirafter-tax income by 7.5 percentthanks to an average tax cut of$162,000. The poorest 20 per-cent of taxpayers would get anaverage tax cut of $45 -- anddecaying public services.

Democratic presidentialcandidates Hillary Clinton andBarack Obama promise to endthe tax breaks for the wealthy.Republican candidate JohnMcCain wants to extend them.What do you want?

Holly Sklar is co-author of“Raise the Floor: Wages andPolicies That Work for All ofUs” and “A Just MinimumWage: Good for Workers,Business and Our Future.”

She can be reached athsklar@aol.com.Copyright 2008 Holly Sklar

PAGE 16 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

We never believed we'd have to be so vigilant about safe-ty in academic environments. As society changes it

forces all of us to reassess our beliefs and practices. At the endof the day we want to believe we've done a good job of preparingour students for a better tomorrow, for as the cycle continues, thatis precisely what they will be doing in the future.

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

-DULUTH

Labor Day Greetings

Training for unions and workersLabor Studies Certificate programAward-winning video productionMinnesota at Work cable TV showWorkday Minnesota website

University of MinnesotaLabor Education Service

Call 612-624-5020 for more information

“The state is our campus”

We train the trainers in safety and many other workers’ issues University of MinnesotaLabor Education Service

www.les.csom.umn.edu“The state is our campus!”

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Protecting our Membersand All Workers

United Steelworkers District #112929 University Avenue SE, Suite #150

Minneapolis, MN 55414

WORKER’S MEMORIAL DAYAPRIL 28, 2008

Prosperous Wisconsin: Fighting for a tax system that is fair to allby Phil NeuenfeldtSecretary-Treasurer Wisconsin State AFL-CIOWisconsin has many tradi-

tions that we enjoy—tailgateparties, Labor Day parades,community festivals and fishfries. But there’s a new tradi-tion that we don’t enjoy at all:the state budget debates thatask which public services tocut and by how much.

It’s a lose-lose political bat-tle that pits senior citizensagainst kindergarten pupils,working people against theunemployed, technical collegestudents against small businessowners. In the end, we all losebecause a strong economyrequires quality public struc-tures and a skilled workforce.

Local governments—cities,towns, villages, counties,school districts—get lessmoney from the state everyyear (in inflation-adjusted dol-lars) while the cost of maintain-ing roads, operating schoolsand ensuring public safety goesup. Take this winter for exam-ple—a real winter with lots ofsnow removal costs that haveunexpectedly drained manylocal budgets. Yet, the potholes

now need filling, the trucksneed maintenance, the workersneed to be paid—and fuel costsare rising faster than expected.Some legislators respond witha family budget analogy—if ahousehold is short of money,they don’t go shopping. But theservices, education and protec-tion that people rely on fromtheir state and local govern-ments are not optional like ashopping spree. Even familiesdon’t choose to cut off food fortheir kids—they look for waysto bring in more money.

And that’s what the stateshould be doing, too. A big rea-son Wisconsin is in a financialpinch is that our revenue col-lection system is out of date.Our tax system was designedfor an economy of small farmsand locally-based factories.Today, our economy is domi-nated by multi-state, multi-national corporations that makemore money than we can imag-ine.

Fortunately, some stateleaders are looking to modern-ize how the state collects rev-enue, which will make the taxsystem fairer to working fami-lies.

They are looking at closingtax loopholes that hide corpo-rate profits. Over 60% of thelargest corporations in the statepay no income tax—ZERO.They employ armies of shrewdlawyers and accountants wholook for ways to minimizecosts and maximize profits,like moving Wisconsin profitsto their subsidiaries in the tax-free states of Nevada andDelaware. At the same time,they attack Wisconsin as a taxhell. It’s a tax heaven forthem! But the system is unfairto working families. It isunfair to smaller businessesthat can’t take advantage ofelaborate corporate tax loop-holes.

If corporate giants wouldjust pay their fair share, ourstate would collect an addition-al half a billion dollars! Thestate could send more aid tolocal communities for educa-tion, police and fire protection,snow removal and other vitalservices which will relieve theburden on the property tax.

Big corporations and theirpolitical allies use scare tacticsto confuse this issue. They pre-tend that business is overtaxed

and threaten to leave the stateand take jobs with them if wereform our tax system. Howcan they justify paying ZEROin corporate income taxeswhen they, too, benefit fromour highways, courts, parks,schools, transit, police and fireprotection, waste disposal,snow removal, and muchmore? Firms such asMicrosoft, McDonalds, Searsand the drug company Merckthat pay nothing now won’tstop selling their products inWisconsin if we collect fair

taxes on their sales. So what’s a citizen to do?

Tell your elected officials thatyou want this new tradition ofcutting basic public services toend. Tell them that the publicdeserves to know who is andisn’t paying corporate taxes sowe can pinpoint the abusersand close the loopholes.

It’s time to rebuild an old,valued Wisconsin tradition thatinvests in communities andrewards work, while being fairto all.

We Remember with Sorrow and Pride on

Workers’ Memorial DayOur City of Duluth

Employees who have Diedin the Line of Duty.

Mayor Don Nessand City Councilors

Roger Reinert, PresidentGarry Krause, Greg Gilbert, Jim Stauber, Sharla Gardner,Jeff Anderson, Todd Fedora,

Tony Cuneo, Jay Fosle

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 17

Celebrating 26 Years of Supporting Labor,

and CooperativeLabor/Management Safety Committees

Executive Director Tony Orman, tonyorman@lsalma.orgVisit us at www.LSALMA.org

LSALMA supports the safety of all workersthrough Labor Management Safety Committees.

We send our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones to workplace accidents.

Todd Erickson, Unite Here Local 99Marianne Bohren, WLSSDSteve Gilbertson, UFCW Local 1116Bob Hartl, College of St. ScholasticaYvonne Harvey, Duluth AFL-CIO

Central Labor BodyBob Finsland, Superior City CouncilShelly Robinson, The Range CenterMark Glazier, IBEW Local 31Jim Mattson, AFSCME Council 40Mark Pendleton, ME Global

Paul Graden, AFSCME Local 244John Galo, ALLETE/ Minnesota PowerPeg Sweeney, St. Louis County

Commissioner, District 5 Jerry Zanko, SMDC Health SystemBrent Pykkonen, Operating Engineers

Local 49John Moores, St. Luke’s Hospital

Ex-Officio MembersSuperior Mayor Dave Ross

Duluth Mayor Don Ness

LLAKE SSUPERIOR AAREA LLABOR MMANAGEMENT AASSOCIATION, INC.

Board of Directors

Workers wary of merger...from page 1Gordon said in a letter to members. The union represents

reservation agents, baggage handlers and other ground workers.“It will come as no surprise if airline executives attempt to

manipulate the merger process to reduce or eliminate the pres-ence of union contracts at the combined carrier,” Gordon noted.

The Machinists will continue to oppose the merger as itmakes its way through the regulatory process, he said.

“If this proposed merger actually does occur, we intend toremain the collective bargaining representative at the combinedairline and will need your full support to accomplish that goal.”

IAMAW Airline Local 1833 (Machinists) will hold meetingson the merger Monday, April 28 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and11 p.m., at the Eagles Club Post #3208, 9152 Old Cedar Ave.,Bloomington, MN to provide information and answer questions.

The merger was held up over the issue of merging theNorthwest and Delta pilot seniority lists. No resolution wasreached on that issue. For that reason Northwest pilots – repre-sented by the Air Line Pilots Association – will oppose the merg-er, said Dave Stevens, chairman of the NWA pilots.

“We were very close to concluding a truly cooperative merg-er which would have served the interests of everyone,” Stevenssaid in a letter to all Northwest pilots. “We regret that an agree-ment was not obtained.” Without a plan to merge the senioritylists of the two pilot groups – and with the rising cost of jet fuel– the merger “is a recipe for failure,” he wrote. “Under these con-ditions, Northwest Airlines and all the stakeholders, includingthe pilots, other employees and customers, are better served by astandalone airline.”

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which representsflight attendants at Northwest, said it would simultaneouslyoppose the merger and continue its efforts to help Delta flightattendants organize.

“Regardless of management’s intentions, our union is pre-pared to defend our contract, uphold our bargaining rights, anddemand an end to concessions and a stake in the merged Delta-Northwest entity equal to equity granted other labor groups,” theunion said in a statement on its website.

“We will immediately begin to seek to negotiate improve-ments to our collective bargaining agreement. In addition, wewill continue to help our colleagues at Delta in their electionseeking AFA-CWA representation, and pressure Delta manage-ment to end its history of labor apartheid at the airline.”

How can it not be ineveryone’s best interest?

It is unbelievable thatin this day and age wecontinue to have tomourn lives lost in theworkplace. Last year’snumber was reallytragic. Rest assured Iwill do everything Ican at the State Capitol to reduce the number ofworkplace fatalities.

SenatorTony Lourey

Minnesota Senate u District 8AFL-CIO & DFL Endorsed

Paid for by Tony Lourey for Senate, Tony Bundschuh, Treasurer, Bruno, MN 55712

PAGE 18 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

Safer worksites won’t be given to workers by their employers.

You mustFight for the livingWhile remembering the dead.

MIKE JAROSState Representative District 7B

Paid for by the Jaros Volunteer Committee, 3108 Minnesota Ave., Duluth, MN 55802

IN MEMORIAMWorkers and their unions

have struggled for decades toimprove working conditions attheir worksites. However, thenumber of workplace injuries,illnesses and deaths stillremains far too large. This yearalone within a 75 mile radius ofDuluth we have had 10 deathsfrom work related accidentsand many, many work injuries.

This Workers’ MemorialDay we’ll remember:

All your safety needs under one roof

VIKING INDUSTRIAL NORTH4730 Grand Avenue Duluth, Minnesota 55807(218)624-4851 Toll Free 800-232-1367

FAX (218)624-4788 info@vikingindustrialnorth.comwww.vikingindustrialnorth.com

* Deane Driscoll, USWLocal 6860, died April 18,2007, when a rotary drill fell onhim while working at UnitedTaconite’s Thunder Bird Mine.

* Donovan Dunblazier,USW Local 6115, died June2007, when the crane he wasoperating fell over at MittalSteel’s Minorca Mine.

* Joseph Kimmes III,Operators Local 139, ScottKimmes, Laborers Local 1091,Paul Cossalter, IBEW Local

242, and Harold “Tim” Olsendied November 1, 2007 afterthey were overcome by toxicfumes in a Superior manhole.

*Superior residents DavidMussatti, Jr. and Steve Arno-vich, USW Local 2-2003, diedNovember 28, 2007, from anexplosion/fire on an Enbridgepipeline in Clearbrook, MN.

* Jason Zunker, ChippewaCounty (WI) Deputy Sheriff,died Jan. 5, 2008, of injurieswhen he was struck by a vehi-cle while directing traffic.

* Sgt. 1st Class MatthewPionk died January 9, 2008, inIraq while serving his country.

Labor remembers all fallenworkers on April 28, WorkersMemorial Day, which was firstobserved in 1989. April 28 waschosen because it is theanniversary of the Occupa-tional Safety and Health Act. Itis also a day of similar remem-brance in Canada. Every year,people in hundreds of commu-nities and worksites rememberworkers who have been killedor injured on the job. Tradeunionists around the world nowmark the date as an Interna-tional Day of Mourning.

The Duluth AFL-CIO Cen-tral Labor Body, its Com-munity Services Committeeand United Way of GreaterDuluth will remember our fall-en workers on Workers’Memorial Day with a free pan-cake breakfast from 7-9 a.m. inthe lower level (lake entrance)of the Duluth Labor Temple,2002 London Road. A memori-al observance will be held at9:15 a.m. outside the LaborTemple’s back entrance.

This poem by Mike Baird,Machinists Lodge 21 reflectsour feelings:Memorial for Workers

I write these words ofhonor, for those who gavetheir lives;

And for their families, theirhusbands and their wives.

For those whose lives werespent, doing what they must

Working for a living likeevery one of us.

Their time cut short, bythings that didn’t have to be;

To make the workplacesafer, for people like you andme.

To make sure their storieswill never go untold;

To always keep their mem-ories from ever growing cold.

We must remember theprice they all had to pay;

When we honor the menand women on WorkersMemorial Day.

Wilson-McShan eWi l s on-McShan eCorpo r a t i o n Corpo r a t i o n Matt Winkel - President

Kansas City, Missouri 1-866-756-3313

Omaha, Nebraska1-402-593-7565

Louisville, Kentucky1-888-522-3501

Duluth, Minnesota 1-800-570-1012

Bloomington, Minnesota 1-800-535-6373

I n R e m e m b r a n c e I n R e m e m b r a n c e o f F a l l e no f F a l l e n

W o r k e r s , P l e a s eW o r k e r s , P l e a s eW o r k s a f e l yW o r k s a f e l y

Wilson-McShane proudly provides stable, high quality, and responsible

third-party administration services forTaft-Hartley negotiated benefit funds.

LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008 PAGE 19

Everyone expects to return home safely from work.

Sadly, not

everyonedoes.

Please help us by watchingfor our members as you

travel through work zones.Thank You!

From the Officers and Members of

LABORERSLABORERS Local 1091Local 1091Duluth, MN/Superior, WI & Surrounding Counties

Carpenters 361 and Laborers 1091 are picketing RonGustafson’s Ideal Homes at the former Jubilee store build-ing on Tower Avenue. They may shortly be joined by otherBuilding Trades unions as Gustafson does a major remodelfor his new leased commercial site. Carpenters Field Rep.Chris Hill said Gustafson has stated he will retire non-unionbut that doesn’t mean his workers have to.

AFL-CIO Community Services and United Way Partnership

Liaison Program by Yvonne Harvey

WHO BENEFITS from the politics of fear?

"What kind of peace do we seek? Not a PAX Americanaenforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not thepeace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talkingabout genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life onearth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations togrow and to hope and to build a better life for their children --not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men andwomen -- not merely peace in our time but peace for all time."

~John F. Kennedy (1963)

Prepared and paid for by Hilty Volunteer Committee, Finlayson, MN 55735

REP. BILL HILTY District 8A

Minnesota, Wisconsin rank close, well nationally in worker fatality ratesThe 2008 edition of “Death

on the Job: The Toll ofNeglect” marks the 17th yearthe AFL-CIO has produced areport on the state of safety andhealth protections for Ameri-ca’s workers. The informationis based on Bureau of LaborStatistics figures for 2006. Thenational fatality rate was 4workers killed per 100,000.

Alaska led the country withthe highest fatality rate (13.8per 100,000), followed byWyoming (12.9), West Virginia(10.2), Montana (9.2), SouthDakota (8.8) and North Dakota(8.7).

The lowest state fatalityrates (1.8) were reported inRhode Island and NewHampshire, then New Jersey,Connecticut and Massachusetts(2.1), and New York (2.6).

Twenty-nine states saw anincrease in either the rate ornumber of fatalities between2005 and 2006.

Minnesota was ranked 8thwith 2.8 fatalities per 100,000.There were 2,670,222 workersin 167,542 work establish-ments governed by a stateOSHA program.

Minnesota had 93,000workplace injuries and illness-

es in 2006. That’s a rate of 5.0per 100,000 with the nationalrate at 4.4.

The state had 59 workplacesafety and health inspectorsand it would take 63 years forthem to inspect each workplaceonce. Inspections were done at2,655 sites, 1,009 of them con-struction, 1,646 non-construc-tion.

Minnesota’s average penal-

ty assessed for serious viola-tions was $603 with the nation-al average being $909.

Wisconsin ranked 10th infatalities at 3.1 for 2,767,141workers in 160,701 sites gov-erned by federal OSHA.

The state had 103,400workplace injuries and illness-es in 2006. That’s a rate of 5.5per 100,000 with the nationalrate at 4.4.

Wisconsin had 36 work-place safety and health inspec-tors and it would take 99 yearsfor them to inspect each work-place once. Inspections weredone at 1,564 sites, 794 ofthem construction, 770 non-construction.

The average penaltyassessed for serious violationswas $947 with the nationalaverage being $909.

We’ll listen.The art of listening is one of the qualities that is most important foran effective Workers’ Comp attorney. That’s because every situation,and every unfortunate injury, is unique. After hearing your wholestory, we then develop a plan to obtain the benefits to fairlycompensate you.

We will answer your questions or important concerns, such asmedical treatment options, the adverse medical exam or when youshould return to work.

If you’ve suffered a work related injury, call us. It costs you nothingto meet with a good listener.

Injured on the job?

PAGE 20 LABOR WORLD NEWS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008

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Members of IBEW Locals 31 and 242 greeted members ofCooperative Light & Power Association of Lake County attheir annual meeting Saturday morning at Two HarborsHigh School. Leaflets let Co-op members know that for thefirst time management has hired a Twin Cities union busterto lead company negotiations on IBEW 31’s contract thatexpired April 1. If you are a member of the Co-op callGeneral Manager Steve Wattnem at work at 834-2226, or athis home in Barnum at 389-6200, and ask that they bargainin good faith with their workers.