PROTECT THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE

Stop Bush’s Busting of Federal Workers’ Unions

FUND HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR

Saturday, March 19, 11:30 am

SEIU Local 6, 150 Denny Way

(between 1st Avenue N and 2nd Avenue N)

We'll march to Seattle Center to join the massive peace rally at Noon

and march organizers have pledged to put us in front of the massive march to the Fed’l Courthouse

Join Washington State Jobs with Justice and the

King County Labor Council in a labor contingent

for workers’ rights

Bring Union banners, jackets, signs, hats

WAR COSTS. . . WHO PAYS?

Background

The Bush Administration is using the war in Iraq as an excuse to step up the war against workers here at home. The most recent example of this is an effort to strip almost 750,000 civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DoD) of their Union protections and their civil service protections. They've already done it to 180,000 workers at Homeland Security. If they get away with this at DoD, they'll go after the rest of federal workers - and then use it as a model for taking away Union rights from all of us. It's a strong reminder that an injury to one is an injury to all - if this can happen to the DoD workers, it can happen to all of us - and probably will.

The Administration has proposed new rules for civilian DoD workers, called the Natioanal Security Personnel System (NSPS). These proposed rules would have a devastating impact on civilian DoD employees. They would:

* reduce pay for federal workers overall;

* end civil service protections;

* end meaningful collective bargaining rights.

* end seniority rights for layoffs;

* allow management to decide who gets raises;

* permit involuntary transfer of workers essentially anywhere in the world; and,

* cancel major portions of existing collective bargaining agreements.

That's why 35 Unions have formed the United DoD Workers Coalition. That Coalition includes AFGE, AFSCME, AFT, CWA, IBEW, IFPTE, Laborers, Machinists, MEBA, MM&P, Metal Trades Council, Operating Engineers, Painters, Plumbers, SEIU and Teamsters.

Come on in the water's fine.

The old civil serivce systems is seriously hosed. The new system is a major step in the right direction. Reqarding performers is a good thing. Basic employment protections are not being dropped. This is scaremongering.

A Union-Free Workplace? Breaking unions, or at least reducing them to 'loyal adjuncts' of Corporate America, has been the clear goal of this administration from Day One. Federal employees constitute a very important part of Organized Labor. If Bush can take them out (and look "patriotic" in the process), he'll have done serious, perhaps fatal, damage to the AFL-CIO.

In the long run, that might lead to a REAL labor movement in this ccountry, as is seen in the rest of the world. But by that time, a lot of irreparable damage could be done.

pnorman

is very close to the Demonstartion Program that has been in place in portions of the Navy for some time, as in nearly 20 years. Much better than classic civil service.