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Welcome to The American Prospect's weekly newsletter highlighting the best reporting and latest developments in the labor movement.
(Compiled by Justin Miller-Edited by Harold Meyerson)
The Obama administration has finally released the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the president is pitching it to congressional Democrats as a pro-worker, environmentally friendly trade deal. "I know that if you take a look at what's actually in the TPP, you will see that this is, in fact, a new type of trade deal that puts American workers first," Obama wrote last week in a post on Medium.
But critics argue that such labor and environmental protections aren't sufficient. Labor leaders are openly skeptical, fearing the deal is full of nice-sounding placations that will ultimately be unenforceable. As is, the trade deal has no surefire way of ensuring that countries act within the labor protections it promises, and workers have no avenue to bring up disputes with member countries as investors do. Despite assurances from the White House that the U.S. will be rigorous with enforcement, critics need only point to past trade deals to show a track record of lackluster compliance.
The trade deal is sure to serve as political fodder for many candidates in the presidential race, further complicating Obama's push for passage. As Seung Min Kim reports for Politico, the trade pact has two big hurdles named Hillary and Donald. Clinton has backtracked on previous statements calling the pact a "gold standard" and now opposes the deal. The Donald, on the other hand, merely believes that he could have negotiated a much more spectacular, tremendous agreement than this terrible deal.
Meanwhile, Democratic contender Bernie Sanders is subtly trying to use Hillary's own words against her. "It is clear to me that the proposed pact is not, nor has it ever been, the gold standard of trade agreements," Sanders said.
Labor's Head and Heart
Despite championing nearly every aspect of the labor movement's agenda, Bernie Sanders can't seem to get a break with unions. Hillary Clinton has earned endorsements from nearly every major union, while Sanders' biggest get was an early nod from National Nurses United. As Evan Halper details for The Los Angeles Times, the disparity is indicative of a struggle between the labor movement's leadership head and its rank-and-file heart.
"It is creating significant tension in some of the organizations and raising the question of whether the Sanders campaign is faltering or if union leadership has lost touch with its rank and file, large numbers of whom are turning out to support Sanders with unrivaled enthusiasm," Halper writes. In a nutshell, union leaders seem willing to back a powerhouse candidate who during her campaign has tacked leftward on labor than on a political long-shot who has been committed to a labor platform seemingly since birth.
Still, even with an impressive array of union endorsements, Clinton's campaign is learning from its mistakes in 2008 and not taking labor support for granted. In the union stronghold of Nevada (a stronghold, at least, when it comes to the state's Democratic caucuses), Clinton is working the ground game early and courting the state's powerful unions that she failed to win over eight years ago. For The Nation, D.D. Guttenplan explores the political dynamics of Nevada's labor movement and how the battle between head and heart may play out on a local level.
$15's Future
Fast-food workers across the country are holding the biggest strike so far in their Fight for 15. Workers and advocates will protest at restaurants in 270 cities as they call for a $15 minimum wage and the right to unionize. It's no coincidence, either, that the protests are taking place in early November, one year before the 2016 elections. Organizers are hoping to use the Fight for 15 as a catalyst for political action, with plans to register and mobilize many of the nearly 64 million Americans who earn less than $15 an hour and convert them into a cohesive voting bloc.
In California, home to the greatest number low-wage workers in the country (of course, given its size, California is home to the greatest number of almost everything in the country), a power struggle is emerging over strategies to raise the state's minimum wage to $15. The SEIU mega-local UHW, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has long been campaigning for a 2016 ballot measure for a $15 minimum and has already gathered the requisite number of signatures to get it on the ballot. The measure has also already won the backing of the leading Bay Area Democrats, including Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, state Controller Betty Yee and the mayors of San Francisco and Oakland. However, the SEIU California State Council introduced a competing measure last week that would also raise the minimum to $15 while expanding access to paid sick leave for home-care workers. The competing measures are the latest skirmish in the running battle between the UHW leaders and the leaders of the national union, joined by other state SEIU honchos, over questions of SEIU's strategy and structure.
The skirmish has higher-wage advocates worried that two competing measures will diminish state voters' considerable support (68 percent in the Field Poll) for a $15 minimum wage, so much so that both measures could go down to defeat. It's possible that as many as 15 to 20 initiatives will appear on the state's November 2016 ballot-so many that voters' natural behavioral response may be to vote No on all of them. Nor would this be the first time that California unions doomed a progressive idea by running competing ballot measures: In 1996, the presence of rival union-backed initiatives to establish universal health care in the state ensured that neither would pass. This would, however, be the first time that rival initiatives from the same union doomed each other.
As Peter Jamison writes for The Los Angeles Times, "the placement of dueling minimum-wage proposals on the ballot also runs the risk of diluting support for both measures and creating the sort of voter confusion that can be fatal for ballot initiatives."
More and more childcare workers are joining the ranks of the Fight for 15. That's not surprising, as a new report from the Economic Policy Institute shows that the average wage for such workers is only $10.31 an hour. That means many of the workers who take care of people's children struggle to pay for such services for their own children. For ThinkProgress, Bryce Covert highlights the personal stories of childcare workers who are fighting to better their lot.
Tidbits
Meet Rebecca Friedrichs, the teacher who could gut unions.
Boeing's union battle reignites, this time with new election rules.
Minneapolis's favorite hometown corporation had an inside influence on a proposal to pass a fair scheduling ordinance.
Uber is learning to speak the language of Washington by reframing its mission in political terms.
A long, hard look at the promises and perils of members-only unions.
About 50 CUNY faculty members were arrested at a protest over their lapsed contract.
At The Prospect…
Last week's elections weren't particularly good for the labor movement. Justin Miller looks at the host of failed ballot measures and the governor's race that will spell misery for one state's labor movement. Read more…
Miller also looks at Hillary Clinton's official call for a $12 national minimum wage, and what that might mean for $15. Read more…
In light of new research showing increased mortality rates for middle-aged working class white Americans, Harold Meyerson explains why the struggles of the white working class should come as no surprise. Read more…
Sam Ross-Brown breaks down the reactions from labor and environmental groups to the unveiling of the TPP text. Read more…
