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Unions rally for right to organize

By Bradley Meacham
Seattle Times business reporter

	TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES About 500 people gather at Seattle's Jackson Federal Building in the rain to hear speakers decry the spread of low-wage, nonunion jobs.
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But now, the union veteran said, workers like him are under fire from government policies that encourage companies to look for ever-cheaper labor.

Parker joined about 500 other people gathered in the rain in front of downtown Seattle's Jackson Federal Building yesterday, one of more than 90 events in 38 states aimed at highlighting obstacles workers face in forming unions.

Representing a broad array of labor unions, the demonstrators argued that good working conditions and the right to organize are basic human rights that are threatened.

"If we have to go head-to-head with workers who have no rights, it makes it more likely that companies here will try to cut ours," said Steven Aldrich, 47, of the Graphic Communications Union Local 767.

With passing cars honking in support, speakers decried the spread of low-wage, nonunion jobs, recent corporate scandals and the trend of U.S. companies moving jobs abroad. Union workers earn 26 percent more than nonunion ones, they said, but companies are cutting wages and shifting the burden for health insurance to employees.

	TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES Gail Ross of Spanaway, a longshore worker in Tacoma, joins several hundred union members at a rally in downtown Seattle yesterday. Events in nearly 40 states yesterday were aimed at highlighting obstacles that workers face in forming unions.

"The only way to stop this is to get out in the streets," said Christina Lopez, 35, a city worker with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Workers. "Companies are sending our jobs abroad and undermining our rights."

A skit called "Billionaires for Bush" played out on a stage, with actors dressed in dark suits and trenchcoats swilling mock champagne, defending corporate executives who inflated their own perks while cutting wages for workers.

"I'll pay a dollar an hour for a worker in Honduras, but if that's too expensive, I'll move to China," one said, mocking Wal-Mart's relentless push for lower manufacturing costs abroad. "It's such a hassle to move factories, but I have to do it."

The crowd booed louder with each. One sign read: "Did you tell your child his future job is at Wal-Mart?"

While many seemed to identify with problems facing workers, there were few answers. Some wanted changes to laws such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which gives a cost advantage to companies that operate in poorer countries.

But others argue that free trade results in lower-cost goods, which help workers everywhere enjoy higher living standards.

"Most days in my job, I don't see the connection so clearly," said Janet Van Fleet, a library clerk who joined the protest on her day off. "But when I come here and hear the cannery workers and others spell it out, it's there. Jobs and livelihoods are on the line."

Bradley Meacham: 206-515-5066 or at bmeacham@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company