Minimum wage hike a priority for unions

Rhode Island’s labor unions will keep a host of issues on their radar screens this legislative session.
George Nee, the secretary and treasurer for R.I. American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, an umbrella group for 250 local unions that represents 80,000 people statewide, said the AFL-CIO will again press to raise the state’s hourly minimum wage of $6.75.

“We’ve been trying for years to get it up to a reasonable amount and then have a cost of living (increase) attached to that,” Nee said. The last time the state’s minimum wage was raised was two years ago, he added. In Massachusetts, the minimum wage is $6.75. The federal hourly minimum wage is $5.15.

The AFL-CIO also plans to continue supporting the rights of child-care workers to unionize, Nee said.
“That will be a high priority this year,” he said. “They should be able to organize and collectively bargain for wages and benefits.

UNITE HERE! Local 217, which represents hotel, food service and gaming workers, is still exploring which legislative issues to focus on, but plans to stay actively involved in any casino legislation, said organizer Alisa Gallo.

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“We support the creation of quality employment in the hospitality industry,” Gallo said. UNITE HERE! has an agreement with the Narragansett Indian tribe and with Harrah’s Entertainment that would protect the right of casino workers to organize.

“We know this is a project that would create 3,000 really good jobs, and it’s a key legislative issue,” Gallo said.
The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals plans to focus on two broad legislative categories, according to field representative Jim Parisi.

“We expect some to be intimately involved with the pension issue once it’s introduced,” Parisi said. There has also been talk of limiting the scope of collective bargaining on issues like health insurance and the federation “will certainly oppose any effort to prevent employees from having a say in their pay, benefits and working conditions,” said Parisi.

The federation also anticipates the introduction of legislation that would end the moratorium on charter schools in certain communities. Members of the federation think the General Assembly needs to “fix” the funding formula for all schools and create an oversight plan for charter schools before more are created, Parisi said.

The hospital staffing disclosure bill is a top concern for the United Nurses and Allied Professionals, according to Rick Brooks, the director of the UNAP.

The bill would require hospitals to report their nursing staffing plans to the state Department of Health on a regular basis.

“It wouldn’t be mandate to hospitals how they have to staff, it would require them to report on how they staff so the public would have the ability to assess hospitals in part based on their staffing plans,” Brooks said.

Such staffing reports are important because it’s widely recognized that registered nurse staffing levels have a direct effect on patient outcomes, Brooks said. There is no system currently in place for the public to know how the hospitals are staffed, he added.

“It’s useful to the union because it would empower patients, and nurses and doctors would know what the staffing standards are and if they’re being met,” Brooks said.

The UNAP will also focus on a bill that limits mandatory overtime to legitimate emergencies so nurses and other caregivers wouldn’t be required to work more than 12 consecutive hours.

“We are willing to participate in Continental’s restructuring, but only on a fair and equitable basis that ensures returns on our investment,” Jay Panarello, the union’s chairman, said in a statement.

The airline said in a statement that the cost reductions “are difficult and painful for everybody. By facing these difficult decisions now, we can position Continental to survive long-term.”

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