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 Greater Glens Falls 
 Central Labor Council
January 9, 2003 Meeting Minutes: 

    Due to an unexpected problem, the proprietor was not able to open Kelly's Hibernian Hall for the meeting, and after a discussion in the parking lot it was decided to move this evening's meeting to a new location.  A volunteer remained parked at Kelly's to inform any latecomers where we were, while the rest drove to the Eagles Club Hall on Main Street in South Glens Falls.

The meeting was called to order at 7:39 PM. with the Pledge of Allegiance.

  • President Tom Capone informed the body that our Treasurer, Jerry Welcher, had informed him that he would be late to this evening's meeting, and the treasurers' Report was postponed to later in the Meeting.
  • Old Business:  --none-- 
  • New Business: 
  •    President Capone introduced our first speaker, Prairie Wells, who is newly working with CDALF, the Capital District Area Labor Federation.
   She gave us a brief history of her work experience, and what she's doing now; she's a former Bricklayer from BAC Local #2, and is now working with Kathleen Scales.  Prairie brought several copies of a list of Delegates' to our Council that Kathleen has prepared.  She explained what CDALF is, and how the Area Labor Federations were formed by the National AFL-CIO; the labor movement has lost a lot of union identity in recent years and the National is trying a "New Alliance" to help in organizing.  As an example, the Building Trades recently made good use of the rapid response action.

    CDALF will be holding a meeting on Saturday March 8th at 890 3rd Street, and will be sending out an information packet listing the speakers.  It will start at 8:30 AM, and people can preregister, probably through their Unions:  the Local's will have to certify those of their attendees that are registered to vote as a Delegate.  Since this will be held on National Women's Day, the topics discussed will probably reflect this.  CDALF is also planning for Worker's Memorial Day on April 28th, mostly at the NYSUT office. 

    Tom suggested to the Secretary that he list the CDALF website in our next newsletter.  Tom said that Kathleen Scales has a good Power Point program, and other tools available for programs.  Tom asked Prairie if it would be possible to register on the Internet, but she said that they weren't set up that way yet.  She was thanked for her interesting presentation.  (7:52 PM.)

  •    Tom introduced our second speaker, Mr. Gordon McClelland from the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, who had made a number of detours to get here from Albany through the snowstorm this evening. 
    •     Mr. McClellan passed out a handout "Membership Education for Mobilization and Organizing", and started by saying there are moments in time when we look in the rear view mirror and are surprised to see where we've been.  We need to grow.  We need to organize -- but how can we without the support of our membership?  That's something we MUST have!  The Labor movement has lost momentum, with the number of members dropping;  the building trades controlled 85% of the work in 1950s and 1960s, but now control only approximately 15% of the work around the country - in 50 years a complete reversal of the situation.  We have lost vitality!  Unions are no longer a part of everybody's life theme. 

        Labor has succeeded in many objectives -- our middle-class is a product of Unionism.  We need to talk about unions everywhere: lunchrooms, bowling alleys, anywhere we are, to counteract the anti-union barrage that's around us everywhere.  He asked Brother Brosnan (NYSUT) how it is in the schools ~ students just don't know much about unions.  We have problems in the Trades - contractors keep asking us to organize their competition so union contractors can remain competitive with their non-union counterparts.  Our members are comparing their union dues to insurance premiums (insurance against having a problem with the employer), but we must show them that unions are MORE than that. 

        When Ronald Reagan fired all the Air Traffic Controllers, he put a gun to our heads!  Mr. McClelland said he was president of his Carpenters' Local in Oneonta, NY at the time, and only six months later, the contractor on his job threatened them with decertification if they didn't go outdoors to work during a rainstorm instead of doing the indoor work while waiting for the rain to stop.  Employers often say "Why'd you need a union anyway? I pay you good money." 

        Many factors have changed -- many things have taken place during this time — manufacturing has left American borders, "Sneakers" went to Korea — Korean labor organized — the manufacturers left Korea for countries still without Unions!  There is a connection between bargaining and concerted action, political pressure, picketing; we must keep up pressure and stay on top of contractors and other employers. 

        Our members must understand that if one nursing-home is organized but that the other six aren't —— you can't maintain the wage standard in the only organized nursing home.  If the minimum wage rises, we've got a better argument with the employer to raise our own wages. 

        The ILR School at Cornell has 6 extension offices - Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, NYC, and Long Island, each with at least one labor educator.  You can get college credit courses in each office with 12 week semesters, as well as Internet courses, in collective bargaining, labor law, workers' compensation, labor history, etc.  The Labor Studies certificate is 18 credits in 6 courses.  Cornell offers similar subjects in a non-credit/workshop setting, 1 or 2 evenings each.

        The MEMO program is a 4-hour session intended for a local union membership audience, and the local leadership can choose to be trained to teach it in a 3½-day train-the-trainer program, or Cornell can deliver it directly to their members.  Cornell is ready to put on a 4-hour Demo program for the local leadership, to see how the program fits into the needs of their local unions. 

        The program has five parts structured around these key questions:

    • Part One:  “Why Collective Bargaining and Concerted Action?” 
    • Part Two:  “What is the Connection Between Collective Bargaining and Organizing?” 
    • Part Three:  “What is the Connection Between the Fortunes of the Labor Movement and the Fate of America’s Working People?” 
    • Part Four:  “How Will a Successful Organizing Campaign Improve the Lives of Our Members and of Newly Organized Workers?” 
    • Part Five:  “What is the Union’s Organizing Program, and How Can We Participate?”
       The courses are current, and use the latest research and figures. 

       The council members thanked Mr. Gordon McClelland for his very interesting presentation, and discussed possibilities for holding these training sessions.  (8:22 PM.) 

    Treasurers' Report:

    •    Labor Council Treasurer Jerry Welcher reported that there was $1,074.18 in the checking account and $202.80 in the COPE account. 


    Other Business:

    •    Vice President Phil Tucker reported that he was elected the president of the Glens Falls Building Trades Council yesterday (January 8th), and is also the spokesperson for the "Local Jobs for Local People Coalition". 
        The coalition started in Saratoga last summer and demonstrated at Wilson where many out of state workers were doing the construction, and all the local money paid for wages were going back out of state with them.  They are now carrying it a step forward to the dredging of the river: G.E. is buying up companies that do this kind of work, and giving no guarantee that local workers will be involved or hired. 

        The Local Jobs for Local People Coalition is setting up a program on Saturday, February 8th, at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Heritage Hall; they will invite G.E., contractors, all state and local officials, Chambers of Commerce, etc., and will have tables set up for involved Unions and Contractors.  It will be open from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., with the first two hours for a sign-in in the lobby, and Booths and Tables in Heritage Hall.  Around midday (12:00 or so) the form will open up to Guests who are there, Clinton, Schumer, and/or whoever is present.  There will be a press release about this tomorrow afternoon (Friday). 

        Once inside, there will be sign-up sheets for people interested in dredging work — carpenters, laborers, and so forth.  They have a month to work on it, and among others things they're asking their people to write on cash "Local Jobs for Local People".  Phil said he wants a way to get fliers to Unions to post, and has checked the cost of Chronicle inserts.  He wants volunteers, and has talked with CDALF (Kathleen Scales), and the Flyers may be sent to their E-mail mailing list as an attachment to be printed.  Labor solidarity.

    • Another project that's coming up is Luther Forest Technical Park. 
        There will be millions of dollars involved, and hopefully there will be a story about it in Sunday's papers — or perhaps on Monday.  The story will be to support of the local economy, and not only Unions.  If funds allow it, they may also use radio ads.  Dredging is only one thing in the future, and they hope to build on this.  We pay school taxes, buy cars and trucks, pay mortgages, support the local economy, and deserve the benefits.

        Prairie Wells asked him if he wanted us to write to people about it, and he said yes, to people like Sweeney, etc.  Roy MacDonald is very supportive.  Prairie said that they could look into posting a <Draft Letter> on the Internet with a "Click here" so people could send a copy very easily. 

        Phil said that he would be the contact person for this, and would like our Central Labor Council endorsement.  Tom Capone remarked that it is not a crime to mark Bills (paper money), and had looked into it some time ago for another campaign. 

    •    President Capone announced that Maury Thompson from the Post Star will be the speaker at our next meeting, on February 13th, talking about Media and Unions.  (8:43 P.M.) 

      •  
    •    There was some more discussion about the possibilities of the Cornell programs.
        They cost $50.00 for each person, for a one hour program – with materials; there are also some "Free" instructors available on the staffs of a number of our Unions, such as PEF, C.S.E.A., NYSUT, etc.  Tom said that Cornell wants to downgrade Labor to an Arts elective, and the Department needs Labor's continuing support.  Prairie reminded us that the Central Labor Councils no longer have their own funding, and the classes would be expensive for them, but Tom reminded her that it is quite appropriate for the Locals to pay for the Members they would send.  It was remarked that Local members are the target that is needed, not us, since we are already "the Converted".  Jerry added that Mr. McClelland is a very good speaker, and he would like to push it.  Tom said that we'll put it on the agenda for discussion at our next meeting. 
    •    Last night (January 8th) the Saratoga Central Labor Council voted unanimously to adopt the AFSME "Resolution Against The Unilateral War On Iraq" that the Troy and Albany Labor Councils had already adopted. 
        The resolution states that the money should be used on home crises — Medical, schools, housing, and cities — they're talking about wasting around $200 billion dollars on it, and also using it as an excuse to threaten the rights of Unions to strike.  The AFSME resolution asks whether we'd rather spend $200 Billion Dollars on war, or on ourselves: unemployment, health care, etc.  There has been a groundswell of Unions around the country about this, not the AFL-CIO (state or national).  Organizing the unorganized.

        Cliff Brosnan remarked that the Post Star writer must have done his research pretty well — unlike a lot of the Media, he mentioned the October 26, 2002 rally in Washington; there was no mainstream news coverage, but it was huge.  Ed Smith added that PBS first said that there were 10,000 people there, then the next day reported that there were 100,000 people. 

        A Motion was made and Seconded to adopt the resolution (with modifications to bring it up to date) and was Carried unanimously by voice vote.  (M-J.W.,2nd-ES)

        The Meeting Adjourned at 9:08 P.M. 

        It is intended to post the current Minutes on this page, and older Minutes that are available will be archived at other pages on this web site.

    Greater Glens Falls Central Labor Council
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    Glens Falls, NY 12801
    Brian DeMell, sec'y — Secretary@GGFCLC.org