A Message from Our Labor Neighbor

Friends,
I have asked my State Representative, Mike Sells (D-38), - in his capacity as Secretary-Treasurer of the Snohomish County Labor Council, AFL/CIO - to keep The Left Shue apprised of any and all issues of concern to the labor community and, by extension, the greater Progressive community. Mike has issued the following response:

”Chad,
Here is what I will do, because my time is so limited, and I can't guarantee a consistent column. Have your readership share their frustrations and concerns about Labor or organized labor, and I will do a response as best I can regarding the issues that have been raised. You would need to send those on to me, and I can give you my best answers based my over 30 years of working with the labor movement, much of that in a leadership capacity. I prefer to stick to issues rather than personalities, but I will attempt to answer what I can.

Mike”

I am very appreciative to Mike for whatever insights he will offer. In Snohomish County recently we have seen some strain between certain segments of the labor community and others in the Progressive Movement. I believe that Mike Sells has earned the reputation as a well respected member of the Progressive family and I look forward to much insight from him over the next many years.

In his first outreach to this Blog, Mike sends this notice from the AFL-CIO:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2006
AFL-CIO adds Blue Man Productions to "Don't Buy" list

The AFL-CIO is asking union families to boycott the Blue Man Group, a theatrical production company headquartered in Las Vegas running shows concurrently in five U.S. cities: Las Vegas, Boston, New York, Chicago and Orlando. The company also produces Blue Man shows in London, Berlin and Toronto. This boycott is especially important in the Pacific Northwest because Blue Man Productions plans a U.S. tour in 2007 that begins here at the following venues:

o Feb. 1 at the Yakima Valley Sundome
o Feb. 2 at the Everett Events Center
o Feb. 3 at the Portland (OR) Memorial Coliseum
o Feb. 6 at the Spokane Arena
o Feb. 7 at the Boise (ID) Idaho Center

The decision to put Blue Man Productions on the AFL-CIO's official boycott list was taken at the request of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE) with support from dozens of performing arts unions in the United States, Canada and Europe.

“This production bills itself as ‘cutting edge’ as an entertainment concept, but it is a throwback to the dark ages in labor relations,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Rich Trumka. “Blue Man Productions is about to learn a harsh lesson in labor solidarity, an experience they could have avoided by simply acknowledging the right of their workers to bargain collectively.”

IATSE’s Las Vegas Local 720 was certified as the bargaining agent for stagehands employed by the company following a May 25, 2006, NLRB election. Officials from the local union stress employees are predominantly concerned with health care, retirement coverage and safety on the job.
Efforts to negotiate an initial agreement for the 44 employees involved were stonewalled by Blue Man Productions management despite earlier pledges from principal partner Matt Goldman during the period leading up to the election to abide by its outcome. Goldman retained Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld, a politically-connected law firm whose partners include Democratic bigwigs Robert Strauss and Vernon Jordan along with President Bush’s nephew George P. Bush, as its counsel for the election and subsequent challenges.

Lawrence Levien, a former NLRB attorney now on the Akin Gump payroll, has represented Blue Man Productions throughout the process. Nevertheless, the union has beat back company appeals at the regional and national level, where a three-member panel ultimately upheld the union’s right to bargain and affirmed the unfair labor practice charges against the company. Blue Man Productions has appealed that decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. At the union’s behest, attorneys for the NLRB lodged a counter motion to enforce its bargaining order with the appeals court. It may be months before the court acts.
Meanwhile, IATSE has secured pledges of support from 36 labor organizations including performing arts unions in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Norway and Germany as well as an endorsement from the massive Union Network International (UNI), an international confederation of 900 unions in 140 nations representing 15 million workers.

Stagehands for Blue Man Productions had a collective bargaining agreement through IATSE Local 720 until October 2005 when the company refused to renew that agreement after moving from the Las Vegas Luxor Hotel to its new Las Vegas venue at the non-union Venetian Hotel.

In addition to the Pacific Northwest shows listed above, upcoming 2007 tour dates and venues for Blue Man’s U.S. productions include:

February 9, Sacramento (CA) ARCO Center • February 10, 2007 Oakland (CA) Arena • February 11, Bakersfield (CA) Rabobank Theatre • February 12, Los Angeles (CA) Gibson Ampitheatre • February 13, Phoenix (AZ) US Airways Center • February 15, Amarillo (TX) Civic Center • February 16, Bossier City (LA) CenturyTel Center • February 17, Biloxi (MS) Beau Rivage Casino • February 18, Little Rock (AR) Alltel Arena • February 19, Huntsville (AL) Von Braun Center Arena • February 21, Tallahassee (FL) Leon County Civic Center • February 22, Orlando (FL) TD Waterhouse Centre • February 23, Ft. Lauderdale (FL) BankAtlantic Center • February 24, Tampa (FL) St. Pete Times Forum • February 25, Ft. Myers (FL) Germain Arena • February 27, Miami (FL) BankUnited Center • March 1, Columbia (SC) Colonial Center • March 2, Norfolk (VA) Constant Convocation Center • March 3, Charlottesville (VA) John Paul Jones Arena • March 4, Knoxville (TN) Thompson-Boling Arena • March 6, Richmond (VA) Coliseum • March 8, Youngstown (OH) Chevrolet Centre • March 9, Washington (DC) Patriot Center • March 10, Atlantic City (NJ)
Etess Arena-Taj Mahal • March 11, Raleigh (NC) RBC Center • March 13, Columbus (GA) Civic Center Arena • March 15, Evansville (IN) Roberts Stadium • March 16, Memphis (TN) DeSoto Civic Center • March 17, Louisville (KY) Feedom Hall • March 18, Dayton (OH) Nutter Center • March 20, Binghampton (NY) Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena • March 21, Syracuse (NY) War Memorial at Onecenter • March 22, Buffalo (NY) HSBC Arena • March 23, Orilla (ON-Canada) Casino Rama Entertainment Center • March 24, Detroit (MI) The Palace of Auburn Hills • March 25, Grand Rapids (MI) Van Andel Arena • March 27, Green Bay (WI) Resch Center • March 28, Duluth (MN) Entertainment Convention Center • March 30, St. Paul (MN) Xcel Energy Center • March 31, Kansas City (MO) Kemper Arena • April 1, Wichita (KS) Kansas Coliseum • April 3, Peoria (IL) Civic Center Arena • April 4, Dekalb (IL) Convocation Center of Northern Illinois • April 5, Sioux City (IA) Tyson Event Center • April 6, Fargo (ND) Fargodome • April 7, Sioux Falls (SD) Arena • April 9, Rochester (MN) Mayo Civic Arena • April 10, Madison (WI) Kohl Center • April 11, Colombia (MO) Mizzou Arena • April 13, Birmingham (AL) BJCC Arena • April 14, 2007, New Orleans (LA) Arena • April 15, Mobile (AL) Civic Center Arena • April 17, Greenville (SC) BI-LO Center • April 19, Philadelphia (PA) Wachovia Center • April 20, Hershey (PA) Giant Center • April 21, Baltimore (MD) 1st Mariner Arena • April 22, Wilkes Barre (PA) Wachovia Arena
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In solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the IATSE and the AFL-CIO, I am asking that all Progressive Organizations join in asking their membership to endorse this boycott and defend the right of collective bargaining.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

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