November 04, 2021
By Ray Curry
President, UAW
Before I get into just what the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) means — and has meant — to the working men and women of this nation, I want to start by citing a couple of pieces of data because I think they tell a real story.
Right now, 68% of Americans approve of labor unions. That number is at a more than 50 year high. So, what does it mean? As a union man myself, I would say it means that America’s workers are hurting, and they know they need a voice in the workplace. And they’re right. My second piece of data: According to a recent AFL-CIO analysis, the average CEO of an S&P 500 company made 299 times what the median worker made in 2020. In other sectors — like retail where Amazon lives — this number is much higher.
But this blog is not about numbers, it’s about people. Working people. And unions, the one force that has the power to close that shameful gap in earnings. The NLRB is a key player in making it possible for workers to organize and improve their lot. So I want to talk a little bit about where we’ve been and where we are going under labor friendly President Joe Biden.
Let me start with a little background on the NLRB. The president appoints this federal board, which has done so much to shape American labor practices since its inception 85 years ago.
However, the board that President Biden inherited isn’t exactly what was intended.
In fact, it’s nowhere close.
Dark days
This story begins in the early ‘80s with President Ronald Reagan coming to presidential power and the shift from worker’s rights to corporate profits that his NLRB put into motion. I’ll spare you the decade of gory headlines and cut to the chase. A retrospective 1988 Washington Post article highlighting what the anti-labor, pro-management Ronald Reagan administration created put it perfectly, “It's one of the great ironies of the day: The National Labor Relations Act, which is supposed to guarantee U.S. workers the right of unionization, is being used to deny them that vital right.”
Under Reagan’s two terms, the Board reversed previous NLRB policy in more than two dozen major cases, almost totally changing the direction the board had followed since its inception under President Franklin D. Roosevelt to pro-management positions.
Instead of taking up worker complaints, Reagan’s NLRB backlog of unresolved complaints against employers rose to at least three times what it was before he took office. Delays of up to two years become common. Even more stymying to the labor force, his board took just as long to act on worker petitions to hold union representation elections and to certify fair union wins.
Fast forward almost 30 years to 2017 and President Donald Trump’s first year in office where we find his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, cheerfully announcing that Ronald Reagan, who did so very much to weaken organized labor, was voted into the Labor Hall of Fame.
There are truly no words adequate to express labor’s outrage at this. President Ronald Reagan joining the ranks of towering labor leaders like George Meany and the UAW’s own Walter Reuther! How cynical and what a harbinger of what was to come under President Trump for America's workers.
Sadly though, he was just warming up. One could easily argue that President Trump’s NLRB went the furthest in systematically rolling back the right to form a union and engage in collective bargaining, efforts that struck a further blow to America’s wage inequality and directly harmed workers, their communities, and the economy. This board also went on to diminish worker protections under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA/Act) with the administration’s NLRB general counsel (GC), putting into play policies that leave fewer workers protected by the NLRB while working toward changes in the law that directly roll back workers’ rights.
In short, the whole thing was a siege on the American worker.
A new dawn for labor
And then in 2020, the working men and women of this nation had enough and made their voices heard loud and clear at the polls. The 2020 election saw a record number of Americans voting. And what did they say? Enough of the corporate, anti-labor agenda.
This record turnout sent President Joe Biden to Washington and he got to work on the first day. On Inauguration Day, within a few hours of being sworn in, the new president acted boldly and decisively by firing Peter Robb, President Trump’s appointed NLRB GC. Lynn Rhinehart, a senior fellow at the Economic Policy Institute and former general counsel of the AFL-CIO, characterized Robb’s anti-union activities this way: “A report by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Robb was dismantling the agency from the inside. He reduced staff size, destroyed employee morale, and failed to spend the money appropriated by Congress. This all occurred while Robb was pursuing an anti-worker, pro-corporate agenda.”
Biden then turned to Deputy General Counsel Alice Stock, who became Acting General Counsel with Robb’s ouster and asked her to resign as well. She also refused. Two days later, she too was shown the door.
Gutsy moves. In fact, it is the first time in more than 70 years that a president has exercised that power. Thanks to President Biden’s swift actions in January, as of August 28, Democrats are now in control of the federal labor board for the first time in four years and pursuing aggressive measures to regain for unions the ground lost during the Trump administration and even looking to go beyond the limits pushed by President Barack Obama’s NLRB.
And all indications show that Jennifer Abruzzo, the President’s new general counsel, is helping to lead the charge and losing no time. She has put together a list of Trump-era decisions for reconsideration and is pushing to get important cases before the board quickly. She also indicated that she is in favor of the PRO Act, the most sweeping piece of labor legislation in 50 years, and re-establishing the long practice of ordering companies to bargain with unions based on signed cards of support, rather than secret ballot elections. This is a game changer for union organizing and for workers who want a voice in their workplace.
We’ve already seen this new NLRB in action. During the month of August alone, the board ruled that Amazon illegally discouraged union organization in Bessemer, Alabama, which may lead to a new vote; heard a case against Google for firing multiple employees for circulating a petition calling on the company to stop doing business with ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement); and filed a complaint against Home Depot for penalizing an employee for wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt. These are just a few examples of Biden’s new NLRB.
This new NLRB is an agency returning to its original purpose in a time when America’s workers need it most. Change for the rights and wellbeing of workers is on the way and I expect some of those numbers I cited at the beginning of this discussion are going to improve for my brothers and sisters.
We, as a nation and as a labor movement, are building back!
November 04, 2021
By Richard Allen Williams, MD
President and CEO, Minority Health Institute, Inc.
As an experienced cardiologist who has treated Black people affected by heart disease for 50 years, I have the duty to inform you about a serious heart condition that impacts our community. Please read this information carefully. It may change your life – or the life of a loved one.
The condition is called transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy, or ATTR-CM. ATTR-CM is a serious and often underdiagnosed cause of heart failure.
ATTR-CM is a progressive disease, in which over time, the heart muscle begins to thicken and stiffen. There are two types of ATTR-CM; the wild-type which is associated with aging and the hereditary type which is associated with a gene change (mutation) and can be passed down from a relative. The most common mutation in the United States, known as V122I, is found almost exclusively in African Americans. Approximately 3% to 4% of African Americans are thought to have the V122I mutation, although not all individuals with the V122I mutation develop symptoms of hereditary ATTR-CM.
While heart failure is common among Black and African American communities, hereditary ATTR-CM in these populations is often overlooked by doctors for several reasons. In fact, some patients with ATTR-CM say they visited up to five doctors before receiving an accurate diagnosis. It is always upsetting when patients come to my office with advanced heart disease that could have been potentially diagnosed and treated earlier.
This is why I am excited to be partnering with Pfizer in Los Angeles on Voices for the Heart - a community-based initiative bringing together physicians and trusted local organizations within African American and Black communities around the country to increase awareness of ATTR-CM as an often-underdiagnosed cause of heart failure. A program like Voices for the Heart can be the essential piece between increasing awareness of hereditary ATTR-CM and providing help to patients to obtain an accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Early signs of ATTR-CM can include an irregular heartbeat, fatigue, shortness of breath, carpal tunnel syndrome, swelling in the hands and feet and numbness and tingling in the hands. Some of these symptoms are not traditionally associated with heart disease, which may contribute to multiple doctor’s appointments and a delayed or incorrect diagnosis.
I’m committed to spreading awareness of hereditary ATTR-CM because I have seen firsthand how a delayed diagnosis can adversely impact a patient (and their loved ones), making it essential to inform our community about this condition – including everyone from patients to caregivers to local healthcare providers.
If you’re experiencing seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms (e.g., irregular heartbeat, fatigue, shortness of breath or carpal tunnel syndrome) or have a family history of cardiac issues, and have been diagnosed with heart failure, talk to your primary care doctor or an experienced cardiologist. Whether they seem related or not, it’s important to share your symptoms and health history. This will allow your doctor to provide the care you need and to make an appropriate diagnosis.
As part of the Voices for the Heart effort, myself and former NBA basketball player and coach Don Chaney, a hereditary ATTR-CM patient himself, will be featured speakers at a virtual event led by the Minority Health Institute on November 3, 2021. Don will share his personal story of being diagnosed and living with hereditary ATTR-CM. I will share more information about hereditary ATTR-CM symptoms and diagnosis, and there will be additional educational resources on hereditary ATTR-CM available to the community. To register for the event, click here.
Working together, we can overcome the challenge of low awareness and raise our collective voices to help educate family members, friends, and neighbors at risk of developing hereditary ATTR-CM.
For resources on hereditary ATTR-CM, including a discussion guide to help conversations with your doctor, you can visit www.yourheartsmessage.com/don.
Content developed by Pfizer in collaboration with Dr. Williams. Dr. Williams is a consultant on Pfizer's Voices for the Heart program.
October 28, 2021
By Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilmember Curren Price
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) has been challenged to address one of its most significant responsibilities, launching the country’s largest cannabis social equity program. A program intended to work as a correction for the decades of injustices suffered by communities of color during the War on Drugs which ushered in mass incarceration.
The lack of transparency and accountability in the licensing process has contributed to numerous procedural lags and caused significant financial hardships that undermine the program’s intent. Instead of providing good paying jobs, social equity applicants struggle to navigate an arduous licensing process while trying to maintain expensive leases and hold on to their investors.
Due to the lack of effective basic licensing services, applicants and stakeholders have increasingly turned to their Council Office to intervene. In addition, the scarcity of legal cannabis businesses is helping the illicit market to thrive, which fosters neighborhood nuisances.
In September, we submitted a motion for DCR to implement common-sense changes to speed up the licensing process. In response to the motion, DCR released an email on Oct. 1, 2021, offering webinars to help applicants learn about recently adopted changes to streamline the licensing process. Unfortunately, the changes that have been implemented do not go far enough.
“The city needs to create a clear process for potential small business owners.
Our current process often leads to financial ruin and broken dreams,” Councilmember Harris-Dawson remarked. “Our motion requires reforms that will create accountability, transparency, and results.”
“As a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, I have been a long standing supporter of the Department of Cannabis Regulation and its potential to build a social equity program that would eliminate the stigmas of the past and help support new and innovative opportunities for cannabis businesses in the City of LA,” added Councilman Price. “At this point, the department's ineffectiveness has resulted in detrimental economic effects, which have led to social equity would-be business owners to leave the City in droves, millions of dollars in lost revenue and inhibited the creation of thousands of potential jobs, which our Los Angeles economy desperately needs. An overhaul must be done to remove roadblocks and establish a stronger foundation that is not only fair but truly supports budding entrepreneurs today and into the future.”
DCR’s new process addresses some of the problems but falls short on three main points.
1) Reliable times for licensing processing. Our motion insists that reliable times for licensing processing are embedded in the ordinance. 2) DCR shall rescind its deadline of August 31, 2021, for applicants without Temporary Approval to make relocation requests, ownership modification, and entity changes. 3) DCR shall rescind its deadline of December 31, 2021, for Phase 3, Round 1 applicants to request relocation. Both these deadlines were announced without discussion with Council and gave insufficient notice, resulting in numerous complaints from applicants, business owners, and other stakeholders. Since the motion was introduced, DCR announced in the October 21, 2021 Cannabis Regulation Commission meeting that they are rescinding its December 31, 2021 deadline and plan to adopt some of the other recommendations in the motion. However, they still reject being held accountable to processing timelines.
The time to act is now. The City has lost tens of millions in tax revenue and thousands of jobs as hundreds of businesses are kept from opening. Legitimate operators and applicants are leaving the city in frustration and social equity applicants are still not receiving the priority they are due.
With this motion, we hope to increase accountability and transparency at DCR. Adopting these measures will support applicants, expand the program’s effectiveness, and reduce the number of illegal dispensaries.
October 14, 2021
By Rev. K.W. Tulloss
Some believe that our economy is rebounding but that is not the case in our community. In fact, our businesses are struggling, and it can be felt by families who join me for worship each Sunday.
In my congregation, there are families who are fighting to make ends meet. Faced with financial instability, they often can't pay their everyday basic needs with just one job. With their kitchen tables serving as classroom desks for Zoom school for months on end, they have needed flexibility to earn income when it works in between school starting and stopping and putting dinner on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And that is why I supported Proposition 22 during the November 2020 election and continue to support it. Prop 22 protects the flexibility people need to be able to earn income to pay bills when it works out best for them. It allows people who want to make money to drive on an app-based network to deliver food or transport people. They can do all of this while juggling their children’s school schedule and other family demands.
Since Proposition 22 passed by 60% of California voters, I know numerous people who were able to earn more, while working flexibly and enjoying unprecedented benefits like a healthcare stipend.
With many in our community having difficulties, I recently spoke to a congregant who delivers meals on an app-based platform. He does this full-time because he can earn enough money to cover his living expenses and needs the flexibility because his wife also works. While his wife is at work, he stays home with their children to make sure the Zoom boxes aren’t replaced with video games and his kids are getting the education they deserve. When she gets home, he then can work on his own time for as long as he needs to. Without this flexibility, bills would go unpaid and their basic needs from buying groceries would go unmet.
Following a recent Sunday service after worship, I sat with a single parent who was telling me about how valuable the few extra hours driving for a food delivery platform are to her future. She works those extra hours around her work and family schedule, so she can save for her children’s college education.
Because of these very people who I care about, I am concerned about the recent decision by one judge who ruled that Prop 22 is unconstitutional. How can one judge overrule 10 million California voters and directly threaten so many who rely on the flexibility to earn additional income when they need it? That is just wrong.
This is not only a flexible way to earn income whenever someone needs it, it also provides a low barrier to earn money. Sometimes people need an opportunity to make a living and app-based driving provides that chance. And I have seen it, as people work and earn money, their lives begin to change. They are able to care for their families and are less stressed as they can put food on their dinner table and pay the electricity bill.
The statistics of who is driving on an app-based platform is consistent with the people I know in the community who rely on it for income. They represent all of us. One in three is a parent with children under 18, more than half are women, and as many as nine percent have a disability that keeps them from full participation in the workforce.
I am disappointed at the court’s decision to rule against Prop 22. I pray that his decision is overturned so that the flexibility and independence so many in our community rely on to earn income in order to make ends meet and survive continues to be protected.
Rev. K.W. Tulloss, President of Baptist Ministers Conference Southern California, and Co-Founder of Neighborhood Forward.