U.S. Senate Passes Health Care Bill, but Hurdles for Passage Remain

When the Senate approved the health care reform bill by 60 to 39, it marked the first time in nearly a century that comprehensive health care legislation had been passed by both branches of Congress. The bill would cover 30 million people who now lack health insurance. It would provide subsidies to lower- and middle-income people to help them pay for insurance coverage. It also sets necessary regulations on insurance companies to prevent some of their worst practices.

The AFL-CIO objected to the Senate bill on three counts: (1) It is paid for by a tax on working families’ health benefits; (2) it fails to provide a public health insurance option that would give insurance companies competition, and (3) it does not do enough to make sure employers are living up to their responsibilities. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka commented: “The AFL-CIO intends to fight on behalf of all working families to make those changes and win health care reform that is worthy of its name."

House and Senate leaders now must come together and craft a combined bill that each side will need to vote on once more. The process of creating the combined bill gives union members a chance to include the public option plan and eliminate the tax on benefits in the final version of the bill before it goes to President Obama for his signature.

Toyota Unions May Not Demand Pay Rise in 2010

The labor unions of Toyota are considering making no uniform demands for a regular wage increase for its members in 2010. If the Federation of All Toyota Workers’ Unions bypassed a wage demand, it would be the first time in three years and will likely have a considerable impact on next spring’s annual ”shunto" labor-management wage negotiations for auto and other industries.

While Toyota has seen production levels improve, the world’s largest automaker still anticipates its second consecutive year of losses. Business conditions also vary among its group firms, making it difficult for the federation to seek a uniform demand to raise wages. The Toyota labor federation consists of 303 unions with a total of 316,000 members, who sought a uniform monthly wage hike of Y4,000 ($43.90), but the demand was opposed in view of sharply deteriorating business conditions.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) has decided not to demand a basic wage rate amid the harsh employment conditions and to emphasize maintaining jobs.

Construction Workers in Dubai Strike for Unpaid Wages

More than 1,000 construction workers who say they have not been paid for three months went on strike on Dec. 22, with many saying they had lost faith on “empty promises” from bosses. About 900 laborers and 70 staff members and engineers from Robust Contracting Company said they would not resume work until they receive their salaries. The company is working at the Green Community project near Dubai Investment Park.

Most of the laborers earn an average Dh900 ($ US154) a month. Many said they were fed up with repeated promises from company management that payment was imminent. “We have no money, no food to eat. We cannot think of working in such circumstances. We finally had no choice but to strike,” one worker explained. The company owes engineers between Dh80,000 and Dh100,000 (between $13,700 and $15,400) each, and with families to support, they are currently living on credit cards. They have difficulties with banks, because they cannot meet their payments.

The strike comes just weeks after the deadline for large companies to enroll in the Wage Protection System (WPS), designed to help the Ministry of Labor keep track of salary transactions. From this month, any company with more than 100 workers has to be registered with the electronic wage transfer system. Under the system, businesses must choose a bank, or a money exchange agency or financial services company through which their workers will be paid.

U.S. Cosmetic Firm Loses Labor Rights Lawsuit in Shenzhen

One of Shenzhen’s largest manufacturers has threatened not to hire any new workers in the city after a court ordered it to pay 800,000 yuan ($117,166 ) in compensation for non-payment of statutory overtime and social insurance contributions for more than 100 workers, Markwins International, an American enterprise that produces cosmetics and beauty products for Calvin Klein and is a major supplier to Wal-Mart, is currently one of the biggest taxpayers in Shenzhen’s Longgang district.

Since the lawsuit, however, the company said it had lost confidence in Shenzhen’s business environment and would rather contract out the orders than hire new workers in the city, according to Ms. Han, the CEO of the company’s Greater China division. She blamed legal professionals in Shenzhen for stirring up the workers and encouraging them to sue their employers when enterprises were fighting for their survival during the financial crisis.

Rather than uphold the law, the Shenzhen government is reportedly now negotiating with Markwins to change its mind and hire workers in the city again. Earlier in 2009, the Guangdong government issued a decision to go easy on enterprises to help them get through the financial crisis. The courts have become more lenient, requiring workers to submit more evidence and awarded less in compensation.

Britain’s Railway Booking Staff to Strike in New Year

Rail passengers returning to work at the start of the New Year will face disruption on Britain’s busiest rail route, the TSSA union announced Dec. 24. Over 200 Virgin booking office staff along the West Coast line have voted for strike action, which will begin after the Christmas holiday break. A series of walkouts will close ticket offices at 14 mainline stations in protest at planned cutbacks that will see more booking office windows close and leave passengers dependent on more expensive ticket machines.

Union leader Gerry Doherty said his members were striking to defend their jobs and the booking windows’ service to passengers. He added: “We highlighted last week what it meant to passengers at one station—Coventry—where they had to wait 30 minutes in a 100 meter-long queue just to buy a ticket. Well, that will start happening right along this busy line if management gets away with these latest cutbacks.”

Virgin is one of the latest of the privately-owned rail companies to cut back on customer services to boost their bottom line during the recession, the union said. Doherty pointed out that the Virgin owner, Sir Richard Branson, was already receiving £1.3 billion ($2.07 billion) taxpayers’ money as a subsidy for operating his franchise.

Customs Officers in the Bahamas Increase Demands

If customs officers are to accept a pay raise proposal by the government, now that overtime has been eliminated, they want certain assurances, says John Pander, president of the Bahamas Public Service Union. Those assurances, he said, include guarantees about the level of pay certain officers could start at, once the shift system is implemented at the beginning of next year, and the ability to “moonlight,” much like police officers are allowed to do.

A sick-out by certain officers over the salary dispute continued over the weekend, forcing senior management in the Department of Customs to man the “belts” at the arrivals terminals at Lynden Pinding International Airport. About eight officers called in sick for the evening shift on Saturday and Sunday.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was reportedly still negotiating with union leaders and was sad to have increased his offer of a $750 a month raise for the majority of officers to $850 a month.

Learn about workers and their unions in other countries by reading our weekly “The World of Labor” here and at our web site:https://www.laborsvoiceforchange.org .