See the AFL-CIO Gulf Coast Worker Network Hurricane Relief Update for the latest hurricane relief efforts of the AFL-CIO and affiliate unions and visit www.aflcio.org/hurricane.

‘LARGEST-EVER’ MOBILIZATION FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS—The AFL-CIO and a broad-based coalition of unions and religious, student community and civil rights groups are planning a national mobilization—“the biggest ever”—in support of workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain collectively during the week leading up to Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. With America’s middle class shrinking and poverty and job loss rising, a union card is the best economic uplift program for working people in our nation’s history, but employers routinely intimidate, discriminate against or fire workers for trying to join unions. Events are scheduled in 63 cities around the country, with more being added each week. These events will range from rallies and demonstrations to town hall meetings and workers’ rights board hearings. Teach-ins on university campuses as well as religious services will spotlight the tactics of employers that try to thwart efforts by workers to join unions. In some cities, events will focus on specific organizing campaigns in an effort to help workers overcome employer opposition to union representation. In Sacramento, activists will support workers at Blue Diamond Almond who are struggling to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. In Chicago, marchers will join workers at Resurrection Medical Center who are seeking a union with AFSCME. Across the country, AFGE members are mobilizing to protest the Bush administration’s attempt to abolish collective bargaining for federal workers. Throughout the nation, elected officials and community allies will pledge to back workers’ struggles. This year, unions on six continents will take action to support workers’ freedom to form unions. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will join a march in Hong Kong Dec. 8, prior to the meeting of the World Trade Organization there. Other events are scheduled in Bahrain, Bosnia and Cambodia. For more information and to list or find out about events in your area, click on www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/d10.cfm.

ONLINE EMPLOYEES GET FREEDOM TO CHOOSE—The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees/Communications Workers of America Local 1096 has won an agreement from Dow Jones & Co. for majority sign-up rights at Marketwatch, an online financial news service. MarketWatch has about 320 employees at three major sites—San Francisco, New York City and Minneapolis—and in bureaus in Washington, D.C., Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago. The company agreed to honor the workers’ decision to form a union when a majority signs authorization cards.

TREE TRIMMERS JOIN IBEW—Fourteen line clearance tree trimmers who work for Asplundh Tree Expert Co. in Rockwood, Tenn., are bargaining for their first contract after voting for the Electrical Workers in late September.

A BIG WIN: BUSH BACKS OFF GULF COAST PAY CUT—After a strong outcry from working families and their unions, community and religious groups and members of both parties in Congress, President George W. Bush on Oct. 26 rescinded his executive order that suspended Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage protections for workers who will rebuild the Gulf Coast. The order, which now will expire Nov. 8, allowed contractors to pay substandard wages to construction workers rebuilding areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Grassroots activists sent more than 350,000 messages to their representatives demanding fair wages be reinstated for the Gulf Coast, where skilled, full-time workers average less than $20,000 a year in pay. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) led unanimous Democratic opposition to the suspension in the House. Thirty-seven House Republicans led by Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), co-chairs of the Republican Working Group on Labor, wrote Bush urging him to reverse the suspension and suggesting the Nov. 8 cutoff date.

BUDGET CUT VOTES NEAR—With the Senate poised to vote on $39.1 billion in budget cuts this week, working families and their unions are taking action to demand that Congress protect key programs that benefit workers, such as Medicaid and food stamps, and stop giving tax breaks to the wealthy. Republican leaders in both houses are refusing to forgo $70 billion in tax breaks for the wealthy as part of the budget package. The House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on a package of cuts that take huge chunks out of programs vital to working families, such as student loans ($14.3 billion cut), Medicaid ($10 billion), child support ($4.9 billion) and food stamps ($844 million). Call your members of Congress toll free at 1-800-393-1082 and tell them not to cut programs desperately needed by working families, including hurricane survivors and low-income Americans, and not to give more tax breaks to the wealthy.

UNION VOTES CRITICAL NOV. 8—Working families have a major stake in critical elections in four states this year—California, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia. In California, working families are mobilizing to defeat Proposition 75, which is being pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and his corporate backers. If approved, Prop. 75 would muzzle the voice of working people through their unions and would prevent workers and their unions from fighting against budget cuts to schools, hospitals, public safety and other services working families need. In Ohio, working families have the power to vote on five measures that will bring good union jobs to the state and restore fairness and balance in the state’s electoral politics. Working families are backing U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine for governor of New Jersey and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine for governor of Virginia. Both candidates have strong pro-worker records. See how you can get involved by visiting www.aflcio.org/issues/politics.

WAL-MART: ONLY THE HEALTHY NEED APPLY—An internal memo sent to Wal-Mart’s board of directors proposed the world’s largest retailer cut health care costs by screening out unhealthy people from working at the company. In the memo, M. Susan Chambers, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for benefits, recommends Wal-Mart “attract a healthier, more productive workforce” by requiring “all jobs to include some physical activity” to discourage less hardy applicants. Chambers also proposed employees pay more for their spouses’ health insurance and called for cutting 401(k) contributions and company-paid life insurance policies (www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/26walmart.pdf). Even without Wal-Mart’s proposed cost-cutting measures, fewer than half of Wal-Mart workers have health coverage on the job, according to an AFL-CIO report. Many full-time Wal-Mart employees are unable to afford the company’s health coverage. Nearly 46 million Americans were uninsured in 2004—up 6 million since 2000, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Nearly 3.7 million fewer people had employer-provided insurance in 2004 than in 2000, the study found. Learn how we all pay the cost of Wal-Mart’s low prices at www.walmartcostsyou.com.

HURRICANE SURVIVORS RALLY FOR SAY IN REBUILDING—More than 1,000 union members, community, civil rights and faith activists and Louisiana hurricane survivors rallied at the state capitol in Baton Rouge Oct. 29 to demand decent housing and a role in determining how their state is rebuilt. “We are here today to put a stop to the profiteering and the plunder and begin rebuilding Louisiana the right way,” said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, who addressed the rally along with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D), School Administrators President Baxter Atkinson, AFT Secretary-Treasurer Nat LaCour and Louisiana AFL-CIO President Sibal Holt.

INVESTIGATE OIL PRICE GOUGING—With gasoline prices hovering near $3 a gallon and consumers facing double-digit increases in heating bills this winter, Congress should immediately investigate price gouging by oil companies, the AFL-CIO said. All major oil companies last week announced record profits for the third quarter, ranging from Chevron’s $3.2 billion profit, up 34 percent from last year, to Exxon Mobil’s whopping $9.92 billion, a jump of 75 percent. Sweeney called for price caps on gasoline, heating oil and natural gas and a windfall profits tax to fund rebuilding of the Gulf Coast states devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

NYU GRAD STUDENTS TAKE STRIKE VOTE—As the clerical and technical workers at New York University (NYU) vote on a tentative contract, graduate assistants at the school are taking a strike vote. About 1,800 members of the Union of Clerical, Administrative & Technical Staff/AFT Local 3882 are voting on a six-year agreement that would provide wage increases each year. Meanwhile, 1,000 graduate assistants represented by Graduate Student Organizing Committee/UAW Local 2110 are voting on whether to strike to protest the university’s refusal to bargain. The school announced Aug. 5 it would no longer recognize the union and let the contract lapse. In 2004 the Bush National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that NYU and other private universities do not have a federally required obligation to bargain with teaching assistants, research assistants and other academic student employees. But nothing in the NLRB decision prevents NYU administrators from honoring the democratic process and respecting the majority of NYU teaching and research assistants who have repeatedly expressed their desire for union representation.

HURRICANE RELIEF KEEPS GROWING—The union effort to help survivors of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma continues to grow. Individuals, local unions and other groups have donated more than $580,800 to the Union Community Fund’s Hurricane Relief Fund. Donations still are coming in to help hurricane survivors and can be made online at www.aflcio.org/hurricane. Recently, the International Union of Police Associations established a fund to help police officers in Florida whose power was knocked out and homes damaged by Hurricane Wilma Oct. 24. The AFT’s Mississippi Gulf Coast School Supplies Project is collecting supplies to help equip schools resuming classes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. You can get all the updated information on the unions’ hurricane relief efforts in the new edition of the AFL-CIO Gulf Coast Worker Network Hurricane Relief Update, which will be published later this week.

WORKERS REMEMBER ROSA PARKS—The union movement joins the rest of the nation in mourning the passing Oct. 24 of Rosa Parks, 92, the civil rights hero who took a seat in the front of a bus in Montgomery, Ala., 50 years ago and set off a revolution that spread to every corner of the country. “We must celebrate her memory by rededicating ourselves to winning the battle for social and economic justice,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said.

MCGARVEY TAKES BCTD POST—Painters and Allied Trades Vice President Sean McGarvey has been elected secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department effective Nov. 1. McGarvey will serve the unexpired term of Joseph Maloney, who resigned to return to Canada for family health reasons. McGarvey, a native of Philadelphia, began his union career as an apprentice glazer in 1981.

SOLIDARITY CENTER PICKS NEW LEADERS—For the first time in its history, the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center is expanding its board of trustees to include state and local union leaders and academics. The newly elected trustees include Illinois AFL-CIO President Margaret Blackshere, Metropolitan Washington (D.C.) Council President Joslyn Williams, National Labor College President Susan Schurman, CWA President Larry Cohen, Machinists President Tom Buffenbarger and United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard. Barbara Shailor, former international affairs director of the AFL-CIO, was named executive director of the center effective Nov. 1. She will succeed Harry Kamberis, who is retiring.