Why Keith The Ironworker Is Voting Obama - 10/24/08
By Doug Cunningham
Keith Franco found out the hard way that all too often a worker’s legal union rights aren’t worth a thing when employers decide to violate them. Franco is hoping for an Obama win November 4th so the Employee Free Choice Act can be passed to put some real teeth in union rights. Franco tried to help organize a union at cablevision in New York.
[Franco]: “I've never felt so discriminated in my life. My van was vandalized, my personal truck was vandalized with the words 'union scum'.
Cablevision was able to use a union busting law firm to beat the workers’ union organizing effort. But Franco has since quit Cablevision and he’s now in the second year of an Ironworkers Local 46 apprenticeship in New York City. He’s now paid nearly $32 an hour and has solid health, pension, 401(k) and annuity benefits.
[Franco2]: “Everyone deserves a right to work under a union contract when they want to. And they should really pass the Employee Free Choice Act. So hopefully Obama will get elected and this will go right through and people don't have to go through what I did, because no one should really have to go through the discrimination I did. It was horrific."
HEAR AUDIO ON WWW.LABORRADIO.ORG
THE BOOM BOX BELOW TRACK LISTING:
TRACK 1: 1010 WINS RADIO INTERVIEW : OCTOBER 2008
TRACK 2: CABLEVISION SUPERVISOR---- BASICALLY TRYING TO USE FEAR AND SCARE TACTICS TO STOP ME FROM ORGANIZING WORKERS TO FORM A UNION. HE FLAT OUT SAYS....I WILL NOT BE PROMOTED FOR MY UNION ORGANIZING. THIS IS CALLED AN ILLEGAL UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE WORLD I LIVED IN.
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WHO I AM SUPPORTING
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MY BAND : WWW.MYSPACE.COM/SOUTHPAWNYHC
THE AUDIO ON THE BOOM BOX ABOVE UNDER " SUPERVISOR UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE' IS ONE REASON WE NEED TO PASS THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT-HR800. WORKER DISCRIMINATION MUST BE STOPPED. THERE MUST BE STIFFER PENALITIES FOR COMPANIES USING ILLEGAL TACTICS TO CHOKE A UNION DRIVE. THERE MUST BE A FAIR AND LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. I WILL BE USING THIS PAGE NOT ONLY TO PROMOTE MY UPCOMING BOOK BUT I WILL ALSO BE USING THIS TO PROMOTE AND EDUCATE AMERICANS ABOUT THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT. MY FIRST ADVICE TO YOU IF YOU ARE UNAWARE OF THIS ....GOOGLE IT! YOUR IN FRONT OF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY SO YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE TO NOT BE EDUCATED ON ANYTHING. THE WORLD IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. WWW.EMPLOYEEFREECHOICEACT.ORG
A FEW PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME LATELY....WHY THE GRUDGE? UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN INTIMIDATED AT WORK, DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AND DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD YOU WON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND. I ADDED THE CLIP BELOW BECAUSE IT ALWAYS REMINDED ME OF HOW SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS WOULD TRY AND BREAK PEOPLE'S SPIRIT.
THE PICTURE BELOW IS OF A SIGN THAT HANGS IN FRONT OF THE CABLEVISION HAUPPAUGE BUILDING, 1600 MOTOR PARKWAY SINCE THE DAY WE LOST THE ELECTION IN JANUARY/2005
This is going to be the official page for a book that is a joint effort from 2 pro-union workers, Keith Franco and Lenny Costa. From the years 2000-2006 they worked for the Long Island based cable company Cablevision. They were one of many technicians who tried to organize a union in their workplace with the IBEW Local 1049 to provide a contract for the workers. The goal of the contract was to provide better living wages for the workers, a safer work enviorment, a successor clause (which means if the company sold they are guaranteed a job with the new employer) to provide job security, an employer paid pension and plainly just to have a voice in the workplace to work like gentlemen.
Lenny and Keith and members of the Volunteer Organizing Committee (V.O.C. - workers who used their own time to organize) started out behind the scenes and very low key until they became known and decided to switch gears and take it to a new level and become more outspoken. The more outspoken they became trying to educate workers on the IBEW union and what they were trying to achieve the more Cablevision supervisors harrassed and tried to break the spirit of their cause. They became so outspoken at Cablevision ANTI-UNION meetings (that employees were forced to sit through on company time) that the company decided to start having 2 of the same meetings--- one with Franco and Costa and one without. They would have the same meeting twice. the first one with Franco and Costa and a handful of known pro-union supporters and the secoind with 100+ people. The purpose? so Franco and Costa would not poison the minds with facts of perhaps guys who were'on the fence' or swaying ANTI-UNION guys to PRO-UNION !!!!!!!Cablevision management and supervisors pitted other workers against each other, spread lies, stole from the workers vans, harrassed employees and tried to paint a picture of the pro-union leaders as subversives and radicals. Helping Cablevision plan and execute their defense was anti-union busting law firm Jackson and Lewis. This is a company that specializes in keeping workers from organizing companies or already organized companies deal with there union situation. The main goal of a union busting law firm is to create a climate of fear, break the stride of the pro union effort and try to manipulate workers into feeling that organizing a union is not only wrong but will destroy the company and ruin their lives. After years of educating the workers and signing authorization cards the V.O.C. decided it was finally time to file for an election. Sadly we lost with a vote of 437 no - 193 yes
The main goal of this book is to educate possible workers who may be going through the same exact situation as we did. We believe when this project is done it will be a useful tool in the labor movement because these are real actual stories and events that took place and from the mouths of the people they happened to. We believe it will be a good 'read' even to those who have no idea who Cablevision is.
This page is in its infant state right now but will be growing every day with new pictures,blogs and inormation. we would like to use this not only as a tool to promote our book but to promote Labor and Workers Rights. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hope to see you soon.
Feel free to contact us on this page. Any Cablevision workers or EX-workers who feel the need to share any information or stories we welcome you. We would love to hear from any ANTI- UNION people as well who maybe worked for Cablevision. We would love to know if you think things are better or worse since the election. From what I hear, talking to most Cablevision workers....it's the latter.
STICKERS WE PLASTERED ALL OVER LONG ISLAND AND NYC
WHY POST MY JOURNAL YOU ASK AND PUT UP AUDIO RECORDINGS?WELL..IN THE BELOW MAIL THAT WAS SENT TO MY HOME AFTER I E-MAILED MY RESIGNATION ( YOU CAN READ RESIGNATION IN OLD BLOG) JOANNE INDEMAIO (HUMAN RESOURCES) SENT THIS LETTER TO MY HOUSE. WELL---IT STATES IN THE LETTER TO SHOW PROOF OF DISCRIMINATION AND BRING TO HER ATTENTION. WELL---I WOULDN'T WANT TO DISAPPOINT!
"In the end, we will not remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Rev Martin Luther King, Jr.
PATTY GUIDICE,LENNY COSTA,RICK FRIDELL,KEITH FRANCO
NEWSDAY ARTICLE
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CABLEVISION SUPERVISORS POSING FOR A PICTUREI edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
SOMEONE SENT THIS VIDEO TO ME..WE CALL IT ...THE CABLEGUY SHUFFLE:
MY VERY SMART NEPHEW