Bernie Sanders defends staff compensation after complaints his campaign isn't paying $15 an hour

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2019/07/19/bernie-sanders-campaign-staff-wage-15-hour-union-elizabeth-warren-campaign-wages/1781159001/

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders defended his campaign’s compensation package Friday after a Washington Post story highlighted concerns among staffers that they were not receiving the $15-an-hour wages Sanders champions on the campaign trail.

"I'm very proud to be the first presidential candidate to recognize a union and negotiate a union contract," the Vermont senator and presidential candidate told the Des Moines Register in an interview Friday. "And that contract was ratified by the employees of the campaign, and it not only provides pay of at least $15 an hour, it also provides, I think, the best health care benefits that any employer can provide for our field organizers."

He also expressed frustration that staffers had taken their complaints to the media.

"It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media," he said. "That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it's improper."

That bolded paragraph? I've heard the exact same sentiment from corporations. Going to the public is exactly what workers *should* do when they're not getting anywhere with the process they have. I am utterly unimpressed and unsurprised -- this tactic is Organizing 101 and he blew the response.

[George II]

1. If he negotiated the contract, why are there ongoing negotiations (last paragraph)....

So essentially he's calling his workers liars, and upset they went "outside of the process". Maybe they had to do that because they're not getting anywhere in those already completed negotiations that they're negotiating?

More from the article:

"We are disappointed that some individuals have decided to damage the integrity of these efforts. We are involved in negotiations. And some are individuals that have decided to damage the integrity of that process before they were concluded."

[Thekaspervote]

2. +1000

[sheshe2]

11. Hmmm.

Campaign workers for Bernie Sanders have taken aim at one of the senator's key policies in his 2020 presidential run — raising the federal minimum wage.

According to The Washington Post, some members of Sanders' campaign team have been lobbying to raise their wages so that they make the $15 hourly rate that the Vermont senator has frequently called for both on the campaign trail and in Washington D.C.

The Post obtained a draft of a letter that the campaign's union planned to send to Sanders' campaign manager Faiz Shakir which read in part that workers "cannot be expected to build the largest grassroots organizing program in American history while making poverty wages. Given our campaign's commitment to fighting for a living wage of at least $15.00 an hour, we believe it is only fair that the campaign would carry through this commitment to its own field team."

The letter states that field organizers are working at least 60 hours a week, which lowers the average per hour pay to $13 an hour.

UPDATE (7/19 3:20 p.m.): The Sanders campaign said it will reduce staff hours to ensure everyone makes $15 an hour.

"Many field staffers are barely managing to survive financially, which is severely impacting our team's productivity and morale. Some field organizers have already left the campaign as a result," the letter said...





Read More: https://www.newsweek.com/sanders-campaign-battles-staff-demanding-15-hourly-pay-which-candidate-says-should-federal-1450103

.............

I don't get it. Here is a candidate that has made a $15 minimum a main stay in his campaigns for the last, what, 6 years not pay his own staff that very wage.

Do as I say and not as I do, does not a leader make.

[NurseJackie]

53. Very interesting... thanks for pointing that out.

The whole thing reveals much. And I'll just leave it at that for obvious reasons.

[MichMan]

3. If indeed the contract was ratified by votes of the union members

Then it doesn't make any sense to complain about it now. If you dont like the agreement between management and the union, than vote it down and continue bargaining.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Unions object to the ways contracts are implemented all the time.

This is particularly common when new places organize and the kinks need to be ironed out. They're following the process to implement change, but want it to go faster. There's nothing that says they can't appeal to the public to help add some pressure.

[MichMan]

5. Once they are voted on and ratified?

I totally understand trying to apply pressure during contract negotiations and bargaining.

From my understanding reading the link, the union has already voted in favor and ratified their contract with the Sanders campaign, so complaining about it now seems to be too late. If they thought it wasn't acceptable they should have voted it down.

"I'm very proud to be the first presidential candidate to recognize a union and negotiate a union contract," the Vermont senator and presidential candidate told the Des Moines Register in an interview Friday. "And that contract was ratified by the employees of the campaign, and it not only provides pay of at least $15 an hour, it also provides, I think, the best health care benefits that any employer can provide for our field organizers."

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. It's never too late to complain -- even when it's been voted on and ratified. They didn't know they

they'd be expected to work 60-hour weeks for the annual pay they're getting. Could be an oversight by the negotiating committee, who knows -- they may have thought they were protected. But both sides touted the $15/hour wage that had been negotiated -- if it turns out that in reality that's not what the workers affected by the complaint and contract are getting for the work they do, the Sanders campaign could get investigated.

[Me.]

26. That $15. Turns Into $13.

With a 60 hour workweek.

[marylandblue]

16. The union is essentially accusing management of bargaining in bad faith,

Which is the subject of many disputes after the contract is signed. In this case, it appears the organizers are salaried employees at assumed 40-hour work weeks, but are being forced to work 60 hours a week without overtime. Maybe the union should have foreseen this, but if they didn't, then the workers complain about it, the union has to bring it up with management...

[spooky3]

27. Wouldn't that be a violation of the FLSA for many of the jobs? I doubt

most at that pay rate would be exempt positions and if non-exempt would be paid time and a half for hours over 40 per week, right? If you are an employer covered by this act, you can't simply designate employees as "salaried" in order to cause them to be exempt. The statute is very clear about what constitutes exempt categories.

The working hours per week should have been set explicitly as part of the contract negotiations.

[silentEcho]

31. Salary means not by hour. Anyone who works salary takes into consideration the hours they put in

to determine their hourly pay. Generally it fluctuates. I am getting your point.

[spooky3]

39. My point is that the FLSA makes the rules about when an

(Covered) employer must pay overtime. You can’t simply designate someone as “salaried” and refuse to pay time and a half if by law the employee is considered non-exempt.

[marylandblue]

40. Yes, it's a violation of FLSA, but it happens frequently.

The statute isn't all that clear in practice. It was written to protect factory floor employees who do simple, discrete punch a clock, and are under direct supervision. Campaign workers probably don't punch clocks, and may not be closely supervised. In that case, they could be designated exempt while simultaneously be given complex tasks that can't be done in an 8 hour day. That's when you file grievance...

[spooky3]

45. It was written earlier, but it was always much broader

than application only to a factory shop floor.

See this, for example:

https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/fs17a_overview.pdf

[marylandblue]

46. Yes, I know how it applies, I have read it several times, it is nothing to do with my point.

Which is that companies can and often do successfully get around the law. Not only companies. I know of one case where a state government got around it and won in both state and federal court.

Bernie may have just done it. He may even get away with it. It's really not that hard.

[spooky3]

47. It directly contradicts your assertion about factory floors.

The question is whether these employees are fairly considered administrative employees, or possibly in another category.

Another question is “what does the contract say about working hours?”

This case isn’t resolved in the law or in the court of public opinion, and the articles so far haven’t included many facts, so I wouldn’t say the Sanders campaign has either done something wrong and gotten away with it, or not done anything wrong.

[marylandblue]

48. I didn't say it didn't apply to administrative workers. It was written in 1938 when the workplace

was different, with a certain intent and understanding, not that it didn't also apply in other situations. And since then, actual employers have violated the law and gotten away with it. I've seen them do it, so don't tell me they don't Sanders MAY have done it too, but I didn't say for sure that he did. Don't put words in my mouth.

This case is in fact tried in the court of public opinion, because Sanders is running for office. That means every single little thing he does is tried in the court of public opinion and people are free to decide whether to vote for him or not based on whatever criteria they choose. Including whether or not his workers complain about him and how he responds to their complaints.

[Demsrule86]

9. Sanders said in a press release the wages would be $15.00 and hour...don't see how that

has to do with ironing out...a wage was promised...not it needs to be delivered.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. The people who are objecting aren't paid by the hour, but their annual salary was calculated on a

$15/hour formula. But they're working so much they're getting much less than $15/hour.

[W_HAMILTON]

24. It was actually the campaign that reneged on the deal.

Almost immediately -- one to two weeks after ratifying the contract -- the campaign realized that it needed the workers to work longer hours than was negotiated for. It offered to up their pay, but in doing so, it would have run afoul of the other terms agreed to in the union contract, which meant the workers would have been responsibly for paying for more of their healthcare premiums. This is what the two sides have been arguing over for close to two months, with no resolution in sight. Workers become disgruntled as their work weeks approached 60 hours, so, they went public with their grievances.

This is a problem that originated with the campaign -- not the union.

[MichMan]

34. How did the negotiators for the employees not include language relating to overtime pay ?

Every other union I have ever seen makes sure that is addressed on the contract. Were they that inept?

[W_HAMILTON]

35. The negotiators for the employees are represented by an established and experienced union.

It was the campaign that realized -- after the fact -- that the agreed-to hours would not be sufficient for their purposes, and therefore tried to reopen negotiations to fix the problem they themselves created.

[MichMan]

37. So if language regarding overtime pay is already in the contract, there is nothing else to negotiate

Work the hours and get the agreed upon overtime pay per the legal contract.

If the campaign imposes wage theft, the employees have grounds to sue and/or strike.


"The UFCW spearheaded the effort to pass the Wage Theft Prevention Act and has long worked to strengthen legislation to ensure workers are paid at the proper rate for the hours they work. The Wage Theft Prevention Act (WTPA) took effect on April 9, 2011 and requires employers to give written notice of wage rates:To each new hire,To all employees by February 1 of each year;

The notice must include: Rate or rates of pay, including overtime rate of pay (if it applies) , How the employee is paid: by the hour, shift, day, week, commission, etc."


http://www.ufcw2013.org/english/advocacy-and-community-involvement/

[W_HAMILTON]

38. These are salaried positions -- not hourly positions subject to overtime rules.

What would have been negotiated was the expected hours to be worked. When the campaign realized that the expected hours that they agreed to would not be sufficient, they went back and asked to reopen negotiations. Their new offer was 48 hours at increased pay, but the increased pay ran afoul of the terms already agreed to, which means the workers would have had to pay for more of their premiums.

It is just another in a long line of campaign mismanagement from the Sanders campaign.

[CaptainTruth]

6. "It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media,"

Really? Workers shouldn't go to the media, & folks running for president shouldn't appear in front of the media to draw attention to labor disputes?

"McDonald’s workers striking across the country Thursday have several demands, including raising their minimum wage to $15 minimum. And one of the policy’s biggest proponents, 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, emailed his supporters to rally people to the picket lines."

Where he spoke to the media. SMH

[link:https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/evyavk/bernies-campaign-is-showing-solidarity-with-striking-workers-like-no-other-2020-candidate|]

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. It shows either a shameful unfamiliarity with the Labor movement as a whole or organizing tactics in

particular, OR a belief that some people are simply above such unpleasant things as Labor strife, because reasons.

[marylandblue]

17. Yeah, really. If Sanders wants to be an example of enlightened management,

He needs to negotiate, not complain.

[floppyboo]

19. He IS negotiating. The outlyer employees are not.

They clearly do not understand how unions work.
Have a look at the history of Unions in the USA. There have always been moles and disrupters to break them up.
You join a Union with the understanding that the Union will represent you - that you, as an individual, will be represented by the group as a whole. You bring your complaint to the Union, and they negotiate. If the negotiations fail, well, then you're on your own - but they haven't failed, so this is all so much bullshit.

[marylandblue]

21. I know a lot about unions, I used to be active in one.

If the union has employees trying to work around it, then the union is doing a poor job. And if negotiations fail, then you are not on your own. There is always arbitration, mediation, or legal recourse.

[floppyboo]

23. Yes exactly.

Are there any media releases from the union regarding where things stand as far as negotiations go? Or is this story being propelled by a few lone wolves?

As a note, I meant you are on your own in the advent of complete failure of negotiations. To date, I haven't seen anything official from the union as regards this negotiation.

[marylandblue]

25. They basically said they couldn't comment on the negotiations, which I take as a negative.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bernie-sanders-defends-campaign-salaries-after-post-report-of-labor-dispute-with-unionized-organizers/2019/07/19/c60558ec-aa68-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html?utm_term=.9db1c887c3f1

This issue was first raised in May 2019 so they've been negotiating for two months regarding jobs that will only exist for 12 to 18 months. That's a long negotiation for a temporary position. On top of that, other campaigns are paying more money.

If I were an union employee who earned less than the prevailing wage while working more hours, damn right I'd be angry at both the union and management. No surprise somebody went public.

[silentEcho]

36. " jobs that will only exist for 12 to 18 months."

Right. How long can they play this out.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. Unions and their members go to the press all the time to put pressure on the bosses during

negotiations or disputes.

[Gothmog]

12. sanders is unhappy

Link to tweet

[Blue_true]

13. Unions have to go public when they get stonewalled. nt

[floppyboo]

20. Link to Union negotiations being stonewalled please. EOM

[kcr]

14. Yep. That bolded part says it all, really.

I'm not surprised, either.

[Gothmog]

15. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

[floppyboo]

18. and further in the article:

"We are involved in negotiations. And some are individuals that have decided to damage the integrity of that process before they were concluded."

And that's how unions work. Going to the public before negotiations break down is how it works when you don't have a union.
I'm guessing many of those complaining are ex-non-union workers, where the only recourse is a public forum.

Baby union. Learning by mistakes. They negotiated and agreed to something that needs tweeking. Not worth alot of wasted ink unless there is a break down in negotiations.

[marylandblue]

29. If the union doesn't keep it's members happy, it gets stabbed in the back.

This is not about a "baby union." This is about employees who believe they are not being represented fairly. I've been in that situation several times myself. It's very frustrating when the union leadership tells you patent nonsense while claiming to represent your interests.

[lapucelle]

33. Baby union? The UFWC was founded in 1979, and UFCW Local 400 represents 35,000 members.

http://www.ufcw400.org/aboutus/about-ufcw-400/

Baby union. Learning by mistakes. They negotiated and agreed to something that needs tweeking. Not worth alot of wasted ink unless there is a break down in negotiations.

[silentEcho]

28. Does anyone know what the other campaigns are paying? I am curious.

To put this in perspective.

[marylandblue]

41. Warren and Buttigieg pay $42,000 per year, O'Rourke pays $50,000.

Warren and Buttigieg also pay 100% of healthcare premiums, which Sanders was not willing to do for employees earning over $36,000.

[floppyboo]

43. Warren impresses me daily. President Warren has a nice ring to it!

[silentEcho]

44. So Sanders base pay is 36K lower than at least three other candidates, yet he used a union.

The other candidates didn't need an union to make sure of equal pay, and no sexual harassment. The other Democratic campaigns did not need an union to force them to pay a livable wage. Sanders attacks Dems on this issue and complains when he does not comply to his own rhetoric. This is not good for Sanders. I absolutely see it coming into play during the debate.

[W_HAMILTON]

52. Biden pays $48,000/year.

Taken from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-says-he-agrees-with-a-15-minimum-wage-for-campaign-workers/2019/07/20/d2c239f8-ab51-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html

[lapucelle]

30. This should make the upcoming debate all the more interesting.

[silentEcho]

32. Especially if the other candidates are paying employees better. That is what I was thinking.

[Gothmog]

54. sanders is cutting hours

Link to tweet

[lapucelle]

55. Is he hiring more people? Why cut hours rather than raise the pay?

[Gothmog]

42. Yeah for Beto

Link to tweet

[myohmy2]

49. the questionable...

...public timing and pressuring of 'boss' Bernie over negotiated benefits and conditions in a ratified contract, impacts more than a corporation's bottom line...it attacks Bernie's character, his honesty, his credibility and the ability to raise money and compete for the nomination...

" "It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media," he said. "That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it's improper." "

...and it could destroy his campaign...maybe that is the intent...

...I'm going to keep a close eye on the establishment corporatists out for Bernie with organized attacks or with attacks on other Progressive candidates...

...they're fooling themselves if they think we're not going to respond and vote accordingly...

...hang in there...

[Gothmog]

50. sanders is not paying $15 per hour

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

51. sanders is frustrated

Link to tweet

[Cha]

56. Kick