Seiu Videos

Unemployment is up, Wall Street is reporting record profits, the health care debate is dragging on, and Americans are angry. There's no doubt about the anger, anyway. But it hasn't translated thus far into any increased agitation for labor. Workers are getting squeezed from all sides--more work, less pay, the constant fear of job loss, and employers using the specter of that job loss as a bulwark against complaints. "You're lucky to have a job," indeed. What happened to organized labor in the US? With the decline of manufacturing jobs and rise of female-dominated service fields, does the old labor union model still hold up, or do we need new ways of organizing and supporting workers? And what happened to solidarity? Paula Finn, Editor of the New Labor Forum, Thomas Frank, author of What's the Matter with Kansas? and The Wrecking Crew and Wall Street Journal columnist, Tom Geoghegan, labor lawyer, recent Congressional candidate, and author of Which Side Are You On?: Trying to Be for Labor When It's Flat on Its Back joined Laura to talk about labor's problems and suggest some solutions to help all of us, whether we're union members or not.

Economist Dean Baker compared the American Bankers Association to termites, saying "it does most of its damage in the dark." But activists from all over the country have converged in Chicago this week for dramatic protests at the ABA's annual convention, designed to drag the bankers' actions out into the light. We'll have updates all week on the actions at the Showdown in Chicago, but here's a look at one of the first actions at the "Bankers' Ball," where activists decided to crash the party. Thanks to SEIU for the video.

Anthem Insurance Company sues the state of Maine for a "Guaranteed Net Profit."

SEIU collects stories from Maine people about their problems with the healthcare industry.

Both corporate giants have long track records of harassing their workers when it comes to joining unions. Harassment and intimidation are illegal under Federal law, and we won't stand for it. Tell Howard Schultz, Starbucks' billionaire owner, to respect the people who work for Starbucks. Sign the memo to Mr. Schultz: http://stopstarbucks.com In 2005, we took on Wal-Mart for their assault on workers with Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. Now we are exposing Starbucks' atrocious labor practices in our newest campaign, Stop Starbucks. Sign the memo at http://stopstarbucks.com and help us reach 50k signatures. Then send this video to your friends and family and post it on your Facebook page. Tell us YOUR Starbucks story at http://stopstarbucks.com http;//visionon.tv

Bill Moyers Journal profiles the fight the California Nurses Association (CNA) has been waging over universal healthcare. "There shouldn't be a double standard," says Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of CNA. "We, as the public, pay for Dick Cheney's care...why is the government not providing the same type of care to all Americans?" Also on the program, Bill Moyers interviews British law professor Philippe Sands, author of Torture Team, a new book on the approval of coercive interrogation by high-level American officials.