LABOR UNIONS FOR FOREIGN TEACHERS IN JAPAN

(Prepared by the Labor Working Group of the U.S. Greens Abroad)

The information on this infosheet concerns labor unions in Japan which welcome the participation of foreigners. Some contacts have been listed without permission, although most of the information has been published in other newsletters or flyers. If you cannot get in touch with any of the unions listed here, it is suggested that you contact General Union Osaka or NUGW Tokyo South. The sections following the list of union contacts are reprinted with permission from John McLaughlin, ﾒWhy Teachers Need a Union,ﾓ The New Observer, Dec. 1998, pp. 10-11, 16, and taken from a speech delivered at a panel discussion on ﾒEmployment Security: Paths to Empowerment,ﾓ sponsored by the Professionalism, Administration and Leadership in Education (PALE) National Special Interest Group (N-Sig) of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT).

UNION CONTACTS FOR FOREIGN TEACHERS IN JAPAN
･ Fukuoka: General Union. Fax/answering machine: 092-573-3094. E-mail: <DZB21104@nifty.ne.jp> <Nick@kyushu.com>. Website: <http://member.nifty.ne.jp//Fukuoka GeneralUnion/>.
･ Kansai: General Union Osaka, Kanayamachi Bldg., 3F, 2-1-17 Temma, Kita-ku, Osaka. Tel: 06-6352-9619. Fax: 06-6352-9630. E-mail: <gu@generalunion.or> <genunion@d4.dion.ne.jp>. President is Katsuji Yamahara; General Secretary is Paul Dorey (who handles inquiries in English). The majority of the several hundred members of this union are foreigners who are language teachers and many of the major language schools in Osaka have a union branch.
･ Kanto: National Union of General Workers Tokyo South (NUGW Nambu), 3-21-7 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004. Tel: 03-3434-0669. Fax: 03-3433-0334. E-mail: <nugw_ts@jca.apc.org>. Websites: <http://www.jca.apc.org/nugw_ts> <http://www.twics.com/~maxim/ktuf> <http://www/net-ibaraki.ne.jp/aboys/utu/>. Founded in 1956; organizing language teachers and other foreigners since 1974. President is Yujiro Hiraga; General Secretary is Hirohiko Takasu; other full-time organizers are Wakako Ichikawa and Yumiko Nakajima. You can communicate on basic matters in English but Japanese is, of course, preferable. Needs: bilingual organizers who can handle consultations; translators & interpreters. Other activities: almost monthly days of action (several demonstrations in one day); lots of meetings and symposia affiliated groups: networks dealing with limited-term employment; small and medium-sized enterprise unions; equal opportunity for women; foreign workers unions. There are several hundred foreign members in NUGW Tokyo South and branch unions of language teachers include Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin, Kanda Gaigo Gakuin, Tokyo Gaigo Senmongakko, ELEC, Athene Francais, Japan Overseas Corps of Volunteers (JOVC), Sophia University, NOVA, IMA, Berlitz, Bunka Joshi Daigaku Jr. & Sr. H.S., Tokyo YMCA, Gakken GEM, and the University Teachers Union. There are affiliated NUGWs in Sendai, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kumamoto. In the Tokyo branch, there is the Kanto Foreign Language Teachers Union Federation (KTUF). The University Teachers Union (UTU) branch cooperates with the predominantly Japanese Union of Part-time University Lecturers.
･ Kanto: Union of Part-Time Lecturers in the Tokyo Area. Tel/fax: 0426-27-4420. President is Noboru Shida; Vice President is Tomoe Murayama. This union was founded in April 1996 to help the huge number of part-time teachers at Tokyo-area universities. It is affiliatied with To-ku-kanren Ippan Roudou Kumiai. Most of the 100 or so members are Japanese but all nationalities are welcome. Their regular newsletter, Hikaeshitsu, is available at <http://www.os.rim.or.jp/~town/univ/univers.html>.
･ Kumamoto: Kumamoto Prefectural University Teachers Union. Contact is Farrell Cleary. E-mail: <clear@pu-kumamoto.ac.jp>.
･ Nagoya: Tokai International Union (TIU) (General Union's Tokai Branch), 5F50E Daifuku Kogyo Bldg., 3-28-2 Uchiyama, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. Tel/fax: 052-735-9704.
･ Shizuoka: General Union. Tel: 054-628-3038 (leave a message for Dan).
･ Sendai: Language Teachers Union. Tel: 022-276-6432. Contact is Bruce Boyd. E-mail: <jyoti@mango.ifnet.or.jp>. Website: <http:// www.ifnet.or.jp/~jyoti/Hus.html>.

OTHER LABOR-RELATED UNIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
･ Asian Pacific Workers Solidarity Links(APWSL)ﾑJapan Committee, founded in 1990 (dates back to early 1980s). Website: http://www.jca.apc.org/apwsljp. Needs: translators/proofreaders/editors for English newsletter, interpreters for international exchanges (study tours, symposia, meetings), assistance in drafting and sending letters of solidarity for disputes in the Asia/Pacific region or involving Japanese TNCs. Other activities: seasonal lectures on international labor themes. Affiliated groups: Japan Auto Workers Network (JAWN), TNC Monitor, Rodo Joho, 17 national committees in Asian Pacific Region
･ Center for Transnational Labor Studies(CTLS), founded in 1995. Website: <http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~ctls/ctls.htm>. Needs: translators/proofreaders/editors for annual English Bulletin, interpreters for overseas guests. Other activities: monthly lectures on international labor themes (about half in Japanese, half in English); sponsors long-term research projects on foreign workers. International labor solidarity movements affiliated groups: APWSL Japan, several universities/professors.
･ Foreignersﾕ Labor Union, Oriental Castle Bldg. 3F, 1-16-2 Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo. Tel: 03-3963-3344.
･ Metropolitan Area Youth Labor Union (Shutoken Seinen Union). Open to anyone under 40 supporting themselves by working at a part-time job. Tel: 03-5395-5255.
･ National Network in Solidarity with Migrant Workers(NNSMW), founded in 1997. Website: <http://www.jca.apc.org/migrant-net/>. Needs: interpreters for meetings and demonstrations, translators/editors/proofreaders for monthly English newsletter and special reports; transcription of international meetings. Other activities: government lobbying, study sessions, etc. Affiliated groups: many foreign workers unions and NGOs, Asian Migrants Centre in Hong Kong.
･ Zentoitsu Workers Union, Shinhirokoji Bldg. 5F, 1-12 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo. Tel: 03-3836-9061.

AN INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE LABOR LAW
From an American perspective, the labor laws and labor administration system in Japan seem remarkably protective and supportive of workers (at least the full-time ones), regardless of nationality. Of course, in reality, things aren't always the way they seem on paper. As for part-time workers, the rigid two-tier structure of the economy and labor market is hardly being addressed, nor the massive segregation of work by gender and discrimination against female workers, both issues which also affect foreign workers severely. But whether you are a female or male, part-time or full-time worker, you can join a union as an individual affiliate and there is probably a union to fit your employment situation. Americans who are familiar with card checks or secret ballot elections requiring 50% of employees +1 to form a union, which then officially represents all employees in a particular trade at a particular workplace, may find this law rather curious. It certainly provides flexibility for teachers at small language schools or branches of schools or perhaps high schools and colleges where foreigners are not so welcome in the school's union.
The downside, of course, is that workers could be fragmented into a variety of minority unions which the management can more easily dismiss or play off each other. We can see already that most part-time teachers and full-time foreign teachers are not invited to join unions at schools which already have them, so they must form their own. Although most Japanese unions are enterprise unions based at large companies, there are quite a number of small and medium-sized (say with 100 to 1000+ members) community unions or general unions in Japan which recruit members and make ends meet through consultations.
Occasionally, these unions will announce special days and times for anyone to come to the office or call about a problem. You may also be referred to one of the union staff by an acquaintance. If you have a problem, for example, unpaid wages at a school on the verge of bankruptcy, and it seems like the matter can be settled through negotiation with the employer, the union will try to help you, but in return they will ask you to join the union and pay dues (perhaps a full year or sometimes just one month at a time). They will also ask for 10-15% of the settlement as a commission. However, years of experience show that most people eventually quit the union after their problem is solved, and some commissions aren't worth the time and energy expended to reach a settlement (although some settlements can be very generous and a lot of unions have grown rapidly in the 1990s as a result of this system).
Most union organizers would prefer that you form a branch at your workplace no matter how small. NUGW Tokyo South, for instance, requires a minimum of three people to form a branch. You must be responsible for collecting and delivering dues to the union office, drafting a constitution, and electing officers at an annual general meeting (these are perhaps the minimum requirements for union democracy). Forming a branch makes it easier for you to get support from other branches in the union for your campaigns and demonstrations and for the union to make appeals and present demands to the management. Most unions will probably ask you to invite other colleagues to meet with union representatives, partly in the interest of organizing more workers but also to see whether you are telling the truth and really have support, which only seems fair and wise.

HOW JOINING A UNION EMPOWERS YOU
Although there is an extensive array of public services available to individual workers in Japan (see USGA Infosheet #14, "Public Administration Services in Japan for Foreign Workers"), even if you can handle these places in Japanese or can wait for the English consultation days, you will find that many of the services can be slow and ineffective. A labor union is one of the best ways for a foreigner to gain access to and navigate his or her way through the labor administration system. In addition, there is one more free public service which is available only to union members, the labor commission, which will be explained below. Perhaps the most important thing to stress is that the law alone is not enough to help you win a case. You need political backing.
It is tempting to compare joining a union to enrolling in a social insurance program (or worse, hiring a cheap lawyer), but most union organizers would not want to push this point too hard because a passive, customer-service orientation will never build a labor movement. A union is a network of experienced people and groups committed to upholding workers' rights. If people don't actively campaign for workers' rights and make use of the labor administration system, this system could easily wither away before we know it. No matter what conceptions of human rights, workers' rights, or due process of the law you may hold, any labor dispute is ultimately a political one (i.e., one of power differences) between you and your employer. Political power is gained, for the most part, by organizing into larger groups. The most important thing a union can do is to help you negotiate a settlement with your employer. Your employer may refuse to negotiate with the union, but if they recognize your strong backing by the union and feel the matter can be resolved quickly and not so expensively, this is probably the fastest way to solve your problem. Remember, however, that in the world of "politics" compromises are inevitable and that to a union, any settlement is better than holding out for "all or nothing" just on the basis that your principles have been violated.
If the management refuses to negotiate in good faith with the labor union, the union can always go to the labor commission. There is one in each prefecture and it is a tri-partite body consisting of one representative each from the side of management, labor, and the public sector (often college professors). Like the courts, this process can take a long time, usually at least a year, because both sides present testimony and evidence in two-hour sessions which meet about once a month or every other month.
Some people may find this lengthy process helpful for compiling the evidence for a case and translating documents (advice: get documentation for everything you can when a dispute is brewing, even documenting it yourself when possible), but those who have been unfairly dismissed and can't find another job may be frustrated by the slow process. However, the labor commission is free, interpreters are provided, and the union will provide lawyers for you, so it is cheaper than going through the courts by yourself. The downside is that the rulings are not binding and an employer could ignore a ruling and the recommended settlement if it goes in your favor. But these rulings lend a lot of weight to your case and make it easier for other unions to support you. One other benefit of a labor commission hearing is that if your visa runs out during a case, it will be renewed by immigration until the case ends, which may take several years.
The most important way being a union member can help you in a dispute is that a union can activate its network for political tactics. For example, the union can organize demonstrations in front of your workplace with loud sound trucks and megaphones on its days of actions, which are held several times a year, sponsor protest postcard campaigns or collect signatures on petitions to present to your employer, or gather letters of support from the leaders of other teachers' unions affiliated in the same labor federation or even in different federations. NUGW is affiliated with Zenrokyo, perhaps the most progressive federation (it's the only one that actively organizes foreign workers), and the other federations include the mainstream Rengo and the Communist Party-affiliated Zenrouren. Many unions join in coalitions to lobby the Diet and government ministries for the rights of foreign workers, limited-term contract workers, women, and part-time workers and against proposals in the Diet to weaken the Labor Standards Act. Considering that foreign residents have almost no representation in the various levels of government in Japan, with the exception of a few municipal advisory councils, joining a union and supporting the progressive strands of the labor movement is one of the few ways to be politically active as a foreigner. Remember that your rights as human beings and workers only exist insofar as you actively exercise them.