Labor Rights

Workers Center-Union Partnership Transforming Janitorial Work

January 10, 2015 Steve Payne, www.inthesetimes.com Organize! Labor Rights, Labor Unions

The last few years have seen significant labor unrest among the cleaning staff of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota’s big box stores. Janitors cleaning these stores have leafleted, protested, marched, struck and even gone on hunger strike since 2010, when workers first began organizing with CTUL (the Center for Workers United in Struggle), a workers center in Minneapolis. At that time, most janitors earned around $7.25 an hour and say they faced pervasive wage theft. Today, they say, their rates are between $8.50 and $9.00 an hour, wage theft is rare, and working conditions have improved. Now, the janitors are taking a step beyond their agitation through the workers center by trying to form a union. In November 2014, janitors at Kellermeyer Bergensons Services (KBS) won a card check neutrality agreement with their employer.

Laid-Off Baltimore Workers Beat Disney In Court

January 8, 2015 Christina Arrison, www.nationofchange.org Educate! Disney, Labor Rights

Emanuel McCray is an army veteran with four combat tours under his belt. Despite his military service and his B.A. in political science, he, like many veterans, had a hard time finding work when he returned to civilian life in 2007. He felt pretty lucky when he finally found a position he loved, working as a host at ESPN Zone—a Disney-owned chain of sports bars. A sports fan, McCray prized the chance to interact with the many athletes who stopped in after games at the nearby stadiums. He hoped to move into management and thought that if he got a salaried position he’d make working at the restaurant his career. In June of 2010, when McCray had been at the restaurant for almost two years, he arrived at work to find his co-workers in tears. Rumors had leaked in the press that Disney was closing the restaurant because they weren’t making enough money.

Port Strikes Mirror Organized Labor’s Roots

January 5, 2015 Marjorie E. Wood, www.otherwords.org Resist! History, Labor Rights

Port truckers in California walked off the job in November to protest their dismal working conditions. Required to lease trucks while paying insurance and maintenance costs, drivers often earn less than minimum wage. The strike came just days after big box retailers, manufacturers, and other supply chain stakeholders sent President Barack Obama a letter warning that labor disputes could cause “a full shutdown of every West coast port.” Spearheaded by the National Retail Federation — whose members include large corporate retailers like Wal-Mart — the letter stated that a shutdown would be “catastrophic,” costing the economy up to $2 billion a day. Over a hundred business associations who signed the letter requested “immediate action” by the federal government to prevent such losses.

Whistleblower Cop Fired For Calling Out Corruption In Her Department

January 3, 2015 Matt Agorist, www.thefreethoughtproject.com Resist! Corruption, Labor Rights, Police, Police the Police, Whistleblowers

A New Albany police officer of 19-years is being fired after she blew the whistle on her department. In May, Officer Laura Schook made several claims against her department including corruption, padded overtime and discrimination. “My supervisors [were] padding their overtime, stealing time from the city, also doing other jobs while they were at work, essentially being paid for two jobs at one time,” Schook said in an interview. After the allegations were made, Chief Sherri Knight and Assistant Chief Greg Pennell both resigned and asked to be reassigned within the police force.

Minimum Wage To Increase By Not Enough In 20 States Today

January 2, 2015 Brendan O'Connor, www.gawker.com Create! Labor Rights, Living Wage, Minimum Wage

Minimum wage increases go into effect in 20 states today, bringing the total of states that exceed the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour to 29. The increases, of course, are marginal at best. New Jersey's minimum wage, for example, has increased to $8.38/hour from $8.25—a result of automatically adjusting for inflation. A report by the New Jersey Policy Perspective found that a "survival budget" in that state for a single person would require a wage of $13.78/hour. "That's going to be unnoticeable, really," Gary Burtless, an economist at the Brookings Institution, told the New York Times. "If you're talking about an increase of a buck or two bucks, then maybe there's some kind of noticeable effect."

How 13 Complaints Against McDonald’s Could Help Millions Unionize

December 30, 2014 David Moberg, www.inthesetimes.com Create! Fast Food, Labor Rights, Law

The law is catching up with Ronald McDonald. On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board issued 13 complaints involving 78 charges by workers that McDonald’s USA, LLC, and many of its franchisees broke the law by interfering with collective efforts to organize and improve working conditions. The complaints will now go to trial before administrative law judges , who could, for the first time, find McDonald’s guilty of violating workers’ right to organize. Until now, McDonald’s has shielded itself from liability by claiming that it’s not an actual employer. Franchisors argue that although they provide the brand name, products, techniques and other operational necessities, they leave franchisees the discretion to operate as sole employer, responsible for all labor costs, risks and obligations.

Trafficking, Child Labor In Global Chocolate Industry

December 27, 2014 Carey L. Biron, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! Human Rights, Labor Rights

Almost two decades of advocacy work and multi-stakeholder discussions have resulted in nearly universal acknowledgement of the crushing labor and inequity issues that characterized the chocolate industry for much of the previous century, and have sparked substantive and ongoing action to rectify some of these problems. However, a two-year study, released this week by a labor watchdog group, has found numerous gaps in these initiatives. The report, titled “The Fairness Gap,” paints a picture of an industry that, despite strengthening efforts over the past few years from many of the biggest Western companies, continues to place too little emphasis on ensuring living or even minimum wages for its cocoa farmers, most of whom are in West Africa.

McDonald’s Just Got Hit With Multiple Labor Law Violations

December 22, 2014 Michael Wasser, www.jwj.org Organize! Fast Food, Labor Rights, Law

Today, the National Labor Relations Board’s chief prosecutor, General Counsel Richard Griffin, jointly charged McDonald’s and several of its franchisees with multiple violations of federal labor law. According to the NLRB’s press release, the agency will pursue 13 complaints involving 78 charges of alleged wrongdoing, while 71 cases remain under investigation. The General Counsel’s decision to treat McDonald’s (the parent corporation) and its franchisees as joint employers means that McDonald’s workers will finally have an opportunity to hold their real boss accountable. That’s a big deal. We know McDonald’s sets rigorous operating standards for its franchisees, from menus, to uniforms, to employment practices. And we know that they monitor and enforce those standards at the corporate level.

Italy: General Strike Against Labor Reforms In Over 50 Italian Cities

December 17, 2014 Revolution News, www.bullhorn.nationofchange.org/a> Resist! Italy, Labor Rights, Labor Unions, Strike

A general strike called by two major Italian trade unions on Friday hit schools, hospitals, airports, highways, ports and public transport across the country, as public and private sector workers protested against unpopular reforms to the labor market and cuts to public spending. The strike was initiated by Italy’s first and third-largest unions, CGIL and UIL, with the second-largest labor confederation, CISL, refusing to participate. More than 50 rallies or protest marches at various locations were expected to accompany the walkout, held under the motto “Cosi non va!” (approximately: “This is not the right way”). Railways staff are among those taking part in the strike, despite having been initially banned from participation by the government.

Court Rules Walmart Must Pay Workers $188 Million

December 17, 2014 Alison Grisworld, www.slate.com Organize! Labor Rights, Law, Walmart

A week after a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled that a Walmart manager in California could not legally threaten to "shoot the union," a Pennsylvania court handed down another decision against the mega-retailer. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Walmart must pony up $188 million to employees whom it failed to compensate properly during breaks and total hours worked. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a 2007 judgment in favor of the workers. It affects roughly 187,000 people who were employed at Walmart between 1998 and 2006. On Tuesday, Walmart said it might appeal the court's decision. "We disagree with the decision, and continue to believe that these claims should not be bundled together into a class-action lawsuit," the company said in a statement on Monday.

Workers Win ‘Retail Workers Bill Of Rights’

December 8, 2014 Alyssa Figueroa, www.alternet.org Organize! Labor Rights, Law

But 40,000 retail workers in San Francisco will soon be seeing significant improvements thanks to the recent approval of the Retail Workers Bill of Rights. Last week, the city’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of the bill, which will now be passed to the desk of Mayor Ed Lee. He is expected to approve it by the December 25 deadline. More than 80 percent of workers report having unstable work schedules. This provision requires employers to post schedules at least two weeks in advance. If employers change a worker’s schedule with less than a week’s notice, the employee will receive one hour of pay. If a worker's schedule is changed with less than 24 hours’ notice, workers will receive two or four hours of pay, depending on the length of the shift.

Fast Food Workers Strike In 190 Cities

December 5, 2014 Emma Stieglitz and Alex Edwards, www.popularresistance.org Resist! Labor Rights, Strike

Two years after 200 New York City fast-food workers walked off their jobs, sparking a nationwide movement for $15 and union rights, cooks and cashiers at McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and other major national chains went on strike Thursday in more than 190 cities— the most ever—joined for the first time by convenience store clerks and dollar-store workers in two dozen cities. Cooks and cashiers marched through fast-food restaurants and drive thrus across the country, delivering a Christmas wish list to managers in Wilmington, DE, wearing "Lucha Por $15" shirts in Phoenix, and holding a huge banner in Knoxville that read, “Knoxville Needs a Raise.” Home care workers, many alongside their clients, raised signs in cities like Minneapolis, Chicago and, Los Angeles, calling for $15 an hour. And airport workers supported strikers in 10 cities, including New York and Minneapolis.

Want Thanksgiving Off? Follow These Whole Foods Workers’ Example

November 28, 2014 Amien Essif, www.inthesetimes.com Resist! Labor Rights, Labor Unions, Strike

One year after workers staged a “Strikesgiving” protest at a Whole Foods Market in Chicago, the company’s stores in the Midwest have quietly implemented a new policy for scheduling and compensating workers on Thanksgiving Day—and workers are calling it a victory. Frustrated that their store would remain open on the national holiday, about seven workers at the Whole Foods on Halsted Street in Chicago protested by walking off the job or neglecting to come in to work the day before Thanksgiving last year, demanding paid time off for all workers. The strikers—members of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago, which launched a Fight for 15 campaign at Whole Foods in the spring of 2013—also called for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation.

New Documentary ‘Food Chains’ Sparks Protests

November 26, 2014 Coalition of Immokalee Workers, www.ciw-online.org Resist! Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Food and Agriculture, Labor Rights

Media coverage and word-of-mouth buzz around the new documentary “Food Chains” remained strong as the story of farmworker exploitation — and of the unprecedented partnership for social responsibility transforming the Florida tomato industry today — closed out its opening weekend in more than a dozen major cities. As Thanksgiving approaches, “Food Chains” is making Americans take a second look at the fruits and vegetables that grace their holiday tables. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to take advantage of the Thanksgiving break to catch it at a local theater or on iTunes. Then add your voice to the growing conversation about food justice!

Billion Dollar Salad Company Exploits Workers

November 24, 2014 Rory Carroll, www.theguardian.com Organize! Labor Rights, Labor Unions

Taylor Farms has become a billion-dollar success story by selling organic kale, lettuce, tomatoes and other “healthy, wholesome” choices. Some workers, however, say that those inside the processing plants face only noxious choices: exploitation, unemployment, deportation. “If you complain they threaten to call ‘la migra’,” said Rosie Guadaloupe, a former supervisor, using a Latino term for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a Department of Homeland Security agency also known as Ice. “If you don’t have papers, that scares you.” A half-dozen current and former workers interviewed by the Guardian alleged the company took advantage of undocumented migrants from Mexico and central America to keep workers on “temporary” status year after year, leaving them vulnerable to low pay, dangerous conditions, intimidation and summary firings.

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