News for today's 2018

Walmart CEO quits as more workers strike in Miami, St. Paul

12:58 PM Tukiyooo 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ks9RZ5BLVJz4Ei0RLimuheOAf9ZqJkhrFDJn5nX_OJ55dvEMDRQJLDYRK-2CxUqNDpAFx0C0AFYL3wOUmRtUu9QWqGYQ9YnOaPjZzHjXUo6brrIrETiDeddrfOk6moC0-DDNCHNjUUFa/s1600/walmart+strikers+minnesota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ks9RZ5BLVJz4Ei0RLimuheOAf9ZqJkhrFDJn5nX_OJ55dvEMDRQJLDYRK-2CxUqNDpAFx0C0AFYL3wOUmRtUu9QWqGYQ9YnOaPjZzHjXUo6brrIrETiDeddrfOk6moC0-DDNCHNjUUFa/s400/walmart+strikers+minnesota.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walmart workers and supporters walk the picket line today in St. Paul, Minn. </td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OURWMT" rel="nofollow">Walmart workers</a> went on strike this morning in Miami and St. Paul, the eighth and ninth such strikes in recent weeks as the company announced CEO Mike Duke is stepping down.<br /><br /> <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/11/mckesson-ceo-makes-943-times-average-workers-pay-wants-to-cut-social-security.html" rel="nofollow">Duke makes 6,132 times what the average Walmart worker earns</a>.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1603821#ixzz2lPicW4vy" rel="nofollow">International Business Times</a> reports,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The chief executive of giant US retailer Walmart has stepped down while the company battles with a series of clashes with workers. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Mike Duke, who is heading off to retirement, is to be replaced by company veteran Doug McMillon to take the helm of one of the world's largest companies in February next year.</blockquote>Walmart worker and <a href="http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/2013/11/25/our-walmart-statement-on-ceo-change/" rel="nofollow">OUR Walmart member</a> Tiffany Beroid put out a statement saying the change of leadership is a testament to the pressure the company is under:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">We’re happy to see Mr. McMillon acknowledge the hard work of associates in his statement this morning, and we hope that this appreciation translates into improving jobs for Walmart workers. Americans nationwide are looking to Walmart to improve jobs and strengthen our economy, and Mr. McMillon has an opportunity to be a leader in moving Walmart in the right direction, not just in offering more empty promises. We sincerely hope that Mr. McMillon will answer the country’s calls for Walmart to publicly commit to paying $25,000 a year, providing full-time work and ending its illegal retaliation against its own employees.</blockquote><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/25/2989051/walmart-strikes-miami-tampa-sacramento/" rel="nofollow">ThinkProgress</a> reported on today's strike in Miami: <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Walmart workers went on strike on in Miami on Monday morning, following strikes in Tampa on Saturday and in Sacramento, CA on Friday. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Katie, who has worked at a store in Miami for three years and makes $8.75 an hour, told ThinkProgress she’s striking to improve conditions for both herself and her coworkers. “We’re going on strike for better benefits, for better pay for associates, and for respect,” she said.<br />The strikes make eight this month, coming after workers called out or walked off the job in Dallas, cities in Ohio, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Workers also went on strike in Miami in October.</blockquote>And in St. Paul, the <a href="http://advocate.stpaulunions.org/2013/11/25/walmart-workers-go-on-strike-in-brooklyn-center-kick-off-week-of-action-for-better-wages/" rel="nofollow">Union Advocate</a> reports:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The nationwide wave of Walmart strikes hit Minnesota this morning, when three women who work at the Brooklyn Center store informed management they were going on an unfair-labor-practices strike. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and Rev. Doug Mork of nearby Cross of Glory Lutheran Church accompanied the workers into the store, and dozens of supporters from faith, labor and community groups greeted them on their way out, ready to erect a picket line. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Andrea Williams, April Williams and Lillian Griffin said they decided to take a stand after attempts to organize for better wages, meaningful benefits and a voice on the job drew retaliation from store managers.</blockquote>Throughout the country, Walmart workers and supporters from the <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> and other unions plan to demonstrate against abuse and poverty wages on Black Friday. If you haven't found a Walmart protest near you, click <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/teamsters-support-walmart-strikers" rel="nofollow">here</a> to find one.

Walmart workers and supporters walk the picket line today in St. Paul, Minn. Walmart workers went on strike this morning in Miami and St. Paul, the eighth and ninth such strikes in recent weeks as the company announced CEO Mike Duke is stepping down.…

Colbert takes on employee food drive at Walmart (video)

8:58 AM Tukiyooo 0

low-wage workers strike walmart Colbert takes on employee food drive at Walmart (video)

Teamster Nation told you Monday about the Walmart in Ohio that's running a Thanksgiving food drive over the holidays -- for its own employees. Now we bring you comedian Stephen Colbert, who pokes fun at the retailer in his inimitable way.We bring you…

L.A. warehouse workers describe horrifying conditions, join strike line

11:21 AM Tukiyooo 0

hunger port drivers strike walmart warehouse worker safety L.A. warehouse workers describe horrifying conditions, join strike line

Warehouse workers, striking port drivers and Teamsters walk the line yesterday.Workers at two dangerous California warehouses that move Walmart goods marched with Teamsters and port drivers striking their facility yesterday. The port drivers walked o…

Whoa! Port drivers who haul for Walmart strike in LA with Teamster support

8:09 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vmUBKxQChg4et6CKVaBuQGKm4NgkNPL4AWrL-iRwsjURwCNra0WOUstUwr5v5SBdCLT__eN-C6x1-E1nS80ARYMi6mMBYBILavcn8ji4zr_ju7QLk8Jbq_3xDnF9OVQi_VG6sRFio_3C/s1600/Teamster+port+strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vmUBKxQChg4et6CKVaBuQGKm4NgkNPL4AWrL-iRwsjURwCNra0WOUstUwr5v5SBdCLT__eN-C6x1-E1nS80ARYMi6mMBYBILavcn8ji4zr_ju7QLk8Jbq_3xDnF9OVQi_VG6sRFio_3C/s400/Teamster+port+strike.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out in force at Green Fleet Systems today. </td></tr></tbody></table>The latest wave of low-wage worker strikes is upon us, and it begins today with Teamster-supported port drivers who haul goods for Walmart at the Port of Los Angeles. At 5 a.m., port drivers took up "Stop this unlawful war on workers signs" and hit the picket lines in a surprise short strike. Teamsters are marching in solidarity with the drivers.<br /><br />Local television, print and radio crews came out to cover the job action. The advisory informs us port truck drivers at three companies are walking off the job for 36 hours to protest Unfair Labor Practices, including harassment, intimidation, and other violations of Federal labor laws. According to advisory:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Striking drivers at two of the companies – <a href="http://www.greenfleetsystems.com/index.htm">Green Fleet Systems</a> and <a href="http://www.americanlogisticsintl.com/">American Logistics International</a> – are bona fide employees of these trucking companies. Region 21 of the National Labor Relations Board has received charges detailing unlawful retaliations against the drivers at these two companies in their efforts to organize a Union with the <a href="http://www.teamster.org/">International Brotherhood of Teamsters</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pac9.com/">Pac 9 Transportation</a> misclassifies their full-time, exclusive drivers as “independent contractors.” Those drivers are demanding recognition as employees and have suffered harassment and intimidation from Pac 9 in their efforts. Charges for unlawful retaliation are pending before Region 21 of the <a href="http://www.nlrb.gov/">National Labor Relations Board</a>. This is the first time in decades that port truck drivers classified as “independent contractors” have gone on strike. Their efforts are significantly bolstered by the fact that more than 50 Pac 9 drivers, and hundreds of others have filed claims for wage theft with the <a href="http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/">California Labor Commissioner</a>.</blockquote>Josh Eidelson at Salon wrote a terrific story about the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/11/18/breaking_truckers_who_haul_for_wal_mart_and_forever_21_plan_surprise_strikes_today/" rel="nofollow">strike</a>, titled, "Truckers who haul for Wal-Mart and Forever 21 plan surprise strikes today." The subhed is even better: "Hundreds of workers will defy vengeful companies and laws that deny they're even employees." Eidelson writes,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">In labor’s latest challenge to a low-wage economy and a legal system that excludes huge swathes of the workforce, hundreds of non-union Port of Los Angeles truck drivers plan to stage surprise strikes against three companies Monday. The workers transport goods from the port to companies including Costco, Forever 21, Sketchers and Wal-Mart. They allege their companies — Green Fleet Systems, American Logistics International, and Pac 9 — illegally punished workers for organizing and exposing wrongdoing. While drivers striking at GFS and ALI (starting at 5 a.m. PST and 4 p.m. PST respectively) are legally employed by those logistics companies, the workers at the third company, Pac 9, are among the growing ranks of so-called “independent contractors” who legally aren’t employed by anyone at all. They plan to walk (or drive) off the job at 5 p.m. PST Monday. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">“I’m demanding what a worker deserves,” Pac 9 driver Jose Galindo told Salon in Spanish in a pre-strike interview. Wal-Mart, Sketchers, Costco, Forever 21, GFS, ALI and Pac 9 did not provide comment on the workers’ allegations in response to Friday inquiries (Pac 9 referred Salon to a communications firm, which did not respond to a Friday request for comment). </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The port truckers, backed by the <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> union, are the latest to take up tactics that have characterized a wave of low-wage, non-union strikes since 2012. Like strikes targeting the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/10/09/walmart_strikes_spread_to_more_states/">Wal-Mart supply chain</a> and the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/08/29/largest_fast_food_strike_ever_today_50_cities_will_be_affected/">fast food industry</a> (also significantly supported by affiliates of the same union federation, Change to Win), the truckers are mounting one-day strikes rather than indefinite ones, and framing their protests as a response to illegal retaliation – two tactics with some potential to maximize public scrutiny on bosses while reducing the ever-present risk that the striking workers lose their jobs. And like fast food workers or Wal-Mart warehouse staff, the Pac 9 truckers are facing down a “Who’s the Boss” problem: Subject to the will of one corporation (McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Pac 9), but legally employed by someone else: a fast food franchisee, a warehouse company or, in the case of Monday night’s strikers, putatively self-employed.</blockquote>More to come. <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">: </blockquote>

misclassification strike walmart Whoa! Port drivers who haul for Walmart strike in LA with Teamster support

Out in force at Green Fleet Systems today. The latest wave of low-wage worker strikes is upon us, and it begins today with Teamster-supported port drivers who haul goods for Walmart at the Port of Los Angeles. At 5 a.m., port drivers took up "Stop th…

Teamsters support Walmart Black Friday strikes

11:31 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfrFcZSzX12ItCY9ho2b18w2wPEn1mIDn9UNqR5Gm7JPmkiStilErhuWhTa7NIAFyoi0-3Z8GZAC44ZoNoCemMbYUE5Oxp1xAAjDIlikUXRfkjdh2NIBof9StL1i5A3cqBeDiQ70TjnLL/s1600/Teamsters+Seattle+Walmart+strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfrFcZSzX12ItCY9ho2b18w2wPEn1mIDn9UNqR5Gm7JPmkiStilErhuWhTa7NIAFyoi0-3Z8GZAC44ZoNoCemMbYUE5Oxp1xAAjDIlikUXRfkjdh2NIBof9StL1i5A3cqBeDiQ70TjnLL/s320/Teamsters+Seattle+Walmart+strike.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teamsters in Seattle yesterday</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> are out front supporting <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OURWMT" rel="nofollow">Walmart worker protests</a> in the run-up to nationwide strikes on Friday, Nov. 29, also known as Black Friday.<br /><br />Yesterday our Teamster brothers from Local 117 in Seattle protested Walmart's union-busting and poverty wages. They were supporting workers who went out on a one-day strike. Josh Eidelson at <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/11/12/breaking_wal_mart_workers_strike_as_target_workers_threaten_to_join_black_friday_walkout/" rel="nofollow">Salon</a> reported yesterday:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The one-day strike is the latest in the lead-up to a larger day of strikes and protests planned for Black Friday, the high-profile post-Thanksgiving shopping day at the end of this month. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">“I don’t know if I’ll see it in my lifetime,” Washington Wal-Mart employee Mary Watkines told Salon in a pre-strike interview, but  “I want all of the associates, including myself, to be able to walk into our workplace, you know, this place that they call our family … and not be physically ill, not just feel like you want to throw up or pass out or even just turn around and walk out” over “intimidation and humiliation.” Watkins added, “I want people to be able to live better, you know, like the commercial says … Nobody lives better except for the Waltons now.” </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Today’s strike is the latest by the non-union worker group OUR Walmart, which is closely tied to the </span><a href="http://ufcw.org/" rel="nofollow" style="line-height: 20px;">United Food & Commercial Workers</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> union.</span></blockquote>Just now, the <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/13/2935161/walmart-strike-chicago/" rel="nofollow">Walmart strikes spread to Chicago</a>, with a rally planned for 4 pm local times.<br /><br />Last week, at least one and possibly more of our Teamster brothers were arrested in Los Angeles as part of the largest peaceful civil disobedience action against Walmart ever. Several dozen Walmart workers walked off the job Thursday and Friday, the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/08/walmart-arrests_n_4227411.html?view=print&comm_ref=false" rel="nofollow">Huffington Post</a> reported:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Surrounded by about 100 police officers in riot gear and a helicopter circling above, more than 50 Walmart workers and supporters were arrested in downtown Los Angeles Thursday night as they sat in the street protesting what they called the retailer's "poverty wages." </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">...The 54 arrestees, with about 500 protesting Walmart workers, clergy and supporters, demonstrated outside LA's Chinatown Walmart. Those who refused police orders to clear the street after their permit expired were arrested without incident. Those who fail to post $5,000 bail would be jailed overnight, Detective Gus Villanueva, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman, told The Huffington Post... </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Their primary demand to Walmart: pay every full-time worker at least $25,000 a year.<br />One of the protesting Walmart workers, Anthony Goytia, a 31-year-old father of two, said he believes he will make about $12,000 this year. It's a daily struggle, he said, "to make sure my family doesn't go hungry." </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The power went out at my house yesterday because I couldn't afford the bill," Goytia told HuffPost. "I had to run around and get two payday loans to pay for my rent from the first" of the month. "Yesterday we went to a food bank." </blockquote>A large, national strike is planned against Walmart on Black Friday, and Teamsters are encouraged to join in actions supporting the workers. It's very easy to find out what's going on near you. Just click on the <a href="http://blackfridayprotests.org/">BlackFridayProtests.org</a> website and type your zip code in the giant box.

strike walmart Teamsters support Walmart Black Friday strikes

Teamsters in Seattle yesterdayTeamsters are out front supporting Walmart worker protests in the run-up to nationwide strikes on Friday, Nov. 29, also known as Black Friday.Yesterday our Teamster brothers from Local 117 in Seattle protested Walmart's …

'Dirty Dozen' Teamsters in 79th day of strike against Cummins Crosspoint

11:44 AM Tukiyooo 0

Local 519 strike 'Dirty Dozen' Teamsters in 79th day of strike against Cummins Crosspoint

Striking members of Teamsters Local 519: 'The Dirty Dozen'Twelve members of Teamsters Local 519 walked off the job when Cummins Crosspoint tried to impose a contract that took away seniority, just cause and prescription drug benefits while increasing…

Give a kid a cookie, end up fired

9:33 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="MsoNormal">Carlos Hernandez was fired after he led a walkout of Subway workers in Seattle over the summer.<br /><br />The owner of  the Subway franchise, Hasan Zeer, claims he fired Carlos Hernandez for giving a kid a 66-cent cookie.<br /><br />Legally, most workers can be fired on an employer's whim, but they can't -- at least legally -- be fired for trying to join a union. Hence the cookie excuse.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.workingwa.org/">Working Washington</a>organizers say that Hernandez was fired in retaliation for speaking to press and organizing his coworkers during last month’s fast food strike.<br /><br />Federal charges have been filed against the fast-food restaurant, but in the meantime, Seattle citizens are letting the owners know how wrong their actions are through Yelp, a popular user-review-based website for businesses.<br /><br />Dozens of locals have stood up for Carlos and the other workers <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/subway-seattle-47">by writing reviews on the Subway franchise’s Yelp page</a>.<br /><br />Amy H. from Seattle says:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">My sandwiches would taste a lot better if they weren't salted with the tears of mistreated employees. One of the hardest working employees in this franchise was illegally fired for going on strike under the pretense of giving away a $0.66 cookie to a 3 year old. Other employees at this location have also suffered unsafe working conditions, wage theft, and have been denied breaks. Doesn't taste so fresh to me.</blockquote>Alex M. yelped that:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">I used to work at Subway.  The worst part of the job was wringing the extra blood out of the roast beef before serving it.  Now this subway is trying to wring the blood and some extra dough from its workers.</blockquote>If you think workers should not be fired for speaking out, <a href="http://action.workingwa.org/page/s/fastfoodsupport">sign the Working Washington petition</a> or <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/subway-seattle-47">submit a review to their Yelp</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>

low-wage workers strike Give a kid a cookie, end up fired

Carlos Hernandez was fired after he led a walkout of Subway workers in Seattle over the summer.The owner of the Subway franchise, Hasan Zeer, claims he fired Carlos Hernandez for giving a kid a 66-cent cookie.Legally, most workers can be fired on an…

Federal contract workers strike in DC for 5th time

2:03 PM Tukiyooo 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVv8Ey7Q4aDi4h1ZzFgQd1IY4Oez0vcCuMWiWlQ_0E39KexcV9JCJ7lTEQ1d044afW2_0TWZs7fnnMEDYYshheTjhRAT-mVF6fWBKR2tILyLJ3dEUEtJFqrBPWkpgOggn1EQSEOg0zX4Tk/s1600/march+good+jobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVv8Ey7Q4aDi4h1ZzFgQd1IY4Oez0vcCuMWiWlQ_0E39KexcV9JCJ7lTEQ1d044afW2_0TWZs7fnnMEDYYshheTjhRAT-mVF6fWBKR2tILyLJ3dEUEtJFqrBPWkpgOggn1EQSEOg0zX4Tk/s400/march+good+jobs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marching down Pennsylvania Ave. today.</td></tr></tbody></table>Cleaning and concession workers went on strike today in Washington, D.C., demanding an end to wage theft and retaliation for trying to form a union. Organizers said it was the biggest one-day strike yet.<br /><br />The striking workers serve food or clean Union Station, Smithsonian Museums and the Ronald Reagan Building and Old Post Office -- all owned by the federal government. This is the fifth one-day walkout since May by employees of federal government contractors.  Their actions already spurred a Department of Labor investigation into their allegations of wage theft, and outspoken support from 17 progressive members of Congress.<br /><br />Today they rallied at Freedom Plaza, then marched to the White House where six workers delivered petitions signed by 250,000 people. The <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/Low-Wage-Federal-Contract-Workers-to-Strike-Today">petitions</a> asked for an executive order requiring federal contractors be given preference for providing decent pay and benefits.<br /><br />Paying workers more money wouldn't cost taxpayers a dime more, according to a <a href="http://www.demos.org/news/time-roll-back-760k-contractor-salary-cap" rel="nofollow">Demos</a> report released today. The think tank figures that capping contractor executive salaries at $230,700 a year -- Vice President Joe Biden's salary -- that would <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/25/2677071/federal-contracts-send-billions-of-dollars-to-ceos-but-pay-workers-a-poverty-wage/" rel="nofollow">save as much as $7.65 billion annually</a>.<br /><br />In the past month, <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/LA-port-drivers-strike-electrifies-workers.html" rel="nofollow">port truck drivers</a> hoping to join the <a href="http://teamster.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters</a> walked off the job; so did<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/29/fast-food-workers-strike-for-higher-pay-in-nearly-60-cities/2726815/" rel="nofollow"> fast-food workers in 60 cities</a>, and 68 people were arrested across the country in nonviolent protests of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/05/walmart-protesters-arrested_n_3873791.html" rel="nofollow">Walmart's retaliation against workers</a>. Josh Eidelson at <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/09/24/federal_workers_to_strike_march_on_white_house_wednesday/singleton/" rel="nofollow">Salon</a> reports on the growing support for one-day strikes.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Their effort exemplifies twin trends in the modern, embattled labor movement. First, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/08/29/largest_fast_food_strike_ever_today_50_cities_will_be_affected/">the rise</a> of one-day, non-union strikes by minorities of the workforce, designed to embarrass bosses and engage co-workers and the public. And second, new campaigns that sidestep workers’ legal employer — whether a fast food franchisee, a warehouse company hired by Wal-Mart, or a federal contractor — and instead attempt to squeeze the “<a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/22/guest_workers_may_foretell_grim_future_of_american_labor_partner/">real boss</a>”: the fast food corporation, the retail giant or the president of the United States...</blockquote>President Obama has signed an executive order that bans federal contractors from billing the government for union busters.<br /><br />Find out more at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoodJobsNation?ref=br_tf" rel="nofollow">Good Jobs Nation Facebook page</a>. <br /><br />

federal contractor employees low-wage workers strike Federal contract workers strike in DC for 5th time

Marching down Pennsylvania Ave. today.Cleaning and concession workers went on strike today in Washington, D.C., demanding an end to wage theft and retaliation for trying to form a union. Organizers said it was the biggest one-day strike yet.The strik…

Striking railroad Teamsters ordered back to work, no single operators allowed

9:14 PM Tukiyooo 0

An Akron, Ohio, district court judge this afternoon ordered striking locomotive engineers and trainmen at the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway back to work. He also ordered the railroad to refrain from allowing supervisors or management to operate trains.<br /><br />The order by Judge John R. Adams ended the strike by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen that began this morning. The walkout stopped virtually all activity by the railroad, which generally runs 45-50 trains a day.<br /><br />BLET President Dennis Pierce said,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">I hope that the condition imposed by the judge will lead W and LE to recognize the importance of this issue to our members, who now will be returning to work with the assurance that while the matter is under consideration by the court, no further provocative actions may be taken by the carrier.</blockquote>According to a <a href="http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=5489" rel="nofollow">BLET statement</a>, the workers walked out because the W and LE repudiated its contracts between locomotive engineers and trainmen. The railroad used supervisors to do the work of the engineers and trainmen, and running one-person operations.<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/Temporary-Restraining-Order-9-20-13.pdf" rel="nofollow">temporary restraining order</a> will remain in effect until a hearing can be held on the railroad’s request for a longer-term injunction.<br /><br />Pierce also thanked General Chairman Bob Linsey, Local Chairmen Kevin Nahrebecki and Lonnie Swigert, and all officers and members of Division 292, as well as general counsel Mike Wolly and his team for their outstanding efforts.<br /><br />The BLET is part of the rail conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.<br /><br />

BLET rail strike Striking railroad Teamsters ordered back to work, no single operators allowed

Railroad Teamsters strike Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway today

2:11 PM Tukiyooo 0

More than 100 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) today struck the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (WLE). The railroad is trying to run trains with one operator even after the recent Lac-Megantic tragedy that killed 47 people.<br /><br />Picket lines were posted at seven primary WLE terminals in Ohio and Pennsylvania, shutting down the railroad’s entire operation.<br /><br />General Chairman Bob Linsey said they were forced to strike to defend their contracts. The railroad,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...has used management officials to perform the work of bargaining unit employees, namely locomotive engineers and conductors. In defiance of the union’s warnings, the carrier has also recently ignored longstanding crew consist agreements and operated single-person operations in an effort to eliminate trainmen.</blockquote>The WLE outright admitted that it has no right to run the railroad that way. It made proposals at the bargaining table to lift the restrictions on single-person operations and letting management do the work of conductors and locomotive engineers.<br /><br />BLET national President Dennis R. Pierce blasted WLE for its actions, saying the WLE loaned money to the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic, which declared bankruptcy after <a href="http://bangordailynews.com/2013/08/22/business/trustee-named-to-oversee-montreal-maine-and-atlantic-railway-during-bankruptcy/?ref=latest" rel="nofollow">one of its trains rolled driverless down a hill and derailed in Lac Megantic, Quebec</a>. The explosion killed 47 people. Pierce said,<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The WLE bankrolled Ed Burkhardt’s failed one-person operation on the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic to the tune of a $25 million loan, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. When General Chairman Linsey asked for strike authorization on behalf of our members, the stakes involved made this a fairly easy decision for me to make. It is clear that WLE’s actions are in outright defiance of its obligations, a major dispute in and of itself. BLET will not idly stand by and allow this totally unsafe abrogation of its collectively bargained agreements.</blockquote>Pierce said Republican and Democratic members of Congress sponsored a bill — H.R. 3040, the Safe Freight Act — requiring at least two crew members on all freight trains in the nation. He called on the House leadership to move forward with the legislation.

BLET railroad strike Railroad Teamsters strike Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway today

A Teamster daughter's tribute to her dad

9:05 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKao6AzvEKBPybvs8_mwf4sUN2Q02WEug5pPoIZ_T0fhcCPaiRk0RJReXqe3yatTYTgDPIe961xrwIU07NtSWty8iyYw9rKfRkXBDdGDEJujkd2bnbmkWTq8PHzZqsLAmlyaPvrqL4NSD/s1600/Tiffany's+dad+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKao6AzvEKBPybvs8_mwf4sUN2Q02WEug5pPoIZ_T0fhcCPaiRk0RJReXqe3yatTYTgDPIe961xrwIU07NtSWty8iyYw9rKfRkXBDdGDEJujkd2bnbmkWTq8PHzZqsLAmlyaPvrqL4NSD/s1600/Tiffany's+dad+2.jpg" /></a></div><i>We love to hear from our readers, especially when they tell us about Teamsters they know and love. </i><br /><br /><i>Tiffany Allison sent us this message about her dad, and we asked her if we could share it. She said she'd be honored. </i><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">This is my dad Robert Allison who is no longer with us. He was one of the greatest men ever and lived to be a part of the Teamsters. The picture with all the guys are all Teamsters who were arrested for picketing Roadway Express. He believed in the Teamsters so much that he had my sister and I go to the Statehouse rally with him to protest with fellow Teamsters while I was only in 6th grade. Everything he taught my sister and I stuck with us. Proud to have had him as my dad, proud to know what the Teamsters stand for because of him.</blockquote>RIP, Brother Allison. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQp144sX7WQJOiUvIS1IJTI9E1HjCq52v9tDVX-Xfzp0we3fR9bZYxAHGhd77eGmlSjrwPf4ainx4xX6qvFsm6EeHSG-kJsgBNJVRLVcImUca1YjCST1lJG9Yod2gOQejS6g8ppYWSmwq8/s1600/Tiffany%2527s+dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQp144sX7WQJOiUvIS1IJTI9E1HjCq52v9tDVX-Xfzp0we3fR9bZYxAHGhd77eGmlSjrwPf4ainx4xX6qvFsm6EeHSG-kJsgBNJVRLVcImUca1YjCST1lJG9Yod2gOQejS6g8ppYWSmwq8/s1600/Tiffany%2527s+dad.jpg" /></a></div><br />

strike Teamster family A Teamster daughter's tribute to her dad

We love to hear from our readers, especially when they tell us about Teamsters they know and love. Tiffany Allison sent us this message about her dad, and we asked her if we could share it. She said she'd be honored. This is my dad Robert Allison who…

Breaking: LA port driver strike, kicking off strike season!

5:00 PM Tukiyooo 0

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJCgckyRX3fKwhTMSqqaPCHQSQ2RtS5JyAozmrLi-vjDT99YgQdrIt3-SZ3D_gSYsonoKQB1ZCVPtxd7Z0RDd6Q1E_-dtYFkiP9FJk4fCZPCbaluNjSTme6KG3noAQCxP3_erwL4cDi5W/s1600/port+picket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJCgckyRX3fKwhTMSqqaPCHQSQ2RtS5JyAozmrLi-vjDT99YgQdrIt3-SZ3D_gSYsonoKQB1ZCVPtxd7Z0RDd6Q1E_-dtYFkiP9FJk4fCZPCbaluNjSTme6KG3noAQCxP3_erwL4cDi5W/s400/port+picket.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Fleet Systems strike line in Carson, Calif. </td></tr></tbody></table>Just now <st1:state w:st="on">L.A.</st1:state> port truck drivers walked off their jobs at Green Fleet Systems (GFS) at the start of the evening shift. They are striking for 24 hours to protest harassment and intimidation by company management.<br /><br />The striking port drivers have set up picket lines at the Green Fleet warehouse in <st1:state w:st="on">Carson</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Calif.</st1:state>Teams of strikers in cars are chasing strikebreaker trucks and picketing them when they deliver at customer warehouses and distribution centers, including <a href="http://www.skechers.com/">Skechers’</a> state-of-the-art national distribution center in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Moreno Valley</st1:state>,  <st1:state w:st="on">Calif. The drivers are continuing their fight against Green Fleet Systems, which spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on union busters. Drivers filed charges with Region 21 of the <a href="http://nlrb.gov/" rel="nofollow">National Labor Relations Board</a> (NLRB). The NLRB investigated Green Fleet and issued an Unfair Labor Practice complaint alleging the company broke federal labor law with retaliatory anti-union actions. <o:p></o:p></st1:state></st1:state><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The company has spent thousands of dollars on union-busters and publicists to intimidate employees. It allows anti-union workers to put posters in their cars that depict the pro-union workers as donkeys.  Jose Rodriguez, a hardworking driver for GFS,  said, <o:p></o:p></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">I feel that is very disrespectful, we should be treated with more respect at work.</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">GFS has forced the port drivers for the first time to join the ranks of workers fed up with being abused by powerful corporations and staging <a href="http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/07/29/americas-hourly-wage-battle-heats-up/?source=cnn_bin">short, sudden strikes</a>.  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/01/low-wage-workers-recovery_n_3685091.html?utm_hp_ref=business" rel="nofollow">Corporategreed is turning America into a Third World country</a> of exploited workers who don’t earn enough to afford food, clothing and rent. The <st1:state w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:state>port truck drivers’ strike precedes a national fast-food workers strike planned for Thursday, and more job actions are expected in the coming weeks.<br /><br />Fermin Mendez, a GFS port driver, expressed the frustration felt by many workers across the U.S. that their employers don’t respect their desire to form a union</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">This is dangerous work that we do. GFS management says that we are professional drivers, but they do not treat us professionally. We deserve to have respect on the job as well as fair benefits and a pension. This is a fight against exploitation, in every job I have worked I have been exploited and treated without respect, and that needs to stop.</blockquote>Though the striking Green Fleet drivers are employees, the vast majority of port truck drivers across the United States are misclassified as “independent contractors” and don’t have the same right as employees to form a union. Companies also misclassify employees to avoid paying taxes, to shift business expenses to drivers and to avoid paying drivers for all hours worked.<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/port-druvers-fight-abuse.html">Misclassified drivers in California</a> have brought the fight to the boss by filing wage and hour claims estimated to amount to millions in stolen wages. <o:p></o:p>

port strike truck drivers Breaking: LA port driver strike, kicking off strike season!

Green Fleet Systems strike line in Carson, Calif. Just now L.A. port truck drivers walked off their jobs at Green Fleet Systems (GFS) at the start of the evening shift. They are striking for 24 hours to protest harassment and intimidation by company …

SCI locks out Teamster funeral directors in Chicago

2:10 PM Tukiyooo 0

funeral directors strike SCI locks out Teamster funeral directors in Chicago

Chicago funeral directors offered to go back to work, but SCI locked them out. Funeral home giant Service Corporation International (SCI) is refusing to allow 59 Chicago-area Teamster funeral directors and drivers to return to their jobs. While the L…

Striking funeral directors gain political support

12:54 PM Tukiyooo 0

<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwIfiR_cL8TsBXTGNxAhZBQK2UI05DCovhkiGBUwdgFVusuQ_JSw0tMampbFO_xuywDiCAiEi7zH2dYZiYS8-NOMjGPgM0DfSTJCn77nMhSj4NR7jgnYa8_BwonyIkbFvoui8Zg7JGzXV/s1600/SCI+strike.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwIfiR_cL8TsBXTGNxAhZBQK2UI05DCovhkiGBUwdgFVusuQ_JSw0tMampbFO_xuywDiCAiEi7zH2dYZiYS8-NOMjGPgM0DfSTJCn77nMhSj4NR7jgnYa8_BwonyIkbFvoui8Zg7JGzXV/s400/SCI+strike.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Striking funeral directors in Chicago. </td></tr></tbody></table>Striking funeral directors from Teamsters Local 727 in Chicago have gained the political support of such political heavyweights as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel" rel="nofollow">Mayor Rahm Emanuel</a>,  <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Quinn_(politician)" rel="nofollow">Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn</a>, Cook County Board President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Preckwinkle" rel="nofollow">Toni Preckwinkle</a>, 12 state lawmakers and three members of Congress: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Schakowsky" rel="nofollow">Jan Schakowsky</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Quigley_(politician)">Michael Quigley</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammy_Duckworth">Tammy Duckworth</a>.<br /><br />The striking funeral directors are fighting SCI Corp. for parity with other Chicago funeral industry professionals.  The $4 billion corporation walked away from negotiations, forcing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfair_labor_practice">unfair labor practice</a> strike after the Teamsters’ contract expired on July 1. SCI's stock rose 56 percent in the last year, but the company proposed eliminating the funeral directors' pension fund, increased costs to health care premiums and zero wage increases for new hires after years of wage freezes for current employees.<br /><br />Pickets began a month ago at 16 Chicago-area funeral homes, which SCI operates under the Dignity Memorial brand name.<br /><br />The company has attempted to smear the funeral directors with false statements in the local news media. (Which, by the way, is exactly what you'd expect from a company that hires <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-teamsters-charged-funeral-giant.html">armed goons</a> to spy on its own employees during negotiations.) <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal727.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 727</a> put out a <a href="http://www.teamster.org/content/members-congress-join-mayor-emanuel-gov-quinn-support-striking-funeral-directors" rel="nofollow">statement</a>:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Despite blatantly false claims by SCI, Teamsters are continuing to lawfully picket outside Dignity Memorial funeral homes throughout the Chicago area. Erroneous stories published by local and national media outlets have carried inaccurate reports made by SCI on the Teamsters’ uninterrupted pickets.</blockquote>The good news:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Just this week, SCI contacted the Teamsters to potentially resume negotiations, offering two meeting dates. Local 727 has accepted both days.</blockquote>Stay tuned.

funeral directors strike Striking funeral directors gain political support

Striking funeral directors in Chicago. Striking funeral directors from Teamsters Local 727 in Chicago have gained the political support of such political heavyweights as Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Cook County Board President Toni P…

Biggest wave of fast-food strikes begins today

7:50 AM Tukiyooo 0

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container tr_bq" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAlw40T38H_W-SA6YquGRfzhF25aLpbV6LLI47lAD4TGCVwiiUP_3S18ylCb7uKJyop0iwapZh7j6DJUThdhXu8ZKQPZurw1_6YSwKs-dWqJS2CZNR4-boWuTOcvWOY6MbCTmMiJ6MOUF4/s1600/fast+food+strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAlw40T38H_W-SA6YquGRfzhF25aLpbV6LLI47lAD4TGCVwiiUP_3S18ylCb7uKJyop0iwapZh7j6DJUThdhXu8ZKQPZurw1_6YSwKs-dWqJS2CZNR4-boWuTOcvWOY6MbCTmMiJ6MOUF4/s320/fast+food+strike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast-food strike in New York City today.</td></tr></tbody></table>A wave of fast-food strikes began in New York City today as workers prepare to walk off the job in seven more cities over the next few days. It is likely to be the biggest mobilization of low-wage workers since the short, sudden one-day job actions began in November.<br /><br />Fast-food workers are striking in restaurants like McDonald's, Papa John's and Wendy's in New York City. More walkouts are planned for Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Mo., and Flint, Mich. The workers demand a living wage and the right to form a union without retaliation.<br /><br />The success of previous fast-food strikes has given momentum to the growing movement for livable wages. Josh Eidelson, writing in <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/07/29/fast_food_strikes_intensify_in_seven_cities/" rel="nofollow">Salon</a>, spoke to a fast-food worker a month ago:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">St. Louis Jimmy John’s employee Rasheen Aldridge told Salon that there “was a whole lot of nervousness” when he and three co-workers at his store first went on strike in May. “There was a big chance that I could of got fired,” said Aldridge, “because that’s just how, you know, fast food operates.” But when they returned to work in one piece, he said his co-workers’ reaction was “You know, you guys sort of took the step we all need to do.”</blockquote>Today's walkout is generating national media attention, as <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/sunday-review/fighting-back-against-wretched-wages.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">The New York Times</a>, broadcast and cable news networks and the <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/fast-food-strike-detroit-st-louis-new-york-chicago-3-other-cities-striking-monday-increased-pay">financial press</a>. Steven Greenhouse at The New York Times writes:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Often relegated to the background, America’s low-wage workers have been making considerable noise lately by deploying an unusual weapon — one-day strikes — to make their message heard: they’re sick and tired of earning just $8, $9, $10 an hour. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">Their anger has been stoked by what they see as a glaring disconnect: their wages have flatlined, while median pay for chief executives at the nation’s top corporations jumped 16 percent last year, averaging a princely $15.1 million, according to Equilar, an executive compensation analysis firm. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">In recent weeks, workers from McDonald’s, Taco Bell and other fast-food restaurants — many of them part-time employees — have staged one-day walkouts in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle to protest their earnings, typically just $150 to $350 a week, often too little to support themselves and their families. </blockquote><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/fast-food-workers-strike-for-higher-wages-in-u-s-cities.html" rel="nofollow">Bloomberg News</a> reports that low-wage jobs are the fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The leisure and hospitality industry, which includes restaurants, is adding jobs faster than any other sector in the U.S. In June, the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/USEHTOTS:IND" rel="nofollow">sector</a> added 75,000 jobs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fast-food cooks make $9.02 an hour, or about $18,760 a year, on average, according to 2012 <a href="http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag72.htm" rel="nofollow">data</a> from the Washington-based agency.</blockquote>The problem of low wages isn't limited to fast-food workers. Today, Hope Yen at the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/28/poverty-unemployment-rates_n_3666594.html?utm_hp_ref=tw">Associated Press</a> reported that 80 percent of adults in the United States struggle to earn enough money at some point in their lives:<br /><blockquote>Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream... </blockquote><blockquote>Nationwide, the count of America's poor remains stuck at a record number: 46.2 million, or 15 percent of the population, due in part to lingering high unemployment following the recession.</blockquote>

fast food workers low-wage jobs strike Biggest wave of fast-food strikes begins today

Fast-food strike in New York City today.A wave of fast-food strikes began in New York City today as workers prepare to walk off the job in seven more cities over the next few days. It is likely to be the biggest mobilization of low-wage workers since…

Smithsonian workers strike over low wages

2:03 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDChEPSgqClXg20VOunGoDVj4_oMJ2GAr4D0KrXCy9SJLOtetXEk7KflgtOjBzdcVmLjt_FwwGparH9gNFBtlHWotWwzOKt0D5ceyuX0JOVXwlbhB09icYterQAQCxBqwkeEu1l1uOErk/s1600/can't+survive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDChEPSgqClXg20VOunGoDVj4_oMJ2GAr4D0KrXCy9SJLOtetXEk7KflgtOjBzdcVmLjt_FwwGparH9gNFBtlHWotWwzOKt0D5ceyuX0JOVXwlbhB09icYterQAQCxBqwkeEu1l1uOErk/s320/can't+survive.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The revolt against poverty wages surged ahead in Washington, D.C., today as more low-wage Smithsonian workers walked off the job for a third time.<br /><br />And last night, the DC city council defied Walmart and approved a bill that would require big-box retailers to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-council-approves-living-wage-bill-over-wal-mart-ultimatum/2013/07/10/724aab6e-e96f-11e2-a301-ea5a8116d211_story.html">pay a living wage of $12.50 an hour</a>. Walmart threatened to scuttle its plans to build three stores in the city. (Don't let the door hit you on the way out.)<br /><br />Today's action continues a string of one-day strikes against poverty wages that began last fall and accelerated in the spring. Thousands of workers at fast-food restaurants and retail stores have walked off the job in cities around the country to demand better pay and the right to form a union. The government contract workers concentrated their protests in the nation's capital.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/07/11/low-wage-workers-to-strike-at-smithsonian-museums/">Washington Post</a> covered today's strike:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Low-wage workers connected with the nation’s marquee museum network held a strike on Thursday, continuing a string of recent demonstrations to promote better pay for employees at federal buildings. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoodJobsNation">Good Jobs Nation</a>, a group representing low-wage workers employed under federal concession agreements, organized protests throughout the morning in front of several Smithsonian museums. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">The events started with a press conference and a street-theater sketch near the Air and Space Museum, where actors playing Ronald McDonald and Uncle Sam climbed into bed together. That performance was meant to represent the relationship between private-sector CEOs and the federal government.</blockquote>In case you miseed it, the <a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/05/federal-govt-has-more-low-wage-workers.html">U.S. government creates more poverty</a> than Walmart and McDonald's combined. Amy Traub at <a href="http://www.demos.org/blog/concession-workers-strike-smithsonian">Demos</a>, the group that uncovered that disturbing fact, commented today:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OAhmSvRCoUpeiY70oEZKHM4fxtYkY9-BwMwy3FRgpMdA9apmbI08HhYZjjg0W2_l2-npsMw-Bx2MyjW39x5o-O6Q4FNOTp9OtMxQtsMyrgyaPAJVOWYFB9kt_vxhum3rjZvxuWE1QR3w/s1600/woody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OAhmSvRCoUpeiY70oEZKHM4fxtYkY9-BwMwy3FRgpMdA9apmbI08HhYZjjg0W2_l2-npsMw-Bx2MyjW39x5o-O6Q4FNOTp9OtMxQtsMyrgyaPAJVOWYFB9kt_vxhum3rjZvxuWE1QR3w/s200/woody.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">But while workers’ families are struggling, not everyone working for a federal contractor or concessionaire is poorly paid. Under current law, contractors can be reimbursed by taxpayers for as much as $763,029  in compensation for each top manager. This is one way our current model of federal outsourcing and contracting worsens the trends toward inequality already harming our economy. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">At the bottom of the Smithsonian’s website is an image honoring the centennial of Woody Guthrie. There’s little question where this balladeer of ordinary Americans and their strugglesincluding fights for better pay and union representation—would have stood in the current dispute between the Smithsonian and the workers who serve food to its patrons. Officials at the Smithsonian would do well to listen to any of Woody’s directly pro-worker and pro-union songs available for purchase from their own website.  But the most relevant message might come from the Dust Bowl classic, “Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad.”<br /><blockquote>My children need three square meals a day,<br />Now, my children need three square meals a day,<br />My children need three square meals a day, Lord,<br />And I ain't a-gonna be treated this way.</blockquote></blockquote><br />

low-wage workers strike Smithsonian workers strike over low wages

The revolt against poverty wages surged ahead in Washington, D.C., today as more low-wage Smithsonian workers walked off the job for a third time.And last night, the DC city council defied Walmart and approved a bill that would require big-box retail…

Chicago Tribune to Teamsters on strike: 'Pay up, or no ad'

9:35 AM Tukiyooo 0

The Chicago Tribune is refusing to run an ad from Teamster funeral directors unless they spend the same amount on advertising -- $5,700 -- as the giant corporation they're striking against.  <br /><br />Fifty-nine funeral directors from Local 727 were forced to walk off the job yesterday morning due to the unrelenting greed of SCI, the Dignity Memorial company.Seeking support from the community, the funeral directors tried to place ads in the two biggest area newspapers: the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.<br /><br />Unlike its rival, the <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teamsters-sun-times-refuses-union-advertising-2013-06-28">Chicago Sun-Time</a>s, the Tribune did run an ad from Teamsters Local 727 last week. The ad linked to a website <a href="http://www.integrityinillinois.com/">www.integrityinillinois.com</a> that outlines their grievances -- wage freezes, higher health care costs, elimination of the pension. And it offers a list of alternative homes where grieving families can turn for help.<br /><br />The Sun-Times refused to run a similar ad. And then yesterday, the Tribune notified Local 727 that it would not run another one of their ads unless it bought one as expensive as the one paid for by <a href="http://www.integrityinillinois.com/who-is-sci--dignity.html">SCI</a>.<br /><br />To add insult to injury, the Tribune (which may, by the way, be purchased by the <strike style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.890625px;"><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2011/10/bombshell-kochs-sold-oil-equipment-to.html" style="color: #336699;">Benedict Arnold</a></strike> Koch brothers) published a hideously one-sided, pro-SCI story about the strike.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrB2LBuK0qb_TcXEQ2xuYfywblT7no_uAbnuQ_b_11l7EhWTrnYJ_li-kFg1Axg8a66uqdZA1B1Zp3jeLBdPN1xSrYa4omwUgj-mP3zmAYr-u0Pbrwkv65YvBW9azwuDomM8_PLDL0PWcp/s640/Blake+Lamb+strike.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrB2LBuK0qb_TcXEQ2xuYfywblT7no_uAbnuQ_b_11l7EhWTrnYJ_li-kFg1Axg8a66uqdZA1B1Zp3jeLBdPN1xSrYa4omwUgj-mP3zmAYr-u0Pbrwkv65YvBW9azwuDomM8_PLDL0PWcp/s320/Blake+Lamb+strike.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Chicagoland union households don't have much of a place to turn for print news anymore. (But at least there's <a href="http://laborradio.org/">WIN Labor Radio</a>!)<br /><br />If you live in Chicago, please consider supporting the funeral directors by dropping by their strike lines. If you do go, please be respectful. The funeral directors are taking down their signs and standing by quietly when funerals are in progress.<br /><br />Here are the addresses of the funeral homes they're picketing:<br /><blockquote>Blake-Lamb Funeral Home<br />4727 W. 103rd St., Oak Lawn, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Blake-Lamb Funeral Home<br />5015 Lincoln St., Lisle, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Cypress Funeral Home<br />1698 N. Bloomingdale Rd., Glendale Heights, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Drake & Son Funeral Home<br />5303 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Kenny Brothers Funeral Directors<br />3600 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Lloyd Mandel Levayah Funerals<br />4750 W. Dempster St., Skokie, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Malec Funeral Home<br />6000 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Marsh Funeral Home<br />305 Cemetery Rd., Gurnee, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home<br />6901 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Piser Funeral Services<br />9200 N. Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL </blockquote><blockquote>Ridge Funeral Home<br />6620 W. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL</blockquote>

funeral directors Koch brothers strike Chicago Tribune to Teamsters on strike: 'Pay up, or no ad'

Low-wage govt. contract workers strike -- again

2:01 PM Tukiyooo 0

About 50 workers at the Reagan Building and the Old Post Office in Washington, D.C., walked off the job today to protest poverty wages and widespread wage theft by federal contractors. Earlier this morning, a group of workers visited the home of Dan Tangherlini, the head of the General Services Administration, which owns the buildings and contracts with the franchisees that do business from them.<br /><br />Josh Eidelson at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Non-Union%20Federally%20Contracted%20Workers%20Will%20Stage%20Second%20Strike%20Today%20%7C%20The%20Nation%20http://www.thenation.com/blog/175062/non-union-federally-contracted-workers-will-stage-second-strike-today#ixzz2XvKsZQTP">The Nation</a> tells us:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">Tangherlini can be seen standing in his doorway, telling the group on his porch, “I’d like to look at the issues that are involved. Obviously we’re interested in trying to find a solution to these problems.” One striker tells Tangeherlini, “We don’t want to, like, steal, you know. We just want what we’re supposed to get.” Tangherlini responds, “I completely understand. All right, take care.”</blockquote>Watch the visit <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkCHerArtis">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/07/02/2245171/dc-workers-strike/">ThinkProgress</a> reminds us this is the second time this year the workers tried to pressure the government to demand its contractors treat workers better.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The earlier strike led to 10 of the workers – who get organizing help from a union-backed group called Good Jobs Nation but do not have a union themselves – being fired, as The Nation’s Josh Eidelson reported at the time. The managers in question ultimately backed off, and the workers returned to their jobs at the Ronald Reagan Building. That building is the focus of a Department of Labor investigation prompted by worker complaints of wage and hour violations.</blockquote><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVPcbUaG_HGq16mCmLh3jAPc__9xKKCB_u9LS5JwzpweU3W8BwiR-QkVID3h-A9qiYrJI6PldvhRFyFtdmFDBu89TSAyjSZTZ8gEpfn1mED8BEZmfjTo1N3tDAttjwZH0WM-jqzrIQCqO/s960/low-wage+worker+strike_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVPcbUaG_HGq16mCmLh3jAPc__9xKKCB_u9LS5JwzpweU3W8BwiR-QkVID3h-A9qiYrJI6PldvhRFyFtdmFDBu89TSAyjSZTZ8gEpfn1mED8BEZmfjTo1N3tDAttjwZH0WM-jqzrIQCqO/s320/low-wage+worker+strike_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another worker revolt in DC</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://goodjobsnation.org/">Good Jobs Nation</a>, the group working to organize the workers, wants Labor Department to investigate the employers for wage theft and worker harassment. After one three-year employee walked off the job in May, he was held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for four days and fired by Quick Pita, according to Eidelson. The company claimed he was fired for not preparing a sauce quickly enough.<br /><br /><a href="http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/02/second-service-workers-strike-hits-ronald-reagan-building-in-washington/">Ned Resnikoff</a> at MSNBC tells us:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...Good Jobs Nation has drafted a 16-page complaint addressed to the U.S. Department of Labor, which claims that private contractors within the Reagan Building have repeatedly violated the Fair Labor Standards Act through “payment of wage rates under the federal minimum wage, 60 to 70-hour workweeks without payment of overtime, and use of false or deceptive record-keeping to conceal these violations from employees and public authorities.” </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">On Tuesday morning Good Jobs Nation group personally delivered that complaint to the home of Dan Tangherlini, acting head of the GSA. The GSA, which owns the Reagan Building, took the complaints to the Department of Labor and the Trade Center Management Associates (TMCA), the private company which manages the building, saying it looks forward to the results of the investigation.</blockquote>The federal government<a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/05/federal-govt-has-more-low-wage-workers.html"> employs more low-wage workers than Walmart and McDonald's combined</a>, according to a<a href="http://www.demos.org/publication/underwriting-bad-jobs-how-our-tax-dollars-are-funding-low-wage-work-and-fueling-inequali"> Demos</a> report released in May:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.890625px;">Hundreds of billions of dollars in federal contracts, grants, loans, concession agreements and property leases go to private companies that pay low wages, provide few benefits, and offer employees little opportunity to work their way into the middle class. At the same time, many of these companies are providing their executives with exorbitant compensation. </span></blockquote>Today's strike is the latest in a wave of job actions by low-wage worker across the country. Last month, Walmart workers went on strike for two weeks and traveled to the company's Bentonville, Ark., headquarters in bus caravans modeled after the freedom riders of the Civil Rights era. <br /><br /><br /></div>

low-wage workers strike Low-wage govt. contract workers strike -- again

Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago

8:03 AM Tukiyooo 0

The relentless greed of <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal727.org/">Houston-based funeral giant SC</a>I has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes.<br /><br />SCI, despite a soaring stock price and healthy profit, is trying to take away their employees' pensions, raise health care costs and freeze wages for new hires. The funeral directors and drivers overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike last night.<br /><br />According to Local 727's<a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sci-funeral-directors-vote-to-strike-213927771.html"> press statement</a>, <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">SCI, which uses the Dignity Memorial brand name, operates 16 funeral homes with 59 employees in the Chicagoland area.  The employees voted in a secret ballot election to reject SCI's June 30 "last, best and final offer".  In a vote immediately following the rejection of the offer, employees voted to strike. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"In 40 years as a funeral director I've helped thousands of people through some of the most difficult times in their lives.  Striking is not something I ever thought I would have to do," said John Liberatore, a director at Piser Funeral Services in Skokie...</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">In preparation for a strike, Teamster-represented funeral directors established a website (www.integrityinillinois.com) and hotline (312-206-4123) to direct families to community-friendly funeral homes not affected by the labor action.  A complete list of affected homes is available at the site.</blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AHe8JZUt5IEWyUmUJw50KVSsqanquuVtqZ7MqHTwldDvU3cO-kDen4QHkabQwCjtwg1Pb85u24ddlXE1egm1x2W5oGtpF8yo8nKJN12BRpTrk4ZzQ7z4l2lNBmMGUQgwG6PD_O4yx1Ck/s640/SCI+strike+preparation.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AHe8JZUt5IEWyUmUJw50KVSsqanquuVtqZ7MqHTwldDvU3cO-kDen4QHkabQwCjtwg1Pb85u24ddlXE1egm1x2W5oGtpF8yo8nKJN12BRpTrk4ZzQ7z4l2lNBmMGUQgwG6PD_O4yx1Ck/s320/SCI+strike+preparation.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing for today's strike.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-funeral-directors-strike-20130701,0,5369416.story?track=rss">Chicago Tribune</a> covered the strike: </div><blockquote>Funeral directors and drivers who work at Dignity Memorial funeral homes voted on Monday night to strike against their Houston-based employer, Service Corporation International, according to the workers’ union...</blockquote><blockquote>John Liberatore, a director at Piser Funeral Services in Skokie, said the union would not picket any funerals that had been arranged prior to the vote and would direct families to other funeral companies while the strike takes place.</blockquote>Several <a href="http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/news/21090705-418/teamsters-to-strike-funeral-homes.html">smaller papers in the Sun-Times chain</a> covered the job action. The main paper <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teamsters-sun-times-refuses-union-advertising-213561401.html">refused to carry an advertisement</a> from the union seeking support in its struggle against SCI. The smaller papers in the chain <i>did</i> carry the ad. Later the smaller papers' ad manager accused the Teamsters of "getting them in trouble" for failing to notify them of the Sun-Times' refusal -- even though the smaller papers had an earlier deadline and the ad hadn't been refused yet!

funeral directors strike Teamster funeral directors strike in Chicago

The relentless greed of Houston-based funeral giant SCI has forced Teamster funeral directors and drivers to strike today. The funeral directors, members of Local 727, set up strike lines this morning outside of area funeral homes.SCI, despite a soar…