Recording leaked of manager intimidating workers about joining union

<div class="tr_bq">UPDATES to ADD link that was pvsly broken and new graf 3 with driver reax.<br /><br />An Iron Mountain manager was recorded telling workers who want to join the Teamsters why they shouldn't. Then the recording was leaked. All over twitter. All over Facebook. All over tumblr. And then in the news media. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBbHyko3wZFZs4Bl9GD4s1EOcLr_yxGf-syRUu_MFh7yHUD2L935h8GHybhSAydtbERWv7x0FqaHLehPoBNtgn7v2N0GJExwC-fuJ2J8PJx0P5qwwxbHTj9FxyZBb_zujODIqZhjfOfYS/s1600/kitteh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBbHyko3wZFZs4Bl9GD4s1EOcLr_yxGf-syRUu_MFh7yHUD2L935h8GHybhSAydtbERWv7x0FqaHLehPoBNtgn7v2N0GJExwC-fuJ2J8PJx0P5qwwxbHTj9FxyZBb_zujODIqZhjfOfYS/s320/kitteh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />The manager was holding what's known as a captive audience meeting. All the union busters do it. It's legal so long as managers don't intimidate workers.<br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">In this case, the drivers reported it WAS intimidating when their managers forced them into such meetings to lie about the Teamsters. The two managers also emphasized that the company will not bargain in good faith, by stating they will not achieve improvements in a Teamsters contract.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here's the link: </span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/organizega/iron-mountain-anti-union" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/organizega/iron-mountain-anti-union</a><br /><br />Hamilton Nolan at <a href="http://gawker.com/heres-audio-of-managers-scolding-employees-for-wanting-1454892141" rel="nofollow">Gawker</a> reported:<br /><blockquote>This is a recording of a recent meeting in which two Iron Mountain managers "educate" the employees about the downside of a union. (The link was sent out last night to an email list of labor journalists.) Its content is not especially outrageous—its value lies in the fact that it offers a full look at one of the many little stumbling blocks that go along with any workplace's attempt to organize. </blockquote><blockquote>"This is the South. This is not something where unions are [prevalent]," says one manager. "If the union comes in, it will make it much more difficult to get things done." When the other manager addresses the employees, he says of their union campaign, "I can't help but take it personally... it does hurt. It does sting." </blockquote><blockquote>At one point, a manager tells the workers, "No one in this room has more union experience than me." At that, one worker speaks up to note that he was in a union for five years at a previous workplace, and tells a story of how the union helped save his job after the company tried to fire him unjustly. "Well shame on the company," replies the manager, "but we don't do that here." (The worker's previous employer would no doubt say the same thing.)</blockquote>The company tried to respond on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClassWarKitteh?fref=ts" rel="nofollow">Class War Kitteh Facebook page</a>, but the corporate boilerplate was no match for the kitten in the box.<br /><br />Heh-heh.

union-busting Recording leaked of manager intimidating workers about joining union

UPDATES to ADD link that was pvsly broken and new graf 3 with driver reax. An Iron Mountain manager was recorded telling workers who want to...

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Teamsters challenge layoffs after organizing victory.

In a stunning reversal of fortune, <a href="http://www.pyramidbrew.com/" rel="nofollow">Pyramid Brewery</a> in Berkeley, Calif., closed its facility and laid off all the employees ... who had voted to join <a href="http://www.teamsterslocal896.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Local 896</a> just two months ago.<br /><br />Brother Doug Bloch, <a href="http://www.teamstersjc7.org/" rel="nofollow">Teamsters Joint Council 7</a> political director, shared the bad news with us.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">...the company has indefinitely shuttered the facility and laid off the employees, presumably because the plant needs cleaning.  If this all sounds fishy to you, it does to us, too.  Local 896 is communicating with the company to get more information and we will keep you posted. </blockquote>On August 7, the workers at Pyramid Brewery had voted overwhelmingly to be represented by the Teamsters. Brian Indelicato, business agent, said at the time:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The parent company, North American Breweries, ran a hard dishonest campaign. However, the workers were all engaged and saw through the lies.</blockquote>The members were eager to get to the table to negotiate ways to improve their jobs. Their concerns included unsafe working conditions, unfair and inconsistent treatment, no pension, substandard benefits, wages well below the industry standard, no established work schedule or work week and a working relationship completely lacking in dignity and respect.<br /><br />Watch this KTVU-TV news report to hear the workers' side of the story:<br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="392" id="flashObj" width="615"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2720517730001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ktvu.com%2Fvideos%2Fnews%2Fberkeley-brewery-employees-go-public-with-labor%2FvCD69s%2F&playerID=836564367001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAVzySoEk~,39KWv4t6IXBhr9fjdqt8jJhoVTxYZojR&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2720517730001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ktvu.com%2Fvideos%2Fnews%2Fberkeley-brewery-employees-go-public-with-labor%2FvCD69s%2F&playerID=836564367001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAVzySoEk~,39KWv4t6IXBhr9fjdqt8jJhoVTxYZojR&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="420" height="290" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />

retaliation union-busting Teamsters challenge layoffs after organizing victory.

In a stunning reversal of fortune, Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley, Calif., closed its facility and laid off all the employees ... who had vote...

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Today's Teamster News 09.03.13

<a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/labor/318795-five-reasons-for-optimism-about-unions-this-labor-day#ixzz2dDzjgGWO" rel="nofollow">Five reasons for optimism about unions this Labor Day</a> (opinion) The Hill   ...most Americans hold favorable views of unions. According to a June 2013 poll by the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of Americans hold favorable views of labor unions, a 10 percent increase from the number in the same poll conducted two years earlier...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/02/workers-are-better-off-now-than-in-1894_n_3829698.html" rel="nofollow">9 Ways We're Better Off Now Than We Were On The First Labor Day (And 5 Ways We're Not)</a>  Huffington Post   ...The federal minimum wage, <a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/minimumwage.htm">which currently stands at 7.25 an hour</a>, is <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/cepr-blog/raising-minimum-wage-to-9-not-enough-to-ensure-that-families-with-fulltime-workers-live-above-poverty-line">not enough to keep American families out of poverty</a>, according to the Center For Economic And Policy Research...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-elk/union-busting-ended-my-lo_b_217015.html" rel="nofollow">Union Busting Ended My Love Affair with a Beer</a>  Huffington Post   ...Yuengling had illegally busted their union...<br /><a href="http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/guest-commentary/guest-commentary-labor-day-message-we-can-fix-this/article_407f64db-5bfd-5d60-b78d-e0d8ddb8f0a2.html" rel="nofollow">Labor Day message: We can fix this</a> (opinion)  NWI   ...We must embrace the new worker activism we see popping up at places like fast-food chains and retail establishments whose workers merely hope to raise their families on a livable wage...<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-mccartin/labor-day-2013-religion-workers-rights_b_3854319.html" rel="nofollow">"What's Outrageous? Poverty Wages!" The Role of Religious Leaders in Worker Justice </a> Huffington Post   ...The faith leaders now rallying to support fast food workers' demands for a living wage are reviving one of America's oldest and most powerful arguments for social justice, one deeply rooted in religious ideals...<br /><a href="http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/09/gdp-drag-from-state-and-local.html" rel="nofollow">GDP drag from State and Local Governments</a>  Calculated Risk   ...However state and local government spending has made a negative contribution for 13 of the last 14 quarters...<br /><a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10631" rel="nofollow">Wall Street Eager to See Larry Summers Nominated Fed Chair </a> Real News   ...if you had to trace the collapse of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on one person--and, of course, you can't really trace it to one person--but if you did, I think you could make a fair argument that Larry Summers is more to blame for the financial crisis that we experienced than any other person...<br /><div><a href="http://www.nationalmemo.com/making-too-big-to-fail-banks-help-poor-borrowers/" rel="nofollow">Making ‘Too Big To Fail’ Banks Help Poor Borrowers</a> (opinion)  The National Memo   ...Predatory lenders are folding fast in New York State, thanks to a savvy banking regulator who takes his duty to protect the public as seriously as his duties to the financial industry — and knows how to use the law to get quick action...<br /><div><a href="http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/09/01/director-of-dia-selling-art-tantamount-to-closing-museum/" rel="nofollow">DIA Director: Selling Art Tantamount To Closing Museum</a>  CBS Detroit   ...Detroit’s Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has stated that the some of the art could be sold as part of the city’s bankruptcy deal Beal says the art being considered as “assets” are those that were bought by Detroit between 1922 and 1931– that’s about 3,300 pieces...<br /><a href="http://www.plunderbund.com/2013/08/23/ohio-gop-grassroots-lead-to-billionaire/" rel="nofollow">Ohio GOP grassroots lead to billionaire</a>  Plunderbund   ...Americans for Prosperity. … That’s the right-wing outfit whose work is fashioned  by billionaire David Koch...<br /><br /></div></div>

banks Detroit bankruptcy Kochs Labor Day minimum wage tea party union-busting wages Today's Teamster News 09.03.13

Five reasons for optimism about unions this Labor Day  (opinion) The Hill   ...most Americans hold favorable views of unions. According to a...

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