Labor Rights News Thread

User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

Fast Food Giants are Trying to Overturn New Pro-Worker Law in California
by Libby Rainey
October 27, 2022

Introduction:
(More Perfect Union) Less than two months after California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a landmark law to increase the minimum wage at fast food restaurants and give workers a role in setting industry standards, labor union SEIU charged that canvassers collecting signatures for a ballot measure to overturn the pro-worker law have been deliberately lying to voters.

AB 257 — also known as the Fast Food Accountability and Standards (FAST) Recovery Act — creates a state-wide council of workers, franchisees, officials, and corporate representatives to determine state-wide standards for fast food workers, including a minimum wage increase up to $22 an hour by 2023. Newsom signed the bill into law in early September, despite relentless opposition from fast food corporations.

But the bill’s opponents quickly jumped to a new tactic to thwart the progressive policy: a ballot initiative that would leave the fate of the law to voters in 2024. The effort is backed by a corporate front group known as “Save Local Restaurants” – a coalition that has received millions of dollars in donations from Starbucks, Chipotle, McDonald’s, and more. (The coalition is co-chaired by the National Restaurant Association, the International Franchise Association, and the nation’s largest corporate lobbying group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce). If the ballot measure opposing AB 257 can gather enough signatures to qualify for the 2024 ballot, enactment of the law will be suspended until voters have a chance to weigh in. Lyft and Uber used a similar tactic in 2020, pouring millions of dollars into an effort to exempt gig drivers from a California law designating gig workers as employees.

The effort to kill the groundbreaking labor rights law is already in full swing. According to complaints filed Thursday by SEIU with the California Attorney General and Secretary of State, paid canvassers at multiple locations across California have told voters that signing the petition to put AB 257 on the ballot would raise the minimum wage — obscuring the fact that the bill in question has already been signed into law. SEIU included video footage of multiple canvassers misrepresenting the ballot initiative to voters at different California locations.
Read more here: https://perfectunion.us/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

Hundreds of Resident Doctors Unionizing ay New York’s Montefiore Medical Center
by Paula Pecorella
November 1, 2022

Introduction:
(More Perfect Union) More than 1,200 resident doctors and fellows at Montefiore Medical Center (MMC) in New York announced Tuesday that they are forming a union, citing burnout, low pay, and unsafe working conditions as their top grievances. Montefiore is one of the nation’s largest health systems, comprising ten hospitals and more than 200 clinics across Westchester, Hudson Valley and the Bronx.

Resident physicians have earned their medical degree and are participating in graduate medical training. To date, 10 medical residency programs have formed unions with SEIU’s Committee of Interns and Residents, growing its membership from 16,000 to over 23,000 since 2019.

“A lot of people don’t know the world of residency. We’re physicians, so they think we’re getting all the benefits and salary and honor of being a physician,” said Isuree Katugampala, a third-year medical resident at MMC. “But honestly, we are low wage workers when you consider the time we put in and the pay we get back.”

Medical residents are often expected to work 6 days and 80 to 100 hours per week, and typically earn $50,000 to $70,000 per year depending on their location. At MMC, residents say the pay and hours are unsustainable for New York City.

MMC residents who worked through the initial years of the pandemic say another reason for unionizing was the lack of proper resources for care for their patients. Rather than providing basic PPE, the hospital instead gave resident doctors garbage bags and Yankees rain ponchos and told them to make due.
Read more here: https://perfectunion.us/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12956
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by weatheriscool »

American Airlines pilots' union rejects new contract proposal
Source: CNBC

American Airlines pilots’ union on Wednesday said its board of directors rejected a tentative agreement for a new contract, the latest in a series of setbacks in labor talks across major U.S. airlines.

The Allied Pilots Association, which represents roughly 15,000 American Airlines pilots, said its board voted against the tentative deal 15-5. The proposal called for 12% raises for pilots on the date of contract signing, plus 5% after one year, and 2% after two years, according to a copy of the agreement in principal.

American didn’t immediately comment. The rejection comes a day after United Airlines pilots turned down a deal that would have included more than 14% raises.

Labor unions are pushing for higher wages and better schedules, among other improvements, in new labor deals. The Covid-19 pandemic had put labor talks on hold as airlines focused on making it through a massive drop in travel demand.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/02/america ... posal.html
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

Twitter Sued in Class Action Lawsuit Over Mass Layoffs Without Proper Legal Notice
by Sarah Perez and Ivan Mehta
November 4, 2022

Introduction:
(TechCrunch) Twitter is being sued for not giving employees advance notice of a mass layoff that began in earnest early Friday. The lawsuit alleges that Twitter violated worker protection laws, including the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act as well as the California WARN Act, both of which require 60 days of advance notice.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday as news spread that the company — now under the ownership and direction of Elon Musk — would begin mass layoffs early Friday in an effort to reduce costs by eliminating 3,700 jobs, or 50% of its total workforce.

Bloomberg first reported the news of the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.

The complaint alleges that Twitter began its layoffs November 1, when it terminated the plaintiff in the lawsuit, Emmanuel Cornet, without providing the proper written notice in violation of U.S. and California law. Additional plaintiffs, Justine De Caires, Jessica Pan, and Grae Kindel said they were terminated November 3 by being locked out of their accounts. The lawsuit added that California’s Employment Development Department had not received a notice related to the mass layoffs that began Friday.
Read more here: https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/04/twit ... l-notice/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12956
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Philadelphia Home Depot workers vote to reject unionization
Source: AP
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Home Depot workers in Philadelphia rejected the first store-wide labor union at the world’s largest home improvement retailer Saturday night, a loss for a fledgling movement to organize at major U.S. companies.

Workers voted 165 to 51 against forming a union representing 274 employees at the store, WHYY-FM reported.

The National Labor Relations Board oversaw the voting. A board spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for information about the vote.

The defeat for the organizers, who sought to join Home Depot Workers United, could discourage activist workers who have successfully formed the first unions at big chains, including Amazon, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and Apple, but have since suffered setbacks in getting collective bargaining off the ground or organizing more unions.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-phi ... osition_09
weatheriscool
Posts: 12956
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Tesla's construction workers at Texas gigafactory allege labor violations
Source: Guardian
Construction workers who toiled on one of Tesla’s sprawling so-called gigafactories will file a complaint and a case referral with the federal Department of Labor on Tuesday detailing exploitative work conditions they say they experienced while building the plant.

Whistleblowers came forward to allege serious labor and employment violations during construction of the electric car manufacturer’s massive new facility in Austin, Texas, that left them vulnerable to injuries and wage theft.

Amid accusations of constant hazards and onsite accidents, one worker said his bosses at an unnamed subcontractor falsified credentials instead of actually providing him and others with required job training involving education about health, safety, and workers’ rights – including the right to refuse dangerous work.

Other whistleblowers are reporting what they describe as wage theft and say they weren’t paid at all or didn’t receive proper overtime compensation for their work on the hi-tech facility.
-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... violations
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

'Red Cup Rebellion': Workers at 100+ Starbucks Locations Strike to Protest Union Busting
by Jake Johnson
November 17, 2022

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) Thousands of unionized Starbucks workers at more than 100 locations across the United States are walking off the job Thursday to protest the coffee giant's refusal to engage in good-faith negotiations with stores that have voted to organize.

Workers United, the union representing thousands of Starbucks employees, dubbed the nationwide day of action the "Red Cup Rebellion," a pro-labor counter to Starbucks' annual "Red Cup Day."

As Starbucks gives away free reusable cups to customers to mark the holiday season, striking employees nationwide are handing out Starbucks Workers United-branded cups to build public awareness of the union drive and spotlight the company's aggressive and unlawful efforts to crush it.
(See article linked below for Twitter feeds).

"Whether it's firing one of my coworkers for wearing a suicide awareness pin, how they've closed down a dozen locations in the process of unionizing, or how we're being denied benefits that non-union stores are getting, Starbucks has left behind the very values that drew many of us to the company in the first place," Michelle Eisen, a Buffalo Starbucks worker, said in a statement.

"You cannot be pro-LGTBQ, pro-BLM, pro-sustainability, and anti-union," Eisen added. "This Red Cup Day, we're organizing for a voice on the job and a true seat at the table."
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... n-busting
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

Five things to know about the new DOL complaint about child labor in meatpacking plants
by Sky Chadde
November 15, 2022

Introduction:
(Investigate Midwest) Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, is a large maintenance company that cleans meatpacking plants for some of the largest meat companies in the U.S., including JBS and Tyson Foods. Its employees work overnight to clean the residue of animals off heavy machinery.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor filed a complaint against PSSI for allegedly employing minors, some of whom suffered chemical burns from the cleaning supplies.

Here are the five things to know about PSSI and the complaint.

PSSI often employs immigrants. In the 1950s, meatpacking was a unionized, well-paying job, but then companies started moving plants to rural areas and hiring immigrants. In 2015, at least a quarter of all meat and poultry workers were foreign-born non-citizens, according to a federal report.

Aligning with the industry, PSSI employs many immigrants, including some whom are undocumented, according to a 2017 investigation by Bloomberg.

The DOL discovered at least 31 minors at three Midwestern plants. Comparing employment and school records, the agency found some were as young as 13. Also, evidence “indicates,” the DOL said in its complaint, that PSSI may employ children at its 400 operations around the country. The overnight shifts affected some of the minors’ schoolwork: One said he often fell asleep in class or skipped school, while another said he dropped out. All of the minors spoke Spanish.
Read more here: https://investigatemidwest.org/2022/11 ... g-plants/
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

Outrage as Starbucks Moves to Close First Unionized Shop in Its Home City of Seattle
by Jake Johnson
November 22, 2022

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) Starbucks announced late Monday that it will soon shutter yet another unionized location—this time the Seattle shop that was the first to unionize in the coffee giant's home city.

While Starbucks said in a statement that the planned closure is due to "safety and security" concerns, workers and union representatives characterized the decision as clearly retaliatory given the Broadway East and Denny Way's status as the first organized shop in the city where Starbucks was founded and is currently headquartered.

"Starbucks and [billionaire CEO] Howard Schultz believe they are above the law. They believe they can do whatever they want and get away with it," Starbucks Workers United wrote on Twitter. "This is unacceptable and will not stand."

December 9 is the final day before the store will be closed to the public. As Starbucks Workers United Seattle pointed out, that is the one-year anniversary of the first-ever Starbucks union victory in Buffalo, New York last year.

The Broadway and Denny location is one of several unionized stores in Seattle that Starbucks has moved to shut down in recent months as the company continues its relentless anti-union campaign across the country, drawing accusations of mass labor law violations and legal action from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... y-seattle
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6509
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Labor Rights News Thread

Post by caltrek »

Major Strike Looms as Largest Rail Union in US Rejects White House-Brokered Contract
by Jake Johnson
November 21, 2022

Introduction:
(Common Dreams) The largest railroad workers union in the United States announced Monday that its members voted to reject a contract negotiated with the help of the Biden White House, once again raising the prospect of a major strike or lockout as employees revolt over profitable rail giants' refusal to provide adequate paid sick leave.

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) said in a statement that just over 50% of its members voted to reject the proposed contract. Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET)—the second-largest rail union in the U.S.—voted to ratify the contract, the union said Monday.

If any of the rail unions decide to strike, the others have vowed to honor their picket lines. SMART-TD said a strike or lockout could begin as soon as December 9.

"SMART-TD members with their votes have spoken, it's now back to the bargaining table for our operating craft members," said Jeremy Ferguson, the union's president. "This can all be settled through negotiations and without a strike. A settlement would be in the best interests of the workers, the railroads, shippers, and the American people."

"The ball is now in the railroads' court. Let's see what they do. They can settle this at the bargaining table," Ferguson added. "But, the railroad executives who constantly complain about government interference and regularly bad-mouth regulators and Congress now want Congress to do the bargaining for them."
Read more here: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022 ... -contract
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
Post Reply