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News :: Labor |
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Labor Hour Headlines 10-5-02 |
Current rating: 0 |
by Peter Miller
(No verified email address) |
05 Oct 2002
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Headlines as broadcast during the Illinois Labor Hour, Saturday at 11 a.m. on WEFT 90.1 FM. Longshore Lockout Escalates, Azteca Food Workers on Strike, Union Pressing to Restore Funding, CRIS Bus Drivers May Strike, 14 Chinese Buffet Restaurants Sued by Labor Agencies, Northern & Midwestern States Rank Highest for 'Intentional' Job Bias & Researchers Say. |
Longshore Lockout Escalates
On September 29, America's biggest corporations stepped up a historic labor dispute on the West Coast. The corporations that run the west coast seaports locked out the 10,000 workers who load and unload ships from Vancouver to San Diego. The owners, who are part of a coalition called the Pacific Martime Association, are backed by a larger coalition of US corporations who are all urging the President to use the military and legal measures to force the workers to accept a contract that they find un-just. The seaport owners won't allow the workers to return until the workers agree to a dramatic reduction in the union's strength, a concession that the union says will damage their local communities and threaten waterfront safety. The International Longshore and Warehouse Workers' Union (ILWU) has agreed to the owners' major changes--they are willing to grant the seaport owners the right to implement new technologies, however the union wants to ensure that the new jobs created by the technologies have good benefits, job security, and safety by including them in the existing Longshore Workers' union. President Bush and most national media make repeated references to the economic damage being caused by the lockout, however they place the blame on the workers, who are willing to return to their jobs. The workers are receiving international support in their struggle. Yesterday, the 57-million member International Confederation of Free Trade Unions expressed support for the longshore workers, stating that all indications are that the union has been negotiating in good faith as it seeks a fair settlement that will ensure that current dockworkers are treated fairly and that future workers have the protections of trade union representation. The US labor federation, the AFL-CIO encourages American workers to tell major US retailers to stay out of the talks. Retailers like Crate & Barrel, the Gap, Best Buy, Talbots, Wal-Mart, and target stores are on the front line in supporting government intervention against the workers. Negotiations between the union and the port owners halted last week when the owners brought armed guards into the negotiating session. The union requested federal mediation, and both sides are currently in San Francisco for mediated talks, however the Associated Press reported at 5 p.m. yesterday that the owners had met in Washington with George Bush's representatives, urging him to use federal force to replace the locked-out workers.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&ncid=514&e=13&u=/ap/20021004/ap_on_bi_ge/port_labor_68
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/09/30/daily27.html
www.icftu.org
Azteca Food Workers on Strike
The Chicago Tribune reports in today's edition that workers at Chicago's Azteca foods are on strike. The mostly Latina workforce is represented by the UE, the United Electrical Workers. Azteca is owned by a prominent Hispanic businessman, Art Velasquez, who the Tribune says is well-respected in the Latino community for his advocacy work. Velasquez became the first Hispanic elected to state-wide office when he was voted onto the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois in 1974, however the National Labor Relations Board has thus far upheld charges that Velasquez threatened and intimidated workers during their organizing campaign. Workers at the Mexican food factory are striking for a first contract with the UE. Until April of this year, they were represented by a union that had close ties to Mayor Daley. The workers are striking to avoid taking a pay cut: the company's current proposal increases the cost of their health insurance by an amount larger than their wage increase, which is only proposed to increase by 5 to 25 cents per hour. The union is also working to strengthen seniority rights for job openings, shift preferences, and overtime pay. Workers will vote tomorrow on whether to continue the strike.
http://www.ranknfile-ue.org/uen_0702_1159.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-0210050224oct05.story?null
Union Pressing to Restore Funding
AFSCME Council 31 is proposing a budget measure for the November veto sessions of the Illinois legislature that would reopen a number of facilities closed by Governor Ryan during this year's round of budget cuts. AFSCME Council 31 represents workers at the Urbana work release center, the Ed Jenison Work Camp in Paris, the Department of Revenue office in Urbana, and the Danville correctional center. Union officials and some local legislators and political candidates say money is available from member initiative projects funds and various other cuts to reverse the closures and end layoffs.
http://www.news-gazette.com/story.cfm?Number=12427
CRIS Bus Drivers May Strike
Bus drivers for CRIS Senior Services in Danville, who are represented by Teamsters Local 26, voted last week to strike if a settlement is not reached on their first contract. The Teamsters organized the drivers in August 2001 and the parties have been negotiating an agreement since then.
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, September 28, 2002, p B-2
14 Chinese Buffet Restaurants Sued by Labor Agencies
A chain of Chicago area Chinese restaurants didn't pay workers for their overtime, and they didn't pay the minimum wage according to a suit by the labor department. On Sept. 30, the Illinois and U.S. departments of labor filed suit against the owners of 14 Chicago-area "China Buffet" restaurants for violation of state and federal wage and hour laws. The suit seeks $1.5 million in back wages for 150 workers who allegedly worked as much as 66 hours a week but were not paid the minimum wage or overtime pay. The workers, who are mainly Asians and Hispanics who spoke little English, were paid in cash, and many of the restaurants kept inadequate employee records.
Chicago Tribune, October 1, 2002, section 3, p 3
Northern, Midwestern States Rank Highest for 'Intentional' Job Bias, Researchers Say
The Daily Labor Report noted a study showing that Illinois and Wisconsin apparently have high levels of gender and racial discrimination in the workplace. In a study of data submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Rutgers University professors Alfred and Ruth Blumrosen found that employers in Illinois and Wisconsin are "the two most serious discriminators" against women and minorities. The authors examined EEO-1 reports filed between 1975 and 1999 by employers for establishments where the number of women and minority employees "is so far below the average of similarly situated employers that they 'stick out like a sore thumb'". Their state study is an outgrowth of a nation-wide study issued last July, and can be found on-line.
Daily Labor Report, #189, September 30, 2002, p A-9
www.eeo1.com |
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by Levi Gardner, III
nationalorgforadr (nospam) earthlink.net (unverified) |
Current rating: 1
05 Oct 2002
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I have a web site: www.ltgardner.com thanks |
