Confronted with a callous bank and management removing machinery in the middle of the night, workers at Chicago's Republic Windows and Doors occupied their factory six days, until a unanimous December 10 vote to accept a severance package. . . .
As companies scramble to shore up profits, many are turning to a well-rehearsed script: ask union workers for concessions. The supposed payoff ? You’ll get to keep your job. In late November, the Teamsters announced a deal with Yellow- Roadway Corporation to crack open their contract and cut wages 10 percent. . . .
Last summer’s meeting of the National Conference of Mayors foresaw grim days for American cities — and that was before finance markets folded up in the fall. Now urban governments confront budget deficits that stem from falling tax revenues and the ongoing credit crunch. . . .
Unable to cajole or buy support from the Washington Teachers Union, D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee now says her version of education reform can be done with teachers — or to them. Contract talks screeched to a halt this fall when teachers indicated they would vote down a privately funded plan. . . .
Forging a historic win for labor in the notoriously anti-union South, workers at the nation’s largest hog slaughterhouse won a 16-year battle to unionize their plant in December. . . .
The Service Employees’ internal battle took a decisive turn January 9, when the union’s top body approved plans to split apart a big dissident California local, United Healthcare Workers-West.
Stewards need to know what a valid past practice is and what the past practices in their workplace are—to defend them from erosion by management. A past practice is any longstanding, frequent practice that is accepted and known by both union and management. . . .
Stewards need to know what a valid past practice is and what the past practices in their workplace are—to defend them from erosion by management. A past practice is any longstanding, frequent practice that is accepted and known by both union and management. Bona fide past practices are considered part of the contract, so grievances can be filed if management violates them. Be sure to check your contract for language that limits their use for grievances. In most cases management cannot end a past practice without first bargaining with the union. In some cases management must wait until contract negotiations to change a past practice.
Leather workers at the DESA Leather Company in Turkey are fighting poor working conditions and an anti-union employer. After they moved to unionize, management responded by firing 44 workers and intimidating 55 others into resigning their membership. The fired workers, whose union is called Deri Is, have been conducting demonstrations in front of DESA factories for the past six months, where they have been met with harassment and arrests.
DESA Leather manufactures products sold to high-end brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, and Samsonite. The 1,200 leather workers employed by the company face appalling working conditions at two manufacturing facilities and a tanning yard, which the union says are in breach of health and safety regulations.
The leader of a Russian auto workers union, Alexei Etmanov, was assaulted twice at his home in Vsevolozhsk, Russia, in November. Etmanov, co-chair of the independent Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers, faced attackers with brass knuckles and metal pipes and suffered serious injuries. Following the first attack, the ITUA received a call warning union members to stop their activities or lose their lives. Two other members of the union also were assaulted following a picket for union recognition.
The Russian government has failed to properly investigate these crimes, releasing suspects, suspending cases, and quickly halting inquiries. Demand that these auto workers receive protection from Russian authorities.
