Labor Notes #432
Work-time reduction, good part-time jobs, and workplace flexibility are the crucial components for a 21st century union strategy that’s both feminist and environmentally sustainable.
In its bid to become the world's largest auto manufacturer, VW is trying to out-Toyota Toyota. Its Chattanooga plant provides a window into the state of the art of brutal productivity-maximizing "lean management" schemes.
The manager was targeting black workers for discipline. But when I started publicly standing up to her, many who’d never been interested in the union before came and signed up. They wanted to join me in fighting back.
Thousands of oil refinery workers are on strike over health and safety. They cite outsourcing, short staffing, and forced overtime that produces dangerous fatigue—in a job where mistakes can be fatal.
FairPoint workers in New England have ratified a new contract, ending the longest U.S. telecom strike in decades. The deal limits subcontracting and averts two-tier wages, but wipes out the pension for new hires.
