NEWSFEED: US union struggles

BREAKING: Capitol Workers win $1 MILLION in Stolen Pay


Capitol Hill Contractor Ordered to Pay Workers $1 Million in Stolen Wages just as the Democrats Ratify Platform that Calls on US Government to Do Business with Model Employers that Pay Living Wages and Promote Unions.

Read the news clips, below.

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The Labor Department announced Tuesday that federal contractors had shorted 674 Senate cafeteria workers to the tune of $1 million. Two companies violated the law by misclassifying workers into lower-paying positions and having them work off the clock, the agency said. The Huffington Post

THANK YOU FOR SIGNING THE PETITION. CAN YOU FORWARD IT TO 5 FRIENDS? TOGETHER WE CAN STOP WAGE THEFT ON FEDERAL CONTRACTS.

“The actions taken by the Capitol contractor are despicable and their contract should be terminated,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said. “The Senate must refuse to do business with any unscrupulous vendors who flout the law and puts profits above the rights and economic security of their employees.” ABC News

“This shows that when workers act, workers can win," said Joseph Geevarghese, Director of Good Jobs Nation, a labor advocacy group that argued for the Senate workers. "Because U.S. contract workers went on strike and filed legal multiple complaints, the U.S. government is beginning to stop labor abuses on Capitol Hill." Roll Call

Good Jobs Nation is calling next President to adopt a “Model Employer” policy of contracting with employers that pay good wages and recognize workers’ right to form a union. Joseph Geevarghese, the Good Jobs Nation director, said the Capitol abuses are “just the tip of the iceberg. If federal contractors feel free to break federal law right under the noses of lawmakers, they probably feel free to violate the rights of workers all across America,” he said. “But the truth is the Labor Department cannot investigate every federal contractor in the U.S. – we need a systemic solution, not just case-by-case fixes.” The Washington Post

THANK YOU FOR SIGNING THE PETITION. TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN US!

In Philadelphia, the Democratic Party – for the first time in history – just adopted a platform that states that the US Government should spend taxpayer dollars on “Model Employers” – not corporations that violate workers’ rights.

LET’S TURN THE PLATFORM INTO POLICY! TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO SIGN THE PETITION!

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Minnesota nurses rally as strike approaches

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of Minnesota Nurses Association members, along with their supporters, rallied in Stewart Park Aug. 31 to show support for Allina Health nurses who are set to go on an open-ended Unfair Labor Practice strike on Labor Day. A broad spectrum of labor and community groups, including teachers, AFSCME, and Teamsters attended the rally.

MNA filed the required ten-day strike notice on the five affected Allina Health hospitals and Allina headquarters early on Aug. 26. Picketing will take place at Abbott Northwestern, Allina Commons, Mercy, Phillips Eye Institute, United, and Unity hospitals.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

Class struggle on Harvard campus: Dining workers announce strike vote

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By staff

Cambridge, MA - The union of the 750 food service workers at Harvard University held a briefing and rally on Sept. 7 to announce their intent to hold a strike vote. The union, UNITE HERE Local 26, has been in negotiations with the university administration since late May, and workers say that little progress has been made on their two major issues.

One of the Harvard workers’ primary concerns is a management proposal to increase their health insurance costs. Similar increases were imposed on Harvard faculty and agreed to by some of the other unions at the university. The dining services workers have rejected this proposal because of the devastating effect that it could have on workers’ health.

Anabella Pappas, a member of the union’s bargaining committee, said during the briefing that university proposed co-pay increases would mean that “many of us will have no choice but to neglect to go to the doctor.” A group of Harvard Medical School students stood beside workers at the briefing and voiced their support for their struggle, arguing that from a medical perspective, the insurance plans being forced on Harvard’s workers are some of the worst in the country and would reduce access to preventative and life-saving medical treatment.

In addition to fighting against health insurance takebacks, the union is also fighting to secure a minimum annual income of $35,000 for Harvard workers. Many of the dining service workers are laid off for four months out of every year- when students are on summer holiday - and are barred from collecting unemployment during that time. Laquiesha Rainey, another member of the bargaining committee, described the hope for a better life that she felt when she got a job at a prestigious university. These hopes were soon dashed by the reality of cyclical layoffs. “I can’t feed my daughter off of prestige,” Rainey said. “I fail to understand how the richest university in the world can’t provide workers with a minimum of $35,000 a year.”

As the Harvard workers spoke, they were surrounded by a wall of photographs of workers who have committed to strike, if necessary. Organizers said there were over 600 photographs. Following the announcement of the Sept. 15 strike vote, workers and students took the wall of photographs and marched through Harvard Yard. Students across the Harvard system have also been organizing in support of the workers’ decision to strike.

Collin Poirot, a second year student at Harvard Law School, said that it is especially important for students to show up in support of staff. “We’re here to show the university administration that students and workers are united, and that we will always have the backs of Harvard workers, just as they have always had ours.”

No strike date has been announced, but the struggle on Harvard’s campus is likely to intensify in the weeks ahead.
Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

Are Chicago Teachers Headed Toward a Strike?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(((( T h e B u l l e t ))))~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1302 .... September 8, 2016
__________________________________________________ ___

Are Chicago Teachers Headed Toward a Strike?

Lee Sustar

A three-cornered battle between a budget-slashing mayor (Rahm Emanuel), a union-busting governor (Bruce Rauner) and determined teachers (CTU) could result this fall in the second public school strike in Chicago in four years.

At the center of the battle is an effort to force Chicago teachers to pay the equivalent of 7 per cent of their base pay in additional pension costs, reversing an agreement made with the Chicago Teachers Union in lieu of a raise. "If the Board of Education imposes a 7 per cent slash in our salaries, we will move to strike," Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Karen Lewis said at an August 8 press conference.

The school district also upped the ante by announcing 1,000 layoffs and further budget cuts that will squeeze special education and force principals to eliminate jobs.

All indicators point to a teachers' strike in the fall. But the political landscape has changed since the CTU won a 2012 strike through rock-solid picket lines, mass protests and widespread popular support. This time around, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has seen his approval ratings plummet in the wake of police killings of African Americans, has dropped the confrontational rhetoric.

Instead, he's using the state budget impasse created by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner as a pretext to force teachers to accept a pay cut in the form of covering a higher share of their pension costs. Taxpayers will pay $250-million more to fund school pensions, Emanuel argues, so it's time for teachers to pay their share.

What the mayor omits is the fact that the pension crisis was created by the school district's failure to make pension contributions over the course of a decade. As CTU Staff Coordinator Jackson Potter wrote, "Not only are teachers and paraprofessionals taxpayers who will share in the burden of increased property taxes, but we have seen mass layoffs, program reductions, pay freezes, furlough days and a general lack of regard for the needs of our classrooms."

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Anti-war activists stand with striking Minnesota nurses

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By Meredith Aby-Keirstead

Minneapolis, MN - Members of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee picketed with the Minnesota Nurses Association at Abbot Northwestern Hospital during rush hour, Sept. 8. The nurses went out on strike on Labor Day.

Jennie Eisert, a Colombian-born activist with the Anti-War Committee, picketed and said, "I am really glad I was here today to stand in solidarity with the nurses. In May I met with workers with SINTRAMIENERGETICA in Colombia. These coal miners have been on strike for three years. Trade unionists in Colombia are threatened by right-wing death squads for organizing. It is important to me and to the Anti-War Committee to support the right to organize both at home and abroad."

The nurses’ strike in ongoing. A fundraiser is being planned for Friday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. at the CWA Hall, 3521 E Lake Street in Minneapolis to raise money for the strike fund.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

Peeps Workers on Strike!


Chris...Two days ago, more than 400 BCTGM Local 6 members who make Peeps, America’s favorite marshmallow treats, went out on strike at the Just Born Inc. plant in Bethlehem, Pa. Sign this Jobs with Justice petition to tell Just Born Inc. that you have the workers' backs.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

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Four hundred union workers who make iconic candies and treats in Bethlehem, Pa., are taking a brave stand to earn a fair return on their work. For decades, Local 6 members have dedicated their working lives producing Peeps, Teenee Beanee jelly beans, Hot Tamales, and Mike and Ike candies. And despite $230 million in sales and soaring profits, Just Born Inc. wants to eliminate the workers’ pension plan and increase workers' share of health care costs, while offering substandard market wage increases .
The striking employees of Just Born are drawing a line in the sand over corporate greed. Will you join them? Add your name to this Jobs with Justice petition to say you’ll stand with Local 6 workers for as long as it takes.

No one wants to go on strike. It puts an immense amount of financial stress on working families. The folks who bring us Peeps want to be back at work, bringing their skills and dedication to their jobs. But Just Born isn’t playing fair—and is refusing to listen to employee proposals that would save the company money. To help pressure Just Born to negotiate a fair contract, unite with Local 6 workers on strike in their mission to defend good jobs for their families and those that follow.

Make sure Just Born knows the public stands with the brave union members on strike in Bethlehem. Tell Just Born: No justice, no Peeps – Negotiate fairly NOW!

Thank you so much for your support!

In Solidarity,

David

David B. Durkee
International President, BCTGM International Union

Like Us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Check out our photostream on Flickr! www.bctgm.org Visit us online at www.bctgm.org
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Picket lines strong as first week of Minnesota Nurses strike ends

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Picket lines at Allina hospitals remain strong as the first week of the strike by more than 4000 members of the Minnesota Nurses Association draws to a close, Sept 11. The open-ended unfair labor practices strike began Labor Day, and comes in response to an attempt by Allina to extract major concessions in nurses’ heath care.

A major fundraiser is being planned for Friday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. at the CWA Hall, 3521 E Lake Street in Minneapolis to raise money for the strike fund.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

Help Save UMass Amherst Labor Center!


National Nurses United


Help Save UMass Amherst Labor Center!

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The Labor Center, UMass Amherst

UMass Labor Center is Under Attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!
Please Sign This Petition to Save Top Grad Program for Labor Movement

For over 50 years, the UMass Amherst Labor Center has served as one of the premiere labor studies programs in the nation—training union activists, leaders and staff in collective bargaining, workers’ rights, and the history of organized labor. National Nurses United even features Umass Amherst Labor Center alumni in departments union-wide.

Unfortunately, UMass administration has recently eliminated all graduate student funding for the Center—including teaching and research assistantships—as well as part-time faculty funding. They have also effectively eliminated the Center’s professional staff administrator position, and removed the director. These changes—made under the guise that the Center was not enough of a “revenue generator”—have rendered the Center incapable of continuing to welcome all students, labor leaders and activists regardless of background or ability to pay.

Nurses and our allies cannot stand by while one of the most respected labor studies departments in the country—one that trains activists and leaders, including our own union staff, in how to fight the forces that produce inequality—succumbs to a death of 1,000 cuts.

In solidarity, please sign this important petition to save the UMass Labor Center!

When a premiere program for the continued strength of the labor movement is under attack—what do we do? Stand up, fight back! Please sign the petition today.

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National Nurses United | 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910

Respect Workers’ Voices

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Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that U.S. Senate federal contract workers like me had been robbed of over $1 million dollars from our paychecks by Compass Group, our employer.

SIGN OUR PETITION. WORKERS DESERVE RESPECT!

Within weeks, some of my co-workers started receiving as much as $20,000 in back-pay awards. But I only received $240 in with no explanation of how it was calculated.

I’ve worked at the Senate for over a decade and I believe the company likely stole much more than a couple of hundred bucks from me.

I’m not alone. Over a dozen Senate contract workers received little or no compensation as wage theft victims.

One reason that justice has been delayed that many of us were not contacted or interviewed by the Labor Department or the Architect of the Capitol, the agency that oversees the contract, as part of the investigation.

Even worse, workers and our representatives have not been invited to participate in the settlement talks even though we exposed the illegal conduct and are directly impacted by the results.

If this were a court case, the victims would have their say.

SIGN MY PETITION: TELL THE LABOR DEPARTMENT & AND THE ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL TO RESPECT WORKERS’S VOICES.

Every worker at the U.S. Senate should be interviewed by Labor Department investigators and provided with an explanation of how their back-pay awards were calculated.

In addition, workers should be represented during the negotiation of the final settlement. Workers can play a critical role in holding the company accountable to following the law.

Giving workers a voice in the investigation and settlement talks is the best way to prevent wage theft in the future.

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Women Against Military Madness stands with striking nurses

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By Meredith Aby-Keirstead

Minneapolis, MN - Members of Women Against Military Madness picketed with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Sept. 11. The MNA went on strike at Allina hospitals on Labor Day.

Mary Beaudoin, a member of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), told Fight Back!, "WAMM members stand in solidarity with Allina nurses in their struggle to provide good health care for their patients and a fair labor contract needed to sustain it."

WAMM plans to picket again on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. and encourages others in the anti-war movement to join them.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

NNU Nurses Coast to Coast Support Allina Health Strikers


National Nurses United


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NNU Nurses Across U.S. Support Striking Allina RNs
on Day of Action

Deliver Message to Allina Board member, profiteer at
10 Piper-Jaffray Branch Offices


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Chicago, IL

On Tuesday, Sept. 13, nurses across the country took part in a national day of action to support our 4000 sisters and brothers in Minnesota who, since Labor Day, have been holding an open-ended strike against five Allina Health hospitals in the Twin Cities. The nurses are standing strong against management's effort to drastically cut their health coverage, and refusal to act on the nurses' concerns about safe staffing and the need for workplace violence prevention.

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San Francisco, CA

We know that those who give care deserve care themselves! That’s why RNs in 10 cities—from Houston and NYC, to Winter Park, FL and Sacramento—stood up and delivered a report entitled Time to Pay the Piper, detailing the predatory financial dealings of investment firm Piper Jaffray to its branch offices across the country. The firm has a history of profiting from hospitals and municipalities by arranging risky interest rate swaps. The Chief Financial Officer of Piper Jaffray, Debra Schoneman, is also on the board of Allina Health. Piper Jaffray has made millions of dollars underwriting bonds for Allina Health.

We will continue to highlight the misdeeds of Allina Health and its board members until a contract is won that puts patients first, and protects nurses and their families. Their fight against corporate greed is our fight.

Keep the Solidarity Going: Donate Today to Help Allina Nurses

Want to help support Allina nurses? Donate to the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) strike fund. MNA nurses already went on strike for seven days in June, giving up a week’s pay. This open-ended strike continues to send a strong message that Allina RNs will keep holding management accountable for listening to nurses. Donate to their fight today!

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Washington DC

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Houston, TX


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Wage Theft Victims Shortchanged Again?


Contract Workers Fail to Recover Stolen Wages, Demand Voice in USDOL Investigation of Outlaw Federal Contractor

SIGN OUR PETITION – WORKERS DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE


Pay Woes Persist for Senate Contract Workers

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Some food workers claim they are not getting the money they're due after a Labor Department investigation found the company that operates cafeterias for the Senate owed more than $1 million in back pay.

Good Jobs Nation said that several workers have reported that they've received little or no back pay compared to some of their colleagues.

Good Jobs Nation's policy and legal director George Faraday wrote in the Sept. 14 letter to the Labor Department that the group knows of at least 19 workers who were not interviewed by investigators — and workers have reported a wide range of payments.

SIGN THE PETITION – WAGE THEFT VICTIMS DESERVE JUSTICE!

In an interview, Faraday raised concerns that roughly half of those workers who were not interviewed by investigators had also participated in recent strikes. Faraday said he doubted the Labor Department would intentionally exclude those workers, but suggested management could have delayed interviews for certain workers.

In the meantime, some workers are still in the dark about the back pay they received.

Alba Morales works as a cashier in the Dirksen Senate Office Building cafeteria. About a month ago, her manager called her into his office, and handed her a check for $238.

Morales was never interviewed by Labor investigators. She questioned whether the payment was correct, noting that she has been working for Restaurant Associates in the Senate for eight years.

Her manager told her that the company gave investigators her employment information.

“I’m still confused,” Morales said. Morales has participated in several strikes where Senate workers have called for higher wages and union representation.

Morales and Faraday both called for workers to be included in future discussions and allowed to consult with a third party.

"We see the moral of this story is … there needs to be an ongoing process for keeping workers collectively in the loop,” Faraday said.

WORKERS NEED TO BE KEPT IN THE LOOP … SIGN OUR PETITION.

See more at: http://www.rollcall.com/news/hoh/sen...-about-backpay

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Hundreds of AFSCME members join striking nurses’ picket lines

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By Brad Sigal

Minneapolis, MN - More than 400 rank-and-file members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) joined the picket lines of the nurses on strike at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Friday, Sept. 23. They held a solidarity rally and walked the picket lines together with striking nurses, undeterred by the rain. Eight buses and many cars full of AFSCME members went together from the AFSCME Council 5 convention in Bloomington, which brought together AFSCME members from throughout Minnesota.

Almost 5000 nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) have been on strike since early September against Allina. Before the solidarity picketing on Friday, MNA President Mary Turner spoke to the delegates at the AFSCME convention, where she was received with warm solidarity and standing ovations for the nurses’ bold determination to strike against Allina’s greedy demands that nurses accept significant health insurance cuts.

AFSCME Executive Director Eliot Seide announced that AFSCME had donated $10,000 to the nurses’ strike hardship fund and would continue to make additional significant donations if the nurses are forced to continue their strike. Several AFSCME local leaders also announced that their locals would make donations to the nurses’ strike fund so the nurses can stay on strike as long as it takes to win.

Later that evening, federal mediators called Allina management and the Minnesota Nurses Association back to the bargaining table this coming Tuesday, Sept 27.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

Changing lives at Intel

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Dear Chris Kaihatsu:

Sitting anxiously with my co-workers and community, I couldn’t hold back my tears when I heard the victory announcement. Being organized and winning a union will change my life, and will also help raise the standard for families across Silicon Valley. Click here to watch and share our story.

Your support has been crucial in helping us transform Silicon Valley into a place all workers can thrive. Since we started organizing ourselves in January, we have won job security, 20% raises, and free individual healthcare. And now we’ve won a union. Your encouraging words have helped fuel our determination to improve our lives.


There are thousands of other food service workers just like me who could see our victory and empower themselves to change their lives, too. Share our story on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word to others who are ready to take the first step.

In solidarity,

Monica Moreno
Intel Cafeteria Cashier

UNITE HERE Local 19, 2302 Zanker Road, Second Floor, San Jose, CA 95131 | privacy policy

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Nurses rally at General Mills shareholder meeting

By staff

Minneapolis, MN - On the morning of Sept. 27, 400 striking Allina nurses from Abbott, United, Unity and Mercy hospitals, along with members of many unions and community supporters, rallied in the street in downtown Minneapolis, tying up early morning rush hour traffic. The rally was held in front of the hotel where General Mills was having its annual shareholder meeting.

The nurses were there to send a message to John Church, a senior vice president of General Mills and chair of the Allina board of directors, to use his power as chair to reach a decent contract for nurses.

The rally was energetic and spirited with nurses chanting “Where’s John Church?” “Nurses on the outside, trouble on the inside” and “Nurses united will never be defeated.” Allina nurses who got tickets to go inside texted that the chanting could be heard loud and clear - and speakers were having trouble giving their speeches.

Community people and union members spoke at the rally. Ann Maczuag said, “As educators, we know better than most what it means when corporations attack our public institutions. We share many similarities – working with diverse communities, doing more with less, are mostly women, and are advocates for families we serve. That’s why my union, The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, stands with nurses in this fight today, tomorrow and as long as it takes!”

After the meeting the three Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) proxy shareholder, who were inside, gave reports. Julie Anderson, a mental health nurse said she told the shareholders and directors, “I’ve been assaulted many times and we need security personnel.” Adequate security for patient and staff safety is one of the demands. Barb Forshe said, “It was harder to get in to the meeting then I thought. They actually had security.” She also told attendees at the shareholders meeting, “We want to be on the inside taking care of patients, not on the outside.”

Negotiations between MNA and Allina resumed Sept. 27. The negotiating team was sent off to resume talks knowing the nurses are standing firm and resolved to do what it takes to get a good contract.

Rally & March in Support of Striking Nurses

Friday, September 30, from 4-7 pm @ Anderson United Community School, 1098 Andersen Ln, Minneapolis

March on the Allina Headquarters and show your solidarity with nurses as they get ready to launch their Red October on the picket lines. Organized by Workers United for Nurses.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

STRIKE! CTU Sets Strike Date for 10/11

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Chris Kaihatsu,

The 25,000 members of the Chicago teachers union have voted overwhelmingly (90%) to authorize a strike, and set a start date of October 11th, if they are unable to reach an agreement and negotiate a contract with Chicago Public Schools.

As you know, we stand in solidarity with the the rank-and-file members and the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union and encourage you to support them in this fight.

CTU is fighting for the schools Chicago's children deserve: fully resourced and fully staffed schools that will educate and empower every child. You can read more about the negotiations thus far on the CTU website: http://www.ctunet.com/blog/faq-fight...r-contract-ctu

IF YOU WILL STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH CTU ON THE PICKET LINE: http://www.chicagojwj.org/ctu-solidarity-pickets

CONTACT YOUR ALDERMAN AND THE MAYOR: tell them you support CTU and want them to dedicate resources to fund our schools! (312) 744-5000

Thanks and In Solidarity,

Susan Hurley, Executive Director

Chicago Jobs with Justice

DONATE HERE! We need your support to stay in the streets!

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Hundreds march on Allina Headquarters in support of striking nurses

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN - More than 200 union members and striking nurses rallied across from Abbot Northwestern hospital, Sept. 30, and then marched on the corporate headquarters of Allina Health to press the demand for a decent contract. The march was organized by the strike support committee called Workers United for Nurses.

More than 4000 nurses have been on strike since Sept. 5. A key issue is Allina’s insistence that the nurses make major concessions on health care.

“We are here to stand with stand with nurses. Your fight is fight. You are an inspiration to all of us,” said Cherrene Horazuk of Workers United for Nurses and president of AFSCME Local 3800.

Striking Minnesota Nurses Association members will vote Monday, Oct. 3 on a new contract agreement. The proposal was placed before MNA members without a recommendation from the MNA negotiation team. At the rally a number of striking nurses expressed opposition to the proposed agreement.

Above: Laurie Bahr, Cardiovascular ICU nurse at Abbott, urges a no vote on a proposed contract.

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]

Demand Michael Kors' enforce their code of conduct! Please Share!


Dear Chris Kaihatsu,

I wrote you last week asking that you call Michael Kors' to urge the company to demand that one of their trucking vendors, Intermodal Bridge Transport (IBT), follow U.S. labor laws. Thanks to those of you that made a phone call (and if you didn’t get to it, it’s not too late to call [insert details]).

I am asking for your help by sharing this graphic on Facebook. Can you share this today?

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I am one of the truck drivers that hauls Michael Kors’ designer clothes from the docks to their warehouse. Michael Kors claims to have high ethical standards for its business partners, but Kors is turning a blind eye to wage theft, unsanitary conditions, and violations of our civil rights by their trucking partner, IBT.

On Sunday, my coworkers and I passed out leaflets at Kors’ Rodeo Drive store in Beverly Hills to bring awareness to these abuses. Customers were appalled by what they learned.

Help us get Michael Kors to enforce his Code of Conduct. Please share this graphic on Facebook asking Michael Kors to stop hurting port truck drivers and our families.

Thanks,

Eddie Ossoy, Port Truck Driver
Intermodal Bridge Transport


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Nurses reject contract offer, strike continues

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN - A majority of the striking nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association voted Oct. 3 to reject the latest contract by Allina Health. Nurses from Abbott Northwestern, Mercy, Phillips Eye Institute, United, and Unity hospitals will continue their open-ended Unfair Labor Practice strike.

The nurses’ negotiating team decided to bring Allina’s proposal, which they received at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, to a member vote, but the team did not issue a recommendation on whether to vote yes or no.

“In order to get some sort of monetary safety net to protect nurses moving to Allina’s high-deductible health plans, they were asking us to give more away,” said Abbott Northwestern Hospital Registered Nurse and Negotiating Team Member Angela Becchetti, “The nurses saw through that.”

Nurses told Allina negotiators about the continued problems with staffing and proposed to free the charge nurse from a dedicated patient assignment. Allina responded with a staffing committee to look at the issue.

“The nurses felt that although some progress was made in negotiations with Allina it wasn’t enough progress,” Becchetti said. “Nurses felt that the proposal took more away from nurses than it offered. Nurses said they would end their affordable healthcare plans in the year 2020, but they haven’t been adequately compensated for it.”

Other facets of the Allina proposal included a full-time security guard in the emergency rooms, face-to-face workplace safety training, a staffing committee, retention bonus, and an HSA/HRA account.

The vote result means the strike will continue, and both sides will have to return to the bargaining table to hammer out a deal. There are no plans at this time when that could happen.

“If Allina felt that nurses would accept anything just to return to work in October and get our health insurance back, they were mistaken,” Becchetti said. “This vote should tell Allina that nurses are strong and willing to hold out for a contract that respects their sacrifice and their profession.”

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Chicago Teachers Union prepared to strike again

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By Daniel Ginsberg

Chicago, IL - Reminiscent of four years ago, the streets of Chicago may again turn red as tens of thousands of Chicago teachers prepare to strike over a concessionary contract when negotiations end on Oct. 11.

Red, the color of the 28,000-strong Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), has to be Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Forrest Claypool’s least favorite color. Emanuel and Claypool have an agenda of austerity and privatization, against a strong and unified teachers union that demands quality, well-staffed neighborhood schools.

90% of CTU teachers, dissatisfied with Claypool’s proposals, authorized the strike because teachers are demanding modest pay raises, no cuts to health care, strong pensions and adequately-staffed classrooms with full resources for the children, among other demands.

The city has always portrayed the cutbacks in the schools as economically necessary. Again, as in 2012, the strike will be both about defending teachers and students. CTU executive board member Sarah Chambers, a special education teacher at Saucedo School in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, said, “When Rahm slashes special education and hurts our disabled students, that’s a choice, not a necessity. Laying off librarians until only one out of four schools have librarians is a choice, not a necessity. And Rahm choosing to pay his banker buddies over funding special education is a choice, not a necessity.”

Claypool and Emanuel, who have been making drastic budget cuts and closing dozens of schools, are pushing for a four-year contract that will reduce teacher wages and harm school conditions for the children.

When CTU struck in 2012, Chicagoans embraced them, and tens of thousands of supporters came out to support them, forcing Mayor Emmanuel and CPS to back down. The most recent polling by the Chicago Tribune has shown that 79% of African Americans, 77% of Latinos, and 76% of union households disapprove of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s handling of education.

Governor Bruce Rauner, a billionaire out to destroy unions, has called for a takeover of CPS and wants CPS to declare bankruptcy. He’s made a special target of the teachers union. According to Chambers, “Rahm and Rauner are no longer the good friends they were when first elected, but the one thing they agree on is their desire to break the strength of the CTU.”

The Chicago Teachers Union has alerted workers everywhere that unions can fight and win, even against a mayor with White House connections and billionaire backing. CTU appears ready for this battle for both their members and their students.

To support CTU, sign up here to receive emails about actions you can take:

http://www.ctunet.com/action

Read more News and Views from the Peoples Struggle at http://www.fightbacknews.org. You can write to us at [email protected]