December 2010

What the new Congress means for working families

Submitted by Sarita Gupta on December 30, 2010

Earlier this month, Congress passed a deal to re-extend unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed for more than a year.  Finally, a small break for working families! With money from unemployment insurance, millions of non-working Americans will be able to heat their homes, pay their bills, and buy food.  It’s not much, but it’s everything.

Throughout 2010, JwJ has been educating communities on how unemployment insurance is a vital stop-gap measure during the worst jobs deficit in recent history.  It’s been an ongoing fight.  Through organizing hundreds of public actions, delegations to elected officials, community forums, and online action alerts, we helped working communities save their lifeline multiple times.

At least for now.  Please make a tax-deductible donation today to help us keep fighting for the unemployed.

The extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed didn't come without a big favor for big business.  What was exchanged in return for this small token for working families?  Billions of dollars in tax breaks for the country’s wealthiest--money that could be used to create jobs or cover unemployment insurance for the jobless.  Instead, it will sit in someone’s growing bank account, while workers continue to struggle.

Did you hear what they are doing now?

Submitted by Sarita Gupta on December 27, 2010

Over the last year, we've seen corporations exert their influence to hold up legislation at the federal level.  Health care reform, job creation, the DREAM Act and so much more has been stalled, weakened, and even defeated by corporate interests and their lobbying.

Now corporations are turning their attention to state legislatures to expand their attacks on working families.  Can you help us defeat corporate-sponsored laws aimed at rolling back workers' rights?  Please make a tax-deductible donation today.

Starting in January 2011, we are expecting an array of serious attacks on workers’ rights to hit state legislatures, including Right to Work for Less laws, paycheck deception, anti-prevailing wage bills, and continued attacks on the public sector.  Corporations want to use the failing economy as an excuse to reverse every worker protection put in place over the last century.

Red Cross Collection Specialists and Technicians Vote for Teamsters in Atlanta

Submitted by Ben Speight on December 21, 2010

A majority of the employees who work as Red Cross collection specialists and technicians in Atlanta have voted to join the Teamsters Union.  This will be the first time a union will represent the 51 workers employed at seven sites throughout Atlanta.

“We had many strong supporters here for Teamster representation.” said Karen Moore, a five-year collection specialist for Red Cross. “It was really good to see everyone so happy after the vote.” Friday’s vote was 36-14.

This union's organizing victory marks the third such victory in the south in the last three months. In early and mid-October, employees in Charlotte and Wilmington, North Carolina also voted for Teamster representation.

“All of these Red Cross employees demonstrated their unity with the Teamsters by wearing buttons and signing petitions,” said Ben Speight, organizer for Teamsters Local 728 in Atlanta.

“This victory came despite management hiring a very anti-union law firm that conducted numerous captive-audience meetings. Red Cross even promised they would give a flat-screen TV away to the first person who could answer the most questions correctly on an anti-union questionnaire.”

Teamsters Local 728 and the Atlanta Red Cross workers are looking forward to beginning negotiations for a strong Teamster contract.

IBT Local 728 is a part of building Atlanta Jobs with Justice.

Help us fight Scrooge's corporate agenda

Submitted by Sarita Gupta on December 21, 2010

Yesterday we announced that Senator Mitch "puppet of the rich" McConnell was elected our 2010 Scrooge of the Year.  McConnell led a small minority in the Senate to block many laws that would have helped working families this year:  health care reform, job creation, the DREAM Act, health care for 9/11 responders, and so much more.  McConnell could have shown great leadership to support people in need at a time when so many are struggling, but this Scrooge doesn’t care about governing or making this country a better place to live.  McConnell’s goal is to do whatever is necessary to hoard power for himself, his party, and his wealthy, powerful friends.  But Jobs with Justice is building power every day to fight the corporate agenda.

TN Workers Reject CASCO Attempt to Cut Benefits, Move Plant

Submitted by Erica Smiley on December 21, 2010

Since mid-August, Jobs with Justice of East Tennessee has been in solidarity with workers at ARC Automotive and CASCO PRODUCTS CORP who are in contract negotiations with Workers United.

The company’s proposals included freezing employees’ wages for 3 years, eliminating future pension benefits, drastically increasing employee contributions for health insurance while cutting benefits at the same time, using low wage “temporary” workers in place of regular employees, and eliminating basic employee rights on the job.

Most outrageous were their heavy-handed threats to move the plant elsewhere if the workers did not agree to their demands.

CASCO and their president, Ali El-Haj, are another example of corporate America’s “race to the bottom”, where jobs are moved to where workers are paid the least and have the fewest rights.

The hardworking men and women employed by ARC deserve fair pay and benefits for their labor. They have a basic right to fair, even handed treatment.  They are entitled to work free from threats to their jobs for simply standing up for themselves and their families.

Senator Mitch McConnell Elected 2010 Scrooge of the Year

Submitted by JwJNational on December 20, 2010

Health & Pharmaceutical Industry, Hyatt runners-up in national contest to determine who did the most harm to workers and their families this year.

Senator Mitch McConnell took 42% of the thousands of votes cast in Jobs with Justice’s eleventh annual national contest to determine the greediest, most cold-hearted person or company of the year.  A small number of Senators, led by conservative Senate Minority leader Mitch “puppet of the rich” McConnell, have spent this Congressional session aggressively blocking almost all legislation from passing, especially laws that would help working people. McConnell could have shown great leadership to support people in need at a time when so many are struggling, but this Scrooge doesn’t care about governing or making this country a better place to live.  McConnell’s goal is to do whatever is necessary to hoard power for himself and his party.

“We hope that by being elected national Scrooge of the Year, Senator McConnell will see the 'Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come' and understand the dire consequences that his actions will have for generations of Americans,” said Sarita Gupta, National Jobs with Justice Executive Director.

Community & Workers' Rights Board Hearing on CPMC $2.3 Billion Hospital Development Plan

Submitted by Huy Ong on December 15, 2010

Members of the Community and Workers' Rights Board

A diverse array of 200 residents, workers, and leaders gathered yesterday in San Francisco City Hall to hear testimony on the $2.3 billion hospital development plans of Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and the effects it would have on local access to health services.  The testimony was given in front of the Community and Workers’ Rights Board which is comprised of local faith, community and elected leaders.  The Board was convened by Jobs with Justice San Francisco and featured Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, Board of Education member Sandra Fewer, Sierra Club leader John Rizzo, health policy expert Laura Thomas, and Democratic Party leader Jane Morrison and was chaired by the Reverend Deborah Lee of the United Church of Christ. The Board heard testimony from patients, residents of surrounding neighborhoods, representatives from California Nurses Association and Service Employees International Union, as well as advocates for healthcare, affordable housing, and community development

Express Scripts Takes Steps to Correct Scroogey Behavior

Submitted by JwJNational on December 13, 2010

Workers at Express Scripts, Inc. facilities in Bensalem, PA - members of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania - voted overwhelmingly on December 9th and 10th to ratify a settlement agreement that will preserve approximately 400 jobs at the Street Road facility, reversing the pharmacy benefit manager company's announcement of plans to shutter all of its Bensalem operations.

In addition to maintaining most of the company's workforce at the Street Road facility in Bensalem, the settlement provides a substantial severance package to approximately 500 workers facing layoff as a result of the closure of the Marshall Lane facility and some downsizing at Street Road.

No mistake about it - it's a very sad state of affairs that many people who helped build ESI are still being laid off.  But through the power of workers sticking together and engaging in a national campaign to garner support and pressure Express Script, the union was able to save 400 good jobs and win an excellent severance package for laid-off workers that most non-union workers might only dream about.  "The support we got from the community, other labor unions and people across the country was overwhelming," said Pam Rogers, President of SEIU Healthcare PA.

It's Time for Rite Aid to Negotiate Fairly

Submitted by JwJNational on December 10, 2010

The Rite Aid drug stores employ thousands of workers who are fighting for more respect and a voice on the job. Since Rite Aid’s CEO John Standley doubled his compensation to over $4 million, he’s been trying to cut pay and benefits for workers at the company’s retail stores and distribution centers:

  • In Ohio, Rite Aid officials are going after the health care benefits for retail store employees.
  • In Pennsylvania, Rite Aid workers are trying to get a decent contract without big benefit cuts.
  • In Rome, NY, Rite Aid just announced they are closing a union warehouse and going non-union.
  • In Lancaster, CA, 500 warehouse workers have been fighting for over 5 years to get a union contract.

Let’s help these workers who are standing up and fighting back!

Excluded Workers Unite to Expand the Human Right to Organize

Submitted by Erica Smiley on December 10, 2010

Report Introduced on International Human Rights Day

At a time when Republicans in several states are threatening to eliminate the right of workers to organize and collectively bargain, representatives from 9 different sectors release “Unity for Dignity: Expanding the Right to Organize to Win Human Rights at Work," a report highlighting ongoing efforts to dramatically expand workers’ human right to organize and collectively bargain.  The report is being launched around the country, including in San Francisco, New York and Birmingham, Alabama symbolically on December 10th, International Human Rights Day, in order to re-frame the struggle to expand the right-to-organize as a human right.

The Excluded Workers Congress and the report highlight workers who have historically been excluded from labor protections, the right to organize, and underrepresented in the labor movement - domestic workers, farmworkers, taxi drivers, restaurant workers, day laborers, guestworkers, workers from Southern “right to work” states, workfare workers and formerly incarcerated workers.

Rite Aid Workers Set to Mobilize Nationwide on Dec. 15th

Submitted by rand wilson on December 10, 2010

Rite Aid employees backed by Jobs with Justice and other community supporters are organizing a nationwide "Day of Action" on Wednesday, December 15 to focus public attention on the company’s culture of corporate greed and its assault on workers' living standards and job rights.

Dozens of actions are scheduled at Rite Aid locations across the country, including stores in California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. At each store, Rite Aid customers will be informed about:

  • Rite Aid's decision to hike its CEO's compensation to $4.5 million despite the company's poor performance.
  • The company's effort to impose huge cost increases on workers for health insurance.
  • Rite Aid's disturbing pattern of delays and difficulty in reaching fair agreements with workers.
  • The company's conversion of good jobs into low-wage positions with few benefits and no rights on the job.

The nationwide actions were sparked by a rash of recent decisions by Rite Aid officials:

JwJ Joins Allies at UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun

Submitted by Treston Davis-F... on December 9, 2010

La Via Campesina March (GGJ) has joined a delegation of over 65 indigenous people, people of color, and youth from organizations including the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Youth 4 Climate Justice (Y4CJ), GGJ and others to converge in Cancun, Mexico where the 16th United Nations Conference on Climate Change or COP 16 is hosting governmental and non-governmental organizational representatives from all over the world will to negotiate solutions to the global climate crisis.

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Jobs with Justice is a national network of local coalitions that bring together labor unions, faith groups, community organizations, and student activists to fight for working people. Our members are in the streets in 46 cities in 24 states across the country.

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