Tag Archives: news

airbnb
Recent News

SEIU Will Not Accommodate Airbnb

Negotiations between Airbnb and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) fell apart amid fierce backlash from other labor unions and housing activists across the country. SEIU plans to work with UNITE HERE, a union that represents hotel workers. “It is our clear understanding that SEIU will not have a deal with Airbnb to represent housekeeping services,” according to UNITE HERE spokeswoman Annemarie Strassel.  

Opponents of Airbnb contend the company is accelerating gentrification by reducing the supply of available housing units for local residents. Airbnb’s offer included paying more local taxes, sharing data with municipalities, and cracking down on landlords who break rules. UNITE HERE and other critics argue Airbnb has allowed people to illegally turn their homes into hotels, which removes permanent housing from the market and reduces affordable housing options in cities. Partnering with a union would have been a PR victory for Airbnb, but would have done little to support low-wage workers, according to critics, who say the deal would have meant sending unionized labor into illegal hotels.  

Recent News

AFL Enters Battle for Bargaining

AFL-CIO strongly objects to a New Jersey takeover proposal of Atlantic City that eliminates all collective bargaining agreements. With battle lines drawn that would affect thousands of workers and more than 100 union contracts, the national AFL-CIO has joined the fight.

“Attempts to undermine collective bargaining under the pretext of solving financial challenges are nothing new. We’ve seen it in states and cities across the country,” say AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech in a joint statement. “We know that the best way to solve problems is to collaborate with workers who are on the front lines, like firefighters, police, teachers, and city employees. Governor Christie’s current proposal—which seeks to limit collective bargaining—is unacceptable. The state Senate and the General Assembly should work together to find the right compromise that supports the principle of collective bargaining and protects the rights of working people.”

The legislation passed by New Jersey Senate and supported by Christie includes a provision eliminating collective bargaining agreements. However, New Jersey Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto has said that he will not support a bill that allows the state to tear up collective bargaining contracts.

Does Governor Christie believe legal contracts are no longer binding? Written agreements have been honored for hundreds of years around the world. The scenario of “maybe we’ll honor a contract maybe we won’t” would set a dangerous precedent, not only in New Jersey, but across the country.

Recent News

Fired Jimmy John’s Workers Vindicated

A federal appeals court ruled March 25 that a Jimmy John’s franchisee illegally fired six workers for publicly protesting the company’s sick leave policy. The 8th Circuit US Court of Appeals upheld a National Labor Relations Board finding that MikLin Enterprises, which owns 10 Jimmy John’s franchises in the Twin Cities area, had engaged in unfair labor practices and were directed to rehire the six with back pay.

“We were fired more than five years ago, illegally, for warning the public that our lack of paid sick days meant that they could end up eating sandwiches tainted by germs,” says Max Specktor, one of the six, in a statement. “Justice delayed is justice denied.” MikLin’s workers narrowly voted against joining the Industrial Workers of the World in 2010, but union supporters continued to campaign for paid sick leave, including posters depicting Jimmy John’s sandwiches made by a sick worker. The company argued that the posters were not protected speech under federal labor law, because they were “disloyal.” The court held that there was substantial evidence “tying the effort to obtain paid sick leave with the effect that the lack of paid sick leave could have on MikLin’s product.”

Recent News

Machinists United

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) reached seven tentative contract agreements with United Airlines for 30,000 workers. According to IAM, the five-year accords run through 2021 and call for approximately 30% pay increases over the term of the deal and $100 million in lump sum payments. The contract also includes a 25% hike in defined-benefit pension benefits, stops outsourcing of work currently performed by IAM members, and provides for insourcing of additional work.

Though current agreements were not amendable until December 31, 2016, IAM and United agreed last October to open existing contracts one year early and engage in expedited negotiations, which led to the tentative agreements.

Recent News

Raitt Celebrates Record Store Day with a Fundraiser for Music Education

If you are lucky enough to live in Portland, Oregon, you can celebrate Record Store Day 2016 with Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) member Bonnie Raitt. She will be at Music Millennium on Saturday, April 16 at 3:00 p.m., ahead of a sold out performance at the Keller Auditorium on April 17.

She will meet with 100 fans who purchase the special Record Store Day packages in advance. The package includes her new album Dig In Deep on CD or vinyl, a photo with Raitt at Music Millennium on Record Store Day, a limited edition hand pulled, numbered, and signed poster by artist Gary Houston, and a $20 donation towards the Oregon Music Hall of Fame’s Music in the Schools program.

“Few artists have played such a pivotal role in the connection between music fans and record stores quite the way Bonnie has,” said Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Bonnie celebrate the release of her awesome new album with us at Music Millennium and the fact that she’s doing it as part of a fundraiser for music education is just icing on a delicious cake.”

Read our cover story on Bonnie Raitt.

Recent News

Culinary Union Triumphs over Trump

The Culinary Workers (Local 226) and Bartenders (Local 165), Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, have been certified as the legal collective bargaining representatives of more than 500 workers at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, the union announced this month.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office overruled the hotel’s objections to an election last December in which the workers voted for the two unions. Trump Las Vegas, co-owned by Donald Trump, has indicated it plans to appeal the decision to the NLRB’s national office in Washington, DC. According to a statement by UNITE HERE, “The company has driven an aggressive anti-union campaign since workers began organizing at his property in 2014.” The unions are now seeking contracts for all employees in housekeeping, food and beverage, pool, and guest services at the hotel.  

Recent News

Proposed Ban Designed to Deter Unionization

Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister’s pledge to make it much more difficult for workers to organize a union amounts to stacking the deck against workers. Requiring two separate votes—one through signing union cards and a second by secret ballot—has a negative effect on rates of union certification.

Pallister has said he’ll reverse provincial law by banning automatic certification, or card check as it’s commonly known. Under current Manitoba law, if a minimum of 65% of workers vote to join a union by signing a union card, then a union qualifies to be automatically certified as the official bargaining agent for the workplace. This can only happen after every signed union card is submitted to the Labor Board and a tripartite review (by worker and management representatives and an independent third party) checks every card, and ensures the law is followed. The proposed ban moves away from a fair and balanced approach to labor relations, which has led to a period of significant labor peace in Manitoba over the last decade and a half.

Striking Verizon Workers
Recent News

Verizon Workers Strike after Failed Negotiations

verizon strikersNearly 40,000 Verizon workers went on strike on the morning of April 13. Workers representing the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) gathered in midtown Manhattan and more than 20 other locations, from Massachusetts to Virginia. Verizon management failed to negotiate terms for a satisfactory contract, which expired in August. In the meantime, the communications giant has trained thousands of non-union workers and moved staff to other locations to fill spots made vacant by picketers.

The company made $39 billion in profits over the last three years—and $1.8 billion a month in profits in the first three months of 2016. Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam made $18 million last year, more than 200 times the compensation of the average Verizon employee. “Verizon needs to end its push to send jobs overseas, cut retirement benefits and gut job security, and stop intimidating Verizon workers, who are compelled to move away from their homes and families for months at a time just to keep their jobs.” says Christian Sweeney, Deputy Director of Organizing, AFL-CIO. “Today, employees are not only fighting for a fair contract but fighting to create a better workplace for every working family.”

Show your support for these workers by signing the petition at: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-with-striking-verizon-workers

Then, share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Transparent Agreement
Recent News

Transparent Agreement Shows Pride for Musicians

Transparent Agreement

AFM Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) musicians, union officials, and JLC Western Region Executive Director Leslie Gersicoff leaflet outside a Transparent shoot March 29. The show’s producers recently agreed to sign an AFM agreement to cover its musicians. (Photo by Linda A. Rapka)

The AFM and Local 47 announced that an agreement has been reached with the producers of Amazon original series Transparent to cover musicians working on the show under a union contract.

Producers at Picrow swiftly agreed to sign on to the AFM television and new media agreement after musicians from the Los Angeles musicians union spoke out publicly late last month asking where was the pride for musicians, pointing out the unequal treatment of musicians who were not covered under a labor contract unlike all the actors, writers, directors, crew and other workers. 

The new contract covers the employment of professional musicians, arrangers, copyists, leaders, conductors, and sideline musicians, guaranteeing they will receive fair wages, benefits, health care, pension, and other union protections.

“We thank Transparent producers at Picrow for stepping up to treat musicians as equal workers,” says AFM Local 47 President John Acosta. “Musicians contribute as much to a production as all other workers, and we are happy that those working on the series will receive fair treatment, dignity and respect in the workplace.”

Recent News

AFL-CIO Applauds New Lifesaving Silica Dust Rules

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka applauded the Obama administration for issuing OSHA’s new workplace silica standards. “Millions of workers can literally breathe easier knowing they will not have to sacrifice their lungs and their lives by working in deadly silica dust,” he says. Silica dust is a killer that causes silicosis, lung cancer, and other disabling diseases. The 50-year-old OSHA silica standards are too weak to protect workers, especially those in vulnerable occupations, like construction, foundries, and ship building. The new rules mandate common-sense measures to control dust: monitoring exposures through ventilation and water systems, to train workers in safety, and conduct medical exams. Visit https://www.osha.gov/silica/ for more information and a video.