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Labor Struggles archives
Build America so America works
There's a saying that goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same. It's true. The struggles of a century ago are alive, here and now. The robber barons built their industrial empires on high finance and the backs of cheap labor. Their battle cry was "tax cuts and deregulation." But on the way to the bank, the industrialists ran into an immovable force -- the American labor movement.
2008-08-24
Union protests low wages, lost jobs
About 30 members of a state workers' union rallied against what they called unfair pay and the privatization of jobs Saturday, within earshot of the Governor's Mansion. Members of UE Local 170 gathered on the Capitol steps to call for better wages and benefits before marching down Kanawha Boulevard to their union hall.
2008-08-24
Labor Department says fair restroom attendants were unpaid
The state Labor Department says restroom attendants at several upstate New York fairs were illegally were paid no wages and even forced to share tips with the company employing them.
2008-08-23
Iowa meatpacking plant cited for safety violations
The Iowa meatpacking plant that was the site of a large immigration raid this spring was accused Friday of 31 new and repeat safety violations, state labor officials said. The Iowa Division of Labor Services proposed fining the Postville plant $101,000 for 21 serious violations, six repeat offenses and four non-serious violations.
2008-08-23
Hawker Machinists union votes to strike
Machinists union members at Hawker Beechcraft overwhelmingly rejected the company's proposal of a new three-year labor contract Saturday and voted to strike. A work stoppage begins and picket lines go up at 12:01 a.m. Monday, when the current contract expires.
2008-08-03
Union fights governor on pay cuts, layoffs
California's largest state workers union filed two challenges Friday to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's order to lay off thousands of workers and drastically reduce the pay of most other state employees to save cash during the budget impasse. The Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents about 94,000 workers, filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court claiming the governor's move to lay off 10,300 temporary employees is unlawful. The lawsuit demands that laid-off workers be reinstated with back pay.
2008-08-02
Mounting job losses point to more economic troubles
Employers shed jobs in July for the seventh consecutive month and the national unemployment rate rose to 5.7 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. The losses weren't of the size that signals recession, but analysts think that continued sluggish economic growth lies ahead.
2008-08-01
Wal-Mart Warns of Democratic Win
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they'll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies -- including Wal-Mart.
2008-08-01
Lawmakers press Labor Dept on worker exposure rule
Leading congressional lawmakers are pushing the Bush administration to withdraw a last-minute proposal that could make it harder to limit workers' exposure to dangerous chemicals
2008-07-23
Department of Labor working feverishly to gut workplace safety regulations
Political appointees at the Department of Labor are moving with unusual speed to push through in the final months of the Bush administration a rule making it tougher to regulate workers’ on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins.
2008-07-23
Hofstra prof: Young people hit hard by unemployment
Hofstra professor Gregory DeFreitas edited and contributed two chapters to a book out this month: "Young Workers in the Global Economy: Job Challenges in North America, Europe and Japan." It gathers analysis by several economists, examining such issues as employment abuse among young workers, inequality of earnings among young workers, trends for health insurance and job fatalities.
2008-07-22
AFL-CIO Launches Union Veterans Council
The AFL-CIO today is launching the Union Veterans Council, bringing together veterans and members of military families to hold our leaders accountable on the issues that matter most.
2008-07-10
Union Representing VA Workers Launch Nationwide Radio Campaign, Web Site and Viral Videos for Full VA Funding
This week, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) launched a nationwide radio ad campaign raising serious concerns about Senator McCain's commitment to veterans' health care. In addition to the radio ads, AFGE, which represents employees in the Department of Veterans Affairs, launched a Web site, www.fundtheva.com, and a series of YouTube ads featuring union veterans voicing their concerns about McCain's controversial veterans health care platform.
2008-07-09
Court say California labor law abridged free speech
AB 1889 enacted the nation's first law to prohibit employers that received state funds from using them to discourage employees from joining unions, although it claimed to be neutral by also prohibiting employers from using state funds to promote unionization, a highly unlikely event. Since it would be virtually impossible to distinguish "state funds" from any other revenues the employer might receive, in effect, it was a complete muzzle.
2008-07-09
Longshore union remembers pivotal 1934 strike
Up and down the West Coast on Saturday, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union commemorated the historic maritime strike of 1934, which spurred the formation of one of the nation's strongest unions.
2008-07-06
Lufthansa Faces Flight Disruptions Over Walkouts for More Pay
Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe's second-biggest airline, is facing disruptions tomorrow after the pilots' union called on workers to stage strikes over pay. The walkouts will start at midnight and last for 24 hours, affecting flights from all major German airports including the main Frankfurt hub, the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots' union said in an e-mailed statement today. Flights at Lufthansa's regional Cityline and Eurowings carriers will be affected.
2008-07-06
Labor battle line crosses Colo.
The national fight over an ambitious effort by labor unions to reverse their generation-long decline is about to come to Colorado - and to the race for the U.S. Senate. Sensing a pivotal moment, unions are pouring $300 million nationally into pushing for a Democratic sweep in 2008, perhaps $100 million more than four years ago. And a bigger chunk than usual is going to congressional races, especially the battle for control of the U.S. Senate.
2008-07-05
Carthage Area Hospital union says proposed pact 'insulting'
Carthage Area Hospital administrators are asking workers to make sacrifices they are not in a position to make, Service Employees International Union Local 1199 members and representatives say.
2008-07-01
Dockworker negotiations continuing
A contract is not likely to be signed today between West Coast shippers and the union representing some 26,000 dockworkers, but negotiations are expected to continue running smoothly.
2008-06-30
Herald aims to slash jobs as it farms out printing
The Boston Herald plans to lay off 130 to 160 employees this summer and outsource its printing to presses in Chicopee and Norwood. The Herald's president and publisher, Patrick J. Purcell, disclosed the decision after meeting yesterday with union leaders.
2008-06-25
Spirit workers vote to keep SPEEA
Spirit AeroSystems professional and technical workers voted to retain union representation at the polls on Tuesday. Workers represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace voted 1,073-895 to keep the union.
2008-06-25
Labor probing work of major immigration law firm
The nation's largest immigration law firm is under federal scrutiny over whether it helped major U.S. corporations disqualify American job applicants and give thousands of high-paying positions to immigrants.
2008-06-24
United Steelworkers Union Pushing For Green Jobs
Hundreds of people are losing their jobs, many of them manufacturing jobs due to the poor economy. The United Steelworkers union is working to create new jobs in the "green" industry for its members, many of whom have been laid off or fired from manufacturing jobs.
2008-06-23
Big win for free speech
IN A VICTORY for free speech, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an ill-conceived California law that puts employers who received state money at a decisive disadvantage with labor organizers.
2008-06-23
Court rules bosses can speak against unions
A labor-backed California law that barred companies from using funds from the state to campaign against union organizing drives violates federal labor law by limiting employers' free expression, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
2008-06-20
Detroit school board rejects budget-balancing plan
The Detroit school board has rejected a plan to balance the budget that included laying off 818 teachers and making other cuts.
2008-06-20
High gas prices anger union members
Honking, beeping and thumbs up greeted members of the AFL-CIO in a protest of gasoline prices on Thursday.
2008-06-20
Truckers convoy to Albany to protest fuel prices
More than 100 truck drivers are taking part in a noisy downtown Albany rally to demonstrate against skyrocketing fuel prices that are staggering their industry.
2008-06-19
East Bay MediaNews workers vote for union
Editorial employees at the Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times and other East Bay newspapers voted to unionize the publications on Friday, a victory for the Newspaper Guild in what some viewed as a test case for organized labor in the rapidly contracting industry.
2008-06-14
Union gas protest: Blame Bush, McCain, Big Oil
Local labor unions took a stand Friday morning, protesting spiking gasoline rates and unreliable politicians.
2008-06-14
Union Workers Threaten Protest
Several Dozen United Steel Workers Union members walked circles around the INL buildings in Idaho Falls today. Many of them carrying signs with phrases like "We don't expect more, we just want to be treated fair."
2008-06-13
Bills to trim state workers' benefits advance In Trenton, union members protested the plan, which will reduce pensions for newly hired part-time workers.
New Jersey lawmakers advanced six proposals to trim public employee benefits yesterday, taking the first formal steps in a plan its sponsors say will help dig the state out of its $25 billion pension deficit.
2008-06-13
Union accepts contract offer to end strike
The nine-week-old strike at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products in Marion has ended following a labor union's ratification late Friday of a new contract. Almost two hours after the 4 p.m. meeting began, votes were counted and tallied: 70 percent of the members favored a new contract GDATP offered Thursday.
2008-06-13
When Did the American Dream Turn Into Forced Labor?
They sold their homes. They said goodbye to their families. After paying recruiters $20,000 for visas to take part in this nation's H-2B guest worker program, they traveled from India to Pascagoula, Miss. There, the Indian welders and pipe fitters were promised good jobs at the Signal International shipyard and the chance to bring their families here.
2008-06-12
A Leader, His Critics And a Union Divided
Three years ago, Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern fomented an uprising against the AFL-CIO. Decrying the decline of membership and lack of focus on organizing, Stern marched a dissident coalition out of the 50th anniversary of the largest labor group in the United States.
2008-05-27
Some US farms outsourced to Mexico
Antonio Martinez used to pay smugglers thousands of dollars each year to sneak him into the United States to manage farm crews. Now, the work comes to him.
2008-05-27
UK and US unions 'to join forces'
The UK's biggest union Unite is reportedly on the brink of merging with a counterpart in North America.
2008-05-26
UC Workers' Union Votes to Begin Striking
More than 1,200 UC Berkeley employees and other university employees across the UC system are scheduled to start striking June 4 if ongoing negotiations between the university and a local union do not yield improved wages for the workers.
2008-05-26
Three women rise to the top of AFT union
Hillary Clinton's bid to become the first female U.S. president could falter, but another milestone for women probably will fall into place this summer with little fanfare: Three women are slated to become the first to run a major labor union
2008-05-26
Union pioneer's apartment to be restored
The apartment inhabited by Kate Mullany, one of the American labor movement's first women leaders, will be restored under plans developed for the National Park Service.
2008-05-24
Key Ford union post undecided
There will be a runoff election next month for union chief at Ford Motor Co.'s Louisville Assembly Plant, a critical post as the automaker prepares to eliminate the night shift this summer.
2008-05-22
Trustee refuses to sign union apology
A Conejo Valley Unified School District trustee has refused to sign an apology letter to the teachers union and instead asked for mediation in a case that likely will now go to litigation.
2008-05-22
The battle for labor's future
When an internal fight at a trade union erupts into the news, American culture has a ready frame. It's Marlon Brando versus Lee J. Cobb in "On the Waterfront" once again, perhaps updated by a recent episode of "The Wire," set among the corrupt and gritty longshoremen of the Baltimore docks. Or it's a modern-day retelling of the Jimmy Hoffa/Teamsters story, destined to end in another mysterious gangland murder.
2008-05-22
FAA, union disagree over South Bend airport staffing
The control tower at South Bend Regional Airport closed for more than an hour this month because of a staffing shortage, and the head of the local air controllers union says it could happen more frequently unless changes are made.
2008-05-21
Arbitrator backs union in hospital dispute
A third-party arbitrator has rejected the objections of Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center over a union election. The decision, announced Tuesday, means nearly 300 registered nurses will be represented by the California Nurses Association.
2008-05-06
Hospital Security Officers Launch Statewide Strike To Protest Unfair Labor Practices
Hundreds of security officers responsible for protecting patients and staff at Kaiser medical facilities throughout the state launched an unprecedented three-day strike today to protest unfair labor practices by employer Inter-Con Security.
2008-05-06
Janitors' union talks strike over two-tier labor contract
After months of negotiations, the union representing 1,800 janitors in San Diego County is turning up the volume on strike talks in an effort to end a two-tiered labor contract system.
2008-05-03
Clashes mark May Day in Turkey
Riot police in Turkey have clashed with labour activists trying to gather in Istanbul's Taksim square to celebrate May Day.
2008-05-01
U.S. Unemployment Benefit Rolls Climb to 4-Year High
The number of Americans receiving unemployment insurance climbed to a four-year high, a sign of a weakening labor market as employers remain reluctant to hire. First-time claims for jobless benefits also rose.
2008-05-01
Union wants to 'know what's going on' with city layoffs
Atlanta union leaders said Tuesday that any layoffs of city employees should include the same percentage of upper-level management as lower-paid workers. Leaders of the 357-member Professional Association of City Employees said they suspect city officials will instead let go a higher percentage of non-supervisory employees to help balance a budget expected to have a $140 million shortfall.
2008-04-29
Longshore union strikes against war
On Thursday, May Day, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will declare an eight-hour strike to protest the war in Iraq. Since the ILWU controls every port along the U.S. Pacific Coast, including Seattle and Tacoma, this strike demonstrates the collective power of workers willing to use it.
2008-04-29
May Day row stirs tension in Turkey
Tensions ran high between the Turkish government and trade unions ahead of May Day Thursday as demonstrations were banned at an iconic square in Istanbul, the scene of bloodshed three decades ago.
2008-04-29
May Day 2008 Statement from the Iraqi Labour Movement To the Workers and All Peace Loving People of the World
On this day of international labour solidarity we call on our fellow trade unionists and all those worldwide who have stood against war and occupation to increase support for our struggle for freedom from occupation - both the military and economic.
2008-04-29
They've Got A Union
Workers at a West River laundry plant ended a year-and-a-half-long labor struggle with a climactic vote.
2008-04-28
Union says rally successful
Adrian King, president of UAW Local 235, said Thursday's rally at the headquarters of American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. was successful despite the arrest of one UAW member. "It was a very peaceful demonstration," King said. But while peaceful, it was also tense. At times, protesters blocked entrances to the company's parking lots by walking in front of cars and yelling at drivers.
2008-04-27
Longtime labor activist keeps on with GE fight
SCHENECTADY, NY -- The General Electric workers trickled out of the factory Thursday and headed toward the island in front of the company's sprawling Schenectady campus, where they joined the aging retirees who have rallied here for years. Holding signs that say "COLA NOW" and "Current Guaranteed Minimum Pensions," the group marched slowly in a circle.
2008-04-20
UAW threatens another strike
WARREN, Mich. -- General Motors Corp. dodged one strike at a key factory Friday, but the United Auto Workers threatened to walk out at the main plant that builds the hot-selling Chevrolet Malibu.
2008-04-19
Auto Workers Fight 50 Percent Pay Cut Demand
Holbrook Avenue is a busy thoroughfare stretching from I-75 to downtown Hamtramck, a small town enclosed on all sides by Detroit. Cars honk in support of striking members of UAW Local 235 as they pass five picket lines filled 24 hours a day on both sides of the street along the large American Axle and Manufacturing (AAM) complex.
2008-04-15
Longshoremen to close ports on West Coast to protest war
. . . dockworkers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have decided to stop work for eight hours in all U.S. West Coast ports on May 1, International Workers' Day, to call for an end to the war.
2008-04-09
Truckers shut down, protest high gas prices
Chris Evans remembers the good ole' days of truck driving, not too long ago, when diesel prices were about two dollars a gallon
2008-04-04
State labor board rules against Hampton firefighter union
The town did not commit an unfair labor practice when it laid off four firefighters in 2005 "due to lack of funds." The state Public Employee Labor Relations Board last week denied the firefighters union claim that the positions were cut in what they referred to a case of "political payback."
2008-04-04
Housing troubles immobilize U.S. labor
Dr. Michele Morgan migrated last fall from Detroit to Phoenix, taking a job as a psychiatrist. She expected her husband, Sam Kirkland, to join her soon, since he was accepting an early-retirement package from his employer, General Motors. But he cannot move, he says, because he has not been able to sell the four-bedroom family home.
2008-04-03
American Axle strike tipping the nation closer to a recession
At the beginning of this year, it seemed like Detroit's great labor battles were over, after industry-changing deals at the Detroit automakers and the likes of parts giant Delphi Corp
2008-03-30
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