Anagram, a subcontractor for Disney, pays prisoners as low as $0.90 per hour to package balloons in prisons across Minnesota.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/14234

Thomas K. | Red Phoenix correspondent | Ohio– You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Black lung is what you get. In the Spring of 2025, a slew of Trump regime budget cuts to National Institute of Occupational... Read More ›

From The Red Phoenix via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/13398

In a landmark development for the labour movement in Greece, the Democratic Militant Cooperation  (DAS) — the trade union faction affiliated with the All-Workers Militant Front  (PAME) and rooted in the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) — emerged as the leading force at the 39th Congress of ADEDY, the Confederation of Public Sector Workers. This result marks an unprecedented historic shift within Greece’s largest public sector union federation, sending a powerful message of working-class resistance and unity against pro-monopoly policies, austerity, and the dominance of pro‑government union currents.

The congress, which brought together representatives from 36 federations and over 1,040 primary trade unions, reflected a deeply engaged public sector workforce — from educators and healthcare workers to municipal and regional employees — mobilised by rising cost of living pressures, attacks on labour rights, and growing frustration with entrenched bureaucratic unionism.

A Historic win against the status quo

For the first time in ADEDY’s century‑long history, the Congress results saw DAS, backed by PAME, winning the highest number of delegates — a dramatic overturning of the long‑standing dominance of the pro‑government union faction DAKE and a decline in influence for centrist currents such as PASKE. The DAS slate increased both its vote share and number of seats, signalling a decisive shift toward class‑oriented, combative unionism rooted in the interests of all workers, not the agendas of established political elites.

This victory is not merely numerical; it represents a profound political shift within the union movement. Delegates and rank‑and‑file members alike expressed their rejection of unions that have historically accommodated bourgeois governments and corporate interests. This result invigorates the potential for ADEDY to become once again a genuine organising centre for struggle, capable of coordinating militant action across the public sector and forging links with broader movements of workers, peasants, students, and the self‑employed.

The outcome of the 39th ADEDY Congress resonates far beyond the union’s internal elections. It reflects the renewed confidence of working people in fighting for fundamental rights: decent wages, the restoration of lost benefits, secure employment, and protection of social services. It also illustrates a rejection of political forces that have aligned themselves with capitalist governance at the expense of workers’ lives and livelihoods.

  **IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNISM**©   

From In Defense of Communism via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/13408

On the heels of a major win for federal workers in the US House of Representatives, the Transportation Security Administration on Friday revived Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's effort to tear up TSA employees' collective bargaining agreement.

House Democrats and 20 Republicans voted Thursday to restore the rights of 1 million federal workers, which President Donald Trump had moved to terminate by claiming their work is primarily focused on national security, so they shouldn't have union representation. Noem made a similar argument about collective bargaining with the TSA workforce.

A federal judge blocked Noem's first effort in June, in response to a lawsuit from the American Federation of Government Employees, but TSA moved to kill the 2024 agreement again on Friday, citing a September memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief. AFGE pledged to fight the latest attack on the 47,000 transportation security officers it represents.

"Secretary Noem's decision to revoke our union contract is a slap in the face to the dedicated workforce that shows up each and every day for the flying public," declared AFGE Council 100 president Hydrick Thomas. "TSA officers take pride in the work we perform on behalf of the American people—many of us joined the agency following the September 11 attacks because we wanted to serve our country and make sure that the skies are safe for air travel."

"Prior to having a union contract, many employees endured hostile work environments, and workers felt like they didn't have a voice on the job, which led to severe attrition rates and longer wait times for the traveling public. Since having a contract, we've seen a more stable workforce, and there has never been another aviation-related attack on our country," he noted. "AFGE TSA Council 100 is going to keep fighting for our union rights so we can continue providing the very best services to the American people."

As the Associated Press reported:

The agency said it plans to rescind the current seven-year contract in January and replace it with a new "security-focused framework." The agreement... was supposed to expire in 2031.

Adam Stahl, acting TSA deputy administrator, said in a statement that airport screeners "need to be focused on their mission of keeping travelers safe."

"Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, we are ridding the agency of wasteful and time-consuming activities that distracted our officers from their crucial work," Stahl said.

AFGE national president Everett Kelley highlighted Friday that "merely 30 days ago, Secretary Noem celebrated TSA officers for their dedication during the longest government shutdown in history. Today, she's announcing a lump of coal right on time for the holidays: that she’s stripping those same dedicated officers of their union rights."

"Secretary Noem's decision to rip up the union contract for 47,000 TSA officers is an illegal act of retaliatory union busting that should cause concern for every person who steps foot in an airport," he added. "AFGE will continue to challenge these illegal attacks on our members' right to belong to a union, and we urge the Senate to pass the Protect America's Workforce Act immediately."

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) president Liz Shuler similarly slammed the new DHS move as "an outrageous attack on workers' rights that puts all of us at risk" and accused the department of trying to union bust again "in explicit retaliation for members standing up for their rights."

"It's no coincidence that this escalation, pulled from the pages of Project 2025, is coming just one day after a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives voted to overturn Trump's executive order ripping away union rights from federal workers," she also said, calling on senators to pass the bill "to ensure that every federal worker, including TSA officers, are able to have a voice on the job."

The DHS union busting came after not only the House vote but also a lawsuit filed Thursday by Benjamin Rodgers, a TSA officer at Denver International Airport, over the federal government withholding pay during the 43-day shutdown, during which he and his co-workers across the country were expected to keep reporting for duty.

"Some of them actually had to quit and find a separate job so they could hold up their household with kids and stuff," Rodgers told HuffPost. "I want to help out other people as much as I can, to get their fair wages they deserve."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/13108

Palm Springs, FL – Starbucks workers in Palm Springs are entering the fourth day of a powerful strike that has already forced multiple store closures and exposed the company’s reliance on overworked, understaffed non-union labor.

The strike, organized by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), has seen strong participation from the vast majority of workers at the store, many of whom are balancing full-time school and second jobs but remain committed to standing up to corporate greed.

The action began at 7 a.m. on December 4, when workers walked off the job and established a picket line at the store’s entrance while supporters leafleted the drive-thru. Scab labor was unable to keep up with the morning rush, leading Starbucks management to shut down the store early. Throughout the day, striking workers reaffirmed their unity, even confronting scabbing coworkers and urging them to stand with the union. At least one has since committed to joining SBWU.

Day two brought another early store closure as striking workers held the line until 6 p.m. Supporters launched a strike fund to support the workers, raising hundreds of dollars within the first 24 hours. Flyers and outreach have extended into the broader community, with plans underway to leaflet additional Starbucks locations and build toward a rally on December 13 at 2 p.m.

On day three, worker turnout remained exceptionally strong, with over a dozen striking workers arriving between 7 and 9 a.m. Their determination contrasts sharply with Starbucks management’s inability to operate the store without them. Around 11 a.m., one of the scabs walked off the job, calling conditions “unbearable.” Starbucks again closed early.

“Workers are proving every day that this store runs because of them—not because of corporate or overpaid managers,” a union supporter said. “The solidarity on the picket line show exactly why Starbucks workers across the country are rising up.”

SBWU organizers plan to continue daily pickets, expand outreach to other stores in the region, and build broader community support ahead of next weekend’s rally. The workers have vowed to maintain their action until Starbucks bargains in good faith and addresses the ongoing unfair labor practices.

#PalmSpringsFL #FL #Labor #Starbucks #SBWU #Strike

From Fight Back! News via This RSS Feed.

The new teamsters strategy is to organize the drivers since thats their traditional base and has more union activists already within it. Then if JFK 8 or any future wearhouses strike the drivers can refuse to move goods, amplifying the strike. Its gonna be a long fight, but Amazon will fall to labor

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/12441

Shelbyville, IN – In a decisive victory for their historic strike for union recognition, table games dealers and dual rate dealers at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino voted overwhelmingly on Friday, December 5, to join Teamsters Local 135.

In an expedited NLRB election ordered after the end of the government shutdown, striking casino workers delivered a landslide mandate for union representation and forced Caesars Entertainment, the corporation that owns the casino, to recognize their union. The vote took place on day 50 of the strike.

The final tally showed 100 votes for the union and 47 against, a 53-vote margin in favor of Local 135. Caesars management challenged the ballots of 50 of its employees – more than one in four eligible workers – but the challenged ballots were not determinative to the outcome. More than two-thirds of the challenged ballots were cast by striking workers, who voted yes. Caesars also challenged all dual rate ballots, continuing to claim dual rates are “supervisors,” despite multiple NLRB rulings rejecting that position.

A strike-day election

Polling opened at 5 a.m. inside the Horseshoe casino. Across the street, the striking dealers and dual rates held a mass rally before walking together in groups to cast their ballots. The NLRB’s decision to hold the election at the casino was an egregious example of the federal government violating the rights of workers. In ordering the election in this manner, the NLRB effectively forced strikers to cross their own picket line. Despite this gross violation of workers’ rights, turnout was not diminished in the slightest. Every striker voted, and the rally on the picket line across the street continued throughout the day.

When polls closed at 10 p.m., workers again assembled across the street for a victory gathering. An hour later, the results were announced. Striking workers celebrated an overwhelming win for the union.

Horseshoe General Manager Trent McIntosh and Table Games Manager Lee Ann Hinthorne were present during the vote count, along with an attorney from the casino. All three were advised by Littler Mendelson, the anti-union law firm that Caesars paid tens of thousands of dollars per day throughout the campaign. All looked on as the workers delivered a resounding defeat to Caesars’ months-long anti-union effort, which included illegal firings, threats, captive-audience meetings, illegal attempts at strike-breaking, and around-the-clock pressure.

The road to victory and beyond

The December 5 election came exactly 50 days after the strike began on October 17, when day-shift dealers walked off the floor in unison, shutting down table games. The strike came after Horseshoe management refused to honor the union's request to proceed with a neutral-administered election during the government shutdown, which indefinitely postponed all scheduled union elections.

Workers held a continuous, militant, round-the-clock picket line through storms, freezing temperatures, police repression, and a coordinated effort by the city of Shelbyville and Caesars to restrict public space around the casino. Their organization and persistence sharply limited Caesars’ ability to continue union-busting and held the unit together through the shutdown until victory.

Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach called the outcome “a victory written in courage, sacrifice and snow,” saying the workers had “shown the world exactly what it means to fight for dignity.”

In a statement after the vote, Teamsters Local 135 said that the dealers and dual rates “faced down a billion-dollar corporation. They endured pressure, fear tactics, and every trick Caesars could throw at them. They sacrificed paychecks, sleep, family time and comfort — all for each other. And tonight, they won.”

The strike officially concluded on Monday, December 8, when the dealers and dual rates returned to work as recognized Teamsters Local 135 members. They are immediately beginning to organize a strong first-contract campaign.

The Horseshoe recognition strike now stands as one of the most consequential labor victories in recent Indiana history, and a rare example in the modern era of workers using a recognition strike to force a major corporation to the bargaining table.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #Featured

From Fight Back! News via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/12185

New labor codes, enacted last month amidst strong objections from the majority of unions, are widely seen as an assault on the basic rights of the working classes won through generations of struggle.

Indian opposition parties and their members of parliament staged a joint protest in front of the parliament building on Wednesday, December 3, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the four labor codes formally enacted last month.

Elected members of the parliament from the Indian National Congress (INC), Samajwadi Party, and left parties gathered outside the main entry of the Indian Parliament in Delhi carrying banners and shouting slogans against the new codes.

The four new labor codes were “rammed” through the parliament five years ago and recently “unilaterally notified”, claimed M A Baby, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in a post on X.

Baby refuted the government’s claims that the codes were introduced to facilitate the “ease of doing business”, claiming they were introduced to promote the “ease of exploitation” of workers and are “yet another proof of the new fascist drive” of the extreme right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi.

The four new codes are the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. They were adopted by the parliament in 2020 without much discussion with the stakeholders and in the absence of the opposition. They were kept in abeyance until November 21 when they were suddenly enacted in a surprising move.

The government has claimed the new labor codes were introduced to simplify the existing laws and to provide universal benefits to all the workers in the country. However, the Central Trade Unions (CTUs), a joint platform of all major trade unions in the country have already rejected the codes, calling them a “deceptive fraud committed against the working people of the nation” and staging a nationwide protest on November 26.

Aniyan P V, Delhi state secretary of the Center for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), spoke to Peoples Dispatch about the codes and why they have sparked such broad-based mass opposition.

The post Indian unions claim labor codes seek to “ease exploitation” in the name of business appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/11388

The All-Workers’ Militant Front organized a solidarity visit to trade unions in the West Bank, witnessing firsthand the violence faced by Palestinian workers under occupation.

The post Greek unions reaffirm solidarity with Palestine after West Bank visit appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

Around the time the so-called ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was announced, the Greek All-Workers’ Militant Front (PAME) organized a solidarity visit to trade unions in Palestine. During their trip, PAME’s delegation met with labor organizations in the West Bank and traveled to refugee camps and communities that face regular attacks by Israeli settlers.

The delegation, which included PAME Secretariat member Giorgos Perros and Markos Bekris from the dockworkers’ organization ENEDEP, witnessed firsthand the daily reality of workers in the West Bank. “Every day, at the checkpoints of the army of the murderous state of Israel, thousands of Palestinians are subjected to humiliating inspections, waiting for hours in the heat or cold just to reach their workplace,” PAME described. “Every day they risk their lives under the barrel of a gun, struggling to earn a day’s wage to feed their families.”

Since the beginning of the genocide, PAME added, unemployment in the West Bank has reached roughly 70%. As Israel continues to deny work permits to Palestinian workers, many have been left with no option but to attempt risky crossings in search of occasional work. Several workers have been killed, and many more injured, trying to bypass the apartheid wall erected by Israeli authorities, including during the delegation’s visit, as documented by the media organization 902.gr.

The trade unionists also collected testimonies from agricultural workers and farmers whose land continues to be confiscated by Israeli authorities or seized by settlers, as well as from people from refugee camps, violently expelled from their homes and forced into schools or other makeshift shelters. This pattern of violence only escalated throughout the genocide and has continued despite the ceasefire announcement.

“The unrelenting, murderous attacks, even after the so-called ‘truce’ of October 10, 2025, with a gun held to the head of the Palestinian people, show that the crime has never stopped,” PAME wrote in a declaration published on November 29, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. “The working class and the people of Greece stand on the right side of history, against the slaughterhouses and wars of the imperialists, asserting the inalienable right of all peoples to live in peace in their own homeland.”

From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.

I may not be a power poster here on hexbear, but for those who were around - I got laid off this past summer then rehired by my employer in one of the most fucking pointless layoffs ever.

However, knowing the way the wind blows, I'll be getting laid off again this year most likely. However, having a union is nice and I've found that organizing really rocks and if you have a union, you should do what you can to become a cadre and more involved.

I'm at the point now where I'm visiting members to get them on board with the contract campaign we have coming up. While this doesn't effect me directly (the contract will be negotiated after this year so I might still get laid off), I do feel like by getting folks ready to strike, I'm also potentially building power to push back against the layoffs as well. While applying to jobs has felt so empty and hollow (like, it's still exercising a bit of agency and control over my life, but we all know how that goes), organizing feels fulfilling. Even when a member isn't entirely on board, just the chance to discuss, hear their concerns about work, etc. feels great.

In summary, if you have a union, get involved in whatever capacity you can to help organizing. There's spreadsheets and other things for our less socially-outgoing comrades as well - coordinating organizing efforts is just as important (we basically have 4 different ppl variously coordinating ad-hoc, so a centralizing there would definitely improve the org but we'd need a data person and don't have 'em).

Obviously my personal hope is my organizing efforts get enough comrades ready to strike that maybe we can head off layoffs, but even if not I feel like organizing my members will spit in the eye of my employer as those who remain fight (and who knows, maybe claw back some of the layoffs for their own workload).

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/9194

On Wednesday, Kings County Hospital doctors, nurses, PCAs/PCTs, transporters, and others rallied outside of the hospital to demand that the administration halt an unsafe plan to decommission one of the CT scanners that would put patients at risk.

The post Kings County Healthcare Workers Rally for Patient Safety appeared first on Left Voice.

From Left Voice via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/8855

The author of the new book, "No Neutrals There: U.S. Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine," discusses how U.S. labor unions have played a key role in building and maintaining the state of Israel.

This year, on the eve of International Workers’ Day, General Federation of Trade Unions in Gaza, published a call to the U.S. labor movement.

“This war would not have been possible without the unlimited U.S. support for the occupation, whether through military funding, political and diplomatic backing, or arms deals that kill our children, women, and elderly every day,” it read. “The U.S. administration under Trump has continued what the previous administration started, becoming a direct accomplice in genocide, ignoring the voices of millions inside and outside of the United States, and an overwhelming majority of the nation, who reject this brutal aggression.”

“Therefore, we call on you, the American labor unions, to translate your solidarity into effective actions that go beyond statements and speeches and create real pressure to stop this dirty war,” it continued.

Over the years, many rank-and-file U.S. workers have engaged in such effective actions, but labor leadership has consistently backed Israel and even cracked down on organizers who have taken a stance on the issue.

Labor historian Jeff Schuhrke has published an important new book on this disconnect. No Neutrals There: U.S. Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine details how U.S. labor unions have played a key role in building and maintaining the state of Israel.

From Mondoweiss via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/8402

Colorado Springs, CO – On November 13, workers from the Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) rallied with their allies at a unionized Starbucks store in Colorado Springs to begin their “Red Cup Rebellion, ” strike against unfair labor practice. SBWU called this strike after Starbucks refused to finalize a union contract earlier in the year that would address worker demands for higher pay, better staffing, and address hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.

Around 90 people picketed in front of the drive-through window of the Starbucks store holding picket signs and shouting phrases like “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” and “What’s appalling? Bosses stalling!” Among them were allies from both the general community as well as several organizations, such as the Colorado Springs Labor Council, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Democratic Socialists of America, and Teamsters for a Democratic Union.

Before the picket, members from SBWU spoke in front of the crowd, railing against Starbucks’ anti-worker practices and highlighting the importance of worker solidarity.

From Fight Back! News via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/7900

The mayors-elect in both Seattle and New York City are backing the nationwide strike by Starbucks baristas launched this week, calling on the people of their respective cities to honor the consumer boycott of the coffee giant running parallel to the strike so that workers can win their fight for better working conditions.

“Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee,” Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who will take control of the New York City's mayor office on January 1, declared in a social media post to his more than 1 million followers.

In Seattle, mayor-elect Katie Wilson, who on Thursday was declared the winner of the race in Seattle, where Starbucks was founded and where its corporate headquarters remains, joined the picket line with striking workers in her city on the very same day to show them her support.

"I am not buying Starbucks and you should not either,” Wilson told the crowd.

She also delivered a message directly to the corporate leadership of Starbucks. "This is your hometown and mine," she said. "Seattle's making some changes right now, and I urge you to do the right thing. Because in Seattle, when workers' rights are under attack, what do we do?" To which the crowd responded in a chant-style response: "Stand up! Fight back!"

Socialist Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson's first move after winning the election was to boycott Starbucks, a hometown company. pic.twitter.com/zPoNULxfuk
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) November 14, 2025

In his post, Mamdani said, "Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract," as he called for people everywhere to honor the picket line by not buying from the company.

At a rally with New York City workers outside a Starbucks location on Thursday, Mamdani referenced the massive disparity between profits and executive pay at the company compared to what the average barista makes.

Zohran Mamdani says that New York City stands with Starbucks employees!He points out their CEO made 96 billion last year. That’s 6,666 times the median Starbucks worker salary. Boycott Starbucks. Support the workers. Demand they receive a living wage.

[image or embed]
— Kelly (@broadwaybabyto.bsky.social) November 12, 2025 at 10:45 PM

The striking workers, said Mamdani, "are asking for a salary they can actually live off of. They are asking for hours they can actually build their life around. They are asking for the violations of labor law to finally be resolved. And they deserve a city that has their back and I am here to say that is what New York City will be."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

https://xcancel.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1988970355042537570#m

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/starbucks-workers-strike-nationwide-red-cup-rebellion-union/story?id=127446607

https://xcancel.com/SBWorkersUnited

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/5145

For the last few years, the monthly Second Sunday Dialogue public meetings of the Disability Justice and Rights Caucus of Workers World Party (DJRC) have been discussing the idea of a transitional demand: a “Disability Justice, Full Employment, Health Care and Education Second Bill of Rights” amendment to the U.S. . . .

Continue reading Disability rights are workers’ rights! at Workers.org

From Workers World via This RSS Feed.

the cross border pay part

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/4565

Palestine has always been a labor issue -- but until recently, many top US union leaders have been on the wrong side.

As Israel’s genocide in Gaza intensified in late 2023, a small number of U.S. labor unions began calling for a ceasefire. Others soon joined in, and many also started calling for a halt of military support to Israel. For many union members, statements didn’t go far enough, so they formed new national networks or pushed their unions to divest from Israel. Some even went on strike.

Pro-Palestine organizing within U.S. unions is not new, but the breadth of criticism of Israel’s actions and sympathy with Palestinians coming out of the labor movement may have signaled a shift away from U.S. labor’s historic support for the Zionist movement and the State of Israel — a history whose scope and scale is the topic of labor historian Jeff Schuhrke’s must-read new book, No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine.

The notion that Palestine shouldn’t concern unions is an odd one, says Schuhrke, because it’s always been a labor issue. U.S. unions, particularly top labor leaders, have just been on the wrong side. Schuhrke’s sweeping and accessible book offers a detailed history of U.S. labor’s century-long alliance with the Zionist movement and the State of Israel, examining the forces and developments that built and sustained that alliance as well as those that opposed it. This is a critical resource for organizers within both the U.S. labor and Palestine solidarity movements as they work to strengthen efforts to build an anti-militarist labor politics that can win justice for workers and oppressed people both at home and abroad.

From Truthout via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/4166

Alberta teachers, 51,000 strong, have been on strike across the province since October 6. On Monday, the provincial government is expected to table legislation to order them back to work.  Some 740,000 students in all public, Catholic, and francophone schools are affected. The issues are salary and the consequences of the UCP Government’s underfunding of public education: workload, class sizes, school resources, and the need for more teachers.  Jason Schilling, President of the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) commented that back-to-work legislation would be “undemocratic and deeply disrespectful to teachers, to students and to the collective bargaining process itself.” The latest mediated offer included a 12% increase over four years and 3,000 more teachers. But teacher’s salaries have fallen drastically with inflation, and the new teachers would be soaked up by the Government’s promised 250 new schools and a 33,000 increase in student numbers every year.  Teachers soundly rejected the latest offer, with 89.5% voting no at the end of September. Talks resumed October 14, but no change is expected in the employer’s position.  The employer school boards bargain jointly through a board representing all 65 boards. The employers have their purse strings held tight by the Government. ATA members voted 95% to strike in June. The government did no meaningful bargaining all summer.  If the government’s goal was to turn the public against the teachers, it failed. On October 4, two days before the strike was set to begin, massive pro-teacher rallies took place in the province. Crowds were estimated to be as high as 18,000 in Edmonton and 5,000 in Calgary.  One online poll by Angus Reid pegs support for the teachers at almost 60%, with only 21% backing the UCP.  After the strike started, the government announced 30-dollar-per-day payments to parents of students 12 and under students. It has also announced computer-based home learning programs, which include American content.  The UCP has been cutting public school funding since taking power in 2019. Alberta’s per-student funding in public schools has plummeted to the lowest in Canada, while its public funding for private schools has risen to the highest in the country.  It seems that the UCP’s goal is to weaken all aspects of public education so that parents will look elsewhere to private schooling options or even home schooling. Premier Danielle Smith said in 2018 that a way must be found to “break” the public school system’s “monopoly” on education.  At their last party convention, the UCP resolved to break up the Alberta Teachers Association by moving its regulatory and discipline function to another body and making ATA membership optional.  Update on teachers strike

L’article Alberta teachers strike province-wide under threat of back-to-work legislation est apparu en premier sur The North Star.

From The North Star via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/3744

Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who unionized with the United Auto Workers last year, announced Thursday that they will vote next week to authorize a strike after over 13 months of fruitless contract negotiations with the auto giant.

The strike authorization vote planned for October 28-29 "comes after months of unfair labor practices committed by the company, including bad faith negotiations, unlawful intimidation, and the unilateral cutting of jobs at Volkswagen’s only US assembly plant," UAW said in a statement. The union also highlighted Volkswagen's $20.6 billion in profits last year.

Company spokesperson Michael Lowder said Monday that "Volkswagen made it clear to the union that our last, best, and final offer is indeed final. We cannot in good faith prolong negotiations by continuing to bargain when we have already put our best offer on the table. It is time for the UAW to give VW employees a voice and let them decide for themselves by voting on our final offer."

However, multiple employees said Thursday that they are not happy with the company's latest offer and plan to vote for a strike.

"I'm voting yes because this is the time to show Volkswagen we are serious about receiving industry-standard treatment. Job security's essential. They could pay us $100 an hour, but it means nothing if they close the plant two weeks into the agreement," said James Robinson. "I'm hoping this process shows the company we are serious about getting a fair contract. We will show them their offer wasn't enough, show them we're willing to stand up to get what we deserve."

"I'm hoping this process shows the company we are serious about getting a fair contract."

Employee Taylor Fugate said that "I'm voting yes to get Volkswagen to come back to the table. The majority of the people I know don't want VW's 'final offer.' They want to keep negotiating, and we are willing to do what it takes to make that happen."

"We need affordable healthcare and a strong job security statement that leaves no gray area," Fugate added. "We also deserve equal standards—Southern autoworkers shouldn't be treated differently!"

One elected Republican held a press conference on Wednesday in a bid to bully the union into holding a vote on the company's latest offer. Local 3 News reported that Hamilton County Commissioner Jeff Eversole said: "Volkswagen put forward a final union contract offer over a month ago that offers significant gains for Chattanooga workers, including a 20% wage increase, a cost-of-living allowance, a $4,000 ratification bonus, lower healthcare costs, and much more. Many employees have been reaching out to the UAW to vote, and the UAW has refused."

Payday Report's Mike Elk pointed out Thursday that "the tactics used by the GOP in Chattanooga are similar to the tactics that they have used for more than a decade to sometimes successfully dissuade union votes by implying that the plant may close if the union gets 'too greedy' (their words, not my mine, as the son of a Volkswagen auto assembly line worker)."

Local 3 News noted that "during the press conference, dozens of members from both the UAW and the Chattanooga Area Central Labor Council, or CLC, began picketing outside of the VW plant."

The outlet also spoke with some employees. One of them, Dakotah Bailey, explained that "originally, it was going to be a 25% increase in wages. They didn't want to take that, and now they dropped it down to 20%. I wanted to try and get my money now. Especially right before the holidays. It would be great to have an extra $5,500 sitting in my bank account."

According to a "Volkswagen Stories" video series published by the UAW on YouTube, wages are a primary concern for workers. Other top priorities include health and safety conditions at the plant, healthcare, paid time off, and retirement benefits.

"I don't want to strike, but if it comes to it, I will," Volkswagen worker Mitchell Harris said Thursday. "Because I feel that all my brothers and sisters of UAW Local 42 deserve respect, to provide a better life for their families, and have job security for us and generations to come."

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