Labor Beat

Round-up of news you won’t see in the corporate-owned media

Letter Carriers Provide 241,000 Meals
Figures are in and this year’s Letter Carrier food drive collected 301,000 pounds of food for area food pantries. The Community Action Coalition estimates this will provide 241,000 meals. Nationally, the union collected 77.1 million pounds of food. In our area, National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 507 organized the drive.

AFSCME Local 2412’s Mitchell Elected VP
AFSCME Local 2412 President Gary Mitchell was elected International Vice-president, representing Wisconsin on the AFSCME International Executive Board, at the Convention in June. Mitchell beat out Council 24 Assistant Director Jana Weaver for the spot. The EB governs the 1.6 million member union between conventions. Mitchell is also a long-time delegate to the South Central Federation of Labor.

Chicago Labor Forces Wal-Mart Deal
On June 24, Chicago unions and community leaders announced an historic deal with the notoriously anti-union Wall-Mart Corporation that would create minimum labor standards at a new store on the city’s Southside. Wal-Mart agreed to a starting wage of $8.75 an hour, 40 to 60 cent annual increases and grievance, work rule and safety procedures. The company also agreed to make a $20 million contribution to community economic development. For its part, labor agreed to drop opposition to building the new store. Chicago Alderman Ed Smith calculated that Wal-Mart CEO Michael Duke’s $35 million a year salary comes out to something like $16,827 an hour. (Source: Chicago Federation of Labor, at www.chicagolabor.org.)

Garment Workers Need Help
Garment workers in Bangladesh are demanding an increase in the minimum wage, from the current level of 11 ? cents to 43 cents an hour. About 3 million people, mostly young women, work in the industry in Bangladesh. The National Labor Committee is circulating an electronic petition to Wal-Mart CEO Michael Duke demanding that, as one of the largest sellers of Bangladesh-made clothing, Wal-Mart support the increase. To sign the petition, go to: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/677/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4035

NY Domestics Get Overtime, Workers Comp
In June, New York domestic workers, housekeepers and live-in caregivers won the right to overtime pay, protection under workers compensation laws and at least one day off a week. Domestic workers were excluded from the 1935 National Labor Relations Act. Domestic Workers United, the group that spearheaded the legislation, estimates that 200,000 workers in NY state will be covered by the new provision. The group’s original demands for paid sick leave, vacation and advanced notice of termination were not included in the final version of the law. (Source: Domestic Workers United, www.domesticworkersunited.org)

Minnesota Nurses Settle
Minnesota Nurses Association members voted to accept a settlement, on the eve of their July 6 strike deadline. The union, representing 12,000 nurses in the Minneapolis area, struck for one day back in May. The settlement came when the union agreed to drop its “Number 1” demand, lower nurse-to-patient ratios to ensure patient safety.

Corporate Greed at Dr. Pepper
Over 300 members of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Local 220 have been on strike against Dr. Pepper Snapple in Williamson NY since May 23. The highly profitable company demanded huge wage and pension cuts from its workforce arguing that employed workers should expect less due to the increased supply of unemployed workers looking for jobs. For information on how you can help, visit www.Mottsworkers.com.

– If you have news from your local that you would like to share with the labor community, send it to laborbeat@scfl.org.