On the picket line

Sanitation workers strike in Wisconsin

Garbage has been piling up in the six-county region around Milwaukee after 240 members of Teamsters Local 200 went on strike on Aug. 23. Accusing the company of coercing and intimidating the workers, the union filed a suit with the National Labor Relations Board charging unfair labor practices and failing to bargain in good faith. The company countersued. The workers’ contract expired April 30. One of the sticking issues is that the company wants the workers to accept an “alternative” pension plan, meaning the bosses are trying to steal retirement money the workers have earned.

Victory for NYC restaurant workers

After two and a half years of organizing, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York announced a $3.9 million victory for 250 workers in seven restaurants in New York City on June 20. In addition to being repaid for stolen tips and wages and compensated for sexual harassment, the workers won changes in tipping practices, half-hour lunch breaks, protection from retaliatory firings, new sexual harassment and promotion policies, and a grievance procedure. Workers who were fired for fighting to change foul working conditions will be reinstated and receive $200,000 in back wages. An unusual but appropriate part of the deal is that management is required to attend training sessions to ensure continuing compliance with labor law. For more information, visit www.rocny.org.

Latin@ workers: highest fatality rate

The National Council of La Raza published a study on Aug. 25 of working conditions for more than 20 million Latin@s, who comprise 14 percent of the U.S. working class. “Labor Day 2008: A Snapshot of the Latino Workforce,” shows the strength and diversity of Latin@ workers and exposes the effects of the economic downturn and the impact of underfunded health and retirement plans. Nearly 1,000 Latin@s were killed on the job in 2006, the highest fatality rate of all racial and ethnic groups. To download the study, visit www.nclr.org.

Machinists fight back against Boeing

On Aug. 29, 7,000 Machinists marched through the Boeing plant in Everett, Wash., chanting, “Strike, strike!” This marked a rejection of Boeing’s insulting “best and final” contract offer—an offer the Machinists’ bargaining committee voted to reject and then recommended a strike. The ratification and strike vote are set for Sept. 3, with a possible strike on Sept. 4. Factory strike/reject marches and rallies were held at other Boeing plants at lunch hour. Machinists in Everett also chanted, “Paint the lines!” because Boeing security paints lines outside the factories during a strike, which pickets aren’t supposed to cross.

Machinists District/Local 751 representing 27,000 workers says, “It’s our time ... this time,” which is emblazoned on Machinists’ T-shirts. They are angry at years of layoffs due to outsourcing their jobs and insulted by years of contract concessions. They point out Boeing has made $13 billion in profits in the last five years. The Machinists want job security commitments, including an end to private vendor parts deliveries into the plants. The union is fighting increases in medical costs. The workers want pay and pension increases. They want better pay raises for those low on the wage ladder. Boeing came into bargaining demanding cutbacks and concessions. But the mobilization of workers shot down most of Boeing’s concession demands.

The Machinists began their contract mobilization campaign in July. Workers walked out of the six Boeing plants on July 16, shutting them down. They went to Seattle Center and voted 99 percent for strike authorization. Since then, workers loudly bang their tools at the top of every hour and chant “Strike!” on the factory floor. On Aug. 24, 4,000 Machinists and their families, led by 200 workers with motorcycles, rallied and marched outside the Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport where negotiations were held. (Report from Jim McMahon of Seattle.)