On the picket line

Labor groups condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza

Two U.S. labor groups—the Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice and New York City Labor Against the War—added the voice of labor to those condemning the U.S./Israeli attacks on and occupation of Gaza. In a resolution passed unanimously on Jan. 4, the Bay Area committee “unreservedly condemns the murderous Israeli military assault on Gaza, their deliberate targeting of the civilian population of Gaza, and Israel’s ongoing collective punishment of the Palestinian people—in violation of the U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—and carried out with the strong support of the U.S. government.” Both NYCLAW and the Bay Area committee reaffirmed their endorsement of the international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. On Dec. 31 the three co-conveners of NYCLAW initiated a petition entitled “Labor for Palestine” calling on the U.S. government and labor to stop all support for Israel. To sign it, go to www.ipetitions.com/petition/LaborforPalestine1/.

Will actors vote to strike?

The Screen Actors Guild mailed out strike ballots to its 120,000 members Jan. 2. Even though the contract offered by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers does not include payment minimums or payment for reruns (residuals) in new media—the same sort of issues that compelled the Writers Guild of America to strike for three months in 2007-08 in order to win its demands—a vote to strike by SAG members is not a slam-dunk. There’s a ferocious debate within the union about whether it’s a winning strategy to strike during bad economic times. A statement posted Jan. 2 on www.sag.org reminds members that the union was formed in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression and fought off the producers’ demands for a 50-percent pay cut before signing its first contract in 1937. The SAG board and well-known activists like Ed Asner and Martin Sheen are backing a strike. The results of the referendum will be tabulated on Jan. 23. Stay tuned.

Starbucks violates labor laws

The National Labor Relations Board ruled on Dec. 23 that Starbucks had illegally fired three workers who were active in organizing for the Industrial Workers of the World in April 2007 and must reinstate them with back wages. It also found that Starbucks violated other labor laws, such as giving negative job evaluations to union supporters and prohibiting employees from discussing the union, in its attempts to stop IWW organizing at four cafes in New York City. “This decision conclusively establishes Starbucks’ animosity toward labor organizing,” Stuart Lichten, a lawyer for the union, told the New York Times. “For the first time, a judge has confirmed the existence of a nationally coordinated antiunion operation at Starbucks.” (Dec. 24) In an earlier NYC case settled in March 2006, Starbucks agreed to pay $2,800 in back pay and reinstate two other workers who had been fired illegally for union organizing. The IWW has been actively organizing Starbucks workers since 2004 in Minnesota, Michigan and other states in addition to New York.

Subway signs with CIW

Subway, the third largest fast-food chain in the world and the biggest fast-food buyer of Florida tomatoes, reached an agreement Dec. 2 with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to pay a penny more for a bushel of tomatoes. That deal, which Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Burger King have already agreed to, will help improve wages and working conditions for the mostly immigrant workers who pick tomatoes for fast-food chains. For more information on CIW’s campaign, visit www.ciw-online.org.