On the picket line

NWA mechanics rally, on strike 6 months

Mechanics who went on strike Aug. 20, when Northwest Airlines offered them what they considered a bad contract, held a rally on Feb. 20 in the rotunda of the Minnesota state capitol. In addition to affirming their six-month strike, the Aircraft Mechanics (AMFA) demanded unemployment insurance and a job-retraining program for 43,000 members.

Though NWA asked the judge overseeing its bankruptcy proceedings to void all union contracts in January, the judge ordered NWA to continue to negotiate with flight attendants and pilots and recently extended that deadline to Feb. 24. NWA is demanding $1.4 billion in concessions from these unions.

Both attendants’ and pilots’ unions have initiated strike votes. As Minneapolis television station WCCO reported, “Union leaders have said if the Northwest contract is forced on them, their jobs wouldn’t be worth having.” (www.wcco.com, Feb. 13) The pilots have recently held informational picket lines in the Twin Cities.

Meanwhile, NWA spent $15 million on lawyers, security guards for executives and other consultants during the first 15 weeks of bankruptcy, reported the St. Paul Pioneer Press. (Feb. 14) NWA has to appear in court March 7 to face charges for nonpayment of these bills.

UC clerical workers ratify contract

University of California clerical workers, who staged a three-day strike with other UC workers last June, ratified a new contract on Feb. 16 that gives them their first pay increases since 2002.

Nearly 16,000 clerical employees will receive a 12 percent increase over the next three years contingent upon state funding, including a 3.5 percent increase retroactive to Oct. 1, when other UC employees received increases. All workers will continue to receive health benefits according to the university’s salary-based approach—those who earn less pay less for the same coverage.

Organizer Mary Higgins told the Bay City News that union members aren’t completely thrilled with the new contract, but decided “it’s the best we can do for now because UC wouldn’t give us any more.”

Wireless workers join CWA

Former AT&T Wireless workers at Cingular in Hawaii, Virginia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Hampshire joined the Communications Workers (CWA) during the final days of January. A total of 1,767 of these workers joined CWA during that month.

Pursuing an intense organizing campaign since Cin gular bought out AT&T, CWA has recruited 16,417 of these workers since 2005. Overall, more than 38,000 workers at Cingular—30 percent of all wireless work ers in the country—now have CWA representation.

NYC Footco workers win union

About 100 workers at 10 Footco sneaker and apparel stores in New York City—mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants—were victims of widespread minimum wage violations and lacked health insurance and vacation days until they organized. Now, members of the store workers union (RWDSU), they will receive significant wage hikes, health care coverage, a prescription drug plan, paid vacation, sick days and union protection in the workplace.

A unique partnership between the RWDSU and Make the Road By Walking, an immigrant community group in Bushwick, N.Y., led to the successful Despierta Bushwick! (Awake Bushwick!) campaign. As part of that, more than 1,000 community members threatened to boycott Footco stores if the company interfered with union organizing.

In a separate development, hundreds of members of RWDSU Local 1-S, who work at Macy’s flagship store on Herald Square, met on Feb. 16 to discuss
contract negotiations. A strike is being considered. Stay tuned.