On the picket line

Catholic teachers to strike during papal visit

Why do Catholic school teachers plan to strike during a papal visit to New York? That’s how mad they are with low pay and inadequate benefits. Catholic teachers earn an average of $45,000 a year—about 30 percent less than their public-school counterparts. (Associated Press, April 7)The teachers’ contracts expired Aug. 31, 2007. Members of the Lay Faculty Association, which represents 450 teachers in 10 schools, held a one-day sick-out in January and struck eight schools on April 7. The LFA voted to strike from April 15 through 20 and plans to set up an informational picket line in front of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, where Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit. Though the Federation of Catholic Teachers, which represents 3,000 teachers in 206 schools, had the same demands as LFA for higher wages, better health care coverage and improved pensions, it signed a contract with the archdiocese on April 11 that did not show real gains. (newsday.com, April 14)

Reality TV workers demand overtime pay

A dozen former workers on major television reality shows like “American Idol” filed a complaint April 9 with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement seeking $500,000 in unpaid overtime and penalties. They called for an end to “sweatshop conditions.” The Writers Guild has tried since 2005 to organize these workers; two class-action lawsuits were filed that year accusing several major networks and production companies of violating labor laws governing overtime wages and meal breaks. The suits, still pending, also accused producers of coercing workers to falsify time cards. One worker said he routinely put in 12 to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, over three years on “American Idol.” When he asked for overtime or a raise, he was threatened with dismissal. (Reuters, April 10)

Starbucks ordered to pay $106 million

A San Diego Superior Court judge ruled March 20 that Starbucks has to pay nearly $106 million in restitution to an estimated 120,000 current and former baristas in California because the coffee company illegally forced workers to share tips with supervisors over the past eight years. (San Diego Union-Tribune, March 21) The judge also issued an injunction ordering the company to halt that practice at its 2,000 stores in the state. This ruling could have ramifications for the entire restaurant industry in California. It already has in New York City. Barista Jeana Barenbolm filed a suit in federal court April 3 asserting that Starbucks violated a state law barring employers from receiving part of workers’ tips. Her lawyer is asking the court to make it a class action suit, affecting all baristas in the state. (New York Times, April 4)

D.C. rallies behind grocery workers

Flyers are being handed out in front of Safeway and Giant grocery stores in the Washington, D.C., area asking community members to support the workers who are fighting for living wages, decent health care coverage and better pensions. The DC Jobs with Justice flyer notes: “Good jobs and good benefits build strong communities.” Such community outreach campaigns have been shown to help grocery workers win good contracts in other parts of the country.

Arizona: coverage for same-sex partners

Same-sex partners and dependents of state employees and retirees will soon receive taxpayer-subsidized health coverage in Arizona. A government panel, empowered to change state rules, voted 4 to 0 in early April to extend coverage. (New York Times, April 2)

Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28

Organized labor will focus attention on workplace safety and honor thousands of workers killed annually and countless others injured and sickened on the job on Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28. This year’s theme is Good Jobs-Safe Jobs for All. The AFL-CIO also issued its annual study, “Death on the Job,” which reports by industry why deaths and injuries occurred and exposes the federal government’s shameful track record. The lack of enforcement of existing safety laws by Bush’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will also be highlighted. For more information, see www.afl-cio.org.