New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento on Big Victories for Working People - Minimum Wage, Paid Family Leave

Albany, NY - I am proud of the unified efforts of the 2.5 million members and 3,000 local unions of the New York State AFL-CIO to improve the economic and social well-being of working men and women throughout our state. The Labor Movement has been united and fought tirelessly to raise the minimum wage and implement Paid Family Leave - both critically important issues to working people.

Three million working people in New York State will see their wages go up due to the $15  per hour minimum wage making New York the first state in the country to reach that  landmark.

Raising the minimum wage is long overdue and is a step in the right direction toward addressing poverty and income inequality. This meaningful wage will allow hard-working men and  women the opportunity to better support themselves and their families, and enjoy a standard of living and quality of life they can be proud of.

New York State is also leading the way on Paid Family Leave. This ground-breaking benefit will have a positive impact on working people by allowing them to put their families first during times of need. Whether it is to bond with a newborn or the opportunity to care for an ill or dying family member, working men and women will no longer be forced to choose between being with loved ones during life-changing moments, and the ability to make ends meet.

I want to thank Governor Cuomo, Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Flanagan and Independent Democratic Conference Leader Klein for listening to the working men and women of this state and understanding how the aforementioned legislation will positively impact the lives of all New Yorkers.  Their leadership and actions will set an example for the nation.

Executive Council Member President Both Receives Victory Notice

UFCW Joins AFL-CIO

AFL–CIO (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chicago, Illinois – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) affiliated with the AFL-CIO in a bold move toward a stronger, more unified labor movement. UFCW President Joe Hansen, supported by a vote of the UFCW Executive Board, decided to add the 1.3 million private sector members to the AFL-CIO federation in order to build a stronger, more unified voice for the rights of workers. UFCW International President Joe Hansen today released the following statement:

 “We join the AFL-CIO because it is the right thing to do for UFCW members, giving them more power and influence. This is not about which building in Washington D.C. we call home — it is about fostering more opportunities for workers to have a true voice on the job. It is about joining forces to build a more united labor movement that can fight back against the corporate and political onslaught facing our members each and every day.

 “Our affiliation with the Change to Win Federation (CTW) has been a rewarding one. The CTW’s Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) is leading some of the best campaigns to give workers rights and dignity. While no longer an affiliate of CTW, we continue our strong relationships with the Teamsters, SEIU and the Farmworkers. We will remain active in the SOC and bring our AFL-CIO partners into collaboration with private-sector unions in an effort to build more power for workers. “The need for unity became paramount after the 2010 elections. The attacks on workers brought the UFCW into direct strategic partnership with the AFL-CIO and the entire labor movement. Our shared campaign revealed a dynamic and revitalized AFL-CIO and made it clear that it was time for the UFCW to redouble our efforts to build a more robust and unified labor movement.

 “I respect Rich Trumka’s bold leadership of the AFL-CIO and his strategic advocacy on key issues like the urgent need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, fix the Affordable Care Act so workers in multiemployer plans can keep the health care they currently have, and ensure the National Labor Relations Board protects workers’ rights. The UFCW is proud to affiliate with a transparent, strategic and innovative AFL-CIO – an AFL-CIO committed to bringing a union voice on the job to millions of workers from coast to coast.”

Today’s announcement comes as the UFCW Executive Board meets in preparation for its 7th Regular Convention which calls to order Monday, August 12 in Chicago, Illinois. UFCW delegates representing local unions in the U.S. and Canada will chart a course for the next five years and beyond that aims to raise standards and build power for workers in the grocery, retail and food manufacturing industries.

 Inspired by the theme, “Blue. Gold. Bold. Powerful Together,” UFCW delegates will deliberate on taking steps to strengthen the UFCW’s strong base of member activists who are the backbone of creative organizing campaigns, engaged bargaining programs and political activism.

 ###

 Convention details can be found at www.ufcwconvention.org Media Guest Registration will take place in Room W474B on the 4th floor of McCormick Place West beginning Saturday, August 10. For admittance to the Convention Floor, please present a media credential or business card. - See more at: http://www.ufcw.org/2013/08/08/ufcw-joins-afl-cio/#sthash.G4ZasHNf.dpuf

#BringJobsHome: Call Your Senators Today!

The AFL-CIO is running an online action right now! We need to bring jobs back to America to help rebuild our middle class!  If you need to know why we need more American jobs, here's some quick facts.  You can call your Senators sat 888-659-9401 and urge them to support the Bring Jobs Home Act.  Then tweet at your Senators, telling them to support the bring jobs home act!

You can find your Senator on Twitter at www.tweetcongress.org

Sample tweets from supporters:

RT @AFLCIO: Your taxpayer dollars are being used to pay for companies to ship jobs overseas. But that can end today. #BringJobsHome RT!

RT @CWAUnion: We need laws that make it harder for companies like @TMobile to offshore our jobs like #BringJobsHome

.@SenRonJohnson vote for the #BringJobsHome Act to stop giving taxpayer money to outsourcers #outsourcing #1u #wiunion

@SenatorCardin: Our tax code should not reward companies for moving jobs overseas- Ben #BringJobsHome

RT: @SenGillibrand: Proud to co-sponsor #BringJobsHome Act to reward cos that return #jobs to the US. Thx Sen. @stabenow for your leadership on this impt issue.

Thanks! RT: @sengillibrand: I strongly support the #BringJobsHome Act & urge my colleagues to do the same. It's time to end outsourcing & start #insourcing. 

Tuesday's News Bites: Walmart- Not Made in America.

Not Made in America: 10 Ways Walmart Destroys US Manufacturing Jobs. 
Why is it that America no longer makes things the way we used to? Between 1980 and 2011, the United States lost 7 million manufacturing jobs.

ProGrocer: UFCW Local 5 authorizes strike.


UFCW/RWDSU Local 338 has been fighting to help workers at a small grocery store named Golden Farms in Brooklyn and is now fighting for a contract.

Walmart workers marched throughout LA last weekend, say no thanks to the giant retailer opening in the historic Chinatown. Tom Morello of Rage also joined the Walmart march/protest this weekend.

Around 1,700 UFCW Local 4 members in Montana have agreed to a contract with Albertson's, Safeway and Van's.  Contract includes 2.5% wage increases and added contributions to health and pension plans.

AFL-CIO has a great little page summing up all the union products you can buy to make your Fourth of July union-made!

The Obama Administration has named two UFCW officials to important Trade Advisory Committees.

Target has started the hiring process for some Canadian stores.

Speaking of Target, they failed to mention any corporate wrong doing in their annual corporate responsibility report, even as they were federally charged (and convicted) of violating their workers' rights.

And somehow Target was named as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2011. Former Target employees started a petition to have them removed from the list! Sign it now! http://signon.org/sign/ethisphere-remove-target

Whole Foods just isn't catching on in the UK, they're losing millions.

Alabama Poultry workers vote to stick together, join the RWDSU! Congratulations!


Remember to buy union, and have a safe fun Fourth of July!

What's up on Tuesday News: Recall Walker.

Quote of the day:
"we can do whatever we want, we're a corporation" 

-Target Official on making absurd rules on where workers can and can't discuss unions. 

Gawker gives some highlights of Target's illegal actions during last year's union election.  Some of our favorites that make your head shake:

Casolino told her that they could not speak there “because you are talking about the union.” At that time Waddy asked if they could speak across the street, and Casolino replied “not if you are talking about the same thing. The whole mall would have a problem with it.”4 Waddy answered that he could not “mandate” what his employees speak about, and Casolino replied that “we can do whatever we want, we’re a corporation.” Waddy said “the whole mall? Really?” Casolino laughed and asked them to leave

One thing you need to think about very seriously is that we have ALMOST 1800 STORES and 350,000 TEAM MEMBERS. We would have no difficulty hiring PERMANENT REPLACEMENTS for ECONOMIC STRIKERS. Unions like to call a strike an “economic war.” The 260 TMs [team members] here against 350,000 does not feel like good odds to me. I repeat 260 against 350,000... (Emphasis in original)

PR Watch asks if Scott Walker get a Pink-Slip, Orange Jump Suit or Second Chance?

Today is Recall Walker Day!  Union members throughout the country are volunteering their time at phone banks and at home with AFL-CIO's online pilot program to GOTV and recall Governor Walker.

Not everybody is making calls from a phone bank. More than 600 people have signed up for the AFL-CIO’s online pilot program, the Friends and Neighbors tool to make calls from home. Go to http://wisconsinfan.aflcio.org/users/login to sign up.

UFCW members are doing their part to GOTV, check it out @ UFCW Blog.

VOTE: The 2012 election is upon us. The stakes for workers couldn’t be higher. CEOs and special interests are dumping millions of dollars into races across the country to help elect anti-worker candidates.  June is UFCW Voter Protection Month! Check it out and get involved!

AlterNet: Workers win battle over Stop & Shop in Social Media case.

More kids are living in poverty in the U.S. than elsewhere...check out this stunning study.

Trader Joe's is opening their first store in Albany this summer.

Walmart shareholder votes show a serious unrest; 40% of public shareholders (not Waltons or execs/board members) voted no on Scott; ~32% voted no on Duke

Walmart discloses shareholder lawsuit details @ WSJ.

Second year in a row, Survey names Aldi low-price grocer of the year.


Gourmet Retailer: Fairway adds 2nd NJ Store.

Thursday's News Briefs:

A UFCW represented Jim Beam plant in Cincinnati will close, leaving 122 UFCW 32D members jobless.

Patch asks what local shoppers think about the possibility of a Southern California strike.

A&P's new Philadelphia Superfresh is their first store in PA in 10-years.  It opened yesterday, Sam Martin, "On behalf of our 39,000 Associates across the Company, I want to thank Mayor Michael Nutter, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, and the developer of the property, Bart Blatstein, for their support and for welcoming Superfresh to this great community."

A&P announced they'll be deploying 'deal management software."

The AFL-CIO is asking, "Who do you love on Labor Day?" We <3 Food & Commercial Workers! Who do you <3 this Labor Day?


Progressive Grocer has named ShopRite 2011 retailer of the year.

The Long Island Herald covers Target's illegal tactics and labor violations at Valley Stream: Union officials said they expected the NLRB’s decision to be in their favor. “We were confident from the beginning that Target’s conduct was illegal,” said Aly Waddy, a union organizer. “It was not surprising.” 

Businesses are coming out against the NLRB rule changes (obviously) and are claiming they'll affect 'job creation'.

The Fresh Market continues to grow...


Target is looking for hundreds of employees in their new Canada stores.

Mid Week One-Liners: 3/6-3/9

“Almost half of this shopping center depends on that store!” said Connie’s Pizza owner Louis Sabino. “It’ll kill us when it closes.”- Small Business Owners concerned about the  Nostrand Ave. Pathmark closing.

Whole Foods in Tribeca is now offering a concierge service.

In California, where the UFCW is negotiating contracts covering 62,000 grocery workers, Paul Suchecki of the Venice Patch writes an Op-Ed entitled 'Unions Get No Respect'.

BJ's Wholesale Club is expanding to Buffalo.

Stand in Solidarity on April 4th! the AFL-CIO has organized a 'We are One' rally.  Supporting workers across Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and throughout America.

Last week we objected to A&P's bonus plan, yesterday, a judge in White Plains sort of objected:

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain in White Plains, N.Y., on Tuesday gave the company permission to pay bonuses to more than 140 "second-tier" managers, saying those bonuses had triggers that were not a "walk in the park." He said the company needs to develop a business plan, negotiate more terms for its reorganization and show more business metrics before granting $440,000 per person to three top executives, however. More @ Supermarket News -Bloomberg News/North Jersey.

 Pathmark announced a new program "Pathmark Perks" for their shoppers.

Mom & Pops surrounding Nostrand Ave. Pathmark are concerned about business once the Pathmark closes.  Yournabe wonders if they need another supermarket and who will fill the vacant space.

Props to Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel for warning food retailers, if they're planning to grow their businesses in the city of Chicago they must include the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables to underserved inner-city neighborhoods in their plan.

Yesterday was International Women's Day.  Check out Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis' statement here.  Join the UFCW Women's Network on Facebook, and watch this video: James Bond for Women's Rights.

Thursday's Mid Week One-Liners: Store Closings, BJ's, Acme, Shaw's

NY1 ran another story on Walmart in NYC, interviewing a Walmart spokesman.

 

The new Fairway Market in Douglaston, Queens will open by the end of the summer. [Patch] [NY Daily News]

Walmart tried building a store on a Civil War battle field, so what why wouldn't they try and build a store in Paradise, California.  Just seems weird, to have a Walmart in a place called Paradise.

Store Closings

BJ's Wholesale Club announced they're laying off 500 workers and closing 5 stores.

Shaw's also announced they'll be closing five stores, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut.  So far they've been silent on how many workers the closings will affect, read more @ Boston Globe.

And one more company announced store closings, Acme announced they will close five Philadelphia stores by the end of February.

Must Read: WNYC Blog, Conservatives Use Blizzard to Push Anti-Labor Agenda

Online Organizing was the key to an IEBW Organizing victory this August, read the entire article @ the AFL-CIO Blog.

Bloomberg News reports that Royal Ahold, (Owners of Stop and Shop Supermarket) is more likely to make an acquisition in the U.S. than to sell any units in the country.

Stop & Shop is likely to cut and move workers from it's Quincy headquarters.

Change.org asks if the D.C. Mayor will support 'Good Jobs' or 'Walmart'.

Walmart is having a lot of trouble with environmental studies in Orchard Park, Buffalo.

 

Monday Afternoon One Liners....

Image via WikipediaSN: A&P here on Friday said it has named board member Frederic F. "Jake" Brace to the newly created position of chief administrative officer, the third high-level hire at the troubled company in the past week.

The AP has more

UFCW Local 24 has ratified an agreement with Kroger.

AFL-CIO Blog: Public to Lawmakers: End Tax-Cuts for the Rich!

Target Corp. shareholders are demanding changes as boycott continues...

Two Minnesota-based sister locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers have voted to approve a merger.  [Supermarket News]

More on the NYC DCA Supermarket Sweep: About half of all supermarkets (52%) in the five boroughs of New York City were found to be violating pricing regulations, the Department of Consumer Affairs here said. [Supermarket News]

Mayor Bloomberg is considering a ban on smoking in NYC Parks and Beaches.

Friday Morning One Liners: Pathmark, Target & Trader Joe's

Image via Wikipedia

SN: Pathmark Dominates A&P's Store Closure List

A&P on Thursday made another senior level executive appointment from OfficeMax, naming Carter Knox senior vice president of human resources and communications.  Here is their official statement.

More @ NorthJersey.com

Poughkeepsie Journal: A&P Sues Stop & Shop
A&P's parent company, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc., is flinging charges that Stop & Shop lies to consumers about having lower prices than A&P. "Stop & Shop is presently engaged in an advertising campaign, involving various of its stores … in which Stop & Shop falsely claims that customers can 'save more every time you shop' at Stop & Shop," lawyers for A&P wrote in the lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court here

A difficult situation for Stop and Shop as they opted out of a project in Massachusetts:
"The town received a letter from them on July 26," Town Planner Kathy Joubert said yesterday. "It does not say why - it simply states they're no longer pursuing building a store at the 77 Main St. address."
The announcement comes as an abrupt end to a five-year drama that saw Stop & Shop go to state Land Court to fight a 2006 Planning Board decision to deny the company's site plan proposal.


AFL-CIO Blog: Glen Beck to the Unemployed: Go Get a Job at McDonalds!

WNYC on The NYC Department of Consumer Affiars 'Supermarket Sweep'

BJ's Cuts Full-Year Forecast

NY1: Protest at Chelsea Trader Joe's
Protesters gathered in front of the new Trader Joe's in Chelsea on Thursday to call attention to the plight of farm workers. They said shoppers should know about the ongoing human rights abuses against farm workers, who they say pick tomatoes sold at the company's stores.

Target Aims at Groceries to Boost 'Soft Sales'

To juice sales, Target is hoping fresh eats and a 5% discount for store credit-card holders will do the trick.
Despite reporting Wednesday that quarterly profits rose a whopping 14% in the previous quarter, the nation's second-biggest discount retailer said sales came in "softer than expected." [Daily News]

And two UFCW Local's are set to merge in the mid-west.“Growing our union, negotiating good contracts and helping workers form and join a union will be the priorities of the new organization,”

Wednesday Morning One Liners: BJ's Wholesale Club in Ithica...

Image via Wikipedia

Ithica Journal: BJ's Wholesale Club Proposed in Ithica Mall
The identity of the new big-box tenant of a proposed 82,000-square-foot development at the Shops at Ithaca mall was finally revealed Tuesday night at a Village of Lansing planning board meeting, after months of secrecy: BJ's Wholesale Club.

LA Times: Target Corp. Defends Republican Contributions
Target is under fire for donating to a republican candidate in Minnesota, after two Facebook pages were started calling for a Boycott. As two "Boycott Target" groups sprang up on Facebook on Tuesday, the giant retailer defended its $150,000 donation to a group helping a Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate who opposes same-sex marriage.

WakeupWalmart: Smaller Wal-Mart Still not Ready to Build in Wellsville, N.Y.

AFL-CIO Blog: Report: Unions Must Open Opportunities for Women, Young Workers
The report, “Stepping Up, Stepping Back: Women Talk Union Across Generations,” details frank discussions in March among 30 women invited to a two-day women’s summit in New Orleans...While acknowledging the significant gains for women in the workplace made possible by unions and the growing diversity in the union movement, the report urges unions to do even more to become more open.

Progressive Grocer: Subway Enters More Supermarkets, Mass Retailers in 2010 
Several U.S. supermarkets and big-box retailers welcomed in-store Subway restaurant units during the first half of 2010, according to the popular sandwich chain, which has this year opened over 1,000 new locations, bringing its total international store count to over 9,700 restaurants, with new stores accounting for about 1.4 million square feet of filled commercial retail space.

 

Tuesday Morning One Liners: 300 Loblaw Workers Reach Tentative Agreement; Avoid Strike...

Loblaw's Superstore Workers Reach Tentative Deal; Avoid Strike:
As previously reported in SN, 300 workers, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1000A, have been working without a contract from more than a year. Local news sources said they will vote on the new contract July 25.

AFL-CIO Blog: From Sweatshop to Union Shop?
The first-known apparel factory in the developing world to pay a living wage is operating in  Villa Altagracia, a small impoverished town in the Dominican Republic. For the first time, the 120 workers at the factory will be paid enough to support themselves and their families.

WSJ: Today's East Harlem; Costco & Condos.

Whole Foods' UK Stores, Dancing in the Red:
The upmarket grocer, which aimed to take on established rivals such as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, lost £4.3m in Britain in the year to the end of September, according to accounts filed last week

Village Voice Blog: "New Chelsea Trader Joe's is Fabulous" 

San Francisco Gate: Pro Union Law Shot Down
A state appeals court struck down a union-backed California law Monday that allows labor picketing on a store's parking lots and private sidewalks, saying it unconstitutionally requires property owners to host speakers with whom they disagree.

SN: Grocery Wholesaler Indited on Fraud

NEWARK, N.J. — A federal grand jury here has indicted the former owner and chief executive of Capitol Investments Inc. for allegedly leading an $880 million Ponzi scheme related to a bogus grocery wholesaling business. 

 

In Warwick, NY, a Price Chopper Supermarkets store  has been awarded Silver-Level Certification award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership for reducing the use of refrigerants.

Wednesday News After Noon...

United Food and Commercial Wokers Local 99 wants to block vote on secret ballots
PHOENIX-- The state's largest private sector union is trying to block voters from deciding in November whether to constitutionally guarantee a secret ballot in public union elections.

ShopRight to Reopen Four Former Shaw's Stores in Connecticut Next Week
ShopRite said today it will open three new stores in Canton, Enfield and Stratford on Wednesday, May 26, at former Shaw's locations

More @ Journal Inquirer 

Walmart posts slower growth {NY Times}

Whole Foods Thronged at Pre-Opening Event (CT)
Newarly 2000 guests packed into the store over the course of three hours, taking in the sights, smells, and tastes of the upscale grocery.

Whole Foods Holder Sells $40.8M Worth.

Wegmans Partnering with Frito-Lay on Market Research
ROCHESTER,NY-- Wegmans Food Markets is consulting with Frito-Lay and other CPG companies on market research into new markets where the chain plans to open stores


AFL-CIO Blog: Working Families help Democratic Victories
In a Pennsylvania special congressional election yesterday, working family voters pushed hard and played a big role in electing Democrat Mark Critz over a Republican who staked a large part of his campaign on overturning health care reform.

Friday Morning One Liners:

“We’re tired of being taken for granted,” said Alan Hughes, president of the Arkansas AFL-CIO. “It’s like, ‘We want your help to get elected, we want your money, we want the ground workers,’ but when it comes time to [act on the union’s priorities] … they’re not listening.”
-Alan Hughes, President Arkansas AFL-CIO in The Hill: "Unions taking on Dems who don't toe the Labor Line

Long Island Press: Whole Foods to open it's third Long Island store
The new location will open its doors in Lake Grove on March 17, but for the extra anxious the store will open for a public preview on March 15–just in time to pick up some organic ale for St. Patrick’s Day.
The new, 48,000-square-foot-store, located at 120 New Moriches Road, just outside of Smith Haven Mall and Trader Joe’s, will open just in time to serve area shoppers during the Easter and Passover season...


Whole Foods has sold another Wild Oats store, this one in Portland, Maine, to Trader Joe's.

Tops Markets announced today that they will be closing their Ogdensburg location, the former P&C store on April 10th, 2010.

Crain's: Groundbreaking at Atlantic Yards comes years late.

NY1 looks at the new Best Yet in Harlem. "They don't got supermarkets like this in this neighborhood around here. Maybe like 20 blocks away or 10 blocks away, but not in this immediate neighborhood," said shopper Angel Cortes.

Approximately 3,500 Costco Teamsters in New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Virginia have ratified a new three-year agreement that includes wage increases and annual guaranteed bonuses that the labor union said will maintain the members’ distinction as the highest-paid retail workers in the country.

Shaw's
Sign a petition to support Shaw's workers:
Shaw's warehouse workers and Local 791 members in Massachusetts need your support! These Shaw's employees work hard to make their company successful, and they deserve a fair contract.

The Eagle Tribune: Shaw's workers vow to continue strike.


Nation & Politics

The Hill: Unions taking on Dems who don't toe the Labor Line

Frustrated at seeing their legislative agenda stymied, unions are becoming increasingly active in competitive Democratic Senate primaries.  Across the country, labor groups are using their organizational muscle early against candidates whom they see as having walked away from their agenda.
By doing so, they’re exposing schisms between centrist and liberal Democratic lawmakers who have struggled to come through on the campaign promises made to union members. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), healthcare reform and even a nominee to the little-known National Labor Relations Board have stalled in a Congress controlled by the largest majorities Democrats have enjoyed in a generation...
 
Retailers spend $850,000 lobbying in 4Q
The Retail Industry Leaders Association spent $850,000 in the fourth quarter to lobby on a variety of issues from health care reform to consumer product safety, according to a recent disclosure report. The Arlington, Va.-based trade group — whose members include Wal-Mart Stores Inc., The Home Depot Inc. and Target Corp. — also lobbied the federal government on legislation involving credit card reform, tarriffs on clothings, organized crime, and food safety, according to a form filed Jan. 20.

NY Times: Democrats Struggle to Finish Health Bill

Monday Morning Quick Liners...

Image via Wikipedia

Aldi, has apparently put the brakes on opening their first NYC store for the time being, Supermarket News reports.

Fry's and Safeway workers ratify contract in Arizona.

Big Y Supermarkets has launched what it called a voluntary layoff program for full-time store employees in Massachusetts and Connecticut, reports said.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of Safeway (California) said Friday that it had authorized the company to repurchase another $1 billion worth of its stock.

King Soopers creates job posting for replacement workers.

Tops Markets has officially bid on a majority of Penn Traffic stores, some of them in Western New York, reliable sources said late Saturday.

More on Walmart's expansion in Upper Deerfield New Jersey.

State AFL-CIO leader Dennis Hughes calls out New York State Legislature.

The Journal News learned that Andrew Spano spent $2.5 Million on his losing campaign this past year.

Wednesday Morning One Liners...Wal-Mart voted Greenest by consumers?

Image via Wikipedia

AFL-CIO President Richard Tumpka to Bankers: "You work for us now."

In a surprising study, consumer see Clorox and Wal-Mart as the 'Greenest Companies'.

Fairway and Columbia Athletics are teaming up

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc. (A&P) has promoted Carol DiNicolantonio to the position of VP of pharmacy, A&P..

Washington Square News looks at Fruit Vendors.

Workers at Ford voted against cuts yesterday, which would have been their third labor concession in the last two years. 

Politics, Politics

The Times reviews last nights final Mayoral debate between Thompson and Bloomberg.

The Daily News writes about the praise Andrew Cuomo is receiving from the White House.

Census Data: A Republican senator’s proposal to count only United States citizens when reapportioning Congress would cost California five seats and New York and Illinois one each, according to an independent analysis of census data released Tuesday. Texas, which is projected to gain three seats after the 2010 census, would get only one.

By 2050, the world's population will be 9.1 billion....Requiring a 70% increase in global food production, the New York Times asks, how will we feed them?

Monday Morning Read,

Image via Wikipedia

"It was labor that helped build the largest middle class in history. So, even if you're not a union member, every American owes something to America's labor movement,"
- Barack Obama, speaking at an AFL-CIO rally in Cincinnati.

A new study revealed retail jobs are expected to grow dramatically over the next few years, which begs the question: will they be good jobs?

A&P plans to split stores into four store types, 
Over the next five years, about 100 stores will be converted to price impact or discount stores. Currently, around 150 locations are operating as price impact stores, with plans to add an additional 50. By 2014, A&P will have 50 or 60 discount stores...The announcement is getting a lot of press.

Workers at Safeway's Edmonton distribution center returned to work Saturday afternoon, ending a six day strike.

UFCW Local 7 in Colorado and King Soopers are still in a deadlock today, as their contract expired at midnight.

The Teamsters call on Whole Foods to support Health Care reform.

Time Magazine: Wal-Mart's new plan to crush competition: Project Impact.

Politics
Crain's looks at the tremendous growth (and power) of the Working Families Party.

Liz Benjamin of the Daily News, says the Working Families Party has a target on their back, as several groups are rallying together to try and reduce their growing clout.

Gov. David Paterson said Saturday that he won't support the Legislature's proposed ethics bill, which he says would be like "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Remember tomorrow is Primary Day get out and vote!

Monday Morning One Liners...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Basha's said to be filing chapter 11. More on their financial problems and store closures here.

UFCW members at Acme worked through the weekend...

To stay up to date on Local 1776's contracts check out their website.

AFL-CIO's Blog has an update on the Stella D'oro closing.

OSHA cites Wal-Mart $7,000 for Black Friday Death.

Development:

4 stories, regarding a new supermarket within the development of the new Brooklyn Navy Yard, asking for a developer to include a 40,000 sqft market...One article argues bringing jobs to community members...

http://www.globest.com/news/1449_1449/newyork/179753-1.html

http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/proposals-requested-for-brooklyn-navy-yard

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2009/07/navy_yards_kick.php

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090709/FREE/907099976/0/NEWSLETTER

Politics:

Al Franken, co-sponsoring Employee Free Choice.

Less than six hours after he was sworn in as MN's junior senator and two hours after casting his first vote (against an amendment sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced that he has already co-sponsored his first bill.

"As of about a half an hour ago, I became the co-sponsor of my first piece of legislation in the Senate," Franken told a gathering at the AFL-CIO headquarters this evening. "And it's something called the Employee Free Choice Act."

The government organization committee of the California Senate is expected to vote again on a bill later this week that would require supermarkets to sell beer, wine and spirits only at checkstands manned by clerks — to ensure that buyers are sober and of legal drinking age — rather than at self-service lanes.

Keep Stella D'Oro in the Bronx, Support Local 1776, Friday Morning One LIners...

"They wanted to take us back to the dark ages. We told them we weren't going there."

-Mike Filippou, on why workers at the Stella D'Oro cookie factory in the Bronx braved picket lines for 11 months, in yesterday's Daily News.

“Even if I go back for an hour, I’ll get satisfaction,” said Mike Filippou, 43, a union representative and a maintenance mechanic at the plant for 15 years. “They’re saying they’re going to close to get us to agree to whatever they offer, but we didn’t stay out 11 months for nothing. We’re going to fight it.” In Yesterday's New York Times

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka yesterday announced his candidacy for president of the AFL-CIO to succeed the retiring John Sweeney. Trumka has served as AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer since 1995.

A supermarket owner who took $50,000 in public funds to renovate his store has been arrested and charged with fraud in relation to the award.

Acme and UFCW Local 1776 are nearing a contract deadline. Neither side seems willing to budge....Meanwhile Local 1776 officials yesterday accused Acme Markets of refusing to compromise as a midnight contract deadline approached, but they urged 4,500 area supermarket employees to report to work today and stay on the job until a membership meeting Wednesday.

Yesterday Whole Foods announced they will abandon plans to open a store in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

13 Dunkin Donuts in NYC turn into Tim Horton's. What??

BJ's Wholesale Club's sales continue to dip.

Citing unfair labor practices, Teamster employees at Hilton Suites on Chicago's Magnificent Mile have chosen to strike against the hotel, effective this past Friday.

Wal-Mart
A federal judge has given final approval to a $17.5 million settlement of a discrimination lawsuit that accused Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of not hiring black truck drivers.

The UFCW is appealing the decision in Canada which overturned the unionization of a Wal-Mart.


Politics

Labor leaders to meet with President Obama Monday.

If you missed the Working Families NYC Mayoral Forum, it's available online....Bill Thompson ended up getting the WFP endorsement.

Pope Benedict XVI advocates for more unions.

Pedro Espada is back, and now majority leader. Saying his actions led to a transformational change that will empower all senators, dissident Democrat Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. rejoined the conference he walked away from a month ago, and returned control of the state Senate to Democrats.

Maloney tells the Queens Tribune, "I'm Ready for Senate"

Thursday Morning One Liners...

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Change to Win and AFL-CIO have united to create a coordinating committee.

D'Agostino to attend New York Food Chain Summit...The summit aims to bring together farmers and agricultural experts to plan a supply cahin from western NY farms to the NYC market.

Retailer Penn Traffic here will close two stores early next month, a company spokesman told SN Monday.
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Governor Patterson expected to OK red light cameras in Long Island.

Atlantic City press asks what would another Wal-Mart do in N.J.?

Bloomberg spends $3 Million on TV ads.

Coney Islands 'marketplace' is unveiled.

Layoffs of 8,700 state employees are set to begin in July.

That excludes non-unionized managers, who acquiesced to concessions.

Union bosses say this will put lives at risk.