Top News from This Week:

Here are the top stories on our list this week: The last time New York City School Bus Drivers were on strike was 1979.  On Wednesday, New York City Bus Drivers went on strike for one simple reason, job protection.  The growing trend in our country to  find a "better deal" and save money by tossing workers' rights and lives aside, is outright inexcusable.  President Both let NYC Mayor Bloomberg know, "There's more to life than the bottom line." Read more.

America's Productivity Climbs while Wages stay Stagnant  For millions of workers, wages have flat-lined. Even while working for companies making record profits.  Take Caterpillar, who reported record profits last year, and shoved a six-year wage freeze for a majority of its blue-collar workers.  This trend continues to grow in our country as Steven Greenhouse of the NYTimes explains here. Target Janitors Locked in Overnight, Untrained, File OSHA Complaint 25 cleaners working at Target filed complaints with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration alleging they have not received training in handling cleaning chemicals & are locked inside the building when performing their overnight duties.  Read more. Join Target Change. Whole Foods CEO Calls Obamacare Fascism , Regrets it In an interview with NPR, Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey referred to President Barack Obama's Health care plan as fascism.  He later publicly refined his statement, regretting the use of the word, sorta.  Read or listen to the entire interview here. Walmart to be Included in yet another Class-Action Lawsuit  Walmart has a sneaky strategy of domestically outsourcing to avoid labor violations.  Meaning, they've contracted parts of its U.S. supply chain to other companies so those companies end up taking blame for poor labor practices while Walmart walks away squeaky clean...grimy, huh?  Well the U.S. courts have caught on and included them in the warehouse workers' class-action suit!  Read more at AlterNet. Chicago Puts More Muscle into Wage Theft Laws A new ordinance in Chicago will empower the city to strip companies of their business licenses if they commit wage theft and cut corrners on paying employees proper wages. According to a 2008 study, 68% of low-wage workers were victims of wage theft.  Read more. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated across our nation this weekend, we eternally honor Dr. King every day, for his courage and passion for fighting for equality in our country.  In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Saturday is the National Day of Service.  Millions of Americans will be volunteering in their community to make a difference.  Find one near you, here.

What We're Reading Today: Monday, July 30th

A big last few days for Supervalu, they fired their CEO Craig Herket today, replacing him with Wayne Sales.  A few days prior a federal judge denied class-action status to retailers pursuing antitrust litigation against Supervalu and C&S Wholesale grocers after a 2003 asset swap.

In honor of the July 24th marking the last time the federal minimum wage was raised three-years ago, AlterNet looks at 7 big corporations raking in massive profits while paying their workers peanuts.   Walmart rakes in at number 2.

And here's 5 good reasons why raising the minimum wage is good for you and me.

Whole Foods says their decision to open in smaller cities is paying off.

More warehouse violations at Walmart, but there's no pattern of that.

ROC wants to know: Do you eat ethically? Take a look behind the kitchen door.

The legal battle that may halt Walmart from expanding in Burbank, California will go to trial Aug. 17.

Zellers will close at least 64 stores, after Target purchased the Canadian retailer.  The move is expected to lay-off 6,400 workers.  The Canadian UFCW President said in a release, Target shows the same disregard for retailer workers as Walmart.  We agree.

Rite Aid workers in SoCal are positioned to strike after rejecting the companies latest contract proposal.  The UFCW members voted to authorize a strike.

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.

Monday Mornin' News Briefs: 8/12-8/15

Steven Greenhouse from the NYTimes: In Strike Verizon, Union trade Barbs.
45,000 workers began their strike against Verizon Communications last Sunday, their unions have repeatedly stressed one point: Verizon’s push for concessions would “destroy middle-class jobs” and “push workers out of the middle class.”

From union-busting at home to labor violations, and alleged sweatshop conditions overseas, Target's honeymoon is over, via Working in These Times.

Islip Patch checks out Aldi in Bayshore, their first Long Island shop.

The Street is wondering what Walmart stands for nowadays, as they are no longer the 'everyday low price'.  What they stand for? Here's a starting point for the people @The Street, low wages, discrimination, destroying small businesses and communities. 

Walmart even made a bid to purchase BJ's Wholesale Club earlier this summer.

In Bristol, CT, Walmart is hunting for more of the grocery business.

Here's Walmart's new "Healthy, Environmental, Sustainable" pitch to New Yorkers, in their mailer to the Park Slope area.

SN: Pressures Face Walmart in NYC.


Walmart continues to buy its way into Brooklyn.
 
Editorial: Walmart's arrival would benefit them, not us...[Amsterdam News]

UFCW Local 23 Kroger workers rejected an offer from the company on Friday.

Bloomberg News: Seven UFCW chapters to vote on strike.

Bethpage Federal Credit Union in Levittown King Kullen was robbed last week.

The Fresh Market continues to expand, opening 2 new stores in the Pittsburgh area.

The closed Stella D'oro factory in the Bronx will become a BJ's Wholesale Club in 2013.

A Penny per a pound, AlterNet asks why won't the "progressive" Trader Joe's sign the agreement not to sell slave tomatoes? [WSJ]

#politics, #elsewhere
On Recall Elections, NYTimes: Wisconsin's Warning to Union-Busters.

Check out how your elected officials voted this year with AFL-CIO's scorecard. 

As economy dips, picket lines on the rise.

Be cautious of what you post on Facebook...

In a recent ground-breaking case, an employee of the American Medical Response of Connecticut was fired for criticism of her supervisor on her Facebook page. The medical technician was accused of violating a policy that bars employees from depicting the company “in any way” on Facebook or other social media sites, among other things.

Fired up, ready to fight: 2011 Jobs with Justice national convention highlights.

Quick Friday Afternoon News Recaps

We've been tied up with the TargetChange campaign....But here's some ongoings in the NY Grocery Industry News:


AlterNet: "Anti-Union Life @Target." AlterNet looks deeper at what it's like to work at Target & other big box retail stores....
More BJ's Wholesale Club buyout rumors have surfaced, raising their stock prices.

Walmart gets a free pass from the Supreme Court over discrimination.

The Hunts Point Market is still opposed to Walmart opening in NYC.

Christine Quinn wants Walmart to buy local produce IF the chain opens in NYC.

They [Walmart] continue to donate and donate $$ into Washington DC and NYC, drawing criticisms of trying to "buy" their way into the city.

On July 20 a Pathmark in Cherry Hill, New Jersey will be up for auction.

Mrs.Green's officially confirms the purchase of A&P's Superfresh stores. More @ Gourmet.

Thursday Afternoon News Recaps: 5/1-5/5

500 Rite-Aid workers reached a tentative contract after a five-year-anti-union campaign by Rite Aid.


Acme cuts 900 Part-Time workers to reflect loss of sales volume at struggling stores.

Walmart is trying their version of Fresh Direct, "Web Grocery".

They're also investing $756 million into Brazil.

AlterNet looks at Walmart's literal impact on hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.

As they [Walmart] remain atop the Fortune 500, another study proves it: Walmart Destroys Small Business. More @ Portfolio.

Walmart's NYC plans were on Community Board 3's agenda Tuesday.

In Southern California, a Federal Mediator has been called in to assist in talks between seven UFCW Locals representing over 60,000 grocery workers and Southern California grocers...A media blackout has also been agreed upon.

UFCW 152, along with small business owners, is fighting Walmart's expansion in New Jersey.

Last week a judge approved A&P's plan to sell 22 SuperFresh stores in Maryland.

A&P executives also won their outrageous bonuses, amidst severe objections.

Stop & Shop re-started their 'gas rewards' program @ Shell gas stations.

Target is continuing their grocery expansion, by end of 2011 they'll be revamping 850 stores.

Grocery is not the only thing Target's expanding on, CEO Gregg Steinhafel's salary increased 83% last year, yeah that's not a typo, eighty-three percent.

Target withstood Walmart's aggressive message/campaign of "price matching" last month, now Walmart is pondering new ideas how to beat Target. Read it @ DrugStoreNews.

Whole Foods saw their best Q2 results in 5 years....They're also opening their first Chicago store.

Politics

In Canada, farm workers can't organize.

via AFL-CIO Blog: Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, who signed into law a bill to kill collective bargaining rights for public employees, now has issued proclamations making this week “Public Service Appreciation Week” and “Teacher Appreciation Week.”

Brooklyn leads the living wage battle w/ our brothers and sisters @ RWDSU.

Elsewhere

Check out the only known video/audio of Mother Jones, yes you read that right @ 100 years old, it's a must watch for anyone in the labor movement.

Remember to support flower workers this Mother's Day.

NYC is number 1 again for business.

College Grads will see the worst job market since the Great Depression.

A complete list of all our Area meetings is available here.