This Week's Top 11 Stories: Walmart Costs Taxpayers $6.2 billion, MTA Close to Deal

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So Much For Savings: Walmart Costs Taxpayers $6.2 billion

Walmart’s low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing, according to a report published to coincide with Tax Day, April 15.

Read more @ Forbes

 

After 2 Years, MTA, Union Closing in on Deal

34,000 NYC subway & bus workers near deal for 8% raise over 5 yrs. Governor Cuomo abandons push for 3-yr pay freeze. @NYTimes

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK   1.  When 'Liking' A Brand Online Voids the Right to Sue A new General Mills policy says if you use coupons or 'like' a brand online, you give up your right to sue. @NYTimes   2. Bangladesh Union Organizers Allege Intimidation Bangladeshi labor activist Hasina Akter said she was signing up workers during a unionization drive at a garment-factory dormitory in Dhaka when a group of men burst in, beat her, tore her clothes and threatened to rape her.  Read more @WSJ

3. Inserra to Open 1st Independent PriceRite An independent member of the Wakefern Food Corp. will open a discount store this summer in New Jersey.  Wakefern also opened a new food warehouse this week.

4. Report: Fresh Direct Offers Best Online Experience

5. ShopRite to Open Pharmacy in Hospital

6. Canada Faces similar Job Problems, 1 in 4 New Jobs went to Temp, Foreign Workers

7. What's the Impact of Walmart in the Organic Market?

8. Checkout the latest edition of UFCW OnPoint

9. UFCW Local 1500, First Union to Endorse Adam Haber Newsday has the exclusive coverage of the endorsement

10. Key Food Negotiations Resume Next Week

11. NYC Mayor Shares Same Passion to Organize Car Wash Workers in City

Three cheers to our brothers and sisters at the RWDSU!

 

 

Holiday Bonus. Make Easter & Passover Union, American-Made!

Checkout some union made products that might surprise you

Top 11 Industry Stories From This Week

— TOP 11 INDUSTRY/LABOR NEWS ARTICLES FROM THIS WEEK — 1.  Last week Target was found guilty of violating federal labor laws by the National Labor Relations Board.  Target respectfully disagrees, still. 2. In a shocking development, rescuers have a found a trapped woman in the rubble, 17 days after a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, killing over 1,000. 3. A judge has dismissed claims against former A&P executives. 4. Walmart has launched a new image campaign. 5.  Detroit has joined the Fast Food Strike!  Fast Food workers throughout Michigan have gone on strike today, demanding better working conditions. 6. Whole Foods is mulling larger stores, and acquisitions. 7. Is the embattled Walmart CEO, Mike Duke, contemplating stepping down? UFCW has been calling for the CEO to step down since the Mexican bribery scandal was uncovered. 8.  Why do we need Unions again? A Pregnant T-Mobile employee was forced to use vacation time to use the restroom, then fired for 0.12 cent error.  9.  The invisible epidemic of Wage Theft: When Your Boss Steals Your Wages, a Top Trend in American Corporations. 10. Construction is well under way for the new Aldi Food Market on Nostrand Ave. 11.  Make this Mother's Day Union Made! Check out the UFCW Union-Made Mother's Day Gift Guide!

Top 10 Stories This Week

— TOP 10 INDUSTRY/LABOR NEWS ARTICLES FROM THIS WEEK — Over 100 New York UFCW members traveled to Albany this week to lobby for better UFCW NY Jobs! Check out all the photos from our Lobby Day here. 1. UFCW Local 1500 members traveled up to Albany this week (picuted above) to lobby for better UFCW NY Jobs, and demand more from our elected officials. 2. Yet another factory in Bangladesh has taken the lives of workers due to horrendous workplace conditions.  This time a factory literally collapsed.  3. The fast-food walkouts in NYC have spread to Chicago.  On Wednesday hundreds of underpaid and disrespected fast-food workers walked out. 4. Related to the new spark in labor, check out a great article, 'How Unions are Getting Their Groove Back' 5.  Getting paid less and working more- Guitar Center workers have launched a Union drive (via RWDSU), under Bain ownership (yes that Bain). 6.  Thousands of Americare workers from UFCW Local 348-S ratified a new contract last week. 7.  So what if they bribed their way into Mexico, had a hand in the Bangladesh fire that killed over 100 garment workers, and were accused of some awful things in Nicaragua, Walmart CEO Mike Duke still got a 14% raise, to almost $21 million...Priorities are in tact. 8.  Solidarity Works!  How Local Unions came together to demand and guarantee better jobs for a new Casino development in Baltimore, and won! 9.  Fruits, Vegetables and all that good stuff- except the benefits and rights for farm workers. Over 75% of farm workers have ZERO benefits. Check out the great reality check via In These Times. 10.  The New Organizing Frontier:  Can Co-ops Save Unions? Like the top 10 list? We're always posting stories like these and more on our twitter and facebook feeds, so why not follow us!

Top 10 Industry Labor Stories From This Week

Our thoughts, prayers and love go to all affected in the ongoing Boston Marathon tragedy.  Our uttermost thanks go to Boston's first responders for their bravery.

— TOP 10 INDUSTRY/LABOR NEWS ARTICLES FROM THIS WEEK —

1. Bangladesh Factory Fire Workers are battling Walmart for compensation.  They're not going to get it though, Walmart refused.  The factory fire killed over 112 workers at a garment factory tailoring clothing for Walmart.

2. Local unions throughout Boston are offered a $50k award for any tips that lead to arrest of the marathon bomber.

3. Stop & Shop makes a $500k donation to Boston Fund.

4. Walmart has made over $400,000 in political contributions to New York since 2010, a move that bought them a sweet heart provision in the new Minimum Wage reform.  The subsidy was never announced publicly and is expected to provide big retailers like Walmart millions of dollars each year. It would also give Walmart a tax-credit to replace their seasoned workforce with inexperienced teenagers at minimum wage.

5.  Must read by Josh Eidelson: 'I Jumped to Save My Body': Walmart Slammed over Nicaragua Stabbings & Bangladesh Fire killing over 100.  You should really check this story out,  it is an alarming reality of what it's like to make the clothes sold at thousands of Walmart stores across the globe.

6.  Fairway Stock Soars in their opening week as a public company.

7.  ShopRite is opening  at a former Delaware Pathmark site.

8.  A&P announces a closing of another Food Emporium in Manhattan.

9.  Cutting the Budget, Leaving Us Dry: Michelle Chen sums up wonderfully how the working poor aren't feeling positive effects from the economic "bounceback" and how Social Security cuts won't help.

10.  No NLRB, No Voice! Last week Congress essentially told working Americans to drop dead. House Republicans pushed through a dangerous bill that would paralyze the National Labor Relations Board, blocking the only path that workers have to workplace justice.