Top 12 Stories This Week: Walmart to Close, MLK, Gutting Unions

FEATURED

Cuomo to Create $15 Minimum Wage for New York State Workers - See more at: http://www.portside.org/2015-11-10/cuomo-create-15-minimum-wage-new-york-state-workers-2#sthash.mFP5LEwn.dpuf

Walmart to Close 269 Stores - Over 10,000 U.S. workers affected
154 stores will close in the United States, including their entire 102 Walmart Express small-format stores.
Read more here and more in depth at Supermarket News.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK: 1. A&P Sells 3 Sites to Acme...Greenway brand to Allegiance In court documents filed this week, A&P said Acme had offered $1.3 million for the leases of closed A&P stores located in Patterson, N.Y., and Boonton, N.J., as well as a wine and liquor store in Old Greenwich, Conn. 2. The Huffington Post has Unionized Welcome our newest brothers and sisters, @HuffPost, the largest digital media outlet to unionize. What's better? Management's response: "Assuming a majority, we will recognize the union," she continued. "We look forward to a great relationship with our union as we work together to take The Huffington Post to new heights across the world." Related: Look inside Gawker's Negotiations for first Union Contract

3. What it Means to Have Work 'Anytime, Any day of the Week' Scheduling has become the number 1 issue in our new economy.

4. Chain of Convenience Stores invests $15 million to Raises Wages without Cutting Hours The family-owned and operated chain of convenience stores and gas stations announced plans to devote upwards of $15 million to increase employee wages across the board. The company states in a press release that it’s doing so without cutting back on employee hours. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/workplace/article47761650.html#storylink=cpy “We believe that paying wages at the upper end of the retail scale is necessary to achieve that goal.”

5. UFCW Endorses Hillary Clinton for President This week President Perrone announced the UFCW's endorsement for President of the United States. “We announce this endorsement with the full belief that the frustrations felt by the American people are real, and that they deserve an America where better wages and better benefits are enjoyed by all who help make this nation great."

6. Immigrants or Executives: Who is to blame for Wage Stagnation?

7. How Defunding Public Unions will Diminish Our Democracy This week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The case pits the right of public employees to band together and form effective unions to pursue the common interests of workers against the free speech rights of dissenting public employees to abstain from funding collective bargaining efforts with which they disagree.

8. Will the Supreme Court Defund & Gut Public Unions? This major case will change the landscape for unions in our country forever; all union members must pay close attention. Related: Economist: Supreme Court Poised to Strike Unions

9. Workers & Wages...What Henry Ford Understood This month in 1914, Henry Ford doubled the wages of his production workers to  $5 a day. Adjusted for inflation, that would come out to $118.67 in 2015 dollars, almost $15 an hour for an eight-hour day (in 1926, Ford Motor became one of the first major corporations to adopt a five-day, 40-hour workweek). This applied to male workers and was extended to women in 1916.

10. With Public Sector Unions On The Rocks, Middle Class May Take Another Hit New calculations quantify how much the decline of unions contributes to economic inequality.

11. Income Inequality Shows No Signs of Slowing Down in the U.S. Related: How can companies better care for 'low-wage' workers? What does a changing grocery industry mean to our union? Three mergers between enormous grocery chains will change our entire industry. They've created three new super chains that now employ over 1 million people in America. Mergers and the emergence of technology are having a dramatic effect on workers lives.  President Both sums up how our union and industry needs to react. Elsewhere & Out there: Environment: If you haven't heard, Flint Michigan has an enormous water problem and now people are dying due to a 'cost-saving' measure. A federal probe has just been announced to investigate. via Washington Post: The city of Flint, Mich., is in the midst of a water crisis several years in the making. The city opted out of Detroit's water supply and began drawing water from the Flint River in April 2014, part of a cost-saving move. Eighteen months later, in the fall of 2015, researchers discovered that the proportion of children with above-average lead levels in their blood had doubled. Republican Debate: The NY Daily News responds to Ted Cruz's thoughts on New Yorkers. PHOTO OF THE WEEK Humans of New York “Everyone has a hard on for the union. They think we’re lazy or this or that, or maybe that there’s mafia influence, but honestly I just think they don’t like the little man having a voice. More and more construction sites are non-union these days. Nobody wants to pay $30 an hour plus benefits if an immigrant will do the same job for $14 an hour. And if everything goes non-union, I might as well go work at McDonald’s because I’ll be making the same amount of money. If the union collapses, I’m going to lose my pension. The way pensions work-- each generation pays for the previous generation. So without a new generation of union workers, there’s not going to be any money left for me. And I’ll have to work until I die.” Thank You: It's often a thankless job, so we'd like to say, thank you. And thank you for being a subscriber.

 

Support For Unions: Up

The latest results from the 2015 installment of Gallup’s annual Work and Education survey show that Americans’ approval of labor unions has jumped five percentage points to 58% over the past year, and is now at its highest point since 2008, when 59% approved. Consistent with the recent increase in approval of unions, the percentage of Americans saying they would like labor unions to have more influence in the country has also been rising, and now stands at 37%, up from 25% in 2009. Meanwhile, the percentage wanting unions to have less influence has declined from 42% to 35%.

Related articles

• Americans want unions
• Poll: Americans' view of labor unions improving

Stopping Fast Track..

President Perrone: “The Best Way to Help the Jobless is to Stop Passing Trade Agreements like TPP that Kill Jobs.”

 “Our campaign for trade policy that is fair and just will continue full speed ahead.”

 Washington, D.C. — Today, Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. House failing to advance fast track trade legislation.

 "This is a victory for hard-working men and women all across America. In the face of long odds, the American people sent a powerful message that their interests trump narrow political agendas and special interests.

“Today, we saw elected leaders stand up and make clear that the failed promises of global trade agreements, which only seem to serve irresponsible corporations, must come to an end. More importantly, we have seen what hard-working families can accomplish when we stand together and fight for what is right for both workers and this nation.

“With respect to TAA, we support a clean extension of the program, but the best way to help the jobless is to simply stop passing trade agreements like TPP that kill jobs. “While one vote does not end the fight, our campaign for a better America will continue full speed ahead until the threat of TPP and other unfair trade deals is gone for good.”

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UFCW: New TPP Ad Released Urging a “No” Vote on Fast Track

This just in from our International:

Letter Sent to All Members of the House of Representatives Asking: “Will you do what is right for America’s hard-working men and women who you are sworn to serve?”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Highlighting the secrecy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the reluctance of the Obama administration to release details, the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released a new ad urging members of the House of Representatives to vote no on fast track.

As part of its intense lobbying campaign, a letter was also sent to all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives where UFCW International President Marc Perrone made clear what is at stake. “Will you stand with the irresponsible corporations and special interests that are pushing fast track and the TPP?” he wrote. “Or will you do what is right for America’s hard-working men and women who you are sworn to serve?”

“America’s workers and hard-working families and their advocates have been completely shut out of the process,” Perrone added.

In the letter, Perrone decried President Obama’s strong-arm tactics on the trade deal and urged members of Congress to remember their obligation to their constituents.

“President Obama has regrettably made the vote about loyalty to him,” he wrote. “At the UFCW, our loyalty is to the 1.3 million hard-working men and women we represent and their families. Your loyalty should be to this country, to your constituents, and not President Obama, one party, or a secret trade deal.”

“The secrecy has gotten so egregious that when a group of concerned citizens went to the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office last week, not only were they prevented from reviewing the agreement, USTR staff locked the door to the visitor’s entrance,” the letter reads. “It leaves you to wonder: what are they hiding?”

“Our elected leaders must acknowledge what the President refuses to—that unfair trade deals have been catastrophic for hard-working families, driving down wages and benefits, shipping jobs overseas, and exploding income inequality,” Perrone concluded.

This week the UFCW will engage in a major blitz, reaching out directly to undecided members of Congress who will determine the outcome of fast track. This includes the ads in Politico, which highlight a bipartisan concern over the issue of secrecy and the right of the American people to know what is in this deal. A print ad ran today and digital ads are scheduled to run throughout the week.

The full letter is linked here and copied below.

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Dear Representative:

On behalf of the 1.3 million hard-working members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), I am writing to strongly urge you, again, to oppose fast track legislation if and when it comes up for a vote.

Respectfully, you have a critical decision to make. Will you stand with the irresponsible corporations and special interests that are pushing fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)? Or will you do what is right for America’s hard-working men and women who you are sworn to serve?

As you know, the TPP has been put together entirely in secret, with the advice and counsel of those who for decades have benefitted from bad trade deals. America’s workers and hard-working families and their advocates have been completely shut out of the process. The secrecy has gotten so egregious that when a group of concerned citizens went to the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office last week, not only were they prevented from reviewing the agreement, USTR staff locked the door to the visitor’s entrance. It leaves you to wonder: what are they hiding?

The American people deserve to know what is in this deal. And those considering supporting it should ask themselves how they will justify voting for a secret deal that would harm their constituents and the American people.

As we now see, President Obama has regrettably made the vote about loyalty to him. At the UFCW, our loyalty is to the 1.3 million hard-working men and women we represent and their families. Your loyalty should be to this country, to your constituents, and not President Obama, one party, or a secret trade deal. So while the President pulls out all the stops to sway undecided Members of Congress, he and you should remember the people who elected you to office.

If there is any doubt where the American people stand, you need to look no further than a recent New York Times/CBS News poll where over 55 percent of Americans oppose fast track, including 61 percent of independents.

Finally, this is more than just a vote about a trade deal so bad that it is kept in secret. This is about whether you will stand with the very workers who have paid the price from other bad trade deals. Some may choose to ignore this reality, but our elected leaders must acknowledge what the President refuses to—that unfair trade deals have been catastrophic for hard-working families, driving down wages and benefits, shipping jobs overseas, and exploding income inequality.

Enough is enough.

We urge you to do the right thing and vote no on fast track.

Sincerely,

Marc Perrone
International President

Help Stop Fast Track! Call Your Representative

As you know, after being stalled for weeks, Fast Track was approved by the Senate late Friday night. The bill now goes to the House, where the vote is expected to be tight – and we are preparing for a fight that may last through June.  I am asking that you participate in this National Call-In.  (See attached flier below)

Currently, eighteen Democrats support fast track with six to ten still undecided or undeclared.  This means our opponents can’t afford to lose more than about 55 Republicans.  By some estimates, there are at least 50 Republicans opposed with another 40 still undecided.  But holding most House Democrats and enlisting the number of Republicans we need to defeat Fast Track is far from certain. We fully expect our opponents to unleash a torrent of ads and ramp up an unprecedented grassroots and digital mobilization effort to ram Fast Track through when the House reconvenes the first week of June.

The House needs to hear the voices of working families as clearly and as loudly and as often as possible. Please join us and our trade allies for a national call-in day Wednesday, June 3. We are calling every House member – Democrat and Republican – with this simple message: The “Fast Track” trade bill in Congress will send jobs overseas and give more power to giant corporations. It continues the same failed trade policies that leave working people behind.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our Political Coordinator, Brendan Sexton: bsexton@ufcw1500.org and visit nofasttrack.com.

Thank you and in Solidarity,


Bruce Both
President

NO TO THE TPP

UFCW President Perrone: Hard-Working Americans Have Sent a Message Loud and Clear—No TPP
Says Failure to Advance Fast Track a Stinging Defeat for TPP Proponents

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement after the Senate failed to advance fast track legislation.

“All across this country, hard-working Americans from every political stripe have sent a message loud and clear—no more trade deals that destroy American jobs and families. The failure of the Senate to advance fast track legislation is not only a stinging defeat for supporters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); it makes clear that the American people will not be fooled into supporting another bad trade deal.

“Just a few weeks ago, all of the pundits believed that fast track and the TPP were a lock to pass: they were wrong. Our 1.3 million members, the entire labor movement, progressive Democrats, and conservative Republicans have all stood up and spoke out against this disastrous trade deal. More importantly, this is what is possible when we all stand together and fight for what is right for our families, our jobs, and our nation. While this battle is far from over, we can only hope that President Obama and every TPP supporter hears the voices of the American people and understands that this is a fight they cannot and should not win.”

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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org

We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.

No on Fast Track

Call Your Elected Officials Today! Help Fight for Good Jobs – Tell Them to Vote ‘No’ on Fast Track.

America’s workers and hard-working families need your help, and the time to act is now!

As you may know, the U.S. House and Senate will soon consider Fast Track legislation to help pass another bad trade deal. As history shows, fast track has been used to quickly pass some of our nation’s worst trade agreements. This time will no different.

If fast track passes, we will face another terrible trade deal, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which will all but guarantee that more families will suffer, more jobs will be lost, and more of our communities will be devastated.

Contact your elected officials today. Tell them to vote ‘NO’ on Fast Track

Unfortunately, President Obama, and certain Republican and Democratic Members of Congress, support fast track authority and TPP. They are choosing to ignore the severe price our workers and families will pay if fast track and TPP passes

We all know the reality of past trade deals. Bad trade deals, like TPP, don’t care whether you are Republican or Democrat. They devastate workers from every party and every state.

The simple truth is that opposing TPP is not about partisan politics, it’s about supporting our jobs, our workers, and our families.

So we all have a choice – stay silent or speak out. It’s time for you, your friends, and your family to stand up and speak out to help stop this bad trade deal.

Please don’t wait—call your member of Congress today and tell them to vote ‘NO’ on Fast Track

How bad of a deal is the TPP?

The TPP trade deal has been put together in secret. Hundreds of corporate lawyers and other special interest groups have been advising the U.S. Trade Representative, but the voices of hard-working families have been left out.

No elected official, regardless of political party, who is truly interested in making the economy better and fairer, can responsibly support the TPP.

Now, more than ever, we need you to speak out and help us stop Fast Track and TPP.

Please reach out to your Members of Congress today, because together we can build an America that works for our workers and our families.

UFCW President Perrone Statement on Adoption of Right to Work in Wisconsin

For Immediate Release: March 9, 2015
Contact Tim Schlittner, 202-262-3570, tschlittner@ufcw.org

http://www.ufcw.org/2015/03/09/ufcw-president-perrone-statement-on-adoption-of-right-to-work-in-wisconsin/

UFCW President Perrone Statement on Adoption of Right to Work in Wisconsin
“By standing against hard-working families, Governor Walker should be ashamed, but we know he is not.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement in response to the adoption of right to work in Wisconsin.

“Every elected leader has a sacred responsibility to stand up for America’s hard-working families and to help them achieve a better life. Higher wages, better benefits, equal pay for equal work, protection from discrimination and exploitation; those are the rights that unions offer and which we fight for every single day. These are the true rights that Governor Scott Walker wants to take away from the union men and women who work hard, sacrifice, and help make Wisconsin and America a better place.

The truth is by standing against hard-working families, Governor Scott Walker should be ashamed, but we know he is not. He has chosen to pursue a radical agenda that willingly ignores that this law will devastate countless workers and their families. Make no mistake, this law gives irresponsible corporations, let alone politicians, the right to exploit and mistreat countless men and women all across Wisconsin.

Let me be clear, this fight is not over. We will stand up and fight for the right to protect our hard-working union family and the rights of countless families in Wisconsin and all across America who earn and deserve a better life.”

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Key Facts: Value of Union Membership for Hard-Working Men and Women

Union workers vs non-union workers earn higher wages, receive better benefits, and have more job security than non-union workers. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Union Members – 2014”, January 2015, Table 2. Available at: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm
Women are more likely to get equal pay for equal work by being a union member. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Union Members – 2014”, January 2015, Table 2. Available at: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm

LGBT workers are less likely to be fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity as a union member.  Source: Frank, Miriam. “Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America”, Temple University Press, 2014.
Immigrant workers have far more protections as a union member. Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research “Unions and Upward Mobility for Immigrant Workers” Available at: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/unions-immigrants-2010-03.pdf

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.

Top 10 Stories This Week You Missed: Park Slope Car Washers, Merging Chains, Income Inequality Grows

FEATURED

 

Richest 1% to Own More than the Rest of the World

 

The wealthiest 1% will soon own more than the rest of the world's population, according to a study by anti-poverty charity Oxfam.

The charity's research shows that the share of the world's wealth owned by the richest 1% increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% last year.

 

"Extreme inequality isn't just a moral wrong. It undermines economic growth and it threatens the private sector's bottom line.

FEATURED STATS

Global Wealth

48%: owned by richest 1% in 2014

54%: owned by richest 1% by 2020

• $1.9tn wealth of 80 top billionaires - equal to bottom 50% of rest of world
   
• $600bn increase in wealth for 80 top billionaires in 4 years - or 50% rise
   
• $750bn drop in wealth for the poorest 50% of the world in 4 years

Source: Oxfam, Credit Suisse

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK   1. "I'd Shoot the Union." That's what a Walmart manager said to an associate and his co-workers threatening them if they try to organizing.   2. Stew Leonards Gets Heat for Making Employees Walk to Work During Storm

3. Mitt Romney Will NOT Run for President The former candidate announced he will not be running for President in 2016.  Republican Senator Rand Paul called Romney, "yesterday's news".

4. Where is the Empathy? If you read one story this week, this is it. A MUST READ: A powerful Op-Ed by a New York Times writer on how income inequality lead to the death of his childhood friend.

5. Albertsons & Safeway Finalize Merger

6. Trade war between Obama and Dems Dozens of House Democrats are expressing deep reservations about the White House’s trade agenda, putting themselves on a collision course with President Obama over concerns that the deals will benefit big business at the expense of U.S. workers.

7. Park Slope Car Washers Vote in RWDSU Marks the 10th Car Wash unit to unionize.

8. Host a Union-Made Super Bowl

9. Obama Urges Strengthening Labor Unions

10. Reporters at Politico to Organize Union High turnover rates have pushed reporters at the popular news outlet to seek union representation.     11. Grocers Angry over Swipe-Fee Denial The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a petition by the Food Marketing Institute, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Retail Federation and other groups, which challenged the Federal Reserve’s rule on debit card swipe fees.

12. Obama Wants to Give Workers Paid Leave The White House has made plans to give workers more paid time off.     13. McDonald's Sales Drop Most in Over a Decade To say this year has been a rough year for McDonald's is an understatement.  Worker uprising, food questions, health concerns, all led to lower sales and the removal of their CEO this week.   14. Senate Democrats Urge Obama to be  Aggressive for Higher Wages, Expanding Overtime Regulations Fixing income inequality one step at a time.   15. Ebola has mutated Scientists say the deadly virus is mutating, making it stronger.         Thank You: It's often a thankless job, so we'd like to say, thank you.  Your work throughout this week has helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers prepare for adverse weather.  We know it wasn't easy dealing with the pre-storm chaos, and we'd like to sincerely recognize you for helping your communities.

 

Shameless Plugs:

 

Union Blood Drive is coming up in March.  If you're interested in donating let us know!

 

Union Plus Benefits: You're eligible for discounts on cell phone bills, mortgages, gyms and more! Find out here.

 

 

Obama: “I’d Join a Union”

 

During a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for Labor Day, President Obama uttered a phrase that has not been uttered by a sitting president since the days of FDR, “I’d join a union.” Indeed, he said, “if I were looking for a good job that lets me build some security for my job, I’d join a union. If I were busting my butt in the service industry and wanted an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, I’d join a union.” Obama also endorsed the “Fight for $15” fast-food worker’s movement. 

Watch the entire speech here.

Post via ILCA 

  - image credit: Colleen Crinion