Top 10 Stories This Week:

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REI Pledges to not open Black Friday, will still pay employees

REI will be sacrificing one of its top business days when it closes its 143 retail stores on Black Friday to encourage customers to spend time outside, and give employees a break, read more.

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK 1. UFCW Local 1500 Members Raise Over $60k in One Month to Battle Leukemia-Lymphoma, Breast Cancer It's gotta be some kind of record. Great job! 2. What decline in Unions means for next generation's income One study finds kids who grew up in union families earn more when they enter the workforce.

3. McDonald's Fights to Pay Workers Less McDonald's and the government are battling over how much control the corporation exerts on its franchises. The government says McDonald's controls the working conditions and payment of employees at stores operated by franchisees, which make up about 90 percent of McDonald's stores. But McDonald's disputes the claim, arguing its franchisees are independent operators.

4. New York's Much Needed New Task Force to Combat Worker Exploitation Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an initiative to combat worker exploitation in New York, including investigations focused on employers who are serial offenders, along with the creation of a hotline for reporting worker abuse.

5. Top 100 CEOs in US are sitting on a $5 billion Retirement Nest Egg Forget retirement worries: once a fat cat, always a fat cat. The top 100 chief executive are sitting on pension pots worth $4.9bn (£3.2bn) – equal to the total retirement savings of 116 million of the poorest Americans, according to a study released by the Institute of Policy Studies on Wednesday.

6. It's Halloween, How About Some Union-Made Candy For Your Trick-or-Treaters? Notable favs: Sour Patch Kids (are you serious?), Tootsie-Roll (classic), Baby Ruth (just for the Mets tonight).

7. A&P Puts Brand, Banners, Data Up For Sale For all archived A&P bankruptcy updates head here.

8. In Depth Read: The Life & Death of an Amazon Temp-Worker

9. Brooklyn Warehouse Workers Fight to Form a Union...End Discrimination Raising banners into the cold Atlantic wind, 100 warehouse workers from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala marched on October 18 to the Manhattan showroom of their boss, B&H Photo Video, the nation’s largest non-chain camera store. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/2015/10/brooklyn-warehouse-workers-fight-form-union-end-discrimination#sthash.Ap6mgKsJ.dpuf Raising banners into the cold Atlantic wind, 100 warehouse workers from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala marched on October 18 to the Manhattan showroom of their boss, B&H Photo Video, the nation’s largest non-chain camera store Raising banners into the cold Atlantic wind, 100 warehouse workers from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala marched on October 18 to the Manhattan showroom of their boss, B&H Photo Video, the nation’s largest non-chain camera store. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/2015/10/brooklyn-warehouse-workers-fight-form-union-end-discrimination#sthash.Ap6mgKsJ.dpuf Raising banners into the cold Atlantic wind, 100 warehouse workers from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala marched on October 18 to the Manhattan showroom of their boss, B&H Photo Video, the nation’s largest non-chain camera store. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/2015/10/brooklyn-warehouse-workers-fight-form-union-end-discrimination#sthash.Ap6mgKsJ.dpuf Raising banners into the cold Atlantic wind, 100 warehouse workers from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala marched on October 18 to the Manhattan showroom of their boss, B&H Photo Video, the nation’s largest non-chain camera store. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/2015/10/brooklyn-warehouse-workers-fight-form-union-end-discrimination#sthash.Ap6mgKsJ.dpuf

STATISTIC OF THE WEEK via NYC Central Labor Council

One worker was killed and another severely injured in a partial building collapse this morning in Manhattan.  There have been 7 worker deaths on non-union construction sites since September alone.  The correlation between the amount of non-union construction around the City and the staggering level of injuries and fatalities is one that must be addressed by City officials and developers.

Walmart Workers and Supporters Plan for Largest Mobilization Since Black Friday

As calls to rebuild the economy with better jobs reverberate across the country, Walmart workers and their supporters announced the largest mobilization since Black Friday, set for Thursday, September 5.

The announcement comes as Walmart has failed to meet a Labor Day deadline to reinstate illegally fired and disciplined workers and publicly commit to improve wages and jobs. Thousands of workers and their supporters plan to protest on Thursday in over a dozen cities across the country.

Since June, Walmart has illegally disciplined nearly 80 workers, including fi ring 20 worker-leaders. More than 100 Unfair Labor Practice charges have been fi led with the NLRB against Walmart.

“Walmart, we cannot wait any longer for you to do the right thing for American workers. Our jobs should not be at risk when we speak out about improvements that would help our families and Walmart customers,” said a Cindy Murray a Walmart worker who was recently arrested for protesting at Walmart’s Washington, D.C. offices. 

“Walmart cannot silence our concerns,” said Brandon Garrett a former Walmart worker who was illegally fi red after going to Walmart’s annual shareholders meeting. “Our fight to get Walmart to publicly commit to providing better jobs is not just about improving the lives of our families. It’s about improving jobs for all American workers and for strengthening the economy for all of us.”

There are several ways to help support Walmart workers as they take action on September 5.

• Share the petition: Share and sign the petiton located at http://bit.ly/150trkD.

• Sign up for Thunderclap: Thunderclap is like a social media bomb, where members can donate their Facebook of Twitter account for one post or tweet to Thunderclap by giving the app access to their account for a small window of time and encourage other supporters to do the same. It will send out one tweet or post at the same time from everyone’s accounts in a compressed amount of time to be most-effective. Members can sign up for Thunderclap at http://bit.ly/13DXDbb.

• Spread the word on social media: Share any of the images located at http://bit.ly/17zqsEN or the video posted at http://bit.ly/19fR8K0 on Facebook.   Go to Twitter to show their support. Sample Tweet: #WalmartStrikers are drawing a line. Stand with them for a real wage & workers’ rights on Sept. 5th bit.ly/1cgXnPA @ChangeWalmart

• Actions: OUR Walmart is having actions on the ground across the country. All of those events are posted at the Action Network website at http://bit.ly/12IMmni.

On Point: November 27th

Check out the latest edition of UFCW's OnPoint- Summing up the heroic acts taken by Walmart workers last week, and how Black Friday will never be the same.

Walmart Black Friday Strike

Keep up with the Black Friday Strikes on Tumblr: http://changewalmart.tumblr.com/

This morning we joined unions and community leaders and activists to support Walmart workers calling for change.  Thank you to all who attended to support the retail workers fighting for respect at work!  As of right now, Walmart workers have walked out of stores in protest of management in seven states!  Support Walmart workers at www.changewalmart.com

Walmart Black Friday Strike

The nation is listening to Walmart Workers who are fighting for Change!  Support Walmart workers on Black Friday!

Check out these videos of National News Walmart Workers are making!"Walmart Employees Plan Historic Strike" –The Ed Show (video):  http://www.nbcnews.com/id/49263362#49894324

"Walmart workers plan Black Friday protests" – CBS Evening News (video): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57552153/walmart-workers-plan-black-friday-protests/

"Why Walmart and Big Retailers Should Pay Their Workers More" – Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-herbert/walmart-worker-pay_b_2155678.html

Evidence that Walmart has the ability to change the way other retailers operate.“Leaked Document Shows What Walmart Really Pays its Workers” - MSNBC : http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/11/19/leaked-document-reveals-walmarts-meager-compensation-structure/

Tuesday's One-Liners: Black Friday Recaps & NLRB Under Attack

The NLRB is split on the new rule change, (which would cut the useless waiting periods companies have used for to push their anti-union propaganda and simplify the union election process) and last week the lone Republican serving on the National Labor Relations Board threatened to resign if the new change goes into effect.

On November 30 the AFL-CIO will hold a special forum in DC to analyze the attacks on the NLRB and workers' rights.

On Black Friday, which always brings the best out in people, 2 shoppers were hurt, 1 arrested at a Walmart upstate NY where several fights broke out.  In LA, a shopper pepper sprayed fellow customers as the doors opened at a Walmart.  Fox did a nice round up of all the violence from across the country on Black Friday.

Walmart's Black Friday: Shootings, Pepper Spray & a Blackout.

An exhausted Target worker fell asleep after working long hours on Black Friday and crashed into a canal.

In Saranac NY, residents kept a Super Walmart out, then opened their own Community store to keep the local businesses alive!

A&P union workers across the east cost are voting on a modified contract to help the company emerge from bankruptcy.

Supermarket News looks at Ahold's new growth strategies.

Stop & Shop is set to unveil a new concept store in Massachusetts.

To the surprise of local residents, St. James King Kullen expansion was approved by the Smithtown town board.  More @ Newsday.

Walmart is finding ways to win big in California new initiatives.

AlterNet asks, is Walmart Chairman Rob Walton the worst of the top 1%?

An attorney has questioned the legality of a bill that would require Walmart and other national big box stores to meet with community groups to discuss wages, employee treatment and working conditions before opening.

UFCW Canada is calling all activists to help: Stop the Blacklisting of Migrant Workers!

More: Three Mexican farm workers who claim they were arbitrarily booted from Canada are suing the federal government and an Ontario company in a case that raises questions about the vulnerability of migrant labor.

In the first 12 days, 300,000 petitions have been signed to recall Governor Walker.

On December 1 (Thursday) we're marching with the New York City Central Labor Council at 4 PM from Herald Square to Union Square (NYC) for Economic Fairness and Jobs.  NO rally and NO Speeches! Just marching! For more info head here. If you'd like to join us, send us an email!

There are 14 million unemployed in America, while the richest 1% has tripled its wealth over the past 30 years. Everyday, we see hard-working families struggling to get by.  The labor movement will never be satisfied when so many working-class people find themselves shut out of the American dream. 

UFCW President Joe Hansen: Stand With Workers This Thanksgiving

UFCW International President Joe Hansen has written an excellent editorial on respecting retail workers featured in the Huffington Post.

Stand With Workers This Thanksgiving
By Joe Hansen 
International President, United Food and Commercial Workers

When one retail worker speaks out and takes public action against unfair scheduling practices, it's a media story. When his coworkers stand with him and speak with one voice, they've got a union, and that's the best way to make real change.

Anthony Hardwick, a retail worker at a North Omaha Target store, has drawn headlines by petitioning his employer to return to traditional opening hours on Black Friday instead of pushing up the opening to Thanksgiving Day. Across the country, thousands of retail workers at stores like Target and Walmart are facing a Black Friday work schedule that leaves them with no time to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with their families.

Scheduling issues are consistently a top concern for retail workers. Many workers want more hours and a consistent, full-time schedule they can count on to support their families. But there's a double-edged sword for workers who put in long hours and forego family time over the holiday weekend: instead of seeing a reward for their hard work and loyalty in their paychecks, many will see their hours cut back in the days following the holiday so retailers can avoid paying overtime.

Even though their on-the-job conditions are often overlooked, retail workers are the backbone of our service economy. Millions of Americans work these jobs, and retail is one of the only sectors of our economy that is growing. Retail jobs are going to define how it is to live and work in America the way that manufacturing jobs once did. It is vital that retail jobs are secure, full-time jobs that pay the bills and allow people to live a middle class life.

That's why it matters for all of us when Anthony Hardwick has no voice to make holiday scheduling work for his family or demand fair compensation for working on a holiday. Americans know the way Anthony and his co-workers are being treated is unfair and wrong; over 175,000 people have signed a petition in support of Anthony. But for real change, Anthony's concerns over scheduling and holiday pay need to be heard by his managers. The best way that retail workers can have a say over holiday scheduling is by sticking together in a union and negotiating for those changes directly from their employer.

The UFCW and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Council of the UFCW represent workers at grocery stores, but also at stores like Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Modell's and H&M. Union retail workers earn premium pay for work on holidays. Their union contract guides fair scheduling. In these stores, many workers choose to take holiday shifts that might pay time-and-a-half or double-time union wages; as opposed to workers at stores like Target or Walmart who often work holiday shifts out of fear of losing their jobs and may not earn premium pay for these grueling shifts.

We all make compromises with our time over the busy holiday season. Sometimes it is traveling to see the in-laws. Other times it is working long hours over Thanksgiving weekend so that we can provide a magical Christmas morning for our children. When retail workers are given a voice in holiday scheduling, they can respect the needs of their families; whether that need is a loved one's presence at home or the need to earn additional income over the holidays.

Respect for the retail workers who are the heart of events like Black Friday means fair compensation for holiday hours and a voice in scheduling. When we support workers coming together to make positive changes in the workplace, we all win.

Click here to sign the petition to stand with Walmart employees and other retail workers who are sticking together to have a say over their schedules during the holidays.


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NY Industry News Briefs: 4/1-4/5

Cover of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In March, jobs increased by 216,000.

AFL-CIO Blog: Walker's attacks on workers creates a new interest for unions in America.

Stop & Shop hires 150 local workers, 100 from the closed Shaw's store in CT.

Last week a judge upheld the ruling for Walmart's $7K fine from OSHA, for the tragedy at their Valley Stream store, when a temporary employee was trampled to death on Black Friday in 2008.  The Times reports how Walmart aggressively fought this fine, and is planning to appeal it, spending over $2 million fighting the $7,000 fine. More @ Columbia Journalism Review.

Walmart is also thinking of testing California deliveries. More @ Consumerist.

Last month, the NY POST wrote an article which inaccurately depicted supermarket prices throughout NYC.  Today, Nicholas Dagostino published his response.

On April Fools Day the Working Families Party put out a fake press release announcing a partnership with Walmart.

No joke, Mini-Walmarts are coming; WSJ.

Walmart's massive PR campaign continued today with new mailers going out throughout NYC.

Here's why Martin Luther King Jr. would support Public Workers.

MLK III is also making a push for living wage with elected officials. 

A&P is suing Stop & Shop for hiring Ex-Operations Vice President.

A&P also announced a new Kosher promotion, hiring/establishing a new "Kosher category manager".

Monday Morning One Liners....Local 371 protests Fresh Market, more....

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

UFCW Local 371 is protesting a new Fresh Market.

Ray Venezia, a third-generation butcher and meat director for Fairway Market explains how to carve a turkey to FOX 5 here in NY. [video]

Police say a fire broke out in Wal-Mart's Christmas tree section outside their store in Westbury, Long Island.

Canada's top court has ruled in favor of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in a dispute over union organizing efforts at a store in Quebec. Read More: [Bloomberg], [Marketwire] [Investor]

AP: Year after Stampede, Black Friday gets a makeover.

Newsday says that Security outweighed customers at Walmart in Green Acres mall.

DA: Walmart, peaceful this year on Black Friday.

NY Times Blog: Trader Joe's confirms it is coming to the Upper East West Side.

Apple growers upstate NY are leaving more fruit on trees than usual.

UFCW Local 7 members have began voting on their final contract proposal from Safeway, King Soopers, City Market.

U.S. retail shoppers spent about $41.2 billion over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, up slightly from $41.0 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation

Delahize closes on a Greek banner.

Penn Traffic Co. has informed the New York State Department of Labor that it could shutter most of its stores on Feb. 15, although reports said the company is still hoping to find a buyer by that time.

When will Wal-Mart close the Union Shop?, Friday One-Liners...

Image by Getty I

Happy Friday, here's what's in the news12/12/2008

The Island Harvest is holding a few food drives at some Local 1500 stores this weekend.

Lee Scott will address the nation including the economy on Meet the Press Sunday

There has been a call for a state probe in the Black Friday stampede

WakeupWal-Mart is wondering how long it will take for the recently unionized Wal-Mart [Canada] to close.

Delhaize Group said it has named Stefan Descheemaeker as its new chief financial officer, effective Jan. 5.
Read more of this story

BJ's Wholesale Club here on Thursday made it official: Laura Sen will be its next chief executive officer.
Read more of this story

A coalition of food safety, science and consumer groups has urged President-elect Barack Obama to appoint a Secretary of Agriculture "who has had experience with or has been an advocate of the USDA's nutrition, food safety, and conservation programs" and who "has had experience providing leadership to a large and diverse organization."
Read more of this story

Stuart Applebaum released a statement regarding the idea of Caroline Kennedy taking Hillary's vacant Senate seat.

Applebaum also released a statement responding to a Labor Department report that the number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits has soared to 4.43 million.

Christine Quinn announced, No rebate checks for Christmas

Betsy Gotbaum is meeting with her potential successors.

Tesco will be the #2 Retailer in 2012, Wal-Mart uniforms linked to sweatshops, Wal-Mart admits to taxing illegally, Whole Foods files suit against FTC

Image via Wikipedia

NYSUT and the state Labor-Religion Coalition are sounding the alarm over a recent report that links a popular school-uniform clothing line sold at Wal-Mart to a Bangladeshi factory that forces its workers to labor in extreme sweatshop conditions.

Wal-Mart has also finally come clean and fessed up to charging illegal taxes in Connecticut.

It keeps getting better for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., they were ordered to pay up to $54.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the discount giant cut workers' break time and allowed employees to work off the clock in Minnesota.

Moscow News picked up the death on Black Friday story.

The Seattle Times writes the audio accounts leading up to Damour's death.

Yet the shoppers don't stop, Wal-Mart, adding to its counter-trend achievements this year by posting the highest earnings among retailers, $13.7 billion. The profit is more than earnings projections for the next three companies' combined,

A new report says Tesco will become the #2 retailer by 2012

Whole Foods is suing the FTC.

Tom Souzzi wants to make LI green.

Vito Fossella was sentenced to 5 days in a Virginia jail.

Pat Purcell on Democracy Now

This morning, Pat Purcell, Local 1500's Director of Special Projects, joined Democracy Now for a discussion on Wal-Mart's irresponsible actions and lack of precautions leading up to Black Friday. Wal-Mart had little or no security and mainly relied on local police to control outlandish crowds. Our sincere deepest sympathies go out to the The result, an employee's death.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/1/wal_mart_worker_crushed_to_death