Why We Support New York City Bus Drivers On Strike

By: Joe Fedele

In 1979 the average income was $17,500, a Sony Walkman was $200.00, and a gallon of gas was .86 cents. It was also the last time New York City Bus Drivers were forced to strike to save their jobs.

On January 17, 2013, members of Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union went on strike for a simple reason, to protect their jobs.  As is with most unions, seniority is an essential piece of a union contract.   New York City however, has made a move to end seniority-based job guarantees, a cornerstone in ATU 1181’s contract.

Seniority is crucial to ATU 1181 members for two reasons. One, senior ATU 1181 members have top choice in selecting bus routes each school year.  Two, seniority guarantees re-hiring and job placement when drivers are laid off because their bus company has lost a city contract to run bus routes.

The first reason, the pick of a bus route, is more of a reward for tenure and years serving New York City.  The second however, is their livelihood, it guarantees workers the ability to feed and support their family each year, a protection that cannot be compromised.

Mayor Bloomberg’s Administration seeks to end seniority rights, which would not require companies to hire laid-off drivers.  The move would adjust the city’s bottom line by destroying decades of job protections and union families’ livelihoods. Allison Kilkenny of The Nation said of the move to end seniority rights, “It creates a system in which workers entrusted to be responsible for a child’s safety are utterly replaceable in the name of protecting the bottom line.”

Nearly 5,000 of New York City’s 7,700 bus routes have been shut down due to the strike. We have stood with ATU 1181 since day one.   President Bruce Both has called and written to Mayor Bloomberg, expressing our disgust and disappointment, instructing him, “Not everything is about the bottom line.” There is a disturbing growing trend throughout our country; it is to find a “better deal” at the expense of workers rights.  That is outright inexcusable.


We'll be marching in solidarity with striking ATU 1189 members this Sunday across the Brooklyn Bridge at 12:30 PM.  Then rallying at City Hall with hundreds of NYC Union Members.  Check out all the photos of our awesome members who walked the picket lines and kept striking ATU members warm with hot chocolate and hand warmers here: http://goo.gl/l1td6

Related articles

• We Support Striking Bus Drivers, You Should To!

We Support Striking Bus Drivers, You Should To!

The last time New York City School Bus Drivers were on strike was 1979.  Yesterday, New York City Bus Drivers went on strike for a 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.  A heads up to Mayor Bloomberg, you're not saving money or doing your city any good when you try to implement policy that degrades the lives of thousands of New York City residents.  Allison Kilkenny of the Nation sums it up best:

Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, is asking for Employment Protection Provisions to be included in the new contract to protect workers from losing their jobs to newer, cheaper labor. 

It matters because how we treat those who care for certain children reflects how we value those children. It creates a system in which workers entrusted to be responsible for a child’s safety are utterly replaceable in the name of protecting the bottom line.

UFCW Local 1500 President, Bruce Both,  has called and written a letter to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, expressing our disgust and disappointment in the administration's actions.

Support striking Bus Drivers by signing the petition or heading to a picket line to stand with thousands of workers fighting to protect their jobs, livelihoods and families.

Friday's News Bites

Press Release from UFCW Local 342: Members Say Cutbacks in Staff Hours, Budget Causes Resident Neglect at Catholic Nursing Home in Queens

Mayor Bloomberg vetoed NYC's prevailing wage bill.

Crain's NY Business: Despite Scandal, Walmart pushes on in NYC.

Elsewhere, a human torso was sent to BJ's Wholesale Club on accident, what?

Why? NYC is still the only municipality in New York to require finger printing when applying for Food Stamps.

Elsewhere, a human torso was sent to BJ's Wholesale Club by mistake, what?

And a reminder, Target in Valley Stream will be closing their doors for 'renovations' Saturday April 28.  We're calling this union-busting.

This Saturday is Workers' Memorial Day.  What's Workers Memorial Day? Check out this blog post: "Why Workers Memorial Day is Important to Me"  We're honoring and remembering all fallen and injured workers throughout the world.  To find an event near you, head here.

Mornin' Read: Thursday April 28

John Castimatidis' Red Apple Group has submitted plans to develop in Coney Island. 500,000 square feet w/ 25,000 dedicated to retail.

ShopRite in New Dorp, Staten Island, keeps a dietitian on staff.


Working in These Times covers our new campaign to help the workers at Target.

New Yorkers gave Walmart CEO, Mike Duke, an NYC welcome, check the video here.  Crain's New York Business reported the protest also....

As the forum wound down, Mr. Murray, the Journal editor, said to Mr. Duke, “Mike, I hope you appreciate this rousing welcome to New York.”

Happy New Year Morning One Liners

YourNabe (Queens Edition) explains the Walmart poll,  gets a few opinions from local elected officials in Queens, U.S. Representative Weiner had to say on the issue,

“I think that Walmart is an omnivorous competitor that squashes small business wherever it goes and small business is the lifeblood of New York City,” Weiner said. “I think that people like the shopping strips of Queens, which would become ghost towns if Walmart moved to the neighborhood.”

The story also quotes the President of the local Chamber of Commerce who said no one has came up to her, asking for a Walmart in the neighborhood.  Read the entire spot here: http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/12/30/queens/qns_queens_walmart_20101230.txt  

More @ The Queens Courier 

From Racked via WWD, gives a nicely detailed report on the potential Walmart NYC store format (with picture) with quotes from Steven Restivo, Walmart's Northeast Director of Community Relations, questioning the NYC Council hearing.

Next Animation TV created an interesting video of the Walmart/NYC saga.  The Observer has more.
 

NY Mag tell their readers that 'Wal-Mart Will Invade Brooklyn Come Hell, High Water, Or Lack of Parking Space', and asks, why won't Walmart listen to our disinterest and why do we need a Walmart in NYC?

In non-Walmart news, there will be a CB-11 hearing tonight on the new Fairway in Douglaston, Queens. [Patch]

Upstate NY, Supermarket Price Wars: Weis Markets, Wegman's Aldi, Walmart, Price Chopper continue.

Boston Herald: BJ's Takeover Back in the Spotlight

In Manchester, Iowa, a Mom & Pop store owner is circulating a petition to not allow Walmart's grocery expansion of their store.  The family operated store "Main Street Market" would be in jeopardy of closing if the Walmart expansion would occur. [Chicago Tribune]

Andrew Cuomo is seeking a One-Year salary freeze for all state employees. [NY Times]

Friday Morning One-Liners: A&P Rumors

Analysts are saying that A&P needs to shed more weight.  There are rumors floating of a bankruptcy filing by Monday.

Long Islanders are fearing 'toxic' reusable bags.

Mayor Bloomberg says Washington should look at NYC's job creation as a national model.

Mayor Bloomberg also spoke about Wal-Mart in NYC, saying they have the 'legal right' to open in the Big Apple.

Wal-Mart is ending their $1 premium Sunday pay. 


The Fresh Market is getting a lot of resistance trying to open in  Lincoln Park, Chicago.

The Wakefern Food Corp. on Monday opened a 90,000-square-foot extension to its existing supermarket warehouse in the Keasbey section. The addition will increase the warehouse's capacity by more than 25 percent. The 450,000-square-foot facility now has a total of 100 loading doors and employs 325 workers, officials said.

According the NY Post a Gristedes will take over for the Lowes Tower East, in Manhattan.

Fairway Douglaston (Queens): "No Opening Date Set, yet".

Rockaway gets a Stop & Shop, Tuesday Morning One Liners...

Mayor Bloomberg broke ground on a $23 Million, 55,000 Square-Foot, Stop and Shop at the Rockaway Peninsula Saturday.  The Stop & Shop will bring union jobs and a long needed supermarket to the under-served community.

The state of Tennessee is considering the sale of wine in Grocery stores.

Meanwhile, two Giant Eagle stores in Pittsburgh were awarded licenses to sell beer.

Winn-Dixie Stores (Florida) yesterday said it posted a loss of $8.1 million for the 12-week first fiscal quarter, as smaller average purchases dragged same-store sales down 1.5%. In the year-ago first quarter, the company posted a loss of $2.3 million. 

Wal-Mart announced their projected total cap ex for the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2010, to range from $12.5 to $13.1 billion, up from about $11.5 billion in fiscal year 2009.

Moody's Investors Service here last week said it expects revenue growth in the supermarket industry "will remain close to flat or slightly negative" into early 2010.

About 20,000 Fry's and Safeway workers in Arizona are still without a contract.

Fresh & Easy will expand into Fresno (California).

Fresh Direct is teaming up with Robin Hood, to fight poverty in NYC.

NJ: Mini-Marts and Bodega's, filling the void of no supermarkets in Atlantic City.

The re-developing Brooklyn Navy Yard received $1 million to develop a Green Manufacturing Center. A facility expected to employ 300 full-time workers.

Tomorrow Local 1500 is co-sponsoring a Summit on Good Food and Good Jobs in New York's Upper East Side all are invited and encouraged to attend the round table discussion.

UFCW Local 876 has developed the first UFCW Hearing benefits program.

1.5 Million people left New York between 2000 and 2008, the largest population loss in the nation.

Politics

The New York Times has endorsed Michael Bloomberg for Mayor.

The NY Post reports Andrew Cuomo will run for Governor.

Pathmark opens in New Dorp, Pomegranate turns one, Garment workers in LIC owed backwages

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Pathmark will re-open in New Dorp Staten Island this week. Grand Opening will be Friday at 10 AM

The Progressive Grocer looks at 'Pomegrante' the kosher and gourmet supermarket in Brooklyn, New York, turns one this month.

Supermarket News picked up the Wal-Mart looking into NYC story.

Queens Crap has a healthy discussion on Wal-Mart in NYC.

Long Island City: Garment workers owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages.
Local garment workers staged a protest against two clothing factories in Long Island City, Queens, on Tuesday. They were rallying for the rights of six Chinese workers, who allegedly are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages and allegedly were fired unlawfully from Great Wall Corp., a garment manufacturer, and Silver Fashion, a subcontractor which produces for Great Wall.

Is CVS moving into the former elegant, marble 14th Street Balducci's?

The Fresh Market is opening their second store in Philadelphia this week, the company continues to expand to the north east.

The latest government report shows more than 50% of peaches hold pesticides.

Upper West Side Whole Foods gets their own wine store.

Fresh & Easy will be launching their own private label beer.

Politics

Mayor Bloomberg will maintain control of schools until 2015.

The mayor in Houston wants to follow Bloomberg’s lead on term limits.

Christine Quinn, Marty Markowitz and Lew Fidler endorsed Darlene Mealy for re-election.

Another NJ Pathmark to close, Obama to visit Kroger, Wednesday Morning Read...

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Greenpeace says no to Trader Joe's seafood.

Ahold’s U.S. banners posted $5.2 billion in sales for the second quarter, which ended July 12, with gains at Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover but slowing sales at Giant-Carlisle, the company said in a trading statement Tuesday.

President Obama will visit a Kroger in Virginia.

Another Pathmark will close in New Jersey, this time in North Plainfield, as customers are shocked to hear the news that the store will close mid-August.

Another article on Wall Pathmark's closure [New Jersey] with customer reactions.

More: "A landmark for locals, Pathmark will close its doors after numerous attempts at revival."

St.Petersburg will get a Fresh Market, a company eager to expand into the NY area.

Wegman's proposes a new store for Rochester.

The MarketWatch writes an analysis on supermarket stocks during the downturn.

Survey: Chicago has the cheapest groceries.

On Monday, Governor David A. Paterson requested the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designate 17 New York counties as agricultural disaster areas due to bad weather conditions this growing season.

Another new BJ's development in Massachusetts.
They've also signed a new 5-year contract with Wirpo Bags.

FreshDirect problem, cardboard boxes for every delivery no matter what the size. FreshDirect says next year they'll stop using cardboard boxes all together next year.

NYC: 1 in 5 resturants were not inspected.


Politics. Politics.
Councilman De Blasio is back on the ballot for Public Advocate.

Calling for a single-payer healthcare system in N.Y.

David Patterson's fate is a concern after the continued decline of polling numbers.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is still considered the favorite as he seeks a third term, but the incumbent's lead over NYC Comptroller William Thompson (D) has shrunk considerably in recent months. A new Quinnipiac poll shows Bloomberg ahead, 47% to 37%

Senate Panel Endorses Sotomayor
President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, moved closer to taking her seat on Tuesday as the Senate Judiciary Committee overwhelmingly approved her nomination and sent it on to the full Senate. But the contentious public hearings this month and Tuesday's largely partisan committee vote demonstrated that judicial confirmations remain a hotly contested political and ideological battleground with implications for Mr. Obama's future choices for the courts. The committee's vote was 13 to 6, with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina the only Republican joining the panel's 12 Democrats in voting for the nomination.

Prayer Vigil for Food Justice

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Inter-Faith Leaders to Join Forces with United Food and Commercial Workers 1500 to Call on Elected Officials to End Child Hunger and Support a Just and

What: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist faith leaders will join representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500, We Act for Environmental Justice, The Majora Carter Group, and the NYC Coalition Against Hunger on the steps of City Hall to demand changes to food policy at the city and federal level.

When: Thursday, June 18th 9am

Who: Lisa Sharon Harper, New York Faith & Justice

Charles Calloway, We Act for Environmental Justice
Allen Strouse, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500
Alexandra Yannias, Interfaith Voices Against Hunger/Feed the Solution
James Subudhi, We ACT for Environmental Justice
Tanya Fields, The Majora Group
Rabbi Jeremy Kalmonofsky, Ansche Chesed
Anindita Chatterjee Bhaumik, Faith Connect
Jaspreet Singh, United Sikhs
Nurah Amatullah, Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development

Where: New York City Hall, Manhattan

Visuals: Faith leaders and non-profit leaders joining hands on City Hall steps.

Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice, co-chaired by Lisa Sharon Harper (New York Faith & Justice) and Charles Calloway (We ACT for Environmental Justice), is a diverse collaboration between faith leaders committed to making deep impact on issues of environmental justice in New York City through coordinated collective action on issues such as food justice, climate justice, and energy conservation.


United Food and Commercial Workers Join Forces with Inter-Faith Leaders to Call for a Just and Sustainable Food System for NYC

Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist faith leaders locked hands with representatives of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500, We Act for Environmental Justice, and the NYC Coalition Against Hunger on the steps of City Hall to demand changes to food policy at the city and federal level. Their “demands” were in the form of prayers and policy recommendations.

On the City level, faith leaders urged Mayor Bloomberg to include food policy in PlaNYC, an omission that disproportionately affects low-income and minority residents who are more likely to be unable to afford and access healthy food in their communities.

On the federal level, faith leaders called on Congressional leaders to support a strong Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which Congress will consider this year.

Lisa Sharon Harper, co-chair of Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice, the vigil’s sponsor, explained, “Low income black and brown families are sitting in the back of the bus when it comes to food in New York City. They pay up to twice as much for less nutritional value and they are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes as higher income New Yorkers.”

“As faith leaders,” Harper said, “we have a moral mandate to speak up when the very lives of the vulnerable are threatened by the systems that govern us.”

Said Alexandra Yannias, coordinator of Interfaith Voices Against Hunger/Feed the Solution, an initiative of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, and facilitator of the Faith Leaders’ food justice working group: “As more children suffer from hunger, obesity, and diabetes in our communities, we must improve federal legislation for child nutrition to create a healthier generation. We call on Congress to support a strong Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act by increasing the per meal reimbursement for school meals to allow the programs to purchase healthier foods and by making the programs universal in low-income neighborhoods.”

Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice, co-chaired by Harper and Charles Calloway of We ACT for Environmental Justice, is a diverse collaboration between faith leaders committed to making deep impact on issues of environmental justice in New York City through coordinated collective action on issues such as food justice, climate justice, and energy conservation.

At the group’s May 2009 breakfast gathering representatives from the Office of Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, and the Department of Health highlighted some promising policy recommendations one of which was the creation of a “food shed” for the city.

A food shed would create a 200-mile zone around New York City that could provide more fresh produce at a cheaper rate by taking advantage of local farms and distributors. Though the city would not expect to obtain 100 percent of its food from the food shed, it would seek to provide as much food as possible from the food shed to streamline the city’s food system.

Policy decisions must integrate a just and sustainable food system into the political structure of New York City. Currently, fast food restaurants are subsidized by the city to locate at 125th street or above. Meanwhile, supermarkets are closing in that area and pharmacies are opening in their place to meet the high demands for diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease medication.

“The city’s FRESH program offers economic incentives for healthy supermarkets to locate in currently underserved areas,” said Harper. “Incentives are what we need but they must come in tandem with standards developed by the people of the community.”

“Job standards are especially important, since underserved areas have the highest rates of poverty and unemployment,” added Allen Strouse, Food Policy Associate for United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500. “Incentives need to guarantee that employers provide good jobs so that programs like FRESH truly benefit working-class New Yorkers. We need supermarkets that bring good food, good jobs, and good
health.”

UFCW, which serves the interests of 22,000 members, will participate in the vigil.

The day of justice continued that evening at New York Faith and Justice’s event, An Offering of Letters for Food Justice. Hosted by St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 521 W. 126th St at 7 pm, participants shared stories of food injustice and its effects in our city and our schools. They wrote letters to Mayor Bloomberg and congressional representatives calling for food to be adopted as part of PlanNYC and for the passage of the Child Reauthorization Act.

Said Yannias, “We cannot continue to stand-by as low-income communities in New York City suffer from hunger and diet-related diseases. We must take action now by calling on our representatives on the federal and city levels to improve how we feed our children and our communities.”

Lisa Sharon Harper, who is also executive director of New York Faith & Justice, reflected, “For those who have much, food seems like an insignificant side issue. For those who have little, food is the difference between life and death, health and debt.”

“We must redistribute the health in New York City,” Harper added, “and we must do it now.”


Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice is guided by the cooperative leadership of New York Faith & Justice, We Act for Environmental Justice, the Interfaith Center of New York, New York Theological Seminary, Hazon, Interfaith Voices Against Hunger, NY Divinity School, Riverside Church of New York City, and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

Recycling water bottles put on hold, UFCW merge in Ohio, Non-Union supermarkets not paying baggers, Wednesday Morning One Liners...

Image by quaisi via Flickr

Peapod has introduced a line of six ready-to-heat, healthy prepared meals by celebrity Chicago chef Michael Foley. Exclusive to the e-grocer, the restaurant-quality entrees are available for

delivery in the Chicago market under the Peapod’s Chef Express Smart Selections brand.

The New York State Department of Labor announced a major settlement with supermarkets (non-union) that were not paying their baggers an hourly wage.

Newsday: The future of the Supermarket: Hand Scanners.

NY Times Dining section says goodbye to Balducci's and Hello Gourmet Garage.

More on the Ohio UFCW merger.

IGA opened a store in Guam last week.

This week the National Association of Chain Drug Stores sent a letter to Congressional leaders asking for pro-patient, pro-pharmacy provisions in healthcare reform.

The Illinois Food Marketing Task Force is calling on lawmakers to create a new “Illinois Fresh Food Fund” initiative to stimulate supermarket development in underserved areas across the state while simultaneously improving health in low-income communities and attracting significant private investment and jobs

A new Stop & Shop in Orangeberg...

Politics

The expansion on NY State's recycling laws has been halted by a federal judge, putting a stop to recycling water bottles, which the state anticipated to receive millions of dollars from to aid the budget.

Environmentalists are upset that a court has delayed the state's bottle deposit law.

New York City is the safest of the 25 largest cities in the United States.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city labor officials announced a tentative agreement Tuesday to amend health benefits for more than 550,000 current and retired city employees, guaranteeing the city $400 million in savings over the next two fiscal years.

The Governor of Colorado has turned his back on UFCW members.

Happy Friday Morning One Liners...

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Costco invades Harlem.

Toys 'R' Us is exploring groceries?

They're also promoting low price items in their stores.

Balducci's is closing a store...It's one of four closings the company will make by June of this year.

UFCW Local 555 files an unfair labor practice against Kroger.

Bruno's is asking federal bankruptcy judge to change their union contract in order to aid the sale of the company.

Jim Donald, former CEO of Starbucks and Pathmark gives some tips for tough times.

Brooklyn's Pomegrante is highlighted in Supermarket News for their Passover specialties.

Wage and Hour Watchers in New York City.

When a workers salary is lighter...

NY Times (Michael Barbaro): Grocery Workers to Back Bloomberg, Slighting Democratic Rival

In the first labor endorsement of the mayor's race, the union representing 12,000 of the city's supermarket workers will back Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for re-election....

Fairway to open in Connecticut, Springsteen calls Wal-Mart deal a 'mistake', Monday Morning One Liners...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Fairway gets the OK to build its first Connecticut store.

In an interview with the New York Times Bruce Springsteen calls his exclusive Wal-Mart deal a "mistake"...“given its labor history, it was something that if we’d thought about it a little longer, we’d have done something different.”

The United Food and Commercial Workers union on Friday said it supported the White House Taskforce on Middle Class Working Families, which will be led by Vice President Joe Biden.
Read more of this story

Amazon.com eyes Grocery in the UK.

Whole Foods Market last week offered to settle the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust investigation of its 2007 acquisition of Wild Oats Markets.
Read more of this story

An appeals court in Amsterdam has sentenced three former Ahold executives to suspended sentences and fines over their roles in the retailer's 2003 accounting scandal, reports said.
Read more of this story

Perry Kramer, vice president of sales operations, corporate and distributed solutions at BJ’s Wholesale Club, Natick, Mass., has been elected co-chair of the board of directors of the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), the standards division of the National Retail Federation here.

Politics

Gillibrand to meet with Hispanics on Immigration.

SNL doesn't care if Patterson is offended.

Bloomberg: "No joke, I'll cut 23,000 jobs"

Lawmakers say Citi should remove its name from the new Mets' stadium.

Another 12 million dollar lawsuit against Wal-Mart, Labor Secretary appointment, Friday Morning...

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Crain's is hosting a conference featuring Michael Bloomberg on the future of New York.

The NY Times takes a look at the Labor Secretary appointment.

Here's Stuart Applebaum on the Labor Secretary appointment.

Wal-Mart refused to allow a Salvation Army Volunteer to ring his holiday bell inside the store in the midst of a blizzard.

Wal-Mart may try to open a second Chicago store...

An Arab- and Muslim-American man filed a $12 million lawsuit Thursday against a Wal-Mart store that caters to his community -- saying employees discriminated against him and fired him because of his background.

About 150 workers at a Wal-Mart store here became the ninth group of Canadian Wal-Mart employees to be granted union certification, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union said Thursday.
Read more of this story

Must Read: "Newspapers need to cover labor as fairly as they cover themselves" An Excellent Editorial..

Rite Aid continues to fall, forecast cut...


Politics

The Daily News looks at Caroline Kennedy's voting record.

New York Gov. David Paterson says Andrew Cuomo wants to be considered for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Patterson on the budget cuts: "I certainly accept the criticism because I can't tell anyone they're wrong," Paterson told reporters in Manhattan. "The education cuts are draconian. The health care cuts are prohibitive. The taxes being levied on New York's citizens are not fair. But when you add it all up, we think we delivered the pain pretty evenly." Two days after unveiling his plan to cut $15.4 billion in deficits over the next 16 months, the governor found himself

The AP takes a glance at the donors for the Clinton foundation.

Embattled defense contractor Blackwater Worldwide contributed a pile of cash to Bill Clinton's foundation, newly released records show - the first potential conflict for his wife, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, who may ultimately decide if the contractor stays in Iraq.

Here are the winners of Schumers Inauguration lottery.

Monday News...

The NY Times covers the Chicago Factory sit-in.

More than 70 Mexican and Jamaican agriculture workers at multi-million dollar Ontario mushroom farm are fired, evicted and face defacto deportation [UFCW Press Release]

The Toronto Star has a more detailed story.

RWDSU President Stuart Applebaum has issued a statement.

A&P has released a "Winter preparation guide"

The Hudson Reporter offers a solution to the lack of Supermarkets, in NJ at least.

A man was kidnapped, stabbed at a Wal-Mart in San Diego.

An Immigration raid and legal action have left a northeast Iowa kosher slaughterhouse reeling, but they're not the reason the plant has struggled to remain open. Instead, a company that once was the nation's largest provider of kosher meat has crumbled largely due to a simple problem: an inability to hire enough workers.

Whole Foods has hired top lobbyists and lawyers to plead their FTC case in DC.

Whole Foods was mentioned in a WSJ article regarding 'Job Perks worth getting'

Politics

Adolfo Carrion Jr. revealed in New Haven Friday night that he’s being nominated for a top post in the incoming Obama administraiton.

Mayor Bloomberg will attend Vito Fossella's farewell bash.

The NYC City Council announces millions in cuts.

Fresh & Easy workers want a Union, Trader Joe's in Brooklyn buzz, Friday Morning One Liners...

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A Butcher employed at Citarella's who was previously employed at Balducci's, has been arrested for smuggling cocaine into Italy, citing the US' weak economy as a motive.

Lots of buzz surrounding the new Trader Joe's in Brooklyn.

More here @ Urbanite.

The Racked.com, a popular Metro area blog writes "Gristedes really can't win".

As reported last week on the hundreds of Muslims who walked off the job in protest, hundreds of non-Muslim workers walked off the job in counterprotests Wednesday and Thursday morning in support of their co-workers.

The city's unemployment rate increased nearly one percentage point to 5.8% in August, making it the biggest month-to-month jump in three decades.

Tesco's rapidly-expanding Fresh & Easy US grocery business is facing its first formal call for union recognition from its workforce, following organising efforts by the United Food and Commercial Workers, the largest US grocery union

New York State on Tuesday began offering an “enhanced driver’s license,” one of a number of non-passport citizen travel documents that are making their way down bureaucratic government pipelines.  Read the NYT Article here.

Politics, Politics

The Door is open for Fosella to get back on the ballot.

Gov. Sarah Palin and other elected officials have been disinvited from an anti-Iran rally scheduled for Monday at the United Nations, organizers of the rally and the campaign of Senator John McCain said.

Sen. Kevin Parker, 41, has been accused of assaulting a staffer, he apparently, pushed her, knocking her glasses to the floor - and then purposely stepped on them, according to the police report.

Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market here said it has received a letter from an employee at a store in Orange County seeking union recognition for workers at that store.
Read more of this story

 

A&P's Pathmark banner is celebrating its 40th anniversary with 40% off savings.
Read more of this story

 

As part of an effort to prevent allergic reactions to food, Stop & Shop has replaced the tree nuts it once sold from its bulk bins with prepackaged varieties.
Read more of this story

 

Wegmans Food Markets here said yesterday that it is just starting to receive the first of 101 fuel-efficient trucks that will make up 60% of its next-generation truck fleet.
Read more of this story

 

Hillary Clinton has an op-ed about health care for women