UFCW President Hansen on Senate Rules Agreement

UFCW President Hansen on Senate Rules Agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement after the Senate reached an agreement on nominations to the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and other key posts. 

“When it comes to the Senate, this is the best day for workers and their families in years, if not longer. Today a path was created to confirm a Secretary of Labor with a track record of standing up for workers’ rights, a fully functioning NLRB that can carry out its important mission of promoting collective bargaining and protecting the right to organize, and the first director of the CFPB so everyday consumers have an advocate to defend them from the predatory practices of big banks.

“Today would not have been possible without the voices of millions of Americans—including many UFCW members—who have demanded that the Senate end the gridlock and give nominees to important posts an up or down vote. While a change in rules did not occur, today’s agreement is a direct result of those pushing for a more functional Senate. I sincerely hope this marks the beginning, not the end, of a process where executive branch nominees are considered in a fair and timely fashion.”

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Top 11 Industry Stories This Week!

— TOP 11 INDUSTRY/LABOR NEWS ARTICLES FROM THIS WEEK — 1.  Rumors: Yucaipa is said to be mulling the purchase of the Fresh & Easy chain. 2. The Senate passed the Farm Bill this week...Here's what's in it, and here's how your Senators voted. 3. Labor Speech Ruling in California: The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not review a case involving the constitutionality of labor-related speech by UFCW Local 8 on private property in California. 4.  The Fresh Market cites success in their California expansion. 5.  No Purchase Necessary: A&P has settled a charge it violated NYS laws conducting a sweepstakes promotion earlier this year, in March.   6.  Ford & the UAW are negoitating a new "wellness" program, where workers will get paid more if they meet certain wellness goals. 7.  Could NYC have 4 Casinos in 7 Years? See what Gov. Cuomo said. 8. Exclusive: Walmart's hiring strategy: Hire Temps....YEAR ROUND. 9. Walmart accepted clothing from banned Bangladesh factories. 10.  Fairway posted a 4Q Loss...but is still on the upside of grocery stocks. 11.  Your Dad definitely wants a Union-Made Gift! Check out AFL-CIO's Father's Day Gift guide! Bonus On the Blog: Amish Market's Owner Sentenced to Jail...Because of Brave Workers Thanks and to all the Fathers out there....Happy Father's Day!

NYS Senate Wants to Make it OK for Businesses to Steal Wages

It's a crime that this isn't receiving much attention in NY Political arenas, blogs and papers.  Thankfully the Huffington Post did a write up on NY State Senate Republicans motions to remove and repeal New York's Wage Theft Prevention Act, an act designed and used to protect workers, guaranteeing they're paid the correct wages, protecting workers from dishonest employers.

We put out a release on Tuesday slamming the Senate's budget resolution for including the full repeal of the WTPA.  When Republicans cite that the act of ensuring their employees are receiving the correct pay is "a costly mandate", it's just bad politics, again.

WESTBURY, NEW YORK (03/13/2012))-- New York State's largest grocery workers Union criticized yesterday's State Senate budget resolution for including the full repeal of the Wage Theft Prevention Act. The Wage Theft Prevention Act was passed in 2010 and increased penalties for employers who fail to pay their employees their proper wages. The Senate voted last week to begin repealing portions of the bill,

"The Republican Party in New York has proven that they believe the only way for New York to be open for business is if employers feel comfortable that they can get away with stealing from their workers" said Patrick Purcell, spokesperson for United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, the lead Union in the campaign to pass the WTPA in 2010.

"Part V, under the New Jobs New York section of the Senate budget proposal, seeks to repeal the Wage Theft Prevention Act of 2010 because it is, according the Republicans, a costly mandate on NY employers. The absurdity of this proposal is that the WTPA is only costly to the employers who steal. So for the first time in recent history, the Republican Senate has decided to act on behalf of actual thieves. Dead beat employers all over New York State should sleep soundly knowing Republican Senators such as Jack Martin, Marty Golden, Kemp Hannon and Lee Zeldin are looking out for their interest," Purcell stated.

Last week the State Senate voted to repeal the annual notice portion of the Wage Theft Prevention Act, a one page document an employee must sign to acknowledge the wage that has been promised them by their employer.

"Clearly the Republican Senators have discovered the hidden reason some New York businesses are struggling in today's economy. It is the tremendous burden of this one sheet of paper their employees must fill out once a year," Purcell claimed. "Perhaps if employers were not required to get this one-sheet of paper filled out, the economy could move forward and good business owners like Mario Batali and Moutaz Ali can get back to turning profits while robbing their workers of their earned wages," Purcell concluded.

Last Thursday, Batali was ordered to pay $5.25 million to 1,100 workers in seven of his restaurants who claim to have been cheated out of tips. Also last week, Moutaz Ali, owner of Veranda Restaurant in Greenwich Village agreed to pay $150,000 in restitution for employees who were paid below the minimum wage and did not receive overtime pay as required by law. In addition, the eatery was ordered to pay out $50,000 in restitution for damages, lost wages, and penalties for wrongfully terminating the two complaining workers.

UFCW Local 1500 represents 23,000 grocery workers in New York State. Members are employed by Stop Shop, Shop Rite, Pathmark, King Kullen and Fairway. Their members live and work in Long Island, the five boroughs, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.

Court to rule on Wal-Mart's unionized store closures, Peanut Butter recall, Politics politics politics...

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