Feature Archives

Within weeks of forming a union, employees of Bay Area News Group were shocked at the seemingly retaliatory firings of at least 20 journalists who had worked to form the East Bay bargaining unit. Last week, the Northern California Media Workers Guild filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The 230-member Bay Area News Group East Bay bargaining unit includes the Oakland Tribune and other East Bay papers, as well as the San Mateo County Times on the peninsula.

On July 22nd, over 3,000 people rallied at the Port of Oakland to protest against pollution and poverty. Many truck drivers at the port make as little as $8 an hour and receive no benefits. The port trucking system requires drivers to sit idle in their trucks for hours everyday while their trucks spew out toxic diesel emissions. Port diesel pollution is associated with high rates of cancer and asthma. As a result, cancer and asthma rates are higher in West Oakland than other parts of the Bay Area.

On June 1st, auto technicians and service advisors in Mountain View went on strike after their contract with Allison BMW expired. Allison BMW was recently purchased by the Florida based corporation, Autonation. The new owner demanded that workers accept a contract that would, "bring them into line with the rest of the nation." This meant cuts in hourly wages, no paid sick days, fewer paid holidays and higher health premiums and deductables. The issue of greatest concern was that of the flat rate. The company wants a system where the technician is given a time limit for each task. If the worker completes the job within that time frame they are paid the full amount. However, if they don't, for whatever reason, they must complete the work on their own time.

On July 1st, Starbucks announced that it will be closing 600 stores. Starbucks has been expanding for the past two decades and in many cases bought out other chains resulting in stores located within blocks or even on the same block as each other. Consumers in San Francico and New York have been vocal about the urban blight created by a Starbucks on every corner. The IWW Starbucks Workers Union responded to the closures saying they are deeply troubled that management's numerous missteps are resulting in more serious hardships for baristas, bussers, and shift supervisors. Starbucks has a history of anti-union activity and the IWW held a global day of action against Starbucks on July 5th.

On July 2, hundreds of Hyatt workers and community supporters rallied in front of the Santa Clara Hyatt Hotel. More than 300 demonstrators circled the entire front entry access of the hotel where they passed out leaflets to hotel guests and visitors.

8,500 University of California workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) initiated a five-day strike at UC’s ten campuses and five medical centers. The strike, which began on July 14th, concluded on July 18th. At issue are poverty wages as low as $10 per hour. Many employees work 2-3 jobs and qualify for public assistance to meet their families’ basic needs.

LaborFest will take place this year from July 5th through July 31st. LaborFest was established in 1994 to institutionalize the history and culture of working people in an annual labor cultural, film and arts festival. July 5th is the anniversary of the 1934 “Bloody Thursday” event. On that day, two maritime workers were killed by the police attack on strikers and their supporters. This touched off a general strike and led to the complete shutdown of the city.