Feature Archives

Hundreds of union member/delegates have gathered in Chicago to take part in the AFL-CIO's 25th Constitutional Convention from July 25th–28th. The Convention marks the 50th anniversary of the merging of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. On the opening day, two of the largest unions in the A.F.L.-C.I.O. - the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters - said that they are leaving the federation. Although the announcement was anticipated, it still shocked the world as it underscored a major schism in the national labor movement. This occurred 3 days after the United Farm Workers joined the Teamsters, the SEIU, and other major unions in the Change to Win Coalition | Read more

On the second day of the conference, the AFL-CIO passed a resolution stating that the US troops should be brought home as soon as possible. The resolution also states "No foreign policy can be sustained without the informed consent of the American people. The American people were misinformed before the war began and have not been informed about the reality on the ground and the very difficult challenges that lie ahead." Us Labor Against War statement.

Conference Updates: Audio from 7/25 | Pre-conference audio

On Sunday, July 24th, 2005, a meeting of labor activists from around the United States took place in Chicago, across town from where the AFL-CIO Convention was set to take place. The 'Rank and File Conference to Take Back our Unions' declared its intention to "Take Back Our Unions" from the clutches of the highly paid union 'business executives' who have taken control of the "once proud and powerful American Labor Movement." This gathering was organized by the Labor Action Coalition. Read more

On Thursday, July 28th, a labor conference entitled "Democracy and Divisions in the House of Labor" will be held at California State University Sacramento.

Read more updates on Chicago Indymedia

Starbucks terminated IWW member Sarah Bender, a worker at the 17th St. and 1st Ave. store in Manhattan, for union activity. Bender's termination marks the first time since the founding of the Starbucks Workers Union that the company has fired a worker for union organizing. The pretext for her termination was that she allegedly came out six dollars short on her cash register.

Management learned that Sarah was associated with the Starbucks Workers Union after she hosted a party attended by Union members. Since then, the company disciplined her to build a phony case for firing her. Bender is coordinating her own defense and is in serious need of financial assistance for campaign expenses. Starbucks workers are asking all supporters to call-in on August 1st to show support for workers' right to organize a union and outrage at the firing of a fellow worker. Read Full article

Starbucks Workers Union website | Related articles on the Newswire | Related Feature Articles 1 | 2

On July 18, 2005 the Northern California Bricklayers/Stonemasons went on strike. Events leading up to the strike began when contract negotiations broke down last week. BAC decided to call a strike against members of the contractors association in an effort to get them to return to negotiations. The major points of contention focus around health care, retiree subsidy, pension funding, and travel compensation.

Bricklayers/Stonemasons and Allied Craftworkers represent approximately 3,000 Bricklayers/Stonemasons, Tile Layers and Finishers, Pointer Cleaner Caulkers, Marble Setters and Finishers, Terrazzo Mechanics and Finishers, and Refractory Bricklayers/Stonemasons who work various aspects of the industry in the Northern 46 counties of California. Read Full Article

BAC Local 3 Website | Related Articles on the Newswire

Teamsters GCIU local 4N has started contract negotiations with the Hearst Corporation, in what many think will be a fierce labor battle. In december, the Chronicle hired notorious union buster Frank Vega as publisher, whose reputation followed him after a 20 month strike at The Detroit Free Press. One of the first moves from Vega, at the Chronicle, was to install surveillance cameras on workers and distribute a 17 page memo detailing the Chronicle's plan of strike-breaking in the event of a strike or lockout.

Negotiations - The Hearst/Chronicle proposals submitted to the various Chronicle unions whose contracts expired on July 1, 2005 include provisions for the Chronicle to dramatically reduce wages, outsource work, eliminate each union’s jurisdiction by allowing non-union employees to do union work side by side with union members, and create a two tier condition for wages and benefits. Despite the outrageous demands, the unions all agreed to enter into bargaining. According to representatives of Local 4N, the Hearst Corporation is refusing to bargain in good faith.

Community Support - The Hearst Corporation's unwillingness to engage in serious discussion with union representatives brought the issue to the streets where many members of the bay area’s labor community showed their support. Frustrated by stalled negotiations, Local 4N & community allies held a rally in front of the Chronicle building at 5th and Mission on Monday, July 11, 2005 Photos - 1

Related - Labor | Related articles on the newswire | GCIU Local 4N website

From Chicago Indymedia - On July 25th, over a thousand union delegates will gather at Chicago's Navy Pier for the 2005 AFL-CIO Convention. Confronted by decades of union busting, benefit cuts, privatization, job and pension loss, racism, continuing attacks on public education and health care systems, a dismal foreign policy record, and the abject failure by the Federation to stem the rightward corporate lurch of the Democratic Party, delegates will be presented with a series of contending leadership proposals to deal with labor's growing organizational crisis -- and face the possibility of a split within the AFL-CIO. Whether rank and file delegates can actually have an impact on this process, or whether it will be decided by a handful of powerful business union leaders remains to be seen. But in the days ahead, rank and file union activists will also be strategizing to rebuild a militant and democratic U.S. labor movement -- and strengthen solidarity with workers abroad.

On Saturday, July 23, activists will convene the first national Labor Conference for Palestine. On Sunday, July 24, the National "Take Back Our Unions" Rank and File Conference will meet to discuss the ongoing crisis in the AFL-CIO - followed later that evening by a film screening of "Waging a Living". On Sunday afternoon union members will join with Latin American solidarity groups for an rally at Navy Pier in support of a convention resolution challeging the AFL-CIO's relationship with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) -- and NED schemes to intervene in countries like Venezuela. US Labor Against the War and other labor groups will also try and float convention resolutions calling for an immediate withdrawal of US troops and an end to the occupation of Iraq.

Related Sites: Labor Action Coalition | Labor Notes | Labor Net | Labor Beat | Community Labor News | Workers Independent News Service (WINS) | LabourStart | Latin American Solidarity Coalition | Say No to NED | U.S. Labor Against the War

On Sunday, July 17th, several thousand farmworkers and their supporters marched through the Mission and Castro districts of San Francisco to promote the United Farm Workers' boycott of Gallo wines. The UFW has been bringing attention to how the Gallos abuse, cheat and deny the great majority of their Sonoma County vineyard workers benefits, job protections and humane living conditions. They also pay wages that are lower than other area wine grape growers.
Photos from the SF march: 1 | 2 | Article that includes a list of Gallo wine labels

The UFW's Campaign Against Gallo was inaugurated on June 14th. More actions against Gallo have been continuing, particularly in Healdsburg. The UFW has scheduled its first national day of internet organizing against Gallo for Tuesday, July 19th.
GalloUnfair.Com | United Farm Workers

Although a BART strike was averted by a last minute agreement and a new contract, there is still much commuter dissatisfaction with the Bay Area's largest transit system. BART was created in the 1960s well after General Motors, it's front organization National City Lines, the automotive industry, the oil cartel, and the US Government decided to destroy inner-city mass transit by declaring it obsolete and declaring that the private automobile with its wasteful and polluting internal combustion engine was the pinnacle of freedom.

From the Newswire... "BART workers need to realize that the riders ought to be their allies, not their enemy. Instead of engaging in a work-stoppage strike, BART workers ought to consider a strike that allows all riders to ride for free.... Meanwhile, BART ridership needs to realize that the BART workers are not their enemy either. BART workers don't decide to raise BART fares, BART management does." Read More.