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Recycling Shop Votes for IWW Representation
Buyback recyclers have unanimously voted for IWW representation.
Fellow Workers:<br><br>I am pleased to announce that the Buyback recyclers at the Berkeley CCC
shop have voted *UNANIMOUSLY* (16 yes - 0 no) for the IWW to represent them as their union today!<br><br>There were 19 eligible voters, 1 was absent, 1 was challeneged (but was allowed to voted). The workers were obviously pumped. When the election was over and the votes counted, the manager, Jeff Belchamber conceded
defeat by saying, "well, I guess the workers have spoken."<br><br>Indeed they have, and we wre now gearing up for contract negotiations. We
expect to do very well, based on the solid support the workers have for the union.<br><br>I was waiting for the results at a nearby Taqueria along with one of the Buyback recyclers. When another co-worker, Augustin, came by, he was excited and was giving us high-fives as he announced the vote. Everyone else showed up soon after and we celebrated with bear, chips & salsa (though we will have a bigger victory celebration soon after this). All were talking about negotiating the contract and their probable demands. FWs Steve Toff, Bruce Valde, and Stacey Means were also present
as we enjoyed this brief success. <br><br>
Now the real work begins. We have to do the following:<br><br>
(1) Send out Press Releases (later tonight);<br>
(2) Begin negotiating the Buyback Contract;<br>
(3) Renegotiate the Curbside Contract (because the year-ending CPI-W for the San Francisco Bay Area exceeds 5.4% and this qualifies for an opener),
and;<br>(4) Target other unorganized recycling shops in the Bay Area. We are already looking at a shop in Oakland.<br><br>For more details, come to the East Bay IWW meeting Thursday, February 8th at 7 PM at 2022 Blake St in Berkeley (if you're local). That's *tomorrow* (today is Wednesday, February 8th).
shop have voted *UNANIMOUSLY* (16 yes - 0 no) for the IWW to represent them as their union today!<br><br>There were 19 eligible voters, 1 was absent, 1 was challeneged (but was allowed to voted). The workers were obviously pumped. When the election was over and the votes counted, the manager, Jeff Belchamber conceded
defeat by saying, "well, I guess the workers have spoken."<br><br>Indeed they have, and we wre now gearing up for contract negotiations. We
expect to do very well, based on the solid support the workers have for the union.<br><br>I was waiting for the results at a nearby Taqueria along with one of the Buyback recyclers. When another co-worker, Augustin, came by, he was excited and was giving us high-fives as he announced the vote. Everyone else showed up soon after and we celebrated with bear, chips & salsa (though we will have a bigger victory celebration soon after this). All were talking about negotiating the contract and their probable demands. FWs Steve Toff, Bruce Valde, and Stacey Means were also present
as we enjoyed this brief success. <br><br>
Now the real work begins. We have to do the following:<br><br>
(1) Send out Press Releases (later tonight);<br>
(2) Begin negotiating the Buyback Contract;<br>
(3) Renegotiate the Curbside Contract (because the year-ending CPI-W for the San Francisco Bay Area exceeds 5.4% and this qualifies for an opener),
and;<br>(4) Target other unorganized recycling shops in the Bay Area. We are already looking at a shop in Oakland.<br><br>For more details, come to the East Bay IWW meeting Thursday, February 8th at 7 PM at 2022 Blake St in Berkeley (if you're local). That's *tomorrow* (today is Wednesday, February 8th).
For more information:
http://bari.iww.org/
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IMC Network
For Immediate Release:
DATE: February 7, 2001
HEADLINE: Recyclers Unanimously Vote to Join IWW in Berkeley
CONTACTS:
¨ Steve Toff, Branch Secretary, San Francisco IWW
PHONE - (415) 831-0386 or (415) 863-9627
¨ Steve Ongerth, Branch Secretary, East Bay IWW
PHONE - (510) 845-0540 or (510) 663-4590
SUMMARY: Recyclers at Community Conservation Centers in Berkeley,
California vote 16-0 in favor of union recognition by the Industrial
Workers of the World (IWW).
Today, workers from the Community Conservation Centers
"buy-back" recycling center in Berkeley (CCC) voted unanimously to join
the East Bay Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World. Out of 19
workers eligible to vote (at least one of who was absent) all sixteen that
voted chose to vote for the union. The election was officially sanctioned
by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The vote took place at the
end of the work-day. After the vote was counted, manager Jeff Belchamber
assessed the results and declared that "the workers had spoken". The
workers then celebrated their victory.
Over the past four months, the workers at CCC have been organizing a union
to win better working conditions, including better pay, more vacation
time, specific skill level definitions, and more democracy on the job. An
overwhelming majority of workers at the shop had signed union
authorization cards calling on the IWW to represent them as their union
bargaining agent, and most of them participated in the organizing
campaign, even wearing red, IWW union shirts the day before Wednesday's
election.
Workers from CCC and East Bay IWW representatives had approached
management with a letter sanctioned by the workers on Wednesday, December
27, 2000. The letter requested voluntary recognition of the union from
their employer, Jeff Belchamber. Management refused to voluntarily
recognize the union, so both parties prepared for the official, government
sponsored election. During the campaign, management remained more or less
neutral towards the organizing efforts.
With today's vote, CCC becomes the second recycling shop represented by
the IWW in Berkeley (and the Bay Area). The workers at CCC, with the help
of the IWW, will now begin negotiating a contract with management. The
IWW encourages other recyclers in the Bay Area not already represented by
a union to organize their shops as well. The East Bay IWW can be
contacted at (510) 845-0540. The San Francisco IWW can be contacted at
(415) 863-9627. The union's website is http://www.iww.org/
-----------------------------