Working Life

A few weeks ago, I talked about the vast pay discrimination against women who work for supermarket chain Fred Meyer: 2/3 of women are paid $3.70 less than men doing essentially the same job. The union representing the workers—UFCW Local 555—is in hard, brass knuckles bargaining with Fred Meyer to end this. But in the […]

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Another day, another profitable corporation trying to skim more dough from the pockets of workers. Thousands of workers are striking Stop & Shop in the Northeast—I’m joined by Julie Sabo, one of those workers and a 38-year veteran of the company. Then, a top official of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), First Officer James […]

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Having chicken tonight? Go right ahead, but pause for a few minutes to listen to my look at the brutal working conditions faced by poultry plant workers—and the entirely insane idea being pushed by industry lobbyists to make those birds whizz by even faster on the factory assembly line. I, then, take us half way […]

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   Hey, as someone who lived just up the road from Redondo Beach for a bit, here’s some good news: In a decision that could have a wide-ranging effect on other cities with similar laws, a federal appeals court ruled that a Redondo Beach ordinance aimed at cracking down on day laborers is an unconstitutional […]

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   Nobody noticed that this past Friday was the first official day the Laborers were back in the AFL-CIO. I tweeted it and posted the fact on Facebook (I’ve not quite gotten back to blogging here full-time again but hope to do so soon). Which made me think: when will Change To Win officially fold? […]

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  One of the ugliest fights for worker justice has taken place in Tar Heel, North Carolina, which is about 80 miles south of Raleigh. For 17 years, thousands of workers, who labor under some pretty brutal conditions in the largest pork processing plant, have sought a modicum of justice and dignity. And they just […]

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   It will be a steep hill to climb but it’s good to read about this, via The Wall Street Journal: The United Food and Commercial Workers union is ramping up organizing at Wal Mart Stores Inc. after a five-year lull, dovetailing with its efforts to win support in Congress for a bill to make […]

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   I’m not sure that anyone has told NY Comptroller Bill Thompson yet but his race for mayor is over…effectively. His only prayer (and any other candidate’s only prayer) to defeat the billionaire mayor was to have a unified labor movement behind him. It was the only way–and even that was a big "if"–to balance […]

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    As I reported exclusively yesterday, the UFCW has endorsed Sen. Obama. Here’s the statement from UFCW president Joe Hansen: For the 1.3 million members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the 2008 Presidential election is about restoring the American dream for America’s workers.   UFCW members are energized to seize this opportunity […]

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    As I reported exclusively yesterday, the UFCW has endorsed Sen. Obama. Here’s the statement from UFCW president Joe Hansen: For the 1.3 million members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the 2008 Presidential election is about restoring the American dream for America’s workers.   UFCW members are energized to seize this opportunity […]

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