2008

Uncategorized

>Jeff the Trucker

Nov 26, 2008

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Forget Joe the Plumber. One of America’s real working class heroes is Jeff the truck driver.

Jeff Wallace, 43, has been on the picket lines for six weeks. He’s fighting for good healthcare for his kids and to make sure he has something to walk away with when he retires from his grueling job for Oak Harbor Freight Lines in Seattle, where he’s worked for about 14 years.

This week Jeff was hit on the picket line by a replacement worker in a pick-up truck who then drove away. Jeff went to the hospital but said he’s still not giving up. He’ll stay out on the line as long as it takes.

Huffington Post


Oak Harbor workers, members of the Teamsters, have been on strike now for over 8 weeks. This holiday season, send a message of support. Tell Oak Harbor to do the right thing, stop violating worker’s rights.

Politics

>Pop Quiz

Nov 25, 2008

>A historic election just took place – but what does that really mean? Civics is the study of citizenship and government, and some basic knowledge is necessary for citizens of this great democracy. Know where your rights came from, like the right to form a union? Here are 2 ways to test your knowledge:

1. American Labor History Quiz! What do you know about unions and the history we share? What is the labor movement? Test it out, comment with your scores!
2. Civic Literacy On average, Americans taking this quiz scored only 49%. Can you do better? Comment with your score.

Should schools be doing more to teach us our shared heritage?

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Packing and Processing, Press Releases, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Meatpacking Workers Win Solid Wage and Benefits Increases in New Agreement with Smithfield/Patrick Cudahy

Nov 20, 2008

(Washington, DC) – A new contract covering 1450 Smithfield/Patrick Cudahy workers in Cudahy, Wis., raises living standards for meatpacking workers and their families. The contract negotiated by union members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1473 provides solid wage increases, lower worker health care costs with improved health care benefits, and greater pension security.

“This is a good contract,” said production worker and UFCW Local 1473 member Ilma Santiago. “Good wages, good health care, and good pension benefits.”

The new five-year contract provides:

  • Wage increase of $1.26, increasing base-wage rates to $12.66  an hour with a top rate of  $32.08 an hour
  • A $175 lump-sum payment
  • Improvements in wellness health care coverage—and a five percent decrease in worker health care costs
  • Increases pension and improves retirement security
  • A $200 annual tool allowance
  • Increases life insurance
  • Increases sick allowance pay
  • Improves vacation benefits
  • Improves funeral and bereavement pay

The Cudahy contract is the latest of several major collective bargaining wins for UFCW packing and food processing members across the country.

“It’s good to have a union, especially in these tough economic times—a UFCW contract means security for my family,” said Santiago.