April, 2013

Constituency Groups, Organizing, UFCW Values, Women's Network

Union Women’s Summer School Registration Open Now!

Apr 30, 2013

Hey union ladies! Want to learn more about the labor movement, and how you can become a stronger leader?

You will learn about these, and much, much more by attending any of the three Union Women’s Summer School programs being offered this summer by The United Association for Labor Education!

Registration is now open for the three programs, each of which are offered on separate dates in different regions of the country.

The Northeast Regional Summer School for Union Women program, called “Raising our voices: Women’s Leadership for Democracy in our work, our country, and our world!“, will take place at the end of July. It will focus on strengthening the knowledge of union who have come together–rank and file members, officers, and staff–about the labor movement, in order to create better leadership skills.

The Western Regional Summer Institute for Union Women program, called “Women Emerging as Leaders” will take place in late June. This course also focuses on leadership skills and community work.

The third program, the Midwest/Southern Women’s School for Union Women will be held in mid August.

The workshops offered at all of these school programs are fantastic tools for women who are looking to get more involved in the labor movement–to protect workers rights and rebuild the middle class.

Go to http://bit.ly/Yhvunu now for more information and to download useful brochures. Register now to reserve your spot for this great opportunity!

Corporate Responsibility, Economic Justice, Packing and Processing, Social Justice, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, Walmart

Warehouse Workers, Community Organizations Call on Walmart to Stop Retaliatory Firings in Contracted Warehouse

Apr 26, 2013

ONTARIO, Calif. – Javier Rodriguez, a leader for change inside Walmart’s contracted warehouses in Southern California, was fired yesterday from his job as a forklift driver.

Rodriguez, along with Warehouse Workers United, filed formal federal charges today to protest the illegal firing.

“Walmart is committed to one thing, looking the other way when workers in its supply chain are abused,” Rodriguez said. “Just look at the factory collapse in Bangladesh this week or the fire that killed 112 last year. Just look at the conditions inside the warehouses in Southern California.”

Supporters launched a petition calling on Walmart to ensure Rodriguez’s reinstatement Friday and plan to deliver the signatures to Walmart officials Monday in Downtown Los Angeles. (Local reporters, see event details below.)

Rodriguez and his coworkers have repeatedly demonstrated that Walmart does not hold its contractors to its own standards. Warehouse workers, who are required to work inside dark, hot, metal shipping containers with little ventilation or water, under pressure to meet high quotas in the face of frequent injury, filed a complaint with the state agency responsible for workplace conditions last summer.

Though Walmart initially dismissed workers’ concerns, in December, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) cited NFI Industries, which is contracted by Walmart to operate the warehouse, and one staffing agency, tens of thousands of dollars in health and safety violations.

Earlier this month Walmart supply chain workers from the National Guestworker Alliance, Warehouse Workers United, New Labor, Warehouse Workers for Justice and Jobs with Justice convened to respond to Walmart’s claim that it holds its suppliers to its “Standards for Suppliers.” Workers offered their own set of core principles that would ensure improved labor standards in the supply chain.

“What workers have shown is that Walmart’s standards are nothing more than a sheet of paper,” said Guadalupe Palma, director of Warehouse Workers United. “To be serious the Walmart’s standards must be enforceable, credible standards that are centered around workers. Walmart must ensure Javier is reinstated and immediately start acting to resolve serious problems in its supply chain.”

###

Warehouse Workers United is an organization committed to improving the quality of life and jobs in Southern California’s Inland Empire. More than 85,000 warehouse workers work moving goods for major retailers like Walmart in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Corporate Responsibility, Food Safety, Packing and Processing, Retail Food, Social Justice, UFCW Stewards, Workplace Safety & Health

Remembering Those Who Have Fallen

Apr 25, 2013

This Sunday, April 28th is Worker Memorial Day, in which we take time to remember and honor those who have lost their lives on the job. With the tragedies of the past two weeks fresh on our minds, this year’s Worker Memorial Day is particularly somber and offers us a chance to rededicate ourselves to the fight for safer workplaces.

Last week, in West, Texas, a fertilizer plant exploded, killing at least 15 workers and emergency responders. The amount of deadly chemicals stored at the plant was thousands of times beyond the mandated limit, and inspections of the factory had not been performed in several years.

This week, news of a collapsed garment factory in Bangladesh that has killed at least 300 workers saddened us all. Reports that cracks in the building’s foundation found yesterday were ignored and that management still forced employees to come to work are alarming. This incident comes only months after more than 100 workers perished at another Bangladesh garment factory, when a fire broke out and locked doors (done by management) trapped workers inside.

Can you take a moment to sign the petition asking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju to Make garment factories in Bangladesh safe?

Workers at a Nicaraguan Walmart supplier were recently physically attacked by a paid mob when they protested about being fired for trying to organize for a voice on the job.

It’s time that companies stopped putting workers’ lives at risk in order to make a profit. The working people who make corporations successful deserve basic human rights, and deserve safe working environments.

Take a moment to remember the victims of workplace fatalities, and help us continue to fight for worker safety. If you have a story of a friend or loved one lost or injured on the job that you would like to share, please send us a message on our Facebook page.

2013 Worker Memorial Day Break Room Flyers

< Older Entries