Workers Aim at Target Unionization
With
Tashawna Green – Member Union Organizing Committee
Sonia Williams – Member Union Organizing Committee
Aly Wady – Special Projects Dir., Organizing Dept., UFCW, Local 1500
Diana Robinson – Food Policy Coordinator, UFCW, Local 1500

Target workers at the superstore’s Valley Stream location are furious that
their hours have been cut sometimes to just one or two days a week while
new workers are being hired. So they don’t have enough income to survive
forcing many to rely on food stamps and Medicaid. A majority of workers have
already signed cards supporting unionization with Local 1500, UFCW. Target
is fighting back by threatening union workers with firings, disciplinary actions
and closing the store. Workers have been prevented from discussing their employment on social networking sites, interrogated about their union activity
and have been told their union activity was under surveillance. If the workers
vote to join Local 1500 in the June 17 election, the Valley Stream store would
be the first Target in the country to be unionized but probably not the last
especially in the NYC area.
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Bloomberg’s Budget to Decimate Queens Public Library
With
John Hyslop, Pres., Queens Library Guild, Local 1321 , DC 37 AFSCME

Library workers are fighting Mayor Bloomberg's proposed $25.3 million in
budget cuts to the Queens Public Library. Since 2008, over 200 jobs have
already been lost through attrition and layoffs. The current proposed 30% cut
will result in library hours being at their lowest level ever, less than in NYC’s
budget crisis of the 1970s. These cuts would slash library services; close
branches 2-3 days a week; end free computer and Internet services; destroy
the materials budget; and force 234 Library employees to be laid off.
Local 1321 is sponsoring a demonstration outside the Central Library on
Merrick Blvd.

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Restaurant Workers ROC the Nation
With
Saru Jayaraman, Co-Director, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC)

plus

Tribeca’s Amish Market Accused Of Wage Theft in NYC

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Restaurant Workers ROC the Nation
With
Saru Jayaraman, Co-Director, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC)

Saru Jayaraman details the prevalence in the restaurant industry of wage theft, sub-minimum wages and widespread discrimination as well as ROCs innovative fightback which involved direct action, lawsuits, legislation, industry research and opening their own NYC cooperative restaurant “Colors”. Responding to demands from around the nation ROC has expanded operations to 8 cities nationwide.
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Tribeca’s Amish Market Accused Of Wage Theft in NYC

Wage theft is epidemic throughout New York and the nation.The NYS Department of Labor announced a $1.5 million enforcement action against the Amish Market, Park Place store among a number of others over stolen wages. To protect themselves from this and other abuses, the Amish Market’s low wage workers have been trying to unionize, but have been met with firings, harassment and intimidation from the store's management. Local 1500 of the United Food and Commercial Workers who the workers have been seeking to unite with rallied in protest and support of the workers, calling for a boycott of the store.

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WBAI Radio's Building Bridges: Your Community & Labor Report
Monday, November 24, 2008, 7 – 8 PM EST, over 99.5 FM ****************************************
Washington to Detroit - Drop Dead?
with
Frank Hammer, Former Pres., UAW Local 909, Warren, Michigan
and
Warren Brown, Auto Columnist, "Washington Post "
********
Agriprocessors' Immigrant Worker Exploitation
with
Rev. Paul Ouderkirk – Pastor, St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church, Postville Iowa

And
Agriprocessors' Union Busting Kosher?
with
David Young, Organizing Director, Local 342, UFCW

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Washington to Detroit - Drop Dead?
with
Frank Hammer, Former Pres., UAW Local 909, Warren, Michigan
and
Warren Brown, Auto Columnist, "Washington Post "

When auto executives and unions leaders came to Washington last weekto ask for a $25 billion bailout, they expected a cold shoulder from Bush, but got one from the Congress as well. Is the Federal government really willing to take the risk of adding more than a million auto workers to the unemployment lines that snake throughout the Midwest? And, what would happen to the wages and working conditions of auto workers that might keep their jobs with the big three companies, or other auto workers across the region and nation?
********
Agriprocessors' Immigrant Worker Exploitation
with
Rev. Paul Ouderkirk – Pastor, St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church, Postville Iowa

On May 12, 2008, US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested approximately 400 workers at the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat-processing plant. Family members of those arrested were terrified to return to their homes. For almost a week after the raid, hundreds of family members sought refuge in St. Bridget's Church. This and other raids are sweeping across the country, wreaking havoc on families, communities and businesses. Father Paul Oudekirk, Pastor of St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church in Postville, Iowa gained national recognition for his work with the families of the immigrants who were arrested in the largest workplace raid in Iowa history and spoke to us during a recent trip to New York.

And

Agriprocessors' Union Busting Kosher?
with
David Young, Organizing Director, Local 342, UFCW

In 2005, workers at the Agriprocessors warehouse in NYC voted to unionize. The Rubashkin family owners of Agriprocessors refused to recognize the union,ironically alleging some of its workers were undocumented. Despite three rounds of judicial rulings that Agriprocessors must recognize the union, the Rubashkin family continues to flaunt the law and super-exploit its workers.
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