posts tagged “workplace+justice”
March 3
2:45 pm
Street Vendors Protest Stifling Regulations—and Start to Organize
Face uphill battle against bureaucracy, 'net of restrictions' By Akito YoshikaneThe success and popularity of upscale food carts have painted a rosy picture of street vending. Stories of upstart entrepreneurs serving gourmet eats to budget minded epicureans on-the-go have received lots of fanfare. But the thousands of working-class street vendors in urban cities have faced significant challenges. Vendors in urban… more
Posted by Akito Yoshikane · activism government workplace justice
March 2
11:14 am
Northwestern Students Challenge University With Living Wage Campaign
By Chenault Taylor Last Wednesday, Northwestern University’s main thoroughfare echoed with this chant: “Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Unfair wages got to go!” Armed with handmade signs and plenty of moxie, more than 400 students, faculty and campus workers marched to the University president’s office. The February 24 rally, organized by the Northwestern Living Wage Campaign and supported by campus groups like… more
Posted by Chenault Taylor · activism jobs workplace justice
February 4
3:14 pm
‘Reel Profits, Real Poverty’: Security Guards Organize in Hollywood
By R.M. Arrieta It’s been a fat year for Hollywood. Last year the industry set a record for box-office sales, with domestic sales soaring to $10.7 billion and shattering 2008 records by 10 percent.That bodes well for workers in the film industry, where average wages surpass those of the rest of Los Angeles, much of it due to the strength… more
Posted by R. M. Arrieta · activism healthcare organized labor workplace justice
January 30
2:03 pm
Weekly Round-Up: Workers Challenge Sodexo, Dollar General, Toyota
By Jennifer Braudaway From time to time, we offer a round-up of workers' struggles—protests, rallies, strikes—from the past week, with a focus on actions in the United States. This time around: Sodexo employees protest at the food service giant's Paris headquarters. Teamsters and China Labor Watch protest Dollar General's labor violations. A rally in New York's capital after local hotel's unionbusting.… more
Posted by Jennifer Braudaway · activism international organized labor protests strikes
January 28
4:05 pm
Teaching Assistants’ Union Resists University’s ‘Neo-Liberal’ Turn
Ban on foreign students joining union part of corporatist trend, labor leader says By Roger Bybee Thanks to a University of Wisconsin-Madison budget provision permitting research assistants to unionize and bargain for the first time, the door has been opened for a major expansion of graduate worker unions at the school. The provision takes effect June 1. But UW officials are… more
Posted by Roger Bybee · education international organized labor unionbusting workplace justice
January 21
8:37 pm
Can Your Boss Really Do That?
Yes, employers can legally ignore the first amendment. By Lewis Maltby Lynn Gobbell was fired because her boss didn’t like the bumper sticker on her car. During the 2004 presidential election, Gobbell put a “Kerry for President” sticker on her bumper. When her boss saw it, he ordered her to the sticker off. When she refused, he fired her. Most people… more
Posted by Lewis Maltby · jobs workplace justice
January 19
12:04 pm
Company Boycott Called by Fired Warehouse Workers
By Kari Lydersen Rev. Craig Purchase of Mt. Zion Tabernacle Church in the Chicago suburbs thinks that if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would certainly be supporting the Warehouse Workers for Justice. So Purchase rallied clergy to call for a boycott of the vacuum and cleaning products company Bissell until it reinstates about 70 workers fired in… more
Posted by Kari Lydersen · boycotts organized labor workplace justice
January 18
3:13 pm
Activists, Unions Rebuff Wal-Mart, Restarting Old Chicago Debate
By Jeremy Gantz CHICAGO—Wal-Mart and this city don't get along very well.In 2006, Wal-Mart opened its first store in Chicago—not long after after the city's aldermen passed a controversial "big box" living-wage ordinance, which Mayor Richard Daley promptly vetoed. The West Side location remains the company's only foothold in the country's third largest city. Today,… more
Posted by Jeremy Gantz · jobs protests recession workplace justice
January 8
3:18 pm
What Fuels Overseas Sit-Down Strikes?
By Roger Bybee In sharp contrast to the brass-knuckled capitalism of the U.S., workers in Western Europe enjoy legal protections that corporations must follow before they close or relocate production. Under the "WARN Act," which was a major leverage point for workers who occupied the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago in December 2008., U.S. workers are merely owed 60… more
Posted by Roger Bybee · protests strikes workplace justice
January 5
2:21 pm
One Year After Republic: Why Didn’t Occupation Bring Revolt to U.S.?
This is the second article of a two-part series (roughly) marking the one-year anniversary of the Republic Windows and Doors factory occupation. The first article can be read here. By Roger Bybee One year after the Republic Doors and Windows sit-down strike, which was by far the most successful of a handful of U.S. plant occupations after WWII,there continues to… more
Posted by Roger Bybee · protests recession strikes workplace justice
December 9
11:47 am
The Good and Bad News in Labor Dept.‘s New Agenda
By Celeste Monforton, Ph.D., M.P.H. On Monday, the first regulatory agenda under Obama appointee Cass Sunstein (administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the clearinghouse for all federal regulations) was published in the Federal Register. (Here's PDF link to its 237 pages.) The document includes a narrative of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ vision for worker health and safety, mentioning… more
Posted by Celeste Monforton · government labor department occupational health workplace justice
December 6
9:57 am
Forging International Labor Solidarity in Wartime No Easy Task
By Kari Lydersen CHICAGO—In Iran, trade unionists face imprisonment, or even death, for organizing... And they are gearing up for a huge round of lay-offs triggered by President Ahmadinejad's slashing of public subdidies. In Pakistan, labor organizing is a challenge when public attention is focused mostly on daily suicide bombings and the struggle for a modicum of peace. It is even… more
Posted by Kari Lydersen · international organized labor workplace justice
December 4
1:01 pm
Working in the Shadows: Undercover Writer Sheds Light on Immigrant Labor
By Kari LydersenThey call them the “jobs Americans won’t do”: picking lettuce, pulling apart frozen chickens, toiling in a hot kitchen and other grueling, dangerous, mind-numbing or otherwise highly undesirable jobs.Most people know that for years immigrants—disproportionately Latino —have made up the bulk of these workforces. Since immigration crackdowns and increased border security post 9-11, employers have periodically reported… more
Posted by Kari Lydersen · books immigration workplace justice
December 2
1:55 pm
How We Are Part of the Sweatshop Economy
By Richard Greenwald The International Labor Rights Forum has named Abercrombie and Fitch, Gymboree, Hanes, Ikea, Kohl’s, LL Bean, Pier 1 Imports, Propper International, and Wal-Mart to its new "Sweatshop Hall of Shame," as Working ITT recently reported. Let's take this opportunity to remind ourselves that we are part of this problem. For the past 100 years, reformers and labor activists… more
Posted by Richard Greenwald · human rights sweatshops workplace justice
November 30
5:40 pm
Labor Watchdog Slams Wal-Mart for Chinese Suppliers’ Abuses
By Jeremy GantzYou'll have to excuse us here at Working In These Times, as the Thanksgiving holiday break caused us to miss an important—but perhaps unsurprising—story last week.A few days before Wal-Mart successfully prevented "Black Friday" shopper fatalities (unlike last year), the world's largest retailer was slammed by the human rights group China Labor Watch (CLW) for allowing a… more
Posted by Jeremy Gantz · human rights international workplace justice
November 24
8:30 am
Struggling Vermont Dairies Shaken by Federal Subpoenas
By Emily Udell Vermont is a state that rarely pops up in labor news, but the Green Mountain State’s dairy industry became a target Friday when federal agents subpoenaed five dairy farms as part of a nationwide effort to punish employers who hire undocumented workers. Advocates for migrant farmers estimate that some 2,000 undocumented workers are employed by Vermont dairy farms,… more
Posted by Emily Udell · economy government jobs workplace justice
November 18
4:30 pm
Huge Anti-Sweatshop Victory for Activists—And Hondurans
By Jeremy Gantz Honduras hasn't exactly been full of good news since June, when President Mel Zelaya was ousted from power and ushered abroad, throwing the country into political chaos. But a huge victory was scored yesterday for 1,200 workers in the country who were fired by Russell Athletics early this year after unionizing. The apparel company, which has fought off… more
Posted by Jeremy Gantz · organized labor sweatshops unionbusting workplace justice
November 13
10:09 am
Not Just ‘Tools That Breathe’: Labor Activism Steps Forward in China
By Michelle Chen As Obama embarks on a tense diplomatic visit to Asia, the political buzz surrounding China has reached a fever pitch lately. U.S. labor is up in arms over currency and offshoring, activists decry human rights abuses, and lawmakers wring their hands over the yawning trade deficit. Beneath all the political anxieties, though, there is a massive and often… more
Posted by Michelle Chen · international organized labor workplace justice
November 13
7:35 am
Despite Swine Flu Spread, Businesses Oppose Paid Sick Days
By Roger Bybee MILWAUKEE—With the rapid spread of the H1N1 "swine flu" virus in southeastern Wisconsin, the 47% of Milwaukee workers who lack paid sick days now confront some unpalatable choices. "Right now, people have to choose between a pandemic and a paycheck," says Sangita Nayak, lead organizer for the 9 to 5 Working Women's organization in Milwaukee. Workers are forced… more
Posted by Roger Bybee · jobs workplace illness workplace justice
November 12
4:08 pm
Domestic Workers Go on Offensive With Ad Campaign, Conference
By R.M. Arrieta La Colectiva de Mujeres (Women's Collective) in San Francisco has launched a media campaign unveiling striking posters, billboards, bus ads and postcards depicting domestic workers as strong, independent and "green" savvy. The campaign, the theme of which is "Communicating Strength and Hope" ("Comunicando poder y esperanza"), aims to alter the perception of often undervalued domestic workers to one… more
Posted by R. M. Arrieta · activism jobs workplace justice
About this Blog
"Working In These Times" is dedicated to providing independent and incisive coverage of the labor movement and the struggles of workers to obtain safe, healthy and just workplaces. more
Recent Posts 
- In San Francisco, Union Democracy Goes on Trial March 16
- Nationwide Bank Protests Push Reform Agenda, Ask ‘Where’s My Bailout?’ March 16
- Foreclosure Crisis Persists, as Families Eagerly Await ‘Cramdowns’ March 16
- Fired Warehouse Workers to Vacuum-Maker: ‘Clean Up Your Act!’ March 15
- On Eve of Election, Britain’s Labor Party Takes on Labor March 15
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