All workers engaged in municipal, short distance transportation and telecommunication services.
Submitted on Fri, 11/11/2005 - 3:43pm
The Pensacola GMB is currently standing in solidarity with local ATU workers on strike. The company they work for provides bus services to the elderly and disabled. The company was recently bought out, and the new owners are trying to cancel the union contract and get rid of all benefits they have gained by unionizing. These workers have fought long and hard to achieve a union and have won gains such a health care, vacation time, and pay raises. The workers are now on strike trying to preserve these gains. While not wob workers these workers have the same radical spirit and are ready to fight to win.
To help contact the Pensacola GMB at [email protected]
In Solidarity,
FW Briggs
Submitted on Sun, 11/06/2005 - 9:29pm
The ATU 1395 are drivers working for little above minimum wage. Maybe you've seen them. They drive the "Community Transportation" vehicles that take the elderly and disabled where they need to go around town. Since unionizing in 1998, the Community Transportation drivers have made many gains, going from $6 hour top pay w/ no benefits to $8 hourly wage with some paid vacation and holiday time and health insurance. Now their boss, Pensacola Bay, which is owned by Marjorie Wilcox of Mobile, is trying to take away their health insurance and as rejected further negotiation on the possibility of future pay increases. It was with great difficulty that the senior members of ATU 1395 have voted to go on strike and take their grievences to the streets. The PNJ's Monday article about the strike said that ATU 1395 President Michael Lowery has stated the dispute is about wages, increased health insurance costs, and a harsher point system on their driving record. The formal complaints include: Failure to bargain in good faith, coercion and intimidation of employees in the union and unilateral policy changes without negotiations.
How can we support them?
Submitted on Sun, 11/06/2005 - 9:24pm
Disclaimer - The following article is reposted here because it is an issue with some relevance to the IWW. The views of the author do not necessarily agree with those of the IWW and vice versa. This article is somewhat dated, but still relevant.
By Tom Wetzel
Despite heavy police presence at major bus transfer points, at least a couple thousand passengers rode the buses for free in San Francisco on Thursday, September 1st — the opening day of a fare strike in North America's most bus-intensive city. In the days leading up to September 1st, more than 50 people were actively organizing for the fare strike, with new groups endorsing the effort in the last week. More than 20,000 leaflets had been distributed and 10,000 stickers were attached to bus shelters and poles throughout the city — in Spanish and Chinese as well as English.
Muni — San Francisco's city-owned bus and streetcar network — raised its adult cash fare to $1.50 as of September 1st. This is the second hike in two years, representing an increase of 50 percent since 2003. Although organized pressure from community groups forced Muni management to back down on a proposal to raise the monthly pass, many low-income people have a hard time getting together the cash to buy the monthly pass. The weekly pass was a more financially accessible discount option for them. Muni never adequately advertised the weekly pass and has now raised it from $12 to $15.
Submitted on Sun, 11/06/2005 - 9:15pm
November 18th has been declared a day of protest against the anti-union policy of Connex in general and against the sacking of Per Johansson in particular. We are appealing for your solidarity.
On September 27th, his employer, Connex Sweden, fired Per Johansson, chairman of the metro drivers' union of Stockholm. The reason for this was Johansson's alleged disloyalty to the company and his alleged rudeness towards his "fellow employees" (probably referring to his bosses). Connex maintains that the sacking is in no way related to Johansson's role as union chairman. The members of his union and other unions think otherwise.
Under Johansson's chairmanship the union has gained considerable ground in questions concerning wages and working hours. The immediate cause for his dismissal, however, is probably his focus on safety and working environment. Together with the elected safety controllers the union has put its finger on several sore spots. The safety controllers have used their power to stop the traffic on three different occasions after severe incidents. Insufficient measures having been taken to remedy the ills, Johansson has gone public. In all likelihood this constitutes his "disloyalty".
Submitted on Sat, 10/22/2005 - 2:55am
The Stockholm Subway closed for five hours in an unofficial strike by the train-drivers on Thursday the 6th of October. It made chaos in the traffics during the rush-hours when hundred of thousand people could not use the Subway to come to their work places. Some hundred train-drivers protested the sacking of their union chairman, Per Johansson, in a massive manifestation of anger and solidarity.
Per Johansson has been an active representative for the members of SEKO (the LO-affiliated union for service and communication) which organises most of the train-drivers in the Stockholm Subway. Since a couple of years the Subway has been run by the multinational company Connex, and the unions have felt that money nowdays are more interesting in the public transportation then issues as security and good working conditions.
Connex sacked Per Johansson September 29, refering he has been "disloyal" to the company and had acted "improperly" to other workers. One of the situations that Connex mentioned was an episode from the Syndicalist train-drivers strike in March, when he told a scab not to work.
Both members of SEKO-union and the members of the Syndicalist Job Branch in the Subway had reacted strongly against the sacking. It has been seen as an attack on the right of free speach as well as an attack on trade union-rights. The SAC General Secretary Lars Hammarberg demanded changes in the labour laws in an debate article in the biggest Swedish daily paper, Aftonbladet, October the 7th, with the sacking and the unofficial strike as background. It is possible for Connex to run a juridicial process for months in the Labour Court, and then "buy out" Per Johansson, giving him high severance pay and paying damages to the SEKO-union. By these labour laws Connex can get rid of union activists. And, legally, the workers are not allowed to go on strike as a countermeasure.
