Submitted on Thu, 09/07/2006 - 4:40pm
By a razor-slim margin (22-21), employees at the East End Food Co-op failed in their attempt to win legally guaranteed collective bargaining rights. On August 30th Co-op workers participated in a union recognition election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. Voting turnout topped 84%, but the East End Food Co-op Workers Committee, affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, fell just two votes short of a majority that would have given the union the right to bargain collectively over terms and conditions of employment. National labor law compels an employer to recognize a union for the purpose of collective bargaining if a majority of employees vote for the union in a secret-ballot election run by the NLRB.
The current Co-op organizing campaign, which began on May 15th 2006, is the second and most progressive attempt by employees to establish legally protected collective bargaining rights. In June the Co-op’s Board of Directors and General Manager refused to voluntarily recognize the union through the legally accepted union authorization card-check procedure, claiming that card counting was not a democratic indication of majority support for the union. In July the union held an independent card count and verified through the impartial Thomas Merton Center that a majority of Co-op workers did in fact support the union as their collective bargaining agent. Unable to move the Co-op into accepting such evidence, the union then tried to negotiate with management over terms for a non-NLRB election. During such talks the union unsuccessfully tried to establish a number of agreements over a basic meeting protocol, employer neutrality, and the Co-op’s continued use of known anti-union consultants. Additionally, the union felt that during such talks the employer was unfairly favoring an intervening party in the negotiations. Citing unnecessary complications to the process by management and certain impasse around particular issues, the union broke off negotiations with the Co-op in late July and petitioned the NLRB to facilitate a recognition election.
Submitted on Wed, 09/06/2006 - 3:03am
In a recent entry on the website http://www.bloggingstocks.com, Michael Canfield argues that the IWW's organizing effrots at Starbucks will come to naught:
Retailers like Starbucks operate on such a thin margin that -- were Starbucks to become widely unionized -- there would be some transfer of money into union dues, but any significant increase in pay or benefits would result in the need to cut overall staff, something a union would not be likely to tolerate.
This demonstrates the foolishness in taking the business press seriously when it comes to analyzing unions.
Submitted on Tue, 09/05/2006 - 4:08am
By Ron Grossman - Chicago Tribune, September 4, 2006.
In the city of its birth, and 101 years later, the Industrial Workers of the World is still trying to strike a blow for the working class.
Just ahead of Labor Day, baristas at the Starbucks in Logan Square told management that they wanted to be represented by the IWW. A veteran of battles that once made the union movement a major force in American life, the IWW has been largely moribund recently.
Starbucks' management was ready for the faceoff, which occurred during a periodic meeting of employees and managers at the giant coffee merchant's store at 2759 W. Logan Blvd., some workers reported. Corporate honchos would not accept employee demands and handed out copies of the preamble to the IWW's constitution in an effort to discredit the union.
Submitted on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 4:30am
IWW Members from around the globe have travelled far and wide to attend the annual General Assembly of the Industrial Workers of the World, which is being hosted this year by the San Francisco General Membership Branch of the IWW in Oakland, California.
On Friday, September 1, 2006, hundreds of Wobblies rallied outside of the Shattuck Cinema Landmark Theater to stand in solidarity with the Shattuck Cinema workers who're negotiating their first union contract after winning their union election in the summer.
Pictured here are many of the attending IWW members, including Shattuck Cinema workers and Daniel Gross from New York City who was fired for organizing Starbucks Workers in New York City. The IWW has pledged to fight this illegal termination and continues to organize at Starbucks internationally. Coincidentally, a Starbucks is located next door to the Shattuck Cinema.
Submitted on Sun, 09/03/2006 - 4:18am
SEIU Local 707 representing 6500 public sector workers of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties brought the recent issues to the SEIU Local 707 Board of Directors who voted to support by resolution;
1. The organizing of Starbucks workers.
2. Boycott Stabucks until fired organizers are reinstated and IWW is recognized with full legal status for workers.
Hereby recorded August 9, 2006, Santa Rosa California.
From: John Morrison, President SEIU707
