WA State JwJ Update and
Local Workers' Rights Victories
March 2009
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When Catholic Community Services took over operation of the Martin Luther King Shelter in Tacoma's Hilltop section, it marked a major victory in the struggle with predator luxury developers to rebuild a sustainable economy.
This victory is helping insure that we create mixed-income communities and the working poor are not forced to live on the fringes. Reports from homeless people indicate a great improvement in treatment at the shelter: residents are getting blankets and sheets and are welcomed inside 2 hours earlier instead of waiting in the alley and rain for the shelter to open at 7pm.
Meanwhile, developer Tom O'Connor's adjacent Mid Town Lofts project of luxury condos has ground to a halt. JwJ activists might remember that developer O'Connor was interested in closing and buying the shelter to expand his luxury project's value and footprint. Mr. O'Connor justified paying poverty-wages to his construction workers because he needed his “toys.” Government officials, acting under Rick Talbert's City Council, tried to create a crisis over the shelter's existence to the benefit of Mr. O'Connor last summer until our community revolted and CCS proposed a workable alternative.
As our homeless populations grow from evictions by developers like Home Depot at Country Aire and poverty-wage paying bosses like Mr. O'Connor, we call on City Councilmember Talbert to use the federal bailout to remake America in Tacoma. The City can help insure that CCS is funded to purchase and convert O'Connor's empty Mid Town Lofts into housing for low-income workers such as shelter residents in need of more stable homes to support staying in sustainable jobs. Especially if Frontier Bank forecloses on Mid Town Lofts and they and Mr. O'Connor ask for the federal taxpayer bailout, governments should condition these tax-dollars on housing that benefits our entire community, not just pay for Mr. O'Connor's “toys.”
Every low-income worker knows that a home is a necessary element to keeping a stable job and shelter residents need transition homes before entering the dysfunctional private housing market.
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Longview port security workers have won recognition as new ILWU Local 28 members. These workers got inspired by our organizing activities at the Port of Tacoma and unanimously marched on the Port Commission to demand union recognition and fair job standards.
Without enduring the union-busting tactics that Tacoma port workers and Clover Park Technical College staff are now facing, these new ILWU 28 members are now bargaining for a fair contract with the support of the longshore workers and members of ILWU Local 21 in Longview .
Meanwhile, the Tacoma port security workers have continued to advance their fight for union recognition and justice at Maersk's terminal. Maersk's security contractor at the Port of Tacoma, Securitas, recently fired its Branch Manager, after union-busting and other mismanagement details came to light. This house-cleaning comes in the wake of Securitas earlier having to fire its northwest Area Vice-President and even its national Vice-President of Labor Relations, both linked to failed union-busting attempts at the Port of Tacoma. As other security workers at the Tacoma port begin to organize, we expect international shippers to avoid the chaos Maersk has had to endure over the past year and recognize their union.
At the same time, the federal Labor Board has formally issued complaints in favor of unlawfully fired and retaliated against union leaders from the terminal and is moving ahead to prosecute their employer. Look for more news on this front soon!
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Last year Security Officers in Seattle and Bellevue won their first contract (Zone 1); we are proud to announce that security officers, SEIU 6 and Jobs with Justice worked in solidarity to win a first contract in the rest of King County (Zone 2).
Jobs with Justice led a delegation to Mayor Nickels' office asking him not to choose an anti-labor security contractor. We gave him our message and plan to talk to the Mayor again in the near future. Supporting security contractors that do provide decent wages, health care and a voice in the workplace ensures job security in these hard economic times. And it was this winning message and the delegation to the Mayor that pushed the 5 security contractors into agreeing to their first contract.
We congratulate the security officers in their success and will continue to fight for responsible security contractors at Seattle City Hall.
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Jobs with Justice activists prepared to picket four 76 gas stations in Whatcom, King and Pierce counties to show support for Oil Refinery workers' contract bargaining. JwJ prepared for a media blitz knowing that the issues of 'forced stand-by' (even when off the clock workers have to be available to work when the boss calls), improved safety language, and retirement medical benefits might lead to a strike.
As the weeks moved on it looked bleak and USW Local 12-590 (United Steel Workers) prepared to strike while Jobs with Justice was ready to hit the streets.
At 10pm the night before the action and the last day of their contract, the oil refinery workers of Ferndale called off the JwJ action due to reaching a tentative agreement. In the end, 12-590 workers settled on a fair contract that excluded 'forced stand-by' as well as improved contract language around safety issues.
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There are 700 warehouse workers in California trying to bargain their first contract. They've been trying to settle their contract for over a year and Rite Aid refuses to set the next bargaining dates. If the Employee Free Choice Act passes, workers trying to bargain a contract have 3 months or it goes to arbitration. This is better for workers, but instead, the ILWU, who are representing the Rite Aid workers, organized 14 actions on February 13th up and down the West Coast. Washington State Jobs with Justice helped organize and mobilize for actions in King and Pierce counties.
The success of the actions brought earned media coverage by FOX, NBC, and ABC and an agreement by Rite Aid to new bargaining dates.
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