Street Maintenance Workers in Vandalia, Ohio have chosen to Unionize for the first time in the City's history.  Rising health care costs and unequal treatment topped the concerns of city employees in this Dayton suburburb who voted for representation by AFSCME Ohio Council 8, Local 101 on Wednesday June 20.  Despite a strong anti-union campaign by City officials, employees voted 9-6 in favor of having a voice in the work place and they will now begin negotiations for a first contract.

In a sign of solidarity to one another, UAW Local 3520 members have agreed to alternate lay-off weeks between the first and second shifts at Freightliner; a move that saved nearly 1,500 workers from being sacked at the truck manufacturing company.

More USA and Canada Jobs Going South Of The Border

from the teamsters site

"The Hershey Company has always been synonymous with American tradition. A true homegrown success story, Hershey Park and the company facilities have been visited by millions of families that travel to enjoy the theme park and tour the factories.

I wonder what those families would think now if they knew that 900 of the 3,000 workers in the three plants in Hershey, Pennsylvania would soon be without jobs? Or if they knew 575 workers in Oakdale, California will be looking for new employment in January 2008? Will they still feel the same pride in this American company?"

A United Space Alliance spokesperson said all the replacement workers have previous experience, a claim that won her Local 2061’s first “Pinocchio Award.”

When Brian McLaughlin was indicted on charges of stealing millions of dollars from assorted sources, including from the union, he was forced out as president of the NYC Central Labor Council and needed a job while his trial was pending. And so he decided to return to work as an electrician. No problem. He signed the book at the IBEW Local 3 hiring hall, waited his proper turn, he said, and was promptly put to work....But his experience is quite different from the ordeal of another member of Local 3, Brian Colella...

Fed up FedEx Home Delivery drivers in Windsor, Connecticut voted 12 to 9 to join Teamsters Local 671 on May 11th, unfortunately they had a little delay in getting set up with their new local because, according to the Teamsters, the company set in some road blocks and the ballots were not finally counted until Friday, June 1st.

"Right now if you want to try and form a union in this country, for the most part, most employers do everything they possibly can to stop workers from organizing and we feel that is something they shouldn't have anything to do with. That's not their business," said Peter Kellman, the President of the Southern Maine Labor House.

Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard through the
AFL-CIO’s EFCA Hotline at 1-800-774-8941.
Ask for the offices of your senators and tell them
to vote YES on the Employee Free Choice Act (S.1041)

Shift Break is a great radio show that anyone can tune into at www.shiftbreak.com. This segment is about a recent NLRB move that banned a Portland union from using card checks for union recognition for the next six months.

Download (1.19 MB)

RALLY & MARCH FOR A FAIR CONTRACT
Wednesday June 20th, 1 PM
15th & Market Streets

The 11 unions representing workers at General Electric Co. reached tentative agreements yesterday on new four-year contracts after four weeks of intense bargaining. The agreements are subject to review by union negotiating committees and ratification by union members by June 28.

About 30,000 workers are illegally employed in the city's burgeoning residential housing sector, according to estimates by the Fiscal Policy Institute, a New York-based research group.