New Pact for Maryland Mushroom Workers
RWDSU Local 108 workers the Mushroom Company in Cambridge, Maryland, have won a new three-year contract with their employer which brings wages up 50 cents per hour each year of the agreement. The committee was also successful in upgrading the general labor rate for each job category. This meant that on top of the first increase since employees would receive 10-25 cents more per hour.
In addition, the starting rate was increased to 50 cents above the state's current minimum wage of $10.10 per hour to $10.60 per hour. Language regarding overtime was also improved.
“I’m proud to be a member of the RWDSU and proud of our strong new contract,” said William Garcia, Shop Steward at the Mushroom Company.
Amazon boss tells City Council the company will oppose unionization bids in New York City
At hearings yesterday at New York City Hall, the Amazon Vice President said his company would oppose efforts by workers to unionize.
Read more about it here:
Before the hearings, the RWDSU joined other worker and community activists to demand that Amazon treat workers better, and call attention to the company's anti-worker policies around the world.
No union, no deal, NYC labor leaders tell Cuomo and de Blasio about Amazon's new HQ
Two New York unions are teaming up to deliver a message to retail giant Amazon: labor is still king in Queens.
In a letter sent Monday to Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, leaders from The Teamsters and the retail workers union asked that New York’s $3 billion deal with global corporation be put on hold in light of Amazon’s “anti-worker” history.
Not a penny of public funds should go to the trillion-dollar online titan until it commits to a fair process for Amazon workers in Queens to unionize, the labor leaders demanded. The letters went out just ahead of a planned City Council hearing Wednesday on the financing of the Amazon deal — the second of its four scheduled discussions on the controversial agreement.
“The growth of Amazon and its low-pay jobs is a direct threat to New York workers in the core industries of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,” said the letter obtained by the Daily News.
read more at the New York Daily News
Over 500 Iowa Cereal Workers Win With RWDSU
On January 9, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union’s (RWDSU) Local 110, announced that the workers at General Mills’ production facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa voted to join the RWDSU in their fight for a voice and fair treatment in the workplace, as well as needed paid time off and fair wages through a collective bargaining agreement. Workers finally have a right to fair representation, a seat at the table and a real chance to stop the bleed out of their long-held benefits.
“We’re proud to welcome the workers of General Mills into the union. Once again, they show that the best way for working people to protect themselves and their families is the join together in a union,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
“We’re extremely happy for the vote these courageous workers took today and that they believed in making their voices heard for change and we’re equally honored they believed in RWDSU, Local 110 to represent them. We also look forward to begin building a positive working relationship with the company and the continuance of good paying full time jobs in Cedar Rapids for many years to come,” said Roger Grobstich, Vice President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
“I’m proud to say I’m now part of the RWDSU and I know everyone who works alongside me knows that representation from the union will change our future here. It’s about time General Mills workers had a real seat at the table with the company and we’re ready to get to work on a fair contract,” said Tim Sarver, General Mills worker.
The vote to unionize by workers at General Mills was conducted on January 9, 2019 during two NLRB election sessions. RWDSU will represent approximately 520 workers at the manufacturing facility in contract negotiations. The workers in the bargaining unit handle production, sanitation and maintenance at the facility. General Mills’ workers joined Local 110 of the RWDSU, which also represents workers across town at the Quaker facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
See more at KCRG ABC Channel 9
Seattle City Council Members Deliver Cautionary Message About Amazon
At a press briefing at the RWDSU's office in New York City, Seattle City Council Members, Amazon employees, and New York elected officials discussed the impacts of Amazon’s Headquarters in Seattle and what the new Amazon HQ2 deal means for New York's communities and workers.
An overflow crowd and large press contingent came to the event to hear the stories of Amazon's impact on Seattle's communities.
See more about this story and reaction to the event:
Bloomberg tv: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-01-08/seattle-city-council-members-deliver-cautionary-message-about-amazon-hq2-video
Crains: https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/seattle-city-council-members-visit-nyc-caution-against-amazon-hq2Epoch: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theepochtimes.com/seattle-council-reveals-possible-effect-of-amazon-expansion-to-new-york_2759891.html/ampGeekWire: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.geekwire.com/2019/seattle-officials-visit-new-york-warnings-amazon-thought-bury-us/amp/
Yahoo Finance: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/seattle-city-council-members-visit-155759797.html
Brinkwire: http://en.brinkwire.com/news/hq2-fight-continues-as-new-york-city-and-seattle-officials-hold-anti-amazon-summit/
The National Herald: https://www.thenationalherald.com/226049/sen-gianaris-meets-with-seattle-council-members-to-discuss-amazon-deal/
Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/new-yorkers-have-the-opportunity-seattle-didnt-as-they-1831554106
More Amazon warehouse employees push to unionize
A group of workers at Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center are seeking to unionize, in the latest attempt by employees of the online retail giant to organize against the company's labor practices.
What are the details?
Employees of the New York facility announced the union push led by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union on Dec. 12. The RWDSU issued a report Nov. 28, accusing Amazon of having a history of "deadly and dehumanizing working conditions."
Read more about it at The Blaze
New York Union Hopes To Bring Cannabis Workers On Board
Calvin Hughes Dec 31, 2018
If New York State moves to legalize recreational marijuana in 2019, one labor advocate wants to see cannabis workers unionized.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) hopes to fold the "many thousands of workers" who will be involved in New York's purported legal cannabis industry into their ranks. And based on the size of that prospective workforce, unionizing the industry could add a lot of muscle to the labor movement in New York.
"It's going to be big," RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum told New York Post, adding that his organization will ensure that employees in the new industry are treated right. "We think the best way to create decent jobs is through unionization."
read more about it at Civilized:
https://www.civilized.life/articles/new-york-union-hopes-to-bring-cannabis-workers-on-board/
Statement From RWDSU: NY Cannabis Legalization Provides Opportunity for Working People
(NEW YORK, NY) – Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the planned legalization of cannabis in New York State. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) currently represents workers in the medical marijuana industry. John Durso, President of Local 338 of the RWDSU and Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU issued the following joint statement:
“As a labor union, a key component of the work that we do in advocating for working men and women is related to fighting for economic and social justice. Legalizing cannabis will take great steps towards undoing the harm that drug policies have caused to the very communities in which our members live and work. Additionally, as the representatives of the workforce of New York’s medical cannabis industry, we provide a unique perspective as to how to create a regulated system that addresses the individual concerns of workers, the community, and the industry as we regularly interact with all three of these crucial stakeholders. We are looking forward to working with Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature to ensure protections that guarantee the creation of jobs that provide good wages and benefits, crucial criminal justice reforms and equity standards for meaningful participation at every level of this new industry,” said John R. Durso, President of Local 338 of the RWDSU and Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
Workers, Union Push Back Against Amazon at NYC City Hall
The RWDSU joined community activists and elected officials today at City Hall in New York City to push back against the Amazon HQ deal in Queens that sees one of the world's richest companies set to receive billions of dollars in subsidies and handouts. The press conference was held ahead of City Council hearings on the Amazon HQ deal.
Workers who perform back breaking work every day at Amazon’s Staten Island distribution center were on hand to tell their stories.