Our latest example of Corporate Greed at its finest is Rite Aid, who tries to hide behind the corporate slogan, “with us it’s personal.”  BUT, do not be fooled by a silly slogan.  HMMMM….. let’s see,  Rite Aid CEO, John Standley, doubles his salary in one year from $2.3 million to $4.5 million while trying to make health insurance unaffordable for his company’s  low wage workers.  Is that being personal with your employees?  Well I guess you could say it is personal, but probably not in the way Rite Aid would want you to think.

While taking a 100% pay increase, John Standley is trying to raise health care costs even though Northeast Ohio area workers accepted meager wage increases so they would be able to keep the costs affordable – I guess someone has to pay for John Standley’s increase in salary. In the 2010 letter to shareholders, Standley brags about decreasing costs and projecting a growth in profitable sales – and we all know how they intend to decrease costs – on the

Continue reading Rite Aid Strike Continues in Cleveland

So our latest example of Corporate Greed at its finest is Rite Aid, who tries to hide behind the slogan, “with us it’s personal.” BUT, do not be fooled by a silly slogan. HMMMM….. let’s see, Rite Aid CEO, John Stanley, doubles his salary in one year from $2.3 million to $4.5 million while trying to make health insurance unaffordable for his company’s low wage workers. Is that being personal with your employees? Well I guess you could say it is personal, but probably not in the way Rite Aid would want you to think.

While taking a 100% pay increase, John Stanley is trying to raise health care costs even though Ohio workers accepted meager wage increases so they would be able to keep the costs affordable. The employees in stores in Lancaster, CA are facing an astounding 2800% increase in their health care costs. I guess someone has to pay for John Stanley’s increase in salary.

In the 2010 letter

Continue reading Stop Corporate Greed at Rite Aid!

Think about working in temperatures, upwards of 100 degrees on hot days.  Finding used hypodermic needles; human body parts, fluids and excrement; umbilical cords and other biohazard material from the Cleveland Clinic hospital system.   No safety harnesses for workers climbing over 10 feet in the air on scissor lifts.  Nonexistent water breaks and a minimal amount of fans to cool the facility on extremely hot days.   Now think about enduring all of this while earning $8.34 an hour.  Think I am talking about a sweatshop located in a third world country?  Well, think again.

I have just described some of the horrible conditions Sodexo Laundry workers in Cleveland, Ohio face on a daily basis.  It doesn’t stop there either.  Poor ventilation and circulation of the air causes oppressive heat inside the plant, even during cold weather.   One worker described going in and out of the plant like, “going from a stove to a refrigerator.”   Doors are thrown open in the winter, sending bone chilling drafts into areas of the facility, just increasing the uncomfortable surroundings the workers have to face.   Machines are overloaded and workers are expected to meet production

Continue reading Cleveland’s Own “Sweat” Shop

Yesterday, flanked by Cleveland Jobs with Justice activists; including members of the Cleveland Teachers Union (CTU), SEIU Local 1, Workers United, Working America and ATU Local 268, along with fire and police union members, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown announced his intent to introduce the Local Jobs for America Act during the week of June 7th.  Senator Brown’s version of the House Bill would send $75 Billion to local governments and community groups over the next 2 year period. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Mayor Don Plusquellic  of Akron both spoke about the cuts in fire and police forces that have had to endure during this economic downturn.  Teacher Justin Hons, effected by the upcoming teacher layoff in Cleveland and laid off  ATU Local 268 mechanic,  Dennis Pohl both attended the news conference lending support to the bill being introduced by Senator Brown.

Michele Pomerantz,  CTU Trustee and Director of Political Action and Cleveland Jobs with Justice member  said, “today’s announcement gives me hope that better days are

Continue reading Sherrod Brown Will Introduce the Local Jobs for America Act in the Senate

It wasn’t very long ago that every time you looked at a clothing label you would see “Made in the USA.”  Not only was it made in the USA but it probably also had some sort of connection to a thriving garment industry in the Cleveland area.  Names like Joseph & Feiss Co, Bobbie Brooks, Printz-Biederman, Lion Knitting Mills, and Cleveland Worsted Mill dominated the industry and union cards kept people gainfully employed.

But this good thing has come to an end.  Now Hugo Boss, the last clothing manufacturer in Cleveland, has given notice of their intent to shutter their plant and permanently lay off 400 workers at the end of April.

Hugo is closing because they want to ship the jobs to a plant in Turkey where they can pay much less than the average current rate of $12 per hour they pay Cleveland employees.

Hugo management offered to stay if the employees were willing

Continue reading Hugo Boss Threatens to Move Overseas if Workers Refuse $4/Hr Pay Cut

Debbie Kline is Coordinator of Cleveland Jobs with Justice.

Unless you are a real news junkie and read the Business Section of your local newspaper or know one of the former employees, this is one story you may have missed.   

InkStop was a chain of 152 convenience stores for office supplies that stocked ink cartridges and small electronics.  The stores were located in small plazas in communities where big box office supply stores did not exist.   InkStop owner Dirk Kettlewell boasted that the chain would be profitable by the end of this year by using over $80 million from private investors.  This was supposed to be the “Sleeping Beauty” business story of the decade, but instead it turned into something that rivals “Psycho.”

The first blow came when all 152 InkStop stores were closed without warning on October 1st.  It was business as usual earlier in the day.  As the doors were locked for the night, the devastating news came via a faxed and emailed letter to employees

Continue reading InkStop Stores Dry Up, Owing Workers Pay and Health Care