Coalitions in cities targeted for new Walmart stores gathered and took strategic actions on April 21, 2011 to urge elected leaders to make sure Walmart’s desire to open or expand stores is rejected or met with enforcement of strong standards.

In cities across the United States, Walmart is seeking access to new markets and customers, spurring local and national debate for good reason. Local coalitions of community members, elected officials, religious leaders, small business owners and others are joining together and speaking out to voice their concern and ensure the jobs being offered by Walmart meet strong standards for healthy, growing communities.

Jobs with Justice is playing a key role in these coalitions, either coordinating or participating in a number of cities including:  Boston, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.  Other cities where local coalitions held aligned events include:  Los Angeles, Seattle.  Here are some highlights:

In San Francisco:

Jobs with Justice joined together with a number of community organizations to publicly announce the formation

Continue reading Community coalitions in major cities tell elected officials to reject Walmart or impose strong standards

After four years of organizing, officers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art employed by AlliedBarton Security Services have a union contract!  The agreement, ratified by a majority of guards on April 18th, will increase wages by 14.5% over the life of the 3-year contract and will institute a grievance procedure and a seniority system.

“We are proud that our 4 year struggle has resulted in a better quality of life for our coworkers and families,” says Donald Lindsey, President of the union.

The union mounted a public pressure campaign which engaged supportive city council members, the Philadelphia labor movement, student activists, Jobs with Justice, and dozens of local faith leaders to win their victory against the nation’s second-largest security company.

Security guards are prevented from joining most labor unions due to the Section 9 (B) 3 of the National Labor Relations Act.  This clause of the National Labor Relations Act states that

Continue reading Independent Philadelphia Security Officers Union Wins First Union Contract at the Museum of Art

Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. cut 200+ union jobs at the Port of Philadelphia, eliminating family-sustaining jobs, and moved their business to a privately-owned terminal that doesn’t pay workers a living wage.  The Port of Philadelphia workers, represented by ILA Local 1291, have served Del Monte loyally for twenty-two years, but Del Monte gave workers only 4 days notice before finalizing their plans to leave them without work.  Meanwhile, Del Monte has posted record profits in each of the last two years.  The ILA has called for a boycott of Del Monte Products.

On November 22, dockworkers and community and labor allies came out to support the Port of Philadelphia workers in cities across the country from Galveston, TX to Denver, CO to Coral Gables, FL, where South Florida JwJ helped organize an action.

In Philadelphia, nearly four hundred people, including dockworkers, their families, and Philadelphia Jobs with Justice activists, joined together in Love Park to protest Del Monte.  Prominent Philadelphia

Continue reading Boycott Del Monte! Protestors Block Philadelphia Traffic

After two years of struggle at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Jobs with Justice (JwJ) and the security guards at the museum filed for union recognition this past September and won their election on October 10, 2009, forming the Philadelphia Security Officers Union (PSOU). This historic victory is a testament to hundreds of hours of volunteer work, the strategic campaign run by JwJ, the support of Philadelphians, and the dedication and fearlessness of the security guards who stood up for their rights on the job.

AlliedBarton, the security company that employs the guards, contested the election, and guards spent December awaiting a decision from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

On January 5th, the NLRB announced their decision in favor of the PSOU! Guards are currently working on their contract with AlliedBarton, and anticipate more obstacles to come. Will AlliedBarton slow down progress further by filing another frivolous appeal?

Check out this great segment on GRITtv about the workers’ struggle

Editor’s Note:  In October, Jobs with Justice released a report warning about the working conditions at the American Red Cross and the safety of its blood supply.

December 10- One week ago, more than 100 frontline blood collection workers employed by the American Red Cross and members of Teamsters Local 929 went on strike to educate the public about working conditions in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey area that could potentially put the region’s blood supply at risk.

These blood collection workers often work 14 hours a day, up to twenty one days in a row, driving to and from blood drives, unloading and loading heavy equipment, labeling blood donations, assuring the safe disposal of used needles, packaging blood, and transporting it for processing and testing.  Workers are standing strong in Philadelphia, expanding picket lines around the city, and getting the word out about the Red Cross. 

You can send a message to the Red Cross supporting these workers here:  TAKE ACTION

Sean Rudolph works for the International Brotherhood of  Teamsters.

The two year effort to form an independent labor union for the AlliedBarton security guards at the world famous Philadelphia Museum of Art finally resulted in a victory for the union this weekend.  The formerly unionized guards lost their union in 1992 when the jobs were privatized by then Mayor Ed Rendell.

“It is hard for any group of workers to join a union,” says Cecelia Lynch, museum guard and union activist.  “But we knew that it was the only hope that we had to fix the problems that we faced on the job.”

It is rare and difficult for a group of workers to form their own independent union.

The newly formed Philadelphia Security Officers Union (PSOU) was created by guards from around the city and by the Philadelphia Jobs with Justice over a two year period.

“We hope that AlliedBarton will now work with us to agree on a fair contract in a reasonable amount of time,”  says Fabricio Rodriguez, Executive Director of Jobs with Justice.

The union provides some hope to

Continue reading Philadelphia Security Officers Union Wins Election!

Cross-posted from the Philadelphia JwJ Blog.

One of the main road blocks that workers face to exercising their rights on the job is the powerful and frightening coercive power that an employer has over an employee.

Imagine an election in which the party in power could force you to attend mandatory meetings to tell you why you should not vote for the other party. Imagine the party in power could also make you lose your job, and harass your neighbors who support the opposition party. The party in power could bring in professional campaigners (lawyers and anti-union consultants) to help them win their election. They were guaranteed access to the voters every day leading up to the election — but the opposition party could only campaign in secret and when their volunteers happened to catch other voters at home. Let’s say that the party in power could also sit you down, all by yourself, and interrogate you to see how you intended on voting?

Sounds pretty intimidating, huh? Well these are the troubles that the security guards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Continue reading Will your tax money be used to intimidate workers?

Yesterday, hundreds of community, faith, student leaders came to Washington to tell their elected officials why they support the Employee Free Choice Act.  Jobs with Justice activists from Pennsylvania, Missouri, Maine and Indiana joined others in a jam-packed 36 hours of training and lobbying. 

Participants were welcomed Wednesday night by outgoing AFL-CIO president John Sweeney.   On Thursday morning, Senator Harkin addressed the crowd with heart-felt remarks about his family’s life-long commitment to unions and workers’  issues.  Harkin, who was just named Chairman of the House Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, brought a bittersweet message to the activists.  “We will win strong labor law reform,” Harkin said, “but it may not happen this year.”  Senator Harkin explained that health care would likely dominate the legislative calendar for the remainder of the year, but assured folks that the Employee Free Choice Act would immediately follow. 

With the appointment of Harkin to lead the HELP Committee and President Obama’s Labor Day address Continue reading Lobby Day for the Employee Free Choice Act

A sampling of what Jobs with Justice coalitions worked on from August 22-September 7.

Security Guards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, after repeated requests for a meeting, welcomed new director Timothy Rub with a rally on the steps of the museum.  On September 3rd, the guards filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to allow them  to unionize as members of the Philadelphia Security Officers Union, an independent union.

Jobs with Justice was one of 521 organizations that signed an open letter to Obama criticizing the Presidents inactivity on immigration reform.  The letter demands the “immediate termination” of the 287(g) program which allows local law enforcement agencies to essentially act as proxies for federal agents who investigate, apprehend, transport, and detain people who are suspected of being undocumented.

The national debate on health care continues to be front-and-center, and JwJ coalitions remain engaged on the ground.