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By Treston Davis-Faulkner, on August 20th, 2010  On May 23, 2010, the owner of Mott’s, a subsidiary of the highly profitable Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS), forced 300 workers and members of RWDSU Local 220 on strike at the Mott’s plant in Williamson, NY. Though the company is seeing tremendous success and has turned a profit the past 5 years, Mott’s insists on wage and benefit cuts from workers, saying workers should think of themselves as a “commodity” like “soybeans or oil.”
Basic Facts: Mott’s/DPS is demanding: $1.50 per hour wage cut for all employees, pension elimination for future employees, pension freeze for current employees, 20 percent decrease in employer contributions to the 401K, increased employee contributions toward health care premiums and co-pays. Most workers at the Williamson plant make around $19/hr. Mott’s was acquired by DPS in May of 2008, after which workers report a shift in attitude from management.
Mott’s is looking to exploit the economic climate to maximize their profits at the expense of their workers.
While the three highest paid executives at DPS, including CEO Larry Young, doubled their pay between 2007
Continue reading Mott’s Workers Stand Up to Corporate Greed
By rand wilson, on May 28th, 2010 Cross-posted from Labor Notes.
 Striking workers at the Supervalu- owned Shaw’s Distribution Center in Methuen, Mass., have been marching from Methuen to Boston for justice since Sunday, May 23.
The 310 workers, members of UFCW Local 791, have been on strike since March 7 over the company’s insistence that the burden of increasing health care costs be borne by workers.
As a resident of Somerville, I chose to meet up with the strikers on their march from Medford to Somerville, the third day of their four-day journey. While we marched, the 50 or so workers and supporters enjoyed broad support from passing motorists, as well as cheers from many residents in the neighborhoods along the route.
It was easy to see how bringing the strike into the community gets people mobilized in different ways than just walking a picket line. All kinds of people get involved. I especially liked the opportunity to meet up with other labor activists from Somerville.
I also had a surprising connection with one of the
Continue reading Strikers March from Methuen to Boston to Win Justice at Shaw’s
By jwjnational, on April 22nd, 2010 Supervalu, the parent company of New England grocery store chain Shaw’s, is behaving badly. The 310 workers from Shaw’s Supermarkets Distribution Center in Methuen, MA, members of UFCW Local 791, have been on strike for almost 7 weeks. Although Supervalu is the driving force behind negotiations, they refuse to take responsibility and come back to the bargaining table to negotiate in good faith. They claim that they are not responsible for their subsidiary Shaw’s.
Call and write Supervalu today to tell them to be good parents and settle the strike now!
Call Supervalu CEO Craig Herkert at
(952) 828-4000
Click here to send a fax to Supervalu.
Last month, union workers at Shaw’s distribution center voted to go out on strike after the company refused to return to the bargaining table. Workers rejected a company proposal that would have increased employees’ health insurance payments, resulting in a net loss of pay.
To make matters worse, the company is threatening to permanently replace all striking workers, placing all the workers at the distribution center jobs in peril. Shaw’s followed up its refusal to bargain with an announcement that they were going to lay off 4% of the workers
Continue reading Tell Supervalu to be good Parents! Support Striking Shaw’s Grocery Workers
By rand wilson, on March 24th, 2010 Over 200 labor and community supporters turned out for a rally in at the Shaw’s Supermarket in Dorchester to support striking warehouse workers at the company’s Methuen Distribution Center.
Over 300 members of UFCW Local 791 voted overwhelmingly to reject the company’s final contract offer and have now been on strike since March 7th.
The company’s substandard wage proposals combined with its demand for increased employee health care contributions would result in a net loss of income for workers during the term of the proposed contract.
The company’s final offer would also allow for the use of outside agencies to perform work at the facility, costing union jobs.
In addition to Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, the rally was sponsored by UFCW Local 791, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Greater Boston Labor Council.
Don’t shop at Shaw’s until it respects its workers and reaches an agreement that preserves good jobs with decent wages and benefits!
You can keep up with what’s happening by joining the Facebook group “We support the Shaws Methuen Distribution Center“
By rand wilson, on March 4th, 2010 (Originally published on Working In These Times blog at http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5639/troublemakers_go_to_school_in_boston)
 BOSTON—More than 90 union members, students and community activists jammed the SEIU Local 888 union hall here on Saturday for a “Troublemakers School” sponsored by Massachusetts Jobs with Justice.
IBEW Local 2222 Business Manager Myles Calvey gave a rousing welcome to kick things off. “We’re not going to get labor’s problems solved in Washington or on Beacon Hill unless we take a page from the civil rights and gay rights movements,” said Calvey, a former New England telecom strike leader. “We’ve got to be a lot more aggressive so that politicians are forced to deal with our issues. We’ve got make our problems, their problems!”
Calvey was followed by a panel of local organizers from the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Angelica Laundry strike, Service Employees’ Local 1199’s Caritas hospital campaign and American Federation of Government Employee’s Transportation Safety Officers organizing drive. Their presentations were followed by a wide-ranging discussion about organizing strategies and reports from other workplace struggles. (To learn more about these campaigns, go to www.ufcwlocal1445.org/Open1445Intro2.htm; http://fairunionelections.org and
Continue reading Troublemakers Go to School in Boston
By Allison Fletcher Acosta, on December 1st, 2009 Looking to buy gifts for the holidays AND support workers? We’ve got some ideas for you!
 Naturally, we recommend starting off at the Jobs with Justice store, where you can find union-made t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, buttons, stickers, and even yo-yos with a pro-worker message.
For union made apparel, UNITE HERE keeps a list of companies with the union label, as does the UFCW.
Sweatfree Communities and the International Labor Rights Forum have put together the “2010 Shop with a Conscience Consumer Guide” with clothing sourced from sweat-free factories throughout the world.
Wondering what to serve at the holiday party? Here’s a list of union-made sweets & treats and other food and beverages.
If you’re traveling over the holidays, you can search here for a union hotel.
If you are a union member yourself, save money on flowers, computers, phones, and more at the Union Plus website.
Want to know what NOT to buy? Check out the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Fame.
And just in case you were planning on dropping $30-$70K on a Lexus wrapped up in a bow, why not buy a
Continue reading Worker-Friendly Holiday Shopping Guide
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On May 23, 2010, the owner of Mott’s, a subsidiary of the highly profitable Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS), forced 300 workers and members of RWDSU Local 220 on strike at the Mott’s plant in Williamson, NY. Though the company is seeing tremendous success and has turned a profit the past 5 years, Mott’s insists on wage and benefit cuts from workers, saying workers should think of themselves as a “commodity” like “soybeans or oil.”