Rite Aid workers win 5-year campaign to form union at giant Rite Aid distribution center

By , on May 4th, 2011

Rite Aid Negotiating Committee after signing Tentative Agreement on May 1, 2011.Rite Aid workers at the company's massive Southwest Distribution Center in Lancaster declared victory on Sunday, May 1 in their five-year effort to form a union and improve working conditions.

Workers signed a 3-year tentative agreement with management on May 1 – subject to a May 12 ratification vote – that will improve conditions at the million-square-foot facility in California’s high desert by guaranteeing:

  • Health insurance rates that are fair for both individual workers and their families,
  • Job security provisions to prevent work from being sub-contracted,
  • A worker voice in production standards and ability to challenge unfair standards,
  • Protection against intense summer heat and winter cold, using innovative indoor-temperature standards,
  • A fair and impartial process for resolving disputes,
  • Wage increases in each of the next 3 years.

    • “We’re excited about winning this victory, even if it took longer than it should have,” said Carlos “Chico” Rubio, a 10-year warehouse worker who helped negotiate the union contract with a team of eight co-workers.

    Employees decided to form their union

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    May 4th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Category: Coalitions, Health Care, Labor Law Reform, Unions | Comments are closed

    Big Week for the Student-Labor Movement

    By , on November 20th, 2009

    From huge victories in the anti-sweatshop movement to the continued struggle for funding in public education, students and workers are coming together to challenge the existing power structure and fight for a just society.

    We first want to congratulate our friends at United Students Against Sweatshops for their victory against Russell Athletics! Russell Athletics which closed their factory in Honduras after workers there tried to for a union nearly one year ago.  Students at 96 universities persuaded their schools to suspend or sever ties with Russell Athletic, a major supplier of college logo t-shirts and sweatshirts.  This week, Russell announced that they plan to re-open the factory and re-hire all 1200 workers. More details about the campaign here.

    yesIn California, the struggle continues. Across California students and workers have come together to fight against fee increases and the privatization of education. Thousands of students and workers met at the UCLA campus to demand the Regents from the UC system to stop the proposed increases and support funding of public higher education. Several buildings were occupied by students while others marched around the

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    November 20th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , | Category: Alliances, Campaigns, Public Money | Comments are closed