On the picket line

United flight attendants protest no contract

Thousands of United Airlines flight attendants and their supporters in 17 cities in the U.S., Europe and Asia held picket lines on Jan. 7 to protest United’s failure to negotiate a new contract, which has been on the table since last April.

Due to expire on Jan. 7 were draconian cuts in pay and horrendous working conditions forced on the attendants during United’s bankruptcy in 2002. Attendants are currently paid at 1994 wage levels and work 48 percent more compared to 2002 schedules and staffing levels. In contrast, when United exited bankruptcy, CEO Glenn Tilton got a bonus that could have provided a 10 percent raise for the airline’s 15,000 flight attendants.

“United has shown no interest in discussing improvements or reaching a new contract unless we agree to concessionary demands,” said Greg Davidowitch, president of the executive council of the American Flight Attendants division of the Communication Workers union. “Flight attendants are angry because management seems only interested in delaying a new contract, refusing to discuss any improvements.”

Rite Aid forced to rehire workers fighting for union

Ever since 600 workers at Rite Aid’s Southwest distribution center in Lancaster, Calif., voted to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in 2006, they have been subjected to an anti-worker campaign that includes illegal threats, intimidation, harassment and firing of union supporters. The National Labor Relations Board issued complaints in September charging Rite Aid with violating federal labor laws by illegally laying off workers, reducing hours, reassigning work and failing to provide the union with information needed for negotiations. As a result Rite Aid has been forced to rehire dozens of employees with back pay and faces a pending court date with an NLRB judge.

To help the workers, a coast-to-coast campaign has been exposing the anti-union activities of the third-largest retail drug chain, with more than 5,000 stores in 31 states and sales of $24.3 billion in 2008. The workers’ negotiating committee, which has held 60 sessions since 2006, made some progress in late 2009. Management agreed on the workers’ right to refuse dangerous work, a process to address ergonomic problems, protection from dangerous indoor heat, and discipline and discharge policies.

Boston unionists, activists show solidarity with Mexican workers

A delegation of labor unionists and community activists delivered a letter to the Mexican deputy consul general in Boston on Jan. 5 rebuking Mexican President Felipe Calderón for his government’s seizure of Central Light and Power plants, decertification of the Mexican Electrical Workers Union, and firing between 44,000 and 45,000 union workers.

The letter, signed by representatives of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103, the American Friends Service Committee and Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, urged President Calderón to revoke the decree liquidating Central Light and Power, reinstate the fired workers, respect their collective agreement and recognize the elected union leadership. The consul general agreed to meet with the delegation later in January. (www.openmediaboston.org)

Federal job site bans gender identity bias

The federal job Web site (www.usajobs.gov) now carries language that explicitly bans employment discrimination based on gender identity. Though the Jan. 5 New York Times claims that this “merely formalizes what had been increasingly unchallenged government practice over several years,” this change was hailed by progressive organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union.