Tristan Jackson and eight other Maine lobstermen traveled to Hollywood, Md., in February to get the training and knowledge they need to start forming a union, which they say will give them unprecedented clout when dealing with the state legislature and the businesses that buy the lobsters they catch. The lobstermen met with representatives of the Machinists (IAM) and left the meeting geared up to recruit others and launch their local union.

Duy Tran’s uncle came to America on a boat with other political refugees from Vietnam during the U.S. war. It was at sea for 52 days. Their only food was raw fish. Half of them died from starvation. They came seeking freedom and better lives for themselves and their families. Most of Tran’s family and friends experienced similarly dangerous journeys on their path to America and Tran says it gave him a greater appreciation of the goals Vietnamese immigrants were pursuing.

The Real Food, Real Jobs movement is going strong and supporters have a lot to celebrate. After a successful march and rally on U Street on March 1 in Washington, D.C., Howard University workers won a new contract with food service provider Sodexo on March 7. Members of UNITE HERE Local 23, Howard dining service workers will see an improvement in their working conditions, as well as an increase input to sustainability efforts on behalf of the university. Furthermore, the contract that was overwhelmingly approved has won workers the right to a sustainability oversight committee and access to more worker training.

The basic system of worker representation is failing to meet the needs of America’s working men and women by every critical measure, said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka at today's 2013 Conference on New Models of Worker Representation in Chicago. Labor unions are vulnerable, which is a challenge, but this vulnerability also presents an opportunity to innovate, he said. 

The AFL-CIO, along with its affiliate unions, community partners and allies, are embarking on a deep evaluation of the future for working people and the labor movement and exploring innovations for the future of worker organizing. 

Live from Chicago, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is talking about the future of the union movement and new models of worker representation. This event is hosted by Chicago Center for Working-Class Studies and televised and streamed by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV). Watch the live stream after the jump. 

McDonald's workers in central Pennsylvania launched a strike at 11 this morning, reports Josh Eidelson of the Nation. The guest workers, who began the surprise strike, allege the franchisee of the world's largest fast-food hamburger chain owes them unpaid wages and has retaliated against them. 

New York's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. For food service workers who rely on tips, that amount is only $5.00. In some states, tipped workers make as little as $2.13 an hour. Check out this new video from New York City food service workers and members of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) who're raising awareness that the minimum wage needs to be raised.

An Unaccommodating Situation is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column.

Question:

If you are under doctor direction not to return to a full schedule or work only half- or part-time, can HR say that you either come back full-time or not at all? I had surgery that my doctor said required me to work no more than part-time. The school let me work a part-time schedule though they didn’t let me teach the classes that would have been best for my students. They also lambasted me for it and think I should have come back right away. Now the district policy is full-time or nothing. No partial-time doctor’s notes will be accepted. Can they do this?

Dozens of students, community food activists and food industry workers came out for the “Real Food, Real Jobs” march and rally, held by UNITEHERE! Local 23 yesterday at the African American Civil War Memorial on U Street. 

More than 400 locked-out North Dakota American Crystal Sugar workers got some good news this week when the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled they were eligible to collect unemployment benefits. When the lockout began in August 2011, North Dakota Job Service ruled the workers were ineligible for the benefits.