WASHINGTON, DC– Workers across the country have stood up in the past month to fight for better wages and working conditions.
The following are a sample of victories won by workers:
Organizing and Community Victories
Walmart Workers Stage Nationwide Black Friday Protests: Walmart workers were joined by unions and community allies in staging approximately 1,600 protests against the corporation’s low wages and hostile work environments on Black Friday. This is the third year in a row that workers have staged Black Friday protests, with this year’s being the biggest yet.
Workers Fight for $15: Workers in a diverse set of sectors, from airline workers to retail employees, joined fast food workers in a nationwide strike across 190 cities. Workers spoke out for a $15 minimum wage and the right to organize for better working conditions and workplace fairness.
Boston Bike Share Workers Vote to Unionize: Employees of Hubway, a Boston-based bike share company, voted overwhelmingly to join Transport Workers Union Local 100. The workers, including mechanics, technicians, and dispatchers, are part of a national campaign to organize bike share workers.
Workers Defy Anti-Union Efforts, Vote to Organize: Approximately 150 workers at an Alabama copper parts plant voted to organize as members of the United Steelworkers after extensive efforts by Governor Robert Bentley to dissuade workers from unionizing.
Nurses and Hospital Workers Establish Union at Two Connecticut Hospitals: Nearly 1,000 radiology technologists, respiratory clinicians, and nurses have voted to form unions at two hospitals in Connecticut. The workers will be represented by AFT Connecticut and had filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after hospital administrators attempted to halt efforts by intimidating workers.
Boston Parking Attendants Look to Expand Organizing Efforts: Parking attendants in Boston are working to organize approximately 1,600 workers in the Boston area in an attempt to improve working conditions and substandard pay. Parking workers have won contracts with five parking companies in the Boston area over the last two years, and aim to organize at least three additional companies in the area.
Pittsburgh Workers Making Gains: Efforts by workers in the Pittsburgh area have resulted in successful organizing drives at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Rivers Casino, local universities and downtown offices. Currently, local unions are in the process of organizing roughly 1,000 security guards throughout the greater Pittsburgh area.
Los Angeles Workers Come to Agreement, Create Jobs: Approximately 250 new manufacturing jobs will be created in Los Angeles thanks to the efforts of workers negotiating with business and government interests. The workers at a facility, which will be producing light rail trains, will now be free to decide on whether to join a union thanks to a neutrality agreement negotiated by IBEW Local 11.
San Francisco Workers Win Critical Scheduling Reforms: The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation that would require retailers with 20 or more locations that employ more than 20 people to give two weeks’ notice for any change in a worker’s schedule. This legislation will assist those working low-wage jobs with unpredictable schedules, such as single mothers and fathers, obtain certainty with their expected hours worked.
Facebook Bus Drivers Organize in San Francisco: Over eighty bus drivers employed by Facebook voted to organize as part of a growing effort in Silicon Valley’s tech sector to win better wages and benefits for low wage workers.
Contact: Anthony DeAngelo (202) 637-5018