How about some good news for a change? Workers have their first win under New York City’s groundbreaking law requiring fast food restaurants to let workers sign up for payroll deductions to non-profit, non-union workers’ organizations. The law requires that, before the payroll deductions start, an organization has to have signed up at least 500 workers—and Steven Greenhouse reports that:
One such group, Fast Food Justice, planned to announce on Wednesday that 1,200 New York fast-food workers have signed pledges to contribute $13.50 a month to the organization.
“This has been a lot of hard work, but we think this is great,” said Shantel Walker, who works at a Papa John’s in Brooklyn and is a member the new group. “We want to bring change not only in the fast-food industry, but in our communities.”
The new group will not seek to negotiate contracts as unions do, but its leaders say it will most likely push for a higher minimum wage and for many other issues fast-food workers support, including affordable housing, immigration reform, better police-community relations and improvements to New York’s subway system.
Restaurant industry groups are obviously suing to block the law, saying it’s an intolerable violation of their free speech rights to have to forward their workers’ money to groups representing their workers in ways they, the bosses, wouldn’t choose. But while unions are still out of reach for fast food workers, this is yet another way their years of organizing have paid off.
● Some Ohio Republicans are pushing a slew of anti-union constitutional amendments:
Six measures, all requiring voter approval, would undercut the clout of private and public-sector labor unions by prohibiting collection of so-called “fair share” fees in lieu of dues from workers who refuse to join a union and forbidding union spending of dues or fees on political activity without workers’ consent.
They would repeal requirements for a prevailing wage, often a higher union-scale wage, on public projects, prohibit governments from specifying union or nonunion labor on public projects, and require votes to recertify workplace bargaining units every year.
Similar legislative efforts have gone nowhere in recent years in the General Assembly following the stinging defeat of Senate Bill 5. Voters forced a repeal of the law, which focused on clipping the power of public-employee labor unions.
The good news, though, is that it’s not a done deal these measures will be on the Ohio ballot. Some legislative Republicans may not want to face voters after having pressed for the labor attacks, and it will take a super-majority of the legislature to make it happen.
● Carrier workers are livid after facing layoffs despite Trump's promises.
● Trump's labor board likely to strip auto workers of southern victory.
● HR has never been on the side of workers. #MeToo is more proof.
After human resources was informed in 2014 that Emily Nestor, former front desk assistant for the Weinstein Company, was allegedly sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, company officials reportedly informed Nestor that any complaints would be directly reported to Weinstein himself. [...]
Presented as neutral arbiters, human resources departments in fact report to management and function to shield bosses from repercussions. They emerged from early anti-union efforts and social-control initiatives implemented by notorious industry titans like the Ford Motor Company—and today often house top-down efforts to undermine worker solidarity and protect companies from lawsuits.
● #MeTooWhatNext: Strengthening workplace sexual harassment protections and accountability.
● Los Angeles deserves to know more about school board member Ref Rodriguez's role as a charter school landlord.
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