News and Views from the People's Struggle
New Orleans, LA – On February 7, workers at Starbucks on Saint Claude Street won their union election in a 12 to 4 vote. This is the third Starbucks to unionize in New Orleans. Baristas complain of an unsafe work environment, lack of predictable or sufficient hours, and a workplace that is falling apart.
New Orleans, LA – On January 12 at around 1 p.m., Teamsters union baristas at French Truck Coffee on Chartres Street walked off the job to demand safety at work.
New Orleans, LA – On January 11, with 90% support, workers at Starbucks on St. Claude filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. The store is located near the French Quarter and serves some tourists and locals.
“How I see it, unionizing my store will allow not only myself, but also my fellow partners to join together and create the ideal workspace for all of us. We've all decided the best way for us to see promising results is to take action into our hands and handle the situation ourselves,” said Julian Missy, an organizer and worker at the store for over a year.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution adopted by AFSCME Local 526.
AFSCME Local 526 Stands with the Palestinian people against Genocide
AFSCME Local 526 dedicates itself to improving the lives of working people, and fighting for a world where all people can live with dignity, justice, respect, peace, and equality. We consistently stand against Islamophobia, antisemitism, and racism in all its forms.
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, Palestinian trade unions, anti-Zionist Jewish people, and millions of others who are demanding an end to Israel’s colonial violence and genocide.
We condemn the active role of the U.S government in supporting Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, illegal settlements, and forced displacement of Palestinians, which is the root cause of the conflict.
We mourn all loss of life resulting from the conflict and call for an immediate end to Israel’s aggression against Gaza that has killed over 23,000 Palestinians and displaced 85% of Gaza’s population, 1.9 million people.
U.S. support for Israel’s war has caused a humanitarian disaster, and is risking a deadly outbreak of famine, disease, and a wider war. The billions of U.S. tax dollars spent on weapons for Israel every year should be reallocated to fund programs that help poor and working people, like healthcare, education, and childcare.
AFSCME Local 526 commits to taking the following actions in support of peace and justice:
1. We will send letters to our Congressional representatives, asking them to endorse bills such as H.R. 3103 and others that take meaningful action to end the genocide and occupation.
2. We will join over 900 unions, governments, and popular organizations who have endorsed South Africa’s Genocide Convention case against Israel at the U.N. International Court of Justice.
3. We will petition our employer, the Milwaukee Public Museum, to correct the large map in the “Crossroads of Civilization” gallery that includes a label for Israel, but not Palestine.
4. We will send a copy of this resolution to AFSCME leadership, encouraging them to join the many union internationals who have already called for a ceasefire.
5. We will continue to support and participate in actions led by the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, Wisconsin Labor for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, and others.
Passed unanimously at the AFSCME Local 526 membership meeting on January 11th, 2024.
#MilwaukeeWI #International #Palestine #AntiWar #Labor #AFSCME #AFSCME526
Atlanta, GA – On December 7, Amazon targeted and fired labor organizer Arturo Adame after a year of his consistent worker organizing.
In 2022 Arturo helped lead a successful walkout from the Buford, Georgia Amazon warehouse, officially putting him on Amazon’s radar. In the weeks leading up to his firing, Adame helped organize a petition demanding better pay, working conditions, and respect from Amazon. “As I was getting signatures, they would write me up for very minor phone violations. They were singling me out and holding me to a higher standard than everyone else.”
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, November 5, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 2 hosted an energetic rally outside the United States Postal Service city headquarters in downtown Milwaukee. 150 NALC members and supporters joined the rally to raise public awareness about the poor working conditions at USPS.
Riverview, FL – On November 9, around 60 Maximus call center workers, Communications Workers of America (CWA) members, and community supporters picketed in front of the Maximus call center in Riverview, Florida. The one-day strike called by CWA took place at Maximus calling centers around the country, and advanced demands for $25 an hour, affordable healthcare and an end to anti-union tactics.
Late on Wednesday, October 25, the United Auto Workers (UAW) at Ford Motor Company reached a tentative agreement for their next contract. This agreement comes after 41 days of “Stand Up” strikes against Ford, GM and Stellantis, otherwise known as the Big Three. The tentative agreement will still need to be voted on to go into effect, however, UAW says the strike at Ford will end while they are waiting for the members to vote whether to accept the deal.
Milwaukee, WI – Trade union leaders welcomed the chairman of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, to Milwaukee, October 4 and 5. The KMU is the largest and most militant labor coalition in the Philippines. Its name translates to May First Movement, a reference to the revolutionary workers’ holiday of May Day.
Grand Rapids, MI – Health insurance workers of Blue Cross Blue Shield, organized with the United Auto Workers (UAW), walked out on strike four weeks ago after new contract negotiations fell through.