Also see 'Living Wages'
"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity
and importance and should be undertaken
with painstaking excellence."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Baltimore CAN: Raising the Standards for a Better Baltimore!
The new Baltimore CAN coalition is uniting communities, congregations, workers, youth, and small businesses to demand more from new developments such as the 25th Street Station proposed to bring the first Walmart to the heart of Baltimore. Baltimore CAN demands that the Mayor, City Council, and other elected officials stand up for Baltimore and expect more from developers, especially those receiving taxpayer subsidies, by enacting stronger Community Standards legislation, including living wages and health benefits (Join Baltimore CAN and see letter in July 2 Examiner).
Please attend two Baltimore City Council Hearings on Thursdays:
- July 22, 4pm, City Hall on requiring retail giants to pay a living wage
- July 29, 4-6 pm on Community Partnership Legislation
to create jobs in construction for Baltimore Residents.
Dunbar High School Auditorium, 1400 Orleans St., Baltimore
Contact Get Baltimore Working, Jermaine Jones, 443-509-2500
Chicago Wins Unprecedented Wal-Mart Concessions
On June 30th the Chicago City Council approved the City's second Walmart store after the exploitative, union-busting retail giant finally agreed to unprecedented concessions, including paying its Chicago employees a minimum wage of $8.75-an-hour, local hiring, and union construction work.
See also:
LABOR NEWS ROUNDUP
Making Job Creation Job #1; 'Laid Off and Left Out'
Since the start of "The Great Recession" America has lost 8 million jobs and now there are five unemployed workers available for every vacant job. Yet extension of critical federal economic stimulus measures remains stuck in Congress, held hostage by "deficit hawks" who fail to heed economists' warnings that a double-dip recession remains the real threat to both the economy and federal balance sheets. Extending unemployment insurance, Medicaid assistance to states, COBRA health insurance for the unemployed, and other measures will keep the recovery going and help those most in need. Yet the House of Representatives cut out $24 billion in Medicaid funding for state fiscal relief and $7 billion for COBRA health insurance aid. Now pressure is on the Senate, stymied by its own arcane filibuster rule, to restore them. And so the worst recession in 75 years drags on, dragging down millions of American families, swelling the jobless and homeless rolls, and forcing a third wave of housing foreclosures.
New UFCW 400 President Tom McNutt Touts Advantages to Legacy Stores, Communities of Union Workers: "Let's Race to the Top, Not Bottom."
"By trying to prevent their workers from joining unions, and scrimping on pay and benefits, the Walmarts and Whole Foods of the world are dooming themselves to a high-turnover, demoralized workforce," McNutt writes. "Their low pay drives down purchasing power in the community, depriving upscale stores of customers. By contrast, legacy chains like Safeway,Giant, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, and Kroger invest in their employees thanks to the power of collective bargaining (and so) provide the best quality service and highest productivity in the industry."
Labor Rallies for O'Malley at State House: Four More Years
Maryland union members rallied in front of the State House in Annapolis Monday to reiterate support for Gov. Martin O'Malley and important gains made during his first term.
AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy Retires after 40 Years
During his four decades at the forefront of the labor movement as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Lucy helped the union grow from 200,000 to over 1.4 million members nationwide.
Teamsters 730 Fights, Saves 500 Union Jobs at Giant's Jessup Plant
Last week Giant agreed not to lay off any unionized workers at its dry goods distribution business in Jessup, Md., when it outsources the work later this year after the union's aggressive internal pressure campaign.
LABOR ACTIONS & RESOURCES
Also see 'Living Wages'
