AMERICAN LABOUR-CALIFORNIA:

BAY AREA IWW PROTEST:

Tomorrow, January 21, members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) who are in contract negotiations with Curbside Recycling in Berkeley California will be holding a protest rally against the demands of management. Molly urges her readers in the Bay Area to attend. Tell 'em Molly sent you. Here's the notice from the IWW website.

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Bay Area IWW Labor Protest - Recycling Workers Say "NO!" To Management's Proposed Cuts!

- Thursday, Jan 21, 2010
The IWW is engaged in contract discussions with the Ecology Center, which runs Curbside Recycling - the outfit that picks up recyclable trash in Berkeley. They have presented a series of demands for draconian cut backs.

This includes demanding that the workers pay 20% of the cost of their health insurance premiums. Their position is that everywhere else such cuts are being instituted and they have to do the same. Our position is that these cuts have to be stopped somewhere, or, to paraphrase Harry Truman, "the cuts stop here." At the same time, Buyback - the recycling yard that is on the same property as Curbside and also under IWW contract - has announced that they will be laying off a worker, a first there.

The IWW is holding a "safety meeting" rally to protest these twin events. This will be in their yard at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21. The yard is on 2nd Street, just north of Gillman in north Berkeley (near the freeway).

We are urging all union members and supporters, students and community members to participate.

IWW/BERKELEY CA

METRO OWNERS FILE TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST FIRED IWW WORKER:

On October 19th the owners of Metro Lighting and Crafts filed restraining order papers against a fired IWW member as another attempt at breaking solidarity and picket lines. The restraining order cites an event that took place in May 2007 and requires that Gabe W. not be allowed to meet with fellow workers (even the six workers currently on strike !) and denies him the right to picket the store which fired him for union organizing.

Basically this is another underhanded attempts by the owners to break union solidarity and try to stem lost business from the pickets.

WE NEED YOUR HELP:

Please show up at the picket lines this Saturday and show your support and solidarity with striking Metro workers. Pickets will continue every Saturday from 12-5 at 2121 San Pablo Ave., just south of the University of Berkeley. If you aren't able to do that please consider calling (1-888-METRO20 or emailing the owners (info@metrolighting.com ) and demand they stop union-busting actions and reinstate fired union worker, Gabe W.

For more information on this and other IWW organization efforts see http://www.iww.org

MOLLY NOTE:

Metro Lighting and Crafts is one of many "green capitalists", promoting their business as "progressive". To say the least this outfits rarely live up to their advertising when it comes to their own workforce. As an aside I've just finished reading a book entitled 'Organic Inc' about the rise of the "natural foods" business in the USA. Guess how many organic farms in the whole USA are covered by an union contract. The answer is a grand total of ONE. Not that some of these outfits don't hire large numbers of farm workers. They do. But their trendy "ideals" don't cover workers' rights. More on 'Organic Inc.' later.

BERKELEY CA:CURBSIDE RECYCLERS USE DIRECT ACTION TO WIN DEMANDS,RESTORE ESTABLISHED WORKING CONDITIONS:

Workers at the Berkeley CA 'Ecology Center's Curbside Recycling Program' have been represented by the IWW, Industrial Workers of the World, since 1989. On September 10th the recyclers held a work stoppage and demanded that recent changes that management had made to their work routes be rescinded. The changes basically involved putting all of the collection work on "solo routes" which meant that collectors would be without help in lifting heavy objects on their routes. Despite management attempts to break the solidarity of the employees they stood firm, occupying the company's office during the course of the dispute. They were supported by the workers next door at the Community Conservation Center ("Buyback") recycling drop off yard. These workers have been represented by the IWW since 2001. In the end management had to accede to the workers' demands, and they were also made to back down from a demand that the workers work into the night to make up for the time lost in the strike. The IWW cites this as an example of how direct action is the most useful technique for upholding the interests of working people.

READ MORE about this action at the IWW website's story on it.