Posts tagged fight for 15
One unionized. The other did not. How 2 Milwaukee cafés were changed by union drives
July 8, 2022 // Most irritating to him is what he calls the red tape. The union contract dictates how much time he's allowed to spend behind the bar in his own café. And when he wants to make changes that affect the staff, such as extending store hours, he's supposed to negotiate it through the union, even after he's gotten the go ahead from everyone on his team. "I don't want an additional contract giving me rules," says Lucey. "That's why I quit my job and started my own job, because I wanted to do things my way." Eric Resch, Stone Creek Coffee, Kellie Lutz, Scott Lucey,
The barista uprising: Coffee shop workers ignite a union renewal
July 1, 2022 // To understand how cafés became hot spots for organizing, consider the kind of workers coffee shops attract. The people making your latte tend to be young, educated and progressive in their politics. And they're part of a generation of workers who have faced massive upheaval in their young lives — economic disruption, social unrest, a global pandemic and a labor market that has emboldened workers to ask for more. Kellie Lutz, Stone Creek Coffee, Wisconsin, Steph Achter, barista-led labor movement, Kellie Lutz's union campaign at Stone Creek Coffee was unsuccessful, but she continues her labor activism in her new job in health care. "I'm going to be a union gal forever," she says, Destiny DeVooght,
Who’s the Real Author Behind Seattle’s “PayUp” Legislation?
May 19, 2022 // One illuminating display of Wilson’s influence was an October 2021 letter sent by Councilmember Herbold to several gig companies. In the letter, she scolded the representatives for their concerns with the PayUp legislation: “I’m disappointed that you’ve not expressed the depth of, nor raised all your issues during our weekly calls.”
Workers Are Beating Big Bosses, but Organized Labor Can’t Keep Up
April 27, 2022 // Worker-led unions are transformational, while organized labor has become transactional.
Opinion: Starbucks baristas who join a union may not get what they bargained for
April 21, 2022 // Unions historically had little traction in the full- and limited-service restaurant industry. High turnover, combined with a younger workforce that desires flexibility over rigidity, made a poor match for organized labor’s 20th-century-value proposition. Ten years ago, the SEIU made an expensive play to change that, through a campaign called the Fight for $15.
Union-backed Activists Push $15 In New Report, But Restaurant Workers Still Don’t Agree
April 11, 2022 // The report itself calls for a “universal $15 minimum wage.” But actual tipped restaurant employees disagree with this policy – and actively oppose movements to eliminate local, state, and federal tip credits. Why?
US unions see unusually promising moment amid wave of victories
March 16, 2022 // Gebre said the nation’s unions should send far more organizers and money to back the union drives at Starbucks and Amazon. “The rest of the labor movement should be willing to lend a hand,” even if they don’t get any of the members, said Gebre, who was recently named Greenpeace’s chief program officer. “That’s what solidarity means.”
Why Biden can’t build back better
February 22, 2022 // Biden supports the PRO Act (Protecting the Right to Organize), which would significantly enhance the power of workers to unionize and bargain collectively. Now stalled in the Senate, he could use the bully pulpit to rally the base and push for a filibuster exception to get the bill to his desk. The president also has the power to enact major pieces of the PRO Act through executive order.
Young workers give unions new hope
February 15, 2022 // Multiple polls show union approval is high __ and growing __ among the youngest workers. And U.S. union membership levels are even ticking upward for workers between 25 and 34, even as they decline among other age groups.
Workers across the US are rising up. Can they turn their anger into a movement?
January 3, 2022 // So far, increasingly militant workers are lacking something vital: a leader who can unite them all. Will that change?