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‘It’s a sweat factory’: Instacart workers ready to strike for pay and conditions
Gig economy‘It’s a sweat factory’: Instacart workers ready to strike for pay and conditionsGig workers report falling wages, unmanageable orders and lack of concern from the company Gloria Oladipo@gaoladipoFri 15 Oct 2021 07.39 EDTLast modified on Fri 15 Oct 2021 09.13 EDTFor Instacart workers across the country, the popular grocery delivery app promised flexibility and a solid wage, perks that enticed thousands to join the app during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.But amid worsening working conditions including plummeting pay, safety concerns, and a punitive rating system, Instacart employees, known as shoppers, will be staging a walkout on 16 October and will continue striking until the company meets their demands for better treatment.Workers, uniting as the Gig Workers Collective, have been organizing against Instacart for years, citing what they say is a trend of unresponsiveness from the company in the face of their concerns. The collective’s asks are mostly for a restoration of features the company has dropped: reinstating Instacart’s commission pay model, paying its shoppers per order rather than bundling them, a 10% default tip instead of the current 5%, transparency about how orders are assigned, and a rating system that doesn’t hurt shoppers forproblems outside their control.Shoppers have also asked for occupational death benefits, noting the increasing dangers shoppers face on the job.Ahead of the walk-off, the Guardian spoke to three Instacart shoppers on their journey to joining Instacart, problems they have encountered since joining the app, and why …
‘We are not machines’: Hollywood workers poised to strike for better conditions
15/10/2021 Comments Off on ‘We are not machines’: Hollywood workers poised to strike for better conditionsUS unions‘We are not machines’: Hollywood workers poised to strike for better conditionsUnion leaders say a strike will start Monday if there is no deal with studios as workers describe low pay and grueling days without breaks Michael SainatoFri 15 Oct 2021 05.00 EDTLast modified on Fri 15 Oct 2021 12.55 EDTAt the start of the pandemic, Hollywood productions abruptly shut down, leaving many workers out of work before things began to resume with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.Since then, workers in Hollywood say they have worked long schedules and endured increased workloads, including staggering work because of social distancing; wearing and distributing personal protective equipment through long work days; and regularly getting tested for Covid-19.“We were working at breakneck speeds, and that was something that was supposed to have changed. We were supposed to have the time we needed to work in that kind of environment,” said Mike Loomer, a set dresser in Hollywood and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 44 member.“The only thing that changed is what we had to endure to make the product that they had to have to get out for the public to see.”Studios will again go quiet around the US as IATSE leaders say its 60,000 members will go on strike from 12.01 PT on Monday if a deal is not reached with employers. It would be the first such national strike since the IATSE was formed 128 years ago.Members of …
Continue reading …Over 10,000 John Deere workers strike over ‘years’ of poor treatment
14/10/2021 Comments Off on Over 10,000 John Deere workers strike over ‘years’ of poor treatmentUS unionsOver 10,000 John Deere workers strike over ‘years’ of poor treatmentWorkers wage biggest private sector strike in the US for two years, saying they were forced to do overtime consistently while company made record profits Michael SainatoThu 14 Oct 2021 08.35 EDTLast modified on Thu 14 Oct 2021 09.19 EDTMore than 10,000 production and warehouse workers at 14 John Deere plants in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado and Georgia walked off the job at midnight on 14 October in the latest in a wave of industrial unrest in the US.The workers, represented by nine locals with the United Auto Workers (UAW), voted 99% in favor of a strike authorization in September after receiving the initial six-year contract proposal from John Deere.It is the biggest private sector strike in the US for two years, since the UAW led an action against General Motors. It also comes amid threats of other strikes in the US and widespread labor problems in an economy still recovering form the battering inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.On 10 October, workers voted overwhelmingly by 90% to reject the tentative contract agreement offered by John Deere, with a strike deadline set for 11.59pm CT on Wednesday, 13 October.David Schmelzer, a quality control inspector at John Deere in Milan, Illinois for 24 years and former chairman of UAW Local 79, explained in 1997 workers took several concessions from John Deere in contract negotiations at the time, which included creating a two-tier …
Continue reading …‘The stakes couldn’t be higher’: GE urged to invest in green US jobs
12/10/2021 Comments Off on ‘The stakes couldn’t be higher’: GE urged to invest in green US jobsWorkers’ rights‘The stakes couldn’t be higher’: GE urged to invest in green US jobsLabor and environmental groups are demanding that General Electric stop offshoring jobs and invest in renewable energy Global development is supported byAbout this contentMichael SainatoTue 12 Oct 2021 05.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 12 Oct 2021 05.28 EDTKevin Smith, of Salem, Virginia, worked at General Electric for about 20 years before the town’s plant was shut down at the end of 2019, and the work moved to a factory in India.“It was a total shock because of how things had been going, with all the overtime we were working, everything just seemed great, like there was no way this was happening. All I wanted to do was wake up, that I had a nightmare, but that wasn’t the case,” said Smith, 50, who was one of about 265 GE workers who were laid off due to the closure.Because of his age – 48 at the time of the plant closure – Smith was denied a retirement pension. Other job prospects offered much lower pay and worse schedules – he is the father of two children – so he decided to return to school, through a program offered through Trade Adjustment Assistance. “When people started working at GE, for the most part they looked at it being their last job. That’s the way I looked at it,” said Smith, whose father had retired from the same GE plant …
Continue reading …‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re striking
06/10/2021 Comments Off on ‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re strikingBusiness‘Death of 1,000 cuts’: Kellogg’s workers on why they’re strikingUnion took issue with company’s threats to outsource jobs from the US to Mexico if workers refuse to accept their proposals Michael SainatoThu 7 Oct 2021 02.00 EDTLast modified on Thu 7 Oct 2021 02.02 EDTAbout 1,400 Kellogg’s workers at four US plants have gone on strike after their current union contracts expired and amid accusations that the cereal giant is offshoring jobs.The workers, represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), produce cereals for brands, including Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran, at plants in Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.Trevor Bidelman, president of BCTGM Local3G and a fourth-generation employee at the Kellogg’s plant in Battle Creek, Michigan, explained workers are on strike against a proposed two-tier system for current and new employees proposed by Kellogg’s. Bidelman said Kellogg’s wants to not offer pensions to new employees, remove cost of living provisions, and make changes in holiday pay and vacations.“We’re fighting for our future,” said Bidelman. “We made it very clear from the onset of negotiations that this was not something we’ll be able to accept.”Shortly before the strike, Kellogg’s announced plans to cut 212 jobs at the Battle Creek, Michigan, plant over the next two years, including 174 positions represented by the union. The plant currently employs about 390 workers. Kellogg’s cited plans to streamline efforts and relocate cereal production to other facilities …
Continue reading …Wave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeks
01/10/2021 Comments Off on Wave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeksUS unionsWave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeksFrom healthcare to Hollywood, workers are demanding higher wages, fighting cuts and seeking better safety and conditions Michael SainatoFri 1 Oct 2021 04.30 EDTLast modified on Fri 1 Oct 2021 04.32 EDTTens of thousands of workers around the US could go on strike in the coming weeks in what would be the largest wave of labor unrest since a series of teacher strikes in 2018 and 2019, which won major victories and gave the American labor movement a significant boost.The unrest spans a huge range of industries from healthcare to Hollywood and academia, and is largely focused on higher wages, fighting cuts and better working and safety conditions, especially in light of Covid-19.‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor systemRead moreIt also plays out against a backdrop of an economy bouncing back from the torrid experience of widespread economic shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, but one that is still marked by profound inequality.However, the pandemic is also seen as potentially providing a shot in the arm for US labor unions by increasing bargaining power amid increased union drives and labor shortages in some industries.About 24,000 nurses and other healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in California represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals will vote on a strike authorization from 1 …
Continue reading …‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor system
24/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor systemGoogle‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor systemContracted workers doing the same jobs for less pay and no job security are exposing the tech company’s workplace inequalities Michael SainatoFri 24 Sep 2021 06.00 EDTLast modified on Fri 24 Sep 2021 06.01 EDTBen Gwin works for Google Shopping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though he is technically a temporary worker at the tech giant, Gwin and 65 of his colleagues are now represented by the United Steelworkers union.The group of workers ratified their first union contract in July after two years at the bargaining table with their contractor, HCL America Inc. The contract victory was historic in an industry that has aggressively opposed union drives, especially among temp and contracted employees.Workers have characterized temp positions in the tech industry as a shadow, second-tier workforce who are drastically underpaid compared with direct employees doing the same or similar work and are often lured into the positions with the implication they could eventually be offered a permanent position directly with the company.By seeking to unionize these positions, many of these workers are hoping to improve their circumstances.“It’s a race to the bottom,” said Gwin. “That was one of the union-busting talking points. They claimed, ‘if you negotiate for better pay, someone else is going to come in and take this contract and pay less fees.’”Gwin said he and his co-workers all work in various capacities for Google Shopping, alongside workers directly …
Continue reading …‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistic firm’s spinoff
23/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistic firm’s spinoffBusiness‘A dark legacy’: unions voice fears over global logistics firm’s spinoffUS-based XPO Logistics has boomed during the pandemic but its reorganisation is causing concern Michael SainatoThu 23 Sep 2021 12.08 EDTLast modified on Thu 23 Sep 2021 12.38 EDTThe pandemic has been a boon to XPO Logistics, the transport giant that delivers the goods for a global companies including retailers from Asos and Walmart. It reported record revenues of $5bn (£3.6bn) last quarter as it helped to ship everything from washing machines to frozen fruit around the world.To make the most of the boom, the US-based multinational has just completed the process of dividing itself in two, with the warehouse and e-commerce arm becoming a separately listed corporation called GXO Logistics. But the road ahead does not look trouble-free. Union leaders in the UK and US are sounding the alarm, pointing to the “dark legacy” of a corporate culture they fear will taint the reorganised businesses.In the UK, where the company delivers an estimated 40% of the beer consumed in British pubs, the trucking division narrowly avoided a strike last month over a below-inflation pay offer, which was later increased. While XPO accepted £100m from the government’s job support scheme during the pandemic, its furloughed workers effectively took a pay cut, because the scheme covers 80% of wages and managers rejected requests to top-up the final 20%.Disputes were further inflamed by XPO’s decision in May to override objections from shareholders …
Continue reading …‘I worry what’s going to happen’: how Covid has made airline work risky and exhausting in the US
16/09/2021 Comments Off on ‘I worry what’s going to happen’: how Covid has made airline work risky and exhausting in the USAirline industry ‘I worry what’s going to happen’: how Covid has made airline work risky and exhausting in the US As flight attendants are forced to manage disruptive passengers, other workers in the industry get by with no health insurance or sick leave Michael Sainato Thu 16 Sep 2021 05.00 EDT Last modified on Thu […]
Continue reading …Anti-masker abuse, subpar healthcare, and a 5 cent raise: CVS workers say enough is enough
15/09/2021 Comments Off on Anti-masker abuse, subpar healthcare, and a 5 cent raise: CVS workers say enough is enoughUS unions Anti-masker abuse, subpar healthcare, and a 5 cent raise: CVS workers say enough is enough California employees looking for a better deal in union negotiations as the company posts record profits Michael Sainato Wed 15 Sep 2021 06.00 EDT Last modified on Wed 15 Sep 2021 07.21 EDT Thousands of workers at CVS […]
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