100 Car Train With a Crew of One?

Rail Workers Revolt Over Solo Crews

by Alexandra Bradbury

Reposted from Labor Notes

Railroaders are racing to put the brakes on a secret deal between their union officers and Warren Buffett’s railroad. It would allow huge freight trains to rumble through towns across the western U.S. with just an engineer onboard, no conductor. “There’s a real rank-and-file rebellion going on right now,” says Jen Wallis, a Seattle switchman-conductor for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. “People who’ve never been involved in the union, never went to a union meeting, they are showing up

Hong Kong Dockers Strike – US Speaking Tour

Hong Kong Dockers  –

Speaking in San Francisco April 8th

Tuesday April 8th 7-9pm
Unite-Here Local 2
209 Golden Gate Ave –  San Francisco, CA 94102

In the spring of 2013, a 40 day strike by 500 dockworkers at the Hong Kong Port aroused massive support in Hong Kong society and throughout the world. The target was one of the world’s richest and most powerful men – oligarch Li Kai-shing. The Hong Kong dockworkers, suffering years of frozen wages and inhumane conditions, divided by a subcontracting system meant to deflect

China Blue – Amazing Documentary of Chinese Blue Jeans Factory

Friday March 14-San Francisco

See China Blue – Amazing Documentary of a Chinese Blue Jeans Factory

and

Support the April US Speaking Tour of the

Hong Kong Dockers

Micha Peled’s  China Blue (2005) is a heartbreaking, truly unforgettable cinéma-vérité stay with two teenage girls employed in a Chinese blue-jean factory  where seventeen-hour days are normal, toiling

Jan 31st Protests to Block ‘NAFTA on Steroids’

by Benjamin Gerritz – Reposted from Labor Notes

San Francisco March Against TPP
Friday – Jan 31 90 7th st. San Francisco

Workers across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will unite in an Inter-Continental Day of Action Friday to stop a massive new trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership—commonly referred to as “NAFTA on steroids.” In the U.S., the immediate fight is to block a bill that would grant the president “fast track” authority to sign off on the TPP. Defeating fast track would likely stop the TPP. Fast track is designed to swiftly pass trade deals, circumventing the standard Congressional

Opinion: Boeing Deal

Boeing Deal

A Defeat for Us All

by Andy Piascik
Re-blogged fro Counterpunch

In a move that strikes yet another blow to democracy and the living
standards of working Americans, Boeing forced major givebacks on its
30,000 union employees in the state of Washington while simultaneously
pulling off what may be the biggest welfare rip-off in the nation’s
history. Confronted with company threats to move production of a huge
new project out of state, workers reluctantly voted by an extremely
narrow margin to give up defined pensions in exchange for risky 401(k)
retirement plans. Thus Boeing, which earned $3.9 billion in profits

What’s At Stake in Longshore Battle?

by Joe Burns, author of Reviving the Strike

Re-posted from Reviving the Strike blog.

The disputes that led to one of the nation’s most militant and progressive unions, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) abandoning the AFL-CIO are not, as some may argue mere jurisdictional squabbles, but rather  touches on central issues facing trade unionism today.   The question at stake is whether one of labor’s most militant and effective unions will be able to defend its traditional jurisdiction and in doing so maintain

Saturday Strike by Oakland Airport Fast Food Workers

Low-Wage Workers Are Fighting

Saturday (December 21)
Picket Line 4 Am – 6 Pm
Mobilizations At 7 Am, 12 Noon, 5 Pm
Oakland Airport Terminal 2

200 Oakland Airport fast food and retail workers will walk off the job THIS SATURDAY, December 21st. Workers are making the tough decision to strike during the holidays to protest Unfair Labor Practices by their employer, Host International – including regressive bargaining proposals that

Opinion: Hard Lessons from the BART Strike

What to Learn from the BART Strike

By Warren Mar and Susan McDonough

Reposted from The Stansbury Forum

Introduction:

Our attempt at this article was inspired by a brief analysis of the BART strike by Maria Poblet of Causa Justicia/Just Cause. We agreed with much of her global view that the strike was conducted under the current neo liberal agenda in this country of dismantling public services, at the same time blaming the inadequacy of those services on the public workers and their unions. In this article we would like to not repeat or focus of these points but home in on what the union(s) could have done better under these conditions – in particular SEIU 1021 – because we are more familiar

Port Truckers Strike Success

Truck Work At Oakland Port Slows to Trickle

Re-Posted from  Port Trucker Solidarity

Oakland, CA – Truckers working at the Port of Oakland began a major work stoppage this morning in protest of unsafe working conditions and unfair labor practices by terminal owners and Port of Oakland management.

Primary pickets were set up at the four SSA terminal gates beginning at 5am, but due to violent police action, lines began migrating between gates to prevent arrest and detainment of picketers. At least one person picketing was struck by the vehicle of a terminal employee crossing

Oakland Port Truckers to Strike Wed Nov 27

Port Truckers Strike –  Wed Nov 27

Reposted from Oakland Port Truckers Solidarity

Port of Oakland Truckers Association (POTA) members voted unanimously late Friday evening to stop work at the port on Wednesday, November 27. They’ve met with city, state and federal regulators, terminal managers, and Port of Oakland officials many times since their August 19 work stoppage, but have not made any gains on their demands. On November 13, truckers met with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Deputy Mayor Sandré Swanson, Port Executive Director Chris Lytle, as well as California Air Resources Board (CARB) members, expecting to bring offers of an extension from CARB or