Author Archives for Ann Kammerer
Over 300 Vancouver International Airport (YVR) concession workers employed by Host have joined UNITE HERE Local 40, BC’s hospitality workers union. Starbucks, White Spot, Burger King and retail workers have united with nearly 200 previously unionized YVR concessions workers to raise standards for all concession workers at YVR. This effort was led by Union and non-union workers who mobilized to win recognition and a contract for non-union Host workers. This organizing victory is a direct result of Local 40 members winning their 2010 strike and lockout, which centered on the issue of job security at YVR.
This is a particularly important victory for airport concession workers, many of whom work two or three jobs in order to support themselves and their families. They also face the perennial threat of having their units closed, putting some workers at risk of losing their jobs. Together, we will raise standards and fight to create good, stable jobs at YVR.
Graduates ready to put professional skills to use in revamped LAX eateries
LOS ANGELES – Forty-eight cooks will graduate from the Los Angeles Airport Culinary Training Program on Friday with fresh skills that will benefit their careers and satisfy travelers’ palates. The program provides a much-needed culinary education that will ready the airport cooks for jobs at new high-end eateries to open there later this year.
A $4.11 billion modernization project at LAX includes the introduction of new, upscale restaurants at Terminal 4 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. As the airport eateries undergo an upgrade, so too have the chefs, who’ve gone from fry-cooks and burger flippers to sauciers and culinary artists.
The new restaurants, which include well-known Los Angeles establishments such as Campanile, Border Grill and The Larder at Tavern, will employ graduates of the program, all of whom worked previously at LAX’s fast-food concessions.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa touted graduates’ role in the airport’s gastronomic improvement. "As our airport upgrades to house world class terminals and restaurants, these graduates will be responsible for preparing delicious, quality food for the nearly 63 million travelers who pass through the Los Angeles International Airport each year," Villaraigosa said.
For chef Valencia Crain, 49, the program has been life-changing. "I’ve been working the food industry for decades," said Crain, who works at the airport LA Roadhouse Route 66. "But I never thought I’d get the opportunity to go back to school and learn new skills. Now I can sous-vide pork chops and make hollandaise from scratch. I feel very proud."
At their graduation on Friday, the chefs were joined by a group of Los Angeles’ leading restaurateurs, whose establishments will be among those that open at the terminals later this year. Mark Peel, owner of Campanile and former fry-cook himself, said that the worker-training is essential to revamping the food options at LAX.
"I am thrilled that Campanile will be at LAX helping to represent the great quality and diversity that is our town," said Peel. "I have watched these graduating culinary students in action, and I am very impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment. This program is a model for the way unions and businesses should work together."
Dazzling graduates and their families with a taste of what’s to come at LAX, Peel served saffron pickled deviled eggs and smoked eggplant puree and aged cheddar crostini. Border Grill Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken served up fresh ginger and aji Peruvian ceviche on plantain chips, and Ann Gentry of Real Food Daily offered a vegan oatmeal cookie and tempeh BLT. Amy Berman from Vanilla Bake Shop shared a delightful assortment of mini cupcakes.
The training program was operated with funding through a Los Angeles City Grant for $225,000, by the Hospitality Training Academy, a non-profit labor-management trust, which brought together labor, business, WorkSource Center partners, and Los Angeles Trade Technical College. LA Trade Tech and HMS Host developed the culinary curriculum to meet the needs of the new restaurants. The training took place at the HMS Host’s LAX commissary, and taught by instructors from LATTC and HTA.
The LAX Culinary Training Program is a project of the Hospitality Training Academy, formed through a partnership of UNITE HERE Local 11 and leading Los Angeles hospitality employers. The Academy, which provides training for both new hires and current employees, is designed to improve Los Angeles’ hospitality industry by increasing the skill level of its workforce.
Picketing, protesting planned for Friday, Saturday, Sunday mornings
Housekeepers and other employees at the W Hollywood are fed up with disrespect from hotel managers. Housekeepers say they do not have enough time to clean the post-party messiness common in the hotel rooms.
The room cleaners are quarreling with management over the amount of time they have to clean each room. Ladies say they find post-party remnants like cake on the walls, broken champagne flutes, sex toys strewn about and rose petals littering the floors – which they have to pick up by hand.
"Fundamentally, this is about respect," said Mildred Velasquez, a W hotel housekeeper. "We want to give guests clean, comfortable rooms, but we are not machines. We ask management to be reasonable and treat us like human beings."
On Friday, housekeepers will discuss the troublesome working conditions and preview protests they have planned for Oscar weekend. The W hotel, located on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, is just blocks away from Hollywood and Highland, where the 85th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24.
After 3-Year "David and Goliath" Struggle, Country Club Workers Win Secure Jobs, Family Health Care
PLEASANTON, CA – After a dogged three-year battle – including an illegal lockout that lasted longer than the siege of Leningrad – food service workers at Castlewood Country Club won a great contract that provides job security, affordable family health insurance, raises, and a signing bonus.
On February 13, the workers – members of UNITE HERE Local 2850 – voted 44-1 to approve the deal.
"So many people told us that dishwashers and waitresses couldn’t win against millionaires," said server Jeanette Cardenas. "But we’ve learned that it doesn’t matter who you are, if you stay strong and you’re on the side of justice."
Castlewood locked the workers out in February 2010, pressuring them to pay far more for family health care. The workers returned to their jobs in October 2012 after a National Labor Relations Board judge found the lockout illegal, but contract negotiations continued through the winter.
Under the new contract, workers will pay $225 per month for family health care, the same amount the union proposed before the lockout began. Workers’ contribution will decrease to $150 per month in the last year of the contract. The deal also includes raises, strong seniority rights and protections against subcontracting – which Castlewood proposed eliminating during the lockout – and a substantial signing bonus.
"I’ve worked at Castlewood for 18 years," said cook Carlos Mejia. "I just wanted my son to keep the health care he’s always had. I never imagined we’d have to fight for three years for that, but I’m so glad he can go to the doctor again."
With the contract resolved, UNITE HERE Local 2850 has called off its boycott of Castlewood and is urging clients who canceled their events during the labor dispute to return.
"This isn’t just our victory," said janitor Francisca Carranza. "So many people in the community, political leaders, pastors and other workers marched with us. Now we hope workers everywhere see this and understand that you don’t have to give up everything you’ve worked for. You can stand up for your family and win."
BACKGROUND
Castlewood Country Club food service workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 2850, enjoyed stable jobs with free family health care for many years. In the fall of 2009, Castlewood proposed raising workers’ share of family health care costs to $739 a month – over 40% of the average worker’s wage.
The workers rejected the proposal, but offered to pay $225 per month for family health care and to continue negotiating amicably. Instead, Castlewood locked them out on February 25, 2010. Castlewood then urged its employees to decertify their union, but the workers voted 41-17 to remain represented by the union.
Six months into the lockout, Castlewood made new proposals that were substantially worse than its original offer. The proposals would have stripped away seniority and job security protections, allowed unlimited subcontracting of workers’ jobs, made it optional for workers to pay union dues, and increased the cost of family health care even further. The union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
Throughout the lockout, workers maintained daily pickets in front of Castlewood’s golf course, and coordinated dozens of larger actions. They were joined by political leaders, local clergy, and Pleasanton neighbors. They also organized a successful boycott of the Club and a high-profile civil disobedience action. The story – of low-wage workers fighting back against the illegal pressure tactics of a high-end golf club – drew national attention.
On August 17, 2012, NLRB Administrative Law Judge Clifford Anderson found that Castlewood had maintained an unlawful lockout for the previous two years. Anderson found that Castlewood had bargained in bad faith and that its bargaining proposals were motivated by animus toward the union.
On October 16, 2012, Castlewood ended the lockout. 46 of the 61 locked out workers returned to their jobs. Castlewood and the union continued to bargain for a new contract.
On February 13, 2013, the workers voted to ratify a new three-year contract. Under the deal, workers will pay $225 per month for family health care – the same amount the union proposed at the beginning of the lockout. Workers’ contribution will decrease to $150 per month in the last year of the contract. The contract also includes strong seniority language and protections against subcontracting, raises, and a substantial signing bonus.
With the lockout over and the contract resolved, UNITE HERE Local 2850 and Castlewood workers ended their boycott of the Club and urged clients to return. They also asked the NLRB to drop its prosecution of Castlewood.
On February 13th, food and retail workers at BWI Thurgood Marshall airport in Baltimore attempted to deliver an oversized copy of their airport workers’ Bill of Right to representatives of private management company AirMall USA, but were turned away.
In 2004, AirMall entered into an exclusive contract with the State of Maryland to operate concessions at BWI, the terms of which required significant renovations to the facility. To date, those renovations that have been completed have contributed to increased profits and passenger traffic, but have yet to positively affect airport food concessions workers. According to “From the Counter to the Community,” a report released today by Unite Here, “[BWI] Concessions workers were concentrated in neighborhoods that faced at least an average poverty rate of 32% in 2010.”
Current BWI workers report high levels of turnover, lack of access to health care, and wages that are often not high enough to meet even basic needs. “From the Counter to the Community” reveals that the $15,912 annual salary of a concessions worker at BWI is not sufficient to cover housing expenses alone in the City of Baltimore, where median annual rent amounts to over $16,000. Low wages also force many workers to rely on health care and public assistance programs, which cost the State of Maryland $2.36 million annually for BWI concessions workers alone.
“I love my job,” said Jasmine Jones, who has worked at the airport for nearly two years, “I work hard for what little money I’m getting, but it’s not enough. Sometimes I don’t know whether to pay rent or put food on my table.”
After being turned away from the AirMall offices, airport worker Yaseen Abdul-Malik read from a statement he had prepared to deliver to company officials.
"The economic inequality is not only unacceptable, but will no longer be tolerated not only from our employers, but my AirMall in general," he read, "Dr. Martin Luther King once said, ‘A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent. Today, we’re standing up."
The Bill of Rights unveiled on Wednesday seeks to address issues faced by airport workers by guaranteeing all food and retail workers at BWI four basic rights, including the right to respect and a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, the right to job security, the right to join a union in a neutral environment, and the right to work full-time for fair wages and benefits.
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[INDIANAPOLIS] – A delegation of several casino employees from Northern Indiana is heading to Indianapolis on Tuesday, February 5, to ask state lawmakers to ensure casinos keep their promise of stable jobs for Indiana communities. The Indiana General Assembly is currently considering a “bailout” (Senate Bill 528) for Indiana casinos that could see as much as $235 million in state tax revenue handed back to casino operators. Casinos were approved in Indiana based to generate revenue for state and local governments and to provide stable jobs for Indiana residents.
Data shows that Indiana casinos have reduced jobs in recent years. According to figures released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, during December 2012, Indiana’s “Gaming Industries” directly employed only 12,700 people – down 1,200 jobs from five years ago and down 3,300 jobs from 10 years ago, even as several new facilities have opened up.
The Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana shows how Indiana casinos have broken their jobs promise. In November 2012, the Majestic Star laid-off 80 employees with no advance notice to the workers. Laid-off employees, some of whom were eventually returned to work, had worked at Majestic Star for as long as sixteen years.
Las Vegas, NV – Cosmopolitan workers have been negotiating a union contract for 18 months with Cosmopolitan casino owner, Deutsche Bank, without progress on major issues including wages and benefits. Workers want a fair contract that reflects the Las Vegas standard that has been established over decades and picketed outside the Cosmopolitan casino on January 31, 2013.
Thus far, the company and workers have not found an agreement on healthcare costs, wages, and work place language including job security.
Over the past six months, DC food service workers have joined together across their different campuses and communities to fight for greater access to fresh, healthy food and good, sustainable jobs. On January 29, workers at American University announced a major step forward in their struggle for real food and real jobs. In a landmark agreement, workers and Bon Appétit Management Company signed a new union contract that significantly improves working conditions and paves the way for increased worker participation in campus sustainability efforts. In addition to increased wages, improved health care benefits, greater employer contributions into worker pensions, and stronger guarantees of a 40-hour workweek, the new contract will give workers a bigger voice in the university’s sustainability efforts.
Bon Appétit management will now actively solicit and incorporate input from cafeteria workers. A real food committee, with representatives including both worker leaders and Bon Appétit local and regional management, will meet quarterly to identify and promote best practices for purchasing and serving real food. To ensure everyone’s ongoing input into food sourcing and preparation decisions, this committee will conduct an annual survey of all cafeteria workers. Workers will be encouraged to share their ideas for how to incorporate more real food into their menus, as well as to voice their concerns about food quality and safety issues. Finally, to further develop their skills as real food cooks and advocates, workers will receive regular paid training in sustainable food preparation.
Carmen McRae, a member of the worker contract negotiating committee, said, “We got everything we asked for. We all worked so hard on this, with the help of the students and the community.” Dolores Ratcliffe, also a member of the negotiating committee, seconded Carmen’s excitement, saying, “I’m especially excited about the training and the paid sick days. I feel like jumping up and down!”
Read more about the win at Real Food Real Jobs.
UNITE HERE is proud to stand with President Obama and the movement for equality for immigrant workers in our country. The hundreds of thousands of women and men who are our members and future members come from all over the United States and the world. Through the work they do every day–making beds, preparing food, cleaning rooms, washing dishes, serving travelers–they keep our economy moving and build stable lives for themselves and their families. Like all Americans, they hope for secure and happy lives for their children. And those who are immigrants dream of achieving citizenship so that they can be full and equal participants in our society.
It is time for a 21st century immigration system: one that recognizes the mobile, interconnected world in which we live. That new system must include a timely roadmap to citizenship for the millions of new Americans already contributing to our industries and communities every day.
The members of UNITE HERE will join the President, members of Congress, and our partners in the labor and immigrant movements to achieve that 21st century immigration system. We look forward to a time before long when the aspiring citizens in UNITE HERE and in our country will be welcomed as full and equal Americans.
Last month San Antonio hotel and restaurant workers took a big step forward in their campaign for justice on the River Walk, the hospitality destination in downtown San Antonio. More than 3,700 Riverwalk workers and customers voted in the Mi Tia River Walk Referendum. "Mi Tia" is the Tip Integrity Act, which proposes that service charges pass directly to service workers. Dozens of volunteers canvassed the River Walk talking to workers and customers about tip theft.
Local clergy counted the ballots and announced the results at a press conference on the steps of San Antonio City Hall, where they demanded that the City Council and the mayor heed the clear mandate of the people. The 3,756 votes for Mia Tia exceeded the number of votes for any San Antonio City Councilperson in the last election.
İQue Viva Mi TIA!
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