Drive to Unionize Fast-Food Workers Begins

[PETRUS]

<snip>

" Mr. Hall has enlisted in what workplace experts say is the biggest effort to unionize fast-food workers ever undertaken in the United States, a campaign that will be announced publicly on Thursday. The effort — backed by community and civil rights groups, religious leaders and a labor union — has engaged 40 full-time organizers in recent months to enlist workers at McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Domino’s, Taco Bell and other fast-food restaurants across the city.

Leaders of the effort said that workers from several dozen fast-food restaurants in the city would walk of the job on Thursday to protest what they said were low wages and retaliation against several workers who have backed the unionization campaign. They said it would be the first-ever multi-restaurant strike by fast-food workers in American history, although it was unclear how many workers would walk off the job."

<snip>

" Mr. Westin’s group, New York Communities for Change, has played a major role in the recent uptick in unionizing low-wage workers in New York, many of whom are immigrants. In the past three months, his group has helped win unionization votes at four carwashes and six supermarkets in New York.

The sponsors of the fast-food campaign also include UnitedNY.org, the Black Institute and the Service Employees International Union, a powerful union that is playing a quiet but important role behind the scenes."


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/nyregion/drive-to-unionize-fast-food-workers-opens-in-ny.html?ref=nyregion

[xchrom]

1. Du rec. Nt

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

2. Outsourceproof. Yay. nt

[WinniSkipper]

10. Not completely

http://www.businessinsider.com/burger-robot-could-revolutionize-fast-food-industry-2012-11

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

11. Say it ain't so.

Laugh? Cry? Both!

[leftyohiolib]

3. tag

[zaj]

4. This is an interesting idea...

Obviously service jobs like this are non-exportable. That makes is a good place to push for high wages. The high wages will obviously be passed along as high costs. And I imagine that this increased price will have a disporportionate impact on lower income people.

That said, fast food tends to be unhealthy food which probably has hidden healthcare costs.

So driving up the wages, driving down the consumption of unhealthy fast food.

Interesting.

[libodem]

5. I looked to see what union they will organize under

Are they starting a new one? When I was union as an RN, it was SEIU, which equaled service employees.. Nurses and motel maids are under the same umbrella. Will we have food service, too. Or is it that way already?

Does OmahaSteve, know? Paging....Omaha...

[loudsue]

6. Corporations only have themselves to blame for this. In the past 30 years, they have jumped the

shark in the work place. Acting like tyrants and treating employees as slaves is a disincentive under any circumstances. It reduces productivity and creates disloyalty. I wouldn't want someone who hates and fears me working in my business. The people who actually do the work can make or break you. Corporations are too stupid to be running the show.

[union_maid]

7. Read the heading way too fast

I swear that just for a second I read it as Drive to Euthanize Fast-Food Workers Begins. Clearly I've been way too acclimatized to decades of anti-labor policy. Unionize is much better. Do you think there is really a viable new labor movement aborning? Because that would be a great, great thing.

[DinahMoeHum]

8. Heh heh. This is only the beginning.

n/t

[blackspade]

9. I would love to see union memdership go up!