Opinion: How To Make Every Job A Good Union Job
Cierra Brown works at a McDonald's in Durham, North Carolina. She earns little more than minimum wage, and even with a second job at a local hospital she can’t afford health insurance and pays for her diabetes medication out of pocket. She is frequently asked to stay late and close the store, hours after the bus stops running. If she complains, she knows she could lose her job — and nothing would change anyway.
In a first, Instacart employees in Illinois vote to unionize
Instacart in-store shoppers in Skokie, Ill., have voted to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1546.
UFCW 1546 said the workers are the first Instacart employees to win a certified union election in the United States and will join with the Chicago-based local’s other 18,000 members. The Feb. 1 vote, conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, involved 15 part-time Instacart personal shoppers at a Mariano’s supermarket, part of The Kroger Co., in Skokie.
Keeping Our Members Safe in the Summer Heat
The UFCW’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Office serves as resource to help locals keep our members safe and healthy in the workplace. As summer approaches, one of those resources includes material to help protect our members from the risk factors associated with exposure to heat and high humidity. This information has proven to be popular with our members, and all locals are encouraged to distribute this material and post it in breakrooms so that our members know their workplace rights when they’re exposed to extreme heat.
Whole Foods workers say conditions deteriorated after Amazon takeover
Since being bought by Amazon two years ago, employees at Whole Foods say their working conditions have declined markedly amid pressure to push Amazon Prime deals and memberships, plus widespread understaffing, increased workloads and labor budget cuts.
Walmart accused of racial discrimination by warehouse workers with records
Before retailing giant Walmart took over management of a distribution center in Elwood, Illinois, its nearly 600 employees were told to expect raises and benefits. Instead, advocates say up to 200 African American workers lost their jobs based on having a criminal history -- even though their prior convictions didn't stop them from being employed at the Walmart-owned facility for years.