Two Los Angeles
Car Wash Owners Sentenced To Jail For Labor Law
Violations
Los
Angeles, CA, August 16, 2010 - The owners of four
Los Angeles car washes were each sentenced to a year in
jail and are expected to have to pay hundreds of
thousands of dollars in unpaid wages after pleading no
contest to half a dozen criminal counts, authorities
said Monday.
The city attorney's office noted that the court also issued a
protective order prohibiting the Pirians from attempting
to intimidate witnesses or victims involved in the
investigation.
Witnesses in the case testified that a vast majority of the
workers at the car washes were required to arrive at
least 15 minutes before their shift, and to stay half an
hour after closing. None of the workers were paid
overtime and were discouraged from taking rest breaks or
were denied breaks entirely, even during times of
extreme heat. The workers were paid a flat rate of
$35 to $40 a day in violation of minimum-wage laws,
according to the deputy city attorneys....more
UMWA Winner of the
2010 Street Beat Challenge
by R Matheny, United Steelworkers Press Assoc.
Ripley, WV, July 3, 2010 -The UMWA Local Union 5396
was the winner of the “4th of July” 2010 Street Beat
Challenge with the most members participating. The Mine
Workers had members from as far away as Beckley, WV come
and join in the parade. They will be awarded a plaque at
the West Virginia AFL-CIO Special Convention, August 16,
2010 at the Charleston Marriott. Larry K. Matheney,
Secretary-Treasurer of the WV AFL-CIO, led the group in
the parade. Last year’s winners, the International Union
of Operating Engineers Local Union 132, also made a good
show. After the parade the group gathered in west
Ripley to enjoy hotdogs, refreshments and camaraderie.
Also they were visited by several state political
leaders.
The third annual Street Beat Challenge saw the largest
participation since its beginning during the parade on
Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Mason, Jackson,
Roane Central Labor Council of the West Virginia AFL-CIO
and is held every 4th of July in Ripley, WV. The
Ripley’s Independence Day celebration is noted as the
largest small town 4th of July celebration in the United
States with it’s large parade, local, state and
nationally known entertainers performing on the Court
House Square and a carnival which has been featured on
national television.
Every year the Mason, Jackson, Roane Central Labor
Council challenges local unions from across West
Virginia to participate in Ripley’s 4th of July parade
to proudly display their local unions during this large
event.
This year’s Independence Day celebration was held on July 3
because July 4th was on Sunday.
Massey CEO
Blankenship On Mine Disaster: No Regrets
WASHINGTON, DC, July 22, 2010 - Don Blankenship, whose
Upper Big Branch coal mine had been cited hundreds of
times for safety violations before it blew up in April
killing 29 workers, came to the National Press Club on
Thursday to face the Washington press corps -- but not
in order to express contrition. Oh, no. There was none
of that. Instead, the Massey Energy CEO, widely
considered to be the most arrogant and dangerous man in
a dangerous and dying industry, lectured the assembled
throng about global poverty, preventable disease, the
national debt …
more
Companies Piling
Up Cash But Not Adding Jobs
WASHINGTON, DC, July 15, 2010
- Corporate America is hoarding a massive pile of cash.
It just doesn't want to spend it hiring anyone.
Nonfinancial companies are sitting on $1.8 trillion in
cash, roughly one-quarter more than at the beginning of
the recession. And as several major firms report
impressive earnings this week, the money continues to
flow into firms' coffers. Yet all the good news from big
business hasn't translated into much promise for jobless
Americans, leading many to wonder: If corporations are
sitting on so much money, why aren't they …
more
Steelworkers Ratify Contract with AK Steel
ASHLAND, KY, July 9, 2010 --
Union workers at AK Steel's Ashland Works voted to
accept a new contract Friday by a vote of 511 to 53. The
contract is a three-year extension to the current
contract that was set to expire in September.
Local Steelworkers Union president Doug Campbell says major
plant upgrades in the new contract keep the company and
workers competitive and viable.
Individual highlights include a $1,500 lump sum bonus
every year for the next three years, a $1 an hour wage
increase and no health coverage changes for active or
retired steelworkers...more
Steelworkers
Ratify 4-year Contract with Alcoa
PITTSBURG, PA, June
25, 2010 - A new
4-year labor agreement between the United Steelworkers
(USW) union and Alcoa covering some 6,000 workers at 11
U.S. locations has been ratified in a secret ballot vote
by the membership...more
USW Reject Century's Offer at Hawesville,
HAWESVILLE, Ky., June 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9423
rejected a final contract offer from Century Aluminum
yesterday by a secret ballot vote of 443 to 2,..more
The More CEOs
Make, The Worse They Treat Workers, Says A New Study
Huffington Post July 6, 2010 - CEO pay has been
blasted for increasing risk to the economy, being out of
proportion to ordinary wages and being unrelated to
actual company performance. And, according to a new
study, a high salary may actually make your company's
CEO meaner...more
