Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where we’re thankful to everyone who’s helped us as we enter our end-of-the-month fundraising crunch.
$650 to Go to Meet Payroll
With four days left in the month, we’re close to meeting payroll with only $650 left to go.
Donate today to help us keep covering the retail worker walkout and so much more.
LaMar’s Donut Shop Workers Walk Out
In the suburbs of Kansas City in Overland Park, donut workers at LaMar’s Donuts walked out in protest over poor treatment and being “strained and stretched thin.”
Many employees said tips weren’t being divided evenly amongst workers, leaving many workers short on paychecks.
“There was stuff going on with the petty cash because nothing was getting documented. It was disappearing,” Lindsay Dube told WFLA.
For management to re-open the store, they were forced to fly in workers from their locations in Denver.
For more, check out WDAF.
Wage Theft Skyrockets During the Pandemic
One of the factors driving the retail workers’ walkout is wage theft, such as with Lamar’s Donuts in Kansas City.
In fact, as retailers struggle to find workers to fill jobs, workers are saying they are experiencing even more wage theft.
According to a new report released by the national organization One Fair Wage, 34% of restaurant workers reported experiencing more wage theft in 2021 than in 2020 and 75% said their tips decreased during the pandemic.
Additionally, a little more than half of the restaurant workers (54%) reported an increase in harassment and hostility from patrons, particularly over the implementation of COVID safety protocols.
For more, check out the full report by One Fair Wage.
Chicago Mechanics’ Strike Ends After 8 Weeks
For eight weeks, more than 800 mechanics, members of the Machinists union, have been on strike at car dealerships around the Chicago area.
Now, the strike is over after the union voted narrowly to approve a new contract.
More than 120 dealerships during the strike broke ranks with the New Car Dealer Committee and signed their own separate side deals with union members, frustrating many union members who felt they were forced to take a bad deal.
“The membership just narrowly passed the acceptance of the offer,” Ronnie Gonzalez, a spokesman for Automobile Mechanics’ Local 701, told the Chicago Tribune. “The disappointment by those voting against the offer is as a result of being on strike for eight weeks while over 120 dealers not in the NCDC association ratified virtually the same deal without having to go out on strike.”
For more, check out The Chicago Tribune.
News Happening Elsewhere
- After California Governor Newsom vetoed a bill expanding union rights for farmworkers, United Farmworkers marched to the high-end French Laundry restaurant where Newsom was once caught breaking COVID safety protocols. Now, workers are marching to the PlumpJack Winery, a winery owned by Newsom.
- Aerospace workers in Burbank, California, members of UAW Local 509, went on strike last night at Senior Aerospace SSP.
- Biden announced his support today for the PUMP Act (Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act), which would help protect mothers who breastfeed at work.
- Flint, Michigan-area nurses threaten to strike because of staff shortages and a surge of Covid-19 hospitalizations.
- New York may use the National Guard to fill staffing shortages for healthcare workers who are refusing the vaccine mandate.
- Finally, Mt. Dora, Florida has unveiled a statue to the crusading anti-racist journalist Mabel Norris Reese, who was run out of the central Florida city 70 years ago for her work against racism.
That’s all for today. Hear about a strike or a walkout, or just want to share some comments? Drop us a line at [email protected].
Remember, if you can, donate to help us meet this month’s payroll.
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Thanks for all the support from our readers.
Love & Solidarity,
Melk
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