Tell Rite-Aid stop unionbusting

Companies aren't supposed to attack workers who want a union, but Rite Aid and other employers are doing it every day. When 650 workers at Rite Aid's distribution center in Lancaster, CA, wanted to join a union to address problems like sweltering heat in the warehouse, the company threatened and fired them.

The federal government was preparing to charge Rite Aid with 49 labor law violations, but let the company off with a slap on the wrist. After workers prevailed and voted to join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union last March, Rite Aid continued the attacks. Now the company is refusing to sign a first contract and has hired an anti-union consulting firm to guide the company through the decertification process. This situation at Rite Aid is a perfect example of why passing the Employee Free Choice Act is so important.

We can't let Rite Aid succeed in its attempt to rob their workers of their right to collectively bargain. Please call or email today and tell Rite Aid CEO Mary Sammons it's time for Rite Aid to do the right thing: Respect workers rights, stop union busting, and sign a fair agreement.

You can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/riteaid

Union at Smithfield

Why the Union Won at Smithfield

politicalaffairs.net — When immigration agents raided Smithfield Food's huge North Carolina slaughterhouse two years ago, organizer Eduardo Peña compared the impact to a "nuclear bomb."

Shoe Makers Strike in Vietnam

The BBC is reporting that workers in a factory in Dong Nai near Ho Chi Minh City are striking for higher wages to offset growing inflation. They are members of the Dong Nai Provincial Trade Union and work in a factory owned by a company based in South Korea.

The strike comes even after the Vietnamese government boosted the minimum wage for workers in foreign-owned companies by 25% in 2006.

According to the BBC, the average worker in the plant makes about 20% more than the minimum wage, but rising prices have cut into the value of take home pay.

The Vietnamese plans to raise the minimum wage another 12% in 2008.

Wow imagine if our government raised the minimum wage as needed instead of every ten years. Also, imagine if our government sided with workers, or at least remained neutral instead of siding with the companies as under the Bush administration.