Flight Attendants to Picket United Shareholders Meeting

By Doug Cunningham

Workers Independent News is heard Monday through Friday at 8:45 and 11:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.

Workers Independent News is heard Monday through Friday at 8:45 and 11:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.

United Airlines flight attendants will picket the airline’s annual shareholder meeting in Chicago Wednesday. The AFA-CWA flight attendants are picketing to call on United to finish the merger of the airline by getting a joint labor contract done for flight attendants at the merged airline.

The National Mediation Board has scheduled two weeks of negotiations in June in a bid to finish a joint collective bargaining agreement for United Airlines flight attendants.

Judge’s Ruling Gives UTLA Organizers Access To Alliance Charter School Teachers

United Teachers of Los Angeles union organizers will now have access to Alliance Charter Schools teachers in Los Angeles after an administrative law judge found that Alliance Charter Schools was violating California’s Educational Employment Rights Act.

“They go to basic issues of the organizing rights of UTLA and the organizing rights of Alliance educators. And it reflects a very well-coordinated campaign across all 27 Alliance schools to block organizing in violation of the law,” said Attorney Jesús Quiñonez.

NLRB: Merit in Labor Law Violation Charges Against WeWork

The National Labor Relations Board says there’s merit in the labor law violations charges filed by Tara Zoumer against We Work. The NLRB says office leasing start-up company violated worker rights.

WeWork broke labor law, according to the NLRB , by firing Zoumer when she used legally protected labor rights. Zoumer refused to sign an arbitration agreement as a condition of employment. That arbitration clause stripped workers of their rights to go to the NLRB or to court to allege labor violations.

The labor board says WeWork’s use of that arbitration clause is itself illegal. Zoumer says she’s thankful that the NLRB is investigating WeWork.

“I’ve never actually understood my rights as a citizen so much until this experience. They’re so important when they are threatened. And people do need to know that they can stand up for themselves in the work environment and really for their lives. Inform yourself as best you possibly can on your basic rights as an employee. There are resources out there to get help. You should never have to give up your constitutional rights.”

EPI’s Daniel Costa Says H-2B Program Exploits Workers, Suppresses Wages

Economic Policy Institute Director of Immigration Research Daniel Costa says employers are using the H-2B guest worker program to keep wages low for Americans and migrant workers.

Costa says workers in the H-2B program often toil for low wages in poor conditions. EPI says the H-2B program doubled in size in 2015. Costa says it’’ important that the program expansion not be continued because it exploits workers.

Costa says Congress should allow regulations providing rights and higher wages to both guest workers and U.S. workers to be fully implemented.