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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2012)
Dairy workers at YoCream join Teamsters Local 305 Dairy workers at YoCream Interna- tional Inc., a division of global French food group Danone SA, voted July 20 to join Portland-based Teamsters Local 305. “We’re very satisfied that we are getting representation from the Team- sters because the Teamsters represent almost all of the dairies in our area,” said Christopher Greenlee, a lead pas- teurizer and one of the 45 new Team- ster members at YoCream. “We organ- ized to improve our pay, have better communication with the company, and have a say in our work rules.” YoCream, a family-owned frozen yogurt company founded in 1977, was purchased by Danone for $103 million in 2010. The Danone brand is marketed in the United States as Dannon. “We are very pleased with this sig- nificant vote for union representation. Credit goes to organizer Mark MacPherson, who met with the work- ers and was instrumental in aiding in this victory for them,” said Tony An- drews, president of Teamsters Joint Council 37 and secretary-treasurer of Local 305. “We are certainly going to work to bring these workers the full level of Teamster benefits.” Through its global presence, the Teamsters Union has maintained a pos- itive record of relations with Danone. The Teamsters Union is affiliated with the International Union of Food Work- ers (IUF), a Geneva-based global fed- eration of trade unions. As part of the IUF’s international framework agree- ment with Danone, company leaders meet annually with one union repre- sentative from each Danone facility worldwide. Unions boycott Hyatt WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — Fed up with the Hyatt hotel chain’s contin- ued alleged mistreatment and discrimi- nation against its workers, unions and other organizations on July 23 launched a boycott of many Hyatts. Later in the week, protesters marched in front of Hyatt hotels in 20 cities. There are no unionized Hyatt hotels in Oregon. The boycott comes as UNITE Connie Ashbrook named to federal apprentice panel Connie Ashbrook, director of Ore- gon Tradeswomen Inc. in Portland, has been reappointed as a public represen- tative to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship. The 27-mem- ber Advisory Committee pro- vides advice and ASHBROO K recommenda- tions on the de- velopment and implementation of poli- cies, legislation and regulations affecting apprenticeship; the prepara- tion of the American workforce for em- ployment through training programs; and strategies that meet the competitive labor demands of a global economy. The appointment was announced July 19 by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. Ashbrook has served on the com- mittee since 2010. August marks the 75th anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937, which led to the establishment of the Advisory Committee on Appren- ticeship. PAGE 8 HERE, the union representing Hyatt’s workers, reports no progress in solving the issues that led to the drastic move. “Hyatt systematically abuses house- keepers and other hotel workers, and it is unacceptable in 2012 that women en- dure debilitating injuries as a result of the work they do cleaning rooms,” UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm told a press conference. “We call on Hyatt to end its systematic abuse of housekeepers and adopt the recommen- dations made by the federal government to reduce the physical strain associated with housekeeping work.” Hyatt’s actions include mass firing of its unionized Boston housekeepers, their replacement by out-of-state temps paid minimum wage, and posting sex- ually derogatory images of two of its Hispanic female housekeepers in one California Hyatt hotel. There have been so many anti-worker Hyatt actions in Indianapolis that the city council there passed a workers’ rights ordinance ban- ning reliance on temps. Working conditions in Hyatt hotels produce so many ergonomic injuries that the chain drew a warning letter in May about the problem from the fed- eral Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There have been no OSHA sanctions, yet. Hyatt also refuses to negotiate im- proved wages and working conditions at its unionized hotels. The wide-ranging coalition boy- cotting Hyatt includes the AFL-CIO, the National Football League Players Association, the National Organization for Women and other womens’ rights, gay rights, and religious groups. The boycott does not cover Hyatt hotels with union contracts in force in Hawaii, New York City, San Jose, Monterey and Mission Bay, Calif., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dearborn, Mich., Denver, Toronto, Rosemont, Ill., Van- couver, B.C., and Washington, D.C. A conversation with Sen. Merkley U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (standing) met with several dozen union members July 27 for a “Conversation With Senator Merkley” sponsored by the Oregon AFL-CIO. Merkley, a Democrat who is nearly two-thirds through his first term, has been a staunch ally for the middle class and labor on Capitol Hill. “Sen. Merkley is ranked by the AFL-CIO as one of the top U.S. senators on worker issues,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain, pictured above at the podium next to Merkley. Merkley spent 90 minutes with the mostly rank-and-file audience answering a wide range of questions about jobs, health care, and the economy. (Photo by Russell Sanders.) Motorcycle poker run fundraiser for Guide Dogs Aug. 25 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS The 6th annual Guide Dogs Dash motorcycle poker run will be held Sat- urday, Aug. 25. The event, sponsored by Machinists Lodge 63, will start and fin- ish at Machinists District W24 Hall, 25 Cornell Ave., Gladstone. Registration is at 9 a.m. Registration is $25 per rider and $10 per passenger and includes a T- shirt, barbecue, and raffle prizes. All proceeds go to Guide Dogs of America. For more info, go on line to www. iamll63.org or at www.iamw24. org. AUGUST 3, 2012
