More than 300 Hotel Workers in Hawaii Join Longshore Workers & week in review

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/04/more-than-300-hotel-workers-in-hawaii-join-longshore-workers/

In Hawaii, hundreds of hotel workers on Kauai’s North Shore voted to join International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142, topping Bargaining Digest highlights the week of Feb. 1. The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

Organizing
ILWU, Princeville Resort: In Hawaii, workers at the Princeville Resort on Kauai’s North Shore voted for union representation by International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142. The 320 workers staff the 252-room luxury resort, which will become a St. Regis in 2009. ILWU leaders say negotiations with the hotel for a first contract, which is managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, are in preliminary stages.

Work Stoppages
UAW, Volvo and Mack Trucks: UAW Local 2069 called for a strike by some 2,600 workers at Volvo’s and Mack’s plant in New River Valley, Va., after parties failed to reach a tentative agreement. Negotiations have been under way since Jan. 8. Job security is a sticking point in contract negotiations. In early 2007, Volvo cut about 900 jobs. Eight months later, the company recalled 580 workers. Then, in early December, Volvo announced plans to lay off 650 workers in February.

AFSCME, Hurley Medical Center: From Jan. 29 to Jan. 30, some 900 health care workers, represented by AFSCME Local 1603, are picketing the Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich. Parties have been in negotiations since July 2007. Hurley is demanding a two-tier system for new hires and significant concessions in medical coverage.

USW, Griffin Pipe Products: In Iowa, 270 workers, represented by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 3141, were locked out by the Griffin Pipe Products Co. factory in Council Bluffs after rejecting a tentative agreement to eliminate worker seniority rights and new requirements of mandatory overtime. The contract between the company and the union expired Nov. 7.

Negotiations
CWA, AT&T: In Connecticut, some 200 AT&T workers, represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1298, are fighting management attempts to lay them off, and the state attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, has stepped in on their behalf. Blumenthal asked Gov. M. Jodi Rell to meet with representatives and to listen to their “perspective and take necessary steps to preserve these jobs.”

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only. As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.