—ON THE PICKET LINE—

Maggie Trowe, Editor

 

Minnesota nurses rally to defend their health care, work conditions

MINNEAPOLIS — More than 200 members of the Minnesota Nurses Association and supporters rallied outside the Allina Commons here May 18. The informational picket was organized to publicize the fight of 5,000 nurses at five Allina Health hospitals and facilities to defend their health benefits.

The nurses are currently covered under the union-sponsored insurance plan. “It is an excellent plan,” MNA Executive Director Rose Roach told the Militant. “But now Allina wants to dump that and force everyone to take one of their plans.”

“Everybody in the Twin Cities knows how bad the Allina plans are and how you get left with the large deductibles,” added Amy Kieffer, a nurse at Allina’s United Hospital in St. Paul.

Union president Mary Turner said other issues in contract talks include “nurses having a say in the care of the patients. Allina wants to be able to determine that only this many minutes can be spent with a patient, as determined by a computer program.”

— Jacquie Henderson

Food workers strike in England, say ‘enough is enough’ of cuts

SHEFFIELD, England — “Finally we said to the company, ‘You are not going to treat us like dirt anymore, enough is enough,’” said Aaron Bonsell, 28, during a 48-hour strike by Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union members at Pennine Foods here May 19-20. It’s the first strike since the site opened in 1986, added Andrew Harris, another striker.

About 900 people work at the plant, which produces ready meals for Marks and Spencer stores. “There were 500 union members before the strike, and 50 more joined up and came out on strike with us,” said Carole Duncan while picketing May 20.

The factory is owned by 2 Sisters Food Group, which has launched a series of attacks on contract terms, including ending premium pay for weekend work and time-off days for working on holidays and weekends.

Roughly 80 percent of the workers are now on 12-hour shifts. “They bullied us to sign the contracts,” said Harris. “But I didn’t. The company sent out a letter saying that those who don’t sign the new contract by July 14 will be laid off.” Workers on both “new” and “old” contract terms were on the picket line.

Union organizer Haroon Rashid said a delegation of workers from Gunstones Bakery in nearby Dronfield, also owned by 2 Sisters Food, visited the Pennine picket line. They had a strike last year.

Three further 48-hour strikes are planned, the next on June 5-6.

— Tony Hunt and Dag Tirsén

United Airlines flight attendants march for unified contract

LOS ANGELES — More than 300 United Airlines flight attendants and their supporters marched through the United terminal at Los Angeles International Airport May 19, part of a day of action at 14 airports worldwide.

After Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia and United Airlines merged in 2010, the merged company kept the United name. The members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA are negotiating to replace the three different contracts they have been working under with one unified agreement. “The proposals we’re seeing continue to try pitting one group of flight attendants against another instead of working to build a contract that includes all of us,” states a May 1 update from the union negotiating committee.

“We want to maintain our health plan. They want to increase costs, deductibles and co-pays substantially,” said Lynn Statham, vice president of AFA-CWA Council 12. She had worked at Eastern Airlines for four years and left before the 1989 strike, but walked the picket line with the Eastern workers.

The flight attendants are also fighting company demands for fewer fixed days off and maintaining wage rates below what they are at American and Delta airlines.

Members of other unions joined the action, including mechanics, members of Teamsters Local 986, who are in their own contract fight with United.

“We’re here to support as part of the labor movement,” said AT&T worker Jason James, who came with other members of Communication Workers of America Local 9400. “We are joining the fight to let them know they’re not alone.”

— Deborah Liatos

Montreal Old Port workers launch strike for CA$15 an hour

MONTREAL — Unionized workers at Montreal’s Old Port tourist complex began a three-day strike May 27 demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage. The members of the Union of Montreal Old Port Workers voted by 80 percent May 19 to reject the employer’s final offer and authorize a strike.

“About 200 of our members are on strike today,” union President Konrad Lamour told a rally and press conference of strikers and supporters kicking off the action. “Our fight is not just for ourselves but for all those who can’t survive on what they are earning.”

The Old Port contract with the union expired in March. Previous negotiations have always ended with the impoverishment of the workers, Lamour told the Militant before the strike. More than half are paid less than CA$15 an hour (about US$11.50). “We are demanding a catch-up,” he said.

Since they work under the federal labor code, the workers are not protected by a Quebec law restricting the use of strikebreakers.

Bosses have divided the workers into classes of permanent, regular and temporary employment. Only the 100 or so permanent workers have any sort of job security and their working conditions are “a little less bad,” said Lamour.

— Guillaume Imbeault and John Steele