News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – At exactly 11 a.m. on Friday, September 22, about 100 workers at a Milwaukee auto parts distribution center owned by Stellantis exited the rundown brick building and joined the national United Auto Workers (UAW) strike. These brave workers lined up along the sidewalk and listened attentively to a short speech by Joseph Neu, president of the UAW Local 75 in Milwaukee.
New Brunswick, NJ – On September 19, United Steelworkers Local 4-200 announced they voted to reject a proposed three-year contract with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick.
Seattle, WA – On Thursday, September 14, over 100 Homegrown workers from six retail locations walked off the job to demand a new contract. The strike took place across the greater Seattle area for three consecutive days. Each day the strike grew, so that by Saturday, workers from all eight of nine Homegrown locations had joined. Homegrown workers are represented by UNITE HERE Local 8 and have been bargaining with the company for over eight months.
New Orleans, LA – On September 20, workers at French Truck Coffee in the French Quarter voted 8-0 to unionize. The French Quarter is the city’s tourism hub and generates billions each year. But hospitality workers often work for low wages and no benefits at non-union small or mid-sized businesses. This is the first workplace of this kind to unionize. It is also the first union at French Truck, an expanding regional coffee chain.
Minneapolis, MN – On Monday, September 25, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 members at Seward Community Co-op are set to take an authorization vote for an Unfair Labor Practice strike. This follows several weeks of bargaining and struggle on the shop floor on several issues between workers and management.
Wayne, MI – Since 12 a.m. September 15, over 4000 UAW Local 900 auto workers have been on strike at the Ford Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne, which is located just outside of Detroit. Since the strike was announced, the UAW workers have received much media attention nation-wide, and many Detroit residents are excited about the kind of fight the UAW are leading and the implications a win could have for them.
New Orleans, LA – On September 14, volunteers petitioned outside of five non-union Starbucks to rally customers against the company’s union busting.
On September 15, over 13,000 workers walked off the job at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and 13 other brands of cars around the world). The workers are represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW), who have been in negotiations with all three automakers.
We in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stand in solidarity with the 150,000 members of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) as they fight for better conditions and prepare for a possible strike at the big three American car manufacturers – Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
Seattle, WA – Homegrown workers at multiple retail locations in the Seattle area will go on strike Thursday morning, September 14, after many bargaining sessions have failed to produce a contract with affordable healthcare insurance and union security.
On Thursday at 10 a.m., the Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, University Village, Redmond, Mercer Island, and Southcenter Homegrown locations will picket, followed by a large joint picket at 2 p.m. at Mercer Island. Homegrown workers have made good progress with company towards a decent contract, but the company’s latest proposal still leaves healthcare insurance unaffordable for many workers.
Homegrown worker Millie Saucedo said, “I need affordable healthcare for my two kids and my husband, who has heart issues. Right now, I’m uninsured because the cost is too expensive. There’s no way I can afford $800 per month on my pay.”
About a year ago, workers at Homegrown and Catapult NW, Homegrown Group’s wholesale distribution arm, went on strike over workplace issues including heat, smoke, gender pay disparity, COVID sick-day policy, and installation of worker surveillance cameras.
Workers in Homegrown’s cafes and wholesale distribution company Catapult NW filed for union elections with the NLRB in October 2022 after their strikes, company-wide delegations, picketing, and leafleting of customers and clients.
Workers in Homegrown retail cafes are eager to settle a decent contract that will have the wages and benefits to make their jobs and lives in the Seattle area sustainable.
Homegrown catering driver Russell Concha said, “I’ve worked at Homegrown for eight years. Right now, I work two jobs in order to make ends meet. I start work at Homegrown at 4 a.m. and I get off my second job at 11 p.m. I’m fighting for a raise so that I can only work one job, and get to spend more time with my kids and family.”
Queen Anne Homegrown worker Emily highlighted the need for the contract to stay in effect if the company is sold, saying, “I've worked at Homegrown for five years. I'm fighting for a contract that will allow me to stay in the company long term, and I need to know that I can keep this job if the company is sold.”