WWW.UFCW.ORGDecember 4, 2012 Volume 17, Issue 1

UFCW Local 348-S Members Celebrate New Contract with Quality King

After months of tough negotiations and action at the job, workers at one of Long Island, New York’s biggest employers celebrated this week by ratifying a solid contract.

About 1,200 packers, hi-lo drivers, inventory controllers, and other Quality King workers are members of UFCW Local 348-S. Quality King is a distributor of pharmaceuticals and beauty products.

The contract that members overwhelmingly approved last week provides workers with a steady wage increase each year, affordable healthcare, and for the fi rst time, release time for stewards to attend educational events.

Participation grew throughout the campaign, peaking this fall as scores of members attended bargaining sessions and took action.

Kristian Uqiza, 19, has worked at Quality King for over a year as a picker in the warehouse. He joined with hundreds of fel-low members in parking lot rallies at shift changes to fi ght for better wages and affordable benefi ts.

“We had to show our faces and show Quality King that we deserve better,” he said.

Dozens of members spoke during the negotiations, explaining their position to management.

“We took wage freezes for three years when times were tough, but now the company is expanding,” said Nelson Reyes, a negotiating committee leader and inventory controller for 24 years.

Vilma Gomez said she’d never received more than a 25 cent raise since she started with Quality King in 1989. “The boss has a good life,” she said. “We all should.”

Cris Gomez, a negotiating committee leader and machine operator for 16 years, said the gains in the contract are helping reset expectations at Quality King.

“Now we’re trained to be stewards,” he said. “We know how to talk with members and negotiate with management. With our union voice, things are changing.” OP

UFCW Local 348-S members voted for a new contract with better wages and affordable benefi ts with their employer Quality King.

Right to Work Legislation in Michigan May Come Up in Lame Duck Session

Republican lawmakers in Michigan are making a push to introduce right to work legislation before adjourning for the holidays on December 20. Republican Governor Rick Snyder claims right to work is not on his agenda, but has not said whether or not he would sign a right to work bill if it reached his desk. He is encouraging the legislature to spend their time on less divisive issues.

According to a University of Oregon study, since Oklahoma enacted a right to work law in 2001 their manufacturing sector has shrunk and the number of new companies setting up shop in the state has fallen by one-third. OP

WWW.UFCW.ORGDecember 4, 2012 Volume 17, Issue 1

NLRB Supports Workers’ Right to Organize Co-workers on Site During Time OffWorkers recently won a victory when the National Labor Relations Board struck down Marriott’s hotel policy that pre-vented employees from entering the property after work hours.

The Marriott rule required workers to get approval from management to access the property before and after work. The Board said the rule violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) because it gave management “unlimited discretion” to decide whether employees could come on the property to engage in union activities.

The Board explained that rules restricting employee access to facilities are only valid if they:

• apply to just the interior spaces and working areas;

• are clearly disseminated to all workers;

• are applied evenly to all workers, and not just to those who want to conduct union activity off-duty.

The Board found the Marriott rule was unlawful, regardless of the fact that it applied evenly to all workers, because it effec-tively required workers to get permission from management to engage in protected activities at the facility. There was no provision to ensure that hotel management would apply the rule evenly to all employees; instead, it allowed them to deny off-duty employees access based on when and why the employees wanted to be on the property.

Managers could then effectively decide to exclude workers who wanted to talk about the union, or organize, but allow other workers access for other purposes. As a result, the Board ordered Marriott to rescind or revise the unlawful portions of its employee handbook. OP

Car Wash Workers Vote ‘Yes’ to a Union Voice with RWDSU

Workers at the Lage Car Wash and the Sutphin Car Wash in New York City voted yes to a union voice last week. Workers at the two facilities voted to join the RWDSU just one month after employees at two other car washes voted overwhelming-ly to join the RWDSU, and weeks after workers at the Sunny Day Car Wash in the Bronx went on strike.

Both sites are owned by John Lage, who in 2009, was forced to pay $3.4 million to workers for back pay and damages after a federal lawsuit.

Santos Lopez has worked at the Sutphin Car Wash for four years and said, “These elections are very important for us be-cause we deserve a fair salary, job security, and other benefi ts. With a union voice, they will treat us with respect and dignity. I’m very happy for myself and my co-workers because of the changes we think will happen at our workplace.”

“The old way of doing business at these establishments are over. Car wash workers across the city have had enough and are fi ghting back against abusive conditions,” RWDSU Presi-dent Stuart Appelbaum said. “The RWDSU is proud of these workers and will continue to support them whether it be at the negotiation table or the picket line as they stand up for a better future for their families. They deserve better and they know that the only way things are going to get better is to fi ght back against poor wages and working conditions through a union contract.” OP

Car wash workers from two facilities in New York City voted to have a voice on the job and join the RWDSU.