Tompkins County Workers' Center | Shirari Industries Development Site http://pinkrabbitsays.com This is a testing area for new Wordpress sites designed by Shirari Industries. Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:30:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en 1.0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com http://pinkrabbitsays.com events media-coverage-of-labor-issues movie-recommendations personal-stories tcwc-site-news top-stories uncategorized victories workers-rights-cases action-alert articles-to-read blogging commons community-organizing economic-justice events free-culture geekery geekiness great-local-businesses health-and-safety hosting human-rights just-for-fun know-your-rights-in-the-workplace legislation living-wage making-ends-meet minimum-wage movie-recommendations occupational-safety-and-health ohcc open-source personal-stories personal-stories-about-work photography plug-ins statistics storytelling stuff-to-do stuff-to-do-in-town support-groups technology uncategorized unemployment victories voice wage-theft wc-projects who why wo wordpress workers-rights-cases working-class-movies workplace-bullying Don't forget our 9.15 Rally! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?p=328 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=328 So come on down to the Bernie Milton Pavilion on Wednesday at 5 til 6:30 and listen to the stories of your neighbors who are struggling through joblessness and underemployment. Also, some local Big Shots (Pam Mackesy, Maurice Hinchey's Ithaca representative Dan Lamb, Kathy Luz Herrara and others) will be there to support the Local Jobs for America Act and the Financial Speculation Tax. That Tax would make Wall Street speculators pay a small tax on transactions that would bring millions into our tax roles. We'll also have some music from Horse & Chariot, a new and up-and-coming local band. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I thought you might be interested in this essay regarding suicide from the website of our friends at the Workplace Bullying Institute. It discusses suicide as a sign of society's meltdown. Sobering and interesting, for sure. Zero tolerance for bullies of all kinds!]]> 328 2010-09-13 15:54:40 0000-00-00 00:00:00 open open draft 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1284393288 jabber_published 1284393282 email_notification 1284393284 National Recognition for NY Tower Climbing Advocate http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?p=493 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=493 493 2010-12-01 20:23:48 0000-00-00 00:00:00 open open draft 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1294346401:12261875 _edit_last 12261875 Workers get back pay in Kinko's case http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/03/workers-get-back-pay-in-kinkos-case/ Tue, 23 Mar 2004 12:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/03/workers-get-back-pay-in-kinkos-case/ USDOL Finds Violations at Kinko's

Six employees of Kinko's received $21,642 in back wages following a US Department of Labor investigation of the Kinko's branch in Ithaca. The violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act were uncovered after the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center filed a complaint on behalf of two of the employees.

The DOL found that Kinko's had failed to record all hours worked, failed to pay overtime and violated federal record keeping procedures. Workers reported that they were regularly told to go punch out, yet return and continue working. When they failed to do that, and punched the clock to reflect actual hours worked, the employer would manually alter the times after the fact.

As a result of these violations Kinko's workers were not paid for time they actually worked. "If Kinko's had gone into these workers' homes and stolen the $21,000 they would be in jail now," stated Coert Bonthius, of the Workers' Rights Center.

"We feel there are other instances like this occurring in Tompkins County," said Workers' Rights Center organizer Carl Feuer. "Requiring unpaid work or not paying overtime properly may be more common than many think." Any Tompkins County worker wanting information about their rights under State and Federal labor law can contact the Workers Rights Center at 269-0409 or TCWRC@yahoo.com.

USDOL Contact: Catherine Quinn, Assistant District Director, 315/448-0630 x.25

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1045 2004-03-23 12:00:00 2004-03-23 12:00:00 open open workers-get-back-pay-in-kinkos-case publish 0 0 post 0
Pizzeria Pays Over $7,000 to Violated Workers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/04/pizzeria-pays-over-7000-to-violated-workers/ Thu, 15 Apr 2004 12:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/04/pizzeria-pays-over-7000-to-violated-workers/ Today was a big day for workers' rights in Tompkins County as we publicly, in coordination with the NY State Attorney General, the Latino Civic Association, and three Cornell student groups, announced a settlement being reached with Collegetown Pizza. Thanks to all those who've helped and supported us in this important case! Below are the Press Releases from the Workers' Rights Center; the Attorney General Eliot Spitzer; and three student groups at Cornell (Latina/o Graduate Student Coalition (LGSC), La Asociacion Latina (LAL), and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Atzlan (MEChA).

In solidarity,
Pete

Pizzeria Pays Over $7,000 to Violated Workers


The New York State Attorney General has reached a settlement with College Town Pizza, located at 401 College Avenue, following an investigation initiated by the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center. At least three kitchen and delivery workers will receive over $7,000 in back wages, resulting from the failure of the pizzeria to obey minimum wage and overtime laws.

In addition to the wage payments, College Town Pizza has agreed to obey all applicable laws, including furnishing each employee with a wage statement with each payment of wages and posting a bilingual notice advising workers of their rights. The restaurant agrees to provide at least four days of sick and vacation leave time to all full-time workers who have worked at least one year; and to provide a complete set of payroll and time records periodically to the Attorney General. It has also agreed to allow unannounced compliance visits to ensure compliance.

"This is a great victory for all workers in Tompkins County, and particularly for immigrant workers," stated Pete Meyers, Workers' Rights Center organizer. "Following closely on the Kinko's conviction, this shows employers that workers are more vigilant and more aware of their rights. We will not tolerate workplace abuse." In particular we are proceeding with plans to develop, in collaboration with the Latino Civic Association, an Immigrant Worker Rights Project and to initiate discussions with Cornell University about developing a worker rights compact for all its contractors.

The settlement in the pizza case was the work of a coalition of local groups including the Workers' Rights Center, the Latino Civic Association, a number of Cornell student groups and others. Says Carlos Gutierrez, President of the Latino Civic Association, "The Latino Civic Association (LCA) of Tompkins County is satisfied by the settlement reached with Collegetown Pizza. We thank the State Office of the Attorney General for their effective help in this matter. The LCA is highly committed to working with the immigrant community to assure that they are fairly treated in their workplace, and that the business community treats them with dignity by paying them according to law."

After workers approached the Workers' Rights Center in the summer of 2003, the employer was contacted to provide restitution but refused. The Attorney General then commenced an investigation resulting in the settlement we are pleased to announce today. We particularly want to thank Assistant Attorney General Deborah Baumgarten for actively and effectively pursuing this investigation, resulting in an excellent settlement.

Any worker in Tompkins County who feels he or she is treated unfairly in their workplace can contact the Workers' Rights Center at 269-0409 or TCWRC@yahoo.com. Any former College Town Pizza employee who feels they were underpaid for their hours worked should contact the Workers' Rights Center or Deborah Baumgarten, Assistant Attorney-General, 212/416-8714.


WAGE SETTLEMENT REACHED WITH ITHACA PIZZERIA

Immigrant workers to receive minimum wage and overtime payments

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced that he has settled an investigation with College Town Pizza, Inc., located at 401 College Avenue in Ithaca, for its failure to pay immigrant kitchen and delivery workers the minimum wage and overtime pay.

The investigation found that between 2001 and 2003 College Town paid several immigrant kitchen and delivery workers sub-minimum wages with no overtime pay. Employees worked for up to 75 hours per week with wages as low as $300.00 per week when State labor laws required wages of at least $476.00. In some instances, the employer used employment agencies that cater to immigrants to bring workers from New York City to Ithaca. Workers were promised fair wages and free housing. Such employees did not receive legal wages and were, for a period of time, housed in the restaurant's basement.

"My office has found that immigrant workers are frequent targets of exploitation. That exploitation not only hurts those workers, it drags down labor standards for all New Yorkers. Immigrants are working throughout New York State and my office is committed to enforcing labor laws in Tompkins County and across the state," Spitzer said.

Under the terms of the settlement, Khalid Attia, the owner, will pay $7,230.00 in restitution for College Town Pizza employees. Also, the restaurant will be subject to monitoring and for the first time will provide paid sick and personal days to employees with over one year's work history.

In recent years the Attorney General's office has aggressively enforced the labor laws on behalf of immigrant workers, collecting over 6 million dollars on behalf of immigrant supermarket delivery persons in New York City and entering into a Code of Conduct on behalf of immigrant workers in the New York City greengrocer industry. More recently, with the assistance of workers' centers like the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center and the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, the office has opened numerous investigation into the conditions of immigrant workers in Central New York.

"I have been very pleased, though hardly surprised, to see Attorney General Eliot Spitzer respond to the concerns about the treatment of workers in this case, investigating the allegations, and enforcing our state labor laws. I also applaud the on-going work of the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center as a resource and strong advocate for local workers, as well as the successful efforts here of the Latino Civic Association," said Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton.

"The Latino Civic Association (LCA) of Tompkins County is satisfied by the settlement reached with College Town Pizzeria," stated LCA President Carlos Gutierrez. "We will continue to work with the immigrant community, the Workers' Rights Center and the Attorney General's office to assure that immigrant workers are fairly treated in their workplace, and that the business community treats them with dignity by paying them according to law, especially when it comes to overtime work and minimum wage issues," said Carlos Gutierrez, President of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County.

To report labor law violations or to learn about your rights as a worker and your obligations as an employer, please contact the New York State Attorney General's helpline at 1-800-771-7755 or visit our website at: www.oag.state.ny.us.

The case was handled Labor Bureau Assistant Attorney General Deborah M. Baumgarten under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Jennifer Brand.


CORNELL LATINO STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS WELCOME SETTLEMENT REACHED IN COLLEGETOWN PIZZA WORKER RIGHTS CASE

The Latina/o Graduate Student Coalition (LGSC), La Asociacion Latina (LAL), and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Atzlan (MEChA) at Cornell University welcome the settlement reached between the New York State Attorney General's office and Collegetown Pizzeria.

We are proud to have been part of this coalition of community-based labor, religious, and civic organizations - that has insured that workers in our community are treated with dignity and respect. This coalition has spoken clearly: (i) that the types of business practices used by the Collegetown Pizzeria will not be tolerated in our community, (ii) that these types of labor law violations will not go unpunished, and (iii) that we affirm our commitment to the rights of all workers in Ithaca, women and men, immigrants and citizens, documented and undocumented.

Just as we have struggled in the past to make Cornell a more diverse and open institution, so too will LAL, MEChA and the LGSC continue to take a proactive and preventative role in assuring that Ithaca businesses exhibit the values of fairness and equality that are important to us.

We hope that this announcement today will raise awareness about the situation of immigrant workers in Ithaca and throughout the United States.

Press Contact:
Michael Casaus (Chair, LGSC): mbc11@cornell.edu (607) 339-6925
Daisy Torres (LAL): dt69@cornell.edu
Leonor Lara (MEChA): lml24@cornell.edu (915) 204-0755

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1046 2004-04-15 12:00:00 2004-04-15 12:00:00 open open pizzeria-pays-over-7000-to-violated-workers publish 0 0 post 0
Study Details the Large Public Cost of Low Wages http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/05/study-details-the-large-public-cost-of-low-wages/ Mon, 24 May 2004 12:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/05/study-details-the-large-public-cost-of-low-wages/ Dear all,
When someone is paid less than a living wage, they and their families suffer enormously. Employers, including billionaire employers like Wal-Mart, can only do this because taxpayers foot the bill for the services that allow these working families to live. We have been saying this for a long time, and now a California study has attempted to quantify this. Taxpayers are subsidizing California's growing low-wage economy to the tune of $10 billion a year through public health services, tax credits, child-care programs and other assistance for the working poor, according to this UC Berkeley study. The cost to New Yorkers might even be higher, since our minimum wage is substantially less than the $6.75 in California.
The report, by the school's Center for Labor Research and Education, found that nearly half the money from the 10 largest statewide public assistance programs went to families with at least one full-time worker. Such "hidden costs" of low-wage work are likely to increase unless the government intervenes to raise wages and benefits at the lowest end of the economy, the report says.
In Solidarity,
Carl

Study Details Public Cost of Low Wages

Taxpayers subsidize the state's working poor at a rate of $10 billion a year, letting firms keep pay down, researchers find.

By Nancy Cleeland
Times Staff Writer

May 20, 2004

Taxpayers are subsidizing California's growing low-wage economy to the tune of $10 billion a year through public health services, tax credits, child-care programs and other assistance for the working poor, according to a UC Berkeley study to be released today.

The report, by the school's Center for Labor Research and Education, found that nearly half the money from the 10 largest statewide public assistance programs went to families with at least one full-time worker.

If paid more, the workers would be self-sufficient and would not qualify for the programs, the report states.

Such "hidden costs" of low-wage work are likely to increase unless the government intervenes to raise wages and benefits at the lowest end of the economy, the report says. Currently, low-wage jobs are growing faster than the overall economy in California.

"What those employers are doing is shifting labor costs onto the public," said Carol Zabin, lead author of the report, produced for the National Economic Development and Law Center, based in Oakland. "We're kind of encouraging the Wal-Martization of the economy."

Los Angeles County was the epicenter of the trend, Zabin said, accounting for half of the subsidies cited. The largest sector by far was retail trade, followed by business services.

The growth of California's low-wage economy has been well documented, but its effect and policy implications are hotly debated. The UC Berkeley report recommends raising the minimum wage to at least $8 an hour from the current $6.75, mandating employer-provided health insurance and boosting worker skills and productivity through training and development.

Business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, oppose raising the minimum wage and are working to repeal SB2, a labor-backed state law that would require employers to provide affordable health insurance to workers.

Jack Kyser, chief economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., agreed that the rise of low-wage jobs was a problem but argued that government mandates that raise business costs were the wrong solution.

"You've got to be careful," he said, adding that many middle-class jobs have left California because of high business costs. "Some of these solutions might be worse than the problem we're trying to fix."

For example, he said, raising wages for retail workers could encourage greater use of automatic check-out stands, eliminating some jobs altogether. Kyser also took issue with the study's depiction of the federal earned income tax credit, which goes to very-low-wage workers, as a subsidy. "This is a tax benefit," he said.

The tax credit accounted for about a fourth of subsidies described in the report. The largest single subsidy came from Medi-Cal, the state's health insurance program for the poor, accounting for 35% of the $10 billion. Zabin said the report undercounted the public expense of low-wage work because it didn't consider county costs, such as the use of hospital emergency rooms by uninsured workers.

In some cases, the link between low-wage jobs and public expense is clear. Take the case of Stella Anguiano, a janitor who cleans a Los Angeles County health clinic in Palmdale through a private contractor. Anguiano, who earns $8.35 an hour after 10 years on the job, has employer-provided health insurance, but it covers only her and her husband and pays for only three doctor visits a year. Her four children, ages 2 to 15, are on Medi-Cal.

She and other co-workers are lobbying the county Board of Supervisors to raise its living-wage standard, which the contractor is obliged to pay. Her dream, she said, is health insurance for the whole family.

"Who wouldn't like to have their kids covered by a good plan?" she said. "No one wants to go to the county for help."

[article copied from the Los Angeles Times, without permission]

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1047 2004-05-24 12:00:00 2004-05-24 12:00:00 open open study-details-the-large-public-cost-of-low-wages publish 0 0 post 0
Lawmakers beat Pataki veto, raise N.Y. minimum wage http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/12/lawmakers-beat-pataki-veto-raise-n-y-minimum-wage/ Mon, 06 Dec 2004 16:57:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/12/lawmakers-beat-pataki-veto-raise-n-y-minimum-wage/ (AP) - New York state's hourly minimum wage will increase from the current $5.15 to $7.15 following state Senate action Monday that completed an override of Gov. George Pataki's veto.

The measure, to be carried out in three phases, will push the minimum wage to $6 an hour on Jan. 1, 2005; to $6.75 on Jan. 1, 2006, and $7.15 on Jan. 1, 2007.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted to defy the Republican governor 51-7. A two-thirds vote is needed to override a gubernatorial veto in the 61-member Senate.

Pataki argued that raising the wage would put New York businesses at a "distinct competitive disadvantage" with businesses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where the minimum wage is $5.15.

The Democrat-dominated state Assembly voted in August to override Pataki's veto.

"The increase will help the working families at the lowest income levels make ends meet, without putting an undue burden on small businesses and the economy, while it helps the working poor realize the value and dignity of hard work," said Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

The override is "akin to voting for a $2.8 billion tax hike on small businesses," said Mark Alesse, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. He explained that is the cost of giving 691,000 minimum wage workers a $4,100 annual pay raise.

"There are better ways to do this with far less damage to small businesses and the economy," he said.

Bruno said 12 other states and the District of Columbia have raised the state minimum wage above $5.15 an hour since New York last raised the rate in 1999. Bruno said he preferred the federal minimum wage be raised so states didn't face a potential wage disparity.

"We were hoping that the federal government would act. They have not acted. I hope they will act next year," Bruno said.

The bipartisan vote provides "a commensurate salary for the value of the work that is performed," said Senate Minority Leader David Paterson, a Manhattan Democrat. "Our motives are to protect those working men and women," said Sen. Nicholas Spano, a Westchester Republican and co-sponsor of the bill.

"Social justice is a necessary element of our government" said Sen. Olga Mendez, a Republican representing parts of Manhattan and the South Bronx.

The legislation also provides for a proportional increase in the hourly minimum wage, from the current $3.30 to $4.60, for workers like waitresses and bartenders who are eligible for tips.

[From newsday.com]

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1048 2004-12-06 16:57:00 2004-12-06 16:57:00 open open lawmakers-beat-pataki-veto-raise-n-y-minimum-wage publish 0 0 post 0
VICTORY: New York State minimum wage bill passes http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/12/victory-new-york-state-minimum-wage-bill-passes/ Mon, 06 Dec 2004 23:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/12/victory-new-york-state-minimum-wage-bill-passes/ The struggle for economic justice and a living wage for all showed how powerful a force it can be as the Republican-controlled State Senate today joined the Democratic Assembly in overriding Governor Pataki's veto and passing an increase in the New York State minimum wage to take effect January 1, 2005.

In voting by a large majority to increase the minimum wage, Republicans in the NY Legislature joined the electorate in the "red"states of Florida and Nevada who also voted by large majorities to support increases in the minimum wage in those states.

"Significant majorities of people are showing they believe that working families should not be poor,"said Living Wage Coalition organizer Carl Feuer. "The movement for economic justice unites people across the political divide. It is only the rich and businesses like Wal-Mart that earn billions for their owners by keeping wages down that oppose it."

The Living Wage Coalition is now campaigning to win a living wage for workers at the new Ithaca Wal-Mart. "Wal-Mart is truly one company that can afford to do better," said Feuer. "It can provide the low prices that working families need while also providing the living wage that working families deserve."

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1049 2004-12-06 23:00:00 2004-12-06 23:00:00 open open victory-new-york-state-minimum-wage-bill-passes publish 0 0 post 0
VICTORY: Tompkins County Jail Expansion Halted, for the time being http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/12/victory-tompkins-county-jail-expansion-halted-for-the-time-being/ Wed, 08 Dec 2004 08:28:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2004/12/victory-tompkins-county-jail-expansion-halted-for-the-time-being/ Monday it was the increase in the minimum wage, last night, the Tompkins County Legislature voted 8-7 to forestall expansion of the Tompkins County Jail! Victories, no matter how large or small, or so important to give us a sense of moving forward.

More than 70 people showed up to vigil and speak out at Public Comment Tuesday night against expansion of the jail. Thanks to all those who showed up and/or wrote letters to their Legislator. This made a difference! Thanks also go out to those Legislators who worked tirelessly on this issue.

In solidarity,
Pete

View the full story from the Ithaca Journal here

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1050 2004-12-08 08:28:00 2004-12-08 08:28:00 open open victory-tompkins-county-jail-expansion-halted-for-the-time-being publish 0 0 post 0
Georgetown University agrees to a Living Wage http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/03/georgetown-university-agrees-to-a-living-wage/ Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/03/georgetown-university-agrees-to-a-living-wage/ After 3 years of campaigning, 9 days of hunger striking, and 270
pounds lost, Georgetown University has agreed to pay a living wage to
all campus employees - both directly hired and outsourced!

The university also reaffirmed the right to organize and freedom of
association for all workers, and agreed to equal pay for equal work and
equal access to resources for all workers serving the Georgetown
community.

The full policy can be found on Georgetown's website at http://www.georgetown.edu/svp/justemployment.html

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1051 2005-03-24 00:00:00 2005-03-24 00:00:00 open open georgetown-university-agrees-to-a-living-wage publish 0 0 post 0
Asian American Heritage Dinner at Hai Hong Restaurant in Ithaca on April 30, 2005, 7:00 P.M http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/04/asian-american-heritage-dinner-at-hai-hong-restaurant-in-ithaca-on-april-30-2005-700-p-m/ Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/04/asian-american-heritage-dinner-at-hai-hong-restaurant-in-ithaca-on-april-30-2005-700-p-m/

The Ithaca Asian American Association along with Ithaca College's Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity, and Cornell's Asian American Studies Program are pleased to invite the public to join us at our first Asian American Heritage Dinner at Hai Hong Restaurant on April 30, 2005, 7:00 P.M. A traditional Chinese banquet of 10 course meals will be served.


This event will recognize students and community members for exemplary leadership and commitment to community/public services. In addition, this dinner will celebrate the contributions, locally and nationally, of Americans of Asian descent. While May is nationally recognized as Asian American Heritage Month, Mayor Carolyn Peterson has prepared a proclamation to be read during dinner recognizing May as the Asian American Heritage Month in the City of Ithaca. Common Council is also expected to adopt the proclamation on May 4, 7:00 P.M. There's a lot of excitement in the air and we hope you can join us for this historical event.


Dinner Tickets are $25 per person for a 10 course meal. Due to limiting seating no tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Amy Kuo Somchanhmavong at amykuo314@yahoo.com or 607-257-3207.

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1052 2005-04-28 00:00:00 2005-04-28 00:00:00 open open asian-american-heritage-dinner-at-hai-hong-restaurant-in-ithaca-on-april-30-2005-700-p-m publish 0 0 post 0
Jewish, Muslim and Arab World Music, Sunday, May 1st http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/04/jewish-muslim-and-arab-world-music-sunday-may-1st/ Sat, 30 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/04/jewish-muslim-and-arab-world-music-sunday-may-1st/ International worker solidarity will be celebrated in true
international style on Sunday Night, May 1 (May Day) from 8 pm till ???
Come to the Living Wage/Workers' Rights space at 115 The Commons (above
Autumn Leaves) to listen and dance to live and recorded world music
from the Jewish, Muslim and Arab world by SONIC PLANET radio and
SPECIAL GUESTS.

Enjoy free NORTH AFRICAN SNACKS and DRINKS.

Suggested donation (to support the musicians and the venue): $5.00

It's produced by Aron Gutman, co-host

Sonic Planet - best in world music - Saturdays 5-7pm (EST)

WICB - Ithaca - 91.7 fm

Park School of Communications, Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY 14850, 607-274-3217, www.wicb.org

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1053 2005-04-30 00:00:00 2005-04-30 00:00:00 open open jewish-muslim-and-arab-world-music-sunday-may-1st publish 0 0 post 0
Stop the Wal-Mart Supercenter, Rally and Protest, Wednesday, 5/4 at 3 p.m. in Cortland http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/stop-the-wal-mart-supercenter-rally-and-protest-wednesday-54-at-3-p-m-in-cortland/ Tue, 03 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/stop-the-wal-mart-supercenter-rally-and-protest-wednesday-54-at-3-p-m-in-cortland/

"Stop the Wal-Mart Supercenter" Rally and Protest


Wednesday, May 4th at 3pm - Cortland Wal-Mart on Rt 13


The proposed "Supercenter" project will more than double the size of the current Wal-Mart in Cortland. A coalition of labor, environmental and community activists has been working tirelessly to put a stop to this development which
would threaten resident's water supply (it's in a sensitive ecological area) and rural quality of life.

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1054 2005-05-03 00:00:00 2005-05-03 00:00:00 open open stop-the-wal-mart-supercenter-rally-and-protest-wednesday-54-at-3-p-m-in-cortland publish 0 0 post 0
New York Times: Can't Wal-Mart, a Retal Behemoth, Pay More? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/new-york-times-cant-wal-mart-a-retal-behemoth-pay-more/ Wed, 04 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/new-york-times-cant-wal-mart-a-retal-behemoth-pay-more/ Can't Wal-Mart, a Retail Behemoth, Pay More?
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - With most of Wal-Mart's workers earning less
than $19,000 a year, a number of community groups and lawmakers have
recently teamed up with labor unions in mounting an intensive campaign
aimed at prodding Wal-Mart into paying its 1.3 million employees higher
wages.

A new group of Wal-Mart critics ran a full-page advertisement on
April 20 contending that the company's low pay had forced tens of
thousands of its workers to resort to food stamps and Medicaid, costing
taxpayers billions of dollars. On April 26, as part of a campaign
called "Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart," five members of Congress joined
women's advocates and labor leaders to assail the company for not
paying its female employees more.

And in a book to be published this fall, a group of scholars will
argue that Wal-Mart Stores, having replaced General Motors as the
nation's largest company, has an obligation to treat its employees
better.

Among workers at Wal-Mart's 3,700 stores across the United States, the debate is also heating up.

Frances Browning, for example, once earned $15 a hour, but now at
Wal-Mart, where she is a cashier in Roswell, Ga., she is paid $9.43.
She says she is happy to have the job.

"I was unemployed for two and a half years before I found my job at
Wal-Mart," Ms. Browning, 57, said. "Like everybody else I'd love to
make a lot more, but I have to be realistic."

But Jason Mrkwa, 27, a high school graduate who stocks frozen food
at a Wal-Mart in Independence, Kan., maintains that he is underpaid. "I
make $8.53, even though every one of my evaluations has been above
standard," Mr. Mrkwa (pronounced MARK-wah) said. "You can't really live
on this."

Labor groups and their allies are focusing on Wal-Mart because they
say that the campaign will not just benefit its workers but also reduce
the existing pressure on unionized competitors to reduce their own
wages and benefits.

"Wal-Mart should pay people at a minimum enough to go above the U.S.
poverty line," said Andrew Grossman, executive director of Wal-Mart
Watch, the coalition of community, environmental and labor groups
running the series of ads criticizing Wal-Mart. "A company this big and
this wealthy has the ability to pay higher wages."

H. Lee Scott Jr., Wal-Mart's chief executive, vigorously defends his
company, arguing that wages are primarily determined by market forces
and that Wal-Mart pays more than most retailers and provides better
opportunities for advancement.

"If people tell you that Wal-Mart is leading the so-called 'race to
the bottom' in terms of job quality or pay, they're not only wrong,
they're dead wrong," he said to journalists at a company-sponsored
conference here in April, the first time Wal-Mart has gone out of its
way to invite a number of reporters to its headquarters to hear its
views. "We are instead creating a better workplace with more
opportunity and more benefits than have been available in retail."

Mr. Scott contends that the critics, including competitors, are
defenders of an outdated status quo, intent on upholding a retailing
system full of inefficiency and inflated prices.

He said that if Wal-Mart were as greedy as its detractors say, it
would never have attracted 8,000 job applicants for 525 places at a new
store in Glendale, Ariz., or 3,000 applicants for 300 jobs in outlying
Los Angeles.

Michael T. Duke, chief of the company's stores division, said,
"Wal-Mart is a very good place to work for our associates, and every
day we make it even better."

Mr. Mrkwa, the food stocker, does not see it that way. With pay that
brings him about $20,000 a year, he said he could not afford a decent
apartment or a vehicle better than his 1991 Dodge Dakota. "I don't see
why Wal-Mart can't pay more," Mr. Mrkwa said. "Unfortunately, in the
market we live in there just aren't many jobs available."

Wal-Mart says its full-time workers average $9.68 an hour, and with
many of them working 35 hours a week, their annual pay comes to around
$17,600. That is below the $19,157 poverty line for a family of four,
but above the $15,219 line for a family of three.

Wal-Mart critics often note that corporations like Ford and G.M. led
a race to the top, providing high wages and generous benefits that
other companies emulated. They ask why Wal-Mart, with some $10 billion
in profit on about $288 billion in revenue last year, cannot act
similarly.

"Henry Ford made sure he paid his workers enough so that they could
afford to buy his cars," said William McDonough, executive vice
president of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. "Wal-Mart is
doing the polar opposite of Henry Ford. Wal-Mart brags about how its
low prices help poor Americans, but its low wages are helping increase
the number of Americans in poverty."

Mr. Scott argues that retailers, with narrow profit margins, face a
different competitive situation and cannot afford to be as generous to
their workers as automakers and other capital-intensive companies.

"Some well-meaning critics," he said, "believe that Wal-Mart,
because of our size, should play the role that General Motors played
after World War II, and that is to establish the post-world-war middle
class that the country is so proud of. The facts are that retailing
doesn't perform that role in the economy as G.M. does or did. Retailing
doesn't perform that role in any country in the world."

Many of those assailing Wal-Mart argue that the company can, and
should, pay its workers at least $2 more an hour and add $1 or $2 an
hour beyond that to improve its health benefits. A Harvard Business
School study found that Wal-Mart paid $3,500 a year for each employee
for health care, while the typical American corporation paid $5,600.

If Wal-Mart spent $3.50 an hour more for wages and benefits of its
full-time employees, that would cost the company about $6.5 billion a
year. At less than 3 percent of its sales in the United States, critics
say, Wal-Mart could absorb these costs by slightly raising its prices
or accepting somewhat lower profits.

But company executives dismiss such proposals, saying they would
largely wipe out Wal-Mart's profit or its price advantage over
competitors. Wal-Mart had a profit margin on sales last year around 3.5
percent. If "we raised prices substantially to fund above-market wages,
as some critics urge," the company argued in a recent two-page ad in
The New York Review of Books, "we'd betray our commitment to tens of
millions of customers, many of whom struggle to make ends meet."

Here in Bentonville, Mr. Scott pursued that theme. "If you're
telling me because you're Wal-Mart and you're going to pay $12 an hour
and this other retailer is going to pay $5.15 an hour, the federal
minimum wage, and they're not going to provide any benefits at all and
somehow the consumer is rewarded in all this, all you're doing is
perpetuating the status quo," he said. "You're driving inefficiencies
into the system. It doesn't make any sense."

Wal-Mart argues that, as retailing companies go, it treats its
workers better than average. It says 74 percent of its employees work
full time, compared with fewer than 40 percent at many other retailers.
But critics note that a leading competitor, Costco, pays $16 an hour -
65 percent more than the average wage at Wal-Mart stores and 33 percent
more than the $12 average at its Sam's Club stores. At Costco, 82
percent of the workers are covered by company health insurance,
compared with 48 percent at Wal-Mart.

George Whalin, president of Retail Management Consultants in San
Marcos, Calif., said that Wal-Mart should ignore the attacks. "Retail
has always paid poorly and it probably always will," he said. "Wal-Mart
has a responsibility to serve their customers - to give them a good
product - and to their shareholders. They don't have a responsibility
to society to pay a higher wage than the law says you have to pay."

But Burt Flickinger, another retailing consultant, said it would be
in Wal-Mart's long-run interest to pay better. "Wal-Mart's turnover
will be close to half a million workers this year," he said. "By paying
higher wages, Wal-Mart will make its employees happier and will reduce
turnover. A lot of its new workers, for instance, don't know where to
stock things. Higher wages will mean more productivity per person, and
that should help raise profits."

The debate is far from over. LaTasha Barker, a single mother who
worked for two years as a cashier at a Sam's Club in Cicero, Ill., said
she earned so little that she could not afford the $1,860 a year for
family health insurance.

"They don't pay a living wage," said Ms. Barker, who quit her
$8.40-an-hour job in 2004 to take a $15-an-hour social work job. While
at Sam's, she said, she qualified for Medicaid and $139 a month in food
stamps.

By contrast, Jamie Schifferer, manager of the health and beauty aids
department at a Wal-Mart in Algonquin, Ill., said Wal-Mart was a
terrific employer. She quit her $25,000-a-year post running a Cingular
wireless shop to go to Wal-Mart.

After 20 months, she earns $12.50 an hour - close to her previous
pay - but now works 40 hours a week rather than the 60 hours at
Cingular.

"I was very miserable," she said. "As soon as I heard about this store opening, I jumped. It's perfect for me right now."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/04/business/04wages.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=

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1055 2005-05-04 00:00:00 2005-05-04 00:00:00 open open new-york-times-cant-wal-mart-a-retal-behemoth-pay-more publish 0 0 post 0
Area Congregations Together Annual Meeting to Focus On Moral Value of a Living Wage http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/area-congregations-together-annual-meeting-to-focus-on-moral-value-of-a-living-wage/ Thu, 12 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/area-congregations-together-annual-meeting-to-focus-on-moral-value-of-a-living-wage/

"A Living Wage Is A Moral Value: More Than A Campaign"


Tuesday, June 7th, at 7 p.m.


Speakers include: Reverand Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Pastor of Lansing Methodist Church, and Carl Feuer, Organizer for Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition.


Unitarian Church Annex, 208 E. Buffalo Street in Ithaca, Second Floor


Contact Edie Reagan, Justice and Peace Ministries of Catholic Charities, 272-5062 x-12 for more information

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1056 2005-05-12 00:00:00 2005-05-12 00:00:00 open open area-congregations-together-annual-meeting-to-focus-on-moral-value-of-a-living-wage publish 0 0 post 0
Ithaca Food Service Workers Win $10,000 Settlement -- Diamonds Restaurant Appropriated Tip Money from Waiters and Waitresses http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/ithaca-food-service-workers-win-10000-settlement-diamonds-restaurant-appropriated-tip-money-from-waiters-and-waitresses/ Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/ithaca-food-service-workers-win-10000-settlement-diamonds-restaurant-appropriated-tip-money-from-waiters-and-waitresses/

The Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition/Workers' Rights Center today announces details of a settlement won by food service workers against New Delhi Diamonds Restaurant, 106 W. Green Street and its owner Baldhev Sekhon.


For at least a year (2003-2004) and probably longer New Delhi Diamonds stole money from waiters and waitresses by appropriating for itself any tip money left by patrons for waiters and waitresses at the restaurant. As part of the agreement with the Attorney General the restaurant agreed to pay $10,000 in restitution to its wait staff.


In addition to the $10,000 settlement, the restaurant also agreed to provide four paid personal days to all employees with over one year's service and allow the Attorney General's office to periodically monitor its books. Diamonds has never before provided paid personal leave days for employees.


The scam first came to light when two employees approached the Workers' Rights Center in October 2003. Investigation identified other employees that Diamonds demanded customer tip money from. The Workers' Rights Center then assisted the employees in contacting Assistant Attorney General Deborah Baumgarten who launched an official investigation culminating in the settlement we are describing today.


It is illegal under state and federal law for an employer to demand any portion of tips left by customers. This is the case no matter what the hourly wages paid to waiters and waitresses. New York law does permit employers to pay a reduced minimum wage (currently $3.85/hour) to food service workers in the restaurant industry provided such workers earn sufficient tips so that their hourly wage, with tip income, is at least the state minimum wage, currently $6/hour.


The Workers' Rights Center of the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition provides information, referral and advocacy assistance for workers treated unfairly on the job. In two years we have handled 350 complaints and have won close to $50,000 in restitution and benefits for Tompkins County workers. The Workers' Rights Center can be contacted at 269-0409 or TCWRC@yahoo.com

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1057 2005-05-18 00:00:00 2005-05-18 00:00:00 open open ithaca-food-service-workers-win-10000-settlement-diamonds-restaurant-appropriated-tip-money-from-waiters-and-waitresses publish 0 0 post 0
Wednesday, 5/25 @ 11 a.m. Rally in Support of George Junior Republic Workers/Thursday 1-5 p.m.Rally in Support of Lakeside Nursing Home Workers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/wednesday-525-11-a-m-rally-in-support-of-george-junior-republic-workersthursday-1-5-p-m-rally-in-support-of-lakeside-nursing-home-workers/ Mon, 23 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/wednesday-525-11-a-m-rally-in-support-of-george-junior-republic-workersthursday-1-5-p-m-rally-in-support-of-lakeside-nursing-home-workers/

I. George Junior Republic and Service Employees Union (SEIU) Campaign for
Living Wage/Affordable Health Care: Wednesday, May 25th @ 11 a.m. at
George Junior Republic in Freeville (details below)


II. SEIU Informational Picket at Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca, 1-5 p.m.
on Thursday, May 26th (see below for details)
-----------------------------------------------------------
I. George Junior Republic and Service Employees Union Campaign for Living
Wage/Affordable Health Care: Wednesday, May 25th @ 11 a.m.


Please join the workers of the George Junior Republic foster care agency
this Wednesday, as they rally for livable wages and affordable healthcare.
Months of negotiations over a new union contract culminated last week with
George Junior management's presentation of their "last and final" wage and
benefit offer.


Management's offer is an insult to our hard-working members. On wages:
they offered our workers a meager .20 to .30 cent per hour increase,
depending on individual length of service. On health insurance, management
wants our workers to pay 20% of the premium while non-union employees pay
only 15%. Our bargaining committee unanimously encourages our members to
"Vote No" on management's proposal so we can go back to the negotiating
table and fight for dignity!


Rally for Livable Wages & Affordable Healthcare!
Wednesday May 25th, 2005
11:00 AM, Rte. 38
George Junior Republic in Freeville
(Assemble in front of horticulture; you'll see the cars and people!)
*Bring your banners, friends and colleagues!*


Directions:
From Cortland/Dryden:
Rte.38 North out of Dryden.
About 2 miles on 38 you'll see cars & people on your left; park.


From Ithaca:
Rte.13 North
Left on George Rd. (about 7 miles from the airport)
Left on Rte. 38 (Freeville Rd.) at the "T"
After a ¼ mile or so, you'll see cars & people on your left; park.


Contact SEIU Local 200United Organizer, Keegan Cox for more information:
1 800-733-1754 or 315-529-8613
----------------------------------------------------------
II. SEIU Informational Picket at Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca, 1-5 p.m.
on Thursday, May 26th
What: SEIU 1199 Informational Picket
When: Thursday, May 26, 2005 from 1-5 PM
Where: Lakeside Nursing Home, 1229 Trumansburg Rd. (Rt. 96), Ithaca
Why: Lakeside needs to balance its budget in order to survive bankruptcy.


The State Legislature passed a budget which includes $80 million in
extra funding for nursing homes, but Albany can not agree on how the money
should be distributed. Lakeside is the ideal candidate for this money.


Lakeside pays higher wages, provides free health insurance, a
guaranteed union pension and invests in training and upgrading for its
members. But being a responsible employer is one reason Lakeside is in
bankruptcy.


Lakeside's receivers and potential buyers need to understand loud and
clear that Lakeside needs to balance its budget by working with its
employees to bring new funds into the facility. Lakeside's budget problems
can't be solved on the backs of its employees by demanding concession
bargaining or by reducing staff.


There will be pickets throughout upstate on Thursday at all SEIU-
represented nursing homes that are in a position similar to Lakeside's.


Please join our SEIU brothers and sisters for this important demonstration
of union support!

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1058 2005-05-23 00:00:00 2005-05-23 00:00:00 open open wednesday-525-11-a-m-rally-in-support-of-george-junior-republic-workersthursday-1-5-p-m-rally-in-support-of-lakeside-nursing-home-workers publish 0 0 post 0
Syracuse Passes Living Wage Law http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/syracuse-passes-living-wage-law/ Wed, 25 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/syracuse-passes-living-wage-law/

The Syracuse City Council passed an ordinance, on Monday, requiring all contractors with 5 or more employees and doing at least $20,000 in business with the city to pay a living wage - $10.01/hour if the company provides health benefits and $11.91 if it does not. Congratulations to all who organized over 3 years for this law and to the hundreds of working families that will benefit.


'Living Wage' Law Passes
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
By Frederic Pierce
Staff writer, Syracuse Post-Standard


Three years after refusing to force companies to pay workers a "living wage" when doing business with the city, the Syracuse Common Council Monday unanimously agreed to set the minimum wage for full-time city work at more than $10 an hour.


The revised "living wage" ordinance could begin raising the pay of as many as 200 parking lot attendants, school bus monitors and janitors in as little as three months, according to Local 200 of the Service Employees International Union.


Full-time employees who work directly for the city, all but a handful of whom already make more than the new minimum, are exempt from the law.


"This is a great step in the life of the working people in this community who've been working hard to raise their family above the poverty line," said 4th District Councilor Tom Seals, the measure's chief sponsor. "By approving the living wage ordinance, we will give them hope they can make it."


The ordinance was Seals' biggest campaign issue in 2002. His stance drew the support of the Working Families Party, which threw its resources behind him to beat the district's incumbent councilor, Mike Atkins, in a Democratic primary.


"We proved in 2003 that there are real consequences for not supporting the living wage," said Rick Oppedisano, chairman of the Working Families Party's local chapter. "For three years, working people have been building power, and today we used it."


All but one of the council's nine voting members are up for re-election this fall.


The unanimous vote included the Democrat-dominated board's sole Republican - 1st District Councilor Jeff DeFrancisco - as well as two councilors who voted against the original measure: 2nd District Councilor Marty Masterpole and 5th District Councilor Bill Simmons.


"I've been accused of making an election-year decision," said Masterpole, who co-sponsored the measure Monday. "Well, every year is an election year. I voted my conscience then, and I'm voting my conscience now."


Masterpole said he felt the original version was illegal because it required the city to change labor contracts that had been negotiated under state law. That proposal was defeated in a 6-3 vote.


The new measure, which exempts everyone paid directly by the city, was scheduled for a council decision last month. Some last-minute tweaking of the wording put off the vote until Monday.


The ordinance applies to anyone employed by a company with five or more employees that does at least $20,000 worth of work for the city.


Most of those workers are covered by negotiated contracts, and the new wage won't begin showing up in their paychecks until their company's contract with the city is up, and the work is put out to bid again, said Jerry Dennis, president of Local 200.


When that happens, no company will be able to come in with a low bid based on paying its workers less than $10.08 an hour, or $11.91 per hour if it does not provide health benefits.


"Hopefully, this will expand to other positions," said Dennis, who estimates 50 to 100 members of his union will benefit from the ordinance. "It should make it easier for us to raise the wage of positions just above this level."


For Eddie Walker, a parking attendant with All-Right Parking, the change is likely to mean a sizable boost from the $8 an hour he currently makes after three years on the job. Because All-Right has a month-to-month contract with the city, Walker is also likely to be one of the first workers to benefit from the new law.


"It means I won't have to flip a coin to decide what bills I'm going to pay," Walker said. "It means I can pay bills with a good heart. Now it's like robbing Peter to pay Paul."


© 2005 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.

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1059 2005-05-25 00:00:00 2005-05-25 00:00:00 open open syracuse-passes-living-wage-law publish 0 0 post 0
Immigrant Rights Center Established in Ithaca http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/immigrant-rights-center-established-in-ithaca/ Fri, 27 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/immigrant-rights-center-established-in-ithaca/

In June 2003, shortly after the Living Wage Coalition opened our Workers' Rights Center, a Latino worker came to our office and told us how the rights and dignity of immigrant workers like him were being violated at a local pizzeria. That was our first experience of the difficulties immigrant workers and families face in Tompkins County. Since then we have received and dealt with 20 other complaints of worker and housing violations from immigrant workers.


The large number of complaints from immigrant workers, and our realization that this might only be the tip of the iceberg, led us to form the Immigrant Rights Center, which we are pleased to announce publicly today.


We are especially pleased to be joined here today by representatives from the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County and the Ithaca Asian American Association who are partnering with us in this project. Also here today are representatives of various human service agencies who
regularly deal with immigrant and refugee workers and are daily reminded of the difficulties their clients experience in our County. We expect to be working closely with these agencies as well.


Our Immigrant Rights Center will:
* Conduct outreach to immigrant and refugee communities about the rights of immigrants and our services - already we have developed a flyer and translated it into four languages
* Develop a resource center with worker rights materials available in multiple languages
* Develop a corps of volunteer interpreters who will assist us in communicating with workers whose primary language is not English
* Provide information, referral and advocacy services for immigrant workers who feel they are not being treated fairly in the workplace or in other areas.
* Vigorously assist immigrant workers whose rights are violated.


We encourage any member of the immigrant community to contact us at 269-0409 or TCWRC@yahoo.com if they want more information about their rights or feel their rights are be-ing violated.

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1060 2005-05-27 00:00:00 2005-05-27 00:00:00 open open immigrant-rights-center-established-in-ithaca publish 0 0 post 0
Living Wage Coalition Responds to Recent Bomb Scare at Ithaca Wal-Mart http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/living-wage-coalition-responds-to-recent-bomb-scare-at-ithaca-wal-mart/ Sun, 29 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/05/living-wage-coalition-responds-to-recent-bomb-scare-at-ithaca-wal-mart/

We are deeply concerned about the bomb threat at the Ithaca Wal-Mart that occurred this past Wednesday, May 25th.


We condemn the use of threats or violence against any business or institution. It is morally reprehensible to bring fear and violence to the workplace. Workers deserve a decent paycheck, benefits and dignity AND safety at work.


The Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition works to win a living wage for workers at Wal-Mart and other local stores. Now representing 47 community, labor and religious organizations, our coalition has been working in Tompkins County since 1997 for better wages for working families. We are proud of our achievements over the years of helping to win living wages for workers, through community education and organizing, among Cornell workers, teacher aides and assistants, grocery store workers, City employees and others.


We welcome Wal-Mart's low prices and wide selection because it benefits working people. Yet Wal-Mart's low wages threaten the well-being of our community. We believe a living wage IS compatible with affordable prices, and we will continue to campaign for a living wage for all workers, including employees of Wal-Mart.


For more information on the Wal-Mart Living Wage Campaign go to www.tclivingwage.org or contact us at 269-0409.


Sincerely,


Pete Meyers
Carl Feuer and the Steeing Committee of the TC Living Wage Coalition

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1061 2005-05-29 00:00:00 2005-05-29 00:00:00 open open living-wage-coalition-responds-to-recent-bomb-scare-at-ithaca-wal-mart publish 0 0 post 0
Greg Leroy to Speak, Tuesday, 7/11, @ 7 p.m. in Living Wage Center, 115 The Commons, Ithaca http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/07/greg-leroy-to-speak-tuesday-711-7-p-m-in-living-wage-center-115-the-commons-ithaca/ Fri, 08 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/07/greg-leroy-to-speak-tuesday-711-7-p-m-in-living-wage-center-115-the-commons-ithaca/

A talk and book signing by Greg Leroy. Greg's new book, "The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation," has been called "the definitive Community Defense Manual for every citizen who wants to stop corporations from lotting the public treasury and win real community economic development." Greg is founder and director of Good Jobs First (www.goodjobsfirst.org), which is the main national resource center promoting corporate and government accountability in economic development and smart growth for working families.

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1062 2005-07-08 00:00:00 2005-07-08 00:00:00 open open greg-leroy-to-speak-tuesday-711-7-p-m-in-living-wage-center-115-the-commons-ithaca publish 0 0 post 0
Living Wage Coalition Begins Advertising in The Nation Magazine http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/08/living-wage-coalition-begins-advertising-in-the-nation-magazine/ Wed, 03 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/08/living-wage-coalition-begins-advertising-in-the-nation-magazine/

Wal*Mart Living Wage Campaign
3,500 Wal-Mart stores and none pay a living wage. Organize in your community. www.tclivingwage.org

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1063 2005-08-03 00:00:00 2005-08-03 00:00:00 open open living-wage-coalition-begins-advertising-in-the-nation-magazine publish 0 0 post 0
Living Wage Coalition Looks for Volunteers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/08/living-wage-coalition-looks-for-volunteers/ Wed, 10 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/08/living-wage-coalition-looks-for-volunteers/

Specifically, looking for people to table in various locations in Tompkins County to get signatures onto petition demanding that Wal-Mart pay it's employees a Living Wage. Please contact our office at 607-269-0409 or email TCWRC@yahoo.com if you are able to help.

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1064 2005-08-10 00:00:00 2005-08-10 00:00:00 open open living-wage-coalition-looks-for-volunteers publish 0 0 post 0
"Sending Wal-Mart Back to School" Press Conference, Wednesday, 8/24 @ 2 p.m. http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/08/sending-wal-mart-back-to-school-press-conference-wednesday-824-2-p-m/ Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/08/sending-wal-mart-back-to-school-press-conference-wednesday-824-2-p-m/

The NEA (National Education Association) , the AFT (American Federation of Teachers), and NYS United Teachers have joined with our Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition and others in a national campaign to hold Wal-Mart accountable for its failing grades (see below), and to get them to change their practices. To publicize this we are trying to get many teachers and others connected with schools and colleges to come to a press conference next week. The press conference is next Wednesday, August 24, 2-2:30 at the Department of Social Services Building (320 W. State Street, Beverly Livesay Room on the 1st floor). We have chosen this venue partly because Wal-Mart's failure to provide affordable health insurance forces many employees and their families to rely on County and taxpayer-funded Medicaid and social services.


This national "Send Wal-Mart Back to School" is timed to coincide with the back-to-school sales season. The aim is to educate the public about the harmful effect Wal-Mart's business practices have on its employees, children, our community and the economy, and to get Wal-Mart to change. The Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition (along with the NEA, AFT and the national Wakeup WalMart Campaign) think that this is the prefect time to present Wal-Mart with its report card and to insist on improvement. Wal-Mart's report card is unsatisfactory. On every subject - worker pay, providing health insurance, child labor, sexual discrimination, tax costs to the public - Wal-Mart has failing grades. ! Wal-Mart needs to work on improving its performance.


We suggest the following ways our community can hold Wal-Mart accountable for its failing grades and to get it to improve.
1) When people shop for back to school items we can consider all our choices and decide whether we want to shop at Wal-Mart or somewhere else.
2) If you do shop at Wal-Mart, speak to a manager to indicate your expectation that Wal-Mart will work to improve its grades or you may not shop there in the future.
3) Publicize the failing grades as we are doing with this press conference and our Wal-Mart Living Wage Campaign


If you have any thoughts or suggestions on any of this please let us know. We can give you more information about this or you can also get it on the web at http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/school/ or http://www.nea.org/topics/walmart.html or http://www.nysut.org/newyorkteacher/2004-2005/050810walmart.html or at our own website, www.tclilvingwage.org
****************************************************
Here is the report card. Remember we all pay for Wal-Mart's poor performance. And, yes, Wal-Mart is not the only retailer that has poor grades, but it is the largest, the richest, and probably has the worst performance over all. If we can get Wal-Mart to change, the others will follow.


Poverty level wages:
Wal-Mart pays workers too little to keep a family of four out of poverty. (Calculations by the AFL-CIO's Department of Public Policy; Data from: U.S. Depar! tment of Health and Human Services, http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/05poverty.shtml; http://www.walmartfacts.com/doyouknow)


Taxpayer Abuse
Wal-Mart costs American taxpayers up to $2.7 billion per year in taxpayer funded public health care and public assistance programs. (Everyday Low Wages:The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart,Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, 2/16/04; Form 10-K filed by Wal- Mart, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Fiscal Year Ended 1/31/05)


Poor Benefits
Fewer than half of Wal-Mart's workers are covered by the company's health plan because of long waiting periods for eligibility and high cos! ts - and because Wal-Mart increased the number of hours per week from 28 to 34 for employees to qualify for full-time health benefits, forcing them to wait even longer for eligibility as part-timers. (2004 Wal-Mart Associate Guide; www.walmartfacts.com; Open Enrollment News, 9/03)


Discrimination
Wal-Mart is facing the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in history affecting more than 1.6 million female employees. In some cases, women earned $5,000 a year less than men for the same job. (The Recorder, 3/7/05; Statistical Analysis of Gender Patterns in Wal-Mart Workforce,Richard Drogin, PhD, February 2003)


Child Labor
Wal-Mart agreed to pay $135,540 to settle federal charges that it broke child labor laws. (The New York Times, 2/12/05) Three Wal-Mart stores in Connecticut were fined in mid June for a total of $3,300 for child-labor law violations. (Associated Press, 6/17/05)

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29 Tompkins County Clergy Write to Wal-Mart http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/09/29-tompkins-county-clergy-write-to-wal-mart/ Fri, 16 Sep 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/09/29-tompkins-county-clergy-write-to-wal-mart/

December 15, 2004


Mr. Dave Jacobson
Ithaca Wal-Mart General Manager
135 Fairgrounds Parkway
Ithaca, NY 14850


Dear Mr. Jacobson:


As members of the clergy and other representatives of faith communities in
Ithaca and Tompkins County, we write to undergird the appeals you have
received from our local government officials and civic leaders. We
believe that the concerns they have expressed about Wal-Mart's wage
policies, along with other matters affecting worker well-being, constitute
a moral issue. They come from a moral consensus that working people have a
basic human right to compensation and conditions of employment that assure
for them a sufficient livelihood, safety and respect on the job, and
affordable, quality healthcare.


We know that Wal-Mart's policies pertaining to prices, wages, and profits
are closely connected. The determination of prices and profits has to
reflect the essential importance of fair and adequate compensation and
overall responsible treatment of employees.


Our concern extends to our whole community. As workers gain a living wage,
their more-adequate income is put back immediately into the local economy.
It goes for immediate needs plus some goods and services previously not
affordable. Life for many individuals and families becomes more secure and
fulfilling.


We respectfully urge you to respond positively and promptly to the requests
you have received from local government and civic leaders to meet with them
to discuss their concerns.


In addition, we would very much appreciate the opportunity for a delegation
from the signers of this letter to have its own meeting with you, to
discuss further our concerns that Wal-Mart's operations here be beneficial
to our community. Please respond to Edie Reagan, at Catholic Charities
(272-5062 x12 or ereagan@dor.org).

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Higher Expectations Week: A National Week of Action, November 13th thru 19th http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/10/higher-expectations-week-a-national-week-of-action-november-13th-thru-19th/ Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/10/higher-expectations-week-a-national-week-of-action-november-13th-thru-19th/

The Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition will be hosting 7 showings of the new Robert Greenwald (Director of "Outfoxed" and others) movie, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price". Daily showings will occur at Cinemapolis Theater on The Commons in Ithaca from the 13th through 19th at 7 p.m. In addition, there will be showings at the Trumansburg H.S., cosponsored with Back to Democracy (Trumansburg) on Wednesday, November 16th at 6:30 p.m. Showings will also take place at Cornell University and Ithaca College.


Petitions with over 5,000 signatures will be hand-delivered by a community delegation to the Ithaca Wal-Mart during the week of Higher Expectations demanding that Wal-Mart pay its employees a Living Wage.


Over 400 organizations nationwide, including the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition, have joined Wal-Mart Watch www.walmartwatch.com and Wake Up Wal-Mart as charter
partners for Higher Expectations Week. Tens of thousands will participate in the week-long series of events, scheduled already in 29 states and the District of Columbia, with the list of partners and events growing daily.

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1067 2005-10-31 00:00:00 2005-10-31 00:00:00 open open higher-expectations-week-a-national-week-of-action-november-13th-thru-19th publish 0 0 post 0
Thousands of signatures, one goal (from The Ithacan, Ithaca College) http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/11/thousands-of-signatures-one-goal-from-the-ithacan-ithaca-college/ Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/11/thousands-of-signatures-one-goal-from-the-ithacan-ithaca-college/

The Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition will present Ithaca's Wal-Mart with a petition today at 4 p.m. requesting that its employees' wages be raised to the county living standards.


A living wage is the minimum income required to be self-sufficient and meet a household's basic needs, said Pete Meyers, organizer of the coalition.


The group began working on the petition in February to raise awareness, begin a national movement and let Wal-Mart know how many people care, he said. Currently, there are more than 5,200 signatures on the petition, about 520, or 10 percent, of which are from students at the college, he said.


According to 2001 wage data presented in Dukes v. Wal-Mart and reported in "Business Week," Wal-Mart paid its employees an average salary of $13,861, or $8.23 an hour for a 32-hour- workweek. In Tompkins County, the living wage is $19,902 per year, Meyers said. This equals $9.18 per hour with health benefits, or $10.46 without.


The college's Students for Just Peace worked with the coalition to show a new documentary, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices," on campus Monday night. The film's director, Robert Greenwald, focuses on the negative aspects of the corporation, including the treatment of employees, the effect on local businesses and communities and environmental issues.


Around 300 students, faculty and community members attended the event, said senior Daniel McCarey, president of SJP. The petition was also available to sign after the showing.
"There are a number of students here on campus that are involved with the Living Wage Coalition downtown," said McCarey. "There will be a good amount of IC students joining the group [to present the petition to Wal-Mart]."


Dave Jacobson, manager of the Ithaca Wal-Mart, said it is unclear whether the petition will influence any real change. The corporation has general wage guidelines, though starting wages vary depending on the employee's experience and the location of the store. However, there are chances for employees to improve their wages, he said.


"As a former hourly-wage earner myself, I can say that the opportunities are there to better yourself," Jacobson said.
Jacobson said since its opening, Wal-Mart has been involved with the local charities and organizations.


"We offer a [lot] to this community," he said. "How many people were provided with a new job that did not have one prior to the store's opening?"


Meyers said past efforts of the coalition include working to raise the state's minimum wage and adjusting starting salaries of paraprofessionals, such as teachers' aides.


Right now, the group's focus is mainly on the Wal-Mart living wage campaign, he said.
Meyers said the focus of the campaign is not to encourage people to boycott Wal-Mart, but to reach out to people who support the retailer.


"We're trying to raise people's expectations of what a person working at a retail store should get paid," he said. "Why should Wal-Mart have a $10 billion per year profit when many of its employees are struggling to get by?"
Chuck Zelinski, a Wal-Mart associate of five years who recently transferred to the Ithaca store, said employees should at least make enough money to afford to survive in the area.


"I don't know how people survive on the kind of money [they do]," he said. "I love the company, and I hope they are responsive to [the petition] ... It's an important thing, to take care of the associates."


However, Andrea Neal, who has worked at Wal-Mart for about seven years, said she does not agree with the petition. Neal, who used to work in the Cortland store, said she now makes the half- hour commute to Ithaca because of higher pay and a promotion. "I make really good money here, compared to [Cortland]," she said. "I was making nothing."


As the world's largest corporation, Wal-Mart made nearly $288 billion in revenue and a $10 billion net profit in 2004, according to Fortune magazine. This profit is equal to the Wal-Mart competitors' profits combined and doubled, according to Wal-Mart Watch, a non-profit research group.
Sophomore Daisy Tomaselli, a volunteer with the coalition, said Wal-Mart is not the only store that should adjust low wages.


"We don't defend any store that doesn't pay their workers a living wage, especially when they can afford to," she said. "This includes K-Mart, Sears, Target and all big-box stores."


Tomaselli said she thinks the proposed wage increases are not impossible. Costco, a large wholesaler, pays workers up to $17 per hour by keeping the salaries of higher-ups relatively low, she said.


According to a Nov. 9 article in the Ithaca Times, Wal-Mart officials often list the average salary at $9.64 per hour, but that is more likely a figure of the corporation's middle pay, rather than its average pay. Meyers said at a meeting before the store's opening, coalition members and city officials were promised exact wage information by Wal-Mart representatives. They still have not received it, he said.


Tim Joseph, chair of the Tompkins County Legislature, said the low wages paid by Wal-Mart affect everyone in the community.


"A big part of the county budget goes to providing basic services to people working in low-wage jobs," he said. "Since [these workers] are not paid enough, we are paying them. You are paying them."


Sophomore Jaime Waznis, who attended the documentary screening Monday night, said the film was powerful and she will likely cut back on her Wal-Mart shopping. Waznis signed the coalition's petition last spring.


"I liked that the idea of the petition was not to end corporate America, but to end its bad practices, like low wages," she said.


"This is the first step, and it's a really important one." At the petition presentation, members of the coalition, local community members and local politicians will join Meyers. Mayor Carolyn Peterson and New York state Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton will be present, Meyers said.


Meyers said the group does not know what to expect, but believes it is a public step. Though living wage movements are rare, they are significant because the issues apply to communities everywhere, he said. The local focus of the movement is crucial to success, he said.


"This way, people are more aware because it is happening right in front of them," he said. "If it is solely a national campaign, I don't think people will know about it."
Joseph said while local campaigns are necessary for raising awareness, a nationwide movement is still required for real change, but the petition will help hopefully.


The presentation of the petition is part of a series of local events for "Higher Expectations Week," organized by Wal-Mart Watch, to raise awareness of political and social issues related to the super- retailer, Meyers said. "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices" will be playing at Cinemapolis in The Commons through Saturday.


http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0511/17/news/0thousands.htm

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Living Wage Coalition Presents 5,268 Petition Signatures Demanding a Living Wage http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/11/living-wage-coalition-presents-5268-petition-signatures-demanding-a-living-wage/ Sat, 19 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2005/11/living-wage-coalition-presents-5268-petition-signatures-demanding-a-living-wage/

Close to 75 people (including Assemblyperson Barbara Lifton; County Legislative Chair Tim Joseph; and Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson) gathered Thursday outside the Ithaca Wal-Mart to present 5,268 signatures collected onto petitions demanding that Wal-Mart begin to pay it's employees a Living Wage. Thanks to the close to 100 people that have volunteered their time and efforts to the Coalition in gathering these signatures! We intend to continue the petition-gathering (it's been an *incredible* organizing tool) as well as to figure out new strategies to bring pressure upon Wal-Mart and other "big-box" stores in line with the idea that we're serious about ending poverty.

Contrary to
the story in Thursday's Ithaca Journal
, the General Manager of Ithaca's Wal-Mart *refused* to accept the petitions! Thus we have sent them to Wal-Mart Headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. Those who would like to write a Letter to the Editor of the Journal about the importance of a Living Wage are strongly encouraged to do so!

Wal-Mart likes to tell us its average wage nationally is well above a living wage - $9.68. However, if you have 4 employees and three of them are paid $7.50/hour without affordable health insurance, and one of them is paid $16/hour, yes their average wage is about $9.68. But three out of four employees don't get the average wage. They don't get a living wage. They get a poverty wage.

That $7.50 for a full-time Wal-Mart employee is $13,260 for the year. If the pay is $8.50 their annual gross is $15,000. The Tompkins County Living Wage for a single individual is $19,100 including health insurance, or $9.18/hour for someone working a 40-hour week.

To read an excellent story that appeared in Thursday's edition of Ithaca College's The Ithacan check out "Thousands of Signatures, One Goal."

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1069 2005-11-19 00:00:00 2005-11-19 00:00:00 open open living-wage-coalition-presents-5268-petition-signatures-demanding-a-living-wage publish 0 0 post 0
Minimum Wage Rises to $6.75 in NYS As of January 1st http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/01/minimum-wage-rises-to-6-75-in-nys-as-of-january-1st/ Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/01/minimum-wage-rises-to-6-75-in-nys-as-of-january-1st/

The New Year will be happier this year for an estimated 1,673 workers in Tompkins County as a result of an increase in the NYS Minimum Wage from $6.00/hour to $6.75/hour effective January 1.


"The increase will inject close to $1 million into the local economy during the year," said TC Living Wage Coalition organizer Carl Feuer, "bringing benefits not only to these low-paid workers, but also to our community."


A study by the Fiscal Policy Institute (www.fiscalpolicy.org) also found that employment for low-wage workers actually increased in New York during 2005 following the increase in the minimum wage to $6/hour on January 1, 2005. Opponents of the increase claimed that the reverse would occur.


All employees in the state, including domestic workers with certain specified exceptions, must now be paid the $6.75 minimum for all hours worked up to 40 hours in a week. Tipped employees like restaurant wait staff must be paid a minimum of $4.35/hour (assuming they earn at least $2.40/hour in tips). Beyond 40 hours all employees will still be entitled to overtime pay at time-and-a-half for each additional hour worked.


The wage increase results from legislation passed in 2004 establishing a three-year progressive increase in the State minimum wage. It rose to $6/hour on January 1, 2005 (from $5.15) and will rise again on January 1, 2007, to $7.15/hour.


The Minimum Wage Order which employers must post for employees to see is available to download and print at www.labor.state.ny.us/formsdocs/wp/ls207_rev_2006.pdf.

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TC Workers' Rights Center Assists Workers (Cayuga Millworks) in Recovering Unpaid Wages http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/02/tc-workers-rights-center-assists-workers-cayuga-millworks-in-recovering-unpaid-wages/ Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/02/tc-workers-rights-center-assists-workers-cayuga-millworks-in-recovering-unpaid-wages/

The New York State Attorney General has launched an investigation of Cayuga Millwork, a Freeville custom woodworking company. The investigation follows a complaint from an employee with the assistance of the Workers' Rights Center.


Workers at Cayuga Millwork report a pattern of non-payment of wages and bounced checks. The problems had been going on for a number of months before the Workers' Rights Center and Attorney General's office were notified. Approximately 20 workers were employed at the company.


"We are calling on former Cayuga Millwork employees who have not been paid for their work to come forward," said Carl Feuer, Workers' Rights Center organizer. "Any claims for unpaid wages should be filed now."


Subsequent to the Attorney General's investigation, Cayuga Millwork reportedly filed for bankruptcy. Cayuga Millwork is owned by Jack Roscoe. Lee Van Houten of Holmberg, Galbraith, Van Houten & Associates is representing the company.


Contact: NYS Assistant Attorney General James Versocki, 212/416-6146

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Living Wage Employer Certification Program Unveiled in Tompkins County http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/04/living-wage-employer-certification-program-unveiled-in-tompkins-county/ Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/04/living-wage-employer-certification-program-unveiled-in-tompkins-county/

The Living Wage Coalition is now taking applications from businesses, non-profit agencies and local governments for certification as living wage employers. Below are the criteria we are using (please contact our office at 269-0409 to apply for certification or to ask questions).


We believe that paying a living wage is fundamentally the right thing to do ("a living wage is a moral value"). We are also aware that many employers, face pressures that can make it difficult to pay everyone a living wage. We are seeking to publicly recognize and reward employers that do provide livable jobs with fair wages, and to provide assistance and incentives for others that would like to do so.


Fair Wage Certification Criteria


1. Must pay $9.18/hour to all regular full and part-time employees.


2. Must offer health insurance to all employees averaging 30 or more hours/week (or pay them a minimum of $10.36/hour).


3. May pay a wage that is less than the living wage to youth employed during the summer; to part-time employees who are under 18 years old; to employees who are in a probationary status (limited to 3 months); to employees who are hired on a temporary basis (limited to 3 months); to employees and volunteers paid by others.


4. Must endorse the living wage concept.


5. Must match wages with any changes in the Tompkins County Living Wage that might occur periodically.


6. May use benefits or other beneficial terms and conditions of employment that are provided employees, such as union status, pension, discounts, generous leave policies etc., as an offset to the wage and health insurance criteria (meaning, for example, that a lower wage than $9.18 may be allowed if the difference were made up in measurable benefits that reduce the cost of living or offset by other by other factors in the employment situation), at the discretion of the TCLWC Steering Committee.


7. May be rejected for certification where there are known health and safety violations, violations of wage/hour or other labor statutes, and/or violations of the right to unionize, at the discretion of the TCLWC Steering Committee.


Certification is subject to annual review by TCLWC.

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1072 2006-04-05 00:00:00 2006-04-05 00:00:00 open open living-wage-employer-certification-program-unveiled-in-tompkins-county publish 0 0 post 0
400 People Gather on The Commons in Ithaca To Demand Rights for Immigrants http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/05/400-people-gather-on-the-commons-in-ithaca-to-demand-rights-for-immigrants/ Tue, 02 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/05/400-people-gather-on-the-commons-in-ithaca-to-demand-rights-for-immigrants/ Reprinted with permission from Ithaca Community News.

On May 1, the Commons in downtown Ithaca was packed with nearly 400 immigrant rights activists. The rally was part of a national day of action to declare "No Human is Illegal."

The protests around the nation helped bring light to the flaws in the Sensenbrenner Bill which quickly passed the House last December with almost no debate. The bill, otherwise known as the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act, would affect all of the eleven million undocumented immigrants in this country, as well as those who support or employ undocumented workers by making it a felony to either be an illegal immigrant or to assist one.

Speakers at the Ithaca rally included Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson, Nathan Shinagawa, County legislator, Dan Lamb, legislative aide to Maurice Hinchey, Linda Smith, legislative aide to Barbara Lifton, novelist Helena Viramontes, Marcia Fort, Director of GIAC, and many others.

Students from Cornell and Ithaca College marched to the Commons from their respective campuses, with Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) students joining Ithaca College.

Additionally, about fifty students from the Lehman Alternative Community School took part in the rally, as did the entire fifth grade from Beverly J. Martin elementary school, and students from Ithaca High School's ESL/immigrant class.

A repeated message given to the crowd was the reminder that we are a nation of immigrants. The vast majority of U.S citizens have ancestors who emigrated from other countries. Today, a large portion of the workforce is made up of immigrants.

In honor of the day, two local businesses closed down: Pizza Aroma, and Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities often assists undocumented immigrants in their charity work, and the national organization has spoken out publicly against the Sensenbrenner bill.

Locally, the number of undocumented workers is nearly impossible to count, according to Leonardo Vargas-Mendez, Executive Director of the Public Service Center at Cornell. Reasons for this vary. Often, census numbers of all immigrants in the county include Cornell students here on visas, while the "underground" populations are not always counted in census figures.

Still, according to Mary Jo Dudley, who works at the Cornell Migrant Program and spoke at the rally, says there are likely between 40,000 and 60,000 migrant farmworkers in New York State, and of those, between seventy-five and eighty-five percent are unauthorized workers.

Other immigration bills introduced in the senate include the "Securing America's Borders Act," by Bill Frist (R-TN), and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, also known as the "Hagel-Martinez Compromise." The latter was introduced in March and would provide approximately 10 million undocumented immigrants with permanent residence within six to eight years.

Local immigrants who need help with workplace or housing issues can contact the Immigrant Rights Center in Ithaca, located above Autumn Leaves Used Books at 115 the Commons, or by calling 260-0409.

By Elizabeth Bauchner, editor and publisher of Ithaca Community News.

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1073 2006-05-02 00:00:00 2006-05-02 00:00:00 open open 400-people-gather-on-the-commons-in-ithaca-to-demand-rights-for-immigrants publish 0 0 post 0
Living Wage Coalition Sponsors Talks by Meizhu Lui (5/18 and 5/19) on "The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide" http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/05/living-wage-coalition-sponsors-talks-by-meizhu-lui-518-and-519-on-the-color-of-wealth-the-story-behind-the-u-s-racial-wealth-divide/ Tue, 16 May 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/05/living-wage-coalition-sponsors-talks-by-meizhu-lui-518-and-519-on-the-color-of-wealth-the-story-behind-the-u-s-racial-wealth-divide/

Meizhu Lui, the Executive Director of United for a Fair Economy, will be traveling to Ithaca on May 18th and 19th to talk about her newly-released book, "The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide". Lui will be appearing at the following events:


As Guest Speaker at Alternatives Federal Credit Union's Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 18th at the Woman's Community Building, 110 W. Seneca St. The free dinner catered by Franco's will begin at 5:30; programming begins at 6:00.


At an afternoon workshop/lunch, hosted by the Multicultural Resource Cener/Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Avenue, from 12-2 p.m. on Friday, May 19th. Free pizza, salad, coffee, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, "The Color of Wealth" book signing/availability, and a lively interactive discussion will be had by all.


Why is there still such an economic chasm between whites and people of color?


The Color of Wealth spotlights the government's astonishingly decisive historic role in putting white families on an escalator to asset ownership, while keeping African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans stuck on an economic treadmill.


The afternoon workshop is sponsored by the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition; the Village at Ithaca; the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County; the Ithaca Asian-American Association; the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission; the Multicultural Resource Center; the Greater Ithaca Activities Center; and Alternatives Federal Credit Union.


Copies of the book are available, in advance, at the Living Wage Center, 115 E. State Street.

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1074 2006-05-16 00:00:00 2006-05-16 00:00:00 open open living-wage-coalition-sponsors-talks-by-meizhu-lui-518-and-519-on-the-color-of-wealth-the-story-behind-the-u-s-racial-wealth-divide publish 0 0 post 0
Over 100 Living Wage Activists Rally For County Health Care Resolution at Courthouse http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/06/over-100-living-wage-activists-rally-for-county-health-care-resolution-at-courthouse/ Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/06/over-100-living-wage-activists-rally-for-county-health-care-resolution-at-courthouse/ Over 100 people rallied in front of the Tompkins County Courthouse Tuesday in support of a Resolution spearheaded by Tompkins County Legislator, Nathan Shinagawa, that urged strong action statewide to address the growing health care insurance crisis.

The Resolution in support of the state-wide Fair Share Health Care plan and a single-payer/universal health care system passed by a 12-2 vote. To view a News 10 Now report on the rally and Resolution, click here.

Background:
Fair Share Health Care is a new plan that requires that employers with more than 100 employees pay at least $3/hour for each worker to cover their health care costs. "Fair Share Health Care helps the people that fall between the cracks," said Legislator Shinagawa, "These are people who are employed and work hard, but earn too much to qualify for government assistance and also have employers that either don't provide health benefits or have been increasing the costs of premiums beyond affordability for their workers. Most often, the health costs of the uninsured are shifted to local and state governments causing incredible financial strain to taxpayers at the benefit of large businesses."

The pending New York State Fair Share bill highlights the fact that "nearly 80 percent of New York's uninsured are working people and their dependents," while "employees of large companies are one of the fastest growing groups of New York's uninsured and account for much of the expanded enrollment in New York's public health care programs, as fewer large employers offer affordable health care for their employees." Co-sponsored by local Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, the pending legislation aims to address this issue and is awaiting action by the State Assembly and Senate. In Albany, a recent Assembly hearing on Fair Share Health Care attracted a crowd of more than 900 people. A deadline of June 22nd has been set for the state legislatures to act on the legislation.

The proposed Tompkins County endorsement resolution also supports, in addition to Fair Share Health Care, a statewide single-payer system and a commission to study how such a system can be implemented. The resolution sees Fair Share Health Care as, "a partial, short-term solution to the health care crisis, as a beginning to a better, and still prospective, turn-around to a nationwide, single-payer health care system."

"The principle that employers, large employers, that are for the most part very profitable, ought to be providing a certain amount toward the healthcare for their employees," said Carl Feuer of the Living Wage Coalition.

TEXT OF RESOLUTION

RESOLUTION NO. 95 - SUPPORT OF NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY BILLS A6575, A6576, 10583, AND SENATE BILLS S3459 AND S7090 - WHICH ADDRESS THE GROWING HEALTH INSURANCE CRISIS IN NEW YORK STATE

MOVED by Mr. Shinagawa, seconded by Ms. Robertson.

WHEREAS, access to health care continues to be a major concern for New Yorkers, and

WHEREAS, today nearly 3 million state residents have no health insurance, and often from necessity incur high individual debt and/or face financial ruin, and

WHEREAS, New York State is the 5th wealthiest state, but has the 2nd highest rate of uninsured people, and

WHEREAS, New York State in recent years had led the nation in expanding public programs such as Medicaid and designing programs such as Family Health Plus and Child Health plus, spending $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars through Medicaid and Family Health Plus to cover the insurance of those who are already employed, but do not receive coverage through their employers, nevertheless there has been little net reduction in the number of uninsured, largely because employers have been decreasing coverage, and

WHEREAS, many employers, including many small businesses, are responsible and do provide health care to their employees but face competitive disadvantages from employers who shift the responsibility of rising health care costs onto their employees and taxpayers, and

WHEREAS, there is no reason for health care to be tied to employment; this linkage is an artifact of post-World War II economics when American employers chose to offer health benefits in place of salary increases, and

WHEREAS, New York State can do better in fulfilling its constitutional promise of caring for all residents, and

WHEREAS, there are three major health-care bills before the New York State Legislature:

A. 6576 (S. 3459) -the New York Health Plan, which would establish a single-payer health-care program in New York State that would cover all residents. This bill first passed the Assembly in 1992. It would cover all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical, outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; dental and mental health; physical therapy; vision care; and long-term care, and

A. 6575 (no Senate companion yet) -that would establish a Legislative Commission on health-care reform with two co-chairs, one heading a study of Expanding Traditional Health Care and one studying Publicly Financed Health Care, and

RESOLUTION NO. 95 - SUPPORT OF NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY BILLS A6575, A6576, 10583, AND SENATE BILLS S3459 AND S7090 - WHICH ADDRESS THE GROWING HEALTH INSURANCE CRISIS IN NEW YORK STATE

1. 10583 (S. 7090) -Fair-Share Health Care, which would require all employers of more than 100 employees -- excluding manufacturing and farm jobs, and those employed in managerial, administrative, and professional positions -- to pay an assessment to New York State (based on number of hours worked annually; initially at $3/hour), with that assessment reduced by what the employer already pays for health coverage for employees and family members. This bill has the potential in New York to provide 400,000 currently uninsured workers with employer-sponsored health insurance; shift approximately 200,000 workers currently enrolled in Medicaid and Family Health Plus to employer-sponsored health insurance; and save state and local governments approximately $465 million in reduced spending on uncompensated care for the uninsured, and

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Legislature believes that both controlling health care costs and ensuring health care for all residents is of paramount importance, and

WHEREAS, this Legislature further believes that the best approach for New York State is to move directly from the current multiple-payer approach, with its high costs of administration and marketing, to a statewide single-payer system, which is the approach used in other industrialized democracies and which results in residents having comparatively lower costs and greater satisfaction than we do, and

WHEREAS, the next-best approach would be the Study Commission, where the two contrasting approaches would get an up-to-date analysis and be open to easy comparison, and

WHEREAS, although the "Fair Share" helps provide New York with additional revenue to expand health coverage, it does so by continuing to tie health care to employment and thus may help prop up the current flawed system, but can be seen as a partial, short-term solution to the health insurance crisis, and as a first step toward better, and still prospective, nationwide, single-payer health care system, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Legislature urges passage of A.6576 and S.3459, New York Health, the approach that ensures health-care coverage for all New Yorkers,

RESOLVED, further, That the Tompkins County Legislature, recognizing that in any event the urgency of the current health care situation requires that measures be taken to address the growing crisis, also supports the Study Commission and the "Fair Share Health Care" plan.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

* * * * * * * * * * *

RESOLUTION NO. 95 - SUPPORT OF NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY BILLS A6575, A6576, 10583, AND SENATE BILLS S3459 AND S7090 - WHICH ADDRESS THE GROWING HEALTH INSURANCE CRISIS IN NEW YORK STATE

cc: Administration - via Network

Finance Department

Public Works

Governor G. Pataki

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver

Senator J. Seward

Senator M. Nozzolio

Senator G. Winner

Assemblywoman B. Lifton

New York State Association of Counties

STATE OF NEW YORK )

) ss:

COUNTY OF TOMPKINS )

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct transcript of a resolution adopted by the Tompkins County Legislature on the 20th day of June, 2006

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and

affixed the seal of the said Legislature at Ithaca, New York,

this 21st day of June, 2006.

, Clerk

Tompkins County Legislature

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1075 2006-06-21 00:00:00 2006-06-21 00:00:00 open open over-100-living-wage-activists-rally-for-county-health-care-resolution-at-courthouse publish 0 0 post 0
TC Living Wage Coalition Changes Name To TC Workers' Center http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/07/tc-living-wage-coalition-changes-name-to-tc-workers-center/ Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/07/tc-living-wage-coalition-changes-name-to-tc-workers-center/ On July 7th, the Living Wage Coalition Steering Committee decided to change our name from the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition to the Tompkins County Workers' Center to reflect more accurately our extensive work (our website is still in transition).

While we intend to stay every bit as focused on working for a Living Wage for all people in Tompkins County, we also began to realize that our mission is much broader than just Living Wage. Our mission has long been about organizing to insure that all workers (regardless of gender, race, national background, sexual orientation, disability or age) are treated fairly in their workplace; have the right to organize a union, if they so desire; have affordable access to comprehensive health insurance; and a right to affordable housing.

Some examples of the work we do include:

* Living Wage Education, Advocacy, and Community Campaigns, such as working to insure that School District Para's and Service Employees are paid a Living Wage, in the public sector; big-box and hotel workers are paid a Living Wage in the private sector; working, successfully, to get the minimum wage increased at the statewide level; and our newest campaign is to certify employers as being Living Wage Employers (presently 21).
* Providing advocacy assistance to over 200 workers per year, through our Workers' Rights Hotline, who feel they have been treated unfairly on the job or in other areas of life. There is no other source for this service in Tompkins County. Since inception three years ago, we have won over $50,000 back wages for dozens of workers;
* Immigrant Rights work outreaching directly to immigrants on workers' issues and taking leadership in recent rally for Immigrant Rights on The Commons in May;
* Service Learning in Social Justice program providing internships to college and high school students, as well as classroom presentations;
* Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. Recognizing the critical importance of greater participation and leadership in our activities from those most affected by low wages and poverty, we are now establishing relationships with specific lower-income communities.

The Workers' Center has 51 labor, religious, and community organizations supporting it. Key among this support is the Religious Task Force, which has been successfully organizing on the moral component of Living Wage, workers' and immigrant issues.

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1076 2006-07-20 00:00:00 2006-07-20 00:00:00 open open tc-living-wage-coalition-changes-name-to-tc-workers-center publish 0 0 post 0
Rallies for Single-Payer/Universal Health Care Outside Gubernatorial Debate Smashing Success (VIDEO AVAILABLE) http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/09/rallies-for-single-payeruniversal-health-care-outside-gubernatorial-debate-smashing-success-video-available/ Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/09/rallies-for-single-payeruniversal-health-care-outside-gubernatorial-debate-smashing-success-video-available/ Over 200 people gathered in front of Bailey Hall, the site of Tuesday, 9/26, gubernatorial debate, in support of a single-payer/universal health care system for the State of New York. The intiention of the rallies, which started at the Commons in Ithaca with over 100 people, and marched up to Bailey Hall, was to put pressure on gubernatorial candidates, Spitzer and Faso, to support a bill already passed in the New York State Assembly (Bill A-6576) which would establish a single-payer universal health care for the State of New York. The measure has yet to pass the Senate. Locally, both the City of Ithaca Common Council and Tompkins County Legislature have passed resolutions in support of single-payer universal health care.

To view each one of the excellent speakers at the rally at Bailey Hall, click on the following links:

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Nathan I. Shinagawa, Tompkins County Legislator, District 4

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1762723997272366028&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Alex Berg, Cornell Organization for Labor Action (COLA)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1729745014288771363&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Terry Sharpe, President, U.A.W. 2300

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6107032995112590137&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Mary Clark, Southern Tier Director, Citizen Action of New York

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8479806517233411291&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

J. R. Clairborne, City of Ithaca Common Council, 2nd ward

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7731272448372078295&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Kathy Luz Herrera, Tompkins County Legislator, District 5

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3942545857613323920&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Michelle Berry, City of Ithaca Common Council, 2nd ward, and Tompkins County Poet Laureate

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2648525951571427280&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Shawn Galbreath, Exec,Director, Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=564876437465873511&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Eric Lessinger, M.D., Medical Director of Hospicare and Palliative Care Services

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1201960395017508605&hl=en

Rally for Single-Payer Heath Care

Nathan I. Shinagawa, Tompkins County Legislator, District 4

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5085328685484362049&hl=en

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1077 2006-09-05 00:00:00 2006-09-05 00:00:00 open open rallies-for-single-payeruniversal-health-care-outside-gubernatorial-debate-smashing-success-video-available publish 0 0 post 0
TC Workers' Center Presents: "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers", 10/20 thru 10/26 @ Cinemapolis Theater http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/10/tc-workers-center-presents-iraq-for-sale-the-war-profiteers-1020-thru-1026-cinemapolis-theater/ Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/10/tc-workers-center-presents-iraq-for-sale-the-war-profiteers-1020-thru-1026-cinemapolis-theater/ In the realization that the U.S. war against Iraq is so fundamentally about workers' issues (both here and in Iraq), and that there are corporations that are making a "killing" on this war, the Tompkins County Workers' Center, as a fundraiser, will show:

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
@
Cinemapolis Theater
Center Ithaca, The Commons
Every night from Friday, October 20th
thru
Thursday, October 26th

All showings begin at 7:15 p.m.

Tickets: $8.00 ($6.50 for over 65/12 and under/students with ID (Tuesday, $6.00 everyone) 100% Ithaca Hours accepted for all showings

Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.

Also relating to workers' issues are the constant updating from the National Priorities Project (www.costofwar. com). The Iraq war, to date, has cost U.S. taxpayers $334 billion (as of 10/13/06). It has cost Tompkins County taxpayers $131 million; and Ithaca $23 million. If you live outside the Ithaca area, check this out! Obviously all further blows to workers and people. The National Priorites website is very helpful because it also gives concrete figures comparing what this money could have done (nationally, county and city-wide) in terms of:

* pre-school
* kids' health
* college scholarships
* public housing
* public education

Cosponsored by: Durland Alternatives Library: Ithaca Hours; Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 277; Tompkins County Bill of Rights Defense Committee: SEIU Local 200United; Kol Haverim: Finger Lakes Community for Humanistic Judaism; Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America.

"Regardless of the war, the administration, or the various sophistries for expending human lives as a matter of government policy, profiteering from it universally offends all citizens, whether they are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, other parties or no shows."
--Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity

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1078 2006-10-13 00:00:00 2006-10-13 00:00:00 open open tc-workers-center-presents-iraq-for-sale-the-war-profiteers-1020-thru-1026-cinemapolis-theater publish 0 0 post 0
TC Workers' Center Encourages Shoppers to "Shop Their Values" During Holiday Season; Adds Five New Employers to List of Living Wage Certified http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/11/tc-workers-center-encourages-shoppers-to-shop-their-values-during-holiday-season-adds-five-new-employers-to-list-of-living-wage-certified/ Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2006/11/tc-workers-center-encourages-shoppers-to-shop-their-values-during-holiday-season-adds-five-new-employers-to-list-of-living-wage-certified/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) takes pride in announcing the addition today of five new businesses to our Living Wage Employer Certification program, bringing the total to thirty-two Living Wage Employers in the County (a complete list can be found below). The newly-certified employers include:

· Shade Tree Auto
· Singlebrook Technology, Inc.
· St. Luke Lutheran Church
· Sunny Brook Builders
· Tompkins Community Action

The Workers' Center believes that jobs that pay a living wage with access to health care are a win-win-win situation for workers, the community and employers. We seek to work with all segments of the community to make this a reality.

"We believe that a living wage is a moral value", said Carl Feuer of the Workers' Center Living Wage Employer Task Force. "We encourage shoppers in this holiday season to shop their values and to support employers that support their workers."

The Workers' Center seeks to publicly recognize and reward employers in the private, public and non-profit sectors that pay a living wage (defined as $9.18 an hour; or $10.36 an hour for full time employees without health insurance), and to provide market-based rewards and incentives for them and others that would like to do so.

The Workers' Center believes that employers benefit in other ways when they provide livable jobs, including generating higher productivity and stronger employee retention. Our community will prosper, benefiting everyone. Criteria for becoming a Living Wage Employer, as well as an application, can be found at www.TCWorkersCenter.org

List of Living Wage Employers:

Advocacy Center
P.O. Box 164, Ithaca

Alternatives Federal Credit Union
125 N. Fulton Street, Ithaca

Ancient Wisdom Productions
202 E. State Street, Ithaca

Autumn Leaves Used Books
115 E. State Street, Ithaca

Blue Spruce Painting and Decorating
598 Hayts Road, Ithaca

Boyce Thompson Institute
Tower Road, Ithaca

Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga
324 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Community Foundation of Tompkins County
309 N. Aurora St., Ithaca

Contemporary Trends, Inc.
121 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca

Custum Construction
123 Sears Street, Ithaca

Day Care & Child Development Council of Tompkins County
609 W. Clinton St., Ithaca

GreenStar Cooperative Market
701 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Hospicare and Palliative Care
172 E. King Road, Ithaca

Ithaca Downtown Partnership
171 E. State Street, Center Ithaca, Ithaca

Jewel Box
301 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca

Money with a Mission
490 Lower Creek Road, Ithaca

Morris' Men's Wear & Morris Too
134-136 E. State Street, Ithaca

Renovus Energy, Inc.
102 Cherry Street, Ithaca

Shade Tree Auto, Inc.
1047 Teeter Road, Ithaca

Significant Elements, A Program of Historic Ithaca, Inc.
212 Center Street, Ithaca

Singlebrook Technology, Inc.
433 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Sparks Electric
208 N. Titus Avenue, Ithaca

St. John's Church
210 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca

St. Luke Lutheran Church
109 Oak Avenue, Ithaca

Sunny Brook Builders
2147 Slaterville Road, Ithaca

Taitem Engineering
109 S. Albany Street, Ithaca

The Frame Shop
414 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca

Tompkins Community Action
701 Spencer Road, Ithaca

Tompkins County
320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca

Town of Ithaca
215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca

Upscale Remodeling Corporation
176 Hurd Road, Freeville

William Henry Miller Inn
303 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca

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1079 2006-11-28 00:00:00 2006-11-28 00:00:00 open open tc-workers-center-encourages-shoppers-to-shop-their-values-during-holiday-season-adds-five-new-employers-to-list-of-living-wage-certified publish 0 0 post 0
NY Minimum Wage Increases/Workers' Center Joins State Coalition to Address Wage and Overtime Violations http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/01/ny-minimum-wage-increasesworkers-center-joins-state-coalition-to-address-wage-and-overtime-violations/ Thu, 04 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/01/ny-minimum-wage-increasesworkers-center-joins-state-coalition-to-address-wage-and-overtime-violations/ New York State's Minimum Wage just increased to $7.15/hour (from $6.75/hour) as of Monday, January 1, 2007. (Wait staff wages increase from $4.35 to $4.60 an hour). If you know of anyone that is not making the new minimum wage, you should contact us at the Workers' Rights Hotline (607-269-0409).

In addition, the Workers' Center has recently joined with a coalition of community organizations and other advocates, spearheaded by the Brennan Center for Justice (of the NYU School of Law), to address the growing problem of minimum wage and overtime violations in New York State.

"The coalition began its work with the recognition that all New Yorkers bear the costs of this endemic problem. Low-wage and immigrant communities are especially hard hit, with the highest rates of workplace violations but the fewest resources to address them. Law-abiding employers are forced into a race to the bottom when their competitors pay below the minimum wage. And local governments lose significant tax revenues when workers are underpaid."

"An important part of the solution lies with the New York State Department of Labor, as documented in the coalition's recent report, Protecting New York's Workers. The report proposes six concrete recommendations for how the state agency can improve its enforcement of core legal protections for workers in low-wage industries." The Tompkins County Workers' Center had concrete input into this report as a result of our work with people via our Workers' Rights Hotline.

Finally, see the article below from the New York Times of December 13, 2006, which makes mention of the TC Workers' Center, and goes into more detail about the six coaliton recommendations.

Broader Inquiries Are Urged on Underpayment of Wages
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Troubled by what they call a proliferation of wage violations in New York, two dozen immigrant and worker advocacy groups want Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer to make the state's Labor Department move more aggressively against industries with widespread violations.

In a report to be issued today, the groups say that instead of responding mainly to individual worker complaints, the department should initiate broad investigations of industries with a history of violations.

"The Department of Labor needs to shift to a more forceful strategy that uses investigations of a whole industry to stop unscrupulous companies so that they don't drag down the rest of an industry," said Annette Bernhardt, one of the report's authors and the deputy director of poverty programs at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's School of Law.

The advocacy groups, including the New York Immigration Coalition and the Latin American Workers Project, complain that minimum wage and overtime violations are widespread in many industries, including restaurants, landscaping, laundries, agriculture and apparel.

"Workplace violations are becoming standard practice in many of the state's low-wage industries," the report said. "Law-abiding employers are forced into a race to the bottom when unscrupulous competitors pay below the minimum wage."

The groups call for legislation that would increase penalties for wage violations. They also want the state to pursue criminal action against companies that fire employees for filing wage complaints.

The report urges the Labor Department to speed up investigations and to insist that violators give workers six years of back pay, as the law allows.

"Investigations often drag on for more than a year," said Omar Henriquez, chairman of the Workplace Project, an immigrants' rights group based in Hempstead on Long Island. "When low-wage workers depend on their salaries to survive, it's obvious they need their money as soon as possible. And if the employer owes $10,000, we don't like it when the Labor Department negotiates so they only have to pay $5,000."

Many of the groups behind the report, which also include the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, MFY Legal Services and the Tompkins County Workers Center, have complained that Gov. George E. Pataki's Labor Department has been understaffed and unassertive.

Robert M. Lillpopp, a Labor Department spokesman, said his agency had long pursued violations in the apparel industry and had recently created a Fair Wages Task Force, focusing on other low-wage industries.

"We continue to be as aggressive as possible when we pursue violations," Mr. Lillpopp said. "When we get tips, we investigate."

In 2005, the Labor Department collected $10.4 million in back wages, a 36 percent increase from 2004 and the highest amount in state history.

Denis Hughes, president of the New York State A.F.L.-C.I.O., said organized labor would support the coalition's recommendations.

"We want a Labor Department that is an advocate for those workers who are most apt to be exploited," he said. "We want an activist Labor Department that is reminiscent of Frances Perkins," who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's crusading labor secretary and before that was New York State's industrial commissioner.

The coalition urged the department to work closely with community and immigrant groups to educate low-wage workers about their rights. The coalition said the department could use those groups as their eyes and ears because low-wage workers often approach them first about workplace violations.

The report said the department needed more bilingual investigators and recommended legislation to make it harder for employers to bypass minimum wage and overtime laws by classifying workers as independent contractors.

Mr. Lillpopp said the Labor Department had increased its outreach efforts, conducting 304 labor law seminars last year for 3,484 people at 309 businesses.

The coalition also urged the Labor Department not to discourage workers who are illegal immigrants from filing complaints. Mr. Lillpopp said his department did not take immigration status into account when deciding whether to pursue a worker's complaint.

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1080 2007-01-04 00:00:00 2007-01-04 00:00:00 open open ny-minimum-wage-increasesworkers-center-joins-state-coalition-to-address-wage-and-overtime-violations publish 0 0 post 0
Religious Task Force for a Living Wage Coordinator, Edie Reagan, Wins MLK Annual Peacemaker Award http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/01/religious-task-force-for-a-living-wage-coordinator-edie-reagan-wins-mlk-annual-peacemaker-award/ Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/01/religious-task-force-for-a-living-wage-coordinator-edie-reagan-wins-mlk-annual-peacemaker-award/ The Community Dispute Resolution Center gave it's ninth annual Peacemaker Award to Edie Reagan at the MLK Community Breakfast on Saturday, January 13, 2007. The Award is presented to an individual or group whose work embodies the non-violent change strategies exemplified by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ms. Reagan serves as the Justice and Peace Coordinator for Catholic Charities, and coordinates the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage (a project of the Workers' Center and of Catholic Charities).

She has been the key organizer of numerous community events and educational presentations and has dedicated her life to the causes of non-violence and social justice.

In the words of one of her co-workers, "Edie is a dedicated agent for social change." She truly answered Dr. King's call to action when he said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, '''What are you doing for others?'"
-----------------------------------------------------------
From Winter 2006-07 Newsletter

A Living Wage Is a Moral Value by Edie Reagan

You may have spotted these words on numerous bumpers driving around Tompkins County (and beyond!), in the course of your travels. What you may not know is that this green and white bumper sticker was designed by a local group of dynamic individuals, whose religious faith has impelled them to work for a living wage.

Among the fundamental principles shared by all faiths, are the importance of paying workers fairly for their labor and the right of workers to perform their responsibilities with dignity. Across the country, people of faith are on the forefront of efforts that are lifting workers out of poverty. Here in Tompkins County, the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage has been a strong and steady leader in this campaign.

For the past five years, members of the task force have gathered each month, to search out ways to engage local faith communities in work for economic justice. Coming from a diversity of spiritual traditions, including Quaker, Lutheran, Reform and Conservative Jewish, Catholic, Unitarian, Methodist and Presbyterian, they are united in their commitment to seek a living wage for all workers, because of their faith-rooted belief in the inherent worth of every person.

The Religious Task Force has been involved in a multitude of living wage efforts over the years. Members have promoted petitions calling for a minimum wage increase and spoken before the Ithaca City School District Board of Education, advocating for higher wages for school paraprofessionals. The group met with our local Innkeepers Association, to discuss the need for paying hotel workers a living wage, and sent a letter to Ithaca's incoming Wal-Mart manager, signed by twenty-nine local religious leaders, expressing the moral demand for just pay and fair labor practices. The task force has also helped to organize many briefings for area religious leaders on economic justice issues, such as welfare reform, healthcare reform, immigration legislation and economic hardship in Tompkins County.

If you are a person whose spiritual beliefs stir within you a passion for justice, please consider adding your insight and energy to the force of this action-focused group. The Religious Task Force for a Living Wage meets on the first Thursday of each month, 9:30 to 11:00 AM, at the Catholic Charities office (324 West Buffalo Street, Ithaca). For more information, contact Edie Reagan, Director of Justice and Peace Ministry at Catholic Charities (272-5062 x12 or ereagan@dor.org).

Mission Statement of the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage

"The worker is worthy of a just wage." This statement articulates a truth close to the heart of all great faiths. Every human being is a reflection of the divine, endowed with an imperishable worth and dignity.

As people of faith, basic principles of economic justice move us to work for the day when all workers will be paid a living wage, have quality, affordable health care, and be treated withy dignity. To that end, the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage educates, organizes and conducts outreach among people of faith, calling on all people to respond to the need for economic justice in our community. We support the Workers' Center in its efforts to bring about these goals.

The Religious Task Force for a Living Wage is a project
coordinated by Justice and Peace Ministry of Catholic Charities and the Workers' Center.

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1081 2007-01-18 00:00:00 2007-01-18 00:00:00 open open religious-task-force-for-a-living-wage-coordinator-edie-reagan-wins-mlk-annual-peacemaker-award publish 0 0 post 0
"Local activists fast for a living wage" from Ithaca Journal http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/03/local-activists-fast-for-a-living-wage-from-ithaca-journal/ Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/03/local-activists-fast-for-a-living-wage-from-ithaca-journal/ By Topher Sanders

Ithaca Journal Staff

Certified living wage employers in Tompkins County were honored Monday for paying their employees considerably more than minimum wage. The event also kicked off a 40-hour fast that participants hope will compel more companies to pay living wages.

living wage employer in Tompkins County pays their employees a minimum of $19,100 a year, according to a 2005 analysis by Alternative Federal Credit Union.

Tompkins County Workers' Center has certified 37 businesses in the county to be living wage employers.

Members of the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage, Tompkins County Workers' Center, Catholic Charities and the CRESP Center for Transformative Action gathered at First Baptist Church to toast living wage employers.

"We wanted to recognize and affirm the living wage employers in the county because they're going beyond what they are mandated to do in terms of just paying a minimum wage," said Edie Reagan, coordinator of Justice and Peace and Catholic Charities. "They have the social and moral vision to do the right thing."

There are benefits to employers who pay living wages, Reagan said. Workers earning living wagers are more focused, more productive, less likely to leave their job and more loyal, she said. Business that offer living wages also spend less money on training new employees.

Monday's celebration included music and poetry and brought out some of the county's political leaders.

"Everybody that works hard and has a family has the right to have a good shelter over their heads, food to feed their children, transportation to their jobs and also to relax after a hard days work," said Nathan Shinagawa, D-City of Ithaca. "And the only way a person can do that is to have a livable wage."

Employees of certified businesses were also at the celebration.

"No one needs to struggle and the way things keep rising you have to have enough money to pay for these things," said Carolyn Brown, an employee of the Tompkins County Public Library, a living wage employer.

Religious Task Force for a Living Wage is part of the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition, and its members are participating in the 12th Annual 40-hour Fast, which aims to bring attention to the issue of a living wage in New York state.

"We're still hungering for more justice for people here in our own community who are not yet making a living wage," Reagan, who is participating in the fast, said. She hopes living wage employers become contagious in the county.

"Hopefully it can ripple out and have an effect on other businesses that will see that these employers can do this and still achieve their bottom line economically," she said.

cbsanders@ithacajournal.com

Originally published March 6, 2007

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Tompkins Legislature/City and Town of Ithaca Advocate Expanding Safety Net for Unemployed (Ithaca Times) http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/03/tompkins-legislaturecity-and-town-of-ithaca-advocate-expanding-safety-net-for-unemployed-ithaca-times/ Wed, 14 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/03/tompkins-legislaturecity-and-town-of-ithaca-advocate-expanding-safety-net-for-unemployed-ithaca-times/ A resolution calling for unemployment insurance reform throughout New York State has been passed by the Tompkins County legislature, the City of Ithaca Common Council and the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca. Key points of the resolution, written by Carl Feuer, a Board Member at the Tompkins County Workers' Center, call on state lawmakers to increase the maximum unemployment benefit, to expand access to job-training programs, and to eliminate the loophole in unemployment laws that prevents many educational institution workers from receiving seasonal unemployment when schools are out of session. The resolution is part of a state-wide campaign to change New York's unemployment laws.

"It's unique in itself that we're getting all three of the biggest levels of government in Tompkins County to pass this," said Pete Meyers of the TC Workers' Center. "And it's basically a resolution urging the governor, the state senate and the assembly to look at comprehensive unemployment insurance reform. There [are] a lot of different groups involved - we're working with a state-wide coalition that works on unemployment reform."

The resolution asks for both an increase of the maximum unemployment benefit and also a recalculation of unemployment benefits. While someone making $700 a week might receive $350 each week in benefits if laid-off, a person making $8 an hour would receive $160 each week in benefits, less than half of the Tompkins County Living Wage. The resolution aims to offer a greater proportion of benefits to extremely-low wage workers.

"It's sending a message. It's not actually creating new legislation, just by having this happen at the local level, but resolutions are one of the things that, in a campaign, to kind of get to raise awareness of people locally," said Meyers. "Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton is fully on board with these changes."

Another issue in the resolution is the seasonal unemployment by some staff workers at most educational institutions throughout the state. When a cafeteria worker is fired for a season at a school - for winter break, or for summer vacation - they are frequently ineligible to receive unemployment benefits.

"There's a ton of people that are not getting unemployment that could and should," said Meyers. "And they're all low-wage workers. That's one of the differences. Some people say, 'Well, teachers don't get paid during the summer.' But teachers are starting out at much higher salaries a year. Not that they're millionaires, but they're making enough money to survive."

From elementary schools to Cornell university, many institutions throughout the state do not give seasonal workers benefits. Meyers says that, while there are exceptions, it is common enough to be a big unemployment issue.

"The cafeteria workers at IC do get unemployment because it's through a private contractor," he explained. "But because it affects so many workers here in Ithaca, that's one of the reasons that we're focusing on that particular aspect of reform. It's actually got a big, state-wide implication: every school district in the state, for example."

Meyers said he and the other allied organizations are enthusiastic about the chances for unemployment insurance reform, but believe that it might be a long-term issue.
Meyers believes that the issue is just one aspect of his organization's greater goal of workers' rights. And while the passed resolutions are filled with specific details, they are all just aspects of the intended design of the resolution.

"Really, in my mind, this is about redistributing wealth," said Meyers. "We're doing this for the workers, and it fits with living wage. A Cornell worker who is making $11.50 an hour - which is actually because of the Union, because no one starts in the Union under $11.50 an hour - would be making a living wage if they were making that the whole year, but they're only working for nine months of the year because of seasonal layoffs.

"You can look at living wage both in terms of hourly wage, or in terms of annual," he added. "So right now, the living wage is $9.18 an hour, and $19,100 a year."

The issue is sure to cause debate in business circles throughout the state, especially if the call for change reaches the New York legislature. For now, Meyers said that the resolutions have yet to stir up major disagreement.

"There hasn't been a lot of opposition," he said. "I think it's still such a new issue in a lot of ways that I haven't seen a lot of opposition. That being said, when the story first appeared in The Ithaca Journal [the day after the City of Ithaca Common Council passed the resolution] - they have an online comment thing, and some of the comments were basically saying 'Oh, another entitlement system.' This isn't entitlement to people. These are people that are working, and this is not a welfare system. The idea with unemployment is that if people are doing their best to work and everything and they get laid-off or fired or something, you want to have a social system to help. FDR founded this in 1931."

- Jake Bakkila

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1083 2007-03-14 00:00:00 2007-03-14 00:00:00 open open tompkins-legislaturecity-and-town-of-ithaca-advocate-expanding-safety-net-for-unemployed-ithaca-times publish 0 0 post 0
Alternatives Credit Union Announces New Living Wage Standards for Tompkins County http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/04/alternatives-credit-union-announces-new-living-wage-standards-for-tompkins-county/ Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/04/alternatives-credit-union-announces-new-living-wage-standards-for-tompkins-county/ A hardy thanks goes out to the Alternatives Federal Credit Union for their leadership in publishing new Living Wage standards for Tompkins County. At a Press Conference this morning, the new Living Wage for Tompkins County was announced to be $9.83 an hour. The Workers' Center's Living Wage Employer Certification program will use that figure; for those employees working 30 hours or more a week who do not have health insurance, the Living Wage will be $11.18/hr. based on Healthy New York cost of health care for a single person in Tompkins).

Below, find Press Release from Alternatives' Chief Operations Officer, Leni Hochman, about the new standards.For more detailed information, go to http://www.alternatives.org/livable.html

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Leni Hochman:

Why does Alternatives Federal Credit Union care about paying a living wage? Won't the marketplace take care of setting a proper wage? Why pay more than we have to, more than the prevailing wage for an entry level teller position?

The answer is simple: Because it's the right thing to do.

Alternatives' mission is to promoting economic justice. We have programs and services designed to help people in this community move out of poverty, to become financially self-sufficient. It follows that we provide our own staff with a fair and just wage. It is economic justice that a worker be paid a living wage, have affordable health care and be treated with dignity.

Relying on the minimum wage set by the federal government is not enough. NYS raised the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15/hour, a good start, but when you take a look at how much it costs to live in Tompkins County, it becomes clear that you would be hard pressed to do so, without working two or more jobs, receiving public assistance, or living in sub-standard housing.

United States Department of Health and Human Services places the federal poverty level for an individual at $10, 210. Someone earning $7.15 an hour would earn $14,872 gross and that only if they worked a full 40 hours a week, 52 weeks/year. Our study shows it takes $20, 450 (twice the poverty level) for an individual to live in Tompkins County.

Rent is up from $602 to $628 month in 2006, an increase of 4.3%, according to HUD. (Housing and Urban Development)

Food - the USDA publishes the cost of 4 food plans. We use the Low-Cost food plan, one above the Thrifty Food plan, to come up with $180.95/month, a 7.8% increase over two years ago.

Tranportation, an area that I think has huge variations depending on if you drive, bike, walk, what you drive, but in any case, using the same weighted average formula we borrowed from the Wider Opportunities for Women Living Wage study, and plugging in numbers from TCAT and Bureau of Labor Statistics, went up 7.14% to $164.22/month.

We made a change in the Communication line. We decided that Internet has become a necessity, and so we included the cost of DSL which is why that category went up 53.4%. That category now includes figures from Verizon for local calls and DSL and 30 minutes of long distance calls, now costing $56.48/month.

Health Care costs continue to rise dramatically over inflation. It's up 21%. We allotted $122.62/month or $1471/ year. That figure is derived from an employees share of premium at Alternatives plus out of pocket medical expenses. If an employer doesn't offer health insurance, the wage would have to be considerably more.

Recreation is a more discretionary area, and unfortunately a place that people cut back as necessities rise. There are so many different items that could go under recreation, and people will spend here based on their own interests: cable TV, sound equipment, books & magazines, movies, sports, joining a gym, going out to a movie. We believe that quality of life has to include recreation, and we've allotted $100/month.

Savings is adjusted for inflation which was 6.67% according to BLS for th is period, making it $56/month. Our study may be the only study that include savings, but it's central to our mission to promote savings. Savings can be for a long term goal, to acquire an asset - or it can be to avoid crisis when the unplanned occurs.

Under Miscellaneous there are clothes, personal care items, small applicances and housewares. I'm sure there a a lot of other things that could fall here, but we go to Claritas Consumer Spending Patterns for these updated figures, which actually went down 3.7% to $105/month since two years ago.

Add in payroll, federal and state Taxes, for a grand total of $20,450, what we consider a livable wage in Tompkins County.

It's always interesting to hear people's reactions to some of these numbers. They range from, "I live on a lot less than that" to "No way that's a livable wage." One staff person commented that $180/month for food seemed way too low. That's $41.50/week. $6/day. True, not very much.

There are certainly ways people can spend less. Cut rent by getting a room mate. Carpool, or dump the car and walk or bike. Stay healthy. Unfortunately, there are far more ways to spend more. Transportation? Just hope your car doesn't break down. Health care? It's reasonable until you need a crown on your tooth. And what if you have a dependent? In order to add in the cost of day care, you'd have to limit other expenditures a lot. Or get public assistance or help from family.

Alternatives is proud to be a living wage employer. Our Board has committed to paying staff the living wage for an individual. We hope all employers in Tompkins County and beyond agree that it's their responsibility to fairly compensate the employees that enable their businesses to operate - and that a fair wage is, at minimum, a living wage.

In closing, I'd like to express my appreciation to the Alternatives Federal Credit Union Board of Directors for their commitment to paying staff a living wage; I'd like to thank GreenStar for paying a living wage in an industry that has a very small margin, making it that much more difficult, and I'd like to thank the Tompkins Workers' Center for their work in educating the public and business community on the virtues and benefits of paying a living wage.

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1084 2007-04-20 00:00:00 2007-04-20 00:00:00 open open alternatives-credit-union-announces-new-living-wage-standards-for-tompkins-county publish 0 0 post 0
Benefit Concert Addresses Poverty in Ithaca http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/04/benefit-concert-addresses-poverty-in-ithaca/ Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/04/benefit-concert-addresses-poverty-in-ithaca/ By John Albanes, Cornell Sun

Amidst the head-banging and dancing, the focus of the first annual Ithaca Poverty Awareness Benefit Concert was clear: "To create awareness of poverty -- that it's real and alive out there," said Christian deBrigard, lead guitarist of Amplication, who played at and helped organize yesterday's event. Aside from Amplication, the event included appearances by Mubsi, a South African R&B artist, and bands Jimkata and Ayurveda. Several speakers also took the stage.

deBrigard, of Ithaca College's Ithaca Achievement Program, decided to hold the benefit "to make an impact, to raise money," but most importantly, "to do something physically," he said, referring to the music blasting just meters away over Ithaca Commons' Bernie Milton Pavilion.

I.A.P. was not alone in planning the event. Students for Economic Equality president Melanie Serrou also helped get the event off the ground.

S.E.E.'s mission, "To spread awareness of economic disparities in the U.S. and Ithaca, and to work toward economic equality," hits close to home for Serrou, who "Grew up in poverty," and "understand[s] what it's like growing up poor," she explained. "I didn't know how much of an issue poverty was in upstate New York until I moved here," she said.

Serrou said the presence of poverty in Ithaca was not apparent to her upon arriving at Ithaca College because of the makeup of the student body.

"I was shocked ... I felt like the only working-class person in the world," she said amidst references to expensive clothes, sports cars and other objects that made Serrou feel "alienated" when she first arrived in Ithaca last fall semester.

However, after taking a class entitled "Social Movements," Serrou decided she had to do something in Ithaca which eventually led her to S.E.E., deBrigard and yesterday's concert.

Serrou's internship with the Tompkins County Workers' Center brought her in contact with the Ithaca community as well. Pete Meyers, the organization's coordinator, spoke about the problems Ithaca and Tompkins County face when it comes to underprivileged, lower-class workers.

"New York's minimum wage is $7.15 per hour; Tompkins County's living wage is $9.83 per hour," Meyers said. Living wage, according to Meyers, is "a moral value," and is what many consider to be the hourly rate that people actually need to live in today's society.

"If Autumn Leaves can pay living wage, why can't Barnes & Noble and Target do the same?" Meyers asked, referring to the local used book store.

Meyers then told the story of a woman who "Makes $10,400 a year working at K-Mart" but who "can't afford health care, and doesn't qualify for K-Mart's health care plan because K-Mart only lets her work part-time," he said.

Ultimately, the problems faced by this woman and others, "Won't change until workers themselves are motivated to redefine the system," Meyers said, commenting that large corporations must also do something to effect such change.

Despite whatever effects such companies may or may not have on Ithaca, there are certainly programs in place to help its community members find work and stay above the poverty line. Mayor Carolyn Peterson spoke on such programs.

"[Poverty] has been an issue since I became mayor 20 years ago," Peterson explained. "We have programs in place that we have adjusted over the years, including helping people pay their deposits to begin securing housing," she said.

One recipient of Ithaca's food stamp program is Sarah Carthan, grandmother and caretaker of six children, including one who is paraplegic. Carthan and her family were at yesterday's benefit, which raised over $500.00 for hers and for other underprivileged families in Ithaca.

"I really enjoyed [the concert]," said the retired Carthan. "It was good to get out of the house -- I really am appreciative, from the bottom of my heart," she said.

Carthan's life has been one of constant work to support herself and her family. "I've worked since I was 13 years old," she said. Her jobs have taken her from Ithaca's Atlanta Dental to Cornell Plantations and Noyes Community Center.

After moving with her grandchildren out of a house whose roof had collapsed due to rain, Carthan settled into a three-bedroom, which her son Wayne described as "Too small for us ... my grandmother sleeps on the couch."

In spite of these conditions, Carthan said that "It doesn't take much to make us happy ... we make do with what we have." Carthan is in the process of pre-approval for a loan to move into a larger home, and has paid off over $15,000 in debt over the years to do so. She has $5,000 remaining to pay off, however. 75 percent of the donations from yesterday's benefit will go toward the Carthan family to assist them with their debt.

"We take every little thing we can get," Carthan said.

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1085 2007-04-29 00:00:00 2007-04-29 00:00:00 open open benefit-concert-addresses-poverty-in-ithaca publish 0 0 post 0
Over 200 Attend Ithaca Immigrant Rights Rally: *Great* Youtube Video http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/05/over-200-attend-ithaca-immigrant-rights-rally-great-youtube-video/ Wed, 02 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/05/over-200-attend-ithaca-immigrant-rights-rally-great-youtube-video/ Great rally yesterday on The Commons in alliance with rallies going on all over the country, declaring that "No Human Is Illegal". Over 200 people attended the downtown rally, incredibly MC'ed by Marlene Ramos of the Workers' Center and Maria Bruno.

Really, one of the highlights of the rally was during a brief speakout towards the end where a student from Nigeria, Eronmonsele Elens-Eigbokhan, gave an incredibly fiery and impassioned speech, invoking the words of MLK, Jr. that the "arc of the universe bends towards justice" that was captured on video by Theresa Alt of DSA Presents and downloaded to Youtube by Cris McConkey.

One can access the 3 1/2 minutes video by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BdhMIVfk_E

Immigrant Rights Pushed (from Cornell Sun)

By Jane Ahn
Sun Staff Writer
May 2 2007

Yesterday, Ithaca joined dozens of cities across the nation in rallies for immigrant rights.

More than 70 students gathered for a rally at Ho Plaza before marching to the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Commons while chanting slogans such as, "Hey hey, ho ho, deportation has got to go!"

Students from Ithaca College also marched from their campus and met hundreds of other Ithaca residents resulting in an energetic crowd of over 200 people.

The rally featured several speakers and an open mic session where a Nigerian student linked the current immigration movement to the Civil Rights struggle of the 50s and 60s.

Rally-goers presented various demands such as a workable and achievable legalization program for the undocumented population and the ban of Guest-Worker Programs.

Similar rallies took place around the nation from Los Angeles to Detroit in which demonstrators demanded citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants residing in the U.S.

The rallies were in response to a recent bill passed in the House that would speed up the deportation process, tighten border security and deem illegal immigrants as criminals. Last week, a proposal that would have granted citizen ship to the majority of illegal immigrants in the United States fell through in the Senate.

Donna Ugboaja '10 said the policy proposals of both parties place constraints on immigrants.

"All of the policies being proposed by the administration, both Republican and Democrat, do not give full rights to immigrants," she said. "Immense fines [of] up to $10,000 [are required] and the perpetuated exploitation of workers through work contracts can neither be changed nor protested."

Under the Democrats' recent proposal of the "Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy (STRIVE) Act," undocumented immigrant workers must return to their native country until the completion of paperwork while paying nearly $3,500 in fines to begin the application process. Ugboaja argued that beneath its immigrant-friendly demeanor, the act is a major compromise with [Bush's] proposed Guest Worker Program.

"It is essentially a self-deportation proposal, and is not acceptable for the millions of families that will have to be torn apart to obey its measures," she said.

Maria Bruno '07 said the rally was a way to inform Congress and society that Americans oppose such bills, and support the full legalization of undocumented individuals. "Immigrants are embedded in the social and economic fabric of this country and we cannot just ignore this and keep treating them like criminals," she said.

Carlos Gutierrez, president of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County, stressed the importance of a dignified and fair immigration reform that ensures living wages, health benefits, and a clear path to citizenship.

"Immigrants are hard working residents that fill key roles in our local economy, enrich the local cultural landscape and they are productive members of our community who pay taxes, raise families and contribute to our schools, churches, neighborhoods and communities," he said.

Some students believe that immigration is an economic issue.

"Immigration is something that we should all be uniting for, whether one is an immigrant or not," said Bruno. "What the immigration issue really reflects is the economic oppression that countries are undergoing due to American and European politics."

Marlene Ramos '09 said she believes it is America's duty to protect the rights of all workers.

"In a time of economic prosperity and expanding international relations, the United States has to find innovative ways to incorporate a mobile labor force, meet the needs of employees and ethical business while protecting and ensuring the rights of marginalized groups, especially those of workers," she said.

According to Ugboaja, the rally was a success.

"Although the rally was not nearly as large as last year's, it was still a momentous event of solidarity between students, local workers and immigrants in the struggle for human rights,"she said.

Although the Ithaca rally was not as large as last year, yesterday was predicted to be the second largest day of national participation in May Day history, according to Akua Gyamerah '07.

"The level of political consciousness and demands in the speeches given were also a great indication that the immigrant rights movement is expecting a lot better legislation than what is currently in Congress," she said.

Ugboaja agreed that the Ithaca rally was a success in terms of local action in terms of changing immigration policy.

"It was a great rally because the people that were involved are seriously active in working together with the immigrant community to bring about the changes here in Ithaca to make it a safe haven for immigrants," Ugboaja said.

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1086 2007-05-02 00:00:00 2007-05-02 00:00:00 open open over-200-attend-ithaca-immigrant-rights-rally-great-youtube-video publish 0 0 post 0
M. Moore's Movie, SiCKO, on the Horrors of Our Health Care System Continues at Fall Creek Theater http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/07/m-moores-movie-sicko-on-the-horrors-of-our-health-care-system-continues-at-fall-creek-theater/ Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/07/m-moores-movie-sicko-on-the-horrors-of-our-health-care-system-continues-at-fall-creek-theater/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center, in collaboration with one of our Coalition partners, the Tompkins County Health Care Task Force, are out in full force at the ongoing screenings of SiCKO at Fall Creek Theater in Ithaca. The movie, which is a powerful indictment of our present health insurance system with concrete solutions proferred, plays every day at 7:15 and 9:35 p.m. In addition, matinee showings take place on Saturday and Sunday at 2:15 and 4:35.

***We are also doing an organizing drive (getting people's stories of inadequate or no health insurance; petitions for a statewide and federal single-payer health care system) before and after each showing of SiCKO for as long as it plays in Ithaca. If you can help out at any time, (8:45-9:45 p.m.) any day, please let us know by contacting the Workers' Center at TCWRC@yahoo.com or by calling 607-269-0409.

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1087 2007-07-04 00:00:00 2007-07-04 00:00:00 open open m-moores-movie-sicko-on-the-horrors-of-our-health-care-system-continues-at-fall-creek-theater publish 0 0 post 0
Tompkins County Workers' Center Logo Contest; $150 prize for the chosen logo! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/08/tompkins-county-workers-center-logo-contest-150-prize-for-the-chosen-logo/ Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/08/tompkins-county-workers-center-logo-contest-150-prize-for-the-chosen-logo/ Deadline: August 23rd!

The Tompkins County Workers' Center needs a new logo! We're looking for a logo which encompasses some of the essence of the Workers' Center. Preference will be given to logos depicting people/workers united in some way, are dynamic and race/gender/class conscious.

Our brainstorm of values which might inspire a logo include:
Solidarity
Community
Militancy
People Power
Empowerment
Social change
Justice
Workers' Rights

Please submit your entry to: nariah@gmail.com by August 23rd.
For more information or to peek at our existing written material, visit tcworkerscenter.org. Please forward this to teens, artists and others! Free Workers' Center membership to all entrants!

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1088 2007-08-11 00:00:00 2007-08-11 00:00:00 open open tompkins-county-workers-center-logo-contest-150-prize-for-the-chosen-logo publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Presents 2,207 Signatures to Governor Spitzer at First Health Care Hearing, Wednesday, September 5th, Continuing to Agitate for 'Single-Payer/Universal Health Care' system http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/08/workers-center-presents-2207-signatures-to-governor-spitzer-at-first-health-care-hearing-wednesday-september-5th-continuing-to-agitate-for-single-payeruniversal-health-care-system/ Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/08/workers-center-presents-2207-signatures-to-governor-spitzer-at-first-health-care-hearing-wednesday-september-5th-continuing-to-agitate-for-single-payeruniversal-health-care-system/ The Workers' Center, in collaboration with the TC Health Care Task Force, has agitated, beginning with Gubernatorial debate last fall at Cornell University between present Governor Spitzer and his Republican opponent, for a 'single-payer/universal health care' system.

We have had an ongoing petition that 2, 207 people have signed strongly urging our Governor, Assemblypeople, and State Senators to create a system of health care that would truly work for everyone. If you would like to sign this petition, please go to http://www.petitiononline.com/tcwcheal/petition.html. The petition is ongoing.

In July, Governor Spitzer announced that his office (through the NYS Departments of Health and Insurance) would hold five public hearings around the State of New York to "solicit input on the development of proposals for achieving health system reform, increasing access to health insurance coverage and moving toward universal healthcare coverage in New York".

The Workers' Center, in collaboration with the Tompkins County Health Care Task Force, will be in attendance at the first hearing, this coming Wednesday, September 5 in Glens Falls, where Spitzer will be in attendance. Of note, we intend to organize transportation for the Syracuse hearing on November 13th. Please let us know if you're interested in coming to Syracuse!

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1089 2007-08-30 00:00:00 2007-08-30 00:00:00 open open workers-center-presents-2207-signatures-to-governor-spitzer-at-first-health-care-hearing-wednesday-september-5th-continuing-to-agitate-for-single-payeruniversal-health-care-system publish 0 0 post 0
Monday, September 3rd: 24th Annual Labor Day Picnic at Stewart Park in Ithaca from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/08/monday-september-3rd-24th-annual-labor-day-picnic-at-stewart-park-in-ithaca-from-11-a-m-to-3-p-m/ Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/08/monday-september-3rd-24th-annual-labor-day-picnic-at-stewart-park-in-ithaca-from-11-a-m-to-3-p-m/ Please join Midstate Central Labor Council and the Tompkins County Workers' Center in celebrating labor and working families at the 24th Annual Labor Day Picnic, to be held on Monday, September 3rd from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Stewart Park.

For twenty-three years, this Labor Day event has brought hundreds of workers, their families, and community members together for a day of fun and celebration in recognition of the sacrifices and contributions working people make to our communities every single day. The theme of this years Picnic is the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800, S. 1041), which would enable all of us to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by restoring the freedom to choose whether or not we want to join a union.

The public is invited to the Picnic and each family is asked to bring a dish to pass to complement the free meat and veggie burgers, hot dogs, beverages, and ice cream. Everyone can enjoy listening to labor songs performed by local folksingers Colleen Kattau, Tom Sieling, and John Simon.

For more information, contact Bonnie Wilson at 607-741-4581 or bonnie@cnylabor.org

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1090 2007-08-30 00:00:00 2007-08-30 00:00:00 open open monday-september-3rd-24th-annual-labor-day-picnic-at-stewart-park-in-ithaca-from-11-a-m-to-3-p-m publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center First Annual Picnic Tremendous Success; Draws Over 200 People http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/09/workers-center-first-annual-picnic-tremendous-success-draws-over-200-people/ Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/09/workers-center-first-annual-picnic-tremendous-success-draws-over-200-people/ Coming from all over Tompkins County, over 200 people attended the first Annual Workers' Center Picnic on Saturday, September 29th. Speakers included Neisha Butler of the Workers' Center; Alan Gomez of the Immigrant Rights Coalition; Phoebe Brown who has experienced discrimination in the workplace and in Ithaca; restaurant worker, Yumi Busby, who has experienced unfair working conditions; Alex Berg, President of the Cornell Organization for Labor Action; John Oakley of the new Substitute Teachers Union; Pete Meyers, Coordinator of the Workers' Center; and Rebecca Elgie of the Health Care Task Force speaking to the need for universal/single payer health insurance

The theme of the Picnic was: "Get Up, Stand Up; Stand Up for Our Rights", a central organizing principle of the Workers' Center.

We at the Tompkins County Workers' Center are seeing a steady uptick of workers coming to us, especially from retail and service sector industries. These workers are sick and tired of: being fired for no just cause; getting paid wages that keep them stuck in lives of poverty in this community and country of great wealth; being treated with disrespect on a daily basis.

We are working closely with hotel workers who are sick and tired of having to clean 20-30 rooms a day for minimum wage, restaurant workers who don't get the tips they should be getting and/or are not being paid overtime. The list of workers' rights violations, let alone the poverty wages earned by so many service and retail workers, should no longer be acceptable to us as a society.

For more information, please contact 607-269-0409 or email TCWRC@yahoo.com or go to our website at www.TCWorkersCenter.org

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1091 2007-09-12 00:00:00 2007-09-12 00:00:00 open open workers-center-first-annual-picnic-tremendous-success-draws-over-200-people publish 0 0 post 0
"Building a Movement to End Poverty: The 40th Anniversary of MLK's Poor People's Campaign and What It Means for Today": A Public Presentation by Willie Baptist, of the University of the Poor; Friday, 11/9 @ 5 p.m. at BOCES Community School, 214 Elmira Roa http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/11/building-a-movement-to-end-poverty-the-40th-anniversary-of-mlks-poor-peoples-campaign-and-what-it-means-for-today-a-public-presentation-by-willie-baptist-of-the-university-of-the-poor-friday/ Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/11/building-a-movement-to-end-poverty-the-40th-anniversary-of-mlks-poor-peoples-campaign-and-what-it-means-for-today-a-public-presentation-by-willie-baptist-of-the-university-of-the-poor-friday/ The Workers' Center has been affiliated for the past six years with the national Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) whose Mission is to unite the poor across color lines as the leadership base for a broad movement to abolish poverty. This Mission guides just about every aspect of the Workers' Center commitment and work.

On Friday, November 9th, Willie Baptist, a formerly homeless father, and now Co-Coordinator of the University of the Poor, the educational arm of PPEHRC, as well as working with the Poverty Initiative and Poverty Scholars Program at Union Theological Seminary in NYC, will be in Ithaca to make a Public Presentation about "Building a Movement to End Poverty: The 40th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's. Poor People's Campaign and What It Means for Today.

Willie Baptist is an amazing speaker (check out his incredible piece, "On the Poor Organizing the Poor") with a deep and profound commitment to social and economic justice. We encourage you to engage with him and the Workers' Center at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 9th, at the TST BOCES Community School, 214 Elmira Road in Ithaca.

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1092 2007-11-06 00:00:00 2007-11-06 00:00:00 open open building-a-movement-to-end-poverty-the-40th-anniversary-of-mlks-poor-peoples-campaign-and-what-it-means-for-today-a-public-presentation-by-willie-baptist-of-the-university-of-the-poor-friday publish 0 0 post 0
Hotel Workers Detail Human Rights Abuses at Hilton Garden Inn Ithaca and Other Local Hotels http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/11/hotel-workers-detail-human-rights-abuses-at-hilton-garden-inn-ithaca-and-other-local-hotels/ Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2007/11/hotel-workers-detail-human-rights-abuses-at-hilton-garden-inn-ithaca-and-other-local-hotels/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center has embarked on a critical campaign that is keenly focused on organizing with the workers that are most directly affected by low wages; lack of health care; lack of the ability to organize for ourselves in the workplace; a lack of worker's rights; and a lack of simple free speech.

The following story is from the Ithaca Journal which appeared on Saturday, November 10th, 2007.

Hotel workers stage rally

Ex-employee says she was fired for trying to form union

By Topher Sanders

Journal Staff

ITHACA -- A former employee of the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel on East Seneca Street alleges the hotel unjustifiably fired her in August because she was attempting to organize workers at the hotel, said the coordinator of the Tompkins County Workers' Center during a Friday press conference.

Tompkins County Workers' Center filed a complaint in October with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board againstthe hotel on behalf of Michelle Lopez, a former housekeeper for the Hilton Garden Inn.

Lopez said she had become an unofficial liaison between workers at the hotel and the hotel's management during her nearly two years of employment at the business. Earlier this year, Lopez said she began earnestly polling workers and pursing information about forming a union at the hotel.

"I was actually pulled down to human resources for discussing a union to support all employees and I was actually told that if I continue to speak about a union that I 'would be let go and that they did not need a reason to fire me,'" Lopez said to a crowd of more than [80] people who were gathered outside the Hilton Garden Inn on Friday to witness the press conference.

Lopez said she was fired in August after alerting management that female employees had complaints of sexual harassment. Lopez alleges she wasn't given a firm reason for her firing.

The hotel, which is managed by the Ohio-based Emerald Hospitality Associates, had "no comment" on Lopez's allegations, said Amie Reiherzer, assistant general manger for the hotel, on Thursday.

"No worker should ever have to leave their rights at the door when they go into the work place," said Pete Meyers, coordinator of the Tompkins County Workers' Center.

The conference went on in front of a large sign that read "Justice For Hotel Workers."

Meyers noted the press conference's intent went beyond the Hilton Garden Inn and was meant to put all hotels on notice about the importance of workers' rights.

"It is not enough to see justice won for Michelle Lopez alone, we've got to go further than that," he said. "The Emerald Corporation and other hotels must commit to the principals of democracy, free speech, the rights of workers to free association and a living wage."

Lopez said she continues to hear from current employees at the Hilton Garden Inn about harassment and mistreatment.

"Females are letting me know that they are afraid to speak up because they are afraid they will be fired because I was fired," she said.

cbsanders@ithacajournal.com

Originally published November 10, 2007

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1093 2007-11-06 00:00:00 2007-11-06 00:00:00 open open hotel-workers-detail-human-rights-abuses-at-hilton-garden-inn-ithaca-and-other-local-hotels publish 0 0 post 0
Over 50 People Commit to 40 Hour Fast Supporting Hotel Workers on Tuesday Evening http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/02/over-50-people-commit-to-40-hour-fast-supporting-hotel-workers-on-tuesday-evening/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/02/over-50-people-commit-to-40-hour-fast-supporting-hotel-workers-on-tuesday-evening/ Tuesday evening, March 4th, over 75 people attended the Kickoff to the 13th Annual 40 Hour Fast in support of the struggles of our over 600 hotel workers in Tompkins County at the Women's Community Building. In addition, over 50 people committed to fasting for the 40 hours that ends on Thursday, the 6th, at 12 noon.

The program will include reflections from a number of hotel workers, as well as political, labor, religious, and education leaders on issues relating to our Justice for Hotel Workers campaign, such as:

* poverty wages, and its affect on our families and community

* disrespectful treatment from management

* lack of a reasonable 'right to organize' on behalf of workers and the ability to take joint action to improve workplace conditions

* lack of health insurance

* unreasonable physical workload and working with dangerous chemicals

The Workers' Center is continuing to organize workers in the Ithaca hotel industry for better working conditions and wages. Says Workers' Center hotel organizer, Neisha Butler, "paying these workers $7.15 an hour, as these hotels do, and not providing affordable health insurance, is disrespectful of the important work these people do for the hotels, unfair to the workers' families, and irresponsible in a community that values all our citizens equally."

This event will also serve as the kick-off for local participation in the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition's 13th Annual 40 Hour FAST (more information on the fast can be found at http://www.labor-religion.org) which lasts from March 4th, at 8 PM until March 6th, at Noon.

Workers in Tompkins County are hungering for living wage jobs. Going without food for one or more meals during the FAST is an expression of solidarity with them and their cause. If you are considering 'fasting' with us, please let us know by contacting one of the contacts below, or by responding to this email.

The Religious Task Force for a Living Wage is a joint project of the Tompkins County Workers' Center and Catholic Charities of Tompkins County. For more information, please contact 607-269-0409 or 607-272-5062, ext. 12. Or email TCWRC@yahoo.com

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1094 2008-02-19 00:00:00 2008-02-19 00:00:00 open open over-50-people-commit-to-40-hour-fast-supporting-hotel-workers-on-tuesday-evening publish 0 0 post 0
National Labor Relations Board Upholds 'Unfair Labor Practice' Charge Against Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Ithaca http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/03/national-labor-relations-board-upholds-unfair-labor-practice-charge-against-hilton-garden-inn-hotel-in-ithaca/ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/03/national-labor-relations-board-upholds-unfair-labor-practice-charge-against-hilton-garden-inn-hotel-in-ithaca/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center held a Press Conference in front of the Hilton Garden Inn today which was attended by over 50 supporters of the Center. The Conference was held to announce a settlement released recently by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB has upheld an unfair labor practice charge brought by the Tompkins County Workers' Center against the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel for violating federal labor law on workers' freedom of association. In the settlement with the Board, Hilton Garden management promised not to threaten employees with discipline for discussing terms and conditions of employment with each other. The settlement stemmed from the discharge of Housekeeper Michelle Lopez and management's threat to fire workers who discussed her termination from the hotel.

As part of the settlement with Hilton Garden Inn, the hotel will have to post, for 60 days, a statement that tells employees that they cannot be threatened with discipline for discussing workplace conditions.

The victory was a partial one, said TCWC spokesman Pete Meyers. "We're disappointed that the Board failed to challenge Michelle's discharge, claiming difficulty in gathering evidence about management's motivation. However, the protection for other employees is a significant gain."

Meyers said that the Workers' Center decided not to pursue the discharge case because of concern that the 5-member NLRB in Washington, now controlled by Bush administration appointees, would find in favor of management. Lance Compa, a labor law professor at Cornell's ILR School, said, '"Unfortunately, with the NLRB in Washington tilting against workers' rights, it has become very difficult for regional board offices to enforce labor law protections. Fortunately, this regional office did see fit to move against violations of the broader group of employees' rights to discuss terms and conditions of employment without facing threats of retaliation by hotel management."

The Workers' Center is continuing to organize workers in the Ithaca hotel industry for better working conditions and wages. Said TCWC hotel organizer, Neisha Butler, "paying these workers $7.15 an hour, as these hotels do, and not providing affordable health insurance, is disrespectful of the important work these people do for the hotels, unfair to the workers' families, and irresponsible in a community that values all our citizens equally."

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1095 2008-03-06 00:00:00 2008-03-06 00:00:00 open open national-labor-relations-board-upholds-unfair-labor-practice-charge-against-hilton-garden-inn-hotel-in-ithaca publish 0 0 post 0
We Can Do Better! Proposed Rimland Hotel Project in Ithaca http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/03/we-can-do-better-proposed-rimland-hotel-project-in-ithaca/ Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/03/we-can-do-better-proposed-rimland-hotel-project-in-ithaca/ The City of Ithaca will soon be deciding whether or not to sell 2,140 square feet of land to Long Island developer, Jeffrey Rimland. Rimland is proposing a 102-room hotel on the eastern end of The Commons in Ithaca, right next to the Rothschild's building on a spot that is currently a parking lot.

The Workers' Center has been working to assure that the sale of land to Rimland be contingent on all employees of the proposed high-end hotel be paid a Living Wage (presently $9.83/hr. or $11.18/hr without health insurance) and that such wage be indexed to Alternatives Federal Credit Union's Living Wage standards that are updated every two years.

At this point, Rimland has promised that all housekeepers would be paid $11.18/hr. (or 156% of NY's minimum wage, presently $7.15/hr.) However, he will not commit to the rest of the hotel staff receiving this wage and is not agreeing to index the wages to Alternatives Living Wage figures which will be rising in spring '09.

The sale of the land was approved by the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency in late February '08 and now moves to Ithaca's City Council:

* The Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee will first hear the issue on Wednesday, March 19th, at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 3rd Floor of City Hall, 108 E. Green Street, Ithaca. If it moves through this Committee it will then go to:

* A full City Council vote on Wednesday, April 2nd, at 7 p.m. also in Council Chambers

The Workers' Center believes that the City of Ithaca can ask for more from Rimland. We can do better! Hotel workers are amongst the hardest workers in our City and society and deserve a Living Wage. We are asking people to come to one of the above meetings to express their opinion.

In addition, we'd like to ask you to consider sending an email to Members of Ithaca's Common Council as well as the Mayor expressing your point of view. We ask that only residents of Tompkins County perform this action. It would be most helpful if you personalized your response.

Go to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/rimlandhotelproject to take action on this issue by sending emails to all of Ithaca's Council People, as well as Mayor.

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1096 2008-03-16 00:00:00 2008-03-16 00:00:00 open open we-can-do-better-proposed-rimland-hotel-project-in-ithaca publish 0 0 post 0
Workers Win at the Hilton Garden Inn http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/03/workers-win-at-the-hilton-garden-inn/ Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/03/workers-win-at-the-hilton-garden-inn/ (Opinion Piece from Workers' Center Leader/UAW Employee, Carl Feuer, on Hotel Campaign and Recent Hilton Victory)--The Tompkins County Workers' Center is passionate about promoting worker empowerment and worker rights, including the right to a living wage.

Hotel workers are a central focus of our effort, and the reason for this should not surprise anyone. Hotel workers in Ithaca, particularly housekeepers, typically start at $7.15/hour, do grueling work and often are at the whim of untrained, unfair and harsh supervisors. From reports we have received from almost a score of workers, these conditions are no less true at the Hilton Garden Inn than they are at other Ithaca-area hotels, apart from the unionized Statler Hotel.

Most workers at these hotels, moreover, feel powerless to change things and often are too fearful to do more than grouse among themselves or just to family and friends. A lousy job is still a job, and workers know too well how quickly they can lose that job. Often they prefer to leave and try something else rather than try to change things, hence the huge turnover rates at the hotels.

But worker empowerment in the local hotel industry took a significant step forward last year when Michelle Lopez, a housekeeper at the Hilton Garden Inn for two years, came to the Workers' Center to ask for help after what she and we felt was an unfair termination.

She was asserting her right to fair treatment, and we attempted to assist her. The Workers' Center contacted management at the hotel on her behalf but were told that while they respected our work they were unwilling to dialogue further on what happened to Lopez.

Her only recourse at that point was to file federal charges. Because she was an outspoken workplace advocate for worker rights and because we understood management had illegally admonished her for talking with co-workers about the potential of unionization, it appeared that her firing violated the National Labor Relations Act. The Act prevents employer retaliation against workers who take concerted action at the workplace to improve conditions, including advocating for unionization.

It is unfortunate that this charge was not upheld by the National Labor Relations Board, mostly because co-workers were afraid to come forward or provide corroborating testimony. But the investigation by federal authorities nonetheless did uncover other attempts by the Hilton Garden Inn to strip workers of their right under federal law to talk among themselves and take concerted action to improve workplace conditions.

As a penalty for this violation the hotel was forced to inform workers about their federally guaranteed right to take concerted action and to speak freely about workplace conditions. I'm glad that Hilton General Manager Jim Bouderau ("Partial victory for whom in Hilton NLRB case?" March 11) sees this as one good thing to come out of this incident. It is a good thing. But it's unfortunate that it took federal action to force a big corporation to inform and educate employees about their rights.

I don't know what worker enhancement programs have been cut, as Bouderau reports, because of the small amount of money Hilton Garden Inn paid in legal fees, and I doubt that either educating workers about their rights or paying a living wage were among them. But if enhanced worker education was one of the results, I think this was money well spent.

Carl Feuer is on the Workers' Center Steering Committee, and he also works with UAW Local 2300.

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1097 2008-03-22 00:00:00 2008-03-22 00:00:00 open open workers-win-at-the-hilton-garden-inn publish 0 0 post 0
OpEd: Housekeeper Chimes In: Cleaning Rooms for a Living is No Easy Task http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/04/oped-housekeeper-chimes-in-cleaning-rooms-for-a-living-is-no-easy-task/ Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/04/oped-housekeeper-chimes-in-cleaning-rooms-for-a-living-is-no-easy-task/ Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Chances are that you have, perhaps many times. Have you ever thought much about the woman who cleans your room every day?

I recently stopped working as a housekeeper at one of the well-known hotels in the county, and I can honestly say that it is the hardest job I've ever done. I've done some physically demanding jobs in my life -- farming and landscaping, for example -- but this one beats them all because of the pace and the monotony. Starting at 8:30 a.m. every day, we worked as hard as we could, as fast as we could, until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. It was almost like running a race, and many of us were literally sweating from the exertion.

We would enter a room and strip the sheets off the bed and towels from the bathroom. We did this quickly, in room after room after room. Then we would backtrack, moving fast, making the bed, vacuuming and dusting. Everything had to be "just so" -- nothing crooked, no tiny strings on the floor. We cleaned the tub, the sink, the floor and the toilet -- your imagination can tell you some of what we found there. We had to remove every stray hair; we had to leave it as if no one has been there before you. The bathroom must have an inviting, "cared for" feeling, right down to putting a point on the toilet paper. We did this as quickly as possible, frantically sometimes. One day my mind strayed for two minutes as I switched on the radio, and it put me and my partner behind schedule. It is exhausting and grueling work. I came home at night with no energy. One of my co-workers fell asleep at 7 p.m. each night.

For all this hard and important work, housekeepers are paid minimum wage. I was paid $7.15 per hour, and I know this is the standard pay around town. I find it outrageous that housekeepers are paid such a low wage. We are dealing with some of people's most intimate behaviors -- sleeping and bathing -- and we are pretty much invisible to the person who stays in the room. Because the pay is so low, many of my co-workers (often with families to take care of) have to work a second job.

You may say that the free market should govern wages, that no other constraints should apply to business. First of all, I ask you: Are you making minimum wage and trying to support a family as you say that? Secondly, shouldn't all workers be treated with dignity? Shouldn't someone who works very hard, and full time, be able to support his or her family instead of having a second or third job? Many low-wage workers have to turn to governmental programs like food stamps and Section 8 to make ends meet, all while allowing businesses to operate while being subsidized by the taxpayers.

I think often of Martin Luther King Jr. and the last campaign of his life. He was in Memphis supporting the garbage workers, black men who were considered the lowest of the low, the untouchables of our society. As they went out on strike, they walked with signs that said, "I Am a Man." Hotel workers are similarly invisible. Let us not let this happen! All workers deserve dignity, respect and enough wages to feed their family.

If you stay in a hotel, please leave a tip, and leave it every day so that the worker who actually cleans the room that day is the one who receives it. Leave it in a place where it's clear it's meant to be a tip, like the pillow. But also ask management if they pay their workers a living wage. Tell them that you would be more likely to stay in a hotel that treats and pays its workers well. You as the consumer have a voice in this situation.

Eighty years ago, auto workers made very low wages. They came together, organized, unionized, and today auto workers start at no less than $20 per hour. A job that was previously dismissed and not thought to be worth much changed in the eyes of the public because the workers made that happen. I believe that hotel workers and other low-wage workers can and should do the same. And I call on the community to support these efforts.

Mary Loehr lives in Ithaca.

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1098 2008-04-13 00:00:00 2008-04-13 00:00:00 open open oped-housekeeper-chimes-in-cleaning-rooms-for-a-living-is-no-easy-task publish 0 0 post 0
Third Annual May 1st Immigrant and Workers' Right's Rally http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/04/third-annual-may-1st-immigrant-and-workers-rights-rally/ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/04/third-annual-may-1st-immigrant-and-workers-rights-rally/ Please join us for this year's May 1st (Thursday) rally in support of immigrant and workers rights. Our theme this year will focus on how immigration affects us all. Join us on Ho Plaza and/or the Commons for speeches, q and a, information, and solidarity! This event is co-sponsored by Catholic Charities and the Tompkins County Workers' Center.

Thursday May 1st:

11 am - Rally on Ho Plaza at Cornell University. Activities include chants and building a human wall.
11 am - Rally at Textor Flagpole, Ithaca College.
12 pm-2 pm Rally on the Commons, Bernie Milton Pavillion. Speeches, tabling, information etc.

If you would like more information, including publicity materials, please e-mail Emma at elb44@cornell.edu.

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1099 2008-04-26 00:00:00 2008-04-26 00:00:00 open open third-annual-may-1st-immigrant-and-workers-rights-rally publish 0 0 post 0
Over 150 Attend Hotel Worker Appreciation Dinner; County and City Make Strong Proclamations in Favor of Hotel Workers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/04/over-150-attend-hotel-worker-appreciation-dinner-county-and-city-make-strong-proclamations-in-favor-of-hotel-workers/ Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/04/over-150-attend-hotel-worker-appreciation-dinner-county-and-city-make-strong-proclamations-in-favor-of-hotel-workers/ Over 150 people attended the Workers' Center first ever Hotel Worker Appreciation Dinner in an astounding show of support for our County's hotel workers.

Speakers included:

--former hotel workers, Joan Keyser and Mary Loehr

--Acting Mayor for the City of Ithaca, Dan Cogan

--County Legislator Kathy Luz Herrera

--United Auto Workers' President Terry Sharpe

The City of Ithaca and Tompkins County both made proclamations honoring the day as Hotel Worker Appreciation Day.

The text of the City Proclamation is as follows:

WHEREAS, the tourism industry is one of the key drivers of the Ithaca economy, and

WHEREAS, the tourism and hotel industries depend on the services and hard work of many hotel and tourism industry employees, including housekeepers, restaurant workers, maintenance staff and others, and

WHEREAS, hotel workers work conscientiously to provide a pleasant stay in hotels, motels and Bed and Breakfast's for tourists and other visitors, yet are often an invisible presence, and

WHEREAS, hotel work is often very difficult and sometimes hazardous, and

WHEREAS, hotel work is very demanding, requiring great attention to detail,and

WHEREAS, many hotel workers do not earn a living wage, and

WHEREAS hotel workers provide thousands of hours of work each year to hundreds of thousands of tourists, and thereby help our tourism industry to succeed, bringing great benefit to the community

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Workers' Center, the community at large, and other organizations in this community are sponsoring activities in recognition of the contributions of hotel workers,

NOW THEREFORE, I, Dan Cogan, Acting Mayor of the City of Ithaca, do hereby proclaim April 30, 2008, as

HOTEL WORKER APPRECIATION DAY IN THE CITY OF ITHACA

and urge citizens of this community to honor and celebrate this special event.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause to be affixed the great seal of the City of Ithaca this 30th day of April, 2008.

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1100 2008-04-30 00:00:00 2008-04-30 00:00:00 open open over-150-attend-hotel-worker-appreciation-dinner-county-and-city-make-strong-proclamations-in-favor-of-hotel-workers publish 0 0 post 0
ACTION NEEDED (by May 20th): WIC Program Threatened With Cutoff from Tompkins County Health Department, http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/05/action-needed-by-may-20th-wic-program-threatened-with-cutoff-from-tompkins-county-health-department/ Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/05/action-needed-by-may-20th-wic-program-threatened-with-cutoff-from-tompkins-county-health-department/ There is a Resolution currently being considered by the Tompkins County Legislature which recommends that the County Health Department discontinue its' sponsorship of the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program here in Tompkins County.

The Health Department has sponsored the WIC program for the past 28 years. WIC is a federal and state funded program which, for the most part, brings all of its own funding into Tompkins County. The $1.5 million dollar budget includes money for food vouchers and to pay the salaries of the WIC program employees.

A change in sponsorship could mean that current employees (all presently unionized through Civil Service Employees Association) would need to seek employment elsewhere in order to maintain their present level of salary and benefits. If the new sponsoring agency (which will, most likely, not be unionized, nor is guaranteed to be located in Tompkinis County) does not offer an equitable salary and benefits package, this could mean that the WIC program will have a high level of turnover in its employees. In the short and long term, this could mean that WIC program services will suffer.

This Resolution to discontinue the County's Sponsorship of the WIC Program will be going to the Tompkins County Legislature. The full Legislature will vote on the Resolution at its Tuesday, May 20th meeting which starts at 5 :30 p.m. in the County Courthouse, corner of Court and Tioga Sts. in Ithaca.

ACTION STEPS:

If you think that the Tompkins County Health Department should continue sponsoring the WIC Program or have had a positive experience with Tompkins County WIC program, please consider writing a letter or emailing Tompkins County Legislature members listed here by Monday, May 19th. Please show up for Public Comment at Tuesday's County Legislature meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the County Courthouse, corner of Court and Tioga Sts. in Ithaca.

Full list of legislators- Yours should be on here. You can call Office of the Legislature at 607-274-5434 to find out who yours is.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

1) If the County decides to not to reapply for sponsorship of the WIC program, then there would be a loss of 8 'union' jobs through the County (and the subsequent benefits accrued through a union).

2) If the County does decide to not reapply, then there is no way to guarantee that whomever *does* pick up WIC would even be located in this County. This could mean the loss of jobs and potential taxes to the County.

3) The present WIC Program that is run through the County is ranked very highly in the state of New York (one of the highest). Switching to another agency obviously runs the risk of losing this level of quality service.

Legislators to write/email/call:

1 (D) Pamela Mackesey (City of Ithaca, portions of Town of Ithaca), 323 Pleasant Street, Ithaca 14850 273-6203 Email: pmackesey@twcny.rr.com

2 (D) Leslyn McBean-Clairborne (City of Ithaca), 528 West Clinton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 277-5104 E-mail: leslyn@twcny.rr.com

3 (D) Carol Chock (City of Ithaca and portion of Town of Ithaca), 39 Woodcrest Avenue Ithaca, NY 14850 273-9007 E-mail: cic1@cornell.edu

4 (D) Nathan Shinagawa (City of Ithaca), 520 East Buffalo Street, Apt. 2, Ithaca, NY 14850 280-7557 E-mail: nshinagawa@gmail.com

5 (D) Katherine Luz Herrera (City of Ithaca, portions of Town of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights), 116 Utica Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 273-8169 E-mail: klh7@cornell.edu

6 (R) Michael J. Sigler (Portion of the Town of Lansing), 218 Peruville Road, Freeville, NY 13068 339-7978 E-mail: mike.sigler@yahoo.com

7 (R) Frank P. Proto (Towns of Caroline and Danby and portion of the Town of Ithaca), Cannonbrook Farms, 2585 Slaterville Rd., 277-4875 Slaterville Springs, NY 14881 Email: fproto@tompkins-co.org

8 (D) Greg W. Stevenson (Town of Newfield and portion of the Town of Enfield), 130 Harvey Hill Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 273-2439 E-mail: gwstevenson@htva.net

9 (R) Duane T. Randal (Town of Groton, part of the Town of Dryden and portion of the Town of Lansing)l, II, 305 West Groton Road, Groton, NY 13073 898-3995 E-mail: dtrandall2@yahoo.com

10 (D) Dooley Kiefer (Village of Lansing; part of the Village of Cayuga Heights), 629 Highland Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 257-7453

11 (D) Michael Koplinka-Loehr (Town of Ithaca, East), 124 Crest Lane, Ithaca, NY 14850 257-2329 E-mail: mak11@cornell.edu

12 (D) Will Burbank (Town of Ithaca, West), 132 Glenside Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 272-7555 Email: wburbank@tompkins-co.org

13 (D) Martha Robertson (Town of Dryden, western part), 1655 Ellis Hollow Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 272-0584 E-mail: mrob@twcny.rr.com

14 (R) Michael R. Hattery (Part of the eastern town of Dryden), 4 Greystone Drive, Dryden, NY 13053 844-4361 E-mail: mrh3@cornell.edu

15 (D) James P. Dennis (Town of Ulysses, portion of the Town of Enfield), 47 Elm Street, Trumansburg, NY 14886 387-4058 E-mail: jpd821@yahoo.com

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1101 2008-05-14 00:00:00 2008-05-14 00:00:00 open open action-needed-by-may-20th-wic-program-threatened-with-cutoff-from-tompkins-county-health-department publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center and Local Restaurants (Plum Tree/Sushi o Sake) Announce Settlement and Community Responsibility Agreements http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/05/workers-center-and-local-restaurants-plum-treesushi-o-sake-announce-settlement-and-community-responsibility-agreements/ Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/05/workers-center-and-local-restaurants-plum-treesushi-o-sake-announce-settlement-and-community-responsibility-agreements/ After many months of negotiations, the Tompkins County Workers' Center has reached a settlement of a longstanding labor dispute with Plum Tree and Sushi o Sake Japanese Restaurants in Ithaca. As part of the settlement the restaurants have signed a Community Responsibility Agreement (CRA) that sets a new standard for worker rights in the restaurant industry. The CRA can be found at http://www.unionvoice.org/tcworkerscenter/CommunityResponsibilityAgreement.html

Besides the CRA, the settlement includes a monetary payment to nine workers of $6,800 in tip and overtime restitution. According to the National Employment Law Project, this is the first time a Community Responsibility Agreement has been accomplished in New York State outside of New York City without government assistance. (See Ithaca Journal story here.) The Workers' Center commends Plum Tree and Sushi o Sake for their forward-thinking in working with the workers on the issues we brought to them.

All restaurant workers need to know that State law prohibits mandatory tip pooling. In other words, management of a restaurant cannot force an employee to share her or his tips with other employees without the voluntary consent of the employee. And management itself is absolutely prohibited from sharing in tips that are meant for employees.

The Workers' Center has grown tremendously in the past 10 months since the workers from the restaurants came calling. We have since founded a Worker Justice Organizing Committee of which several of the workers from the restaurants are an intimate part, helping to organize across service and retail industries (joining with hotel and other low-wage industry workers) to create change in terms of living wages and workers' rights. A special holler out goes to Yuko Jingu, Yumi Busby, and Jerome Cornett for their tireless efforts in working towards a settlement in this particular situation.

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1102 2008-05-31 00:00:00 2008-05-31 00:00:00 open open workers-center-and-local-restaurants-plum-treesushi-o-sake-announce-settlement-and-community-responsibility-agreements publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Joins Assemblywoman, Barbara Lifton, In Calling Governor Paterson to Not Close Down the Ithaca Workers' Compensation Center http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/08/workers-center-joins-assemblywoman-barbara-lifton-in-calling-governor-paterson-to-not-close-down-the-ithaca-workers-compensation-center/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/08/workers-center-joins-assemblywoman-barbara-lifton-in-calling-governor-paterson-to-not-close-down-the-ithaca-workers-compensation-center/ Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (Tompkins County/parts of Cortland) has taken the lead in helping to spearhead a drive to stop Governor Paterson's move to close the Workers' Compensation Center in Ithaca. 10 of the 11 Service Centers slated for closing by next year are upstate.

To see a full copy of Lifton's letter to Governor Paterson, click here.

Please consider contacting Governor Paterson as soon as possible, especially if you have been an injured worker, past or present. Relevant talking points include:

*
the hardship it will cause people to have to get to Elmira or Binghamton from Tompkins County
*
the difficulty injured workers will have in finding attorneys who will be willing to travel elsewhere
*
it is claimed that the closure of the 11 Service Centers was part of the Governor's desire to reduce the State Budget. However, the Workers' Compensation Board, and its infrastructure, is funded through assessments to the insurance carriers, and the companies that pay these carriers.

Governor David Paterson can be reached via the following methods to express your concerns:

*
Snail Mail: Governor David Paterson, Executive Chamber, State Capital, Albany, NY 12224
*
Email: Use webform at http://161.11.121.121/govemail to email your thoughts to the Governor
*
Fax: 518-474-1513
*
Phone Call: 518-474-8390

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1103 2008-08-27 00:00:00 2008-08-27 00:00:00 open open workers-center-joins-assemblywoman-barbara-lifton-in-calling-governor-paterson-to-not-close-down-the-ithaca-workers-compensation-center publish 0 0 post 0
A 'Community Union' Is In Tompkins County's Future--Ithaca Journal OpEd http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/08/a-community-union-is-in-tompkins-countys-future-ithaca-journal-oped/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/08/a-community-union-is-in-tompkins-countys-future-ithaca-journal-oped/ This year, the Tompkins County Workers' Center (formally the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition) will join the Midstate Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO (an organization of local unions) in putting on the 25th annual Labor Day Picnic from 11-3 p.m. Sept. 1 in Stewart Park. Everyone is invited.

The partnership of the Workers' Center and the Labor Council as sponsors of the traditional Labor Day celebration is significant in that it signals a new coalition of forces seeking to organize and benefit working people.

Organized labor has been one of the most significant social movements this country has ever seen. From organizing workers to bargain collectively with employers, to winning the 40-hour work week; from winning health care insurance in the workplace in a society that otherwise limits its availability; to ensuring that workers must be treated with dignity and respect. Can you imagine what this country would be like without the important role that organized labor has played? I shudder to think. But unions and organized labor in our country have come under serious attack in the last 40 years. Not surprisingly along with that, many of the social programs and governmental initiatives working families depend on have been degraded. Just look, to give one example, how the real value of the minimum wage has fallen (if it had just kept up with inflation since the 1970s, it would be a living wage today).

This situation calls for new and creative forms of community organizing to supplement union efforts and help reinvigorate the fight for workplace fairness. The Tompkins County Workers' Center represents one such effort. We see ourselves as a type of community union. (See Rutgers Professor Janice Fines' excellent piece, Community Unions and the Revival of the American Labor Movement, at smlr.rutgers.edu/Unions/FineCommunityUnions.pdf, for a deeper understanding of community unions). The Workers' Center seeks to organize with workers across our community, across workplaces and industries, especially the service and retail sectors that pay the lowest wages and are the least unionized. In this sense, the Workers' Center is not a labor union but rather a type of community union that works with labor unions and seeks to achieve dignity, rights and a fair deal for all workers especially those at the lowest pay scales.

We believe that all of us have basic rights as workers. We also believe that employers have a responsibility to our community and to their employees, and that includes fair treatment, paying a living wage and respecting the right to organize. Our present economic system, unfortunately, makes it very easy for employers to violate these basic rights and community responsibilities. Our present system also discourages many people at the bottom rungs of our society from knowing and acting on the belief that they are worth more, both in terms of wages and fair treatment.

A while back, a young woman who worked in a local big-box store told us, very matter-of-factly, that she felt she wasn't worth any more than the minimum wage she was being paid. I told her that a long time ago auto workers were paid a minimum wage that could not support their families either. But then these workers decided to organize into unions as a collective force and that made all the difference in the world. Workers who have unions have a voice at work and at the bargaining table for fair wages and working conditions.

In our vision of a community union, workers and the community develop standards of community responsibility that we expect all employers to adhere to. If these standards are violated, we -- workers, unions and the community, together -- stand up to let irresponsible employers know this is unacceptable.

Please consider coming to the 25th annual Labor Day Picnic this year and show your support with and for the labor that has made our community what it is. Each family is asked to bring a dish to pass to complement the free meat and veggie burgers, hot dogs, beverages and ice cream. There will be games for the kids and everyone can enjoy listening to the band Thousands of One, plus labor songs performed by local folksingers Colleen Kattau, Tom Sieling and John Simon.

Pete Meyers is a coordinator at the Tompkins County Workers' Center. More information about the Workers' Center, and how to become a Member, can be found at www.TCWorkersCenter.org.

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1104 2008-08-29 00:00:00 2008-08-29 00:00:00 open open a-community-union-is-in-tompkins-countys-future-ithaca-journal-oped publish 0 0 post 0
25th Annual Labor Day Picnic in Ithaca a Resounding Success http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/09/25th-annual-labor-day-picnic-in-ithaca-a-resounding-success/ Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/09/25th-annual-labor-day-picnic-in-ithaca-a-resounding-success/ Over 300 people attended the 25th Annual Labor Day Picnic in Tompkins County Monday, September 1st, in the first collaboration between the Workers' Center and the Midstate Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

For a pretty good article that appeared in Tuesday's Ithaca Journal (with a list of the Mother Jones Awardees, Michelle Lopez and Yuko Jingu) and Friend of Labor, Maria Coles, go to: http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080902/NEWS01/809020320

25 new people became Members of the Workers' Center at the Picnic. We encourage those of you reading this news story to become a Member of the Workers' Center by going to http://www.tclivingwage.org/membership.php

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1105 2008-09-02 00:00:00 2008-09-02 00:00:00 open open 25th-annual-labor-day-picnic-in-ithaca-a-resounding-success publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Response to Nation's Financial Crisis: Pressures on Workers Grow, and Their Income Stagnates (OpEd from Carl Feuer) http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/09/workers-center-response-to-nations-financial-crisis-pressures-on-workers-grow-and-their-income-stagnates-oped-from-carl-feuer/ Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/09/workers-center-response-to-nations-financial-crisis-pressures-on-workers-grow-and-their-income-stagnates-oped-from-carl-feuer/ At first glance the Tompkins County Workers' Center has little to do with the financial crisis gripping Wall Street, the United States and the world.

What could the Workers' Center have to do with Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG?

Quite a lot it turns out.

The frantic efforts to bail out failing firms and a system on the brink of collapse are merely defensive actions that deal not a whit with the real sources of the crisis. This is where the Workers' Center as well as local trade unions come in.

New York Times columnist Dave Leonhardt wrote that one major source or cause of the financial crisis is the stagnation of middle and working class family incomes. Between 2000 and 2007 median household income declined, despite the boom years. Working families with the lowest incomes had it worst, showing the largest decline.

Those with the highest incomes meanwhile saw significant gains. Income inequality surged in these years.

While their income stagnated, pressures on working families to spend and buy grew. Those pressures are endemic to our system but worsened as financial institutions saw a chance to make a lot of money on mortgages and complex financial instruments. They offered the bait of subprime mortgages, which created the illusion that the American dream of home ownership was achievable.

Already mired in consumer debt, working families nonetheless took the bait. When housing values fell, well, the "American Dream" became the "American Nightmare" that many are living right now (though it's the rich that are mostly being bailed out, not working families who are facing foreclosure, unemployment and further income declines).

So what does all this have to do with the Workers' Center and local unions? For more than 10 years, the Workers' Center (and its predecessor, the Living Wage Coalition) has worked side by side with local trade unions to raise the incomes of working families. Blue collar workers represented by UAW Local 2300, for example, earn wages between $12.50 and $23 per hour with health insurance, retirement benefits and due process in the workplace. Many of these families still struggle to raise their families in the way they would like, but those wages are generally significantly higher than workers who do the same work in non-union situations receive. It is the non-union workers who are the focus of the Workers' Center, and it has had some success in establishing a local living-wage standard and raising the wage bar for local hotels and other employers.

The financial crisis shows how essential the work of organizations like Workers' Center and UAW Local 2300 is. But it shows also how much more work is needed. Unless government at all levels recognizes and deals with the low and declining incomes working families are experiencing (one simple but important measure would be passing the Employee Free Choice Act; another would be raising the minimum wage to a living wage), and until more workers organize to fight for better wages and benefits, I'm afraid little will change.

So the ever expanding bailout may be needed, but, as Leonhardt tells us, it won't solve the problem. That will be much harder. Unless government also strengthens unions and moves to ease the stagnation of incomes for working families we will shortly be back where we started.

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1106 2008-09-27 00:00:00 2008-09-27 00:00:00 open open workers-center-response-to-nations-financial-crisis-pressures-on-workers-grow-and-their-income-stagnates-oped-from-carl-feuer publish 0 0 post 0
Over 100 People Brave Chill and Rain on Ithaca Commons to Demand an Economy That Works for All of Us, Not Just a Bailout for Wall Street http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/09/over-100-people-brave-chill-and-rain-on-ithaca-commons-to-demand-an-economy-that-works-for-all-of-us-not-just-a-bailout-for-wall-street/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/09/over-100-people-brave-chill-and-rain-on-ithaca-commons-to-demand-an-economy-that-works-for-all-of-us-not-just-a-bailout-for-wall-street/ The American working and middle classes deserve a better deal. The Tompkins County Workers Center insists that any response to the financial crisis not merely bail Wall Street out, but also and most importantly assure a "new deal" for Main Street.

Failed policies have created the worst crisis in our economy and financial markets since the Great Depression. A bail-out for Wall Street financiers, whose reckless gambling in search of easy profits have taken us to the brink is not enough. Now is the time to end the failed policies of deregulation, taxation that benefits only the rich, trickle down economics that never trickles down, and unrestrained corporate greed. We insist on new policies and a new politics and a new economy that works for everyone, not just the few

* Where is the bailout for those working families in the United States, one-third of the total, who are paid less than a living wage and consequently toil all day and all week and find at the end of the week that their pay cannot support their families? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for our environment, on the brink of ecological disaster? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for the millions of children, including the 10 percent of all high school students who leave without a diploma, who are failed by our under-funded schools? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for all those youth from lower-income families, working hard to reach for the American dream, who find that America has put a college education out of financial reach? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for the millions of American workers denied basic rights on the job and even any effective right to form unions? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for the millions of struggling homeowners and tenants faced with the threat of foreclosure or ever-escalating rents that they cannot afford? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for the 47 million uninsured Americans without healthcare and the many millions having insurance but facing unaffordable increases in their health care cost? Isn't that a crisis?

* Where is the bailout for those communities impacted by globalization causing plant closings that throw thousands out of work. Isn't that a crisis?

The main problem with the deal being offered by Washington and Wall Street is that it only sees the one crisis, that of the Wall Street banks, private equity firms, investment houses and the wealthy that control their shares.

It's time to stand up for Main Street too and the crises that have been afflicting working and middle class families.

We don't want only a trickle down bailout for Wall Street. We need a bottom-up "New Deal" that also rescues Main Street. We demand new programs to create jobs that pay a living wage, a secure social security system, national health care, and investments in education and renewable energy.

The American people are willing to share the burden of dealing with the crisis, but only if it also includes policies and programs and funding to rebuild our economy. We need to deal with the root cause of the crisis and not merely the symptoms. And that root cause is an economic system that benefits the few at the expense of the many.

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1107 2008-09-29 00:00:00 2008-09-29 00:00:00 open open over-100-people-brave-chill-and-rain-on-ithaca-commons-to-demand-an-economy-that-works-for-all-of-us-not-just-a-bailout-for-wall-street publish 0 0 post 0
Over 500 People Attend Workers' Center Election Night Party http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/11/over-500-people-attend-workers-center-election-night-party/ Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/11/over-500-people-attend-workers-center-election-night-party/ Over 500 people attended the Workers' Center Election Night party and to urge our new leaders to take back the country from corporate and monied interests.

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1108 2008-11-05 00:00:00 2008-11-05 00:00:00 open open over-500-people-attend-workers-center-election-night-party publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Announces Support for Employee Free Choice Act--SIGN THE PETITION http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/11/workers-center-announces-support-for-employee-free-choice-act-sign-the-petition/ Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/11/workers-center-announces-support-for-employee-free-choice-act-sign-the-petition/ Go to http://www.freechoiceact.org/page/s/jwj?source=w to sign the petition

The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is a law to make it easier for men and women to form and/or join a union, when they choose to in their workplace. It is supported by many national leaders (including President-Elect Barack Obama), but opposed by rich corporate elites. It needs the support of working people like us in order to be passed by Congress in the next few months.

EFCA is critical because it will help working families and communities by leading to higher wages and more benefits on the job. It is a fact that workers with unions earn significantly more and have more benefits that workers who do not have unions. There are lots of examples of this right in our community.

EFCA gives workers a free choice and a fair chance to join unions in the workplace. With a union we have more rights and dignity in the workplace, and can bargain with our employers and demand better pay, health care and pensions and build a better life for ourselves and our families.

EFCA also strengthens the role of working families and those who speak for us in government, and will make it more possible to pass other good laws promoting workersrights, human needs and the environment, and to reign in the out-of-control corporations. EFCA will do this by increasing the number of working men and women in unions, and allowing unions a more equal footing with corporations in our society.

You can support EFCA by calling the Workers' Center (269-0409) and asking us to add your name to the petition (269-0409) or do it yourself at www.tcworkerscenter.org.

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1109 2008-11-30 00:00:00 2008-11-30 00:00:00 open open workers-center-announces-support-for-employee-free-choice-act-sign-the-petition publish 0 0 post 0
Over 100 Attend Lakeside Informational Picket; Send a Fax on Behalf of Workers and Residents! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/12/over-100-attend-lakeside-informational-picket-send-a-fax-on-behalf-of-workers-and-residents/ Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/12/over-100-attend-lakeside-informational-picket-send-a-fax-on-behalf-of-workers-and-residents/ Over 100 people (Lakeside workers, Lakeside residents, caregivers, and community members) attended the Informational Picket on Friday and Saturday in front of Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca in some crazy cold weather!

Please consider taking action on behalf of the over 140 workers at Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca who are demanding higher wages and better working conditions by going to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/supportlakesideworkers to send a fax to the President of Peregrine Health Management Company (owner of Lakeside), Steve Bowman, in Syracuse.

Working conditions are dire, for both the workers at Lakeside, as well as the residents. With no raise in over three years, close to half the workforce (including CNA's, food service workers, RN's and others) are not being paid a Living Wage as defined by Alternatives Federal Credit Union (due to be updated in spring '09), and are the lowest-paid nursing home employees in Tompkins County.

Workers at Lakeside have to pay excessive amounts of money for an inferior insurance plan, have forced overtime imposed, work a very difficult job in unsafe conditions, frequently work without adequate staffing and have to deal with huge turnover. Lakeside workers need a fair contract and we can help them get it!

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1110 2008-12-07 00:00:00 2008-12-07 00:00:00 open open over-100-attend-lakeside-informational-picket-send-a-fax-on-behalf-of-workers-and-residents publish 0 0 post 0
Lakeside Nursing Home Workers Victorious! Workers' Center Plays Significant Role http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/12/lakeside-nursing-home-workers-victorious-workers-center-plays-significant-role/ Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2008/12/lakeside-nursing-home-workers-victorious-workers-center-plays-significant-role/ This past week, the workers (close to 150) at Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca ratified a contract that is favorable to their interests. The Workers' Center would like to thank the over 100 Workers' Center members and supporters who showed up in bitter cold Ithaca weather several weekends ago during our Informational Picket to stand witness to the workers need for a fair contract, a Living Wage, and reasonable working conditions. As well, a holler out to the amazing amount of supporters who sent faxes to Lakeside's corporate owners, Peregrine Health Management Company, in response to our Action Alert.

Says union organizer Baschki Leo, "The members of 1199SEIU and bargaining team at Lakeside Nursing Home won wage increases and improvements in working conditions after a long battle with a recalcitrant, and less than cooperative employer. The Tompkins County Workers' Center was the key to a pivotal public campaign leading into the final bargaining session with management. Linda Holzbaur and Kenny Ritter, Workers' Center members and founders of Lakeside Families and Friends, led a creative and important campaign with the residents and resident families inside the facility which united the workers' struggle with the residents' need for quality care. As always, Solidarity works!"

Our being at Lakeside is part of the Workers' Center's larger commitment to economic justice and to organizing with low-wage workers, especially service and retail workers. We are raising the bar for what we workers should expect:

*the right to a Living Wage;
*the right to guaranteed health care;
*the right to organize freely and fairly for change and a voice in the workplace.

The Lakeside victory comes within the context of increasing worker victories taking place around the country, including the Republic Windows factory in Chicago and the successful unionization vote that took place at the Smithfield meatpacking plant in North Carolina, campaigns both strongly supported by our national affiliation, Jobs with Justice.

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1111 2008-12-22 00:00:00 2008-12-22 00:00:00 open open lakeside-nursing-home-workers-victorious-workers-center-plays-significant-role publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Sponsors Weekend of Events (January 9-12) to Help Re-Ignite Poor People's Campaign http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/01/workers-center-sponsors-weekend-of-events-january-9-12-to-help-re-ignite-poor-peoples-campaign/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/01/workers-center-sponsors-weekend-of-events-january-9-12-to-help-re-ignite-poor-peoples-campaign/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center invites you to a weekend of events with

the Poverty Scholars and the Poverty Initiative--a national network of organizations building a movement to end poverty

Re-Igniting Dr. Martin Luther King's Poor Peoples' Campaign

Friday January 9, 2009

10 am - 12:00 pm

Community Forum: Re-igniting the Poor Peoples' Campaign with Community Organizations and Social Services

How can social service and community organizations join in building a movement to end poverty?

Unitarian Society Annex (corner of Aurora and Buffalo Streets)

1:30 - 4:00 pm

Walking tours to area social services and community organizations

What is the character of poverty in Tompkins County and what are people doing about it?

Meet at Loaves and Fishes on Cayuga St.

4:30 pm

Panel with Low Wage Workers, Hotel workers, Restaurant workers at the Workers' Center

What's it like being a low-wage worker in Tompkins County?

6:30 - 8:30 pm

Community Potluck Dinner at GIAC

The public is welcome! Please come and bring a dish to pass!

A good opportunity to meet Poverty Scholars and work on building a movement to end poverty.

Saturday January 10

9:30 - 10:30 am

Textual Reflection led by the Poverty Initiative

1st Presbyterian Church

1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Leave in vans for visit to Cortland

Meeting with members of the Workers' Rights Center, Reality Tour

**Transportation is Limited, please email Steph Edley if you would like to come stephedley@gmail.com

5:00 - 7:00 pm

Panel on Prisons

1st Presbyterian Church

Sunday January 11

1:00 pm

Leave in vans for Syracuse from 1st Presbyterian Church

Meeting with Syracuse Peace Council, Syracuse Community Choir, Syracuse Worker Rights Center, Detention Task Force

**Transportation is Limited, please email Steph Edley if you would like to come stephedley@gmail.com

If you would like to take part in any of these activities and have questions, please contact:

Name: Stephanie Edley

Email: stephedley@gmail.com

Phone: 315-593-4090

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1112 2009-01-07 00:00:00 2009-01-07 00:00:00 open open workers-center-sponsors-weekend-of-events-january-9-12-to-help-re-ignite-poor-peoples-campaign publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Helps to Uncover Serious Wage Violations at Two Ithaca Restaurants, Taste of Thai and Tamarind http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/01/workers-center-helps-to-uncover-serious-wage-violations-at-two-ithaca-restaurants-taste-of-thai-and-tamarind/ Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/01/workers-center-helps-to-uncover-serious-wage-violations-at-two-ithaca-restaurants-taste-of-thai-and-tamarind/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) announces today, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL)--see DOL Press Release below-- the results of an investigation which found substantial labor law and wage violations (involving 36 workers and a $28K settlement) found against two Ithaca restaurants: Taste of Thai (located on The Commons) and Tamarind (503 N. Meadow Street).

Two 'front of the house' workers approached the TCWC this past summer with great concern about how they and others, especially 'back of the house' workers, were being treated with respect to tip, overtime, and days of work violations, after feeling like attempts to talk with restaurant ownership were rebuffed.

The TCWC then had a meeting in June with the owner and business manager of the restaurants, who expressed interest in signing a Community Responsibility Agreement (CRA)--see sample here--with the TCWC. However, the TCWC was never again contacted by the restaurants about signing the CRA. The TCWC fearing that it was hearing only part of the story, then contacted the NYSDOL to find out what was legal and what was not.

Says former wait person at Taste of Thai, Deidra Cross, "I feel it is imperative to keep open, honest communications with superiors and co-workers in the workplace in order to establish an honest and legal work environment. I think the results of this situation shows that people need to have a willingness to seek outside assistance if they feel their work environment unjust or operating in an illegal fashion."

The news of the settlement with Taste of Thai and Tamarind comes within the context of a growing movement to end 'wage theft', a serious problem in various industries (a record level of recovered wages in New York was reported in 2008 alone in New York State--$24.6 million for 17,000 workers, probably the tip of the iceberg). The TCWC has a strong record in dealing with 'wage theft' and other labor law violations (Kinko's, Collegetown Pizzeria, New Delhi Diamond's Restaurant, and the Plum Tree/Sushi o Sake Restaurants).

Workers should know that they can contact the Workers' Center at 607-269-0409 or www.tcworkerscenter.org if they have concern about their rights at the workplace, or would like to report 'wage theft' at work.

Press Conference, Wednesday 1/21 @ Workers' Center. Seated at table, former Taste of Thai Employee, Deidra Cross, with Pete Meyers of the Workers' Center; Geovanny Trivino from the New York State Department of Labor, and Matt Peterson, present Taste of Thai employee.

New York State Department of Labor Press Release, 1/21/09:

Two Ithaca restaurants were found by the State Labor Department to be underpaying their workers by thousands of dollars, Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith announced today. Taste of Thai and Tamarind, owned by Ariya Pancharoen, violated a number of labor laws, including overtime provisions, recordkeeping, and tip appropriations. Overall, 36 workers are collectively owed $28,388 in wage underpayments. The owner has signed a stipulation agreeing to pay the full amount to workers in three monthly payments, which began for Taste of Thai on November 15, and began for Tamarind on January 15, 2009.

"Labor laws are in place to protect workers throughout the state, from Brooklyn to Buffalo, from Islip to Ithaca. Even though people sometimes think of labor law violations as a big-city problem, we see such cases throughout the state," said Commissioner Smith. "Taste of Thai and Tamarind will pay their workers every cent that is owed to them, and we will be watching both establishments very closely to make certain that nothing like this ever happens again".

In May, the Labor Department received an anonymous complaint alleging labor law issues at Taste of Thai. Employees, who were primarily of Thai descent, were interviewed by Labor Department investigators through a Thai interpreter. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the owner of Taste of Thai also owned and operated Tamarind, prompting investigators to look into the labor practices of that restaurant as well. DOL staff also had conversations with the Tompkins County Workers' Center at this time in regard to the experiences of employees from Taste of Thai who had contacted the.

The investigation into the two restaurants indicated that they were not paying overtime rates to employees, even though staff regularly worked well over forty hours per week. In addition, the restaurants were taking tips from the service staff and distributing the money to other employees - also an illegal practice. The restaurant did not keep adequate time and payroll records as required. Investigators also found that not all employees were given a day of rest each week, as mandated by law.

Says Pete Meyers, Coordinator of the Workers' Center: "We are pleased to have been able to work collaboratively with the Labor Department, as well as the workers we have connected with locally, in successfully resolving this matter. We urge any worker who has questions about their wages, or feel they are being treated unfairly, to contact the Workers' Center of the NYS Labor Department."

New York State's minimum wage is $7.15 per hour, and employers are required to pay overtime for weekly hours past forty at one and one-half times the employee's regular pay rate. In certain limited cases, employers are permitted to pay a lower, "tipped" rate to employees who receive tips. However, employers must pay the appropriate wage to tipped employees and may not expect them to work for tips only. The investigations were handled by Labor Standards Investigator, Susan Wood.

The State Labor Department encourages employers and workers to contact the Department about wage and hour issues. Investigators will answer any questions regarding compliance with New York's labor laws. Information is also available on the Department's website, www.labor.ny.gov; or by phone at 1-800-447-3992.

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1113 2009-01-21 00:00:00 2009-01-21 00:00:00 open open workers-center-helps-to-uncover-serious-wage-violations-at-two-ithaca-restaurants-taste-of-thai-and-tamarind publish 0 0 post 0
40 Hour Fast Ends Friday, 3/6 with 30 People Having Fasted in Solidarity with Those Struggling in Economic Hard Times http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/03/40-hour-fast-ends-friday-36-with-30-people-having-fasted-in-solidarity-with-those-struggling-in-economic-hard-times/ Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/03/40-hour-fast-ends-friday-36-with-30-people-having-fasted-in-solidarity-with-those-struggling-in-economic-hard-times/ Approximately 75 people attended the event on Wednesday, March 4th in Ithaca, sponsored by the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage to kickoff the 14th Annual 40 Hour Fast: A Public Witness Kickoff Event. In addition, 30 people declared their commitment to fast in solidarity with those struggling in the face of the current economic recession.

The goals of the 2009 40-Hour FAST were threefold, according to the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition (of which the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage is a member):

* To SACRIFICE from food so that moral and spiritual connections are deepened. The giving up of such a basic human need as food, if only for a few meals, can re-focus one's priorities on the importance of the common good of all.

* To PRAY for public officials as they make the difficult budgetary, policy and regulatory choices that every day affect lives.

* To COMMUNICATE with the public and co-workers and elected officials about why you are fasting and why you believe that the common good requires an end to wage theft, a shrinking of the wage gap and increased attention to "the least among us." Read more on this theme.

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1114 2009-03-02 00:00:00 2009-03-02 00:00:00 open open 40-hour-fast-ends-friday-36-with-30-people-having-fasted-in-solidarity-with-those-struggling-in-economic-hard-times publish 0 0 post 0
Over 125 People Brave the Cold in Support of Tompkins Legislature Passing Employee Free Choice Act by 12-3 Vote http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/04/over-125-people-brave-the-cold-in-support-of-tompkins-legislature-passing-employee-free-choice-act-by-12-3-vote/ Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/04/over-125-people-brave-the-cold-in-support-of-tompkins-legislature-passing-employee-free-choice-act-by-12-3-vote/ The Tompkins County Legislature, by a bi-partisan vote of 12 to 3, has approved a resolution urging Congressional support for the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill, which requires union recognition by the employer upon either the signature of a majority of workers of written authorizations (cards) or by secret ballot majority vote, is currently pending in Congress. Under the bill, the choice of recognition process is, unlike under the current law, up to the union to decide.

**To sign online petition sponsored by our national affiliate, Jobs with Justice, go to: http://www.freechoiceact.org/page/s/jwj?source=widget&subsource=w

**To see the actual text of the Employee Free Choice Act, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1409:

As documented by Human Rights Watch, workers in the United States today face a system with "glaring deficiencies" that "significantly impairs the right of workers to freely choose whether to form a union" (http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/efca2009_web.pdf). The Employee Free Choice Act is a human rights imperative that seeks to restore to workers the right to a more democratic workplace. (See the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 23 http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html)

Because of your past support for worker rights we are hopeful that you will be there with us on the 7th. Contact us at 269-0409 or pete@tclivingwage.org if you would like more information.

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1115 2009-04-08 00:00:00 2009-04-08 00:00:00 open open over-125-people-brave-the-cold-in-support-of-tompkins-legislature-passing-employee-free-choice-act-by-12-3-vote publish 0 0 post 0
Town of Ithaca Board Passes Employee Free Choice Act Resolution Unanimously http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/04/town-of-ithaca-board-passes-employee-free-choice-act-resolution-unanimously/ Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/04/town-of-ithaca-board-passes-employee-free-choice-act-resolution-unanimously/ WHEREAS, the freedom to form or join a union is internationally recognized by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a fundamental human right, and

WHEREAS, in 1935, the United States established, by law, that workers must be free to form unions, and

WHEREAS, the free choice to join with others and bargain for better wages and benefits promotes economic opportunity and good living standards, and

WHEREAS, unions benefit communities by strengthening living standards, stabilizing tax bases, promoting equal treatment, enhancing civic participation, reducing worker dependence on social welfare agencies and therefore decreasing the burden on taxpayers, and

WHEREAS, workers across the United States who declare an interest in joining a union are often subject to employer intimidation, illegal firings, and protracted delays in obtaining a secret-ballot election for representation, and

WHEREAS, the Employee Free Choice Act has been introduced in the U.S. Congress in order to facilitate workers' freedom to join a union and help strengthen the American middle class, and

WHEREAS, the internationally respected organization Human Rights Watch has identified the Employee Free Choice Act as a human rights imperative, and

WHEREAS, nothing in this legislation alters the rights of employers to provide information on unionization to their employees, and

WHEREAS, the Employee Free Choice Act will give employees the ability to choose to conduct a secret-ballot vote for union representation, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca supports and urges Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act which would authorize the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the bargaining representative when a majority of employees voluntarily sign authorizations designating that union to represent them; provide for first contract mediation and arbitration; and establish meaningful penalties for violations of a workers freedom to choose a union, and

RESOLVED, further, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to all our federal elected representatives and any other interested parties.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

* * * * * * * * *

MOVED: Councilwoman Leary

SECONDED: Supervisor Engman

VOTE: Supervisor Engman, aye; Councilwoman Leary, aye; Councilman Stein, aye; Councilman Goodman, aye; Councilman Levine, aye; Councilwoman Hunter, aye; Councilman DePaolo, aye. Motion Carried - Unanimous.

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1116 2009-04-21 00:00:00 2009-04-21 00:00:00 open open town-of-ithaca-board-passes-employee-free-choice-act-resolution-unanimously publish 0 0 post 0
Living Wage Figures Updated for Tompkins County, NY: $11.11/hour or $12.11 w/o Health Insurance http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/04/living-wage-figures-updated-for-tompkins-county-ny-11-11hour-or-12-11-wo-health-insurance/ Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/04/living-wage-figures-updated-for-tompkins-county-ny-11-11hour-or-12-11-wo-health-insurance/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center is incredibly proud to stand with the Alternatives Federal Credit Union in Ithaca, New York as we update our Living Wage figures today. Alternatives is a national leader in financial institutions that recognizes and, in fact, actually acts on behalf of people rather than profit. We are also proud to stand with our 62 Living Wage-Certified Employers.

The new Living Wage for Tompkins County, for a single person, is $11.11/hour at 40 hours a week or $23,103.87/yearly, presuming health insurance coverage is provided by the employer (see table below). If health insurance is not provided, for a single person, the Living Wage than increases to $12.11/hour at 40 hours a week, or $25,188.80/yearly (based upon the cost of Healthy New York provided by the state government that can be purchased by the uninsured).

It is important to realize that the annual wage is just as important as the hourly wage because there are many employees in Tompkins County working at educational institutions and elsewhere that are laid off for significant portions of the year. The Workers' Center uses the Family Budget Calculator from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a think tank in Washington, DC. that estimates, more realistically for many areas of the country, the true cost of living in such areas. The EPI, estimates for Ithaca for the various family sizes, annually, are as follows. Go to www.epi.org for more details:

One Parent, One Child: $46,144
One Parent, Two Children: $54,193
One Parent, Three Children: $68,656
Two Parents, One Child: $50,067
Two Parents, Two Children: $58,096
Two Parents, Three Children: $71,319

Of course there are many people in Tompkins County who are working full time and yet earning poverty wages. It is important to note that the Federal government presently sets the poverty level at ridiculously low and absurd rates. The 2009 Poverty Guidelines for the entire 48 contiguous states (especially important because many government assistance programs are indexed to these figures) are as follows:

$10,830 for a single person
$14,570 for two persons in family
$18,310 for three persons in family
$22,050 for four persons in family
$25,790 for five persons in family
$29,530 for six persons in family
In a global economy that favors corporate profits over the needs of the people that help to make these corporations wealthy (subsidized by taxpayers), and subsequently are helping to bring our economy dangerously close to a precipice of destruction, we have a movement growing and building in Tompkins County that seeks economic human rights for the vast vast majority of us. It is fair for all of us to ask the questions:

*If Alternatives Federal Credit Union and the CFCU Community Credit Union can pay a Living Wage, why can't the Bank of America and the M & T Bank pay a Living Wage?
*If Jillian's Drawers (a local parenting supply store in Ithaca) can do it, why can't Wal-Mart and Target?
*If Tompkins County can do it, why not Cornell University and the Ithaca City School District?
*If Blue Spruce Painting and Sparks Electric can do it, why can't all the other contractors?
*If GreenStar can do it, why not Tops, P and C, and Wegmans?
*If Autumn Leaves Used Books can do it, why not Borders and Barnes and Nobles?
*If the Stone Quarry House Bed and Breakfast can do it, why not the Holiday Inn and Ramada Hotels do it?

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1117 2009-04-24 00:00:00 2009-04-24 00:00:00 open open living-wage-figures-updated-for-tompkins-county-ny-11-11hour-or-12-11-wo-health-insurance publish 0 0 post 0
Workers' Center Receives Award for 'Wage Theft' Work at CNY Labor-Religion Coalition Event: Kim Bobo, Featured Speaker http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/05/workers-center-receives-award-for-wage-theft-work-at-cny-labor-religion-coalition-event-kim-bobo-featured-speaker/ Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/05/workers-center-receives-award-for-wage-theft-work-at-cny-labor-religion-coalition-event-kim-bobo-featured-speaker/ The CNY Labor-Religion Coalition hosted its 9th Annual Solidarity Supper on Sunday, May 17 in Syracuse. The event featured Kim Bobo, author of Wage Theft in America. It is the first and only book to document the wage theft crisis in the nation and proposes practical solutions for addressing it.and a columnist for Religion Dispatches.

Kim Bobo is the founder and executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, a national organization based in Chicago that mobilizes religious support for low-wage workers and rebuilds partnerships with the labor movement.

IWJ is leading a national campaign to challenge wage theft and seeking new ways to collaborate with government agencies to better enforce labor laws.

The LRC event honored four individuals for leadership in support of workers in the region. Honorees include:

* Catherine Quinn Kay, Assistant District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

* Pete Meyers, Tompkins County Worker's Center, Coordinator

* Elisa Morales, International Victim Advocate and Outreach Coordinator, Vera House; founding member, Anti-Trafficking Task Force

* Michael Lax, MD, Medical Director of the Occupational Health Clinical Center

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1118 2009-05-08 00:00:00 2009-05-08 00:00:00 open open workers-center-receives-award-for-wage-theft-work-at-cny-labor-religion-coalition-event-kim-bobo-featured-speaker publish 0 0 post 0
Cornell Service Workers Settle Contract Favorably with Administration; Thanks to All Workers' Center Members Who Took Action! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/07/cornell-service-workers-settle-contract-favorably-with-administration-thanks-to-all-workers-center-members-who-took-action/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/07/cornell-service-workers-settle-contract-favorably-with-administration-thanks-to-all-workers-center-members-who-took-action/ Thanks to everyone who responded to the Workers' Center call about six weeks ago in support of a fair contract with Living Wages for Cornell service workers; over 500 emails were sent by Workers' Center Members and supporters through our email action alert telling Cornell Adminstration that we demanded a fair and just contract.

On July 21st, the 1,200 member bargaining unit (United Auto Workers) overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract. Student support, as manifested through the important leadership of the Cornell Organization for Labor Action (a Workers' Center Coalition partner) was an important factor in the gains made.

In addition to the significant wage gains made by the workers through the new contract, the UAW's campaign over the past year highlighted the severe underemployment and low annual income, especially among dining workers. This campaign helped to create a a joint labor-management committee that will help to restructure the workforce to bring more workers up to full time employment (many workers only end up working nine months a year!) The goal is to provide at least 48 weeks of annual employement at regular hours of work for both full and part time regular employees.

Many other contract improvements were made, illustrating the fact that when workers join together to take 'concerted action' through a union, that we are made stronger.

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1119 2009-07-22 00:00:00 2009-07-22 00:00:00 open open cornell-service-workers-settle-contract-favorably-with-administration-thanks-to-all-workers-center-members-who-took-action publish 0 0 post 0
Minimum Wage Increases to $7.25 an Hour http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/07/minimum-wage-increases-to-7-25-an-hour/ Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/07/minimum-wage-increases-to-7-25-an-hour/ On July 24th, 2009, the Federal minimum wage increased to $7.25/hour (from $6.55/hour). In New York, the minimum wage was already $7.15/hour, so this means a bump-up of 10 cents an hour. The increase to $7.25/hour means that a full-time worker makes approximately $14,500/year. This is absolutely ridiculous; raising the minimum wage to a Living Wage would be one of the most powerful ways to stimulate local economies as those with less money tend to spend their money locally and quickly.

It is important to note that the minimum wage for tipped-workers remains, nationally, at the ridiculously low level of $2.13/hour (in New York, the tipped-worker minimum wage is $4.60/hour). For an excellent report from the National Employment Law Project, Restoring the Minimum Wage for America's Tipped Workers, click here.

Of course, some of the Workers' Center higher profile 'cases' involve people being paid woefully less than the minimum wage. If you yourself find yourself or know of someone not making the minimum wage (or any other worker's rights violation), please contact the Workers' Center at either 607...; via email at TCWRC@yahoo.com; or via the web at http://tcworkerscenter.org/contact.php

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1120 2009-07-25 00:00:00 2009-07-25 00:00:00 open open minimum-wage-increases-to-7-25-an-hour publish 0 0 post 0
Hotel Tax Giveaway Delayed by County IDA; Sufficient Concern on Issues of Living Wage/Local Labor/Health and Safety Sited as Concerns http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/09/hotel-tax-giveaway-delayed-by-county-ida-sufficient-concern-on-issues-of-living-wagelocal-laborhealth-and-safety-sited-as-concerns/ Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/09/hotel-tax-giveaway-delayed-by-county-ida-sufficient-concern-on-issues-of-living-wagelocal-laborhealth-and-safety-sited-as-concerns/ Whether or not to approve tax abatements of $1.0445 million ($929,500 sales; $115,000 mortgage) for a deluxe new hotel in Ithaca, Hotel Ithaca, was delayed Friday, September 4th, as 15 members of the Workers' Center were able to raise sufficient concern at the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) about a number of issues surrounding the hotel project. Construction of the hotel, proposed to be at the corner of Aurora and E.State/Martin Luther King, Jr. Street in Ithaca, is scheduled to start in early 2010. The hotel is billed at $27 million dollars and will be run by Gemstone Hotels and Resorts, a luxurious hotelier with locations in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Lake Placid, San Antonio, Lake Tahoe, New York City, etc). A cursory glance at going rates reveals the cheapest to be in the range of $250 a night for a one bedroom.

Ithaca Journal story at http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20090904/NEWS01/909040402/1126/news/Hotel+tax+break+decision+delayed

While many of us can be happy about an increased tax revenue that Hotel Ithaca could bring into Tompkins County, the Tompkins County Workers' Center also believes it is imperative that if such a wealthy enterprise is to be given tax abatements, they can also afford to pay its workers a Living Wage, as defined and updated by Alternatives Federal Credit Union every two years (presently at $11.11 with health insurance provided; $12.11 without health insurance). In fact, the sentiments of the Workers' Center are not far off from the sentiment of both Livable Wage Policies passed by the City of Ithaca Common Council Resolution as well as the Tompkins County Legislative Resolution in 2003, representing the populace of the entire county.

Other issues brought to the table include the demand that the hotel use only nontoxic chemicals for housekeepers at the hotel; the indexing of Living Wage to inflation, and as laid out by the Alternatives Credit Union; the use of local labor; and, importantly, the contractual agreement that would make any and all such Community Benefits subject to 'clawback' should the developer and hotel go back on its commitments.

If you can make it to the next IDA Hearing on Friday, October 2nd at 3:30 p.m. to express your point of view, this would be very helpful, as the above-mentioned issues will continue to be ongoing issues. The IDA Hearing will be at the Old County Jail Conference Room, immediately adjacent to the County Courthouse at the corner of Court and Tioga Sts. in Ithaca (on Tioga Street).

If you live in Tompkins County, please email or call one or more of the seven (7) individuals who comprise the Tompkins County Industrial Devlopment Agency by Thursday, September 3rd, to let them know that this is not the time to give away public monies to appease a wealthy developer and hotelier that wants and needs to be in Ithaca.

Martha Robertson - Chair
T.C. Legislature
Phone: 272-0584
E-mail: mrob@twcny.rr.com

Larry Baum
President, The Computing Center
Phone: 257-3524
Email: larry@compcenter.com

Daniel Cogan - Vice Chair
Alderman, Ward 5, City of Ithaca
Phone:(h) 273-7040; (w) 277-1118
E-mail: dcogan@cityofithaca.org

Jeffrey Furman
Phone: 272-6394
E-mail: jfurman@twcny.rr.com

Michael Sigler
T.C. Legislature
Phone: 339-7978
E-mail: mike.sigler@yahoo.com

Michael Koplinka-Loehr - Secretary
Chair, T.C. Legislature
Phone: 274-5434
Phone: 257-2329 (h)
E-mail: mak11@cornell.edu

Kathy Luz Herrera
T.C. Legislature
Phone: (h) 273-8169; (cell-w) 327-2621
E-mail (primary): kathyluzherrera@gmail.com
E-mail (county): kherrera@tompkins-co.org

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1121 2009-09-04 00:00:00 2009-09-04 00:00:00 open open hotel-tax-giveaway-delayed-by-county-ida-sufficient-concern-on-issues-of-living-wagelocal-laborhealth-and-safety-sited-as-concerns publish 0 0 post 0
Wage Theft Skewered at Labor Day Picnic; Workers' Center Becomes 11th Workers' Center, Nationally, to Affiliate with AFL-CIO http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/09/wage-theft-skewered-at-labor-day-picnic-workers-center-becomes-11th-workers-center-nationally-to-affiliate-with-afl-cio/ Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/09/wage-theft-skewered-at-labor-day-picnic-workers-center-becomes-11th-workers-center-nationally-to-affiliate-with-afl-cio/ from the Ithaca Journal: ITHACA -- Employees were toasted and their employers roasted along with about 1,000 hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages at the annual Labor Day picnic in Stewart Park Monday.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909070350

A couple hundred people from all walks of life gathered near the main pavilion to partake in politics and potato salad as part of a tradition that goes back 25 years and is organized by the Tompkins County Workers' Center and the Midstate Central Labor Council.

Long-time Ithaca resident Barbara Wayman was a rare specimen, a Republican in a sea of Democrats, but she said she could agree with most of what was said and found a community picnic an apt venue. "There are a lot of people out of work who don't know where their next meal is coming from," Wayman said.

Among those recognized were two workers who blew the whistle on their employers. Viola Scott successfully took on a downtown retailer who paid her below the minimum wage, and received $1,200 in back payments. Thomas Lackner lost an estimated $250,000 in unpaid overtime in 16 years at a Lansing restaurant, and is consulting with the Department of Labor to recover about $40,000, picnic coordinator Pete Meyers said.

SUNY Cortland economics professor Howard Botwinick said such practices are common among local employers, some of whom also skirt labor laws by deeming their employees independent contractors.

"Wage theft is not just taking place in the darkest corners of our communities by employers unscrupulously breaking the law," Botwinick said. "It's a generic problem and it's time for us to get back to the basics."

Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of Labor Education Research at Cornell University, said labor achieved victory in getting the Employee Free Choice Act through the U.S. House, but said unions were spending too much energy on politics and should return to their roots. "You need to organize harder, you need to organize smarter. You have to do the work to build a labor movement again," Bronfenbrenner said.

Edie Reagan, coordinator of Justice and Peace and Catholic Charities, got the Friend of Labor award for work as a founding member of the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage, while Ithaca College was named the Goat of Labor.

Dave Marsh, business manager of Laborers Local Union 785, said the college had let labor down by outsourcing work on its $64.5 million athletics and events center to a Rochester-based contractor that uses out-of-state workers. "At a time when we have 10 percent unemployment, it would be nice for these jobs to stay local," he said.

In a statement on the college's Intercom site, Carl Sgrecci, vice president for finance and administration, defended the decision.

"Ithaca College has every confidence in Pike Construction. When considering bids on the A&E Center project, our due diligence showed that they treat labor fairly and use substantial numbers of local and union workers," Sgrecci wrote. "The College has a responsibility to use funds being spent on the project -- whether they come from donors or the operating budget -- in a fiscally prudent manner."

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1122 2009-09-08 00:00:00 2009-09-08 00:00:00 open open wage-theft-skewered-at-labor-day-picnic-workers-center-becomes-11th-workers-center-nationally-to-affiliate-with-afl-cio publish 0 0 post 0
65 People in Cold and Drizzle Rally to Demand an 'Economic Development' Policy That Works for Everyone, Not Just Wealthy Developers and Corporations at IDA Meeting Friday http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/10/65-people-in-cold-and-drizzle-rally-to-demand-an-economic-development-policy-that-works-for-everyone-not-just-wealthy-developers-and-corporations-at-ida-meeting-friday/ Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/10/65-people-in-cold-and-drizzle-rally-to-demand-an-economic-development-policy-that-works-for-everyone-not-just-wealthy-developers-and-corporations-at-ida-meeting-friday/ In coordination with the national Jobs with Justice network's Week of Action (9/24 thru 10/2) that demands an economic recovery for working people, over 65 people joined the Workers' Center for both a rally and the Industrial Development Agency's (IDA) meeting Friday afternoon. The intention of the rally was to demand economic development that works for everyone, not just wealthy developers and corporations.

The issue of whether or not to grant sales and tax abatements for the construction of a deluxe and luxurious new hotel in downtown Ithaca, Hotel Ithaca, was considered and moved to a Public Hearing which will happen sometime in November.

Construction of the hotel, proposed to be at the corner of Aurora and E.State/Martin Luther King, Jr. Street in Ithaca, is scheduled to start in early 2010. The hotel is billed at $27 million dollars and will be run by Gemstone Hotels and Resorts, a luxury hotelier with locations in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Lake Placid, San Antonio, Lake Tahoe, New York City, etc). A cursory glance at going rates reveals the cheapest to be in the range of $250 a night for a one bedroom.

While many of us can be happy about an increased tax revenue that Hotel Ithaca could bring into Tompkins County, the Tompkins County Workers' Center also believes it is imperative that if such a wealthy enterprise is to be given tax abatements, the corporation can also afford to pay its workers a Living Wage, as defined and updated by Alternatives Federal Credit Union every two years (presently at $11.11 with health insurance provided; $12.11 without health insurance). This is not only the right thing to do but would also be consistent with the intent of local living wage resolutions passed by the County in 2003 and the City of Ithaca in 2003.

If you live in Tompkins County, please email or call one or more of the seven (7) individuals who comprise the Tompkins County Industrial Devlopment Agency by Thursday, October 1st, to let them know that this is not the time to give away public monies to appease a wealthy developer and hotelier without a guarantee of significant community and worker benefits in return.

Martha Robertson - Chair

T.C. Legislature

Phone: 272-0584

E-mail: mrob@twcny.rr.com

Larry Baum

President, The Computing Center

Phone: 257-3524

Email: larry@compcenter.com

Daniel Cogan - Vice Chair

Alderman, Ward 5, City of Ithaca

Phone:(h) 273-7040; (w) 277-1118

E-mail: dcogan@cityofithaca.org

Jeffrey Furman

Phone: 272-6394

E-mail: jfurman@twcny.rr.com

Michael Sigler

T.C. Legislature

Phone: 339-7978

E-mail: mike.sigler@yahoo.com

Michael Koplinka-Loehr - Secretary

Chair, T.C. Legislature

Phone: 274-5434

Phone: 257-2329 (h)

E-mail: mak11@cornell.edu

Kathy Luz Herrera

T.C. Legislature

Phone: (h) 273-8169; (cell-w) 327-2621

E-mail (primary): kathyluzherrera@gmail.com

E-mail (county): kherrera@tompkins-co.org

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1123 2009-10-03 00:00:00 2009-10-03 00:00:00 open open 65-people-in-cold-and-drizzle-rally-to-demand-an-economic-development-policy-that-works-for-everyone-not-just-wealthy-developers-and-corporations-at-ida-meeting-friday publish 0 0 post 0
New Owners of Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca Force Workers to Reapply for Jobs; Lower Wages, Lose Pensions http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/10/new-owners-of-lakeside-nursing-home-in-ithaca-force-workers-to-reapply-for-jobs-lower-wages-lose-pensions/ Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/10/new-owners-of-lakeside-nursing-home-in-ithaca-force-workers-to-reapply-for-jobs-lower-wages-lose-pensions/ Workers at Lakeside Nursing Home in Ithaca announced Tuesday (supported by their union SEIU1199, Assemblyperson Barbara Lifton; Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson; Pastor Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca, the Workers' Center, families of residents, and various community organizations) their intention to fight requirements by the new owners of Lakeside, the Peregrine Health Management Company. Healthcare workers have been told they must reapply for jobs, will have their wages lowered, and lose retirement pensions when Peregrine, take over as owners on November 1st.

The workers at Lakeside (to be renamed Cayuga Ridge LLC) demand that Peregrine guarantee the jobs and pensions of the healthcare-givers they have employed for the past nine years. Lana Wegner-Harden, an LPN at Lakeside for the past 16 years, spoke passionately about how Lakeside workers do their best to take care of residents while dealing with chronic understaffing and high turnover among low-paid staff, said, "All we want is a fair contract. We're tired of giving up."

The Peregrine Health Management Company has been operating as Lakeside's operator since 2001 (Lakeside having filed for bankruptcy), evidently long awaiting the day when they could purchase Lakeside from New York State so the profit motive could kick in. Or as former Assemblyman and present Chair of the Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America, Marty Luster said, "The same people who have managed Lakeside for the past 9 years and have negotiated with these workers and reached agreements with them over that period now claim that they can't continue unless the workers take pay and pension cuts? So that means that the only difference is that instead of a court-directed salary, the "new" owners will be making a profit and that the only rationale for demanding the givebacks by the workers is to fund that profit. In other word, the workers are being told that they must provide the profit to the owners out of their pocket."

For good coverage from the Ithaca Journal, go to http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20091027/NEWS01/910270353/Lakeside+workers+forced+to+reapply+for+jobs

For good coverage from WENY (ABC) TV in Elmira, go to http://www.weny.com/News-Local.asp?ARTICLE3864=9148815

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1124 2009-10-26 00:00:00 2009-10-26 00:00:00 open open new-owners-of-lakeside-nursing-home-in-ithaca-force-workers-to-reapply-for-jobs-lower-wages-lose-pensions publish 0 0 post 0
Lakeside Nursing Home Workers Settle Contract with New Owners; Victory for Workers and Community http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/11/lakeside-nursing-home-workers-settle-contract-with-new-owners-victory-for-workers-and-community/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/11/lakeside-nursing-home-workers-settle-contract-with-new-owners-victory-for-workers-and-community/ (Ithaca) The 130 workers at Lakeside Nursing Home, organized through their union the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199, today reached a new labor agreement with Peregrine Health Management, the new owners of Lakeside (now officially Cayuga Ridge) Nursing Home.

Healthcare workers at Lakeside had been told last week that they had to reapply for their jobs, would have their wages lowered, and lose retirement pensions. SEIU1199 and the Tompkins County Workers' Center worked together last week to avert the threatened loss of jobs, benefits, and pensions. State Assemblyperson Barbara Lifton, City of Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson, and Reverend Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca joined the Workers' Center Press Conference with SEIU1199 last Wednesday in support of the healthcare workers.

The final agreement between the workers and Peregrine was approved by an overwhelming majority of the workers and includes a wage increase; preserves benefits and pensions; keeps seniority in place; and does not force workers to reapply for their jobs. Johnny Wright, a custodian at the nursing home and SEIU union delegate and bargaining team member called the contract a "fair settlement which shows that when people stick together and demand what's fair, they will surely win."

The Tompkins County Workers Center is very pleased with the workers victory as it demonstrates clearly that when an organized group of workers joins together with the community, we are empowered to achieve a just settlement. The Workers' Center applauds the workers there for their courage in confronting management and for helping to inspire and remind all workers in the community that 'united we stand, divided we fall'.

SEIU1199 and the Workers Center have pledged to continue to work closely together to fight for living wages and justice for all workers in Tompkins County.

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1125 2009-11-04 00:00:00 2009-11-04 00:00:00 open open lakeside-nursing-home-workers-settle-contract-with-new-owners-victory-for-workers-and-community publish 0 0 post 0
As Holiday Season Approaches, Religious Task Force for a Living Wage Calls on Borders and Barnes and Noble Bookstores in Ithaca to Pay a Living Wage http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/11/as-holiday-season-approaches-religious-task-force-for-a-living-wage-calls-on-borders-and-barnes-and-noble-bookstores-in-ithaca-to-pay-a-living-wage/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/11/as-holiday-season-approaches-religious-task-force-for-a-living-wage-calls-on-borders-and-barnes-and-noble-bookstores-in-ithaca-to-pay-a-living-wage/ (Ithaca) The Tompkins County Religious Task Force for a Living Wage today called on two area bookstores, Borders and Barnes and Noble, to join other area bookstore businesses in agreeing to pay employees a Living Wage. The Tompkins County Living Wage, the minimum amount of income and resources required to meet a single person's basic needs, is $11.11/hour plus health insurance.

Autumn Leaves Used Books and Buffalo Street Books, two locally owned book stores already pay a Living Wage, as do many other Tompkins County businesses, non profits, government agencies and houses of worship. The Religious Task Force is asking community members to send postcards to Borders and Barnes and Noble urging these local businesses to pay a Living Wage.

"These bookstores are more than just retail outlets", says Pastor Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca. "These bookstores are community gathering places, a hangout spot, integral parts of the community. What employees are expected and required to do moves into the area of community service. That service that folks provide should be adequately compensated with a Living Wage."

The Tompkins County Religious Task Force for a Living Wage is collaboration between a group of religious leaders representing various faith-based groups in Tompkins County, Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga and the Tompkins County Workers' Center. The Religious Task Force educates, organizes, and conducts outreach among people of faith, calling on all people to respond to the need for economic justice in our community.

For more information on the Tompkins County Living Wage Employer program visit www.TCWorkersCenter.org/employer.

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1126 2009-11-23 00:00:00 2009-11-23 00:00:00 open open as-holiday-season-approaches-religious-task-force-for-a-living-wage-calls-on-borders-and-barnes-and-noble-bookstores-in-ithaca-to-pay-a-living-wage publish 0 0 post 0
New York State Dept of Labor and Tompkins County Workers' Center Announce Results of Targeted Restaurant 'Sweep' http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/12/new-york-state-dept-of-labor-and-tompkins-county-workers-center-announce-results-of-targeted-restaurant-sweep/ Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2009/12/new-york-state-dept-of-labor-and-tompkins-county-workers-center-announce-results-of-targeted-restaurant-sweep/ The New York State Department of Labor's (DOL) Commissioner, Patricia Smith, announced today in a Joint Press Conference with the Tompkins County Workers' Center and City of Ithaca Mayor, Carolyn Peterson, the findings of a targeted DOL investigation of 22 Tompkins County restaurants. In May 2009, investigators from the DOL's Division of Labor Standards and Unemployment Insurance found that eight of the restaurants - 36 percent - were in full compliance with labor laws. However, the other 14 restaurants -64 percent of those visited - were found to have violated New York State Labor Laws. Specifically, the DOL found that $87,925 is owed to 93 employees at 6 restaurants for violations such as failure to pay minimum wage and illegal deductions from workers' paychecks.

Commissioner Smith said, "I'm encouraged by the fact that almost one-quarter of the restaurants we checked were in full compliance with labor laws. To them I say thank you - thank you for treating your workers fairly and thank you for playing by the rules. Ultimately, a level playing field helps all New Yorkers - workers and businesses alike. But several of them resulted in workers being cheated out of wages earned [complete list of restaurants examined at end of this email], and the State not receiving monies needed to pay Unemployment Insurance benefits to unemployed workers.

The Workers' Center was involved in referring some of the complaints to the DOL and is incredibly thankful that we have a governmental agency that is willing and able to act effectively on behalf of worker justice. The DOL is also to be praised for its proactive approach to enforcement which focuses not only on complaints, but also focusing on entire industries for enforcement 'sweeps', especially those industries such as the restaurant industry that are rife with wage and hour violations. We believe that the presence of both Commissioner Smith and Mayor Peterson at Thursday's Press Conference confirms that our growing collaboration for fair treatment of all workers will continue and deepen.

Unfortunately we know that the issue of Wage Theft extends well beyond what the diligent DOL enforcement efforts have uncovered here in Tompkins County. In this community, in this state, and in this nation, there are far, far too many cases of workers being cheated out of the fruits of their hard labor. In September 2009, a strong collaborating partner to the Workers Center, the National Employment Law Project (NELP), released a comprehensive study that NELP did around the country, Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers. This study reveals that approximately 2/3 of low-wage workers are denied full pay, each losing, on average, over $2,600/year. The study, which the Workers' Center can validate as constituting very real problems, also found in its interviews with close to 5,000 workers that in regards to:

*Minimum wage: 1 in 4 workers (26%) are paid below the minimum wage ($7.25/hour) in a given work week;

*Overtime pay: 76% of those who worked overtime were not paid the required time and a half;

*Meal breaks: More than two-thirds (69%) did not get meal breaks they were entitled to;

*Off-the-clock work: 70% did not get any pay at all for work performed outside their regular shift;

*Tipped pay: Nearly 1/3 (30%) of tipped workers were not paid the tipped worker minimum wage (presently $4.65/hour in NYS)

*Pay documentation: 57% of workers did not receive mandatory pay stubs (and as of 10/09, NYS Labor Law requires that employers now give newly-hired workers written notice of the rate at which they will be paid and their regular payday, under Section 195.1 of NY Labor Law);

*Employer retaliation: 43% experienced illegal retaliation following complaints;

*Workers' compensation: Only 6% of injured workers received coverage for medical expenses;

*Exempt workers; 89% of 'in-home' child care workers earned less than the minimum wage.

The Workers' Center is pleased to announce that we have had preliminary meetings with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to begin a process of better educating both restaurant owneres as well as other employers downtown to what is legal and what is not. We hope to also involve the local Chamber of Commerce and Human Rights Commission in this collaboration.

However we need to be clear. The Mission of the Tompkins County Workers' Center, simply put, is to stand up with all people treated unfairly at work or faced with critical poverty, racial, housing, health care, or other social and economic issues. We support, advocate for, and seek to empower each other to create a more just community and world. We believe in a Living Wage and fair treatment in the workplace, and will continue to work resolutely to hold to account any employers who treat their workers unfairly or violate the statutory protections we all should enjoy.

22 Targeted Restaurants Involved in Department of Labor 'Sweep' in Tompkins County:

1) Simeons Restaurant - Underpayment assessed for uniform purchase and uniform maintenance for 31 employees in amount of $5,767.60.

Employer did not launder or pay uniform maintenance allowance for required uniforms; also employer made illegal deductions (required employees to buy uniforms pre-employment).

2) Madelyns Restaurant - Violation - child labor law for not having working papers for one 17 year old minor. $100.00 penalty.

3) The Rose Restaurant - One employee was not paid overtime as required by law; instead he was paid a weekly salary which included no overtime premium. Employer was assessed $20,000.00 and agreed to pay in 7 installments.

Violations found: No working certificate on premises, failure to have minors properly identified on schedule, not paying overtime, not providing a day of rest.

4) Capital Corner Restaurant - Minimum wage violation. One employee who worked in the kitchen is owed $13,564. Employer is currently on a payment plan. Has made 4 payments and has paid $3,995.40.

5) That Burrito Place - Nonpayment of uniform maintenance allowance for $9,398.40 for 24 employees. We are negotiating at the present time.

6) Asia Cuisine - Minimum wage violations. Employer paid tipped food service workers $10 per shift, for shifts lasting 4 - 5 hours; accordingly, workers were paid $2.00 - $2.50 per hour. This rate is well below the minimum wage in effect for tipped food service workers at the time, which was $4.60 per hour. Also, violations of requirement to maintain payroll records. Underpayments estimated at approximately $37,933.57 for 19 employees.

7) New Delhi Diamonds - Employer failed to pay split shift supplement. Underpayment of $1,261.20 collected and released to 6 individuals.

8) Sushi O' Sake - No minimum wage problems. Violation found - failure to have proper records. Employer educated.

9) Samuri Japanese Restaurant - No minimum wage problems.

Violations found - employer not paying manual workers weekly. Failure to have proper records. Employer educated.

10) Lost Dog Café - No minimum wage problems. - Violations found -

meal period violation and employer not paying manual workers weekly. Employer educated.

11) Pizza Aroma - No minimum wage problems and no violations served.

12) Jimmy Johns - Tip appropriation violation: management had access to jar on counter for tips. Violation 196D served and employer educated.

13) Bella Pizza - No minimum wage problems and no violations served.

14) Ithaca Diner - No minimum wage problems and no violations served.

15) Ragmann's - No minimum wage problems. Violation - employee not furnished with proper paystub information. Employer educated.

16) Sammy's Pizzeria and Restaurant - No minimum wage problems. Violations - No day of rest, failure to have proper records, and illegal deductions.

17) Jade Garden - No minimum wage problems or violations served.

18) Sangam Indian Curry - No minimum wage problems or violations served.

19) Paul's Café and Grill - No minimum wage problems or violations served.

20) Viva Tarqeria - No minimum wage problems. Violation - meal period violation. Employer educated.

21) Hal's Deli - No minimum wage problems or violations served.

22) D.P. Dough - No minimum wage problems.

Violations served - child labor - no working papers for one 17 year old minor, failure to have minors properly identified on the schedule, employer not paying manual workers weekly.$750.00 civil penalty assessed.

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1127 2009-12-10 00:00:00 2009-12-10 00:00:00 open open new-york-state-dept-of-labor-and-tompkins-county-workers-center-announce-results-of-targeted-restaurant-sweep publish 0 0 post 0
Restaurant Workers Victorious in 'Wage Theft' Case in Ithaca Small Claims Court http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/01/restaurant-workers-victorious-in-wage-theft-case-in-ithaca-small-claims-court/ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/01/restaurant-workers-victorious-in-wage-theft-case-in-ithaca-small-claims-court/ (Ithaca) Workers rights in Tompkins County took a big step forward today as City Judge James M . Kerrigan ruled in favor of five former employees of Hog's Back BBQ, formerly of 120 Third St, Ithaca, NY. The judgements, which totaled over $8,100 between the five ex-employees, were decided in Small Claims Court without objection from the restaurant's owner or manager, neither of whom attended the trial.

(FOR FIVE MINUTE VIDEO OF WORKERS SPEAKING ON THEIR VICTORY go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zqi69nsUUw)

Hog's Back BBQ operated for a brief period of time between the spring and winter of 2009 in Ithaca's Northside neighborhood. During this time, business associates and employees of the restaurant were routinely dealt with in a dishonest and illegal manner, which culminated in the restaurants demise in the early winter of 2009. The claims represent money owed primarily for unpaid wages and some tips over a period of five months. The judgements awarded today represent a small slice of justice, not only for the five claimants, but for all of those who were affected during the restaurants tumultuous run on Third St.

What the Hog's Back BBQ case represents on a community-wide level, is that workers now have a precedent for taking action against unfair employers. This action, taken in Small Claims Court, has the two-fold effect of allowing more workers in Tompkins County to come forward with their problems at work, as well as letting unscrupulous business owners know that there will be consequences for their actions. In such a period of economic uncertainty it is all the more important that workers are assertive of their rights. As one of the claimants, Jackie Creque of Ithaca, said, "Just because you're in a desperate situation doesn't mean you should let people take advantage of you?Workers need to take more personal responsibility to prepare themselves for situations where maybe their boss isn't on the up-and-up and may not be looking out for their best interests. Keep track of your hours and tips especially, and make sure you don't wait too long to go to court for such things."

Joining the five ex-Hogs Back BBQ employees in the City of Ithaca Court were Linda Holzbaur and Pete Meyers, Coordinators of the Tompkins County Workers' Center. This showing of solidarity and community accountability is ultimately what the Tompkins County Workers' Center is cultivating. Stacey Smith, who won a judgement for $1294.90, illustrated this by saying, "I'm really glad that they [fellow workers and members of the Workers' Center] all showed up and were here supporting each other. It was nice. It felt really good."

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1128 2010-01-28 00:00:00 2010-01-28 00:00:00 open open restaurant-workers-victorious-in-wage-theft-case-in-ithaca-small-claims-court publish 0 0 post 0
Tell Ithaca Cost Cutters (Regis Corp) to Be Fair to Its Workers; Back Off the Anti-Union Actions http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/tell-ithaca-cost-cutters-regis-corp-to-be-fair-to-its-workers-back-off-the-anti-union-actions/ Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/tell-ithaca-cost-cutters-regis-corp-to-be-fair-to-its-workers-back-off-the-anti-union-actions/ Several weeks ago, Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) Member Jami Breedlove (a WIC worker with deep connections in the community), contacted our central office with a story of corporate abuse that was very personal for her. For the past several years, Jami and her family had gotten their hair cut and styled at Cost Cutters (a Division of the Regis Corporation, owner of 34 hair salon brands nationally) in Ithaca. Cost Cutters and the Regis Corporation are the world's largest and most profitable hair salon chain in the world. In mid-January, when Jami went to get her hair cut, she requested her favorite stylist, Amber Little, a stylist at Cost Cutters for the past 3 ½ years.

To take action by sending a fax to the CEO of the Regis Corporation, as well as District and local Cost Cutters management, go to the following web address: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/regiscorporationshouldbeaccountabletocommunity

Jami was informed that Amber no longer worked for Cost Cutters. Jami tried talking to the management of Cost Cutters to find out what had happened to Amber, and was basically stonewalled. Jami then, through nook and cranny, was able to finally locate Amber. Turns out that Amber, a single working mother of two young children, had been fired from her position at Cost Cutters due to a new corporate policy that requires hair stylists to sell hair care products equaling 15% of their hair cutting revenue. Meanwhile, Amber, like most other Cost Cutters workers, was paid $8.oo/hour. In addition, taxpayers help to subsidize corporations such as Regis as Amber made a meager enough hourly wage that she had to collect food stamps, WIC, Section 8, and Medicaid.

The Workers' Center believes that Amber's ability to provide for herself and her two small children cannot be held hostage to a corporation's desire to make a profit above all else. If a corporation is going to have such expectations of sales, the right thing for the corporation to is to let customers know that if they don't buy products that their beloved hair dresser may be fired!

What makes this story particularly damning is the fact that Amber is in line to receive the next Habitat for Humanity House in Tompkins County (in Lansing). Amber and her family have already put over 500 hours sweat equity into the building of the house. Amber has been able to relocate to another salon a couple of days ago (A Personal Touch, 23 Cinema Drive, 607-257-6098, behind Triphammer Mall for those of you in Tompkins County that want to support a business/hair stylist who believes in worker's rights!) but is worried that she won't be able to make enough money (losing her previous clientele at Cost Cutters) to be able to make the Habitat house work.

Watch the Youtube five-minute video above about the Cost Cutter/Amber Little situation by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSr0F_dSWJE..

The TCWC has been in touch with a number of other workers who currently work at the Ithaca Cost Cutters who are taking 'concerted action' (a 'protected activity' as defined by the National Labor Relations Act definition of two or more workers addressing their employer about improving their working conditions and pay) by expressing to Cost Cutters what they believe to be an unfair policy. The workers, uniformly, enjoy working for Cost Cutters but feel as if they've been hired to be hair stylists and that their livelihoods are now threatened by the Regis Corporation's relentless drive for profits. In addition, the TCWC has spoken to another worker, TJ Goehner, who just resigned last week from his position at the store as he knew that he, just like the other current workers, would have very little chance to keep up with the new sales expectations. (TJ now has his own 'chair' at the Ivy League Barbershop on Dryden Road in Collegetown.)

Interestingly, the Regis Corporation was noted in an August 29, 2009 New York Times article by Steven Greenhouse, as proactively seeking to insure that its employees would never unionize, by having employees at a Montana Regis Corporation Cost Cutters, sign statements that they would never agree to a union. In fact, employees at the Tompkins County as well as Cortland Cost Cutters were also required to sign the same such statements!

From the New York Times, 8/29/09

The document the hair stylists were asked to sign, titled Protection of Secret Vote Agreement, said, "In order to preserve my right to a secret-ballot election, and for my own protection, I knowingly and without restraint and free from coercion sign this agreement revoking and nullifying any union authorization card I may execute in the future."...

William B. Gould IV, a Stanford law professor and former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, said, "It seems like a modernized version of the old yellow dog contract," a provision, now illegal, that many employers used to push workers to sign, pledging not to join a union as a condition of employment.

Under current law, at least 30 percent of a workplace's employees must sign cards to lead to a secret-ballot election. Mr. Gould said that under the Regis document, cards signed to seek a secret ballot would automatically be revoked.

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1129 2010-02-07 00:00:00 2010-02-07 00:00:00 open open tell-ithaca-cost-cutters-regis-corp-to-be-fair-to-its-workers-back-off-the-anti-union-actions publish 0 0 post 0
rally-line.jpg http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=541 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:02:05 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rally-line.jpg 541 2010-02-10 16:02:05 2010-02-10 16:02:05 open open rally-line-jpg inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rally-line.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/02/rally-line.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"1280";s:6:"height";s:3:"960";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2010/02/rally-line.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"rally-line-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"rally-line-220x165.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"165";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"rally-line-490x367.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"367";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:3:"2.8";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:3:"C-1";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:12:"-62169984000";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:3:"4.5";s:3:"iso";s:3:"100";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:6:"0.0025";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} rally-line1.jpg http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=542 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:03:21 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rally-line1.jpg 542 2010-02-10 16:03:21 2010-02-10 16:03:21 open open rally-line1-jpg inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rally-line1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/02/rally-line1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"1280";s:6:"height";s:3:"960";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:23:"2010/02/rally-line1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"rally-line1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"rally-line1-220x165.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"165";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"rally-line1-490x367.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"367";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:3:"2.8";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:3:"C-1";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:12:"-62169984000";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:3:"4.5";s:3:"iso";s:3:"100";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:6:"0.0025";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead.jpg http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=5 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:31:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead.jpg 5 2010-02-10 16:31:39 2010-02-10 16:31:39 closed open cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead-jpg inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/02/cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"770";s:6:"height";s:3:"140";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='23' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:42:"2010/02/cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:42:"cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead-150x140.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"140";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:41:"cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead-220x40.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:2:"40";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:41:"cropped-wc-logo-for-letterhead-490x89.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:2:"89";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Welcome to our blog http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/welcome-to-our-blog/ Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:40:52 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=6 6 2010-02-10 16:40:52 2010-02-10 16:40:52 open open welcome-to-our-blog publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1265820056 _edit_last 12261875 Saturday Rally in Ithaca http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/saturday-rally-in-ithaca/ Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:52:07 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=9 First Recipient of Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build Project Unfairly Terminated After 3 ½ Years Dedicated Service at Cost Cutters (Regis Corp) Salon in Ithaca: Workers’ Center To Rally on Worker’s Behalf in Front of Cost Cutters, Saturday, February 13 from 1-3 p.m. (Ithaca) The Tompkins County Workers’ Center has launched a campaign to get the multinational corporation Cost Cutters, a Division of the Regis Corporation, to rehire a longtime employee unfairly terminated several weeks ago. Amber Little, a popular hairdresser at Cost Cutters (722 S. Meadow Street, Ithaca), was terminated when she failed to fulfill a new corporate policy that required stylists to sell a required quota of company hair care products. Says Jami Breedlove, a Workers’ Center member, and regular client of Little’s, “I am outraged over the fact that anyone could be fired over the need to sell personal products, and that the customers didn’t know that. I never bought anything there and didn’t think that it was risking somebody’s job!” Little’s termination is not only unjust in and of itself for this single mother with two small children, but it also jeopardizes her chance at receiving the first-ever Women Build Project/ Habitat for Humanity house (in Lansing). Amber and her family have already put over 500 hours sweat equity into the building of the house. The loss of the Cost Cutters job means a sharp cut in her income just as she was about to sign for a federal loan that Habitat had worked on Little with. The Regis Corporation and Cost Cutters specifically has recently gotten national attention in the NY Times for its anti-worker policies (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/us/30labor.html), particularly for requiring employees to sign statements promising never to unionize. In fact, employees at the Tompkins County as well as Cortland Cost Cutters were also required to sign the same such statements! William B. Gould IV, a Stanford law professor and former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, was quoted in the 8/29/09 New York Times article as saying, “It seems like a modernized version of the old yellow dog contract,” a provision, now illegal, that many employers used to push workers to sign, pledging not to join a union as a condition of employment. The Workers’ Center initiated an Action Alert campaign on Monday that has already generated over 250 faxes to Regis Corporation and Cost Cutter Management requesting that 1) Amber be reinstated to her position at the Ithaca Cost Cutters; 2) requesting that the Regis Corporation inform its customers of the sales quota workers must meet in order to continue working; 3) to cease and desist with the over-the-top anti-union corporate strategy.]]> 9 2010-02-10 16:52:07 2010-02-10 16:52:07 open open saturday-rally-in-ithaca publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1265820733 _edit_last 12261875 National Labor Relations Board Opens Investigation of Cost Cutters Hair Salon in Ithaca (Regis Corporation) for Unfair Labor Practices http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/national-labor-relations-board-opens-investigation-of-cost-cutters-hair-salon-in-ithaca-regis-corporation-for-unfair-labor-practices/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/national-labor-relations-board-opens-investigation-of-cost-cutters-hair-salon-in-ithaca-regis-corporation-for-unfair-labor-practices/ (Ithaca) The National Labor Relations Board today is commencing an investigation of the Ithaca Cost Cutters Hair Salon/Regis Corporation (722 S. Meadow St., Ithaca). The investigation is commencing as a result of an Unfair Labor Practice complaint filed by the Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) on behalf of workers at Cost Cutters with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

If you haven't taken part in our Fax Campaign to Regis Corporation/Cost Cutters yet, it would be very helpful if you did! Just go to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/regiscorporationshouldbeaccountabletocommunity (Our video on the situation, five minutes in length, can be found by clicking on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSr0F_dSWJE

The body of the complaint filed by the TCWC with the NLRB against Cost Cutters/Regis says: "Since on or about August 15, 2009, it, by its officers , agents and representatives has interfered with, restrained and coerced, and is interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of their rights to self organization, to bargain collectively with representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection, or to refrain from any and all such activities, which rights are guaranteed by Section 7 of the Act, by , but not limited to, by requiring it employees to sign a document stating that the employee was revoking any executed union authorization card."

Cost Cutters/Regis' anti-union tactics came to light when an employee, Amber Little, was terminated for not being able to sell a required quota of company hair care products and came to the Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) to find out what her recourse was. In the course of the TCWC investigation, and in talking to numerous other present and past employees, the TCWC discovered what appears to be an illegal tactic practiced by the largest hair salon chain in the world, Regis, to keep employees from organizing a union (historically known as a 'yellow dog contract').

The Regis Corporation and Cost Cutters specifically has recently gotten national attention for its anti-worker policies (New York Times article (8/29/09) by Steven Greenhouse), particularly for requiring employees to sign statements promising never to unionize. In fact, employees at the Tompkins County as well as Cortland Cost Cutters were also required to sign the same such statements! William B. Gould IV, a Stanford law professor and former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, was quoted in the 8/29/09 New York Times article as saying, "It seems like a modernized version of the old yellow dog contract," a provision, now illegal, that many employers used to push workers to sign, pledging not to join a union as a condition of employment.

The Workers' Center initiated an Action Alert campaign on Monday that has already generated over 400 faxes to Regis Corporation and Cost Cutter Management requesting that 1) Amber be reinstated to her position at the Ithaca Cost Cutters; 2) requesting that the Regis Corporation inform its customers of the sales quota workers must meet in order to continue working; 3) to cease and desist with the over-the-top anti-union corporate strategy.

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On A Personal Note http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/on-a-personal-note/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:02:32 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=15 Dear Folks,
I realize you've already received hundreds of these, but I want to cast the issue a little differently than the form letter laid it out.  The form letter starts out:
"On January 6th, Amber Little, a hair stylist for 3 1/2 years at Cost Cutters in Ithaca, NY, was terminated from her position as a result of not being able to meet the unrealistic Cost Cutters/Regis Corporation policy that requires stylists to sell hair care products equaling 15% of their hair cutting revenue."
This much I agree with.  The policy is unrealistic.  I do not agree, however, that the policy is "unfair," at least not technically:  as a corporation, you do have the right to impose performance standards.  The problem isn't that the standard you imposed on Ms. Little was "unfair."  The problem is that the policy is unrealistic, and the timing of its imposition on Ms. Little was very bad, because it caused her to lose her eligibility for her Habitat for Humanity house.  I'm not angry because you have the right to impose performance standards.  I'm angry because the policy you imposed is stupid and unrealistic, and it resulted in Amber losing her eligibility for her house.
I'll tell you what actions I'm going to take about this.  I'm going to go out of my way, now that I know where Amber is working, to take my haircutting needs to her in her new location, and I will never again go to any Regis-owned hairstyle place, especially now that I have become aware that you force your haircutters to "pimp out" your hair-care products.  If I want hair-care products, I will ask:  which means if I haven't asked, I don't want them.  If I come into Regis, and I see all your products displayed and decide I really need some of them, then you have a sale.  But if your haircutters harass me, on pain of losing their job due to your stupid and unrealistic policy, I'm just going to go somewhere else where I can get exactly what I ask for, without all the other sales pressure.  This is why your policy is stupid and unrealistic:  the result of your imposing it is that you will lose customers like myself.
The rest of the form letter reads as follows:
"I believe that Amber should be hired back to her Ithaca Cost Cutters job."
This, I disagree with.  Now that Amber's former customers (who went to her because they like her skills, not because they give a snowball in Hell about Regis Corporation) know where she is working away from her former position with Regis, Amber is better off now without Regis Corporation.  Losing her house eligibility was a high price to pay for her freedom, but I believe being free from your absurd performance policies will eventually pay her great dividends.
You are watching economic Darwinism in action:  turmoil, and the emergence of the strong, and the fading-away of the weak.
PS, it's illegal to force people to sign anti-union statements.  For the moment, you will probably get away with this violation of law... for the moment.
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Thank you and a Dinner http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/thank-you-and-a-dinner/ Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:21:57 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=18 Thanks to Supporters who Faced the Cold on Saturday At least 100 people stood along Meadow Street last Saturday to show their support for Amber Little, the stylist fired from the Ithaca Cost Cutter last month. It was a typical frigid February day but coffee, donut holes, hot chocolate and solidarity kept everyone warm...or at least, cheerful. I held the Religious Task Force banner with two folks who traveled from Syracuse, members of the Labor/Religion Coalition there. A SUNY Brockport student, shooting a documentary about low income women struggling with the Social Services world, was there, along with local residents and media. Thanks to the beeps as you drove by, too! Nothing like a little support to keep a crowd dedicated. The Ithaca Journal printed this article about the Rally and the National Labor Relations Board investigation into Cost Cutters: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/201002141805/NEWS01/2140342 Immigrants Rights Coalition Dinner this Thursday The Tompkins County Immigrant Rights Coalition and other local groups are sponsoring a welcome dinner for advocates of immigration reform, who will conclude a five-day lobbying tour across the state in Ithaca. The tour was sponsored by Reform Immigration for America and the New York Immigration Coalition. The dinner is Thursday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Women’s Community Building, 100 W. Seneca Street, Ithaca. The event will include brief remarks and information on the topic, live music by Colleen Kattau, and a Cuban main dish. Bring your own (non-alcoholic) drinks, salad or desert. All are welcome. Donations $4 - 50  are encouraged.]]> 18 2010-02-15 20:21:57 2010-02-15 20:21:57 open open thank-you-and-a-dinner publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1266265329 email_notification 1266265323 Over 100 People Attend Rally Outside Cost Cutters Saturday in Protest of Unfair Termination and 'Yellow Dog Contract": VIDEO + TAKE ACTION! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/over-100-people-attend-rally-outside-cost-cutters-saturday-in-protest-of-unfair-termination-and-yellow-dog-contract-video-take-action/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/over-100-people-attend-rally-outside-cost-cutters-saturday-in-protest-of-unfair-termination-and-yellow-dog-contract-video-take-action/ Over 100 people braved the cold this past Saturday outside Cost Cutters Hair Salon in Ithaca to protest the unfair termination of Amber Little as a stylist from Cost Cutters. Many people were there to also express outrage at the 'yellow dog contract' that the Regis Corporation, parent company of Cost Cutters and world's largest hair salon chain, forced employees to sign late last summer. The Workers' Center has filed an Unfair Labor Practice with the National Labor Relations Board.

Excellent video coverage of the rally from Ithaca College student, Peter Blanchard below:

If you haven't yet taken Action by sending a Fax to Regis Corporation officials, please consider doing so by going to http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/regiscorporationshouldbeaccountabletocommunity It will take less than 30 seconds! For those of you who were past customers of Amber Little at Cost Cutters, or would like to support a worker who is willing to stand up for her rights thus inspiring others, please consider contacting Amber for your next hair care needs. She's at A Personal Touch at Bishop's Small Mall (behind Triphammer Mall) in Ithaca (607-257-6098).

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http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/26/ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:18:16 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=26 http://tcirc.wordpress.com http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org Ute Ritz-Deutch’s opinion piece, printed Monday in the Ithaca Journal: http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100215/VIEWPOINTS02/2150302/Reforms-will-help-immigrants -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you'd like to support some actual victims of the current US immigration policy, consider driving to Syracuse next weekend for the Presente Recognition Potluck Lunch. It will be held at the Plymouth Congregational Church at 232 E. Onondaga Street in Syracuse at 1 pm, Saturday February 27. Freddy Mauricio Rodriquez is being forced to leave his American wife and two young children, causing them great hardship. He is scheduled to be deported in early March to his native Honduras. Nancy Gwin, also of Syracuse, is scheduled to enter federal prison March 8 for her act of nonviolent civil disobedience to protest the School of the Americas last November. The SOA trained Salvadoran Armed Forces who killed at least 1000 civilians and were responsible for the assassination of  Archbishop Oscar Romero, four North American church women, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter in in El Salvador. Guests are asked to bring a dish to pass (a salad, an entree, a beverage, some soup or bread) or just yourself to hear more from them, comfort them, and show your solidarity. It helps greatly if you RSVP. Contact Pat Rector at 315 744-0943 to do so.]]> 26 2010-02-18 18:18:16 2010-02-18 18:18:16 open open 26 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1268768734 email_notification 1266517102 Welfare 'Reform' http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/welfare-reform/ Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:02:23 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=29 On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Public Law 104-193, better known as the Welfare Reform Bill. This law changes how governmental financial assistance is administered including: changing federal funding to states from an open-ended entitlement to a series of capped block grant allocations; sets time limits on entitlements and cash assistance to welfare recipients; requires most welfare recipients to engage in job activities (this includes work experience, community service, job training, vocational education); changes the disability definitions for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for children who apply; mandates states to establish methods to enforce collection of unpaid parental child support; denies many legal immigrants from collecting SSI and food stamps; consolidates all child care programs into the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and changes foodstamp recertification requirements. In other words, many recipients of Department of Social Services programs must find paid employment in order to continue receiving said services. And of course, many of these program participants are single women raising young children on their own. When a person is forced by the government to take a job – any job, no matter the salary – certain industries or business sectors are the fat-cat, happy, inevitable winners. Take a fast food restaurant, for example. As the proprietor, you are pretty much guaranteed a steady stream of workers who will accept minimum wage, fewer than necessary hours, potentially demeaning treatment and an absolutely nil chance of advancement. Because they have to. As a DSS recipient with no choice and no power regarding your employment, your job hours will most likely be irregular and inconvenient. It will be tough to find childcare on weekend evenings and holidays. You will be scheduled for six hours and sent home after 4 1/2 if the business is light. But no one, even a minimum wage earning DSS client, needs to accept illegal treatment. When you are hurt on a job, Workers’ Compensation, a type of insurance that an employer pays, must cover your medical bills and a salary for any time that you will be out of work recovering from your injury. Having Medicaid coverage does not mean that Medicaid should pick up your bills for an injury sustained on the job. And if your boss fires you for filing a Workers’ Comp claim? That is unfair retaliation, an illegal activity on the part of your boss. That is a case for the Department of Labor. I recently visited the Center Ithaca Department of Labor One Stop to ask a few questions. The folks who work there are genuinely kind and caring people. The man helping me said ‘Remember to send people here on their day off when they have these kinds of problems. We can help them get better jobs. There are some out there.’ We all have workers’ rights. Earning minimum wage does not mean that you have minimal rights.]]> 29 2010-02-22 18:02:23 2010-02-22 18:02:23 open open welfare-reform publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1266861749 email_notification 1266861746 48 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/2010-in-review/ 72.233.61.80 2011-01-03 22:35:36 2011-01-03 22:35:36 1 pingback 0 0 The Occupational Health Clinical Center offers help for the Injured or Ill Worker http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/the-occupational-health-clinical-center-offers-help-for-the-injured-or-ill-worker/ Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:24:44 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=33 543 2010-02-23 21:24:44 2010-02-23 21:24:44 open open the-occupational-health-clinical-center-offers-help-for-the-injured-or-ill-worker publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1266960286 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1266960284 We know what 'all work and no play' makes us... http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/02/we-know-what-all-work-and-no-play-makes-us/ Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:50:23 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=36
  • 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) This true story shows how much harder the Great Depression was if you were poor and black. Working for the railroad, you could forget being called by your real name -- all black porters were simply called "George," after George Pullman, the first person to employ emancipated slaves. Asa Philip Randolph agreed to fight for the Pullman porters' cause and form the first black union in America.
  • 9 to 5 (1980, Colin Higgins) Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are fed up with abuse from their rampantly male chauvinist employer, Dabny Coleman.  When they kidnap the boss and take control of the office, productivity and profits rise.
  • Baran (2001, Majid Majidi) At an Iranian construction site where Afghan refugees are illegally employed, an Afghan teenage girl poses an a boy to obtain work after her father is disabled from a fall due to unsafe conditions.  A young Iranian worker resents the new employee until he discovers her secret and falls in love.  The story follows his heroic and, at times, outlandish efforts to protect her from the vicissitudes of the workplace and the immigration police.
  • Billy Elliot (2000, Stephen Daldry) BillyElliot, the eleven year old son of a coal miner, finds that ballet is his passion and he secretly skips boxing lessons to study dance.  It’s a difficult time for the family – his father and brother are out on the picket line (the story takes place during the 1984-85 British miners strike).  When Billy’s father learns of the ballet class, he’s furious.  A devoted teacher intervenes, but when Billy’s brother is arrested, it seems he’ll miss the opportunity of a lifetime – an auditon to attend the Royal Ballet School.
  • Bread and Roses (2000, Ken Loach) After a perilous illegal border crossing, a young Mexican woman plays a central role in organizing the janitors of a major Los Angeles office building. She falls in love with a brash young organizer and learns the terrible price her older sister paid to help support the family in Mexico.
  • Enjoy!]]>
    544 2010-02-24 21:50:23 2010-02-24 21:50:23 open open we-know-what-all-work-and-no-play-makes-us publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1284501658 email_notification 1267048787 50 LeidaDrawy690194@hotmail.com http://www.blackhat-blog.de 219.93.30.34 2010-09-11 16:53:37 2010-09-11 16:53:37 1 0 0 49 moongoddessmary58@yahoo.com 71.182.123.217 2010-03-17 13:07:48 2010-03-17 13:07:48 1 0 0 51 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/2010-in-review/ 72.233.61.80 2011-01-03 22:35:50 2011-01-03 22:35:50 1 pingback 0 0
    corgi http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/please-spread-the-word-about-the-importance-of-the-census/corgi/ Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:26:33 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/corgi.jpg 44 2010-03-01 21:26:33 2010-03-01 21:26:33 open open corgi inherit 545 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/corgi.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/03/corgi.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"135";s:6:"height";s:3:"106";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='122'";s:4:"file";s:17:"2010/03/corgi.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} corgi http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/please-spread-the-word-about-the-importance-of-the-census/corgi-2/ Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:27:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/corgi1.jpg 46 2010-03-01 21:27:39 2010-03-01 21:27:39 open open corgi-2 inherit 545 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/corgi1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/03/corgi1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"135";s:6:"height";s:3:"106";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='122'";s:4:"file";s:18:"2010/03/corgi1.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Please spread the word about the importance of the Census! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/please-spread-the-word-about-the-importance-of-the-census/ Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:28:55 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=39 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On to today's real topic: the 2010 US census. Pam Mackesy, county Legislator for District 1, a district which represents parts of the city and  Town of Ithaca, is also the chair of the county census committee. She stopped by today to talk about how critical an accurate census count is to both the city of Ithaca and Tompkins County. Since the census results are so important in so many ways, the County is very concerned that everyone be counted on April 1, the official census counting day. Federal aid -- over $100 billion dollars of it --  to counties and municipalities is allocated based on the April 1st population figures. This money is used for community programs and services, such as education programs, housing and community development, health-care services for the elderly, job training, roads, bus services, food programs and all Department of Social Services programs. If the city of Ithaca's population has climbed above 30,000 residents, it will be eligible for many more programs than it has benefited from in the past. Some undocumented workers or people who are wary of governmental intrusion into their lives are reluctant to provide information to what looks like all governmental agencies.  We've been assured that there will be no retribution against the undocumented nor is all the information shared between government agencies. Another problem with collecting real numbers is that the census forms arrive at a home with only an address, not a specific name, so miscounts in homes shared by groups of unrelated people is common. An apartment or group home is one household; all the residents must be counted. College students should be counted in the location where they reside on April 1st, not in their home state. The census agency is planning staffed QACs (Questionaire Assistance Center) around the county: at the Tompkins County Public Library, the TC Department of Social Services on West State Street, the Pyramid Mall, the Dryden Village Hall and on College Avenue in Collegetown. Materials have been printed in 57 languages. The staff is being trained to assist people with filling out the forms and answering other questions. Besides the staffed QACs, the census will have multiple BC (Be Counted!) sites around the county. Although the BC sites will not be staffed, they will be fully stocked with literature on the census. Please remember to discuss the census and its importance with your families, friends and neighbors. This is an essential issue for the poor and middle income earners in Tompkins County.]]> 545 2010-03-01 21:28:55 2010-03-01 21:28:55 open open please-spread-the-word-about-the-importance-of-the-census publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1267478947 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1267478941 Save SUNY Rally in Albany on March 9 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/save-suny-rally-in-albany-on-march-9/ Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:14:26 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=49 49 2010-03-03 19:14:26 2010-03-03 19:14:26 open open save-suny-rally-in-albany-on-march-9 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1267643671 email_notification 1267643667 Weekend Activities and Good News in the fight against wage theft http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/weekend-activities-and-good-news-in-the-fight-against-wage-theft/ Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:25:58 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=52 From False Idols to Moral Vision; the fast will begin at 8 pm on Saturday and concludes Monday, March 8 at noon when  fast participants will gather at Loaves & Fishes for lunch. Loaves & Fishes is located in the Parish Hall of St. John's Episcopal Church at 210 North Cayuga Street in Ithaca. On Sunday, March 7th, TC Workers' Center members may show their membership cards at Cinemapolis to receive a discount for the commemorative  showing of  You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, the documentary film about Howard Zinn. Zinn, the author of A People's History of the United States and a tireless activist for human rights, passed away at age 87 on January 27. Following the film at 2 pm on Sunday, please join us for a discussion with Cornell historian Richard Polenberg and IC political scientist Zillah Eisenstein. Cinemapolis is located at 120 E Green Street in Ithaca. The WC member's ticket price is $5. And now for something completely different, NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has surprised and delighted worker advocates by arresting the owner of a chain of boutiques in New York City for the theft of $1.5 million dollars in wages from his employees. This is unusual since wage theft has been treated as a civil matter in the past. Many thanks to the Retail Action Project for the tireless work seeking justice for workers. Read the full story here: http://www.labornotes.org/2010/02/ny-boutique-boss-arrested-faces-4-years-jail-stealing-wages]]> 52 2010-03-04 17:25:58 2010-03-04 17:25:58 open open weekend-activities-and-good-news-in-the-fight-against-wage-theft publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1268943788 email_notification 1267723563 Worker Awarded $2301.04 in 'Wage Theft' Case in Ithaca Small Claims Court http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/worker-awarded-2301-04-in-wage-theft-case-in-ithaca-small-claims-court/ Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/worker-awarded-2301-04-in-wage-theft-case-in-ithaca-small-claims-court/ (Ithaca) Workers rights in Tompkins County took a another step forward on March 4th, 2010 as City Judge Judith Rossiter ruled in favor of a former employee of City Health Club, located at 402 W. Green Street, Ithaca, NY. The judgment, which totaled $2301.04, was decided in Small Claims Court without objection from the health club's management.

    The claim represents back wages for the employee who worked at City Health Club from April 2009 through February 2010. The judgment awarded today sends the message to local employers that wage theft will not be tolerated in Tompkins County.

    When employees are facing nonpayment or underpayment of salary, they have several options for addressing the problem: they can file a case with the NYS Department of Labor or can file a claim with their local small claims court. The recent cases of wage theft adjudicated in Ithaca's Small Claims Court has the two-fold effect of encouraging more workers in Tompkins County to come forward with their problems at work, as well as letting unscrupulous business owners know that there will be consequences for their actions. In such a period of economic uncertainty it is all the more important that workers are assertive of their rights. Arthur Whitman, the employee involved in this case, said "It feels really good to finally have some resolution to my case and to know that soon I will be able to pay some of the money I owe to my landlady. I can move on now."
    Here's what we usually suggest when an employee or former employee has not been paid:
    * First of all, communication is best. Have you spoken to your boss or supervisor, accounting or human resources departments, if applicable?
    * If that is not an option or hasn't successfully resolved the problem, we at the Workers' Center are willing to make a call for you. Frequently, we are able to mediate a dispute between worker and employee.
    * If communication has not worked, the next step in the process (if the amount owed is under $5000) is to file either a Small Claims case or a Department of Labor claim for unpaid wages. Lately, we've been leaning towards Small Claims as the easiest and quickest route. The Departments of Labor, both state and federal, have been severely cut over the years; there just aren't enough investigators to handle all the complaints filed. Hence, the Small Claims court option.
    What we hope to accomplish by taking a case to Small Claims is not just resolution of the problem at hand but also a message to other unpaid employees that they do have options available to them. Too many times, employees who have not received their pay write them off as a hard lesson learned. Your wages are yours: it is illegal to make a person work without compensation.

    ]]>
    1132 2010-03-06 00:00:00 2010-03-06 00:00:00 open open worker-awarded-2301-04-in-wage-theft-case-in-ithaca-small-claims-court publish 0 0 post 0
    Small Claims Court http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/small-claims-court/ Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:44:21 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=56
  • First of all, communication is best. Have you spoken to your boss or supervisor, accounting or human resources departments, if applicable?
  • If  that is not an option or hasn't successfully resolved the problem, we at the Workers' Center are willing to make a call for you. Frequently, we are able to mediate a dispute between worker and employee.
  • If communication has not worked, the next step in the process (if the amount owed is under $5000) is to file either a Small Claims case or a Department of Labor claim for unpaid wages. Lately, we've been leaning towards Small Claims as the easiest and quickest route. The Departments of Labor, both state and federal, have been severely cut over the years; there just aren't enough investigators to handle all the complaints filed. Hence, the Small Claims court option.
  • What we hope to accomplish by taking a case to Small Claims is not just resolution of the problem at hand but also a message to other unpaid employees that they do have options available to them. Too many times, employees who have not received their pay write them off as a hard lesson learned. Your wages are yours: it is illegal to make a person work without compensation.]]>
    56 2010-03-08 20:44:21 2010-03-08 20:44:21 open open small-claims-court publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1268840580 email_notification 1268081062
    Updates on WC Projects http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/updates-on-wc-projects/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:32:02 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=59 http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100308/NEWS01/3080362/Former-salon-employees-turn-lemons-to-lemonade ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Listening Project is something new that the Workers' Center is working on. Our goal is to learn about the working experiences of our neighbors in Tompkins County and to figure out how we can best help people in the future. I personally think the Listening Project is something more, though: it can be the record of history. Think about those out-of-work writers who, during the Great Depression, were employed with the Federal Writers Project. Many of those writers collected valuable oral histories of people who had been born enslaved. We'd love it if you would volunteer to be listened to: every story is important to us. For more information on the Federal Writers Project and examples of slave narratives, visit the Library of Congress collection at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/ For a current, nationwide effort to gather and preserve stories, visit the StoryCorps website at http://storycorps.org/about]]> 59 2010-03-11 20:32:02 2010-03-11 20:32:02 open open updates-on-wc-projects publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1268339528 email_notification 1268339524 A New Book http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/a-new-book/ Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:15:33 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=62 The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy. Dodson, now a sociology professor at Boston College, has been an obstetrical nurse, a union activist and the director of the Division of  Women's Health for the state of Massachusetts. When Dodson began her research for this book, she intended to track how an unfair economy affects low wage earners. But an early subject, the manager of a food company in the Midwest filled out her survey and remarked 'Aren't you going to ask me about how this affects me?' Much to Dodson's surprise, the food manager was not worried about how a poor economy threatened his personal financial security but was deeply stressed by overseeing employees who he knew made too little to adequately care for their families. Thus began Dodson's inquiry into how social justice mavericks pull strings at their workplaces to help low wage earners. One manager at a big box retailer was sympathetic when one of her worker's teenaged daughter, a young woman who had worked through high school to contribute to the family's well-being, was unable to afford a prom dress. In rural Maine, where these people live, the high school prom is an important step towards adulthood. The manager looked the other way when unsold dresses were boxed up to be sent back to the warehouse. The food business manager mentioned above distributed dinged cans and bread with ripped bags to his employees instead of sending them back to the warehouse or throwing them out; instead of insisting that employees punch out if they needed to leave work to take their kids to a doctor's appointment, he punched out for them at their scheduled leave time. I won't give away any more of the book in case this has piqued your interest in it. What a good feeling: that there are many people among us, taking small -- and large -- risks for the people they work with. If you read the book, send us a comment or a review. Happy reading!]]> 62 2010-03-16 20:15:33 2010-03-16 20:15:33 open open a-new-book publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1268770535 _edit_lock 1268770538 More Movies http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/more-movies/ Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:07:20 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=65
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980, Michael Apted) Sissy Spacek won the 1982 Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Loretta Lynn in this film adaptation of  the country singer-songwriter’s autobiography.  The film was nominated for six other Academy Awards.
  • Cradle Will Rock (1999, Tim Robbins) Tim Robbin’s tour de force tells the story of Orson Welles’ attempt to use the WPA’s Federal Theater Project for a Broadway musical about a steel strike.  The film also depicts depression era politics with a broad brush:  subplots include anti-communist Congressional hearings; corporate plotting to aid Mussolini’s war machine; and Mexican muralist Diego Rivera’s famous confrontation with a young Nelson Rockefeller over the artist’s Rockefeller Center fresco.
  • Devil and Miss Jones (1941, Sam Wood) Jean Arthur and  Robert Cummings star in this film about a department store owner who poses as a shoe salesman to spy on his employees’ attempt to organize a union.  Naturally, romance ensues.
  • Erin Brockovich (2000, Steven Soderbergh) Julia Roberts won the 2001 Oscar for Best Actress for her depiction of single mother Erin Brockovich, who lands a job with a solo practice personal injury lawyer (Albert Finney).  She unravels a plot by a major corporation to hide its massive contamination of her community with deadly hexavalent chromium.  Finney and Soderbergh were also nominated for Academy Awards; the film was nominated for Best Picture.
  • Fast Food Nation (2006, Richard Linklater) The film is a tough look at working conditions and food safety in the slaughterhouses and meat packing plants that supply fast food chains.  The multifaceted story line follows a corporate executive investigating reports of contaminated meat, immigrant workers contending with unsafe conditions and sexual abuse, and animal rights activists hatching schemes to save the cattle.
  • The Full Monty (1997, Peter Cattaneo) The film depicts the trials and tribulations of a group of laid off steelworkers, who, desperate to raise some cash, decide to form an all male striptease revue.  The guys are not exactly models and they can’t dance, but a supportive female audience cheers them on and insists on the ‘full monty” (frontal nudity)as a finale.  Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, the movie won an Oscar for Best Original Score.
  • The Grapes of Wrath (1940, John Ford) Henry Fonda starred in this adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel about migrant workers fleeing drought and failed farms in Oklahoma only to be met with violence and exploitation in California.
  • Gung Ho (1986, Ron Howard) Management and work cultures collide when a Japanese firm takes over an U.S. automobile factory in this comedy starring Michael Keaton.
  • ]]>
    65 2010-03-17 15:07:20 2010-03-17 15:07:20 open open more-movies publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1268944228 email_notification 1268838440 52 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/2010-in-review/ 72.233.61.80 2011-01-03 22:35:46 2011-01-03 22:35:46 1 pingback 0 0
    The Scales of Justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/the-scales-of-justice/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:15:35 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=71 71 2010-03-18 20:15:35 2010-03-18 20:15:35 open open the-scales-of-justice publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1268943335 _edit_lock 1268944090 Recent Immigrants at Work in Tompkins County http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/recent-immigrants-at-work-in-tompkins-county/ Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:40:01 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=76 Most of us are descended from immigrants, whether they are recent arrivals or long-time North Americans. The History Center at 401 East Martin Luther King, Jr. Street (aka State Street) has an interesting panel this Thursday, March 25, at 5:30 about our more recent immigrant neighbors. The Workers' Center colleague Geovanny Trivino of the NYS DOL will be a participant on the panel. Here's the blurb from the History Center: This event, which is co-sponsored by the Ithaca Asian American Association, the Tompkins County Immigrant Rights Coalition, and the Tompkins County Workers' Center, introduces recent immigrants speaking on their journey to America, efforts to find work, and what they do for a living in Tompkins County. Participating on the panel are Vanthy Dut (Cambodia), Simo Maataoui (Morocco), Vy Merrit (Cambodia), Mauricio Rosa (El Salvador). Also present will be Geovanny Trivino, of the Bureau of Immigrant Workers’ Rights, New York State Department of Labor, who will speak on working conditions that led to the recent investigation of restaurants on the Ithaca Commons. A question and answer period will follow the presentation. This event is free and open to the public. This program is made possible by a generous grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. For info, contact The History Center 401 East State Street, Suite 100 Ithaca, New York 14850 Phone: 607.273.8284 ext. 6, Fax: (607) 273-6107 community@TheHistoryCenter.net]]> 76 2010-03-23 21:40:01 2010-03-23 21:40:01 open open recent-immigrants-at-work-in-tompkins-county publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1269380412 email_notification 1269380407 Community Conversation Series Continues at Cinemapolis http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/community-conversation-series-continues-at-cinemapolis/ Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:56:03 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=79 Cinemapolis continues its excellent series this Sunday, March 28. Bringing to Ithaca critically acclaimed films that tap into timely political and economic topics, Community Conversations is part of a renewed focus by the theater to stimulate socially relevant discussion  in our community through thought-provoking films. These Community Conversations are open to the public with discounted admission for Cinemapolis members and, for this film, members of the Tompkins County Workers' Center. Sunday's film is The Corporation which explores the role of the corporation as an institution in our society, and which is particularly relevant given the Supreme Court's recent decision in the Citizens United case.  Many observers have warned that Citizens United will open the floodgates of corporate influence on our elections. The Film is the winner of 26 international awards and 10 Audience Choice Awards including the Sundance Film Festival. "Provoking, witty, stylish and sweepingly informative, THE CORPORATION explores the nature and spectacular rise of the dominant institution of our time. Taking the corporation's status as a legal "person" to the logical conclusion, the film puts the corporation on the psychiatrist's couch to ask "What kind of person is it?" The Corporation includes interviews with 40 corporate insiders and critics - plus true confessions, case studies and strategies for change."  Based on the book "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power" by Joel Bakan." Post Film Discussion: Following the film, please join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion featuring corporate behavior and ethics expert Jim Detert, Assistant Professor of Management at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, and constitutional law authority Michael Dorf, Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law at Cornell. Date & Time:  Sunday March 28th at 2pm Tickets: $10.00 for Non-Members $5.00 for Cinemapolis Members and  TC Workers' Center Members (with I.D. card), free with FLEFF pass]]> 79 2010-03-25 20:56:03 2010-03-25 20:56:03 open open community-conversation-series-continues-at-cinemapolis publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1269550567 email_notification 1269550564 Immigration Reform: the March in DC http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/immigration-reform-the-march-in-dc/ Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:48:21 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=82 The following post was written by Samantha Wolfe, a junior sociology major at Ithaca College and an intern at the Workers Center: Sunday March 21 I traveled to and from D.C. with 30 other Ithacans in the span of 24 hours. We were mobilized by the leaders of the Immigrant Rights Coalition, an organization that TCWC helped co-found, to march on Washington demanding Comprehensive Immigration Reform. I thought that we’d join up with a few thousand other people, but when we got on the bus at 4 a.m. we were told that the National Campaign for Immigration Reform expected 100,000 people to be there! Wow, I thought. I attended my first rally only a few weeks ago to speak out against Regis Corporation and stand up with workers from Cost Cutters (specifically Amber Little) and Workers Center members. (See more details on that story here: http://www.tclivingwage.org/news.php?articleid=100&source=index.php.) At that rally there were at most 50 people there while I was there. After a 7 hour bus ride during which we made calls to our representatives, signed petitions, filled out commitment cards and studied the map of the march, we arrived at RFK stadium. I’d also never been to DC before- what a beautiful city. The weather was perfect for the event- 78 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. The cherry blossom trees were in bloom and the marble architecture shone in the sun. In the hours before the march at 5pm we saw thousands of marchers carrying flags and posters (and even puppets) of all kinds that read, “I’m already home,” “Workers, Taxpayers, Voters”, “Queremos Familias Unidads”, and “Rights For All." A friend and I walked right up to the Washington Monument, which allowed us to step back and witness how big the crowd really was. Thousands of people covered the national mall. My friend had a good insight. She said, “Wow, now I can start to imagine what the Poor People’s Campaign and tent city were like.” The Poor People's Campaign  was “a historic effort by the poor to unite across racial, gender, ethnic, religious and geographic lines...and a fight by capable, hard workers against dehumanization, discrimination and poverty wages in the richest country in the world,” (taken from A New and Unsettling Force by The Poverty Initiative, see http://poorpeoplescampaignppc.org/ for more info). The power of this demonstration on Sunday made history come alive for my friend, for myself, and (I imagine) for thousands of people there. The final count on the number of people there reached 500,000! Half a million! Even when the count was at 200,000 it was announced that this was the largest mobilization of people since Obama took office. The speakers that afternoon were inspirational and moving. One told the story of an undocumented immigrant father and his US –born son. They were pulled over by the police and as the cop approached the window, the 7-year old boy jumped out of the back seat pleading, “My dad is not a criminal! He didn’t do anything wrong! Leave him alone!” Clearly, this little boy was aware of the threat of his dad’s deportation. This is something that Comprehensive Immigration Reform aims to change: the splitting up of families. It was also pretty incredible to hear from the Dreamers. They are a group of undocumented students demanding that the Dream Act be passed. Currently, undocumented immigrant students (even if they have lived here their entire life) who have worked hard throughout high school are not legally allowed to attend college since they are not legal citizens. There are 65,000 undocumented immigrant students each year that are held back from getting a college education and contributing to the betterment of this country because of this law. The Dreamers are working to change this. These students marched 1,500 miles from Miami to D.C. since January 1st to make their voices heard at the risk of deportation. The speakers, the Dreamers, and the hundreds of thousands of protestors in D.C. that day made it clear to me that the working people of this country have a whole lot of potential power. How incredible that so many immigrants came to march for their rights at the risk of their livelihoods and that so many U.S. citizens stood in solidarity with them and their struggle. The struggle of any group that is being denied their human rights is connected to all of our struggles- for jobs that makes us enough money to live and feed our families, for affordable health care that ensures we won’t go into debt if we or a family member gets sick, for a world in which ordinary people (not corporations) have power over our own governments. The march on Sunday and the movement for social and economic justice being built across the country gives me hope for the work we’re doing here at the Workers Center. :) Thanks, Samantha, for giving those of us who were unable to travel to DC a taste of this important rally. If any other readers would like to share their insights please submit it to LindaWorkersCenter@gmail.com]]> 82 2010-03-29 17:48:21 2010-03-29 17:48:21 open open immigration-reform-the-march-in-dc publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1269885017 email_notification 1269884907 Freelance Employees http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/03/freelance-employees/ Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:47:51 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=88 'the Union offers its members - including grievance assistance, contract advice, a job hotline, health and professional liability insurance, and much more - and actively contribute to a growing movement of professional freelancers who have banded together to assert their collective power.' There is a sizable population of writers, photographers, artists and other affiliated professions that can be greatly helped by the NWU. Take a moment to check them out here. Another, more nontraditional, union, the Freelancers Union, offers a different kind of assistance. Freelancers has group rates for insurance plans, for instance, something that many freelancers cannot access on their own. They also have online forums where freelancers share support for each other and discuss topics of interest to freelancers. Tomorrow and next week, the Freelancers Union is offering a workshop entitled Unpaid Wages Organizing Event. The topic covered -- close to every freelancer's heart -- is how to collect money owed to you. 77% of all freelancers report that they have been cheated out of payment by at least one client. Pass the word about these valuable organizations.]]> 88 2010-03-31 20:47:51 2010-03-31 20:47:51 open open freelance-employees publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1270068480 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1270068474 Show Support for the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union's Struggle to Be Recognized as a Union with Bargaining Power at the Ithaca Coffee Company! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/show-support-for-the-tompkins-county-coffee-workers-unions-struggle-to-be-recognized-as-a-union-with-bargaining-power-at-the-ithaca-coffee-company/ Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/show-support-for-the-tompkins-county-coffee-workers-unions-struggle-to-be-recognized-as-a-union-with-bargaining-power-at-the-ithaca-coffee-company/ Pick Up Your Support Button Today at the Tompkins County Workers' Center, 115 The Commons (above Autumn Leaves Used Books), Ithaca

    Please Drop By One of the Two Ithaca Coffee Company Locations (311 E. Green St., at the base of State St. going up Route 79 and at Triphammer Mall, both in Ithaca), Buy a Cup of Joe, and Tell the Workers There That You Support Their Right to Organize a Union!

    About six weeks ago, several workers visited the Tompkins County Workers' Center with concerns about how to address some of the problems they were experiencing at their worksite, the Ithaca Coffee Company (owned by Triphammer Wine and Spirits), a company that specializes in selling Fair Trade coffee.

    During our discussion, it became clear that the workers had made substantial efforts to bring their concerns to management but without effect. They thus decided that they needed union representation, in this case, an independent union made up of themselves. Says one Ithaca Coffee Company worker, "We're forming a union because we like what we do. We want to spread the knowledge that we've gained, and we want to keep working, but under better working conditions for ourselves and for future employees. We respect the company and [owner] Julie Crowley's hard work, but we also respect ourselves".

    Within several weeks, the workers created an Organizing Committee composed of 75% of the nonmanagerial, nonsupervisory workforce. They were interested in not only creating an independent union, but a union they hoped, in the long run, could affect the local coffee industry more generally (especially in the realm of low-wage work). They thus decided, on February 21, 2010, to form the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union (TCCWU)!

    One of the primary goals of the TCCWU, in the words of another worker, is to improve the functioning of the Ithaca Coffee Company by giving more voice to the workers (those who daily interact with customers and see where there is room for improvement) and to negotiate conditions that would allow the workers to better serve the needs of the store with greater enthusiasm and good will.

    A large majority of the workforce signed a petition seeking 'voluntary recognition' for their union. In doing so, they firmly believed they were not only asserting their democratic right, but also as the only unionized coffee shop in Tompkins County, would bring 'competitive advantage' to the Ithaca Coffee Company. Management, however, strongly rebuffed the workers. Says TCCWU Member and Ithaca Coffee Company worker Kirsten Sundin, "I think it's a shame the negative feelings the word 'unionize' brings to people's minds. Today's unions can be a great local collaboration between labor and management creating a terrific place to work".

    With no other choice workers then decided, on March 12th, to file a petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The road between then and now, April 1st, has been a rocky one as we have discovered just how important it is that our federal legislators pass the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to unionize at their workplace (the strongest protection possible to create a level playing field for workers).

    An NLRB election is scheduled for April 21st and the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union needs our support! Please consider stopping by one of the locations mentioned above and letting the workers know that you support their right to organize a union. And to let Ithaca Coffee Company management know just how many people in this community support the idea of Ithaca's first unionized coffee shop!

    ]]>
    1133 2010-04-04 00:00:00 2010-04-04 00:00:00 open open show-support-for-the-tompkins-county-coffee-workers-unions-struggle-to-be-recognized-as-a-union-with-bargaining-power-at-the-ithaca-coffee-company publish 0 0 post 0
    coffee union button http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/fair-trade/coffee-union-button/ Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:27:50 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/coffee-union-button.jpg 92 2010-04-06 21:27:50 2010-04-06 21:27:50 open open coffee-union-button inherit 91 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/coffee-union-button.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/coffee-union-button.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"200";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:31:"2010/04/coffee-union-button.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:31:"coffee-union-button-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Fair Trade? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/fair-trade/ Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:30:18 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=91 http://www.tclivingwage.org/news.php?articleid=103&source=index.php --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And an update on another Workers Center case, the Green Cafe here.]]> 91 2010-04-06 21:30:18 2010-04-06 21:30:18 open open fair-trade publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1270589430 email_notification 1270589424 we can help http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/things-to-think-about/we-can-help/ Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:40:12 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/we-can-help.jpg 96 2010-04-07 19:40:12 2010-04-07 19:40:12 open open we-can-help inherit 95 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/we-can-help.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/we-can-help.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"388";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='74'";s:4:"file";s:23:"2010/04/we-can-help.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"we-can-help-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"we-can-help-219x284.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"284";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Things to Think About http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/things-to-think-about/ Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:00:25 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=95 We Can Help. The program identifies low wage earners as its target audience and offers assistance with all the issues that can plague workers like wage theft, minimum wage questions and last paychecks among more.  Coincidentally, the New York Times had an editorial about Secretary Solis, the We Can Help program and about how she has added many new investigators to the ranks of the DOL. This is welcome news indeed after many years of attacks by previous presidential administrations on the power of the DOL. Read the Times editorial here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From our friends at 16 deaths per day, we have a communication about the tragic West Virginia mine accident earlier this week. '16 deaths per week' refers to the number of workers killed on the job in the US. The punishment for employers who intentionally ignore unsafe conditions that can lead to death is almost nonexistent. Twenty-five West Virginia coal miners dead in the worst mining disaster America has seen in two decades. Four more missing, their chances of survival dimming by the hour. This senseless tragedy wasn't an act of God. It wasn't a mere occupational hazard. In fact, the mine's owner, Massey Energy, was also responsible for a 2006 fire that trapped 12 miners and killed two of them, because the company had removed ventilation controls the year before and had not replaced them. Indeed, Massey Energy has been assessed repeatedly and routinely for worker safety violations. Massey, which brought in $24 million in income in the fourth quarter of 2009, simply saw the petty fines it incurred for violations as a cost of doing business, not as a reason to act to protect its workers from injury and death. And Massey is hardly alone. The rules that protect workers from negligent employers in this country are so weak that thousands of employers make the rational decision to just ignore them and pay the token penalties if they're forced to. This week in West Virgina, we've seen the consequences of this arrangement. You can read more about 16 Deaths per Day and the work they are doing to make the workplace safer here. ]]> 95 2010-04-07 20:00:25 2010-04-07 20:00:25 open open things-to-think-about publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1270670432 email_notification 1270670428 already home DC http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/enjoy-your-weekend/already-home-dc/ Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:25:15 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/already-home-dc.jpg 101 2010-04-08 20:25:15 2010-04-08 20:25:15 open open already-home-dc inherit 100 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/already-home-dc.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/already-home-dc.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"2100";s:6:"height";s:4:"1406";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='85' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:27:"2010/04/already-home-dc.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"already-home-dc-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"already-home-dc-220x147.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"147";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"already-home-dc-490x328.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"328";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:3:"3.5";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:9:"NIKON D60";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1269210762";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:2:"18";s:3:"iso";s:3:"400";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:6:"0.0008";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} DCrally crowd http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/enjoy-your-weekend/dcrally-crowd/ Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:25:56 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/dcrally-crowd.jpg 102 2010-04-08 20:25:56 2010-04-08 20:25:56 open open dcrally-crowd inherit 100 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/dcrally-crowd.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/dcrally-crowd.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"2100";s:6:"height";s:4:"1406";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='85' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:25:"2010/04/dcrally-crowd.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"dcrally-crowd-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"dcrally-crowd-220x147.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"147";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"dcrally-crowd-490x328.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"328";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:3:"4.5";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:9:"NIKON D60";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1269211140";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:2:"26";s:3:"iso";s:3:"400";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:5:"0.001";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} irc march http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/enjoy-your-weekend/irc-march/ Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:27:07 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/irc-march.jpg 104 2010-04-08 20:27:07 2010-04-08 20:27:07 open open irc-march inherit 100 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/irc-march.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/irc-march.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"2100";s:6:"height";s:4:"1406";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='85' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:21:"2010/04/irc-march.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"irc-march-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"irc-march-220x147.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"147";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"irc-march-490x328.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"328";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:3:"5.3";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:9:"NIKON D60";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1269197863";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:2:"35";s:3:"iso";s:3:"200";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:7:"0.00125";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Enjoy your weekend http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/enjoy-your-weekend/ Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:28:56 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=100 excellent article about issues facing workers in the US. This one, Contesting Jobless Claims Becomes a Boom Industry, will resonate with lots of Tompkins County workers whose unemployment claims have been challenged by their ex-employers. Seems that an entire corporation, Talx, specializes in screwing people out of their right to unemployment payments. How can these people live with themselves? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And now, on a more pleasant note, photos from the march for Immigration Reform in Washington DC. Thank you, Jessica Yoon! ]]> 100 2010-04-08 20:28:56 2010-04-08 20:28:56 open open enjoy-your-weekend publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1270758540 email_notification 1270758537 Another Worker Injury http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/another-worker-injury/ Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:05:23 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=107 Ithaca's most recent worker injury, I changed my mind. The tragic accident at the Cargill mine in Lansing and the grievous loss of  29 miners in West Virginia earlier this month are just two of the many job related accidents that occur every day. Today's accident occurred at the  construction site of the new athletic complex at Ithaca College. The worker fell 30 feet from a construction crane and was air-lifted to an unnamed hospital. We all know that dangerous jobs can result in accidents the same way driving a car or mountain climbing can. The horror of job related accidents is that there are 16 job-related deaths per day in the US and companies that willfully ignore dangers in their workplaces rarely are penalized for their negligence, even when they have received numerous warnings. According  16deathsperday.com, Under current Federal law, willfully contributing to the death of an employee is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum prison sentence of six months and a maximum fine of $70,000. Even with these weak penalties, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) rarely refers such cases to the Department of Justice for prosecution, so those employers that knowingly allow their employees to work under dangerous conditions are rarely held accountable. In fact, current laws are so weak that millions of dollars of penalties to victim's families have not been paid -- in those rare cases when violators are penalized at all. It's time to change our tolerance for work-related death and injury. Stay tuned for some information on the effort to expand safety regulations for workers. The Protecting America's Workers Act would: Expand workplace protections to state, county, municipal, and federal employees who are not currently covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act
    • Increase financial penalties for those who kill or endanger workers
    • Strengthen criminal penalties to make felony charges available for willful negligence causing death or serious injury
    • Expand OSHA coverage to millions of employees who fall through the cracks (like airline and railroad workers)
    • Provide protection for whistleblowers
    • Give employees the right to refuse hazardous work that may kill them
    • Improve the rights of workers and families, requiring OSHA to investigate all cases of death
    • Prohibit employers from discouraging reporting of injury or illness
    We wish the best for the injured IC worker and his family and friends. ]]>
    107 2010-04-14 20:05:23 2010-04-14 20:05:23 open open another-worker-injury publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1271275661 email_notification 1271275528
    James Meyers, presente! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/james-meyers-presente/ Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:47:58 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=111 JAMES RAYMOND MEYERS ITHACA - Civil rights activist, dancer of Universal Peace, librarian, free thinker, writer, actor, lover, nudist, and free spirit, James Raymond Meyers lived outside the box and emboldened others around him to do the same. James Raymond Meyers died peacefully on April 15 at Hospicare, after living at McGraw House in Ithaca. James was born August 9, 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, the second of three boys (between Carl and Ron) to Carl and Loretta Meyers. Not more than two years after James' birth, the family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Carl worked in the steel mills of Pittsburgh, as well as laying brick for the tunnel. Loretta held down the fort and raised the boys. James attended St. Basil's Catholic School for 12 years and initially wanted to become a priest. In 1954, James decided to attend college at Columbia University in NYC where he met his wife, Francis Joan Gillen. Getting out of dodge (NYC), Joan dragged James to her hometown of South Bend, Indiana where son Pete was born. Twenty months later, James and Joan bore a second child, David Adam. James worked for many years as the film librarian at the South Bend Public Library as he devoted his passions and extra time to helping to end the Vietnam War as well as taking part in the countercultural '60s revolution.
    In the words of lifetime friend, Dale Gibson, "Jim began conducting a seminar at the library entitled 'World Peace Through World Law' in the mid-60's. I can assure you, not many people were considering such lofty ideas in the 1960's in a small city in northern Indiana. We all had a text, and took the discussions quite seriously. This group would get together nearly every weekend and listen to the Beatles, dance, and generally enjoy the freedom that characterized the sixties." James and Joan developed a tight group of friends that lasted a lifetime. In 1976, James and his wife Joan decided to separate as James had realized that he was gay. This took a lot of courage in the Midwest at that time, and henceforth this orientation became an important part of his life. In 1996, James retired and moved to Albuquerque, NM, where he lived until 2005 when he moved to Ithaca to be near Joan and Pete as his health began to fail. James' passions in life included spiritual pursuits such as Dances of Universal Peace, reincarnation, the Unity Church, meditation, yoga, music, prayer, television, Transactional Analysis, astrology, Co-Counseling, and generally being with people. The family is deeply appreciative of his medical practitioners, dialysis nurses, and hospice caregivers. James leaves behind son, Pete and partner Mary Loehr, both of Ithaca; son, David of Chicago; grandson, Gabe Stewart-Guido of New Orleans; and many dear friends around the country. May your spirit fly freely, Mister!
    Published in Ithaca Journal from April 16 to April 19, 2010
    James is buried at Greensprings Natural Cemetery, Newfield.
    Best wishes to his family and friends.
    ]]>
    111 2010-04-20 19:47:58 2010-04-20 19:47:58 open open james-meyers-presente publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1271792884 email_notification 1271793193
    About http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/ Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:39:44 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=2 The vision of the Tompkins County Workers’ Center is that all people are respected in the workplace, have a Living Wage, the right to organize, quality health care, housing, childcare, transportation, and access to healthy food and water...]]> 2 2010-04-22 23:39:44 2010-04-22 23:39:44 closed closed about publish 0 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1296756752 _edit_last 2 _wp_page_template default Workers Memorial Day 2010 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/workers-memorial-day-2010/ Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:48:53 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=113 Climbers' Perspectives on Tower Safety. All the modern conveniences of cellphones, radio, satellite TV, the internet and more rely on a network of towers which 'tower dogs' maintain. According to the television program Dateline, tower dogs "scale heights of up to 2,000 feet, in all types of weather, to install, maintain, and upgrade...towers coast to coast. And according to figures cited by OSHA, these so-called tower dogs have the highest death rate per capita of any occupation in the country." Dateline followed a group of tower dogs for four months; during that time, five climbers died within 12 days in the US. You can watch the Dateline video here. Last December, a tower near Watkins Glen collapsed while climber Dirk Remington was working on it, killing him. Other causes of death include falls and improper use of safety equipment. Frequently, companies require very fast work which causes more accidents. In 2008, one half of all tower fatalities was linked to expansion of  AT&T. While fatalities do make the news, falls and other injuries which result in permanent disease and disability are not reported. The damage to climbers from exposure to radiation and other emissions is as yet  not calculated. Surprisingly, tower climbing is not well regulated in most states, including New York. Where the tower industry operates under more stringent safety guidelines, fatalities decrease. The UK has never had a fatality and Canada has not experienced a death in nine years. OHCC is taking the lead in New York to fight for the health and safety of tower climbers. A Workers Center member will be reporting soon on the conference. You can listen to an interview with Wally Reardon, a former tower climber working with OHCC here. The National Association of Tower Erectors, NATE, is working to ensure climber safety also. Let us hope that next year will be a safer and healthier year for all workers.]]> 113 2010-04-28 19:48:53 2010-04-28 19:48:53 open open workers-memorial-day-2010 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1279131536 email_notification 1272484138 CellTower_detail http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/may-day-2010/celltower_detail/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:49:16 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/celltower_detail.jpg 119 2010-04-29 18:49:16 2010-04-29 18:49:16 open open celltower_detail inherit 118 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/celltower_detail.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/celltower_detail.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"400";s:6:"height";s:3:"214";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='68' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:28:"2010/04/celltower_detail.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"celltower_detail-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"celltower_detail-220x117.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"117";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} coffee union button http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/may-day-2010/coffee-union-button-2/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:54:51 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/coffee-union-button1.jpg 122 2010-04-29 18:54:51 2010-04-29 18:54:51 open open coffee-union-button-2 inherit 118 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/coffee-union-button1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/04/coffee-union-button1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"200";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:32:"2010/04/coffee-union-button1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:32:"coffee-union-button1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} May Day 2010 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/04/may-day-2010/ Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:56:07 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=118 shocking proposed racist legislation in Arizona, it seems more crucial than ever to support Immigration reform. This Saturday, a coalition of community and student groups are cosponsoring a Day of Action to Advocate for the Rights of Workers and Immigrants. A rally is planned on the Commons starting at 3:30. There will be a concert from 4:30-6:00. The movement to boycott all things Arizona has begun. Some California truck drivers are refusing to deliver in Arizona; baseball fans have sworn off attending Diamondback games in their cities. You can find a list of Arizona businesses and links to other sites at this facebook page. Perhaps it is time for Tompkins County to adopt a similar boycott promise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's an interesting article submitted by a WC member: The Unemployed Now Have Their Own Union, and It's Catching on Quickly: http://www.alternet.org/economy/145797/the_unemployed_now_have_their_own_union%2C_and_it%27s_catching_on_quickly/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And here's a pertinent article about a barista walk-out at a Park Slope Brooklyn coffee shop. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last but not least, I forgot to include a photo of a tower climber in yesterday's entry. [caption id="attachment_119" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Next time you pass a cell tower, think of the tower dog who climbs it."][/caption] Enjoy your May Day. Justice for immigrant and native-born workers!]]> 118 2010-04-29 18:56:07 2010-04-29 18:56:07 open open may-day-2010 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1272917165 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1272567372 Brewing Up a Cup o' Fairness http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/brewing-up-a-cup-o-fairness/ Tue, 04 May 2010 21:23:36 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=126 few stories about our work. Here's the first in her series, published in the Ithaca College magazine Buzzsaw Haircut. Brewing Up a Cup o' Fairness The story of a coffee shop’s struggle to unionize By Briana Kerensky In a world where Starbucks has wrapped its grande double mocha latte-coated tentacles around society,  Ithaca Coffee Company has somehow managed to continue being two things that beverage giant is not: local and fair trade. All of the coffees offered at their two locations are advertised as being fair trade, meaning the farmers who grow the beans, the people who harvest the beans and the people who roast the beans are treated with respect and paid decent wages. But somewhere along the production line, just before that hot cup of coffee lovingly grown by Guatemalans, Ethiopians or Kenyans makes it to the customers’ hands, one group of people fell out of the fair trade loop: Ithacans. The employees of Ithaca Coffee Company found themselves in a precarious situation: How could they get the pay and respect they deserved without hurting one of the last local coffee shops in the city? Compared to other shops in the area, such as College Town Bagels and Gimme! Coffee, Ithaca Coffee Company pays their workers the least. Gimme! starts their employees at $8.50 an hour, and College Town Bagels at $9. Both stores also give their workers free food and breaks. Even Starbucks (supposedly) gives their baristas health care coverage. Meanwhile, in February 2010, the baristas working at Ithaca Coffee Company were only earning minimum wage: $7.25 an hour, with no perks. The employees also only sporadically received skill assessments and breaks and had trouble getting schedules in order. Sometimes they were left waiting for promised raises that never came. Instead, the baristas at the downtown Ithaca Coffee Company location worked without management or supervision, overseeing the care of the coffee shop and doing everything from opening in the morning and locking up at night to placing product orders. They were doing the work of a manager and getting no respect or compensation for it. “People are working 39 and a half hours, and they’re calling it part-time,” said Pete Meyers, the executive director of the Tompkins County Workers’ Center. When some of the baristas couldn’t take it anymore and felt that the only way they could increase the lines of communication was by forming a union, they sought help from the Tompkins County Workers’ Center. Since 2003, the Workers’ Center has provided advocacy and support services to anyone treated unfairly at work. But this was the first time they were dealing with a situation quite like this. “This is the very first time in our history that we’re involved with a union,” Meyers said. “This is becoming more our thing because people want to deal with grassroots, not big organizations.” The Workers’ Center let the baristas use their space for meetings, helped file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board, found a lawyer and even made buttons for the group, which called themselves the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union. But no one involved wanted to take Ithaca Coffee Company’s name through the mud. With the recent influx of coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, every local shop in Ithaca deserves all the customers it can get. “Are we willing to ruin their name and have people start not shopping there anymore?” asked Josh Geldzahler, a barista at Ithaca Coffee Company for almost a year. “I want to fight with integrity. This is the heaviest shit I have ever dealt with. I don’t want to look back on this six months from now and think, ‘How did this all happen?’” Geldzahler never meant for himself to be the leader of the Coffee Workers Union, but the role just kind of fell in his lap. “I love this kind of job, and I love coffee,” he said. “I don’t really want to be a leader, but someone needs to talk tough and create an opening statement.” When the owner of Ithaca Coffee Company, Julie Crowley, was first presented with the idea of an organized group of baristas, managers and clerks, she did not take it well. She cut employees’ hours and would hold mandatory meetings to talk about the risks of joining a union. Every time the baristas tried to talk to her, she would schedule meetings for when she knew she would be out of town. Linda Holzbaur, a community organizer for the Workers’ Center, was frustrated by the whole situation. “Apparently fair trade coffee only goes as far as the farm.” Not all of the people working at the coffee shop were willing to put down their milk steamers and join a union. Some just disapproved of unions in general, while others were afraid of losing their job. In the end, it was going to come down to a vote. If the members of the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union could get a majority of employees to vote “yes,” on April 21 in a National Labor Relations Board-sponsored election, then the union would get the power to be the bargaining representative for all of the coffee shop’s employees. But at the last minute, on April 18, the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union held a press conference. They changed their minds and decided to put a halt to the election. They’re a grassroots effort; slapping the owner of Ithaca Coffee Company with demands from a large, national organization just didn’t seem right. It was more likely to exacerbate the problem than help the union achieve their goals. “I don’t want this to be like, another greedy business owner goes down,” Geldzahler said. “I want this to be about fair trade, from beans to cup,” The Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union still exists, but as more of a way for the baristas and clerks to express their concerns and interests than as an actual union. They’ve focused their efforts from the election to a local campaign to get more community members involved with the ongoing fair trade efforts of the Ithaca Coffee Company. And as for Crowley? Well, she’s begun to make some changes. The employees are now allowed to take breaks and can know their schedules further in advance. There’s also an “open-door policy” for employees, meaning they can talk to the boss about their concerns and she won’t leave town every time they stop by her office. But if things go wrong again, the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union still holds the right to have an election. From bean to cup, it looks like the Ithaca Coffee Company is finally beginning to brew some real fair trade coffee for their customers. ________________________ Briana Kerensky is a senior journalism major who doesn’t even drink coffee. E-mail her at Briana.Kerensky@gmail.com.]]> 126 2010-05-04 21:23:36 2010-05-04 21:23:36 open open brewing-up-a-cup-o-fairness publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1273008228 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1273008222 people need jobs image from Tom's poster http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/wall-street-time-to-pay-up/people-need-jobs-image-from-toms-poster/ Wed, 05 May 2010 17:52:22 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/people-need-jobs-image-from-toms-poster.doc 132 2010-05-05 17:52:22 2010-05-05 17:52:22 open open people-need-jobs-image-from-toms-poster inherit 131 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/people-need-jobs-image-from-toms-poster.doc _wp_attached_file 2010/05/people-need-jobs-image-from-toms-poster.doc _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} Good_Jobs_Now_Pix http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/wall-street-time-to-pay-up/good_jobs_now_pix/ Wed, 05 May 2010 17:53:08 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix.jpg 133 2010-05-05 17:53:08 2010-05-05 17:53:08 open open good_jobs_now_pix inherit 131 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"180";s:6:"height";s:2:"70";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='49' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"good_jobs_now_pix-150x70.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"70";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Good_Jobs_Now_Pix http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/wall-street-time-to-pay-up/good_jobs_now_pix-2/ Wed, 05 May 2010 17:53:42 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix1.jpg 134 2010-05-05 17:53:42 2010-05-05 17:53:42 open open good_jobs_now_pix-2 inherit 131 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"180";s:6:"height";s:2:"70";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='49' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:30:"2010/05/good_jobs_now_pix1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"good_jobs_now_pix1-150x70.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"70";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Wall Street: Time to Pay Up! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/wall-street-time-to-pay-up/ Wed, 05 May 2010 18:07:17 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=131 Make Wall Street Pay! Close corporate tax loopholes! The Tompkins County Workers' Center and the Midstate Labor Council, AFL-CIO are co-sponsoring a rally at Bank Alley (the corner of Seneca and Tioga Streets, Ithaca) this Friday, May 7, 3:30 pm. Please join us if you can. It seems that every other day, a front page headline spotlights another cut that Governor Paterson has proposed. State parks, SUNY, education...all budget-balancing on the backs of those who earn a low or middle income. I've written before about Barbara Lifton's effort to increase taxes on the wealthiest people in the state. If you'd like to hear Barbara Lifton talking about the state of the New York budget, watch this video posted by Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America.]]> 131 2010-05-05 18:07:17 2010-05-05 18:07:17 open open wall-street-time-to-pay-up publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1273082849 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1273082842 [VIDEO] Over 50 People Gather on Bank Alley in Ithaca for Rally on May 7th: Make Wall Street Pay/Close Corporate Tax Loopholes http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/video-over-50-people-gather-on-bank-alley-in-ithaca-for-rally-on-may-7th-make-wall-street-payclose-corporate-tax-loopholes/ Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/video-over-50-people-gather-on-bank-alley-in-ithaca-for-rally-on-may-7th-make-wall-street-payclose-corporate-tax-loopholes/ On Friday, May 7, Ithacans gathered outside Bank of America on the Commons for the Make Wall Street Pay Up Rally, an event that featured community organizers as well as ordinary citizens deeply upset with the current financial crisis ailing the nation.

    by Peter Blanchard http://ithbusters.wordpress.com

    The rally was led by the Tompkins County Workers' Center and the Midstate Central Labor Council, the latter of which is an organization that represents several hundred unions in eleven New York State counties, including Tompkins. Pete Meyers represented the Tompkins' County Workers' Center, while President Tom Seiling was there to respresent the Midstate Central Labor Council. At any given moment, Meyers could be seen walking around with his clipboard, making sure everything was in order. He is a strong advocate for workers' rights in the local Ithaca community. The mission of Seiling's organization is to improve the lives of working families in the Central New York area.

    "Officially, we don't have an amplification permit, so we may have to play it by ear," Seiling spoke into the microphone at the rally.

    There were many different concerns voiced by several guest speakers, whom hailed from around the Central New York area and shared many of the same sentiments as Ithacans. The rally was held outside Bank of America to send the message that local citizens are tired of the corruption of big corporate banks.

    "It's time for us to stand up and say, 'This country belongs to us,'" Pam MacKesey addresses the crowd. MacKesey had been a city councilperson for the city of Ithaca, and is currently a Tompkins County legislator. "This country doesn't just belong to wealthy people, it belongs to everyday people like you and me."

    Professor Howard Botwinick is a professor of economics at SUNY Cortland, a state university that may see its funding get severely cut in the next year. Botwinick called for government regulation on big banks, expressing the need for the priva

    Noticing how many older Ithacans attended the rally, Botwinick even brought up the issue of social security, and the debt that continues to plague the government program.

    "There is a problem facing us, and I think you're going to start hearing a lot more about this," Botwinick said. "We are facing a rising deficit in the future because of a lot of us are getting old and a lot of us are going to need health care. [The deficit] is going to go up, but there are very simple solutions to this. All you have to do is remove the cap off of social security, and make wealthy people pay their fair share for social security and that entire deficit goes away."

    Neil Oolie is just your average ordinary citizen, but he happens to look like Benjamin Franklin. Oolie occasionally comes into the Workers' Center to help out, and he had a few words for the corporations.

    "New York State could ask our Congress for a constitutional amendment so that corporations will not have the ability to buy Congress and the way to the Presidency," said Neil Oolie, who lives in Ithaca and volunteers at the Tompkins County Workers' Center.

    Many people at the rally felt that the public sector was being unfairly blamed for the problems facing not just the nation, but especially in New York State. Nevertheless, the financial crisis has led to serious cuts in public programs such as education, welfare, social security, and health care. Dave Richie is a member of United University Professionals, a union representing thousands of faculty members in New York State schools, including SUNY Cortland. He attended the rally to voice his opposition against Governor Paterson's plan for massive statewide budget cuts in public sectors.

    "We need to stop the cuts to SUNY and to public schools k-12. These cuts destroy New York's future. They strangle our children's education rather than invest in it," Richie said.

    Barbara Lifton is a New York State Assemblywoman who shares similar views on this issue.

    "The state income tax structure is obscenely flat and regressive. I've been trying to mobilize people statewide to stop cuts on our state budgets," Lifton said.

    Ultimately, the cries of most citizens were for more government regulation in the private sector, taxes on the wealthy to pay for the deficit, and better paying jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the city of Ithaca is at 5.5% as of March 2010, but this does not mean that Ithacans are being guaranteed well-paying jobs. Meyers got the crowd fired up about this hotbed issue that the Tompkins County Workers' Center deals with every day.

    "What do we want?"

    "Good jobs!"

    "When do we want them?"

    "Now!"

    It remains to be seen whether any or all of these economic problems can be fixed, on a local or national scale, but it is becoming increasingly clear what the people want.

    ]]>
    1134 2010-05-08 00:00:00 2010-05-08 00:00:00 open open video-over-50-people-gather-on-bank-alley-in-ithaca-for-rally-on-may-7th-make-wall-street-payclose-corporate-tax-loopholes publish 0 0 post 0
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Picture 038 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/changes-in-the-air/picture-038/ Tue, 11 May 2010 20:14:32 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/picture-038.jpg 140 2010-05-11 20:14:32 2010-05-11 20:14:32 open open picture-038 inherit 137 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/picture-038.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/picture-038.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"240";s:6:"height";s:3:"180";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:23:"2010/05/picture-038.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"picture-038-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"picture-038-220x165.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"165";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/changes-in-the-air/olympus-digital-camera-3/ Tue, 11 May 2010 20:17:15 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/si-se-puede.jpg 141 2010-05-11 20:17:15 2010-05-11 20:17:15 open open olympus-digital-camera-3 inherit 137 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/si-se-puede.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/si-se-puede.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"1511";s:6:"height";s:4:"1652";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='87'";s:4:"file";s:23:"2010/05/si-se-puede.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"si-se-puede-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"si-se-puede-220x240.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"240";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"si-se-puede-490x535.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"535";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:3:"3.3";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:9:"u840,S840";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1272687467";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:3:"6.4";s:3:"iso";s:2:"64";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:4:"0.01";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Changes in the Air http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/changes-in-the-air/ Tue, 11 May 2010 20:20:28 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=137 Jessica is graduating from Cornell and heading to New Orleans where she'll be teaching high school math. We'll miss her. Best of luck, Jessica, and thank you for all you've done. This summer our Ithaca College Work Study student Samantha Wolfe will be working full time for the Workers Center. Samantha is also an essential part of the Workers Center, offering great enthusiasm for social justice. Samantha is another leader of the Listening Project and has stepped forward to work with TCWC volunteers this summer. Here's a photo of Samantha with Neil. Neil is a tremendous asset to the Workers Center and, in fact, all of Ithaca, because of his whole-hearted acceptance of and advocacy for people. You can't really understand the Workers Center without getting to know what people like Jessica, Samantha and Neil do for us. ]]> 137 2010-05-11 20:20:28 2010-05-11 20:20:28 open open changes-in-the-air publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1273691346 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1273609228 Ithaca Coffee Company and the Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union: Fair Trade, from Bean to the Cup: An Update http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/ithaca-coffee-company-and-the-tompkins-county-coffee-workers-union-fair-trade-from-bean-to-the-cup-an-update/ Sat, 15 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/ithaca-coffee-company-and-the-tompkins-county-coffee-workers-union-fair-trade-from-bean-to-the-cup-an-update/ [Editors Note: On February 21, 2010, a majority, 8 of 11 at the time, nonmanagerial workers at the Ithaca Coffee Company signed a petition indicating interest in starting a union at their workplace. In late March, the union submitted this petition to the National Labor Relations Board to trigger an election. In mid-April, the organizing workers decided to call off the election. What follows is the story of one of the organized workers who is choosing to stay anonymous for strategic purposes.]

    The Tompkins County Coffee Workers Union is a small grassroots union comprised of the majority of the rank and file workers of Ithaca Coffee Company, plus a few new friends that we've gained along the way.

    Our Union started with a whisper? "I know I could get fired just for saying this, but? What if we had a union?"

    New questions sprung from that first one: What if we had power to make sure our grievances wouldn't be ignored? If we all pointed out inefficiencies, could they be fixed? What if we stood up for each other? Could we get better pay? These questions became urgent when a series of firings, made our job security unsure. We came to the Tompkins County Workers' Center to seek guidance and support.

    A triumphant feeling filled the night when we officially started the Union, as we realized we were exercising a powerful democratic right, which offered the possibility for positive change, and respect at our jobs. Unfortunately, Ithaca Coffee Company's ownership refused to accept a nearly unanimous representation of workers asking, in person, to be voluntarily recognized as a Union. This left us no other option but to submit a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) petition for an election, in order to verify that the Union represented a majority of the workers, which would legally compel the owners to communicate with us.

    After filing the NLRB petition the workers faced a daily barrage of pressure tactics to stop the Union. Ownership hired a union-busting lawyer, who advised waging a formulaic anti-union campaign, which only proved to most of the workers that our intentions were being completely misunderstood. Propaganda titled "The Union Is Lying To You" seemed ridiculous to the small group of workers who had themselves founded the Union. The election process itself became excruciatingly long, as our majority dwindled because it left so much time for many new employees to be hired, who were overwhelmed with anti-union propaganda.

    We counteracted these anti-union attacks with a positive campaign strategy of our own. Avoiding pickets and boycotts, we urged the community to wear buttons in support of our cause, to visit our stores and to show the ownership support for a unionized coffee shop, that shouldn't interfere with the workers' choice to collectively organize. Seeing the outpouring of support from customers wearing our buttons helped us to stay strong in the face of vicious union busting. We are extremely grateful to everyone who wears a button.

    From the very beginning, the strategy of the Union has been very sensitive not to overshoot our goals. We want to see Ithaca Coffee Company strengthened by a Union of empowered workers. We want our business to be successful and we believe we should have a stake in that success.

    Our many supporters may have been surprised to hear the news of the Union's withdrawal of the petition only days before the scheduled election. This was a calculated decision, made with our lawyer Richard Furlong, whom the Worker's Center found to fight at our side. Through the election process we learned the shortcomings of the NLRB process, the hard way. Ultimately the largest flaw in the NLRB system was the months or years of hearings, which would have been required in order to stop the ownership from stuffing the ballot box with the votes of supervisors, managers and complete strangers. This convinced us that we needed to find an alternative strategy. We withdrew from the NLRB process in order to preserve the integrity of our union, and to build an organization which could be copied - by other groups of workers - following our example. We can continue to work towards improvements at Ithaca Coffee Company, without governmental certification.

    We believe in the Tompkins County Workers' Center's idea of the community union, which could revolutionize the existing model of a labor union for America's low-wage service workers. This depends on the active involvement of the entire community to support emerging Unions. The voice of a small group of workers is greatly amplified when they have the backing of the community. We imagine a standard for Fair Trade that could be applied to all the coffee workers in Ithaca. It's a new ethical shopping standard: Fair Trade from Bean to Cup.

    ]]>
    1135 2010-05-15 00:00:00 2010-05-15 00:00:00 open open ithaca-coffee-company-and-the-tompkins-county-coffee-workers-union-fair-trade-from-bean-to-the-cup-an-update publish 0 0 post 0
    the bully at work http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/bullying-in-the-workplace/the-bully-at-work/ Mon, 17 May 2010 18:12:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/the-bully-at-work.jpg 145 2010-05-17 18:12:27 2010-05-17 18:12:27 open open the-bully-at-work inherit 144 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/the-bully-at-work.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/the-bully-at-work.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"217";s:6:"height";s:3:"250";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='83'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2010/05/the-bully-at-work.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"the-bully-at-work-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Bullying in the Workplace http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/bullying-in-the-workplace/ Mon, 17 May 2010 18:22:24 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=144 The Workplace Bullying Institute defines bullying as "...The repeated mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms: verbal abuse or,     threatening, humiliating or offensive behavior/actions (verbal and nonverbal forms) or,  work interference -- sabotage -- which prevents work from getting done that is so severe that the mistreatment harms the health of the targeted person -- stress-related physical consequences or psychological/emotional injury -- or leads to economic harm through termination, demotion or denied promotions." Why is bullying so difficult to deal with? because even though it can cause severe emotional strain, physical illness and can destroy a person's career and financial health, bullying is usually completely legal, with few or no repercussions for the bullier. If bullying is based on religion, gender, sexual orientation, age (over 40), race, disability or a few other 'classes' protected from discrimination, it would be illegal. But if a workplace bully is typical, the target is not chosen for any particular background or condition. On May 12, the NYS Senate passed 'landmark legislation' to fight bullying: it establishes a civil action when an employee is subjected to what it calls 'an abusive work environment.' Many groups and individuals, including the national Workplace Bullying Institute and the NYS-specific NY Healthy Workplace Advocates, have been fighting to pass anti-bullying laws here and in 16 other states. Unfortunately, some very powerful people, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg of NYC and Assemblywoman Susan John, chair of the Assembly Labor, are opponents, equating pro-worker safeguards with an anti-business environment. Read the Wall Street Journal article about the legislation here. The Workers Center has also been looking for ways to help targeted employees when their legal rights have been so narrowly defined. We are now lucky to have a former bullied employee (who eventually was fired) contact us, offering to give something to others who are living through the stress of bullying at work. I am happy to report that there may be a Bullying Support Group starting this summer. In the meantime, we are always available to speak to people who are suffering from a traumatizing work environment. One resource that has helped some people tremendously is The Bully At Work: What You Can Do to Stop the Hurt and Reclaim Dignity on the Job by Gary Namie and Ruth Namie. I hope to get it for the Workers Center library soon.]]> 144 2010-05-17 18:22:24 2010-05-17 18:22:24 open open bullying-in-the-workplace publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1276715201 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1274120546 modern-times http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/ah-weve-been-too-serious-around-here/modern-times/ Tue, 18 May 2010 21:37:30 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/modern-times.jpg 150 2010-05-18 21:37:30 2010-05-18 21:37:30 open open modern-times inherit 149 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/modern-times.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/modern-times.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"474";s:6:"height";s:3:"720";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='63'";s:4:"file";s:24:"2010/05/modern-times.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:24:"modern-times-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:24:"modern-times-220x334.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"334";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Ah, we've been too serious around here... http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/ah-weve-been-too-serious-around-here/ Tue, 18 May 2010 21:38:38 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=149
  • Harlan County U.S.A. (1976, Barbara Kopple) Winner of the 1976 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this film follows a UMWA strike against a Duke Power Company subsidiary. Kopple filmed on the picket lines, in the miners’ homes, the union hall and corporate offices to produce an incredibly vivid, compelling account.  Mountain culture is also front and center with music by Hazel Dickens and an interview with Florence Reece, during which the 76 year old activist sings her 1931 classic “Which Side Are You On?” a cappella.
  • Hula Girls (2006, Sang-il Lee) A Japanese mountain community is devastated when the coal mine that employees most of its workers closes.  Village leaders decide to open an Hawaiian style resort to create jobs, When they hire a professional dancer to teach local girls the hula, conservative parents are shocked.  They are eventually won over by the girls’ tenacity and the beauty of their performances.
  • Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza) (1981, Andrzej Wajda) An intricate mix of historical footage and dramatic narrative, Man of Iron tells the stories of workers and labor spies during the Polish Solidarity movement’s fight for recognition.  It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and won the 1981 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’or. Lech Walesa actually appears in the film as an extra in a wedding scene.
  • Man Push Cart (2005, Ramin Bahrani)A Pakistani immigrant – a former pop singer at home --  struggles to make a living in New York with a breakfast pushcart. Up in the middle of the night to prepare his cart, he pushes it down busy Manhattan streets to serve office workers coffee and bagels. In the process, he meets a young Spanish woman who is working in her family’s pushcart business and some high flying customers who may be able to offer opportunities for a better life.
  • Matewan (1987, John Sayles) Sayles’ film is based on the Battle of Matewan, a bloody 1920 confrontation between striking miners, who had been evicted from their company homes, and Baldwin-Felts detectives, hired by the Stone Mountain Coal Company to break the strike. It was filmed on location in West Virginia.  Hazel Dickens appears in the film and sings the title song, ‘Fire in the Hole.’
  • Modern Times (1936, Charlie Chaplin) Modern Times is Charlie Chapin’s slapstick  study of the alienating effects of the assembly line, time studies and automation. This was his final silent film.
  • Mondays in the Sun (2002, Fernando León de Aranoa) Workers left idle by the closure of shipyards in a small Spanish port city cope with the debilitating effects of unemployment and dim prospects for new work.
  • The Navigators (2001, Ken Loach) Rail workers are baffled and frustrated as various parts of the British Railway System are sold off and bargaining unit jobs are out-sourced, often to incompetent and unscrupulous private employers.  Degenerating safety conditions  ultimately precipitate tragedy.
  • Norma Rae (1979, Martin Ritt) Sallie Field’s portrayal of textile worker Norma Rae won her an Academy Award for Best Actress.  Driven by despair over the dreadful working conditions at a cotton mill, Norma Rae teams up with a union organizer to lead a strike.  The film was also nominated for Best Picture.
  • North Country (2005, Niki Caro) Charlize Theron leaves her abusive husband and gets a job with her friend (played by Frances McDormand) working in an iron mine.  She endures salacious remarks and ugly pranks from male workers and is sexually assaulted at work.   When she files a class action lawsuit, some of her women co-workers resist fearing loss of their jobs. The film is a fictionalized account of a landmark sexual harassment case. Theron and McDormand were nominated for Academy Awards.
  • ]]>
    149 2010-05-18 21:38:38 2010-05-18 21:38:38 open open ah-weve-been-too-serious-around-here publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1274218721 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1274218719
    whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/unemployed-or-underemployed/whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange/ Wed, 19 May 2010 19:23:21 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange.jpg 154 2010-05-19 19:23:21 2010-05-19 19:23:21 open open whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange inherit 153 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"355";s:6:"height";s:3:"475";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='71'";s:4:"file";s:44:"2010/05/whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:44:"whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:44:"whiteangelbreadlinedorothealange-219x294.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"294";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Unemployed or underemployed? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/unemployed-or-underemployed/ Wed, 19 May 2010 20:08:59 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=153 Mature Workers Employment Alliance. Luckily for the Workers Center and unemployed or underemployed workers here, the two began to talk about starting a support group here in Tompkins County. With a little more planning, the group will be meeting once a month in the Workers Center space on the second floor of 115 The Commons. I'll let you know when the kick-off meeting is scheduled. In the meantime, check out Workers Center member Bev Abplanalp's show on Pegasys Community Access TV, U & U and me too. This show spotlights the issues of job seeking for the unemployed and underemployed. The photo above is Dorothea Lange's 1933 White Angel Breadline. Lois Jordan, a wealthy widow in San Francisco, operated a soup kitchen serving hundreds -- sometimes thousands -- of meals a day during the Great Depression. Nicknamed the White Angel, Lois used her own money and donated food to support the kitchen. Dorothea Lange was a Works Progress Administration photographer who chronicled the lives of the poor affected by the Great Depression. Besides employing photographers, the WPA's work included recording oral histories of formerly enslaved people, building roads, schools and libraries and funding murals, mosaics, plays and other art and cultural projects. Wouldn't it be great if our unemployed workers were engaged in government programs creating meaningful and beautiful work?]]> 153 2010-05-19 20:08:59 2010-05-19 20:08:59 open open unemployed-or-underemployed publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1274299742 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1274299739 m-man_with_empty_pockets http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/yo-dude-wheres-the-tip/m-man_with_empty_pockets/ Mon, 24 May 2010 15:03:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg 158 2010-05-24 15:03:39 2010-05-24 15:03:39 open open m-man_with_empty_pockets inherit 157 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"168";s:6:"height";s:3:"299";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='53'";s:4:"file";s:36:"2010/05/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:36:"m-man_with_empty_pockets-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Yo, Dude: Where's the Tip? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/yo-dude-wheres-the-tip/ Mon, 24 May 2010 15:40:51 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=157 Now, I'm happy to throw in a few bucks to cover someone else when they don't have the cash -- but I'd already been told that this particular 'guest' is a professional [editors note: we'll use the word 'professional' rather than the more precise position name in order to keep you guessing about this guest's identity] who could easily make 10x my yearly salary. So I blurted out 'But what about the tip?' Now I can hardly believe that any of my readers do not tip. Or do not know that the waitstaff minimum wage in New York is $4.65 an hour. Of course, it is true that if a tipped employee has a slow day and their hourly wage is less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, the employer must make up the difference. But do we really want those who serve us to hustle their butts off for us only to make minimum wage? Not I, and I don't want to be associated with a table of eaters that does. Gladly I report that my tablemates felt the same way and ponied up enough to leave at least a  20% tip. For crying out loud, you get the point: this lady makes $4.65 an hour! C'mon, folks. Educate your friends and family: tip your wait person! This is 2010. ================================================== One more thing: a trusty reader sent the following link from the New York Times: Finding Profits From Investing in Workers. From what I've observed here at the Worker's Center, many disputes and misunderstandings between employer and employee could have been avoided by respect and communication. I'll tell employers that, too, if they ever ask... Anyway, back to the article. It describes a six year, international study that discovered companies benefit from respect and communication. Here's the first paragraph: Giving pay incentives to low-level workers and investing in their health and well-being can increase companies’ productivity and profits. Moreover, listening to the suggestions of low-level workers can go far to save companies money. Read the article: there are some very compelling examples of real-life companies who have flourished by nurturing all its workers.]]> 157 2010-05-24 15:40:51 2010-05-24 15:40:51 open open yo-dude-wheres-the-tip publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1274732791 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1274715656 silent city http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/our-friends-here-at-115-the-commons/silent-city/ Wed, 26 May 2010 20:21:14 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/silent-city.gif 168 2010-05-26 20:21:14 2010-05-26 20:21:14 open open silent-city inherit 167 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/silent-city.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/05/silent-city.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"480";s:6:"height";s:3:"250";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='66' 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eighth_hour_note http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/our-friends-here-at-115-the-commons/eighth_hour_note/ Wed, 26 May 2010 20:40:34 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/eighth_hour_note.jpg 170 2010-05-26 20:40:34 2010-05-26 20:40:34 open open eighth_hour_note inherit 167 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/eighth_hour_note.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/eighth_hour_note.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"282";s:6:"height";s:3:"177";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='80' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:28:"2010/05/eighth_hour_note.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"eighth_hour_note-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"eighth_hour_note-220x138.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"138";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Logo Color http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/our-friends-here-at-115-the-commons/logo-color/ Wed, 26 May 2010 20:48:37 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/logo-color.jpg 172 2010-05-26 20:48:37 2010-05-26 20:48:37 open open logo-color inherit 167 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/logo-color.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/logo-color.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata 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20:53:29 open open color-logo-no-border inherit 167 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/color-logo-no-border.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/color-logo-no-border.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"5220";s:6:"height";s:4:"3379";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='82' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:32:"2010/05/color-logo-no-border.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:32:"color-logo-no-border-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:32:"color-logo-no-border-220x142.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"142";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:32:"color-logo-no-border-490x317.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"317";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} pos news globe http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/our-friends-here-at-115-the-commons/pos-news-globe/ Wed, 26 May 2010 20:54:44 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pos-news-globe.jpg 176 2010-05-26 20:54:44 2010-05-26 20:54:44 open open pos-news-globe inherit 167 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pos-news-globe.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/pos-news-globe.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"186";s:6:"height";s:3:"665";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='26'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/05/pos-news-globe.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"pos-news-globe-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"pos-news-globe-97x350.jpg";s:5:"width";s:2:"97";s:6:"height";s:3:"350";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Our Friends here at 115 The Commons http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/our-friends-here-at-115-the-commons/ Wed, 26 May 2010 20:56:14 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=167 Angry Mom Records -- also home to League of Women Rollers merch -- is downstairs, The Owl Cafe and the Comics Inferno hold court on the mezzanine and a crew of nonprofits are nestled into our space at the top of the building. Who are the groups? and what fabulous work do they do? Silent City Distro sells local and national zines and helps people produce zines locally. They also sponsor some interesting activities, speakers and music. Some Distro collective members also are involved in the Ithaca Freeskool. Shaleshock Action Alliance is a movement that works toward protecting our communities and environment from exploitative gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region. Shaleshock is an alliance of Working Groups which include people who have signed leases, not signed leases, who have been compulsorily integrated, and people who don’t own land. Books Thru Bars receives piles of letters each week from prisoners throughout the country requesting books. They do their best to fill those orders. The Veteran's Sanctuary is creating a residential space for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Veterans For Peace shares office space with The Veteran's Sanctuary. This Memorial Day, Monday May 31, they are sponsoring a gathering at Dewitt Park that "will use music, words and poetry to remember the loss of war. Poetry from veterans of WWII through to the Iraq War. We will remember the dead and wounded civilians of our wars as we remember our troops..... the wounds, the loss of futures and the effects on families." Civilian casualties from Afghanistan and Iraq will also be memorialized. DeWitt Park is in downtown Ithaca at the corner of North Cayuga and East Buffalo Streets; the program is from 7:30 to 9:30. The office of Ithaca Hours, home of the local currency movement, is next door to the Veteran's Sanctuary. If a Japanese television film crew is wandering around our building, they most likely are looking for Ithaca Hours. Korean, Ukrainian and other international journalists have sought out this tiny office in 115. The national publication Positive News also has an office here.  You can pick up their quarterly newspaper around the area at local shops and libraries. And of course, there's always our Peace and Justice gift shop. We carry an assortment of cards, publications, bumper stickers and t-shirts. Come on down sometime and visit the groups that do such phenomenal community organizing! ]]> 167 2010-05-26 20:56:14 2010-05-26 20:56:14 open open our-friends-here-at-115-the-commons publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1274907382 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1274907376 Jessica May Day 2010 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/tcwc-in-the-news/jessica-may-day-2010/ Thu, 27 May 2010 20:34:16 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jessica-may-day-2010.jpg 180 2010-05-27 20:34:16 2010-05-27 20:34:16 open open jessica-may-day-2010 inherit 179 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jessica-may-day-2010.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/05/jessica-may-day-2010.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:2:"98";s:6:"height";s:3:"130";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='72'";s:4:"file";s:32:"2010/05/jessica-may-day-2010.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} TCWC in the News http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/05/tcwc-in-the-news/ Thu, 27 May 2010 20:40:28 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=179 Ithaca Journal story about a Workers Center project underway. Long ago we started working on a manual for restaurant owners on Department of Labor regulations. We hit some bumps in the road and the booklet remains unprinted to this day. Our intern Jessica Yoon (who is graduating Sunday from Cornell) had the initiative to take the booklet to the County Legislature, asking for their financial support to help us print the manual. Thank you, Jessica! Jessica was one of the founding participants in the Immigrants Rights Coalition here in Ithaca and helped organize the May Day rally. We will miss her. ================================================= Ithaca College student Jessica Dillon wrote about the May Day rally on her blog; her entry Cornell Students Ask Nike to Just Pay It specifically mentions the WC. ================================================= Have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday. The weather is certainly screaming for a barbeque at the lake!]]> 179 2010-05-27 20:40:28 2010-05-27 20:40:28 open open tcwc-in-the-news publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1274992832 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1274992828 Welfare Reform? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/welfare-reform-2/ Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:50:55 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=183 can't be legal!" But yes, it is. When I mentioned the member's concerns to Pete, he remembered a flyer that another Workers' Center member had distributed last year. And here is the text of that flyer:

    The state of NY is trying to force me to work the hours of a full time job in exchange for the little benefits they provide me with...when you do the math as shown here, this is what it works out to:

    $200 foodstamps a month

    $67.95 cash twice a month ($135.90)

    $335.90 per month total

    35 hours of labor a week

    52 weeks in a year x 35 hrs ea = 1820 hours a year

    1820 divided by 12 months in a year = 151.666 hours per month

    $335.90 per month divided by 151.666 hours =

    $2.21 per hour of labor!

    SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A JOB AND RESCUE ME FROM THESE SLAVE DRIVERS!!!

    Time for some real welfare reform, anyone?]]>
    183 2010-06-02 19:50:55 2010-06-02 19:50:55 open open welfare-reform-2 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1275589335 _edit_last 12261875 email_notification 1275508259 _wp_old_slug
    domestic workers logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/domestic-workers-get-rights/domestic-workers-logo/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:50:19 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/domestic-workers-logo.jpg 190 2010-06-03 17:50:19 2010-06-03 17:50:19 open open domestic-workers-logo inherit 189 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/domestic-workers-logo.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/domestic-workers-logo.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"190";s:6:"height";s:3:"189";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:33:"2010/06/domestic-workers-logo.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"domestic-workers-logo-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Y-NANNY1-popup http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/domestic-workers-get-rights/y-nanny1-popup/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:03:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/y-nanny1-popup.jpg 191 2010-06-03 18:03:00 2010-06-03 18:03:00 open open y-nanny1-popup inherit 189 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/y-nanny1-popup.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/y-nanny1-popup.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"650";s:6:"height";s:3:"430";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='84' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/06/y-nanny1-popup.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"y-nanny1-popup-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"y-nanny1-popup-220x145.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"145";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"y-nanny1-popup-490x324.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"324";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Domestic Workers Get Rights! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/domestic-workers-get-rights/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:16:21 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=189 For Nannies, Hope of Workplace Protection. Last year, we had a fascinating visitor to the Workers' Center, Joyce Gill-Campbell, an organizer for Domestic Workers United. Joyce had been speaking at Ithaca College, jamming meetings and travel into a tiny window of time, yet she came downtown for lunch to talk to us. Her vision of the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights was inspiring but seemed almost unattainable, it was so far from the reality of life as a domestic. If organizing is a challenge to coworkers laboring in the same location every day, imagine what it is like for women who live with their employers, isolated from family and social support networks. Frequently domestic workers are expected to be on-call 24/7. Privacy and free time for outside activities of any kind, let alone community organizing, can be virtually nonexistent. Joyce told stories of women meeting at playgrounds, passing cards about the Domestic Workers United one to the other. Organizing was done via cellphone late at night. What was the goal? "Power, respect, fair labor standards and to help build a movement  to end exploitation and oppression for all." In 2007 at the US Social Forum, DWU joined with others for form the National Domestic Workers Alliance.

    DWU has worked for years to pass the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. Congratulations to them, and to all of us, for their tireless work on behalf of mostly immigrant, mostly women workers.

    They raise the children, clean the houses, care for those who need assistance. They deserve basic rights, too.

    The Domestic Workers United also has a blog which you can read here.

    Nanny photo above from June 3, 2010 New York Times article cited earlier.

    ]]>
    189 2010-06-03 18:16:21 2010-06-03 18:16:21 open open domestic-workers-get-rights publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1283366339 jabber_published 1275588984 email_notification 1275588985 _wp_old_slug
    Make a Phone Call for A5414A, the Healthy Workplace Bill http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/make-a-phone-call-for-a5414a-the-healthy-workplace-bill/ Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:15:04 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=198 Susan John is opposed to this bill. Please contact the Assembly Labor Committee members if you can, urging them to send the bill to the Assembly floor. Barbara Lifton is one of the Multisponsors of this bill. Thank you again, Barbara! Since I first started researching workplace bullying and speaking about the Workers' Center commitment to addressing this largely unacknowledged problem, I have heard many stories about targeted workers suffering severe health problems. It is not uncommon for targets to end up in mental health units of hospitals; heart attacks and stomach and digestive complications have also been reported to me. This is a serious problem that we must take seriously. Don't let this bill die in the Labor Committee! Update: I've just learned from Megan at Barbara Lifton's Albany office that A5414 was returned to Committee for further consideration. This means that the Assembly bill was not defeated but not sent to the Assembly for vote yet either. Megan said that this bill will be voted on by the Labor Committee before Session which starts June 21st. This means that we do have time to call the Labor Committee, particularly Susan John, the Committee Chair, to urge the legislators to send this bill to the Assembly this summer. Please try to make that call or email.]]> 198 2010-06-08 16:15:04 2010-06-08 16:15:04 open open make-a-phone-call-for-a5414a-the-healthy-workplace-bill publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1276715277 jabber_published 1276013704 email_notification 1276013704 _wp_old_slug Summer Potluck! Come one, come all! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/summer-potluck-come-one-come-all/ Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:35:48 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=201 201 2010-06-08 20:35:48 2010-06-08 20:35:48 open open summer-potluck-come-one-come-all publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1276715257 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1276029352 email_notification 1276029353 _wp_old_slug democracy now http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/sad-news-about-5414-good-news-for-amber/democracy-now/ Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:06:15 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/democracy-now.png 209 2010-06-09 18:06:15 2010-06-09 18:06:15 open open democracy-now inherit 208 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/democracy-now.png _wp_attached_file 2010/06/democracy-now.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"165";s:6:"height";s:3:"109";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='84' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:25:"2010/06/democracy-now.png";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"democracy-now-150x109.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"109";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} habitat http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/sad-news-about-5414-good-news-for-amber/habitat/ Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:15:56 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/habitat.png 210 2010-06-09 20:15:56 2010-06-09 20:15:56 open open habitat inherit 208 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/habitat.png _wp_attached_file 2010/06/habitat.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"209";s:6:"height";s:2:"90";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='55' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:19:"2010/06/habitat.png";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:18:"habitat-150x90.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"90";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Sad News about 5414, Good News for Amber http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/sad-news-about-5414-good-news-for-amber/ Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:21:36 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=208 Workplace Bullying Institute's blog. Rest assured that the Workers' Center will still be dedicated to working on this issue. Stay tuned for future posts on workplace bullying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From Democracy Now!

    Fired Massey Coal Miner Files Whistleblower Complaint

    A West Virginia coal miner has filed a whistleblower complaint with the Labor Department, alleging that he was fired after he made comments about safety conditions at mines owned by Massey Energy. Ricky Lee Campbell was fired on April 23, less than two weeks after an explosion at Massey’s Upper Big Branch Mine killed twenty-nine. A number of other Massey coal miners have also complained that they have faced retaliation for reporting safety problems. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And to end on a very positive note, the good news for Amber Little and her sons Max and Kai is that they are in fact getting their beautiful new Habitat for Humanity home. I'm sure you remember that after Amber lost her job at CostCutters, the home that she had invested hundreds of hours in was threatened. (Her mortgage depended on a steady work history.) Luckily, everything has worked out. Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties is holding a home dedication ceremony at Amber's new home at 100 Breed Road, Locke NY 13092 on June 13th at 2:00 pm. Congratulations, Amber!
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    208 2010-06-09 20:21:36 2010-06-09 20:21:36 open open sad-news-about-5414-good-news-for-amber publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1276715046 jabber_published 1276114900 email_notification 1276114901 _wp_old_slug 53 namie@workplacebullying.org http://workplacebullying.org 142.163.246.214 2010-06-10 15:54:39 2010-06-10 15:54:39 1 0 0
    hands breaking chains http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/unemployed-our-support-group-starts-617/hands-breaking-chains/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:17:07 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/hands-breaking-chains.jpg 215 2010-06-10 19:17:07 2010-06-10 19:17:07 open open hands-breaking-chains inherit 214 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/hands-breaking-chains.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/hands-breaking-chains.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:2:"98";s:6:"height";s:2:"90";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='90' width='98'";s:4:"file";s:33:"2010/06/hands-breaking-chains.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Unemployed? Our support group starts 6/17! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/unemployed-our-support-group-starts-617/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:18:26 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=214 Huffington Post article called Disturbing Job Ads: 'The Unemployed Will not be Considered.' The corporate trend described in the article is that companies are tossing resumes from the unemployed -- and unemployed for any reason whatsoever -- right in the circular file. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reminder: Come to our Summer potluck Saturday June 12th at 5:30-7:30. We'll be at the Unitarian Church of Ithaca on the corner of Buffalo and Aurora. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celebrate Juneteenth with a celebration and festival at Southside Community Center, June 19th, 11 am -- 7 pm. Southside is located at 305 S. Plain Street in Ithaca. This year's Juneteenth theme will be Reflections of Our Past, Light Our Future. It promised to be a fun filled celebration showcasing live musical and dance performances, children's activities, arts and crafts, vendor and community agency tables, a silent auction and -- of course! -- outstanding food. Juneteenth celebrates the news of the Emancipation Proclamation throughout the southern US reaching each and every enslaved person. ]]> 214 2010-06-10 19:18:26 2010-06-10 19:18:26 open open unemployed-our-support-group-starts-617 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1277127021 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1276197506 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1276197507 54 babplanalp@yahoo.com 74.106.7.3 2010-06-18 15:51:36 2010-06-18 15:51:36 1 0 0 Weekly Support Meeting for Un/deremployed Workers, Every Thursday @ 4:30 p.m. http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/weekly-support-meeting-for-underemployed-workers-every-thursday-430-p-m/ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/weekly-support-meeting-for-underemployed-workers-every-thursday-430-p-m/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center and one of its leadership groups, the Community Union Organizers, announces the formation of a weekly support group to meet every Thursday from 4:30-6 p.m. (at the Workers' Center, 115 The Commons) to support, advocate for, and empower unemployed and underemployed workers. Recognizing some of the unemployment and under-employment problems (see below) troubling many of our community members has led to this participant-driven weekly support meeting for unemployed and under-employed workers.

    The issues:

    The United States Senate has yet to act on the pending jobs bill in the US Congress. While local unemployed workers anxiously await word about when and if they will be paid additional unemployment benefits (hundreds of thousands of people nationally), the Community Union Organizers of the Tompkins County Workers' Center are taking action to support both under-employed and unemployed workers.

    National job recovery figures from April show modest gains due to the 413,000 temporary workers hired by the federal government to complete the census. These jobs will go away by September.

    The need for training for jobs that pay a living wage and funding for education remains at an all time high. Local people are working more than one part-time job just trying to get by and plenty of our unemployed people have been actively seeking work for a year or more!

    Temporary work distorts the picture of unemployment and under-employment and feeds upon people who are making desperate efforts to support themselves and their families. It is an egregious trend in our global economy that aids employers who are escaping from participating in responsible employer/employee relations.

    For more information, contact Bev Abplanalp, 607-220-3491, TC Workers' Center Member and Producer of U & U and me too, unemployment and underemployment in our town, Public Access Channel 13, or the Tompkins County Workers' Center at 607-269-0409.

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    1136 2010-06-14 00:00:00 2010-06-14 00:00:00 open open weekly-support-meeting-for-underemployed-workers-every-thursday-430-p-m publish 0 0 post 0
    Awake at 6:15 am? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/awake-at-615-am/ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:14:17 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=218 WHCU 870 AM about our new Unemployed and Underemployed Support Group. Bev, along with Mike Roenke, is the facilitator of that group. Their first meeting  is Thursday at 4:30 here at the Workers' Center. Hopefully, many unemployed people will be able to join the group and still make their late buses home. Bev and Mike have also asked our members to write to our Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, asking them to support the Jobs Bill. Specifically ask them to make sure to include extension of Unemployment Insurance. Their Central New York contact information is as follows: Kirsten Gillibrand Syracuse/Central NY James M. Hanley Federal Building 100 South Clinton Street Room 1470 PO Box 7378 Syracuse, NY 13261 Tel. (315) 448-0470 Fax (315) 448-0476 Chuck Schumer Syracuse 100 South Clinton Street Room 841 Syracuse, NY 13261-7318 Phone: 315-423-5471      Fax: 315-423-5185 ]]> 218 2010-06-14 21:14:17 2010-06-14 21:14:17 open open awake-at-615-am publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1287676568 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1276550061 email_notification 1276550062 _wp_old_slug dilbert http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/our-listening-project/dilbert/ Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:37:11 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dilbert.gif 222 2010-06-16 18:37:11 2010-06-16 18:37:11 open open dilbert inherit 221 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dilbert.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/06/dilbert.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"640";s:6:"height";s:3:"199";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='39' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:19:"2010/06/dilbert.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:19:"dilbert-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:18:"dilbert-220x68.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:2:"68";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:19:"dilbert-490x152.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"152";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Our Listening Project http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/our-listening-project/ Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:45:51 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=221 Marshall Ganz, a former civil rights and labor activist, now Kennedy School professor, who developed the model of organizing through sharing and collecting Personal Narratives. More on that when we return from the conference. I'd also like to share a link to an interesting website about workplace bullying. Beverly Peterson, filmmaker, is compiling video stories of people who have suffered as targets of bullyers at work. They're all riveting stories, some with tragic outcomes. Visit There Oughta be a Law to learn more.]]> 221 2010-06-16 18:45:51 2010-06-16 18:45:51 open open our-listening-project publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1276804597 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1276713952 email_notification 1276713953 _wp_old_slug ussf http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/conferences-and-the-us-social-forum/ussf/ Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:08:20 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ussf.jpg 237 2010-06-17 20:08:20 2010-06-17 20:08:20 open open ussf inherit 234 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ussf.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/ussf.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:2:"92";s:6:"height";s:2:"98";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='90'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2010/06/ussf.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Conferences and the US Social Forum http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/conferences-and-the-us-social-forum/ Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:08:37 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=234 Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for the recipients of its grants. At the same time, other members of the Workers' Center will be representing our organization at the US Social Forum in Detroit. They are joining a busload of Ithaca-area activists on a nine and a half hour bus ride to participate in the many activities. (Check out the impressive list of planned workshops, entertainments, parades, actions and activities on the USSF website -- link above.) Stay tuned for announcements of report-backs from participants later in the summer. Networking means making relationships between groups involved in social justice work across the country -- and relationships here in our community as well.]]> 234 2010-06-17 20:08:37 2010-06-17 20:08:37 open open conferences-and-the-us-social-forum publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1276805404 jabber_published 1276805317 email_notification 1276805317 _wp_old_slug interfaith worker justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/resources-for-workers-rights-information/interfaith-worker-justice/ Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:02:25 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg 242 2010-06-21 19:02:25 2010-06-21 19:02:25 open open interfaith-worker-justice inherit 241 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"217";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='53' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:37:"2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:36:"interfaith-worker-justice-150x91.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} interfaith worker justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/resources-for-workers-rights-information/interfaith-worker-justice-2/ Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:03:04 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice1.jpg 243 2010-06-21 19:03:04 2010-06-21 19:03:04 open open interfaith-worker-justice-2 inherit 241 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"217";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='53' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:38:"2010/06/interfaith-worker-justice1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:37:"interfaith-worker-justice1-150x91.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Teacup_clipart http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/resources-for-workers-rights-information/teacup_clipart/ Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:15:24 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/teacup_clipart.png 244 2010-06-21 19:15:24 2010-06-21 19:15:24 open open teacup_clipart inherit 241 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/teacup_clipart.png _wp_attached_file 2010/06/teacup_clipart.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"240";s:6:"height";s:3:"199";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='115'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/06/teacup_clipart.png";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"teacup_clipart-150x150.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"teacup_clipart-220x182.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"182";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Resources for Workers' Rights Information http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/resources-for-workers-rights-information/ Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:31:42 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=241 Workers Rights Manual. The 2003 original edition has recently been updated and includes legislation or issues that weren't in the older version. We try the Department Of Labor website but, although we've been teased by the promise of a new website, it is notoriously difficult to search productively there. The website Can My Boss Do That?, a project of Interfaith Worker Justice, is an excellent resource for the average worker. This site even includes state-specific Department of Labor paperwork to print out and file. One book we like to consult is Your Rights in the Workplace by attorney Barbara Kate Repa. Another book title that has been recommended by the Workplace Bullying Institute, the National Workrights Institute and other similar advocacy groups is Can They Do That?: Retaking Our Fundamental Rights in the Workplace by Lewis Maltby. Publisher's Weekly review says: Maltby, president and founder of the National Workrights Institute, provides chilling insight into personal rights in the workplace and existing laws, which, with rare exception, side with employers. Such liberties as freedom of speech, guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, protect us only from governmental intrusions and do nothing to safeguard us from private enterprise. Maltby relays shocking stories of employer abuses, including tracking employees through cell phone GPS locators, placing hidden cameras in restrooms, and asking potential employees for details on everything from religious beliefs to sex lives. A staggering 20% of employers now require employees to agree before being hired not to go to court if the corporation violates their legal rights. Maltby shows employees how to protect themselves as much as possible under the existing laws and urges them to fight for bringing the Bill of Rights to apply to the private sector. Appendixes provide sample letters to elected representatives and human rights organizations as well as an Employee Bill of Rights. A disturbing and essential exposé that may be a catalyst for change. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. We also call some dedicated volunteers and experts versed in workers' issues who so generously donate their time and knowledge to help those who need our assistance. Thanks to all of you for helping all of us. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a link to a blog whose author, attorney Scott Greenfield, calls bullied employees 'delicate teacups' who shatter if their boss is mean to them. Targets of bullying are accused of being 'mythical and chronically oversensitive' and equates psychological manipulation with 'hurting someone's feelings.'  The Healthy Workplace Bill, recently tabled by the NYS Assembly's Labor Committee would 'prop up delicate flowers,' thinks Mr. Greenfield. I've heard that laws protecting workers based on their race, religion, gender, disability and such were similarly ridiculed before they were enacted. Read it and grit your teeth.]]> 241 2010-06-21 19:31:42 2010-06-21 19:31:42 open open resources-for-workers-rights-information publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1277148714 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1277148706 email_notification 1277148707 _wp_old_slug stop http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/tell-marietta-to-stop-worker-exploitation/stop/ Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:30:31 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/stop.jpg 248 2010-06-29 21:30:31 2010-06-29 21:30:31 open open stop inherit 247 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/stop.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/stop.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"300";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2010/06/stop.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"stop-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"stop-219x219.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"219";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} stop http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/tell-marietta-to-stop-worker-exploitation/stop-2/ Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:30:50 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/stop1.jpg 249 2010-06-29 21:30:50 2010-06-29 21:30:50 open open stop-2 inherit 247 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/stop1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/06/stop1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"300";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:17:"2010/06/stop1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"stop1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"stop1-219x219.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"219";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Tell Marietta to STOP Worker Exploitation http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/06/tell-marietta-to-stop-worker-exploitation/ Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:41:47 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=247 that news later... While in Chicago, we met some organizers with Centro De Trabajadores Unidos, Immigrant Workers' Project who told us about their campaign to help workers at a Marietta Corporation factory in their city. Well, what a coincidence: we have had complaints from workers at the Marietta Corporation factory in Cortland. Locally, the complaints are about unfair terminations, chemical exposures and the employment practice of firing permanent employees and replacing them with temporary workers. The same complaints, mixed with the discriminatory racial practice of targeting Latino/a workers with the e-verify system, exist in Chicago. It turns out that the Marietta Corporation's corporate headquarters are nestled in modest Cortland, NY. We had to jump in. We'd like ask our readers and Workers Center members to contact Marietta's CEO Donald Sturdivant and Vice President of Operations David Hempson with the following message:

    Worker Exploitation in the Southeast side of Chicago

    Take action and support workers from Marietta Corporation. In Chicago, Marietta produces Clorox, Palmolive, All, Greenworks, Sunlight Lemon Gel, Final Touch, Niagra and Vim. (In Cortland, Marietta produces the little bottles of shampoo and conditioner found in motel and hotel rooms.)

    Workers of the Marietta Corporation Chicago ask for:

    • Better Working Conditions
    • No termination retaliation for Complaints about working conditions
    • Toilet paper in clean bathrooms!
    • Access to bathroom use during work time
    • No sexual harassment in the workplace
    • Safe working conditions
    • Safer equipment and better practices to protect workers against chemicals
    • respect lunch breaks

    Take Action Now!!

    Call Mr. David Hempson, VP of Operations and Mr. Donald Sturdivant, CEO, at 607-753-6746. (Mr. Hempson's extension is 531.) A suggested call script: "Hello, my name is ___________. I am calling in support of workers of the Marietta Corporation in Chicago. We ask that the company stop firing workers and improve the working conditions." For more information on the campaign and to get involved call Centro de Trabajadores Unidos: The Immigrant Workers' Project at 708-790-7760. For information about a possible local campaign focusing on the Chicago issue and the Cortland conditions, call the Workers Center at 607-269-0409.]]>
    247 2010-06-29 21:41:47 2010-06-29 21:41:47 open open tell-marietta-to-stop-worker-exploitation publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1277847716 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1277847709 email_notification 1277847710 _wp_old_slug 55 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/2010-in-review/ 72.233.61.80 2011-01-03 22:35:40 2011-01-03 22:35:40 1 pingback 0 0
    LoisGibbs http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/rules-for-leadership/loisgibbs/ Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:47:24 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/loisgibbs.jpg 253 2010-07-07 17:47:24 2010-07-07 17:47:24 open open loisgibbs inherit 252 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/loisgibbs.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/07/loisgibbs.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"604";s:6:"height";s:3:"904";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='64'";s:4:"file";s:21:"2010/07/loisgibbs.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"loisgibbs-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"loisgibbs-219x329.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"329";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"loisgibbs-490x733.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"733";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Workers_Memorial_Day_poster http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/rules-for-leadership/workers_memorial_day_poster/ Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:13:53 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/workers_memorial_day_poster.jpg 254 2010-07-07 18:13:53 2010-07-07 18:13:53 open open workers_memorial_day_poster inherit 252 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/workers_memorial_day_poster.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/07/workers_memorial_day_poster.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"330";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='64'";s:4:"file";s:39:"2010/07/workers_memorial_day_poster.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:39:"workers_memorial_day_poster-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Rules for Leadership http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/rules-for-leadership/ Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:31:28 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=252 Needmor Fund, talked to us about his 'Rules of Leadership.'  He connects his rules with sayings, stories and books that teach us about organizing. Dave is a witty man with a fascinating history of his own. For instance, at age 12, he was a street marshall in a march through Boston led by Dr. Martin Luther King. A PK (preacher's kid), Dave was brought up on social justice. Here are a few of his rules, illustrated by stories and books: Saying 1: Anyone Can Be a Leader.              Story: Gale Cincotta Gale was a mother and wife before leading the national fight to pass the federal Community Reinvestment Act which requires  banks and savings and loans to offer credit throughout their entire market areas and prohibits them from targeting only wealthier neighborhoods with their lending and services. Gale was co-founder of National People's Action, a coalition of some 300 community organizations throughout the United States.     Book: Dynamics of Organizing, by Shel Trapp. Saying 2: Winners Make Great Teachers Story: Holmes County, MS. Kids in 10 and 11th grade compiled stories of local leaders of the civil rights movement in their poor, rural county. Not only did they publish a book about these phenomenal leaders but the kids themselves, at-risk students in the local school, jumped grade levels in their academic work and became dedicated to human rights.    Book: Minds Stayed on Freedom, by the youth of ROCC (Rural Organizing and Cultural Center) Saying 3: At the Banquet Table of History, there are no reserved seats... Story: Lois Gibbs In 1978, Lois Gibbs discovered that her 7 year old son's elementary school in Niagra Falls was built on a toxic waste dump. She soon learned that her entire neighborhood, Love Canal, was severely contaminated. With no previous experience in community activism, Lois led the fight against state and federal agencies, eventually winning the relocation of 833 families. Her efforts also led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or Superfund, which is used to locate and clean up toxic waste sites throughout the United States.        Book: Love Canal, My Story by Lois Gibbs

    Saying 4: Leaders Lead Story: Mother Jones Mary Harris Jones, Mother Jones to us,  lost her four children and husband in a yellow fever epidemic. She moved to Chicago and, motivated by her grief to help others, immersed herself in the labor movement after losing her business and possessions in the Great Fire of 1871. Indefatigable Mother Jones traveled from state to state to organize miners and other workers, crusade against child labor and helped form the Industrial Workers of the World. In 1903, she led child factory workers on the Children's Crusade from their homes in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA to Oyster Bay, NY, summer home of President Teddy Roosevelt. Public sentiment turned abruptly against child labor after that publicized march (and Roosevelt's refusal to meet with Mother Jones). 'Pray for the dead,' she said, 'and fight like hell for the Living.'  Book: Illinois: Descriptive and Historical Guide, by the Federal Writer's Project, WPA, 1939.

    I'll share more of Dave Beckwith's sayings, stories and books in a future post. Share some of your own with us if you please!

    ]]>
    252 2010-07-07 18:31:28 2010-07-07 18:31:28 open open rules-for-leadership publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1278958488 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1278527491 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1278527491
    LAWP http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/friends-we-met-in-chicago/lawp/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:23:13 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lawp.jpg 263 2010-07-12 19:23:13 2010-07-12 19:23:13 open open lawp inherit 262 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/lawp.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/07/lawp.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"243";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='79'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2010/07/lawp.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"lawp-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Leone and the Cubs http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/friends-we-met-in-chicago/leone-and-the-cubs/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:34:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/leone-and-the-cubs.jpg 264 2010-07-12 19:34:27 2010-07-12 19:34:27 open open leone-and-the-cubs inherit 262 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/leone-and-the-cubs.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/07/leone-and-the-cubs.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"400";s:6:"height";s:3:"267";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='85' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:30:"2010/07/leone-and-the-cubs.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:30:"leone-and-the-cubs-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:30:"leone-and-the-cubs-220x146.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"146";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Friends we met in Chicago http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/friends-we-met-in-chicago/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:52:19 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=262 The Latin American Workers Project is a Jackson Heights, Queens-based group that helps day laborers, among other immigrant workers. Hundreds of workers gather on Roosevelt Avenue under the El, waiting for employers to stop, judge and employ -- or not -- for that one day. Some of the worker volunteers of LAWP performed a skit at our Saturday night conference celebration which illustrated the plight of the day laborer who may be unskilled at speaking English, undocumented or both. The skit showed a domestic worker being cheated out of her day's wages by an unscrupulous employer. Jackson Heights is a vibrant neighborhood filled with new residents of New York City; Indian, Salvadoran, Pakistani, Colombian among many other ethnicities are represented with groceries, clothing stores and restaurants. Ligia Guallpa, the executive director of LAWP, is a recent graduate of SUNY Cortland whose parents immigrated from Ecuador.

    The Chicago Workers Collaborative Leone Jose Bocchieri is the director of this Workers Center which 'educates immigrant and other low-wage workers regarding their employment rights and improving cooperation and communication between such workers and their employers.' They are committed to creating a nation-wide boycott of the state of Arizona. Their projects include creating green cleaning collectives, helping street vendors sell their home-made food items legally, teaching ESL classes and helping temp workers achieve equality.  The photo of Leone Jose and his coworkers was first printed in the NYTimes.

    Centro De Trabajadores Unidos, the Immigrants Workers' Project, is another Chicago organization working for justice for low wage, immigrant workers. Watch for more news about this group: they share a large employer with hundreds of central NYers (Marietta Corporation). Last Friday, a contingent of TCWC members and leaders delivered a petition for Centro De Trabajadores Unidos to Marietta officials in Cortland. The Chicago workers had been informed that the Chicago factory director would not receive their documents of support: Cortland NY was the place to do that. The Chicago workers and their supporters were objecting to unfair e-verifications, lack of bathroom facilities and chemical exposures and unsafe working conditions. More on the Marietta situation soon.

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    advocacy http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/the-advocacy-center-and-how-it-can-help/advocacy/ Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:42:41 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/advocacy.gif 271 2010-07-14 17:42:41 2010-07-14 17:42:41 open open advocacy inherit 270 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/advocacy.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/07/advocacy.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"133";s:6:"height";s:3:"162";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='78'";s:4:"file";s:20:"2010/07/advocacy.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"advocacy-133x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"133";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} The Advocacy Center and how it can help http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/the-advocacy-center-and-how-it-can-help/ Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:48:53 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=270 Advocacy Center came to talk to us. It was good to be reminded of the tremendous work the people there do. 

    The Advocacy Center serves all ages and genders with crisis intervention, as many people know. But it also will help with questions people may have about situations that have not escalated into crises. So if you have a co-worker who makes statements that cause you discomfort, or if you need help in answering questions about what abuse is, or any number of questions relating to sexual abuse, harassment or violence, please call the Advocacy Center at 277-5000. All calls are scrupulously confidential.

    A support group is forming now for adult women who have been sexually assaulted as adults. It will be a small, personal group. If you would like more information, call Alison, one of the Center's Counselor-Advocates, at 277-3203. Another interesting thing that we learned from the Advocacy Center is related to employment rights for victims of domestic violence. In July, 2009, the NYS Human Rights Law was amended, providing protection from employment discrimination for victims of domestic violence. It is now unlawful to deny job advancement or hiring to those who are victims of domestic violence or to deny them leave to attend court hearings, meetings with attorneys or police, to apply for orders of protection, to seek  mental or medical health appointments or for other activities related to their domestic violence victim status. A person who leaves a job because of domestic violence may also be eligible for Unemployment Insurance. Job performance problems relating to domestic violence, such as absenteeism or tardiness, will not necessarily bar benefits. You can get further information from the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence at 518-457-5800 or www.opdv.state.ny.us The inclusion of victims of domestic violence in the Human Rights Law means that these people are now a protected class, a very valuable advancement in the rights of all workers but particularly the blue and pink collar workers who so frequently suffer from our 'at will employment' labor policies. It also raises the bar on what our society will accept as civil behavior between human beings. And that's what the Workers' Center is all about: ensuring that the law is honored but always, always pushing for a higher morality.]]>
    270 2010-07-14 17:48:53 2010-07-14 17:48:53 open open the-advocacy-center-and-how-it-can-help publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1279129741 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1279129735 email_notification 1279129736 _wp_old_slug
    made in LA http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/workers-center-movie-night-tonight-free/made-in-la/ Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:08:40 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/made-in-la.jpg 276 2010-07-19 15:08:40 2010-07-19 15:08:40 open open made-in-la inherit 275 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/made-in-la.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/07/made-in-la.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"276";s:6:"height";s:3:"347";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='76'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2010/07/made-in-la.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"made-in-la-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"made-in-la-220x276.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"276";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Workers Center Movie Night: Tonight! Free! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/workers-center-movie-night-tonight-free/ Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:13:29 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=275 Free Summer movie night tonight, Monday July 19, at 6:30 to see our featured film, Made in L.A.

    This will be a chance to meet other Workers Center members who share our values of justice for and unity among all workers. There will be cookies, conversation ...and connections to a struggle of workers at a Chicago plant of the multinational corporation, the Marietta Corporation, that the TCWC has been recently supporting. (http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/tell-marietta-to-stop-worker-exploitation/). From the film's official website: Made in L.A. is an Emmy Award-winning film that follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a mega-trendy clothing retailer. In intimate observational style, Made in L.A. reveals the impact of the struggle on each woman's life as they are gradually transformed by the experience. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, Made in L.A. is a story about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your voice. This movie does contain some subtitles. View the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5J5_orlSac

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    275 2010-07-19 15:13:29 2010-07-19 15:13:29 open open workers-center-movie-night-tonight-free publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1279552413 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1279552410 email_notification 1279552410 _wp_old_slug
    MTTW2 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/unemployment-extension-another-movie-and-a-little-bragging/mttw2/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:41:35 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mttw2.jpg 281 2010-07-20 21:41:35 2010-07-20 21:41:35 open open mttw2 inherit 280 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mttw2.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/07/mttw2.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"302";s:6:"height";s:3:"224";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='94' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:17:"2010/07/mttw2.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"mttw2-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"mttw2-219x163.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"163";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Unemployment Extension, Another movie (and a little bragging) http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/unemployment-extension-another-movie-and-a-little-bragging/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:54:26 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=280 site. This is good news indeed for many people who have been unemployed for too long. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join us on Thursday July 29th @ 7:15 p.m. for the Ithaca Premier of the Critically-Acclaimed MOUNTAINS THAT TAKE WING: Angela Davis & Yuri Kochiyama - A Conversation on Life, Struggles & Liberation (97 minutes) The Directors and Producers of the Film, C.A. Griffith and H.L. T. Quan, will be present for discussion following the film. MOUNTAINS THAT TAKE WING (2010) features conversations that span thirteen years between two formidable women whose lives and political work remain at the epicenter of the most important civil rights struggles in the U.S. Through the intimacy and depth of conversations, we learn about Angela Davis, an internationally renowned scholar-activist and 88-year-old Yuri Kochiyama, a revered grassroots community activist and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, their shared experiences as political prisoners and their profound passion for justice. On subjects ranging from the vital but largely erased role of women in social movements of the 20th century, community empowerment, to the prison-industrial complex, war and the cultural arts, Davis’ and Kochiyama’s comments offer critical lessons for understanding our nation’s most important social movements and tremendous hope for its youth and the future. Photographed, Recorded, Produced, Directed and Edited by C.A. Griffith and H.L. T. Quan. Cinemapolis members and Tompkins County Workers’ Center Members, upon showing Membership Card, will be able to attend movie for $5.00. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We are not partisan at the Workers' Center but I couldn't help passing along this blog which features my cousin -- who of course I'm now going to call Joe the Volunteer. Joe, one of the many Americans who has been unemployed long-term, has been a volunteer community organizer three days a week with Organizing for America. He's a funny and wonderful guy. Enjoy the article.]]> 280 2010-07-20 21:54:26 2010-07-20 21:54:26 open open unemployment-extension-another-movie-and-a-little-bragging publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1279742551 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1279662868 email_notification 1279662869 _wp_old_slug WOMEN15 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/mark-your-calendars/women15/ Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:14:31 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/women15.gif 287 2010-07-21 20:14:31 2010-07-21 20:14:31 open open women15 inherit 286 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/women15.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/07/women15.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"400";s:6:"height";s:3:"296";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='94' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:19:"2010/07/women15.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:19:"women15-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:19:"women15-220x162.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"162";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Mark Your Calendars http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/07/mark-your-calendars/ Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:17:58 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=286 Mountains that take Wing. It will be shown in the beautiful Cinemapolis, 120 East Green Street, Ithaca NY. The phone number is 277-6115. The Premier is Thursday July 29 at 7:15 pm. ===================================================== It's not too early to remind everyone that the annual Labor Day Picnic will be held again at Stewart Park on Monday September 6, 11-3. Music, good conversation, food and celebration of the worker. Keep posted for more information.]]> 286 2010-07-21 20:17:58 2010-07-21 20:17:58 open open mark-your-calendars publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1279743482 jabber_published 1279743478 email_notification 1279743478 _wp_old_slug labor day http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/were-back/labor-day/ Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:25:10 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/labor-day.gif 291 2010-08-17 19:25:10 2010-08-17 19:25:10 open open labor-day inherit 290 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/labor-day.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/08/labor-day.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"215";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='91' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:21:"2010/08/labor-day.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"labor-day-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"labor-day-219x157.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"157";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} We're Back! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/were-back/ Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:28:08 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=290 Everyone is invited to join the Tompkins County Workers' Center and the Midstate Central Labor Council at our annual Labor Day Picnic. The Labor Day Picnic will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Monday, September 6th, in Ithaca's Stewart Park. Special musical guests this year include Ithaca's own hip-hop group Gunpoets featuring their newest and excellent release, 9-5, in honor of Labor Day. For twenty-six years, this Labor Day event has brought hundreds of workers, their families and community members together for a day of fun and celebration in recognition of the sacrifices and contributions working people make to our communities every day. The public is invited to the Picnic and each family is asked to bring a side dish for themselves to augment the free meat and veggie burgers, hot dogs, beverages, and ice cream. Games for the kids, as well as music and speakers will compliment the good company to be had by all! The annual awards have become a highlight of the Labor Day Picnic over the years, and this year will be no different. The Mother Jones and Joe Hill awards are presented to people for their activism, organizing and sacrifice at work. The Friend of Labor award is presented to a member of the community who has spoken out publicly or taken action in support of working people. The notorious Goat of Labor goes to an especially egregious offender of workers’ rights. Bet you can't wait to find out who that is!! [wicked snicker inserted here.] Local human service agencies, Living Wage Employers and other organizations are welcome to have organizing tables at the event (however, please contact in advance). For more information, contact the Workers' Center at TCWRC@yahoo.com or or via our website, www.TCWorkersCenter.org

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    Tell Cuomo we want progressive tax reform! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/tell-cuomo-we-want-progressive-tax-reform/ Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:30:00 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=294 Barbara Lifton, has written: "Most people’s taxes are too high, but it’s not their income taxes that are killing them; it’s the property tax that’s killing people! Our income taxes rank 25th out of the 50 states, largely because the wealthiest New Yorkers went from a 15% tax bracket to under 7% during the late ‘80’s and early 90’s. The top 4% of New Yorkers, those making $250,000 per year and up, had their tax rates cut by more than 50%. Most other New Yorkers had perhaps a one percent drop, from say, 5% to 4%, but have more than paid for those cuts by property tax hikes that resulted from the shift from state support to local support for schools and other critical services." Andrew Cuomo is currently traveling through New York in a camper, meeting and greeting. He'll be at the Women's Community Building tomorrow, Thursday August 19th, at 11:00 am. Join us if you will, poised by the front door with our signs for taxing the rich, when Mr. Cuomo makes his entrance. Let's tell him that we don't want cuts to services for the working people and we want everyone to pay their fair share, even his rich pals. The Women's Community Building is at the corner of Seneca and Cayuga Streets in downtown Ithaca.]]> 294 2010-08-18 20:30:00 2010-08-18 20:30:00 open open tell-cuomo-we-want-progressive-tax-reform publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1282580647 jabber_published 1282163400 email_notification 1282163401 _wp_old_slug bernie milton pavillion http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/demand-the-change-we-voted-for/bernie-milton-pavillion/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:14:26 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bernie-milton-pavillion.jpg 299 2010-08-24 17:14:26 2010-08-24 17:14:26 open open bernie-milton-pavillion inherit 298 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bernie-milton-pavillion.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/08/bernie-milton-pavillion.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"160";s:6:"height";s:3:"120";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:35:"2010/08/bernie-milton-pavillion.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:35:"bernie-milton-pavillion-150x120.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"120";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} DC march http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/demand-the-change-we-voted-for/dc-march/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:22:26 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/dc-march.gif 300 2010-08-24 17:22:26 2010-08-24 17:22:26 open open dc-march inherit 298 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/dc-march.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/08/dc-march.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"123";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='52' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:20:"2010/08/dc-march.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"dc-march-150x123.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"123";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:19:"dc-march-219x90.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:2:"90";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} 'Demand the Change We Voted For' http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/demand-the-change-we-voted-for/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:25:44 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=298 September 15, 2010: Ithaca NY.  Jobs Emergency Day of Action. Join us on the Commons, Bernie Milton Pavilion, at 5:00 when the Workers' Center's Unemployed & Underemployed group hosts our local event tied in the Jobs With Justice's national effort to force the government to pass legislation like the Local Jobs for America Act. With fifteen million workers unemployed and existing jobs available for only one out of five job seekers, Congress MUST step up and take decisive action. Jobs With Justice is also demanding that Wall Street pay its fair share. A tax on financial speculation could raise $200 - 500 billion each year. October 2, 2010: Washington DC: We Will March for Our Nation's Future! A coalition of 170 groups -- civil rights, labor, youth, faith and social justice organizations -- is calling for all to come to DC to demand Put America Back to Work. Put America Back Together.It's time for that promised change we voted for. A local bus is being organized. I'll keep you posted on information regarding that trip.]]> 298 2010-08-24 17:25:44 2010-08-24 17:25:44 open open demand-the-change-we-voted-for publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1282670749 jabber_published 1282670745 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1282670746 Calling All Members and Volunteers! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/calling-all-members-and-volunteers/ Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:16:30 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=303 Join us on Saturday, August 28 in the Trumansburg Fireman's Parade! This is one of the biggest parades in Tompkins County, so don't miss it. We will be gathering near the Post Office in Trumansburg (67 West Main Street) for the 5 pm parade kick-off. This is a great way to get the workers' rights word out in the rural areas of the county. Plus we hand out invitations to our Annual Labor Day picnic as well. We will be staffing a booth at the Trumansburg Fair too so, if you visit, please stop by! 2) We need cooks at our Labor Day Picnic. Free food means a need for volunteer cooks so if you can devote an hour or two to flipping burgers and hotdogs, please let us know. The picnic is at Stewart Park, Large Pavillion, on the shore of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, on Monday September 6th from 11 to 3. Call us at 607.269-0409 for more information or to volunteer!]]> 303 2010-08-25 18:16:30 2010-08-25 18:16:30 open open calling-all-members-and-volunteers publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1287676400 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1282760190 email_notification 1282760191 _wp_old_slug Raffle Tickets! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/raffle-tickets/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:39:30 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=306 Truthout Interview with Patrice Woeppel, author of  Depraved Indifference, a shocking pciture of the Workers Compensation system in the US today. Cheers!]]> 306 2010-08-26 17:39:30 2010-08-26 17:39:30 open open raffle-tickets publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1283288751 jabber_published 1282844370 email_notification 1282844372 _wp_old_slug foodANDmedicine http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/labor-day/foodandmedicine/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:30:10 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/foodandmedicine.jpg 310 2010-08-31 21:30:10 2010-08-31 21:30:10 open open foodandmedicine inherit 309 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/foodandmedicine.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/08/foodandmedicine.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"432";s:6:"height";s:3:"936";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='44'";s:4:"file";s:27:"2010/08/foodandmedicine.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"foodandmedicine-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"foodandmedicine-161x350.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"161";s:6:"height";s:3:"350";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} foodANDmedicine http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/labor-day/foodandmedicine-2/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:36:53 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/foodandmedicine1.jpg 312 2010-08-31 21:36:53 2010-08-31 21:36:53 open open foodandmedicine-2 inherit 309 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/foodandmedicine1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/08/foodandmedicine1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"432";s:6:"height";s:3:"936";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='44'";s:4:"file";s:28:"2010/08/foodandmedicine1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"foodandmedicine1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"foodandmedicine1-161x350.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"161";s:6:"height";s:3:"350";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Labor Day http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/08/labor-day/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:37:18 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=309 Haymarket Martyrs, Chicago anarchists who were executed for the death of a policeman who was killed by a bomb thrown by an unknown person during a rally in support of the Eight Hour Day. Grover Cleveland chose to avoid the May 1st holiday so as not to 'stir up emotions' over the Haymarket Incident.

    We are not the only Workers Center holding a celebration next Monday, of course. Our friends at Food AND Medicine in Maine, always creative, are having the first of its kind Farmer-Labor Art Show in honor of Labor Day. They have all sorts of cutting-edge programs like their community-supported fisheries shares. If you are ever in Bangor, Maine, check them out.

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    309 2010-08-31 21:37:18 2010-08-31 21:37:18 open open labor-day publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1283290641 jabber_published 1283290638 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1283290639
    domestic workers logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/governor-signs-domestic-bill-of-rights/domestic-workers-logo-2/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:40:45 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/domestic-workers-logo.jpg 317 2010-09-01 18:40:45 2010-09-01 18:40:45 open open domestic-workers-logo-2 inherit 314 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/domestic-workers-logo.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/domestic-workers-logo.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"190";s:6:"height";s:3:"189";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:33:"2010/09/domestic-workers-logo.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"domestic-workers-logo-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Labor Movement Logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/governor-signs-domestic-bill-of-rights/labor-movement-logo/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:44:24 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/labor-movement-logo.jpg 318 2010-09-01 18:44:24 2010-09-01 18:44:24 open open labor-movement-logo inherit 314 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/labor-movement-logo.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/labor-movement-logo.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"422";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='68'";s:4:"file";s:31:"2010/09/labor-movement-logo.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:31:"labor-movement-logo-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:31:"labor-movement-logo-219x309.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"309";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Governor Signs Domestic Bill of Rights http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/governor-signs-domestic-bill-of-rights/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:45:13 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=314 Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. The landmark legislation is the first of its kind in the nation, guaranteeing domestic workers basic rights that have long been considered the norm for all workers. Well, the Governor just signed it into law! “Today we correct an historic injustice by granting those who care for the elderly, raise our children and clean our homes the same essential rights to which all workers should be entitled,” Governor Paterson said. “I am grateful to the sponsors for their extraordinary efforts to enact this landmark bill, and most of all to those domestic workers who dreamed, planned, organized and then fought for many years, until they were able to see an injustice undone.” The Governor's statement and outline of the bill can be found here. High praise must be given to all the domestic workers who struggled to pass this bill. Thank you. ]]> 314 2010-09-01 18:45:13 2010-09-01 18:45:13 open open governor-signs-domestic-bill-of-rights publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1283366817 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1283366714 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1283366715 Worker Standing Up for Other Coworkers in Ithaca Restaurant, Green Café, Leads to Major Back Wages and Fines of Over $1,000,000 in Both Ithaca and New York City Restaurants [VIDEO] http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/worker-standing-up-for-other-coworkers-in-ithaca-restaurant-green-cafe-leads-to-major-back-wages-and-fines-of-over-1000000-in-both-ithaca-and-new-york-city-restaurants-video/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/worker-standing-up-for-other-coworkers-in-ithaca-restaurant-green-cafe-leads-to-major-back-wages-and-fines-of-over-1000000-in-both-ithaca-and-new-york-city-restaurants-video/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) has just discovered this week that the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) has levied fines for over $623,000 against Charles Park, the owner of the now-closed Green Café that was located in the Collegetown section of Ithaca. This is the result of a complaint lodged by the TCWC back in November 2009 when a young worker, a cashier, Anna Ottoson, resigned due to witnessing unfair treatment of other workers.

    After resigning, Ottoson brought several back-of-the-house workers to the TCWC to get justice for their claim of not having been paid for several months; minimum wage violations; not being paid overtime; and not being given a day of rest. The owner provided housing for the vast majority of workers at three apartments on Warren Road in Ithaca. "I couldn't take watching my friends be taken advantage of anymore, so when I left I did what I had been promising to them and came to the Workers' Center who then helped me to make the complaint to the DOL."

    When initially contacting the DOL's Bureau of Immigrant Rights, the TCWC was able to soon discover that the Evergreen Gourmet Deli (also owned by Charles Park) in New York City had been a Wage and Hour violator in the past, thus helping to spark an investigation of the New York City restaurant. Fines against the NYC restaurant are over $377,000.

    Fernando Almaraz, one of the leading victims of 'wage and hour violations' in the Ithaca restaurant said, "I am so happy because everyone is going to get their pay, because we worked so hard. Thanks to Anna Ottoson, and thanks to the Workers' Center. Anna was a cashier, and just realized she was tired about this. She felt bad about how hard we worked".

    [2 minute video of Anna Ottoson, former Green Cafe worker in Ithaca who brought forth claim of unfair treatment of coworkers, and her story.]

    The Ithaca Green Café Restaurant closed back in April of 2010, perhaps making it difficult to collect these back wages and fines; however, the New York City restaurant, Evergreen Gourmet Deli is still open for business. The TCWC intends to pursue all legal means on behalf of the workers owed back wages, including being in contact with the New York State Attorney General's Labor Bureau Chief, as well as seeking private counsel.

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    1137 2010-09-03 00:00:00 2010-09-03 00:00:00 open open worker-standing-up-for-other-coworkers-in-ithaca-restaurant-green-cafe-leads-to-major-back-wages-and-fines-of-over-1000000-in-both-ithaca-and-new-york-city-restaurants-video publish 0 0 post 0
    onenationworkingtogwther http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/one-nation-working-together-october-2nd/onenationworkingtogwther/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:01:38 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther.png 323 2010-09-09 19:01:38 2010-09-09 19:01:38 open open onenationworkingtogwther inherit 322 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther.png _wp_attached_file 2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"113";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='127'";s:4:"file";s:36:"2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther.png";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} One Nation Working Together October 2nd http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/one-nation-working-together-october-2nd/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:05:03 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=322 UAW Local 2300, we are sponsoring two buses to travel to Washington DC on October 2nd where we will march to 'Demand the Change We Voted For.' The coalition of national cosponsors of the march is called One Nation Working Together and includes enormously diverse groups such as War Resister's League, NAACP, unions, student groups, gay and lesbian groups and many more. We don't know exactly when the buses will be leaving Ithaca but the march starts at noon on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial [which means that we will probably leave Ithaca around 4 am]. Bus tickets cost $20. Call the Workers' Center at 269-0409 to reserve a space.]]> 322 2010-09-09 19:05:03 2010-09-09 19:05:03 open open one-nation-working-together-october-2nd publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1284059156 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1284059103 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1284059105 jwj_logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=329 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:43:55 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/jwj_logo.gif 329 2010-09-13 15:43:55 2010-09-13 15:43:55 open open jwj_logo inherit 328 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/jwj_logo.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/09/jwj_logo.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"198";s:6:"height";s:3:"203";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='93'";s:4:"file";s:20:"2010/09/jwj_logo.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"jwj_logo-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Local Programs to Help some Job Seekers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/local-programs-to-help-some-job-seekers/ Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:59:44 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=332 Department of Social Services has a couple of programs which help with the mobility issue that plagues many people, particularly in the outlying, rural areas of the county. Gas cards and bus passes are available if you meet some criteria. Are you a recipient of food stamps or Medicaid? or does your household have an income less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level? Are you working or actively looking for a job? Are you a US citizen or have immigration status? And do you have a child under 18 (or one who is under 19 but still in high school or BOCES?) or is anyone in your household pregnant? Call Cynthia Kloppel, Mobility Program Specialist at DSS at 274-5022 to discuss the Mobility Program. Another program available from Challenge Industries is the Wage Subsidy Program. The goal of this program is 'to encourage employers to hire and retain workers who face barriers in obtaining and maintaining a job through traditional employment channels.' Employers are reimbursed for 75% of the wages and benefits paid to individuals enrolled in the program for three to six months of their initial employment. The remaining 25% of the salary is paid to the employer after 90 days of un-subsidized employment. The employer must make a good faith commitment to retain successful WSP participants. As a participant in the program, you will be helped by Challenge with training, employability plans, job support and referrals for other services (such as transportation and child care, for example). Once again, you must have a child under 18 in order to qualify for this program. You must meet other requirements as well. If you would like more information about this program or other programs that Challenge conducts, call Brian Scime, Job Developer, at 272-8990, Extension 139. Obviously, not everyone is eligible for these programs but we hope that someone who can be served by them will hear about them through our website, blog or Support Group.]]> 332 2010-09-14 21:59:44 2010-09-14 21:59:44 open open local-programs-to-help-some-job-seekers publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1288293140 jabber_published 1284501586 email_notification 1284501588 _wp_old_slug Over 100 People Attend Rally in Ithaca Demanding "Full & Fair Employment"; Declare a Jobs Emergency: Announce Plans to Mobilize for 10/2 Rally in Washington, DC http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/over-100-people-attend-rally-in-ithaca-demanding-full-fair-employment-declare-a-jobs-emergency-announce-plans-to-mobilize-for-102-rally-in-washington-dc/ Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/over-100-people-attend-rally-in-ithaca-demanding-full-fair-employment-declare-a-jobs-emergency-announce-plans-to-mobilize-for-102-rally-in-washington-dc/ The Unemployed and Underemployed Support Group of the Tompkins County Workers' Center, held a rally last night on the Ithaca Commons that was attended by over 100 people and declared a "jobs emergency" and called for full and fair employment: locally, regionally, and nationally.

    In addition to the rally being coordinated with over a hundred such events nationwide,a call was also made to get people to Washington, DC on Saturday, October 2nd for a national rally where over 250,000 people are expected to attend. The Workers' Center is working closely with United Auto Workers Local 2300 to send two buses, free of charge to passengers, to attend the rally. Contact the Workers' Center at 607-269-0409 or send an email to TCWRC@yahoo.com if you are interested in attending the 10/2 rally. To learn more about One Nation, go to OneNationWorkingTogether.org

    The core demands of the Wednesday, September 15th rally were full and fair employment - including passage of legislation like the Local Jobs for America Act which would save or create 1 million jobs, job creation through small business seed grants, green and renewable energy as a solution, increased funding for job training, a commitment from local and state legislative bodies to make local purchasing a top priority, extension of emergency unemployment compensation - and passage of a financial speculation tax that would rein in the more destabilizing aspects of Wall Street and generate $200-$500 billion annually.

    "It's time for corporate apologists in the Senate, who are blocking a recovery for the rest of us, to recognize what workers already know: we are in a jobs emergency that requires a bold, emergency response," said Carlos Gutierrez , Community Union Organizer with the Workers' Center. "With record long-term unemployment and communities losing vital public services, it is time to put full and fair employment and a massive federal works program, core demands from the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom that Glenn Beck wants us to forget, back on the national agenda."

    "A tax of just a quarter of 1% on stock sales and purchases would have raised $360 billion in 2008," said Theresa Alt of the Workers' Center Board. "If I can pay 8% sales tax when I buy stockings, why can't people pay a quarter or half a percent when they buy stocks?"

    "If Congress focuses on reducing the federal budget deficit rather than fixing the jobs deficit, millions of workers and communities will suffer," said Bev Abplanalp, cofounder of the Unemployed and Underemployed Workers Support Group. "When Wall Street was in crisis, Congress found hundreds of billions of dollars to bail them out. We need to respond to the jobs crisis with the same urgency."

    Nationwide, the "jobs deficit" is about 11 million, with 5 job-seekers for every job opening. Locally there are frequently 80-125 or higher number of applicants for a single opening.

    "Our community has been devastated by the jobs emergency and these conservatives are actually bragging about blocking a federal job creation program while they help Wall Street and greedy corporations make record profits," said Mike Roenke, an underemployed worker with the Support Group. "Our country needs full and fair employment. Anybody that wants to work should be able to find a job, and not just any job but a job with justice."

    The Wall Street Journal reported that the bailed out Wall Street banks are making "bumper earnings" while non-financial US corporations are sitting on more than $8 trillion in cash reserves. A mere 20% of those holdings could pay 5 million Americans $70,000/year for five years.

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    1138 2010-09-16 00:00:00 2010-09-16 00:00:00 open open over-100-people-attend-rally-in-ithaca-demanding-full-fair-employment-declare-a-jobs-emergency-announce-plans-to-mobilize-for-102-rally-in-washington-dc publish 0 0 post 0
    ithacanmatthewbiddle http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/just-a-few-seats-left/ithacanmatthewbiddle/ Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:23:06 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ithacanmatthewbiddle.jpg 336 2010-09-20 17:23:06 2010-09-20 17:23:06 open open ithacanmatthewbiddle inherit 335 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ithacanmatthewbiddle.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/ithacanmatthewbiddle.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"225";s:6:"height";s:3:"300";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='72'";s:4:"file";s:32:"2010/09/ithacanmatthewbiddle.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:32:"ithacanmatthewbiddle-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:32:"ithacanmatthewbiddle-220x293.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"293";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Just a few seats left! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/just-a-few-seats-left/ Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:30:10 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=335 One Nation Working Together rally/march. Please call or email us to reserve your seat. Thanks to the beneficence of the UAW local 2300, the two buses will be FREE and a BOX LUNCH will be thrown in as well! It will be a grueling day, starting at 2 am on Saturday morning when we board the bus, and ending around midnight when we return to Ithaca, but I'm sure the energy, enthusiasm and inspiration we will receive from being in DC with thousands of like-minded activists and organizers will be well worth it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read about our September 15 rally, sponsored by the Unemployed and Underemployed Support Group, in The Ithacan. The photo of long-time labor activist Kathy Valentino is by Matthew Biddle of The Ithacan. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officemate Jim Murphy of Ithaca Veterans for Peace has asked that we announce a very special visitor to Ithaca, Army Colonel (Ret.) and Diplomat Ann Wright, author of Voices of Conscience. She will be telling the story of her transition from US Army Officer to a member of the Gaza Flotilla. The talk is Wednesday, September 22nd, at 7 pm at the First Unitarian Church of Ithaca. She will be introduced by Nate Lewis, an Iraq War Veteran, from the Veterans' Sanctuary. Cosponsors include Military Families Speak Out, Veterans' Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Social Justice Council of the First Unitarian Church, Ithaca Veterans' Peace Council and the Social Action Committee of Congregation Tikkun v'Or/Ithaca Reform Temple. A $10 donation is suggested. For more information, contact Jim at 319-0980 or ivets@gmail.com]]> 335 2010-09-20 17:30:10 2010-09-20 17:30:10 open open just-a-few-seats-left publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1285003814 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1285003811 email_notification 1285003812 _wp_old_slug peace calendar http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/2011-calendars-are-arriving/peace-calendar/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:56:35 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/peace-calendar.jpg 340 2010-09-22 18:56:35 2010-09-22 18:56:35 open open peace-calendar inherit 339 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/peace-calendar.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/peace-calendar.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"118";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='122'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/09/peace-calendar.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} womens datebook http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/2011-calendars-are-arriving/womens-datebook/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:58:20 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/womens-datebook.jpg 341 2010-09-22 18:58:20 2010-09-22 18:58:20 open open womens-datebook inherit 339 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/womens-datebook.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/womens-datebook.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"109";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='69'";s:4:"file";s:27:"2010/09/womens-datebook.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} wellbehavedfemcut http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/2011-calendars-are-arriving/wellbehavedfemcut/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:02:34 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut.jpg 342 2010-09-22 19:02:34 2010-09-22 19:02:34 open open wellbehavedfemcut inherit 339 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"139";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='103'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} wellbehavedfemcut http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/2011-calendars-are-arriving/wellbehavedfemcut-2/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:06:25 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut1.jpg 343 2010-09-22 19:06:25 2010-09-22 19:06:25 open open wellbehavedfemcut-2 inherit 339 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"139";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='103'";s:4:"file";s:30:"2010/09/wellbehavedfemcut1.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} mlk book cover http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/2011-calendars-are-arriving/mlk-book-cover/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:11:10 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/mlk-book-cover.png 344 2010-09-22 19:11:10 2010-09-22 19:11:10 open open mlk-book-cover inherit 339 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/mlk-book-cover.png _wp_attached_file 2010/09/mlk-book-cover.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:2:"98";s:6:"height";s:3:"151";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='62'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/09/mlk-book-cover.png";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"mlk-book-cover-98x150.png";s:5:"width";s:2:"98";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} 2011 Calendars are Arriving! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/2011-calendars-are-arriving/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:14:55 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=339 The Peace and Justice Gift Shop which makes its home in the Workers' Center has begun receiving its holiday shipments. Two of our most popular items, the Syracuse Cultural Workers 2011 Peace Calendar and the 2011 Women's Artist Datebook, have arrived. The Peace calendar costs $14; the datebook is $15. All TCWC members receive a 20% discount on their purchases. Here by popular demand is a women's cut tshirt which proudly proclaims 'Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.' We are stocking them in an array of sizes. All our tshirts are $22.  Besides the 20% discount for members, we accept 50% Ithaca Hours at the gift shop. Stop by to see our new holiday cards, bumper stickers, other tshirts, mugs, CDs, posters and assorted items. Don't wait until the last minute for holiday gift buying. PS: the Cat Lovers Against the Bomb calendar is not in yet. Check back for an announcement of that arrival. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Join the Tompkins County community Monday, October 18th at 6:30 pm at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, corner of N. Albany and W. Court Streets, for the kick-off event to launch the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Build. In a past post, we talked about the ML King, Jr. Community Build which features community-wide discussion about Dr. King's Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? Copies of the book will be available at various locations, including the Workers' Center. We are also sponsoring a book club: we will read one chapter a month and meet to discuss it. Our first bookclub meeting will be on November 9th at 6:30 when we discuss chapter one.]]> 339 2010-09-22 21:14:55 2010-09-22 21:14:55 open open 2011-calendars-are-arriving publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1285190103 jabber_published 1285190098 email_notification 1285190099 _wp_old_slug onenationworkingtogwther http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/skurrying-around-like-the-proverbial-chickens/onenationworkingtogwther-2/ Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:17:56 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther1.png 349 2010-09-29 20:17:56 2010-09-29 20:17:56 open open onenationworkingtogwther-2 inherit 348 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther1.png _wp_attached_file 2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther1.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"113";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='127'";s:4:"file";s:37:"2010/09/onenationworkingtogwther1.png";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} brightspark folkpunk fest http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/skurrying-around-like-the-proverbial-chickens/brightspark-folkpunk-fest/ Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:44:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/brightspark-folkpunk-fest.jpg 350 2010-09-29 20:44:27 2010-09-29 20:44:27 open open brightspark-folkpunk-fest inherit 348 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/brightspark-folkpunk-fest.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/09/brightspark-folkpunk-fest.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:37:"2010/09/brightspark-folkpunk-fest.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:37:"brightspark-folkpunk-fest-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Skurrying around like the proverbial chickens... http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/09/skurrying-around-like-the-proverbial-chickens/ Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:50:27 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=348 good way, I think. There's a frisson of excitement coming through the phone these days. People seem to be hungry for the opportunity -- again -- to give 'em an earful. Demand the change we voted for! Git on the bus! I thought I'd share a story with you about a comment that was left on this blog. Took me a minute of consideration about whether or not to allow it to be seen by my readers. Free speech and all. My own personal political beliefs (which I will leave unexplained) do not usually allow me to deny people their right to expression. However, I decided not to print it as written. Hey: get your own damn blog. Here's the background: an arch-conservative website quoted our blog post's explanation of the UAW footing the bill for our bus trip. They more than implied that we were somehow 'forcing' people to meet at 1:15 in the morning, go on a 6+ hour bus trip south, slog to downtown DC on the Metro and tramp a mile to the Lincoln Memorial to stand for 5 hours in the (possible) rain or fog. Then, do it all again, in reverse. The free boxed lunch would somehow be an incentive for people to do this against their will. Interesting, no? If people will put up with a 22 hour trip for a boxed lunch, things are pretty danged awful in this country, aren't they? And even more intriguing: they somehow found this blog and quoted it. I suppose we have achieved what is the wetdream of many bloggers. But I decided to not open up the whole can of worms of nasty comments on the blog. We don't want tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com to become another Ithaca Journal talk-back site. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark your Calendars for October 10th, 2010! We'll have more on this event next week when we can breathe again, but I wanted to let you know about a fundraiser for us that will be held 10.10.10 from 2 pm til late, late, late at the Haunt in Ithaca. The Bright Spark Electronic Punk Folk Festival will feature many incredible local and not-so-local bands and performers including [our space's own] Rye-n-Clover, Richie Stearns, Jennie Lowe Stearns, Johnny Dowd, Ken Hallett, Pat Burke, Elsa & the awesomeAwesomes, Keir Neuringer and the host band, Atomic Forces. Check out the link above to see the entire line up. Come out to support local musicians and the Workers Center. We'll be there with our tablefull of literature.]]> 348 2010-09-29 20:50:27 2010-09-29 20:50:27 open open skurrying-around-like-the-proverbial-chickens publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1285793434 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1285793427 email_notification 1285793429 _wp_old_slug 57 moongoddessmary58@yahoo.com 24.213.185.170 2010-10-19 13:57:14 2010-10-19 13:57:14 1 0 0 56 rlcdgj@yahoo.com 66.152.113.44 2010-10-06 13:31:21 2010-10-06 13:31:21 1 0 0 Over 150 People Travel from Ithaca to One Nation Working Together Rally in DC http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/over-150-people-travel-from-ithaca-to-one-nation-working-together-rally-in-dc/ Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/over-150-people-travel-from-ithaca-to-one-nation-working-together-rally-in-dc/ It's 1 a.m. early morning of Saturday, October 2nd, and 140 people are loading onto three buses, organized by the Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) and the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2300, outside of Shortstop Deli in Ithaca to travel down to Washington, DC for the One Nation Working Together rally. The movement and rally, called One Nation Working Together, includes human and civil rights organizations, unions and trade associations, nonprofit organizations, youth and student groups, religious and other faith groups, who are committed to pulling our country back together now. (See onenationworkingtogether.org for details).
    One important organizing fact that comes out of our experience of being able to organize these buses of people to DC in two short weeks time is that the TCWC and UAW are beginning to collaborate in new and deep ways that bespeak an important development in local labor organizing. As well, this collaboration is a natural development out of TCWC's growing connection with the Midstate Central Labor Council and its member unions (for example, our ongoing joint work to put on the Annual Labor Day Picnic, this year with its largest crowd, over 500 people, as well as work on the Employee Free Choice Act).
    As we know, roughly 90% of our nation's population is not organized into a labor union; that percentage is probably roughly similar locally. It is these people that the TCWC sees as organizing through our strategies of Support, Advocacy, Empowerment, and Movement-Building. The fact that we have such a strong and locally-based union as the UAW (which represents all the service and building maintenance workers at Cornell, as well as TCAT bus drivers and other employees, Tompkins County Public Library librarians and support staff; Ithaca Housing Authority maintenance staff, and Finger Lakes Library staff) is an important boon for local labor.

    ]]>
    1139 2010-10-02 00:00:00 2010-10-02 00:00:00 open open over-150-people-travel-from-ithaca-to-one-nation-working-together-rally-in-dc publish 0 0 post 0
    interfaith worker justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/wage-theft/interfaith-worker-justice-3/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:08:04 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg 357 2010-10-11 15:08:04 2010-10-11 15:08:04 open open interfaith-worker-justice-3 inherit 356 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"217";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='53' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:37:"2010/10/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:36:"interfaith-worker-justice-150x91.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Wage Theft http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/wage-theft/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:10:32 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=356 says 'Wage theft is the pervasive and illegal practice of not paying workers for all of their work. It includes violations of minimum wage laws; not paying time and a half overtime pay; forcing workers to work off the clock; workers not receiving their final paychecks; misclassifying employees as independent contractors to avoid paying minimum wage and overtime (as well as employers' share of FICA tax); and not paying workers at all.' A category of wage theft I would add is the stealing of tips, which is an all-too-frequent occurrence around our area. Wage theft is a very common problem that we deal with here at the Tompkins County Workers' Center. A proposed federal bill, HR 6268, The Wage Theft Prevention and Community Partnership Act, introduced by Representative Phil Hare of Illinois, addresses the overwhelming problem of rectifying wage theft. The bill would allow 'enforcement agencies and community organizations to educate workers about their rights and remedies.' Interfaith Worker Justice is urging workers centers to educate the public about the pervasiveness of wage theft by observing the Wage Theft National Day of Action on November 18th. Let's spread the word! ]]> 356 2010-10-11 18:10:32 2010-10-11 18:10:32 open open wage-theft publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1286820641 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1286820635 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1286820637 bacon.communities http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/free-things-to-do-in-tompkins-county/bacon-communities/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:16:13 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bacon-communities.gif 363 2010-10-14 17:16:13 2010-10-14 17:16:13 open open bacon-communities inherit 362 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bacon-communities.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/10/bacon-communities.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"259";s:6:"height";s:3:"200";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='124'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2010/10/bacon-communities.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"bacon-communities-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"bacon-communities-220x169.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"169";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} bacon.communities http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/free-things-to-do-in-tompkins-county/bacon-communities-2/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:22:09 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bacon-communities1.gif 365 2010-10-14 17:22:09 2010-10-14 17:22:09 open open bacon-communities-2 inherit 362 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bacon-communities1.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/10/bacon-communities1.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"259";s:6:"height";s:3:"200";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='124'";s:4:"file";s:30:"2010/10/bacon-communities1.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:30:"bacon-communities1-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:30:"bacon-communities1-220x169.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"169";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/free-things-to-do-in-tompkins-county/freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:26:40 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009.jpg 366 2010-10-14 17:26:40 2010-10-14 17:26:40 open open freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009 inherit 362 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"770";s:6:"height";s:3:"140";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='23' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:43:"2010/10/freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:43:"freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009-150x140.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"140";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:42:"freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009-220x40.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:2:"40";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:42:"freeskool-banner-fallwinter2009-490x89.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:2:"89";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} The Washington Mall, October 2, 2010 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/free-things-to-do-in-tompkins-county/img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:29:25 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10.jpg 367 2010-10-14 17:29:25 2010-10-14 17:29:25 open open img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10 inherit 362 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"1425";s:6:"height";s:4:"1125";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='121'";s:4:"file";s:42:"2010/10/img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:42:"img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:42:"img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10-220x173.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"173";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:42:"img2803awashmall10-2-2010-8x10-490x386.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"386";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:2:"13";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:13:"Canon EOS 50D";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1286052294";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:2:"85";s:3:"iso";s:3:"800";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:9:"0.0015625";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} _wp_attachment_image_alt by Andro Gagne Free Things to Do in Tompkins County http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/free-things-to-do-in-tompkins-county/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:37:31 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=362 really living here, not just 'getting by.' Social interaction, intellectual stimulation, feeling the relaxing and meditative benefits of nature and beauty: a quality life  requires these things almost as much as we need good food and water. What is there to do that's free in our community? One thing going for us here is the presence of educational institutions that have budgets for speakers. Today, for instance, the American Studies Department at Cornell is hosting a talk by photojournalist and author David Bacon entitled A Human Rights Perspective on Migration and Labor Rights. You can see him at 4:30 in the Lewis Auditorium of Goldman Smith Hall on the Arts Quad at Cornell. I haven't been able to find one single source for a listing of all the speakers scheduled to appear at Cornell or Ithaca College but I will attempt to put together a list of links to the departments which usually sponsor interesting speakers. Ithaca Freeskool is another great asset to those of us looking for free things to do. The Freeskool model is that 'what is freely given should be freely shared.' In other words, do you have a skill you think others might want to learn? Do you want to share an interest or project with others? Check out the latest Freeskool calendar at their blog.      I've mentioned our upcoming Reading Group before but I'll plug it once more. Come into the Workers' Center beginning October 19th to pick up your free copy of Martin Luther King's Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community. We will discuss Chapter 1 on November 9th at 6:30--8:00 here at the WC, 2nd floor, 115 the Commons. Please write and share your tips for free activities. We'll end this post with a photo taken by Andro Gagne who travelled with us to Washington DC for the One Nation Working Together rally. Thanks, Andro, for generously sharing your beautiful photo! by Andro Gagne]]> 362 2010-10-14 17:37:31 2010-10-14 17:37:31 open open free-things-to-do-in-tompkins-county publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1287077854 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1287077851 email_notification 1287077852 _wp_old_slug jonstewartrally http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/if-you-havent-had-enough-bus-rides-to-dc/jonstewartrally/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:31:10 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/jonstewartrally.jpg 373 2010-10-19 19:31:10 2010-10-19 19:31:10 open open jonstewartrally inherit 372 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/jonstewartrally.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/jonstewartrally.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"335";s:6:"height";s:3:"572";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='56'";s:4:"file";s:27:"2010/10/jonstewartrally.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"jonstewartrally-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"jonstewartrally-204x350.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"204";s:6:"height";s:3:"350";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} If you haven't had enough bus rides to DC... http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/if-you-havent-had-enough-bus-rides-to-dc/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:50:38 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=372 It is gratifying to hear that so many of our three-busfuls of folks enjoyed the trip to Washington DC to attend the October 2nd One Nation Working Together rally. In fact, there were messages waiting on voicemail Monday morning after the rally trip asking if we are organizing buses for Jon Stewart's October 30th Rally to Restore Sanity. The answer, not surprisingly, is No. Although we think that the rally will most likely be smart and fun, organizing and orchestrating buses -- not to mention, paying for them -- is hard work.

    I've heard rumors that Ariana Huffington offered to pay for buses from anywhere people could organize a group large enough to fill a bus. I've heard that she has offered buses for everyone who makes it to her office building in New York City (a google search came up with 560 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 but I wouldn't bet my life on it) by a certain time the morning of the 30th. Those are rumors, however, that I can't substantiate. Please share if you know the truth about these offers.

    The bottom line is, alas, we don't have the resources to organize for this trip.

    So I'm asking, are you going? If so, please share your photos and stories about the rally with us. There are many people hungering for some first-person stories of The Rally to Restore Sanity and Fear.

    ]]>
    372 2010-10-19 19:50:38 2010-10-19 19:50:38 open open if-you-havent-had-enough-bus-rides-to-dc publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1287517840 jabber_published 1287517838 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1287517839
    EleanorRooseveltHumanRights http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-2/eleanorroosevelthumanrights/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:23:50 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/eleanorroosevelthumanrights.png 380 2010-10-21 16:23:50 2010-10-21 16:23:50 open open eleanorroosevelthumanrights inherit 379 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/eleanorroosevelthumanrights.png _wp_attached_file 2010/10/eleanorroosevelthumanrights.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"158";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='121'";s:4:"file";s:39:"2010/10/eleanorroosevelthumanrights.png";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:39:"eleanorroosevelthumanrights-150x150.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} The Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-2/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:33:35 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=379 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by the United Nations in 1948. Even during the dark days of WWII, many people were drawing attention to the need for an international bill of rights. In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin Roosevelt claimed that the war was a fight for the 'four essential freedoms' -- the freedom of speech and conscience, and freedom from fear and want. The movement for international protection grew as the clean-up from universal war commenced. A committee of representatives from various countries, including Eleanor Roosevelt of the US, began work on the document. It was ratified in 1948 by 40 countries. The 8 abstentions included the countries in the Soviet bloc plus Yugoslavia, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. But ratification means nothing if the rights enumerated are not honored by nations around the world. The articles which pertain specifically to the Workers' Center mission are Article 23: the right to a job with just and favorable conditions of work, a living wage and the right to form and join trade unions. Article 24: everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25: the right to well-being of a person and their family including food, housing, clothing, medical care, child care, guaranteed income for those who can't work or are unemployed, among other social services. Rather eye-opening to see what the visionaries who lived through the horrors of WWII wanted for the future...and which we still cannot guarantee to the people of the earth. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the UN said, "The campaign reminds us that in a world still reeling from the horrors of the Second World War, the Declaration was the first global statement of what we now take for granted -- the inherent dignity and equality of all human beings." Do we take that for granted? have we achieved anything near universal human rights? That's why we still need to work.]]> 379 2010-10-21 16:33:35 2010-10-21 16:33:35 open open the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-2 publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1287684785 jabber_published 1287678817 tagazine-media s:507:"a:7:{s:7:"primary";s:0:"";s:6:"images";a:1:{s:82:"http://tcworkerscenter.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/eleanorroosevelthumanrights.png";a:6:{s:8:"file_url";s:82:"http://tcworkerscenter.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/eleanorroosevelthumanrights.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"158";s:4:"type";s:5:"image";s:4:"area";s:5:"31600";s:9:"file_path";s:0:"";}}s:6:"videos";a:0:{}s:11:"image_count";s:1:"1";s:6:"author";s:8:"12261875";s:7:"blog_id";s:8:"11924552";s:9:"mod_stamp";s:19:"2010-10-21 18:13:03";}"; email_notification 1287678819 _wp_old_slug 58 moongoddessmary58@yahoo.com 24.213.185.170 2010-10-26 13:33:32 2010-10-26 13:33:32 1 0 0 free clinic http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/living-wage-employer/free-clinic/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:09:24 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/free-clinic.jpg 386 2010-10-21 20:09:24 2010-10-21 20:09:24 open open free-clinic inherit 385 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/free-clinic.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/free-clinic.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"318";s:6:"height";s:3:"223";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='89' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:23:"2010/10/free-clinic.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"free-clinic-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:23:"free-clinic-220x154.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"154";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} SimpsonLowWages http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/living-wage-employer/simpsonlowwages/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:11:52 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/simpsonlowwages.jpg 387 2010-10-21 20:11:52 2010-10-21 20:11:52 open open simpsonlowwages inherit 385 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/simpsonlowwages.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/simpsonlowwages.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"550";s:6:"height";s:3:"385";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='89' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:27:"2010/10/simpsonlowwages.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"simpsonlowwages-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"simpsonlowwages-220x154.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"154";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"simpsonlowwages-490x343.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"343";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} SimpsonOSHAUnderfunded http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/living-wage-employer/simpsonoshaunderfunded/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:12:28 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/simpsonoshaunderfunded.jpg 388 2010-10-21 20:12:28 2010-10-21 20:12:28 open open simpsonoshaunderfunded inherit 385 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/simpsonoshaunderfunded.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/simpsonoshaunderfunded.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"500";s:6:"height";s:3:"400";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='120'";s:4:"file";s:34:"2010/10/simpsonoshaunderfunded.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:34:"simpsonoshaunderfunded-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:34:"simpsonoshaunderfunded-220x176.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"176";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:34:"simpsonoshaunderfunded-490x392.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"392";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Living Wage Employer http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/living-wage-employer/ Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:09:04 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=385 Photo: Simon Wheeler/The Ithaca Journal

    Proud to see the Living Wage Employer sticker on the Ithaca Free Clinic's new door! Read about the Clinic and their new, expanded space in the Thursday, October 21 Ithaca Journal. And, for your weekend enjoyment: thanks, reader Carl Feuer, for forwarding these cartoons by Carol Simpson.]]>
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    JimmyJohns http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/monday-morning-catch-up/jimmyjohns/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:14:40 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/jimmyjohns.jpg 392 2010-10-25 16:14:40 2010-10-25 16:14:40 open open jimmyjohns inherit 391 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/jimmyjohns.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/jimmyjohns.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"193";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='99'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2010/10/jimmyjohns.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"jimmyjohns-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} hkeller1 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/monday-morning-catch-up/hkeller1/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:17:08 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hkeller1.jpg 393 2010-10-25 16:17:08 2010-10-25 16:17:08 open open hkeller1 inherit 391 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hkeller1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/hkeller1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"261";s:6:"height";s:3:"327";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='76'";s:4:"file";s:20:"2010/10/hkeller1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"hkeller1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"hkeller1-220x275.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"275";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Monday morning Catch-up http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/monday-morning-catch-up/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:23:43 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=391 Thursday, October 28, the TC Workers' Center's Unemployed & Underemployed Support Group will host special guest speaker Helen Ranck of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Helen will be talking about dealing with financial matters during hard times. The U&U group meets every Thursday in the Workers' Center from 4:30 -- 6:00. The League of Women Voters asked us to pass along this information: Barbara Bartoletti, an experienced and respected advocate, will talk about influencing legislation in Albany. She will be presenting Making a Difference in Albany Saturday, October 30 from 1:00 -- 2:30 in the Borg Warner Room of the Tompkins County Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca. A loyal reader passed along a New York Times link to a Minneapolis unionization effort by workers in a string of JimmyJohn's sub shops. These workers, like some Starbucks workers in the recent past, have chosen to organize with the Industrial Workers of the World, the Wobblies. As you can see in the article, the IWW is demonized even more than other unions for its non-apologetic belief in radical political change. More traditional unions have not sought to organize fast food workers, thinking the minimum-wage employees are short-term and will not hang around the workplace long enough to keep the union alive once the hard work is done. However, our marketplace is changing. In many cities, people have long careers in workplaces like JimmyJohn's. Thanks to the IWW for offering support for these workers.

    You might be surprised to find out that Helen Keller was a proud member of the IWW. Here's a reprint of a 1916 New York Tribune article that attempted to show that Keller was a hardcore Wobblie, committed to occupational safety and economic justice. Too bad we continue to see her as only a sweet positive-thinking humanitarian (which,  of course, she also was).

    ]]>
    391 2010-10-25 16:23:43 2010-10-25 16:23:43 open open monday-morning-catch-up publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1288023832 jabber_published 1288023825 email_notification 1288023827 _wp_old_slug
    TW_Page_12 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/interns-in-the-news/tw_page_12/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:08:49 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tw_page_12.jpg 398 2010-10-26 20:08:49 2010-10-26 20:08:49 open open tw_page_12 inherit 397 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tw_page_12.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/tw_page_12.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"768";s:6:"height";s:4:"1201";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='61'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2010/10/tw_page_12.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"tw_page_12-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"tw_page_12-220x344.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"344";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"tw_page_12-490x766.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"766";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} kiera in ithacan http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/interns-in-the-news/kiera-in-ithacan/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:40:23 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kiera-in-ithacan.jpg 399 2010-10-26 20:40:23 2010-10-26 20:40:23 open open kiera-in-ithacan inherit 397 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kiera-in-ithacan.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/kiera-in-ithacan.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"200";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='85' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:28:"2010/10/kiera-in-ithacan.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"kiera-in-ithacan-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"kiera-in-ithacan-219x146.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"146";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Interns in the News http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/interns-in-the-news/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:44:08 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=397 The Tompkins Weekly, a local paper that covers all of the county, has published two stories recently that featured Workers' Center interns Kiera Lewis and Robin Comstock. Kiera is an Ithaca College student from Brattleboro, Vermont, working on forming a student labor group, the Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity (LIPS). One of the issues that concerns Kiera and the other students in the new group is Living Wage. Although IC employees who are directly hired do make a living wage, the dining service employees are hired by Sodexo, a French multinational, and not hired at the same rate. The student initiative would require IC to pledge to institute a community responsibility policy, meaning that any company doing business with IC would have to be a living wage employer as well. You can read the article about LIPS and Kiera here. Kiera and LIPS are also featured in the current issue of The Ithacan, IC's student newspaper. Right: Kiera at a LIPS meeting. Steven Episcopo/The Ithacan. The other article, Locals Find Solidarity at Jobs Rally, appeared in last week's Tompkins Weekly and covered the October 2nd trip to Washington DC to attend the One Nation Working Together Rally. Robin Comstock is a Tompkins Cortland Community College student, majoring in human services. She is also a mother and an intern working with us this semester. Talk about a multi-tasker! Robin is particularly interested in helping other single mothers, working hard to raise their children. An inspiring quotation from Robin in the article is "I used to not speak out because I felt 'I'm a nobody,' but what I got from the rally was 'I'm empowered and I can speak.' I'm not the only single mom in this world who's struggling." Thanks Robin and Kiera, for your hard work and dedication to social and economic justice.  ]]> 397 2010-10-26 20:44:08 2010-10-26 20:44:08 open open interns-in-the-news publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1288125852 jabber_published 1288125849 email_notification 1288125850 _wp_old_slug SimpsonMineSafety http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/in-the-news/simpsonminesafety/ Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:28:24 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/simpsonminesafety.jpg 405 2010-10-27 20:28:24 2010-10-27 20:28:24 open open simpsonminesafety inherit 403 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/simpsonminesafety.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/10/simpsonminesafety.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"504";s:6:"height";s:3:"363";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='92' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2010/10/simpsonminesafety.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"simpsonminesafety-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"simpsonminesafety-220x158.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"158";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"simpsonminesafety-490x352.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"352";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} In the News http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/in-the-news/ Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:29:07 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=403 County's Jobless Deserve More Help, Support: A Guest Viewpoint from Bev Abplanalp, Carlos Gutierrez and Mike Roenke on behalf of the Unemployed & Underemployed Support Group. In the October 27, 2010 edition of The Ithaca Journal. From the October 27, 2010 Ithaca Times: Student Group focused on living wage for all IC employees, other labor issues for workforce by Jocelyn Codner. Look for copies on your local news stands.  ]]> 403 2010-10-27 20:29:07 2010-10-27 20:29:07 open open in-the-news publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1288211351 jabber_published 1288211347 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1288211349 Trying to keep bullying in your sight http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/trying-to-keep-bullying-in-your-sight/ Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:49:06 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=410 new law in Serbia that bans bullying in the workplace. Since the passage of the law a month ago, authorities have had about 400 complaints. Does this surprise? Not anyone whose attention has been grabbed by news from the noxious pool of workplace bullying. It's interesting to note that what was surprising to the Serbian governmental agency that fields the complaints, was that so many employees were so knowledgeable about that new law. Congratulations, targets of Serbian workplace bullyers. Another story about the dangers of bullying, and this is more surprising, is written as advice for the businessperson themselves. Business Week's Karen E. Klein writes in Don't Tolerate a Bullying Manager 'No matter how valuable they may seem to a small business, if [bullies] can't stop driving people away, they aren't worth keeping.']]> 410 2010-10-28 19:49:06 2010-10-28 19:49:06 open open trying-to-keep-bullying-in-your-sight publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1288631011 jabber_published 1288295348 email_notification 1288295350 _wp_old_slug Tompkins Workers' Center Labor Complaint Contributes to Federal Action Against Regis Corporation (Cost Cutters) [VIDEO] http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/tompkins-workers-center-labor-complaint-contributes-to-federal-action-against-regis-corporation-cost-cutters-video/ Sat, 30 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/10/tompkins-workers-center-labor-complaint-contributes-to-federal-action-against-regis-corporation-cost-cutters-video/ (Ithaca, NY) The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint late Friday against the Minneapolis-based Regis Corporation, which operates some 10,000 hair salons nationally under 34 different brand-names, ordering Regis to cease and desist in its illegal actions. In the complaint, the NLRB investigated and then determined that the Regis Corporation had illegally solicited employees to promise in writing that they would not sign union authorization cards in the future. The investigation commenced as a result of an Unfair Labor Practice complaint filed by the Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) on behalf of two workers in Ithaca, NY, as well as workers in Minneapolis and Indianapolis, with the NLRB.

    The NLRB complaint says that, in a DVD played to employees across the country (including to workers at the Ithaca, NY Cost Cutters, as detailed by Amber Little and TJ Goehner, now members of the Tompkins County Workers' Center), the company's Chief Executive Officer, Paul Finkelstein, warned that hair stylists would be blacklisted from the industry if they supported a union (something that Amber Little herself experienced after being terminated after 4 years at Cost Cutters). In the recording, he exhorted employees to sign a "Protection of Secret Vote Agreement', which would prospectively revoke any union authorization cards in the future.

    The complaint states the remedies being sought, including:

    * an order requiring the Regis Corporation to produce a new DVD in which CEO Finkelstein will read an NLRB notice about the illegal acts, to be played to all employees throughout the 10,000 stores;

    * an order to post a standard Notice to Employees at all of its stores describing the remedy and how it broke the law by inhibiting the organizing of workers.

    Lance Compa, labor law professor at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) in Ithaca, New York, said, "The evidence in this case is not a smoking gun. It is a smoking cannon. The NLRB has taken strong action by consolidating this case at a national level and seeking extraordinary remedies to address management's truly shocking behavior. The workers, too, deserve credit for standing up for their rights.What the company did here is a throwback to the 1920s era of "yellow dog contracts" [requiring workers to sign promises never to join a union or not get hired] which were made illegal by the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932, combined with modern union-busting tactics like captive-audience meetings and DVDs filled with threats. Similarly, ordering employees to report each other's union activities to management is a flat-out violation of the National Labor Relations Act and of workers' freedom of association."

    Amber Little, a single working mother of two young children, had been fired from her position in January 2010 at Cost Cutters in Ithaca due to protesting a Regis policy that required hair stylists to sell hair care products equaling 15% of their hair cutting revenue. Meanwhile, Amber, like most other Cost Cutters workers, was paid $8.oo/hour.

    As a result of Little's termination, and with her help, the TCWC then got in touch with a number of other workers at the Ithaca Cost Cutters who took 'concerted action' (a 'protected activity' as defined by the National Labor Relations Act definition of two or more workers addressing their employer about improving their working conditions and pay, and a natural precursor to unionizing) by expressing to Cost Cutters what they believed to be an unfair policy (and thereby protecting their jobs).

    "Had I known that I could have helped to organize a union to protest what I thought were unfair working conditions at Cost Cutters", said Little, "I would have done that in a heartbeat! This whole thing with being forced to sign this anti-union agreement has helped to educate me a great deal about what it actually means to be in and actually organize a union." (Little now has her own 'chair' in A Personal Touch Hair Salon at Bishop's Small Mall, behind Triphammer Mall in Ithaca)

    Another worker, TJ Goehner, who worked with Little at Cost Cutters and who resigned in protest over Little's unfair termination, says, "People have to join together to get stuff moving to challenge the corporations. If it's just one person, it's never going to happen. You get a whole group of people saying something is unfair, you'll get a lot more action, than by just sitting there and taking it. No one should be threatened to lose their job in a down economy".

    Perhaps the deepest irony about the egregious actions of the Regis Corporation is the fact that Amber Little had very little knowledge of what it meant to organize with other workers. As a result of the Regis Corporation 'yellow dog contract', Little, and many other workers for Regis Corporation will now know that organizing with other workers is a legitimate way to change their working conditions for the better.

    ]]>
    1140 2010-10-30 00:00:00 2010-10-30 00:00:00 open open tompkins-workers-center-labor-complaint-contributes-to-federal-action-against-regis-corporation-cost-cutters-video publish 0 0 post 0
    m-man_with_empty_pockets http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/making-ends-meet/m-man_with_empty_pockets-2/ Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:19:36 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg 418 2010-11-01 18:19:36 2010-11-01 18:19:36 open open m-man_with_empty_pockets-2 inherit 417 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"168";s:6:"height";s:3:"299";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='53'";s:4:"file";s:36:"2010/11/m-man_with_empty_pockets.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:36:"m-man_with_empty_pockets-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Making Ends Meet http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/making-ends-meet/ Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:00:14 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=417 Cooperative Extension. Helen is the Financial Management Educator at the Tompkins County CCE; she showed our group how to prioritize debt, negotiate with some creditors and how to access your credit report for free. Helen's expertise showed us that there are free or low cost services available to all of us in the community. And whether you're unemployed, underemployed or just plain low paid, learning about these services is welcome. Here a few you might like to look into:
    • workshops at CCE include Exploring Credit/Debt Management Issues, Making Ends Meet and Save Energy, Save Dollars. Helen is also available for individual budget counseling. She can show you how to manage the bills you have or create a budget that allows some saving. You can contact CCE and Helen at 272-2292 or Helen at hkr24@cornell.edu.
    • we've mentioned the Ithaca Free Clinic before but it bears repeating: The Ithaca Free Clinic is open to all uninsured members of our community. The volunteer physicians, herbalists, acupuncturists and others join with the clinic staff in supporting the belief that access to health care is a right, and not a privilege. The Ithaca Free Clinic is located at 521 West Seneca Street in Ithaca, NY. Walk in clinic hours are Mondays 2--6, Thursdays 4--8. The Clinic also has appointments on other days for Occupational therapy, pre-employment physicals and pain management. For other questions, contact the Clinic director at 607-330-1254 or email clinic@ithacahealth.org.
    • Contact Tompkins Community Action for a free energy audit. Income qualified homeowners, renters and landlords can get help with insulation, appliances and other energy saving aspects of your home. The number there is 607-273-8816.
    • Sliding scale counseling is available from Family and Children's Services and the Tompkins County Mental Health Clinic.
    • Friendship Donations coordinates pantries and other food-sharing programs. Here is an up-to-date (as of November 1, 2010) list of pantries and other outlets in Tompkins County:
    Friendship Donations Network's List of free, fresh food distribution locations: Produce, breads, desserts, Assorted dairy, deli, breads, Non-perishable groceries (when available): *MONDAY, WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY – noon; TUESDAY/THURSDAY – 6 pm: COMMUNITY meal at Loaves and Fishes, 210 N. Cayuga St. This is NOT A PANTRY. Everyone is welcome! TUESDAYS: Immaculate Conception Church Food Pantry. Seneca and Geneva St., Ithaca 1:00 to 1:45 COMMUNITY meal at 6:PM, at Loaves and Fishes, 210 N. Cayuga St. All welcome! WEDNESDAYS: Candor Food Pantry, Rt 96, across from Post Office, 3-6pm COMMUNITY meal at Noon at Loaves and Fishes, 210 N. Cayuga St. All welcome! THURSDAYS: Halsey Valley Pantry, GAR building, Hamilton Rd, Halsey Valley, NY, 4–4:45. COMMUNITY meal at 6:PM, at Loaves and Fishes, 210 N. Cayuga St. All welcome! THURSDAY Prior to 3RD FRIDAY –Danby Food pantry. Residents only. Danby Federated Church, Rt. 96 at 6 - 8pm. COMMUNITY meal at 6:00PM, at Loaves and Fishes, 210 N. Cayuga St. All welcome! FRIDAYS: Interlaken Reformed Church Pantry, Interlaken, NY, 3 – 6 pm. COMMUNITY meal at Noon at Loaves and Fishes, 210 N. Cayuga St. All welcome! 3rd Friday, shared with Danby Food Pantry; 4 to 6pm. Limited to Danby residents only SATURDAYS: Every Saturday: Community meal at Salvation Army, Noon, 150 N. Albany St. ALL WELCOME! 1st Saturday: Catlin Methodist Church Pantry, Catlin, NY 2nd Saturday: #1: Workers Center Pantry, Linderman Creek Apts, Comm. Rm #1, noon #2: Grace Lee Church, Beaver Dams, NY 2pm 3rd Saturday: Maranatha Church, Elmira, NY 4th Saturday; McLean Community Church: Church St. McLean, NY, Pantry 1:30-2:15 5th Saturday , Youth Bureau and outreach to rural trailer parks (when 5th saturday occurs in the month) SUNDAYS: Every Sunday, Community meal, "Our Brothers, our Sister's Table; Salvation Army 3pm, 150 N. Albany St. All welcome! Alternating Sundays (11/07, 11/21): Valorie’s Food Pantry in Catlin, NY and Outreach to rural families Alternating Sundays (11/14, 11/28): Overlook Apartments”, Community Room, noon – 12:30 Reach Out to Christ Pantry and Outreach, Johnson Rd, Freeville. 12 to 2pm. *Daily pantry listings, see Ithaca Journal, “Daily Events”; Weekly Advantage/ Pennysaver; Tompkins Weekly; and 211 Eligibility: Pantries for low to moderate income persons. No questions! No ID! LIMIT: 1 pantry p/week per household. Non-profit 501c3. Mostly volunteer-run Let us know about your tips to make your budget stretch.]]>
    417 2010-11-01 19:00:14 2010-11-01 19:00:14 open open making-ends-meet publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1288638669 jabber_published 1288638014 email_notification 1288638016 _wp_old_slug
    nelpphotostrip http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/extend-unemployment-benefits/nelpphotostrip/ Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:49:54 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/nelpphotostrip.jpg 425 2010-11-08 18:49:54 2010-11-08 18:49:54 open open nelpphotostrip inherit 424 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/nelpphotostrip.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/nelpphotostrip.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"960";s:6:"height";s:3:"100";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='13' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/11/nelpphotostrip.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"nelpphotostrip-150x100.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"100";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"nelpphotostrip-220x22.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:2:"22";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"nelpphotostrip-489x51.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"489";s:6:"height";s:2:"51";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Extend Unemployment Benefits! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/extend-unemployment-benefits/ Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:13:32 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=424 Our friends at NELP, the National Employment Law Project, have created a website for job-searching people. called Unemployed Workers. We're asking you to go there, employed or not, and sign the petition, urging Congress to extend Unemployment benefits for those workers who are threatened with their loss this November 30. According to the site, "Combined with state benefits, the expanded federal unemployment programs kept an estimated 3.3 million Americans out of poverty in 2009." While you're signing the petition, watch the video 'Save the Lifeline of America.' Interspersed with stories from real unemployed workers are clips of those who oppose unemployment benefits, like Orrin Hatch and Rush Limbaugh. Did you know that it is unemployment benefits alone that are keeping most out-of-work people from getting jobs? that most of us who receive benefits are buying drugs with those benefits? That's what Rush and Orrin think. Sign that petition: it's the least we can do!]]> 424 2010-11-08 19:13:32 2010-11-08 19:13:32 open open extend-unemployment-benefits publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1289942450 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1289243613 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1289243614 59 http://thedailyconservative.net/2010/11/08/extend-unemployment-benefits-tcworkerscenters-blog/ 173.201.196.59 2010-11-08 23:14:45 2010-11-08 23:14:45 1 pingback 0 0 nytlogo379x64 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/for-your-reading-pleasure/nytlogo379x64/ Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:49:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/nytlogo379x64.gif 430 2010-11-09 22:49:27 2010-11-09 22:49:27 open open nytlogo379x64 inherit 429 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/nytlogo379x64.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/11/nytlogo379x64.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"379";s:6:"height";s:2:"64";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='21' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:25:"2010/11/nytlogo379x64.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:24:"nytlogo379x64-150x64.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"64";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:24:"nytlogo379x64-220x37.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:2:"37";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} waiter http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/for-your-reading-pleasure/waiter/ Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:57:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/waiter.jpg 431 2010-11-09 22:57:00 2010-11-09 22:57:00 open open waiter inherit 429 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/waiter.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/waiter.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:2:"99";s:6:"height";s:3:"100";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='95'";s:4:"file";s:18:"2010/11/waiter.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} For your reading pleasure http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/for-your-reading-pleasure/ Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:59:41 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=429 National Labor Relations Board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee after she complained about her supervisor on Facebook. Read Steven Greenhouse's New York Times article reporting on the concerted action here. Also, here's a question we have received at the Workers' Center: can an employer charge an employee for the credit card fee if the employee's tip is charged to the customer's card? Yes, in New York it is legal to deduct the credit card company's fee (which is usually from 1.5 to 3% of the amount charged, depending on the business's credit history) for the amount of the tip. So, for instance: you leave a $10. tip on your credit card. The employer pays 2% of the charged amount to their card company. The server would pay 2% of their charged tip, or 20 cents, for their share of the fee. An article on the CBS Business Network explains how various states deal with this. Yet another reason to leave a cash tip for your server.]]> 429 2010-11-09 22:59:41 2010-11-09 22:59:41 open open for-your-reading-pleasure publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1289506697 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1289343582 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1289343584 60 mrcool240@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/davidgarnerhuber 67.255.18.2 2010-11-10 06:38:04 2010-11-10 06:38:04 1 0 0 Bullying Support Group Forming http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/bullying-support-group-forming/ Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:10:56 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=435 ]]> 435 2010-11-10 16:10:56 2010-11-10 16:10:56 open open bullying-support-group-forming publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1289405508 jabber_published 1289405456 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1289405458 molas http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/cultura-series-at-the-workers-center/molas/ Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:29:05 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/molas.jpg 440 2010-11-11 20:29:05 2010-11-11 20:29:05 open open molas inherit 439 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/molas.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/molas.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"260";s:6:"height";s:3:"194";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='95' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:17:"2010/11/molas.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"molas-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"molas-220x164.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"164";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Cultura series at the Workers' Center http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/cultura-series-at-the-workers-center/ Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:32:56 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=439 On November 13th, the theme is Puerto Rico: Paper Dolls. Panama: Molas is the November 20th theme. Please RSVP since space is limited. Email Carolina Osorio Gil at co27@cornell.edu.

    This Cultura series is cosponsored by the Workers' Center, Cornell University Latino Studies Program, Latin American Studies Program and the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County. Remember: this is a free activity, open to everyone!

    Mola photograph from fabricandwoodideas.com

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    439 2010-11-11 20:32:56 2010-11-11 20:32:56 open open cultura-series-at-the-workers-center publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1289507583 jabber_published 1289507578 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1289507580
    Sign the Petition: A Living Wage for *All* Ithaca College Workers! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/sign-the-petition-a-living-wage-for-all-ithaca-college-workers/ Sun, 14 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/sign-the-petition-a-living-wage-for-all-ithaca-college-workers/ The Tompkins County Workers' Center is working with the Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity (LIPS), a student-led group at Ithaca College that is designed to unite workers, students, faculty, and community members of Ithaca College, Ithaca, and Tompkins County. Our purpose is to educate the community as well as ourselves about labor issues and initiate positive change for economic and social justice locally, regionally, and nationally.

    Our goal is to have language in the contractual standards that Ithaca College sets with its subcontractors or direct contractors that requires that a living wage be paid to employees; equal the benefits of Ithaca College direct hire employees; as well as job security; right to organize in the form of a union without coercion or interference to promote or deter organization. Compliance with such standards would provide employees with respect and dignity in the workplace.

    Sign the online petition by going to: http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4023/c/200/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=870

    Our first initiative in working with LIPS is an "All Campus Living Wage." We ask that all Ithaca College campus employees have a living wage. Currently all employees, we are told by the Ithaca College Human Resources Department, at Ithaca College except dining services employees start at a living wage of $11.11/hour + 50 cents. Dining service employees at Sodexho (a private subcontractor) have a base starting wage rate of $7.95/hour. The goal is to see dining service employees receive the same minimum compensation package as we are told that Ithaca College direct-hire employees are afforded.

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    1141 2010-11-14 00:00:00 2010-11-14 00:00:00 open open sign-the-petition-a-living-wage-for-all-ithaca-college-workers publish 0 0 post 0
    logo_nelp_120 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/wage-theft-and-unemployment/logo_nelp_120/ Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:16:42 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/logo_nelp_120.png 444 2010-11-15 20:16:42 2010-11-15 20:16:42 open open logo_nelp_120 inherit 443 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/logo_nelp_120.png _wp_attached_file 2010/11/logo_nelp_120.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"152";s:6:"height";s:3:"121";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='120'";s:4:"file";s:25:"2010/11/logo_nelp_120.png";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:25:"logo_nelp_120-150x121.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"121";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} wnyy http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/wage-theft-and-unemployment/wnyy/ Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:26:20 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/wnyy.gif 445 2010-11-15 20:26:20 2010-11-15 20:26:20 open open wnyy inherit 443 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/wnyy.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/11/wnyy.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"264";s:6:"height";s:3:"154";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='74' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2010/11/wnyy.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"wnyy-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"wnyy-220x128.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"128";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} interfaith worker justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/wage-theft-and-unemployment/interfaith-worker-justice-4/ Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:27:52 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg 446 2010-11-15 20:27:52 2010-11-15 20:27:52 open open interfaith-worker-justice-4 inherit 443 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"217";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='53' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:37:"2010/11/interfaith-worker-justice.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:36:"interfaith-worker-justice-150x91.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Wage Theft and Unemployment http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/wage-theft-and-unemployment/ Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:39:36 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=443 National Employment Law Project and the a few of their pals (notably the other 98%, True Majority, Americans for Responsible Taxation and US Action) are asking everyone to contact their Senators tomorrow, Tuesday November 16, to support those Americans who are unemployed and about to lose their Unemployment benefits. Here is their message: Congress is about to make a choice that will define this moment in history: Support those unemployed by this recession, or give tax cuts to millionaires. Your Senators need to hear from you today! Please call right now. Tell them you're a constituent. Tell them that they should vote to continue unemployment insurance to the end of 2011, AND that if they are serious about reducing the deficit they will NOT extend the Bush tax cuts for millionaires. We don’t have a choice – if Congress fails to continue the unemployment programs, 2 million people in December alone will be left with no income. In the next five months it will be almost 6 million people. Local economies will be devastated if the unemployed have no income to spend in local stores, which could result in over 700,000 MORE people losing their jobs! We can either support hard-working Americans who are out of a job through no fault of their own, or support millionaires who are doing just fine on their own. Here is the contact information for our Senators: Chuck Schumer, 212-486-4430 in NYC, 315-423-5471 Syracuse Kirstin Gillibrand, 212-688-6262 NYC, 315-448-0470 Syracuse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our office mate Neil rushed into the Workers' Center to alert us to listen to the Thom Hartmann radio program this morning. Thom's show is on WNYY, 1470AM Progressive Radio. He was spotlighting Wage Theft; Interfaith Worker Justice's director Kim Bobo was his guest. Kim spoke about the November 18th National Day of Action against Wage Theft. Visit Thom's page for the link to listen to the conversation.Kim also talked about a particularly egregious wage theft case which involved immigrant workers, visiting the US with temporary work visas, who were kept imprisoned in vermin-infested trailers without adequate food and water. Against the employer's wishes, several workers went to the emergency room where they were treated for infected bites from fleas and ticks, starvation and dehydration. More on this case later since it is still in litigation and specifics could damage the compensation for the workers. In the meantime, visit IWJ's Wage Theft page to learn more and to see how you can participate in the fight against what is now legal thievery. IWJ has an excellent film, Wage Theft: The Crime Wave No One Talks About, on their homepage.]]> 443 2010-11-15 20:39:36 2010-11-15 20:39:36 open open wage-theft-and-unemployment publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1290107280 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1289853577 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1289853579 61 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/national-day-of-action-against-wage-theft/ 66.135.48.207 2010-11-18 19:49:02 2010-11-18 19:49:02 1 pingback 0 0 Stories from our Unemployed & Underemployed Support Group http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/stories-from-our-unemployed-underemployed-support-group/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:46:39 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=451 This is why we need benefits for the unemployed extended. Make that call today, please. The toll-free number for Senators is 1-866-606-1189. Here is the direct contact information for our Senators: Chuck Schumer, 212-486-4430 in NYC, 315-423-5471 Syracuse Kirstin Gillibrand, 212-688-6262 NYC, 315-448-0470 Syracuse]]> 451 2010-11-16 21:46:39 2010-11-16 21:46:39 open open stories-from-our-unemployed-underemployed-support-group publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1289944003 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1289944000 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1289944001 nysf-logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/national-day-of-action-against-wage-theft/nysf-logo/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:17:30 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/nysf-logo.png 459 2010-11-18 19:17:30 2010-11-18 19:17:30 open open nysf-logo inherit 456 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/nysf-logo.png _wp_attached_file 2010/11/nysf-logo.png _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"390";s:6:"height";s:3:"231";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='75' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:21:"2010/11/nysf-logo.png";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"nysf-logo-150x150.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"nysf-logo-220x130.png";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"130";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} kim bob carlosjwj http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/national-day-of-action-against-wage-theft/kim-bob-carlosjwj/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:30:25 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kim-bob-carlosjwj.jpg 460 2010-11-18 19:30:25 2010-11-18 19:30:25 open open kim-bob-carlosjwj inherit 456 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kim-bob-carlosjwj.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/kim-bob-carlosjwj.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"238";s:6:"height";s:3:"275";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='83'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2010/11/kim-bob-carlosjwj.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"kim-bob-carlosjwj-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"kim-bob-carlosjwj-220x254.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"254";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} National Day of Action Against Wage Theft http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/national-day-of-action-against-wage-theft/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:48:52 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=456 page on its website describing some of the actions IWJ affiliates are planning. Earlier this week, I posted a bit about a wage theft case involving immigrant workers mistreated while in the country on a temporary visa. This news has exploded nationally so I can share more about it. The workers were employed in a food concession stand at the State Fair in Syracuse this past summer. Pantelis Karageorgis, owner of Peter's Fine Greek Food, has been charged with human trafficking in this case. You can read more about it in this article, written by Art Levine. The Syracuse Post-Standard also reported on it. Many, many thanks to our friends Rebecca, Pat and others at the Syracuse Workers' Center for working so tirelessly on this issue. It is shocking to hear that Mexican workers were promised $10-12 dollars an hour to work in the US for the summer but were kept virtually imprisoned, working up to 24 hours a day for $1 an hour, bitten by bedbugs, dehydrated and malnourished. But can this happen to American workers here? Although the stories aren't as dramatic, there are certainly stories that we hear about wage theft. Here are a few: a desk clerk at a health club tires of not receiving his paycheck. He quits and decides to sue in Small Claims Court. The owner of the health club, a successful architect and local landlord, thumbs his nose at the law and doesn't pay. a retail worker agrees to work for $5 an hour; the owner promises to pay her minimum wage when the business is successful. Two years later, still no raise. Luckily, this case was amicably settled with all back wages paid. Still, we hear through the grapevine that this employer -- who is described as being "so nice" -- regularly pays employees $5/hr. An employee makes a mistake mailing packages. The employer deducts the postage costs from the employee's paycheck and requires the employee to come into work on his own time to correct the mistake. a new restaurant in Collegetown opens in February 2010 and immediately begins paying waitstaff $3.50 an hour. (Tipped minimum wage is $4.65 an hour in NY; the employer must make sure that with tips the waitstaff is making at least $7.25 an hour.) A mandatory tip pool is required of all waitstaff, the tips being distributed by the owners. The owners share in the tips. This is illegal. Management must not ever be in charge of a tip pool and are never allowed to tip share. The Workers' Center had  meetings with this employer last August; they were supplied with copies of the law. They pleaded innocence: they had recently moved from Virginia and did not know the NYS laws. But soon after that meeting, we began receiving phonecalls again: the owners were back to their old tricks, stealing tips, paying low salaries to dishwashers working 14 hour days, 6 days a week.

    Photo, left: Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Interfaith Worker Justice and author of Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans Are Not Getting Paid - And What We Can Do About It. photo by carlosiwj.

    This is not uncommon. Last year, a local restaurant, Hogsback BarBQ, opened and closed without paying most of its employees anything. The owner has a trail of judgements against him for taking deposits for construction jobs that were never begun as well as the wage theft against the employees who sued him in Small Claims Court. Unfortunately, you can steal with impunity from your employees, have the court decide against you and get away with it all. It is up to the winning party to collect the damages.

    Many other people never receive their overtime pay, their last paycheck or -- an all too common problem -- their tips.

    These are just a few of the many cases we hear about and work on in Tompkins County. The only thing we can do to stop this is for all of us to step up and say NO to wage theft. We'll be letting you know about cases as they come to us.

    If you are a business person outraged by wage theft, think about participating in IWJ's Ethical Business Leader Campaign. Visit their site at http://www.iwj.org/template/index.cfm.

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    456 2010-11-18 19:48:52 2010-11-18 19:48:52 open open national-day-of-action-against-wage-theft publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1290109766 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1290109733 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1290109735
    povertyline buzzsaw http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/workers-issues-in-the-news/povertyline-buzzsaw/ Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:44:23 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/povertyline-buzzsaw.jpg 465 2010-11-22 19:44:23 2010-11-22 19:44:23 open open povertyline-buzzsaw inherit 464 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/povertyline-buzzsaw.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/povertyline-buzzsaw.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"400";s:6:"height";s:3:"761";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='95' width='50'";s:4:"file";s:31:"2010/11/povertyline-buzzsaw.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:31:"povertyline-buzzsaw-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:31:"povertyline-buzzsaw-183x350.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"183";s:6:"height";s:3:"350";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Workers' Issues in the News http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/workers-issues-in-the-news/ Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:03:11 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=464 Lyman about the realities of living without an adequate income, Battling the Poverty Line: the modern paradox of life without a living wage. Image to the right from Buzzsaw, by Lauren Connelly. The Baltimore Sun's Don't Let Employers Rob Their Workers is another chapter in the Wage Theft book, published for the National Day of Action last week. Peter Enns, assistant professor of government at Cornell, and Nathan Kelly of the University of Tennessee, released results from research on the political beliefs of the poor in the US. According to his findings, in the US, lower income levels make people more conservative. You can read the report about the study, Low Incomes Make Poor More Conservative, on the Cornell Chronicle site. You can read the results of the 2010 survey conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute at their website. Statistics concerning the support for workplace bullying laws are also included in the study. Enjoy your reading!]]> 464 2010-11-22 20:03:11 2010-11-22 20:03:11 open open workers-issues-in-the-news publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1291057555 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1290456193 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1290456194 Labor Initiative in Promoting Solidarity http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/labor-initiative-in-promoting-solidarity/ Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:03:40 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=468 Sodexo, a multinational subcontractor.The IC administration says that Sodexo can make its own decisions about how much they pay their employees. A group of Ithaca College activist students disagree. They have formed a new group, the Labor Initiative In Promoting Solidarity (LIPS), which is working hard to ensure that Ithaca College adopt a statement of responsibility that requires IC to do business only with companies that pay their employees a living wage. Syracuse University dining employees, organized as SEIU members, are paid a living wage by Sodexo so it is known that Sodexo does that in our region. Now...How to budge the IC administration? It's a sad fact that university and college administrations often sit back and delay changes: the students who fight for justice graduate and move away and the issue goes away. In these uncertain times, support staff and academics are sometimes fearful of speaking up and losing their jobs. So who can help LIPS pressure the IC administration for change, and change soon? Permanent members of the local community, that's who. We live here, we work here, we have students and faculty and staff as neighbors and friends. We need to defend all members of our community, and help them make a living wage for their hard work. LIPS is asking all supporters of a living wage for all to sign their petition which will be presented to President Thomas Rochon at a meeting December 9th. We're proud to report that Kiera Lewis, Samantha Wolfe and Nate Bartman are three of the hard-working students who are LIPS organizers. Kiera is our current IC intern and Samantha interned with us last school year and summer. Nate has been steadily involved in the Ithaca Coffee Workers Union. They and their student colleagues at Ithaca College deserve great credit for standing up for others.]]> 468 2010-11-23 18:03:40 2010-11-23 18:03:40 open open labor-initiative-in-promoting-solidarity publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1290535425 _edit_last 12261875 jabber_published 1290535420 email_notification 1290535421 _wp_old_slug international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/how-to-support-good-business/international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:51:34 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198.jpg 473 2010-11-29 19:51:34 2010-11-29 19:51:34 open open international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198 inherit 472 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/11/international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"198";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:54:"2010/11/international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:54:"international-breastfeeding-symbol-200x198-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} How to Support Good Business http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/how-to-support-good-business/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:10:28 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=472 list of certified Living Wage employers. But what if there isn't a Living Wage business that fits into your needs? Do you have friends who work in a particular industry? They frequently know where employees are being mistreated. Another thing you can do is pass along information about good businesses, ones that you know are trying to do the right thing either because of your patronage or employment. As an example, I saw an interesting pamphlet on the counter of one of our certified Living Wage employers, Jillian's Drawers. A New York activist, Phoebe Wyllyamz, is 'creating a system that helps breastfeeding families know which businesses support them.' Breastfeeding means Business is asking consumers to pass along information about breastfeeding-friendly locations where supportive management and staff understand public laws (in NYS, 'a mother has the right to breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be') and make breastfeeding families feel welcome. If you have any ideas for getting out the word about great local businesses and employers, let us know.]]> 472 2010-11-29 20:10:28 2010-11-29 20:10:28 open open how-to-support-good-business publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 12261875 _edit_lock 1291061431 jabber_published 1291061428 email_notification 1291061429 _wp_old_slug kid's page assembly seal http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/action-alert-stop-wage-theft-now/kids-page-assembly-seal/ Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:27:36 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kids-page-assembly-seal.gif 478 2010-11-30 22:27:36 2010-11-30 22:27:36 open open kids-page-assembly-seal inherit 477 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kids-page-assembly-seal.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/11/kids-page-assembly-seal.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"600";s:6:"height";s:3:"673";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='85'";s:4:"file";s:35:"2010/11/kids-page-assembly-seal.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:35:"kids-page-assembly-seal-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:35:"kids-page-assembly-seal-219x246.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"246";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:35:"kids-page-assembly-seal-490x549.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:3:"549";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Action Alert: Stop Wage Theft Now! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/11/action-alert-stop-wage-theft-now/ Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:47:16 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=477 nothing happened. Wage Theft occurs everywhere in the country, and it is a surprise to many that it happens not just in urban centers and the victims are not only undocumented workers. All sorts of workers have their wages, tips, overtime and last paychecks stolen: your neighbor, your friend, maybe even your spouse or your child. We have problems retrieving that money, even when there is a Department of Labor judgement or a Small Claims judgement. If only the Assembly would pass the bill that the Senate OKed five months ago, we would have more power to collect that money. There would be fines and even, in some cases, jail time, for those who steal wages. Why should you be concerned? Even if you're not a compassionate person who believes that our neighbor should get each and every hard-earned dollar they deserve, there are practical reasons to support the Wage Theft Prevention Bill. First of all, many of the victims are low wage earners who would be using that money to support local businesses by loading up on groceries, paying rent and buying shoes for their toddler's feet. Also, the government of NY loses tax dollars with every lost paycheck. And we all will suffer next year when the inevitable cuts to education, public parks, roads and other programs come down the pike. The whole community loses when a worker's paycheck is stolen. What can you do? Call NYS Assembly speaker Sheldon Silvers' office NOW and strongly urge him to tell his Assembly followers to pass the Wage Theft bill as it was passed by the Senate. You can call his chief of staff Judy Rapfogel’s at 518-455-3791 in Albany or in NYC at 212-312-1400.]]> 477 2010-11-30 22:47:16 2010-11-30 22:47:16 open open action-alert-stop-wage-theft-now publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 1 _edit_lock 1297792119 jabber_published 1291157238 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1291157239 62 robsonbriellen@live.fr http://www.rachatdecredit.net/un-rachat-de-credit-pour-une-tranquillite-desprit.html 95.168.183.233 2010-12-30 10:04:57 2010-12-30 10:04:57 spam 0 0 mrny logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=486 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:35:16 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mrny-logo.jpg 486 2010-12-01 15:35:16 2010-12-01 15:35:16 open open mrny-logo inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mrny-logo.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/mrny-logo.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"162";s:6:"height";s:3:"209";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='74'";s:4:"file";s:21:"2010/12/mrny-logo.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:21:"mrny-logo-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} mrny logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/wage-thieves-watch-out/mrny-logo-2/ Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:38:07 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mrny-logo1.jpg 489 2010-12-01 15:38:07 2010-12-01 15:38:07 open open mrny-logo-2 inherit 488 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mrny-logo1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/mrny-logo1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"162";s:6:"height";s:3:"209";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='74'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2010/12/mrny-logo1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"mrny-logo1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Wage Thieves, Watch Out! http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/wage-thieves-watch-out/ Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:46:33 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=488 Fantastic news from Make the Road New York: their hard work on behalf of victims of wage theft has paid off. By a margin of 2 to 1, the NYS Assembly passed the Wage Theft Prevention Act. Read their press release below. NEWS RELEASE From Make the Road New York For Immediate Release: Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Contact (English & Spanish): Deborah Axt, 347.432.6254 By a Margin of More than Two-to-One, New York State Assembly Passes Historic Wage Theft Prevention Act Groundbreaking Legislation, Already Passed by State Senate, Awaits Governor Paterson's Signature New York, November 30, 2010 - Assemblymember Carl Heastie, Senator Diane Savino, Make the Road New York, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, and supporters from labor, community and business laud the New York State Assembly for today's passage of the Wage Theft Prevention Act. The WTPA was sponsored by Sentor Savino in the Senate and Assemblymember Heastie in the Assembly. Governor Paterson issued a message of necessity Monday, ensuring that the bill could come up for a vote in the Assembly. It will now go back to his desk for a signature. The Wage Theft Prevention Act will increase penalties and tighten enforcement of the New York laws protecting workers from wage theft. The National Employment Law Project estimates that more than $1 billion is stolen annually from NYC workers alone by unscrupulous employers. Advocates project that the WTPA will bring in approximately $50 million in increased savings and revenues to help the state government save valuable programs currently threatened by the fiscal crisis. The bill protects law abiding businesses from unfair competition with employers who reduce labor costs by stealing workers' minimum wages and overtime pay. Assembly Sponsor Carl Heastie said, "The Wage Theft Prevention Act is simply the right thing to do. It is the right thing to do by businesses, and really the right thing to do by workers across the state." "Stealing from employees not only hurts families, it hurts communities. It also makes honest employers less competitive. Businesses that are good citizens and pay their employees what is owed them and on time, as is required by law, should not be at a disadvantage to companies that are illegally withholding wages from their workers. These rogue employers not only steal wages from hard-working families who are doing all they can to make ends meet during these difficult economic times, but also steal much-needed funds from our city and state coffers," said Senator Diane J. Savino, Senate sponsor of the bill "I applaud Speaker Silver, bill sponsor Assemblyman Heastie and the entire New York State Assembly for passing the Wage Theft Prevention Act; and look forward to Governor Paterson signing the bill into law," said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. "Wage theft is a real concern for retail workers across this city. Every day, the wages of too many workers are stolen by employers who choose to ignore minimum wage, overtime pay and other labor laws. The Wage Theft Prevention Action will increase penalties and strengthen enforcement against low road employers and give workers the protections they need and deserve." Indeed, National Employment Law Project studies demonstrate that wage theft is rampant in New York -- in NYC alone (the only city for which data is available), unscrupulous employers steal more than $18.4 million a week, almost $1 billion each year, from their workers in the form of wage theft. The Wage Theft Prevention Act is a comprehensive bill to change the perverse incentive by increasing penalties, increasing protection for workers who speak up, and adding tools that the Department of Labor and Courts can use to investigate cases and actually collect the money that workers are owed. Nieves Padilla of Make the Road New York added, "I have spent the last twelve years fighting with low wage workers to win back the wages that have been stolen from them. I'm so proud that today New York is on the verge of being a leader in the fight against wage theft. Now we'll have the tools to make employers follow the law." Deborah Axt, Deputy Director of Make the Road New York, added, "We are here to thank the Assembly and the Senate for their ground-breaking work to combat wage theft. This is comprehensive reform at its best: it makes New York a leader in combating the worst forms of theft." On November 17, the New York City Council unanimously passed a Resolution calling on the State to Pass the WTPA This Year. Make the Road New York (MRNY) is the largest participatory immigrant organization in New York City with more than 8,000 members. With vibrant community centers in the immigrant neighborhoods of Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; and Port Richmond, Staten Island; MRNY gives voice to thousands of immigrants and their families through community organizing, educates tomorrow's leaders and provides services to support families. To find out more, please visit our website: www.maketheroadny.org]]> 488 2010-12-01 15:46:33 2010-12-01 15:46:33 open open wage-thieves-watch-out publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 1 _edit_lock 1297791569 jabber_published 1291218394 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1291218395 rich gallagher http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/weekend-round-up/rich-gallagher/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:47:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rich-gallagher.jpg 497 2010-12-06 19:47:27 2010-12-06 19:47:27 open open rich-gallagher inherit 495 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rich-gallagher.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/rich-gallagher.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"168";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='125'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2010/12/rich-gallagher.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"rich-gallagher-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} rich gallagher http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/weekend-round-up/rich-gallagher-2/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:48:41 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rich-gallagher1.jpg 498 2010-12-06 19:48:41 2010-12-06 19:48:41 open open rich-gallagher-2 inherit 495 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/rich-gallagher1.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/rich-gallagher1.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"168";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='125'";s:4:"file";s:27:"2010/12/rich-gallagher1.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:27:"rich-gallagher1-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} tetris http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/weekend-round-up/tetris/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:52:50 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/tetris.gif 499 2010-12-06 19:52:50 2010-12-06 19:52:50 open open tetris inherit 495 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/tetris.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/12/tetris.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"386";s:6:"height";s:3:"382";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='97'";s:4:"file";s:18:"2010/12/tetris.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:18:"tetris-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:18:"tetris-220x217.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"217";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Weekend Round-up http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/weekend-round-up/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:03:31 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=495 If you can't make it to the Workers' Center this Thursday, please call your Senators toll-free at 1-888-340-6522.  And for your reading pleasure: 1) Here's an interesting blog post, What to Say to a Bully at Work, by Rich Gallagher, a local communications skills author, public speaker and writing coach. The blog describes on workplace bullying communication skills.   Left: Rich Gallagher from his blog, http://point-of-contact.blogspot.com --------------------------------------------- A post from Labor Notes describes the growing relationship between workers centers and regional COSH (Coalitions for Occupational Safety and Health) groups. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And just for fun, an article on how Tetris actually helps people with PTSD, something that many who are targets of workplace bullying or victims of traumatic workplace accidents suffer from. Enjoy!]]> 495 2010-12-06 20:03:31 2010-12-06 20:03:31 open open weekend-round-up publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1297791541 _edit_last 1 jabber_published 1291665815 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1291665817 63 Tippery84@gmail.com http://sexycelebritywallpapers.org/ 212.200.250.26 2010-12-31 07:07:36 2010-12-31 07:07:36 spam 0 0 LIPS http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/dreams-an-act-ic-students-and-immigrant-workers/lips/ Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:29:52 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/lips.jpg 504 2010-12-09 17:29:52 2010-12-09 17:29:52 open open lips inherit 503 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/lips.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/lips.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"200";s:6:"height";s:3:"166";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='115'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2010/12/lips.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"lips-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} mrny logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/dreams-an-act-ic-students-and-immigrant-workers/mrny-logo-3/ Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:33:24 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mrny-logo2.jpg 505 2010-12-09 17:33:24 2010-12-09 17:33:24 open open mrny-logo-3 inherit 503 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mrny-logo2.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/mrny-logo2.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"162";s:6:"height";s:3:"209";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='74'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2010/12/mrny-logo2.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"mrny-logo2-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Sam Pinto buzzsaw visa http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/dreams-an-act-ic-students-and-immigrant-workers/sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa/ Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:40:31 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa.jpg 506 2010-12-09 17:40:31 2010-12-09 17:40:31 open open sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa inherit 503 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"400";s:6:"height";s:3:"442";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='86'";s:4:"file";s:34:"2010/12/sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:34:"sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:34:"sam-pinto-buzzsaw-visa-220x243.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"243";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Dreams: an Act, IC students and immigrant workers... http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/dreams-an-act-ic-students-and-immigrant-workers/ Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:47:01 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=503 Rally for a living wage for dining service workers at Ithaca College! Meet at 2:15 at the Ithaca College Pub. We'll be marching from the pub, escorting students from LIPS to their meeting with President Rochon. Music, instruments and solidarity as we try to convey to the IC Administration that the entire community supports a living wage for all! Happy Day for young, born-in-the-USA people whose parents are undocumented workers: The Dream Act passed in the House yesterday. Onward to the Senate!  Here's a press release from Make the Road New York. Another exceptional story has appeared in Buzzsaw Magazine, Ithaca College's alternative news magazine, about the J-1 Visa Program. This program enables foreign students to travel to the US for educational reasons, earning a small salary at the same time. This appears to be something most of us would support but the question has arisen: how are these workers treated? are jobs given to these students, sometimes taken advantage of, which would be filled by full-time residents?And how do the corporations -- like Cortland's Marietta Corporation and the Holiday Inn, two local businesses that use J-1 Visa workers -- benefit? Pete Blanchard, an IC student who has worked with the Workers' Center on projects before, and Samantha Wolfe, our IC intern last year, investigated J-1 visas. They stayed in a motel in Cortland to get to know the workers there. Read the article in the most recent Buzzsaw.   The illustration below is by Sam Pinto of Buzzsaw.  ]]> 503 2010-12-09 17:47:01 2010-12-09 17:47:01 open open dreams-an-act-ic-students-and-immigrant-workers publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1297791531 _edit_last 1 jabber_published 1291916821 _wp_old_slug email_notification 1291916823 NYS Governor Signs Historic Legislation to Control Wage Theft : Tompkins County Workers' Center Applauds Law That Promotes Lawful Treatment and Recourse to Justice for All NY Workers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/nys-governor-signs-historic-legislation-to-control-wage-theft-tompkins-county-workers-center-applauds-law-that-promotes-lawful-treatment-and-recourse-to-justice-for-all-ny-workers/ Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/nys-governor-signs-historic-legislation-to-control-wage-theft-tompkins-county-workers-center-applauds-law-that-promotes-lawful-treatment-and-recourse-to-justice-for-all-ny-workers/ On Monday, December 13th, Governor Paterson signed the Wage Theft Prevention Act into law. This law will increase the power of the Department of Labor to investigate wage theft cases and collect monies owed, will increase penalties for guilty employers and add protections for workers who speak up against wage theft.

    The Tompkins County Workers' Center has helped victims of wage theft win judgments totalling over a million dollars. Unfortunately, some of those workers have been unable to collect their rightful payments due to weak or nonexistent legislation prior to the December 13, 2010 signing. The local wage theft cases have included employees being paid less than the minimum wage, being cheated out of overtime, tips stolen and in some cases, workers have not received wages at all. Penalties have been so low in the past there has been no incentive for immoral employers to obey the law. Law-abiding employers are put at a disadvantage when their competitors reduce their costs by stealing workers' pay.

    "By signing the Wage Theft Prevention Act (http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A11726&Summary=Y&Text=Y), Governor Paterson makes a commitment that New York State will finally stand up for workers like me who have been cheated out of our hard-earned wages. It is time for New York to catch up with many other states where wage theft laws punish unprincipled employers. Let's use the power of New York State to ensure fair treatment for vulnerable, low-wage workers," said James Douglas, Ithaca resident and Tompkins County Workers' Center Community Union organizer. James was one of a large number of employees of the now defunct Hogsback BarBQ whose wages were stolen but, due to the lack of a wage theft law, were unable to collect their judgment.

    Tompkins County workers now have the law on their side when they stand up for their dignity, demanding that their employers follow the law.

    Interviews with victims of wage theft are available.

    ]]>
    1142 2010-12-13 00:00:00 2010-12-13 00:00:00 open open nys-governor-signs-historic-legislation-to-control-wage-theft-tompkins-county-workers-center-applauds-law-that-promotes-lawful-treatment-and-recourse-to-justice-for-all-ny-workers publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 1 _edit_lock 1297801841
    Crook http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/governor-signs-wage-theft-prevention-act-into-law/crook/ Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:46:48 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/crook.jpg 511 2010-12-14 17:46:48 2010-12-14 17:46:48 open open crook inherit 510 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/crook.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/crook.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"170";s:6:"height";s:3:"146";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='111'";s:4:"file";s:17:"2010/12/crook.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:17:"crook-150x146.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"146";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Governor Signs Wage Theft Prevention Act into Law http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/governor-signs-wage-theft-prevention-act-into-law/ Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:48:29 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=510 NYS Governor Signs Historic Legislation to Control Wage Theft : Tompkins County Workers’ Center Applauds Law That Promotes Lawful Treatment and Recourse to Justice for All NY Workers December 13th 2010 On Monday, December 13th, Governor Paterson signed the Wage Theft Prevention Act into law. This law will increase the power of the Department of Labor to investigate wage theft cases and collect monies owed, will increase penalties for guilty employers and add protections for workers who speak up against wage theft. The Tompkins County Workers’ Center has helped victims of wage theft win judgments totalling over a million dollars. Unfortunately, some of those workers have been unable to collect their rightful payments due to weak or nonexistent legislation prior to the December 13, 2010 signing. The local wage theft cases have included employees being paid less than the minimum wage, being cheated out of overtime, tips stolen and in some cases, workers have not received wages at all. Penalties have been so low in the past there has been no incentive for immoral employers to obey the law. Law-abiding employers are put at a disadvantage when their competitors reduce their costs by stealing workers’ pay. "By signing the Wage Theft Prevention Act , Governor Paterson makes a commitment that New York State will finally stand up for workers like me who have been cheated out of our hard-earned wages. It is time for New York to catch up with many other states where wage theft laws punish unprincipled employers. Let’s use the power of New York State to ensure fair treatment for vulnerable, low-wage workers," said James Douglas, Ithaca resident and Tompkins County Workers’ Center Community Union organizer. James was one of a large number of employees of the now defunct Hogsback BarBQ whose wages were stolen but, due to the lack of a wage theft law, were unable to collect their judgment. Tompkins County workers now have the law on their side when they stand up for their dignity, demanding that their employers follow the law. Interviews with victims of wage theft are available.]]> 510 2010-12-14 17:48:29 2010-12-14 17:48:29 open open governor-signs-wage-theft-prevention-act-into-law publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1297791521 _edit_last 1 jabber_published 1292348909 email_notification 1292348910 jobless-party dancers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/a-party-and-an-award/jobless-party-dancers/ Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:09:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jobless-party-dancers.jpg 518 2010-12-20 19:09:39 2010-12-20 19:09:39 open open jobless-party-dancers inherit 517 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jobless-party-dancers.jpg _wp_attached_file 2010/12/jobless-party-dancers.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"300";s:6:"height";s:3:"162";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='69' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:33:"2010/12/jobless-party-dancers.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"jobless-party-dancers-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"jobless-party-dancers-219x118.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"219";s:6:"height";s:3:"118";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} A Party and an Award http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/a-party-and-an-award/ Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:18:37 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=517 The first, Jobless Party in Wales, was sent to me by a member of our Unemployed and Underemployed Support Group, Christine.  "In celebration of the first lunar eclipse in three years the party will have a Winter Solstice theme and they are inviting everyone to come down to 'meet like minded people, share ideas, skills, information, knowledge and dance like there is no future.' " The article describes the artists, djs and other special guests who are helping make the 2pm--8pm Cardiff party a success. We'll have to throw our own special U&U party soon. The second article is from Jobs with Justice. JwJ has announced the popularly-elected 2010 Scrooge of the Year award winner: Senator Mitch McConnell. Here's why 42% of voters made Senator McConnell the winner:

    Senator Mitch McConnell Elected 2010 Scrooge of the Year

    Health & Pharmaceutical Industry, Hyatt runners-up in national contest to determine who did the most harm to workers and their families this year.

    Mitch Senator Mitch McConnell took 42% of the thousands of votes cast in Jobs with Justice’s eleventh annual national contest to determine the greediest, most cold-hearted person or company of the year.  A small number of Senators, led by conservative Senate Minority leader Mitch “puppet of the rich” McConnell, have spent this Congressional session aggressively blocking almost all legislation from passing, especially laws that would help working people. McConnell could have shown great leadership to support people in need at a time when so many are struggling, but this Scrooge doesn’t care about governing or making this country a better place to live.  McConnell’s goal is to do whatever is necessary to hoard power for himself and his party. “We hope that by being elected national Scrooge of the Year, Senator McConnell will see the 'Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come' and understand the dire consequences that his actions will have for generations of Americans,” said Sarita Gupta, National Jobs with Justice Executive Director. The Kentucky chapter of Jobs with Justice plans to deliver the Scrooge of the Year award in person to Senator McConnell’s offices in Louisville. The Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical industry, with their single-minded focus on profits at the expense of our health, was the first runner-up with 22% of the vote.  Hyatt Hotels won 10% of the vote for attempts to eliminate quality healthcare and make the recession permanent for its employees, and for their safety record.  Other nominees included Rite Aid, Publix, and Giumarra Vineyards, and popular write-in candidates were Honeywell CEO Dave Cote and Del Monte Fresh.  Express Scripts was a candidate for Scrooge of the Year, but reached a settlement with workers and their nomination was pulled.  You can read more about all of the candidates on the Jobs with Justice website. In addition to the national Scrooge of the Year contest, each year local Jobs with Justice coalitions across the country hold Scrooge of the Year elections to determine the most deserving greedy Scrooge in their hometowns.  This year’s local winners include:  Marsh Supermarkets in Indianapolis, IN, US Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue in Washington, DC, Governor Jan Brewer in Tucson, AZ, Pinnacle Entertainment in St. Louis, MO, and Rex Sinquefield in Kansas City. The toll-free Senate number is 888-340-6522. Call the Senator to congratulate him!]]>
    517 2010-12-20 19:18:37 2010-12-20 19:18:37 open open a-party-and-an-award publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1294838922 _edit_last 1 jabber_published 1292872719 email_notification 1292872721
    wally climbing tower http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/say-something-please/wally-climbing-tower/ Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:30:52 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wally-climbing-tower.gif 524 2010-12-22 18:30:52 2010-12-22 18:30:52 open open wally-climbing-tower inherit 523 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wally-climbing-tower.gif _wp_attached_file 2010/12/wally-climbing-tower.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"108";s:6:"height";s:2:"85";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='85' width='108'";s:4:"file";s:32:"2010/12/wally-climbing-tower.gif";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Say Something, Please http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2010/12/say-something-please/ Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:38:33 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=523 The message from people who are hurting emotionally, no matter what the source, is that saying something is better than ignoring our obviously tender positions. Here's an article that you might like to pass along that offers some guidelines to people When you don't know what to say. And a long overdue congratulations to our Occupational Health Clinical Center colleague Wally Reardon. Wally, a former tower climber himself, has been advocating for and with tower climbers for safety regulations in this largely un-regulated industry. The 2010 Tony Mazzocchi Award for grassroots health and safety activism was presented to Wally in November for his project. Wally is now seen as one of the foremost experts in tower climbing safety and has presented his program to OSHA as well as the US Workplace Fatalities advocacy group. In the photo above, Wally Reardon nears the top of a 1,100-foot television tower in the late 1990s on Grand Island. He has since retired from climbing after witnessing a colleague’s catastrophic injury. He graduated from SUNY Oswego in May and now received a national award for a tower climbers safety program he began in college. (Photo Courtesy of Wallace Reardon, description from SUNY Oswego) Thanks for your groundbreaking work, Wally.]]> 523 2010-12-22 18:38:33 2010-12-22 18:38:33 open open say-something-please publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 1 _edit_lock 1294839045 jabber_published 1293043115 email_notification 1293043116 64 moongoddessmary58@yahoo.com 24.213.185.170 2010-12-22 18:56:24 2010-12-22 18:56:24 1 0 0 65 Macdwall15@gmail.com http://www.prawdziwysex.pl/ 91.201.66.91 2010-12-27 17:26:01 2010-12-27 17:26:01 spam 0 0 2010 in review http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/2010-in-review/ Mon, 03 Jan 2011 22:35:29 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=530 Blushingly, we reveal our WordPress blog assessment. Happy New Year, 2011. The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here's a high level summary of its overall blog health: Healthy blog! The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!

    Crunchy numbers

    A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,500 times in 2010. That's about 11 full 747s. In 2010, there were 92 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 113 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 16mb. That's about 2 pictures per week. The busiest day of the year was June 19th with 79 views. The most popular post that day was Welfare 'Reform'.

    Where did they come from?

    The top referring sites in 2010 were digg.com, tclivingwage.org, healthfitnesstherapy.com, tcworkerscenter.org, and legal5ounds.com. Some visitors came searching, mostly for marietta corporation chicago, lois gibbs, telephone # sheldon silvers office, "joe the volunteer", and ligia guallpa.

    Attractions in 2010

    These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
    1
    Welfare 'Reform' February 2010
    2
    Tell Marietta to STOP Worker Exploitation June 2010
    3
    About February 2010 1 comment
    4
    More Movies March 2010
    5
    We know what 'all work and no play' makes us... February 2010 2 comments]]>
    530 2011-01-03 22:35:29 2011-01-03 22:35:29 open open 2010-in-review publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1294839009 _edit_last 1 wpcom_recap 2010 wpcom_recap 2010 jabber_published 1294094130 email_notification 1294094131
    Waitress http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/hospitality-wage-order-increases-minimum-wage/waitress/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:48:52 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/waitress.jpg 534 2011-01-05 21:48:52 2011-01-05 21:48:52 open open waitress inherit 533 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/waitress.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/01/waitress.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"112";s:6:"height";s:3:"170";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='63'";s:4:"file";s:20:"2011/01/waitress.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"waitress-112x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"112";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} waiter http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/hospitality-wage-order-increases-minimum-wage/waiter-2/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:58:59 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/waiter.jpg 535 2011-01-05 21:58:59 2011-01-05 21:58:59 open open waiter-2 inherit 533 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/waiter.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/01/waiter.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:2:"99";s:6:"height";s:3:"100";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='95'";s:4:"file";s:18:"2011/01/waiter.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} bellhop http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/hospitality-wage-order-increases-minimum-wage/bellhop/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:04:38 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/bellhop.jpg 536 2011-01-05 22:04:38 2011-01-05 22:04:38 open open bellhop inherit 533 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/bellhop.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/01/bellhop.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:2:"96";s:6:"height";s:2:"96";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:19:"2011/01/bellhop.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Hospitality Wage Order Increases Minimum Wage http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/hospitality-wage-order-increases-minimum-wage/ Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:16:05 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=533 Big news for food service workers in New York: the tipped minimum wage has now been increased to $5.00 per hour. This decreases the tip credit to $2.25 an hour.  As always, most workers in New York should be receiving at least $7.25 per hour, the Federally-mandated minimum wage. The Wage Order is long anticipated and covers things other than hourly wages. Here are some of the highlights:
    • hourly rates of pay are required for all non-exempt employees (except commissioned salespeople). No longer are salaries, weekly or daily rates or piece rates allowed. This is to deter excessively long hours and to encourage compliance with overtime pay requirements of NYS law.
    • Overtime pay is due after 40 hours. Previously, residential employees received overtime after 44 hours.
    • Spread of hours, call in and uniform maintenance pay is due to all non-exempt employees at any pay rate, not just those paid at or near minimum wage. (Spread of hours refers to pay that is given food service employees who work in the morning or afternoon and leave for a few hours before returning for the evening shift. Call in refers to pay to people who are scheduled for a shift but are sent home before the end of their scheduled shift. Uniform maintenance pay covers cleaning of uniforms.)
    • Wash-and-wear Uniforms are exempt from the requirement to pay uniform maintenance to the worker. To qualify, the employee must be provided with the number of uniforms consistent with the average number of days per week worked and the uniform must be able to be laundered with the employee's personal clothing.
    • Gratuities are subject to regulations for the first time in New York. For instance, the Wage Order spells out regulations forbidding tip appropriation by the employer or their agent. Tip sharing, voluntary or employer-mandated, is legal. Employers must give written notice to employees of the tip policy of the establishment.  If the employer mandates tip sharing or pooling or adds charges to the bill for tips, records must be kept of the tips received and distributed. Employees must be allowed to view the records. If a gratuity is added to a credit card, employers are allowed to charge the employee the same percentage that the credit card company charges to process the charge.
    • Any charges for administration of a banquet, special function or package deal must be clearly identified and the customer must be notified that the charge is not a gratuity. This notice must be in ordinary, understandable language and in a font not less than 12 points.
    • Employee meals. When a shift is long enough to invoke the meal period law (a shift over six hours), employers must either allow employees to bring their own food or give them a meal at no more than the meal credit amount, $2.50 per meal.
    This wage order also now combines the restaurant and hotel industries into one class, the Hospitality Industry. New minimum wages are also mandated for tipped employees other than food service workers: Service Employees now must receive $5.65 per hour, $1.60 maximum tip credit. Service Employees in resort hotels: $4.90 per hour, $2.35 tip credit if the tips are at least $4.10 per hour. Chambermaids in resort hotels: merged into service employees in resort hotels. This alters the hourly pay of chambermaids who previously received a minimum wage of $6.15. Employers have until February 28th in which to make necessary changes to payroll systems and bookkeeping operations but must pay their employees retroactively to January 1, 2011 on the next regularly scheduled payday. Congratulations, Wait Staff!]]>
    533 2011-01-05 22:16:05 2011-01-05 22:16:05 open open hospitality-wage-order-increases-minimum-wage publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1294838801 _edit_last 1 jabber_published 1294265766 email_notification 1294265767
    Auto Draft http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/auto-draft/ Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:39:45 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=539 539 2011-01-06 20:39:45 2011-01-06 20:39:45 open open auto-draft auto-draft 0 0 post 0 celebrate http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/2011-events-to-come/celebrate/ Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:45:14 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/celebrate.jpg 546 2011-01-06 20:45:14 2011-01-06 20:45:14 open open celebrate inherit 551 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/celebrate.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/01/celebrate.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"126";s:6:"height";s:3:"130";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' 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0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/bully-free-workplace1.gif _wp_attached_file 2011/01/bully-free-workplace1.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"900";s:6:"height";s:4:"1359";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='63'";s:4:"file";s:33:"2011/01/bully-free-workplace1.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"bully-free-workplace1-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"bully-free-workplace1-220x332.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"332";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:33:"bully-free-workplace1-489x739.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"489";s:6:"height";s:3:"739";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} 2011: TCWC Celebration http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/2011-events-to-come/ Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:06:50 +0000 http://tcworkerscenter.wordpress.com/?p=541 Save the Date: Thursday January 27, 2011  6:00 -- 7:30

    Come to the Workers' Center to help us celebrate our new Vision Statement. During the last couple years, our Leadership Team has worked very hard to adopt a vision statement. Everyone has heard of a mission statement: it is our commitment to the work that we do. But a vision statement tells everyone WHY we do the work we do; it's our vision of the world in which we want to live. By drafting and adopting a vision statement, we needed to work even harder on our strategic plan for the next ten years. This plan is our road map to achieve that world of justice we're working for -- and we want to celebrate the work we did to start drawing this map! So join us for a celebratory Wine and Cheese, Pretzels and Beer Party at 115 The Commons/Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, second floor above Autumn Leaves Used Books. Of course, there will be nonalcoholic drinks for everyone as well. Other news:
    • A new book has been announced by the Workplace Bullying Institute, The Bully Free Workplace: Stop the Jerks, Weasels & Snakes from killing your organization.  This book is ground-breaking because it is aimed at business owners, managers and human resource departments.   Publication date is May 23, 2011 but can be pre-ordered.
    • Here's an article by James Haslam of the Vermont Workers' Center, It's Time for a People's Movement. The Vt. Workers' Center coordinates the 'Health Care is a Human Right' campaign.
    • And one last article (before my vacation, starting tomorrow!) is Will the New Assault on Public Employees' Unions Undermine all Workers? Watch out for Mr. Cuomo, New Yorkers!
    ]]>
    551 2011-01-06 21:06:50 2011-01-06 21:06:50 open open 2011-events-to-come publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_lock 1297791446 _edit_last 1 jabber_published 1294348014 email_notification 1294348016 _EventShowMapLink false _EventShowMap false _isEvent yes _EventStartDate 2011-01-27 18:00:00 _EventEndDate 2011-01-27 19:30:00 _EventVenue Tompkins County Workers’ Center _EventCountry _EventAddress 115 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street _EventCity _EventState _EventProvince _EventZip _EventCost _EventPhone
    Staff & Volunteers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/staff-volunteers/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:29:37 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=553

    Pete Meyers, Coordinator

    Pete Meyers is one of the Founders of the Tompkins County Workers' Center (TCWC) which was founded formally as an organization in 2003 (then as the Tompkins County Living Wage Coalition). Pete hails from South Bend, Indiana, originally and attended college in Pittsburgh. After graduating from college, he moved to Brooklyn, NY where he worked as a drug counselor for four years in a Coney Island H.S.

    Linda Holzbaur, Community Organizer

    A Philadelphia native, Linda Holzbaur moved to Ithaca in 1988 because it was a good place for her kids to grow up. She founded the Fingerlakes Unschoolers Network and has worked on many peace and social justice issues over the years.

    Carlos H. Gutierrez, Health and Safety Trainer

    Carlos was born in Chile, where he studied at the Technical State University prior to coming to the USA in 1976. He received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Carlos worked in NYC for the Department of Social Services and other private community private institutions as a case manager. He was a member of the Friends of the Chilean People, a solidarity organization promoting the return to Democracy in Chile during the period of the military dictatorship 1973-1990. While living in Ithaca, Carlos has worked for NYS Office of Children and Family Services and NYS Department of Labor. He received a Masters of Professional Studies from Alfred University, Alfred NY. Carlos is a member founder of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County. He has volunteered with the TC Workers’ Center since its inception addressing labor issues affecting immigrant workers. Currently Carlos is member of the Leadership Team of the Workers’ Center and a part time staff as an Occupational Safety and Health trainer doing outreach and training immigrants and vulnerable workers. See also: ]]>
    553 2011-01-11 16:29:37 2011-01-11 16:29:37 closed closed staff-volunteers publish 2 1 page 0 _edit_lock 1298646447 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Worker Advocacy http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:31:12 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=556 Unemployed and Underemployed Workers Support Group.]]> 556 2011-01-11 16:31:12 2011-01-11 16:31:12 closed closed worker-advocacy publish 0 1 page 0 _edit_lock 1296682917 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default HOTLINE http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/workers-rights-hotline/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:31:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=558 Do you have a problem at work? Call the Hotline to find out what you can do. Everything is confidential.

    Call us at (607) 269-0409 Email us at TCWRH@tcworkerscenter.org

    The Workers' Center provides confidential information, referrals, and assistance for anyone. We can help with any of the following issues:
    • Unjust Termination
    • Health and Safety
    • Family Leave
    • Health Insurance
    • Race Discrimination
    • Gender Discrimination
    • Sexual Orientation Discrimination
    • Age Discrimination
    • Workers' Compensation
    • Wages
    • Harassment
    • Unemployment Insurance
    • Problems with Welfare
    • Housing Problems
    • Other related issues (it doesn't hurt to ask)
    ]]>
    558 2011-01-11 16:31:39 2011-01-11 16:31:39 closed closed workers-rights-hotline publish 556 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1296682767 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Workers' Rights Handbook http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/wr-handbook/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:31:57 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=560 Workers' Rights Handbook - Click to download (PDF)]]> 560 2011-01-11 16:31:57 2011-01-11 16:31:57 closed closed wr-handbook publish 556 1 page 0 _edit_lock 1297790506 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default The Workers' Edge Newsletter http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/newsletter/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:32:14 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=562 Email Address: Members get a special printed quarterly edition of the Workers' Edge. Click here to learn more about membership. Here are PDF versions of the printed newsletter: ]]> 562 2011-01-11 16:32:14 2011-01-11 16:32:14 closed closed newsletter publish 581 2 page 0 _edit_lock 1296688080 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Your Rights At Work http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/know-your-rights/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:32:34 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=564 What is a living wage? Currently, in Tompkins County the living wage is $11.11/hr (with health insurance. Without is $12.11). Read more about the latest study.

    Privacy Issues & Sexual Harassment

    Family & Medical Leave

    Workers Compensation & Disability

    Health & Safety/Americans with Disability Act

    Keep Your Records at Work

    Workers' Rights Hotline

    Click here for information on Occupational Health & Labor Rights. Click here for information on our Workers' Rights Hotline.]]>
    564 2011-01-11 16:32:34 2011-01-11 16:32:34 closed closed know-your-rights publish 556 3 page 0 _edit_lock 1297790723 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Service Learning in Social Justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/service-learning-in-social-justice/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:32:54 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=566 contact us.]]> 566 2011-01-11 16:32:54 2011-01-11 16:32:54 closed closed service-learning-in-social-justice publish 597 4 page 0 _edit_lock 1297788125 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Advocacy http://pinkrabbitsays.com/advocacy/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:33:12 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=568 568 2011-01-11 16:33:12 2011-01-11 16:33:12 closed closed advocacy trash 0 2 page 0 _edit_lock 1294767055 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_time 1296593819 _wp_trash_meta_status publish Workers Rights Hotline for Advocacy Help http://pinkrabbitsays.com/advocacy/workers-rights-hotline-for-advocacy-help/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:33:30 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=570 Call us at (607) 269-0409]]> 570 2011-01-11 16:33:30 2011-01-11 16:33:30 closed closed workers-rights-hotline-for-advocacy-help trash 568 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1294857554 _edit_last 1 _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296593439 Occupational Health & Labor Rights http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/occupational-health-labor-rights/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:34:16 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=573 What government agencies and regulations protect workers? What agency can I contact if I’m concerned about health and safety hazards at work? The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 gives employees the right to file complaints about workplace safety and health hazards. Further, the Act gives complainants the right to request that their names not be revealed to their employers. Complaints from employees and their representatives are taken seriously by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency). If you believe your working conditions are unsafe or unhealthful, you have several options. Complaints can be filed online at www.osha.gov. You can also download a complaint form at that site and submit it to the regional OSHA office (3300 Vickery Road, North Syracuse, 315- 451-0808) or call them to discuss your concerns with an OSHA employee. If there is an emergency or the hazard is immediately life-threatening, call your local OSHA Regional Office in Syracuse at 315-451-0808 or 1-800-321-OSHA. The Workers’ Center is also always happy to help you through this process. Another agency, PESH (NYS Public Employee Safety and Health) protects public workers’ right to a safe and healthful workplace. Employers must obey safety standards and regulations. These standards:
    • Limit the amount of hazardous chemicals workers can be exposed to
    • Mandate the use of certain safety practices and equipment
    • Guarantee the right to file a complaint and get an OSHA inspection
    • Require employers to train workers about chemical hazards
    • Protect workers against retaliation for raising safety concerns
    OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HazComm) requires an employer to train a worker before you work with or are exposed to any chemical product. The training should inform a worker of the hazards, outline the symptoms of overexposure and tell you how to protect yourself. Employers must give you access to chemical information sheets called Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). You have the right to the results of any monitoring that your employer, OSHA or an outside testing company conducts at your workplace. This includes testing the air for chemicals or measuring noise levels or radiation. You also have the right to any of your medical records, including the results of medical exams, which your employer keeps. And finally, OSHA requires employers to keep a yearly log of all reported work-related injuries and illnesses (OSHA 300 Log). You have the right to receive a copy of this log. To get any of this information, give your employer a dated, written request. Make sure you keep a copy of the letter. If the information requested is not provided within 15 days, you can file a complaint with OSHA. www.osha.gov Where can I get more information about chemicals I work with? A detailed database of chemical factsheets can be found at http://web.doh.state.nj.us/rtkhsfs/indexFs.aspx The Fact Sheets are prepared for substances on the New Jersey Right to Know Hazardous Substance List. More than 1,600 Fact Sheets have been completed and more than 800 have been translated into Spanish. The Fact Sheets are prepared on pure substances and contain information on health hazards, exposure limits, personal protective equipment, proper handling, first aid, and emergency procedures for fires and spills. I think my health is being affected by my work. I think I may be exposed to carcinogens. Who can help me? The Tompkins County Workers’ Center’s partner Occupational Health Clinical Center of Syracuse is an excellent resource for injured or ill workers. OHCC can work with you to identify workplace health and illness risks and show you and your employer how hazardous exposures can be reduced or eliminated. They can also offer assistance in modifying your worksite and/or work habits to prevent further health problems. OHCC has a team of occupational medicine specialists, industrial hygienist, social worker, nurses and other trained staff who provide a variety of services. Their mission is to provide an accurate, independent diagnosis of work-related illness in workers and former workers. If you feel that your health has been affected by your work, OHCC will take a medical and occupational history, perform a physical examination, do diagnostic testing, provide referrals for treatment and has social work services available. Also dedicated to prevention of work-related health issues, OHCC has screening and monitoring programs, educates in disease and hazard recognition, evaluates health hazards in the workplace and makes recommendations for eradication of the hazards and collects data regarding occupational disease. To make an appointment, call 315-432-8899 or 800-432-9590 between 9 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. OHCC, a New York State program, has an advisory board of representatives from labor groups, business organizations, academic institutions and other work related groups. www.upstate.edu/cnyohcc I was hurt on the job but my boss told me I’m not eligible for Workers’ Compensation because it was my fault. What can I do? Workers’ Compensation is a form of insurance paid by your employer which entitles you to certain payments if you are injured, become sick or die on the job. It is a no-fault system: the issue of whom - if anyone - was at fault in causing the injury or illness is not considered. It is not up to your employer to decide if you receive benefits. File a claim. The Workers’ Compensation Board decides whether your injury or illness is covered. You can reach the Workers’ Compensation Board at 607-721-8356 or 315-423-2932. www.wcb.state.ny.us Click here for more information about your rights at work.]]>
    573 2011-01-11 16:34:16 2011-01-11 16:34:16 closed closed occupational-health-labor-rights publish 556 1 page 0 _edit_lock 1296683647 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Economic Development Issues http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/economic-development-issues/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:34:42 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=575 575 2011-01-11 16:34:42 2011-01-11 16:34:42 closed closed economic-development-issues trash 581 2 page 0 _edit_lock 1296593772 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594246 Employer Living Wage Certification http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/living-wage-certification/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:35:01 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=577 What is a living wage? Currently, in Tompkins County the living wage is $11.11/hr (with health insurance. Without is $12.11). Read more about the latest study.

    Are you a Certified Living Wage Employer?

    By providing every employee a living wage, you show your integrity and leadership in the community. You create a positive image in the minds of current and potential customers. You strengthen relationships between staff members and management, and you raise employee morale and productivity and encourage employee loyalty. But that's not all. By paying your employees fairly, you take advantage of the service/profit cycle. When you invest in staff rewards, both tangible and intangible, their satisfaction comes out in the level of service they provide your customers. These happy customers will keep coming back, and they'll spread the word about your superior products and services. Our community will prosper and that benefits everyone! The Tompkins County Workers' Center, a not-for-profit organization, works with all segments of the community to reach the goal of providing a living wage for every working person in our county. We initiated the Living Wage Employer Certification Program to publicly recognize and reward those who pay a living wage. Any employer in the private, public and non-profit sectors is eligible to apply. With your help, we can provide incentives for other employers in our community. Upon certification as a fair wage employer, we will:
    • provide you with a "Living Wage Certified" emblem for display at your place of business
    • market your business to our 2,000+ members via our mailing list, a display sheet and personal contact
    • publicly encourage community members to patronize your business
    • list your business or non-profit in a special section of our web site
    • feature a different "Living Wage Certified" employer monthly on our web site
    • use other avenues such as periodic press conferences and the annual Labor Day picnic to let consumers and the public know which employers have received our fair wage certification

    Get Certified!

    Download a living wage certification application form and the fair wage criteria we are using. If your business or non-profit satisfies the criteria, please fill out the form and send it back to us. If you do not currently satisfy the criteria but feel you do provide fair wages and livable jobs or would like to move in that direction, we would still encourage you to send in the form or call or e-mail us so we can talk more. These documents are in MS Word Format. ]]>
    577 2011-01-11 16:35:01 2011-01-11 16:35:01 closed closed living-wage-certification publish 597 3 page 0 _edit_lock 1296692123 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Media Work http://pinkrabbitsays.com/advocacy/media-work/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:35:15 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=579 579 2011-01-11 16:35:15 2011-01-11 16:35:15 closed closed media-work trash 568 4 page 0 _edit_lock 1294768426 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_time 1296593814 _wp_trash_meta_status publish Community http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:35:38 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=581 581 2011-01-11 16:35:38 2011-01-11 16:35:38 closed closed community publish 0 3 page 0 _edit_lock 1296592634 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Community Union Organizers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/community-union-organizers/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:35:58 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=583 583 2011-01-11 16:35:58 2011-01-11 16:35:58 closed closed community-union-organizers trash 581 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1294763818 _edit_last 1 _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594222 Listening Project http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/listening-project/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:37:49 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=585
  • learn more about the work-related issues and socioeconomic injustices faced by workers in Tompkins County;
  • increase member involvement in the internal affairs of the Workers’ Center, thereby learning how to more powerfully stand up and take action together; and to
  • more effectively create and develop relationships among different communities within the Workers’ Center, as well as the wider community. For more information, contact us.]]> 585 2011-01-11 16:37:49 2011-01-11 16:37:49 closed closed listening-project publish 597 1 page 0 _edit_lock 1297788040 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Workers Rights Community Action Hotline http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/workers-rights-community-action-hotline/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:38:06 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=587 Call us at (607) 269-0409]]> 587 2011-01-11 16:38:06 2011-01-11 16:38:06 closed closed workers-rights-community-action-hotline trash 581 2 page 0 _edit_lock 1294857557 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296592662 Membership http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/membership/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:38:51 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=589 Membership Means: I'll be there standing up for our rights as working people to a decent standard of living. I'll be there organizing working families to take strong action to secure a better economic future for all of us. I'll be there fighting for secure family-wage jobs in the face of corporate attacks on working people and our communities. I'll be there supporting the right of all workers to organize and bargain collectively in the workplace.

    Get Involved

    Individual annual membership dues are one hour's wage or $7.25 if not working for income. During the next year, I'LL BE THERE at least five times for someone else's fight, as well as my own. Click here to register your membership with your donation. If membership isn't right for you right now, please consider making a one-time donation to support our work!]]>
    589 2011-01-11 16:38:51 2011-01-11 16:38:51 closed closed membership publish 581 3 page 0 _edit_lock 1298400108 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Unemployed and Underemployed Workers Support Group http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/unemployed-and-underemployed-workers-support-group/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:39:10 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=591 591 2011-01-11 16:39:10 2011-01-11 16:39:10 closed closed unemployed-and-underemployed-workers-support-group publish 581 4 page 0 _edit_lock 1297787740 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Immigrant Rights http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/immigrant-rights/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:39:35 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=593 Join the Immigrant Rights Mailing List »

    Download the Immigrant Rights Center Flyer

    English Spanish Mandarin Chinese Korean Russian Vietnamese You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these flyers. See also: Tompkins County Immigrant Rights Coalition]]>
    593 2011-01-11 16:39:35 2011-01-11 16:39:35 closed closed immigrant-rights publish 556 5 page 0 _edit_lock 1297801569 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Quarterly Membership Potluck Assemblies http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/membership/quarterly-membership-potluck-assemblies/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:45:04 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=595 Membership Potlucks a year as a way to to engage with our Membership about the direction we're taking and to solicit feedback about this direction. A place to mingle and get to know each other better, the Potlucks are a laid back way for Members, new and old alike, to learn more about the TCWC and get more involved. To find out about the next potluck, join our mailing list or contact us. Learn about membership.]]> 595 2011-01-11 16:45:04 2011-01-11 16:45:04 closed closed quarterly-membership-potluck-assemblies publish 589 6 page 0 _edit_lock 1298046796 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Campaigns http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:45:40 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=597 597 2011-01-11 16:45:40 2011-01-11 16:45:40 closed closed campaigns publish 0 4 page 0 _edit_lock 1296594182 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default MLK Community Build http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/mlk-community-build/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:45:57 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=599 The Southside Community Center (SSCC) and the Tompkins County Workers’ Center (TCWC) are proud to announce a joint collaboration in convening a monthly Reading Group focused around Martin Luther King, Jr’s. last book: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? Free books are available both from SSCC as well as TCWC. The monthly Reading Group will meet on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30 to 8 at SSCC for six months to cover the six chapters of the book. We are limiting the Reading Group to no more than 25 people: please contact the Workers’ Center at 269-0409 if interested to participate. To see all the details of the MLK Community Build visit mlkcommunitybuild.org.

    The Mission of the MLK Community Build

    The mission of The MLK Community Build is to engage all sectors of the community in realizing, as King said, that “we are tied in a single garment of destiny.” We aim to have people from all walks of life come together through shared readings, discussions, and events based on the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To get a sense of some of King's prophetic words surrounding issues of economic justice, here are a few from Chapter 5, Where Are We Going?, where King starts talking about the necessity of insuring a 'guaranteed minimum income' as an important step to consider to abolish poverty:
    I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effective -- the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income. Earlier in this century this proposal would have been greeted with ridicule and denunciation as destructive of initiative and responsibility. At that time economic status was considered the measure of the individual's abilities and talents. In the simplistic thinking of that day the absence of worldly goods indicated a want of industrious habits and moral fiber. We have come a long way in our understanding of human motivation and of the blind operation of our economic system. Now we realize that dislocations in the market operation of our economy and the prevalence of discrimination thrust people into idleness and bind them in constant or frequent unemployment against their will. The poor are less often dismissed from our conscience today by being branded as inferior and incompetent. We also know that no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands it does not eliminate all poverty. We have come to the point where we must make the nonproducer a consumer or we will find ourselves drowning in a sea of consumer goods. We have so energetically mastered production that we now must give attention to distribution. Though there have been increases in purchasing power, they have lagged behind increases in production. Those at the lowest economic level, the poor white and Negro, the aged and chronically ill, are traditionally unorganized and therefore have little ability to force the necessary growth in their income. They stagnate or become even poorer in relation to the larger society.
    ]]>
    599 2011-01-11 16:45:57 2011-01-11 16:45:57 closed closed mlk-community-build publish 581 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1297787678 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Labor-Religion Coalition of the Finger Lakes http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/labor-religion-coalition/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:46:11 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=601 (607) 272-5062 x12 or by e-mail.
    Everyone who works full-time should earn a living wage. This is a simple matter of justice. Because poverty is unnecessary in the United States, it is unjust and shameful. Justice does not mean simply providing assistance so that poor people can get by. it means constructing an economic system of sustainable sufficiency for all.
    - Reverend William E. Gibson, Presbyterian]]>
    601 2011-01-11 16:46:11 2011-01-11 16:46:11 closed closed labor-religion-coalition publish 581 1 page 0 _edit_lock 1297787189 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Solidarity Actions with Other Workers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/solidarity-actions-with-other-workers/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:46:28 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=603 603 2011-01-11 16:46:28 2011-01-11 16:46:28 closed closed solidarity-actions-with-other-workers trash 581 2 page 0 _edit_lock 1296594157 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594237 TCWC: Our Space http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/tcwc-our-space/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:46:45 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=605 Click here for our address and contact information.]]> 605 2011-01-11 16:46:45 2011-01-11 16:46:45 closed closed tcwc-our-space publish 2 2 page 0 _edit_lock 1297787262 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Coalition Partners http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/coalition-partners/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:47:02 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=607 607 2011-01-11 16:47:02 2011-01-11 16:47:02 closed closed coalition-partners trash 597 4 page 0 _edit_lock 1294799045 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296592224 Jobs with Justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/jobs-with-justice/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:47:21 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=609 609 2011-01-11 16:47:21 2011-01-11 16:47:21 closed closed jobs-with-justice trash 581 5 page 0 _edit_lock 1296594164 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594344 Poverty Initiative http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/poverty-initiative/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:47:36 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=611 611 2011-01-11 16:47:36 2011-01-11 16:47:36 closed closed poverty-initiative trash 597 6 page 0 _edit_lock 1294768635 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594448 Student Organizing http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/student-organizing/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:47:51 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=613 613 2011-01-11 16:47:51 2011-01-11 16:47:51 closed closed student-organizing trash 597 7 page 0 _edit_lock 1296594401 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594406 Interfaith Worker Justice http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/interfaith-worker-justice/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:48:22 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=615 615 2011-01-11 16:48:22 2011-01-11 16:48:22 closed closed interfaith-worker-justice trash 597 8 page 0 _edit_lock 1294768652 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296594399 Media http://pinkrabbitsays.com/media/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:05:48 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=617 617 2011-01-11 17:05:48 2011-01-11 17:05:48 closed closed media trash 0 5 page 0 _edit_lock 1294767108 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default _wp_trash_meta_status publish _wp_trash_meta_time 1296592505 Take Action http://pinkrabbitsays.com/take-action/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:06:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=619 PETITION: A Living Wage for All Ithaca College Workers! Become a member]]> 619 2011-01-11 17:06:00 2011-01-11 17:06:00 closed closed take-action publish 0 6 page 0 _edit_lock 1297790938 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Shop http://pinkrabbitsays.com/shop/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:06:14 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=621 Prices include shipping.

    Hometown Money: How to Enrich Your Community with Local Currency by Paul Glover

    The founder of Ithaca HOURS explains step-by-step how to start up and maintain a local currency system. Since 1991, $110,000 of Ithaca HOURS, worth $10 each, have been issued and used by thousands of residents, including 500 businesses and 95 community organizations, adding millions of dollars of trading to Ithaca's Grassroots Local Product.

    Book

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    To order in quantity click here.

    "A Living Wage is a Moral Value" Bumper Sticker

    11.5" x 3" $2 Each
    $25 pack of 25
    $45 Pack of 50

    "Always Low Wages" Wal-Mart Parody Bumper Sticker

    11.5" x 3.75" $2 Each
    $25 Pack of 25
    $45 Pack of 50

    "Always Low Wages" Wal-Mart Parody Button

    2.25" $2 Each
    $25 Pack of 25
    $45 Pack of 50

    "Wal-Mart Shopper for Fair Wages" Button

    2.25" $2 Each
    $25 Pack of 25
    $45 Pack of 50
    ]]>
    621 2011-01-11 17:06:14 2011-01-11 17:06:14 closed closed shop publish 0 7 page 0 _edit_lock 1297791399 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    Donate http://pinkrabbitsays.com/donate/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:06:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=623 For more information on major donor opportunities, contact Pete Meyers. Learn about membership.]]> 623 2011-01-11 17:06:27 2011-01-11 17:06:27 closed closed donate publish 0 8 page 0 _edit_lock 1297789234 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default Contact http://pinkrabbitsays.com/contact/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:06:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=625 Email Address:

    Call Us

    (607) 269-0409

    Address

    Tompkins County Workers' Center 115 The Commons Ithaca, NY 14850

    Contact Us Online

    If you'd like us to get back to you, please give as much information as you can (ie, phone numbers to reach you). [si-contact-form form='1']

    Email Us

    ]]>
    625 2011-01-11 17:06:39 2011-01-11 17:06:39 closed closed contact publish 0 9 page 0 _edit_lock 1297789402 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    hometown money http://pinkrabbitsays.com/shop/hometown/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:10:56 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/hometown.gif 667 2011-01-11 20:10:56 2011-01-11 20:10:56 open open hometown inherit 621 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/hometown.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"144";s:6:"height";s:3:"188";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='95' width='73'";s:4:"file";s:20:"2011/01/hometown.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:20:"hometown-144x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"144";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} _wp_attached_file 2011/01/hometown.gif CTA logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/coalition-partners/cta-logo/ Wed, 12 Jan 2011 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2011/01/cresp-logo.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"180";s:6:"height";s:3:"161";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='96' width='107'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2011/01/cresp-logo.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"cresp-logo-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Employer Certification Form http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=727 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:13:53 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Employer-Certification-Form.doc 727 2011-01-12 20:13:53 2011-01-12 20:13:53 open open employer-certification-form inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Employer-Certification-Form.doc _wp_attached_file 2011/01/Employer-Certification-Form.doc _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} Living Wage Certification Criteria http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=728 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:14:20 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Living-Wage-Certification-Criteria.doc 728 2011-01-12 20:14:20 2011-01-12 20:14:20 open open living-wage-certification-criteria inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Living-Wage-Certification-Criteria.doc _wp_attached_file 2011/01/Living-Wage-Certification-Criteria.doc _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} Occupational Health & Safety Resources http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/occupational-health-labor-rights/occupational-health-safety-resources/ Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:07:48 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=735 Occupational Health Clinical Center For diagnosis and identification of workplace related health issues 6712 Brooklawn Parkway, Suite 204 Syracuse NY 13211 315-432-8899 800-432-9590 cnyohcc@upstate.edu www.upstate.edu/cnyohcc New York Healthy Schools Healthy Schools Network, Inc. is a national environmental health organization that does research, information, education, coalition-building and advocacy to ensure that every child has a healthy learning environment that is clean and in good repair. www.healthyschools.org Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) www.osha.gov Syracuse OSHA office: (315) 451-0808 National COSH (Council for Occupational Safety and Health) The National COSH is a federation of local and statewide "COSH" groups—Committees /Coalitions on Occupational Safety and Health. COSH groups are private, non-profit coalitions of labor unions, health and technical professionals, and others interested in promoting and advocating for worker health and safety. www.coshnetwork.org The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health www.nycosh.org Ithaca Ergonomics Ergonomics is the practice of improving the comfort, safety, and satisfaction of people at work. Ergonomic programs decrease musculoskeletal injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, lower back, neck, arm and shoulder problems. Ergonomics can help all workers find the most comfortable, safest way to work. If workers suffer from any of the following problems during or after a day of work then they may benefit from an ergonomic assessment and training: headaches, shoulder pain, sore neck, wrist pain, tingling hands, elbow problems or bad back. www.ithacaergonomics.com 16 Deaths per Day There are 16 workplace deaths in the United States every day. Under current Federal law, willfully contributing to the death of an employee is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum prison sentence of six months and a maximum fine of $70,000. Even with these weak penalties, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) rarely refers such cases to the Department of Justice for prosecution, so those employers that knowingly allow their employees to work under dangerous conditions are rarely held accountable. In fact, current laws are so weak that millions of dollars of penalties to victim's families have not been paid -- in those rare cases when violators are penalized at all. Watch the video at http://16deathsperday.com]]> 735 2011-01-12 21:07:48 2011-01-12 21:07:48 closed closed occupational-health-safety-resources publish 573 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1294866529 _edit_last 1 The Need for OSHA Reform http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/occupational-health-labor-rights/the-need-for-osha-reform/ Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:31:16 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=738 Why do we need a stronger OSHA? Because workers need protection from the hazards on our jobs. For too long, OSHA has been too friendly to the companies and hasn't done enough to make sure our jobs are safe. We go in every day to put in an honest day's work to support our families and we expect to come home safe and healthy. But it seems like the OSHA law doesn't have the teeth to make companies take health and safety seriously. We need a strong OSHA to make sure that we can do our jobs knowing that we will be safe. The Protecting Workers on the Job agenda focuses on seven points:
    • Put Worker Health and Safety First
    • Ensure Health and Safety Protections for All Workers
    • Count all Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
    • Increase Worker Participation
    • Eliminate Disparities
    • Reform Workers' Compensation Programs
    • Reduce or Eliminate Widespread use of Toxic Chemicals
    For more information on legislation and other issues related to strengthening worker safety and health protections go to http://www.protectingworkers.org/]]>
    738 2011-01-12 21:31:16 2011-01-12 21:31:16 closed closed the-need-for-osha-reform publish 573 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1294870459 _edit_last 1
    Workers' Center Works Overtime to Uncover Problematic J-1 Visa Program in Local Economy http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/workers-center-works-overtime-to-uncover-problematic-j-1-visa-program-in-local-economy/ Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/2011/01/workers-center-works-overtime-to-uncover-problematic-j-1-visa-program-in-local-economy/ (Editor's Note: This past summer, Pastor Rich Rose of the First Baptist Church in Ithaca received an email from an organization, Cultural Homestays International, indicating that they were looking for someone to put up 7 women from China and Moldova who would be working over the summer as Housekeepers at the Holiday Inn in Ithaca. This initial contact mushroomed into much more of a story as we began to explore it more in depth, especially with the help of two TCWC interns (and Ithaca College students). The story below appeared in an Ithaca College publication, Buzzsaw, in December. For further information, and a larger national context on the developing problematic 'story' of J-1 Visas, as reported by the Associated Press, also in early December, go to 'AP IMPACT: U.S. Fails to Tackle Student Visa Abuses http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101206/ap_on_bi_ge/us_student_visa_abuses)
    An Exchange Program

    By Pete Blanchard | December 8th, 2010

    How a local corporation uses foreign students as a workforce

    By Pete Blanchard

    American college students typically associate a semester abroad with traveling to exotic locales, eating different foods and meeting new people. For some foreign students coming to the United States, the situation is quite different.

    Every year, foreign exchange programs bring more than 280,000 visitors to the United States. About 90,000 of these visitors are students who come through the Summer Work Travel Program. A growing number of foreign students are traveling to the United States on this program, typically working in hotels, resorts, restaurants and casinos. Factories can now be added to that list: Marietta Corporation, a national company based in Cortland, N.Y., that supplies hotels with cleaning products, has hired the labor of at least 50 foreign exchange students.

    Welcome to America

    In June, Pete Meyers, coordinator of the Tompkins County Workers' Center, received a letter from a local pastor that the Holiday Inn had just hired seven foreign students from China and Moldova as housekeepers.

    "When we first heard about this situation at the Holiday Inn, we were initially concerned that they were perhaps not even being paid for the position," Meyers said.

    Sarah is a Chinese pre-med student who came to America on the Summer Work Travel Program. Back in China, her parents make a modest living owning a shoe store. Here in the United States, she cleaned hotel rooms at the local Holiday Inn, making just above minimum wage and occasionally working overtime. Sarah was temporarily living at the Cortland Motel before the Holiday Inn agreed to provide rooms for her and the six other foreign students working there.

    "There are students from all over the world at the motel," she said. "They work as packers for Marietta."

    Over the summer, the Cortland Motel provided housing for about 50 international students who were working for Marietta. The housing situation was less than luxurious. There were at least four students per room, and all of the students had to share one kitchen, which was pretty decrepit. The majority of the students get to work by biking to the factory, which is located a few miles away from the motel. At Marietta, the students typically worked 12-hour shifts and made just above minimum wage. Work on the assembly line is pretty mundane, consisting of putting caps on shampoo bottles or packaging bottles into boxes.

    One of those students, Muhammed, is a 20-year-old student from Uzbekistan studying finance and economics at the Tashkent Financial Institute. Like all of the other students staying at the motel, Muhammed came here with a non-immigrant J-1 Visa through a sponsor organization called Cultural Homestay International. CHI is one of many sponsor organizations that provide work opportunities for both students and employers, and the Summer Work Travel Program is just one of the exchange programs offered to international students.

    Kidon Clyde, 20, is currently studying at the University of West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. Since flights from Jamaica to the continental U.S. run fairly cheap compared to international flights, Jamaican students like Clyde are able to save up money to bring back home.

    "I was working at the Sagamore Resort in Lake George. ... I lived there," Clyde said. "I loved it. I am trying to make some money to go home and pay for tuition."

    Behind the Brochures

    While Clyde and other Jamaican students use the Summer Work Travel Program to help pay for college tuition, the same cannot be said for other students. Dino Radulovic, a 20-year-old student from Bosnia, had a troubling experience in Atlantic City, N.J., before ending up in Cortland. While in New Jersey, he pulled people in chairs on the boardwalk for three days straight and ended up making less than minimum wage.

    "People who do this job are either on crack or they're international students," he said. "It was a bad job. People talked shit to us. It was humiliating."

    Muhammed described an incident where he flew to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., after being promised there would be a job waiting for him there--but his employer did not accept him.

    "When I came there and told him my name, he said he did not know me," Muhammed said. "I asked him, 'Are you joking?'"

    The majority of the students came here for the experience, looking for the opportunity to work and travel in the United States, but many were lucky to break even financially. Between travel and visa expenses, the money they earn is barely enough to keep them going.

    "We pay $3,000 to see America and to travel," Muhammed said. "We come here, and we are just a little bit disappointed. This is America? It's a little town--there's nobody here and nothing to do. ... Our program's name is now work, sleep and cook."

    Image by Sam Pinto

    A Growing Trend

    It might seem peculiar that a motel would need to provide housing for 50 international students while they package shampoo products for a national corporation, but this is quickly becoming a common scenario. Victoria Cani is a regional Employment Services Manager for CHI. Founded in 1980, CHI was set up when foreign exchange students began coming to the United States and looking for home stays. She says motels and hotels are the most common housing options for Summer Work Travel students

    "Ithaca was the most challenging area for housing," Cani said.

    Samantha Wolfe, a senior sociology student at Ithaca College, interned at the Tompkins County Workers' Center over the summer. After spending a night at the Cortland Motel, she learned that these students working at Marietta are essentially temp workers. They are exempt from Social Security, unemployment and Medicare taxes.

    "That's tax-free labor for them, taxes that could be used to support social services for their workers that aren't making enough to live," Wolfe said.

    International students were not greeted warmly by the rest of the community. Muhammed once read a sign on the highway nearby the motel that read, "Learn English or go home!" According to Cani, an associate at Marietta slashed the tires of one student, and several lockers were broken into. Instances like these are not uncommon among Summer Work Travel participants.

    "They really attack our students sometimes," Cani said. "Lockers being broken into happen nationwide on the program. We addressed right away the issue of slashing tires at Marietta, and the company fired the person who did it."

    As a result of these incidents, CHI has considered discontinuing its program with Marietta.

    Professor Stephen Yale-Loehr teaches immigration law at Cornell University and specializes in J-1 Visa law programs like the Summer Work Travel Program.
    "You've got thousands of employers using these particular kinds of J-1 work students," he said. "We need more oversight by the state department as well as more supervision by the sponsoring organizations, such as the CHI."

    In 2005, the Government Accountability Office issued a report to the State Department urging stronger action to improve oversight and assess the risks of the Summer Work Travel program. The report concluded that there is a severe lack of oversight in the management of the Summer Work Travel Program, also citing the lack of data on cases of abuse during the work period.

    All of the students mentioned in this story have since returned to their home countries, but Marietta is already looking for the next cycle of student workers.

    "Marietta is taking spring students, too," Cani said. "There is a rotation."

    If Marietta is capable of having a year-round student workforce, then this program is being seriously abused. With the nation's unemployment rate hovering just below 10 percent--in Cortland it is at 7.5 percent--some local residents feel that Marietta is taking potential jobs away from Cortland citizens. For a four-month period, these students made up about half of the assembly line workers.

    "This is in effect creating a permanent workforce out of these temporary student workers," said Ron Powell, a retired labor activist from Cortland who volunteered with the Cortland Workers' Rights Board. Powell has dealt with labor violations at Marietta for much of his career. "I would have to say that in those 12 years, we received more calls from workers at the Marietta Corporation than the next five largest employers combined."

    Carlos Gutierrez is a volunteer at the Workers' Center who works with members of the community on immigration and local labor issues. He said these students are basically doing a job that anybody else here in the United States could do.

    "Employers have to prove they need foreign workers and that there are none available in the local market," Gutierrez said. "I understand the main principle of the program, and I think it's under good principles, but when you have a lot of unskilled workers who would take those jobs locally, there's conflict there."

    Benefits and Struggles

    Meyers of the Tompkins County Workers' Center said he thinks this program is catered to corporate interests rather than to the students. Many companies have come to depend on this program to stay afloat, especially casinos, hotels and resorts that rely on seasonal employment in the summer months.

    Meyers said one solution is to change the conditions and social stigma of these jobs in the first place.

    "If these were jobs people could take pride in, you'd have a different feeling," he said.

    This is a localized example of a much bigger issue. There have been more serious cases of abuse in bigger cities like New York and Miami, where communication between the sponsor organizations and employers is minimal at best.

    Furthermore, cases of exploitation go undocumented, so there is no way of calculating how many of these 90,000 students have suffered on-the-job abuse, or how many students like Dino and Muhammed were promised a job but left to fend for themselves. Unless there is increased oversight by the State Department and sponsor organizations like the CHI, then corporations nationwide, not just Marietta, will continue to abuse this program. While Marietta has not violated any law, many people like Powell question the ethics of the program.

    "When you bring these kids to work 10, 12, 14 hours a day, and you put them up in a motel where they mingle only with each other and not with members of the community, where is the cultural exchange of that program?"

    _____________________________________

    Pete Blanchard is a junior journalism major who wants to study abroad in Djibouti. E-mail him at pblanch1@ithaca.edu.

    ]]>
    1143 2011-01-14 00:00:00 2011-01-14 00:00:00 open open workers-center-works-overtime-to-uncover-problematic-j-1-visa-program-in-local-economy publish 0 0 post 0 _edit_last 1 _edit_lock 1297801833
    Workers-center-banner-feb2011 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=741 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:06:18 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/WC-banner-feb2011.jpg 741 2011-02-01 20:06:18 2011-02-01 20:06:18 open open wc-banner-feb2011 inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/WC-banner-feb2011.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/02/WC-banner-feb2011.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:4:"1000";s:6:"height";s:3:"192";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='24' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:29:"2011/02/WC-banner-feb2011.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:3:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:29:"WC-banner-feb2011-150x150.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"WC-banner-feb2011-220x42.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:2:"42";}s:5:"large";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:28:"WC-banner-feb2011-490x94.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"490";s:6:"height";s:2:"94";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Vision & Mission Statement http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/vision-mission-statement/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:26:23 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=743 Vision Our vision statement is our dream for the world we want to live in. The vision of the Tompkins County Workers' Center is that all people are respected in the workplace, have a Living Wage, the right to organize, quality health care, housing, childcare, transportation, and access to healthy food and water, as guaranteed by the Declaration of Universal Human Rights as ratified by the United Nations in 1948. Our grassroots leadership is dedicated to getting rid of the root causes of poverty and injustice in the larger society and capitalist economy. We have raised standards, held institutions accountable, and built leadership as part of local, statewide and global networks to transform the economic system. The leadership of the Workers' Center has active and equal participation from all the social groups in our county, including people of all class, racial and ethnic backgrounds, immigrant statuses, genders, sexual orientations, religions, ages, and abilities. The Workers' Center operates with a deep sense of acceptance and respect, and promotes our personal growth within the organization. We use creative tools and strategies to make our work joyful and fun. We build a sense of connection and community through strong, supportive relationships. We are open and ready to cooperate and join with others in the movement for social and economic justice.

    Mission Statement

    The Mission of the Tompkins County Workers' Center is to stand up with all people treated unfairly at work or faced with critical poverty, racial, housing, health care or other social and economic issues. We will support, advocate for, and seek to empower each other to create a more just community and world. Advocacy. We advocate with and on behalf of workers regardless of employment status who are being treated unfairly: to correct problems, end workers' rights violations, improve conditions and set standards of employer behavior. Movement-Building. We educate and shape community values and standards of economic rights and employer behavior through networking, coalition-building and solidarity. Support. We listen, provide information, encouragement and strategize with workers through our hotline, trainings, outreach, presentations and tabling. Empowerment. We encourage and deepen grassroots leaders' organizing skills to create change in their own and others' lives.]]>
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    Affiliations http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/affiliations/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:17:40 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=798 Occupational Health Clinical Center]]> 798 2011-02-01 21:17:40 2011-02-01 21:17:40 closed closed affiliations publish 2 5 page 0 _edit_lock 1297790597 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default jwj_logo_large http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/affiliations/jwj_logo_large/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:19:19 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jwj_logo_large.gif 800 2011-02-01 21:19:19 2011-02-01 21:19:19 open open jwj_logo_large inherit 798 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jwj_logo_large.gif _wp_attached_file 2011/02/jwj_logo_large.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"348";s:6:"height";s:3:"346";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='95' width='96'";s:4:"file";s:26:"2011/02/jwj_logo_large.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:2:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"jwj_logo_large-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}s:6:"medium";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:26:"jwj_logo_large-220x218.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"220";s:6:"height";s:3:"218";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} poverty-initiative http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/affiliations/poverty-initiative-2/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:22:46 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/poverty-initiative.jpg 802 2011-02-01 21:22:46 2011-02-01 21:22:46 open open poverty-initiative-2 inherit 798 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/poverty-initiative.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/02/poverty-initiative.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:5:{s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"46";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='39' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:30:"2011/02/poverty-initiative.jpg";s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} interfaith-worker-justice-logo http://pinkrabbitsays.com/about/affiliations/logo/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:23:36 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/logo.jpg 803 2011-02-01 21:23:36 2011-02-01 21:23:36 open open logo inherit 798 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/logo.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/02/logo.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"217";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='53' width='128'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2011/02/logo.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:15:"logo-150x91.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:2:"91";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Certified Living Wage Employers http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/certified-employers/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:19:35 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=817 Learn more about Employer Living Wage Certification. Advocacy Center
    P.O. Box 164, Ithaca Alternatives Federal Credit Union
    125 N. Fulton Street, Ithaca Ancient Wisdom Productions (Web Designer)
    202 E. State Street, Ithaca ASI Renovations
    P.O. Box 603, Ithaca Autumn Leaves Used Books
    115 E. State Street, Ithaca Black Box Computer Consulting
    306 E. State Street, Ithaca Blue Spruce Painting and Decorating
    598 Hayts Road, Ithaca Boyce Thompson Institute
    Tower Road, Ithaca Buffalo Street Books
    215 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga
    324 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca CFCU Community Credit Union
    1030 Craft Road, Ithaca Colonial Veterinary Hospital
    2369 Triphammer Road, Ithaca Community Dispute Resolution Center
    120 W. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, Ithaca Community Foundation of Tompkins County
    309 N. Aurora St., Ithaca Contemporary Trends, Inc.
    121 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca Cornell Child Care Center
    150 Pleasant Grove Road, Ithaca Custum (Production, operations, Mgmt. Solutions)
    123 Sears Street, Ithaca Day Care & Child Development Council of Tompkins County
    609 W. Clinton St., Ithaca Downtown Ithaca Alliance
    171 E. State Street, Center Ithaca, Ithaca Finger Lakes ReUse
    Triphammer Plaza, 2255 N. Triphammer Road, Ithaca First Baptist Church of Ithaca
    DeWitt Park, Ithaca First Congregational Church of Ithaca, United Church of Christ
    309 Highland Road, Ithaca First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca
    315 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca First Unitarian Society of Ithaca
    306 N. Aurora Street, Ithaca Green Clean
    118 E. Falls Street, Ithaca GreenStar Cooperative Market
    701 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca Home Green Home
    215 The Commons, Ithaca Hospicare and Palliative Care
    172 E. King Road, Ithaca Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County
    100 W. Seneca Street, Ithaca Ithaca Carshare
    P.O. Box 418, Ithaca Ithaca Health Alliance
    225 S. Fulton Street, Suite B, Ithaca Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services
    115 West Clinton Street, Ithaca Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency
    108 E. Green Street, Ithaca IthacaMed
    404 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca Jeffrey Feirman Building and Renovation
    151 Wood Road, Freeville Jewel Box
    301 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca Jillian's Drawers
    112 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca Loaves and Fishes
    210 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca Money with a Mission
    490 Lower Creek Road, Ithaca Morris' Men's Wear & Morris Too
    134-136 E. State Street, Ithaca Multicultural Resource Center
    615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca New Roots Charter School
    116 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca Northeast Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
    10 Graham Road, Ithaca OAR - Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources
    518 W. Seneca Street, Ithaca Ongweoweh Corporation (Pallet Mgmt)
    767 Warren Road, Ithaca PPM Homes, LLC
    514 S. Aurora Street, Suite 1A, Ithaca Renovus Energy, Inc.
    102 Cherry Street, Ithaca Shade Tree Auto, Inc.
    1047 Teeter Road, Ithaca Significant Elements, A Program of Historic Ithaca, Inc.
    212 Center Street, Ithaca Singlebrook Technology, Inc.
    433 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca Snug Planet LLC (Home Performance Contractor)
    416 N. Titus Avenue, Ithaca Sparks Electric
    208 N. Titus Avenue, Ithaca Sprague & Janowsky (Accountancy)
    121 E. Seneca Street, Ithaca St. Catherine of Siena Church
    302 St. Catherine Circle, Ithaca St. John's Church
    210 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca St. Luke Lutheran Church
    109 Oak Avenue, Ithaca Stone Quarry House (Bed and Breakfast)
    26 Quarry Road, Ithaca Sunny Brook Builders
    2147 Slaterville Road, Ithaca Sustainable Tompkins
    109 S. Albany Street, Ithaca Taitem Engineering
    109 S. Albany Street, Ithaca Taughannock Aviation Corporation
    66 Brown Road, Ithaca Temple Beth El
    402 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca The Frame Shop
    414 W. Buffalo Street, Ithaca The Strebel Planning Group
    944 Dryden Road, Ithaca Tompkins Community Action
    701 Spencer Road, Ithaca Tompkins County
    320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca Tompkins County Public Library
    101 E. Green Street, Ithaca Town of Ithaca
    215 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca TRC Energy Services (Ithaca)
    102 W. State Street, 3rd Floor, Ithaca United Auto Workers Local 2300
    110 N. Geneva Street, Ithaca Upscale Remodeling Corporation
    176 Hurd Road, Freeville Ward & Murphy (Law Firm)
    170 Main Street, Groton]]>
    817 2011-02-02 21:19:35 2011-02-02 21:19:35 closed closed certified-employers publish 581 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1297790886 _edit_last 1
    neil_oolie http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/membership/neil_oolie/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:28:21 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/neil_oolie.jpg 826 2011-02-02 21:28:21 2011-02-02 21:28:21 open open neil_oolie inherit 589 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/neil_oolie.jpg _wp_attached_file 2011/01/neil_oolie.jpg _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"196";s:6:"height";s:3:"147";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:23:"height='95' width='127'";s:4:"file";s:22:"2011/01/neil_oolie.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:22:"neil_oolie-150x147.jpg";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"147";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"4";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:19:"DC200 (V01.01)";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:3:"6.1";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:17:"0.033333333333333";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} Featured Members http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/membership/featured-members/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:29:34 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/community/membership/featured-members/ Gino Bush Gino Bush is a longtime activist in the Ithaca community and an ardent supporter of living wages and workers' rights for all people.

    Neil Oolie

    Neil Oolie is a mainstay to the Workers' Center physical operations, as well as being an outstanding advocate for people frequenting Loaves and Fishes. Neil gives of himself to anyone and everyone and inspires that in the rest of us.

    Brooke McNally

    Brooke McNally called the Workers’ Rights Hotline for help, got help, and became the Workers’ Center’s first official member. She is excited about the Workers’ Center and, as she puts it, the new membership option “needs a big rallying cry.”

    Alicia Swords

    Alicia is a Member of our Steering Committee and a leader in our Service Learning for Social Justice program, and one of the facilitators of our Organizing School. As well, Alicia teaches in the Sociology Department at Ithaca College with a focus on Social Movements.

    Carolyn Brown

    Carolyn is a Member of our Steering Committee for many years and is an important link for us to the union movement as she sits on the Executive Committee of the local United Auto Workers 2300. She brings an important perspective to our work for economic justice!

    Dale Delmage, Brigette Wintermute, and Phoenix

    Dale came to the Workers' Center, along with girlfriend Brigette and daughter, Phoenix, due to unsafe working conditions at Carpet Warehouse in Ithaca. Dale and Brigette feel excited about getting more involved in a movement for justice and instantly became Members!

    Edie Reagan

    Edie Reagan is the Coordinator of Justice and Peace and Catholic Charities of Tompkins County. Also a Founding Member of the Living Wage Coalition, Edie has a lived commitment to economic justice for all people.

    Earl Brown

    Earl immediately saw the value of becoming a Member of the Workers' Center when coming to us for advice on a discrimination case at his place of employment. Committed to economic justice, Earl occupies an important place on our Membership Committee.

    Jeci Brown

    Jeci Brown has been with the Coalition for four years now and has helped to spearhead efforts to get the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign going in Tompkins County. Also mother of daughter Tia, Jeci brings energy and vibrancy to our mission.

    Marlene Ramos

    Marlene Ramos is a sophomore in the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Originally from California, it is Marlene's first time living in such a cold, but beautiful town. She is also an employee at the Tompkins County Workers' Center, and takes leadership in the Cornell Organization for Labor Action and United Students Against Sweatshops.

    Melanie Serrou

    Melanie Serrou is a college student "who loves to learn but gets sick of the classroom. When I see my progress and change is when I feel accomplished. As I strive for my goals, my friends and family are my fortitude." Melanie interns with the Workers' Center.

    Neisha Butler

    Neisha Butler called the Workers' Center when she needed help with dealing with her employer, Target, on a bunch of issues. Since receiving help she has become an essential member of the Poor Peoples' Economic Human Rights Campaign, and a member of the Workers' Center steering committee. Neisha was featured in our Winter 2006-7 Newsletter.

    Preston Clinton

    Preston is junior at Ithaca College and is excited to offer a hand at the Workers' Center as an intern this spring semester. Preston had long pursued the relations between employers and employees. These early concerns for workers' rights stemmed from a family history of union membership. Preston remembers his father working long hours (including weekends) in order to provide for his family, all the while bringing home Carpenters' Local 67 tee shirts and hats. These beginnings led Preston to investigate the influence of governments on labor and prompted him to major in politics.

    Rebecca Elgie

    Rebecca is a Member of our Steering Committee for many years as well as leading the Tompkins County Health Care Task Force that focuses on the creation of a single-payer/universal health care system, statewide and nationally.

    Pete Meyers

    Pete is the Coordinator of the Workers' Center and brings a long-standing commitment to economic justice from his own experience of feeling violated in the workplace, as well as seeing all too many people having to work poverty-wage jobs. Pete says that, "Change Is Gonna Come!"

    Rick Robbins

    New to the Ithaca area from Maine as the result of company downsizing, Rick has slowly, but surely, gotten his feet on the ground. He brings a deep seated commitment to economic justice to our work.

    Sabine Detterbeck

    Interning with the Workers' Center several summers ago as an Ithaca College student, Sabine continues her commitment with the Center as she becomes a full time worker herself. Some of the Center's "look" is the result of Sabine's efforts.

    Greg Evans

    Featured in our Spring '07 Newsletter, Greg came to the Center for help in his job where he experienced discrimination. Standing up for himself, and with the Workers' Center, Greg is a shining example of how we must learn to stand up for ourselves, but do it along with others.

    Sara-Maria Sorentino

    As a work-study student from Ithaca College with the Workers' Center, Sara-Maria brings a global perspective to our work as she hopes to connect local issues of economic justice with larger systems of exploitation.

    Theresa Alt

    Theresa is a long-time Member of our Steering Committee and a leader in the Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America, as well as taking leadership in progressive cable access show, DSA Presents.

    Steph Edley

    Steph is an intern at the Workers Center. She is a college student at Ithaca College who majors in sociology with a minor in philosophy. Last semester she took Social Movements with Alicia Swords and heard about the Workers Center. She believes that the key to social change is building social movements and community through places like the workers' center.

    Steve Van Buren

    Steve is a long-standing Member of the Workers' Center has worked a variety of low-wage jobs and is firmly committed to a Living Wage for all people, as well as workers' rights for all people. Learn about membership!]]>
    827 2011-02-02 21:29:34 2011-02-02 21:29:34 closed closed featured-members publish 589 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1298046694 _edit_last 1
    iwrc http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/immigrant-rights/iwrc/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:58:49 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/iwrc.gif 849 2011-02-02 21:58:49 2011-02-02 21:58:49 open open iwrc inherit 593 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/iwrc.gif _wp_attached_file 2011/01/iwrc.gif _wp_attachment_metadata a:6:{s:5:"width";s:3:"202";s:6:"height";s:3:"314";s:14:"hwstring_small";s:22:"height='96' width='61'";s:4:"file";s:16:"2011/01/iwrc.gif";s:5:"sizes";a:1:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:3:{s:4:"file";s:16:"iwrc-150x150.gif";s:5:"width";s:3:"150";s:6:"height";s:3:"150";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:10:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";}} English http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/immigrant-rights/iwrcenglish/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:01:02 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IWRCenglish.pdf 851 2011-02-02 22:01:02 2011-02-02 22:01:02 open open iwrcenglish inherit 593 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IWRCenglish.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/01/IWRCenglish.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} IWRCspanish http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=852 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:03:04 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCspanish.pdf 852 2011-02-02 22:03:04 2011-02-02 22:03:04 open open iwrcspanish inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCspanish.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/02/IWRCspanish.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} IWRCkorean http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=853 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:03:34 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCkorean.pdf 853 2011-02-02 22:03:34 2011-02-02 22:03:34 open open iwrckorean inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCkorean.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/02/IWRCkorean.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} IWRCmandarin http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=854 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:04:07 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCmandarin.pdf 854 2011-02-02 22:04:07 2011-02-02 22:04:07 open open iwrcmandarin inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCmandarin.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/02/IWRCmandarin.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} IWRCrussian http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=855 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:04:39 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCrussian.pdf 855 2011-02-02 22:04:39 2011-02-02 22:04:39 open open iwrcrussian inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCrussian.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/02/IWRCrussian.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} IWRCvietnamese http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=856 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:05:16 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCvietnamese.pdf 856 2011-02-02 22:05:16 2011-02-02 22:05:16 open open iwrcvietnamese inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IWRCvietnamese.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/02/IWRCvietnamese.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} What brought you to the Workers' Center? http://pinkrabbitsays.com/worker-advocacy/workers-center-videos/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:25:27 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=867 Call our hotline to tell us about your situation.

    Carolyn Brown

    Melanie Serrou

    Earl Brown

    Neisha Butler

    Pete Meyers

    Gino Bush

    ]]>
    867 2011-02-02 22:25:27 2011-02-02 22:25:27 closed closed workers-center-videos publish 556 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1296685947 _edit_last 1
    Campaign Videos http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/campaign-videos/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:36:47 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?page_id=874 Workers in Ithaca, New York Stand Up to Cost Cutters and Regis Corporation

    5 Restaurant Workers Succeed in 'Wage Theft' Case ($8,100) in City of Ithaca Small Claims Court

    Living on a Thin Line: The Struggle of the Working Poor

    Hotel Campaign

    ]]>
    874 2011-02-02 22:36:47 2011-02-02 22:36:47 closed closed campaign-videos publish 597 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1296690501 _edit_last 1 _wp_page_template default
    TCWCnewsletterspring09 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/?attachment_id=881 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:48:41 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/TCWCnewsletterspring09.pdf 881 2011-02-02 22:48:41 2011-02-02 22:48:41 open open tcwcnewsletterspring09 inherit 0 0 attachment 0 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/TCWCnewsletterspring09.pdf _wp_attached_file 2011/02/TCWCnewsletterspring09.pdf _wp_attachment_metadata a:0:{} Know Your Rights and Occupational Health Trainings http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/know-your-rights-and-occupational-health-trainings/ Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:56:51 +0000 http://pinkrabbitsays.com/campaigns/know-your-rights-and-occupational-health-trainings/ Click here for more information on Occupational Health & Labor Rights.]]> 883 2011-02-02 22:56:51 2011-02-02 22:56:51 closed closed know-your-rights-and-occupational-health-trainings publish 597 0 page 0 _edit_lock 1297787909 _edit_last 1 brooke_mcnally 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