JOIN WakeUpWalmart.com AND GIVE WALMART A DEMERIT BADGE

WakeUpWalmart.com has partnered with Momsrising.com, an organization dedicated to building a worker and family friendly America, to raise awareness about the negative effects of Walmart’s sick day policies. In the wake of the recent H1N1 influenza outbreak last year, it became apparent that Walmart’s policies are not conducive to a productive and healthy work environment. In fact, the company ignored government recommendations to let H1N1 victims stay at home without being punished. Such policies create a hostile environment in which workers feel they have to make a choice between spreading the flu and keeping their jobs.The Demerit Walmart campaign is building a movement of hundreds of thousands of people, including Walmart customers and employees, to stand up to the company and demand that they do the right thing for their own employees and for the customers they serve. To give Walmart a demerit badge, log on to
http://blog.wakeupwalmart.com/ufcw/2009/11/give_walma rt_th.html. You can also sign a petition which will be delivered to Walmart Headquarters, along with real demerit badges for the company executives.

 

SAFEWAY PAYROLL STATEMENTS/H.R. DIRECT

If You have direct deposit you no longer automatically receive a paper copy of your pay statements at your store.  We have had calls from members whom are unsure how to access and print their pay statements. If you are having difficulty with the H.R. Direct System, see your Immediate Supervisor or Store Manager for assistance. They will help you or direct you to someone who can. Once you set HR direct to print your pay statement, you will continue to receive paper copies thereafter.

 

BOYCOTT SHERATON & HILTON HOTEL

 Sheraton workers have overwhelmingly voted to place their hotel under boycott – 80% and counting. They made this difficult decision after Remington, Sheraton’s management company, imposed new working conditions that have made things more difficult for workers. After months of slow negotiations and hollow speeches from management, this out of state corporation has stripped workers of many of their rights, including but not limited to increasing housekeeper workload; ceasing to pay workers during their half-hour, meal breaks; and have stated that they will no longer provide the current, affordable, union healthcare plan. The hotel is “offering” a plan that will cost workers' families about $800/month with a higher deductible. No service sector worker can afford that! So, Sheraton workers are asking potential guests not to eat, sleep, or meet at the Sheraton or Hilton until the boycott is over. The boycott will end only when these workers’ rights have been restored and they can once again provide for themselves and their families.

 

LABOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies".                                  

 - Thomas Jefferson

 

RECEIVE FREE UNION DUES FOR ONE YEAR

    If you are aware of any group of workers that you believe may be interested in being represented by UFCW Local 1496 for the purpose of collective bargaining, call 258-1496 (or 1-800-478-1496) and ask to speak to an organizer. You must provide the name, address, and phone number of at least one of the employees who has already agreed to be contacted by UFCW Local 1496. If the contact results in a viable campaign and goes to a card check or NLRB election, UFCW Local 1496 will waive your Union dues for the 12-month period following the card check or NLRB election.

 WITHDRAW CARD

DON’T FORGET— If at any time you are going to be off the schedule for 30 days or more for any reason, be sure to call the Union office at 258-1496 (or 1-800-478-1496) to request a withdraw card.

The withdraw card is honored throughout the United States and Canada. The withdraw card does not affect your insurance eligibility, which is based on the hours reported by your Employer.

You are not required to pay dues while you are withdrawn. Upon returning to work you are required to notify the Union within 30 days. 

LOCAL 1496 STRIKE FEE

In June 1982 Local 1496 established a Strike and Defense Fund.

The fund is utilized to help with organizing campaigns in defense of our contracts, and to provide for members in the event a strike becomes necessary .

The fee is a one time payment of $25.00, and must be paid in order to receive a withdraw card.

 

EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

In the upcoming months we can win the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act will make it easier for women and men to form or join a union when they choose to in their workplace. It will give workers a fair and direct path to form unions through majority sign-up, help employees secure a contract with their employer in a reasonable period of time, and toughen penalties against employers who violate their workers’ rights. The Employee Free Choice Act does not take away the right to a secret election if that is what the workers want. With a free choice to join unions, working people can bargain for better pay, health care and pensions and build a better life for themselves and their families. We all need to work together to make this happen. SOLIDARITY WORKS!

 

EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

 

“I support this bill because in order to restore a sense of shared prosperity and security, we need to help working Americans exercise their right to organize under a fair and free process and bargain for their fair share of the wealth our country creates.

The current process for organizing a workplace denies too many workers the ability to do so. The Employee Free Choice Act offers to make binding an alternative process under which a majority of employees can sign up to join a union. Currently, employers can choose to accept--but are not bound by law to accept--the signed decision of a majority of workers. That choice should be left up to workers and workers alone."

 

-Pres. Barack Obama

                                                                  

 

 

• For more information on The Employee Free Choice Act. “Check out these sites on the Web @ !”

  www.ufcw.org

  www.alfcio.org

   www.employeefreechoiceact.org

  www.changetowin.org

  www.themiddleclass.org

 

Do we have your current Information?

Does local 1496 have your current information? Have you moved, changed phone numbers? Many members do not receive their refunds when dues sometimes get overpaid, or important news may not be received because we can not contact or connect with our members  Please make sure our information for you is up to date, give us a call so we can more effectively serve you at (907) 258-1496 or 1-800-478-1496.