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Volume 5, Issue 1 STRONGER TOGETHER Summer/Fall 2013 Bettering the lives of our members and all working people WALMART’S MOVING IN AND QUALITY JOBS ARE MOVING OUT! Lending a Hand to Help Rebuild Voting to Protect Your Rights! John R. Durso, President 013 has been a very busy year for mantled prevailing wage standards that guarantee the Local 338, especially politically. wages and benefits for such workers as janitors and se- 2We were involved in working to curity guards who work in buildings owned or rented by successfully increase New York State’s the City of New York. minimum wage, as well as helping New York City needs a change, and a leader who will to defeat legislation that would have put workers first. This is why we have endorsed Chris- protected unscrupulous catering tine Quinn for Mayor. As City Council Speaker, she has companies who steal their workers’ supported pro-worker legislation, overriding several of tips. Most recently, Local 338 has also Mayor Bloomberg’s vetoes. Christine has always stood been actively leading the fight to cor- on the side of working New Yorkers and it will be nice to rect the impact of the 30 Hour Rule on finally have a mayor who puts the needs of workers first. our members. For our members who live in Nassau County, we are The 30 Hour Rule is a provision in the Affordable Care facing a County in severe debt. In a feeble attempt to dig Act that defines a full-time worker as any worker who out of the hole he created, County Executive Ed Manga- works a total of 30 hours in a 7-day week. This means that no has resorted to ill-conceived cutting of services and employers must provide health insurance for any worker increasing fees and assessments; all while engaging in that works more than 30 hours per week or risk paying a wasteful spending and doing nothing to prevent the New fine. As a result, many employers began reducing hours York Islanders (and the revenue they bring to Nassau) to avoid complying with the rule and our part-time mem- from leaving after next season. It is unconscionable that bers unfortunately began to feel the effects. Nassau County’s leaders were unable to come to a com- Over the last six months, we have been regularly meet- monsense solution to revitalize the Nassau Coliseum and ing with local Members of Congress, our the surrounding area. It was a demon- United States Senators, House Minority stration of a lack of leadership and direc- Leader Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama Ad- tion for the County. ministration to discuss how the 30 Hour To make matters worse, County Ex- Rule has negatively impacted part-time ecutive Ed Mangano has made Nassau workers and discuss possible solutions. County’s workers scapegoats to cover In July, President Obama announced his inability to turn Nassau’s fiscal woes that the employer mandate would be around. Last year, he proposed legisla- delayed until 2015. As a result, some of tion that would have given the Executive our employers have returned their work- the power to illegally void the union con- ers to the schedule that they were used tracts of public workers, effectively tak- to working. Unfortunately, this is not the ing away the rights of County employees case for all of our employers and many of to collectively bargain. This Wisconsin our members continue to work reduced style attack would have set a precedent hours. While the delay of the employer that would eventually filter down to the mandate is a step in the right direction, private sector. we will continue the fight to ensure that Nassau County is in a fight for survival all part time workers are returned to the hours that they and Ed Mangano is unable to effectively handle the task. both need and are accustomed to working. Thankfully, former County Executive Tom Suozzi is run- The impact of the Affordable Care Act on workers is a ning once again for his old seat. Tom has a proven track perfect example of why it is important to both vote and be record as a County Executive, and is someone who can politically engaged. Without your help, the pressure that lead Nassau County out of its current fiscal woes. That is we have been placing on our elected officials would not why Local 338 is proud to endorse Tom Suozzi for Nassau have been nearly as effective. Over the last few months County Executive. we have collected over 4,000 signatures on our “Change This year we have a chance to elect leaders who will the 30 Hour Rule” petition from you, our members, as put the needs of working Americans first. Whether at the well as your friends, family, and coworkers. Many of our national, state or local level, the decisions made by our elected officials have also mentioned the calls they have elected official can impact every aspect of our jobs and received from their constituents and voters stressing how our lives. From wages and healthcare to retirement se- they have been impacted by the 30 Hour Rule and asking curity, we need to elect officials that will place our needs them to correct the provision. We ask that you continue and priorities above those of the wealthy. Having elected calling your elected Representatives and promote the pe- officials that understand and support worker rights is vi- tition to ensure that your voice is heard. tal to our existence and our survival. Similarly, your vote in the upcoming Primary Election It’s up to every one of us to defend our rights as work- (Tuesday, September 10th) and General Election (Tues- ers and we can do that by simply registering to vote and day, November 5th) will help decide the fate of working voting on both Primary Day and Election Day. That old families in New York City and Nassau County. Over the myth that your vote doesn’t count is just that. A myth. The last 12 years, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg future of your community is up to you. has time and time again proven that his interests are big business first, workers second. He has vetoed common- For more information about registering to vote and to sense legislation like the Living Wage bill and the Paid see a full list of Local 338’s 2013 endorsed candidates, Sick Leave bill. Mayor Bloomberg also effectively dis- visit our website: www.local338.org 1 Organizing To Protect Our Future Murray J. Morrissey, Secretary Treasurer migration and possible deportation.” rganizing new members and That is why it is a credit to our organizing team that growing our union is a top we are seeing more and more organizing victories at Opriority for Local 338. As our these locations. Our Organizers are spending their mission statement says, our goal is days and nights visiting these workers at their stores, to improve the lives of all working in the community or at their homes in an attempt to people. As a result, our dedicated sign them up for the union. Their effort has really paid Organizing Department has been off, to the tune of nine supermarket victories in twelve working around the clock, meeting campaigns over the past 18 months. When you add with workers from a variety of indus- that with organizing wins in other industries, we have tries and talking to them about the brought in over 1,200 new Local 338 members over the benefits of joining a union. Organizing new members is last two years. an extremely difficult task. Whether, trying to organize Now, at this point, there may be some out there say- workers in a large national chain or a small indepen- ing “why does this matter to me” or “that’s their prob- dent employer, the challenges faced are tremendous. lem, I get what I’m entitled to.” Well that’s the wrong In many of our recent organizing campaigns we attitude for two reasons. First, as organized Labor we have been dealing with workers in independent gro- must stand up for the rights of all working people. We cery stores throughout NYC and Long Island. Unfortu- cannot in good conscience allow that type of corporate nately, in many of these stores, we find that the own- greed behavior to go on unchallenged. Second, every- ers are exploiting the workers thing that happens in these in disturbing ways. They are stores has a direct impact on using workers’ immigration all of our members. These status and desperate need stores are in direct competi- for work to create a sense of tion with our unionized gro- fear throughout the work- cery stores and because of force. They then manipulate their unscrupulous labor prac- that fear in order to violate tices, they are operating with the State’s wage and hour an advantage. If we allow laws. Too scared to stand up that to continue, their growth for their rights, the workers will lower the industry labor are essentially left with no re- standards. It will create a race course. They continue to work to the bottom for wages and in deplorable working condi- benefits, resulting in tougher tions, receive no benefits, suf- negotiations. Our employers fer long hours with no overtime pay, and in many cas- will be unable to compete with companies that don’t es, are forced to work for less than the minimum wage. pay fair wages and benefits and as result, are going to You would think that it would be easy to organize demand concessions.

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