That Union Thing

After enduring a six-week, anti-union campaign that included forced one-on-one captive audience meetings with the chairman of the board, some 100 satellite TV installers working for Mastec in Tampa voted to join IBEW (the electrical workers union). Employees complained that they were forced to work without overtime pay and wer forced to rent company-owned vehicles.

Chicago joins the list of cities that have adopted living wage laws. Retailers with over $1 billion in annual sales and stores of at least 90,000 square feet will be required to pay workers $10 per hour plus $3 in benefits by 2010.

A majority of janitors and contract workers at the University of Miami have voted to be represented by SEIU, the service employees union. The vote was done by a third party count certified by the American Arbitration Association.

The press may be reporting that employment figures are strong in Florida, but the state's average weekly wages are still about $70 below the national average. In the past year, consumer prices have risen nationally an average of 5.2 percent, while wages have only risen 4 percent.

A report by the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute shows that Wal-Mart can raise wages and benefits by 13 percent and still earn higher profits than its competitors. Another study by the University of California, Berkeley has shown that in 2000 retail worker earnings were reduced by $4.7 billion because of Wal-Mart. In 2005, Wal-Mart had profits of $11 billion, or $20,000 per minute. Five of the nation's ten wealthiest individuals are members of the Walton family.

Pending ratification and School Board approval, teachers in Broward County will be getting a 6.45% raise this year. The new starting salary of $37,000 would make the teachers some of the highest paid in the state.

"America's Next Top Model" writers, want union representation, and they have threatened a strike if the CW refuses their request to join the Writers Guild of America. The writers seek benefits and protections that their peers in movies and other television shows receive.
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