This weekend has many of us scrambling to figure out how to honor Mom.

Should we give her flowers? Take her to brunch?

For too many New York mothers straining to make ends meet, the best gift they could receive is an increase in the minimum wage.

Read more.

walmartfreenyc:

Wal-Mart may have entered the Golden Years, but its self-dealing and covers ups have seriously tarnished the brand, and put its “independent” governance in a state of crisis. Read the full story.

RWDSU Northern Joint Council President, and UFCW International Vice-President, Derik McArthur received The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal on May 4 for his outstanding public service and strong community leadership.

“UFCW Canada is very pleased to see President McArthur receive recognition for the excellent work he and the Northern Joint Council are doing for working families in a number of communities throughout Ontario,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “On behalf of more than 250,000 UFCW Canada members, I congratulate Derik for this important and well-earned acknowledgement.”

Read the full story.

washnewyork:

(New York, NY — Sharyn Jackson, WNYC) New York City City Council members have introduced legislation that would require all car washes register for a license with the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Harlem Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito announced the bill to more than 50 protestors who gathered on the steps of City Hall. She said she was surprised when she learned that car washes didn’t already need licenses.

“This industry, I mean, you’re talking about heavy machinery, you’re talking about chemicals that are being used, it’s not regulated in any way,” she said. “But as a city, we’ve got to step up to the plate, and ensure that they’re doing right by these workers.”

The industry is under fire for allegations of overworking and underpaying employees. According to an investigation by the New York State Department of Labor, almost 80 percent of the city’s car wash owners had wage and hour violations.

“New York City, we love to be stylish here, there’s no question,” said Councilman James Sanders, who chaired a council hearing on the bill today. “We love our cars and we love to look good, but we don’t want to do it at the expense of anyone.”

But car wash owners have told Transportation Nation they treat their workers fairly and safely.

washnewyork:

The New York City Council is looking to clean up the city’s car wash industry.

City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito announced the Car Wash Accountability Act Wednesday. Currently, city car washes are unregulated, and don’t require a license to operate. Mark-Viverito says this leads to hazardous working conditions and unfair wages. “There have been reports by the Department of Labor that have documented the number of labor violations against workers,” she says, “We need to have these owners be accountable and be responsible.”

Adan Nicholas, a car wash worker from Astoria, says he makes less than minimum wage and doesn’t receive any tips.

“Two times a week they make us sign a paper declaring that we make $20-$25 a day in tips,” he says speaking through an english translator, “but it’s not true.”

The act will require car washes to get a license from the city in order to operate.

Click here to read the original story and listen to the segment.

washnewyork:

To improve working conditions, lawmakers push for annual licensing of the city’s 200 car-wash operators. Fines could reach $15,000 a year.

Local lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday that would force the city’s 200 car-wash operators to obtain an annual license or pay fines of up to $15,000 a year.

To get a license from the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs, operators would have to divulge details of company ownership, certify compliance with local, state and federal laws, and obtain a $300,000 bond to cover unpaid fines and penalties. A business could be denied a license based on past violations or unpaid taxes.

Consumer Affairs already licenses 55 industries in the city, ranging from Laundromats to locksmiths. The measure’s prime sponsor, City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, said her bill would ensure “that workers are protected from harm” and “consumers receive a car wash at a standard they can count on.”

The bill is the latest effort by unions and community groups to improve the conditions for approximately 5,000 car-wash workers in the city. Make the Road York and New York Communities for Change are leading the effort and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is simultaneously trying to organize workers into a union.

In addition to the legislation, the City Council is also holding a hearing Wednesday afternoon on working conditions at car washes. In 2008, state investigators found nearly 80% of operators in the city violated minimum wage and overtime laws.

The New York State Car Wash Association, the local industry’s leading advocacy group, only has three members in the city and said it did not yet have a comment on the bill. Since the car-wash campaign began, the group has tried to distinguish its members, who operate primarily upstate and on Long Island, from nonmember operators in the city. The group has conducted seminars with the state Department of Labor on minimum wage and overtime laws.

“We do not condone business practices that violate the law and our membership standards,” said Suzanne Stansbury, executive director of the association.

The campaign has focused much of its attention on Lage Management Corp., a Pelham-based operator with about 20 car washes in the five boroughs. A press release on the bill cited an investigation of Lage by the state attorney general’s office.

“As of right now we don’t know if it will be positive or negative for us,” said Jennifer Lage, a company manager. “We value our employees, so whatever benefits them, we’re not afraid of it.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Consumer Affairs did not have an immediate comment. In California, the other major city where efforts have been made to organize workers at car washes, operators must apply for a registration certificate from the state’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

washnewyork:

City Council bill, which would make car washes get a license, comes after accusations of labor law violations

City lawmakers say they hope to clean up New York’s car wash industry — by making operators follow the same licensing rules as tow truck companies, garages and more than 50 other businesses.

“I was actually surprised when I learned that car washes don’t need any license from the city in order to operate,” said City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan).

“It’s just creating these steps to get this industry in line. It’s been demonstrated consistently that car wash operators have been in violation of labor laws.”

On Wednesday, Mark-Viverito plans to introduce the Car Wash Accountability Act, which would require all city washes to get a yearly license from the city Consumer Affairs Department.

The penalty for operating without a license would be $200 a day, maxing out at $15,000.

In order to be licensed, car wash operators would have to share details of ownership, show they comply with city, state and federal laws and get a bond to cover any unpaid fines or damages.

“This is an industry that seems to have a remarkable capacity to violate the law,” said Deborah Axt of Make the Road New York.

She said a licensing bill would be a good first step.

“It seems like a no-brainer to us,” Axt said.

Immigrant workers have been speaking out about low pay and harsh conditions at local car washes as part of a campaign by Axt’s group and New York Communities for Change.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is also trying to organize the workers.

NEW YORK — The 2,000 workers at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship voted in favor of a new five-year union contract with the store that opens the way for a general wage increase, more health care options and more flexibility when it comes to scheduling hours.

Workers at the store will get a $3.05 an hour pay hike over the life of the contract, which was ratified by Local 3 United Storeworkers of the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union.

According to the union, the new deal lets senior employees choose their preferred hours first. All workers will get to choose one weekend a month to take off and which late nights they want to work. Managers must honor the choices made by workers. A spokesman for the union said this aspect of the contract sets a new standard for retail.

The scheduling provisions in the contract exceed what parent Macy’s Inc. agreed to when the contract for the company’s 34th Street Macy’s store was negotiated.

“This particular victory will have industry-wide implications because it comes as many retail workers struggle with underemployment and find it difficult to get the hours they want and deserve,” the union said. “A recent study of the retail industry in New York City revealed that only 17 percent of workers have a regular schedule.”

The union said it is still hammering out some details with the store regarding a medical fund that’s overseen by the union.

A spokeswoman for Bloomingdale’s said, “Last night’s positive vote covered a significant portion of our new contract, but we still have some work to do towards full ratification.”

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union announced the ratification of a new five-year contract with Bloomingdale’s covering 2,000 workers at the flagship store on East 59th Street.