RWDSU

Get on the Bus for OBAMA!

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:50:43 -0400

There are just 19 days until Election Day and we need your help to make sure voters get to the polls and GET OUT THE VOTE for President Obama.

The RWDSU is organizing trips from New York to the Keystone State to knock on doors with the AFL-CIO and UFCW. We’ll be headed down on October 27th and November 3rd, leaving from NYC in the morning and returning that evening. Transportation and lunch are free for volunteers.

This election is coming down to the wire, and that’s why passionate New Yorkers are heading over to talk with Pennsylvanians about the important choice they have in this election, and to ask them to support President Obama and other Democrats when they go to the polls on November 6th.

Reserve your seat here and tell a friend! More information on exact times and departure location will be provided upon confirming your attendance.

All are welcome—Bring your parents, spouse, siblings or friends.

Join us as we fight to deliver another four years to President Obama!

Workers Rally on Upcoming Day of Action July 24th

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:54:00 -0400

Low-wage workers, struggling to make ends meet in New York City, will rally together with community leaders and union organizers on July 24 for a “Day of Action.”

Labor heavyweights, including 32BJ Service Employees International Union and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), have embarked on aggressive efforts to organize workers at car washes, supermarkets and area airports.

United NY — a union-backed community group — is helping coordinate the afternoon event which starts with a press conference at Herald Square, followed by a march to Union Square and a rally.

“Increasing wages for low-wage workers is crucial for real recovery in New York,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. “It makes economic sense that low-wage workers do better. Every penny they get they are going to spend.”

According to United NY, the average minimum-wage worker makes just $15,000 a year.

And those who work in the service industry often see their tips stolen by employers and bosses.

“We want to raise awareness that increasing the minimum wage makes a real difference in the lives of working people,” said Héctor Figueroa, the secretary-treasurer of 32BJ SEIU. “This is what labor unions should really be about.”

James Parrott of the Fiscal Policy Institute used some stark statistics to paint a picture of low-wage New York.

The number of New Yorkers making less than $10 an hour jumped from 16.4% in 1990 to 18.5% in 2010.

But when you take into account the size of the city’s workforce, the number of workers making less than $10 an hour increased by 42%, Parrott said.

“It starts with raising the minimum wage but it doesn’t stop there,” said Figueroa. “People need to secure health insurance and retirement benefits.”

While higher-wage jobs have been disappearing, lower-wage jobs — such as retail positions and home health aides — are on the upswing.

Parrott said since mid-2008 — the start of the recession — low-wage sectors have added over 100,000 jobs.

On the other hand, middle-wage sectors (jobs where people make between $45,000 and $75,000 a year) lost a net of 42,000 jobs. Higher-wage sectors lost 11,000 jobs.

“People are really hurting in this city,” said Appelbaum. “People are going to work at honest jobs and they are still condemned to a life of poverty.”

“I think it’s significant that we are all coming together and saying the problem is so large the solution has to be one that deals with all low-wage workers,” he said. “And the best way to deal with that is union contracts.”

Support the Con Ed workers in New York!

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:33:38 -0400

Today the New York State AFL-CIO is spreading the word that Kevin Burke, CEO of Con Edison, is locking out workers, cutting off healthcare for workers families and putting the public at risk during a heatwave with unskilled replacement workers. Sign the petition to support these workers: http://nysaflcio.org/conedlockout/

Workers Beset By Wage Theft, Advocates Say

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:24:48 -0400

Workers Beset By Wage Theft, Advocates Say:

With companies trying to boost profits in a slow economy, and budget-cuts at state and local government agencies that are supposed to enforce labor laws, wage theft has become a big problem for many low-wage workers. Wage theft can take many forms, including stolen tips, illegally low pay, or failure to pay overtime.

An article in Quad Cities Online examines the cost of wage theft, and legislative action to fight it.

Workplace Policies Can Help Working Mothers ‘Have It All’ By Not ‘Losing It All’

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:30:01 -0400

Workplace Policies Can Help Working Mothers ‘Have It All’ By Not ‘Losing It All’:

Our guest blogger is Kimberly Ortiz, an organizer for the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union and a member of the Retail Action Project.

Two years ago, I sat in the ER with my two-year-old Aiden, who had a double ear infection. Though I’d been working as a manager at the Statue of Liberty gift shop for five years, we didn’t have health insurance, I only made $9.25 an hour, and I didn’t get a single paid sick day. Knowing I wasn’t “allowed” to be sick or have a sick child, I called my boss in a panic.

I was told she couldn’t guarantee there would be no repercussions.

Aiden was sick for four days, crying in pain as his fever raged on. Back at work I was written up and “cautioned” even after submitting doctor’s notes. Those four days were all unpaid, so I had to borrow money from friends, family, and neighbors for diapers and food. As long as we have basic necessities, I know how to make do with nothing else.

Balancing childcare, rent, chronic conditions, and my job as a single mother living in the Bronx can be nearly impossible. As Ellen Bravo wrote in response to Anne-Marie Slaughter’s “Why Women Can’t Have it All,” I worried about losing it all, not ‘having it all.’

While I identify with Ms. Slaughter’s insanely busy days, I disagree with her statement that “We may need to put a woman in the White House before we are able to change the conditions of the women working at Walmart.” I’m newer to the world of the politics of work-life balance, but I know that we can’t just rely on our elected officials to change the lives of women like me.

Low-wage women workers need to have a greater voice in the conversation. There are far more women working hourly jobs facing issues of limited advancement than “top women leaders” like Anne Marie Slaughter. And we’re less worried about “having it all” than in achieving a job and schedule that can sustain a family.

By providing sick leave, paid family leave, protections so caregivers have opportunities to advance, and scheduling with enough notice to arrange childcare, and by requiring part-time parity in health insurance benefits, we can prevent working caregivers from feeling like we could lose it all at any time.

This Mother’s day, I found myself speaking on a Senate Congressional panel about my experiences and these solutions, because I’m committed to getting what I deserve for my children and other women like me. And I couldn’t have felt like a better mom.

New York Daily News: City Council votes to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of New York City living wage bill

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:53:01 -0400

New York Daily News: City Council votes to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of New York City living wage bill :

The Council voted 46-5 for the measure, which would boost pay to $11.50 an hour, or $10 with benefits, for workers at companies that receive $1 million or more in city subsidies.

The City Council voted to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of the city living wage bill Thursday - setting up a legal battle.

The Council voted 46-5 for the measure, which would boost pay to $11.50 an hour, or $10 with benefits, for workers at companies that receive $1 million or more in city subsidies.

Bloomberg has vowed to sue to block the bill from taking effect, saying it unfairly interferes with the free market and will get in the way of economic development projects that could create jobs.

“I don’t understand why the mayor would sue, but if he sues, we’ll defend the bill, and if we defend the bill, we will win,” said Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

The bill was watered down from its original version, but backers estimate it will cover 900 workers a year.

“Working people are struggling, and we’re making an important statement that when public money is going to private developers, the public has to get something in return,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

The Council also voted to override Bloomberg’s veto of a bill that would require banks vying for city deposits to report on their lending efforts in poor neighborhoods.

The body also approved a $68.5 billion budget deal, which reversed threatened cuts to child care, after school programs, and fire companies.

Lawmakers also passed a plan to restrict storefronts on parts of the upper West Side to 40 feet wide, and banks to 25 feet.

New York Post: Mike Wage Veto Nixed

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:52:00 -0400

New York Post: Mike Wage Veto Nixed:

The City Council last night overrode Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of a “living-wage bill” that mandates private companies taking taxpayer subsidies to increase workers’ salaries.

The legislation requires companies collecting at least $1 million in discretionary city subsidies to pay their workers $10 an hour plus benefits, or $11.50 without.

Bloomberg intends to sue.

“This is an important moment for our city’s democracy and economy,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which choreographed the bill’s passage.

Associated Press: City Council overrides Bloomberg's living wage veto

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:36:26 -0400

Associated Press: City Council overrides Bloomberg's living wage veto:

NEW YORK — The New York City Council voted Thursday to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto of a living wage bill.

The Council approved the override on Thursday by a 46-5 vote.

The controversial legislation requires direct recipients of at least $1 million in city subsidies to pay their workers at least $10 an hour plus benefits, or $11.50 without benefits.

Bloomberg has said he would sue if the council overturned his objection.

The bill is expected to go into effect in 90 days.

Also on Thursday, the City Council voted to approve a $68.5 billion budget for the next fiscal year that avoids tax hikes and major layoffs and restores funds for child care programs.

Prior to the vote, Council Speaker Christine Quinn called the budget a “victory for families of all different incomes.”

Labor Notes: In Alabama Poultry Workers Victory, A Vote to Stick Together

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:34:13 -0400

Labor Notes: In Alabama Poultry Workers Victory, A Vote to Stick Together:

A racially mixed workforce in an Alabama poultry plant defeated management’s attempts to exploit their diversity, turning aside the divide-and-conquer tactics and voting in the union.

Scoring the largest union victory in the right-to-work state of Alabama in a decade, 1,200 Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plant workers voted union overwhelmingly June 12 in the small town of Russellville.

The workers, who are 20 percent Latino, 40 percent black, and 40 percent white, voted 706-292 to join the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, a division of the Food and Commercial Workers. The victory comes after three previous attempts by UFCW.

RWDSU organizer Randy Hadley said the company used “the language barrier to divide the Latino Spanish speakers from the white and black English speakers. Threatening folks with plant closings, firings, telling one group of workers one thing and another group something completely different.”

Read the full story from Labor Notes.

Statement from RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum on Living Wage Veto Override

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:03:00 -0400

Below is the statement, as prepared for delivery, that Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, will make at the living wage veto override press conference at City Hall at 11 a.m.

***

Good morning. I’m Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW.

It’s great to be here, with so many friends and allies, including Councilman Oliver Koppell and other members of the City Council.

We’ve come a long way together.

We have stuck together, fought together, and we have won together - despite the powerful challenges we have faced.

We have built a citywide movement, a powerful people’s movement, in which countless New Yorkers have said no to poverty-wage jobs and yes to living wage jobs.

We should all be incredibly proud of that. And I know that I’m personally so proud that my union, the RWDSU, has played a leading role in this fight from day one.

We stand together today to deliver a message to Mayor Bloomberg:

The will of the people will not be denied! Get ready for a veto override!

We stand together to claim an important victory for democracy.

By overriding Mayor Bloomberg’s veto, the City Council is siding with the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers who want this legislation to move forward.

We stand together with the City Council in saying:

The Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act will be implemented!

New Yorkers have made their voices heard: they want government to invest in more living wage jobs. There is broad and diverse agreement that investing in a higher-wage economy is good for business, good for working people, and good for our economy.

The living wage movement, the RWDSU, New Yorkers across the city – all of us - are committed to ensuring that working people no longer live in poverty. That’s our shared vision for the future, and this legislation can help us make it a reality.

Thank you!

Living Wage Bill is still living, thanks to City Council’s expected override of Bloomberg veto

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:47:03 -0400

Living Wage Bill is still living, thanks to City Council’s expected override of Bloomberg veto :

On Thursday, while the City Council votes to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act (better known as the Living Wage Bill), dozens of New Yorkers will gather in front of City Hall to show their support for the Council’s action.

“We do have the votes to override the mayor’s veto, but it is pretty sad that we even have to do this,” said Kimberly Ortiz, a former retail worker who two years ago became an organizer for something called the Retail Action Project.

“This was already voted on and overwhelmingly approved but that means nothing to Bloomberg,” she added. “This is a man who pretty much bought his third term; for him it is his way or the highway.”

Dubbed “the Mayor of Inequality,” by Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Bloomberg is so intent in subverting the people’s will that he has promised to challenge the Council’s override in court.

“With this veto, Mayor Bloomberg has cemented his legacy as the mayor of the rich, by the rich and for the rich,” said Rev. Raymond Rivera, director of the Latino Pastoral Action Center.

At this point the bill doesn’t benefit a great number of working New Yorkers. Actually the Living Wage bill contemplates raising the wages of just a few workers — the ones who labor at companies that receive $1 million or more in city subsidies — to $11.50 an hour, or $10 an hour for those with benefits, instead of the current state-mandated minimum wage of $7.25.

This being the case, one has to wonder why the Mayor bothered to veto the bill and threaten to fight the override in court.

“Right now this will affect a few hundred workers, but it is important because it is setting a standard for the future,” Ortiz said.

A standard by which workers would be compensated a little more fairly, something not to the liking of many people in the business community.

This is what Bloomberg has in mind when he talks about the Living Wage bill as a jobs killer. He has gone as far as comparing the bill to communism.

“While this bill could potentially result in higher wages for some workers, these increases would come at the cost of job creation,” the mayor said in a message when he vetoed the bill.

But as Ortiz said, “workers don’t need more poverty-wages jobs. The last thing we need is more impoverished people.”

The Living Wage NYC Coalition has scheduled a press conference for 11 am tomorrow at City Hall. They expect that a diverse group of workers, elected officials, union members, clergy, community and religious leaders will be present.

Yet Thursday’s actions will be mostly symbolic, Ortiz said.

“The mayor will do what he will do,” she said. “But [the actions] will call attention to the fact that Bloomberg doesn’t care if something was approved democratically.”

The mayor’s adamant opposition to a bill supported by the majority of New Yorkers and overwhelmingly approved by the City Council has bought him little sympathy.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s legacy is one of disrespect: extending his term against the will of the people and now labeling honest working class people as Communist for wanting to earn a decent living wage so they can take care of their families,” said Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, president, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition. “The Living Wage NYC Coalition will remain in this fight until all workers are treated fairly and paid justly.”

Reclaiming Our Working Class Family Values

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:55:17 -0400

Reclaiming Our Working Class Family Values:

Many in this country have forgotten their working class roots. Read this important piece from Daily Kos on ways we as working people can help to reverse this trend and come together under one banner:

As we move further into the twenty-first century, I have come to the realization that many of us have forgotten where we came from. I would wager many who are doctors, lawyers, elected officials and captains of industry came from humble means. Working class families, such as construction workers, maintenance people and factory workers, just to name a few. And many (oh so many) have turned on the same sort of people that bore and raised them, clothed and fed them, put them through college and called them son or daughter. How do we end this cycle?

Read the full story.

Big Wins for LGBT Workers in New Bloomingdale's Contract

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 10:28:32 -0400

Big Wins for LGBT Workers in New Bloomingdale's Contract:

A new union contract offers cutting-edge benefits including paternity leave and strong anti-discrimination language. But the vast majority of LGBT retail workers still lack basic protections.

More often than not, it’s a dirty look or some unspoken signal that a customer would rather deal with another salesperson. Every now and then, things turn outright hostile, as happened recently for Desmond Anthony, an employee at Zara in New York City.

The young retail worker was talking with a group of gay male visitors when a female customer approached and said, “You’re going to hell. I don’t want to shop here. I feel uncomfortable.” Anthony, who is also an actor, knew how to maintain composure, but the other men followed the woman to another part of the store, where an altercation ensued, complete with a tossed shoe.

No one was injured, and management comforted the customer. “We’re sorry that this happened and we understand how you feel,” she was told.

That response did not surprise Anthony, who said that the climate for LGBT people in his store could be so precarious that at least four managers opt to remain in the closet. He said the lack of an explicit non-discrimination policy makes it difficult for management to interject when shoppers express antigay sentiments, let alone ask those articulating such comments to leave the store. Instead, customers are always right, even when employees have been wronged.

“You do know that you are not protected if something happens, God forbid,” he said. “They have this clause in our contract that if you are not fitting the company’s image, they can get rid of you, where it basically comes down to discrimination. That’s dangerous because they don’t clarify what they mean by that, because if you are more flamboyant, or if you wear makeup, it’s just not allowed.”

Research suggests that Anthony’s experience is not uncommon for non-unionized employees who make up the overwhelming majority of workers in retail, a fast-growing industry that attracts LGBT people in disproportionately high numbers. Compared to finance and law, industries that topped the Human Rights Campaign’s 2012 Corporate Equality Index, workers in retail, which ranked a decent third, routinely lack health insurance, live with low compensation, and contend with unpredictable “just-in-time” scheduling. The situation is outlined in “Discounted Jobs: How Retailers are Selling Workers Short,” a report from the Retail Action Project (RAP), a New York City-based membership organization of retail workers, many of whom identify as LGBT.

“It’s an industry that welcomes self-expression, but it’s also lower wage and so it attracts workers encountering other barriers because of sexual orientation or especially gender non-conformity,” said Carrie Gleason, executive director of RAP. “Retail is where a lot of LGBTQ workers find employment. That said, most retailers lack proper policies to deal with workplace harassment and discrimination on the sales force, and when you work retail, you’re dealing with the public, not just your mangers and co-workers.”

Race, gender and immigration status exacerbate the problems. The majority of retail workers in New York City are people of color, and nearly half are immigrants, proportions that hold for the LGBT portion of the workforce. According to the RAP report, women and people of color are overrepresented in low-wage frontline retail positions, where they find less access to benefits and fewer opportunities for raises and promotions.

Advocates hope that a groundbreaking new contract secured by the employees at Bloomingdale’s will influence the industry to make improvements. Last month, members of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union Local 3 ratified a five-year collective bargaining agreement that strengthened protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. The agreement, which covers 2,000 employees at Bloomingdale’s flagship store in Manhattan, also includes a new paternity benefit for gay men in marriages and domestic partnerships, which union sources believe could be the first of its kind in a retail contract. Wage increases, enhanced benefits and more employee control over scheduling are also part of the contract.

“The fact that Bloomingdale’s and RWDSU have been able to come to an agreement to extend paternity leave for same-sex couples is phenomenal,” said Gleason. “It’s unheard of in the industry and it’s a huge stride.”

Read the full story in today’s Advocate.com.

Des Moines Register: Winners of $241 million Powerball jackpot arrive in Des Moines to claim prize

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:34:24 -0400

Des Moines Register: Winners of $241 million Powerball jackpot arrive in Des Moines to claim prize:

The winners of a $241 million Powerball jackpot, the largest ever won by an Iowa Lottery player, gleefully arrived in Des Moines today to claim their prize.

A bus carrying about 50 people from Cedar Rapids pulled up to Iowa Lottery headquarters on Grand Avenue shortly before noon. The group included 20 workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids who jointly purchased the winning ticket as part of pool.

The workers wore red t-shirts and had broad smiles as they got off the bus. They whooped and hollered. Asked how they felt, they responded “Great!” and “Awesome!” Although none would provide their name, they said they are members of the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union Local 110.

Assuming the winners take a lump-sum cash payout, they will each receive $5.6 million after taxes are paid, The total lump-sum payout was about $160 million before state and federal taxes were deducted.

A middle-aged man, who would only say his name was “Al,” confirmed that he held the lucky ticket. The entire group then walked behind closed doors inside the Iowa Lottery’s offices to validate their ticket and claim their prize money. Lottery officials said a news conference would be held this afternoon.

The union issued a statement saying that the Quaker Oats workers, who would only be identified as the “Shipping 20,” were withholding their names for “legal reasons.” They range in age from 35 to 64, and their years of service range from ten years to forty years per employee. Collectively, they have more put in more than 640 years of service at the unionized plant.

They have been buying Powerball tickets for the past fifteen years and finally hit the jackpot this year, the union said.

Together, they are thinking about how to contribute in a positive way to their Local 110 union family and to community initiatives that will benefit residents in and around Cedar Rapids, the union statement said.

“The union has stood up for us, on and off the job, and brought us together as one family. We’ve been through a lot together, especially since the flood of 2008, and this has given us a renewed appreciation for our union values,” said one of the unidentified Powerball winners, a long-time worker at the plant, who was quoted in the union’s statement.

The flood of 2008 in Cedar Rapids affected the shipping department and all other areas of the plant, and since then the 20 workers have jointly put in many extra hours in order to get the massive water-damaged facility up and running again, the union said. The statement said they know the important and historic role the Quaker Oats plant has played in Iowa’s economy for decades.

“These guys have worked very hard for many years, and they want to use their good fortune to make life better for others at the plant and in their community. This is a great American story but also a great union story. These are some of the most decent and generous people you’ll ever meet, and all of our members couldn’t be happier for them,” said Al Hartl Jr., president of Local 110.

The winning ticket was from a Powerball drawing held June 13. The ticket was sold at a Hy-Vee grocery store on Edgewood Road in Cedar Rapids, and there has been intense speculation since then over the winners’ identity.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 175.2 million.

The winning numbers were 7-10-14-33-57 and Powerball 18. The jackpot ticket matched all six numbers drawn.

Iowa’s biggest previous jackpot winners were Tim and Kellie Guderian of Fort Dodge, who claimed a $200.8 million prize in October 2006. The biggest jackpot ever for Powerball was a $365 million prize shared in February 2006 by eight co-workers at a ConAgra ham processing plant in Lincoln, Neb.

This was the seventh time a Powerball jackpot ticket has been sold in Iowa, but it’s the fifth time the Iowa Lottery has sold a Powerball ticket worth at least $1 million since the game was redesigned in January. Those changes doubled the price of a Powerball ticket to $2 from $1, while providing more chances to win at least $1 million.

Iowa represents only 1 to 2 percent of total revenue in the Powerball game, which is played in 44 jurisdictions nationwide with total sales of more than $3 billion annually. Iowa Lottery Chief Executive Officer Terry Rich said the Iowa Lottery had been hoping to have four to six winners of at least $1 million annually under the new Powerball rules, but what’s happened since January already has exceeded his expectations.

KGAN CBS 2 :: Top Stories - Union of Lotto Winners Speaks on Powerball Jackpot

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:20:14 -0400

KGAN CBS 2 :: Top Stories - Union of Lotto Winners Speaks on Powerball Jackpot:

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KGAN) — 20 unionized workers at the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids won the $241 Million Powerball jackpot, the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, announced today.

The group is known as the shipping 20, because they all have spent years working together in the shipping department of the plant. The group’s members are withholding their names because of legal reasons.

The RWDSU says the winners range from 35 to 64, and have served in the union from ten years up to fourty years. Collectively, they have more put in more than 640 years of service at the unionized plant.

They traveled Wednesday by bus from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines to claim their prize and participate in an official ceremony with Quaker and the Iowa State Lottery.

The shipping 20 have been buying Powerball tickets for the past fifteen years and finally hit the jackpot this year. One of the workers in the bought the winning ticket at the Edgewood Rd. Hy-vee in Cedar Rapids.

The RWDSU says the winners want to give back to their RWDSU Local 110 family and the community. “The union has stood up for us, on and off the job, and brought us together as one family. We’ve been through a lot together, especially since the flood of 2008, and this has given us a renewed appreciation for our union values,” said one of the Powerball winners, a long-time worker at the plant.

Associated Press: Iowa Quaker Oats workers claim $241M Powerball pot

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:12:29 -0400

Associated Press: Iowa Quaker Oats workers claim $241M Powerball pot:

DES MOINES, Iowa — A group of 20 workers at a Quaker Oats plant in Iowa stepped forward Wednesday to claim a $241 million Powerball jackpot.

Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer said the agency verified the winning ticket, which was sold June 13.

One of the workers bought the winning ticket for the group and the winnings will be split 20 ways, said Dan Morris, a spokesman for the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union that all the winners belong to in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Morris said the winners all are between 35 and 64 years old and work in the Quaker plant’s shipping department.

The group took a chartered bus paid for by their union from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines on Wednesday to present their ticket to lottery officials.

“They’re in shock. Still trying to recover,” said Joe Day, the group’s lawyer.

Day said the group had yet to decide what to do with the winnings, but described the winners as “ecstatic.”

“Financial security for a lifetime,” he said. “Anybody would want that.”

The jackpot is the 15th largest won by Powerball players and, according to Neubauer, would amount to roughly $5.6 million per person after taxes if the group chooses the lump-sum cash option.

20 Members of RWDSU Local 110 Win $241 Million Jackpot

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:31:02 -0400

Dream Comes True for Unionized Workers at Quaker Oats Plant

Des Moines, Iowa—Twenty unionized workers at the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids won the $241 Million Powerball jackpot, the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, announced today. Known as the shipping 20, because they all have spent years working together in the shipping department of the plant, they are proud members of RWDSU Local 110, which has represented employees at the plant for more than 60 years.

They are traveling today by bus from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines to claim their prize and participate in an official ceremony with Quaker and the Iowa State Lottery. The shipping 20, who are withholding their names for legal reasons but requested this release from their union, range in age from 35 to 64, and their years of service range from ten years to forty years per employee. Collectively, they have more put in more than 640 years of service at the unionized plant.

They have been buying Powerball tickets for the past fifteen years and finally hit the jackpot this year. One of the workers in the shipping 20 bought the winning ticket. Together, they are thinking about how to contribute in a positive way to their RWDSU Local 110 family and to community initiatives that will benefit residents in and around Cedar Rapids.

“The union has stood up for us, on and off the job, and brought us together as one family. We’ve been through a lot together, especially since the flood of 2008, and this has given us a renewed appreciation for our union values,” said one of the Powerball winners, a long-time worker at the plant.

The flood of 2008 in Cedar Rapids affected the shipping department and all other areas of the plant, and since that time these twenty dedicated workers have jointly put in many extra hours in order to get the massive water-damaged facility up and running again. They told RWDSU official this week they know the important and historic role the Quaker plant has played in Iowa’s economy for decades.

About the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, represents 100,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada in retail, food-processing, and other industries. For more info, visit www.rwdsu.org.

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Workers Win at Americold in Illinois

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:58:22 -0400

RWDSU Local 578 has 123 new members after the workers at Americold chose to join the union overwhelmingly, and the company agreed to a card check recognition. The workers are employed at two Americold cold storage facilities in Rochelle, Illinois. Workers have complained of a taxing and confusing scheduling system with five different shifts, poor wages, and lack of health insurance benefits and double-time pay on Sundays.

This was the third attempt to join the union for Americold workers. According to RWDSU Representative Roger Grobstich, it was the dedication of long-time workers that proved the difference.

“We have some workers there who were part of previous attempts to organize, and they stayed at Americold despite opportunities for great jobs elsewhere. We have a leader there who said he was going to stay at Americold until they had a union there, and that’s what has happened,” Grobstich said.

The official recognition agreement was signed on June 18.

Congressman Thompson Tours RWDSU Tyson Plant in Mississippi

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:28:30 -0400

Last Thursday, Bennie Thompson (above center), U.S. Rep. for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional district, toured the Tyson poultry plant in Carthage, Mississippi, meeting with RWDSU members at the plant.

Congressman discussed plant issues such as energy sharing with workers and company officials, and visited production areas in the plant.

The workers at the plant are represented by the RWDSU Mid-South Council.

Sunday: Join us at the Silent March Against Racial Profiling

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:07:00 -0400

Sunday: Join us at the Silent March Against Racial Profiling:

End Racial Profiling! Join us with 60+ ‪LGBT‬ organizations at ‪the Silent March Against Racial Profiling this Sunday. Click here to watch the video calls to action to find out why YOU should join us.