The workers' movement to raise their wages, fix their schedules and their workplaces and to escape retaliation just keeps getting broader.
We received this in our in-box today from our allies at Good Jobs Nation:
Last week, America’s progressive leadership released a new economic executive action platform – More than the Minimum – to call on the President to award lucrative contracts to companies that pay living wages, offer good benefits and respect workers' rights.
To drive the point home, hundreds of federal contract workers from the U.S. Capitol and other federal sites went on strike chanting “Mr. President, it’s been tough, $10.10 is not enough!”Today, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. George Miller held a Capitol Hill briefing on workers' erratic schedules that deprive them of time with family or predictable earnings.
Peter Schroeder at The Hill reports,
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and a host of left-leaning groups are setting their sights on Wal-Mart as they push for improved treatment of workers.
Warren joined with Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), labor advocates, and employees of the retail chain to criticize its wage and scheduling policies, and push for Congress to force changes to better accommodate workers.
“It is good to hear workers’ voices in the halls of Congress,” said Warren. “No one in this country should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that’s what raising the minimum wage is all about.”
Miller said companies “conspired” to keep workers down, and it was up to policymakers to improve worker conditions.
“This is about the simple dignity of the people that you’ve hired to work,” he said. “We have to override what the policies are in a place like Wal-Mart.”
Teamsters are supporting actions taken by low-wage workers, even as Walmart and fast food workers support Teamster organizing efforts at ports and food processing companies. Walmart workers spoke out in support of the port drivers striking in Los Angeles. California's politicial leaders were recently briefed by a McDonald's worker, a UFCW Safeway member along with Teamsters and Taylor Farms workers.
