HOLD THE LINE FOR HEALTHCARE

The Grocery Workers Solidarity Committee will be informational picketing every Friday evening at the Mission St. Safeway in Santa Cruz from 5:30 - 7:00 PM in solidarity with striking grocery workers in Southern California. Informational picketing will continue until the strike and lockout is settled.

The strike by 70,000 Vons, Ralph’s and Albertson workers for affordable healthcare is now past its 100th day. If the giant food chains gets their way, health costs for these workers will rise 50% and put it out of reach for many who make an average of $20,000 a year. The contract for Northern California grocery store workers expires this summer and the struggle being waged in the South will have a big impact on their contract as well as the entire labor movement. The state Attorney General's Office is expected to file a lawsuit Monday alleging the companies are breaking antitrust laws in an effort to crush the union. Questions are also being raised about the treatment of janitors placed at the supermarkets by janitorial contracting companies; evidence suggests the supermarkets knew the janitors were not being paid as required by California wage and hour laws, and permitted the exploitation.

Informational Picketing Continues at Safeway

More Safeway Coverage on SC-IMC:
>> Local Pressure on Safeway Continues
>> 70,000 Strikers and their Families Need your Support

[ Monterey Bay Labor Council's Solidarity Page I Indybay's Labor Page I Update from LA-IMC ]

At a secret ballot election held August 20th and 21st by the National Labor Relations Board, workers at Peet's store 221 in downtown Santa Cruz voted 11-6 against union representation. The results came as a surprise to union supporters and organizers, who had expected a more even split between "yes" and "no" votes.

As soon as the union efforts were brought to the company's attention, they started holding mandatory staff meetings and talking with employees individually. Support for the union was much stronger when the effort began, which leads union supporters to believe that these meetings, (which the company paid employees to attend), persuaded many undecided and uninformed members of the staff to vote against union representation.

After months of employee cutbacks, workers at Peet's Coffee and Tea Store #221 in Santa Cruz are seeking union representation. Employees have decided that without exercising their right to collective bargaining, their work at Peet's will never afford them personal luxury, a stable future or even a wage sufficient to support a family. Employees’ complaints include insufficient wages and hours, and shrinking benefits packages becoming ever harder to obtain. They feel Peet's should share its success with its employees.

[ Rockin' the Boat: Interview with Peet's Employees and UFCW Organizer (1/2hr mp3) ]

On Wednesday, April 9, two leaders of SEIU Local 250 were arrested by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department without cause. The arrests occurred as a peaceful and legal union rally was winding down. Participants in the rally were workers at Dominican Hospital who are members of SEIU Local 250 and their supporters. The union is struggling for a decent contract.

Arrested were Chief Negotiator Greg Nomacher and Administrative Vice President John Borsos. The arrests occurred without legal cause. The two were obviously targeted for their leadership roles in the union. Deputies waded into the crowd and selected them for arrest, saying nothing to anyone, simply taking the two away in handcuffs.

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On February 28th, University of California, Santa Cruz, announced its intention of breaking off its relationship with the infamous Sodexho. UCSC is the second to last UC campus to break ties with Sodexho, and has been amazingly quick to respond to demands made by American Federation of Service and Municiple Employees (AFSCME) and Students for Labor Solidarity.

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On October 12, a March and Rally to End the Bus Strike by Supporting Workers was organized by the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ) at UC Santa Cruz. The demonstration began with a rally at the base of UCSC followed by a march to the Metro Center in downtown Santa Cruz. Bus drivers who were rallying at the Metro Center were very happy to see such a large group of people marching in solidarity with bus drivers.

Part 5 of 5 - Community Response to UTU March.

Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 - Continuing the hard-fought struggle to support local bus drivers on strike, hundreds of students and workers from UC Santa Cruz, as well as many community members, held a brief rally at the base of the UCSC campus before embarking upon a highly visible and chant-filled march to the downtown Metro Center.

Once at the Metro Center, a rally and speak-out was held to discuss the bus drivers' struggle and the great deal of solidarity between various sectors of the community. After many complaints of the Santa Cruz Sentinel's poor coverage of the strike, the community marched over to the Sentinel's offices to greet the origins of their frusteration.

Friday's action, organized by the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ), has been the strongest show of support in the almost two week-old strike. Early last week, students and workers descended on Mike Rotkin's office, leading to his denouncement of the Transit Board's decision that led to the strike. A few days later, a College Republican attempt at an anti-worker rally sank amidst overwhelming UTU solidarity.

Rotkin has called for an emergency Transit Board meeting Tuesday.

On October 7, a March and Rally to End the Bus Strike by Supporting Workers was organized by the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ) at UC Santa Cruz. The demonstration began with a rally at the base of UCSC followed by a march to the Metro Center in downtown Santa Cruz.

Part 2 of 5 - UTU Solidarity March.

Friday, Oct. 7, 2005 - Continuing the hard-fought struggle to support local bus drivers on strike, hundreds of students and workers from UC Santa Cruz, as well as many community members, held a brief rally at the base of the UCSC campus before embarking upon a highly visible and chant-filled march to the downtown Metro Center.

Once at the Metro Center, a rally and speak-out was held to discuss the bus drivers' struggle and the great deal of solidarity between various sectors of the community. After many complaints of the Santa Cruz Sentinel's poor coverage of the strike, the community marched over to the Sentinel's offices to greet the origins of their frusteration.

Friday's action, organized by the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ), has been the strongest show of support in the almost two week-old strike. Early last week, students and workers descended on Mike Rotkin's office, leading to his denouncement of the Transit Board's decision that led to the strike. A few days later, a College Republican attempt at an anti-worker rally sank amidst overwhelming UTU solidarity.

Rotkin has called for an emergency Transit Board meeting Tuesday.

On Friday Oct 7, 2005 from 4PM-6:30PM the workers and students marched from the base of the UCSC Campus to the Metro Center and then to the Sentinel.