—ON THE PICKET LINE—

Maggie Trowe, Editor

 

Calif. Walmart protest demands home care for worker hurt on job

UNION CITY, Calif. — Walmart workers, officials of the United Food and Commercial Workers union and others held a press conference and protest March 10 outside the Walmart here to demand the retail giant pay for home health care for Maria Umali, who was injured on the job nine months ago.

Umali, who worked for 16 years at Walmart, slipped in the back room of the store and lay on the floor for two hours before a manager called an ambulance. After surgery for a broken hip and over three weeks in the hospital, she is still in a wheelchair. The company has twice denied her the home health care she needs.

“I spent a lot of my life working for them,” Umali said. “What they did is not right. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

The protest was organized by Making Change at Walmart.

— Betsey Stone

Montreal furniture warehouse workers fight company lockout

MONTREAL — Some 220 members of UNIFOR Local 145, locked out by furniture retail chain Brault & Martineau at its east end Montreal distribution center, are fighting back. The company locked the unionists out Feb. 28, a few days after they voted down by a 97.5 percent margin a contract pro-posal gutting their pension plan.

Brault & Martineau bosses aim to impose a defined contribution pension plan for new workers in place of the defined benefit one current employees receive when they retire.

Employers save big money with defined contribution plans by shifting the financial burden onto individual workers to ensure they receive a pittance when they retire.

“This company reported profits of $40 million [US$30 million] last year. It’s not like they’re in the ditch,” Local 145 President Stéphane Daigneault told the Militant March 4 on the picket line at the huge warehouse.

Picketers said they had set up a second line that morning in front of a warehouse the company was trying to use to ship furniture to its stores.

Some 68 members of United Steelworkers Local 6658 are already striking over the same issue against Lafarge, a worldwide concrete producer, at its St. Constant plant near Montreal.

The Steelworkers have called an April 4 demonstration here to demand the Quebec government ban contracts gutting pension plans for new workers.

— Michel Prairie

UK junior doctors hold two-day strike against long hours, pay cut

MANCHESTER, England — A lively picket of some 20 junior doctors outside Salford Royal Hospital cheered as motorists honked in support here March 10. It was one of 147 picket lines at hospi-tals around England in the third strike by junior doctors and the first since the government vowed to impose a contract that cuts pay and extends hours.

The agreement that takes effect in August will reduce overtime pay and eliminate it altogeth-er on Saturdays before 5 p.m. This is a 48-hour strike, longer than the previous ones, and two more are scheduled. Support for doctors is increasing, even though some 19,000 operations and treat-ments have been affected.

A recent poll showed 53 percent of those questioned believe the strike is justified, compared to 41 percent last October.

When Emily Sehmer spotted the Militant, she exclaimed, “The government calls us the militant doctors because we are fighting their unfair contract, so I think it is an appropriate name.”

The government wants a seven-days-a-week National Health Service, but without increasing staff, she said. “An overworked, demoralized staff will undoubtedly have a negative impact on patient care.”

— Dag Tirsén

Chicago bakery workers picket Nabisco CEO over layoffs

CHICAGO — About 50 Nabisco bakery workers held a picket line across from the Four Seasons Hotel here March 11, where Irene Rosenfeld — CEO of food giant Mondelez, Nabisco’s parent company — was speaking. The workers are members of Bakery, Con-fectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 300.

“Nabisco is laying off 600 workers and sending the work to Mexico,” Johnnie Thomas, a mixer at the South Side plant, told the Militant. “For 223 workers who al-ready got their layoff notice, March 21 is their last day. Another 323 workers will be laid off later. Our sweat built the plant and this is our payback.”

“They are moving nine ovens to Mexico to try to bust the union,” said James Walsh, a floor helper with 35 years’ seniority. “They are doing it to pay lower wages, which satisfies the stockholders. Today they lay off the lower seniority workers, but we’re next,” he said.

The picket line included retirees and a few representatives of other unions.

“Fewer employees means a weaker union,” said Margo Artega. “We need decent wages.”

— Dan Fein

California janitors hold Women’s Day march in union contract fight

LOS ANGELES — Over 500 janitors, members of SEIU United Service Workers West, held a march and rally on International Women’s Day here March 8. Actions also took place in Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose.

Thousands of janitors had marched downtown here Feb. 25, marking the opening of SEIU contract talks with property maintenance contractor companies that service businesses across Cal-ifornia. They were also calling attention to abuse, including sexual harassment, faced by women janitors, who often work isolated and alone on night shift, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor newsletter reported.

“They want to take away our benefits and vacation days,” Maria Castro, a janitor for 10 years, told the Militant at the rally. “We deserve respect. The work is very heavy and they are always increasing it. The supervisor says there are many people who will do this for less money. The union is strength. Six years ago we won the union where I work and it has benefited us a lot.”

— Deborah Liatos