Workers’ Matters

Council Votes to Prevent Fast-Food Workers From Being Fired Without “Just Cause”

On December 17 the New York City Council will voted on legislation designed to protect fast-food workers from unfair firings. Under legislation, fastfood employers would be prohibited from terminating employees or substantially reducing their hours without providing bona fide economic reasons or an employee’s demonstrated failure to satisfactorily perform job duties or misconduct. Int. 1415-A, sponsored by Council Member Brad Lander, would prohibit fast-food employers from terminating the employment or substantially reducing the hours of a fastfood employee in the absence of the fast-food employee’s demonstrated failure to satisfactorily perform job duties or misconduct; in other words, without just cause. Employers would be required to give employees a written reason for the termination of their employment. Laid off fast food employees would also be entitled to schedule pay premiums for shifts lost due to termination and provides for remedies including reinstation, back pay, and civil penalties. This bill would take effect 180 days after it becomes law. “Fast food workers have been on the frontlines of this pandemic, serving their neighbors, working in tight quarters, taking on new responsibilities for sanitizing, and yet often unable to speak up about health and safety issues for fear of losing their jobs. These workers, the majority of whom are women and young people of color, have fought hard for years to raise wages and demand workplace protections. I’m grateful to them, to 32BJ SEIU, and to the partnership of Council Member Adams and Speaker Johnson, for getting us here today to take this groundbreaking step forward for workplace rights,” said Council Member Brad Lander. Int. 1396-A, sponsored by Council Member Adrienne Adams, would prohibit fastfood employers from terminating the employment or substantially reducing the hours of a fast-food employee in the absence of bona fide economic reasons, including full or partial closing of operations or technological or organizational changes to the business in response to the reduction in volume of production, sales, or profit. Additionally, the employer would be required to discharge employees by inverse seniority (those hired last will be discharged first). Employees discharged for bona fide economic reasons within the prior year must first be offered available shifts before they are distributed to other employees or new hires. This bill additionally provides for arbitration of disagreements between fast-food employers and fastfood employees. This bill would take effect 180 days after it becomes law.p

What Union Members Can Teach NY/continued from page 1

Editorial credit: IV. andromeda / Shutterstock.com

McDermott, Consortium for Worker Education’s Special Projects Director. All of CWE’s programs center on providing workers with the skills they need to advance in their career. Accessing the expertise and experience of veteran workers to shape the training is critical to the success of our union programs. CWE put that philosophy into action earlier this year, when the United Federation of Teachers Local 1 and the Transport Workers Local 100 participated in a CWE-led working group to expand apprenticeships, along with CUNY, the MTA and the NYS Department of Labor. Building on those discussions, CWE was able to assist in the creation of a new partnership between the unions, a kind of professional development cultural exchange. UFT knew that some of their Career and Technical Education teachers would benefit from updating their knowledge and industry skills – exactly the programs that are being taught internally at the TWU – skills related to signals, infrastructure, and track maintenance. The two unions initiated Zoom classes where TWU trainers could share the latest on safety, work regulations, and what industry-specific skill sets teachers can impart to their students. The initial classes are turning into a lasting relationship for skills and knowledge transfer, as well as networking that will benefit high school students and a public transit system that faces skills gaps in infrastructure positions. "In response to the urgent needs of New York City Transit concerning capital construction, subway infrastructure, and the retiring workforce, the Training and Upgrading Fund works in partnership with others to provide the best training models across the transportation industry," says Charles Jenkins, Acting Director of TWU Local 100's NYCT Training & Upgrading Fund. It turned out, TWU trainers needed support from the UFT as well. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced in-person education to go online at institutions across the city, and the member education programs at TWU Local 100 were no different. Who better to advise online learning than the public school teachers who had put it into action for the city’s million public school students in the spring? Assisted by CWE, TWU and the UFT Teacher Center worked to organize Zoom classes about how to develop an online lesson plan, how to use a digital white board, and how to effectively utilize online platforms as a teacher. The success is sparking other discussions of inter-union partnerships to respond to the coronavirus as well as solve long-term challenges. “Unions know how much workers have to offer,” says McDermott. “The Consortium for Worker Education is committed to supporting and connecting unions to our public education systems so New Yorkers get the full benefit of their members’ expertise.”p

Sunrise Movement Staff Form Union with Communications Workers of America

Nationwide: Today, [December 15] workers with Sunrise Movement, a youth-led movement organization advocating to stop climate change and create millions of American jobs, voted to form a union with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1180 in New York. More than 95% of Sunrise Movement staff mem- Senator Markey. “I’m proud of all workers to unionize, includbers voted in support of form- these passionate young people ing and especially at Sunrise.ing a union with CWA, and who embody the true value of When we talk about creatingmanagement has agreed to rec- unions in the strongest tradi- millions of good jobs through aognize the staff union. tions of the labor movement Green New Deal, we mean jobs In a virtual meeting today and are stepping out as advo- where people get paid well,with Sunrise Movement staff cates for workers’ rights and with the protections they deand management, Senator Ed good American jobs. Their ded- serve and that the labor moveMarkey (D-MA) verified the ication to empowering their ment fought for. We areunion vote count as Sunrise’s team with strong support from confident that this new union third-party validator, announc- management sets an important will make our movement even ing support from 79 out of 82 precedent for our country's stronger and more capable ofworkers. workplaces.” fighting to expand the rights of “As a youth-led grassroots or- While the COVID-19 pan- working people everywhere.”ganization dedicated to climate demic has brought national at- Sunrise is the latest nonprofitjustice and bringing millions of tention to the need for unions to organize, with the industryliving-wage jobs to the Ameri- due to increasingly precarious largely non-union. While therecan workforce, forming a union and unsafe working conditions, are no official federal statistics was a clear step of action for us workers with the Sunrise on the number of unions in the at Sunrise, and one that we be- Movement saw organizing as nonprofit industry, recent cenlieve embodies our move- an opportunity to strengthen sus data shows that the perment’s values and will guide its their relationship with manage- centage of union members ingrowth,” said Gabbi Pierce, In- ment while creating a more ac- this space has remained aroundternal Communications Coor- cessible environment for their 1% to 3% over the past decade.dinator at Sunrise Movement growing team. Sunrise workers Sunrise’s young, diverse workand member of CWA Local will join a number of nonprofit force reflects the growing trend1180. “We know that work- workers as members of CWA for nonprofits and youth-ledplaces are stronger when work- Local 1180, including Human organizations to support unioners have a voice and are Rights Watch, Amnesty Inter- organizing and ensure a voiceempowered through unioniza- national, National Domestic for all workers on the job. tion, and we are thankful for Workers Alliance, Open Soci- “We’re excited for Sunrise the recognition of our union by ety Foundations, Century Movement staff to join LocalSunrise management, who has Foundation, and StoryCorps. 1180 and the thousands of nonsupported our organizing ef- “We’re incredibly proud that profit workers CWA representsforts from the start. This is a our employees exercised their across the country,” said Gloriahuge step for our movement in right to form a union, and we Middleton, President of CWA our fight against climate look forward to a productive Local 1180. “Sunrise workers’ change, and for nonprofit or- bargaining relationship with decision to organize speaks toganizations everywhere which our staff that furthers our mis- the real impact unions have onare increasingly advocating in sion to organize for a world strengthening the workforce atsupport of worker rights.” where everyone has the right to its core and creating a more eq “The organizing efforts by meaningful, safe, and dignified uitable environment for workSunrise workers show that jobs,” said Varshini Prakash, ers. We look forward to unions are essential in creating Sunrise Movement Executive working with Sunrise to cona foundation for a strong, equi- Director. “Sunrise Movement tinue to promote good jobs andtable environment that elevates unequivocally supports, and fair contracts for all hard workthe voices of all workers,” said fights for, the right of any and ing Americans.”p