The workers and management at Stonemountain & Daughter, a Berkley California based Fabric Store, have signed a new contract. Tentative agreement on the contract was reached in the final bargaining session on the night of June 26th, the shop vote was unanimous in favor of the contract, and the contract was officially ratified on July 22nd.

The gains for all the workers in the shop are huge: a raise in the starting wage from $9.25 per hour to $10.60 per hour, employer funded health care for employees working over 24 hours per week, a 35% raise in paid time off, new holidays, and even an easy chair in the break room. In a win for the campaign to retain the eight hour day, all overtime is now guaranteed to be voluntary, meaning that anyone who chooses to work only eight hours cannot be disciplined for refusing overtime.

By J. Pierce and Steve O.

The Bay Area IWW held an informational leafleting at a Starbucks cafe in Alameda, CA., at the busy intersection of Park Street and Central Avenue on Sunday July 6. Making good contact with the baristas inside, and a few passers-by who happened also to be Starbucks employees, we expressed our solidarity and offered our support in their efforts to gain more control over their jobs.

The demonstration was small, as it was organized at the last minute. The IWW members present made sure that the workers inside were aware that this demonstration was in solidarity with Grand Rapids, Michigan IWW member and Starbucks Barista Cole Dorsey and CNT Starbucks Barista, Monica. The organizers also made it clear to the baristas in Alameda that this demonstration did not target them and that the Starbucks Union is not (yet) calling for a boycott of Starbucks.

By: J. Pierce with Adam Welch

Independent truckers in California's San Joaquin Valley shut down their rigs on Friday, May 2nd declaring an open-ended strike. At $4.80 a gallon, sky-rocketing diesel prices top the list of grievances. As their main demand, drivers insist on doubling the rates paid for hauling a container. The second biggest demand is a fuel surcharge of upwards of 55%. The brokers currently pay surcharges varying from 30-40%. If drivers can keep the trucking bosses from stealing it, the increased surcharge would help place the burden back on those who can afford it.

"We're fighting for survival." That's how Gerardo Cordoba explains the struggle. He's been driving for 10 years and raises a seven year-old on what he brings home after costs. The rates haven't seen an increase in a decade and most truckers bring home less than $30,000 year. In fact, when asked how much an average driver earns, Dewey Obtinalla, a Filipino driver who regularly does long haul up the coast, replied, "If you're making $30,000, that's good, very good... With fuel, insurance, and registration, I don't know a lot of people who are doing that well." Brave strikers don't need to look far for others willing to fight.

Once again a step ahead of intermodal truckers across the US, Stockton truckers, led by the majority Sikh drivers, launched a strike over the issue of fuel prices on Monday, May 5, 2008.

While many truckers participated in various protest shutdowns on either April 1st or May 1st this year, the 300-400 Stockton truckers working out of the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railyards have shut down their industry until their demands have been met.

Rather than demand the fuel surcharges paid by shippers but often pocketed by companies rather than passed along to drivers, the Stockton truckers are asking for a dramatic increase in the rates paid in order to keep up with increases costs such as fuel.

On April 26, 2004 Stockton intermodal truckers, inspired by rumors circulating of an LA port trucker shutdown, were the first to join what became a strike of west cost port truckers on April 30, and by June had spread to most southern and eastern ports as well.

By Reed Fujii - San Joaquin Record Staff Writer, May 06, 2008

Disclaimer: The action described here was not organized by the IWW.

By Francine Brevetti - staff writer, inside bayarea.com, May 6, 2008

OAKLAND — About 80 striking truckers from Middle Harbor Road at the Port of Oakland were ticketed and dispersed Tuesday after some of them committed vandalism, police said.

Some drivers had damaged a truck's window while the driver was operating the rig, Sgt. Peter Lau said.

Nevertheless, the protesting truck drivers who own and operate their own rigs vowed to continue demonstrating at the port for the rest of the week. They say motor carrier firms have been underpaying them for diesel fuel.

Bay Area IWW members are involved in the following struggle:

Originally posted to indybay.org

Our first day on strike was extremely successful, despite the owner’s attempts at intimidation by video taping us. Only two out of nine day-time teachers went to work. The school succeeded in hiring one replacement worker, but after we talked with him, he decided not to return! This shows the tremendous potential for support that exists throughout the ESL community.

Dozens of students stayed out also, many of them joining us on our picket line and several of them spoke at our rally. We should note that while they were speaking, the school's six-figure Executive Director was snickering and laughing – showing his contempt not only for his employees, but also for his “customers” – the students who pay the freight at SFIE.

Other workers – union and non-union alike came out to our first picket, and we have the commitment of others to continue.

PLEASE SUPPORT US
Spread the word!
Join our picket line!
Donate to our strike fund!

SFIEteachers [at] yahoo.com

Bay Area IWW members are involved in the following struggle:

On Monday, March 17, at 8:30 a.m. a strike will begin at San Francisco Institute of English (3301 Balboa, corner of 34th Avenue in SF's Outer Richmond District) and will continue until the following demands are met:

• Return of fully-paid health care that was removed in 2004 with the promise of its return when financial conditions improve, which they have -- in addition, this past week SFIE sold another school property that had been on the market for $1,395,000.
• An across-the-board 30% increase in wages, with automatic future cost-of-living-adjustments because there have been none for over 12 years.

Please join our picket line in front of the school building, as well as contribute to our strike fund (e-mail back for details).