Department 300 - General Construction

This is the news page for Department 300 - General Construction. This page displays *all* news items from this Department and its Unions. To see news only from a particular Union, click on the Union title below.

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Statement by C.W.O.C in Solidarity with Jimmy Johns Workers

Posted Čt, 09/16/2010 - 2:40am by x344543

The Construction Workers Organizing Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World wishes to express our deepest solidarity with the Jimmy Johns Workers union. As union construction workers, we understand that the only way to maintain and raise both our wages and working conditions is to show solidarity with not only workers of the various trades within construction; but also with workers of other industries. Solidarity means having a true understanding of the old saying, An injury to one is an injury to all.

Solidarity is also the action that springs from this understanding. The greatest action of solidarity that one can follow is the exercising of the right to not cross any picket lines.

Everyone knows that times are hard. The construction industry has been hit especially hard, and many brothers and sisters in the trades are not working. This means that what little work we get, we desperately need. However, as construction workers; we also understand that in these hard times, we must act and be stronger than ever before! For hundreds of years, construction worker have fought long and hard battles, through many recessions, to reach the level of pay and the amount of power we have on the job. We certainly should not let this recession destroy the progress we have made.

The Construction Workers Organizing Committee and the construction workers of the IWW promise to continue to not cross picket lines! No matter what union or what industry, we will continue to act out solidarity and exercise our rights under section 7 of the NLRA: to act in concert with fellow workers to uphold the best interest of the working class. We urge all construction workers to do the same!

Who we are: The Construction Workers Organizing Committee or CWOC is a subordinate body of the Industrial Workers of the World. Our aim is to organize ALL construction workers into ONE democratic fighting union. For more info about us, what we are doing, where we are going, and how you can help, please go to www.iu330.org

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Farewell Fellow Worker Vale Ray Jessop

Posted St, 12/23/2009 - 10:36pm by IWW.org Editor

On December 8th, FW Vale Ray Jessop died in an industrial accident, while at work.  Below is one obituary for the Fellow Worker, and a link to an article about the accident.

On the 6th December Fellow Worker Ray Jessop of Hull was killed in a workplace accident. Enquiries are continuing into the circumstances of Ray's death, but evidence is emerging that the cost-cutting policies of his employer, Kier, played a large part. It will be some time before a formal inquest takes place, but I have heard that UCATT, of which Ray was a member, is seriously considering making a case for a corporate manslaughter prosecution.

Although Ray was not well known in the OBU he was a loyal member and supporter of our union which he joined in 2002. He was not a passive member of UCATT and spoke out against managerial abuses. Workmates had tried to persuade him to take the shop steward's position, but he declined as he did not feel that he was the right person for that task.

IWW on THE ILLINOIS WORLD LABOR HOUR

Posted Pá, 01/09/2009 - 12:50am by x344543
THIS SATURDAY, JAN. 10TH

THE  ILLINOIS  WORLD  LABOR  HOUR
90.1 FM  /  www.weft.org  11AM - 12 NOON ( CENTRAL TIME )

A LIVE TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT AUSTIN OF THE CHICAGO INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD ( IWW ).

TALKING ABOUT HIS EYE-WITNESS EXPERIENCE AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE REPUBLIC WINDOW AND DOOR FACTORY OCCUPATION WITH RANK AND FILE WORKERS OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL WORKERS UNION ( UE ).

TUNE IN AT 11AM ( CST ) TO HEAR FELLOW WORKER AUSTIN DESCRIBE THE EVENT THAT SHOCKED THE RULING CLASS AND INSPIRED WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD.

WEFT 90.1 FM /  www.weft.org
LISTENER SUPPORTED COMMUNITY RADIO IN CHAMPAIGN IL.

Report-back from Wed. Dec. 10 IWW NYC solidarity action w/ UE strikers

Posted St, 12/17/2008 - 7:17pm by x344543
A dozen members and supporters of the Industrial Workers of the World in NYC entered two Bank of America locations in Manhattan yesterday to demand that the bailed-out financial giant do the right thing in the Republic sit-down strike.  Workers served a demand letter on Branch management and disrupted business as usual with chants of, "you got bailed out, we got sold out."  At a third Bank of America location, management had been tipped off, and the demonstrators were stopped at the door by senior security personnel.  The security personnel accepted the demand letter, stated "no comment", and then retreated into the bank as demonstrators erupted in chanting.

The NYC Wobblies pledged full and lasting solidarity with the UE brothers and sisters as they struggled for fair compensation and for control of their factory.

VICTORY AT REPUBLIC WINDOWS AND DOORS!

Posted Čt, 12/11/2008 - 5:23pm by x344543

Press Release from UE Local 1110, posted in solidarity by IWW members:

Workers Vote to Get Pay; Occupation Ends!

After 6 days occupying the plant, workers at Republic Window and Doors in Chicago voted to accept a settlement late on December 10th.

The settlement totals $1.75million. It will provide the workers with:

- Eight weeks of pay they are owed under the federal WARN Act;
- Two months of continued health coverage, and;
- Pay for all accrued and unused vacation.

JPMorgan Chase will provide $400,000 of the settlement, with the balance coming from Bank of America. Although the money will be provided as a loan to Republic Windows and Doors, it will go directly into a third-party fund whose sole purpose is to pay the workers what is owed them. In addition, the UE has started the "Window of Opportunity Fund" dedicated to re-opening the plant.

As the Local 1110 leaders characterized the settlement, "We fought to make them pay what they owe us, and we won." Read more about the settlement here.

We want to extend a big THANK YOU to all of you who participated in this campaign. The tremendous support and solidarity from the thousands of people like you around the country - and the world - who took the time to send messages to Bank of America and who rallied at banks across the country was crucial in winning this victory.

This is truly an historic victory for workers in the United States.

But this struggle is just the beginning! As the economic crisis deepens we need to launch a working class fight back. Rallies for a "People's Bailout" will continue today and throughout the rest of the week.

Click here to find an action near you (updated daily) http://www.jwj.org/bailout/12-08actions.html. You can also take action online:

- Tell Congress: We Demand a People's Bailout: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/peoplesbailout
- Save Autoworker Jobs: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/autoworkers
- VOTE NOW for Grinch of the Year: http://www.jwj.org/grinch

Thanks again for all that you do! You can see photos, video, and press clips from the Week of Action here: http://www.jwj.org/bailout/12-08report.html