Under the Radar

Statistics

Chicago Public School Students Demand Collective Bargaining Rights

The Chicago Teachers Union strike has been a topic of discussion in organized labor for the past year. Now, it appears that their influence has extended to their students. A group of public school students from grassroots groups around the city, including Chicago Students Organizing to Save Our Schools (CSOSOS) and Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE), have come together to form the Chicago Students Union (CSU). They are demanding that the school district collectively bargain with them as representatives of the student body over issues of importance to students, representation during any negotiation regarding education in Chicago public schools, and most notably, the right to strike. In other words, they are demanding a voice in decisions made about their schools—and ways to take action if their voice is ignored. Ross Floyd, sixteen years old, co-founder of the CSU, said,

No matter how many marches we did, they still voted to close fifty schools and fired thousands of teachers. We have to come up with a new plan, and as any civil rights movement has shown us, when people come together they find strength in numbers.

Sex Workers Rally Around the World Protesting Murders in Turkey, Sweden

In New York, they carried red umbrellas as they stood solemnly outside the Swedish consulate. The red umbrella has become a symbol of the movement for sex workers’ rights, and the women holding it were mourning the murders of Dora Özer and Petite Jasmine, sex workers from Turkey and Sweden, respectively, who were killed in unrelated incidents two days apart. Rallies in thirty-six cities spanned four continents, calling for an end to the stigma against sex workers that leads to them disproportionately becoming victims of violence. A statement from the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe said in part, “Rather than the state condoning and perpetuating this stigma, states must work with sex workers to challenge the marginal status of sex workers.”

Minnesotans Continue Putting Their Bodies on the Line to Fight Foreclosure

In Minneapolis, a spinoff of Occupy Wall Street has found success in defending local homes from foreclosure. In their latest fight, hundreds of community members occupied the Ceballos family home to defend it from eviction by JPMorgan Chase Bank. The Ceballos family was “dual tracked”—told they were under consideration for loan modification while the bank filed for eviction—despite the national mortgage settlement banning such a process. Chase, which has received a failing grade from the settlement monitor, moved to remove the family, and thirty sheriffs arrived to evict the home on July 24. They arrested two people for nonviolent resistance and jackhammered one out of a cement barrel. The Ceballos family, friends, and neighbors immediately returned to the home, which they continued to hold. They expect another eviction attempt at any time. “Chase told us they wanted to help us,” said Jonathan Ceballos. “Who do they think they’re helping? They want to see another empty house, but it’s not going to happen, because we the people are here to support one another. Together, we are one.”

This fight is part of a broader “eviction free zone” campaign started by Occupy Homes in the Central and Powderhorn neighborhoods of Minneapolis, where some 835 foreclosures have occurred since 2007. Within that space, they plan on contesting every foreclosure and defending every family’s right to remain in their homes. They demand that city and county officials stop acting on the banks’ wishes and cease evicting families from their homes while they are attempting to negotiate with their lenders.

Sushi Waiters Strike against Test-Based Wage Theft

The fight against high-stakes standardized testing in public schools, where teachers are penalized for their students’ test scores, has been going on for years, but workers at Philadelphia’s Fat Salmon Sushi restaurant were surprised to find that the trend had infiltrated their restaurant. A complicated system of tests determined how much of the workers’ tips they were allowed to keep. Passing a beverage test allowed a server to keep 70 percent of her tips; a short menu test got them 80 % a longer menu test earned them 90 % and a long, complete menu test was required for them to keep all their tips. “He’s never disclosed [where the docked tip money goes], so I assume he just keeps it,” Diana A., a Fat Salmon worker said. Three workers went on strike, alleging unfair labor practices; after a May Day action which saw an additional twelve workers sign on to a letter demanding changes, the employer changed its policy. While workers still have to take the series of tests, their tips are no longer confiscated. Negotiations between the workers and management are continuing.

“Sharecropping on Wheels” in Savannah

Port truck drivers occupy a unique place in the supply chain: without them to move cargo out of ports, nothing that is shipped in and out of the United States goes anywhere. And because many of them are classified as independent contractors, they enjoy little workplace protection and must individually bear lots of heavy costs to maintain their trucks. In Savannah, at least, the port truckers are organizing to change their conditions—with or without the right to a union. They held a community/driver forum with Labor Department officials and local legislators, and while they wait for allies to propose state legislation that might force employers to shoulder more of the costs, they are weighing options for further action. It is worth noting that among the companies served by the Port of Savannah is Walmart; there is a massive Walmart distribution center in neighboring Statesboro that would be immediately affected if the drivers, for instance, chose to go on strike.

Forty-Five Cities Hold “Human Chain” Protests against Chained Consumer Price Index (CPI)

On July 2, forty-five cities around the country saw “human chain” protests against “Chained CPI,” with seniors, people with disabilities, and allies holding hands and taking over public spaces, state capitols, and the offices of lawmakers. Chained CPI is a method of calculating cost-of-living increases for, among other things, Social Security that President Obama has considered as part of a compromise deal with Republicans on various budget issues. It measures cost-of-living increases differently than the current system, assuming that if the price of one good—say, beef—goes up, the average person will substitute something else—chicken, perhaps—and thus their expenses will not actually go up. This means that it would effectively cut benefits for Social Security recipients by hundreds of dollars a year, and groups like the Alliance for Retired Americans and labor organizations like Working America are not pleased. “The chained CPI is a cold, calculated cut to our Social Security benefits and some cuts never heal,” said Barbara Easterling, the Alliance president.