Ep 94 - Working Overtime at the Hershey Prison

It’s been a busy week in Labor news so we’ve got a jam packed episode of Work Stoppage.  First, we’ve got a few recent victories:  Workers at Coffee Tree Roasters in Pittsburgh won their union election 17-3 and will now be represented by UFCW Local 1776.  Workers at Rich Products’ Jon Donaire ice cream cake plant have ended their four month long strike with three times the wage increase that the company initially offered.  Also, following up our story about gig workers in Canada, Ontario’s labor ministry has ruled that Ontario Uber drivers are in fact employees and gig companies must immediately act to comply with provincial labor law.  In that vein, we also report on a bill in Washington state currently supported by both gig companies and Uber that would permanently misclassify gig workers in exchange for some mild benefits.  Amazon has once again stepped up their repression, having the NYPD arrest several organizers with the Amazon Labor Union, including Christian Smalls, for “trespassing.”  We also discuss the awful working conditions at the Hershey’s candy factory in Stuarts Draft, Virginia, where over 1300 workers are voting on whether to unionize with the BCTGM.  Finally this week, Starbucks workers got another major victory as the workers at a Mesa, Arizona location finally got their ballots counted and won the third successful Starbucks union election.

If you like the show, please support us at patreon.com/workstoppage.  We couldn’t do the show without your support, and patrons get access to evergreen Overtime episodes and periodic Shop Floor Discussion episodes on current issues too long to cover in our regular episodes.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX

Follow the pod @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter, John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee.