Labor

CHICAGO – 60 workers who have, for five years, been taking turns to march the picket line in front of the Congress Hotel here could not conceal their joy June 11 as thousands of trade union and community activists joined their ranks.

WEST MILFORD, N.J. — She came from Guatemala and landed a job as a live-in housekeeper here.

With the primary season over, labor is wasting no time jumping into the fall campaign.

Congressional allies of President Bush scraped up just enough enemies of workers on Capitol Hill June 11 to ensure that a Democratic move to extend unemployment benefits fell short by three votes.

Union and congressional leaders announced June 5 that they are backing a new trade bill that works for workers, not just for giant multinationals.

The announcement June 6 that the jump in the unemployment rate is the worst in more than a generation resulted in a few corporate analysts admitting we are now in an economy that has probably “stalled.” Workers know that what Wall Street apologists are describing as a stall is nothing less than a disaster.

Labor leaders held an emergency telephone press conference June 10 and are appealing to everyone to call or e-mail their Congressional representatives on June 11 and 12 to urge them to vote for a new bill that will extend unemployment benefits.

WEST MILFORD, N.J. — She came from Guatemala and landed a job as a live-in housekeeper for a family here.

Her workday started at 5:30 a.m. and ended at midnight, seven days a week. She cooked, cleaned, watched children, made home repairs and did yard work. At first she earned $150 a month but after a while her employers started paying her no money at all.

Immokalee farmworkers celebrated a landmark agreement late last month, after Burger King agreed to pay them a penny more for every pound of tomatoes they pick, to improve their working conditions and to set up a new code of conduct for growers.