Labor Unions

Eddie Basha Jr. Spent Golden Years Fighting Greedy UFCW Labor Union; Philanthropist Grocer Dead at 75

Eddie Basha Jr., an Arizona legend who used profits from his successful grocery chain to fund countless charity causes, spent the last years of his life fighting allegations of racism, mistreating employees and even hurting babies by a labor union bent on domination. Though Basha, the grandson of A ... More >>

National Labor Relations Board Loses Lawsuit to Block Arizona's "Secret Ballot" Law

Just got word from Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's office that U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Martone today upheld the state's "secret ballot" law. The voter-approved law was intended to block potential national legislation pushed by labor unions that would have allowed unionization in com ... More >>

Robert Meza, State Senator, Uses Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton's Family Photo on Campaign Flier Without Permission

See also: Local Latino Activists Target Unlikely Politician See also: Meza Accused of Threatening DREAMer With Defamation Lawsuit See also: Meza Files Election Complaint Against Team Awesome See also: How Undocumented Immigrants Helped Change Phoenix's City Council Campaign fliers sent out by Senat ... More >>

Hyatt Hotel Workers and Local Activists Protest Alleged Worker Mistreatment in Scottsdale

Protestors took the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch late last week as part of a national campaign by the Unite Here! labor union to protest what it says is the rampant mistreatment of workers employed at Hyatt hotels throughout the country. The labor union's Hyatt Hurts camp ... More >>

Superior Court Judge Halts Phoenix From Paying Cops to Conduct Union Work, Decision Applies Only to Contract Expiring June 30

Maricopa County Judge Katherine Cooper granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday halting contract provisions that allows Phoenix police union officials to conduct union work while they're on the clock. "The city received the judge's order this morning and currently is reviewing it," spokeswoma ... More >>

Phoenix City Council Delays Vote (Again) on Whether to Give Veolia Transportation a Break on Fines for Poor Performance

The Phoenix City Council has yet again postponed making a decision on whether to give Veolia Transportation, a company that operates city buses, a pass on fines assessed for poor performance. Vice Mayor Michael Johnson made a motion to withdraw the item, and the council agreed 8 to 1. Councilman Ji ... More >>

Sky Harbor Janitors Get Jobs Back in Labor Flap; GCA Services Agrees to Federal Demands

​ Four custodial workers at Sky Harbor Phoenix International Airport are getting their jobs back, plus back pay, in a settlement between their employer, GCA Services, and the feds. Isabell Marquez, Yadu Rijal, Hamid Amiri and Geoffery Kachiolwa were fired from their jobs because of their supp ... More >>

Skip Rimsza, Former Phoenix Mayor, Blasts Union-Supporting Mayoral Candidates

Former Mayor Skip Rimsza accuses three mayor candidates of being the preferred candidates of "union bosses."​ To former Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimza, union is a four-letter word.Rimza, who was mayor from 1994 to 2004, wrote a letter for one mayoral candidate that blasts three others whom he claims ... More >>

Local Labor Unions UFCW 99 and UA 469 File Federal Complaint Against Arizona Over New Anti-Defamation, Anti-Picketing Law

A new Arizona law that limits the ability of labor unions to harass employers with picketing and defamation has drawn a federal complaint by two local unions. The United Food and Commerical Workers Local 99 and the Local Union No. 469 of the United Association of Journeymen and A ... More >>

Governor Jan Brewer Vetoes Measure Requiring Cities to Open City Services to Competative Bids

Phoenix workers protest of SB1322​Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a Senate Bill 1322, a measure that would have required large cities, namely Phoenix and Tucson, to open up certain city services to competitive bids from private companies. Brewer said it was "riddled with shortcomings""It's a good victo ... More >>

Feds to Sue Arizona and South Dakota Over Anti-Union Law That Guarantees Secret Ballot Elections

​ The Obama Administration is gearing up to sue Arizona again. In a letter to Arizona and three other states, the National Labor Relations Board's lawyer announced  plans to sue over state laws that guarantee the right to a secret ballot election in unionization efforts. Wh ... More >>

Arizona's GOP Legislators Waste Time (and Tax Dollars) on Resolution Supporting Wisconsin Governor

​Republicans in the Arizona state Senate pissed away their time and your tax dollars last week when they passed a resolution backing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in his budget battle with labor unions and his efforts to put restrictions on collective bargaining for public employees.Say what you ... More >>

Arizona Dems Plan Rally in Support of Wisconsin Workers

​In case you hadn't heard, Madison, Wisconsin, looks more like Cairo, Egypt, these days, with thousands of people taking to the streets in protest of Governor Scott Walker's new budget and the effect it has on the bargaining rights of union workers, namely, the most coddled of all government emplo ... More >>

Veolia Transportation Finally Reaches Contract Agreement With Teamsters; Two Unions Down, One To Go

www.teamsterslocal104.com​Veolia Transportation and the Teamsters Local 104 have finally agreed on contract terms for the more than 60 workers who fuel, clean and maintain the tires on Phoenix city buses.The transit company and union leaders had been at odds since Veolia snagged its latest 5-year ... More >>

Arizona 2010 Ballot Measures Doing Well Include State and Local Ban on Affirmative Action; Voters Like Anti-Union Prop, Too

Image: www.freechoiceact.org/cwa Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure today that rejects the Employee Free Choice Act being pushed by labor unions​Arizona voters sent a strong message to labor unions in today's election, appear to have banned affirmative action in state a ... More >>

Veolia Transportation Says It "Highly" Values Employees, But Workers Say They Aren't Feeling the Love

​Veolia Transportation continues to negotiate with two labor unions representing employees who drive and maintain Phoenix city buses. Company execs already have inked a contract with the mechanics' union.Negotiations have been ongoing since union contracts expired June 30.During that ... More >>

Teamsters Lodge Charges with National Labor Relations Board Against Veolia Transportation

focusmidwest.com​A labor dispute that promoted Veolia Transportation officials to lock out about 60 union bus workers has led union reps to file charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board.According to a letter from Cornele Overstreet, Regional Director of the NLRB in Phoen ... More >>

UPDATE: Veolia Transportation Agrees to Open Doors to Locked Out Union Workers

​A show of good faith?That's what Veolia is calling the company's latest offer -- this one to allow members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters back to work after 2:59 a.m.on October 15.Coincidentally, October 15 is the deadline set by the National Labor Relations Board for Veolia Transp ... More >>

Bus Strike? Veolia Transportation and Union Leaders Still Negotiating; Contracts With at Least One Union Expire at Midnight

​The possibility of a bus strike looms over metro Phoenix even as Veolia Transportation executives and union leaders continue trying to hammer out labor agreements.Contracts expire at midnight tonight for Veolia's maintenance staff, represented by Teamsters Local 104, and for Amalgamated Trans ... More >>

Phoenix Transit Workers Protest as Veolia Brings in "Strike Busters"

​Veolia Transportation officials and representatives of the three local transit unions continue to negotiate labor contracts and have managed to avoid a bus strike in Phoenix. So far. But more than two-dozen union workers who drive, fuel, clean, and repair Phoenix city buses protested, with br ... More >>

Arizona Legislature Begins Anti-Labor-Union Special Session; Language of Ballot Measure to be Fixed

​ Arizona lawmakers convened a special session today to fiddle with the language of a ballot measure intended to preserve secret-ballot elections in labor-union campaigns. Funny thing, though: Arizona's got a lot of problems -- and this ain't one of them. We've written abou ... More >>

Phoenix Warns of Bus Strike, $6.2 million Worth of Unpaid Employee Sick Leave is Part of the Ongoing Negotiations

Valley Metro​Phoenix sounded the alarms this week to prepare the public for a possible bus strike as talks continue with one of the transit unions.Negotiations are expected to continue throughout the day with the union representing employees who fuel and clean the buses (Teamsters Local Union No ... More >>

UPDATE: No Bus Strike In Phoenix Come Monday; Union Contract Extended To August 15

Phoenix bus riders have been spared a possible bus strike come Monday ...The Teamsters Local Union No. 104, which represents the employees who fuel and clean the buses, extended its contract until August 15.The other two unions that represent Veolia Transportation employees had already agreed to ext ... More >>

Hot Links: Fire Departments, Labor Disputes, and Shootings

​A fire broke out at the Boeing plant in Mesa early this morning. The fire, believed to be caused by a generator, was quickly contained by firefighters and a sprinkler system. No injuries were reported...The Phoenix Fire Department may be cutting some programs to avoid laying off firefighters. The ... More >>

Bashas' Announces More Store Closings; Terminating Leases as Part of Bankruptcy

​ Bashas' announced the locations today of all 14 stores it plans on closing by October 10. The family-owned chain filed for bankruptcy last month, but vows to stay afloat as a company and even improve its remaining 130 stores. As the Arizona Republic reported last week, the company is u ... More >>

AFL-CIO Calls Two State Reps "Heroes" for Voting "No" on Republican Bills; Huppenthal's Trial Delayed

Daniel Patterson State Representatives Daniel Patterson and Jack Brown were called "heroes" this week by the AFL-CIO for their committment to vote "no" on most Republican bills. Patterson and Brown began their voting boycott a couple of weeks ago and haven't yet relented, resulti ... More >>

Bashas' Employees Protest Union Tactics at UFCW Local 99's Phoenix Office

  Bashas' employees who say they're tired of a labor union's dirty tactics have launched a "grassroots effort" to strike back. The group "Save Our Stores" is fighting against the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 99, which has targeted the locally run chain for unionizati ... More >>

Food City Offers $5-Off Coupon in Mailer Bashing Labor Union's Tactics

  Don't believe the labor union -- and by the way, take $5 off your next purchase at Food City. That's the message from the Bashas' grocery chain in its latest English-and-Spanish-languages mailer to Valley homes. "Who is trying to destroy Food City?" the flier asks, then answers its ... More >>

Metro Light Rail Operators Don't Have a Contract — Just Grueling Schedules and Smelly Passengers

Labor Unions' "Card-Check Bill" Dead; Act Would Have Removed Secret Ballot Union Elections

  A hotly disputed pro-labor-union bill that looked like it was heading for passage after Democratic gains in the 2008 election was essentially killed today by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. New Times first told our readers about this proposed federal law in o ... More >>

Court Gives Green Light to Bashas' Defamation Lawsuit Against UFCW Local 99

Light rail may not start on time — and Arpaio’s investigation of AG Goddard may never finish

Mike Alewitz

In its war for new members, a labor union is using dirty tricks to turn Hispanics against Bashas'

Backdraft

Westcor Weenies

This raucous raven demands: Is Westcor taking a cue from the Jim Crow South, or is io's closing really about a lame-o lease dispute?

Lactose Intolerants

The taloned one sucks up to breast-feeding MILFs, observes that Smoke Free Arizona ain't no pot initiative and squawks at union boss Billy Shields

Ambulance Chasers

Winning ambulance contracts? It's all about who you know. (Unless it's about the dirt they've got on you.)

Care Tactics

U.S. Border Patrol shoots down an agent's request to be near his ailing mother

Flashes 03-02-2000

Strike Two

Freddy Kroger

Teamsters face a nightmare on 99th Avenue

Unions Struggle for a Foothold

Labor Pains

St. Joseph's management is accused of illegal union-busting tactics

Flashes

SIGN ZE PAPERS!FIRED PHOENIX NEWSPAPERS WORKERS CLAIM PRIVATE DETECTIVES USED STRONG-ARM TACTICS

UNION NUKED AT PALO VERDENLRB FILES COMPLAINT OVER CONTRACTOR'S REFUSAL TO HIRE UNIONISTS

COOKING THE BOOK

A MASSIVE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS EVIDENCE OF UNION CORRUPTION AT THE YELLOW PAGES. WHILE COMPANY MANAGENT DOES NOTHING, EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS PAY THE PRICE.

VINDICATED, BUT NOT REINSTATEDFEDERAL AGENCY FINDS THAT TWO TELLOW PAGES WORKERS WERE WRONGLY FIRED

PROBE INTO UNION EXPANDSNLRB BROADENS INVESTIGATION OF US WEST DIRECT