Students Bring Boycott of American Eagle to Campuses Across North America

[Omaha Steve]

September 25th, 2007


As classes resumed this month, students at more than twenty campuses across North America participated in a Week of Action to spread the word about the ongoing boycott of teen retailer American Eagle Outfitters. College students from Ottawa to Miami and San Antonio to Montreal are supporting the back-to-school boycott protesting workers' rights abuses at American Eagle's Canadian distribution contractor, National Logistics Services, where workers faced harassment and intimidation when they sought to improve conditions by forming a union. American Eagle's Code of Conduct for Contractors requires protection for freedom of association.

UNITE HERE joined with United Students Against Sweatshops, the Student Labor Action Project and the Canadian Federation of Students to launch the boycott of American Eagle in June. Since then thousands of people have signed the online boycott pledge at www.AmericanVulture.org.

The campaign recently launched a counter-marketing contest called "Defeather the Eagle" - the best ads satirizing American Eagle may be eligible for prizes.

Learn more about the campaign at www.AmericanVulture.org.
Airport Workers Rally For Improvements

85 employees of HDS Retail North America ("HDS") and four other concessions companies at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia International Airports rallied at Newark International Airport on Tuesday for better working conditions and job security at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey airports.

HDS workers addressed a group about their continuing efforts to organize for better working conditions, and urged the Port Authority to resolve the five-month public labor dispute at HDS' airport locations. The lingering dispute between management and workers has put HDS' contract with the Port Authority at risk.

Port Authority concessions workers at other companies who have already organized a union and won improvements on the job expressed their support of the HDS workers, and spoke to the public about the risk of losing their own quality jobs to non-union operators as the Port Authority continues to bring new stores to all three of its airports. Bennie Farrar, an HMS Host worker in Newark, said, "There is constant store turnover at these airports. A company could come in and replace us at anytime. It's scary because I've got a family to support, and it's hard to find another job in Newark that pays me enough to survive."

HDS employee Taicha Belot will address the Port Authority at this Thursday's board meeting to speak about the continuing labor dispute.
Hale Koa Workers Travel From Hawai'i to San Francisco For Winning Vote Count

On Tuesday, September 18, the Federal Labor Relations Authority tallied votes in the union election at Hale Koa Hotel, the U.S. Army owned and operated hotel located at Fort DeRussy in Waikiki.

Eddie Yagin and Lynda Nakagawara, Local 5 members and employees at the Hale Koa, travelled to San Francisco as official observers to the tallying of votes. When the count was complete, approximately three-quarters of employees voted for the union.

The campaign to organize the Hale Koa Hotel has faced enormous challenges, from allegedly illegal attempts to limit the number of workers who can observe and participate in bargaining, to attempts at limiting workers' abilities to talk to union organizers. Most notably, in a December 23, 2006 decision, an arbitrator wrote: "...I find there was retaliatory conduct due to the Grievant's efforts to seek relief under the ADA and for his efforts on behalf of the Union." The retaliatory conduct resulted in the termination of a worker, but the arbitrator ruled the worker be returned to work.

If no objection to the tally is filed by any one of the interested parties associated with the election, the official vote tally will be certified by the FLRA next week.

ACT NOW!

Tell HDS/Relay that you won't support their stores: http://www.rejectrelay.info/