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Bollywood workers strike over
A strike affecting the Indian film industry has ended.
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Boeing Machinists on Strike
(Newser) – Some 27,000 Boeing machinists launched a strike early this morning after failing to reach an agreement with the company on a new contract, reports Reuters. A boisterous crowd of more than 100 workers gathered near the entrance of Boeing's factory in Everett, Washington, whistling, honking and waving picket signs as the strike started. The action followed two days of fruitless emergency talks with a federal mediator after the union rejected Boeing's latest offer.
Boeing said it would keep its plants open, but its massive assembly lines and plane production will stop. The strike could cost the company about $100 million in revenue a day. No further talks are planned. Machinists earn about $65,000 a year with overtime. They're seeking a 13% wage hike over three years and a rollback of provisions that allow Boeing to outsource work.
SOURCE Reuters (Newser) – Some 27,000 Boeing machinists launched a strike early this morning after failing to reach an agreement with the company on ... more -
DRC: Health crisis looms as doctors’ strike continues
Thousands of patients in health care centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa are being deprived of urgent medical care after a strike by doctors and health workers entered its fifth day.
“We are afraid because the doctors who have people’s lives in their hands are not there,” said Faustin Badiaumu, whose sister was in the intensive care unit at Kinshasa General Hospital.
“My sister is in a critical condition after an operation,” Badiamu said. “We are very worried because she is not getting appropriate treatment.”
“There is no doctor here,” Hortense Ikota, head nurse in charge of emergencies at the hospital said. “We do not know what to do.”
Kambamba Mbwebe, a doctor in the 2000-bed hospital, said the doctors had to strike “so they could be heard”.
According to Mbwebe, doctors want the government to issue pay rises and various administrative changes to the health sector. Mbwebe said doctors were earning just US$200-400 a month, leaving many struggling to pay rents, and some facing eviction from their homes.
“It’s unacceptable that ministers, government officials and members of parliament earn more than $4,000, buy new cars while we [doctors] suffer,” he said.
The Kinshasa General Hospital registers over 3,000 consultations daily with 2,000 sick people being admitted.
The government, meanwhile, claims to have responded to the doctors’ demands.
“We did not ignore any of the doctors’ claims. Quite to the contrary, many of the issues were resolved between January and August 2008,” Makwenge Kaput, the minister for health, said, explaining that unpaid bonuses had been paid and salaries raised.
The government was also looking at solutions to stop the strike, which had spread to other health centres across the country. Thousands of patients in health care centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa are being deprived of urgent medical... more -
Airline Cancels 360 Flights
Strike chaos struck Germany's national airline again on Thursday, with 700 pilots walking off the job at Lufthansa's CityLine subsidiary. The short-hop airline cancelled around 360 flights.
Just days after ground and cabin personnel ended their strike, a new labor conflict started at German airline Lufthansa on Friday. At midnight, the 700 pilots for its CityLine subsidiary walked off the job in a 36-hour warning strike. Called by the Cockpit union, the strike caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights as well as delays.
The strike has hit all of the German cities that CityLine flies to, including important hubs Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Berlin. A Lufthansa spokesperson told SPIEGEL ONLINE that around 360 of CityLine's scheduled flights had to be cancelled.
CityLine is a Lufthansa subsidiary that offers flights to domestic destinations in Germany as well as European cities -- generally with regional jet services to cities that don't have enough demand for larger Lufthansa aircraft to serve them. Flights on normal Lufthansa flights have not been effected by Thursday's walkout.
Read more... Strike chaos struck Germany's national airline again on Thursday, with 700 pilots walking off the job at Lufthansa's CityLin... more -
Pilot Strike Grounds More Than 500 Flights
A 36-hour strike by the German pilots' union Cockpit continues to ground hundreds of short-haul flights of two Lufthansa subsidiary airlines. Union representatives for ground and cabin personnel plan to announce Friday whether they will also go on strike.
Walkouts by members of the airline pilots' union Cockpit affected 465 flights of Lufthansa subsidiary airlines Tuesday and are expected to ground more than 500 Wednesday, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.
The strike began at noon Tuesday and is scheduled to last until midnight Wednesday. The Cockpit union asked its more than 1,000 members to not show up for work at the subsidiary airlines Eurowings and Lufthansa CityLine.
The strike has forced Lufthansa to cancel almost 1,000 flights -- 465 on Tuesday and 525 on Wednesday, according to a company statement. The affected planes are primarily smaller aircraft making frequent connections between European countries as well as connecting flights between regional German airports and the major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. The major airports affected are those of Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Berlin, Nuremberg, Düsseldorf and Hanover.
Read more... A 36-hour strike by the German pilots' union Cockpit continues to ground hundreds of short-haul flights of two Lufthansa subsidia... more -
Peruvian workers, farmers march against President
Thousands of Peruvians protested on Wednesday to denounce President Alan Garcia's free-market policies, which they say have failed to benefit the poor during six years of booming economic growth.
Protesters waving red banners put up road blocks on highways in regions including Ica, Puno and Cuzco, snarling traffic and closing rail service to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, Peru's top tourist destination.
The rallies, which coincided with a two-day farmers' strike that started on Tuesday, were the latest in a series of protests held to demand the government do more to spread the Andean country's new wealth to workers and the poor.
Marchers in the capital Lima carried signs urging Garcia to quit and calling him "right-wing" and a "traitor." Thousands of Peruvians protested on Wednesday to denounce President Alan Garcia's free-market policies, which they say have faile... more -
Robert De Niro speaks out against actors strike
Robert De Niro has warned Hollywood actors against taking strike action over negotiating a new contract with studio bosses.
"I do not think it is a good time to be striking," said the 64-year-old actor, adding the issues "could be resolved" in years to come.
De Niro was speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where he won a career award.
The Screen Actors Guild is expected to respond to a new offer on Monday. Robert De Niro has warned Hollywood actors against taking strike action over negotiating a new contract with studio bosses. ... more -
Feminists shut down London Underground... with milkshakes
Feminists reportedly brought chaos to London Underground stations when they 'milkshaked' escalators in support of the tube cleaners' strike during rush hour this morning.
Activists from Feminist Fightback poured the milky concoctions (chocolate, strawberry or vanilla, I wonder?) onto the escalators, forcing a close-down until the mess could be cleared up, in an attempt to highlight the crucial role that cleaners play in keeping the underground running.
They were acting in support of cleaners on the underground who've been on strike since Tuesday evening, after TfL failed to respond to the cleaners' one day strike last week.
London Underground cleaners - the majority of whom are women and people from ethnic minorities - are demanding:
• A wage of £7.20 per hour, the minimum London living wage as determined by the GLA last year
• Sick Pay
• Decent pensions
• 28 days' annual leave
• An end to third party sackings
Last Friday Feminist Fightback activists invaded London Underground Headquarters. Armed with feather dusters, brooms and mops, they set about helping Transport for London 'clean up their act' until they were forcibly removed.
Do you support the demands of the men and women who mop up your sick and clear away your newspapers every day? )
Were you at Bank or Tottenham Court Road stations earlier today? Did errant dairy products ruin your journey, and mess up your morning?
Or was the protest just a drop in the (milky) ocean (do you see what I did there?) of the tube's everyday disruptions? Feminists reportedly brought chaos to London Underground stations when they 'milkshaked' escalators in support of the tube c... more -
SAG president: Stop that strike talk
The Screen Actors Guild has told its 122,000 members to stay on the job even if the union fails to reach a deal with film and television studios before their contract expires at midnight Monday.
SAG President Alan Rosenberg said no strike vote has been planned, and the union's negotiators are "coming to the bargaining table every day in good faith."
The talks have been complicated by a split between SAG and the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which has reached its own agreement with the studios. About 44,000 of AFTRA's 70,000 members belong to both unions, and SAG leaders have urged those members to vote against the deal.
But AFTRA President Roberta Reardon said her union's agreement is "a solid deal" that should be ratified -- and she blasted SAG for trying to influence her members. The Screen Actors Guild has told its 122,000 members to stay on the job even if the union fails to reach a deal with film and televisi... more -
Actors' strike threatens to bring Hollywood to a standstill
To have one trade union paralyse Hollywood was strange; two doing it in quick succession feels like carelessness. A threatened walkout by actors, which could begin as early as next week, is throwing major film and television studios into chaos.
The contract dispute, this time between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and their white-collar bosses, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), is causing what industry experts have called a "virtual strike".
Production deadlines for dozens of major projects have been scrapped amid growing signs that the SAG, which has 120,000 members, will fail to resolve its dispute before a deadline for industrial action on Tuesday next week.
Most major film shoots are now either being put on hold, or wrapping-up early to avoid disruption. "No one is doing anything that finishes after 30 June, and nobody's starting anything now," one lawyer representing actors told The Hollywood Reporter. "This is the impact of a strike already."
Victims of the crisis include Sir Ridley Scott, who has delayed filming his Robin Hood remake, Nottingham, until late summer. Martin Scorsese, Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh are meanwhile rushing to finish their current projects by 1 July. Those films are Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, The Lovely Bones and The Informant.
Other stars who are likely to have a busy week include Will Ferrell (currently working on Land of the Lost), together with Seth Rogen (Observe and Report), and the James Bond actor Daniel Craig.
The entire cast of High School Musical 3; GI Joe; When in Rome and Disney's Race to Witch Mountain are also racing to complete shoots before any picket lines appear.
At issue in the SAG dispute are almost 70 elements of a proposed new contract with the major studios that is being haggled over at AMPTP's headquarters in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. Bones of contention are said to include payments for film and video clips screened online, the issue that was at the heart of the previous writers' dispute.
Several major projects are planning to suspend actual filming and work on special effects for however long it takes to resolve the dispute. The Transformers sequel is about to begin a planned hiatus, along with Angels & Demons, the follow up to The DaVinci Code.
On television, the autumn season for dozens of network shows, which was already knocked out of schedule by the 100-day writers' crisis, now faces renewed chaos. The hit show Gossip Girl is in the middle of filming its second series. Army Wives, Saving Grace, The Closer and Monk are also mid-production, while 24 has decided not to chance its arm and cancelled an entire year of shows.
The Milken Institute, a Californian economic think- tank, recently estimated that the state would already lose about $2.1bn (£1.07bn) in output as well as 37,000 jobs by the end of the year.
"Even if the actors strike doesn't happen, there is already an economic impact going on which is currently affecting production schedules," said the study's author, Kevin Klowden. "Even a smaller strike would slow down the recovery."
Whatever happens, those worst hit by any disruption will be actors and technical staff. The Actors Fund, a charity that assists film-industry employees who have fallen on hard times, said yesterday that it has received 800 requests for support already this year, more than four times its usual level.
"Usually we give out $250-$350,000 a year in emergency financial assistance in Los Angeles," said a spokesman. "This year, we've already given out $1.2m. If this new strike happens, it will be devastating for people."
The turmoil may also spill over into the political arena. California's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger – who is a SAG member – was the subject of a heated editorial in yesterday's Los Angeles Times criticising his failure to intervene in the dispute. "We saw how you handled the writers' strike... It was, frankly, kind of a girlie- man performance," it read. To have one trade union paralyse Hollywood was strange; two doing it in quick succession feels like carelessness. A threatened walkout... more -
Shell drivers keep up the fuel strike
Reports coming into the BBC suggest that the supply of fuel to the UK has become "patchy" as Shell drivers keep up their strike over pay. It's the second day of a four day strike and consumers are being urged to not panic buy, so far the message seems to have hit home,
"Outside of Merseyside, mid-Berkshire and some places on the south coast and south-west of England...it's actually been busy but not anywhere near what we'll call panic buying" were the words of Ray Holloway from Petrol Retailers' Association
Maybe the situation will change over the weekend as the strike continues, a strike which might even take place again next weekend if the dispute isn't resolved. Since Shell have announced record profits again, shouldn't some of the rewards of that revenue be shared amongst the staff? Reports coming into the BBC suggest that the supply of fuel to the UK has become "patchy" as Shell drivers keep up their str... more -
Construction workers walk off Las Vegas site where 6 workers recently killed
Safety takes a back seat to the Almighty Dollar...
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Fishermen riot against fuel prices outside EU headquarters
French fishermen have been on strike for several weeks over the price of diesel, which has risen by 240% in the past five years. As usual when something goes terribly wrong, people decided to protest. After several hours of stand-off, the protest turned violent. What is this world coming to? French fishermen have been on strike for several weeks over the price of diesel, which has risen by 240% in the past five years. As us... more
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French unions on strike
France's transport and public sector workers began a nationwide strike today in protest over changes to state pension qualification rules.
The strike will put renewed pressure on the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to amend his pension reform plans as his approval ratings reach an all-time low a year after his election.
France's five largest unions have asked members to march in 80 cities, calling for a reversal of the government's decision to increase state pension entitlement rules to 41 years of work, an increase of one year.
Port workers have also planned a walkout to coincide with the one-day protest which will further disrupt shipping times that have already been affected by fisherman taking action over the rising cost of diesel.
Today's strikes are not predicted to cause the widespread travel problems seen in November, when a nine-day protest was held by transport workers who were striking against plans to scrap the special pension rights of public-sector workers.
The government negotiated an end to those entitlements, under which certain categories could draw a full pension after working for 37.5 years rather than the standard 40 years.
On the rail network, most of the disruption was expected to be on regional trains, while trains to Paris airports were also halved. International links to Brussels and London should be unaffected.
But France's civil aviation authority has said flights could be affected, especially those taking off in the morning.
The unions have said the success of their protest today will be measured by how many people turned out for their rallies, with 500,000 expected in Paris. France's transport and public sector workers began a nationwide strike today in protest over changes to state pension qualificati... more -
Hundreds of Indian workers exploited for labor following Katrina demand justice
The vast rebuilding effort in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina led the US government to permit recruitment of foreign laborers who were accorded "guest worker" status for the duration of their employment but apparently not the same rights and protection that domestic workers are guaranteed under US labor laws. Lacking safeguards, the foreign workers are ripe targets for exploitation and abuse by contractors.
Some 500 Indian workers caught in what they claim is a human trafficking racket have asked the Indian government to protect their families in India from vengeful recruiters even as they filed a class action anti-racketeering lawsuit in the US against their American employer.
Additionally, hundreds of Indian workers will return to DC next week to launch an indefinite hunger strike to demand the federal government investigate the guest worker program and abuse of post-Katrina Gulf Coast workers.
In late 2006, the workers mortgaged their futures – and $20,000 – on false promises of fortune and green cards by recruiters from marine construction company Signal International. But when the workers arrived in the US to work on post-Katrina reconstruction, they only received guestworker visas and were forced to pay Signal $1,050 a month to live in a trailer with 23 other workers.
The hunger strike will specifically call on the Department of Justice to prosecute Signal International and for Congress to hold hearings on the guest worker program in the post-Katrina Gulf Coast. The vast rebuilding effort in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina led the US government to permit recruitment of foreign laborers ... more -
Strike two: this time, it will be a swing and a miss for film producers
With SAG deadlines bearing down, it's becoming increasingly clear that while the writers' strike was primarily a television stoppage, this one, if it happens, will be a film one. Part of that is a function of the calendar -- when the WGA walked off, most television productions should have been in full swing, whereas now those shows are getting ready for summer hiatus anyway. Many film producers, on the other hand, desperately need to shoot now if they're going to meet studio slate needs, festival deadlines, etc.
But the other factor is the nature of the strike itself, which is designed to yank out the rug from projects that take longer to gestate and shoot - that is, films. By its nature a writers' walk off freezes things early in the development process, which means as long as you're past a certain hurdle (i.e., the script stage) you could move ahead unaffected. But an actors' strike freezes it later, when a project is seemingly in good shape, and so it means that you have to stop production even months ahead of the actual walkout lest a strike halt you mid-shoot. With SAG deadlines bearing down, it's becoming increasingly clear that while the writers' strike was primarily a television ... more -
Strike could lead to fuel shortages
A planned strike by workers at a giant oil refinery will lead to fuel shortages from next Friday and could cripple supplies for a month, its owners have warned.
Up to 1,200 workers at the Grangemouth site in Scotland will walk out on April 27 and 28 in a row over pensions.
The site's owner, Ineos, said that the industrial action could mean no fuel supplies in Scotland and the North of England for at least a month, although the Unite union has warned that the whole of the UK would be hit. A planned strike by workers at a giant oil refinery will lead to fuel shortages from next Friday and could cripple supplies for a mont... more -
Strikingly French
French workers went on strike to protest against the reform of the public pension system. But can this reform be avoided at a time when life expectancy is much bigger than in the past? The actors of this main social issue propose contradicting answers, in a country where the culture of conflict is centuries old. French workers went on strike to protest against the reform of the public pension system. But can this reform be avoided at a time whe... more
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Union trys to organize Starbucks employees
The International Workers of the World union has been trying to mobilize employees of the ubiquitous cafe to unionize since 2004.
This Monday, protesters with placards of cats pouncing on lattes stood outside a Starbucks in Manhattan.
They claim Starbucks employees were forced to work the Martin Luther King holiday, without getting paid for overtime.
I think its interesting that as the US shifts to an increasingly service-based economy, so does the intentions of its labor movements. 100 years ago the IWW would not expect to be unionizing baristas. The International Workers of the World union has been trying to mobilize employees of the ubiquitous cafe to unionize since 2004. ... more -
EMI To Cut 2,000 Jobs
The new owners of the EMI Group have said they plan to cut up to 2,000 jobs, or more than a third of its work force, in a restructuring aimed at offsetting the impact of falling revenue from CD sales and the departure of several of its major artists.
And apprently Robbie Williams, Kylie and The Verve are going on "strike" over the new owners of the label, private equity owners Terra Firma. The new owners of the EMI Group have said they plan to cut up to 2,000 jobs, or more than a third of its work force, in a restructurin... more
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Strikes
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Strikes
