Labor & Workers
Labor unions, workers' rights, and employment
Casino workers rally and march to Bally’s HQ in Providence to demand full staffing and substantial raises
"Bally’s employees are fighting for what they deserve: a fair contract so they can make a decent living, get back on their health benefits, and not feel exhausted after completing a work shift," said Michael Kramer, Vice-President of UNITE HERE Local 26.
Home Childcare Providers call on Governor McKee to settle fair contract
"We work hard, we perform to the highest standards, and we deserve adequate benefits," said Alexandra Flores, who's been a home childcare provider for over 20 years. "If the Governor wants to prove he's serious about investing in childcare providers like me, he needs to offer us a fair contract."
Problematic Senate minimum wage study commission passes out of committee
"Unwittingly, I gave the Senate President a way to give the proposed commission the appearance of more fairness by putting Senator Ciccone in charge. But the same anti-minimum wage lobbyists were all going to be on the commission, passing judgement, voting on findings, asking misleading questions of those coming in to testify, and contributing to the final report..."
Safeguarding Our Local Economies: Cooperative businesses on display at RI State House
"The social and solidarity economy is a different way of understanding the economy that puts people and the environment at the center. It is universal. It is growing through fair trade, ethical finance, social organizations, cooperatives, and more. It is a model of social transformation that values the needs, skills, and contributions of people and reinvests its profits into society," said Heiny Maldonado, Executive Director of Fuerza Laboral.
Black public safety officer at Providence College details ongoing racist attacks by co-workers
"The instances of racial harassment that I experience at PC demonstrate the implicit bias of the community where the leadership does not take these concerns seriously or take steps to stop this behavior and educate the campus community," said Public Safety Lieutenant John Dunbar. "Providence College will never be a 'Beloved Community' when racial discrimination is allowed to continue."
Blackstone Valley Community Health Center workers picket for fair contract
"Management needs to think more about us," said Jessenia Espinal, a Blackstone employee for nine years. "We have families to support, bills to pay, responsibilities - We're just asking for what is fair."
Still no compassion for workers at Greenleaf dispensary in Portsmouth
"Quite honestly, [contract negotiations] have kind of stalled," said Parker Terrell, a member of the Greenleaf Compassion Center union negotiating team. "We're still facing a lot of retaliation from Seth. We still have a lot of unjust terminations and wrongful terminations."
Is this the year the RI General Assembly does something about wage theft?
" If someone steals your pet or your appliance, and the value is over $1,500, that's a felony, but if they steal your hard earned wages, no matter how much it is, it's always a misdemeanor," said Attorney General Peter Neronha. "I don't know how we got to this place in the law, but it seems to me that it is now time to fix it."
An interview with Starbucks barista and union organizer Cassie Burke
"It's been very fun having local politicians reach out to me, direct message me and stuff like that," said barista and union organizer Cassie Burke. "There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for it, not just from other workers, but also people who are trying to enact change politically, which is really cool."
Bishop Tobin to pensioners: A smile and a nod and I'll pray for you
"To us, the church is the most culpable in this entire experience," said Lynn Blais. "This was a church based pension. The Bishop was the Chairman of the Board. The Bishop had ultimate control over that pension. So they hold the most responsibility to make sure that that pension was funded appropriately and correctly, and 2700 pensioners can go into retirement knowing they have the security of a pension."