Labor & Workers
Labor unions, workers' rights, and employment
General Assembly has chance to pay janitorial and security workers a fair wage
“Essential janitors and security officers have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Caceres through an interpreter. "We’ve risked our lives and the health of our families to keep others safe, going to work day after day even before vaccines were available. Many of us have caught COVID, myself included. I was lucky that I didn’t get very sick, but so many essential workers have gotten very sick or even died from this terrible disease. We need more than thanks. We need strong, fair jobs with wages that keep up with inflation and benefits that allow us to take care of ourselves."
How Barrington municipal employees got bumped to $15 min wage for 2022
"Human time and effort is worth at least $15 an hour," said Barrington Town Councilmember Jacob Brier.
Greenleaf bosses fold, meet union demands in Portsmouth
"We encourage workers to continue to organize with each other both within individual companies and across the industry," said Greenleaf employees in a statement.
Boardman: 46,000 Rhode Islanders lost jobless benefits this fall. Hiring didn’t budge
"Data shows the withdrawal of jobless support had no perceptible impact on employment growth in Rhode Island," writes Andy Boardman, "casting doubt on claims that the benefits were meaningfully holding back the return to work."
Seven on the Strike Line: Teamsters 251 Calling for Better Working Conditions
"They wanted to spit their rhetoric about why unions are bad and stuff like that," said Charles Reid. "And what would happen if the union were to join the company, and how bad it would be for us, and paying union dues when we all knew what the truth was to begin with. So we knew it was all lies when they were spitting it at us… So, they just wanted to frown upon us becoming union and try to influence us to not go through with it, even though we already made up our minds."
"Apathy is a Worker’s Disaster": Teamsters 251 on the Johnson Brothers Strike, How you can help, and Why it matters
“Apathy is a worker’s disaster,” said Teamster Matt Maini. "What we need is for people to understand that workers around the world are the same, and their struggle is your struggle."
Paid Leave for All National Bus Tour kicks off from Rhode Island
"We have the opportunity to finally catch up to the rest of the world, to finally do something meaningful for every working family in this country, to build back better and to make history, by finally passing Paid Leave for All in the United States," said Dawn Huckelbridge, National Director of Paid Leave for All. "Paid leave is a tool for public health, for economic resilience and growth, and for racial and gender equity."
Fatima Hospital workers hold informational picket as contract talks stall
“While top Prospect executives recently pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars in dividend payments and Fatima Hospital received more than $10 million of federal dollars in CARES Act money, they simultaneously have refused to treat patients, nurses and frontline health care professionals with the respect and dignity we deserve,” said UNAP Local 5110 President Laura McQuesten.
No compassion for workers at Greenleaf dispensary in Portsmouth
"I think cannabis should be legalized, absolutely, but it shouldn't be legalized so that rich white men can continue to build wealth," said Parker Terrell, a member of the Greenleaf Compassion Center union negotiating team.
After long battle, Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act becomes law
Previous to the mandated 3.8 hours, there was no specific number in place regarding patient care, said Adelina Ramos, a CNA at Greenville Nursing Center who works with seniors in a dementia unit. "So if they feel like giving you 15 residents a day, you have 15 residents an day and altogether you could have 40 minutes a day per resident. You have to rush through the day to get that many residents done, and you only have an eight hour shift."