Amie here. Another group of workers won a pension back; it’s spreading!
Around 186 workers at Kemps, a dairy plant in Le Mars, have won raises, a new health care plan, and a defined benefit pension in their first-ever work stoppage at the plant.
The workers, who are organized with Teamsters Local 554, were on strike for 27 hours before coming to a deal with Kemps, according to Teamsters organizer Adrian Macias.
“When these workers came together, they won good wages, good working conditions,” he told me. “We also want to thank the community of Le Mars, Iowa—there’s never been a work stoppage, and we want to give them thanks for that.”
Workers first petitioned to join Teamsters in November, and unionized on a 89-57 vote in December.
They started negotiating their first contract with Kemps, doing business as Dairy Farmers of America, in March, but “couldn’t really get a deal,” Macias said.
Workers decided to strike on Aug. 21 at 6 p.m., and reached a tentative agreement with the company just over a day later.
“We had a plan in place the following week to extend picket lines,” Macias said. “We’re really happy [to fight for a deal], and I think the employer knew that.”
And the deal was a good one: Workers voted 107-1 to ratify it.
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It included:
- $3.50 raises for all, retroactive to April 30;
- 75-cent raises in the second year, and 50-cent raises in the third year;
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A new health care plan under the Michigan Conference of Teamsters Welfare Fund starting in January;
- A defined benefit pension that begins in the third year of the contract, with a 50-cent contribution by the company every hour worked up to 40 hours;
- A grievance procedure, just cause language, and a safety committee.
“It’s a great contract for workers and will help stabilize the industry,” said Jesse Case with Teamsters Local 238.
Are pensions coming back for real? Email me.
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Amie Rivers
Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line
Member, COURIER United (WGA East)
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What does a government shutdown mean for you? Politico has some good information here. (Also, the National Labor Relations Board site appears to be down, possibly because of this, so you may not be able to click on the links related to union efforts.)
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Gaining back the public space to assist workers: A group of 200 people gathered outside the Cedar Rapids ICE office Wednesday morning and “successfully won back nearly half of the public right-of-way that ICE had previously blocked off,” immigrant rights group Escucha Mi Voz said in an emailed statement. One worker, Diego Barrios, was detained during his check-in, but organizers say he was able to meet with them beforehand and fill out an emergency form thanks to the reclaimed space. “This is the power of accompaniment,” said Escucha Mi Voz member Alejandra Escobar. “When we show up together, we not only defend our families—we expand the space of freedom and dignity in our community.”
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Mobile home owners fight back against lot rent increases: After Havenpark Communities announced it was raising lot rents at some Johnson County mobile home parks it owns, residents joined with Johnson County Residents United, Iowa Manufactured Home Residents’ Network, Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, community supporters, and elected officials on Wednesday to push back, saying rent increases are unfair amid “the removal of on-site rent payment dropboxes, failures to shore up eroding/unstable lot spaces under some homes, and failures to reliably staff park offices with on-site managers.”
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Jennifer Konfrst endorsed by union: Konfrst, running for Congress in Central Iowa’s District 3, was endorsed by the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33. “Whether it’s taking on corporate greed, fighting for collective bargaining rights, or protecting unemployment benefits, Jennifer has always stood firm and had our backs,” said Andy Roberts with the union. “She’s a working-class Iowan who knows what it takes to get things done for us.”
- Congressional candidates hold Q&A in Kalona: Democratic candidates for Southeast Iowa’s District 1—Christina Bohannan, Travis Terrell, and Taylor Wettach—will introduce themselves and answer questions at a public forum on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. at the Kalona Historical Village in Kalona. It is part of the Iowa Democratic Party Regional Hall of Fame event.
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Flight attendants say ICE flights violate safety rules: The Association of Flight Attendants wrote an open letter to the CEO of Avelo Airlines, which has contracted with ICE for deportation flights, stating that federal airline safety rules are being violated on those flights—including no training on how to evacuate shackled passengers, and being prevented from doing safety checks by ICE agents.
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Will Starbucks workers strike? If the company keeps stonewalling, the president of the Starbucks Workers United union says that option is on the table—and dozens of other unions representing millions of people are backing the workers’ fight for a first contract.
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“There has been a clear deterioration in the labor market for Black workers this year:” the unemployment rate is rising and employment is falling, EPI says, and that’s falling particularly hard on Black women. Not helpfully, the federal government is actively going against those who try to hire more Black workers, as, and I am not joking, a Civil Rights Act violation—including in Des Moines Public Schools.
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Voting on a union: A total of 1,776 full- and part-time registered nurses and PRNs at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank Children’s Hospital, Methodist West Hospital, and Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines vote Sunday through Tuesday on whether to unionize with Teamsters Local 90. Sign a petition in support of the effort here, and read more about it as their effort gains national attention here.
- Starting up a union: Fifty full- and part-time workers at River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa refiled a petition to unionize Aug. 8 with River Hills United/Teamsters Local 90; it is still pending.
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- Smurfit Westrock Company in Cedar Rapids is closing and laying off 100 workers by Saturday. Read more here.
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Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 10 workers by Saturday, 10 workers by Oct. 18, 12 workers by Nov. 14, and 23 workers by Nov. 28.
- Maverik in Des Moines is laying off 100 workers at its corporate headquarters by Monday. Read more here.
- Fox River Mills in Osage is closing, relocating to North Carolina, and laying off 105 workers by Oct. 10. Read more here.
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Winnebago Industries is closing and continuing to lay off, including three workers in Forest City by Oct. 10, and 26 workers in Charles City by Dec. 12. Read more here.
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Burlington Trailways is closing and laying off 79 workers by Oct. 18: 6 workers in Burlington, 5 workers in Cedar Rapids, 13 workers at two locations in Davenport, 8 workers in Des Moines, and 47 workers in West Burlington. Read more here.
- John Deere in Waterloo is laying off 101 workers at the East Donald Street site by Oct. 20. Read more here.
- Fellers in Urbandale is closing and laying off one worker by Oct. 24.
- RTX in Cedar Rapids is laying off two workers by Oct. 31.
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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Rivers. It was edited by Paula Solis.
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