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Samsung chairman indicted for allegedly suppressing labor unions
Today, the board chairman of Samsung, Lee Sang-hoon, was indicted by South Korean prosecutors for illegally sabotaging a labor union. This comes after years of whispers about Samsung's intolerance of labor unions, according to Bloomberg. Twenty-seven other people from Samsung and its partner companies have also been indicted.
Bernie Sanders joins Verizon union workers' picket in NYC
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders put his campaign where his mouth is on Monday when he spoke at a picket line with Verizon union workers in New York City. Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers organized the picket, which aims to bolster support for 40,000 Verizon employees nationwide as they continue a months-long contract battle with the communication giant. In June, Verizon proposed a new union contract, but CWA takes issue with some of its key points, including suggested pay increases, the structure of pension benefits, health care contributions, whether Verizon can contract out or offshore union jobs, and employees' vacation time. The union also criticizes Verizon for failing to implement its FiOS service in promised regions.
Apple Stores in France may not make employees work late
The High Court of Paris put the brakes on late-night work by Apple Store employees in France. According to a report in the AFP, Apple is banned from having employees work between the hours of 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The ban is the result of a complaint filed by several French labor unions which claim Apple's overnight work policy violated French labor laws. In France, companies can only require overnight work when the shifts are necessary for the economic viability of the company or offer a social service. The court sided with the unions and agreed that Apple's work policy does not meet those requirements. Besides a ban, Apple also was ordered to pay a €10,000 fine to the unions that filed the lawsuit. Stores targeted in this decision include the Opéra in Paris, Parly 2 in Le Chesnay, Carré Sénart in Lieusaint, Val d'Europe in Marne-la-Vallee, Cap 3000 in Nice and Atlantis in Saint Herblain. [Via The Verge]
Verizon strike to come to an end August 23rd
Verizon workers are scheduled to return to their jobs Tuesday, after more than two weeks on strike. Some 45,000 union members left their posts August 7th, after contract negotiation between the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the company came to a halt two days prior. A statement from the union said it had reached an agreement with Verizon, but that "The major issues remain to be discussed." The union's claim, among other things that Verizon demanded "cuts in compensation of $20,000 per worker per year." Full PR after the break.
China orders "iPod City" to establish labor union
So, we're not sure how much bargaining power unions have in a Communist country, but much to our surprise, the Chinese provincial government of Shenzhen has actually demanded that Hon Hai Precision Industry allow its "iPod City" workers to unionize. Unlike American unions, which are generally organized by trade, the Chinese versions are company-specific, and must be affiliated with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (or ACFTU) -- a body that has repeatedly been accused of colluding with management and security personnel in breaking up employee-led protests. You might think that the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions -- which had criticized Apple's investigation and subsequent report concerning working conditions at the Foxconn plant -- would be pleased with this development, but actually it argues that the ACFTU, as a non-independent body, "cannot be regarded as an authentic voice of Chinese workers." So in the end, are the Foxconn laborers really any better off now than they were before that Daily Mail article initiated this whole series of events? In reality, probably a little, but not much -- yes there may be some cutbacks in their hours and the dormitories may be a little cleaner, but until China as a whole is able to upgrade everyone's standard of living, the lives of workers in iPod City and countless plants like it will unfortunately remain mostly unchanged.[Via Reuters]
