Bluhm, union settle charges in Rivers Casino organizing drive

Billionaire real estate investor Neil Bluhm and Unite Here Local 1 have settled a series of charges over the union’s drive to organize workers at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the state’s most lucrative gambling hall.

Midwest School for Women Workers 2014

The Chicago Federation of Labor will sponsor two union women at this year’s Midwest School for Women Workers, June 22-26, 2014, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.MidwestSchoolForWomenWorkers

Hudson Midway workers ratify first union contract

HudsonMDW1stOn April 11, 2014 Hudson News workers at Midway Airport ratified their first union contract covering about 70 workers. Hudson Midway workers joined the union in an effort to remedy the disparity between working conditions for airport workers at O’Hare Airport versus workers at Midway Airport. Just last December, Alderman Howard Brookins (21st ward) spearheaded a resolution calling for a hearing to examine why Hudson News, a retail operator at both airports, was not treating all of its workers equally. This new contract resolves the inequality issue between the airports for Hudson News workers.

The three-year contract provides sick days, affordable health care, and up to a 40% increase in take home pay for some workers. Additionally, the contract establishes a joint labor-management committee to ensure that everyone’s rights are respected in the workplace and to deal with operational issues.

Congratulations to Hudson Midway committee Laverne Jordan, Ovideo Jimenez, Lavinia Clark, Deborah Robinson, Betty Beeman, and Ebelia Hernandez.

Guest Post: Chicagoland Hospitality Workers Rally For Fair Treatment At Neil Bluhm’s Rivers Casino

On Thursday afternoon, over 100 Rivers Casino workers, Chicago hospitality workers and community allies rallied outside of Rivers Casino. They are calling for better working conditions and an end to management-led intimidation at Rivers. Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm is the chairman of the company that owns Rivers Casino.

Workers march outside of casino

Some 100 Rivers Casino employees, Chicago-area hospitality workers and other union supporters marched outside of the Des Plaines casino Thursday, calling for better working conditions and the chance to join a union.

Noble Street Charter School lunchroom workers ratify first union contract

Noble RatificationOn March 1, lunchroom workers at Noble Street Charter School employed by Chartwells ratified their first union contract covering 63 workers. While the city was closing public schools, laying-off thousands of workers with union jobs, and expanding charter schools in which lunchroom jobs are non-union, Noble lunchroom workers joined the union last August in an effort to improve standards for lunchroom workers. Noble lunchroom workers join the 3,000 union lunchroom workers at Chicago Public Schools.

The three-year contract provides sick days for every employee, affordable health care which is free for individuals and only $85 a month for families, and wage increases. Additionally, the contract establishes a joint labor-management committee to ensure that everyone’s rights are respected in the workplace and to deal with operational issues.

Congratulations to Noble committee Aime Cerda, George Clark, Leslie Turner and Rudy Napier with support from CPS lunchroom worker Gloria Drew and Northwestern University housekeeper Valentina Espinosa.

Will Walton Street fulfill its promise to investors to halt worker harassment campaign at Rivers Casino?

On February 19, casino workers from Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, Rivers Casino Des Plaines and Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia rallied outside Walton Street Capital’s Chicago headquarters.  Workers stood together to demand an end to a labor dispute that has spread to all three properties overseen by Rush Street Gaming, a company wholly owned by Walton Street principal Neil Bluhm and his family’s trust funds.