Oakland IBT Charges Port Companies With Setting Up Company Unions: Port firms breaking city's wage law
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Teamsters: Port firms breaking city's wage law

Union files lawsuit against three companies, alleging violation of Oakland ordinance
By Paul T. Rosynsky, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated: 06/23/2007 02:49:45 AM PDT

OAKLAND — Three companies with operations at the Port of Oakland are in violation of the city's living wage law and should immediately raise employees' hourly wage, according to a lawsuit filed by Teamsters Local 70.
The companies — GSC Logistics, Duluth Services and Aerotek — either operate or provide employees to distribution centers near the docks. The suit was filed on behalf of all employees of the companies who have worked at a facility in the Port of Oakland during the past three years.
"They don't want to pay their employees a living wage, so they just didn't pay it," said Chuck Mack, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 70. "This is a direct violation of the ordinance."
The city's living wage ordinance was expanded by city voters in 2002 to cover operations at the Port of Oakland. The law sets hourly wage requirements for companies with more than 20 employees according to whether they provide health insurance. The wage increases each year and now requires companies to pay $10.39 per hour if benefits are offered or $11.95 per hour without benefits.

Whereas, the ILWU has been attempting to organize Blue Diamond Almond Workers for 2 years, and

Whereas, almonds are the largest export in the port of Oakland totaling some $1.4 billion dollars, and

Whereas, 70% of California almonds are shipped overseas with Pacific Rim nations receiving much of that cargo, and

Whereas, the owners have been using massive anti-union tactics like firing, intimidating workers, and threatening the loss of benefits, and

Whereas even the Bush-controlled NLRB has found Blue Diamond in violation of labor laws and those violations are arrogantly practiced today without penalty,

Therefore be it resolved that the Blue Diamond Almond workers will only get their just demand for a union of their choice by solidarity actions, and

Therefore Be It Finally Resolved that this international conference of transport workers goes on record calling for concrete acts of solidarity to achieve a union victory.