Search News
For the Media
For media inquiries, call CWA Communications at 202-434-1168 or email comms@cwa-union.org. To read about CWA Members, Leadership or Industries, visit our About page.
New Era Wage Cuts Force Strike at Derby Plant
More than 230 CWA members are on strike at the New Era Cap Co.’s Derby, N.Y., location, in response to management-imposed wage cuts of 30 to 50 percent and the company’s refusal to bargain a fair contract, reported Printing Sector Vice President Bill Boarman, who joined Local 14177 members on the lines at the plant near Buffalo.
Since picket lines went up July 16, workers have had the full backing of the Buffalo- area labor community. Many supporters have joined the picket line.
CWA President Morton Bahr has asked the AFL-CIO to sanction a nationwide boycott of New Era, the high-profile manufacturer of logo caps for Major League Baseball and athletic teams at dozens of colleges and universities. The AFL-CIO Executive Council is expected to announce the boycott during its August meeting in Chicago.
United Students Against Sweatshops, which investigated the Derby plant and reported “sweatshop” conditions, plans to take the New Era boycott and campaign for fairness to campuses and university administrators this fall.
CWA has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board over New Era’s failure to bargain in good faith. New Era declared a sham impasse in negotiations in order to tear up the existing contract, slash wages and make unilateral changes. Management took away the workers’ COLA provision, cut their sick leave, cut the existing bonus program, then slashed the base wage by $3 an hour and tied compensation to an unrealistic production standard. Average wages would be cut by about 38 percent, to $9.10 an hour, Boarman said, with some workers hit even harder.
CWA also filed notice of safety and health violations at the plant with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Many employees have suffered debilitating injuries because of poor ergonomics. Further, workers haven’t been given information about the toxic substances they handle and how to protect themselves.
On the picket line, CWA Local 14177 President Jane Howald reported that two picketers have been struck by scab-driven cars, with one worker suffering a serious leg injury. She charged that management is inciting confrontation by requiring that managers and scabs drive through the picket lines rather than park in a lot next to the plant where there are no pickets.
Delegates at the CWA convention in Minneapolis adopted a resolution of support for the New Era workers, then passed the hat, collecting $5,087 for the local’s strike fund.
Since picket lines went up July 16, workers have had the full backing of the Buffalo- area labor community. Many supporters have joined the picket line.
CWA President Morton Bahr has asked the AFL-CIO to sanction a nationwide boycott of New Era, the high-profile manufacturer of logo caps for Major League Baseball and athletic teams at dozens of colleges and universities. The AFL-CIO Executive Council is expected to announce the boycott during its August meeting in Chicago.
United Students Against Sweatshops, which investigated the Derby plant and reported “sweatshop” conditions, plans to take the New Era boycott and campaign for fairness to campuses and university administrators this fall.
CWA has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board over New Era’s failure to bargain in good faith. New Era declared a sham impasse in negotiations in order to tear up the existing contract, slash wages and make unilateral changes. Management took away the workers’ COLA provision, cut their sick leave, cut the existing bonus program, then slashed the base wage by $3 an hour and tied compensation to an unrealistic production standard. Average wages would be cut by about 38 percent, to $9.10 an hour, Boarman said, with some workers hit even harder.
CWA also filed notice of safety and health violations at the plant with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Many employees have suffered debilitating injuries because of poor ergonomics. Further, workers haven’t been given information about the toxic substances they handle and how to protect themselves.
On the picket line, CWA Local 14177 President Jane Howald reported that two picketers have been struck by scab-driven cars, with one worker suffering a serious leg injury. She charged that management is inciting confrontation by requiring that managers and scabs drive through the picket lines rather than park in a lot next to the plant where there are no pickets.
Delegates at the CWA convention in Minneapolis adopted a resolution of support for the New Era workers, then passed the hat, collecting $5,087 for the local’s strike fund.