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WRC to Investigate New Era Cap Co. As CWA Fights to Re-open Negotiations
The Workers’ Rights Consortium, an independent monitoring organization, has notified the New Era Cap. Co. that it intends to investigate conditions at the company’s Derby, N.Y., plant based on complaints it has received.
By investigating factory conditions and reporting its findings, the WRC works to ensure that apparel bearing school logos is manufactured under the codes of conduct adopted by the colleges and universities. Seventy-nine colleges and universities are affiliated with the WRC, many of them New Era customers.
The WRC investigation follows the filing of multiple unfair labor practice charges against New Era, as well as additional charges of federal health and safety law violations brought by CWA.
On June 1, New Era refused to continue contract talks with CWA Local 14177 and announced it would put its own proposals in place, cutting wages, changing working conditions and raising workers’ health care costs. CWA is filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the company’s refusal to bargain as well as other labor law violations.
“Hopefully the board will force them back into negotiations,” said Hunter Phillips, administrative assistant to Bill Boarman, CWA vice president for the union’s Printing Sector.
CWA also has alerted New Era management that the union filed notice of safety and health violations with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Many employees are suffering debilitating injuries because of poor ergonomics. Further, New Era has no procedures for responding to puncture and laceration injuries, as required by OSHA. And New Era employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals, including formaldehyde. The company hasn’t educated workers about the hazards of the toxic substances and how to protect themselves, another violation of federal safety law.
New Era has been shifting work to low-wage operations in Alabama and overseas sweatshops in Bangladesh, and now wants to set new base wage rates that will result in pay cuts of 30 percent or more for some workers.
The company intends to begin its new wage scales and engineered standards on July 16. Local 14177 President Jane Howald said the reaction of one rank-and-filer who walked into her office last week is typical: “After all the years I’ve been here, the idea that they would let me stay here for minimum wage is an insult.”
New Era’s “final, final” offer subsequent to a May 10 bargaining session amended its earlier position that would have left employees open to discipline or discharge if they failed to meet an “engineered standard” of increased production. The new offer would keep them on the payroll at $9.10 an hour if they made 57 percent of the standard, Phillips said. The current average wage at New Era’s Derby, N.Y., plant is $12.10 an hour.
The company announced it would increase its contribution toward employee health care costs on July 1. However, Phillips said New Era has adjusted mid-year bonuses, paid in June on last year’s earnings, by subtracting last year’s bonuses from the base. As a result, some employees received as much as $400 less than they expected in their bonus checks.
The New Era workers continue to receive strong support from the Major League Players Association, state and local elected officials, United Students Against Sweatshops, Jobs with Justice and other religious, labor and community organizations:
By investigating factory conditions and reporting its findings, the WRC works to ensure that apparel bearing school logos is manufactured under the codes of conduct adopted by the colleges and universities. Seventy-nine colleges and universities are affiliated with the WRC, many of them New Era customers.
The WRC investigation follows the filing of multiple unfair labor practice charges against New Era, as well as additional charges of federal health and safety law violations brought by CWA.
On June 1, New Era refused to continue contract talks with CWA Local 14177 and announced it would put its own proposals in place, cutting wages, changing working conditions and raising workers’ health care costs. CWA is filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board over the company’s refusal to bargain as well as other labor law violations.
“Hopefully the board will force them back into negotiations,” said Hunter Phillips, administrative assistant to Bill Boarman, CWA vice president for the union’s Printing Sector.
CWA also has alerted New Era management that the union filed notice of safety and health violations with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Many employees are suffering debilitating injuries because of poor ergonomics. Further, New Era has no procedures for responding to puncture and laceration injuries, as required by OSHA. And New Era employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals, including formaldehyde. The company hasn’t educated workers about the hazards of the toxic substances and how to protect themselves, another violation of federal safety law.
New Era has been shifting work to low-wage operations in Alabama and overseas sweatshops in Bangladesh, and now wants to set new base wage rates that will result in pay cuts of 30 percent or more for some workers.
The company intends to begin its new wage scales and engineered standards on July 16. Local 14177 President Jane Howald said the reaction of one rank-and-filer who walked into her office last week is typical: “After all the years I’ve been here, the idea that they would let me stay here for minimum wage is an insult.”
New Era’s “final, final” offer subsequent to a May 10 bargaining session amended its earlier position that would have left employees open to discipline or discharge if they failed to meet an “engineered standard” of increased production. The new offer would keep them on the payroll at $9.10 an hour if they made 57 percent of the standard, Phillips said. The current average wage at New Era’s Derby, N.Y., plant is $12.10 an hour.
The company announced it would increase its contribution toward employee health care costs on July 1. However, Phillips said New Era has adjusted mid-year bonuses, paid in June on last year’s earnings, by subtracting last year’s bonuses from the base. As a result, some employees received as much as $400 less than they expected in their bonus checks.
The New Era workers continue to receive strong support from the Major League Players Association, state and local elected officials, United Students Against Sweatshops, Jobs with Justice and other religious, labor and community organizations:
- On June 1, Local 14177 members conducted informational picketing in Derby, alerting the community and passersby to New Era’s numerous health and safety violations.
- CWA locals and staff leafleted Major League Baseball games in nine cities on the workers’ behalf the weekend of May 19-20. They included the Dodgers vs. Mets game in New York City, Diamond Backs vs. Cubs in Chicago and Yankees vs. Mariners in Seattle.
- Upstate N.Y.-New England Director Dave Palmer, Printing Sector Representa-tive Dan Wasser, Local 14177 Secretary Jason Kozlowski and local members passed out fliers May 21 at a professional golf tournament sponsored by the company in Amherst, N.Y., pointing out that the workers have not had a raise in three years and face constant threats of job loss.
- Local 14177 Vice President Kathy Ketterer and members leafleted the minor league Buffalo Bisons game in Buffalo, spreading a similar message.
- United Students Against Sweatshops sent copies of their report on sweatshop conditions at New Era to 60 university presidents with cover letters asking them to contact the company on the workers’ behalf.