Unions in multi-state political payoff conspiracy

An Ohio public employees' union that plowed millions into Democratic campaigns last year helped write a governor's executive order that has since allowed it to organize thousands of home health workers paid through state programs.

Similar orders have been signed in at least three other states - Illinois, Iowa and Michigan - also led by Democratic governors.

Staffers of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, including his top lawyer, were coordinating efforts with the Service Employees International Union as they were writing the order, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request. Strickland's chief of staff, John Haseley, also had an e-mail from the union's regional political director, Gloria Fauss, asking for the latest draft.

Home health care workers covered by Strickland's order voted for SEIU representation late last month. The state is scheduled to begin negotiating their contract in February.

AFSCME, another public employee union generous to Democrats, was also included in the drafting process, records show. It asked for the order to apply to childcare workers. The administration opted not to combine the two issues, but Strickland has said he intends to sign a second order regarding childcare workers in the coming months.

SEIU donated $90,000 to Strickland's gubernatorial campaign last year, a portion of the $2 million it has given statewide to Democratic Party committees and candidates since last year, campaign finance records show. AFSCME has given just more than $76,000 to Democratic candidates and committees since last year, including about $6,000 from its political action committee and executives to Strickland's campaign.

(news.cincypost.com)

Union moves to oust NJ state labor boss

Dissident union leaders this week filed charges seeking to have state labor leader Carla Katz expelled from the Communications Workers of America and billed for union money they charge she "misappropriated."

The charges were filed by CWA Local 1034 Vice Presidents Jonathan Berg and Linda Kukor and Shop Steward Dan Antonellis. They were delivered yesterday morning to CWA headquarters in Washington. A copy of the charges was obtained by The Star-Ledger.

Gov. Jon Corzine's ex-girlfriend, Katz, 48, is in the final year of her third three-year term as president of Local 1034, the union's largest single chapter. She is seeking re- election in September.

"Katz has been an absentee president," the complaint said. "She has misappropriated union funds. The public thinks less of CWA as a result of her antics. The members are humiliated by them." "Katz," the complaint says in bold type, "should be expelled from the union and fined."

Katz declined to comment yesterday, as did the other local officials accused in the filing of violating CWA rules and bylaws. In addition to Katz, charges were lodged against 1034's secretary, treasurer and four other board members.

Candice Johnson, the chief spokeswoman for CWA, said union leaders "will certainly look into" the allegations to determine what, if any, action should be taken.

Katz and her union's national leadership have been at odds since early this year, when she opposed a new state contract hammered out by CWA negotiators.

State Republican Chairman Tom Wilson has sued Corzine for access to e-mails the governor and Katz exchanged during contract negotiations. Corzine has said the e-mails are not subject to the state Open Public Records Act because they are personal correspondence or confidential records covered by executive privilege.

Katz said the e-mails must be kept from the public because they fall under OPRA's special exemp tion for documents relating to union negotiations.

Corzine and Katz broke up after a two-year romance just months before Corzine announced in 2004 he would run for governor. The wealthy Corzine gave Katz a multimillion-dollar settlement, which came to light more than a year after Corzine took office.

Corzine repeatedly has said the past relationship would not affect his judgment in dealing with the state workers Katz represents. Katz also said it would have no ef fect on her professional duties.

Berg, Kukor and Antonellis charge Katz "was not forthcoming" about her financial entanglement with Corzine and should have disqualified herself from recent negotiations that ended with a new state worker contract. They also allege that Katz's actions have led to a drop in CWA membership.

The dissidents are citing in their newest filing her decision to enter the e-mail lawsuit as proof she is misusing union funds. They also agree with the national union that Katz had no right to hold secret contract talks with Corzine and charge she entered the lawsuit to cover up her improper conduct.

Berg, Kukor and Antonellis also allege Katz has made political do nations in the union's name without proper authorization and is working only part time as president even though she is paid $103,000 for a "full-time" job.

(nj.com)

ABC gave strike-busting tips to writers

EW.com has exclusively obtained a memo from ABC Studios that, among other things, instructs members of the Writers Guild of America on how they can cross the picket lines without fear of fines and/or retribution. Along with educating writers on federal laws guaranteeing their right to work during a strike, the memo — which was prepared by the studio's senior vice president for legal affairs, Milinda L. McNeely, and dated Oct. 30 — says writers can "resign their membership" before crossing a picket line and yet still be entitled to all the same benefits under the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement.

"We encourage writers to work," the memo says. "The decision whether to join or not join the strike is an individual decision for each person to make." The memo also includes an FAQ section that addresses whether replacements can be hired during the strike ("this is not the studio's preferred choice") and whether a writer can walk away from his contract when the strike ends ("no," says the memo).

When asked about the memo, an ABC Studios spokeswoman issued this statement: "In response to numerous inquiries by production employees of ABC Studios about whether they could continue to work during a strike, we provided them information about their legal rights. The law protects both the right to work as well as the right to strike. We thought it fair that employees be fully informed when making this personal decision."

Mona Mangan, exec director of Writers Guild East, wasn't surprised to learn of the memo. "They send out the same tired stuff. They've all got it in the filing cabinet somewhere. A member has an obligation to strike if there's been a majority vote, and we had over 90 percent of the members vote to support this strike. So there's not a lot of dissonance anywhere. It's almost eerie how unified this support is."

(hollywoodinsider.ew.com)

Conflict controversy dogs Duluth council member

Last month, the Duluth City Council approved $600,000 for a housing project for the American Indian Community Housing Organization. Council member Laurie Johnson voted in favor of the project. However, Johnson also represents AFSCME workers with the housing group in her job as an AFSCME field representative. The AFSCME website says she also represents the YWCA, where the project would be located. Her opponent in Tuesday's election, Todd Fedora, says Johnson's vote was a conflict of interest.

"It's wiser to err on the cautious side and remain independent on any decision you're a part of," said Fedora.

City attorney Bryan Brown says the city has not had a chance to look at the issue and he does not know if Johnson's vote was a conflict of interest. Brown says there are two questions public officials must ask themselves: Does my decision result in personal financial gain? And am I being pressured in a way that would make it impossible for me to act in the public's best interest? A document from the Minnesota League of Cities says if either answer is yes, then there is a conflict of interest and the official should abstain from voting.

Brown declined to speak on camera, but says he does not know if Johnson's vote was a conflict of interest. He says the city has not had a chance to look over the issue.

Eyewitness News tried to reach Johnson for comment but her AFSCME office said she was campaigning and would not be available. But Johnson told the Duluth News Tribune that her vote on the project was not influenced by her working with the two organizations.

"The decision that I made that evening was in the role of a city councilor, and it was in the best interest of a downtown area, that building and a project that was in the best interest of a community," she said.

(wdio.com)

Right To Work salvages state business climate

Kansas ranks 30th among the states according to their public policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship, according to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, which just released its latest index. The top state in the index was South Dakota. The District of Columbia ranked last.

Major areas covered in the survey include taxes, various regulatory costs, government spending, property rights, health care and energy costs.

Kansas positives in the report were no individual or corporate Alternative Minimum Taxes, being a right to work state and an excellent rating on highway cost effectiveness.

Negatives included a death tax, high individual capital gains taxes and the large size of the government work force.

The entire report can be found on-line at www.sbecouncil.org.

(kansas.com)

Situation normal as SEIU strikers picket County courthouse

While striking employees picketed outside Friday, inside the Beaver County Courthouse, things were very, very boring.

Prothonotary Nancy Werme and her two deputies staffed the typically busy office, which was oddly empty Friday afternoon. Werme said all of the 10 other employees were out, but services to the public were unaffected.

Asked about the impact the strike had on her office, Werme replied, "The answer is, I need my staff back." Three workers staffed the county's election bureau because it was considered an essential service with Tuesday's election approaching. Not too busy there, either, they said.

The same scenario could be found in Treasurer Connie Javens' office, which is probably one of the most visited on any given day. Of the nine treasurer's office employees, seven were on strike, one was sick, and another was on vacation.

Controller Rick Towcimak said he had five employees out, but because his office doesn't deal with the public, the effect was minimal.

"One day's not going to disrupt our payroll," he said.

Chief assessor Michael Kohlman said he and two supervisors were staffing the assessment office and tax claims bureau, which he also oversees.

While those working were only "offering the basics" to the public, one saving grace was that the number of visitors was low, he said.

"It's nowhere near our normal daily routine," Kohlman said.

(timesonline.com)

Teachers use in-service day for picketing

While their schools were closed, and their young students home in bed, Catholic elementary school teachers across Staten Island (NY) took the opportunity today to rally in West Brighton to call for a fair contract and wage increase from the New York Archdiocese. They have been working without a contract since August.

More than 200 teachers, representing two dozen parish elementary schools, had been given the day off from classes to attend a previously-scheduled curriculum conference at Sacred Heart School, West Brighton. But the teachers, members of the Federation of Catholic Teachers, Local 153 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, arrived wearing buttons and carrying signs demanding a fair wage. They picketed before and after the morning and afternoon workshop sessions before filing inside. The program went off as scheduled.

"We're fighting for a just contract that pays us a livable wage," said union president Mary Ann Perry of Grasmere, who formerly taught at St. Charles School in Oakwood.

She said the union is still negotiating with the Association of Catholic Schools, the bargaining arm of the archdiocese, and is not planning further action at this time. A union meeting has been called for Wednesday in the Staaten, West Brighton.

On the table is a proposed 11 percent wage hike, payable in increments of three percent, four percent, and four percent, over three years. But teachers fear that proposed hikes in payroll deductions for health insurance will cancel out the salary increase.

The archdiocese counters that the proposed wage hike, when added to the annual step increases for experience and additional education can result in increases of 17 to 19 percent, more than enough to cover any increase teachers would have to pay out for health insurance.

(silive.com)

Iowa Labor leaders would harm business climate

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal isn't ready to rule out another attempt to pass "fair share," a plan that would allow public-sector unions to negotiate for the right to charge a service fee to nonunion workers.

Gronstal, a Council Bluffs Democrat, said Friday that the issue may come up again when the Legislature reconvenes in January. Fair share was one of the most controversial proposals of this year's session. It passed the Senate and died in the House.

Critics of the measure said it was the first step toward dismantling Iowa's right-to-work law, while supporters said it was a matter of fairness for unions.

"I describe it as making people pay for services they get," Gronstal said Friday, interviewed on the Iowa Public Television program "Iowa Press."

Though fair share didn't pass, Gronstal said the debate was useful. "Here's the good news: For the first time in 30 years, people talked about it," he said.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat, said in early October that he was open to revisiting fair share. He said he would decide before the session whether the measure has enough support to pass the House, and drop it if there isn't enough support.

McCarthy opted not to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in this year's session. House Democrats, who held a 54-46 majority, didn't have the 51 votes they needed. Party leaders came up short because of the absence of Rep. Ray Zirkelbach of Monticello, who missed the entire session because of military service, and the opposition of a small number of moderate-to-conservative Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Ron Wieck, a Sioux City Republican, said he expects fair share to come up again next year. He said Republicans will vigorously oppose it because of concerns it will harm the business climate. "I've got to believe Sen. Gronstal is interested in making sure this happens, and so I think there will be a run at it," he said.

Also Friday, Gronstal said the Senate will not respond to a Polk County District Court ruling legalizing gay marriage. The ruling has been appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.

"I think we need to see what the Supreme Court decides before we jump to a decision about whether this judge's opinion is correct or not," Gronstal said.

This is the same position Democratic leaders have taken since the Polk County ruling was made in late August. Some Republicans have called for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

(siouxcityjournal.com)

Gov't union strike hits Saskatchewan

Students at Saskatchewan's two major universities were greeted by pickets as they made their way to class Friday morning. More than 2,400 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) began picketing outside the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan Friday morning.

Union members have been without a new contract since Dec. 31, 2006. Last month, they voted 89 per cent in favour of job action.

Don Puff, president of the affected CUPE local in Regina, said the union is striking because the university refuses to change its position on benefits and performance reviews and to go back to the bargaining table.

"At this point it's completely and totally up to the employers whether or not we go back to the table, and when we go to the table," Puff said. "But we'll be out here until we go back to the table and get a deal."

The strike has crippled services on both campuses. At the University of Saskatchewan, the library is running at reduced hours, some food services have shut down, the book store, retail outlets and post office will be closed until further notice.

All 1,800 administration, maintenance, food services, custodial and other workers at the University of Saskatchewan who are members of the union were directed Thursday night to hit the picket lines Friday at 7 a.m. CUPE also represents 600 workers at the University of Regina.

Students heading to classes Friday morning seemed untroubled by the strike. Many said they won't worry as long as classes continue and the bathrooms get cleaned.

That last point might turn into a problem, said Glenna Cox, a co-picket captain and a University of Saskatchewan caretaker.

"If you've ever seen a washroom on a busy day, you'd see why they'd be concerned," she said.

"We stock all the toilet paper and paper towels."

(canada.com)

Florida ranks #9 in business climate

In an annual comparison of each state's business climate, Florida has come in at No. 9, moving up two notches from last year to crack the top 10. The rankings, released Thursday in Site Selection Magazine, showed that the Southeast continues to dominate as the region most attractive to business leaders.

Magazine editor Mark Arend said the latest survey confirms the now well-established pattern of moving factories and offices to the less-unionized South, he said. The most popular sites "tend to be right-to-work states," he said.

For the third straight year - and the sixth time in seven years - North Carolina topped the list of states with the best business climate. Other states in the top 10 include Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky and South Carolina.

(orlandosentinel.com)

Teamsters join Clinton-crony in bid for Twinkies

Yucaipa Cos., the private-equity firm controlled by billionaire investor Ron Burkle, and the U.S. arm of Mexican bakery giant Grupo Bimbo offered to buy Interstate Bakeries Corp., the bankrupt maker of Wonder bread and Twinkies.

The Teamsters union, which represents more than 9,500 of Interstate Bakeries' 25,000 workers, said it's teaming up with Yucaipa and Bimbo Bakeries USA to propose an alternative to Interstate Bakeries' own private-equity-backed plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Interstate Bakeries, Kansas City, Mo., the largest wholesale maker and distributor of baked goods in the U.S., said it believes its reorganization plan is the "best known alternative." It added that "if Yucaipa or anyone else has a better proposal, the company will review the details of any such proposals."

(online.wsj.com)

Borough manager has union-crime history

Paramus' new borough administrator was permanently barred from a Secaucus union five years ago after a federal monitor learned of his connection to an alleged Genovese crime family associate.

Paramus Mayor James Tedesco said he knew about the disciplinary action and said it did not deter him from choosing Anthony Iacono to fill the borough's top spot, which has been vacant for more than a decade.

"There's nothing to hide here," Tedesco said. "We knew it all." But other council members said they didn't know.

Iacono came to Paramus from Secaucus, where he was paid about $107,000 a year as town administrator. He is making $135,000 a year in Paramus, though his current contract runs only through the end of the year.

According to a report by the union's public review board, Kurt Muellenberg, the monitor who oversaw Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union Local 69, banned Iacono in 2002. The report concluded that Iacono gave a cellphone to John N. Agathos Sr., the union's former president who was barred from it for ties to organized crime. The report alleged Agathos embezzled $170,000, though criminal charges were not brought against him.

In an interview Thursday, Iacono denied being involved with organized crime or giving Agathos a cellphone, but said he has been friends with the Agathos family for more than 20 years.

"Nobody has anything on me," he said. "There's no law that says who you can or can't be friends with."

Five years ago, the federal monitor forbade union members from having any contact with Agathos. When federally appointed union investigator Howard O'Leary asked Iacono to explain his connection to Agathos, Iacono resisted and resigned as a Local 69 member. "The evidence that Iacono repeatedly evaded all attempts to depose him is overwhelming," the union's report said. "Iacono resigned his union membership rather than be deposed."

The report contends that Agathos "knowingly associated with Genovese Crime Family members and associates, conspired to extort money from a New Jersey restaurant owner and embezzled HERE [Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees] Local 69 funds."

A federal judge appointed a monitor to purge the union of organized crime in April 2002.

Iacono's involvement with Local 69 stemmed from his part-time employment as a maitre d' for the Pegasus restaurant and the Stadium Club at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The jobs, both of which he still holds, came through his connection to Agathos while in college, said Iacono.

Iacono, who holds a master's degree in public administration, said he continues to work there because of the additional income and he enjoys the job.

He was hired by Paramus soon after the council unanimously approved Tedesco's appointment of him on Aug. 28. In addition to his salary, he's also entitled to a borough car.

He has been a public servant for about 19 years, serving as a city administrator in Union City and a township manager in Weehawken, where his father, Stanley Iacono, previously served as mayor. Before that, he worked with the state Department of Community Affairs.

From 1997 to this past August, he served as the borough administrator in Secaucus, where his salary was about $107,000 in 2006, according to state records.

A spokesman for the state Treasury Department said that despite Iacono's longevity, he would not immediately be eligible to receive a state pension for at least 10 years because of his age. Iacono is 45.

The latest state records show that Iacono has logged 19 years and eight months in the state pension system. He needs to achieve 20 years in the system so that he can begin collecting in 2017, according to Mark Perkiss, a spokesman for the Treasury Department. However, the post in Paramus may give him the extra time to vest his pension and collect later.

He continues to work in Secaucus as a consultant and will earn $1,600 per month through December, according to acting Town Administrator Peggy Barcala.

His political opponents there say he was pushed out.

"He had to go. People were disgusted with him," said Frank MacCormack, a past opponent of Iacono's boss, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell. "I was shocked when Paramus took him. ... If they researched deeply enough, they would see an undercurrent that's suspicious."

Elwell disagrees.

He described Iacono as energetic and hardworking, and said he never felt Iacono's relationship with Agathos was cause for concern.

"He was an excellent administrator in Secaucus," Elwell said. "He knows how to make calls and get things done."

Paramus council members who interviewed candidates for the administrator job described Iacono as a perfect fit. They said his current contract covers only three months because, under borough ordinance, the position is appointed on a yearly basis.

The search for a new administrator officially began in March.

Councilman and Police Commissioner Richard LaBarbiera worked on the search committee that reviewed resumes and interviewed candidates. He described the process of filling the position as intensive and said Iacono's contract most likely will be renewed in January.

"That was a huge void, and we're glad he filled it," said LaBarbiera, who's running for council as an incumbent in Tuesday's election. "He's been good. Hopefully, he'll stay around Paramus for a long time."

He said he did not know about Iacono's connection with Agathos or the ban from Local 69, but does not think it would have a bearing on his ability as an administrator.

"This is all news to me," LaBarbiera said. "It sounds like it's tied to a relationship that has nothing to do with his ability to perform."

Tedesco said he thought the council asked Iacono about Agathos and Local 69.

When asked if the subject came up during his interview, Iacono replied, "absolutely not."

Council members Denis Niland and Connie Wagner were also members of the committee that identified Iacono as the best candidate from a field of about a dozen.

"The reason why we took a long time to decide was we wanted somebody to stay with us ... so we wouldn't have to go through the process again," Niland said. "I'm happy with him. ... He's doing a good job."

LaBarbiera and Niland both said they first learned about Iacono's application for the job while reviewing resumes, and not through a personal recommendation.

Wagner, who is also a Bergen County freeholder and a candidate for state Assembly, did not return several calls for comment.

The decision to hire Iacono was not entirely up to the search committee, though. The council voted to appoint Iacono unanimously.

Tedesco said before the borough hired its new administrator, he received anonymous messages detailing Iacono's past, but did not examine whether any of the claims were true.

"He had made me comfortable that this was in the past and didn't affect his job," Tedesco said. "As far as Paramus is concerned, it's not an issue."

(northjersey.com)

Pro-union judge redefines racketeering

A government lawsuit against the International Longshoremen's Union, designed to wrest control of the nation's docks from decades of alleged organized crime domination, was dismissed by a federal judge who called the effort well-intentioned but overreaching.

The decision by U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser was a blow to federal prosecutors, who announced the suit to much attention in July 2005. Though the lawsuit targeted an assortment of ILA officials and mobsters, it dragged endlessly through pretrial meetings and motions until Glasser granted the union's motion to dismiss.

"This court will not abet the government's effort to stretch the concept of a racketeering enterprise beyond all recognition in order to bring various otherwise disinterested parties within its scope, even for the worthwhile purpose of combating the influence of organized crime on the waterfront," Glasser wrote in a 109-page decision released Thursday.

The verdict was quickly hailed by the ILA, which had insisted from the start that the suit was wrongheaded.

"The case was brought on outdated stereotypes of the ILA, was an insult to ILA members and never should have been bought," the 45,000-member union said in a statement.

In its civil racketeering suit, the government charged the Genovese and Gambino organized crime families used the ILA to control U.S. docks from Maine to Texas. The nearly three dozen individuals defendants - including the union president and other top ILA officials - were accused of rigging ILA elections, steering union benefit contracts to mobbed-up businesses, and extorting money from companies operating on New York piers.

One FBI official cited the movie classic "On the Waterfront" in discussing the historic corruption along the docks.

But Glasser wrote that the government complaint against the ILA "leaves a plethora of unanswered questions regarding the membership, purpose and structure" of the alleged racketeering enterprise.

Glasser did allow the government leeway to file an amended complaint, although it was unclear if they would.

"We will carefully review Judge Glasser's decision before determining how the government will proceed in this case," said Robert Nardoza, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn. The ILA called on the government to give up on its efforts to take control of the union.

"We hope that the government will realize on reflection that the public interest is not served by further litigation," the union said.

For two ILA executives, it was their second court victory in two years. ILA bigwigs Harold Daggett and Arthur Coffey were acquitted in November 2005 of extortion and other charges in a federal criminal trial.

Their co-defendant, reputed Genovese capo Lawrence Ricci, was also acquitted despite disappearing in the middle of their trial. His body was later found stuffed inside the trunk of a car parked behind a New Jersey diner.

(newsday.com)

Security guards pepper-spray SEIU organizer

Shoppers at Southland Mall in Hayward (CA) witnessed a rowdy skirmish Thursday in an ongoing national battle between the Service Employees International Union and General Growth Properties.

Shortly before noon, about 20 to 25 chanting janitorial workers and union organizers tried to gain access to the mall's business offices near the food court. A scuffle broke out between the demonstrators and five security guards who were blocking access to the offices.

"It just got out of hand," said Blanca Perez, 72, a former janitor at the food court. "The security guards were pushing people out, manhandling women, pepper-spraying people. It was like a heat-of-the-moment thing."

Hayward police officers arrived on the scene shortly after the scuffle.

"The demonstrators left peaceably," Lt. Reid Lindblom said. "No arrests were made. There were no reports of physical injuries other than irritation to the eyes from the pepper spray. Everyone left under their own power, as we understood it."

The union organized the demonstration against General Growth Properties, which owns Southland Mall. SEIU has been attempting to unionize janitors nationwide at malls owned by General Growth Properties, the second-largest owner, developer and manager of shopping centers in the country.

Kevin O'Donnell, a spokesman for the union, said the demonstrators at the mall were there to voice grievances regarding alleged civil rights abuses committed by General Growth Properties against employees.

"In the course of forming their union, they've been met with interrogation, intimidation, discrimination, censorship. You've had mall janitors who have been prohibited from talking to union organizers."

O'Donnell said that as a result of the scuffle with the security guards, janitors Maricela Flores and Sonia Sharwood and union organizer Raul Cardenas were taken to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Hayward to be treated for impaired vision, pain in the limbs and difficulty breathing.

General Growth Properties spokesman David Keating said that the demonstration at the mall was over the top.

"They basically stormed the shopping center, chanting and yelling and frightening a lot of parents and children. They tried to storm the management's office. This is all part of a national smear campaign against General Growth. Frankly, what they did at Southland was unacceptable."

Keating said janitors at malls owned by General Growth Properties work for third-party contractors. He said his company hires contractors that compensate janitors fairly, provide health insurance and provide workers with a complaint resolution process.

Perez said she started working at the Southland Mall food court 10 years ago as a janitor for the Millard Co. The 51-year San Leandro resident said she worked four days a week "to keep her mind busy" after her husband died. She said she started out at $7.50 an hour and was making $11 an hour without benefits when she was terminated on Oct. 19.

She said she participated in the demonstration on Thursday because she did not accept the reason her supervisor gave her for her termination, which was an unspecified discrepancy on her timecard.

Perez was not injured in the scuffle. "I don't know what to think. Something like this has never happened to me before. People need someone to fight for them when they're up against big corporations like this. I would like to see people protected and happy with their jobs."

(insidebayarea.com)

Hollywood scab writer available

Hi Hollywood