STAND-UM News Conference Feb. 1st - "NLRB Indictment against UNICCO"
by Peter Graves-Goodman Friday, Feb. 03, 2006 at 9:03 PM
imcmiami@yahoo.com

Students Towards a New Democracy (S.T.A.N.D.) along with janitors at UM held a NEWS CONFERENCE & SPEAK OUT on February 1st, to address a formal complaint filed by Local 11, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) with the National labor Relations Board (NLRB) that UNICCO supervisors spied on, threatened, interrogated, and pressured janitors fighting for bettor wages, affordable health insurance and a safe place to work. Currently, janitors at UM make as little as $6.50 an hour and are not provided with health insurance. In addition to the NLRB investigation, OSHA is conducting an investigation of UNICCO for failing to provide janitors at the campus with appropriate safety equipment and training. (See photos and view a short video from the News Conference below)

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Some BIG news - UNICCO INDICTED

The National Labor Relations Board today issued complaints against UNICCO on 4 charges previously filed by SEIU for violating federal labor laws in the UM organizing campaign. Those charges are:

• surveillance by supervisors of a union meeting on 7/22/05.
• on 9/18/05 - interrogation, threats of reprisals against employees who engaged in union activities, accusing employees of being disloyal to the company for engaging in Union activities, prohibiting employees from talking about the union at work.
• on 9/22/05 - requiring employees to sign a statement disavowing their support for the union.
• on 9/22/05 - directing employees to refrain from attending or participating in union sponsored activities and on 9/30/05 promising better treatment to employees who did not support the union and threatening those who did support the union with reprisals.

There will still be a trial on all of these issues – and no doubt UNICCO will continue to maintain its innocence – but in essence the federal government has found enough probable cause to issue an indictment against UNICCO for illegal activity during this campaign. This is not unlike Patrick Fitzgerald calling Scooter Libby to the carpet a few months ago – remember there will be a trial there, but the indictment itself was enough to cause a resignation. It reinforces workers’ stories about UNICCO supervisors causing a hostile environment on campus --- and remember, charges were only filed on behalf of those workers who were brave enough to come forward and fight their supervisors’ illegal activities – no easy thing.

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STAND-UM speaks out against UNICCO employee abuses
by Peter Graves-Goodman Friday, Feb. 03, 2006 at 9:03 PM
imcmiami@yahoo.com

video: AVI at 31.2 mebibytes

Jacob Coker-Dukowitz of STAND-UM speaks out against the UM contractor UNICCO just indicted by the NLRB.

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(L -R) Steve Sinclair and Jacob Coker-Dukowitz
by Peter Graves-Goodman Friday, Feb. 03, 2006 at 9:03 PM
imcmiami@yahoo.com

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Steve and Jacob preparing for the News Conference.

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(L-R) Nelson Hernandez, Julia Garces, SEIU Translator
by Peter Graves-Goodman Friday, Feb. 03, 2006 at 9:03 PM
imcmiami@yahoo.com

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UM janitors, Nelson and Julia, speak out about UNICCO employee abuses.

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