Saturday, January 24, 2015
Temporary Workers of America has retained Dmitri Iglitzin as legal counsel
We have been able to retain Seattle attorney Dmitri Iglitzin as legal counsel to help us in the drafting of the contract and the negotiating in the collective bargaining process.
Friday, January 16, 2015
In the news
This week we are in the news:
As temp sector grew, so did appeal of Union. Microsoft campus labmates bargain for benefits, in the Tuesday January 13 issue of the Boston Globe, by Katie Johnston
Sunday, January 11, 2015
About the third collective bargaining meeting
Our third collective bargaining took place on Wednesday January 7 with Helena, Colin, Zac and Philippe representing the union. Lionbridge's attorney Tim O'Connell, kept asking us questions to clarify what was in our draft contract: a delaying strategy we try to counteract as best as we can but he has been doing it for 30 years while we have a learning curve. We did our 'best effort'. We are working on a revised draft of a proposed contract: if you want to receive it and are not on our listserve, Just ask us by emailing your request at temporaryworkersofamerica@gmail.com.
Lionbridge's answers to our information request before the third bargaining meeting
Find below the answers provided on January 7 by Jeanne Schreuder to the questions we had sent in an information request before the third collective bargaining meeting. We have have added two short comments at the bottom.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Chronology 2015
January 7, 2015: collective bargaining 3rd meeting
January 13, 2015: Article in the Boston Globe 'Microsoft labmates bargain for benefits'
January 15, 2015: Article in the Seattle Times 'Labor issues at Microsoft prompt talks of policy changes'
February 3: Opening of a blog for Temporary Workers of America
February 10: collective bargaining 4th meeting in the presence of attorney Dmitri Iglitzin (with financial support of AFL-CIO) to advise TWA
February 27: collective bargaining 5th meeting: Lionbridge initial proposal with zero paid leave of any kind (in the presence of Danielle Franco-Malone to advise TWA)
March 10, 2015: Publication of L'Autre Moitié de Microsoft (French version of The Other Microsoft) on Amazon-Kindle.
March 24, 2015: Presentation of TWA for the students of the Design for Social Change class at Cornish School of the Arts: they are going to produce images and video clips pro bono for TWA.
March 24, 2015: Article about Lionbridge CEO 2014 compensation
March 24, 2015: Charge for bargaining in bad faith filed with NLRB by TWA against Lionbridge (for refusing to provide the contract with Microsoft and the amount Microsoft pays for each employee). Charge withdrawn on May 19.
March 26: Brad Smith's Announcement about Microsoft new requirement that suppliers provide at least 15 days of paid time off to their employees
March 27, 2015: several articles about TWA, in the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, etc.
March 30, 2015: Creation of the blog Paid Time Off Matters to monitor the implementation of Microsoft's announcement.
April 16, 2015: Microsoft CEO invited to the White House as 'champion of change' because of their new paid leave requirement for their suppliers
May 1st, 2015: Article in Business Week Bloomberg News: 'Microsoft's contract workers are organizing'
May 12, 2015: Facebook announcement about their new policy requiring paid time off and providing paid parental leave for their suppliers employees
May 16, 2015: Article in the Seattle Times, "Image says it all for Microsoft temps', about the images produced by the Cornish Students.
May 19, 2015: TWA withdraws its charge against Lionbridge for bargaining in bad faith.
May 22, 2015: TWA petition to Microsoft on coworking.org: Memorial Day should be a paid holiday for all 40.000 Microsoft temporary workers
May 29, 2015: collective bargaining 6th meeting; cancelled at the last minute on the advice of our attorneys because there was only one union representative available
May 29, 2015: Lionbridge files with NLRB a charge against TWA for bargaining in bad faith
June 8, 2015: Department of Labor explains how the lack of paid leave disproportionally impacts low wage workers
June 9, 2015: Disengagement letter from attorneys Dmitri Iglitzin and Danielle Franco-Malone, ending legal advice for TWA.
June 30, 2015: Lionbridge contract with Microsoft is renewed. TWA is informed by a Microsoft employee that it contains a clause requiring Lionbridge to provide at least 15 days of paid time off.
July17, 2015: collective bargaining 7th meeting: Lionbridge now includes 15 days of paid time off in its proposal.
August 2, 2015: Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft Executive Vice President for HR, announces new benefits (2 new paid holidays and extendend paid parental leave of 12 weeks) for Microsoft 'direct' employees
August 13, 2015: Microsoft Chief Procurement Officer Mike Simms writes about policy changes for US suppliers (including the 15 days of PTO requirement)
August 20, 2015: collective bargaining 8th meeting: TWA accepts Lionbridge contract proposal.
August 26, 2015: TWA petition to Microsoft 'Stop paid leave discrimination' launched on coworker.org.
August 27, 2015: NLRB decision in Browning-Ferris Industries (Joint Employment criteria)
September 3, 2015: Testimony in support of Marilyse in front of the Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals about her occupational injury claim for incapacitating repetitive stress syndrom.
September 8, 2015: Lionbridge informs TWA that they have received 'some further elaboration from Microsoft as to its expectations' concerning the PTO requirement. Finalizing the contract proposal should therefore take 'a few more days'.
September 21, 2015: Lionbridge sends their contract proposal to TWA
September 23, 2015: TWA expresses concerns about the wording of the confidentiality clause (article 5) and the clause about the use of PTO (article 7)
October 17, 2015: TWA invites Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s HR Executive Vice President to attend the next collective bargaining meeting on October 23 as joint employer
October 23, 2015: two hours before the meeting Mike Simms, Microsoft’s Chief Procurement Officer (see August 13) declines via email TWA’s request, stating Microsoft is not a joint employer.
October 23, 2015: article in the Seattle Times: Microsoft declines union invitation to the bargaining table
October 23, 2015: article in the Seattle Times: Microsoft declines union invitation to the bargaining table
September 3, 2015: Testimony in support of Marilyse in front of the Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals about her occupational injury claim (for incapacitating repetitive stress syndrom)
October 17, 2015: TWA invites Microsoft to attend the next collective bargaining meeting as a joint employer.
October 23, 2015: Microsoft declines the invitation to the bargaining table for the ninth collective bargaining meeting taking place that very day
October 26, 2015: TWA polls its own members about Microsoft as a joint employer (80% agree they are) and if TWA should ask NLRB to determine Microsoft’s joint employer status (90% support such a filing).
October 28: TWA files a charge against Microsoft with NLRB for refusing to bargain as a joint employer - Case 19-CA-162985
November 3r 2015: Confidential Witness Affidavit given to NLRB
repurchase program
November 12, 2015: Employees refuse to ratify the tentative bargaining agreement (20 NO and 5 YES)
November 19, 2015: Lionbridge decides to implement the 15 days of paid time off provision despite the rejection of the bargaining agreement. TWA does not object.
November 21, 2015: Thanksgiving @ Microsoft: the stinging bitterness of an unpaid holiday.
December 10, 2015: Human Rights Day. TWA explains again why Microsoft is in violation of its commitment to respect human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (articles 7d and 10.2)
December 22, 2015: How much did Microsoft and Lionbridge save/take from their employees by not providing paid leave nor paid public holidays? Up to $17.600 for 4 year employee.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Third collective bargaining meeting: on Wednesday January 7, 2015
Our third collective bargaining meeting will take place on Wednesday January 7, 2015, from 3.45 to 5pm at a location that is not yet determined.
Please contact us if you want to attend.
All our best wishes for a happy new year, for all of you and your loved ones
Please contact us if you want to attend.
All our best wishes for a happy new year, for all of you and your loved ones
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