Tag Archives: Labor
Maine Lobster Union Points the Way for Organizing Gig Economy Workers
Lobstering is an inherently individualistic pursuit. Most boats are crewed by just two or three people, and some captains go it alone. They leave harbor before dawn, spend the day hauling traps up from the seafloor, then motor back to the dock to sell the creatures for the best price they can get. It’s hard work that draws rugged, self-reliant people, in other words, not your typical union members. That’s what makes Local 207, the only lobstering union in the US so unusual. The decade-old group in Maine represents about 200 lobstermen. The union more often referred to as “Lobster 207”, got its start after a crash in prices 10 years ago. >Video, click to read< 11:05
FISH-NL Taught FFAW A Lesson About Communication
If the challenge created by FISH-NL taught the FFAW anything, it’s about ensuring good communication with your membership. That’s according to FFAW President Keith Sullivan who was responding to the dissolution of FISH-NL, a group that had been trying to gain certification to represent inshore harvesters in the province. The FISH-NL movement was born from dissatisfaction with the Fisheries Union from some members. >click to read< 08:40
FISH-NL extends membership drive
“We always knew a time extension was available if we needed it,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. “We need the extra time based on the unique challenges associated with collecting membership cards over a 90-day timeline from thousands of inshore harvesters spread out over a massive geographical area, as was the case 22 years ago.” “In order to make sure all inshore harvesters have the opportunity to decide their future we have decided to go with an extension.” Precedent for an extension of the 90-day rule was set in 1997 when the province’s Labour Relations Board agreed to extend the timeline up to 180 days for the United Food and Commercial Workers union,,, >click to read< 08:30
FFAW-Unifor stoops to new low; committee members forced to sign ‘pledge of allegiance’
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) charges the FFAW-Unifor with stooping to a new low in forcing inshore harvesters to sign a pledge of allegiance to serve on area committees, potentially blocking thousands of dues-payers from taking part. “So much for democracy — the labour situation in the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery is as bad as any communist regime ever was,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. >click to read<14:12
Crab season: ‘It’s strange for them to be so full at the first of the season’
CHARLESTON, Ore. — With Dungeness crab season now in full swing, commercial fishermen are flooding Oregon’s coastal ports with thousand of pounds of crab. Scott Adams, plant manager for Hallmark Fisheries, said they have a use for every crab in the multiple catches a boat may make each day. If a crab is not up to par the meat is picked out in a labor-intensive process called backing. The crab is cooked then put on ice to be shipped out. Adams said the labor and the price of crab make it an extremely expensive (yet popular) product of the sea. [email protected] 10:07
