Nearly Two-Thousand Hospitality Workers to Gain Industry Wages and Benefits

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO congratulates the officers, bargaining committee, and members of UNITE HERE Local 54 on ratifying their first contract at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO congratulates our IBEW 94 brothers and sisters on securing a first contract at the NAES Co-Generation plant in Linden, New Jersey. This was a hard fought campaign, and we recognize the solidarity of both workers and Local 94 for making this victory possible. The Co-Gen plant has been in operation for 26 years without a union in place, making this success for the 39 member workforce all the more powerful.

RWDSU 108 has secured a first contract for workers in Pavilion Building Maintenance in Newark. The Pavilion Building has changed management contractors multiple times, constantly treating the employees that stayed as new hires with shifting wages and benefits. The new contract gives them a steady wage and addresses the safety concerns of the workers that keep the building running. These workers will also have consistent health benefits, regardless of which building contractors come and go.

Organizing efforts are off to a strong start in New Jersey this year. The latest victory comes from IBEW Local 827 which welcomed 100 new members to our union family from Altice cable in Oakland, New Jersey.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO applauds IBEW Local 94 on its recent organizing victory at Linden Cogen, and we are proud to welcome 39 new members to our union family. As Local 94 reports, this campaign took a lot of organizing from both within the union and within the workplace. We are proud to recognize the hard work of all parties involved in securing this victory.

Workers at Colonnade Apartments in Newark voted unanimously for union representation with RWDSU Local 108. The 15 workers, who will make up the bargaining unit, decided to form a union in order to address concerns related to low pay, health and safety, respect on the job, working hours, and the lack of retirement benefits.

Workers at Pavilion Apartments in Newark voted overwhelmingly for union representation with RWDSU Local 108. The decision, which will cover 15 workers, was decided by a near unanimous vote of 11-1. These workers range from porters to superintendents with various skills to maintain and improve the residence.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is pleased to announce a tremendous organizing victory by our affiliate Health Professionals & Allied Employees (HPAE) and the 120 addiction treatment workers who voted overwhelmingly to join the union.

By a vote of nearly 5 to 1, the workers at Sunrise House, a 110-bed substance abuse treatment center in northern New Jersey, voted to join the state’s largest union of healthcare professionals. The workers filed for the election with the National Labor Relations Board after raising concerns for the health and safety of workers and patients at the facility. 

Organizing workers is a crucial pillar of the labor movement, and RWDSU Local 108 is steadfast in its commitment to growing the ranks of union membership in our state. Building on its successful track record of organizing workers, Local 108 was recently certified as the union representative for 40 employees at the Hasbrouck Heights Department of Public Works. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO welcomes these workers to our union family and congratulates them on their choice to secure a seat at the table and a voice on the job.

Deep Foods, Inc., the leading Indian food manufacturer in the U.S. based in Union, NJ, has taken a page out of the union buster’s playbook, launching a shameful campaign of intimidation and deception against its workers seeking to join RWDSU Local 262.

While most of Deep Foods’ 239 employees, including 49 warehouse workers, expressed an interest in forming a union, the company has resolved to fight the organizing drive every step of the way. Management is using stall tactics, spreading misinformation, and unjustly fired two employees for supporting the union. Not surprisingly, the company’s unscrupulous behavior is devastating to those workers who simply want to exercise their right to a voice on the job.