Solidarity 335, 10 September 2014

Traffic wardens in Ealing, West London, will strike on Thursday 11 September in a dispute over pay. The workers have rejected a management offer of a 1.5% increase, well below the current Retail Price Index of 2.5%. The workers are employed by NSL Ltd., a private contractor which runs traffic and parking services for many local councils. Unison members employed by NSL on a contract at Camden council had a prolonged dispute in 2012, which involved sustained strike action. The NSL workers at Ealing Borough Council, who are members of Unite, estimate that their strike could cost the council £25...

On 4 September, thousands of fast food workers and other service industry employees (including home healthcare workers), backed by both the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) and UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers), held strikes and protests in cities in California, Missouri, Wisconsin, New York, and elsewhere in the United States, for respect, improved benefits, the right to organise, and for a $15 minimum wage. Hundreds of workers and supporters were arrested. The “Fight for 15”, a movement by fast food and other low-paid workers across America, began in November 2012...