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Recent Victories
FOURTH TIME IS A CHARM FOR LABORERS' ORGANIZERS
For the employees of KTI Recycling of New Jersey, the fourth time was indeed a charm. After three years
of organizing, countless hours of house calls and meetings, numerous instances of employer intimidation,
and three protests to the National Labor Relations Board, the 45-member KTI workforce voted on March
21st to unionize, joining Laborers' Local 108. This was their fourth election.
When the Laborers' Eastern Region Organizing Fund (LEROF) first began their KTI campaign in 1999,
they encountered a workforce frustrated by poor working conditions and desperately in need of help.
Stories of unsafe work practices and unhealthy facilities were not just an occasional occurrence;
they were daily facts of life.
Alfreda Parker has been working at the Newark recycling plant for the past 10 years. She earns $7 an
hour and recently talked to the Newark Star Ledger about the conditions people were forced to suffer
through. Tales of digging through garbage without proper safety equipment and exposure to vermin made
the need for union representation all the more important."We have problems with rats, big rats," Parker
said, adding that one rodent recently climbed into a worker's sleeve and others had to pull it out of
her shirt.
According to LEROF Director Dave Johnson, the garbage and recycling industry is especially susceptible
to exploitation. With punishing jobs, unsafe conditions and low pay, recycling jobs tend to be filled
by recent immigrants with little knowledge of labor laws and, for undocumented workers, few avenues to
redress workplace concerns.
"We look forward to offering the very best representation to the men and women of KTI Recycling," said
LIUNA Vice President and Eastern Regional Manager Raymond M. Pocino. "It took incredible courage and
perseverance to endure four elections. Their story is inspiring."
With the fourth election recently behind them, Local 108's newest members are looking forward to
negotiating their first contract and making KTI Recycling a successful businessone where employees
and employer benefit.
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2002
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