Bernie unionized staffers clash with campaign over guarantee of $15 an hour

[polychronopolous]

C'mon now Bernie, don't be greedy.






(CNN) Sen. Bernie Sanders is a staple on the front lines of the labor fight, leading the charge in Washington and around the country to raise the minimum wage for workers to $15 an hour. But within his own campaign, which unionized earlier this year, tense discussions over pay have spilled out into public view.

The dispute threatens to undermine Sanders' political message and, if it were to escalate, his ability to credibly advocate for workers around the country currently engaged in their own struggles to negotiate higher wages and better working conditions.

Word of the discontent first emerged publicly on Thursday night, in a Washington Post report detailing campaign field staff's frustration that their base pay, in some instances, does not match the $15-an-hour mandate that Sanders, as a legislator and candidate, has pressed for as the base minimum wage across the country. As the campaign ramps up, field staff are often required to work 10-hour, 6-day weeks, driving down their average hourly compensation.


A source tells CNN that campaign officials were in a room with representatives from the union, discussing the topic, when the campaign was first made aware of the Post's story.

In a statement to CNN, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said that the campaign offered the field staff a boost in pay that would guarantee a $15 an hour salary commensurate with a 40-hour work week. That proposal, according to Shakir, was rejected by the membership.

"As strong supporters of organized labor, this formal process is the sole process for making changes to the collective bargaining agreement. It would be anti-union, and likely illegal, for the campaign to negotiate outside this process," Shakir said. "We look forward to continuing those discussions and obviously are disappointed that some individuals decided to damage the integrity of these efforts before they were concluded."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/07/19/politics/bernie-sanders-campaign-union-clash/index.html

[Desolate]

He's done.

He is already complaining about a lack of media coverage from the left.

[SOMEPARTS]

Delightful to watch.

[IroNat]

Hilarious.

[polychronopolous]

Bernie Sanders campaign announces it will cut hours to pay staffers $15 minimum wage, prompting mockery





Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders announced this weekend he will cut staffers' hours so that they can effectively be paid a $15-an-hour minimum wage, prompting mockery from critics who say the move is more evidence that Sanders' plan to raise the national minimum wage is hypocritical and would only lead to less work and more unemployment.

The Washington Post first reported last Thursday that Sanders' field staffers were upset that Sanders championed a $15 minimum wage on the campaign trail, and made headlines for railing against major corporations who pay "starvation wages" -- even as his own employees made "poverty wages."

In response, Sanders told The Des Moines Register he was "very proud" to lead the first major presidential campaign with unionized workers, but also "bothered" that news of the internal strife had spilled into the media.

The self-described socialist candidate said junior field organizers earn roughly $36,000 per year in salary, with employer-paid health care and sick leave. But he acknowledged that their salary can effectively dip below $15 per hour if staffers work much more than 40 hours per week, which is common on presidential campaigns.

The solution is to "limit the number of hours staffers work to 42 or 43 each week to ensure they’re making the equivalent of $15 an hour," he told the Register's Brianne Pfannenstiel.


"It does bother me that people are going outside of the process and going to the media," Sanders added. "That is really not acceptable. It is really not what labor negotiations are about, and it's improper."

He went on to say that the union contract "not only provides pay of at least $15 an hour, it also provides, I think, the best health care benefits that any employer can provide for our field organizers."

Reaction from commentators and lawmakers was unsparing.

"For the first time in his life, socialist Bernie Sanders practices economics and, buddy, the results are hilarious," wrote columnist and humorist Stephen Miller. He added: "Why won’t millionaire Bernie Sanders, who owns 3 homes, instead of cutting hours, pay his staff a living wage? People are starving."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bernie-sanders-campaign-announces-it-will-cut-hours-to-pay-staffers-15-minimum-wage-prompting-mockery.amp

[polychronopolous]

Federal labor complaint filed against Bernie Sanders campaign


A federal labor complaint has been filed against Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign just days after the Vermont independent had reached an agreement with his campaign's unionized staffers.

The complaint posted Monday on the National Labor Relations Board's website and noted by Bloomberg Law alleges several potential violations, including concerted activities (retaliation, discharge, discipline) discharge, illegal interrogation, repudiation and modification of contract.

A full text of the labor complaint has not been released yet, and it was filed by an anonymous individual from Iowa. The NLRB allows individuals who are not on the campaign staff to file a labor law violations complaint.

The charge comes as Sanders announced he has reached a labor agreement with his campaign staffers.

“I was insistent that everybody on our staff make at least $15 an hour, and in fact they're making $17 an hour," he said Tuesday on CNN. "The offer that we made to the union several months ago would have accomplished that. And I'm happy to tell you, by the way, that offer was just accepted."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/federal-labor-complaint-filed-against-bernie-sanders-campaign

[Soul Crusher]

Bernie Sanders aka straw man - lmfao

[Irongrip400]

Hey man, he’s trying. I believe the establishment is doing what it can to keep him down.

[Straw Man]

Seems like typical politician hypocrisy

Reminds me of Trump constantly demonizing illegal workers while he has a LONG history of hiring illegal workers at his various shithole properties

No Trumptards on this board seemed to have a problem with that blatant hypocrisy to hard to take them seriously about this

What I don't understand about the Bernie story is that he claims to have offered them a boost in pay equivalent to $15 and hour for a 40 hour work week and they rejected it?

If they are considered permanent full time employees then it's not uncommon to occasionally work more than 40 hours a week (think almost ANY corporate job in America) without compensation

Working on a campaign is not a normal job.  It's often longs hours working (well over 40 a week) and often working with volunteers who are paid nothing.

Not a great example but I understand why Trumptards would want to latch onto this

Bernie is not gong to be the candidate but I understand the desire to do anything to distract from the criminal retard in the White House

[Grape Ape]

Reminds me of Trump

We know, everything does.

[loco]

Seems like typical politician hypocrisy

Reminds me of Trump constantly demonizing illegal workers while he has a LONG history of hiring illegal workers at his various shithole properties

No Trumptards on this board seemed to have a problem with that blatant hypocrisy to hard to take them seriously about this

What I don't understand about the Bernie story is that he claims to have offered them a boost in pay equivalent to $15 and hour for a 40 hour work week and they rejected it?

If they are considered permanent full time employees then it's not uncommon to occasionally work more than 40 hours a week (think almost ANY corporate job in America) without compensation

Working on a campaign is not a normal job.  It's often longs hours working (well over 40 a week) and often working with volunteers who are paid nothing.

Not a great example but I understand why Trumptards would want to latch onto this

Bernie is not gong to be the candidate but I understand the desire to do anything to distract from the criminal retard in the White House

[Irongrip400]

Seems like typical politician hypocrisy


What I don't understand about the Bernie story is that he claims to have offered them a boost in pay equivalent to $15 and hour for a 40 hour work week and they rejected it?

If they are considered permanent full time employees then it's not uncommon to occasionally work more than 40 hours a week (think almost ANY corporate job in America) without compensation

Working on a campaign is not a normal job.  It's often longs hours working (well over 40 a week) and often working with volunteers who are paid nothing.

Bernie is not gong to be the candidate

I agree

[Purge_WTF]

 Socialism for me but not for thee.