The Geisha Strike of 1937

On February 26th, 1937, in Osaka, which then boasted the largest geisha district in Japan, about 60 to 80 geisha entertainers went on strike when the manager of their office refused to recognise their union. They traveled to the top of Mount Shigi and stayed at the Gyokuzo Temple for a week until negotiations succeeded, apparently with help from the temple’s monks. Geisha communities in Asahikawa and elsewhere followed suit.

Something to keep in mind as US entertainment industry strikes loom.

More here
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Image (“Bicycle in the Pleasure Quarter, after Yoshitoshi”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Apple Store Workers Unionize

Belly up to the Genius Bar. Apple retail workers have voted to unionize.

“Workers at Apple’s Towson Town Center store in Maryland have voted to unionize, with 65 yeses and 33 nos. Around 110 employees were eligible to vote in the election.”

“Organizing at the Towson store has been done by a group of employees that called themselves AppleCORE (an acronym for Coalition of Organized Retail Employees). The workers have said they want to expand their rights, specifically asking for a say when it came to pay, hours, and safety. AppleCORE is associated with a larger, established union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.”

— “Apple retail workers vote to unionize a store in Maryland,” Mitchell Clark, The Verge (links added)

More:

“Apple workers in Maryland vote to join union, a first for the tech giant in US,” Edward Helmore, The Guardian

“Apple store workers vote to form first US union,” David Molloy, BBC News

“Apple Store workers approve union, the first in the U.S.,”  Rachel Lerman, Aaron Gregg and Praveena Somasundaram Washington Post

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Image (“Apple Store, after a 1900 trade card by Tom Browne“) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Buffalo Starbucks Unionizes

Employees of the Starbucks on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, NY, have voted to unionize. These bolshevik baristas are the first in the United States to successfully organize, and were hailed by Vermont commissar Bernie Sanders. Starbucks employees also voted “Union Yes” in nearby Cheektowaga.

More:

“Starbucks workers form their 1st union in the U.S. in a big win for labor,” Alina Selyukh, NPR News

Update:

“A Rhodes Scholar barista and the fight to unionize Starbucks,” Greg Jaffe, Washington Post

Related:

“An Inside Look at Union Organizing in the Fast-Food Industry,” Lela Nargi, Eater

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Image (“Neo-Nighthawks, after Edward Hopper”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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McDonald’s: New Logo, Same Old Low Wages

McDonald’s has a new logo to go with their creepy, scary clown. The new monster brand ambassador is a red box with arms, legs, eyes and great big teeth. “All the better to eat you with,” it might be telling McDonald’s underpaid food service employees, who’ve been campaigning for fair wages. Some of the better-paid employees — the ones at headquarters — got the day off.

More:

“McDonald’s introduces terrifying Happy Meal mascot to get kids to eat healthier,” Sean O’Neal, AV Club

“McDonald’s Workers Arrested at Protest Near Headquarters,” Leslie Patton, Bloomberg.com

“100 arrested near McDonald’s headquarters in protest over low pay,” Dominic Rushe, The Guardian

“”McDonald’s Has Its Own Employees Arrested In Hamburger University Wage Increase Rally,” Sara Morrison, The Wire

McDonald’s tells workers to get food stamps,” Josh Eidelson, Salon

“Underwriting Bad Jobs: How Our Tax Dollars Are Funding Low-Wage Work and Fueling Inequality,” Amy Traub, Robert Hiltonsmith, Demos

“What Do McDonald’s Workers Really Make Per Hour?” Mona Chalabi, FiveThirtyEight

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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A Day Without Burgers

Don’t forget to pack a lunch this morning. Fast-food workers across the country are striking for a living wage, so’ll you’ll want to stay out of McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King. Don’t like cold sandwiches? Read this.

The 1963 March on Washington Started in 1941

The Civil Rights demonstration on August 28, 1963 was called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Jobs came first, since the right to vote means little without job opportunity and a living wage. The event, produced in 8 weeks, had really been 22 years in the making. A. Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters planned such a march for equal employment opportunity in 1941, and was only dissuaded when President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, banning job discrimination in the World War II defense industries.

The Last Twinkies

The last shipment of Twinkies and other Hostess packaged pastries, 600 boxes, went on sale at a Chicago Jewel supermarket at 6:00 AM last Tuesday. Consumers made them disappear by 8:00 AM. In related news, the vulture capitalists who bought Hostess Brands made employee pension funds disappear while savoring the sweet creamy treat of big bonuses.

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Image ( “American Icon”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Auto Bailout Deal Runs Out of Gas

U.S. automakers saw their $14 billion loan deal skid off the road early this morning as Senate Republicans jammed on the brakes. This panic stop caused a chain collision on Asian and European stock markets, which report major damage. Wall Street is bracing for the impact.