In July, members at RWDSU Local 125 in St. Joseph, Missouri, have overwhelmingly approved a new five-year contract with their employer, National Beef Leathers, where 400 RWDSU members process cow hide into blue leather, which is then sold to vendors who turn it into everything from shoes to car seat covers.

“We extend our deepest sympathy to our brothers and sisters at 32BJ on the loss of President Hector Figueroa. Hector was a champion for workers, standing on the front lines of many critical fights. From the Fight for $15 to the Fast Food Workers campaign, he made a difference for working people. Hector has left a strong legacy of tenacious warriors who will continue his legacy for generations of workers to come. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at 32BJ and with Hector’s family,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

“Amazon has a well-documented history of mistreating and dehumanizing its workers in the U.S. and around the world. The stress can be particularly hard on any day, and especially during Prime Day events. But, this year, the toll on Amazon’s workers will be considerably worse. Prime Day has been expanded to two-days and earlier this year Amazon announced a new policy of one-day shipping that effectively doubles the pace of its workers. Amazon fulfillment workers were already facing speeds of 200-300 orders per hour in 12-hour shifts before the new policy. They were struggling to maintain that pace, even before the one-day shipping policy was announced. Testing hundreds of thousands of workers physical limits as though they were trained triathletes is the wrong approach. Operating at these speeds for this duration means Amazon needs to hire more workers, under more sustainable speeds that don’t put worker’s lives in jeopardy. Amazon needs to understand that human beings are not robots,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

On Friday, the Indiana Joint Board held their Convention, re-electing Eric Schwartz as President of the Indiana Joint Board. Schwartz will also continue to serve as the IJB Business Representative.