Listen: Striking Against Corp. Greed/Confronting NYC’s Ongoing Assault on Vulnerable Workers…
NYC municipal retiree Gloria Brandman joins with home health aide in support of Council Member Chris Marte’s “No More 24 Act” at a rally outside City Hall in May. Photo by Joe Maniscalco
By Bob Hennelly
The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union [BCTGM] Local 390G have been on strike at International Flavor & Fragrance [IFF] in Memphis for nearly five months. On this episode of the Stuck Nation Labor Radio Hour, we welcome Local 390G President Cedric Wilson who explains the critical role his rank-and-file members play in extracting vital protein from soybeans used in everything from baby formula to dog food.
IFF bought DuPont’s nutrition and bioscience division for $26.2 billion back in 2021, outbidding three other suitors and taking on an additional $12 billion in debt to create a company valued at $45.4 billion, according to Equities.com.
IFF’s SEC filings show their CEO Frank Clyburn’s total compensation was $19,271,654 while “the median employee's annual total compensation was $56,582….the ratio of annual total compensation of our CEO to our median employee for fiscal 2022 was 341 to 1.”
Cedric is joined by Judy Danella, president of the United Steelworkers Nurses Local 4-200, striking since Aug. 4, for safer staffing at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. Judy previews the Oct. 27, U.S. Senate field hearings to be held by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on the shortcomings of so-called “non-profit” hospitals like RWJUH — which paid its former CEO $16 million in the second year of the pandemic.
In the second half of the show, Council Member Chris Marte [D-1st District] discusses his "No More 24” bill which seeks to put an end to thousands of New York City home health aides from being cheated out of as much as 11 hours of pay daily.
Marianne Pizzitola, retired FDNY EMT and president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, is also on hand to update us on the ongoing fight to protect 250,000 New York City retirees in danger of having their traditional Medicare benefits privatized.