The barbers at JBLM had long enjoyed good contracts with strong union rights. That changed 2 1\/2 years ago, when their contract was taken over by a new company. The new boss cut their pay, eliminated their credit card tips, and tried to pit them against each other\u2014all to break their union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe came in here with an iron fist,\u201d said Batista. \u201cHe had the military police called on us twice in one week, accused us of stealing. It was so stressful. I had a panic attack and had to go to the hospital. My husband and my children are all military. They told me to quit my job. But I couldn\u2019t let someone wreck our lives like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen he cut our pay, some barbers lost their homes. We fought as a union and won the money back. But in 6 months, he ruined some people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Mamerto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the barbers were relentless, tenacious\u2014and united. Our union filed dozens of NLRB charges until the employer finally lost the contract, and a new employer took over. Now the barbers are negotiating a contract that will secure their fair pay and the respect they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like people say, United We Stand, Divided We Fall. Support your coworkers and know that your union is your backbone. Don\u2019t ever think, \u2018Oh I\u2019m poor, my family is poor,\u2019 or you will stay at the bottom for life. If you have the support of your family and friends, you can change the world,\u201d said Batista.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The barbers at JBLM had long enjoyed good contracts with strong union rights. That changed 2 1\/2 years ago, when their contract was taken over by a new company. The new boss cut their pay, eliminated their credit card tips, and tried to pit them against each other\u2014all to break their union.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came in here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2738,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,6],"class_list":["post-1461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-information","tag-front-featured","tag-front-promo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n