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Bicycle couriers want to vote on union
They file petition for NLRB election
SF Examiner, Nov. 17, 2000
Examiner Staff Report
Bicycle messengers and drivers for Express Network Inc., a San Francisco
courier firm specializing in legal services, have filed for a National Labor
Relations Board union election.
And just for good measure, making the filing Thursday, they threw in a two-hour
strike to protest what they charge are unfair labor practices by the Los
Angeles-based company.
The couriers say that management has already threatened them with loss of
benefits if they unionize, which, if proven, would be an unfair labor practice.
If the 22 ENI couriers unionize by voting for representation by the International
Longshore and Warehouse Union, they will become the third group of messengers
in San Francisco to do so.
ILWU's Local 6 already represents couriers at Speedway and Professional Messenger.
ENI has rejected the couriers' request for recognition after a card check;
hence, the election, said bicycle messenger Chris Stevens.
ENI couriers receive no paid time off, sick or vacation days, or overtime,
although they do have a company-paid health plan, said Jeff Levin, a driver.
Most of the couriers are paid on a commission basis.
"If the wheels aren't turnin', you're not earnin'," Stevens said. The ILWU
has been working with the San Francisco Bike Messenger Association on an
industry-wide organizing drive for the past 21/2 years.
Marcy Rein, an organizer with the ILWU, said the contracts with Speedway
and Professional Messenger are the nation's first involving couriers. ENI
Inc. declined to comment.
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