You Can Save $$$ on Auto Insurance and Reduce Points on Your License - The Local 342 SEC Fund, in association with AAA, offers a Defensive Driving Voucher Program for part time members. The Defensive Driving Voucher is used for the six-hour course that AAA offers. There is no cost to Local 342 part time members or their dependents! This course can help members become better drivers while saving money on their car insurance. ...(Learn More Now)

You Can Receive Tuition Reimbursement for Educational Expenses - Local 342’s SEC Fund provides tuition assistance to eligible part time members of $1000.00 per semester, per year. The assistance that a part time member can receive comes in the form of reimbursement for educational expenses following the completion of a course or courses. Courses can be held at a variety of different educational institutions. They can be taken for credit or no credit at colleges, universities and trade schools. Certificate programs and Continued Education programs can also be reimbursed. Contact the SEC Fund office for more information. (718) 982-0342 Ext. 2

Part Timers and Their Spouse and/or Dependants Can Receive FREE Tickets to Different Venues!!! - Choose Tickets from: BRONX ZOO,STATEN ISLAND ZOO,NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS,NY AQUARIUM,ATLANTIS MARINE WORLD,LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER,MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, and the NYUSS INTREPID SEA, AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. Please contact Member Services at
1-877-URHelp-1 for your free tickets.. ...(Learn More Now)

What Every Part Time Member Should Know... Their Weingarten Rights - Imagine this. You’re still feeling new to your job and you don’t know all your Union rights. You’re supervisor comes up to you and says he wants to meet with you. You get a little scared. You follow him into his office. You see a security officer (or a “loss prevention specialist”) sitting there, too. They want to talk to you. They start to ask questions. What do you do? ...(Learn More Now)

You Can Stay on Top of All the Action Regarding Local 342 - Signing up for email updates allows Local 342 to contact you via email when something new is posted on the website. This could include information about new and exciting Union events, articles about Union activities, statements releasing important Union information, or stories containing details about a number of other Union related topics. Do not stay in the dark about your Union any longer. Register for email updates today!!!
...(Sign Up Now)

You Can Tell Local 342 Your Thoughts - The opinions of our part time working members are a valuable asset to Local 342.  Please use the feedback form to tell us about any ways you think that Local 342 can improve your Union experience.  Comments regarding new ideas for events, activities, and programs for Part-Time workers are all welcomed. ...(Tell Us)

Local 342 would like to extend an enthusiastic hello to all of our “web surfing” Part-Time members. At this time, we would like to invite all of you to enjoy a variety of new features we have added to your “Part-Timer” webpage. Besides being able to read all about the latest Local 342 news and information concerning Part-Timers, and viewing flyers describing upcoming events on the bulletin board, you can view news sections which cover current topics concerning Music, Technology, Sports, and TV/Movies. ... Let off some steam by playing some simple, yet entertaining computer games that we have gathered for your leisure.

As far as Local 342 is concerned, the fun is just beginning for our Part-Timers. Local 342 has always held the belief that there is strength in numbers, and it can never reach its full potential without YOUR help!!! Always remember that...

Olympics - The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia have officially drawn to a close. On Sunday night, February 28th, the winter games held their closing ceremony. All of the participating countries united at one venue and displayed an overall sense of sportsmanship and camaraderie that has become a tradition of Olympics past. The glorious ending to the games was marked off by brilliant displays of music, dancing, and showmanship.

Just prior to the closing ceremony, the Canadian hockey team edged out Team USA for the Gold medal in an overtime game that will go down as one of the greatest in Olympic history.  While earning that Gold medal, Canada capped off their Olympics with 14, edging out second place Germany with 10.  While the United States finished tied for third place in Gold medals with Norway at 9, they were able to win the overall medal count with 37.  Team USA’s 37 medals represents a new Olympic record for the most earned in a single Winter Olympics.  Congratulations to the members of Team USA, and all of the other participating countries’ athletes who have trained hard their whole lives for one chance at Olympic glory.

Local 342 Vows 2010 will be a Special Year for Part-Timers - Local 342 has always taken great pride in treating all of its members, including its Part-Timers, with dignity and respect. While many other Unions have often looked upon their Part-Timers as minor pieces to the puzzle, Local 342 has seen them as major contributors to a first-class labor organization. ...(Read More)

Local 342 VS... Arbitration News - Local 342 successfully settled an arbitration hearing with Key Food Pick Quick on January 18th, getting the part time member 100% of what he was entitled to. The employer decided to play “chicken”, not believing Local 342 Representatives would go to the mat to stop the abuse of a part time worker! When the Union Rep discovered that the owner of Pick Quick was making the member work full time hours for many weeks in a row, thinking the Union would not find out, the Local 342 Rep filed for arbitration demanding the full time position and correct rate of pay for this part time member. Once the employer realized there was no way to win this case, the owner settled at the arbitration hearing for exactly what the Union was asking the arbitrator to order.

Scorsese, DiCaprio Combination Produces Another Box Office Winner - The unstoppable combination of director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio are at it again. Their latest collaboration, “Shutter Island” debuted this weekend and crushed its competition in the box offices. The movie, which has been dubbed a “creepy crime thriller” by Fandango.com, grossed $40.2 million in sales its first weekend. This is the fourth time the two superstars have paired up for a film and apparently the American public cannot get enough. Scorcese and DiCaprio’s other collaborations, “The Departed,” “Gangs of New York,” and “The Aviator,” have all been deemed critical and box offices successes, but even these well known films were not able to match the debut of “Shutter Island.” Previously, the $26.9 million debut of “The Departed” was a high for these two film industry dynamos. Finishing a distant second in the ticket sales department this weekend was last week’s winner, “Valentine’s Day” with $17.2 million.

Classic Nintendo (NES) Console Package Sold for Over $13,000 on eBay - Do you have an original Nintendo console lying around and collecting dust in your attic? If so, maybe you can be the next person to sell your now useless dust collector on eBay for a small fortune… Well, not so fast. As it turns out, making some money on your outdated system has more to do with the types of games you include with the console rather than the console itself.

Just recently it was learned that a consumer purchased a classic Nintendo console with a bundle of video games off of eBay for $13,105. Apparently, the person auctioning off the console had no idea how much it was worth because the original auction price was set at a mere $9.99. According to serious video game collectors, the reason why the console/video game package went for so much money was because of a game called “Stadium Events,” which was produced by a company called Bandai in 1987. According to them, “Stadium Events” is one of the rarest console games in the United States, and there are thought to only be a few left in circulation. Once collectors noticed that this game was included in the package, offers began to sky rocket until the final bid was accepted. Talk about a lucky break for the seller! If any of you out there are looking for a chance to make a big profit off of your old Nintendo games, some titles that you should be on the lookout for in your collection are “Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition,” “Kizuna Encounter,” “and “Bangai-O: Prize Edition.”

The United Kingdom Proves to be Gaga for Lady Gaga at Brit Awards - The accolades for musical supernova Lady Gaga just continue to pile up. The international pop superstar, who has burst onto the music scene with her flamboyant costumes and hypnotic tunes, collected three more awards for her ever growing trophy case last night. This time, it was the UK’s Brit Awards in London that provided Lady Gaga with the latest proof of her arrival as an international pop culture icon. Lady Gaga received awards in three separate categories during the Brit ceremony, which is the American equivalent of the Grammy’s. She was victorious as the “Best International Female Artist,” “Best International Breakthrough Act,” and for her “Best International Album” titled, “The Fame.” These latest three awards, which were voted on by over 1,000 musical industry members in the UK, seem to be just another small stepping stone for Lady Gaga in her destined climb to international fame and acclaim.

March 1842 - Commonwealth v. Hunt decision: A landmark legal decision which was passed down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on the subject of Labor Unions. Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw ruled that Unions were legal organizations and had the right to organize and strike. Before this decision, Labor Unions which attempted to “close” or create a unionized workplace could be charged with conspiracy. This decision helped set a precedent which allowed Labor Unions to grow in the United States.

March 18, 1970 - The first mass work stoppage in the 195-year history of the Post Office Department began with a walkout of letter carriers in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Eventually, 210,000 of the nation's 750,000 postal employees caught on and participated in the stoppage. With mail service virtually paralyzed in New York, Detroit, and Philadelphia, President Nixon declared a state of national emergency and assigned military units to New York City post offices. The stand-off culminated two weeks later, when the United States Secretary of Labor, William Usery Jr. negotiated a contract for the Postal Unions that basically gave them all that they were asking for.

Nick Spoto- ShopRite #110, Staten Island - Nick Spoto is a well-spoken, 21 year old part-time deli clerk who has been a member of Local 342 and an employee of Shoprite #110 in Staten Island for 2 years. When Nick is away from his job, he enjoys playing basketball and rooting for his beloved New York Yankees. Besides his sporting interests, Nick also takes his education and future career prospects very seriously. Currently, Nick is participating in a two year radiology program at New York Methodist Hospital Bartone School of Radiography, which he hopes will lead to him becoming an X-Ray Technician.

Although Nick does not plan on making a career out of his job as a deli clerk at Shoprite, the importance of being a member of Local 342 for as long as he remains an employee there has not been lost on him. Nick realizes that he would not be able to pay his bills or further his education without the money he makes from his part-time job. He also recognizes that having Local 342 there with him every step of the way gives him job security, benefits, and satisfactory working conditions.

Nick learns more about the perks of being a Local 342 member every day, and he was surprised and excited to hear about Local 342’s Tuition Reimbursement program, which is designed to help our members pay for their education. Nick is looking forward to getting involved in all of the programs and events Local 342 has to offer, and he had this message to send to his fellow part-timers: “No matter how long you plan on staying at your job, get to know about your Union. You will be surprised about all the great things they can offer you.”