Submitted on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 5:54pm
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Star Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Restaurant Stops Serving Wild Edibles Seafood
Over Workers' Rights Concerns
New York, NY (01/26/09)- Aquavit, a perennial winner of three stars from
the New York Times, has stopped serving seafood from accused labor rights
violator, Wild Edibles. Workers at Wild Edibles have been campaigning for
almost a year and a half to reclaim unlawfully withheld overtime pay and win
respect on the job. Aquavit joins over 50 other leading NYC eateries that have
decided not to serve Wild Edibles seafood until the workers' human rights are
honored there.
"I am pleased that in these tough economic times, Aquavit has heard our
call for fairness and accountability from Wild Edibles," said Lino Martinez, a
plaintiff in the class action overtime lawsuit against Wild Edibles. The
National Labor Relations Board has issued two complaints against Wild Edibles
for retaliating against Martinez and several of his co-workers.
Submitted on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 4:33pm
by Diane Krauthamer / January 22, 2009
On a chilly Monday morning in midtown Manhattan, demonstrators displayed powerful messages of solidarity with food and retail workers, demanding fair wages and treatment while sending a prominent message to bosses: “You can’t keep the workers down, New York is a union town!”
On January 19, 2009, approximately 50 people braved the winter weather for the Industrial Workers of the World’s (IWW) annual “March Against Wage Slavery” in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Starting at 11 AM outside the Starbucks Regional Office on 5th Avenue in the shadows of the Empire State Building, a radical marching band joined by union members and supporters rallied alongside Starbucks baristas to demand that workers be paid a holiday premium of time and a half for working on MLK Day—the only national holiday in which workers do not receive premium pay.
Submitted on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 8:04pm
We, the New York City General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers
of the World--an international, rank-and-file labor
union--enthusiastically express solidarity with the occupants of the central offices of the
General Confederation of Labour of Greece and the Thessaloniki Trade Unions
Center. The brave, and principled, actions of our working class brothers and
sisters in Greece is an inspiration to us. We recognize that our struggle is
one, and offer the fullest capacity of our solidarity and support.
In addition, we offer our condolences to the family, friends, and
comrades of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, a 16-year old boy whose murder by the
police last month triggered a widespread uproar from workers, students and
the downtrodden throughout Greece. We also stand with Konstantina Kuneva,
an immigrant worker in Athens who recently fell victim to a severe
retaliatory attack while organizing for decent conditions for the workers of the
Attica Union of Domestic Workers and Cleaners. Consistent with the demands of
the occupants, we demand a full investigation of the attack with justice for
the perpetrators, and that Konstantina's employers comply with the just
demands of her union. We also call for an end to the abuse and lethal brutality
of Greek law enforcement and reactionaries on working people, immigrants,
and the youth.
Submitted on Wed, 01/07/2009 - 4:50pm
By Stephanie Basile; Photo By Liberte Locke
The SWU staged a New Year's Eve protest as part of the ongoing campaign for Hurst. In addition to demanding pay for Hurst, the demonstrators talked to customers about the union's struggle for secure work hours and respect on the job. For one of the demonstrators, Starbucks barista Henry Marin, it was his first public action as a member of the union.
The group of about 10 union members spent an hour demonstrating on a cold New Year's Eve, chanting outside the Union Square East store and holding signs bearing slogans such as "support Your Local Union Baristas," and the soon-to-be ubiquitous slogan "Where's Anna's Money?" Customers were encouraged to ask management this question inside. One customer reported that the manager he spoke to pretended she had no idea what he was talking about.
Where's Anna's Money?
When a person is sick and has to leave work early, and if that person happens to be a part-time hourly wage earner, she or he misses out on the remaining hours in that shift. Having no paid sick time, this and other precarious situations are of the type that Starbucks baristas are used to dealing with.
And thus, when Anna Hurst left work sick during a shift this past August, she already knew she'd have to deal with losing a few hours' pay. Never do people imagine, though, that their employer will then deny them an additional two weeks of work. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Starbucks did. After having to leave sick, Hurst called work the next day to find out her schedule only to discover that her name had been removed from the schedule for two weeks.
Submitted on Tue, 01/06/2009 - 10:50am
It’s that time of year again…
MLK Day March Against Wage Slavery!
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a tireless fighter for social justice. Every year, the IWW marches on MLK Day to honor his legacy.
We march on the workplaces in which we are organizing to show solidarity with our fellow workers and send a clear message to the bosses that we stand united against all forms of slavery!
We are calling on Starbucks to pay the holiday premium on MLK Day.
We are calling on Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin to stop union-busting, rehire fired workers, and settle his ongoing labor dispute with the workers.
Mon, Jan 19th