All workers except agricultural and fishery workers, engaged in producing and processing food, beverages, and tobacco products.
Submitted on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 12:36pm
Joe is an IWW member.
On Tuesday, September 2nd, Joe Richard was fired from Ward's Supermarket. He
believes, as do his co-workers, that the firing was illegal and was direct
retaliation for his workplace organizing efforts. On August 8th, Joe and 14
other employees in the Natural Foods Department submitted a petition to
management requesting an increased employee discount (raising it to 20%, which
is not uncommon for the industry) and a regular schedule of employee performance
evaluations. Our petition was largely ignored for three weeks while the owners,
Billy and Trish Ward, went on vacation. After they returned, on August 25th they
held one-on-one meetings with the employees who signed the petition, elaborating
a new 'open door' policy, by which employees could have 100% access to
management if they had a concern or grievance. Beyond that, the requests listed
in our petition were largely ignored.
Little over a week later, Joe was
fired, ostensibly for 'stealing' a bag of coffee, which is donated by Sweetwater
Coffee Company explicitly for the personal use of Natural Foods Department
employees. This free coffee, which was and continues to be intentionally given
for employees to drink at work and take home, was routinely taken home and made
every morning by numerous Department employees, including Joe. To our knowledge,
no employee has ever been punished (either received written warnings or been
discharged) for the offense of taking home this free product, which the store
never paid a single cent for. Joe didn't receive a written warning (as the
employee handbook stipulates is appropriate for minor infractions) but was fired
two days after checking out with the coffee in hand (buying eggs and donuts as
well, on a Sunday morning).
Submitted on Wed, 09/03/2008 - 4:48pm
Dear Brandworkers Campaigners and Friends,
The snake in the grass has a new trick that we thought you should know
about. Another pathetic attempt to maintain sweatshop conditions is
exposed below. As always, thank you for your continuing support.
Sincerely,
The Brandwokers HQ Team
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org
August 26, 2008
Statement of Brandworkers on Wild Edibles' Deceptive Use of Corporate
Fronts
"In their continuing bid to avoid accountability for their illegal
employment practices, Wild Edibles and owner Richard Martin have begun using
different company names to deceive restaurant owners into buying seafood
from Wild Edibles.
Submitted on Sun, 08/17/2008 - 11:40pm
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org
Tavern on the Green Stops Serving Wild Edibles Seafood Over Workers' Rights
Concerns
Legendary Central Park restaurant is the latest to drop Wild Edibles until
it settles a year-long dispute with workers
August 11, 2008
New York, NY- Tavern on the Green, one of the nation's highest-grossing
restaurants, has stopped serving seafood from wholesaler and retailer, Wild
Edibles, Inc. over concern for employee rights. Wild Edibles workers and their
allies have been campaigning for almost a year to reclaim stolen overtime pay;
to compel compliance with workplace laws including the right to support a labor
union; and to win a more livable wage as well as a health care and retirement
plan.
Submitted on Sun, 08/17/2008 - 11:33pm
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org
Celebrated Thai restaurant is the latest to drop Wild Edibles until it settles a year-long dispute with workers
August 7, 2008
New York, NY- Kittichai, the popular Thai restaurant in Soho, has stopped serving seafood from wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, Inc. over concern for employee rights. Wild Edibles workers and their allies have been campaigning for almost a year to reclaim stolen overtime pay; to compel compliance with workplace laws including the right to support a labor union; and to win a more livable wage as well as a health care and retirement plan.
"With Kittichai, thirty-four of New York's most well-regarded restaurantshave stopped serving Wild Edibles seafood," said Raymundo Lara Molina, one of eleven Wild Edibles employees fired or forced out in retaliation for asserting their rights. "When will Wild Edibles see the writing on the wall and accept a just resolution of this dispute?"
Submitted on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 6:02pm
From
The Providence Journal
By David Scharfenberg
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE — A year after a confrontation with police officers in North Providence left her with severe leg injuries, union organizer Alexandra Svoboda arrived at a rally yesterday with a cane, a knee brace and a message of defiance.
“This is the true spirit of resistance,” she said. “This is people saying, ‘no.’ ”
Svoboda, secretary of the Providence branch of the Industrial Workers of the World, was among a group of protesters who clashed with the police Aug. 11, 2007, while marching on Jacky’s Galaxie, a pan-Asian restaurant on Mineral Spring Avenue.
Union members were targeting Jacky’s because the eatery purchased rice and takeout containers from Dragon Land Trading, a restaurant supply company in Queens, N.Y., with a reputation for treating its employees poorly.