Submitted on Tue, 05/09/2006 - 7:02pm
Earlier this year the National Labor Relations Board handed down a decision that paved the way for the IWW to turn three Starbucks in the city into union shops. Of course, according to the Delocator there are 193 Starbucks in a 20-mile radius of the 10001 zip code. In comparison there are 223 non-Starbucks. . .
Read the entire article here: http://www.dane101.com/delocator052006
Submitted on Sun, 04/30/2006 - 9:20pm
Join Us: 5:30 AM till afternoon MAYDAY Morning Picket line (5/1) On Gardner between Metropolitan & Meadow in Greenpoint. L train to Grand St. walk east on Grand over bridge and right on Gardner. Contact Tomer at 646-753-1167 if you can make it.
Or Jam Up The phone Lines! call 718-821-3388 or fax 718-497-9550 demand a fair election, an end to violations of minimum wage and overtime laws, and respect from the boss. www.iww.org/en/node/2396.
Recent Developments
On April 28th Workers at Amersino voted whether to join the Industrial Workers of the World. 35 people voted and 20 votes are contested. Throughout April, the boss made threats to fire the workers and close the wharehouse. He bribed workers to not vote for the union. After weeks of this anti-union activity the boss unsurprisingly manipulated the election. Several of the votes were taken from managers or workers that do not work at that location. Also, around 10 pro-union worker's votes were withheld on the account that the boss claims they do not work at that location.
Submitted on Wed, 04/19/2006 - 11:09am
Staff Report - Industrial Worker, May 2006
On March 20 at 5:30 a.m. workers at Amersino, a produce distribution warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., met in a deli to sign IWW membership cards and prepare to stand up to an abusive boss. On that chilly Monday morning close to 20 Latino workers along with a diverse IWW contingent - including workers from Handyfat, Starbucks and Mayday books - marched on the boss demanding the immediate reinstatement of fired workers, an end to violations of minimum wage and overtime laws, and respect from the boss.
As the boss drove up in his new Mercedes Benz, workers marched with bikes in hand ready to demand justice. The showdown between the workers and their boss is just one example of the class conflict that exists in New York City. The workers organized to end the harsh treatment from the boss who would yell racist remarks at workers while paying them far below what they earned. Meanwhile the boss used the money he was stealing to build a collection of trucks he is using for his long haul operations and other business endeavors.
Submitted on Thu, 03/23/2006 - 6:32pm
By CYDNEY GILLIS - Staff Reporter; reposted from RealChangeNews.Org, March 9, 2006.
Starbucks settled 15 charges of unfair labor practices in New York Tuesday — a move the Industrial Workers of the World are hailing as a victory in their drive to unionize the coffee’s giants baristas.
The Wobblies say Starbucks agreed to reinstate two union members who had lost their jobs — Sarah Bender and Anthony Polanco — and stop interfering with union organizing activities.
The settlement is so complete, says one IWW member, it’s a virtual “neutrality agreement” that sets the stage for the union to expand its efforts.
Submitted on Tue, 03/21/2006 - 9:56pm
By Kris Maher and Janet Adamy, The Wall Street Journal - Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Unions haven't had much luck organizing Starbucks Corp.'s baristas, many of whom are part-timers or college students with little incentive to sign union cards since they're not planning on building long-term careers brewing venti skim lattes.
The latest to try to organize the company's workers is the Industrial Workers of the World, a union with a long, feisty history and a counter-cultural aura.
Starbucks recently settled a complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board that contained more than two dozen unfair labor practice allegations brought against the company by the IWW. The settlement stemmed from disputes at just three stores in New York City and will likely have little impact on the vast majority of Starbucks workers. But it illustrates the careful approach the company is taking toward labor activists as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other union targets try to rebuild their images after union campaigns tarnished their reputations.