Submitted on Sun, 01/02/2011 - 7:57pm
Headlines:
- Georgia Prisoners Organize Largest Prison Strike In U.S. History
- Starbucks Baristas Win Equal Pay For MLK Day
- IWW Joins BDS Movement
Features:
- Labor Strikes Against Global Austerity Engulf Europe
- Introducing A Feminism For Wobbly Men
- Forever Young: Staughton Lynd At 81
Download a free PDF copy of this issue.
Submitted on Mon, 12/27/2010 - 6:45pm
Some of you may have heard the hubbub about the recent firing of Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) member, Andrew Losh, from Open Harvest Cooperative Grocery. Losh was reportedly fired for not meeting an unspecified work quota that was continually raised as his production level did. He also reported several instances of worker mistreatment by the management. His firing and the subsequent campaign being waged by the IWW to have his job re-instated has highlighted some incongruencies in the practices and overall ethos of Open Harvest.
In their mission statement Open Harvest claims to stand for a number of progressive values: sustainable agriculture, equal opportunity employment, and support of local producers. Conspicuously absent from this litany of values is a dedication to providing a livable wage and benefits to workers, workplace democracy and other worker rights issues. As many progressives will agree, democracy is a fundamental value; democratic management mustn’t be limited to the political sphere, it should extend to all arenas of social life including the workplace. Judging from the practices of Open Harvest this is not a value they share. In fact, Open Harvest does not allow workers to have a voice in the workplace or allow them to be on the board of directors, thus ensuring a top-down hierarchy in the work environment that you would expect to find in any mainstream grocery store; this is not typical of cooperative grocers. Another value I would suspect many patrons and members hold is the belief that all workers should receive benefits and a livable wage. Again, Open Harvest does not seem to be dedicated to this value. The average entry-level wage for workers at Open Harvest is the nation’s minimum allowed: $7.25 per hour (via secret worker poll) and Open Harvest circumvents having to provide benefits by making sure that all non-management employees work under what is designated to be “full time”. To further illustrate the situation of inequality it should be pointed out that the Open Harvest management does receive benefits.
Submitted on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 2:41pm
Jimmy Johns Workers Union (Industrial Workers of the World)
Contact: Micah Buckley-Farlee, 612-845-9290
MINNEAPOLIS- Jimmy John's workers will call on Minneapolis franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan today to honor the spirit of the season by offering holiday pay to their employees on federal and major religious holidays. Workers plan to ask customers to sign 'Holiday Cards' asking the Mulligans to open their hearts and their wallets for workers who will spend Christmas Eve, New Year's Day, and other holidays selling sandwiches rather than enjoying the company of their families.
Although time and half pay on holidays is a standard benefit in almost all workplaces, Jimmy John’s falls short of industry standards by paying most workers minimum wage to work through the holidays.
“The Mulligans expect us to come in to work for minimum wage on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day instead of spending time with our families. It's not like time and a half is even that much money when you are making $7.25 an hour. This is really about respect. It feels like we're working for Scrooge,” said Brittany Koppy, a worker at the Dinkytown Jimmy John's.
For bicycle delivery drivers, the pressure to work through the holiday season carries additional risk.
“Everyone is stressed during the this time of year and the roads are brutal. I fell three times and injured myself while working on Christmas Eve last year,” said Micah Buckley-Farlee, a bicycle delivery driver at the Dinkytown store, adding, “Holiday pay is an issue of both safety and respect.”
Submitted on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 7:39am
On December 18th, 2010, members of the Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW) and community supporters walked into the Open Harvest Natural Foods Cooperative Grocery’and presented management with a petition signed by supporters
and a letter demanding that IWW baker Andrew Losh be reinstated with
back wages for time missed.
“I love working at Open Harvest and I support their goals of providing
the community with sustainable and organic food,” Andrew Losh stated.
“I get along with my coworkers and enjoy interacting with all the
great customers that shop there on a regular basis,” he continued.
“But it seems as if the relationships between the management and the
employees have gone downhill lately.”
Losh was fired by his manager, Nancy Sauer, on December 3rd for not
maintaining an unspecified work pace. According to Losh, Sauer has a
history of treating employees unfairly.
On October 20th, 2010, Losh took a shift off. Despite giving notice
a month in advance, posting a request for a co-worker to take the
hours, and ultimately getting oral approval from his manager, Losh
was written up immediately upon return for not giving prior proper
notice. Losh contested this with his manager and a co-worker who
witnessed the approval verified his account. Yet this warning remained
in his file.
Community supporter and Open Harvest customer Jason Nord explained, “I
support Andrew's demand to be reinstated. I think it's important that
Open Harvest stay consistent with the values of an organic grocery
consumer co-op and not treat their employees in the same fashion any
other retail store does.”
According to a current employee at Open Harvest, who asked not to be
named out of fear of retaliation by management, “I feel like a large
part of the management here doesn't really respect us (the
employees).”
Submitted on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 12:07pm
By Bill Reed, December 15, 2010
Perhaps you have heard about the Flaum Appetizing company cheating their employees out of large amounts of overtime pay and firing the workers for joining the IWW. Perhaps you were leafleting or picketing at supermarkets last summer or last spring to support the workers and get customers to boycott Sonny and Joe’s hummus. Perhaps you were in court or read about the National Labor Relations Board ruling against the owner.
The owner has simply refused to obey the federal laws including the NLRB ruling.
The Flaum company has been treating their staff badly and breaking the federal labor laws for a long time. This is business as usual in New York - and many parts of the U.S.
These workers have been standing up for their human rights. This shows that they are stronger and smarter than a lot of people who get cheated and unjustly fired. Lots of people just take it and move on with their lives. Look for a new employer. Hope that they are not repeating the situation.
When the labor union movement grew in the U.S., or anywhere, it was because labor united. People have to band together and try some ways to demand and get better treatment. It is just that simple. Sure, it is complicated in many ways, but the solid rock bottom basic truth of the matter is that people need to unite together and do something with as many of the other regular working people/taxed consumers as possible. We need to stick together to somehow force the wealthy powerful owners of the businesses and the government to stop their wicked ways.
The government is not normally enforcing laws when the wealthy break them. The law tricks us and deceives us. The rich - they have no legal obligations. We will always have some problems in our lives. If your problem is with an employer who does something wrong or even illegal – I’ve heard owners and managers tell my coworkers, “What are you gonna do? Call a cop?” We’ve got to help each other.
