Five Amersino IWW members fired after rigged NLRB election
Submitted on Tue, 06/06/2006 - 12:39pm
Staff Report - Industrial Worker, June 2006
IWW and Make the Road by Walking supporters are walking intermittent picket lines at Brooklyn's Amersino produce distribution warehouse, after the boss provoked a short walk-out by firing two IWW activists. One, Eliezer Maca, was fired for challenging the boss's attempt to rig a union representation election by bringing in voters who did not work at the facility.
A majority of Amersino workers joined the IWW in March, and demanded union recognition, reinstatement of fired workers, and an end to company violations of minimum wage and overtime laws. While workers won some immediate gains, the boss demanded a National Labor Relations Board election and pulled out all the stops to win it.
Throughout April, the boss made threats to fire workers and close the warehouse. He reportedly bribed workers to vote against the union. And on April 28, the day of the election, he brought in managers and workers from other facilities to vote against the IWW while challenging several workers' votes by falsely claiming they didnÕt work there. Twenty of the 35 ballots cast were contested.
On April 29, a day after the rigged election, two workers' leaders were suspended without just cause. IWW workers walked out declaring that they would not work unless the two were returned to the job. The boss quickly brought in scabs to replace the union workers, although almost all the scab workers were talked out of working that day.
On May Day, New York Wobblies mounted a spirited picket line outside Amersino as work began at 5:30 a.m. before joining the immigrant rights actions later that day.
On May 2 workers arrived ready to work but were locked out. Later that day the boss agreed to take back all but five workers. As the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board take their time reviewing documents, five fired workers are searching for new jobs.