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IWW Wobblies March Hillcrest /Picket New Alternatives Inc.

Fellow Workers,

I am a Wobbly in IU 650 who was trying to organize my workplace, here in San Diego.  I was working at a  group home for children with Severe Emotional Disorders run by a nonprofit called New Alternatives Incorporated. I started talking  to my coworkers on my shift about taking collective action when I observed  it to be an  environment of intimidation and favoritism. 

A former Coworker told me it was standard procedure to harass employees into quiting  at New Alternatives Inc. because they didn't want to  pay unemployment.  I know when a friend of mine quit without a two week notice the management called her up two weeks later yelling at her saying she would not get a good reference from them.”

I also heard coworkers from another program stating when they wrote a letter about the problems with a Shift Supervisor to the Program Manager, the Program Manager gave that letter to the Shift Supervisor, who met with the signatories individually and scolded them. This same shift supervisor once said that the employees of her shift should not expect a break during their eight hour shift. 

I had also  talked to an employee who had worked a double shifts which amounted to double-time hours, in California double time is anything in the excess of twelve hours in a shift,  and distribute them throughout the week so he would not be paid for double-time.  These are just some of the incidents as I had been the target of harassment as well. 

In response to several incidents I began drafting petitions and distributing amongst my shift. The first petition letter, which was sent to our  Program Manger and courtesy copied to the Executive Director, dealt with a letter of expectation that we as shift singled us out. Three of us signed this letter. The result of the meeting is we were able to meet the Assistant Executive Director who heard our grievances but was sort of standoffish about the whole incident.  The effect was we stood by our decision not to sign and the whole incident dropped off the map.

I drafted a second petition letter in response to several issues occurring within  the two programs. I wrote this petition after I filed a ULP on my employer in response to an incident where I was forced to sign a false Plan of Correction and then taken off the floor with no explanation.  Five coworkers signed this letter.     The results were pretty astounding in the fact the Shift Supervisor in the other program was eventually forced to resign, I was paid the hours I was pulled off the floor and allowed to rewrite my plan of correction. 

The final petition requested that all staff working holidays be given Holiday pay.  Nine coworkers signed on to this document.  It was rejected by management but the most important aspect was the number were beginning to grow. 

I was talking to other shifts about organizing and making progress until I was terminated on February 20, 2009.  They had taken an incident that had occurred with a client and used it to fire me, even though I had seen  Shift Supervisors do  worse and with no consequence.

When I was fired on the phone,  I was told if I tried to appeal my firing Child Protective Services and Community Care Licensing might be brought in. I sent a letter to the Assistant Executive Director asking for a review of the decision. On Thursday, March 12,  three weeks after incident and my firing, I got a call from CPS stating they had started an investigation of the incident. 

During my time at New Alternatives, I was in constant contact with the Los Angeles GMB. In response to the bogus firing and report, we have organized several actions. Last Friday,  Wobbs and community supporters came together to picket the office of the Executive Director along with my facility.  Los Angeles and Portland members of IU 650 have come together to execute a fax and phone action.  We need the help of other Wobbs to make sure this pressure is constant and powerful. 

If you want to join in this campaign email Daniel Gall at


Here is footage of the action on March 13, 2009.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/03/14/18577039.php

In Solidarity,


FW Adam Case