Today 8/31/08 at 1pm the Twin Cities IWW held at the Lake and Hiawatha Light Rail Station in solidarity with Starbucks workers and to celebrate getting our comrade Erik Foreman?s job back.  The rally was a great success with about 100 people showing up.  At about 1:45 we all legally boarded the light rail (using rail passes) and headed down to the Mall of America in order to escort our fellow worker back to his first shift. 

Everyone was peaceful and orderly on the train as we headed south.  At the Bloomington Station we were met by police who asked to speak with us regarding our plans.  We informed the police that we did not wish to cause any trouble, to protest inside of the mall, or to unlawfully assemble in any way inside the mall.  The police told us we should be fine and that we would not have any trouble.  We were then allowed to proceed to the MOA stop.  At the MOA the train was surrounded by police in full riot gear.  They threatened to arrest us if we left the train.  We were trapped inside the train for about 20 minutes.  The police even prohibited a woman with a child who needed insulin from leaving the train, endangering the child's health. After about 10 minutes and only after repeatedly insisting that we had a

medical emergency did the police permit the woman and child to exit the train.  When asked why we were being detained a policeman said: "the mall doesn't want you here."  The officers? badge numbers were mostly covered by their gear.

For Immediate Release:

Brandworkers International

Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org

Noho Star, Paloma, Madison Bistro Demonstrate Social Responsibility in Support of Wild Edibles Workers

More Top New York Restaurants Stop Serving Wild Edibles Seafood Over Workers' Rights Concerns

September 5, 2008

New York, NY- Three highly-regarded restaurants here have demonstrated that ethical and sustainable business practices include consideration for the well-being of workers employed by suppliers.  Noho Star, Paloma, and Madison Bistro have chosen not to serve seafood from Wild Edibles or its front-companies until workers there are treated with respect and fairness.  Twenty-four current and former Wild Edibles workers have been campaigning for over a year to make positive change on the job and reclaim unlawfully withheld overtime pay.

Pro-union Starbucks barista gets his job back

By LAUREN SHEPHERD - AP BUSINESS WRITER

 

NEW YORK -- A barista who said he was fired from Starbucks Corp. for helping to organize fellow workers into a union has been given his job back.

In a preliminary reinstatement agreement dated Aug. 14 obtained by The Associated Press, Starbucks said its firing of employee Erik Forman was "ill-considered and should be reversed."

Forman said he will start back at work on Sunday at the same Mall ofAmerica location in Minnesota that he was fired from in July.

When he worked there, Forman said he had been talking to employees at his own store and at other stores in the area about joining the Industrial Workers of the World union.

In an interview, Forman said although several other employees at the store were members of the union, "I was the most vocal and the most active."

Starbucks spokeswoman Tara Darrow confirmed that Forman was being given his job back but said his firing and reinstatement had nothing to do with his support for the union.

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.