Welcome to the official site of the Industrial Workers of the World.

Preamble to the IWW Constitution.

Starbucks at Franklin and Nicollet becomes first City of Minneapolis location to go union!

Submitted by intexile on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 10:34pm.
Contacts:
Aaron Kocher, SWU organizer, Franklin and Nicollet Starbucks: 612-220-6454
Brendan O'Donnell, IWW member at large: 612-306-7517
Erik Forman, SWU organizer, Mall of America Starbucks: 608-695-8705

Press Conferece: 11am November 13, corner of Franklin and Nicollet

Minneapolis, MN- Baristas from the Starbucks Coffee located at the intersection of Nicollet and Franklin Avenues in Minneapolis walked off the floor Wednesday morning to present a petition to management, signed by more than 500 concerned customers and community members, demanding Starbucks hire a security guard to ensure the safety of its patrons and partners.  The workers in turn declared their affiliation with the Starbucks Workers Union, a campaign of the Industrial Workers of the World labor union, becoming the first Starbucks in Minneapolis, and the second in Minnesota, to go union.

A press conference will be held Thursday, November 13, at 11 am, in front of the Franklin and Nicollet Starbucks to celebrate the solidarity of the workers and demand that Starbucks hire a security guard.

Initially, the store partners circulated an internal petition, compiling signatures from most of the store's employees, requesting a meeting to discuss the security situation.  After receiving no productive response from either the store or district manager, the employees turned to the
customers to prove their point.

"We hoped management would recognize the need to discuss these concerns with us, but when they refused to even hold a meeting, we knew more action was needed," said Aaron Kocher, a current store employee.  "We can't work when we are constantly being harassed, threatened, and intimidated, or trying to protect our customers from the same mistreatment," he said.


File under:

NEW IWW Literature Department Website is OPEN for BUSINESS

Submitted by intexile on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 10:27pm.
Fellow Workers:

It is with great enthusiasm that I would like to announce the launch of the new IWW Literature Department Website at http://store.iww.org!

This project has been under development for some time, but now our online store has been streamlined and is chock full of sweet IWW goodies including many fine books about the IWW, featuring literature written by members, as well as many tittles about the Labor Movement in general.

We now have over 200 items listed, with more items still going up. This is the perfect place to get a copy of the brand new Wobblies & Zapatistas, Labor Law for the Rank and Filer, or that IWW t-shirt that you have always wanted!

But, even better, for the rest of the month of November, we will celebrate the launch of the new website by offering a coupon for 10% off any order over $20.00!  Use coupon code Remember when checking out, because in November we Remember all of the other workers who fought so hard for us in the past...

Please forward this on to family and friends, and anyone who loves the IWW!

So, go on over to HTTP://STORE.IWW.ORG today and get 10% off your entire order of $20.00 or more with coupon code Remember
Walt Weber
Philadelphia IWW Branch Secretary
Chair IAC
walt.weber.iww [at] gmail.com


File under:

Starbucks Management Conference in New Orleans Hit with Unexpected Union Protest

Submitted by intexile on Mon, 10/27/2008 - 9:52pm.
Contact: starbucksunion (at) yahoo.com

October 27, 2008

Starbucks Management Conference in New Orleans Hit with Unexpected Union Protest

Supporters of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union Took the Streets in an Energetic Display of Solidarity

New Orleans, LA- Starbucks Coffee Co.'s first national conference for managers held outside of Seattle and the first since the return of Howard Schultz as CEO, was rocked by a determined pro-worker demonstration here yesterday.  In the midst of a worsening economic crisis, New Orleans residents rose up to demand respect for the work of Starbucks baristas and coffee farmers who are bearing the brunt of the downturn while company executives continue to rake in millions of dollars.


File under:

Rev. Billy and Pastor Mansfield Visit New York City Wine & Food Festival to Protest Chef Terrance Brennan

Submitted by intexile on Mon, 10/13/2008 - 9:52pm.
Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org

October 13, 2008

Rev. Billy and Pastor Mansfield Visit New York City Wine & Food Festival to Protest Chef Terrance Brennan

New Voices Add Support to the Campaign for Worker Dignity at Wild Edibles, Inc.

New York, NY- Reverend Billy, a nationally-respected advocate for responsible consumption and Pastor Jeff Mansfield, a leading voice for food justice at Judson Memorial Church, joined with Wild Edibles workers and their supporters this weekend to protest chef and restaurant owner Terrance Brennan at the New York City Wine & Food Festival.  Brennan's Artisanal Bistro lied in writing by stating that it was no longer serving seafood processed by the Wild Edibles sweatshop when it in fact did continue to serve Wild Edibles products.

"Mr. Brennan, honor your word," exclaimed Rev. Billy into a megaphone during a sidewalk sermon in front of the food festival panel featuring Terrance Brennan.  "[The Wild Edibles workers] don't want to work in a sweatshop.  Even celebrity chefs have to do the right thing."


File under:

Working Class Hero: Alexandra Svoboda - Maimed By Cops, Charged With Felonies

Submitted by intexile on Wed, 10/08/2008 - 9:52pm.

By DANIEL GROSS - Counterpunch, October 8, 2008

A peaceful union march is brutally attacked by police. A union activist’s leg is horribly disfigured and nearly amputated. Maimed possibly for life, she is charged with multiple felony offenses.

The battleground is not the coalfields of Harlan County in the 1930s or 1970s; it's not an example of anti-union violence in Colombia or the Philippines. Our setting is present day Providence, Rhode Island.

On that brilliant Saturday, August 11 of 2007, Alexandra Svoboda didn’t do what she was supposed to do. She didn’t stay home and watch TV. She didn’t go shop at her local Wal-Mart. She didn’t waste away hours on MySpace.


File under:

Industrial Worker - Issue #1709, October 2008

Submitted by Peter Moore on Sun, 10/05/2008 - 12:46am.

Headlines:

  • Ward's Market fires IWW members
  • Toronto radio station fires staff while bargaining
  • Quebec workers get union contract at Wal-Mart
  • Sweatfree Communities press state governors
Features:

  • General Assembly in Europe an IWW first
  • Remembering Helen Keller as a fighter
  • Youth must organize at school and work to win power
  • UK inquiry reveals chronic neglect led to death

Download a free PDF copy of this issue.


File under:

Starbucks faces another NLRB complaint [AP]

Submitted by intexile on Sat, 10/04/2008 - 9:41pm.

Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.

By LAUREN SHEPHERD - NEW YORK (AP) - Starbucks Corp. is facing another complaint from the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the gourmet coffee chain engaged in unfair labor practices by firing a barista in Michigan.
The complaint, filed last month by the Detroit office of the NLRB, stems from an investigation into a charge made by employee Cole Dorsey earlier this year.

According to the NLRB complaint, Dorsey--a member of the Industrial Workers of the World union at Starbucks--was fired June 6 from his job at a store in Grand Rapids, Mich. Before being fired, Dorsey had been given two prior disciplinary warnings by his store manager.

The complaint alleges that Dorsey received the warnings and was fired because of his "sympathies for and activities on behalf of" the IWW Starbucks Workers Union. The union has been attempting to organize workers at the chain.


File under:

Starbucks to Require Employee Availability Around the Clock and Cut Workforce in Major National Initiative

Submitted by intexile on Fri, 10/03/2008 - 9:41pm.
New York, NY- The Starbucks Coffee Co. is in the process of an extreme revamping of its workforce policies according to company documents obtained by the Starbucks Workers Union of the Industrial Workers of the World.  The initiative, dubbed "Optimal Scheduling", will require employees to make themselves available to work essentially around the clock to obtain so-called full-time status.  Even for workers able to make the extraordinary sacrifice to obtain "full-time" status, no work hours are guaranteed- identical to Starbucks' current system of part-time status for all retail hourly workers.  In addition, Starbucks will lay off workers who cannot meet minimum availability requirements.  As baristas learn of the new program, discontent is rising.

"I've had to make myself available each week from Tuesday to Sunday starting at 4:45am until 11pm in the hopes of possibly getting 32 hours of work but not being guaranteed a single hour," said Liberte Locke, a Starbucks barista in New York and member of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union.  "It's impossible for me to get a second job now even though I need one and impossible to have a life outside of work."

Under the new system, baristas who opt for pseudo full-time status have to make themselves available to work 70% of the total hours their store is open during the week.  In an example given in the company documents, a store open 115 hours per week requires a barista to be available to work 80.5 hours each week - over double the standard work week.  Week-to-week Starbucks can then schedule workers anywhere within that availability.  In addition, workers who cannot make themselves available for at least three shifts a week will be fired, absent a "compelling reason" which Starbucks has not defined.  Weekend workers must be available for at least 16 hours to avoid termination.


File under:

123456789…next ›last »