All workers except agricultural and fishery workers, engaged in producing and processing food, beverages, and tobacco products.
Submitted by x344543 on Wed, 10/08/2008 - 8:52pm
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.
Submitted by x344543 on Thu, 10/02/2008 - 6:20pm
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org
September 16, 2008
At Centro Vinoteca and Gusto, Philosophy of Creative Fresh Food Includes
Respect for Workers' Rights Along the Supply Chain
Celebrated Italian Restaurants Choose Not to Serve Seafood from Wild
Edibles or its Front Companies
New York, NY- Centro Vinoteca and Gusto, the popular Village restaurants
sought after for their creative Italian specialties, have stopped serving
seafood from wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, Inc. over concern for
workers' rights. Employees have been campaigning for over a year to win respect
for work and family at Wild Edibles.
Submitted by x344543 on Wed, 10/01/2008 - 2:30pm
Original URL - http://www.brandworkers.org/en/node/37146
Dear Friends,
Celebrity chef Terrance Brennan who serves seafood from known labor rights
violator Wild Edibles, Inc. is set to appear on NBC's The Today Show.
To add insult to injury, Chef Brennan's Artisanal Bistro lied to workers in
writing by stating that the restaurant no longer served Wild Edibles seafood.
After Brandworkers exposed the deception, Brennan admitted in a Sept. 1, 2008
press statement that his restaurant is still serving Wild
Edibles.
Please take a moment now to express your opinion that Terrance Brennan
lacks the credibility and trustworthiness that viewers of The Today Show expect
from guests. Click on the following link to participate:
http://citizenspeak.org/node/1352
Thank you very much for all of your work to ensure that working families
receive the respect they deserve.
Submitted by x344543 on Sun, 09/07/2008 - 5:19am
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.
Submitted by x344543 on Fri, 09/05/2008 - 12:36pm
Joe is an IWW member.
On Tuesday, September 2nd, Joe Richard was fired from Ward's Supermarket. He
believes, as do his co-workers, that the firing was illegal and was direct
retaliation for his workplace organizing efforts. On August 8th, Joe and 14
other employees in the Natural Foods Department submitted a petition to
management requesting an increased employee discount (raising it to 20%, which
is not uncommon for the industry) and a regular schedule of employee performance
evaluations. Our petition was largely ignored for three weeks while the owners,
Billy and Trish Ward, went on vacation. After they returned, on August 25th they
held one-on-one meetings with the employees who signed the petition, elaborating
a new 'open door' policy, by which employees could have 100% access to
management if they had a concern or grievance. Beyond that, the requests listed
in our petition were largely ignored.
Little over a week later, Joe was
fired, ostensibly for 'stealing' a bag of coffee, which is donated by Sweetwater
Coffee Company explicitly for the personal use of Natural Foods Department
employees. This free coffee, which was and continues to be intentionally given
for employees to drink at work and take home, was routinely taken home and made
every morning by numerous Department employees, including Joe. To our knowledge,
no employee has ever been punished (either received written warnings or been
discharged) for the offense of taking home this free product, which the store
never paid a single cent for. Joe didn't receive a written warning (as the
employee handbook stipulates is appropriate for minor infractions) but was fired
two days after checking out with the coffee in hand (buying eggs and donuts as
well, on a Sunday morning).
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