When it comes to decent working conditions and fair wages and
benefits, remember that the only thing that "trickles down" is Bull
Shit. This article serves as an example to all oppressed workers,
that coming together is the only way to get the attention of bosses
across the nation.
In the past, Workers became careless and allowed many of their Labor
Unions to be taken over by self serving, self proclaimed "Labor
Leaders". We forgot that the strength of a Labor Union is only as
strong as its weakest member. Every Labor Union should have a sign
over its door, announcing, "The Price of Freedom is Eternal
Vigilance!" And below that declaration there needs to be the
reminder, "This Means You!"
Carl Jarvis
On 8/30/19, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
https://socialistaction.org/2019/08/29/connecticut-service-plaza-workers-fight-wage-theft/
Connecticut service plaza workers fight wage theft
/ 22 hours ago
Sept. 2019 Conn. service workers
Aug. 28 rally in Darin, Conn. (Ernie Gotta / Socialist Action)
By ERNIE GOTTA
Dozens of SEIU members and supporters rallied in support of fast-food
workers at a service plaza in Darien, Conn., on Aug. 28. These workers
are fighting to reclaim potentially millions of dollars in stolen wages
through unpaid benefits or the additional payment required by the
Connecticut Standard Wage Law. 32BJ SEIU, the union that organizes the
janitors at the same service plazas North and South along I-95, have
filed a wage theft complaint with the state on behalf of the workers.
In their pursuit to maximize profits, McDonald???s, Dunkin Donuts, and
Subway franchise owners like George Michell and Paul Landino, both who
have been named in the complaint, are using intimidation tactics and
threats of termination to keep workers from fighting back. The
intimidation is so bad that only one fast-food worker named Josh walked
off the job to speak at the rally, saying, ???We need better pay.???
Juan Hernandez, vice president of 32BJ SEIU, said during the rally,
???It???s wrong that these workers are being intimidated for their efforts
to form a union. ??? We???re going to fight until the workers have a
union!???
A number of politicians, union leaders, and community groups spoke in
support of the workers. Sal Luciano, president of the Connecticut
AFL-CIO, said, ???The number one reason workers join a union is not for
money ??? it???s not for the benefits ??? the number one reason workers join
a
union is to have a voice on the job.???
The Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA) connected the struggle
of immigrant workers and fast-food workers. CIRA member Ana Maria Rivera
Forastieri said, ???An injury to one is an injury to all. ??? You [32BJ]
have been on the front lines with us fighting for immigrant rights, and
we will be there with you until you win.???
Similarly, Shadei Gordon, a fast-food worker in Brooklyn at a McDonald???s
owned by George Michell,, connected the Fight for $15 and the ongoing
struggle to win a union. Shadei said, ???We fast-food workers lit the fire
that won $15 an hour in New York. ??? We also want a union to defend those
gains.???
Since 2012 the mass mobilizations and militancy of fast-food workers
have made a number of gains for low-wage workers across the country.
Democrats and Republicans who bend over backwards for the needs of big
business took notice as more than 60,000 workers took to the streets on
April 15, 2015. The result was that in many states legislators were
forced to pass laws increasing the minimum wage.
Yet not one fast-food shop in seven years has secured a union. Workers
like Shadei and Josh know that without the collective strength of union
recognition any of the gains they???ve won can easily be erased. Many are
left wondering what it will take to secure a union for some of the
lowest paid and worst treated workers in the country.
Fast food workers on the shop floor hold the key to winning a union in
their millions, just like the rank-and-file-led organizing drives of
low-wage industrial workers in the 1930s, which changed the living
standards for the entire working class. There are more than 3 million
fast-food workers, many from oppressed Black, Latinx, and immigrant
communities in the U.S. If these workers take the lead to organize
committees in their restaurants and demand a union, they can win. And it
will be a historic win that fundamentally changes the conception that
fast-food workers deserve low-paying and precarious jobs.
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August 29, 2019 in Connecticut, Labor. Tags: fast food
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George Carlin
??? Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the
universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is
wet, and they have to touch it to be sure. ???
??? George Carlin