Sandwich Workers Union Keeps the Pressure on as Unprecedented Union Election Approaches

MINNEAPOLIS– Jimmy John’s workers were doing more than preparing french bread, cold cuts, and sliced tomatoes for “Dollar Sub Day” this morning as union members and supporters hit the bricks outside stores, asking customers to put up tip jars and use them.

The act of civil disobedience is meant to draw attention to a company policy that forbids tip jars, despite the fact that it costs nothing.

Union members say the action supports their goal of shifting power back to the workers. “We think having customers act in solidarity by putting up tip jars will give workers a glimpse of a better workplace, and a few more dollars in their pockets on one of the most hectic days” says Max Specktor, a bike delivery driver at multiple Jimmy John’s stores.

Translated by a member of the British Isles IWW Regional Organizing Committee (BIROC)

Today the IWW distributed the following flyer (image not included) in front of the Frankfurter Stadtwerke [Municipal Services]:

Training outside working hours - "but can they do that?" They keep getting more impertinent!

Today, on Saturday, colleges at EUREST have to work, because by now so many people have been made redundant that trainings can no longer take place during regular working hours. The Compass Group has right during the crises made fat profits - on the backs of their workers. Reduced staff, reduced shifts and unpaid overtime, that's their trick.

So, it's not a surprise that trainings are now happening during the weekend. The location of the Stadtwerke is not the first one where this is practiced. But, no manager has put pressure on the workers quite so shamelessly. He doesn't care, that you have kids you need to care for. He doesn't even care if you're on holiday. You need to show up or proof that you already booked some trip. But time off is time off, and to force colleagues who have taken time off to go to work is, simply put, illegal.

A person like Tobias Engel does not seem to know, that the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany also apply to Eurest. Therefore, it's not surprising that the IWW Union learnt that he recently opened the locker of a worker. How long do you want to take such infringements?

If you don't resist, you'll soon need to show up every Saturday, for a training, or to clean. And the worst is, that it seems the shop steward agreed to this. Why do the NGG-shop stewards do whatever Eurest wants?

The problem, of course, are not just the cuddly unions and shop stewards, who don't represent the interest of the workers. As a union we can insist on the compliance with legal protections and rights of employees. But their implementation depends on whether the workers in the company resist the dismantling of workers' rights.

If you are ready, we'll support you in a big way!

Greetings from the International Solidarity Commission (ISC) of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and welcome to the second of our irregularly published international news letters.

The purpose of this newsletter is to keep our allies around the world informed of our activities, solidarity campaigns, and relevant international labor struggles. It is our hope that this newsletter will contribute to building worker-to-worker solidarity through strengthened communications and exchanges of information. If you would like to contribute story ideas or news for the bulletin, or wish to contact the ISC, you can email solidarity [at] iww.org.

Saludos de la Comisión de Solidaridad Internacional (ISC) de los Trabajadores Industriales del Mundo (IWW) y dar la bienvenida a la primera de la carta publicada irregularmente noticias internacionales.

El propósito de este boletín es mantener a nuestros aliados alrededor del mundo informados de nuestras actividades, campañas de solidaridad, y luchas obreras relevantes. Esperamos que este boletín contribuya a construir solidaridad entre trabajadores reforzando las comunicaciones e intercambios de información. Para contribuir con ideas o noticias al boletín, o para contactar a la ISC por favor escribir a solidarity [a] iww.org.

MINNEAPOLIS - Sandwich workers at nine Minneapolis Jimmy John's locations made history Monday as they filed for the first-ever National Labor Relations Board union election at the national fast food chain.

If a majority of workers vote in favor of unionization, franchise owner Mike Mulligan will be legally bound to negotiate with a bargaining team elected by his employees.

"Since we formed a union 11 days ago, Mike Mulligan has refused to even talk to us. We intend to keep the pressure on management to meet our demands. They may be able to stonewall us for now, but when we win this election, Jimmy Johns will have no choice but to negotiate," said Mike Wilkow, a Jimmy Johns Workers Union member.

Since workers at nine Minneapolis Jimmy John's locations announced the formation of a union and demanded negotiations with franchise management on Sept. 2, the chain has been bombarded with an escalating campaign of actions in 32 states intended to bring management to the bargaining table. The Jimmy Johns Workers Union's demands include sick days, a no-nonsense worker's compensation policy, fair scheduling, livable wages, an end to sexual harassment, and other measures of basic fairness at work.

Franchise owner Mike Mulligan and general manager Rob Mulligan have ignored the union's repeated requests for negotiations. Union members say managers have begun using typical union-busting tactics, such as distributing threatening letters, calling employees into irregular one-on-one meetings, and making concessions to individual workers on demands around wages and hours.

The Jimmy Johns Workers Union, open to employees at the company nationwide, is the first fast food union in the nation, and is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World labor union. Gaining prominence in recent years for organizing Starbucks workers, the IWW is a global union founded over a century ago for all working people.

By Christine Des Garennes - The News-Gazette, September 15, 2010

Employees of a Jimmy John's franchise in Minnesota have organized a union and are seeking better pay, better working conditions and more benefits.

Right now the campaign is focused on organizing employees in the Minneapolis metropolitan area. The Jimmy John's sandwich chain, which has over 1,000 stores across the country, is headquartered in Champaign.

An "overwhelming majority" of sandwich workers at the Minneapolis stores favored forming a bargaining unit, according to union member and Jimmy John's worker Mike Wilklow. On Monday the group filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to start the formal election process; that election is expected to take place in the coming months, Wilklow said.

Once a majority of employees vote in favor of forming the union, the Minneapolis franchise owner must start negotiating with the union's bargaining team, he said.

Workers announced the formation of the union earlier this month and have picketed outside several Minnesota stores since Labor Day. The union is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, which has been helping Starbucks workers organize in recent years.

The Construction Workers Organizing Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World wishes to express our deepest solidarity with the Jimmy Johns Workers union. As union construction workers, we understand that the only way to maintain and raise both our wages and working conditions is to show solidarity with not only workers of the various trades within construction; but also with workers of other industries. Solidarity means having a true understanding of the old saying, An injury to one is an injury to all.

Solidarity is also the action that springs from this understanding. The greatest action of solidarity that one can follow is the exercising of the right to not cross any picket lines.

Everyone knows that times are hard. The construction industry has been hit especially hard, and many brothers and sisters in the trades are not working. This means that what little work we get, we desperately need. However, as construction workers; we also understand that in these hard times, we must act and be stronger than ever before! For hundreds of years, construction worker have fought long and hard battles, through many recessions, to reach the level of pay and the amount of power we have on the job. We certainly should not let this recession destroy the progress we have made.

The Construction Workers Organizing Committee and the construction workers of the IWW promise to continue to not cross picket lines! No matter what union or what industry, we will continue to act out solidarity and exercise our rights under section 7 of the NLRA: to act in concert with fellow workers to uphold the best interest of the working class. We urge all construction workers to do the same!

Who we are: The Construction Workers Organizing Committee or CWOC is a subordinate body of the Industrial Workers of the World. Our aim is to organize ALL construction workers into ONE democratic fighting union. For more info about us, what we are doing, where we are going, and how you can help, please go to www.iu330.org

The Richmond Industrial Workers of the World have been working closely with the Richmond Transit Riders Union since its formation in June 2010. Together we have written and delivered this open letter to key city officials.

Dear Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Council Persons and CEO John M. Lewis Jr.,

The Richmond Transit Riders Union understands that it was determined during the July 26, 2010 City Council Meeting, that a need for an expedited increase in fares was able to be deferred until September 19th due to a 3 percent increase in ridership over the previous three months.

However, John Lewis stated in a July 27th Richmond Times Dispatch article, “If that trend continues, we’ll be more than able to absorb that $190,000″ in lost revenue.

If there has been an increase in ridership, and that increase has allowed GRTC to be “more than able to absorb” lost revenue, why should riders still expect to pay an increase in fares?

We ask to place a freeze on the scheduled fare increase, and wait another quarter to determine whether the revenue from the fare box is sufficient.

Staff Report - WorkDay Minnesota, Monday 13th September 2010

MINNEAPOLIS - Jimmy John's franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan awoke to an unpleasant surprise last week as employees disrupted construction of the newest store in the chain with picket lines.

The picketing sandwich workers appealed to members of Minneapolis building trades unions working on the new store to down their tools until the Mulligans agree to meet with the newly-formed Jimmy Johns Workers Union.

“If Mike and Rob Mulligan have $300,000 to open another Jimmy Johns, then they have the money to meet our demands for a decent wage, consistent hours, and basic fairness at work. If they're not going to meet with us, then we have no choice but to hit them where it hurts. We are happy with the outcome of today's action– construction at the site was delayed for about an hour,” said Davis Ritsema, a member of the union.

Most construction workers employed under a union contract in Minnesota have the right to refuse to cross picket lines. Under Minnesota state law, motor vehicles are required to come to a complete stop at picket lines so that picketers can appeal to the driver not to cross the line.

The Jimmy Johns Workers Union, open to employees at the company nationwide, is the first fast food union in the nation, and is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World labor union. Gaining prominence in recent years for organizing Starbucks workers, the IWW is a global union founded over a century ago for all working people.