The Cotton-Pickers by B. Traven (Allison & Busby 1926)

The thought that from now on I would be working with a murderer day and night, eating from the same pot, perhaps sleeping in the same room, this thought didn’t occur to me at once. Either I’d sunk so low morally that I’d lost all feeling for such niceties of civilization, or I’d moved so far ahead of my time and so far above the moral standards of the day that I understood every human action, and neither took upon myself the right to condemn nor indulged in the cheap sentimentality of pity. For pity is also a condemnation, even if not so recognized, even if it is unconscious. Should I have felt a horror of Antonio, a revulsion against shaking his hand? There are so many thieves and murderers on the loose with diamonds on their fingers and big pearls in their neckties or gold stars on their epaulettes, and decent people think nothing of shaking hands with them, but even regard it an honor to do so. Every class has its thieves and murderers. Those of my class are hanged; others are invited to the president’s ball and complain about the crimes and immorality of workmen like me.

When you have to struggle hard to get a crust of bread, you find yourself down in the mire, floundering among the scum of humanity.

Industrial Worker interviews Noam Chomsky

Spotted over at Mind Glow blog:

The editor of the Industrial Worker, Diane Krauthamer, spoke to Noam Chomsky at his MIT office in Cambridge, MA, on October 9th, 2009.
The Industrial Worker is the official newspaper of the IWW (the Industrial Workers of the World), a radical union.

For more info, please visit: The IWW official website

http://www.iww.org

The interview is in 4 parts on YouTube:

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRlbLETWLwo

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y673_j2x_g

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttqwp30lKCc

Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67k4EgRT-ak

A word of warning; I found the sound in the videos a bit spotty but that may just be me. An interesting enough interview with Chomsky discussing the revival of sit down strikes, his father's 'membership' of the IWW and the rise of the populist right, amongst other things.

Hat tip to Jason for the links.

Twisted sisters and a bandy legged brother*

Via Next Left Notes video footage of the IWW's March Against Wage Slavery on MLK Day:

"NEW YORK -- January 19, 2009. On Martin Luther King Jr Day 2009, the IWW rallied outside Starbucks' regional headquarters on Fifth Avenue before marching to Wild Edibles, to demand justice for the truck drivers who were fired by the food supplier after attempting to start a union. Along the way - the Rude Mechanical Orchestra provided the backbeat."

*The 'brother' bit is a sure indication that I've been watching far too much Celebrity Big Brother this year.

Judge Finds Starbucks Guilty of Extensive Union-Busting

Via the Starbucks Union website:

For Immediate Release: Starbucks Workers Union (Industrial Workers of the World)

Contact: StarbucksUnion (at) yahoo.com

Judge Finds Starbucks Guilty of Extensive Union-Busting

The IWW Scores Big Victory Over Global Coffee Chain

New York, NY (Dec. 23, 2008)- Following a lengthy trial here last year, a National Labor Relations Board judge has found Starbucks guilty of extensive violations of federal labor law in its bid to counter the IWW Starbucks Workers Union. In an 88-page decision, Judge Mindy E. Landow found, among other things, that Starbucks maintained multiple policies which interfered with workers' right to communicate about the union and about working conditions; terminated three workers in retaliation for union activity; and repeatedly discriminated against union supporters. The decision comes despite a 2006 New York settlement in which Starbucks pledged to stop illegal anti-union activities and mirrors federal government action against the company for its conduct toward baristas in Minnesota and Michigan.

"The judge's decision coupled with previous government findings expose Starbucks for what it is --- a union-busting corporation that will go to staggering lengths to interfere with the right to freedom of association," said Daniel Gross, a barista and member of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union found to have been unlawfully terminated by the coffee giant. "In these trying economic times of mass layoffs and slashed work hours, it's more important than ever that Starbucks and every corporation is confronted with a social movement that insists on the right to an independent voice on the job."

The Board decision is the latest blow against a company that has experienced a stunning fall from grace. From a precipitous decrease in customer demand to its increasingly tattered socially responsible image, the myriad of challenges facing Starbucks has resulted in the company losing over half its value from just a year ago. The decision also represents a significant victory for the IWW Starbucks Workers Union which continues to grow across the country with baristas taking creative and determined actions to improve the security of works hours and win respect on the job. Starbucks faces another Labor Board trial next month in Grand Rapids, Michigan over illegal union-busting.

"For the first time, a judge has confirmed the existence of a nationally coordinated anti-union operation at Starbucks," said Stuart Lichten, the attorney for the IWW Starbucks Workers Union in the case. "This decision conclusively establishes Starbucks' animosity toward labor organizing."

The union is confident that Judge Landow's copiously documented and well-reasoned 88-page decision will be upheld by the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. should Starbucks appeal. The victory is sure to be gratifying for the union's international supporters who conducted spirited global days of action in defense of Isis Saenz, Joe Agins, Jr., and Daniel Gross after their terminations which the Board has now found to be unlawful.

The National Labor Relations Board attorneys on the case were Burt Pearlstone and Audrey Eveillard. The union's attorney Stuart Lichten is a partner at Schwartz, Lichten & Bright, a prominent New York City labor law firm. Starbucks was represented by union-avoidance lawyers Daniel Nash, Stacey Eisenstein, and Nicole Morgan at corporate firm Akin Gump.

The IWW Starbucks Workers Union (StarbucksUnion.org) is an organization of almost 300 current and former Starbucks employees united for a living wage, secure work hours, and respect on the job. Founded in 2004, the union uses direct action, litigation, and advocacy to both make systemic improvements at Starbucks and take on the company over unfair treatment of individual baristas.

The Industrial Workers of the World (iww.org) is a rank and file labor union dedicated to democracy in the workplace and global solidarity.

Brandworkers Exposes Wild Edibles' Use of Corporate Fronts

Via the Brandworkers International website:

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.

On the heels of filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, Wild Edibles is deploying at least eight trucks under various company names and is billing restaurants using invoices from front companies. Wild Edibles and these front companies are one and the same and are therefore all subject to the current labor dispute.

The fish from the front companies is processed, packed, and delivered by Wild Edibles workers in the Wild Edibles warehouse. The same warehouse which received a warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for selling adulterated tuna that had been, "prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to health."

Employees have been campaigning for over a year to win respect for work and family at Wild Edibles, Inc., a formerly well-regarded seafood wholesaler and retailer. Instead of paying illegally withheld overtime pay and improving working conditions, Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin responded to the workers' efforts with a fierce campaign of retaliation, a questionable bankruptcy filing, and now a sorry attempt to obscure Wild Edibles' identity through front companies.

The Brandworkers Focus on the Food Chain initiative is providing comprehensive legal and advocacy support to twenty-four current and former Wild Edibles employees. Focus on the Food Chain promotes the principle that healthy, wholesome food includes respect for the dignity of workers along the food supply chain. Brandworkers International is a New York-based non-profit organization protecting and advancing the rights of retail and food employees.

http://www.Brandworkers.org

Tell City Bakery to Honor the Food Chain for the Wild Edibles Workers!

Via the Brandworkers International website:

Friends:

The City Bakery chain enjoys an image of being a "green" and "socially conscious" business. Yet, the City Bakery NY sells seafood from labor rights violator, Wild Edibles, Inc.

Given City Bakery's progressive image, current and former Wild Edibles workers were surprised when owner Maury Rubin refused to even enter into a dialogue regarding the hardships they face.

When Wild Edibles workers demanded the overtime pay they were owed and sought to win a voice at work with the Industrial Workers of the World labor union, their employer commenced a relentless campaign of retaliation including firing or forcing out eleven workers. Not even an injunction from a federal judge has stopped Wild Edibles' rampant retaliation against these immigrant workers.

The City Bakery should honor the people working hard to assert their rights along the food chain and choose a more responsible seafood supplier.

Please contact The City Bakery management at (212) 366-1414 (& press 0), to express your concern for the Wild Edibles workers and their families!

--- An action for positive change from Brandworkers International that you can share with friends. The Brandworkers Focus on the Food Chain initiative empowers immigrant food processing workers to rise above poverty and abuse.

For more information about Brandworkers, a non-profit organization protecting and advancing the rights of retail and food employees, log on to Brandworkers International.

PS - Turns out that for all its claimed "green" and "socially conscious" disposition, City Bakery is anti-union. Straight from the branch manager's horse's mouth.

Cuisine blog cooks up class struggle

Following on from previous mentions on the blog about the ongoing dispute between Wild Edibles and its current or ex-employees who have sought to assert their right to join a union, collectively bargain and seek payment of unpaid overtime comes the news that the dispute has been covered on the well known New York foodie blog, Eater.com.

In an article entitled 'Labor Woes: The Ongoing Saga of Wild Edibles', Adam Haas reports on yesterday's scenes at Wild Edibles Seafood Market Oyster Bar & Restaurant in Murray Hill, Manhattan, where "Protesters both for and against the company rallied . . . . to voice their concerns with the help of some colorful visual aids."

The blog piece even has pictures of the demo and counter-demo, but none of the pics on view were as colourful as this quote in the piece from a Matt Hovey, "If the workers want to join a union, it can be put to an up-down vote, but the Brandworkers' real agenda is simply to put Wild Edibles out of business and to end capitalism." [Emphasis in the original.]

The Zagat Survey says that that quotation earns a 15 for its economy with the truth; a 26 for service to the managements cause; and a 24 for its right-wing decor. On the whole, let's hope for an incredibly expensive experience for the bosses at Wild Edibles.

More info on this campaign and other campaigns at Brandworkers International.

Giorgione Becomes Latest Famed Restaurant to Drop Wild Edibles

Via the Brandworkers International website:

For Immediate Release:

Brandworkers International

Contact: press@brandworkers.org

April 7, 2008

Giorgione Drops Wild Edibles Amid Escalating Labor Dispute

Immigrant Workers Seeking to Improve Large Seafood Company Score Another Victory

New York, NY- Employees at Wild Edibles have chalked up a gain in their effort to win unlawfully withheld overtime pay and a voice at work with the decision of highly-regarded Italian restaurants, Giorgione and Giorgione 508, to refrain from purchasing Wild Edibles seafood until workers' grievances are fairly resolved. Giorgione joins leading New York restaurants including Pastis, Union Square Cafe, La Goulue, Mermaid Inn, and Sushi Samba that have previously pulled out of Wild Edibles over concern for the treatment of employees there.

"Giorgione has demonstrated a welcome concern for the workers behind the scenes at Wild Edibles," said Daniel Gross, the founding director of Brandworkers International, a non-profit workers' rights organization providing legal and advocacy assistance to the employees. "We look forward to communicating with the remaining Wild Edibles customers about the workers' efforts to improve their futures and the futures of their children."

Wild Edibles workers have joined with concerned community members to both remedy past injustices and win a living wage and health care for the future. Last September, a group of employees filed a large federal class action lawsuit potentially covering hundreds of workers alleging that Wild Edibles withheld overtime pay and retaliated against workers who asserted their rights. A federal judge subsequently issued an injunction against Wild Edibles and its owner Richard Martin against further retaliation. The National Labor Relations Board has also alleged that the company interfered with the rights of employees who have joined the Industrial Workers of the World labor union.

"We come to work six days a week and work hard through the night," said Raymundo Lara Molina, one of the eleven Wild Edibles employees allegedly fired or forced out of the job for asserting their rights. "We're just looking for our work and our families to be respected."

Brandworkers International is a non-profit organization protecting and advancing the rights of retail and food employees across the supply chain. By connecting retail and food workers with concerned citizens, Brandworkers increases employer compliance with the law and challenges corporate misconduct. The Brandworkers Focus on the Food Chain initiative enables New York's mostly immigrant food processing workers to reach for a better tomorrow.

http://www.Brandworkers.org

Seafood Co. Losing Millions as Sushi Samba Says No More Wild Edibles

Via the Brandworkers International website:

For Immediate Release:

Brandworkers International

Contact: press@brandworkers.org

March 26, 2008

Sushi Samba Becomes Fifth Major Restaurant Group to Drop Embattled Seafood Company

Wild Edibles Continues to Lose Millions of Dollars Over Mistreatment of Workers

New York, NY- Large seafood wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, is seeing its customer base rapidly erode with Sushi Samba, one of the nation's hottest sushi restaurants, cutting off purchases from the company until an employment dispute with workers is fairly resolved. Sushi Samba Park and Sushi Samba 7 join leading New York restaurants like Pastis, Union Square Cafe, La Goulue, and Mermaid Inn that have previously pulled out of Wild Edibles over concern for the treatment of employees there.

"We are very pleased that Sushi Samba has chosen to support the legal rights of workers at Wild Edibles," said Daniel Gross, the founding director of Brandworkers International, a non profit workers' rights organization providing legal and advocacy assistance to the employees. "Wild Edibles' remaining customers would do well to consider playing a similarly positive role."

Wild Edibles workers have joined with concerned community members to make positive change on the job. Last September, a group of employees filed a large federal class action lawsuit potentially covering hundreds of workers alleging that Wild Edibles withheld overtime pay and retaliated against workers who asserted their rights. A federal judge subsequently issued an injunction against Wild Edibles and its owner Richard Martin against further retaliation. The National Labor Relations Board has also alleged that the company interfered with the rights of employees who have joined the Industrial Workers of the World labor union.

"I have four children to support and tens years without overtime pay was too much," said Cesar Barturen, one of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Wild Edibles. "It's shameful that for standing up for my rights, [owner] Richard Martin fired me."

Wild Edibles warehouse employees come mainly from Peru and Mexico and most have financial obligations to families here and abroad. They start their work day at 2am and work through the night until 11am or later. Working in a facility that is often painfully cold, Wild Edibles employees must contend with cuts and strains from preparing and hauling the seafood on a tight-schedule. Though they work hard and service many of New York's most expensive fine-dining restaurants, the workers were systematically denied overtime pay and many haven't seen a raise in years. Many of the workers take home around just $400 a week for as many as 55 hours of work. They receive neither company health insurance nor retirement benefits.

Brandworkers International is a non-profit organization providing legal, advocacy, and organizing support to retail and food employees across the supply chain. By connecting retail and food workers with concerned citizens, Brandworkers increases employer compliance with the law and challenges corporate misconduct. The Brandworkers Focus on the Food Chain initiative enables the mostly immigrant food processing workers in Brooklyn and Queens to rise above poverty and abuse.

http://www.Brandworkers.org

Radical Chic

Socialism back in fashion? Or rather, socialism in the back of the fashion pages? As it should be.

Found in the latest issue of Arthur Magazine, is a four page photo spread entitled RED SCARE! which, according to the blurb, is: "A glance back at early 20th century radicals Louise Bryant and John Reed–an essay with clothes. Styling by Jaclyn Hodes, photography by Annabel Mehrain."

Being the fashionista that I am, I immediately recognised that Hat tip to Kara for spotting that Built By Wendy is heavily represented in the feature. She can spot a Wendy Mullin creation at 400 paces.

The Internationale, Finnish google and a rememberance of Finns impact on North American Radicalism

Funny sometimes how people stumble across the blog.

Someone in Finland wanting info on a Ja Rule song ends up landing on a page about an article in a past issue of Industrial Worker about 'The Internationale'.

Sort of cool when you think of the role that Finnish-Americans played in the building up of the American Labor Movement in general, and the Industrial Workers of the World in particular.