| Fighting for Minimum Wage Rights
By Clark Merrefield 
February 26, 2007
For many of the Latino and East Asian warehouse workers in North Brooklyn and Queens who keep the shelves and kitchens of New York City restaurants, grocery stores and delis stocked, getting by is a constant struggle. Customers are often culturally and economically removed from the warehouses’ largely immigrant workforce, while the management can be downright exploitative.
Top City Produce, a warehouse in Bushwick, has faced accusations of unfair labor practice from its employees and their representative union, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Management at two other IWW-represented warehouses, Handyfat Trading Inc. (Bushwick) and EZ Supply Corp., now Sunrise Plus Corp., (Queens) have fired all their unionized workers in the past month and a half. On Feb. 3, Top City workers were told in a letter from management that Top City would be closing for three weeks to financially restructure.
Then, on Feb. 13, union organizers were told that Top City’s lawyer was willing to talk. The two sides agreed that workers would return the next day, but without the $30 lunch stipend they had enjoyed and also without the right to change their clothes at the workplace. Though the workers are happy to be returning to their jobs, Top City’s perceived slights have not gone unnoticed.
“Every day they’re doing things to take rights away,” said IWW member Osvaldo Garcia, who has been working at Top City for five years.
“The lawyer says they’re willing to accept the union and negotiate a shop contract, and the employer turns around and retaliates against the workers,” said Billy Randel, lead organizer for the Top City campaign. When asked about his decision to shut down his warehouse on Feb. 3, Top City owner Tony Chen said, “I have nothing to say about it.”
Complaints against Top City have already been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and decisions on those complaints are expected shortly. The IWW intends to file new charges with the NLRB based on the company’s recent shutdown. According to Randel, the IWW raised $20,000 to help sustain Top City’s unionized workers during the shutdown period. The IWW employed the unionized workers as warehouse organizers in Chinatown and Bushwick before Top City’s unexpected callback.
Garcia said before joining the IWW, he was making $480 per week working tenand-a-half to eleven-and-a-half hours per day, six days a week. Now, he is making minimum wage – $7.15 per hour in New York state – and working 30 to 35 hours per week. According to IWW organizer Tomer Malchi, Garcia and other workers would like more hours.
“That’s still not enough. They want to be working more, they want overtime. That’s where the money is,” Malchi said. Though six of 11 Top City workers are reportedly staunchly against the union, the five who have signed up are just as staunchly in favor of it.
“I’ve been listening to what other people are saying and they don’t think that the union is good, but I know that they’re helping me and they’re helping us in this situation,” Garcia said.
MAKE THE BOSS PAY
Is your employer cheating you out of wages you are legally owed? The State Labor Department has bilingual investigators throughout the state who are able to aid workers with issues relating to compliance with New York’s labor laws.
• New York State minimum wage: $7.15/hour
• To file a complaint or ask questions call 1-800-447-3992 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday - Friday. Operators speak English and Spanish.
• If you speak Chinese, you may call 212-621-0475 and if you speak Korean, you may call 212-621-0483.
• For more information: www.labor.state.ny.us
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Join US 2/19 Presidents Day March to Support Bushwick Workers
By T^M^ 
February 12, 2007
The IWW And Make The Road By Walking Keep On Marching To End Slave Wages And To Defend Workers' Right To Organize!
What: MARCH TO DEMAND AN END TO EXPLOITATION IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY. The march will begin at 9:30 am and proceed through the industrial areas of Bushwick, Williamsburg and Ridgewood. DRESS FOR COLD WEATHER!!
When: Monday February 19, 2007 starting at 9:30am
Where: Rally with us at 3 locations!
- 9:30 AM @ Sunrise Plus/E-Z Supply, 48-01 Metropolitan Ave. in Ridgewood, Queens.
- 11:30 AM @ Morgan stop of the L train (Morgan and Harrison)
- 1:00 PM @ March on Associated Supermarket on Knickerbocker ave
- L train running on Saturday Schedule
Why: In an attempt to rise out of sweatshop conditions, workers in the Brooklyn wholesale food distribution industry have engaged in strikes, protests, and filed lawsuits alleging minimum wage and overtime violations. Over 20 workers from two warehouses were fired in the past few months in retaliation for their union activities.
At Associated Supermarket owners have committed egregious wage violations against their workers, including failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, and having some workers paid in tips only with absolutely no benefits.
These workers need your support as they struggle to enforce the minimum wage and demand their right to organize.
For the latest update visit www.wobblycity.org
For more info call
Billy J Randal at 646 645-6284
or Tomer Malchi at 646-753-1167
Directions and details
Starting location:
9:30 am @ Sunrise Plus/E-Z Supply, 48-01 Metropolitan Ave. in Ridgewood, Queens.
Take the L train to the Grand stop, walk east over bridge and onto Metropolitan ave. Walk 6 blocks past fork in the road, Sunrise plus (EZ-supply) will be on the left. Street map at or
People will be stationed at the Grand Street L stop from 9:30 – 10AM to give directions and lead contingents to Sunrise Plus/E-Z Supply.
Secondary meet-up/Press meet up
11:30 – 11:45am at the Morgan stop of the L train. The March will wait for 15 minutes at the Morgan stop before marching on Handfat – Handyfat is 2 blocks south from the train on Thames between Morgan and Bogart.
At 1:00pm we will march from Handyfat to Associated Supermarket on knickerbocker ave.
Pics from our last MLK march: http://www.antiauthoritarian.net/NLN/photo-gallery/2007 _mlk_day/
MLK March: http://antiauthoritarian.net /NLN/?p=153
Much more on http://www.wobblycity.org/
Background Info
The 460 campaign began around a year and a half ago when workers at Handyfat, a food distribution warehouse, approached the Bushwick Latino community/workers center, "Make the Road by Walking." The Handyfat workers had already organized outside of any union, but were looking for support. Make the Road by Walking put them in touch with Billy Randel and Bert Picard, two experienced IWW organizers. Since then, the campaign has expanded to four other warehouses, and we are constantly talk to more and more workers.
A year ago, workers at EZ-Supply voted for IWW representation in a NLRB certified union election. In May of last year, Amersino's boss rigged their election by saying that a number of his friends were a "night shift" that didn't actually exist. Later he illegally fired several key organizers. The NLRB is (still) currently considering action against Amersino regarding the firings.
EZ-Supply on the other hand flaunted its obligation to bargain in good faith with the union after the successful election, and retaliated and harassed union members. Only in November of this year, after leafletting EZ-Supply's customers (restaurants) and convinced several to switch to a different supplier, did EZ-supply reinitiate bargaining with the union. At this juncture the union negotiated a landmark contract (for the industry) that was tentatively agreed upon by EZ-Supplies boss and the union. In December, the union marched on Top City Produce to demand the boss pay their workers according to minimum wage requirements and to recognize the union. Also in late December the union filed several lawsuits against all of the above companies for wage and hour violations, in excess of 100,000 dollars.
At this point Handyfat, EZ-Supply, Amersino, and Top City all gave their union workers letters requesting workers' immigration papers. This move, although a flagrant violation of the law and clear retaliation for union activity, was their trump card. The bosses had never requested to see any immigration papers before and some of the workers had worked for their respective companies for over 10 years. EZ-Supply also claimed that it had never tentatively agreed to a union contract. The next week, the very day the IWW served EZ-Supply with a complaint for back wage violations, EZ-Supply fired all its union workers. Next Handyfat did the same. Top City had also closed temporarily to "reorganize" its business supposedly to get rid of debt but rehired everyone as of February 15th. This leaves 25 workers. The union's defense fund has compensated all the workers for their lost pay and all have gotten new jobs by now. Major court action against the employers is pending from the NLRB and the Department of Justice for various lawbreaking.
check out www.iww.org for more info about the wobblies. we have an excellent website!
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Unlawful Anti-Union Retaliation Continues In Brooklyn Food Industry Warehouses
By 
TOP CITY WORKERS
February 05, 2007
At 5:00 AM Monday December 18, 2006 IWW members from Top City Produce, along with a delegation of IWW members marched on Top City Produce to demand justice. Workers at Top City refused to go to work until the boss agreed to obey the law and start paying minimum wage and overtime. That afternoon workers at top city went back to work after the boss agreed to start paying the legal wage and open dialogue to discuss owed back wages.
On Saturday February 3rd workers were all suspended from work. The bossed handed each workers a letter saying Top City Produce will close from February 3 rd until February 24th in order to restructure to be able to pay off debts. Another 6 workers are jobless in retaliation for organizing a union, enforcing minimum wage laws, and demanding respect. For background info about the organizing drive among immigrant workers in the Food Warehouses check out http://www.iww.org/en/node/3195.
Join Us February 19th on Presidents Day as we march through Brooklyn demanding an end to the exploitation of immigrant workers.
We will be starting at 9:30 AM at Sunrise Plus Corp. warehouse 48-01 Metropolitan Avenue , Ridgewood
Your financial support is urgently needed – please make strike fund contributions to NYC IWW - 460 and send to PO Box 7430 , JAF Station, and NY 10116. Or, you can contribute on-line through Pay Pal by making a payment to
iww-nyc@iww.org , at www.paypal.com.
For more info go to IWW.org or wobblycity.org
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STARBUCKS STEALS OLDEST COFFEE NAMES
By Michael O'Neil 
Coffee Beans From The Sidamo Region Of Ethiopia
February 02, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael O'Neil
917.825.3562 | Michael @ revbilly.com
STARBUCKS STEALS OLDEST COFFEE NAMES
"Put that latte down!" says Reverend Billy,
launching the Sidamo Prayer Campaign on February 3rd in New York City.
Come to the Astor Place cube at 4PM tomorrow
(Saturday) February 3rd. Near N/R train at 8th
Street and the 6 train at Astor
Place. Bring noise-makers and wear red. Have your
activist souls honed to EXORCIZE CASH REGISTERS! Hands-on prayers are
in order.
We have discovered that Starbucks is blocking
Ethiopia's attempt to trademark the names of its
own ancient coffees. "Sidamo" is one. Starbucks
advertises that its Sidamo brand hails from "The
Birthplace of Coffee" and makes a nostalgic
portrait of how it is cultivated in "small
backyard gardens." In fact, Ethiopian coffee workers are starving.
The Wall Street-controlled coffee market tanked
in 2002, but now the low coffee prices that local
farmers fetch at auction have become
permanent. With Starbucks selling between only 3
and 4% Fair Trade Certified coffee in the Unites
States market, it is fair to say that billionaire
Howard Schultz "doesn't pay for his coffee..."
"Stop Shopping Church" members have just returned
from the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. Let's be straightforward: this coffee
economy brings all the income to Starbucks, only
giving farmers charity and loans exploited in
LOOK WE'RE SO NICE advertising campaigns.
Tomorrow we will meet to sing and find the rhythm
of the coffee gods, then proceed to the cash
registers of this sinning Devil... We are fully
committed to -- Stop Our Shopping!
Click Here for compiled information on Starbucks' Sidamo stonewalling.
For more information on this and other Church actions go to
Reverendbilly.org.
© 2006 all rights unreserved and for the people,
Rev Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. To
remove yourself from this list CLICK HERE. | www.revbilly.com
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