| Conmemoración de feriado con protesta
By Alejandra Soto of NY1 Noticias 
January 24, 2009
From NY1 Noticias
- ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW -
Trabajadores y sindicalistas conmemoran el día de Martin Luther King Jr. con una protesta. Dicen que no hay mejor día para exigir paga y trato justo. Alejandra Soto de NY1 Noticias, presentó el siguiente informe.
Empleados de Starbucks, afiliados al sindicato Trabajadores Industriales del Mundo, exigen horarios de trabajo estables, que no varíen de semana a semana.
"Sucede que una semana te marcan como disponible y luego te asignan 30 horas de trabajo. Lo mismo sucede la siguiente semana pero sólo te dan 8 horas de trabajo. Así no se puede mantener a una familia," dijo Stephanie Basile de trabajadores industriales del mundo.
Desde el 2004 trabajadores en diversas tiendas Starbucks han pedido el apoyo de este sindicato independiente que cada año culmina sus esfuerzos en diversas compañías en el día de Martin Luther King Jr.
Frente a la oficina regional de Starbucks, también exigieron que este día sea reconocido como feriado y se pague como tal.
De ahí, marcharon a la tienda Wild Edibles, en la Tercera Avenida y la calle 36.
Aseguran que directivos de esta expendedora de comida de mar, han corrido a trabajadores que han buscado ayuda del sindicato.
"Porque le vamos a reclamar por las horas que nos estaba robando," dijo Pedro Hernández, trabajador despedido.
Los trabajadores piden paga justa, bajo la ley.
"Nos daba $450 por los seis días," dijo Hernández.
Exigen recibir sobretiempo y días de enfermedad.
También aseguran enfrentar discriminación racial.
"En septiembre, después de que despidieran a cuatro personas, un juez emitió un requerimiento judicial prohibiéndoles que despidieran a más personas. Pero corrieron a 8 más y desafortunadamente el sistema judicial se mueve muy lento," dijo Basile.
Añaden que entre los despedidos se encuentran personas que llevaban arriba de 10 años trabajando.
Trabajadores en el lugar llevan 15 meses buscando sindicalizarse y presentaron una queja ante la Junta Nacional de Relaciones Laborales.
En el caso de esta tienda, Wild Edibles, el grupo informa que la mayoría de los trabajadores afectados son hombres latinos.
Y le recuerdan al público que aceptan miembros a su sindicato sin importar su estatus migratorio.
NY1 Noticias ha contactado a las oficinas centrales de Starbucks y aún está a la espera de recibir respuesta.
Mientras que un gerente de Wild Edibles eligió no hablar ante las cámaras.
Workers and union members commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a protest
Translation by Tessa Ferreyros
They say there is no better day to demand just treatment and payment. Alejandra Soto from NY1 News presents the following report.
Employees from Starbucks, affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, demand stable work hours that don’t change from week to week.
“One week they mark you as available and then assign you 30 hours of work. The same happens the following week but they only give you 8 hours of work. You can’t support a family on that,” said Stephanie Basile from the Industrial Workers of the World union.
Since 2004, workers from different Starbucks shops have asked for help from this independent union, which culminates its campaigns with different companies on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In front of the regional office of Starbucks, they also demanded that this day be recognized as a holiday and be paid as such.
From there they marched to the Wild Edibles store on 3rd Avenue and 36th Street.
They say the directors of this seafood distributor have pushed out workers who have looked for help from the union.
“Because we are going to him to reclaim our money for the hours they have robbed us of” said Pedro Hernandez, a fired worker.
The workers are asking for fair pay, under the law.
“They owe us $450 for the six days,” said Hernandez.
They demand paid overtime and sick days.
They also want to address the issue of racial discrimination.
“In September, after firing 4 people, a judge made an order prohibiting them from firing any more people. However, they fired 8 more, and unfortunately the justice system moves very slowly” said Basile.
They add that among the fired workers there were some that had been working there for more than 10 years.
Workers there have been trying to unionize for 15 months and brought a complaint before the Nation Labor Relations Board.
In the case of the Wild Edibles shop, the group informs us that the majority of the affected workers are Latino men.
They also remind the public that the union accepts members regardless of their immigration status.
NY1 News contacted the central offices of Starbucks and we are still hoping for a response.
A manager for Wild Edibles declined to speak in front of the cameras.
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New Yorkers March Against Wage Slavery
By Diane Krauthamer 
Photo by Tom Good of Next Left Notes
January 22, 2009
On a chilly Monday morning in midtown Manhattan, demonstrators displayed powerful messages of solidarity with food and retail workers, demanding fair wages and treatment while sending a prominent message to bosses: “You can’t keep the workers down, New York is a union town!”
On January 19, 2009, approximately 50 people braved the winter weather for the Industrial Workers of the World’s (IWW) annual “March Against Wage Slavery” in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Starting at 11 AM outside the Starbucks Regional Office on 5th Avenue in the shadows of the Empire State Building, a radical marching band joined by union members and supporters rallied alongside Starbucks baristas to demand that workers be paid a holiday premium of time and a half for working on MLK Day—the only national holiday in which workers do not receive premium pay.
Starbucks barista and union organizer Liberte Locke spoke of Starbucks’ hypocritical corporate propaganda of claiming to be “committed to diversity” and “social responsibility” while at the same time refusing to honor Dr. King’s legacy in his fight for racial equality and civil rights.
“It’s very important today to remember that we keep our eyes on the prize. Starbucks will recognize us, they will recognize the work of baristas struggling to survive, baristas on food stamps, on Medicaid because they can’t get the company health insurance. Baristas like myself who can’t afford simple things like paying my rent while they buy a $45 million private jet,” Locke said.
Former barista Joe Agins, Jr., who was fired for organizing with the Starbucks Workers Union of the IWW in 2005, said the holiday premium is an important struggle because in light of the inauguration of the first black president, this “is a time in which the company can show workers that Starbucks believes race is important.”
A holiday premium would “benefit the workers’ livelihoods and show (them) respect,” Agins said. Despite the benefits, Starbucks issued a denial of the union's demand prior to MLK Day 2008.
With the Rude Mechanical Orchestra playing an Italian resistance song “Bella Ciao,” along with a Staten Island resistance song, “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” demonstrators marched east to the Wild Edibles Seafood Market location on 3rd Avenue, demanding justice for 12 workers who were fired after attempting to unionize.
“Instead of respecting the workers' basic rights to receive overtime pay and form a labor union, (Wild Edibles) owner Richard Martin has responded with an aggressive and illegal retaliation campaign,” explained Stephanie Basile, an IWW organizer. Martin heard about the day’s protest activities and closed down the retail location for half of the day with a sign on the door reading “We are closing for a few hours to sort out some building-related issues.” Former Wild Edibles worker Pedro Hernández glanced at the sign and laughed at Martin’s inability to face the confrontation. Basile said closing the store down was “very telling” of Martin’s anti-worker sentiment.
“The fact that he actually chose to close a few hours of business instead of face the union is just another example of how he constantly evades his responsibilities to the workers,” she said. Former and current Wild Edibles employees filed a federal class action lawsuit against the company on September 17, 2007. According to the complaint, Wild Edibles violated New York Labor Law and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not compensating workers 1 ½ times the base wage for working more than 40 hours per week, and by discriminating and retaliating for protected activity.
Additionally, the IWW has filed a series of unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over retaliation against employees and interference with organizing activities. After independent investigations of these charges, the NLRB has thus far issued two complaints against Wild Edibles over the unlawful discharge of seven employees and other violations of federal law.
“The workers' demands include much more, including stopping union busting, rehiring all the fired workers, and paying all the back wages,” she said.
All in all, Basile called Monday’s action a “success“ because it energized workers and union supporters who work hard every day on building these campaigns for labor rights in New York City. Joe Agins, Jr. said the protest and his union struggles have made him realize that “no matter what you believe in, you can make a difference by standing up for what is right.”
“The union fights for what the workers believe in and we feel that demanding this MLK premium pay is just the beginning,” Agins said.
“We make (CEO) Howard Schultz his money. He owes us respect, he owes us pay raises, he owes us set guaranteed schedules and hours, and health insurance across the board for everyone” Liberte Locke said.
“We have to hold them accountable for what they do to us everyday and stand united, because we are the coffee slingers of Starbucks. We have to let them know each and everyday that we honor Dr. King even if Howard Schultz and Starbucks does not,” she added.
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Trabajadores Piden Respeto
By José Acosta of El Diario 
January 20, 2009
From Impre.com
- ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW -
NUEVA YORK — Decenas de miembros del sindicato de Trabajadores Industriales del Mundo (IWW), realizaron ayer varias protestas laborales con motivo del 80 aniversario del nacimiento de Martin Luther King hijo.
Primero, los trabajadores realizaron una manifestación frente a la sede del Starbucks Coffee localizada en la calle 33 y la Quinta Avenida, en Manhattan, para pedirle a la cadena de cafeterías Starbucks que honre al fenecido líder de los derechos civiles pagando su día como día de fiesta.
Luego los trabajadores marcharon hacia el 535 de la Tercera Avenida, sede de la pescadería Wild Edibles, donde le urgieron al dueño, Richard Martin, a que respete el derecho de los empleados a organizarse y a readmitir a los trabajadores despedidos en medio de una disputa laboral que se está ventilando en corte actualmente.
Pedro Hernández, de 60 años, fue uno de los trabajadores de Wild Edibles despedidos hace un año junto a otros doce trabajadores por tratar de afiliarse al gremio IWW a fin de exigir sus derechos laborales.
“Yo trabajé durante un año y cuatro meses descamando pescado y empacando. Eramos unos 50 trabajadores, casi todos hispanos. Trabajábamos seis días a las semanas, más de 50 horas, y el dueño nunca nos pagó horas extras. Cuando metimos al sindicato, nos empezó a despedir”, dijo Hernández, quien ayer participó en la marcha.
Stephanie Basile, miembro de IWW, dijo que la marcha se realiza todos los años en el día de Martin Luther King hijo, con el fin de vigorizar el legado del defensor de los derechos civiles de luchar por la justicia social.
Basile reveló que IWW empezó a organizar a los trabajadores de Starbucks en 2004, “y desde esa fecha la empresa empezó a despedir a empleados ilegalmente por su actividad sindical”.
Liberté Locke, organizadora de IWW, quien lleva 10 años empleada en Starbucks, dijo que la empresa debe pagar el tiempo y medio de salario que se paga en los días de fiestas federales, en honor del Día de Martin Luther King hijo.
“Hemos hecho el pedido en los últimos dos años, y el año pasado el CEO de Starbucks, Howard Schultz, dijo que respaldaba el Día de Martin Luther King hijo, pero no mencionó cuándo los trabajadores iban a recibir el pago de tiempo y medio que corresponde por ser día de fiesta federal”, dijo Locke.
Llamadas a Starbucks no fueron retornadas al cierre.
Paul Jambor, de Wild Edibles, dijo que la empresa no iba a hacer ningún comentario.
Jose.acosta@eldiariony.com
Workers Demand Respect
Translation by Tessa Ferreyros
NEW YORK - Many members of the Industrial Workers of the World union held various labor protests for the 80th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.
First, the workers marched to the front of Starbucks Coffee offices on 33rd and 5th Avenue, in Manhattan, to ask the owner of the chain of coffee shops to honor the civil rights leader and give this day as a paid holiday.
After, the workers marched to 535 3rd Ave, site of the fish market Wild Edibles, where they urged the owner, Richard Martin, to respect the rights of the employees to organize and to rehire workers fired during a labor dispute that will go to court.
Pedro Hernández, 60 years old, was one of the workers fired from Wild Edibles a year ago. He was fired together with 12 others for trying to affiliate with the IWW in order to demand their labor rights.
“I worked there for one year and four months cleaning and packing fish. We were 50 or so workers, almost all Hispanic. We worked 6 days a week, more than 50 hours, and the owner never paid us for the overtime hours. When we joined the union, he started to fire us” said Hernández, who participated in the march yesterday.
Stephanie Basile, member of the IWW, said that the march happens every year on Martin Luther King Jr. day, to reinvigorate the legacy of the defender of civil rights in the fight for social justice.
Basile said the IWW started organizing Starbucks workers in 2004 “and from this date the company started illegally firing workers for union activity”
Liberte Locke, organizer with the IWW, who has been working for Starbucks for 10 years, said that the company needs to pay the time and a half for working federal holidays, in honor of MLK day.
“We’ve demanded this for the past two years, and last year the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, said he respected Martin Luther King Jr. day, but never mentioned when the workers would receive their time and a half pay that corresponds with working on a federal holiday” said Locke.
Calls to Starbucks were not returned.
Paul Jambor, from Wild Edibles, said the company would not make any comment.
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Wobblies Know How to Ring in the New Year! IWW Hits Starbucks with Protest
By Stephanie Basile 
Anna Hurst at the New Year's Eve protest
January 06, 2009
NEW YORK-While New Yorkers were wishing each other a Happy New Year this past New Year’s Eve, a few select Starbucks managers were met with three different words: Where’s Anna’s Money?
This simple question has become the catchphrase of a campaign to help barista Anna Hurst win two weeks’ pay from the company. Hurst is a member of the Starbucks Workers Union, which is part of the Industrial Workers of the World.
The SWU staged a New Year’s Eve protest as part of the ongoing campaign for Hurst. In addition to demanding pay for Hurst, the demonstrators talked to customers about the union’s struggle for secure work hours and respect on the job. For one of the demonstrators, Starbucks barista Henry Marin, it was his first public action as a member of the union.
The group of about 10 union members spent an hour demonstrating on a cold New Year’s Eve, chanting outside the Union Square East store and holding signs bearing slogans such as “Support Your Local Union Baristas,” and the soon-to-be ubiquitous slogan “Where’s Anna’s Money?” Customers were encouraged to ask management this question inside. One customer reported that the manager he spoke to pretended she had no idea what he was talking about.
Where’s Anna’s Money?
When a person is sick and has to leave work early, and if that person happens to be a part-time hourly wage earner, she or he misses out on the remaining hours in that shift. Having no paid sick time, this and other precarious situations are of the type that Starbucks baristas are used to dealing with.
And thus, when Anna Hurst left work sick during a shift this past August, she already knew she’d have to deal with losing a few hours’ pay. Never do people imagine, though, that their employer will then deny them an additional two weeks of work. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Starbucks did. After having to leave sick, Hurst called work the next day to find out her schedule only to discover that her name had been removed from the schedule for two weeks.
Since then, Hurst has been trying to procure back wages for the work she was denied. She first pursued channels through the company and made no progress. She then decided to join the union.
The IWW has engaged in a number of actions, starting on November 6th when members from the union marched into the store and delivered a letter to management demanding the two weeks’ pay. The union also organized a call and text-in to the store manager and district manager, and leafleted outside the store with flyers that featured a photograph of store manager Gwen Krueger.
Not only has Starbucks refused to so much as apologize for what happened, but management has repeatedly tried to convince Hurst to stop trying to obtain her wages. Krueger has even offered conflicting stories to upper management. She went so far as to threaten a lawsuit and criminal complaint against the IWW.
After the first few days of the call and text-in, Hurst was called into a meeting with Krueger and district manager Mark Ormsbee. During the meeting, she was told that she will never get the pay she is owed and to stop trying. “Mark basically told me the conversation was over,” recalls Hurst.
At the same meeting, Krueger made her conflicting remarks, first saying that on the day she went home sick, Hurst walked out of the store without telling anyone. “First she said that I didn’t say anything and just left,” says Hurst. “Then she said that she heard the beginning of what I said but not the end.” Hurst says when she tried to point this and other contradictions out to Ormsbee, that he sided with Krueger every time.
In response to Krueger’s lawsuit threat, the union stated, “the IWW Starbucks Workers Union takes our right to defend baristas' interests and our right to free speech very seriously.” They plan to continue taking action until Hurst receives the pay she is owed.
Hurst says she is grateful to have the support of the union. “I appreciate everyone’s help,” she says. “Usually, when something like this happens, you’re on your own.”
It’s approaching 8pm and the protestors have been outside in the freezing cold for almost an hour. Hurst takes a look around, smiles, and says “I’m feeling a lot of love and support.”
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