Action Alert: March & Picket to demand Justice for fired IWW* Warehouse workers
In the courts and in the streets, the IWW Food and Allied Workers Union (IU460/640) is refusing to back down against EZ-Supply and Handyfat Trading's illegal union-busting. --- What: March from EZ-Supply (a.k.a. Sunrise Plus) to Handyfat, two Food Wholesale Warehouses that illegally fired 21 workers in December in retaliation for organizing a union with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). --- When: Saturday, June 9th 9:30am. --- Where: Starting Location: E-Z Supply, 48-01 Metropolitan Ave. Ridgewood, Queens 11385. (Just on the border of Ridgewood, Queens and Bushwick, Brooklyn). --- Directions by Subway – Take the L train to the Grand stop. Walk east on Grand (you will pass a tortilla factory and then a block later a gas station on your left). Walk over a bridge then veer slightly to the right on Metropolitan Ave. Walk on Metropolitan past a fork in the road for a total of 6 blocks until you reach EZ Supply on the left hand side of the street. A map is included below or see Mapquest.com if you need to.
People will be stationed at the Grand Street L stop (Look for IWW Flags) from 9:15AM to 9:45AM to give directions and lead contingents to E-Z Supply.
Contact:
Billy Randel (646) 645-6284
Alex van Schaick (201) 388-9887
The EZ-Supply and Handyfat Workers' Struggle for Justice
At the end of 2005, workers at EZ-Supply and Handyfat, two Brooklyn restaurant supply wholesalers, joined the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) to end the sweatshop conditions at their jobs. In both warehouses, the workers were paid around $4.50 to $5.50 an hour with no overtime for a 60 to 70 hour workweek – far below legal wages. To make matters worse, they had no benefits or sick days and they had no power to stop abusive managers. After organizing with the IWW and taking action against their employers, workers began receiving legal wages, won an NLRB election at EZ-Supply, and reached a minority contract at Handyfat. In December of 2006 the union filed class action lawsuits in federal court to recover over a million dollars in back wages owed by the employers. Shortly following Christmas, the owners of EZ-Supply and Handyfat fired all the IWW workers in crass retaliation for their participation in the lawsuit and other legally protected union activity.
Since then, many of the fired workers have found new jobs. However, they continue to fight against their employers' unscrupulous behavior on the streets and in the courts. Join them as they demand justice on Saturday, June 9th.
