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Chicago Workers Collaborative |
Uniting low-wage and temporary workers to bring down barriers for full employment and equality
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We are a proud member of Just Pay for All, the major coalition in Illinois that organizes and protects excluded workers
Important News for Low-Wage Workers
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Unite with us! Build Worker Power and Win Justice
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Above: CWC Executive Director, Leone Bicchieri leads protest at the Cubs-Arizona Diamonbacks game, 04-28-10. Courtesy N.Y. Times
Left: Governor Pat Quinn lifts up Just Pay for All
before signing into law one of the toughest anti-Wage Theft laws in the
country.
Below: December 1, 2011 Labor Rights march across the city of Aurora, IL breaks a lock-out of more than 100 workers.
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Above: Speaking to protesters in front of the factory, former ATMI Precast worker, Valentin Vergara, says ATMI fired him for speaking up for his and his coworkers' rights
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Labor Rights March in Aurora! |
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ATMI PRECAST WORKERS OCCUPY AURORA
March forces end to lock-out in Illinois' 2nd largest city
12-01-11 In conjunction with National “Occupy” Day of Solidarity, CWC
and our allies marched in Aurora, IL to show support for the approximately 100 ATMI Precast
workers' families in need this Holiday Season. The workers had been
locked out by ATMI ownership. Faced with a massive march condemning
owner, James Armbruster, ATMI backed down and ended the lock-out on
November 30, 2011--the day prior to our action. Also supporting the workers were Northern Illinois Jobs with Justice, MoveOn.Org, Occupy Aurora and Occupy Elgin.
Slideshows: Chicago Workers(Flickr); Aurora Beacon News; Chicago Tribune |
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CWC Member, Airsa Pineda, Denounces Sexual Harassment at National Restaurant Association Member, Burger King |
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Airsa Pineda (middle) calls on women to denounce sexual harassment. Her Attorney, Alvar Ayala (left) and CWC Organizer, Ana Bahena (right), stand in support. |
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"We are in solidarity with our brothers
in Chicago in their resistance in response to the great support they
showed us even before Vicente Fernandez presented himself in Arizona"Click here to read full communique to the Chicago community in solidarity with the Arizona Boycott and in support of the demands made to Mariachi singer, Vicente Fernandez. 10-10-11 |
Chicago Workers Collaborative joins protest at Mortgage Bankers Association convention in Chicago.
10-10-11 With many of our members' houses in foreclosure, we participated today in "Take Back Chicago" with National People's Action, demonstating at the Hyatt Hotel, where the Mortgage Bankers were meeting, to demand an end to the evictions and economic policies which impoverish workers. |
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We are not going to attend his concertsNor will we make toasts with BudweiserTraitors! -- Oh for traitors of the people --
There's no other choice except to forget them!
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Racial Equality for All Workers
WE WON'T EAT TACOS TAINTED BY LABOR EXPLOITATION! |
Taco Bell Workers Deliver Petition Signed by 250 Community Resident to
Franchise Owner
Three
former employees of Taco Bell in Rolling Meadows returned to the fast
food restaurant today where they had labored for years until they
were fired without warning in June 2011. The women came back to give
Taco Bell one more chance to treat them with fairness and respect.
Supported by their community and the Chicago Workers' Collaborative,
they demonstrated in front of the Taco Bell on Kirchoff Road with
placards and banners calling for justice and saying they will not consume food tainted by labor exploitation.
After refusing to accept the community's petition, one resident, who had bought some tacos, tossed them into the trash.
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Racial Equality for All Workers
CWC joins call for Vicente Fernandez to Respect AZ Boycott; Cancel Phoenix Performance
06-09-11 - One of Mexico's most famous Mariachi singers, Vicente Fernandez, refused to cancel his upcoming concert in Phoenix, scheduled for June 10th. Last week, CWC Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, reached out to Aragon Entertainment, Chicago-based promoters of the Vicente Fernandez's Phoenix show. In an interview with HOY Newspapers, Leone stated, "Mexicans and Latinos here in Chicago have fought hard to condemn the racist, anti-Latino laws in Arizona. We cannot ignore the calls of our brothers and sisters who suffer daily the aggresion and violence of racists, starting the Governor (Jan Brewer) of Arizona. If Vicente Fernando really is the "Charro de Mexico" (Mexico's Cowboy), it's time for him to show it."
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Innerpac Workers ask former President
of Innerpac: "Hey, Gene Marino, where's our money?!"
03-16-11 - Gene Marino was able to leave Innerpac,
and start an office for a large investment company in Chicago, but
his ex workers were not as lucky, suddenly finding themselves jobless
when Innerpac shut down last month. The workers were offered
a couple weeks pay as a severance "package," which workers
felt was an insult, since they knew their work made someone (or
several people) rather wealthy.
Yesterday, workers had to
search for Mr. Marino in downtown Chicago, to attempt to discuss
their desire to receive a decent severance package with him. They found him outside his new Loop office. Mr.
Marino declined to commit to meet with the workers, and
would not to commit to meeting at all. Workers plan to return again soon.
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Leone Bicchieri (left) Gene Marino (right)
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Want to help? Contact Gene Marino and ask him to do
the right thing and meet with the Innerpac Workers Committee, and
help get them the severance pay they deserve:
Gene
Marino
Evolution Capital Partners, LLC
105 W. Adams St.
Suite
2125
Chicago, IL 60603
312-263-5080 |
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Innerpac Workers were put
on the street on Valentine's Day of this year (Feb 14th), some of
them after 26 years of loyal service. Their toil made executives like
Gene Marino a wealthy man, but those wealthy executives do not want
to share their money with their employees, and have offered a few
weeks of pay as a severance package. Some of the jobs have been
outsourced to Temp Staffing Agencies, turning permanent jobs in temp
labor, without benefits. At a time when elected officials, community
groups, and others are coming together in our nation to create new
and good jobs to revitalize our economy, Gene Marino (now opening the
offices of Evolution Capital Partners, LLC, in Chicago) and Alan
Bosma (current President of Innerpac and RTS) are busy figuring out
how to downsize, outsource, and temp labor our economy back into a
recession. As members of the Chicago Workers' Collaborative, the
Innerpac Workers Committee knows the only way to make wealthy
executives listen to poor working families' concerns is to take
action.
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Staffing Agency Watch
Cicero-area residents jobless after 20 years of service, replaced by temporary labor workforce.
February 24, 2011 - 30 workers gathered outside of the "Innerpac" manufacturing plant in Cicero, IL today
to demand a fair severance pay and demand good
permanent jobs in Cicero, not temporary labor positions. Innerpac thanked more than 100
workers for their many years of service--some as
long as 23 years--by putting them out on the street with a meager
severance package of a couple weeks pay. Production is being moved several miles west to Hillside,
IL, where a significant number of permanent positions will be converted to temp ones from Staffing Agencies. The majority
of the suddenly-jobless workers live in Cicero and were joined by
Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia (7th District), who
is investigating the situation. Workers have begun to organize as
members of the Chicago Workers' Collaborative to create better and
more sustainable jobs and to fight the proliferation of temporary
staffing agency positions. Click here to see slideshow of protest.
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Chicago Workers Collaborative celebrates 2010 with advances in the Rights of Workers.
Our members of have much to be proud of:
- Passed Wage Theft Law, SB3568
- Open 2 New Contingent Worker Service Centers
- 157 New Members
- Duraco Stop Wage Theft Campaign
- Raising Standards in Staffing Industry Campaign
- Boycott Arizona Diamondbacks and SB1070
- Illinois Department of Labor Enforcement of SB3568 Working Group
- New York Times and National Media Coverage
- Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Feature of Leone Jose Bicchieri
- National Funders Group Panel on Labor
- Over $100,000 in Stolen Wages Recovered
- African-Americans and Latinos Rally for Full Employment and Full Citizenship
Click Here for One-Page Summary of 2010 Achievements
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New Years Resolution
Full Enforcement of the Illinois Wage Theft Law (SB3568) which goes into effect today
This week, Chicago-area workers will lose more than $7 million in stolen wages. Next week, they will lose $7 million more. In 2011, the Chicago Workers Collaborative resolves to work with the Illinois Department of Labor and our partners of the Just Pay for All Coalition to alleviate the impoverishment of working families.
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Stop Wage Theft
We're
gonna make this law work!
So,
announced State Rep., Lisa
Hernandez (D-24), last night at a community meeting organized by Just
Pay For All and held at
Our Lady of
Guadalupe Church in South Chicago . Representative Hernandez heard numerous accounts
from workers driven into bankruptcy and home foreclosure because
their employers stole their wages and the Labor Department did not
recover their money. Officials from the Illinois
Department of Labor, including Assistant Director, Bert
Rodriguez, promised to meet with Just Pay members and Rep Hernandez
to draft rules that would insure that a new state wage theft law
(SB3568) sponsored
by Rep. Hernandez and pushed by Just Pay is implemented on January 1,
2011 with the vigor intended by its backers. Meanwhile Senator William Delgado (D-2), who sheparded SB3568 though the Senate, put in a special call to Just Pay organizers just before the event to request participation in the up-coming discussions with the Labor Department about SB3568 rule-making. SB3568, passed with near
unanimous support last May by the Illinois General Assembly, cuts
through red tape in processing wage theft claims--especially small claims--at the Labor
Department and makes wage theft a crime for repeat offenders.
Click to see slideshow of event |
Workers meet with Labor Department and Rep. Lisa Hernandez to Oversee Implementation of New Wage Theft Law 10/21/10
Above: Workers' Collaborative staff and member, Ernesto Ordonez, address the community and Labor Department reps about the new anti-wage theft law
Click to watch Telemundo Report
"I've heard enough. We are going to meet with the Department of Labor and make sure this law is enforced from day 1."
Lisa Hernandez, Illinois State Representative |
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Custom
Staffing Partners Slapped with 10-Count Multi-State, Labor Suit
Today,ex-employees
of Custom Staffing Partners announced in front of the Federal
Courthouse in Chicago that they had filed, for the first time ever,
suit under the Illinois Temporary and Day Labor Services Act for
violations committed against workers who exercised their right to
resolve a pay dispute by requesting the billing records of staffing
agency. Today's litigation arises out of Custom Staffing Partners and
Artech Diversified's unwillingness to resolve endemic pay problems in
an informal, amicable fashion. Today's suit is filed against two
companies:
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Custom
Staffing Partners, Inc. (legally known as Staffing Partners, Inc.)
is a temporary staffing agency that is incorporated in Wisconsin but
operates in Illinois near the border with Wisconsin as well.
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Artech
Diversified, Inc. the 3rd party client company located in
Waukegan, IL where the employees of Custom Staffing Partners
actually performed their work. Artech is a manufacturer of
industrial supplies.
The
announcement occurs after 4 months of organizing work by Hispanic
Americans Community Education & Services (HACES), located in
Waukegan, IL and the Chicago Workers' Collaborative. “The Illinois
Day Labor law enables workers to resolve pay disputes directly by
looking at what the staffing agency , Custom, charged the client
company, Artech. This would have clarified why the workers checks
were shorted of pay for the hours they worked, saId Leone Jose
Bicchieri, Executive Director of the Workers Collaborative.
Unfortunately, both Artech and Custom fired the workers for trying to
resolve the underpayment in the way the law lays out. These
allegations point to illegal retaliation and outright theft.”
“After
all this time, we haven't received any answer from the company,”
said Juana, spokesperson for the ex-custom staffing partners workers.
“That's why we are here. To defend our rights! Companeros, who
continue work at Custom, you are not alone!”
The
class which Working Hands will seek to represent will be all of the
employees of Custom Staffing Partners and Artech within Illinois.
Working Hands will also include a collective action under the federal
Fair Labor Standards Act for the overtime violations for all of
Customs Staffing employees in both Wisconsin and Illinois. |
Stop Wage Theft
In the greatest tradition of
American democracy, the people in the Just Pay For All coalition saw
something that was wrong, and they banded together to do something
about it, and they achieved great success. Governor Pat Quinn
After hearing these workers stories
and realizing that wage-theft is an epidemic in our state, I was
moved to action. This legislation will create a new healthy standard
for protecting all workers basic right to paid for a day's work...The
organizations and leaders from Just Pay For All advocating for
increased protections and wages do so from constant experience with
abuse. State Representative Lisa Hernandez, Chief Sponsor of
SB3568
Wage theft is a huge problem in our
state. This bill provides workers and the Department of Labor with
additional resources and stronger tools to enforce the law. It
increases civil and criminal penalties for violations, including much
stiffer criminal penalties...So now there's a cost to employers...We
believe these enhanced penalties will deter cases of wage theft. Catherine Shannon, Director, Illinois Department of Labor
We worked for many months with no
pay. Many of us lost our homes; didn't have money to feed our
families...We got fed up, and together with community organizations
and unions, we went down to Springfield and told our stories to
Senators and Representatives. All of us united were able to make
wage theft in Illinois a crime.Jesenya Rodriguez, ex-employee,
Duraco Products, Inc and leader of Just Pay for All.
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Historic Signing: New Illinois Law
Makes Wage Theft a Crime. 07-30-10
Above, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn
holds up historic anti-wage theft bill SB3568 in one hand, and holds
up a Just Pay For All t-shirt with his other hand. Helping Gov. Quinn
with the t-shirt is state Representative Lisa Hernandez, who along
with state Senator William Delgado worked with the Just Pay For All
coalition to pass the innovate legislation. Also in the photo are
staff and members of the Just Pay For All initiating organizations:
Latino Union, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Chicago Workers'
Collaborative, and Working Hands Legal Clinic
Historic Signing to stop Wage-Theft
Garners National Media Coverage:
In addition to massive local and
regional media coverage, an Associated Press story inundated the
nation's newspapers and websites, calling attention to SB3568, which
strengthens the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. The article
quotes two of Just Pay For All's leaders, and the AP story sums up
the historic bill to stop wage-theft: “Employers who shortchange
or don't pay their
employees will face stiffer penalties and workers will have more
rights under a bill Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law Friday, which
experts say makes Illinois' wage theft laws among the strongest in
the country.”
A Suburban Daily Herald article reports on the role of the Duraco Products workers in the campaign. |
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Victory for Workers! Wage Theft Bill Passes Both Houses of Illinois General Assembly May 3, 2010
The
Chicago Workers Collaborative, together with Latino Union, Centro de
Trabajadores Unidos, the Working Hands Legal Clinic and many other
organizations, have been successful with the groundbreaking Senate Bill
SB3568 in the Illinois
"This new law will safeguard worker wages and deter employers from committing wage theft."
General Assembly. This legislation, which will
safeguard worker wages and deter employers from committing wage theft,
passed overwhelmingly in the Illinois House of Representatives by 112
to 1 and then concurred in the Senate with a vote of 46 to 2! The bill
now goes to Governor Quinn for his signature. Both the Illinois AFL-CIO
and UFCW Local 881 played critical roles in passing the bill. For more
about this important victory visit www.iljustpayforall.org. |
Just Pay workers and bill sponsor, William Delgado, at the Illinois state capitol |
Racial Equality for All Workers
Major League Baseball: Move next year's All-Star Game out of the state that profiles immigrants and ball players of color!
May 1, 2010- - On Thursday, the CWC led an action to inform baseball
fans and players about Arizona's discriminatory immigration law, SB
1070. Our members and supporters passed out leaflets and held up a
large banner in front of Wrigley Field before the game between the Cubs
and Arizona Diamondbacks. Several of our supporters chartered a small
airplane to fly over Wrigley pulling a banner that said, "Shame on
Arizona! Reform not Racism!" Yesterday we went back and continued to
leaflet. We will do the same today and tomorrow. Now Congressmen,
players and even Ozzie Guillen, manager of the White Sox, have joined in to demand a repeal of SB 1070.
Major League Baseball: Move next year's All-Star Game out of the state that profiles immigrants and ball players of color!
View Video of CWC protest and Boycott Arizona plane flying over Wrigley Field
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Why Protest? Get the Facts:
Click here for the Arizona State Senate Fact Sheet on SB 1070
Rallies expect boost after Ariz. immigration law, Associated Press, 5/1/10
Players’ union opposes law, The Spokesman Review/Associated Press 5/1/10
Ozzie Guillen sounds off on Arizona immigration bill controversy, New York Daily News, 5/1/10
Padres weigh in on Arizona law, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/1/10
Citing MLB's large foreign population, players' union exec blasts Arizona's new immigration law, New York Daily News, 4/29/10 |
Cubs: Move spring training out of Arizona!
CWC worker activist, Claudia Galeno, calls on people
of good conscience to not spend money on businesses, including sports
teams, based in Arizona on Thursday, 4/29/10.
Cub Fan Rips up Ticket to D-Back's game, 04-29-10 |
Racial Equality for All Workers
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Boycott Arizona!
CWC in National News
Diamondbacks Face Backlash Over Immigration Law, New York Times, 4/29/10 (pdf of article)
Protesters of Arizona's new immigration law try to focus boycotts, Washington Post, 4/30/10
Diamondbacks see immigration law protests in Chicago, USA Today, 4/29/30
Immigrant rights activists boycott Diamondbacks-Cubs game, The Arizona Republic, 4/30/10
D-backs catch immigration heat in Chicago, Phoenix Business Journal, 4/29/10
Activists boycott Diamondbacks-Cubs game, KTAR Phoenix, 4/29/10
Immigrant Rights Picket at Wrigley Field: Boycott Arizona!, Gapers Block.org 4/29/10
Protest At Wrigley Field Over Arizona Immigration Law (PHOTOS), Huffington Post, 4/30/10
Arizona D-Backs Play In Chicago, SB 1070 Protests Follow, RaceWire, 4/29/10
Right: Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post |
CWC Organizes Protest against D-Backs at Wrigley Field
CWC in Local News
Wrigley Rally: Immigrant Rights Protesters Target Arizona, Chicago Tonight, 4/29/10
Protest at Wrigley Field over AZ Immigration Law, WGNTV Chicago, 4/29/10
Immigration protest outside Diamondbacks-Cubs game, Chicago Daily Herald, 4/29/10
Activists boycott Diamondbacks-Cubs game, WLS ABC Chicago, 4/29/10
PHOTOS: Wrigley Immigration Protest, WMAQ NBC Chicago, 4/29/10
Protest Against Ariz. Law at Wrigley, Fox News, Chicago, 4/29/10
Activists boycott Diamondbacks-Cubs game, WBBM-AM, 4/29/10
Protesta en juego de los diamondbacks, Univision, 4/29/10
Boicot contra Arizona, Telemundo, 4/29/10 |
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Illinois is not Arizona!
Reform not Racism!
24 activists, including CWC Board President,
Father Brendan Curran, blocked vans loaded with immigrants this morning
in front of the Broadview, IL ICE processing center. The vans carried
shackled immigrant workers, mothers and fathers, whose crime was to
work to feed their families. Police hauled the protesters away as they
shouted, "Illinois is not Arizona!".
CWC worker activist Jesynia Rodriguez and other activists explained the significance of this morning's actions on NBC news. (04-27-10)
"If
we don't push as hard as possible for immigration reform, one of the
consequences is going to be more racial profiling, like is happening
right now in Arizona," CWC Director, Leone Bicchieri, ABC News. (04-27-10) |
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Above: CWC original founder, Father Chuck Dahm, speaks
out prior to being arrested. Deportations have broken apart many
immigrant families in his Parish, St. Pius V. |
24 religious, labor and community leaders say,
"stop criminalizing workers!" The vans were taking immigrant workers to
O'Hare Airport to be deported. Click here to see slideshow. |
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"Bad Employers, the USDOL is Back!"
So announced Hilda Solis, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor.
Members of the Chicago Workers Collaborative joined Secretary Solis at
University of Illinois for the national launch of "We Can Help", a
campaign to fight wage theft across the country. Secretary Solis
announced that she has hired hundreds of new investigators to go after
exploitative employers who steal workers' wages. "This is good for
employers who respect laws. Companies which commit wage theft gain an
unfair advantage."
Other workers and organizers from the Just Pay for All campaign also joined in with the Labor Secretary who swore "Zero Tolerance" for wage thieves.
Upper Left: CWC member, Maria Gonzalez, Duraco worker, describes the horrible exploitation workers face, Univision, 04-01-10.
Bottom Left: CWC Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, "workers must organize in their workplace and then call the DOL," Telemundo, 04-01-10. |
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"My co-workers have had their homes foreclosed because our bosses, the Lynches, stole our wages," Patricia Seidel, former Duraco worker.
State Rep. Lisa Hernandez led a press
conference today to announce major legislation that she will push in
the Illinois House. SB3568, sponsored by William Delgado in the Senate,
criminalizes wage theft and increases enforcement against employers who
steal wages from their employees.
About 50 workers
victimized by wage theft and their supporters rallied in support of the
initiative. The Chicago Workers Collaborative, Latino Union, Centro de
Trabajadores Unidos and the Working Hands Legal Clinic were joined by
labor and community leaders at the event held downtown in front of the
Thompson Center.
Click to see slideshow of the press event |
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Thirty
plaintiffs, all ex-employees of Duraco Products, Inc., filed suit in
Federal Court for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages
against Kevin Lynch and Michael Lynch individually, in their capacity
as owners and operators of Duraco.
Workers and the CWC held a press conference to announce the filing of the suit on Thursday, March 4, 2010.
Though
Duraco went into reorganization under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy
code, the suit claims the Lynches consistently and knowingly created a
scheme to not pay their workers. Some of these plaintiffs worked many
months while receiving only a few paychecks, doled out only to entice
them into continuing to work so that Lynches could profit.
Once
notified of the workers' intention to seek justice with the help of
their attorneys and community organizers, the workers charge that the
Lynches took intimidating and retaliatory actions against some of them.
Through all of this, workers have suffered much economic and emotional
hardship including the loss of their homes, families, and aspirations.
Click to see slideshow of protest |
Workers Shut Down Duraco Products, Inc to Stop Wage-Theft on Massive Scale
40 ex-employees stood in front of the locked gates at Duraco Products, in Streamwood, IL and announced that they had shut down the company.
Now they demand that the former owners, Michael W Lynch and Kevin Lynch, pay them for their work (2-22-10).
Photo
(from right to left): CWC Executive Director, Leone Bicchieri, CWC
leaders and former Duraco employees, Brenda Rodriguez and Kim Cambra |
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African-American and Latino Workers Rally for Jobs and Immigration Reform
Reverend Tyson (left) and Ali Kabba,
Executive Director of the United African Organization applaud the
message of Reverend Janet Wilson (right) of Rainbow Push.
Click to see slideshow
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Full Citizenship and Full Employment for Full Equality (01/16/10)
1,200
workers from throughout the Chicago region came together at the First
Baptist Congregational Church to volunteer and fight for a community
jobs program and the legalization of our nations 12 million
undocumented immigrants. Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. joined Bishop John
Manz and many other faith-based, union and community leaders to relate
the need for an urban agenda that will legalize 12 million undocumented
workers and create thousands of community jobs to address chronic
unemployment. Bills to address these needs are pending in the U.S.
Congress. U.S. Reps Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutierrez pledged to fight
for the Urban Agenda.
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Dozens of worker activists from the
Chicago Workers' Collaborative from the city and northwest suburbs
rallied for Jobs and Immigration Reform.
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Staffing Agency Watch
Select/Remedy latest day labor agency slammed for abusing workers
Workers allege that national staffing agency operated illegally in
utter defiance of the Illinois Temporary and Day Labor Service
Act.(12/10/09) |
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ICE Continues to Escalate its Low Intensity War on Immigrant Workers
ICE
announced that it served 1,000 businesses with audit notices this week.
Businesses were selected for inspection as a result of investigative
leads and their relationship to "public security". "The real security
threat of senior janitors and foodservice personnel in such enterprises
is absurd," said CWC Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, in an
interview with Telemundo.
Audits
will lead to the firing of thousands of low-wage immigrant workers with
years of seniority and accrued benefits. Audited companies will benefit
by by getting rid of higher paid workers, replacing them with workers
at entry-level pay rates with no benefits. Companies will hire temp
agencies and other subcontractors to bring in immigrants paid at
minimum rates or less without benefits. "All ICE has accomplished with
this enforcement action is increase worker exploitation while forcing
many older workers into unemployment situations where they can't
provide for their kids, the vast majority of whom are U.S. Citizens,"
said Bicchieri (11/19/09). |
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Workers Hit  with Labor Charges
Workers fired by the Red Roof Inn and Randstad Staffing filed the first charges in history using a new Illinois law passed by the Chicago Workers Collaborative
and UFCW Local 881. As employers fire thousands of their long-time
employees to save money, workers are using new protections in Illinois
to fight back. According to Maria Cervantes, "We had about 40 years of
experience between all of us working at Red Roof Inn, making as much as
$2.50/hr over the minimum wage with 4 weeks of vacation per year. Now
Red Roof replaced us with workers making minimum with no vacation pay
or other benefits." (10/20/09)
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Fired Red Roof Inn workers denounce Obama's misguided enforcement
Who gains anything from this enforcement? asked Congresswoman Jan
Schakowsky at a press conference held by the Chicago Workers
Collaborative, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
and Erie House. The answer: Red Roof Inn will save thousands of dollars
in wages and benefits by firing long-time immigrant employees.
(08-24-09) Telemundo Report
Click to See Full Press Conference
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YUM! Brands National Day of Action. Chicago Workers stage Loop protest. Telemundo report
Yum Brands workers and their supporters in 30 cities denounce the world's largest restaurant corporation for unjustly firing and discriminating- against Latino workers. Slide show (7/10/09) Chi*Town News report
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Obama's "Administrative Raids" policy announced last Thursday makes Action even more paramount
USDHS Secretary Napolitano announced that ICE
will audit the files of 652 companies and force them to fire any
"unauthorized" workers. Companies in Chicago have been firing hundreds
of long-time workers based on this same approach. This so-called
"crack-down on employers" will starve hundreds of thousands of
immigrant families into increasingly underground and exploitive jobs. As many as 1,800 immigrants set to be fired at American Apparel in Los Angeles. (07/02/09)
STOP ADMINISTRATIVE RAIDS!
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CWC and UFCW, Local 881 pass bill to protect workers from abuses of E-verify
--"This law is a national model for protecting immigrant workers from
discrimination stemming from misuse of the E-verify program," says
CWC's Senior Organizer, Tim Bell. Many companies have used E-verify to
illegally screen Latino workers or to fire senior workers engaged in
asserting their workplace rights. Having passed both the Illinois
chambers, such practices will become illegal once Governor Quinn signs
the law. (5/27/09) |
CWC Helps Launch Labor Window at the Mexican Consulate--Every
day, thousands of Mexican nationals pass through the Chicago office of
the Mexican Consulate and wait for hours to obtain a passport, national
I.D. card or other document. The CWC has come together with several
unions and worker centers to distribute information and give talks
about labor rights to these immigrants in the Consulate's waiting area.
CWC's Executive Director, Leone Jose Bicchieri, promotes the
"Ventanilla Laboral" on radio and TV. (5/19/09) |
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CWC wins Ron Sable Award from Crossroads Fund-CWC's
many years of work in educating and helping immigrant workers standing
up for their rights is celebrated in the Crossroads Funds award which
included a donation of $1,000. (3/13/09) |
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