Grand Rapids Starbucks Union and Seville, Spain CNT have announced a global day against Starbucks in light of recent union busting.
Starbucks
After Hedge Fund Buyout, Brandworkers Calls CEO's Letter to Wendy's Employees Inadequate
Posted May 20th, 2008 by brandworkersNew Owner of Hamburger Chain Should Minimize Job Losses and Guarantee Fair Notice and Severance to All Laid Off Employees
May 20, 2008
New York, NY- Brandworkers International has called on billionaire hedge fund investor and new owner of the Wendy's fast food chain, Nelson Peltz, to treat employees with respect and minimize job losses as his holding company carries out widely-anticipated layoffs. Brandworkers expressed disappointment with a letter recently sent to Wendy's employees by incoming CEO Roland Smith in which he not only issued a warning of job cuts but failed to offer assurances of minimum notice or adequate severance pay. Mr. Smith also suggested that existing employee benefits could be overhauled as soon as 2009.
"No lasting guarantee of benefits, promised job losses with no
mention of severance or notice, and CEO Smith instructs Wendy's
employees: 'don't get cynical'," said Natalie Zuckerman, a
Brandworkers campaigner. "Workers don't need the corporate buzz-words and home-spun stories about youth that Mr. Smith offered up in his letter, they need concrete assurances about their future. Mentioning there will be 'some type of a retention plan' yet to be determined does not suffice."
Eric Schlosser: Burger with a Side of Spies
Posted May 7th, 2008 by brandworkersUPDATE (05/13/2008): Burger King exec. is ousted over anti-worker Internet smear campaign. (Associated Press) The question remains whether Burger King CEO John Chidsey ordered the operation.
Writing in the New York Times, Eric Schlosser decries corporate spying against advocates for social change including Burger's King spying operation against the Student/Farmworker Alliance. Schlosser calls for a congressional investigation of the increasing use of spying programs by multinational corporations. (New York Times)
Starbucks Baristas Win Liability Phase in California Tip Case
Posted March 12th, 2008 by brandworkersIn a class action lawsuit which could cover 120,000 baristas, a California judge has found that Starbucks unlawfully appropriated baristas tips to pay shift supervisors. Starbucks sought to avoid paying shift supervisors competitive wages by including them in the tip pool. Damages in the case are yet to be determined. (Law.com) and (San Diego Union-Tribute)
Are You Entitled to Overtime? The Answer May Surprise You
Posted September 21st, 2007 by brandworkersIt is very likely that you have the right to be paid overtime. Questions? Contact Brandworkers Legal Defense-Plus for help. Here's a Businessweek cover story on the prevalence of overtime violations in the economy:
Wage Wars
Workers—from truck drivers to stockbrokers—are winning huge overtime lawsuits
October 1, 2007
by Michael Orey
There's a place in Reno, Nev., that practically mints money. It's not one of the many casinos in town. Nor is it one of the legal brothels that operate in the area. It is a law firm, located in a wing of a private home nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. From a utilitarian office, with a view of horses grazing in a neighbor's paddock across the road, attorney Mark R. Thierman pursues a practice that in recent years has won his clients hundreds of millions of dollars from some of the biggest names in Corporate America—and produced tens of millions for himself.
