Los Angeles, CA – Workers at a local McDonald's went on strike June 9, as part of a weeklong struggle by employees to bring to light the heinous working conditions they have been forced to endure. The strikers called for an end to harassment from management, for union representation, and justice for Berta Montes, a McDonald's employee whose death many coworkers attribute to management's negligence and overall lack of interest in their worker's health and safety.

According to her coworkers, Berta Montes was feeling sick at work one day. When she asked her manager if she could be allowed to go home, she was denied. Montes was forced to endure three more hours of her shift as her illness worsened. After she had clocked out she felt bad enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. She passed away five days later. Many of her fellow workers believe that Berta's death could have been avoided if she would have been allowed to leave work to seek treatment when she asked.

When asked why they were on strike, the general consensus of the workers and supporters on the picket line was “Justice for Berta Montes!”

Alexis Paulino, one of Montes's coworkers, said, “The reason why we're on strike is because of our coworker, she passed away and it’s their fault! They don't treat us right. They verbally abuse us, they harass us, they tell us our work isn't good enough, they overwork us, they don't let us take our sick days when we ask for them, and we're constantly having to deal with faulty equipment creating an unsafe work environment.”

Workers recounted an incident in which there was a gas leak and managers did not let employees evacuate for half-an-hour because they “had a line.”

“The managers don't give you your breaks or lunches on time, they make you work overtime; sometimes they'll force you to clock out and make you keep working,” said another worker at this McDonald's location.

Samantha Mendez, another worker, said, “During the pandemic the managers wouldn't let you leave if you had COVID. Management is very confrontational, their conduct is unprofessional, they yell at you and then they force you to multitask, and when you make a mistake, instead of teaching you, they make fun of you. They don't let you have your phones, so our families have no way of contacting us if there's an emergency. They deny you a doctor if you get hurt on the job, and like what happened to our coworker; they won't let you go to the hospital.”

Among these several grievances expressed by these workers, several others stood out, including feeling unsafe at work, bad air quality, pay issues, understaffing, workers not being allowed to use the restroom, and workers being forced to sweep trash in the rain. The workers provided a description of an extremely hostile workplace. Though for these workers, the struggle continues when they return to work. They will be forced to sign a warning letter upon their return to work, but their risk has won them the community's support and brought their struggle to light.

#LosAngelesCA #strike #Workers #LA #McDonalds

Hammond, IN – By 4:00 p.m. Sept. 14, the negotiating committee from UAW Local 2335 had reached a tentative agreement with Lear Corporation. Over 700 workers walked off the job Sept. 13 demanding an end to the two-tier wage structure. In a major victory in the auto industry, the employer agreed to abolish the double standard in wages. Workers will return to work on Sept. 15 and have yet to ratify the agreement.

Fight Back! caught up with Mike Elliot, the chair of the Union Solidarity Committee of UAW Local 551 at the Ford assembly plant in Chicago. His local is the only local in the UAW that has a standing committee like this. Its mission is to build solidarity with other unions and social justice groups and mobilize members from the plant to picket lines, fights for justice, for women’s rights, human rights and even anti-eviction campaigns.

“Without solidarity, none of this would be possible. We set up shifts and brought out a great number of our members to the pickets lines at Lear,” Elliot said. “It was announced this afternoon that Lear Corporation agreed to abolish the two-tier wage structure and increase workers at the top by 1.5%”. The details of the agreement have not been made public yet, but workers on the picket lines were celebrating their fight today.

Elliot expressed how important this is to the 4500 workers at the assembly plant. “Our contract expires next year on Sept. 15, 2015. This is a major blow to what divides the workers: a two-tiered wage structure. You cannot survive long if you have people working next to one another doing the same work and one person is paid half of the other person.” Members of UAW Local 551 will be carefully building for their fight next year to dump the two-tier system there, he added.

#HammondIN #PeoplesStruggles #AutoUnitedAutoWorkers #UAW #Indiana #Workers #LearCorporation #AutoWorkers #wages

Naples, FL – In the early morning of July 16, one of Florida's biggest workplace raids led to 160 employees being investigated, with at least 16 under arrest.

Back in 2011, a former employee of Fruit Dynamics went to the doctor after an injury on the job.The doctor discovered the worker was undocumented and allegedly was using someone else's Social Security number.

Collier County officials began investigating Fruit Dynamics, the people who worked there, and after a three-year long operation, deputies raided Fruit Dynamics.

Naples is part of Collier County which still implements the harsh federal program 287 (g). 287 (g) allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to train local police. Police then act as an extension of ICE: arresting, detaining and finally taking undocumented cases to ICE who then may decide whether to deport an immigrant or continue detaining them.

Raul Vidaurri a U.S. citizen who worked at Fruit Dynamics and was present during the raid states, “Many of those who were separated were scared and two, a man and a woman, passed out and were taken away in an ambulance. I was the only one who had a phone with a signal, so a lot of them asked me to call their families.”

While the deputies are patting themselves on their backs, these 160 employees have an unknown future. The Obama administration is still conducting the hated workplace and community raids, even though they continue issuing statements denying this.

Many of these workers are Mexican and Central American – nationalities that are almost never able to obtain legal residency. Children of Central American are also being detained in detention centers.

The Fruit Dynamics employees were simply trying to provide for their families. The undocumented are just trying to work. To stamp them with an ‘identity fraud’ label is pointing the finger at the wrong people. The ones who should be blamed for the inability to solve the immigration system are sitting in their cushy, political seats reaping off the profits made by these hard-working employees. Detaining or deporting the Fruit Dynamics employees is separating families and making it even harder for these employees to ever apply for residency.

A nearby community group, Raices En Tampa, is coordinating a call-in-day to the Collier County Sheriff's office, July 29. Raices En Tampa encourages you to participate by joining in on the action. Demand, “Drop the Charges against the #NaplesWorkers, release them now!” Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/350370201780805/

#NaplesFl #NaplesFL #Labor #ICE #Florida #Immigration #RaicesEnTampa #Workers #TheFruitCompany