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Work to Rule: Organizing the One Big Union at Starbucks

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Work to Rule: Organizing the One Big Union at Starbucks OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER oF THE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD INDUSTRIALJuly/August 2014 #1766 Vol. 111 No. 5 $2/ £2/ €2 WORKER History Of The IWW Kentucky GMB The Disunited Food & France: The Long In Grand Rapids, Officially Chartered! Commercial Workers Strike At La Poste Michigan 3 5 8 11 Work To Rule: Organizing The One Big Union At Starbucks By FW Sarah she endured at home, the rape that re- sulted in the birth of her son, bullying at The Match That Started the Fire the hands of other girls at school and the Weekends are notoriously crazy for a death of her best friend. Anna has been a Starbucks barista. These are the days when Starbucks barista for the last three years. people have time to vent their frustrations She likes the job because her co-workers from the previous workweek on some are nice and show her respect. She knows unsuspecting worker. Customers come in almost every customer who comes into our with their screaming children, busloads of high-volume store and sometimes even tourists struggle to understand why a small decorates his or her cup with hand-drawn drink would be called “tall” and the stores pictures. Anna’s ability to work is often themselves are almost always understaffed hampered by chronic health issues. I have to handle the demand. It is therefore fit- worked shifts where she leaves the floor to ting that it was a Sunday when an event cough up blood. The intensity of the work triggered Starbucks baristas to engage in we do when we are understaffed, amplified a clever power play to make work condi- by other environmental factors that come tions better. from being poor and living in the projects, Anna, also lovingly known as “Momma causes her to fall ill and catch every cold Bear” for her fiercely protective attitude, and virus that she comes into contact with. is originally from Florida. She told me This particular Sunday, Anna needed her story once as we walked around the to leave early due to illness. She had neighborhood where we work; the abuse Continued on 6 IWW Starbucks Workers Union protest in New York City. Photo: libcom.org Boston Wobblies Defend Harvard Workers And Local Bus Drivers be a coordina- passers-by also called attention to the case tor—the position of Judy Rouse. Judy, a member of UNITE he’d occupied for HERE Local 26, was fired by Harvard in years! HUCTW retaliation for being an active and effective member Marvin shop steward. Byrd was anoth- Highlights of the action included the er subject of the large surrealist puppets which were kindly protest. Marvin, hauled to the protest and hoisted by local who uses brac- anarchists from the Lantern Collective. es to walk, was They got a lot of attention and made it easy called “that dirty to pass out flyers! Everybody wanted to black man” by know what was going on when they saw the the very same striking figures, one enormous one bearing administrator, the motto “Mentiri” or “to lie,” a play on has been kept in Harvard’s Latin motto, “Veritas” (truth). a lower salary Wobs and HUCTW members were also grade than co- heartened by the solidarity from United Wobblies and bus drivers protest at Harvard University’s commencement. Photos: Steve Kirschbaum workers with the Steelworkers (USW) Local 8751, the Bos- By Geoff Carens many years. Participants in the visibility same job duties, and recently threatened ton School Bus Drivers’ Union. Drivers On May 29, Wobblies who are mem- action included HUCTW’s Johany Pilar, with termination. Paul Casey, laid off Steve Gilles and Steve Kirschbaum, ter- bers of the Harvard Union of Clerical who has been facing ongoing retaliation after 30-plus years of service shortly after minated for union activity, helped us hand & Technical Workers (HUCTW) helped for reporting sexual harassment. Johany he returned from a disability leave, was out flyers and support Harvard workers organize an action at the world’s richest was called an “embarassing Latina” by a another participant in the visibility action. under attack. university’s commencement. The Student manager in Harvard’s Campus Services. Paul was supposedly laid off for “lack of On June 2, Wobblies returned the fa- Labor Action Movement (SLAM) helped HUCTW representative Nassim Kerkache, work,” although he was very busy in his vor and mobilized in support of the school us build for the event, and mobilized their who also attended, was demoted three job. His duties were simply distributed bus drivers at a community meeting. Bos- members to turn out. SLAM has been salary grades by the same manager, who to other employees. Flyers we distributed ton’s unelected Boston School Committee fiercely defending campus workers for said his English wasn’t good enough to to hundreds of graduates, families and Continued on 6 Industrial Worker Periodicals Postage Steel Valley Turns Into “Deal” Valley PO Box 180195 PAID By Fellow Worker Martin Zehr worker passed by on the way to the rally Chicago, IL 60618, USA Chicago, IL Steel jobs in Monongahela Valley, Pa. and said: “Good to see the Wobblies here.” and additional have been an issue for decades. For the While there was not much time for discus- ISSN 0019-8870 mailing offices last 30 to 40 years workers have seen mills sion on the IWW at the rally, the workers ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED shut down and threats of other closings remember Homestead Local 1397’s rank held over the heads of those still working. and file. They still know the name of Local Workers have seen the mill close in Home- 1397 President Ron Wiesen who fought the stead; the United States Steel Corporation steel bosses and the closing of the Home- (U.S. Steel) mills in Duquesne and Clairton stead mill. Even the speakers at the rally closed in 1984. In an eight-year span, pointed to the site where steel workers from 1979 to 1987, the Pittsburgh region fought the company’s Pinkerton thugs for lost 133,000 manufacturing jobs. Today, union recognition in 1892. There were no there is new cry from the steel bosses—the promises from the bosses back then, just Keystone XL pipeline and fracking is a the exercise of brutal force. “U.S. Steel right,” say steel industry bosses. Everything is packaged today: the On May 19, workers in orange flame bottled water brought to the rally, the bags resistant suits stood out at a rally in of chips handed out to rally participants, Munhall, Pa., where steel bosses, United the speeches from local politicians telling Steelworkers (USW) reps and local politi- us all how hard they are working to save cians shared the stage and the message. steel jobs, and the promises from USW Somewhere in the crowd was the IWW. A Continued on 7 Page 2 • Industrial Worker • July/August 2014 Easy On The “Capital”-ism Left wing, right wing—it talist you are going to hang Subscribe to the all tastes like chicken to me, him, he’ll try to sell you but it seems a shrinking fac- the rope. But most work- Industrial Worker tion on the left will forever ers find out quickly a boss wave Karl Marx’s “Capital” will do anything for a buck, Educate yourself and like Cotton Mather waved sometimes at the expense of your fellow workers Letters Welcome! his Bible. Yet we are never everyone involved. Thanks, with the official Send your letters to: [email protected] with treated to anything new or Karl! And while you’re at it, “Letter” in the subject. particularly exciting by those drone on about the value of newspaper of the IWW. who think our anti-capitalist labor and commodities, but Mailing Address: actions will improve vastly those of us who are actually Just mail in this form, Industrial Worker, P.O. Box 180195, from the writings of yet one working have a good idea of or visit us online at: Chicago, IL 60618, United States. Graphic: lostsambista.wordpress.com more dead white European. what needs to happen, and http://store.iww.org/industrial-worker.html Some of Marx’s musings are worth we don’t need a fat stifling book to show to subscribe today! Get the Word Out! remembering. My personal favorite is us the way! IWW members, branches, job shops and when he said, “I am not a Marxist,” be- I can appreciate that Marx’s ideas 10 issues for: other affiliated bodies can get the word cause Marx knew his followers would get evolved during his life, and that at one • US $18 for individuals. out about their project, event, campaign it wrong; indeed, no revolution which point he wrote words which the IWW • US $30 for institutions. or protest each month in the Industrial claimed to follow his ideas ever attempted would include in its Preamble. Fortunately • US $30 for internationals. Worker. Send announcements to iw@ to abolish the wage system. Mikhail Ba- the idea of the One Big Union is simple: iww.org. Much appreciated donations kunin butted heads with Marx by warning workers coming together industrially to Name: _______________________ for the following sizes should be sent to: against the dangers of vanguardism and democratically decide how to protect their Address: _____________________ the oxymoronic idea of a workers’ state. In interests and improve their lives. A strong State/Province: ______________ Pyotr Kropotkin’s words, Marx’s vision of campaign doesn’t need its workers gnaw- IWW GHQ, Post Office Box 180195, Zip/PC________________________ Chicago, IL 60618, United States. how to achieve socialism was antagonistic ing on “Capital,” but instead feasting on a to the strategy of “direct economical strug- serving of syndicalism and a deeelicious Send to: PO Box 180195, $12 for 1” tall, 1 column wide gle against capitalism, without interfering dish of direct action.
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