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NEWS FROM THE 2008 FAST
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| FAST opening, Central NY Labor-Religion Coalition To encourage reflection on the sacrifices made by migrant workers in Central New York, food items that have passed through their hands were on display at the March 4 interfaith service opening the FAST in Syracuse. Shown here at Assumption Roman Catholic Church are Donna Kuhn, NYSUT union representative, the Rev. Roosevelt Baums of Minoa United Methodist Church, worker Matilde Bravo, Najah Zaaeed of the Islamic Society of Central New York and worker Marina Bravo. |
Statewide 40-Hour FAST amplifies voices of faith for immigrant rights
From Justicing, May 2008
The positive contributions of immigrants, the exploitation they suffer as part of New York state’s workforce and their courage in demanding fair wages and respect were themes heard in churches and on the streets during the Coalition’s 13 th Annual 40-Hour FAST.
In Albany, domestic workers, farm workers and religious leaders led a procession to a park across from the Capitol. There they appealed for an end to exclusions from basic labor protections under New York State law.
The two groups together visited New York state legislators for the first time that afternoon. In a debriefing session at the end of the day coordinated by Domestic Workers United and the Justice for Farmworkers Campaign, participants spoke about the new picture they had of each other and the value of staying united to make a better future. Said one domestic worker, “The presentations were more compelling together. We said, ‘here’s your chance to end slavery!’ Legislators saw where the roots of our problems meet, and they got it.”
Over 50 Tompkins County Worker Center members completed the fast in support of workers at the Hilton Garden Inn who are taking concerted action to raise their wages above $7.15 per hour and demanding affordable health insurance. Joan Keyser, former hotel housekeeper and now an organizer with the Worker Center said, “Fasting was a great experience for me as it really helped me to prepare and strengthen myself for what we’re trying to do.” The fast was lead by the Religious Task Force for a Living Wage, the Ithaca affiliate of the Labor-Religion Coalition. [See below for Ithaca Journal article.]
In Syracuse the theme of this year’s fast inspired the Migrant Food Sourcing Project as a way to make visible the labor and sacrifice of immigrants on farms in a seven-county region. The project awakened the moral imagination of a lot of people and broke through some stereotyping, said Pat Rector, coordinator of the Central New York Labor-Religion Coalition and its Worker Rights Center where many farm workers have found support.
On March 5 during their period of fasting, religious leaders who are part of the Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition prayed with low-wage and immigrant workers in front of buildings that symbolize income inequality in America. Outside the Ritz–Carlton Hotel near Central Park, they stood with Atria assisted living workers and members of residents’ families demanding better care and wages from Lazard executives at their annual investor meeting inside. A Lazard-affiliated private equity buyout fund owns the chain of Atria Senior Living Centers. Workers are part of the SEIU Healthcare “Campaign to Improve Assisted Living.”
That afternoon they also stood with cafeteria and other food service workers at Bank of New York Mellon and Goldman Sachs headquarters in lower Manhattan. Members of UNITE HERE who work for Aramark Corporation rallied for higher wages and improved benefits. According to Bruce Raynor, the union’s president, the average employee compensation at Goldman Sachs was $660.000 last year while employees in the company cafeteria typically are paid about $21,000 a year. Goldman Sachs is a part owner of Aramark.
News conference during FAST in Ithaca
Center gets partial win against hotel
Hilton must let workers discuss conditions, terms
By Tim Ashmore
Journal Staff
ITHACA — The National Labor Relations Board has ruled partially in favor of a former Hilton Garden Inn employee regarding a suit brought against the hotel in October, the Tompkins County Workers' Center announced Thursday. Former housekeeper Michelle Lopez brought her complaint to the Workers' Center after her son was fired for taking days off to attend his grandfather's funeral. After attempting to form a union due to her son's discharge, Lopez was terminated and the hotel allegedly threatened to fire workers who discussed Lopez's termination, according to the Workers' Center. After settling with the Labor Relations Board, Hilton Garden management promised not to threaten employees with discipline for discussing terms and conditions of employment with each other. Additionally, the hotel will post a statement telling employees they cannot be threatened for discussing workplace conditions in three employee-only locations in the hotel. “We're disappointed that the (board) failed to challenge Michelle's discharge, claiming difficulty in gathering evidence about management's motivation,” Worker's Center spokesman Pete Meyers said. “However, the protection for other employees is a significant gain.” Meyers said in a press conference outside the Hilton Garden Inn that the Workers' Center has decided not to pursue Lopez's allegedly unwarranted termination because of the Republican-controlled National Labor Relations Board in Washington. “Unfortunately, with the NLRB in Washington tilting against workers' rights, it has become very difficult for the regional board offices to enforce labor law protections,” said Lance Compa, labor law professor at Cornell University's Industrial Labor Relations school. “Fortunately, this regional office did see fit to move against violations of the broader group of employees' rights to discuss terms and conditions of employment without facing threats of retaliation by hotel management.” Compa added that it has become extremely difficult for workers to prove unwarranted terminations because it is difficult to prove an employer's motive in termination without “a smoking gun memo.” Jim Boudreau, general manager for the Hilton Garden Inn, called the suit “frivolous litigation on behalf (of) disgruntled employees.” He added that the suit forced the hotel to spend money that would have instead been used in the community on attorney's fees. “If the TC Workers' Center believes for a moment that there is ‘victory' in that, I find it very sad,” Boudreau said. Despite losing the portion of the suit that pertained to her, Lopez said she considers the result a victory. “I am winning by being able to tell other workers they can organize,” she said, adding that she feels hotel housekeepers ought to be shown more respect by getting paid more. Lopez now works for the Workers' Center. At the press conference, Meyers emphasized that it is the right of workers everywhere to gather and discuss the conditions of their working environment. The Workers' Center's press conference, attended by about 20 people, coincided with the end of a 40-hour fast it hosted that more than 50 community members participated in since Tuesday. Participants were fasting to support the struggle of more than 600 hotel workers in Tompkins County, Meyers said. tashmore@ithacajournal.com
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Last Updated: 07/10/2008
© New York State Labor-Religion Coalition
