What in the hell …

Very rough draft of a talk I’m working on, comments welcome. (more…)

Follow up from my draft on Agamben and Marx, in rougher shape cuz my books are all at home and I am not. (more…)

WAREHOUSE BOSSES’ CHRISTMAS GIFT: ILLEGAL RETALIATION AGAINST IMMIGRANT UNION MEMBERS

Brooklyn, New York – On January 2nd 2007 at 5:00AM workers from the Food Industry and Allied Workers Union (Industrial Workers of the World, I.U. 460/640) and supporters will bring in the New Year with a march and picket line.

This week owners from four different warehouses illegally threatened to call immigration or terminate union workers due to their immigration status in clear retaliation for the workers’ union activities. Tuesday’s march and picket will target Amersino Marketing Group, 161 Gardner Ave, Brooklyn, NY.

Over the last year and half, food distribution warehouse workers in northern Brooklyn and Queens have organized a union with the IWW. The campaign has met with resounding success: workers have organized in five different warehouses, several of which have been certified in National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections, they have forced their bosses towards full compliance with wage and hour laws, and they have won several major wage and hour violation cases while still other complaints totaling more than $100,000 have been filed with the Department of Labor.

Thanks to the efforts of the Food Industry and Allied Workers Union, workers have witnessed an increasing number of bosses abide by minimum wage and overtime laws across the food distribution industry. As a result of their successes, workers have met escalating employer opposition. While this week’s coordinated threats by warehouse owners regarding workers’ immigration status may be their trump card, it represents only the latest in a series of unsavory maneuvers designed to hamper the union drive.

Last year, Amersino owner Yu Q “Henry” Wang, who has robbed workers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages, responded to workers exercising their lawful right to organize by threatening workers, deceitfully rigging an NLRB union election, and firing union leaders.

Lester Wen, owner of the restaurant wholesaler EZ-Supply, refused to bargain in good faith after workers won an NLRB union election almost a year ago. In response, the union has put pressure on EZ-Supply by targeting its customers – restaurants in park slope, the upper west side and the village – and convincing them to switch to other companies. At the end of November, the union and Mr. Wen’s lawyer reached a tentative agreement on a landmark contract, with workers winning wage increases, a grievance procedure, paid time off and much more ( http://www.iww.org/en/node/3052). On December 26, 2006, in a shockingly crass maneuver, Lester “the Grinch” Wen and his lackeys reneged on the agreement reached in negotiations and illegally threatened workers regarding their immigration status. In response, workers walked off the job in a wildcat strike and only returned after the union assured them that legal action would be taken.

The IWW Food Industry and allied Workers Union calls on the owners of EZ-Supply, Amersino, Handyfat, and Top City Produce to cease its anti-union activities, reinstate fired workers, and to negotiate contract with the union in good faith. The legal institutions in NYC must act immediately to secure the rights of workers to organize and protect workers from the unlawful retaliatory activities of employers in the food industry.
By NYC IWW iww.nyc@gmail.com
http://wobblycity.org
646-753-1167

For folks living in NYC, here’s a list of actions:

Friday December 29th: Leafleting action from 7pm -9pm, meet at park slope food co-op at union St. between 6th and 7th ave – (come only if you are not planning on attending Fair Food event http://fairfoodnyc.org/)

Saturday December 30th: Leafleting action from 7pm -9pm, meet at park slope food co-op at union St. between 6th and 7th ave.

Sunday December 31st: Leafleting action from 7pm -9pm meet at 116th and Broadway on the east side of the street.

Tuesday January 2nd: March with workers on Amersino! Followed by picket from 5am – 10am. We know that’s early, but the workers need your solidarity! Meet at the corner of Metropolitan and Gardner in Green Point, Brooklyn. Take the L train to Grand St. and walk east on Grand over the bridge to Metropolitan. Follow Metropolitan for 3 more blocks to the corner of Gardner and Metropolitan. (Via.)

Got some bad news just before xmas. Someone close to the family’s probly getting deported. They’re from someplace in Europe. They came here on a tourist visa and overstayed. They brought their kids over without visas, using some kind of papers which aren’t totally up and up, I’m not clear on what the deal is here. They were found out and got convicted (this is a felony, which is absurd). The conviction was for house arrest.

Conviction then I think clicks on some new power for the INS to act. So they’ve been to several hearings etc, thought the felony conviction and house arrest meant this was over. At the last hearing the kids had to be there too. It was supposed to be a regular hearing. Instead they were taken into custody, without any ID or money (which means only being able to call out collect). They were shipped several states away to a detention facility, and are being held under the name of one of the kids, which made them hard to find for several days. Currently the immediate task is to get them out on bond, which might not be able to begin until after New Year’s. At least the Homeland is secured.

A few quotes and assertions prior to formulating some questions. (more…)

Colin and I have been having a disagreement by email which prompted me to put some thoughts down here in a more orderly fashion than I did in my emails. (more…)

I don’t know and I don’t care. (more…)

This is a thing I’m working on using Agamben, Marx, etc, and the notes I was taking on Servius Tullius etc. Comments welcome. (more…)