Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Danbury Starbucks Workers Unionize Third Connecticut Store

Starbucks workers at the Berkshire Center store in Danbury won union representation in a vote of 18-1 on July 7. They become the third store to unionize in the state, joining baristas at Corbins Corner in West Hartford and at the Vernon store. Both won union elections last year although the company continues to refuse to bargain a first contract.

"I voted yes because worker exploitation is evil. We are more than cogs in a machine. We are the machine and we deserve a seat at the table," said Joe Gless, a barista in Danbury for three years.

"Being a part of this union is important to me because it gives us the power to advocate for one another. It ensures that our voices are heard, that we have a say in the environment in which we work,” said Jake Domey, a supervisor at the Berkshire Center store who has been with the company for 11 years. “It is time to remind Starbucks that its greatest asset has always been the people who work in their stores daily, and that we deserve more. Partners over profit."

I voted yes to make my working environment better and to make it more of a welcoming experience for anyone who comes after me,” said Tyler Kilgore, shift supervisor who has been with the company for over five years.

Theresa Buchta has been a barista at Starbucks for a year. “This union victory sends a message to management and to every partner in our district that we deserve better and we can win better when we stand up together and advocate for our rights. Berkshire Center Starbucks is ready to join the national movement in the fight for a contract,” she said.

Over 8,000 baristas are part of Starbucks Workers United which is organizing for better working conditions, fair wages, and consistent schedules.

Starbucks has launched a ruthless union-busting campaign that includes threatening workers' access to benefits, firing over 230 union leaders across the country, and shuttering union stores. The NLRB has issued over 100 official Complaints against the Company, encompassing over 1,900 violations of federal labor law.

Since December 2021, over 330 Starbucks stores in 38 states and the District of Columbia have successfully unionized — more than any company in the 21st century.

Monday, July 17, 2023

People & Planet Before Profits – CT Economic & Social Bill of Rights

People & Planet Before Profits – CT Economic & Social Bill of Rights, Connecticut Communist Party USA, 2019


A living wage, socially useful job with the right to a union; decent affordable housing; healthcare; equal, quality, integrated public education from preschool through college; freedom from racism and all forms of discrimination, and a peaceful, stable environment are basic human rights for everyone.


Connecticut has stood up against the reactionary, anti-working class agenda of the Trumpite corporate extremists. But in our state the Yankee Institute and the greedy 1% are out to destroy what has been won and strip government of the ability to meet people’s needs. They are targeting the Black and Latino, immigrant and LGBTQ communities.


Instead of being the second most unequal state in the nation with high child poverty, Connecticut should take the lead for a new economy based on equality, sustainability and peace for youth and all generations. "A Green Peace New Deal." The budget gaps in our state and cities can be closed. if the rich pay the same taxes as the rest of us and funds from the military budget are reallocated to states and cities.


How can this happen? Unions, community groups and youth have the power by coming together and organizing across race, nationality, gender and generation on election day and year 'round.


Inequity is a built-in feature of capitalism. Fully ending inequality needs socialism where working people govern to benefit the 99% and put people and planet before profits. But the fight for a common sense program that meets immediate needs is what can win relief now and offer hope for the future. Such a program includes:


Jobs for Youth – Jobs for All
The lack of living wage jobs has led to growing poverty in towns across Connecticut, and loss of lives of youth to gun violence and school to prison pipeline
• Full employment for all with a union is the goal so workers can support their families with one job. A democratic union provides a voice for workers to demand decent wages, benefits and a safe work environment.
• End targeting of immigrants and separation of families. Expand the Trust Act for due process. Health care coverage irregardless of immigration status. Expand sanctuary cities. Civilian Review Boards to hold police accountable.
• Support local job programs like New Haven Works, which include a school to work pipeline for youth. First priority to African American and Latino communities with highest unemployment and poverty. Equal pay for equal work.
• Call on Congress to fund large scale national infrastructure repair and bring thousands of jobs to Connecticut repairing bridges, waste water and sewer lines, renewable energy, staffing after school programs, etc. Expand unemployment insurance, food stamps, affordable housing, and other social programs to meet real needs.
• Raise the minimum wage to a livable wage. Prosecute employers for wage theft. End deportations and criminalization of immigrant workers and communities. Support all workers rights to organize and join unions.
• End privatization. Support investment in public schools pre-K to college instead of charter schools that use public money but do not serve all children. Expand public health not private hospitals.

Fight Poverty - Tax the Rich
Connecticut's tax system continues to place the largest burden on those with the least, in the richest state where all income growth since 2009 has gone to the top 1%.
• Tax ultra-high incomes so the top 2% pay the same rate of state and local taxes as the rest of us, to raise $3 billion in new state revenue. Invest in universal early childhood education, and aid to municipalities for local tax relief and social services, creating thousands of jobs.
• Close corporate tax loopholes. Require giant corporations to pay the cost of public services when they force workers onto public assistance by paying low wages with no benefits.
• Tell Congress to reverse the Trump tax cuts for the rich, tax Wall Street speculation, and use the funds to ease the burden on states and cities.

Peaceful, Sustainable Jobs and Communities
Connecticut dependence on military production creates unstable, temporary jobs while building objects of mass destruction that have the potential to destroy the world. A transition to renewable energy and other jobs for community needs is required while ensuring all workers maintain their incomes and benefits.
• Transition our state economy and jobs from military production to renewable energy and community needs.
• Expand renewable energy and protect waterways, passive open space, community gardens and ensure environmentally responsible development in response to climate change
• Change national budget priorities to move money from military spending to meet the needs of our communities as envisioned in the Green New Deal proposal. Protect the income and benefits of military workers who are in transition to equally paying jobs. Call for a new foreign policy based on peaceful negotiations without 1000 foreign bases; wars and militarism.

Issued by CT Communist Party USA ct-cpusa@pobox.com peoplesworld.org cpusa.org
May, 2019

The Communist Party USA and the Young Communist League, formed by working people in our country 100 years ago, are dedicated to the interests and needs of the working class in our country. We
organize at the grass roots and work in coalitions to defeat the right-wing corporate agenda and win “People and Nature before Profits.” To end the exploitation of the capitalist system and the oppression, war, racism and other forms of discrimination and poverty that go along with it, our goal is a socialist USA, where working people will control their own destinies. We invite you to join us.



El pueblo y el planeta primero que las ganancias de los ricos.
Declaración de Derechos Económicos y Sociales de CT


Por un salario digno, un trabajo socialmente útil con el derecho a un sindicato; vivienda decente y
asequible; cuidado de la salud; educación pública integrada, igualitaria y de calidad, desde preescolar hasta la universidad; libertad para enfrentar al racismo y todas las formas de discriminación, en un entorno pacífico y estable, son derechos humanos básicos para todos.


CT se ha opuesto a la agenda reaccionaria y anti-obrera de los extremistas corporativos trumpistas. Pero en nuestro estado, el instituido yankismo y el codicioso 1% intentan destruir lo que se ha ganado y despojar al gobierno de la capacidad de satisfacer las necesidades de la gente. Este sector tiene como objetivo a las comunidades de negros y latinos, inmigrantes y LGBTQ.


En lugar de ser el segundo estado más desigualitario del país con una alta pobreza infantil, Connecticut debe tomar la iniciativa de una nueva economía basada en la igualdad, la sostenibilidad y la paz para los jóvenes y todas las generaciones. Las grandes brechas presupuestarias en nuestro estado y las ciudades pueden cerrarse. Si los ricos pagaran los mismos impuestos que el resto de nosotros y los fondos del presupuesto militar se reasignaran a los estados y ciudades.


Cómo se puede lograr esto? Por medio de los sindicatos, los grupos comunitarios y los jóvenes quienes tienen el poder al unirse y organizarse a través de la raza, la nacionalidad, y el género durante la temporada de elecciones y todo el año.


La inequidad es una característica incorporada del capitalismo. Para terminar con la desigualdad, se
necesita un socialismo donde la gente trabajadora gobierne para beneficiar al 99% y poner a las personas y al planeta por encima de las ganancias de los ricos. Pero la lucha por un programa con sentido común que satisfaga las necesidades inmediatas es lo que puede producir alivio ahora y ofrecer esperanza para el futuro. Tal programa incluye:


Empleos para jóvenes - Empleos para todos
La falta de empleos con salarios dignos ha llevado a un aumento de la pobreza en las ciudades de Connecticut, a la pérdida de vidas de jóvenes a causa de la violencia con armas de fuego y a la ruta que se ha construido de las escuelas hacia la prisión
• Por empleos de tiempo completo para todos con un sindicato como objetivo. De este modo los trabajadores pueden apoyar a sus familias con un solo trabajo. Un sindicato democrático proporciona una voz para que los trabajadores exijan salarios dignos, beneficios y un entorno de trabajo seguro.
• Terminar con la persecución a los inmigrantes y la separación de familias. Aplicar las mejoras al “acta de confianza”. Cobertura de atención médica sin importar el estatus migratorio. Expandir las ciudades santuario. Fortalecer las juntas formadas por civiles para supervisar el proceder de la policía. Hacer a la policía responsable de sus actos frente a la ley.
• Apoyo programas de trabajo locales como New Haven Works, los cuales son una vía que conecta directamente a los jóvenes con oportunidades de trabajo después de la escuela. Prioridad para las comunidades afroamericanas y latinas con mayor desempleo y pobreza. Por un salario equivalente al trabajo realizado.
• Llamado al congreso para que financie la reparación de infraestructura nacional a gran escala y que traiga miles de puestos de trabajo a Connecticut reparando puentes, alcantarillado, energía renovable, contratando a más personal para programas después de la escuela, etc. Por la expansión del seguro del desempleo, los cupones de comida, vivienda asequible y otros programas sociales que satisfagan las necesidades reales de nuestra gente.
• Por un incremento al salario mínimo acorde al estándar de vida digno. Castigar legalmente a los patrones por robo de salarios. Poner fin a las deportaciones y la criminalización de los trabajadores y comunidades inmigrantes. Apoyar todos los derechos de los trabajadores a organizarse y afiliarse a sindicatos.
• Fin de la privatización. Apoyar la inversión en escuelas públicas desde preescolar hasta la universidad en lugar de seguir apoyando a las escuelas semi-privadas “chárter” que usan dinero público, pero no atienden a todos los niños en nuestra comunidad. Ampliar la salud pública, no los hospitales privados.

Lucha contra la pobreza: Que los ricos paguen impuestos
El sistema tributario de Connecticut continúa imponiendo la carga más grande a las personas con menos recursos, en el estado más rico donde el crecimiento de todos los ingresos desde 2009 se ha ido al 1% de la población-los más ricos.
• Grabar impuestos a los que tienen ingresos ultra altos para que los ricos del 2% paguen la misma tasa de impuestos estatales y locales como el resto de nosotros, así recaudaríamos $ 3 billones en nuevos ingresos estatales. Por la Inversión en la educación universal infantil y la ayuda a las municipalidades para obtener alivios fiscales locales y más servicios sociales, creando miles de empleos.
• Cerrar lagunas fiscales corporativas. Exigir a las grandes corporaciones que paguen el costo de los servicios públicos cuando obligan a los trabajadores a recibir asistencia pública mediante el pago de salarios bajos sin beneficios.
• Dígale al Congreso que revierta los recortes de impuestos de Trump para los ricos, hay que poner impuestos a las especulaciones de la bolsa de valores de “Wall St” y usar esos fondos para aliviar la carga a los estados y las ciudades.

Empleos y comunidades pacíficas y sostenibles
La dependencia de Connecticut de la producción militar crea empleos temporales e inestables mientras construye objetos de destrucción masiva que tienen el potencial de destruir el mundo. Se requiere una transición a la energía renovable y otros trabajos que cubran las necesidades de la comunidad, al mismo tiempo que se asegure que todos los trabajadores mantengan sus ingresos y beneficios.
• Transición de nuestra economía estatal de producción militar a energía renovable y necesidades de la comunidad.
• Ampliar la energía renovable y proteger las vías pluviales, los espacios abiertos pasivos, los jardines comunitarios y garantizar un desarrollo ambientalmente responsable en respuesta al cambio climático
• Cambiar las prioridades del presupuesto nacional para mover el dinero de los gastos militares para satisfacer las necesidades de nuestras comunidades según en el “Nuevo Tratado Sostenible.” Proteger los ingresos y beneficios de los trabajadores militares que están en transición a empleos igualmente remunerados. Hacemos un llamado a una nueva política exterior basada en negociaciones pacíficas sin bases militares extranjeras; sin guerras y sin militarismo

Publicado por el partido comunista de CT-USA ct-cpusa@pobox.com peoplesworld.org cpusa.org Mayo de 2019
El Partido Comunista de EE. UU. Y la Liga de Jóvenes Comunistas, formada hace 100 años, están dedicados a los intereses y necesidades de la clase trabajadora en nuestro país. Nos organizamos desde las bases y trabajamos en coaliciones para derrotar la agenda corporativa de la derecha y asimismo poner a la "Gente y a la naturaleza antes que las ganancias de los ricos". Para terminar con la explotación del sistema capitalista y la opresión, la guerra, el racismo y otras formas de discriminación y pobreza, nuestro objetivo es un Estados Unidos socialista, donde los trabajadores controlarán sus propios destinos. Te invitamos a unirte a nosotros.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

California Amazon Workers Get Solidarity at North Haven Warehouse Picket

Connecticut union members and community supporters came out strong in solidarity with striking Amazon delivery drivers and dispatchers from Palmdale, California as the Teamsters extended their picket line to the North Haven, Connecticut warehouse on July 7.

Teamsters from Boston, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey were among those who converged at the Washington Ave. warehouse in the midst of a heat wave, holding signs demanding a $30 an hour wage.

Walking the picket line, Mark, a retired Teamster, said Amazon has hurt small businesses and is responsible for many workers losing their jobs. “Bezos has the money to go to space. They should be able to pay reasonable wages.”

Also showing up in support were members of the Magisoul Drumline from Hartford who performed at the picket line outside the Amazon plant. The members, all high school students, said that they were there to show solidarity with the picketing workers.

We don’t work here,” one of them said, “but we have worked at Walmart and other places and the working conditions are all the same. They ask you for an arm and leg but don’t give anything in return.”

The Palmdale strikers are demanding the e-commerce giant stop its unfair labor practices. In a press release the Teamsters pledged that “the growing strike will continue until Amazon reinstates the unlawfully terminated Palmdale employees, recognizes the Teamsters, respects the contract negotiated by the workers, and bargains with the Teamsters Union to address low pay and dangerous working conditions.”

“I’ve been bitten by a dog and felt close to fainting in the back of Amazon’s sweltering vans, but Amazon only cares about whether the packages get delivered,” said Cecilia Porter, a striking Amazon driver from California. “Our safety is not Amazon’s priority, so we are protecting ourselves by organizing a union. We are going to continue our unfair labor practice strike until Amazon respects our rights.”

Asked why she came to Connecticut, Porter told the People's World , "we're extending our picket line to every Amazon. Wherever they are we'll be there.”

Amazon drivers and dispatchers began their unfair labor practice strike at an Amazon delivery station in Palmdale on June 24.for fair pay and safe jobs, but Amazon illegally refused to recognize their union or bargain with them.



Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Connecticut Leads with Voting Rights Act

As states across the country engage in the greatest assault on voting rights since Jim Crow, Connecticut has set a new standard for the freedom to vote,” declared the national Legal Defense Fund (LDF) as the Connecticut Voting Rights Act was signed into law on June 12.

An extraordinary Connecticut Voting Rights Act Coalition of 68 labor, community and civil rights organizations activated their members, workng alongside the Black and Latino Caucus. In the absence of federal legislation, they were determined to win passage of SB 1226 An Act Concerning State Voting Rights in Recognition of John R. Lewis,

They noted that “despite Connecticut’s progressive reputation, many discriminatory barriers to equal participation still exist in the state for voters of color and voters whose first language is not English, particularly at the local level.” .

LDF's Stephen Lance greeted the victory saying, “Fundamentally, the CTVRA will make political participation more equal and open for all voters in the state, empowering communities who have historically faced undue barriers to the ballot box.”

The CT Voting Rights Act is now the nation's most comprehensive state-level voting rights act,” he said. “This transformative law builds upon the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and successful state laws already passed in New York, California, Washington, Oregon and Virginia

Connecticut Common Cause summarizes the bill with “7 things to know:”

  1. Connecticut is now a nation wide leader in the movement to revitalize democracy.

  2. Local governments with a history of discrimination will have to prove that proposed voting changes will not harm voters of color before they can go into effect.

  3. Voters will be better equipped to call-out and fix both unintentional and bad-faith actions that might harm them. New legal tools are available to fight discriminatory voting rules in court.

  4. The law requires language assistance to voters who are not fluent in English.

  5. Voters will have broader and stronger protections against harassment and intimidation.

  6. State judges will be instructed to interpret election laws in a pro-voter way.

  7. The law launches a central data hub for election information. This will empower officials and community members to ensure accessible elections.

Other measures to expand viting rights are still being fought for, including no-excuse absentee voting. Implementation of a ten day early voting period will go into effect in 2024.