Vernon Starbucks Baristas Vote Yes for a Union

Baristas at the Starbucks in Vernon won their union election 13-1 on July 14, two weeks after a new law went into effect in Connecticut preventing employers from disciplining employees who refuse to sit through mandatory anti-union meetings.

Connecticut labor leaders had fought to ban "captive audience" meetings for more than a decade. A bill was first introduced in 2005. Each year management groups lobbied against it.

This time the bill passed on an 88 to 56 vote, generally along party lines.

Connecticut is now one of only two states with laws to protect workers from being forced to listen to anti-union speeches. Oregon is the other state.

When they voted yes for the union the Vernon Starbucks the workers became the second Connecticut Starbucks to unionize, joining workers at Corbin's Corner Starbucks in West Hartford who won their union earlier this year. They are organizing with the union "Workers United".

The workers cite low pay, lack of affordable health benefits, and pressure to come in to work sick.

“Enough is enough,” Salwa Mogaddedi, a barista at the Vernon location, said. “Frankly, we are tired of the intimidation and the lies against our unionizing efforts, unfolded during captive audience meetings, under fear of discipline.”

Mogaddedi thanked Connecticut labor lobbyists for their support, saying the law is "an important first step in the right direction resolving the policies that make it difficult for workers to organize in the first place."

"We hope this gives confidence to other workers who are seeking to gain concessions from the goliaths of industry. If we regular working class people can take on one of the most impermeable companies and win, then workers everywhere can win as well,” she said.

"We stand in solidarity with Starbucks workers everywhere. We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated any longer and we will continue to fight for better standards. Labor is entitled to all it creates. All power to the working class," Mogaddedi concluded.

State Senator Gary Winfield, chair of the Judiciary Committee, said the law has "given a little bit of relief to workers and I hope we continue in this vein".

Justice for Randy Cox Demands Police Accountability

An outpouring of support for the family of Randy Cox has emerged as a powerful community-wide movement in New Haven. The hope is that the case becomes a national catalyst for police accountability, health care Miranda rights, and an end to racist police culture.

Cox, 36, is hospitalized and paralyzed after his head slammed into the back wall of a police van during a sudden stop. There were no seat belts. Despite Cos's calls for help, the arresting officer continued to drive to lockup where Cox's cry “Help I can't move” was cruelly dismissed. He may never be able to move again.

His family, the CT NAACP and State Rep Robyn Porter, called in national civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Following a packed mass meeting, New Haven's new police chief Karl Jacobson and Mayor Justin Elicker instituted policies requiring seat belts for all transport; health care Miranda rights requiring arresting officers to ask if medical attention is needed at the time of arrest and wait for medics to arrive..

The family says this is not enough. They want the five officers involved fired, arrested, and facing federal charges on the basis of violation of his fourth, eighth and sixteenth amendment rights.

Hundreds turned out for a march, gathering at Dixwell and Ashmun Streets in front of the newly built Stetson Library at the Q House and led by the CT NAACP, the Cox family, Crump and Black Lives Matter organizer Tamika Mallory..

During the two mile walk, marchers chanted “ If I say my neck is broke, Don’t take it as a joke”, and “No Justice No Peace, No Racist Police.” Voices from the young to the old rang out in the New Haven streets. Other community supporters including the Newhall Communist Party Club held signs saying “Justice For Randy Cox.”

When the crowd arrived at police headquarters, Cox’s family, Crump, and elected officials all took to the steps and spoke on the police inhumanity and the justice they are seeking. Family members said Randy watched the rally by livestream from the hospital, with tears coming down his face, as the crowd shouted in solidarity.

A required state police investigation is underway, to be followed by a required Internal Affairs investigation, before action against the officers can be determined.

Beating The Extreme Right!

By Len Yannielli

How can we beat the extreme right? The grassroots just did that in Naugatuck.

Aaron McCool (R) was elected to the local board of education by a few hundred votes in 2021. He immediately went to work dissing diversity efforts and fighting racism in educational settings.

McCool kept trying to shift the focus of the local school board to teacher evaluations. It didn’t work. Why? He’s gone!

Here’s how it happened.

Following the 2020 defeat of the extreme right nationally, a trend was clearly visible. There were elements energized by the January 6^th raid on the Capital. The direction the extreme right took was to go local.

That is what happened in Naugatuck. George Mudry (R) , who was at the march to the Capital, ran for a local Burgess seat. Aaron McCool (R), who moved to Naugatuck two years ago from New York, ran for school board with a “back to basics” message. Both won.

As with so many local elections, races were determined by a few hundred votes.

As of 2019-20, the high school population was 40% students of color. There was only one Black teacher in the entire school system.

The school board adopted a policy of hiring educators with an eye on diversifying its overwhelmingly white staff. Once elected, McCool political and racist meanness surfaced. He actually claimed that this policy was pitting community members against each other. He wanted the emphasis placed on teacher evaluations.

The grassroots would have none of this. When it was revealed that McCool, as an adult, had posted young women in compromised poses, people moved into action.

There were two important outcomes of the massive George Floyd march in Naugatuck. A group called Naugatuck Peaceful Protests formed (https://www.facebook.com/groups/286402645741519/, communicating mostly by facebook. A Diversity, Equality and Inclusiveness group organized on the ground.

This latter group issued a petition online for McCool’s ouster. CTPW supporters contacted the Mayor’s Office directly.

McCool resigned the following day!

 

Turning Point Labor Convention “Organizing to Win Together”

When the newly organized baristas from Corbins CornerStarbucks in West Hartford took the stage at the Connecticut AFL CIO convention, along with baristas from Starbucks in Vernon, delegates jumped to their feet in a standing ovation. The coffee shop workers, the first to win a union in Connecticut, told their stories of hardship and disillusionment that drove them to organize.

The inspiring convention, themed “Organizing to Win Together,” under the leadership of newly elected president Ed Hawthorne and Executive Vice President Shellye Davis, embodied renewed commitment to unity and solidarity for the rights of multi-racial working class families and communities.

“Working people across the state and across the country are tired of being exploited. They have been on the front lines during a global pandemic,” said Hawthorne.

“Young workers are fighting back and declaring the status quo will no longer stand...These young workers are not just the future - they are our present,” declared Hawthorne, adding that “organizing is where everything starts. We must meet this moment with solidarity and unity.”

Davis, who also serves as president of the Para Educators union in Hartford, encouraged those with experience in the labor movement to mentor younger members.

She led a plenary workshop designed to raise consciousness among white workers on the need to challenge racist influences and increase union strength. A resolution to establish committees for Racial and Economic Justice in every union local passed unanimously.

The convention celebrated a 15-year legislative victory. As of July 1, 2022 Connecticut will be the second state in the nation to prohibit corporations from requiring workers to attend anti-union captive audience meetings. The workers who had courageously shared their stories of intimidation were honored. Co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee Sen Gary Winfield and Rep Steven Stafstrom and Attorney General William Tong were presented with Workers Voice Awards.

“It's time to organize to win in the workplace, at the ballot box, at the Capitol, and for workers right to join a union,” said Hawthorne.

Acting on Resolution 1 to give full support to the Labor 2022 get out the vote program, many delegates signed up for at least five shifts of door knocking or phone banking to talk with co-workers about their needs and the high stakes of this election for workers rights.

The convention encouraged delegations to run for local office, following the example of AFT Connecticut president Jan Hochadel, candidate for State Senate in Meriden.

After interviewing candidates for state-wide office the convention made endorsements including Richard Blumenthal for US Senate, Ned Lamont for Governor, Susan Bysiewicz for Lt. Governor, William Tong for Attorney General and Maritza Bond for Secretary of State.

Poor People's Assembly Gives Hope for the Fight Ahead

 

by Jahmal Henderson

On June 18, I took the Peoples Center bus to Washington D.C to join thousands in The Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly. The rally was held to call attention to the interlocking crises of poverty, racism, the war economy and ecological devastation affecting poor and low-income people, including myself.

The diverse Connecticut group of 100 young and older activists, union workers, and Communist Party members all shared one common bond – the effects of poverty and its inequalities that touch each of us in different aspects daily.

It was my first time going to Washington D.C. I was very excited to see and learn, knowing I was a part of history by carrying on the legacy of Rev. Dr Martin King Jr's Poor People’s Campaign.

On our way we held a discussion about “what made you come?” I thought deeply of Newhallville, my home, the challenges we’ve been facing, and the battles we’ve overcome, from high crime, to equal housing, jobs, gun violence, police relations, to healthcare, that stem from systemic racism and poverty. Being in the fight only gave me a clearer sense of why I was taking this trip.

In Washington DC we joined thousands of clergy, union leaders, activists near the U.S. Capitol. Rev. William J. Barber II and an array of speakers spoke about topics like voting rights, immigration reform, abortion rights, labor rights, climate change, gun violence, housing, LGBTQ rights and the need to cut the military budget. This vast array of energy made me more appreciative of the Poor Peoples Campaign fighting all systematic injustices head on.

As the rally came to a close I looked around at the crowd thinking “what am I going to do when I get home?” Those thoughts circled back to two words “The Fight”, the fight for the change my ancestors and elders fought,  the fight for the youth and their future. That Saturday in Washington D.C. reassured me we’re all fighters for justice for the people, and we must continuee pushing forward.

As we rode back to Connecticut, we shared the day’s wonderful events, and made a promise to stand together to keep the Poor Peoples Campaign message alive in our communities, to get out the vote and fight the inequalities of poverty and injustice we face today.