St. Pat’s For All Parade – March 1, 2009
To learn more about the St Pat’s for All Parade and how you can support them, visit their website at www.stpatsforall.com
IWW Anti-Starbucks Rally on MLK Day
On a bristly January 19, the RMO performed at an outdoor rally with unionized Starbucks workers. In what is quickly becoming an annual tradition, the Starbucks Workers Union is demanding that Starbucks compensate their employees at the time-and-a-half rate on MLK Day.
Unlike the government and many private employers, Starbucks refuses to honor Martin Luther King’s legacy by paying their workers a holiday bonus. While the company claims to “embrace diversity”, it effectively demotes MLK Day to second-class status by treating it as inferior to five other federal holidays. As workers picketed the Starbucks regional headquarters in midtown, the RMO belted out its best protest tunes, much to the rancor of managers at the adjacent Starbucks coffeshop.
The Starbucks Union is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) — a century old union known for organizing immigrant, transient, and low-wage workers. After the Starbucks rally, workers marched across town to Wild Edibles — a wholesale seafood market that has come under fire for firing a group of IWW members as they tried to unionized. The RMO and the IWW called upon Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin to stop union-busting, rehire fired workers, and settle his ongoing labor dispute with the workers. Workers chanted “What’s Disgusting? Union Busting!” as the RMO played along. The owner hunkered down inside his shop, refusing to confront the mayhem just outside his door, as potential customers fled in disgust. Another successful day of action for the RMO.
Press:
Next Left Notes
El Diario (English Translation
Assorted Photos
Make the Road NY Member Rally – March 14
On March 14th in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Make the Road NY brought together over 500 of their members for their membership assembly. The RMO was on hand to lend some music to the pre-rally march from the MRNY offices to the Bushwick High School where the rally was held. At the start of the rally the RMO shared the stage with the MRNY band to back up chants and brought the house down with a rousing version of “Matador,” a song well known by the MRNY membership. The high energy rally included videos of the group’s work, rousing speakers, declarations of support from elected officials, more music and chants.
With over 5000 dues-paying members, Make the Road New York (MRNY) is the largest membership-based immigrant organization in New York City. Make the Road New York promotes economic justice, equity and opportunity for all New Yorkers through community and electoral organizing, strategic policy advocacy, leadership development, youth and adult education, and high quality legal and support services.
The group’s website is: http://maketheroadny.org/, where there is a synopsis of the day’s events and many videos of the speakers. See a video from the event (with the RMO) here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIJN09U42Ds
