RED DAVE
9th November 2011, 19:52
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jimmy John's Workers Union- Industrial Workers of the World
Contact: Micah Buckley-Farlee, 612-845-9290
November 9, 2011
In Big Union Victory, NLRB finds in Favor of Six Unlawfully Fired
Union Organizers Jimmy John's
NLRB Upholds Workers Free Speech Rights to Communicate Labor Disputes
to the Public
MINNEAPOLIS– In a major victory for the nation's first fast food union
and workers rights everywhere, the National Labor Relations Board
filed a legal complaint against Jimmy John's today, validating union
claims that the franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan violated labor
rights by firing six workers who blew the whistle on company policies
which force workers to make sandwiches while sick.
“This is a tremendous victory for workers rights and public health
advocates. Jimmy John's is not above the law. Seven months ago Jimmy
John's fired six of us for telling the public that because our
employer disciplines and fires workers for calling in sick, and
because our poverty wages prevent us from taking a day off without
pay, customers are exposed to sandwiches made by sick workers almost
every day at Jimmy John's. We are demanding paid sick days for all
restaurant workers to end this public health crisis,” said Erik
Forman, one of the fired workers.
The NLRB Complaint also alleges that Jimmy John's committed a slew of
violations by using an anti-union Facebook group to unlawfully
discourage workers from engaging in union activity, threatening
workers with a mass firing in retaliation for union activity,
interrogating employees about union activity, and unlawfully removing
union posters from stores. Unless Jimmy John's agrees to reinstate the
fired workers and comply with a government settlement of the charges,
the company will be prosecuted by NLRB attorneys in an Administrative
Law Court.
This is the second NLRB Complaint against Jimmy John's in the past
year. Last January, the Labor Board threw out the results of a union
election marred by illegal employer misconduct an implemented a
settlement. This latest Complaint demonstrates that Jimmy John's
violated the first settlement agreement in which they pledged to
respect workers rights, which could bring about serious legal
consequences for franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan.
Workers at Jimmy John's began a campaign for the right to call in sick
without being disciplined and paid sick days after a union survey of
employees last Winters revealed that on average two employees are
working while sick every day in the ten-store franchise. Franchise
managers Mike and Rob Mulligan stonewalled employee requests for
reform of the sick day policy for more than two months, prompting
union supporters to take their message to the public by posting 3000
copies of a poster explaining that workers are forced to work while
sick at the chain.
Franchise owner Mike Mulligan lashed out against his employees, firing
six union organizers and disciplining others for the sick day poster
action. He then claimed in writing that, “"the company has made more
than 6 million sandwiches during its nearly 10 years in business—and
no one’s ever gotten sick from eating one." This claim was revealed as
an outright lie when the union released Department of Public Health
reports which showed two outbreaks of foodborne illness at the
franchise in the last five years, both due to employees working while
ill.
The Jimmy Johns Workers Union, open to employees at the company
nationwide, is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World
labor union. Gaining prominence in recent years for organizing
Starbucks workers, the IWW is a global union founded over a century
ago for all working people.http://mail.aol.com/34290-411/aol-6/en-us/mail/DisplayMessage.aspx?ws_popup=true
RED DAVE
Jimmy John's Workers Union- Industrial Workers of the World
Contact: Micah Buckley-Farlee, 612-845-9290
November 9, 2011
In Big Union Victory, NLRB finds in Favor of Six Unlawfully Fired
Union Organizers Jimmy John's
NLRB Upholds Workers Free Speech Rights to Communicate Labor Disputes
to the Public
MINNEAPOLIS– In a major victory for the nation's first fast food union
and workers rights everywhere, the National Labor Relations Board
filed a legal complaint against Jimmy John's today, validating union
claims that the franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan violated labor
rights by firing six workers who blew the whistle on company policies
which force workers to make sandwiches while sick.
“This is a tremendous victory for workers rights and public health
advocates. Jimmy John's is not above the law. Seven months ago Jimmy
John's fired six of us for telling the public that because our
employer disciplines and fires workers for calling in sick, and
because our poverty wages prevent us from taking a day off without
pay, customers are exposed to sandwiches made by sick workers almost
every day at Jimmy John's. We are demanding paid sick days for all
restaurant workers to end this public health crisis,” said Erik
Forman, one of the fired workers.
The NLRB Complaint also alleges that Jimmy John's committed a slew of
violations by using an anti-union Facebook group to unlawfully
discourage workers from engaging in union activity, threatening
workers with a mass firing in retaliation for union activity,
interrogating employees about union activity, and unlawfully removing
union posters from stores. Unless Jimmy John's agrees to reinstate the
fired workers and comply with a government settlement of the charges,
the company will be prosecuted by NLRB attorneys in an Administrative
Law Court.
This is the second NLRB Complaint against Jimmy John's in the past
year. Last January, the Labor Board threw out the results of a union
election marred by illegal employer misconduct an implemented a
settlement. This latest Complaint demonstrates that Jimmy John's
violated the first settlement agreement in which they pledged to
respect workers rights, which could bring about serious legal
consequences for franchise owners Mike and Rob Mulligan.
Workers at Jimmy John's began a campaign for the right to call in sick
without being disciplined and paid sick days after a union survey of
employees last Winters revealed that on average two employees are
working while sick every day in the ten-store franchise. Franchise
managers Mike and Rob Mulligan stonewalled employee requests for
reform of the sick day policy for more than two months, prompting
union supporters to take their message to the public by posting 3000
copies of a poster explaining that workers are forced to work while
sick at the chain.
Franchise owner Mike Mulligan lashed out against his employees, firing
six union organizers and disciplining others for the sick day poster
action. He then claimed in writing that, “"the company has made more
than 6 million sandwiches during its nearly 10 years in business—and
no one’s ever gotten sick from eating one." This claim was revealed as
an outright lie when the union released Department of Public Health
reports which showed two outbreaks of foodborne illness at the
franchise in the last five years, both due to employees working while
ill.
The Jimmy Johns Workers Union, open to employees at the company
nationwide, is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World
labor union. Gaining prominence in recent years for organizing
Starbucks workers, the IWW is a global union founded over a century
ago for all working people.http://mail.aol.com/34290-411/aol-6/en-us/mail/DisplayMessage.aspx?ws_popup=true
RED DAVE