the [alternate] patriot


 

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

More on Boston Market

 
Workers On the picket line: Boycott Boston Market

Auto Workers Region 9A took its boycott of Boston Market to Manhattan's 23rd Street on Feb. 14. The union set up an informational picket line at a branch of the restaurant chain to educate people about its three-year campaign to organize Chef Solutions, a 170-worker bakery in North Haven, Conn. Boston Market is one of the bakery's customers. Lufthansa Airline, the bakery's parent company, is also included in the boycott.

Chef Solutions' labor history stinks. A National Labor Relations Board investigation found that bakery officials forced several women workers to have sex with them, made death threats against a worker if he testified at a labor hearing, and fired two workers illegally. The board found that Chef Solutions had racked up more than 20 unfair labor practices. In a recent settlement with the Labor Board the company promised not to engage in further anti-union activities. Meanwhile, the organizing drive continues.

Unionize Chef Solutions! Boycott Boston Market!
(this was reported World March 4, 2004)


Wednesday, April 14, 2004

So You're an Environmentalist; Why Are You Still Eating Meat?

 
"...the first discovery of mad cow disease in a Tokyo suburb caused beef prices to plummet in Japan and many people to stop eating meat.
"All this comes at a time when meat consumption is reaching an all-time high around the world, quadrupling in the last 50 years. There are 20 billion head of livestock taking up space on the Earth, more than triple the number of people." [--By Jim Motavalli, E Magazine, 1-3-02 in AlterNet.org]

The above is a sample of Jim Motavalli's writing. I have vaguely thought I should take more care, be less wasteful and so on. But it's good to have the reasons set out in black and white.

Motavalli is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (which is about 8 miles up the road from me) and will be there April 22 for Earth Day events.

I received a forwarded email about the event from philosophy Prof. Len Krimerman, that says in part:

"...on Earth Day itself, April 22nd, Jim Motavalli will be speaking and meeting with folks at several places in the area. Jim is a UCONN grad from the early 1970s, who, with other likeminded media activists, helped transform (the UConn radio station) WHUS from a "Top 40" station into the diverse, progressive, and richly formatted station it is today. In the late 1980s, Jim co-founded and became the editor of E - The Environmental Magazine, an award-winning publication which has over 100,000 subscribers. He has published 3 books, two on fuel efficient autos and transportation designs, and the other, just released, on Global Warming.
"Jim will be interviewed on WHUS starting at about 1:30, and will discuss his new book, and the realities of global warming, at the UCONN Bookstore at 5PM. At 7PM, he will give a talk, sponsored by the Honors Program, on connecting the environmental, peace, and anti-globalization movements; this event will be held in the Conference Room of the Center for Undergraduate Education (the former School of Business) at UCONN."

I think I'm going to check out 'E' and maybe also Motovalli's book and website 'Forward Drive' about energy-conserving vehicles.




Tuesday, April 13, 2004

UK's Left and Right BOTH attack Bush.

 
Are you of the school that tends to go to the BBC to get non-biased news?

A colleague from the UK recently brought to my attention two newspapers of equivalent stout as that given to the New York Times. One was the far "right" paper, Telegraph.co.uk, and the other the far "left" paper, The guardian.co.uk. Colleague happily brought to my attention, both papers attacking Bush. I began to peruse them tonight (well actually I could not access the telegraph's web site) but I came across a few 9/11 related materials on the Guardian's site.... Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Bush given hijack alert before 9/11: "in 1998, suggesting that Osama bin Laden wanted to hijack US aircraft to force the release of an imprisoned radical cleric."

Check them out, see what you find...

p.s. No, I don't mind paying my fair share of taxes (this is not nearly as important as civil rights, and the like!) Make more, pay more. However, if the U.S. didn't incur quite so much indebtedness on telling others that our opinion counts more than theirs, perhaps I would get to keep a bigger share of my gross income. That could go to buying a house and settling down. Maybe even in Kennebunk Port *wink*.


Friday, April 02, 2004

Just say 'NO' to Boston Market

 
A consumer boycott is a great way to impress companies that treat their workers badly, and Chef Solutions of New Haven, CT treats its workers very badly. Unfortunately, they don't sell consumer products. The bread and potatoes maker sells to other food outlets.

When Chef Solutions illegally tried to block a worker movement to form a union, the union organizers took action. They contacted many of Chef Solutions customers, asking them to suspend purchasing until Chef Solutions began to behave. One customer, Boston Market, refused to even listen to the union, so now they are the target of a Consumer Boycot.

Just say NO to Bsoton Market. PLease take your busienss elsewhere while this boycott is in place!

The Chef Solutions workers in North Haven are in a struggle for their basic human rights and the right to be treated with dignity on the job. These employees have been fighting to form a union with the UAW since 2001. The company responded to the employees’ efforts to exercise their legal rights by hiring the notorious anti-union law firm, Seyfarth & Shaw. The NLRB has officially thrown out the tainted 2001 election, and Chef Solutions has been formally charged with 29 labor law violations. These include threatening to close the plant, firing employees for union activity, conducting coercive interrogations and physically assaulting an employee.

[ More... No-BostonMarket.com ]



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Copyright © 2001-03 Pam Shorey
(except the specific sources credited in quotes)