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 We want to share with you exciting news about the victory of the Saigon Grill workers which many of you helped to bring about. This summer workers will win back their jobs and their owed wages. This will usher in a new level of organizing, as these workers continue to press for better working conditions at Saigon Grill and throughout the community.

 As you may recall, in March 2007, 36 delivery workers from Saigon Grill started  a battle against sweatshop conditions which spread from the Upper West Side to the rest of NYC and nationwide. By galvanizing thousands of other workers to stand with them, the Saigon Grill workers won their backwages. Their victory set legal precedents strengthening the rights for all workers. They sparked a new wave of Latino restaurant and nail salon workers to join in this fight for better work conditions. And their example emboldened millions more to dare to struggle and dare to win. Read more here.

 This is a victory for all working people standing up and fighting against the sweatshop conditions we face.  For all of you who stood with us in this fight for justice, we showed the world that we refuse to be slaves. We reclaimed our dignity. We also showed working people that even in this economic crisis and despite the modern-day slave law employers sanctions, citizen and immigrant workers--undocumented and documented--can come together to fight for a better life.

 Together, we can build upon this victory to eliminate sweatshops from our communities for a better future for working people. We need you to be a part of this effort.

 Please visit sweatshopfreecampaign.blogspot.com to learn more about the Sweatshop Free Campaign and to stay tuned for more news and stories workers involved in the campaign.

 

CSWA's Highlights from 2009

Even against the many odds that working people in this country are facing, we have been able to build a collective force to make changes in our workplaces, our homes and our communities. Some of the 2009 highlights from our organizing include:

Anti-Displacement: We engaged thousands of workers and small businesses to fight for community control in land use issues in Chinatown/ Lower East Side and Sunset Park. What started as community-wide struggles to stop Bloomberg’s racist rezoning plans have laid the groundwork to create a new community-based rezoning plan to protect our community from displacement.

9/11 Health: The “We Count!” report conducted by Beyond Ground Zero and 9/11 Environmental Action was released on survey findings of hundreds of residents and workers in Lower Manhattan, and urges Congress to pass legislation providing long-term treatment and study for the entire 9/11-affected population. 

Manufacturer Accountability: We won a precedent-setting decision declaring garment manufacturer Liberty Apparel was a joint employer and therefore responsible for labor violations in its subcontracted factories. (Read more.) With the momentum from this victory, our Ain’t I A Woman?! Campaign is working with Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez to launch a massive educational outreach campaign and to pass legislation for stronger manufacturer and retailer accountability.

Justice Will Be Served! : Our service workers organizing campaign won many milestone victories, such as Saigon Grill and Ollies; and is creating waves of change across communities and across trades, from Chinatown to the Upper West Side; and from Flushing to Maine. This progress is enhancing our work with many local elected officials, resident groups, religious leaders, and small businesses in creating Sweatshop Free Zones around the city. The strength of the workers’ organizing has brought awareness to the impact that long hours and sweatshop conditions have on the entire community. 

Break the Chains: In December 2009, we won a ground-breaking decision from the National Labor Relations Board against Majestic Buffet in Wayne, NJ.  The decision orders Majestic Buffet and its successor to pay the undocumented workers for lost wages due to the employer’s unfair labor practices. Most importantly, the decision explicitly denounces the Employer Sanctions Provisions of IRCA for dividing workers, undermining labor laws and destroying work conditions of all workers. Read more.