[1825] in peace2
March from Kendall today!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Julia Steinberger)
Mon Jul 22 13:04:32 2002
Message-Id: <200207221703.NAA01410@cathedral-seven.mit.edu>
To: peace-announce@MIT.EDU
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 13:03:26 -0400
From: Julia Steinberger <julias@MIT.EDU>
*Come join local labor and environmental activists as we unite together for
the next big global justice action in Boston!
SHOPPERS UNITE! FOR SAFE FOODS AND WORKERS' RIGHTS
Print out flyer at http://www.massjwj.net/flyers.htm !
March, Rally, and Leafletting - Monday July 22nd, Cambridge, MA
3:00pm - Assemble at Kendall T, March to British Consulate (One Memorial
Drive)
3:45 - Rally and delegation at the British Consulate
We deserve the same treatment in New England as in England: the
rights
To freely organize a union
To affordable health care
To purchase non-genetically-engineered store-brand foods
To earn a living wage
To demand that corporations be accountable to community needs
5:30 - Assemble at Central Sq./MIT Star Market for customer leafletting
Sponsored by: Jobs With Justice, Clean Water Action, Greenpeace, and the
Boston Global Action Network.
Call Cassie Watters at 617-524-8778 for more info.
Why We're Protesting: FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS
Shaw's Supermarkets are owned by the British multinational J. Sainsbury. In
1998, Shaw's purchased Star Market stores, making them one of the largest
supermarket chains in Massachusetts, with sales last year of $4,400,000,000.
In Massachusetts, Shaw's workers have been represented by the United Food
and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Over the past year, Shaw's has aggressively
attempted to destroy the union and has renounced its responsibilities to
the workers.
---In February 2002, it was declared that workers had no right to union
representation and Shaw's shredded its contract with workers in 11
Worcester-area Shaw's stores.
---As part of their scare tactics, Shaw's falsely claimed that the union
would triple Worcester area workers' cost for health insurance, to about
$77/week.
---In April 2002, Shaw's unilaterally implemented changes to Worcester area
workers' holiday, sick, vacation and personal time and made them
retroactive so that workers were charged for last Christmas and New Year's
holidays.
In the Boston area, Shaw's has waged an intensive campaign to prevent the
6000 Star Market workers from forming a union, showing as many as 3
anti-union videos to new Star employees and forcing workers to attend
anti-union talks during work time. Management has limited workers' access
to union organizers and attempted to intimidate workers by photographing
organizers and calling the police.
Why is a union important to Star Market workers?
---Full Time Work: Nearly 70% of all Shaw's employees are Part-Time; this
figure is estimated to be significantly higher at some Star Market stores.
Many workers would like Full-Time hours but Shaw's refuses. Those who
choose to work Part-Time need guaranteed hours.
---Affordable Health Insurance: Full-Time Star Market workers currently pay
about $27/week for family health insurance. At union stores, workers pay
about $7/week for the same coverage.
---Living Wages: Many workers currently earn under $8/hour - not enough to
live on, and not enough to raise a family on!
---Democracy at work: Workers want input on decisions that affect their work
lives and to negotiate the terms of their employment.
---Rights on the job: A formal grievance procedure would ensure that
workplace concerns and problems are addressed.
FOR SHOPPERS' RIGHTS:
FROM FIELD TO FORK - No Genetically Engineered Food!
J.Sainsbury's, based in Great Britain, is the parent company of Shaw's and
Star Market Supermarkets and has already eliminated genetically engineered
ingredients from their store brands. In the U.S, Shaw's continues to sell
this unlabeled, untested, experimental technology to its American
consumers. Random sampling of Shaw's products found genetically engineered
ingredients in Shaw's Brand Taco Shell Dinner, Shaw's Corn Chips, Shaw's
Corn Puffs and Shaw's Pancake Mix. We are demanding that Shaw's stop their
double standard and eliminate genetically engineered ingredients from their
store brand products.
WHY: Genetically Engineered Food poses serious health and environmental
risks such as the introduction of new food allergens, decreased antibiotic
resistance, increased pesticide use and contamination of organic or non -
genetically
engineered field crops. While 70% of processed foods contain genetically
engineered ingredients almost none of them have undergone independent
safety testing by the federal government. Instead the Food & Drug
Administration is
allowing the biotechnology corporations to conduct all pre-market safety
testing. Most engineered foods out on the market now including corn, soy,
canola and cotton have been engineered to produce their own internal
pesticide or to resist the spraying of chemical herbicides. These traits
provide zero benefit to the customer and may cause long-term health problems.
Sainsbury's removed genetically engineered ingredients from their store
brand products after massive customer demand. Tell your local store manager
you don't want genetically engineered food!
For more information contact Greenpeace at 617-868-5079 or Clean Water
Action at 617-338-8131 or see www.truefoodnow.org or
www.cleanwaterfund.org/safefoods
Sponsored by: Jobs With Justice, Clean Water Action, Greenpeace, and the
Boston Global Action Network.
Call Cassie Watters at 617-524-8778 for more info.
Print out flyer at http://www.massjwj.net/flyers.htm !
