Marquez workers to continue fight for Teamsters

<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anti-union bosses at the Marquez Brothers cheese facility in Hanford, Calif., have thrown everything at their Teamster workers in an effort to crack their resolve. But employees there are not backing down.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Though the unscrupulous employer recently decided against recognizing the union, </span><a href="http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/marquez-union-supporters-press-on-despite-setbacks/article_2247ffe6-1fb0-11e3-a9ef-0019bb2963f4.html" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">workers on Oct. 4 will vote</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to continue their fight for fair wages and safe working conditions. The company has not bargained in good faith since workers decided to join the union in August 2012, and talks have stalled. Marquez went so far as to </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/08/marquez-brothers-now-stalling-in.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">spread lies that Teamsters were going to call a strike</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, even though such an action is up to the workers themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Most workers make $9 an hour at the plant. The union’s bargaining unit initial sought $12 hour, but later lowered it to $11.50. The company, however, never budged beyond $9.10.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If sabotaging negotiations wasn’t bad enough, Marquez went further. </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/04/employers-brutal-union-busting-tactics.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They hired an expensive union-busting law firm to tail a worker who testified</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> at a legislative hearing in Sacramento back in March. Although lawmakers called out the company and attorneys for their actions, the worker – a mother of four – was later fired.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Partly because of that case, </span><a href="http://teamsternation.blogspot.com/2013/09/teamsters-tout-approval-of-worker-intimidation-bills.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">state legislation was enacted earlier this month</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that bars employers from intimidating immigrant workers for reporting illegal pay or working conditions by threatening to call immigration officials.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marquez workers said they are ready to continue their fight. Cheese weigher Juan Cruz said:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If we win, we’ll be sending a very strong message to the owners.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Teamster strong!<o:p></o:p></span><br />

Marquez Brothers Teamsters union worker intimidation Marquez workers to continue fight for Teamsters

Anti-union bosses at the Marquez Brothers cheese facility in Hanford, Calif., have thrown everything at their Teamster workers in an effor...

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