Stella D'Oro Strike News

Striking workers bring fight to Greenwich

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Portions of Sound Shore Drive had to be closed off Monday midday when striking workers from the Stella D’oro factory in Bronx, N.Y. and their supporters brought the fight directly to the company’s Greenwich owners.

Chanting phrases like “We are Stella!” “They say cutbacks, we say fight back!” and “No contract, no cookies!” about 110 people marched at 8 Sound Shore Drive, where the private equity firm Brynwood Partners maintains its offices. Most of the protesters were members of the Bakery Confectioners Tobacco Workers Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) and have been on strike from the Stella D’oro factory since Aug. 13, 2008, claiming the company has refused to negotiate in good faith with them.

In Greenwich, Conn. on May 11, members of BCTGM Local 50 on strike at Stella D’Oro march outside the headquarters office of  Brynwood Partners—the private equity firm that owns the company.

Joyce Alston, president of BCTGM Local 50, said the company is demanding a dollar an hour wage reduction from two-thirds of the employees each year for five years, wants increased employee contributions for healthcare, and is eliminating all paid sick days, one week of vacation days, four paid holiday days and severance pay. Ms. Alston said the union believes the demands have nothing to do with cost containment and wage reductions.

“This is about private equity firms buying up all the manufacturing, stripping it down, reselling it for a profit and leaving the people with minimum wage jobs and very little benefits,” Ms. Alston said.

Brynwood Partners purchased Stella D’oro, including the Bronx factory, from Kraft in January 2006.

Ms. Alston rejects claims from the company that the worker concessions are necessary in order for it to stay in business. She said the union has been rebuffed in its attempts to open up the books for an audit even after the union pledged to sign a confidentiality agreement about the findings. This has led to a complaint filed against Stella D’oro by the National Labor Relations Board. Court proceedings on the complaint are set to begin in New York City in federal court today.

Ms. Alston said the protests were brought to Greenwich so Brynwood would know they are “willing to take the fight wherever it needs to be.” She said the focus shouldn’t just be on Stella D’oro, but on the actual owners because they seem to “fly under the radar.”

Several of the striking workers spoke during the protest, including Sara Rodriguez, who said the company was trying to put the people who make the company work onto the street.

“It’s not fair,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “We work so hard and have already given up so much. We’ve given more than half of our lives for what they pay and we’re fighting back.”

Michael Fliippou called Brynwood Capital “vultures” for their business tactics and said the protest showed the workers “were united like a fist.” Ms. Alston received loud cheers from the crowd when she vowed “to fight until the bitter end.”

The protest was approximately an hour long and was passionate, but peaceful.

No one at Brynwood Capital would comment to the Post, but a statement was issued saying that the company’s objective is to “take an unprofitable, shrinking business and grow it and make it profitable again.” The statement says the company believes an across the board wage restructuring is needed along with a reduction in overall labor costs because increasing labor and production costs had put the company on financially shaky ground. The company contends its last offer included wage increases for the highest skilled workers and that the reductions for the lower tiers of workers would be gradually phased in over the final three years of the five-year agreement. It says vacation and holiday time would continue for “most employees.”

The statement accuses striking workers of sabotage and misconduct since the strike was called. It also says the union never made counter offers to its proposals.

“Local 50 simply refused to confront any of the hard issues that had to be tackled in bargaining,” the statement said.

Stopping traffic

Police blocked off traffic at two ends of Sound Shore, flanking the office building to allow the protest to take place. Police tape was placed to keep any of the protesters from actually entering the private property and officers were stationed throughout the area, including the Metro North station across the street. Lt. Daniel Allen, public information officer, told the Post the union reached out to the department ahead of time.

“It’s the normal parameters for protesting or making a statement,” Lt. Allen said. “We’re just going to make sure they’re orderly and that they don’t interfere with the normal everyday business of the companies here.”

The solidarity of the union during the strike was noted several times. According to the protesters, not one of the close to 140 factory workers on strike have crossed the picket line during the nine-month strike.

“The members have been amazing,” Ms. Alston said. “They make the ultimate sacrifice because obviously they’re not working. They want to take the battle as far as it can go, wherever that takes us. That’s a credit to them. Today, especially in this economy, do you rarely find that kind of strength and determination.”

The protest included several members of other unions who said they were in solidarity with the striking workers, including Bakers Local 3, Professional Staff Congress Local 23-34 and members of the transportation workers and teachers unions. Micah Landau, a member of the United Federation of Teachers, told the Post he had been working within the community to get people involved in the Bronx and that support there for the workers is “enormous.”

“We’re talking about a 25% cut in wages from $18 to $13 an hour when the company, by all accounts even the company’s last summer before the contract is up, is doing better than ever,” Mr. Landau said. “And then they turn around and want these concessions. It’s outrageous.”

Click here to see this article at Greenwich-Post.com

 

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