For immediate release:
Industrial Workers of the World - Grand Rapids
March 6, 2013
Grand Rapids call center workers win union election
A watershed victory for low wage workers
Grand
Rapids - While new Right to Work legislation has forced labor into
retreat across Michigan, Grand Rapids workers made a rare advance
Wednesday under the banner of the radical Industrial Workers of the
World as employees of Star
Tickets voted for unionization. The victorious union vote comes on the
heels of a relentless anti-union campaign waged by owner Jack Krasula
and an outside firm he retained.
Dubbed
the IWW Star Tickets Workers Union employees came together over meager
demands such as: adequate equipment, an end to understaffing, and a
yearly pay evaluation.
"Our
demands aim not only to benefit our workplace environment, but to
improve our services to our valued clients as well." said Deirdre
Cunningham a Client Services Representative.
Since
the petition was filed owner Jack Krasula has responded by spending
thousands of dollars to thwart his employees efforts. Workers have had
to endure veiled threats, intimidation, and misinformation in a textbook
anti-union campaign.
Despite
Krasula's best efforts the workers unity has remained solid with
flowers, candy, and best wishes sent from IWW branches and members from
across the country.
While
union membership has become scarce across the country the IWW is
invigorating the labor movement by organizing workers through
"solidarity unionism". Traditionally relying on innovative tactics to
win demands instead of government agencies Star Workers decided to
finally file for "formal" recognition after 3 years of workplace
organising.
"What
Mr. Krasula and this outside firm fail to realize is that when they
disparage our efforts to organize with their barrage of memos they are
disparaging their workers that have given years of their lives to make
this company successful. We hope this is not how they intend on
bargaining but either way we
will continue to succeed with our solidarity and our union" said Evelyn
Stone a Call Service Representative.
The
Industrial Workers of the World is a rank-and-file labor union open to
all workers. Gaining prominence for the Starbucks Workers Union and the
Jimmy Johns Workers Union the IWW has become the go-to union for workers
not interested in the beauracracy of traditional unions.
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