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NEWS & LETTERS,
August-September 2002
Zoo protest against BBJ Linens
Chicago--Well-dressed attendees of the Lincoln Park Zoo
Ball were greeted by workers from BBJ Linens, a laundry in suburban Skokie that
supplies tablecloths and napkins to upscale caterers, as they entered the
fundraising event on the evening of July 12. The workers had gathered with union staff and other
supporters at the zoo entrance to protest the use of BBJ products by the event’s
caterer. Before the rally began, a woman worker said of BBJ: “They treat us
like crooks. At the end of our shift they check our bags.” The workers at BBJ--predominantly immigrant women--have
been organizing among themselves since the spring of 2001. While not officially
represented by a union, UNITE has been supporting the BBJ workers in their
efforts. After the group of workers and supporters left the event
chanting “We’ll be back!” NEWS & LETTERS was able to interview three
BBJ workers, two of them women. One woman had been fired for speaking out
against intolerable conditions, but got her job back through the Labor Board. --KM *** We want the union because without one they don’t
recognize our rights and won’t improve conditions. For example, we tell the
owners the stairwell to the napkin department is not safe to climb, but they don’t
do anything about it. In the puller department it is so hot, but there are no
fans or ventilation. We’re not allowed to drink water or Gatorade while we’re
working. If we do, the supervisor takes the water and throws it away. It’s
like slavery. The people who work in ironing have no protection. The tablecloths
are very hot and they burn their hands. The owners don’t allow them to cool. About 10 of us have been representing the workers who
are starting to organize. We now feel that we have a voice. We were scared of
talking before because they would fire us. Now we feel a little stronger in
expressing ourselves, telling the owners about the bad conditions and about the
low wages. Before we started organizing, I was the kind of person
who, when they told me not to do something, I wouldn’t. I was very insecure.
Now I fight for my rights. And now we feel strong enough to support the other
workers who are still afraid. Last year, before the union started its pressure
campaigns, only 5% of BBJ workers were permanent. The rest were day laborers,
even people who had been there for seven years. Now almost everyone is a
permanent employee. But we still don’t have affordable health insurance and we
lost our seniority. We only got a 50-cent raise, and the conditions are the
same! For us, nothing changed. But for BBJ, it was a big concession. As a worker I know how other workers feel even if I don’t
do the same kind of work as they do. I know what it’s like to work in horrible
conditions and to get bad pay. We want workers everywhere to know that we will
support them in their struggles whenever they need us. We thank the Carousel
laundry workers for coming out to support us. They can count on us to support them. --Three BBJ workers |
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