| Pilsen Labor Organizer Attacked
Forwarded from Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues. Submitted by Tom Cordaro, Legislative Advocacy Committee member.
Dear friends,
On Tuesday night, Alfonso Diaz's car was fire-bombed in front of his
house in Pilsen. For the past year, Alfonso has been leading the way to organize a union at his workplace, a grocery store called La Casa del Pueblo, located at 18th & Blue Island. Last fall, Alfonso was featured in a story in the CICWI newsletter, where we reported that over 80% of the workers at the store had experienced wage & hour violations or other worker rights abuses. Last week, the National Labor Relations Board concluded a months-long investigation of Unfair Labor Practices and reached a settlement with the store, requiring the store to pay over $30,000 in back wages to several workers who had been laid off or had their hours cut in retaliation for their organizing activities. The store also had to post a sign promising not to engage in any of a two-and-a-half page list of illegal union busting activities that workers had reported experiencing at the store. While no evidence has been found tying the fire-bombing to the owner of the store, there is wide speculation that this crime could be a response to the settlement and the latest and most egregious retaliation that Alfonso and his coworkers have experienced for their union activities.
YOU CAN HELP!
1) Pray for the safety and strength of Alfonso, his family, and the rest
of the workers at La Casa del Pueblo.
2) Make a donation to help Alfonso and his family. The car that was
destroyed was his family's only vehicle. Donations of any amount will
help; please make checks out to CICWI, and put Alfonso Diaz in the memo line. Mail them to CICWI, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60660. If you would like to enclose a note of encouragement to Alfonso and his family, please do so and we will pass those along to him. Please try to put your donation in the mail by Wednesday, May 18. If you have a car in good repair that you would like to donate to Alfonso, please contact Antonia Dempsey right away at 773-728-8400 x31 or adempsey@nicwj.org to discuss this further.
3) Attend a rally of support for workers at La Casa del Pueblo. The
Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues is organizing a rally for Monday, May 23, 4:00 PM, in front of the store at 1810 S. Blue Island.
Please save the date and come out to support these workers. Please RSVP to Antonia Dempsey at 773-728-8400 x31 or adempsey@nicwj.org.
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Jennifer Barger
Religious Outreach Organizer
Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues
1020 W. Bryn Mawr, 4th floor
Chicago, IL 60660
773-728-8400 x44 (phone)
773-728-8409 (fax)
jennifer@nicwj.org
www.chicagointerfaith.org
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