23 Brooklyn Cablevision/Optimum workers were illegally fired on January 30. Why? When they tried to speak with a Cablevision/Optimum vice president about the company’s lack of good faith bargaining, the vice president claimed they were striking — even though none of the workers had refused to work. In fact, some of the workers who had begun their routes were called back to the garage to be fired.
83% of New Yorkers support a Paid Sick Leave bill mandating that employers provide a small number of paid sick days to their workers. Though Mayor Michael Bloomberg would likely veto such a bill, support on the City Council is deep—there are enough votes to override his veto.
That’s great news for the workers of New York. Unfortunately, the Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, doesn’t personally support the bill. And rather than simply voting against it, she’s using her power as speaker to stop the City Council from even VOTING on it.
Quinn is harming millions of workers, simply to please her allies in the 1%. It’s time to put a stop to this. It’s time to hold Christine Quinn accountable.
99 Pickets is planning a campaign of creative direct action, to highlight Quinn’s embrace of the 1% and rejection of the democratic process. If you’re interested in getting involved, please use the link below to sign up.
Come walk the picket line from 9AM-12 noon at 72nd St. and York Avenue with Teamster Art Handlers and help them fight for the future of their Union against Sotheby’s - a company who has locked them out of their jobs for over 8 months to try demoralize them into accepting wage and benefit cuts and the gradual elimination of their Union.
This is one of the many picket lines we will support up to and on Mayday! All out to shut down the 1%.
• TUESDAY April 24, 4-6pm - Gotham Garage 33rd Ave and Miller St, Flushing with New York Taxi Workers Alliance. Freeze the Lease! Raise the Fare! http://www.nytwa.org/
99 Pickets, a working group from Occupy Wall Street, seeks to build a mass worker’s movement in New York City and beyond. We are workers, immigrants, artists, the unemployed, students and retirees: the 99%.
Revitalizing the picket line—a tactic with a long and rich history—we use worker-driven, creative action to draw attention to the common struggles of people across the city.
From wage theft, discrimination, abusive employers, food justice, misclassification, exploitive working conditions, retaliation for organizing, to unsafe workplaces, 99 Pickets strives to connect the dots between seemingly isolated conflicts, building a community and a movement to counter the 1%.
Another city is possible, but we need to build it.
Want to organize a picket? Email 99picketlines@gmail.com to get involved!
