Photos From Bissell
Employees at the Bissell warehouse near Joliet, arrived to work at 6am today only to be informed they were all fired, but not before they trained their replacements.
Workers were fired en masse after filing legal complaints and charges last week over the many violations of state and federal law in the warehouse. On Thursday October 29th workers notified management that they had formed a union.
“This company has no respect for our rights. We will fight to force Bissell and Maersk to follow the law and treat workers with dignity,” said Anthony Bailey a forklift driver at the Bissell facility. “I will not accept losing my job because I stood up for my rights.”
The warehouse has been using an unregistered temporary employment agency that had systematically violated many state and federal laws, including paying some workers less than minimum wage.
Workers also cited racial discrimination, unpaid wages and threats of retaliation for bringing these issues to management’s attention.
The Bissell warehouse, managed by Maersk Logistics, opened in January 2009 and is part of the expanding distribution industry in Chicago’s suburbs. It supplies Bissell vacuum cleaners to big box retailers including Walmart and Target.
Protesting Bissell on November 12th. Check out these new pictures too!
Solidarity with you in your struggle for victory! UE’s an excellent union…stick with it!
I just wrote a letter to Target to pressure Bissell to clean up its act, good luck guys!
Solidarity! We make the value that the bosses steal. Alone we are weak, but together we are strong. If we stand together, we will always win!
Kudos for standing up….never give in…. I know it’s easy for people who aren’t out there and out of work to say, but your issue is now on the front page of DIGG.com…I am going to write Target as well.
Union busting cannot be allowed to stand.
Solidarity from Highland Park, actually I’m in D.C now or I’d be there with you.
Solidarity from Sydney Australia, the fight never ends for workers who just want a fair go. Around the world greedy bosses rob workers of their basic rights. The right to organize, the right to strike, the right to join a union. At the same time they demand the right to organize against workers, the right to take financial action against workers and the right to belong to an association.
Stay tight brothers and sisters of Chicago don’t give up the fight. And never forget the boss can’t win if you stick together. I always say,
The boss never beats the worker
Only workers beat workers
When they don’t stick together.
UNION IS STRENGTH
NUW