[act-ma] 2NITE! 7 PM, FUNDRAISER 4 INSOMNIA COOKIES WORKERS' UNION! CENTRAL SQ CAMBRIDGE

[Geoff Carens]

Dear All,

 In August, employees of Cambridge's Insomnia Cookies struck, and joined
the IWW<http://cp.mcafee.com/d/avndz8Ad3hJ5AQsTjouj7f6XCQrIFLcKe3D3qdSkPhOM-OOUrhKOCYOUUe76QrIIIcKfTKrJIvxg5eXgjUDIjeNgXQ6PrKQ4-9X4PIkeZ1ISYyyYwwC_R-psuo7efZuVt4syzPWrPz2rfbnhIyCHuWfaxVZicHs3jq9IsrLOtXTLuZXTdTdw0F63700sdQf21-Mxa14LkN3UwE-l9QWcGuSJMddCzAsqerCPiTgY87X24E4jiWq8056wUQg8UCC0pEw76y0b3o1Cy0n2oc3yUb40Qo6wmq81sc0IQg1Ec60MdwMd43h091wc0k6zgMq81w4wId0Eqd43hEw30b2gw30Q2gQ618Qg2gwdxog3gA33h2rKrT5G4>.
They were fed up with lousy pay and conditions. Their demands included
$15/hr, health care, and a union, and they were swiftly terminated. Ever
since, workers have stayed strong  and maintained their struggle, which has
grown into an organizing drive at the boutique cookie business. Insomnia
pays rock-bottom wages, charges $1.35 for cookies that cost the company .10
to make, and refuses to pay workers' compensation. Bike delivery workers
report that if they get hurt in traffic, the boss' response is, "Why are
you late?"  After a relentless IWW campaign of protests against the
company's labor practices, Insomnia falsely reported picketers were
blocking the sidewalk in front of the Cambridge store, giving Harvard and
Cambridge cops an excuse to bring police
violence<http://cp.mcafee.com/d/5fHCNESyOqerFIf9zDztPqdSkTCn71PxJ6XapEVovppsdETpjupss73zqdSmm6n7XTdSSfME2DtE9YjS9DoEtW3pJTq2v4ZypSa7uwSruhhuggjvW_cKfc3D7-LsKyehhVZdVNxdDBHEShjlLt7BgY-F6lK1FJcSedTVeZXTLuZXCXCM0llLwHW4J8lFeIe00VqI9_2uic62Xs9lwnlZkxYi-NzZ9-wnB2BloiQLqJiILEnJGF2cA2fBRA2W3spg8BP_8WunmBoHYOWoVUQsCW7x0_ogB0ynGoxYgkvaAWt6lfrmU6CPhOed7dPpFrEu43Zx2k29Ftd402zgsq84sjj0cQg3zh05xI0Ph0bxc61Ns5y0qc3gbd40K60mq80Q630o6Mo6y1Ew4wM60a3hEod40M2gm6wkd6y1EQg1w5x8g1wq18q30Aq818g6MI81Ei1xExdTdy0Kw>,
and phony charges of assaulting cops, down on a union member.

 Undeterred, the workers and their allies are keeping up pressure on the
company with continuing
pickets<http://cp.mcafee.com/d/5fHCN0q4xESyOqerFIf9zDztPqdSkTCn71PxJ6XapEVovppsdETpjupss73zqdSmm6n7XTdSSfME2DtE9YjS9DoEtW3pJTq2v4ZypSa7uwSruhhuggjvW_cKfc3D7-LsKyehhVZdVNxdDBHEShjlLt7BgY-F6lK1FJASedTVeZXTLuZXCXCM0hqHsSO7YLxzpS9Az9PRiZxIo74h4p43t3MwvI8iwhbRcg-8afBitezaDJHs3jpEV76zCVIQJQf21-Mxa14QKCy01hEed42e9Fw6q81NEw2MS0pEw5MC30UK2N0d61E5Cy0n30bd40q31wc3oc3h0Qg2go3051EQc6y0o18b3ga6zh0Qq80M2MA80Md0Ad1wid40A83om40Q90MQgCXCU4Ze5ZhH>
of
local stores. Students at Harvard, BU and elsewhere have called for a
boycott  <http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/slam/?q=node/1081>of the company. The
National Labor Relations Board issued a Complaint against Insomnia for
illegally firing employees for their union activity. Recently SEIU Local
509 donated $1,000 to the campaign, a magnificent act of solidarity. The
Windsor, Canada IWW also just contributed a generous donation which is
profoundly appreciated by striking workers.

You can help too! Please join Insomnia strikers and their supporters at the
Strike & Organizing Campaign
Fund-raiser<http://cp.mcafee.com/d/FZsScy0wcy1J5AQsTjouj7f6XCQrIFLcKe3D3qdSkPhOM-OOUrhKOCYOUUe76QrIIIcKfTKrJIvxg5eXgjUDIjeNgXQ6PrKQ4-9X4PIkeZ1ISYyyYwwC_R-psuo7efZuVt4syzPWrPz2rfbnhIyCHuWfaxVZicHs3jr1IsrLOtXTLuZXTdTdAVPmEBC5etSTAaRaYLDCvxeCe6zAsOOqekhPxEVspKYZzxEVuoo7cIThuvsKVxa5pOt5pDb7X0llQYYlSQV6pjb6W7x0_ogB0ynGoxYgkvaAWt6lfrmU6CPhOed7dPpFrEu43Zx2k29Ftd402zgsq84sjj0cQg3zh05xI0Ph0bxc61Ns5y0qc3gbd40K60mq80Q630o6Mo6y1Ew4wM60a3hEod40M2gm6wkd6y1EQg1w5x8g1wq18q30Aq818g6MI81Ei1xExdTdJM_Buo-Y>,
Wednesday January 22, starting at 7 pm, at the Center for Marxist
Education, 550 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge (2nd floor), steps from
the Central Square MBTA stop. If you can't come to the event, please
consider donating to the Insomnia Cookies Workers' Organizing
Fund<http://cp.mcafee.com/d/5fHCNEq6wUqdEICzCWr3OoVUTsSztBdVBNMsUrhKOCqem7Smn3qdSkTCn71MUSztBBxBN-ZPtJzYa0FTq2v4ZypSa7uwSrtSwDNfoCtyxTEdCTAknA44T-LPbzP0VN_HTbEzAkuvjusojpVqWdAkRrThVkffGhBrwqrvdzzt-jLuZXTLuVKVIDeqR4IMFNzRJbsLy5orelokN4QsLFIcLIIcCW7x0_ogB0ynGoxYgkvaAWt6lfrmU6CPhOed7dPpFrEu43Zx2k29Ftd402zgsq84sjj0cQg3zh05xI0Ph0bxc61Ns5y0qc3gbd40K60mq80Q630o6Mo6y1Ew4wM60a3hEod40M2gm6wkd6y1EQg1w5x8g1wq18q30Aq818g6MI81Ei1xExdTd-b7h>,
which
is fueling the union drive.

 In Solidarity,

 Geoff

 http://iwwboston.org/<http://cp.mcafee.com/d/avndyhJ5AQsTjouj7f6XCQrIFLcKe3D3qdSkPhOM-OOUrhKOCYOUUe76QrIIIcKfTKrJIvxg5eXgjUDIjeNgXQ6PrKQ4-9X4PIkeZ1ISYyyYwwC_R-psuo7efZuVt4syzPWrPz2rfbnhIyCHuWfaxVZicHs3jrxIsrLOtXTLuZXTdTdw0V6312J9RxM073t3MwvI8iwhbRcg-8afBitezaDJHs3jpEV76zCVIQJQf21-Mxa14QKCy01hEed42e9Fw6q81NEw2MS0pEw5MC30UK2N0d61E5Cy0n30bd40q31wc3oc3h0Qg2go3051EQc6y0o18b3ga6zh0Qq80M2MA80Md0Ad1wid40A83om40Q90MQgCXCPNXs3A3o>