Videography images by John Gerber of Stella D’Oro workers:
Juan Torres, Sarah Rodriguez, Alex (Flag Hat), Jose Hernandez & Michael Fillipo
Montage design by Annabelle Echo
This is the Way the Cookies Crumble @ Stella D’Oro
Stella D’Oro Workers End 11-Month Strike After NLRB Victory, but Owner Threatens to Close Factory: Originally Posted on July 14, 2009
For almost a year now I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding my favorite Stella D’Oro cookies every time I go grocery shopping. The Grocers keep moving the Stella D’Oro display or they are simply out of stock altogether. I even called the sale rep for the Chicago area. He never returned my call.
For years I’ve been enjoying these treats. While they aren’t exactly health food, they make a fine dessert because they taste good, are satisfying yet are low in fat. The best thing about them is that they hold up when dunked in coffee or tea.
I was shocked yesterday when I learned from a report on Democracy Now! that the workers at Stella D’Oro had been on strike for nearly a year! Several workers were interviewed. I want to thank them for making such a superior product and I want to condemn the hedge fund investors who have no conscience to destroy the livelihoods of good hard working people who make still make something of value in the U.S.A.!
As reported by Democracy Now! : More than 130 workers of the Stella D’Oro biscuit company in Bronx have ended an 11-month strike. The workers returned to their jobs on Wednesday, a week after the National Labor Relations Board ordered the company to reinstate and pay back wages to the striking workers. The employees at Stella D’Oro walked off the job last August after company officials tried to force them to accept a 20% pay cut, elimination of sick days and overtime, reductions in vacations and holidays and an increase in employee health care contributions. While the Stella D’Oro workers have returned to their jobs, their fight is not over. The company’s owner, the Connecticut-based private equity fund, Brenwood Partners, is now threatening to close the factory within 90 days.
Update:
Bittersweet win By MARK DeCAMBRE
Last Updated: 4:35 AM, September 10, 2010
