Organizing event for young retail workers

What: Informational / inspirational event for young retail workers including open mic, live music, DJs, spoken word, guest speakers ( including an organizer from the Whole Foods Madison campaign ), and food. Free of charge.
Where: UFCW Local 648 Hall in San Francisco, 1980 Mission St. @ 16th, across Walgreen's ( look for the colorful, newly painted door ).
When: Thurs. 6/15 from 6pm til 10pm.
WHY: Workers under the age of 35 account for about 43% of the labor force in the local grocery industry, and it's time that we unite in order to save our incomes, benefits, and workplace rights. As corporations such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's increase their market share in the Bay Area, it will be the major, unionized grocery chains - Safeway, Ralph's, Albertson's, Cala / Bell, etc. - which set the pace as far as establishing our working conditions are concerned. But as we've learned from the recent grocery strike in Southern California, executives at the major chains seem to view their employees as little more than annoying expenses to be whittled down. Citing anticipated competition from Walmart and the rising cost of healthcare as justification for their assault on workers, CEOs such as Safeway's Steve Burd have had the hubris to tell us that we should reconcile ourselves to reductions in pay and benefits - even while the major chains continue reap healthy profits, and even while taxpayers and shareholders subsidize the lavish, executive perks granted to Burd and his corporate colleagues.

We exhaust ourselves doing the daily, hands-on work that makes corporate profits possible. We have our families and our own needs to provide for. We are the future of the grocery industry, and we deserve fair treatment in the workplace: BUT WE WILL NOT GET FAIR TREATMENT WITHOUT FIGHTING FOR IT. When the Northern California contract expires on 9/11, we want to be in a strong position to resist the assault on our pay and benefits that we can only expect.

Over time, we can build together a sustainable community of worker-activists who will help hold the line for all retail workers in the decades to come.

If you want to perform on 7/15, contact: Armael Malinas 707.333.6358 dailyhope@yahoo.com
If you plan on attending ( we want to get a rough headcount ), contact: Kim Rohrbach 415.826.8971 rfworker@yahoo.com

For general info, click on "Youth Organizing" at http://www.bayareacoalition.com