This weekend, as we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. we need to realize that the shared dream of a land free of bigotry and discrimination has turned to a nightmare for Mobile workers at New Era Cap, Major League Baseball’s exclusive maker of baseball caps, and a staple in Hip-Hop gear.
This post provides information on a critical on-going campaign, and invites you to join us in taking action on Monday morning.
This is the year we find ourselves with a woman and an African-American presidential candidate. While this would probably make Dr. King feel terribly proud, we are guessing that he would applaud the changes and then use the changes to fuel his focus to where we still need to grow.
As we celebrate his birthday this weekend we need to realize that Dr. King’s dream of a land free of bigotry and discrimination has turned to a nightmare for Mobile workers at New Era Cap, Major League Baseball’s exclusive maker of baseball caps, and a staple in Hip-Hop gear.
Last year, in an effort to address poverty wages, racial discrimination and forced overtime, New Era Cap workers in Mobile turned to the Teamsters to organize a union. Workers, the majority of whom are black and female, were being passed over for promotion and were paid less than white workers. They were disciplining single mothers when they took time to bring their children to the doctor.
As the workers stood strong in organizing a union and protecting their Civil Rights, the company retaliated by launching a fierce anti-union campaign that included bullying and intimidation. New Era managers, in their infinite wisdom, even threatened the workers that if they voted in favor of unionizing, that they would lose their food stamps. During the course of the campaign, the company fired more than 20 workers, and then just as the holidays were approaching, they laid off another 35 dedicated employees.
I am taking a guess that Dr. King, on his birthday, would be down in Mobile with Felicia Walker, one of the fired New Era workers. He might stand at a podium and talk to the people who’d come out to support the workers. He might say, "It is time for a new day at New Era." Then, maybe, he would urge everyone to consider sending letters to the CEO of New Era, call up their clientele with outrage, alert the media to spread the word, and then arm everyday consumers about how New Era treats its workers down in Mobile.
On Monday morning, in celebration of Dr. King’s birthday, we will post a link where you can take action by sending an email to the CEO of New Era. Are you ready to join us in this effort?