NYC Council Member Van Bramer Calls for Trade Fairs in Queens to Immediately End Union Lockout

QUEENS, N.Y. - April 1, 2013 - PRLog -- On April 1st, NYC District #26 Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer joined a crowd of more than 50 rallying meat department members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 342 at a Long Island City Trade Fair, located at 22-20 36th Avenue, to demand that the company cease their Unfair Labor Practices and end the now almost 3 week long lockout.  

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 342, a labor organization that represents nearly 10,000 members working in supermarkets as well as a variety of other food industries in the area, has filed several Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the company.  These charges, which are now being reviewed by a Board Agent, include intimidation, threats of termination, harassment, assault, and coercing of union workers and representatives for exercising their rights as union members.

The alleged charges, which originally sparked a short ULP strike conducted by the workers on March 13th, eventually became cause for a lockout after the company refused to allow workers back to their jobs following an “unconditional return to work” offer.  

Since the beginning of what the union believes is an illegal lockout, the company has hired inexperienced replacement workers, and also strewn numerous signs across their stores, claiming that Local 342 “strikers” are causing a disruption to their business.  However, according to UFCW Local 342 Director of Communications Kate Meckler, these accusations are false.  “Considering that the workers are not on strike, but instead locked out by the company, the signs Trade Fair is hanging outside of their stores are untruthful,” she said.  “The simple fact is that this company will not let their meat department workers go back to their jobs.”      

Joining the union workers’ fight at a rally and press event on Monday was Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.  For Van Bramer, a staunch supporter of unions, as well as workers’ rights, Trade Fair’s “unfair” behavior has gone on long enough.  “It’s time to let these experienced union meat workers go back to their jobs and put an end to all of these games,” Van Bramer said.  “I immediately call for Trade Fair management to not only bring back their union meat workers, but also to treat them with the fairness and respect they deserve both under the law, and as human beings.”  

In advocating for the unionized Trade Fair meat department workers, Van Bramer joined a growing list of elected officials who have come out in support of the union.  Over the past several weeks, Council Members Daniel Dromm and Julissa Ferreras, as well as Council Speaker and Mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn have either attended events or made statements on behalf of the workers.  “The support we have received from the Council Members and the community so far has been great, and we will continue to build alliances aimed at forcing Trade Fair to bring back their workers and follow the law,” Meckler concluded.