Since August 11, 140 workers at the Stella D’oro bakery in the Bronx have been on strike. The workers are mostly women (Latinas and immigrants from Asia and Africa).

The workers state they are on strike because the new owners refused to negotiate in good faith with Local 50 of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers who represent them.

Brynwood Partners, a private equity firm, purchased the company from Kraft Foods, Inc. in 2006. Brynwood wanted the workers to agree to have their wages cut $1 an hour in each year of a five-year contract. The average worker makes $18 an hour which means in five years they will be making $13 an hour. The owners wanted the workers to give back their 12 days of sick leave, their four paid holidays, overtime, and a week of vacation. In addition, Brynwood Partners want to increase their health insurance premiums beyond the workers ability to pay.

Three days after the strike, Brynwood Partners brought in non-union replacements to do the work of striking workers. In September, Local 50 filed a ULP (unfair labor practice) with the NLRB. The NLRB’s preliminary ruling in the ULP found in the union’s favor. The case is scheduled to go to a NLRB hearing soon.

Meanwhile, the workers have been on strike for eight and a half months. The BCTWGM has asked all unions and those sympathetic to their plight to boycott Stella D’oro products and is urging supporters to contact stores in their communities and asking them not to carry Stella D’oro products.

On April 27, 2009, the New York State Teachers Union, joined the picket line of the Stella D'Oro Strike Workers. In support of the strike, and also presented the strikers with a check of $2,500.00, for the strike fund. More and more unions and community, are supporting the Stella D'Oro Strikers.

The company’s refusal to provide financial information to the union, even though “they pled poverty,” along with its “take-it-or-leave-it” mode of negotiation, make up two elements of the “bad faith negotiation” charges, he said. The National Labor Relations Board is currently investigating the charges. A guilty finding could require the company to reinstate all the strikers, and give them back-pay starting from the time they went out on strike.

Neither Mr. Myers, the chief operating officer of Stella D'oro, nor other Stella D’oro managers responded to several phone calls and e-mail messages by The NY Times asking for elaboration on the contract or the strike. DFNYC has contacted Stella D'oro management for a response to these charges and will report on their response. To contact Stella D'Oro: call (718) 601-9200; write Stella D'oro Company, 184 West 237th Street, Bronx, NY 10463; website http://www.stella-doro.com/contact.asp

   Stella D'oro workers 
and supporters at a rally 
in January 09.
(Photo by Gary Schoichet)