"What are we doing today?" "We're going to check my salary." "$200" "$290" "$290?" "There's no more there?" "How many hours did you work?" "60." "60 hours for $290?" "Is that minimum wage?" "It's less than minimum wage." "Are you taping him?" "He told me he want to send a video for his family." "Immigrants make this city run." "You get settled in, and see the reality of how dollars are earned." "I'm not so into being the victim." "We basically started a war." "I've worked at Hot  Crusty for seven years." "I make sandwiches in the deli area." "I like chatting with customers." "But as a worker the atmosphere is different." "It's not a place where you'd want to work unless you have to." "I was 17 when I started working at Hot  Crusty." "You say, "I'm going to New York to work!"" "But you don't know what the jobs are like." "What's up, Gonzalo?" "What now?" "Look, this machine doesn't work." "It's totally damaged." "We told them a thousand times and they won't fix it." "It's dangerous." "You can cut yourself." "Workers weren't paid minimum wage or overtime." "The manager started as dishwasher and worked his way up." "That gave him a big head." "We all thought that was why he treated us the way he did." "He told us we were worthless." "We were just workers." "He could fire us anytime." "One time I was sick." "I couldn't go to work." "I said, "Sir, I need money." "I work seven days a week."" ""If I say I can't come in today, it's because I really can't."" "He said, "Sorry, but you're coming in." "You can take tomorrow off."" "We are undocumented." "But that doesn't mean they have to profit from our hunger." "I was 18 when I left Mexico." "I was born in Mexico City." "A city kid." "I had a lower-class life, but I had enough to get by." "You have that adrenaline pushing you to come here." "Whatever the reason, there's a feeling of adventure." "You're halfway across the river." "You see Mexico and the USA." "You say, "Wow, what am I doing here?"" "You might think it's not the right way." "But there in the moment, you follow your impulses." "And that's what I did." "I just had to keep on going." "A new coworker said, "I used to work in a place like this."" ""There's an organization that can help."" "Mahoma and Gonzalo wanted to change their workplace." "When we first meet workers we're very explicit:" "The only way to change things is by organizing." "We're talking about a power struggle." "Every day, I remember the four years I lived here without documents." "That anger has to be turned into something positive." "I turn it to organizing." "Virgilio's mentality is tenacious." "He's strong and determined with his goals." "Laundry Workers Center is a group of volunteers." "We don't have funding from foundations or unions." "He said it doesn't matter that their name says "laundry."" "They organize anyone." "One thing we do is identify new leaders." "Training those leaders is part of our vision." "I'm Mahoma Lopez, member-organizer of the Laundry Workers Center." "They, in their workplace, learn..." "They learn..." "We'll start again, okay?" "I'm eating and I don't want to be bothered." "To be honest, I'm kind of disconnected from the world." "I didn't even know Occupy Wall Street existed." "I saw on the news they were occupying a park." "I said, "They're nuts!" "What are they doing there?"" "So that's the report from the Hot  Crusty workers." "We're also planning different types of actions." "They're activists, radicals." "They don't mind getting arrested." "They can take the risk and support us." "What we wanted at the beginning was simple." "Minimum wage for those who weren't getting it." "Overtime for those who weren't getting it." "The paid vacation days that the company had taken away." "Safe conditions in the workplace." "And most importantly, respect." "In the way the managers treat us." "The first step was to deliver a letter of demands to the company." "A list of dreams, you could say." "The manager had no idea what was waiting for him." "You can imagine his face when he received the demand letter." "They make this in Colombia and Ecuador." "Pork ribs." "Salad, rice, potatoes." "And corn, which we ate already." "Diana arrived at the store two years after me." "Small as she is, she can defend herself." "There comes a time when you say, "Enough already!"" "The manager insulted me in front of the customers." "My coworkers were witnesses." "I grabbed my things and left." "Things are terrible at work." "There's such animosity between the two groups." "One group is on the side of the management." "The other group is just us workers." "It's scary to think of what will happen." "Thank you for all you've given us, Lord." "Thank you for allowing us to start this campaign." "We ask that you give strength to Mahoma and Diana." "Give strength to Virgilio, who works so hard for us." "And open doors, so it will work out." "In the name of Jesus, amen." "You all is the bad guys, protesting!" "It reminds me of a seventies show, really popular in Mexico... called the Dukes of Hazzard." "Hot  Crusty is a chain." "We started in that one store." "Little by little we extended to the other stores." "At first, it was just the name of the store." "But the company didn't respond." "So we made flyers with photos of the owners and the managers." "It works really well." "It really puts people in their place." "You got a lawyer?" "Don't touch me." "Stop stealing money from my workers." "I'll call the police to arrest you." "Yeah, call the police, no problem." "I worked the night shift here for five years." "Here they didn't pay me overtime, vacations, any of that." "I guarantee it." "We started seeing flyers around 14th Street." "That's how I learned about the 63rd Street campaign." "I said, "This looks like a good thing for all of us!"" "I decided to join up with 63rd street." "If they don't respond to our demands, we'll escalate." "Bigger things than just handing out flyers." "Their lawyer was clear." ""My client is not legally obligated to give benefits."" ""Unless they're dealing with a union."" "That's how it all started." "We decided to form our own union." "How is everybody doing?" "A little nervous." "But the company hasn't wanted to negotiate with the workers." "The amount they offered was a joke, given what they owe." "The flyers have worked, but we reached a limit." "We can't spend 5 or 6 years passing out flyers." "In Mexico I never participated in political parties or unions." "I was afraid because it was unknown." "Especially in a foreign country." "I had a feeling I'd get fired." "I'm older, and it will be hard to get another job." "They think you're not productive." "But on the other hand, there's your pride as a worker." "When I left there, with a suitcase full of dreams..." "I thought, "My family will live like kings."" "Obviously, those are just dreams." "In Mexico, wages are very low." "About six dollars a day." "My older kids didn't have the resources to study." "I need my youngest daughter to succeed." "She's in college now." "I had to come here to make sure she has all she needs." "How much are you sending?" "$250" "When you send them money, they think it's easy to make it." "It's not true." "My daughter says, "Papa, I need you." "Come back!"" "When you tell me that you are graduating," "I will buy a ticket and return to Mexico." "I have to be there for that." "They say we're criminals." "But they are the real criminals." "They steal our wages." "The board agent is named Susan." "There are two boxes." "Yes, you want the union, or no." "You know how to vote, right?" "Exactly, "Yes."" "I have to vote." "Mahoma." "I'm in the computer center." "They're telling me that—" "First of all, I don't understand what she's saying." "You feel the pressure." "As if it were the actual day!" "After the voting, they open the box in front of the lawyers." "So it's a clear vote, not like in Mexico." "Where they put more votes on one side or another." "We're not afraid anymore." "We've thrown ourselves into this." "Let's show them the power we have." "We knew that the management would approach us somehow." "To intimidate us." "To stop this process." "We were working, around noon, when a person showed up." "He said that he worked for the Labor Department." ""I'm here to discuss the good and bad things about the union."" "We said, "Who are you?" "Can you give us your card?"" "He said, "I don't give my card to workers, only managers."" "When he takes his phone out he drops his card." "Omar was mopping the floor and he covered the card with his mop." "His company specializes in "disorganizing" workers." "It's an anti-union firm." "The election is close." "They're trying to turn the workers against us." "I need to provide my family with economic stability." "Isn't that what it's all about?" "I pursued my wife for about three years." "We're Christian, but she's more deeply involved in that." "I'm not that into religion." "We respect each other as a couple." "But I don't think she agrees with what I'm doing." "She's Puerto Rican, born here." "She believes the law will defend her, and all that." "I tell her, "You're wrong."" ""You're living in a bubble and you don't want to see."" "What is this for?" "I see." "Good luck to them." "Get a job you commie scum!" "This is my first time." "I think it's worth it." "I used to say, "The marches!" "Those noisy people making a scene!"" ""They could do something more productive, no?"" "That was my ignorance." "In organizing you realize that changes in society are made by movements." "We're here and we're not leaving!" "Let's be mindful that some of us can't risk arrest!" "We're organizing to have more strength and power!" "There were about 22 people at Hot  Crusty." "But there are always some who side with the boss." "The manager's family." "His brother-in-law, cousin and two daughters worked there." "Obviously they weren't with us." "Some had no family ties to him." "But they believed he could give them job security." "At the time of the election, we felt conflicted." "What's going to happen?" "They know they've lost." "They offered some workers a month's pay without having to work." "I couldn't sleep last night because of the election." "They said, "How can we give you benefits if you're not a union?"" "So okay, so..." "Now they'll get the union they asked for." "My hand trembled when I made my X." "I think we'll win." "Don't just think it—we'll win!" "Brother!" "We won twelve to eight, man." "To the Hot  Crusty Workers Association!" "What's Mahoma like as a person?" "Physically?" "Personality." "And what's Gonzalo like?" "I don't have to answer that, do I?" "Well, answer however you like." "What's it like organizing with Gonzalo?" "Can't we avoid the question?" "So I don't have to lie?" "When we started all this, we made a commitment." "I believed he would see it through." "He would run from place to place going to the meetings." "Until one day..." "On Thursday, the manager says he has something to offer me." "Something I can't pass up." "He says the store is bankrupt, and he has the solution." "One of the investors would support him to take over." "He says, "I'd give you ten percent and five percent to Gonzalo."" ""But you would have to say no to the union."" ""You and Gonzalo would be managers."" "I said I have an ethical commitment to the workers." "He says, "Don't think about them, think about your family."" "The next day, Gonzalo began to change." "He missed meetings, he wouldn't answer the phone." "He was one of our leaders." "I think they found his price." "They offered him a percentage." "He chose to follow a different path." "I had a conversation with him." "I was completely sure he had betrayed us." "How did it feel?" "Fucking awful." "I only have one thing to say." "Sometimes things aren't as they seem." "There were rumors I was talking to management." "Providing information." "The union thinks I left because I sold out." "But no, it was purely my decision." "I lost my faith in everything." "I couldn't handle the pressure at the shop." "I have to do what's best for my family." "I wish them luck." "But I don't see them winning there because things are getting ugly." "We just got a letter from them." "It says they haven't paid rent in three months." "And the landlord wants to throw them out." "The deadline is the 31st." "We know that closing the store is a strategy." "Are they in the red?" "I don't think so." "They waste raw materials." "We're not just talking about money." "They've paid that." "It's also about power." "They have to negotiate with you just to change your schedule." "That's what's hard for them, apart from the raises." "We're still here and we're strong." "We can't let them win." "We could mobilize the entire community." "And occupy the workplace." "You're the right person to advise us." "My coworkers won't have much trouble finding new jobs." "But I have to keep my feet on the ground." "At my age, it's difficult." "But we all have to fight for our jobs." "This is how we support our families." "And today, now that we won a union... why does the company have to close now?" "Think about it." "If they close, we lose our jobs." "What do we have to lose?" "It's something heroic we can do." "All or nothing." "Would everyone agree with an action like that?" "Yes?" "You don't look very excited!" "It's going to be historic." "No one can talk, please!" "No one can talk about this." "We started this." "Now we have to finish it." "No we didn't agree on anything." "These people are a bunch of tricky bastards." "He must think we're stupid assholes." "We won't allow it." "I was working." "Mahoma texts me:" ""We're on our way."" "We were intervening to stop the store from closing." "It's really not right." "We don't know what will happen." "As a business owner... if you violate my rights, you'll face the consequences." "Because we've changed." "Our eyes are open now." "Long live the strike!" "They covered the cameras so we workers wouldn't get in trouble." "Ok, this is really happening." "It was pretty exciting." "It says there's one more camera." "At that moment, someone came in with a bicycle." "He shows his badge." "And says, "I'm police."" "Can I buy something from there?" "The customers kept coming into the store." ""What are you doing?" "Giving away free stuff?"" ""Two bagels for a dollar?"" "I mean, this is good." "But in a way it's a waste of time." "This is gonna be hashed out in a courtroom." "The store is closed." "Now what?" "What do we do?" "We're starting a picket line and we're not moving." "Until the management says the people are going back to work." "We could block the intersection." "We could re-open the store." "There are people who can do different things." "It can't be just a press conference." "It has to be something big." "Something surprising." "Basically we could open our own store in front of this one." "See you Monday." "Come try our cafe!" "How much do you pay?" "$10 an hour?" "Until victory!" "Forever!" "It's a cloned dog, man." "It's not a done deal yet." "There's a lot of talk, but talk is cheap." "There he is!" "It's confirmed." "I really can't say more." "I'm really happy." "It was too good to be true." "The supposed owner came here to act a part." "These people are just toying with us." "I don't think that's fair." "He says they'll sign the lease Wednesday." "I asked, "Are you one hundred percent sure?"" "He said, "Wednesday I'll be one hundred percent sure."" "How does it feel?" "The same." "Until they sign, I won't feel any better." "They presented a bad proposal." "It guarantees us nothing." "If we sign, they could dissolve the union in six months." "It only benefits them." "We're willing to lose everything but we won't give in." "If we stay united, we won't be beat." "They want to screw us but we won't let them." "We have a responsibility." "If it's having an effect, we have to stay out here." "If they want us to end the picket, we have to come to an agreement." "Where we benefit." "I was discouraged by day 20." "I was inspired by the people." "The old guys from the store." "Because they're there." "It was sad because sometimes there were only a couple of us there." "With the single idea:" "Something has to come of this." "We're this close to signing a contract." "Today we're reading their proposal." "We need everyone to agree." "This is a decisive moment in our campaign." "To protect what we have we need the power to hire." "To bring in people who won't vote against the union." "The contract says any hire must be a union hire." "Effective 2013, the employees get paid vacations." "They will count your time of service under the previous employer." "So basically we can go back to work and take a vacation!" "Tactically, I wouldn't recommend it!" "But that's what the contract says." "Everyone is saying it's a good contract." "For being our first." "It gives us a lot of power as workers." "We won just cause, sick days." "The union can choose who works at Hot  Crusty." "It's called a union hiring hall." "I for one agree." "Me too." "Would you consider this a victory?" "Here is the fruit of our work." "All this time we were out here." "After this we have a responsibility." "There were people with us when things were difficult." "We ought to make the same commitment to others." "We'll probably go back to work." "But let's all realize, our fight isn't over." "In New York City, it's important to raise wages." "Not just at McDonald's but for everyone." "Dear friends, welcome to the first meeting of the Hot  Crusty Workers Association." "I think that deserves applause." "This is our family." "We spend more time in the shop than in our own homes." "We're pleased to see new faces with new ideas." "I welcome you." "I feel blessed to become part of this organization." "To work at a place where I can't be fired without a fight." "I'm alright!" "Working hard here." "What do we occupy next?" "We have eggs, muffins, danishes, paninis, fruit salad." "I'll take a justice sandwich." "That one is hard to find!" "We knew we would win." "I believe that between a boss and a worker, there must be respect." "And respect is earned." "There are just laws, and unjust laws." "There is no justice unless you make your own."