Founded 2007 Services Legal Defense-Plus | Location New York City Website Brandworkers.org | |
Motto Empowering retail and food employees with social change tools to win justice on the job and in the community Type Workers Rights, Non-profit | ||
Brandworkers International is a non-profit advocacy organization for retail and food employees. Based in New York City, Brandworkers was founded in 2007 by a group of retail and food employees engaged with workers' rights issues. Brandworkers trains workers in the use of social change tools to achieve employer compliance with the law and improve working conditions. Their approach combines class-action lawsuits, union/community organizing and public education.
Contents
Issues
Brandworkers campaigns and services are focused on the issues of wage theft, including minimum wage & overtime; immigrant labor; employment discrimination; occupational health & safety; workers compensation; and the right to organize.
Campaigns
Brandworkers has carried out a number of community campaigns under the banner of "Focus on the Food Chain." Often working in conjunction with the Industrial Workers of the World, Brandworkers has assisted workers organizing against wage theft and discrimination at industrial food processing companies and warehouses, including campaigns at Wild Edibles, Pur Pac and Flaum Appetizing, winning a number of settlements over unpaid wages.
Services
In addition to workplace campaigns, Brandworkers offers retail and food employees a service called Legal Defense-Plus. The Legal Defense-Plus program provides legal information and connects workers with lawyers interested in taking their case. The legal services are complemented by advocacy and organizing tools. The program is serviced by a volunteer network of lawyers and grassroots campaigners.
Brandworkers also operates a website for retail and food employees as well as community members concerned about the practices of multinational retailers.