Chicago, Il. — An open letter, sent to Azteca Foods in September 2003, urged the company to "do what is
necessary to negotiate a fair contract that will improve conditions at Azteca Foods." The letter was signed by six members of Congress
and representatives from a number of Chicago-area religious, community and activist groups.
Dear Mr. Velasquez;
We recognize the various contributions you have made to community institutions and organizations over
the years. We also recognize that workers at Azteca Foods have been seeking a fair union contract for over a year, seven months of
which they spent on strike. Since the strike ended, Azteca has suspended returning employee’s health insurance, leaving them and their
families with out medical care.* We believe the workers have legitimate concerns regarding their
pay, benefits and working conditions as illustrated by some of the takeaways proposed by Azteca Foods:
-
An effective pay cut of up to 42 cents an hour for most workers by significantly raising health
insurance costs while offering 20 cents in raises over three years. Azteca revenues are $36 million annually, less than 9% of which
is spent on labor costs;
-
Reductions in seniority rights in overtime distribution and job transfers;
-
The right to fire a worker for having a union leaflet on company property;
-
The right to discriminate against immigrant workers;
-
The right to maintain up to 15% of the total workforce as permanent temporary employees at low
wages with no benefits.
Employees also cite safety as one of the reasons they want a union at Azteca. In the past three
years, Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has cited Azteca Foods for 16 violations of health and safety regulations.
Recently, a temporary worker became permanently disabled while working at Azteca Foods when his hand got caught between two moving
conveyor belts, pulling his arm into the machine and grinding it to pieces. Workers also report injuries like rashes and burns.
We call on you to do what is necessary to negotiate a fair contract that will improve conditions at
Azteca Foods.
Respectfully,
Hon. Luis Gutierrez,
Member of Congress
Hon. Jan Schakowsky,
Member of Congress
Hon. William Lipinski,
Member of Congress
Hon. Jesse Jackson, Jr.,
Member of Congress
Hon. Danny Davis,
Member of Congress
Hon. Bobby Rush,
Member of Congress
Kim Bobo,
National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
Dr. Calvin Morris,
Community Renewal Society
William Purcell,
Office for Peace and Justice, Archdiocese of Chicago
Jesus Garcia,
Little Village Community Development Corporation
Carlos Arango,
Casa Aztlan
Emma Lozano,
Pueblo Sin Fronteras
Joshua Hoyt,
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Steve Fredricks,
Chicago Area Coalition on Occupational Health and Safety
William McNary,
Citizen Action Illinois
Chirag Mehta,
UIC Center for Urban Economic Development
John Donahue,
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
Syd Bild,
Metro Seniors
Arturo Vasquez,
Heartland Alliance Centro do Educacion y Cultura
Pe Manivong,
Lao American Community Services
Cristine Pope,
Interfaith Leadership Project
Bob Vandrasic,
South Austin Coalition
Kent Lee,
The Korean American Resource and Cultural Center
Denise Lam,
Chinese Mutual Aid Association
Hatem Abudayyeh,
Arab American Action Network
*Editor's note: The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint subsequent to the
delivery of this letter charging Azteca with violating U.S. Labor Law by discriminatorily suspending workers health insurance. Faced
withthese charges, Azteca restored medical coverage and agreed to pay medical bills accumulated during the time insurance coverage was
suspended. [Return to Text]
