Boycott Assi Supermarket!

by Mike Liu

Korean Immigrant Workers Association (KIWA) and Assi Supermarket workers are organizing on-going pickets and a boycott of the Los Angeles Koreatown market that Assi workers are attempting to unionize.

KIWA and the workers called the newest actions in response to the suspension of sxity workers. At the beginning of this month, Assi management suspended the workers for their activities and called the Los Angeles Police Department to escort the workers out. Assi has used the device of claiming that the workers’ social security numbers do not match to suspend the workers. As a result, the workers are technically employed but do not receive pay.

The 170 Korean and Latino workers at Assi have been trying to unionize into the Immigrant Workers Union (IWU) for over a year. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) declared that a union election in early March was too close to be decided. KIWA and the workers have charged that Assi management harassed workers to vote "no" during the balloting, and that the managers cast ballots.

Assi has hired a union-busting consulting firm, Littler & Mendelson, to fight the unionization efforts. Many Korean & Latino workers have faced harassment and discrimination for their pro-union activities. In response, the workers have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

Please also check out www.boycottassi.com