Unfair Labor Practices at Sterling Laundry

Workers at Sterling Laundry, which is located right here in Washington, have been on an unfair labor practice strike since early September, when the company responded to their efforts to organize a union by harassing, bribing and cutting the hours of union supporters – a violation of federal labor law.

Sterling holds more than $1.2 million in taxpayer-funded federal contracts that are regulated by the Service Contract Act, which sets minimum wage and benefit requirements for companies that contract with the federal government. Workers at Sterling earn, on average, $2.50 per hour below rates required by the act. They cannot afford health insurance and have no retirement benefits.

Glenys Pichardo, a packer at the laundry, said, "Sterling is a dangerous place to work. We clean dirty linens for hotels, hospitals and the Department of Defense that could be infectious. But we can't even afford health insurance on the wages we earn."

You can help give these workers the resources they need so that they can continue to fight to improve their own lives. Attend a happy-hour fundraiser to support the Sterling Laundry workers on Wednesday, March 3, at 6 p.m., at Cafe Citron (1343 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202/321-2025). There is a suggested donation of $8 ($4 dollars for students) but no one will be turned away. Best of all, $1 from every union drink you buy supports the campaign.

Get involved in the campaign by joining the picket line, educating Sterling customers or lending support in other ways. E-mail Mario to get plugged in.

Make a direct donation to the strike fund by sending a check to:

Patrick Forth
903 Russell Ave., Suite 400
Gaithersburg, MD 20879

Make the check out to: UNITE! Mid-Atlantic Region, and write "Sterling Strike" on the memo line.

An Immigrant Laundry Worker Tries to Form a Union.