Eight people, four grocery store
cleaners and four community supporters, launched a hunger strike in
Minneapolis on May 21 to demand better wages, conditions and the
right to organize. Their protest targets SuperValu, a supermarket
chain that contracts its overnight cleaning to companies that pay
minimum wage and offer no benefits.
Many of the workers are Latino
immigrants who are specially targeted for exploitation. The growing
reliance on cleaning subcontractors, a natural development in a
profit-driven capitalist economy, has made it easier to bust unions
like the United Food and Commercial Workers, which used to represent
many grocery store cleaners.
The courageous decision to begin a
hunger strike has greatly increased the pressure on SuperValu and its
subcontractors. The solidarity shown by community organizations
demonstrates the unity of the working class and is a critical part of
the movement to win justice for cleaning workers. Through
determination and struggle, working people can both improve immediate
conditions and build platforms for further struggle.
