Week of on-line action to support Mott’s workers starts August 2

Today (Monday, August 2) is the start of a week of online action in support of the 300 UFCW Local 220 members and Mott’s workers who have been out on strike in Williamson, NY since May 23. For some ideas for online actions, click here.

Though Mott’s and its owner Dr Pepper Snapple have enjoyed tremendous success and Mott’s has turned a profit the past five years, Mott’s insists on wage and benefit cuts from workers, saying workers should think of themselves as a “commodity” like “soybeans or oil.”

Mott’s/DPS is demanding a $1.50 per hour wage cut for all employees who average about $19 an hour, elimination of pensions for new employees, a pension freeze for current employees, and a 20 percent decrease in employer contributions to the 401K along with increased employee contributions toward health care premiums and co-pays.

While the three highest paid executives at DPS, including CEO Larry Young, doubled their pay between 2007 and 2009, the company is now proposing to cut wages and benefits for the workers at the profitable Mott’s plant in Williamson, NY.  There is no economic necessity for  the company cutting wages and attacking the pension plan. DPS is recognized in the industry as a leader and has seen extraordinary success over the past several years. DPS’s stock has rocketed 35% since the most recent earnings announcement and is outperforming the industry as a whole.

The UFCW–locally, nationally, and internationally–has been doing lots of creative and fun actions to fight back against Mott’s/DPS.  The http://www.nobadapples.org/ website has lots of information. But this week it is up to bloggers and on-line activists to get involved.

Actions you can take

Blog: Write a blog post on Mott’s. Feel free to repost this Talking Union post.

Twitter:

• Call out @Motts
• Use the hashtag #justiceatmotts
• Link to www.nobadapples.com
• Sample tweet: “I won’t buy @Motts products until the strike in Williamson, NY is resolved #justiceatmotts”

3) Facebook:

• Visit the Mott’s Facebook page and tell the company you think what they’re doing to workers is wrong. If you write a blog post, why not post the link to it on the Mott’s page?
• Update your facebook status with the following message: “To take a stand for working families, make this your status: I won’t buy Mott’s products until the strike in Williamson, NY is resolved. Mott’s, owned by Dr. Pepper Snapple, forced 300 workers out on strike on May 23 and refuses to come back to the bargaining table. DPS stock is up 35% this year, but the company wants workers to take pay cuts of $1.50 an hour, in addition to slashed benefits. www.nobadapples.org“
• Make your profile image this solidarity graphic.