In Oakland, Mercado Chain Workers Protest Alleged Sexual Harassment, Firings

[Omaha Steve]

http://truth-out.org/news/item/14751-in-oakland-mercado-chain-workers-protest-sexual-harassment-firings

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Monday, 25 February 2013 00:00 By David Bacon, Truthout | Report

Valentine's Day sometimes brings chocolates and flowers, but in Oakland, California, it brought angry women out to the Mi Pueblo supermarket in the heart of the barrio. There they tried to speak to the chain's owner, Juvenal Chavez, not about love, but about the sexual harassment of women and the firing of whistleblowers who work at the chain.

As they gathered next to the parking lot holding pink placards, Latino families in pickup trucks and beat-up cars honked and waved. Laura Robledo then stepped up to an impromptu podium and told her story. As she spoke, her teenage daughter held her protectively around the waist and stared angrily at the doorway, where managers stood waiting for trouble.


The women get ready to march. (Photo: David Bacon)


Robledo used to work at the Mi Pueblo market in San Jose. She lost her job when she complained to the company that she'd been sexually harassed by a coworker. "I had two witnesses who heard everything he said," she recalled. "The words were so low and degrading it was horrible just to hear them. He even tried by force to kiss and embrace me."

So she complained to the company. That was unusual, because workers at the markets who complain about intimidation by managers subsequently lose their jobs, according to the protesters.

FULL story at link.