Amy’s Kitchen, maker of organic convenience and frozen foods, presents itself as a socially conscious, family-owned small business. “Our food is made with love,” reads their tagline.
Meanwhile, Amy’s Kitchen workers report widespread injuries, low wages, and unreliable healthcare. Despite the company enjoying record profits throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, workers report raises of just fifty cents per hour. Amy’s has faced more than $100,000 in fines for serious work safety violations.
Teamsters Local 665 Secretary-Treasurer Tony Delorio said that workers at the company’s Santa Rosa, California, plant had initially reached out about unionizing. In early conversations, though, he was struck by the fact that workers weren’t just interested in the usual union issues like higher wages or health care coverage. “The injuries and working conditions were the worst that our local had ever seen,” said Delorio. “Usually, folks who want to organize say ‘we want better pay or generally better conditions’ — they’re not losing limbs on the job.”
Amy’s Kitchen has shown an extensive pattern of retaliation –- in May, they fired a worker after he spoke to management about his concerns, including a lack of bathroom breaks and penalties for taking sick days. In July, Amy’s Kitchen announced plans to shut down the San José, California, facility, which had been organizing with UNITE HERE. Given the overwhelming interest among staff in unionizing, and that the company had recently made significant investments in the facility, it’s hard to see this as anything other than union busting. More than 300 people lost their jobs in a pandemic.
Amy’s Kitchen workers are asking for things that all workers deserve: fair wages, healthcare, and safety on the job. Take action and stand with them!
