Free Speech at Risk

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.jwj.org/campaigns/freespeech.html

Smithfield Foods has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Jobs with Justice, the Change To Win (CTW) labor federation, and the union organizing its employees in Tar Heel, NC, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). The suit was filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute designed to fight organized crime. The baseless suit comes in response to the growing national campaign to support workers’ rights at Smithfield.

In addition to the Smithfield lawsuit, the Wackenhut Corporation recently filed a federal RICO case against SEIU, Bashas Inc, a grocery chain in Arizona, filed a state RICO case against UFCW, and Cintas Corporation filed suit against UNITE HERE.

In each of these cases, the companies are asking the courts to rule that traditional First Amendment-protected activities such as handing out flyers, attending rallies and issuing press releases are evidence of “criminal conspiracy” under federal and state RICO laws.

The Smithfield case goes even further, asking the court to block organizers from petitioning city councils and churches to pass resolutions condemning the company’s notorious worker abuses at its Tar Heel plant. This legal tactic is a direct response to Jobs with Justices’ successful effort to petition City Councils and churches across the country to pass resolutions condemning Smithfield’s labor practices.

We believe these lawsuits were filed in an attempt to intimidate activists and chill legitimate debate. If successful, they could serve to attack anyone seeking to redress corporate abuses through legal free speech activities, whether environmental issues, animal rights, workers’ rights, or other issues.

The fact is, corporations would rather spend millions on lawsuits and erode our Constitutional rights than meet union demands for a decent workplace. It may be cheaper for them, but it’s nothing more than corporate bullying. We will not be intimidated and we will not back down!

FULL story at link.