Brandworkers International
Daniel Gross, Cesar Barturen & Raymundo Lara Molina, Co-Founders
Brandworkers International is dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of retail and food employees. By empowering employees with legal, advocacy, and organizing tools, Brandworkers increases employer compliance with the law and improves working conditions in the retail and food sectors. The Brandworkers campaign, Focus on the Food Chain, organizes immigrant workers in New York City’s food processing warehouses to develop workplace leaders and combat sweatshop conditions.
The effort at Wild Edibles, Inc., one of the City’s largest distributors and retailers of seafood, saw immigrant workers organize a powerful campaign of grassroots, legal, and media actions to win respect for fundamental rights. As a result, in 2009 more than 75 of New York’s most well-known restaurants stopped serving Wild Edibles seafood until workers’ rights are respected. Brandworkers also operates a legal support network and is a founding member of a coalition organizing across the food supply chain.