Temporary workers from two temporary agencies working at Lettieri’s, a Shakopee factory owned by Hot Stuff Foods Inc., organized and won an important victory on Wednesday April 8th.

Workers at Hot Stuff Foods approached Workers Interfaith Network (WIN) in early March of this year reporting that for years they had experienced discrimination, humilliation and a lack of respect from supervisors. Workers complained of little to no wage increases, that most workers had no vacation or paid holidays, and that workers would often arrive to the plant on time and be forced to wait for up to two hours for broken machines to be fixed without being paid for their time.  

“Our supervisor would yell at us, tell us to work faster and harder, humilliate us. But we are the ones that are making this company rich. Their own website says they have a sales revenue of $130,000,000, thanks to our work,” said Oscar Sanchez.

Workers met with WIN organizers and determined their demands. Among them were a fair wage increase, an end to discrimination, vacation and paid holidays and to be paid for all hours worked. Workers developed a petition which was supported and signed by the majority of temporary workers at the plant.

After delivering the petition to Lettieri’s management and sending it to Hot Stuff Foods corporate headquarters, almost immediately, workers began to be paid for all hours worked and the most eggregious discrimination stopped. For two months, workers and WIN continued to organize workers at the plant and support in the community. On Wednesday April 8^th, Hot Stuff representatives announced that all temporary workers would receive from 8% to 11% wage increases, and that all workers would now be contracted through only one of the temporary agencies through which they would all be eligible for vacation and paid holidays after six months. Workers also received back wages for hours they spent at the plant waiting for machinery to be repaired.

On May 1^st, Gerania, who has worked for the plant for two years, spoke at a rally for immigrants’ rights to tell others about their victory, and empower other workers to stand up for their rights saying, “people always tell us that because we are temporary workers we don’t have rights. We showed the company and other workers that we can fight and we can win!”