Press release: Community push back

For Immediate Release: October 31, 2023

Media Contact: Patrick Nevada, patnevada@gmail.com, 808.388.8438

Jollibee AND its North America President Pulls Out Major Business Networking Event after Community Pushback

Filipino orgs, unions rallied to celebrate and call for full back pay, public apology for illegally terminated worker; higher wages and better working conditions for all workers

New York, New York – Filipino community members, unions rallied with the Justice for Jollibee Workers (J4JW) campaign outside a prestigious Filipino networking event and then marched to Port Authority Jollibee branch in celebration after Jollibee and its North America President Maribeth Dela Cruz pulled out. Jollibee pulled out within days of after an announcement by the Justice for Jollibee Campaign that they were going to protest at the event.

See photos and livestream of the rally and march.

The action follows the reinstatement of three of the nine Jollibee workers who were illegally terminated in February in Jollibee’s Journal Square branch in Jersey City. Despite reinstatement, the workers still seek backpay and a public apology. In addition to these demands, workers seek double pay on holidays, better working conditions and a $17/hr wage, an ask that is not only reasonable but still far below the hourly wage of $44.32 needed for a family of four or $22.51/hr for a single person to live sustainably in Jersey City.

“Maribeth Dela Cruz, President of Jollibee North America, dropped out of the networking event because she is afraid of people power. Maribeth knows that this is the same movement - the workers, and communities that make up the Justice For Jollibee Workers campaign - that exposed Jollibee’s illegal termination of nine workers in Journal Square. The same movement that fought and won for their reinstatement. We are here to show up for higher wages, safe working conditions, and the enforcement of workers’ rights to organize in ALL Jollibee locations,” said Keyser Garganera, reinstated Jollibee Journal Square worker

“We want to express our solidarity for the movement for Justice for Jollibee Workers. Jollibee workers deserve everything they are fighting for. At the very least right now, you deserve an end to retaliation for simply wanting to organize for your rights. That is shameful corporate behavior. The UAW is going to stand with Jollibee workers. It’s going to stand with the Filipino labor movement. Filipino workers stood with UAW, in return, we will stand with FIlipino workers in the Philippines, in the United States, and wherever the workers are demanding justice,” said Brandon Mancilla, UAW Region 9A director.

“We are united in the struggle and the struggle is real. We work too damn hard, for too damn little, when the rent is too damn high, ” said Jules Fuentes, Starbucks Workers United

“Jollibee exploits workers not only in the United States, but the workers in the Philippines and across the world. Workers here in the United states, their struggle is inexplicably linked to the struggle to workers in the Philippines, who bear the brunt of the economic crisis. In the Philippines workers make less than $14 dollars day. In the Philippines there is an ongoing inflation crisis. We must stand with workers who are rising up here in the Philippines, in the United States, in Palestine and all over the world,” said Nina Macapinlac of Bayan USA.

Jollibee is among one of the largest fast food chains in the world, with almost a quarter of its profits coming from North American branches. Jersey City workers had similar complaints to other locations across the globe, noting labor issues that are proven to be common practice such as wage theft, chronic understaffing and scheduling issues, misclassification of workers and worker mistreatment despite the company making record profits.

About the Justice for Jollibee Workers campaign. The Justice for Jollibee Workers campaign is an effort led by workers at the Jollibee Journal Square branch who were illegally terminated for organizing for higher wages and better working conditions. They are supported by community members and labor organizations in their fight, and encourage all workers at Jollibee locations across the globe to organize with them.

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