Group of New Bedford workers fired after protesting wages at NORPEL
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Standard-Times] By Simón Rios - December 18, 2014 -
NEW BEDFORD, At least five workers at a city fish company were fired Tuesday morning after conducting a work stoppage and giving management a list of demands that includes a $15 minimum hourly wage, according to advocates.
On a blistering cold Monday night, some 25 workers and "allies" gathered at Northern Pelagic Group's Fish Island facility with candles in hand, waving placards and chanting slogans in Spanish and English.
"This is based on a history of complaints that the workers have had with the company about working conditions," said Lisa Maya Knauer, an activist with Centro Comunitario Trabajadores and UMass Dartmouth professor.
Lucio Avila, division manager at EDA's New Bedford office, said "If it's your company and you want to pay a packer $15 an hour, I don't think you're going to be in business too long with competition the way it is in New Bedford."
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