SuperSizeMyPay.Com - $12 MIN WAGE NOW!

You are invited to a free public event to support low paid workers

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 16:19:15 +1100

There comes a time in everyone’s lives, when we have to make a stand for justice. This is one of those times.

You are invited to attend a free Public Rally to Support Low Paid Workers (Featuring Imon Star from Rhombus, Olmecha, top NZ comedians, speakers and Rosita Vai from New Zealand Idol)

2pm – 4pm, Sunday 12 February Auckland Town Hall, Queen Street

The Government’s decision that employers only have to pay their adult employees $10.25 an hour from March 27 is extremely disappointing.

Unite was set up three years ago in Auckland. Since then, our dedicated staff and volunteers have been working very hard helping hundreds of workers when they’ve got into trouble or needed assistance; as well as negotiating wage increases for thousands more.

We are proud to say that Unite is Auckland’s fastest growing Union with nearly 5000 members. But we have only scratched the surface. For us to win we need to get the rest of the community behind our campaign.

We are asking ALL members of the community (that’s you), your friends and family to come to a community-wide meeting and fill up the Town Hall in Queen Street.

Public Rally to Support Low Paid Workers

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 14:19:43 +1100

The community and media are invited to the SuperSizeMyPay.com public rally at the Auckland Town Hall on Sunday February 12, 2pm. The free event will be hosted by Rhombus lead MC Imon Star, who will perform with Olmecha Supreme, and will feature top New Zealand comedians, community speakers and guest bands.

SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign co-ordinator, Simon Oosterman, said that the rally was supported by many community groups and the rest of the trade union movement. "All Unite Union members and the public are invited to join workers from the SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign at the first mass stopwork meeting of fast food workers in New Zealand since the 1980s.

Olmecha Supreme to host Public Rally to Stop Low Pay

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 19:49:14 +1100

Fast Food Workers Reject Final Pay Offer

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:56:55 +1100

31 January 2006

Fast food workers from the SuperSizeMyPay.com campaign voted 100% against the Restaurant Brands’ final offer at a stopwork meeting in Auckland today.

Today’s meeting brought together union delegates from KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks stores in Auckland who voted unanimously against the company’s offer, and restated their support for the SuperSizeMyPay.Com demands of a $12 minimum wage, an end to youth rates and secure hours.

Community to Make Poverty Wages History

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 18:56:11 +1100

January 25, 2006

Community representatives came together today to support fast food workers and their SuperSizeMyPay.com campaign as a step towards winning a reasonable standard of living and making poverty wages history for all New Zealanders.

All members of the community panel supported the campaign’s demands of a $12 minimum wage, an end to youth rates and secure hours. The representatives agreed that low pay and a substandard minimum wage were at the heart of poverty.

Bradford First MP to Donate to Low Paid Workers

Tue, 24 Jan 2006 17:09:47 +1100

Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 5:47 pm

SuperSizeMyPay.Com applauds tomorrow at the “Make Poverty Wages History” press conference, Wednesday January 25th, 12 noon at the Mercure Hotel, 8 Customs St.

The Green Party MP’s pledge follows a call by Unite Union Auckland President Matt McCarten for all ex-MPs to donate their recent pay rise back pay to New Zealand’s low paid workers as community groups get together urging the public to join the fight to make poverty wages history.

Panel Calls on Community to Make Poverty Wages History

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 13:57:35 +1100

January 23, 2006, 2.30pm

A diverse panel of community representatives is calling on all New Zealanders to make poverty wages history in 2006 at a press conference this Wednesday January 25th, 12 noon at the Mercure Hotel, 8 Customs St.

The panel includes grassroots organisations, including health, student, ethnic and poverty groups, NGOs, unions and political representatives and will be joined by fast food workers from the SuperSizeMyPay.com campaign to address New Zealand’s low wage crisis.

USA: Beneath the Golden Arches

Sat, 21 Jan 2006 16:20:48 +1100

By Katie Shepherd & Jordan Buckley Daily Texan Guest Columnist, Source:

Exactly 50 years ago this weekend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. answered a startling phone call from Minneapolis Tribune journalist Carl T. Rowan. Rowan had come across a wire report that the Montgomery bus boycott - then entering its sixth week - had been resolved by city officials and local black ministers.

The announcement would, of course, prove to be a fabrication of local authorities and the boycott would endure another 11 months, resulting in the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Alabama's bus segregation laws.

Today - in the face of a recent revelation that McDonald's appears to buy its tomatoes through at least one convicted slaver - the fast food giant has resorted to a similarly shameful tactic: taking token measures to avoid confronting the severe human rights abuses that may be hidden within its supply chain.

See Also:

Mother of Five Leads Strike Against Insulting Pay Rise

Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:22:21 +1100

21 December 2005

A lightning strike was called today at KFC Lincoln Rd by mother of five KFC shift manager, Susan Tuanui in response to the Government raising the adult minimum wage by only 75c and not removing youth pay discrimination.

Tuanui said that a pay rise of 75c per hour would only give her an extra $20 in the hand if she worked 40 hours a week. But she would still need to work over 40 hours a week to break the $400 mark.

Tuanui supports five children and says that a 75c per hour pay rise will make little difference to how hard she has to work to afford to feed her family. In her managerial role she currently gets paid $10.36 an hour when she's not running a shift and $12.86 when she is.

Migrant Workers Strike against Poverty Wages and WTO

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 15:34:30 +1100

Saturday, 17 December 2005

Despite the pouring rain, striking Pizza Hut workers served up pieces of a giant pizza for a fair slice of the multinational brands profits and to raise awareness of the disproportionate number of migrant workers living on minimum wage in New Zealand.

The strike is the third Unite strike at a multinational brand and follows the world’s first Starbucks strike and a youth-led strike at KFC against age based pay discrimination. It forms part of the SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign for a NZ$12 minimum wage, no youth rates and secure hours.

Migrant Workers Strike For A Fair Slice Of The Profit

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:37:57 +1100

Friday, December 16 2005

Migrant workers will be serving up slices from a giant pizza tomorrow as part of the next SuperSizeMyPay.Com strike action at the Royal Oak Pizza Hut restaurant, 12 noon at 711 Mt Albert Rd, Auckland, Saturday 17th of December.

SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign co-ordinator Simon Oosterman said the fast-food workers were striking to raise public awareness of the disproportionate number of migrant workers on low pay and minimum wage in New Zealand, particularly in Auckland where two thirds of migrants live and study and where the costs of living are highest.

“70% of the striking Pizza Hut store’s workers are migrants or international students. They are often told they do not have enough ‘Kiwi’ experience to seek better paid work elsewhere and have no choice but to work in low-paid and low-skill jobs. Up to one hundred percent of workers in many Pizza Hut stores are either new migrants or international students from India, China and the Pacific Islands amongst others.”

Campaign Update #1, Dec 13, 2005

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 12:52:13 +1100

Workers Rights are Human Rights

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 18:57:34 +1100

Five days after a youth-led strike at a KFC store to highlight workplace discrimination based on age, the Minimum Wage Amendment Bill was chosen in parliament.

Last week young members of Unite Union, earning as low as $7.13 went on strike at the million dollar refurbished Balmoral KFC store to begin a public debate about pay discrimination based on age.

Sue Bradford’s Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination) Amendment Bill, which was pulled from the ballot in parliament today, seeks to remove wage discrimination for 16 and 17 year-olds.

Unite Supports Youth Rates Bill

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 13:24:34 +1100

“Unite welcomes Sue Bradford's work to end youth rates through a private members Bill.” Grace Millar, Unite Secretary, said today. Tomorrow Sue Bradford will put her Minimum Wage (Abolition of Age Discrimination Bill) in the private member's Bill ballot.

“Ruth Dyson, Minister of Labour, recently said that if a 17 year old was doing the same work as a 25 year old, then they'd have a case to make to be paid the same. With this Bill the Greens have recognised that 17 year-olds throughout the country are doing exactly the same work as 25 year-olds, but being paid less.”

SuperSizeMyPay Supports Health Worker Strike

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 09:04:02 +1100

Monday 5th December

SuperSizeMyPay.Com Campaign Supports Health Workers Decision to Strike

The SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign is supporting health workers from the National Union of Public Employees in their decision to strike before Christmas, some of whom start on as low as $9.70 an hour.

NUPE represents mental health nurses, Allied Health workers like dental therapists, occupational therapists and social workers, clerical workers (whose pay rates start at $9.70), maintenance trades staff and information services staff in Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast and Canterbury.