Workers, State and City Officials Condemn Monster Cable for reneging on severance agreement and retaliation for worker organizing

Workers and Supporters Vow to Continue Boycott

Workers, community, and elected officials gathered at San Francisco City Hall today to protest Monster Cable’s reneging on severance promised to workers in retaliation for their organizing campaign. After 6 months of community mediation and offers by workers to accept the ORIGINAL severance that was promised to them, the company is refusing to offer ANY severance at all to over 60 workers.

Supervisors Jake McGoldrick, Chris Daly, and representatives from Assemblymember Fiona Ma and Gene Mullin’s offices spoke out against Monster Cable’s irresponsible behavior and vowed to continue supporting the boycotting workers until justice was won.

Laid-off worker Wei Ming Li, father of 5, demanded, “Where is CEO Noel Lee’s conscience? For just a little bit of self-interest, he is hurting the workers who made his products and made his company successful. We workers are very angry about Monster Cable’s retaliation and we will continue this boycott until the company resolves this!”

CPA Board Chair Leon Chow announced that due the strong community response towards the plight of Monster Cable workers, community supporters had decided to create a community-based worker hardship fund to be hosted by Chinese for Affirmative Action. He also shared advance copies of “Boycott Monster Cable!” the CD, an album compiled of boycotting musicians which will be used in fundraising effort to support laid-off workers.

Upcoming actions include a CD release party and further actions to let Monster Cable consumers and associates as well as the public know what Monster Cable now represents: corporate greed and worker repression. Check back soon to purchase the CD!

Monster Cable Refuses to Pay Severance to 60+ Workers, Retaliates for Boycott Campaign

In the past 7 months, CPA and Monster Cable workers halted public protests to try to resolve this conflict with Monster Cable. Workers even offered to end their boycott if the company restored the original 4 weeks severance offered. Unfortunately, the company has refused to pay ANY severance at all, rejecting community mediators’ efforts to reach a settlement and ignoring appeals by workers. Workers and CPA believe that the company is upset over the negative publicity from the boycott campaign and video, and retaliating against workers who were involved in it.

The result: over 60 workers have received $0 in severance from Monster Cable. In a few months, workers’ retraining and unemployment benefits end and they will face the challenge of finding stable living-wage jobs. Meanwhile, in December 2007, Monster Cable laid off the remaining production workers, a total of over 200 workers laid off in the last year and a half.