We stand with Leobardo

November 11, 2013

Jim Boyle reports from San Diego on a struggle to win back the job of a low-wage worker who stood up for his rights against a fast-food giant.

UNTIL A few days ago, Leobardo Meza was no more known to the corporate elite at McDonald's corporate headquarters outside Chicago than any of the other 1.7 million people toiling in obscurity in the fast-food chain's restaurants around the world.

But that changed after October 31 when Leobardo and more than 100 of his supporters from around San Diego--including activists from the Coalition for Labor and Community Solidarity, the International Socialist Organization, the Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán, plus union members and staffers from the Service Employees International Union and American Federation of Teachers--rallied and picketed at the McDonald's on Park Boulevard.

The protesters were demanding that Leobardo, who was fired on October 14, be given his job back immediately. Activists formed a picket line stretching the length of the building. When management refused to rehire Leobardo, activists poured into the restaurant, effectively occupying it for a time. With the teeming crowd and loud chants of "When workers are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!" business stopped for the duration of the demonstration.

Supporters rally with Leobardo Meza outside a San Diego McDonald's
Supporters rally with Leobardo Meza outside a San Diego McDonald's

THE FACTS about Leobardo's firing are shocking, even for McDonald's, a multibillion-dollar corporation known for its greed.

Officially, Leobardo--who has worked at the Park Boulevard restaurant, located across the street from San Diego City College, for six years--was fired for paying for a burger for a homeless man. Leobardo, who makes a little over $9 an hour, was willing to reach into his own pocket for someone in need. At the same time, McDonald's refuses to pay its workers a living wage.

But according to Leobardo and other McDonald's workers, helping out people in need like this is a common practice that management overlooks. The real reason Leobardo was targeted, they say, is that he took a stand on August 29, walking off the job with other fast food workers around the country as part of a Fight for 15 national day of action.

Leo knew that he would a target on his back when he returned to work after the strike. He was previously harassed by management when he dared to speak up for his right to a 10-minute break. Immediately afterward, his hours were cut drastically, and he lost his position as a cashier, where he had worked for four years, and was demoted to maintenance.

Leo's firing created an emergency situation for the Coalition for Labor and Community Solidarity, which is helping to spearhead the Fight for 15 campaign in San Diego. The coalition took up Leo's case, launching a campaign to demand that he get his job back. Since the McDonald's is located next to a college and two high schools, efforts were made to solicit support from students, a number of whom joined the picket line for the October 31 protest.

Since losing his job, Leobardo's financial situation has deteriorated. He had already been forced to move across the border to Tijuana after he was demoted. Now he has lost his job altogether as a result of fighting for a wage that might allow him to live in the same country he works in.

As part of the solidarity work, activists have organized fundraisers and other events to support Leobardo, including a speaking tour for Leobardo at union meetings and on college campuses. Supporters have also developed a petition to raise awareness of the injustice he suffered and to show that the community is behind him.

Since the October 31 protest, activists have been working on a long-term strategy to keep up the pressure on the local management. Weekly actions are planned, with a range of tactics to sustain the campaign and keep the initiative.

McDonald's thought it could get away with dumping a worker who dared to speak up for his rights. Leobardo Meza and his supporters are determined to prove them wrong!

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