The laundry workers went on strike December 5 as part of their fight to be represented by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). Flex-O-Tex owner Gabriel Blau refused to negotiate with UNITE, saying the company could not afford to meet the workers' contract demands.

The proposed contract is the same one that UNITE has in force at other area laundries, and includes medical insurance, paid sick days, paid personal days, the establishment of a union health and safety committee, and a substantial wage increase. Nearly all the workers at Flex-O-Tex currently make minimum wage or slightly better, regardless of their years at the plant.

Among those joining the strikers were UNITE members from several other industrial laundries in the area, including more than a dozen on their lunch break from Princeton Laundry across the street and workers from a UNITE-organized laundry in Brooklyn.

"We're here to support the workers at Flex-O-Tex," Elvis, a worker at Princeton, told the Militant. "They work long hours for low pay. They want better conditions and we support them."

Victoria García, who has worked at Princeton for three years, echoed Elvis's sentiment. "We're here to help them and support them in their fight for better wages, better working conditions and medical benefits," she said.

Throughout the two-hour action in front of the plant, strikers and their supporters kept up a spirited chorus of chants in English and Spanish. Among the most popular were, "Si se puede!" (Yes we can) and "No more sweatshops!" referring to the conditions at Flex-O-Tex.

The spirited chants were periodically halted so representatives of a number of organizations could voice their solidarity with the strikers. Among those who spoke were Peter Santiago from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a housing advocacy group in the Bronx; Leslie Lyga from the Bronx Environmental Action Coalition; Luz María Madrigal from San Jeronimo's Roman Catholic Church; and Sharon Joslyn, director of community programs at St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church.

At one point during the action, a worker inside the plant waved in support with one finger poking through one of the first floor mesh-covered windows.

In addition, a number of people leaving the plant exchanged warm greetings with their co-workers on the picket line.

"We're not only fighting for those of us out here on the picket line," Maritza Córdoba, a leader of the strike, told the gathering. "We're fighting for all the workers at this plant. As far as we're concerned Gabriel can either meet our demands or shut down."  
 
 
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