Insomnia Cookies fires workers for joining a union, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Cambridge police then brutalize IWW members and allies for protesting the illegal firing. Insomnia’s “union problem” just got a whole lot worse.

On November 14, Cambridge police brutally attacked, beat, and arrested an IWW member on a peaceful picket line in front of Insomnia Cookies, Harvard Square. The small picket began at 9:30pm. Police were already at the scene as twenty union activists began marching in a circle, as they have done around ten times since the strike began at Insomnia Cookies on August 18, holding signs, and chanting about bad wages, conditions, and union busting at the late-night corporate cookie chain.

Around 9:45, two police officers attempted to corner and isolate one union member who happened to be leading the chants. As the union member stepped toward safety, police began throwing punches at fellow worker Jason who was standing nearby. Four or five cops jumped on him, beat him to the ground, and continued assaulting him while he cried out in pain for them to stop.

A crowd of stunned onlookers gathered around, many chanted “Shame!” and “Police Brutality!” at the cops. Within minutes, Mount Auburn street was shut down by close to a dozen police cars, vans, and wagons. They carted the fellow worker off to the police station in Kendall square, and attempted to take photographs of all the union members. One cop even threatened the union activists with his pepper spray canister, all for telling him who he was: “Shame!” A shame to the city of Cambridge. A shame on working people. A shame to humanity.

Since the strike began in August, Cambridge police have proven themselves to be real enemies of labor, harassing, lying to, and attempting to disperse Insomnia workers since their very first picket line when they stood as just four strikers who hadn’t even yet joined a union. Then police lied to their faces and told these young workers that they were not allowed to picket in front of their store. The Cambridge cops’ intimidation efforts has escalated with each picket, until on November 14th, when they attacked us without provocation and without hesitation.

The police have failed to scare us away. Every time we come back with more and more workers and allies. The police think they can silence low income workers with their clubs when the company cannot silence us with illegal firings. They are wrong.

Come out, bring as many people as you can, tell everyone you know. We shall not be moved.

Solidarity Forever. An Injury to One is an Injury to All.

https://www.facebook.com/insomniaunion
http://iwwboston.org/