{"id":183094,"date":"2015-03-15T20:06:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-16T01:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/2015\/03\/15\/we-really-need-more-effective-anti-slapp-laws\/"},"modified":"2015-03-15T20:06:00","modified_gmt":"2015-03-16T01:06:00","slug":"we-really-need-more-effective-anti-slapp-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/2015\/03\/15\/we-really-need-more-effective-anti-slapp-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"We Really Need More Effective Anti-SLAPP Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/blog\/201457\/workers-behind-ruthless-and-effective-grassroots-campaigns-are-now-trial-racketeering\">defamation and RICO lawsuit by the Liberato restaurant against the labor activists Laundry Workers Center United<\/a> is exhibit A for improved laws:<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: blue;\">Until recently, the Laundry Workers Center United\u2019s claim to fame was a rabble-rousing protest encampment on Times Square, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yesmagazine.org\/new-economy\/Less-brand-more-tactic-labor-wins-lessons-for-occupy\">self-fashioned \u201cWorker Justice Caf\u00e9\u201d<\/a> erected by workers as part of a unionization campaign at a Hot and Crusty bakery. Back in 2012, their foolishly brave, Occupy-inspired tactics proved successful in challenging their employer\u2019s power. Now the LWC is facing its own challenge in court, accused of illegally \u201cconspiring\u201d to protest against a boss. <\/p>\n<p>According to a complaint brought by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liberatorestaurant.com\/about-us.html\">the LWC\u2019s latest campaign target<\/a>, the Liberato restaurant in the Bronx, the LWC isn\u2019t a <a href=\"http:\/\/lwcu.org\/about-us\/\">humble worker center<\/a>, agitating on behalf of low-wage immigrant workers, but a racketeering enterprise, waging class warfare against a local business. <\/p>\n<p>The allegations of gangsterism stem from a basic labor dispute: a group of current and former workers have partnered with the LWC to campaign against the restaurant over alleged labor violations and mistreatment. After the conflict escalated and <a href=\"http:\/\/bronx.news12.com\/news\/former-workers-protest-at-liberato-restaurant-over-unjust-labor-conditions-unfair-pay-1.8406837\">the LWC took legal action<\/a> last year\u2014with a class action lawsuit and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complaint now pending\u2014the restaurant responded with a classic New York tactic: <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.villagevoice.com\/runninscared\/2015\/03\/bronx_restaurateur_fires_back_at_disgruntled_workers_with_a_lawsuit_of_his.php\">the countersuit<\/a>. Liberato has variously charged the LWC with slander and harassment, as well as violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This federal law, a curious hybrid of reactionary politics and organized-crime fighting, has historically been used to nab both mob bosses and union organizers. The suit seems to follow a rich tradition of corporations seeking to criminalize collective action as labor\u2019s \u201cextortion\u201d of capital.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So Liberato Restaurant is claiming filing a complaint about wage theft, retaliation, and sexual harassment with&nbsp; the NLRB, and engaging in actions specifically allowed under the National Labor Relations Act is somehow racketeering.<\/p>\n<p>I hope that the owners and management of this dining establishment end up in jail over this bullsh%$.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The defamation and RICO lawsuit by the Liberato restaurant against the labor activists Laundry Workers Center United is exhibit A for improved laws: Until recently, the Laundry Workers Center United\u2019s claim to fame was a rabble-rousing protest encampment on Times Square, a self-fashioned \u201cWorker Justice Caf\u00e9\u201d erected by workers as part of a unionization campaign &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[970,969,972,1023,1022],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-183094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-corruption","category-evil","category-justice","category-labor","category-union"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183094"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183094\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.panix.com\/~msaroff\/40years\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}