My name is Maria Gamez, and I help wash the cleanroom garments used by Intel Corporation. My co-workers and I are on strike for unfair labor practices at Prudential Overall Supply in Milpitas, California.

Along with hundreds of my co-workers in Arizona and Texas, I have been working with UNITE HERE! to improve my working conditions. Right now we do not earn a living wage and many of us cannot afford health insurance.

Prudential responded to our efforts with intimidation and harassment. After months of this treatment we were forced to strike, along with our co-workers in Vista, CA, to protest the companys unfair labor practices. The next day Prudential workers in Los Angeles County began striking in sympathy with us. In the first week of the strike, Prudential refused to give us our paychecks for the work we did before the strike, trying to scare us by withholding them from us for hours. Since then they have tried to scare us with rumors and threatening letters.

Prudential is violating more than just labor law. We have filed complaints for violations of the living wage in San Diego, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Ventura County. The City of San Diego responded by terminating Prudential's contract and now they are suing them for up to $1.82 million for unfair business practices.

Prudential thinks they can get away with treating us this way because companies like Intel refuse to take responsibility. Intel Corporation is a leader in the Electronics Industry Code of Conduct, which specifies that Intel must ensure that its suppliers obey minimum wage laws and respect workers' rights to form unions. This makes Intel look good on paper, but we need them to live up to their own words.

Please tell Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel that he needs to do the right thing and live up to Intel’s code of conduct!

Click here to send the CEO an email though UNITE HERE's website>>>