2009-11-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

GAG ORDER ATTEMPT AGAINST NBC WORKERS DROPPED

Ill-founded gag order effort dropped after ACLU and lawyers for workers, unions blast
“flimsy evidentiary record” and “shocking disregard for First Amendment”

OAKLAND, CA – October 30, 2009

Following withering criticism by elected officials, civil libertarians, and lawyers for whistleblowing workers and their union advocates -- embattled criminal defendant Monica Ung dropped her effort to silence workers who are accusing her company, NBC contractors, of wage theft and mtax fraud involving millions of dollars.

Ung faces 48 felony counts, including failure to pay wages, grand theft, insurance fraud and forgery. Ung’s attorney, Willie Brown, had requested an unprecedented, sweeping “gag order” which would have inhibited public and media discussion of the case. Thousands of prominent elected officials, opinion leaders, and community members have joined the effort to achieve justice for NBC workers.

The ACLU of Northern California and lawyers for the International Brotherhood of Workers (IBEW) Local 595 and Ung’s workers had denounced her effort as lacking any legal justification. A brief filed by the ACLU stated that Ung’s requested gag order would have “…set a dangerous precedent for the suppression of speech,” and showed a “…shocking disregard for First Amendment values.”

“The effort to impose a gag order on more than 2,000 members of IBEW 595 – who are supporting workers who have been exploited by NBC General Contractors –was a despicable, unfounded attempt to silence labor’s voice,” said IBEW 595 Business Manager Victor Uno. “I’d like to thank our legal team, the ACLU, and community supporters for their unrelenting pressure to defend workers’ free speech, and our union’s right to advocate.”

Said Ellyn Moscowitz, attorney for the wronged workers, “It was absolutely ridiculous for Ung to attempt to ‘gag’ me from talking to the very workers I represent. Willie Brown and Ung’s legal team made wild accusations against me and IBEW, which were completely baseless. They simply wasted more of Ung’s money that should be used to compensate the workers, and not spent on lawyers filing frivolous motions.”

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2009-08-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

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Electeds

Ellen Corbett, California State Senator District 10
Loni Hancock, California State Senator District 9
Fiona Ma, Majority Whip, California State Assemblymember District 12
Mary Hayashi, California State Assemblymember District 18
Alberto Torrico, California State Assemblymember District 20
Nancy Skinner, California State Assemblymember District 14
Betty Yee, State Board of Equalization Chair
Alice Lai-Bitker, President, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Keith Carson, Alameda County Supervisor
Nate Miley, Alameda County Supervisor
Scott Haggerty, Alameda County Supervisor
Susan Bonilla, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair
Jane Brunner, President, Oakland City Councilmember
Pat Kernighan, Oakland City Councilmember
Jean Quan, Oakland City Councilmember
Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilmember
Nancy Nadel, Oakland City Councilmember
Ignacio De La Fuente, Oakland City Councilmember
Desley Brooks, Oakland City Councilmember
Noel Gallo, President of Oakland Board of Education, District 5
David Kakishiba, Oakland School Board Director
John Fricke, Emeryville City Councilmember
Abel Guillen, Peralta Community College Trustee
Nicky Gonzalez Yuen, Peralta Community College Trustee
Bill Withrow, Peralta Community College Trustee
Marcie Hodge, Peralta Community College Trustee
Linda Handy, Peralta Community College Trustee
Bill Riley, Peralta Community College Trustee
Cy Gulassa, Peralta Community College Trustee
Michael Sweeney, Hayward Mayor
Kevin Dowling, Hayward City Councilmember
Olden Henson, Hayward City Councilmember
Bill Quirk, Hayward City Councilmember
Tom Bates, Berkeley City Mayor
Kriss Worthington, Berkeley City Councilmember
Jesse Arreguin, Berkeley City Councilmember
Linda Maio, Berkeley City Councilmember
Lena Tam, Alameda City Councilmember
Frank Matarrese, Alameda City Councilmember
John Fricke, Emeryville City Councilmember
Mark Green, Mayor of Union City
Richard Valle, Union City Councilmember
Tim Sbranti, Mayor of Dublin
Tony Santos, Mayor of San Leandro
Joyce Starosciak, San Leandro City Councilmember
Jim Prola, San Leandro City Councilmember
Diana Prola, Vice President of San Leandro School Board of Education
Bill Harrison, Fremont City Councilmember
Robert Wieckowski, Fremont City Councilmember
Suzanne Chan, Fremont City Councilmember
Lara York, Fremont School Board
David J. Canepa, Daly City Councilmember
Miguel Dwin, Emery Unified School District
Garrett Yee, Ohlone Community College Board Member
Joel B. Young, At-Large Director, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District
Chris Peeples, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District Board of Directors
Elsa Ortiz, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District Board of Directors
Doug Siden, Ward 4 Board Member of East Bay Regional Park District
Rob Bonta, Board of Directors of the City of Alameda Health Care District
Igor Tregub, City of Berkeley Rent Board
Kim-Shree Maufas, President of San Francisco School Board

Community Leaders (*for identification purposes only)

· Sherry Hirota, Asian Health Services

· John Burton, California Democratic Party

· Dan Boggan

· Dr. Art Chen

· Son Tran, owner of Le Cheval

· Sharon Cornu, Executive Secretary Treasurer of Alameda Labor Council

· Art Pulaski, California Labor Federation

Organizations

Alameda County Democratic Central Committee
Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice (ACRJ)
Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA)
Asian Law Caucus (ALC SF)
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO ( National APALA)
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (Alameda Chapter)
Asian Pacific Democratic Caucus of Alameda County
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, California Democratic Party
Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO)
Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership (AYPAL)
Associated Students of the University of California, Berkeley (ASUC)
Bridges Multicultural Resource Center at UC Berkeley
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)
Chinese Progressive Association (CPA)
East Bay for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE)
Filipinos for Affirmative Action (FAA)
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (EBASE)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 595 (IBEW)
National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
Oakland Rising
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA)
REACH! Asian Pacific Islander Recruitment and Retention Center

JUSTICE FOR NBC WORKERS

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