"Stella D'oro closes its longtime Bronx factory," Crain's New York, 10/09/09

"Stella Workers Hoping for a Miracle," The Indypendent, 10/09/09

On Oct. 2, a crowd of 200 people gathered outside the gates of the Stella D’oro Biscuit Co. at 237th Street and Broadway in the Bronx. Stella D’oro workers on the verge of losing their jobs mingled with supporters as a parade of speakers took to the microphone.

“How many birthday parties or family gatherings have we sat around eating Stella D’oro cookies?” Beth Borzone, a high school social studies teacher from Long Island, shouted as the 1 train rumbled overhead. “They [the workers] have brought joy to many, many people for decades. And now their jobs are threatened because of some greedy venture capitalists in Connecticut who produce nothing of value. They strip other businesses so they can sell them for a profit, benefiting who? A small few.” Read more.

"Stella D'oro Workers Exit with Heads Held High as Brynwood Orders Factory Closed a Day Early," The Indypendent, 10/08/09

The plant’s general manager Dan Meyers summoned the workers for a 3 p.m. meeting as the first shift was ending, informed them that the plant was closing and told them they should take any personal possessions before leaving. They responded by singing and chanting “the workers united will never be defeated” in their boss’s face for 10 minutes before exiting the factory, which has operated in the Bronx since 1932.

"We told him we were still united and we didn’t regret what we did,” said Gurdip Mann, a machinist who worked at the factory for 21 years. Read more.

"Strike-Breaking Bronx Stella D'oro Factory Shuts Down a Day Early," The Village Voice, 10/09/09

Though workers at the plant tried to keep it open with protests, the Stella D'Oro factory in The Bronx closed down yesterday -- a day ahead of schedule. The workers went on strike last year, after Brynwood Partners, the private equity firm that had taken the plant over, kicked out the union; Brynwood locked them out and, when the plant was ordered to reinstate them by the National Labor Relations Board, announced they would close it down and move operations to Ohio instead. Workers showed a game face -- "We showed we cannot be humiliated by them," a 24-year veteran of the factory said. "We are not slaves." -- but it can't be pleasant to lose all hope of returning to one's job in a borough where unemployment is over 13 percent. The Kingsbridge facility had been running almost 80 years prior to closure. Read more.

At the end of today's press conference at City Hall, Mike Filippou, one of the shop stewards at Stella D'oro, received a call from management. He was told that the factory was being closed immediately, effective at 3PM.

The workers and supporters that were at the press conference headed to the plant immediately. We are asking that all other supporters do the same.

All out immediately to the plant to help the workers defend their jobs and their factory!

The plant is located at 237th Street and Broadway in the Bronx. Take the 1 train to the 238th Street stop. The factory gate is one block south of the train stop.

We need as many people as possible to stand by whatever action the workers take in defense of their factory and their jobs!

"Stella factory abruptly closes," The Riverdale Press, 10/08/09

The Stella D’oro factory in Kingsbridge has closed its doors to workers for the last time.

A labor dispute that has lasted more than a year ended with workers finishing their shifts in the middle of Thursday afternoon, gathering their belongings and being shown out.

The union, which represents bakers, packers, mechanics and others at the plant, walked out more than a year ago, after negotiations with the private equity firm that owns the factory and the brand broke down. Read more.

Stella D'oro management has begun final measures, including massive layoffs, to move production to a non-union facility in Ohio! Come demand that city authorities intervene on behal of the legitimate demands of the workers and their families!

On July 29th, the City Council passed a resolution -- by a vote of 51-0 -- supporting the continued operation of Stella D'oro in the Bronx. Now we need the Council -- and the Mayor -- to act to prevent the closure!

Workers at the Stella D'oro cookie company have been fighting for months to keep their Bronx bakery open and to save their 136 jobs. After an 11-month strike and a court victory, work at the bakery was supposed to resume. Instead, the owner -- private equity firm Brynwood Partners -- announced its intention to sell the bakery to Lance, Inc., which will move Stella D'oro production to Ohio.

But we're fighting back! Join Stella D'oro workers and supporters in a rally at City Hall demanding that the bakery stay in New York.

WHAT: Rally in Support of Stella D'oro Workers: Keep Stella D'oro in the Bronx!
WHEN: Thursday, October 8th @ 1pm
WHERE: City Hall
Subways: A, C, M, R, W, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Stella D'oro received more than $400,000 in tax breaks since 2006, meant to modernize the factory and keep jobs in the city. Goldman Sachs owns a significant chunk of Lance, Inc., and it too has received millions of dollars from the city. It should be obvious: companies that receive taxpayer dollars meant to sustain good jobs should not be allowed to destroy them while keeping the money!

Join the Stella D'oro workers and their supporters from across the city in a rally at City Hall this Thursday at 1pm.

Note: Remember that you will need to pass through a metal detector in order to approach the steps at City Hall. Please also be sure to bring identification -- it may be necessary to produce it in order to approach the steps.

"The Morning Leverage," The Wall Street Journal, 10/07/09

The New York Times visits that now famous cookie factory in the Bronx as Stella D’oro employees package some of their last biscotti, and get one more dig in at Brynwood Partners, before the plant’s pending shutdown. Read more.

"A Last Batch at a Bakery in the Bronx," The New York Times, 10/06/09

Standing at long tables at the end of an assembly line, gowned women pack what are likely to be some of the last biscotti, fudge stars and breadsticks produced at the Stella D’oro bakery plant in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. The women stack 10,000 cookies a day into plastic trays.

A tiny label on the packages says the cookies were made in a union bakery. These will be collector’s items.

More than a year ago, Brynwood Partners, a private equity firm that owned Stella D’oro, opened negotiations with the union representing its bakers and packers. The owners had a list of demands. They wanted, for instance, to cut the salaries of the women packing the cookies by $1 an hour for each of the next five years. They are now making $18 an hour; at the end of the contract, they would be making $13. Other changes included the elimination of a pension plan. Read more.

"Stella D'oro workers fight both Goldman Sachs and City Hall in desperate attempt to keep jobs," The New York Daily News, 9/30/09

They're not going quietly.

Workers at the Stella D'Oro cookie plant in Kingsbridge picketed the Goldman Sachs building and then marched on City Hall Friday in a desperate attempt to save their jobs.

Goldman Sachs is an investor in Lance Inc., the company that bought the longtime Bronx cookie maker for an undisclosed amount from Brynwood Partners, a Connecticut-based private equity fund. Read more.