On May 1, the day celebrated throughout the world as a day of workers' rights activism, activists from Black Workers Matter and their allies gathered in front of Galewood's Hostess Bakery, 2035 N. Narragansett Ave., to allege that the pattern of racial discrimination and retaliatory firing that happened under the plant's previous owners have continued since the current owners took over a year ago.
As previously reported by Austin Weekly News, activists had complained that what was then known as Cloverhill Bakery went out of its way to avoid hiring African-Americans. When an Immigration and Customs Enforcement audit forced them to fire undocumented Hispanic workers, the black workers that were hired in their place received little training, low pay and were more readily punished. When Aryzta LLC sold the plant to Hostess in 2018, the activists decided to give the new owners a few months to do better.
During the course of the May 1 press conference, activists alleged that the plant still employs "racist and abusive" managers, including some that were fired by Aryzta. They also said that two workers were fired under flimsy pretexts for union organization and trying to bring abuses to light. Black Workers Mattered insisted that, unless Hostess, at the very least, rehires those workers, they will push back through protests and legal action.