If there was a wall of martyrdom, Maria Fernandes' name would surely
be chiseled into it. Her avoidable tragedy goes back to August 25th when
young Maria died…
As a direct consequence of repugican policies and
corporate greed, yet another modern-day American Martyr has been added
to the growing list of innocents who have given their lives to the
right-wing cause of indifference to all but the wealthiest companies and
individuals. Trayvon Martin is one such martyr.
Knowing what we know, Michael Brown, the unarmed
black teenager shot to death by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri,
may be soon joining the ranks of martyrdom. The many tens of thousands
of people, dead from lack of food, health care, gun obsession and
pollution are, indeed, martyrs by any definition.
If there was a wall of martyrdom, Maria Fernandes’
name would surely be chiseled into it. Her avoidable tragedy goes back
to August 25th when young Maria died in her parked car after apparently
falling asleep and some time later being overcome by a combination of
carbon monoxide and the fumes from a tipped over gas can in her
13-year-old car. The aging car had recently had exhaust problems. She
had collapsed in sleep after working at one of her three minimum-wage
part-time jobs with Dunkin’ Donuts outlets. Friends said she had worked
as many as four such jobs and often slept in her car. Reuters identified
her overnight shifts in Linden, afternoon shifts in Newark and/or
weekends in Harrison.
She was a pleasant-faced, 32-year-old woman (you can see her here),
described by those who knew her as a generous, sweet soul and a huge
fan of the late Michael Jackson. Her death is an obscenity and as brutal
in its own way as any I’ve ever heard about. Brutal, because the first
reaction you’ll hear from the typical repugican, given her surname of
Fernandes; “was she an illegal alien?” For the record, she wasn’t,
having been born in the USA. She lived for a time in Portugal, then
returned to America at age 18. Her passing was also Brutal, because repugicans have consistently demonstrated an indifference to the health
and well being of anyone of a different race, creed or color and
economic strata, not to mention sexual orientation.
Her death is Brutal, because she had to spend her
time working for nothing because Englishman, Nigel Travis, the CEO and
Chairman of the Board of Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc, the company that owns
Dunkin’ Donuts and sister company, Baskin-Robbins, couldn’t afford to
pay his employees more than minimum wage, even given his quote in
referencing last year business successes, “Our fourth quarter was
strong, capping off a great year in which we set records and achieved
major milestones for both Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins,” Nigel
personally raked in well over $4 million for his efforts and has stock
options up the Wazoo. Four other top executives earned well over a
million a year. Dunkin’s market cap is $4.82 billion. So, available cash
doesn’t seem to be a bloody problem.
Dunkin’ Brands trades on the NASDAQ exchange (DNKN)
in the neighborhood of $45-$50. The company’s own website reports 2013
sales for Dunkin’ Brands Group at a staggering $9.3 billion. I’m
assuming that includes both Baskin-Robbins and international numbers. Of
course, revenue doesn’t reflect the final profits, but whatever level
is listed for that number, bookkeeping renders indecipherable. Suffice
to say, this is one extremely wealthy company. CEO Travis, a veteran
international business presence is apparently headquartered in Great
Britain in Manchester, United Kingdom, Travis’ native country, though
the company website claims Canton, Massachusetts as its headquarters.
Back in 2006, Private Equity investors, Bain Capital
Partners of Mitt Romney renown, the infamous Carlyle Group, influence
peddler extraordinaire in playing a heavy insider role in seeing who
gets giant contracts to “rebuild” Iraq and Thomas H. Lee Partners, a
leveraged buyout firm right at home with the likes of Bain and Carlyle,
acquired the lion’s share of Dunkin’ Brands and today still hold about a
75% stake.
There are multiple billions floating around the
halls of the Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. Their franchisees foot the bill
for almost everything in acquiring the Dunkin’ Donuts’ name and hugely
profitable coffee sales that account for the major share of profits.
DBG could pay their employees out of pocket change.
They don’t. They hire poor, desperate men and women who are at the point
of accepting any job out there, no matter the wages or conditions.
Maria Fernandes was one such employee. Federal statistics claim only 5%
of workers are part-time. That’s pure rubbish and a bald-faced lie. Take
FedEx, a company that’s opening a facility in my county. Of well over
200 new “jobs,” 41 will be full-time. Another local company “employs”
350 people, virtually all part-time phone workers pressuring for
past-due sub-prime car loans. Part-time hires through willing temp
agency accomplices are the greatest corporate racket going.
Whenever you hear of one of those multi-nationals
coming to town with all those jobs in tow, I can almost guarantee you
that they’re parsing the job numbers and wages so as to make the maximum
profits off the backs of the Marias of our country.
And yet, in Congress and the vast majority of the
red states, every effort of populist Democratic Senators and
Representatives to raise the niggling $7.25 minimum wage meets with
vicious resistance from the professionals, doctors and wealthy
businessmen who populate our legislatures. A South Carolina bill asked
for a $1.00 raise in the minimum wage. The repugican legislators saw to it
the bill went nowhere except oblivion as did another requesting a bit
more.
Ms. Fernandez parents apparently still live in
Portugal. She returned at age 18 after about five years in residence
there. If there were any way on earth to at least initiate a class
action lawsuit against the millionaire heads of billionaire companies,
I’d hope that some group like those employees who are protesting fast
food company wages could find a law firm with a conscience. A few days
ago, thousands of workers and their supporters protested in 150 cities
across the U.S. mostly in reaction to cheap McDonald’s franchises that
are each making a fortune, as is the parent company.
You can believe the repugican propaganda hacks are
having their PR people working overtime to besmirch the reputation of
Maria. They’ll point out that she spoke four languages and could have
easily found office work with her intelligence. Of course, if she had no
college education, lacking the money, loans or qualifications to pay
tuition, she could speak 40 languages and still not find a decent paying
job. But not to fear wingnuts, your sleaze-balls will dig
something up. That’s the way you slime operate.
RIP Martyr Maria.
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