INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:
SAVE ABDOLREZA GHANBARI:

Abdolreza Ghanbari is an Iranian university professor who has been sentenced to death by the regime basically for the "crime" of receiving unsolicited political emails. Here is his story and appeal for solidarity from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start.
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Iran: Stop the execution of Abdolreza Ghanbari


In partnership with the Education International, the world’s largest federation of unions, representing thirty million education employees in about four hundred organisations in one hundred and seventy countries and territories, across the globe.



Abdolreza Ghanbari, a 44-year-old lecturer of Payam e Nour University, was arrested at his home in Pakdasht on 4 January 2010. He was charged with Moharebeh (enmity towards God) for receiving unsolicited emails from an armed opposition group, to which he does not belong. While in detention at the notorious Evin Prison, Prof. Ghanbari was interrogated for 25 days in a row and forced to confess under duress to unproven charges. Nasrin Sotoudeh was his lawyer until he was himself condemned to a six year sentence in Evin prison for "propaganda against the regime" and "acting against national security". In 2007, Prof. Ghanbari had already been detained for 120 days and sentenced to a six-month suspension from teaching and exiled from Sari to Pakdasht. Prof. Ghanbari has no known political connections. He was previously involved in teacher union activities until his union ITTA was dissolved in 2007. Prof. Ghanbari's death sentence has been confirmed by Tehran's Appeal Court, Branch 36 in April 2010. He has since been waiting on death row. A request for pardon was rejected on February 28 by the Commission of Justice in Tehran. It means that authorities are allowed to proceed with the execution. The Education International calls on the Iranian authorities to stay the execution of Prof. Abdolreza Ghanbari and revoke the death sentence; to drop all charges against all detained trade unionists and release them immediately; to comply with the international labour standards and respect the rights of Iranian workers to freedom of association, assembly and expression.

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THE LETTER

Please go to this link to send the following letter to Iranian authorities.

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Your Excellency,

I am writing to you to condemn the death sentence pronounced against Prof. Abdolreza Ghanbari, a university lecturer. I urge the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately stay his execution. Abdolreza Ghanbari was arrested at his home in Pakdasht on 4 January 2010. While in detention at the Evin Prison, Prof. Ghanbari was interrogated for 25 days in a row and forced to confess under duress to unproven charges. He has been sentenced to death for "enmity towards God". His death sentence has been confirmed by Tehran's Appeal Court, Branch 36 in April 2010. A request for pardon was rejected on February 28 by the Commission of Justice in Tehran. I urge the Iranian authorities to:
- Stay the execution of Prof. Abdolreza Ghanbari and revoke the death sentence;
- Drop all charges against all detained trade unionists and release them immediately;
- Compensate the individuals for the damages suffered as result of detentions;
- Register the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations (CCITTA) and allow it to hold trade union activities and reach out to members;
- Stop the harassment and repression against teachers, unionists and human rights defenders;
- Comply with the international labour standards and respect the rights of Iranian workers to freedom of association, assembly and expression;
- Engage in a peaceful dialogue regarding the professional concerns of teachers in Iran.
I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention on this very serious matter.

AMERICAN LABOUR CHICAGO:

SECOND PLANT OCCUPATION WINS IN WINDOW FACTORY:

About four years ago workers at what was then Republic Windows and Doors kept their workplace open by occupying the plant. This led to a reprieve which enabled an alternative operator to be found. At the time there was discussion about re-opening as a producer co-op, but this suggestion was lost in the shuffle, and a buyer 'Serious Materials' was found. The new owner, however, was rather lackadaisical about finding markets, and the factory was once more in financial difficulty. Serious decided to close and loot the plant. The workers responded once more by occupying the premises, ensuring the machines stayed where they are. In the end management relented and agreed to a 90 day extension in which it is hoped a new operator will be found.

The workers were joined by other UE, members and others from Occupy Chicago, and they called the bluff of a group of police sent to evict them. This demonstrates once again the effectiveness of workplace occupation as a tactic to bring stubborn bosses to the bargaining table. Such actions should be much more common than they are today. It is also an obvious conclusion that the most stable and enduring resolution of such disputes would be the establishment of producer co-ops. This would hopefully become a goal for labour in ordinary times and not just when a firm is in financial crisis.

For now here is the story of what happened from Labor Notes.

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UE Occupies Chicago Window Plant Again, and Wins Reprieve

Members of the United Electrical Workers won another reprieve for a Chicago window factory, re-occupying the plant they famously held in 2008.

UE Local 1110 members took over the Serious Materials plant yesterday after being told by local management that the factory would close immediately.

When they were confronted with the same news in 2008, workers voted unanimously to occupy their workplace, guarding the machines at the former Republic Windows and Doors for six days until the major creditor, Bank of America, released $1.75 million in wages and benefits owed the workers.

Republic sold the plant to Serious and workers celebrated as the first sit-down strike in years won a favorable settlement in the teeth of the great recession.

This week’s plant closing came with no warning. The union got a call from the boss that he wanted a meeting, but he wouldn’t say why. Officers and UE staff were summoned to the offices of the notorious union-busting law firm Seyfarth and Shaw at 9 a.m. yesterday.

There executives said they would close the plant, effective immediately. Workers would be put on leave while management dismantled the window-making machinery and shipped it to the company’s other plants in Pennsylvania and Colorado.

Workers would be paid what they were owed under the WARN Act, which requires employers to provide notice 60 days ahead of plant closings and mass layoffs. (The penalty for violations is up to two months of pay and benefits.)

But the provisions typically only apply to businesses that would lay off 50 or more.

Illinois has a stronger law, which requires notice when 25 or more full-time employees will lose their jobs, and gives the director of the state labor department the right to investigate the company’s books.

Management provided nothing in writing to back up its promises.

Union officers—Armando Robles, Ricky Maclin, and Vicente Rangel—and staffers spent three hours arguing with management that the closure was unacceptable. Serious had a legal and moral obligation to do more to try to save the jobs, they said.

“We wanted to find a buyer,” said UE rep Leah Fried, “but they were not interested. They said it was not an option.”

Meanwhile, the Serious workers were building windows inside the plant.

February is not a big time for demand for windows, and their numbers were down to 38 after a recent layoff. Only 75 of the original 240 workers had ever been called back after Serious bought the plant from Republic.


All Out

President Robles and Fried left the meeting with management Thursday and began calling laid-off workers, asking them to come to the plant. At 2 p.m., the end of the shift, 50 workers met to discuss their options.

Robles presented them soberly: Do nothing, or fight—stay and occupy the plant again. Without much hullabaloo, matter-of-factly, the members voted unanimously to occupy.

They had no food, no sleeping bags. Workers and leaders immediately started to phone fellow workers, allies, and the media. They called the local alderman and asked others to alert the mayor’s office. Occupy Chicago came with tacos. Stand Up Chicago arrived.

Workers from other UE locals, including recently organized railroad van drivers, were there. Republic workers who’d never been called back to Serious but who still came to union meetings were there. The crowd inside grew to 65 and outside to 100.

UE regional president Carl Rosen called Serious’s CEO Kevin Surace at headquarters in California and asked, “Do you really want to go this route? If it comes to it, we’ll be dragged out and arrested.”

Fried wondered if Serious understood who they were dealing with. “These are people who won’t take this lightly,” she said. “They take this personally. They need jobs. And the political climate has changed. Now there’s a whole Occupy movement that was inspired by us. We’re sort of ground zero of Occupy.”

Meanwhile, local management called the police. A half dozen cops informed the workers that they had five minutes to decide whether to leave peacefully or get arrested.

They didn’t make good on the threat, but they refused to let the pizzas provided by Stand Up Chicago inside until a local pastor intervened, as local TV news cameras whirred. “Let the workers eat!” chanted the crowd.

The cops backed off but wouldn’t let anyone leave and then go back inside.

By 5 p.m. a crowd had gathered outside. Occupy Chicago started to raise tents, showing how a culture to prepare and stick it out has developed since the last occupation, Fried said. The cold rain started to freeze.

Inside, workers played dominoes and tried to watch the coverage on an old, snowy TV. They had plenty of donated food—enough to share with their supporters outside.

Negotiations shifted when corporate decision makers got on the phone. Management in California took over, apparently deciding they didn’t want a big showdown.

At 1 a.m., a tentative agreement was reached that met all of the workers’ concerns. The plant will remain open, making windows, for 90 days. That’s in writing.

Serious is committed to finding new ownership. Local union leaders are also interested in the possibility of a worker-run enterprise and are talking with consultants who specialize in converting factories to co-ops.

Serious said it had never been able to get a foothold in Chicago and Midwest markets. Workers for years had offered help and suggestions, to no avail.

“We started the morning with the plant closing and ended the day with work and a chance to save our jobs,” said Robles. “We are committed to finding a new buyer for the plant or if we can, buy the place ourselves and run it. Either way, we are hopeful.”

CANADIAN LABOUR EDMONTON:

SUPPORT NICK DREIGER:

Nick Dreiger is a shop steward for the Canadian Union Of Postal Workers (CUPW) in Edmonton Alberta and an organizer for the IWW. He was recently fired because of a number of charges related to either his union activities or his show of political support for the Occupy Edmonton encampment. The following is a solidarity campaign message from the Toronto IWW.

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Please support fired CUPW Steward & IWW Organizer
Posted by MoS ⋅ February 13, 2012

Reinstate postal worker shop steward.

Edmonton CUPW Shop Steward and IWW organizer Nick Drieger has been fired after many years of service at Canada Post. He was fired due to honking his horn at an action near Occupy Edmonton, who were not allowed on the university campus at the time.

His termination was based on

1.Attitude towards police.
2.A ticket for stunting (honking his horn).
3.Being out of his delivery area.
4.Activity on a wild cat strike when he was on vacation.
The plan for Tuesday February 14th is to fill their managers emails with letters of outrage over the conduct of firing this worker based on these charges.Thank you, solidarity, and lets fight to win. An injury to one is an injury to all.

Please begin sending emails and letters to the following people in response to Nick Driedger’s termination.

Wesam Haymour
Title:SPT TRANSPORTATION
Location: 9808 103 A AVE, T5J 2T6
Edmonton Alberta
Email: wesam.haymour@canadapost.postescanada.ca

Brenda Young
Title MGR SHIFT
Location:12135 149 ST, T5L 5H2
Edmonton Alberta
Email: brenda.young@canadapst.postescanada.ca

Robert Mccutcheon
Title DIR PLANT OPERATIONS
Location: 12135 149 ST T5L 5H2
Edmonton Alberta
Email: ben.mccutcheon@canadapost.postescanada.ca

Azam Bacchus
Title: OFFICER OF LABOUR RELATIONS
Location: 12135- 149 ST T5L 5H2
Edmonton Alberta
Email: azam.bacchus@canadapost.postescanada.ca

SAMPLE LETTER:

To: ________________

I am writing out of concern over the treatment of Shop Steward Nick Driedger, who has recently been dismissed. It is my understanding that Mr Nick Driedger advances the welfare and safety of his fellow workers in this role. It is hard to believe that someone as honest, positive, and hard working as Nick should be dismissed, especially in light of the charge discussed below.

Mr Nick Driedger has been accused of stunting, a charge of which he has not been found guilty. According to eyewitness testimony, he was merely honking his horn, which could only make him more visible as he drove through an area with many police and protesters. Also, according to eyewitnesses, he ceased after hearing shouting from the officers in question. The eyewitness testimony in his favour is substantial, and it is disturbing that Canada Post Corporation would find Nick Driedger guilty in advance of the verdict of a court of law.

I, ____________________ request that Nick Driedger be reinstated as a full time mail service courier with no harm to his seniority. I also request that any targeting of him due to his activities as a CUPW shop steward come to an immediate end.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

WORKERS WIN INJUNCTION AGAINST WALMART CONTRACTORS:

Here's an interesting item and an appeal for solidarity from the Making Change At Walmart group.

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Workers win injunction against Walmart contractors
Posted on February 2, 2012 by benjaminwaxman

Yesterday, employees working for two Walmart contractors that operate warehouse facilities won a major victory in federal court. The U.S. District Court for Central District of California issued an injunction prohibiting two companies, Schneider Logistics and Rogers-Premier Unloading Services, from firing workers who participated in a federal class action lawsuit to recover stolen wages. As a result, workers will be able to keep their jobs, which were scheduled to be eliminated on February 24th.

Why did workers sue in the first place? According to Jose Tejeda, a worker who is employed by Schneider Logistics, conditions in the warehouses are pretty brutal. During a conference call organized by Warehouse Workers United, Tejeda said that workers were required to work long hours without a bathroom break and could be punished by supervisors for taking a sick day. Another worker, Manuel Gonzalez, said that workers are often required to work 12 hour days and do not receive overtime. These types of conditions are why Tejeda, Gonzalez, and other warehouse workers joined together to sue the Walmart contractors.

That provoked a response. Janet Herold, an attorney representing the warehouse workers, said that management in one of the facilities gathered together all employees and said that anyone participating in the lawsuit would “be crushed.” The employees were then notified that there would be a mass firing of all workers involved in the case. Thankfully, the ruling that came down yesterday means that workers will be able to keep their jobs.

However, a single lawsuit isn’t the answer to preventing this kind of abuse in the future. Walmart must adopt a responsible contractor policy, which would require any company working for the retail giant to meet basic labor standards. That’s the only way to ensure that warehouse workers won’t be abused in the future.

Click here to sign a petition supporting the Warehouse Workers!

CANADIAN LABOUR QUÉBEC:

RIO TINTO LOCKOUT SOON TO ENTER SECOND MONTH:

In the town of Alma Québec the lockout of employees of Alcan will soon be into its second month. 780 members of the United Steel Workers have been locked out since January 1. Management`s demand...simple "destroy the union"; all new workers hired from this point on are to be "subcontractors" rather than permanent employees. Here's the story from the International Metalworkers Federation.

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Canadian Rio Tinto lockout nears one month
On January 1, 2012, Rio Tinto’s aluminium subsidiary Alcan locked out 780 members of United Steelworkers at its smelter and refinery in Alma, Québec. The company refuses to negotiate limits on contract work.

CANADA: The company wants to have unlimited contracting out rights, and has replaced full-time, USW-represented workers with subcontracting employees, at considerably worse conditions, when they retire. Subcontracted work in the company is expected to increase from 10 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent in 2012. The USW wants to create a floor of 750 permanent jobs at the Alma site.

Use of scab or replacement workers during a labour dispute is forbidden in Québec law. According to the company the site is now run at one third of capacity with the help of 200 "management" personnel. USW has lodged a complaint with the provincial labour board.

The IMF and ICEM have sent a strong protest to Rio Tinto's CEO Tom Albanese; "It is unprecedented in North America for a company to demand that a trade union accept the replacement of all permanent positions when workers retire with contract employees."

Affiliates are urged to also send letters to Albanese (with copies to IMF, ICEM and USW), making their opinions clear. See a model letter here.

Letters can be faxed to the Rio Tinto offices in London (+44 20 7781 1800) and Melbourne (+62 3 9283 3707), with copies to IMF, ICEM and USW.

See a detailed background to the dispute here.

Contacts:

Clairandrée Cauchy, Syndicat des Métallos /USW Communications, 514-774-4001, ccauchy@usw.ca ;
Joe Drexler, Syndicat des Métallos/USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544 6009, 416-434 7907, jdrexler@usw.ca .

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Lock-out depuis près d’un mois chez Rio Tinto au Canada
Le 1er janvier 2012, la filiale de l’aluminium de Rio Tinto, Alcan, a lock-outé 780 membres du syndicat United Steelworkers dans ses installations de fonderie et d’affinerie situées à Alma, Québec. L’entreprise refuse de négocier des limitations au travail sous contrat.

CANADA: L'entreprise veut disposer du droit de sous-traiter sans restrictions le travail, et a remplacé du personnel employé à temps plein et représenté par l'USW, par du personnel en sous-traitance dans des conditions bien plus mauvaises, au moment du départ à la retraite. Le travail en sous-traitance dans l'entreprise devrait augmenter et passer de 10 pour cent en 2010 à 27 pour cent in 2012. L'USW veut créer un socle de 750 emplois permanents sur le site d'Alma.

La législation du travail interdit au Québec d'embaucher des jaunes ou du personnel de remplacement lors d'un conflit du travail. Selon l'entreprise, le site fonctionne au tiers de sa capacité avec l'aide de 200 personnes assurant la "gestion". L'USW a présenté une plainte au conseil provincial du travail.

La FIOM et l'ICEM ont adressé une ferme protestation à Tom Albanese, directeur général de Rio Tinto: "C'est un fait sans précédent en Amérique du Nord qu'une entreprise demande à un syndicat d'accepter le remplacement de tous les postes permanents par des contractuels quand les travailleurs et travailleuses prennent leur retraite".

Les affiliés sont invités à envoyer des lettres à Albanese (avec copies à la FIOM, à l'ICEM et à l'USW), en faisant clairement état de leur opinion.
Les lettres peuvent être envoyées par télécopie aux bureaux de Rio Tinto à Londres (+44 20 7781 1800) et à Melbourne (+62 3 9283 3707), avec copies à la FIOM, à l'ICEM et à l'USW.

Pour un historique détaillé du conflit, cliquer ici.

Contacts:

Clairandrée Cauchy, Syndicat des Métallos/Communications de l'USW, 514-774-4001, ccauchy@usw.ca ;
Joe Drexler, Syndicat des Métallos/Campagnes stratégiques de l'USW, 416-544 6009, 416-434 7907, jdrexler@usw.ca .

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR GEORGIA:

RESPECT WORKER RIGHTS IN GEORGIA:

The now independent Caucasus republic of Georgia is (in)famous as the homeland of Soviet dictator Josep Stalin. Sorta like being noted as the homeland of malaria. Living down to this "fine" tradition the present government of this republic is trying to supress the independent unions of that country. The economy may change but the urge to dominate remains the same. Here's an appeal from the onl;ine labour solidarity site Labour Start for solidarity with Georgia's unionists.

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Georgia: Stop attacks on trade unions - respect labour rights
An iconic example of the potential to build free unions in post-Soviet states, the Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC) is in serious jeopardy of being destroyed. Even as its fate hangs in the balance, the GTUC is the largest and most viable civil society organization in Georgia, with a reform-minded leadership that possesses an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the role democratic and representative trade unions play in the promotion of labour rights and democracy. Immediate action is necessary to combat the Georgian government’s concerted, intensifying efforts to dismantle the GTUC and take over the GTUC's teachers' union by violating international labour standards and actions aimed at starving it of financial resources.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to Georgian authorities.

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President Mikheil Saakashvili
Office of the President of Georgia
1 M. Abdushelishvili Street
Tbilisi, Georgia 0103

Dear President Saakashvili,

I am writing to protest the continuing attacks by the Government of Georgia on the Georgian Trade Union Confederation (GTUC) including the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG). Your government, which claims to uphold democratic values, is revealing its true nature by actively and aggressively working to destroy the basic labor rights of the Georgian people. I understand that the AFL-CIO has filed a Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) petition against the Georgian government due to your lack of respect for international labour standards. I urge the Government of Georgia to take the importance of labour rights seriously and immediately stop the harassment of the GTUC and ESFTUG. Your government should begin serious negotiations with the GTUC to strengthen labour rights and particularly change the labour code to allow for real freedom of association and other labour protections. You may be assured that the international labour movement is united in this call for your government to respect their international obligations and cease these attacks on Georgian working people.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR COLOMBIA:

STOP VALE UNION BUSTING IN COLOMBIA:

The other year workers in Ontario and Newfoundland were "treated" to an exhibition of just how hard hearted and tight fisted the international mining giant Vale is. But Canada and Brazil are only two countries that figure in the global assets of the company. In Colombia Vale goes even further in its disdain for workers and democracy. Here's a petition from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start asking people to protest Vale's tactics in Colombia.

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Colombia: Tell Vale no more union busting
As if it wasn’t hard enough for unions to operate in Colombia, now Vale wants to make it harder. Workers at global giant Vale’s El Hatillo coal mine in Colombia recently organized with the union SINTRAMIENERGETICA and presented modest bargaining demands. Rather than negotiate, Vale has attempted to dictate the process by which the union formulates its demands. Vale supervisors have threatened every worker with dismissal unless they renounce the union. Vale’s superintendent locked one union supporter in his office and threatened him to the point that the supporter showed symptoms of a heart attack and was hospitalized in serious condition. The majority of workers at El Hatillo are subcontracted which also limits their right to organize.

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The Letter:

Please go to this link to send the following message to the President of Colombia and the Vale management:

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Dear Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Vale Colombia CEO Zenaldo Olivera,

We demand that you respect the fundamental rights of workers employed at Vale’s El Hatillo coal mine in Colombia. Vale must cease its obstruction tactics and threats. It must recognize the union that these workers have organized with, SINTRAMIENERGETICA, and negotiate in good faith. The Government of Colombia must ensure that the fundamental rights of workers employed at Vale and those of all other Colombian workers are respected. Specifically, the Government must ensure that companies cannot use cooperatives or other subcontracting arrangements to deprive workers of their basic rights.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IVORY COAST:
FREE BASIL MAHAN GAHÉ:

Free Ivory Coast union leader Basil Mahan Gahé!
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The following appeal is from the international union confederation the IUF.
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On April 26, Basil Mahan Gahé, general secretary of the national trade union center Dignité, was arrested at his Abidjan home and taken into detention. The union office was sacked, and many union officers have gone into hiding. Since then, the IUF and other international and national trade unions, including the Ivory Coast's national center UGTCI as well as the Director General of the ILO, have contacted the government authorities to demand his release and guarantees of his physical wellbeing.

To date, the government has refused to respond, or even to disclose the charges on which he is being held. Basil Mahan Gahé's only contact with the outside world has been a brief visit from the Red Cross.

Act now! - use the form below to send a message to President Ouattara (with copies to Ivory Coast embassies in France and Belgium) calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Basil Mahan Gahé.
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The Letter: Please go to this link to send a message to the President of the Ivory Coast
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To Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast
(copies to the Ambassadors of Ivory Coast in Belgium/France)

Dear President Ouattara,

On April 26, Basil Mahan Gahé, general secretary of the national trade union center Dignité, was arrested at his Abidjan home and taken into detention. The union office was sacked, and many union officers have gone into hiding.

According to our information, he is being held by police in the Williamsville quarter of Abidjan

We are deeply concerned for his safety and physical integrity, and by the government's failure to date to respond to numerous interventions on his behalf, including from the Director General of the ILO. Basil Mahan Gahé's detention is a violation of international law and of your own commitment to national reconciliation, and I accordingly demand his immediate and unconditional release as well as firm guarantees for his physical safety. I will closely follow your government's actions in this regard.


Yours sincerely

CANADIAN POLITICS:

MARCH WITH OCAP AND CUPE THIS THURSDAY:

This appeal from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) asks you to join the 'Raise the Rates' contingent at the upcoming Canadian Union Of Public Employees Ontario (CUPE) convention. This is for our readers down Ontario way.

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Join OCAP at CUPE Ontario Rally: Thursday, May 26th 12Noon‏

Join the OCAP Raise the Rates Contingent at the CUPE Ontario Rally:

Meet: Thursday, May 26, Noon at the Sheraton Centre, 393 Queen Street West (at York - across from City Hall)

This coming Thursday, CUPE Ontario will be holding a rally during their Annual Convention in Toronto. It will demand decent jobs, improved public services as well as a raise in social assistance rates (OW/ODSP), a living wage, and restoration of the Special Diet.

For the last year (since 2010 Convention and the passing of a 'Raise the Rates' Resolution), OCAP has been working closely with CUPE Ontario to push forward jointly the 'Raise the Rates Campaign' to demand of the McGuinty Provincial Government a reversal of the Harris era cuts, a raise in Social Assistance rates to where people can live with health and dignity, and a restoration of the Special Diet Allowance.

We have developed a 'train the trainers' for CUPE members on 'why social assistance is a worker's issue' and how to concretely get involved in the campaign (see here: http://www.cupe.on.ca/doc.php?subject_id=287 ). We have had the chance to meet with CUPE members at sectoral conferences and in locals from Windsor to Ottawa to North Bay and beyond; building CUPE-community Raise the Rates alliances wherever possible. This work is ongoing and we know all too well that the broader fight back against austerity is only just beginning. Solidarity and alliances between poor communities and public sector workers is more important now than ever before!

Join with OCAP and the Raise the Rates Contingent on Thursday, May 26th as we march to Queen's Park and fight alongside public sector workers to defend public services and those who deliver them.

Join the Raise the Rates Campaign: http://update.ocap.ca/node/947

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty www.ocap.ca 416-925-6939

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pls forward widely All community allies, activists, workers, students, Torontonians, are invited to a RALLY!

Rally

Thurs May 26 Noon

@ Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St.

*This rally is held during CUPE Ontario’s Convention and ends at Queen’s Park In the lead up to the provincial election on October 6 there is an opportunity to make a difference in the province of Ontario. You are invited to join members of CUPE Ontario during their annual Convention to send a message to the provincial government.

BUILD A BETTER ONTARIO DEMAND:

1.AN END TO POVERTY: A raise in social assistance rates, a livable wage and a full restoration of the Special Diet allowance

2.PUBLIC SERVICES: An increase in public funding to services like: housing, childcare and post-secondary education to ensure key services are public and accessible for all

3.GOOD JOBS: Strengthen employment standards, safety provisions, sick pay and restore anti-scab laws and card certification

Join CUPE Ontario to send a message about poverty and public services in Ontario. Tell this government what kind of Ontario we want & need!

Bring your flags, noise makers and voice! *Wheel-trains vehicle provided

AMERICAN LABOUR:

BETTER CONDITIONS FOR US GUESTWORKERS:

All across the "developed" world temporary workers, often referred to as "guestworkers" are employed usually at much lower wages and longer hours than workers in the country they are "imported to". Here's an item from the Jobs With Justice group asking all US citizens to support legislation that would extend equal labour rights to 'guestworkers' in that country.

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Support Collective Bargaining Rights for ALL workers‏

Every year, thousands of workers come to the United States via the H-2B guestworker visa program. Under this program, a workers' visa is tied to his or her employer, giving their bosses a great deal of control over their lives. All too often, workers in the US on the H-2B visa find themselves in unfair, unsafe, or even illegal work situations, but because their immigration status is tied to their employer, it is very difficult to organize for better working conditions. You may remember the story of Hilario Jimenez, a guestworker who escaped company housing to expose his employers for using taxpayer money to exploit migrant workers while excluding local workers from jobs.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. On March 17, 2011, the National Guestworker Alliance won a major victory and a vindication of five years of organizing, advocacy, and litigation as the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed new regulations of the H-2B non-agricultural visa program. The proposed regulations would ensure that workers in the U.S. through this program are not trapped in debt to recruiters and do not face retaliation for organizing to become members of workers’ centers or unions. The new regulations would also ensure that employers keep their promises to workers about the type of work, working conditions, and hours they will have, and that if they break the rules they are punished.

Big businesses are gearing up to fight these new rules that would protect workers’ rights.

Support the rights of ALL workers to organize! The DOL is accepting comments on the new regulations until May 17th.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR COMMENTS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.

Please personalize the sample comments below.

I believe in dignified work, just migration, and equality for all workers. [ Include your personal experience/ opinion on why these rights are important for guestworkers and U.S. workers].

The current H-2B program does not protect workers. Under the current rules, debt, retaliation, and a lack of enforcement block workers from organizing and defending their rights. Any time a worker’s visa is tied to his employer, the employer has a lot of control.

I support DOL’s new proposed rules for the H-2B program because I believe:

1) Workers should not be trapped in Debt. Employers should pay the costs of a workers’ travel, visa, and recruitment for an H-2B job. U.S. employers should be responsible for actions by their agents and recruiters.

2) Employers should keep with their promises about the job. Employers should have to comply with their promises about the type of work, working conditions, and hours. Job contractors should not be allowed to bring in H-2B workers. Workers should receive copies of the paperwork filed with the government describing their job so they can defend their rights.

3) Workers should not face retaliation for organizing. Employers should not retaliate against workers who organize and become members of Workers’ Centers or unions. DOL should protect a worker’s right to continue working and not face deportation if the employer retaliates against him.

4) Employers who break the rules should be punished. They should have to pay the workers what they are owed. If they break the rules, they should not be able to bring in more H-2B workers. Workers should be able to participate in the administrative processes to make sure this happens. Workers are experts on their workplace and have the information to help make sure employers cannot continue to break the rules and exploit future workers.

I support the more detailed comments of the National Guestworker Alliance. They are a membership organization of guestworkers, and they know the solutions to make this program more fair for the workers and their families.

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:

SOLIDARITY PICKET FOR BRISTOL AEROSPACE WORKERS:

Happening this afternoon from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

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Solidarity Picket at Bristol!
Time Wednesday, May 4 · 4:00pm - 6:00pm

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Location

Bristol Aerospace
660 Berry
Winnipeg, MB

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More Info

CAW 3005 members at Bristol Aerospace have been on strike for a few weeks now, fighting to preserve. So, lets go down and support them, because an injury to one is an injury to all, and we have to all support each other in this messed up world of capitalism and neoliberalism.

Bring your bodies, your spirit, and your union flags!

The Manitoba Federation of Labour is planning a mass picket at 4pm-6pm, Wednesday, May 4th.

For folks who can't make it out on Wednesday afternoons, we're also working on another picket on the morning of Thursday, May 5th, at 10am-12 noon.

Solidarity forever!

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT JAPAN:

JAPANESE ANARCHISTS CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER:

Since the recent triple disaster in Japan Japanese anarchists have been active in both relief work and in furthering protest against the continued reliance on nuclear power. This April 10 th they are planning a major demonstration in Tokyo, and they hope others across the world will join them. Here is the appeal from the Asian Anarchist Network. Donations solicited at the demo will be forwarded to groups active in relief work in the affected area. The following has been slightly edited for English grammar and spelling.

NPNPNPNPNP

APRIL 10th "NO MORE FUKUSHIMA":

GLOBAL CALL FOR SOLIDARITY ACTIONS AGAINST NUCLEAR PLANTS‏

Dear all,

We are planning an anti-nuke demo in Koenji,Tokyo on 10th April, and we'd like to make it the day of global action. I hope you can contribute to this solidarity action. Actions are run up. More later. in solidarity, -------------------------

APRIL 10th "NO MORE FUKUSHIMA": GLOBAL CALL FOR SOLIDARITY ACTIONS AGAINST NUCLEAR PLANTS

We took a big risk depending on nuclear energy in exchange for creating "unlimited" prosperity. Now we are facing the dangers we assumed. Human beings seem to make wrong choices. We have to make sure. No more nuclear plants.

We individuals living in Tokyo are planning a demonstration against nuclear plants on the 10th of April in Koenji, Tokyo. We also would like to call for global solidarity actions on the same day. We believe that the global response and action will be a significant support for all disaster victims and movements against the current nuclear policy in general.

CALL FOR ACTION:

This is a global call for actions on 10th April. We sincerely hope that you will take any actions together on that day. Work with us in solidarity against all nuclear plants worldwide!

PLEASE SEND US:

Plans for actions and Records of actions.

Please send us the texts, documents, footage, images and/or anything else relating to your actions to: http://410nonuke.tumblr.com/

in strong solidarity,

AMERICAN LABOUR CALIFORNIA:

WHAT IS A LIFE WORTH ?:

The following appeal is from the American United Farm Workers, and it's about the excessively lenient sentence for the contractor responsible for the death of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez. This case has been mentioned before here at Molly's Blog. The basic fact is that this young woman was killed by the heat while forced to work in adverse conditions as an agricultural labourer in California. Reports say that the contractor responsible will be let go with a suspended sentence and a minimal fine. The UFW feels that this is totally out of line with the magnitude of the crime. It certainly is as the penalty for a traffic accident causing death would be far harsher in almost every jurisdiction. And this was not an "accident". Here's the story and appeal.

CLCLCLCLCL
DA plea deal reduces manslaughter to community service
Less than 5 days left to fight this travesty

Time is running out and we need you to take action. March 9th is the hearing for the sentencing of the two people responsible for the heat death of 17-year old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez. Maria died of heat stroke in 2008 while laboring in the scorching grape vineyards near Stockton. Her body temperature reached 108.

News reports state the district attorney is going with a plea deal that would let the accused go without even jail time, possibly with just community service. Can you believe it?

3 years probation and 40 hours community service for the owner of the labor contractor company and 400 hours of community service and a $1000 file for the company's "Safety Coordinator," instead of the original involuntary manslaughter charge?

The family and the UFW have met with the DA to no avail. The DA has told the family he is proud of setting precedent in California by convicting a labor contractor of a felony .

Is that an even exchange for the life of a young girl? What does it matter if the system calls it a "felony," if justice is not served?

I'm sure you will join us in saying “No. That is not enough!” There were laws in place to protect farm workers from heat stroke and the labor contractor and her safety supervisor had the responsibility to ensure they were followed. It's simple. They didn't. Not even the most basic heat laws were followed.

This was not a one time occurrence for this employer. In 2006, Merced Farm Labor was fined for failure to have a written heat stress prevention plan and heat stress training for workers, as required by law. But they did not care. They never even paid the fine.

Please send an e-mail immediately and tell the District Attorney, James Willett, not to set a precedent that farm workers' lives are unimportant. There must be serious consequences. Tell him that jail time is a must and nothing short of that will satisfy the family or the public.


http://action.ufw.org/pleadeal2

CLCLCLCLCL

THE LETTER:

Please go to the highlighted link above to send the following letter to the Disrict Attorney in charge of this case.

CLCLCLCLCL

Please do not go ahead with your planned plea bargain in the tragic heat death of 17-year old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez.

California’s 650,000 farm workers face a daily risk of death and illness from toiling in stifling summer heat. They are at the mercy of agricultural employers and farm labor contractors who many times fail to live up to their constitutional and statutory duties to protect the safety of farm workers. Farm workers are literally dying because of the state’s broken system, which is designed in a way that ensures inadequate enforcement of the law. The laws in the books are not the laws in the fields. You have the opportunity to change this and ensure there a real consequences for breaking the law.

You have the unique opportunity to set a precedent that will make agricultural employers think twice about not following the laws of California and putting at risk the life of a human being. This will only happen if there are real consequences to farm employers breaking the law. The word "felony" is not enough.

The case of Maria Isabel Vazquez Jimenez is hard to accept, because it didn't need to happen. There is no difference between a driver killing someone while breaking our traffic laws and a labor contractor breaking the law and killing this beautiful young woman.

Maria's family and the public ask that you do everything in your power to ensure that these farm labor contractors are sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. Fines and community service hours aren't enough. Anything less than jail time is a desecration of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez' death.

Thank you.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS LIBYA MALTA:

POLITICAL ASYLUM FOR PILOTS WHO REFUSE GADDAFI'S ORDERS:

As the revolution in Libya seems set to extend into a brutal civil war Gaddafi seems intent on an unparalleled series of brutal attacks on his own people. The use of foreign mercenaries is part of this as is his use of the Libyan airforce to attack rebel held areas. One of the more hopeful developments is that many Libyan soldiers are refusing to participate in these massacres. This includes two Libyan airmen who flew their planes to Malta rather than participate in the massacres. To date they have not been granted asylum by the Maltese government. There is a petition on the Change.org site urging that the Maltese authorities grant their request. Here is the story.

LMLMLMLMLM
How to stop the bombing of civilians in Libya‏
Ask Malta to grant asylum to Libyan pilots who refused to murder protesters.


While the situation in Libya may seem out of control, there is a very real opportunity for us to make a difference and protect civilian lives.

Here’s how: last week, two Libyan pilots were ordered to bomb civilian protesters by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. They faced an unimaginable choice: bomb their countrymen or face likely execution if they returned without carrying out the attacks. Instead, they found a third option - flying their planes out of Libya and defecting to the nearby island nation of Malta. In doing so, they saved the lives of untold numbers of their fellow Libyans.

But now Malta's Refugee Commissioner Mario Guido Friggieri and President George Abela have refused to say whether they will give these pilots asylum. If the pilots are sent back to Libya, they will likely be executed. That outcome would also prevent military pilots and ship captains who receive similar orders from trying to save their own lives and the lives of their fellow Libyans.

A grassroots Libyan group called ENOUGH! has started a petition on Change.org to pressure the Maltese government to grant asylum to these two pilots, which will mean saving their lives and possibly preventing future attacks on civilians.

Tell Malta's government to grant asylum to the Libyan pilots who risked their own lives to save the lives of strangers:

http://www.change.org/petitions/malta-save-libyan-civilians-and-grant-asylum-to-libyan-pilots?alert_id=lGtdcCxxyD_JrvHRjFBFC&me=aa

We believe we can win this campaign and save the lives of these two pilots –– and perhaps many other Libyans if this helps to encourage more pilots and ship captains to refuse to attack civilians. If we succeed, we’ll work to spread the word in Libya that no one needs to die when soldiers are ordered to kill civilians.

Malta’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, so public international opinion will mean more to its government than it does to most countries. But winning will take a massive outcry -- and with Gaddafi's violent attacks increasing in a desperate attempt to maintain power, every hour matters. Please sign the petition now:

http://www.change.org/petitions/malta-save-libyan-civilians-and-grant-asylum-to-libyan-pilots?alert_id=lGtdcCxxyD_JrvHRjFBFC&me=aa

Thank you for taking action,

AMERICAN LABOUR:
STAND WITH WISCONSIN WORKERS:


The standoff in Wisconsin continues as the Governor refuses to negotiate concerning his anti-worker legislation, and the people protesting the Bill continue to demonstrate and occupy parts of the legislative building. Meanwhile similar union busting legislation is also under debate in other states as the various governments attempt to unload their financial crises onto the backs of public employees.



Here's an item from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) about what you can do to stand in solidarity with American public service workers.
WWWWWWWWWW
Join Wisconsin's Workers: a Last Stand for the Middle Class‏
You've no doubt seen by now that tens of thousands of working Americans, including UFCW members, have come to the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin to rally, protest, and make a stand for workers' rights. It's no exaggeration to say that what's happening in Wisconsin is of great importance to working families. It may be our last chance to save our shrinking middle class.

Republican Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip public workers' collective bargaining rights under the pretense of balancing the state budget has got working Americans all over the country up in arms. Especially since Wisconsin's budget was in great shape until Governor Walker decided to reward his corporate buddies with tax breaks.

It's the same old corporate greed that we've seen chipping away at the American Dream in the last few years, with politicians exploiting working people while stuffing the pockets of their Wall Street cronies.

But it's clear as the momentum keeps building and the movement keeps growing in Wisconsin that this is no ordinary protest. And now workers nationwide are joining with Wisconsin's workers to make a last stand for the middle class. Click here to find out more info on where and when these rallies are happening, and if there's one near you.

These are families who have seen years of Republican fiscal irresponsibility—and are saying, no more.

These are union members who are tired of being scapegoated by the same old politics—of being told that they're responsible for this fiscal crisis, rather than the CEOs and Wall Street speculators that drove our economy into the ground.

These are students and teachers and parents and nurses and firefighters and retail clerks and plant workers and auto workers and steel workers and plumbers and truck drivers and public employees—these are the ordinary working people that make this country strong.

And they have had enough.

It's not just in Wisconsin, either. In states all across the country—maybe your state, too—Republicans are proposing bills to take away workers' rights, to destroy the unions that serve as the last line of defense for America's middle class.

Click here to find out here what's going on in your state and what you can do to help.

And call your elected officials to let them know you oppose any such legislation in your state.

President Obama was half right when he said what was happening in Wisconsin is “an assault on unions.” Because it's not just unions. The laws that are being proposed in Wisconsin and elsewhere are an assault on all working people, on all working families.

So the middle class is making a stand in Wisconsin. And if we can stop Governor Walker there, we can stop similar attacks on workers across the nation. It's so important that we stand with our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin, as well as in Indiana, in Ohio, and all over the country.

Click here to find out how you can help workers stand up for the middle class and save the American Dream—before it's gone for good.

In solidarity,

Joe Hansen
UFCW International President
WWWWWWWWWW
Here's another proposal to show solidarity with the workers of Wisconsin. From Local 668 Chapter 13 of the Service Employees International Union in Pennsylvania....
WWWWWWWWWW


WEAR RED ON TUESDAY!
Time Tuesday, February 22 · 7:00am - 6:00pm

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Location Everywhere
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Created By SEIU Local 668 Chapter 13
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More Info
Wear red on Tuesday in support of Wisconsin state employees and collective bargaining! Take pictures of groups of workers holding signs saying "We Are One!" and email them to me.
http://www.paaflcio.org/

AMERICAN LABOUR WISCONSIN:

THE IWW ON THE STRUGGLE IN WISCONSIN:

The struggle in the American state of Wisconsin continues as the Governor attempts to destroy the public sector unions there. He is, however, not unopposed. A call for Tea Party goons to show up to intimidate union members basically flopped as the unions and their supporters vastly outnumbered the other side. The Wisconsin unions are also gathering huge support, both nationally and even internationally as this is very much a test case to see how far government in the USA can go in destroying workers' rights. Here's one expression of this support, from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and their General Defense Committee.

WIWIWIWIWIWI
IWW General Defense Committee Statement on Wisconsin
by Twin Cities IWW on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 5:16pm.

General Defense Committee
of the Industrial Workers of the World

An Injury To One Is An Injury To All!

GDC Central • Post Office Box 180195 • Chicago, Illinois 60618 USA

Email • gdc@iww.org • Telephone • 773.857.1090

Right now in Wisconsin public workers from across the state, supported by
private sector workers, students young and old, retirees, labor activists and more,
are holding unprecedented protests in Madison against the utterly dictatorial move
by Governor Scott Walker to gut their collective bargaining rights.


After giving $140 million to special interest groups in January, many of whom
donated to Republican campaigns and to the Governor himself, Walker is now
attempting to strip Wisconsin's state workers of their hard-won right to collectively
bargain over the conditions of their labor under the guise of filling a claimed $137
million budget shortfall.


A similar bill has been introduced in Ohio, and Republican Sen. Jane
Cunningham in Missouri has also introduced a bill to strip state law of all Child
Labor protections.


In light of these increasing attacks on the working class, We, the Steering
Committee and Central Secretary Treasurer of the General Defense Committee of
the Industrial Workers of the World, stand firmly behind all workers fighting back.
We extend Solidarity to all workers, union or non-union, fighting back against the
Capitalist class trying to return us to conditions not found since the Industrial
Revolution.


As our primary mission is to offer solidarity and defense help to any workers
imprisoned, arrested, attacked, or punished by the State in any way in fighting the
class war, the GDC of the IWW is here to offer any and all help we can during these
times, and during all labor struggles.

An injury to one is an injury to ALL!


Solidarity Forever!
Signed,
Central Secretary-Treasurer:
Steven Ayers

Steering Committee:
Chuck Bailey
Eric Zenke
Marie Mason