INTERNATIONAL LABOUR

INSIDE WALMART:

The following series of documentaries has been brought to Molly's attention via the site of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more on Wal-Mart see Wake Up Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart Watch and Wal-Mart Workers Canada. Here's the video show....

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ABOUT THE SHOW:
More
Five years ago CNBC's David Faber took an unprecedented look inside the world's largest retailer. Since then, much has changed. A brutal onslaught of lawsuits, intense criticism and a plummeting stock price have resulted in re-invention at the largest company in the world. Today there’s new leadership at the top, major store renovations and a new found focus on environmentally friendly policies.

So far, it looks like Walmart’s new image campaign is working. While many companies are cutting back or going bankrupt in the midst of recession, Walmart continues to grow -- outperforming its major competitors.

But are the changes Walmart has undergone substantial ones… or merely slick public relations ploys? And what challenges does the giant retailer face as it continues its aggressive expansion?

CNBC's Emmy Award winning anchor and reporter David Faber investigates The New Age of Walmart.
INSIDE WALMART

*** The World's Largest Retailer

Walmart is the nation’s largest employer with 1.4 million workers in the U.S. and up to 30-thousand new hires annually. But the company’s low-cost operating model may be threatened by proposed legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize. A store in Miami may possibly become the first unionized Walmart in the U.S.
One on One with CEO Mike Duke

*** Walmart’s Extreme Makeover

Walmart discovered it had a big problem: it was losing up to 8% of its customers as a result of negative publicity. The giant retailer undertook an extreme makeover of its public image and its stores.
Walmart’s full scale overhaul

*** Expansion Controversy

Walmart has more than 4,200 U.S. stores and continues to expand. Often, residents are bitterly divided over what a new Walmart will mean to their community. As powerful as Walmart is, community protests can still delay plans to open a new store for years or kill a project entirely.
A Town Divided – Ellenville, NY

*** Going Global in China

China’s robust economy, growing wealth and a marketplace of 1.2 billion people present a huge opportunity for companies looking to expand, and Walmart is taking notice. There are more than 250 Walmart stores in China, and that figure could one day surpass the number of stores in the U.S.
Take a tour with the new head of Walmart International, Doug McMillon
WEB EXTRAS:

***Scouting Expedition

Have you ever wondered how Walmart decides where to build a new store? CNBC joined one of the company teams that secretly traverse the country -- and the world -- looking for new places to plant the Walmart flag.
The search for the next Walmart

****Walmart’s CEO Mike Duke

59-year old Mike Duke is the fourth CEO in Walmart’s 47-year history and made his debut at the company’s 2009 annual meeting. Duke believes Walmart is the “largest family in the world." CEO Mike Duke takes David Faber inside Walmart

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Meanwhile, here's another item from the CBC about the final court decision about Wal-mart`s decision to close their store in Jonquière Québec because their employees decided to unionize. All that I can say is that the `compensation`should be as high as possible. In criminal law- which this should be - it`s called the 'deterrence effect' on sentencing.

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Wal-Mart loses Quebec Labour Board ruling:
CBC News
Former employees at a Wal-Mart store in Jonquière, Que., could be compensated for having lost their jobs after a decision to unionize.

The Quebec Labour Relations Board ruled Tuesday it was illegal for Wal-Mart to lay off 190 workers in April 2005, shortly after they sought union accreditation.

In his ruling, arbitrator Jean-Guy Ménard said the company had not justified its decision to dismiss its employees.

Ménard said Article 59 of Quebec's labour code protects the rights and working conditions of employees following their request for union accreditation.

United Food and Commercial Workers union local 503 president André Dumas welcomed the ruling.

"It shows [Wal-Mart] is ready to take whatever it needs to get the union out of one of its stores," Dumas said.

Though most of the former Wal-Mart employees have found new jobs, Dumas said it took some of them months to do so — one person still has not found work.
Wal-Mart disputes ruling
The company has already confirmed it will appeal the arbitrator's ruling.

"If Wal-Mart had just wanted to close the store … that store would have closed from the moment that it became certified by the union — but that's not what happened," said Andrew Pelletier, Wal-Mart Canada's vice-president of corporate affairs.

The employees received union accreditation in Aug. 2004, but Pelletier said the store only closed eight months later. (That`s actually fast for a managerial bureaucracy the size of Wal-mart-Molly )

Wal-Mart initiated multiple bargaining sessions after the accreditation, Pelletier said.
However, he said there was "no way" the already struggling store could meet the union's demands. ( Yeah, I'm sure- Molly )

CANADIAN POLITICS/INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

AFGHANISTAN AND CANADA:

The following announcement is from the Canadian anti-militarist group CeaseFire.ca . They have a new book out, 'Afghanistan and Canada'. Canadians generally like to feel oh-so-superior to Americans, but our actions, as mercenaries for the American Empire, in the seemingly endless Afghan war have been less than exemplary. Read all about it. Here's the announcement.

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New Book: Afghanistan and Canada:

Contributions by Tariq Ali, Peggy Mason, Walter Dorn, Stephen Cornish, Murray Dobbin, Linda McQuaig, and others

I am very pleased to tell you that a new book is available that examines positive alternatives to the terrible war in Afghanistan.

My co-editor, Lucia Kowaluk, and I asked writers and experts from across Canada to give us their analysis of the war, and suggest how Canada can best work to bring peace to this troubled country.

The result is Afghanistan and Canada: Is There an Alternative to War? (Black Rose Books, 2009).

I have signed several copies, which I want to make available to you.

I know that you will enjoy the contributions by Michael Neuman, Murray Dobbin, D’Abord Solidaires, John W. Warnock, Tariq Ali, Échec à la Guerre, Stephen Cornish, Linda McQuaig, Ira Basen, Ligue des droits et libertés, Richard Preston, Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims, Asad Ismi, Rose Marie Whalley, John Foster, A. Walter Dorn, Pierre Beaudet, Claude Castonguay, Richard Preston, Peggy Mason, and many others.

We have opened a section of Ceasefire.ca called Ceasefire.ca Gear, where you can pick up great other great books, Ceasefire.ca pins, and even campaign tools.

I hope you enjoy it.

In peace,

Steven Staples, Ceasefire.ca

P.S. If you live in the Ottawa region, we are hosting a book launch on Friday, October 2. Please join us.

CANADIAN POLITICS-VANCOUVER:

VANCOUVER-SALLY ANN VERSUS SEX TRADE WORKERS:

There's quite a little storm brewing up out on the west coast as the Salvation Army is being taken to task by the Sex Industry Worker Safety Action Group. As the 2010 Winter Olympics approach it is expected that, like most other high profile sporting events across the world, there will be an influx of sex trade workers hoping to take advantage of the opportunity. Some (most) will indeed be exploited by various sorts of pimps, and all be be exposed to possible violence from their customers. The nature of the dispute detailed in an article from the Vancouver Sun below is whether ads that have been posted by the Salvation Army are or are not offensive to those people who work in the sex trade. Molly has to admit that she has trouble in 'taking a side' on this issue. The ads indeed are monumentally useless, at least as useless as the 'weekend of prayer' that Sally Ann proposes as part of its campaign. I seriously doubt that any imagery, no matter how graphic, will tell anybody anything about this issue that they don't know already. Neither will it influence anybody in any part of the equation of this matter to act any differently at all. Unless, of course, it more of less actually encourages those who have violent tendencies to act out against sex trade workers. That, unfortunately is a possibility. On the other hand the 'Safety Action group' is actually a social workerish collection more or less set up by the Vancouver City Police, and its motives are equally suspect as those of the Sally Ann. If there is any solution at all it lies in the dual actions of legalizing prostitution and of actually forming unions of sex trade workers. Such unions actually exist in numerous cities across North America and in Europe. They are even present in parts of the 'Third World'. Their success level varies of course, but they are a much better alternative than throwing more money at head shrinking prostitutes. Anyways, here's the article.

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Sex trade workers decry Salvation Army posters:
Graphic images wrongly portray them as slaves, they say
By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun

Sex trade workers are decrying a Salvation Army campaign against human trafficking that depicts them as slaves and victims of brutal violence.

The “Truth Isn’t Sexy” campaign, developed and launched last year by Mercer Creative, has started to raise the ire of sex workers, who say they are appalled at graphic images of women being throttled or having their heads bashed against a sidewalk.

The images can be seen around Metro Vancouver on billboards, in public washrooms and on transit shelters.

“[Sex workers] are raising some concerns over the fact the campaign perpetuates the myth of sex workers being slaves,” said Tamara O’Doherty, of the Sex Industry Worker Safety Action Group.

“They’re traumatized. ... For some of these people who work on the streets, they do experience violence,” O’Doherty said. ( And do such ads have either no effect or do they actually encourage such violence-Molly )

The Salvation Army acknowledged the images are graphic but said the campaign is designed to tell the true stories of sexual trafficking victims.

Spokesman Brian Venables said the campaign wasn’t aimed at all sex trade workers, but rather those who were kidnapped or brought into Vancouver against their will.

“When we came together to create this we decided first and foremost it had to be the truth,” he said.

“It’s about people who don’t have that liberty any more; they lost the right to make choices.

“Yes, the images are violent and for the Salvation Army it’s a bold, bold step, but we wanted to make an impact.”

The campaign is aimed at raising awareness about human trafficking and exploitation ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games, when the Salvation Army says “the demand for bodies to service the sex trade will increase. So will the number of victims.”

The Salvation Army website claims Vancouver is a major port of entry for international sex slaves and that nearly every prostitute in the Downtown Eastside is somehow indebted to a pimp or gang, and thus lives in a form of bondage.

Venables said he hopes the graphic images will help put a face on human trafficking.

But the Sex Industry Worker Safety Action Group Vancouver claims the campaign is “misleading, debasing to women and nothing short of sensational.”

O’Doherty said sex workers are worried about exploitation and want to work with the Salvation Army on the issue. The focus, she said, should be on making the community safer for sex workers.

The group launched its opposition to the campaign on the eve of the Salvation Army’s Weekend of Prayer for Victims of Sex Trafficking, today through Sunday.

Venables said the Salvation Army would appreciate any help from sex workers and hopes the debate will bring them all together.

“This is much bigger than the Salvation Army,” he said.

“We need the whole community. These people are on the streets and they can be a huge resource.”
ksinoski@vancouversun.com

UPCOMING EVENTS-USA:

PORTLAND ECONVERGENCE:

Coming up soon in Portland Oregon...the EConvergence. See their website for further details. Not a specifically anarchist events, but with anarchist input and some anarchist speakers. Here's their intro...

ECECECECECECEC

Economic and Ecological Crises:
Our nation and the world face two great crises. The financial crisis of 2008 triggered the worst economic slump since the Great Depression. Foreclosures, bankruptcies, and layoffs continue as older generations watch hard earned savings vanish, younger families live in fear of layoffs and bills they cannot pay, students despair of finding jobs when they graduate, and immigrants face detention and deportation. Meanwhile, the government lavishes trillion dollar bailouts without conditions on the Wall Street banks whose reckless behavior brought on the crisis, but vacillates when it comes to launching aggressive programs to help those who live on Main Street.

The greatest ecological crisis humanity has ever faced continues unabated. Temperatures rise, ice melts, and rain forests disappear as the planet lurches forward into dangerous, uncharted waters. Meanwhile, well-heeled lobbyists for fossil fuel industries and global agribusiness gear up in Washington DC and State legislatures across the country to stymie attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Northwest region of the United States has pioneered effective responses to environmental and economic problems in the past. A decade ago the “Battle for Seattle” during the World Trade Organization Ministerial meetings sparked a critical reevaluation of neoliberal globalization. Now that this model has been discredited, it is time for us to collectively determine what comes next.

This October, a group of internationally known speakers headed by Noam Chomsky will join academics, activists, and visionary thinkers from the Northwest region in Portland, Oregon to explore the way forward out of the twin crises challenging humanity. The gathering will take place in downtown Portland at the First Unitarian Church, whose ministries have a long history of aiding campaigns promoting social justice and environmental preservation, and at nearby Portland State University.

More than forty environmental, labor, human rights, social justice, student, peace, and community organizations from all over the Northwest have been working together since the beginning of the year to organize the conference. The program committee received over a hundred exciting proposals for panels, workshops, and cultural events in response to its RFP. Each day there will be plenaries as well as scores of panels and workshops exploring how we can make positive changes within our communities and push national leaders to respond more effectively to the economic and environmental crises.

If you would like to know more, or get involved in planning the conference as an individual or as a participating organization, visit the “contact” section of the web site.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

THE LEGACY OF BUSH:

"The evil that me no lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones"

-Billy

The following appeal is from the United Farm Workers in the USA, and they want you to add your voice to the chorus for removal of one of the last evil acts of the reign of Emperor George Bush II.

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Help overturn Bush Administration's devastating H2A regulations:
Comment period ends Oct 5
Early this year we told you about the terrible actions taken by the Bush administration to change the regulations on H-2A guest worker program. The Bush administration regulations became effective on January 17 and have made devastating changes for farm workers.

Thousands of vulnerable farm workers in the United States—including both domestic and foreign workers--have suffered lower wages, lost benefits, reduced enforcement of their labor rights and lack of government oversight. The UFW, Farmworker Justice, PCUN and other farm worker organizations have challenged the legality of these regulations.

The H-2A agricultural guest worker program is supposed to ensure that U.S. workers are offered decent wages and working conditions before employers are permitted to hire foreign guest workers based on claimed labor shortages. But the Bush Administration’s changes gave agricultural employers access to cheap foreign labor with little government oversight.

On September 3rd, Department of Labor Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced a proposal to restore labor protections to the H-2A guest worker program.

It is absolutely essential that farm workers’ voices be heard in numbers as growers will fight to keep laws that do not protect farm workers.

Please take action today and submit a comment to the Department of Labor. Then take an extra step and ask your friends, colleagues and family to submit comments as well.

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/h2aregs10509

Help us fight for farm workers’ interests and overturn these harmful rules.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the US Department of Labour.

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We join the UFW and other farm worker organizations in supporting changes to the H-2A guest worker program regulations. The terrible actions taken by the Bush administration to change these regulations have made devastating changes for farm workers.

Thousands of vulnerable farm workers in the United States--including both domestic and foreign workers--have suffered lower wages, lost benefits, reduced enforcement of their labor rights and lack of government oversight.

The H-2A agricultural guest worker program is supposed to ensure that U.S. workers are offered decent wages and working conditions before employers are permitted to hire foreign guest workers based on claimed labor shortages. But the Bush Administration's changes gave agricultural employers access to cheap foreign labor with little government oversight.

The Bush wage provisions adopted a badly chosen method for the deliberate effect of lowering workers' pay. Many workers suffered a $2.00 per hour wage cut this season.

We support the reinstatement of the job preference for U.S. workers, the minimum-work guarantee and other processes and protections. We also support the effort to regulate employers' use of farm labor contractors who recruit and hire guestworkers for the benefit of employers. However, more must be done to stop the victimization of guestworkers during recruitment abroad. The employers must be responsible for what their recruiters promise.
It is essential that the administration immediately overturn negative changes made last January. Farmworkers should not be forced to suffer another season under these unfair and unlawful policies.
Thank you.

CANADIAN LABOUR-BRITISH COLUMBIA:

FARM WORKERS VICTORY IN BC:

The following announcement is from the website of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). It seems that their campaign to organize migrant farmworkers in Canada is bearing fruit, at least in the province of BC. The following is, of course, an official union announcement, and, as such, it avoids any 'hard spots' about this victory. To my mind is a very good thing, but it will take a great amount of attention on the part of the union to avoid screwing it up, as they did here in Manitoba.

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Historic victory for migrant farm workers:
Contract sets new precedent for rights of workers
A breakthrough collective agreement was reached September 21 between UFCW Canada and Floralia Growers of Abbotsford, B.C.

The new UFCW Canada Local 1518 contract provides wage improvements, but is particularly noteworthy for the protections it establishes for the rights of seasonal migrant agriculture workers to return to Canada under the federal government’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP).

“We have had a lot interest from migrant farm workers in joining the union,” said Ivan Limpright, President of UFCW Canada Local 1518, “and this contract is a huge step forward in providing the kinds of basic protections and recall rights that migrant farm workers in Canada deserve.”

“These are among the most vulnerable workers in Canada, because too often when workers would dare complain, let alone join a union, the farm employers would make sure they didn’t call those workers back for the next season’s work, or just send them straight back to their home country,” said Limpright.

“This contract establishes a real measure of justice and dignity for the Floralia workers.”

The new contract establishes recall rights for migrant agriculture workers (one of the very important things that was neglected here in Manitoba-Molly ), and the union and employer have agreed to a process for recalling SAWP workers that will enhance workers’ opportunities to return year after year.

In addition, when the growing season slows down and a smaller workforce is needed, a process is now established whereby those volunteering to return home would be the first to go, and if necessary, other workers would then return to their home based on seniority.

“Previously, the workers would be ‘repatriated’, as the employers like to call it, and strictly at the employer’s whim,” said Limpright. “For example, we have had cases where there was a slowdown in the growing season and a worker volunteered to go home because his wife was pregnant or there was another family emergency, but the employer would refuse and send someone else home instead. Now, under this contract, the workers at least have some control over their own fates, and this is a huge and important breakthrough.”

The migrant agriculture workers at Floralia are from Mexico, and make up approximately 90 percent of the Floralia workforce.

In addition to recall rights, the crucial topic of overtime was also addressed in the new contract. It had been apparent that when workers developed an interest in joining UFCW, those workers were punished by having their overtime eliminated or minimized. (Another important point neglected in the efforts here in Manitoba- Molly )

The new contract has a process by which overtime will be balanced among all workers, and monitored so that it is not awarded by favouritism nor used as a form of punishment against workers interested in the union.

Other achievements in the contract include:
• contract language that will see workers paid for all hours worked from their start time forward. Previously, workers went unpaid for travel time between fields, which could be as much as 1.5 hours per day;

• The formation of a Health & Safety committee with worker representation;

• a procedure to address grievances;

• improvements for domestic agriculture workers as well - start rates for domestic workers went from the $8.00 minimum wage to $9.09 per hour, equivalent to what SAWP workers earn.

• Improvements to vacation language - a number of workers have been employed for two years of more, and under terms of the new contract, they will be entitled to 6 percent vacation pay with three years service, a substantial improvement for the workers.

• Wage increases set at SAWP rate-plus .10 cents, 10 cents, and 12 cents respectively in the final three years of the contract.

“I want to welcome our newest members,” said Limpright, “and we are delighted that at last these members have a voice and a say in their workplace. This is a big step forward, and should be a strong, positive signal to other farm workers, domestic and migrant alike, that joining the UFCW makes sense.”

"This a great victory for the workers at Floralia, who have exercised their Charter rights to join a union and bargain collectively," said UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley.

"The Charter is not stopped by provincial borders," said Hanley, "so it is shameful that Ontario and Alberta continue to trample the human rights of agricultural workers by blocking their access to unionize."

UFCW Canada in association with the Agriculture Workers Alliance operates a number of support centres across Canada for agriculture workers. UFCW Canada is also Canada's largest private-sector union with over 250,000 members across the country working in every sector of the food industry from field to table.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

FOR A FREE INTERNET:

For those familiar with recent history it is, of course, a truism that the internet began as a melding of the authoritarian needs of the US military and the libertarian needs of the international scientific community Despite the nonsense spewed out by many so-called 'anarchists' in the USA there is no more libertarian enterprise afoot in the world today than the scientific enterprise-decentralist, internationalist, egalitarian, without dependency upon a central authority. And, for those who wish to be fashionable, without any of the "isms" that right thinking graduates of political science departments are taught to consider as heresy deserving of the modern equivalent of witch hunting. Well, there is always the "law of unintended consequences" and in a few short decades the internet became what it is today, far outside of the control of the military and far removed from the concerns of science.

Today there are those who want to reign in this anarchic enterprise, to establish corporate and governmental control over it. Governmental attempts to censor the internet are the merest tip of the iceberg. The real threat to internet freedom comes from corporate control. To read more about this threat see Noam Chomsky on 'Microsoft and Corporate Control of the Internet' and the Canadian website 'Save Our Net.ca'. There are. of course, thousands of other examples that I could adduce. The following, from the Petition Site, is an online campaign to promote internet freedom. I have to admit that it is rather 'empty' in that it fails to identify the enemies of such freedom, but it may still be worthwhile for public awareness of the issue. Here's the pledge that they would like you to take. The first thing to do is to educate yourself about who exactly is the enemy of internet freedom. See One Web Day to sign the pledge.

IPIPIPIPIPIPIP

Free the Internet and End the Digital Divide:

Sponsored by: OneWebDay
The Internet belongs to everyone, yet all over the world, government regulators as well as powerful corporate entities, are making important decisions about the future of the Web. Are you at the table ?

The Web is a vital resource, but many people around the globe cannot breach the barriers to access.

Right now, governments, corporate entities and technical elites decide the fate of the most powerful, inclusive communications platform ever created. They're making decisions about who will have access, at what speeds, and at what price. They're deciding how to invest in training and education in 21st century communications.

Even the principles that make the Web an open platform for the creativity of every user are in question. The global economy is in crisis, and the open Internet is a pathway to economic opportunity. Everyone should have access, and everyone should help in deciding the future of the Web.

Sign the pledge to free the Net and increase Internet access to all citizens around the world!
The Pledge:
I pledge to work to extend access to the Internet -- the open, free Internet -- to all, across boundaries of place, culture and class.

IPIPIPIPIPIPIP

Very nice, but it should have a lot more content than that-Molly.

CANADIAN LABOUR-TORONTO:

INCO STRIKERS TAKE IT TO BAY STREET:

Last Tuesday striking workers took their campaign against Vale Inco into the corporate heartland of Bay Street in downtown Toronto as they rallied outside offices where an union representative from Brasil who sits as a token labour representative on the Vale Inco Board of Directors made their case inside. The token labour rep, appointed by Brasil's social democratic government has, of course, no real influence on Board decisions. It was, however, a good opportunity to bring the issue to the centre of power. Here's the story from the pages of the Toronto Star via the strike support site Fair Deal Now.

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Inco strikers bring beefs, nickels to Bay St.:
Toronto protest aims to sway headquarters in Brazil
Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew Business Reporter
Vale Inco workers are hoping an appeal directly to the mining giant's board of directors will help bring their increasingly bitter conflict to an end.

Brazilian union leader Eduardo Pinto said yesterday that he plans to tell the company's board that it must take the ongoing strike, now more than two months old, very seriously.

"The community is fully behind these workers in this struggle. They are well-organized. They have a lot of will and I am convinced that they are going to win this battle," Pinto said in an interview.

"Vale is getting into a big fight for very little and this may not lead the company to a good outcome."

Pinto, who is a union representative on Vale's board, is also president of STEFEM, a railroad workers union in Brazil. He spoke to reporters in Toronto's financial district, as striking miners handed out leaflets and nickels to draw attention to their fight.

About 3,600 employees, largely at the company's flagship mine in Sudbury, walked off the job July 13 after rejecting the company offer for a new labour contract. The United Steelworkers union is also on strike against Vale Inco in Port Colborne and Voisey's Bay, Nfld.

The company offer would change workers' bonus structure, which is tied to nickel prices. It also offered defined contribution pension plans to newly hired workers, not the current defined-benefit plan.

Vale Inco, the second-largest mining company in the world with operations in 35 countries, said recently it plans to resume partial production at its Sudbury mine, regardless of the strike.

"This is the best thing to do for the business. We have 1,200 staff and employees who are not on strike for whom this provides an opportunity to offer meaningful employment," said Cory McPhee, spokesperson for Vale Inco.

Referring to the rally in Toronto, McPhee said: "We would prefer the time and effort be put into resolving the labour dispute. We didn't want the strike. We put forward a very fair offer that we feel helps the immediate and long-term health of the business."

Brazilian iron-ore giant Cia Vale do Rio Doce bought Inco in 2006 for $19.4 billion.

Workers say that, from 2006 to 2008, the company made more than $4 billion (U.S.) – twice as much as Inco made in the previous 10 years.

In 2007, nickel prices were above $24 a pound as demand from China boosted prices for the metal, used in everything from construction to jet engines and kitchen sinks. Prices now are in the $8-a-pound range and inventories are bulging.

AMERICAN LABOUR/AMERICAN POLITICS:

BANK ROBBERY:

While ordinary people suffer from the economic crisis the banks who have been the happy recipients of government largess continue on their merry way- with little consideration for their debtors and customers. Here's an appeal from the Jobs With Justice coalition asking you to protest this state of affairs.

ALAPALAPALAPALAP

Tell Wells Fargo: Stop the Evictions & Wage Theft!:‏
Belva Davis is facing eviction from her Detroit area home,despite her attempts to pay her mortgage. Deb Johann lost her job and had months of her vacation pay stolen from her, when Quad City Die Casting abruptly shuttered its Moline, IL plant. She and her co-workers are also owed thousands of dollars in health care. They are only two among tens of thousands of victims of corporate crime. The culprit? Wells Fargo.

Take Action Now:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stopwellsfargo/wukd7sdrv7extbm7?

Wells Fargo and its Wachovia subsidiary received $25 Billion in 'TARP' bailout money, not to mention far more subsidy from the Federal Reserve, supposedly to extend credit and keep our economy going during this economic crisis.

Instead, Wells Fargo and the rest of the big "Bailout Bandits" (Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase - you can read more about there corporate crimes here http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/6d_xDw71QBqf/) reduced their lending, increased foreclosures and are paying huge executive bonuses while:

*foreclosing and evicting tens of thousands of people

*pushing people out of jobs when companies close for lack of credit

*charging obscene overdraft fees

*spending millions lobbying against reforms of the financial system and a recovery for the rest of us (health care, employee free choice act, a jobs plan and more)

Wells Fargo is even refusing to negotiate with Belva and refusing to pay Quad City workers what they earned n vacation pay or health care benefits. You can take action on this alert via the web at:http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stopwellsfargo/wukd7sdrv7extbm7?

We encourage you to take action by October 24, 2009

Tell Wells Fargo: Stop the Evictions & Wage Theft!

ALAPALAPALAPALAP

THE LETTER

Go to the link above to send the following letter to Wells Fargo management.

ALAPALAPALAPALAP

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:

John Stumpf

----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

Stop the evictions and stop pushing people out of jobs. You were bailed out by we the people. Your failure to address these concerns borders on criminal conduct. In particular:

1) Stop evicting Belva Davis - and all the other Belvas that need you to renegotiate mortgages

2) Pay the Quad City Die Cast workers what they are owed.

----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----

ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS-NORTHERN ONTARIO:

THE TRIAL OF ROBERTA KEESICK:

Molly has just received the following appeal from the Support Roberta Keesick Facebook group. Further information on Roberta Keesick follows after the appeal. Roberta is from the Grassy Narrows First nation, and her crime was...building a cabin without a provincial permit. I'm not kidding. For decades now the people of Grassy Narrows have suffered from the actions of those who do obtain permits- to pollute their water and to clear cut their traditional lands. Since the mercury poisoning due to pulp and paper operators in the 1970s the people of that small community have fought a David and Goliath struggle against both corporations and government. Sometimes they have won. Keesick has been very much a part of this struggle. Here's the appeal.

AFAFAFAFAFAFAF

Roberta Keesick's Trial Date October 20, 2009:

Hi Everyone.

I would like to thank all of you for your interest in Roberta's plight to protect the way of life for the Anishinabe.

October 20, 2009 will be the trial date for Roberta in Red Lake, Ontario.

Leanne Simpson asked how people can support Roberta and I asked her; Roberta could not think of a way that people can support her. So I am putting it out there to you....How can people support Roberta. Can you post it on this site? (The facebook site-Molly )Maybe even people's reaction will also give other people ideas and also remind Roberta of how many people care about her stand on the date of the trial.

Some ideas for support: Prayers; putting tobacco down, or fasting on that day, drumming singing, rallies, letter campaign to MNR, AFN, INAC, Treaty #3 Office, MP etc...

Attend the Trial physically in Red Lake, Do a radio show for her talking about Anishinabek building log cabins on our territories, build awareness and activism. Write an article of Roberta Keesick's stand.

These are just some ideas I have; maybe you have other ideas.

Again Meegwetch for having an interest in this fight.

AFAFAFAFAFAFAF

Here, from the Support Roberta Keesick website is more information on Roberta.

AFAFAFAFAFAFAF

ROBERTA KEESICK

January 27, 2009

In early June, 2008 news that Grassy Narrows First Nation's demand that industrial logging on their territory stop was met when Abitibi-Bowater announced that they would not be seeking a licence in the Whiskey Jack Forest. However the struggle is not over. While the chainsaws have stopped at Grassy Narrows, persecution of those that assert their traditional rights on the land has not ended.

Roberta Keesick, a Grassy Narrows clan mother, trapper, blockader, and grandmother, is facing charges in Red Lake Ontario for building a trappers' cabin on her traditional family lands without a Provincial permit. She has been a tremendous force in the grassroots struggles at Grassy Narrows to reclaim traditional land and assert the right of self determination. The act for which she now faces criminal charges is part of a process of reclamation and revival for Grassy Narrows where people are using the land on their territory as their ancestors have for generations; it is a critically important piece of the work that is being undertaken by the people of Grassy Narrows to empower themselves and to sustain their families, revive their culture and heal their community-this access to land is crucial for the healing of First Nations, and it is this right that is being challenged by the court with the charges that have been brought against Roberta Keesick.

Roberta's trial date is in the spring(It was remanded to the fall-Molly ), and while she has found a lawyer donating his services, he needs his costs of travel, and filing documents with the court covered. These costs will be approximately $4000. She is seeking donations for a legal defense fund. The assertion of rights on traditional land is one of the most important components of the ongoing struggle for Indigenous rights. This case has the potential to set an important precedent; Indigenous people have a right to traditional land use on their traditional territories. This case represents an example of the way that governments disable First Nations from sustaining and empowering themselves. Roberta Keesick's actions-the building of a trapping cabin on her own family's trap line-is a perfect example of how people from Grassy Narrows are asserting their rights through the straightforward actions of living an Anishnaabe life. It is of the utmost importance that any and all of us who are concerned with Indigenous rights and the well being of First Nations communities, support the grassroots struggles at Grassy Narrows and in other communities and to support Roberta Keesick in her struggle to simply live her life on her land. Please donate generously.

To make a donation to Roberta Keesick's legal defense fund you can send an email money transfer to Leah Henderson: leah.m.henderson@gmail.com With the security question: what is your favourite flower Answer: sunflower.

You can also email leah.m.henderson@gmail.com to find alternative ways of donating (ie cheque, cash etc).

FOR PAYPAL USERS YOU MAY DONATE TO LEANNESIMPSON@SYMPATICO.CA .

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-RUSSIA:
AUTONOMOUS ACTION GENERAL ASSEMBLY-RUSSIA:


The following report was originally written for the Anarkismo website. In the last few days it has also been published in numerous other places, including the Avtonom website in Russia and the A-Infos website. It is important because it shines a spotlight on the recovery of anarchism in what was once one of its heartlands-Russia. Since the fall of Marxist dictatorship anarchism in Russia, like in much of the rest of the world, has become pretty well the only credible radical alternative to business as usual and the rule of the kleptocracy. There is still, however, a long way to go, but the following shows how anarchists in Russia are overcoming their initial disorder and forming working organizations.

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Report from 8th General Assembly of Autonomous Action:
by Ellenor Hutson - Liberty & Solidarity

( Molly Note- Liberty and Solidarity is a recently formed British platformist organization )
The setting of the assembly
Earlier this year, Anarkismo.net decided to send a delegate, as an observer representing the organizations which run the Anarkismo project, to the 8th annual conference of Autonomous Action (AD), a libertarian communist organization with branches across Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine. Present at the conference were delegates from 12 different branches of AD, together with observers from the Union of Autonomous Youth and the youth wing of the Siberian Federation of Labour.







The conference was held at a secret location in the Ural Mountains where a campsite was set up from resources laboriously carried uphill over a 6-hour hike. This was a necessary precaution police attention and in addition provided economical conference accommodation in a country were poverty is widespread.
Report from 8th General Assembly of Autonomous Action

This year I was privileged to attend the 8th annual conference of Autonomous Action, an anarchist group with branches across Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine as an observer representing the Anarkismo project.







The conference was held at a secret location in the Ural Mountains where a campsite was set up from resources laboriously carried uphill over a 6-hour hike. This was a necessary precaution police attention and in addition provided economical conference accommodation in a country were poverty is widespread.







The campsite was beautiful; nestled in unspoilt conifer forest teeming with wildlife, much of it unfortunately of the insect variety. The comrades were the most fantastic hosts, going out of their way again and again to make me feel welcome, introduce me to people, find me translators, put me up in their homes before and after the conference and generally take very good care of me during my stay.







During the lengthy journey to the campsite the comrades were able to explain something of the recent history of Russian Anarchism to me which I found very interesting. After having been totally crushed by the Bolshevik movement following the Russian Revolution, Anarchists in Soviet Russia faced the task of rebuilding a movement from scratch in the 1980’s when Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of Perestroika once again permitted political opposition. This was no easy task given that the number of living anarchists in a country larger than Europe could literally be counted on one hand. The first task of anarchists in the eighties was therefore propaganda initiatives to inform others of the anarchist philosophy.







As in other countries, the anarchist movement has been influenced by sub cultural movements such as punk. The environmental movement has also been a large influence. In particular the Rainbow Keepers, a Russian equivalent of Earth First active in the 1990’s was influenced by anarchist ideas and organisational principles and has been instrumental in popularising anarchist ideas amongst activists.







Coordination of groups leading to the formation of Autonomous Action began around 2000, as an attempt to organise the diffuse elements of anarchist activity into a federation capable of defending itself and coordinating in a more organised way.







Autonomous Action now has around 120 members. 12 branches sent delegates to the General Assembly representing Tyumen,Ufa, Nizhni Novgorod, Moscow, Irkutsk, Magnitogorsk, Novosibirsk, Barnaul, and Minsk. In addition two new groups based in Cheboksary and Kazan were admitted to the federation during the assembly and an individual member attended from St. Petersburg.






Also attending as guests were the Union of Autonomous Youth, the youth wing of the Siberian Federation of Labour, a syndicalism union with approximately 6000 members, mainly in air traffic control, healthcare and public transport. 48 individuals were present in total.







Within the Autonomous Action, individuals and groups must agree to abide by the manifesto and organisational principles. A proposal passed during the conference also requires members to refrain from publicly voicing opinions that contradict agreed AD positions. Beyond this, groups have a large degree of autonomy to adapt their activity to local conditions.







Joint projects and Campaigns are decided through conference but participation by local groups is not compulsory. Resolutions on joint activity have the status of recommendations. The conference resolved several joint projects including the publication of a “how to” activist guide and a national campaign against the Centre for the Prevention of Extremism, a national police initiative targeting activists.





Decisions are made on a national level in three ways: by a vote or the reaching of consensus between group delegates, by conference or by a referendum of members.




Delegates councils are held every two weeks using the internet. Each group is expected to meet regularly in order to discuss the agenda and mandate a delegate. The delegates council have limited powers compared to the conference, for example they are not able to change any rules, or admit collective members or expel members.





Conference makes decisions by consensus if possible and by 2/3rds vote if not. Members not present can send mandates.





The referenda of members allows decisions to be taken on any important issues that come up between conferences. They can be initiated by any group and decided within one month. As with conference consensus is sought first. The period allowed for attempting to reach a consensus is one month after which a 2/3rds majority vote is accepted. This period is shorter than previously as the spread of the internet across the region has now reached the point where all groups have at least one member who is able to obtain internet access. This is improving the efficiency of decision making.





The conference began each morning with physical training. I’m ashamed to say I never found out what this involved, considering that the hike up the mountains on the first day was quite physical enough and preferring to spend my mornings dipping my feet lazily in the river.






The programme then continued with discussion on various subjects often lasting well into the night. Topics included Anti Fascism, Anarchist Black Cross, the economic crisis and training in how to deal with the police.







There was also decision making on national proposals. These were mostly of an administrative nature but also included a proposals for a shared programme of action. There was also discussion of strategy and the direction Autonomous Action should take in the future.





A large amount of the conference was given over to reports from each group on their activity and the situation in their region, followed by discussion and suggestions. This provided an extremely interesting overview of activity and an insight into the working culture of Autonomous Action. I was impressed by the respectful and comradely tone of discussions and the willingness of participants to listen to constructive criticism.







The overwhelming majority of the groups gave significant time in their reports to an account of antifascist and Anarchist Black Cross Activity. The fascist movement in the region is very large although the exact numbers are obscure as many fascists are organised in a decentralised fashion into street gangs.







The neo nazi movement adopts a radical rather than a parliamentary approach and aims at establishing superiority on the street and crushing political opposition as a precursor to seizing state power. The popular slogan “Russia for the Russians” is given effect by regular attacks on migrants. The existence of these movements clearly necessitates a militant response from the anarchist movement. Comrades reported that violence is escalating, frequently involving the use of knives where previously only fists had been used.







Nationally, 9 comrades have been killed by fascists in the last few years: Nikolay Girenko, Timur Kacharava, Aleksandr Ryukhin, Stanislav Korepanov, Ilya Borodaenko, Fyodor Filatov, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova and Ilya Dzhaparidze.







Of these, Timur Kacharava and Ilya Borodaenko and Anastasia Baburova were anarchists, and Ilya and Anastasia also members of Autonomous Action.







There is a great deal of racism in wider society against people from the Caucasus and central Asia which the fascists are able to exploit. One comrade told me that more people would probably be involved in fascist movements were it not for the fact that the soviet years had engendered a sense of cynicism towards political expression of any sort!





Only a few groups were able to report superiority on the streets or progress in preventing the fascists from organising. The more common anarchist experience is of being outnumbered locally by fascists. The level of state attention on anarchists is also high. The movement has political prisoners and many groups had experienced harassment from the Centre for Prevention of Extremism. This partially reflects on the militant tactics employed by antifa but is not wholly explained by this. Although the delegates from Ufa reported that general political activism is distinguished from militant anti fascism and is tolerated locally this experience is unrepresentative and in any case is only a recent development there.







Unsurprisingly therefore, participation in the Anarchist Black Cross is a very popular activity for members of Autonomous Action. Anarchist Black Cross activities include collecting money for lawyers fees, collecting and publishing information about prisoners, educating activists in basic legal rights and tactics when dealing with the police and supporting resistance by prisoners.





Anarchist Black Cross activity is coordinated over the Autonomous Action email list. This is apparently not wholly efficient and some difficulty was reported in obtaining accurate information. A proposal was made to delegate responsibility for some tasks to named individuals but this was decided against on the basis of wishing to avoid the creation of an elite of ABC activists and in favour of generalised responsibility shared by all.





Apart from Anti Fascism and the ABC, groups reported a large range of other activities including, animal rights campaigning, environmental campaigns, propaganda production and movie clubs, food not bombs initiatives and attempts to organise factory workers and tenants and student unions and to campaign on bread and butter issues such as the price of public transport.







Anarchists, particularly in Ufa are also involved in LGBT issues, Russia is quite socially conservative and the rights of LGBT people are not always respected. For example a Gay Pride march in Moscow was subject to a counter demonstration by members of the Russian Orthodox church amongst other reactionaries.





Anarchists appear to have achieved the greatest public support for environmental campaigns, understandably so as many of the projects opposed are harmful to local people as well as to the environment more generally.





It would be fair to say, however, that the pursuit of social organising and campaigning work is often overshadowed by the pressing need for survival and self defence. This is not to criticise Autonomous Action, which struck me as successfully maintaining a decent organisation under tremendous pressure. One delegate, in a particularly beleaguered region reported that “All we do is just hang banners and fight for survival.”





Other delegates commented on increased organisation challenges facing their groups as a consequence of repression from police or neo nazi’s. For example groups may find that membership suffers as individuals become dissuaded from remaining in the movement. This prompts a need for greater recruitment activity and a relatively high turn over of activists, leading to a greater requirement for internal education and training.





Autonomous Action appears capable of responding effectively to these challenges although solidarity from abroad is of course always welcome! The conference gave the impression of a small movement but one which is focused and well organised. One comrade commented that although membership had been steady at around 100 people for the last few years but that the quality of participants had increased terms of serious and self discipline.





All in all a fantastic bunch of comrades! I can only end the report by thanking them all for their hospitality over an inspiring and informative week.
Ellenor Hutson
Liberty & Solidarity
Report written for Anarkismo.net
Autonomous Action's website:
http://avtonom.org/
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RUSSIAN ANARCHIST SITES:

In addition to Avtonom mentioned above there are a number of other Russian anarchist links in this blog's Links section. The following is a quick list, and excludes a number of links in other ex-Soviet republics such as Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia. A general overview of anarchism in the ex-Soviet bloc, including numerous links can be found at the Abolishing the Borders From Below website.

**Indymedia Russia http://ru.indymedia.org/

**Indymedia St. Petersburg http://piter.indymedia.org/

**Indymedia Siberia http://imc-siberia.org/

**Moscow Anarchist Black Cross http://www.myspace.com/abcmsc

**Praxis Research and Education Center Moscow http://www.praxiscenter.ru/

**Free Trade Union confederation of Tomsk http://kulac/narod.ru/mainpeng.htm

**KRAS http://www.aitrus.narod.ru/

**Federatsiya Anarcho-Kommunistou http://fakrostov.narod.ru/





There are numerous other links in the Russian language which are listed HERE at the Avtonom website. Most of these are simply email addresses. Some are no longer current. the interested reader is urged to consult that list for a fairly complete listing as of earlier this year.

CANADIAN LABOUR-ONTARIO/NEWFOUNDLAND:

COMPANY GOES TO LAW IN VALE INCO STRIKE:

It seems like the efforts of strikers to prevent Vale Inco's plans to restart production are having an unsettling effect of the company. At the very least they have made management sit up and take notice. Now, like a scene from 'The Empire Strikes back', Vale Inco is applying for an injunction against members of the United Steelworkers who have prevented shipments of scab ore from reaching company premises (see earlier on this blog). Here's the story from the pages of the Sudbury Star. Stay tuned to the strike support site Fair Deal Now for the latest information on the strike.

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Picketers facing company injunction:
Posted By CAROL MULLIGAN, THE SUDBURY STAR
Striking Steelworkers were ramping up the action at two Vale Inco Ltd. picket lines Monday, as they waited for a Sudbury court judge to hear an injunction Tuesday filed by the mining company against several of their members.

USW Local 6500 picketers at the entrance to Clarabelle Mill and Coleman Mine in Levack warned tempers could flare if a judge agrees with Vale Inco that dozens of strikers have been violating protocol by stopping trucks owned by the Day Group.

Thursday, strikers at Frood- Stobie Mine delayed four ore-filled trucks leaving Frood- Stobie Mine. When the Day drivers arrived at nearby Clarabelle Mill, strikers refused to allow them to deliver their payload. They let the drivers go home, but the trucks have been sidelined ever since.

Vale Inco served summonses against 40 or 50 strikers last week for preventing the delivery of the stockpiled ore from Frood-Stobie.

But the union charges it is Vale Inco violating protocol because the Day trucks were there for a different purpose than was outlined when the protocol was struck early in the strike that began July 13.

Then, Vale Inco indicated people travelling in and out of its Sudbury operations would be involved in care and maintenance and capital projects, said Local 6500 president John Fera.

The situation has changed since Vale Inco announced its intention to resume partial production by mining ore at Garson Ramp and Coleman Mine and shipping it to Clarabelle Mill, said Fera.

The company is also objecting to Coleman Mine picketers delaying vehicles for 15 minutes each, as management, staff and other employees try to get into the mine in the morning to get the operation ready to resume production.

The actions Monday occurred at the start of the 11th week of the strike by more than 3,050 production and maintenance workers in Sudbury.

Serge Savard, a development miner at Coleman, said cars were lined up as far away as the dairy bar in Levack when he arrived for picket duty Monday about 6:30 a. m.

He and fellow picketers held up motorists for 15 minutes each, maintaining it is allowed in their protocol. It was 1 p. m. before the last of the workers were allowed into the operation, he said.

Mike Prevost, a shaft leader at Levack, said most people were cordial. Many stopped their vehicles, put them in park and talked to strikers for 15 or 20 minutes.

"We didn't have to do a thing" to detain them, said Prevost.

Rick Rouleau, a raisebore operator at Creighton Mine, picketed Monday at Coleman because he lives in Levack. He said strikers turned away a full-sized van that did not have side windows because that violates the picket protocol. Vehicles with smoked windows are also not permitted to cross because picketers can't see what is inside them, he said.

"They tell us to look in," said Rouleau, "but I'm not going to look inside and have something fall on my foot or who knows? I don't trust them."

Prevost said Coleman picketers have been slowing vehicles since Thursday. "They broke the injunction, not us," he said of Vale Inco. "We're not going to resort to violence. This is the best way to keep them and this way here, we're trying to get our point across."

Savard said he and his colleagues were warning people on their way into the mine that the work they are being trained for is dangerous.

"There are lots of air blasts," also known as rockbursts, said Savard. Experienced miners know how to "de-stress" the pressure that builds up in rock.

Striker Morley Whitmore said experienced miners "have a sense when it's going to happen. We see the signs."

Whitmore wasn't reassured by what he heard Monday from people trying to get to work at Coleman. Some are office workers, surveyors and engineers training to be hard-rock miners.

"They're telling us what they're doing. Some of them have no (production) experience at all," he said. Whitmore runs a jumbo drill at Frood- Stobie Mine and lives in Levack.

He and the other strikers on picket duty Monday were outraged Vale Inco has begun moving ore from Frood-Stobie to the Clarabelle Mill by train.

Vale Inco spokesman Steve Ball denied that was happening Friday, but later said he was mistaken and one train-load of ore was delivered to the mill. At least one more train travelled from Frood-Stobie to Clarabelle on Monday, said Ball.

Strikers were fuming about that. Those at Clarabelle did not wish to give their names, saying they feared retribution from Vale Inco. But Whitmore and Prevost lashed out at Vale Inco for using people other than 6500 members to load and run the trains because it is their job to do it.

While Prevost wasn't advocating violence at the picket line, he said he was prepared to go to jail for his beliefs.

"I got things I want to do. I want to go to work, too. We were nice at the (bargaining) table. They want to play dirty ball? If the courts turn around and say they favour the company, I'm still out of a job right now. At this point, as far as I'm concerned, whatever happens, happens. If I go to jail, so be it."

Prevost said he would like to see politicians join strikers on the picket line.

"If we're here and we decide to stop anything ... and cops show up and we have a politician with us, I want to see him, I'd like to see that with the cameras and you guys here, seeing that guy get handcuffed with the rest of us going to jail," he said. (Now THAT I must say is a wonderful idea, but don't hold your breath waiting for it-Molly )

Ball said Vale Inco is going to court because it believes "blockading the plants" is against picket-line protocol. So is the length of time vehicles are being delayed.

The company has rights under the protocol to access and exit its plants, he said.

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Meanwhile, out on the East Coast vale Inco is also moving in court against the USW. The following from The Telegram in Saint John's tells how Vale is trying, albeit with improper procedure, to penalize the union over the fact that some of its members walked out of non-striking workplaces last August 28 to protest bad food (see previous item on this blog).

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Vale Inco sues over union 'interference':

MOIRA BAIRD The Telegram
The labour battle between striking Voisey's Bay workers and their employer is headed for the courts.

Vale Inco Newfoundland and Labrador is suing the United Steel Workers Union (USW) and its Local 9508, for "economic interference" with its contractors during the ongoing strike at Voisey's Bay.

Local 9508 members have been on strike at Voisey's Bay since Aug. 1 - shutting down nickel mining and milling operations in Labrador.

The lawsuit stems from the Aug. 28 walkout at the mine site by contract employees who cited concerns about equipment safety and bad food at Voisey's Bay.

Vale Inco says the "underlying intent was to exert economic pressure" on the company, according to a statement of claim filed earlier this month in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court.

It claims the refusal to work was not based on reasonable grounds as required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Vale Inco is seeking damages from the USW, though it did not specify a dollar amount.( Which might be difficult as they probably didn't lose a red cent over the affair. All that was hurt was managers' pride-Molly )

Among the damages sought: payments to contractors whose employees are non-striking members of the USW and who "improperly refused to work" last month; damage to Vale Inco's reputation( reputation ???-Molly ); loss of goodwill; exemplary damages, costs and any other relief the court deems just.

The United Steel Workers - which was served Sept. 8 - has yet to file a statement of defence.

Instead, the USW has asked the court to set aside Vale Inco's statement of claim.

In an application filed Sept. 18, the union argues the Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction to decide whether or not employees were engaged in an unlawful strike.

That task, the union says, falls to the Labour Relations Board, and it notes the company has yet to file an application there.

A hearing on the USW's application is scheduled for late November in Supreme Court.

In its statement of claim, Vale Inco alleges the union interfered with its contracts with the companies that provide maintenance, logistical, catering, housekeeping and security services at Voisey's Bay.

Those employees are non-striking members of the USW.Employees of two of those contractors, Torngait Services Inc. (TSI) and Ushitau Maintenance Ltd., walked off the job Aug. 28.

According to the Vale Inco statement of claim, some of the reasons for the walkout included:equipment safety concerns following the discovery of a cut brake line in a truck (an incident which is under investigation by the RCMP);food-safety concerns following the discovery of an out-of-date fruit cup; threats by a replacement catering worker that he was going to "pee in the soup. (Ahh, it was bit more than that- see previous item on this blog-Molly )

"Vale Inco contends the union "actively coached and directed" its non-striking members to raise these health and safety concerns so contractors would be unable to provide services, according to the court documents.

As a result, Vale Inco says it experienced "loss, expense and inconvenience in its contractual relations" with other companies.

The nickel miner also says it was slandered and defamed by the USW's staff representative, Boyd Bussey, in media reports that the food served to Voisey's Bay workers was unacceptable.

The company has also applied to the court for a preservation order for all the union's electronic records.

If granted, it would require the USW to immediately preserve e-mails, text messages and PIN messages, along with electronic storage media, such as servers, that may contain information related to Vale Inco's lawsuit.

In its application, the company said those records "may be at risk of inadvertent destruction, corruption or modification" as a result of the union's "standard operating information technology protocols.( I wonder what 'protocols' the company uses- Molly )

"A hearing on Vale Inco's application is scheduled for Friday.

Vale Inco Newfoundland and Labrador had no comment on the ongoing lawsuit Monday.

The United Steel Workers, Local 9508, also had no comment on the lawsuit Monday.

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What can be gleaned from all this legal flim flam ? One thing to note is that, at least, the company's pride seems to have been hurt. They obviously are dead set at winning totally, and nothing else will content them at this time. In other words the tactics have been effective, or the company wouldn't be going through the trouble to go to law.

Another thing to note is that, yes it is obvious, the courts are very much on the side of business in labour disputes. That should hardly come as a surprise. Even if the grounds of a suit are frivilous a corporation can strike out at its workers via legal manouevres that end up costing the workers' unions a significant amount of money just to defend themselves. this is one of the ways that large corporations, in general, defend themselves-or rather "attack"- against not just employees but also the general public. It's a weapon, and when courts are slow and expensive it's a weapon which gives the advantage to the larger opponent.

One other thing, however, should be noted. Legal injunctions preventing workers from barring scabs from a worksite would be non-starters in a society in which it was deemed that workers had 'property rights' in their jobs. I've mentioned this concept before in connection with this same strike. Similarily, in a society where cooperative action on the part of one group in order to help another was considered a cardinal virtue rather than a "violation of contract" lawsuits such as that being attempted in Newfoundland would also be a non-starter. While the courts will probably always be at least somewhat biased towards the upper classes they are, at least, minimally responsive to public opinion. If said opinion changes then it becomes harder and harder for them to step too far in the direction of their friends. This sort of change in public opinion is the long term goal of a libertarian socialist/anarchist organization. It will not be undertaken by a conventional political party, no matter how well intentioned. Such parties inevitably become corrupted the closer they come to power. As regular readers of this blog know I have always been supportive of anarchist organization, and the legitimate task of such organization is long term attempts to influence ordinary people in a consistant (unlike some so-called socialist parties who tack on libertarian rhetoric to bureaucratic empire building) libertarian direction. Without such long term efforts each strike, each struggle becomes an isolated island in a sea of class rule, and no flashy shows of militance will change that.