CANADIAN POLITICS ONTARIO: MARCH ON MCGUINTY: This Friday, April 1, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) along with sections of the Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE are planning a mass demonstration to protest the McGuinty government's attack on poor people in that province. Here's the callout. Rather appropriate that this is being held on international politician day ;). TOTOTOTOTO **Please forward far and wide! All Out April 1st! March on the McGuinty Government RAISE WELFARE AND DISABILITY RATES, RESTORE THE SPECIAL DIET! /////////////////////// Friday April 1st Assemble at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto 12 Noon *Free Meal ////////////////////// New Promo Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guk9jOXeUco On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=178670685510930 Download the Poster here: http://ocap.ca/files/ocap%20april%201%20poster%2011x17lo.pdf Below is important information about the day of action this coming Friday, including meeting points for Toronto locations, buses coming from Hamilton and Ottawa, and a call from CUPE locals to members to join us on the day. **If you would like to organize a contingent/meeting point from your neighborhood, organization, union local, etc – Let us know! ---------------------------- Toronto meeting points: • Jane-Finch: BUS meeting @ 10:30 am at Yorkgate Mall (North-West corner of Jane -Finch) in the parking lot closest to No Frills-Return: 2:30 • Sistering - 962 Bloor Street West - 11:15am *TTC Tokens available • Parkdale: 11:15am @ PARC drop-in (1499 Queen St.W) *Tokens available • Davenport-Perth Area: 11 am meeting at the drop-in at the The Stop (1884Davenport Rd). *Tokens available • Lawrence-Weston Area: 11 am at the Weston/King Neighbourhood centre,2017 Weston Rd. *Tokens available • Downtown-East: 11:30 @ North-East corner of Dundas/Sherbourne *Tokens available From Out-of-town: • Hamilton: 10:30 at 50 Dundurn St. South -Fortino's Plaza (corner of Dundurn and King St. W)-Return is 2:30-Contact Carol @ CUPE local 5167: 289-253-4789 to reserve a seat! • Ottawa: Contact Under Pressure to arrange with rides (opirgrc@gmail.com ) • Solidarity Action in Kingston - Join Kingston Coalition Against Poverty:-Rally at 12 NOON in Skeleton Park, Kingston-March to M.P.P. Gerretson's downtown office-Contact: kcap@tao.ca Calling All CUPE Locals, Activists & District Councils - Solidarity Needed April 1st Day of Action - Raise the Rates Campaign 12 noon - Nathan Philips Square - City Hall - Toronto At our last CUPE Ontario Convention we took an important stand for solidarity with people living in poverty and to fight poverty with our resolution to support the Raise the Rates Campaign. This vital work continues and we are asking for CUPE locals and district councils to endorse the April 1st Day of Action being organized by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and to get the word out to their members about this important event. People living in poverty struggle every day to survive. Since 1995 when Mike Harris cut welfare and froze disability rates the cost of living has sky rocketed, yet the McGunity Liberals have only made it worse since that time by gutting the Special Diet which enabled people to access funds for healthy food. Not only have they made the Special Diet cut, the Liberal's have refused to reverse the Harris cuts and raise welfare rates. It would now take an increase of 55% just to bring benefits up to pre-Harris levels. As CUPE members we need to continue to show our solidarity with poor people. Here is what you or your local can do: • endorse this event • send the info out to your members to get involved • join the CUPE Contingent on April 1st at 100 Queen St., West - 12 noon in Toronto - bring your banners, flags, whistles and noisemakers. Other actions and solidarity events are happening outside of Toronto, please contact us at raisetheratescampaign@gmail.com to get info for your area or to get further updates on the campaign. If you need more info and are in the Toronto area, please call 416-529-9600. An Injury to One is An Injury to All - All out April 1 - 12 noon - Raise the Rates Day of Action Raise the Rates Day of Action Endorsed by: CUPE Toronto District Council, CUPE 3393 Executive, CUPE 3903, CUPE 3906, CUPE 4308, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE ----------------- March on the McGuinty Government RAISE WELFARE AND DISABILITY RATES, RESTORE THE SPECIAL DIET! ////////////////////// Friday April 1st Assemble at Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto 12 Noon ////////////////////// It has been 16 long years since Mike Harris cut welfare and froze disability. McGuinty's Liberals have been in power for half that time and done nothing to deal with poverty. In fact people are worse off today. It would take a 55% increase to bring benefits to pre-Harris levels. If benefit levels were restored to the same level of spending power as they had in 1994, a single person on Ontario Works would now be receiving $904 a month instead of the miserable $593 now being issued. Now as the economy continues to slump and the need is greater than ever, this Government is destroying the vital Special Diet Allowance that has enabled people to survive. The new system they have proposed will provide benefits for fewer conditions and applicants will have to release medical information and face other intrusive measures designed to prevent access to the benefit. Within the Liberals’ own statement about this measure, they refer to the fact that ‘many will not be eligible’, and this is a move to ‘respect taxpayers’. The new Special Diet comes in to affect on April 1st, 2011 and all those who are not eligible under the new program will be cut off by July 31st. (See here for OCAP’s factsheet about the new Special Diet: http://www.ocap.ca/node/940) With no intention of dealing with the crisis of poverty they have created,the Liberals are setting up an 18 month long review of the welfare system to divert us from taking action to challenge them. We don't need a review to tell us we're hungry. What we need is decent income and a 55% increase in the rates now! UNITED WE EAT, DIVIDED WE STARVE March on the McGuinty Government April 1st! For More information contact the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) (416) 925-6939 / ocap@tao.ca ________________ ocap mailing list listocap@masses.tao.ca https://masses.tao.ca/lists/listinfo/ocap

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT JAPAN:

JAPANESE ANARCHISTS ASK FOR HELP IN DISASTER RELIEF:

Since the earthquake and tsunami of March 11 the Sendai Yomawari Group of anarchists has shifted its focus to disaster relief in their city. Sendai City is located on the northeastern coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, very near to the epicentre of the quake. It suffered major damage from both the earthquake and the resulting tsunami which apparently reached 8km inland in parts of the area. About 1 million people live(d) in Sendai which is located north of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster. The following is an appeal transmitted via the Asian Anarchist Network for assistance in the humanitarian work of the Yomawari group.

@@@@@@@@@@ [AAN-Global] call for donation for people affected in the earthquake (esp. Sendai region)‏ Hi friends, We are surviving in Tokyo. While deeply concerning about Nukes radiation accident, We would like to introduce one way of overseas friends to help out the earthquake affected people. The Sendai Yomawari Group has been working on homeless people in Sendai City since 2000. In this time of emergency, they extend their daily activity for the earthquake affected people. Some Tokyo and Osaka comrades are joining them with tons relief materials. We need more materials to supply people. Please support Sendai Yomawari Group with your donation. In solidarity, Risa For Circulation ==================

Call for Donations 18th March 2011 http://www.yomawari.net/donation-2/ We appeal for donation: *Postal order: - Account: 02240-5-66005 - Name: Sendai Yomawari Group （仙台夜まわりグループ） *Bank transfer (1): Bank and blanch: 77 Bank (0125) Hachihonmatsu Blanch (275) Street Address of the Bank: 1-15-25, Hachihon-Matsu, Taihaku-Ku, 982-0001 Sendai-City Miyagi-Prefecture BIC (SWIFT): BOSSJPJT Account number: 5214271 (Saving Account) Name: Tokutei Hieiri Katudou Houjin Sendai Yomawari Group Street Address of Sendai Yomawari Group: 17-25, Bunka-Machi, Taihaku-Ku 984-0815 Sendai-City, Miyagi-Prefecture *Bank transfer (2): - Bank and blanch: Miyagi Daiichi Shin’yo Kinko Hosyun’in Mae Blanch - Account number: 1014823 (Saving Account) - Tokutei Hieiri Katudou Houjin Sendai Yomawari Group （特定非営利活動法人仙台夜まわりグループ） *PayPal account yomawari@medialogo.com

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS: RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE FUTILITY OF 'REVOLUTIONARY CONSPIRACY':

Unlike the Chinese proverb says I don't think it is a curse to be "living in interesting times". I've seen two before, one the worldwide revolts of the late 60s/early 70s and the other the wave of revolutions that toppled communist dictatorships in the late 80s. In both these cases the waves of revolt that passed from country to country were, to all intents, totally unpredictable. Now the Arab world has risen in revolt, and none of the talking heads of any political persuasion predicted such a thing. This is because such things are by their very nature too complex for any ideological viewpoint to understand. No doubt I've "endured" more than 40 years of the pseudo-science of Marxism predicting the imminent end of capitalism, and in that they hold to an old and hoary tradition first started in the 1850s by their founders who laid their bets on an abstract schemata that was too far removed from reality to take account of actual facts.

It's simple actually. NO so-called revolutionary group has EVER predicted a revolution accurately in the last 200 years. That's fine and good, but there is a corollary to this. NO revolutionary group has actually produced a revolution either, if you exclude the armies disguised as parties of 60 (Cuba) to 80 (China) years ago. I suppose Vietnam deserves mention in this category. I'm not speaking here of the seemingly endless nationalist "revolutions" which are an ever present factor in human history and which the three aforementioned revolutions were very much a part of. I'm speaking of actual "social revolutions" that change the class system of a country, and I certainly don't mean only "libertarian" revolutions, merely ones that resulted in socioeconomic change.

Let's take some obvious objection to this view. Did Solidarnosc actually carry out the Polish revolution that overthrew communism ? Of course not. It certainly prepared the ground, but the actual revolution depended upon external events in the Soviet Union. Did the "conspiracy of mullahs" produce the Iranian revolution of 1979 ? Of course not. They merely were the most skillful in the resulting faction fights. Was there even a 'Bolshevik Revolution' or was the establishment of the first communist dictatorship merely the result, like Iran, of the seizure of power by a disciplined party during a revolutionary process that had been going on for 8 months before ? A process that the "scientific socialism" of the Bolsheviks led them to believe couldn't happen.

There are many other examples. Some of them are from the anarchist tradition where a continuing series of insurrectionary attempts by Italian anarchists always failed. This was magnified by perhaps a factor of magnitude in Spain where localized insurrections meant to inspire the masses of people always failed. The result was similar, if you descend closer to the level of comedy, in modern urban guerrilla actions that were either Maoist (mostly) or anarchist and were closer to comedy than anything else. They always failed, they fal now and they will always fail. Risings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria resulted in exactly the same result. It CAN'T BE DONE.

There is a reason for this, and leftists have expressed it at least vaguely in saying that revolutions occur with "a certain conjunction of objective and subjective factors". Marxists are particularity poor at taking subjective factors into account. Anarchists are particularly poor at taking objective factors into account. In any case even the "greatest theoretician" could never predict the occurrence of revolution simply because the factors are so complex. Don't depend on a computer program to do it either. It's the old "garbage in, garbage out".

The risings in the Arab world depended on a lot of things, of which demographic factors were quite high on the list of causes as were modern methods of communication. Still, all the countries involved have had long standing Islamist and Communist groups, none of whom had any part in initiating the risings. Not that either couldn't take advantage of them as the Bolsheviks did in Russia and the Islamists did in Iran. Whether they will succeed in this is a very open question, and personally I doubt it.

What does this mean to the people I identify with, the anarchists ? What it should mean is abandoning any hope of actually "creating a revolution" even if our own small groups were 1000 times more powerful than they are today. What it should mean is that we should make the maximum efforts to diffuse "libertarian ways of acting organizing" amongst the people who are not anarchists today so that these people will act accordingly in whatever unpredictable revolutionary situation that may occur.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS:

I write these words in the context of what may be a "low point" of the uprising of Arab people for the sort of "democracy" that most of us in the western world take for granted. As I write this Saudi Arabian troops are commiting murder on protesters in Bahrain and the Gadaffi forces seem to be winning in Libya. One will have to see how the very belated "no fly zone" voted for by the UN Security Council actually plays out at this late date in the struggle. Certain pundits have expressed the opinion that Gadaffi expects that western powers will eventually come to terms with his possible victory because "they are whores for his oil". Very possible. In the case of Bahrain this is even more so as NO western power would be willing to challenge Saudi Arabia's actions.

Will the Arab revolutions lead to any essential change in the class structures of the countries involved ? I think that has pretty well be answered by the results of the "successful" revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. In the first case a lot of the original kleptocracy supported by a newly invigorated police force (raises in pay ?) continues to rule and attacks a diminished opposition. In the second case efforts by the Egyptian working class have been met by repression on the part of the new government- a coalition of military officers who have financial interests in maintaining the present class system in Egypt MINUS Mubarak.

I most certainly intend to write more on this because it bears on very important questions that both proponents and opponents of "revolution" in the modern world rarely think about. So....more later.

PERSONAL:

SORRY FOR THE LACK OF CONTENT HERE:

Regular readers of this of this blog may have noticed a lack of content recently. I've explained this before as I have transfered a lot of my activity over the my Facebook account. I've been contemplating this for some time, and have posted on it before. I MOST certainly don't intend to abandon Molly's Blog because it reaches a larger audience that even the 2100 + "friends" I have on Facebook. It also a fact that most of the people that I am connected to on Facebook are those who I already agree with in one way or another, ie they are anarchists, union activists or people involved in such things as "time banks" or social justice efforts. THIS blog, however, has the potential for a larger outreach given the way the internet operates. So...don't despair; there will be things here that I couldn't express on facebook or are better expressed here.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CUPW ORGANIZES PHARMACY POSTAL EMPLOYEES:

It's been a long standing policy of Canada Post to remove actual post offices and place outlets in such places as 7-11s and pharmacies. This, of course, reduces costs, as the employees in such places work for minimum wage and have no benefits. Those of us who use the postal service, however, know that the level of service to the public is considerably reduced. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), however, has had a long standing campaign to organize the employees in pharmacies so that they can achieve wages beyond the minimum. A side effect of such organization would be that service to the public would be improved. Here's a press release from CUPW about their campaign..

CPCPCPCPCP
CUPW fights Canada Post's "cheap labour strategy" by organizing its postal employees in pharmacies
MONTREAL, March 1 /CNW/ - Over 2000 Canada Post counters are now open for business in pharmacies. That number is growing as Canada Post continues to open more counters in pharmacies across the country.

That's why the union representing postal workers has been busy persuading employees working at postal counters in Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharmaprix, Familiprix and Uniprix stores to join its 55,000-strong ranks.

So far, the organizing drive has resulted in 211 employees in Montreal and Saskatoon joining the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. On February 28, CUPW's Quebec region filed an application on behalf of 25 more workers at Familiprix. If the application is successful, this will raise the number of unionized postal counters in pharmacies to 51 and counting.

"Although they handle mail and do the same work we do, the people working in these outlets earn the minimum wage and have precarious jobs," pointed out Jacques Valiquette, National Director for the Montreal region of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. "As negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW continue, we want labour standards to improve for all postal workers."

In response to the organizing drive, Canada Post and the major pharmacy chains have hired a small army of lawyers to argue that the Crown Corporation has nothing to do with employing these postal clerks. But CUPW vows to keep on signing them up.

"Organizing is a win-win situation," said Valiquette. "Postal workers at these counters will be able to make improvements in their working lives and Canada Post will not be able to use a cheap labour strategy to undermine our collective agreements."


For further information:
contact Aalya Ahmad, 613-327-1177

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.

HUMOUR:

THE MODERN WAY OF LIFE:

Yet another item from the pen of Stephanie McMillan.

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,

HUMOUR:

HUNGARIAN TOXIC SPILL:

Another cartoon from Stephanie McMillan.

CANADIAN LABOUR MANITOBA:

'MANITOBA MIKE' MAYBE:

American film maker Michael Moore has a long history of supporting the cause of labour, and some of his support has been to Canadian unions such as during the Vale strike in Sudbury. That strike is, of course, now history, but Vale has "rewarded" the workers at its plant in Thompson Manitoba for not going out on a wildcat solidarity strike by...closing down their operations in Thompson thereby throwing 100s out of work and essentially gutting the economy of the town. As Moore says in his blog posting this "economic development" is being financed at least in part by "economic development" grants from the federal Conservative government. Some development !

Here's Moore's well written and entertaining blog posting on this subject. It's nice to see that this province occasionally gets at least a little notice. Please be aware that I do not share Moore's enthusiasm for the NDP, though I guess in the context of American politics even a right leaning social democratic party like the NDP looks good.

TMTMTMTMTM
Why I Support the People of Thompson, Canada -- And You Should Too
By Michael Moore

To people down here in the U.S., Thompson, Canada and its fight with the Brazilian mining giant Vale may seem very far away.

It's not.

(Don't be embarrassed if you need a map to find Thompson, though -- blame the U.S. media, which will only tell you about Canadians if they have some connection to Justin Bieber.)

Right now Thompson is fighting a frontline battle in a war that's been raging for the past 30 years -- the global war of the world's rich on the middle class. It's a war the people of Flint and all of Michigan know much too well. It's a war going on right now in Wisconsin. And it's a war where the middle class just won a round in Egypt. (You probably didn't know -- because the U.S. media was too busy telling you about Justin Bieber -- that Gamal Mubarak, son of Egypt's dictator and his chosen successor, worked for years for Bank of America.)

Here's what's happening in Thompson, and why it matters so much:

Canada isn't like the United States -- it's still a first world country, where corporations are supposed to exist to benefit people, not the other way around. They don't just have universal health care -- they even have something called the Investment Canada Act, which says multinationals like Vale can only invest in Canadian industries if it will benefit all of Canada. I know, crazy!

The mine in Thompson used to be run by Inco, a Canadian corporation that made peace with unions and shared the wealth. When Vale bought Inco in 2006, they signed a contract with the government setting out what they would do to benefit Canadians.

Immediately afterward, Vale violated the contract and went on the attack -- forcing miners in Sudbury, Ontario out on the longest strike in their history. And now in Thompson they're trying to shut down the smelting and refining operations that have made the city a major economic hub of the province. Meanwhile, the Conservative government of Stephen Harper -- think of George W. Bush with a Canadian accent -- is actually helping Vale do this to their fellow citizens, with a giant $1 billion government loan which Vale is using to move jobs out of Thompson. Moreover, the largest institutional investor in Vale is Blackrock, an investment firm which in turn is owned by several of America's bailed-out banks ... including Bank of America.

So this is about one thing and one thing only: killing the social contract of Canada. Vale and the Harper government don't want a future where Brazil gradually becomes more like Canada. Instead, they want a future where Canada becomes Brazil. And not just Canada: the corporations' plan is that the Third World will become the Only World.

That's why people everywhere need to support Thompson. As Niki Ashton -- the MP who represents Thompson and the second-youngest woman ever elected to the Canadian Parliament -- says: "It Was Flint Yesterday, It's Us and Wisconsin Today, and Tomorrow It's Going to Be Everyone."

And that's why I'm proud to feature Ashton and voices of the people of Thompson on my website. And it's why I'm asking you to watch their powerful video, hear their stories, and share them with everyone you know.

Regular people across the world are standing up right now and saying "No!" to the future they have planned for us. We won in Egypt. We're waking up and fighting back across the U.S. Let's all stand with Thompson and make it the place where we turn the tide in this awful war. As Kamal Abbas, one of Egypt's most important union leaders, said in a video message to Wisconsin: "We stand with you, as you stood with us."

(Confidential to people of Thompson: we're not saying Americans will only help if you promise to introduce us to Justin Bieber. We're just saying, you know, it couldn't hurt.)

HUMOUR:

LOOK WHO'S TALKING:

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG

NO MEANS NO RALLY THIS FRIDAY:

A recent decision by Judge Robert Dewar has aroused a lot of ire here in Manitoba. The basic story is that the judge allowed a convicted rapist to serve a two year conditional sentence because the "attire" of the woman involved "provoked" him to assume that "sex was in the air". Love those wind currents. Here is a call for a demonstration outside the Manitoba Law Courts Building to protest the idea behind this sentence.

LELELELELELE
Judge Dewar: No Means No! Rally
Information about the Rally:

Who: Campus and Community Women’s Centres
What: Rally against Judge Robert Dewar’s rape case ruling
Where: Manitoba Law Courts Building
When: Noon, Friday, February 25, 2011
Why: Judge Dewar said: "inviting circumstances" and survivor’s attire make rapist less morally responsible for rape.

Everyone is more than welcome to bring your own signs with your own message but there will be signs available at the rally.

Please spread the word about this event to everyone you know. There is also an event created for the rally through this facebook group that can be shared.

In order to show your support please change your facebook profile to the no means no picture and change your facebook status to express your views on Judge Dewar's ruling.

CANADIAN LABOUR ST JOHN NEW BRUNSWICK:

MOOSEHEAD BREWERY LOCK OUT WORKERS:

While I am not really a fan of Moosehead Beer there are many who are. Thus the following may mean a shortage of your favourite social lubricant. Too bad, but they really should treat their workers better. Here's the story from the CBC.

MHMHMHMHMH
Moosehead locks out 172 Saint John workers
New Brunswick Union employees say contract talks broke down Saturday night
Strike threatens Moosehead beer supply

About 170 workers are picketing outside Moosehead Breweries saying that the Saint John-based company locked them out over a contract dispute.

The workers, who are members of the New Brunswick Union, say they were given notice by the company after contract negotiations broke down on Saturday night, that they would be locked out on Monday morning.

When workers showed up for the evening shift on Sunday night at 11 p.m., their entry cards were not working.

Luke Coleman, vice president of the union, said the company surprised them with 24-hour lockout notice.

"We remain committed to getting a deal. The company is the one that has chosen to break this off and put us on the streets," Coleman said.

The contract ended on Dec. 31 and the two sides had been in negotiations since that time.

Workers say the main issue in the contract dispute is retirement benefits.

The union and management were not that far apart when talks broke down, according to the workers.

Joel Levesque, a Moosehead spokesman, said it was the union that walked away from the bargaining table on Saturday night.

He said the two sides agree on the principal sticking point being retirement benefits.

Moosehead now pays all of the costs of its retirees' prescription drug benefits.

Levesque said the company is asking retirees to pay 30 per cent of the cost of benefits, such as prescription drugs.

"In recent years, as everyone knows, the costs of drugs in particular has escalated astronomically," he said.

Despite the contract dispute, Levesque said he believes the two sides are close to reaching a settlement.

"We truly don't think we're that far away from a resolution," he said.

"There are many ways of approaching the issue of post-retirement benefits and we had a number of different scenarios on the table."

Beer still in storage
Moosehead workers are holding up vehicles heading into the facility.

The union members say an unusual amount of beer was taken out of the facility last week.

As of Monday Moosehead is not making beer in New Brunswick.

The company says it has plenty of beer in storage. But the union members are pretty sure Moosehead won't be able to resume production without them.

Moosehead Breweries is Canada's third-largest brewer.

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/

HUMOUR:

MCDONALD'S MICROSCOPIC CUSTOMERS GIVE A THUMBS DOWN:

Yet another item from Stephanie Mcmillan.

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

HUMOUR:

EVOLUTION IN ACTION:

AMERICAN LABOUR:

SOLIDARITY RALLIES IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS ACROSS THE USA:

In recent days the State of Wisconsin has seen what may be the most significant labour rebellion in decades as tens of thousands protest and even invade and occupy the state legislature to express their opposition to the recent bill that proposes to basically abolish collective bargaining for public employees. Wisconsin, however, is not the only state in the union that is attempting to unload its fiscal crisis onto the backs of its employees. Thus solidarity rallies are being called nationwide to oppose this attack on working people. Here's news item from Jobs With Justice about the scope of these rallies.

ALALALALALAL

Worker Solidarity Growing: Wisconsin to IN, OH and Beyond‏
In this still-struggling economy, our country needs one thing: more good jobs. But instead of focusing on finding ways to create good jobs, politicians have turned their attention to political payback to the corporate CEOs who spent more than $1 billion on the November elections.

In states across the country, workers are fighting back against corporate-backed lawmakers who are trying to use state budget problems as an excuse to gut workers’ rights and benefits, when in fact it was Wall Street’s gambles and broken promises that have hurt taxpayers and the middle class—not workers. CEOs are trying to shift the blame for high unemployment and rising poverty levels away from themselves and onto workers and our unions.


But we won't let that happen. Workers across the country -- from Wisconsin to Indiana, Ohio, and beyond -- are fighting back.

In Wisconsin, workers, students, community, and faith have joined together to stage massive protests this week against Governor Walker’s budget proposal which would gut collective bargaining rights for 200,000 public workers. Tens of thousands of people are putting their everyday lives on hold to stand in solidarity. Student Labor Action Project activists in Wisconsin have been mobilizing on a daily basis to the capitol.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
**Beginning Monday, workers, students, faith leaders, and community allies will be holding solidarity rallies in their own states. Plan your own action, or contact your local JwJ coalition to find out if there is already an action planned in your area.
**Thousands of people are changing their facebook status to say, “Today I stand with in solidarity with the teachers, firefighters, nurses, and all public workers who are fighting for their rights. If you do too, change this to your status for the rest of the day.”
**The Student Labor Action Project is organizing a March 2nd Public Need vs Corporate Greed Day of Action. Stay tuned for more details on these actions in days to come.
**In Ohio, working people are also fighting a repeal of collective bargaining rights for the teachers, firefighters, nurses, and other public servants who provide vital services in our communities. Yesterday, thousands of people, including members of Columbus and Toledo JwJ, converged on the capitol to rally against Senate Bill 5. JwJ coalitions throughout the state, including Cleveland and Columbus, are gearing up for more actions in the coming weeks, including more actions at the capitol, vigils, town hall meetings, and rallies in key cities.
**In Indiana, working people are fighting several anti-worker bills, including so-called "Right to Work" legislation that makes it easier for companies to lower wages and cut benefits. JwJ coalitions across the state have been taking action at the state house and holding hearings and press conferences. They're gearing up for a hearing on Right to Work and visits to the state house every day next week.
In other states across the country, including Maine, Florida, and Missouri, JwJ coalitions are fighting back against anti-worker legislation ranging from Right to Work to corporate tax breaks to fighting to keep the state's minimum wage.

Make no mistake - these attacks on working people aren’t about balancing any budget – they’re about corporate CEOs using politicians to make sure that nothing gets in the way of their ability to bring home huge paychecks and even bigger bonuses.

CEOs know that workers united through unions are one of the few remaining protections workers have from unchecked corporate greed. They want to weaken or eliminate unions so that the voices of all workers are weakened.

Corporations want to control how our communities spend money. They want to cut public sector jobs instead of closing tax loopholes, privatize pubic sector jobs so that they can profit, and do away with agreements that ensure government contractors pay decent wages and don’t cut corners on safety. Meanwhile, politicians are asking working people to sacrifice vital public services like firefighters, teachers, and nurses so that they can give tax breaks, bailouts, and tax loopholes to corporations and CEOs.

These CEOs may have more money than we do, but we have strength in numbers. We need to come together to curb unchecked corporate power and restore the balance to our politics. It’s time for politicians to come together to create real solutions to the problems that are facing ordinary Americans.

At a time of record economic inequality, these laws that direct more money to corporations will only widen the gap between the wealthy and the poor, enriching a lucky few while forcing more people into poverty. Who will control our communities: working people or corporations?

HUMOUR:

WHY LEAVE A JOB HALF DONE:

Here's another winning item from the pen of Stephanie McMillan.