INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-JAPAN:

HANDS OFF MIYASHITA PARK:

The following is from the Asian Anarchist Network, and it features a melodrama with a innocent park tied to the tracks and an evil corporate villain by the name of NIKE trying to get the deed to the ranch- or at least the park in this case. One of the few green spaces in the Shibuya Ward of Tokyo Miyashita Park was opened in 1930. In 1964 the park suffered its first indignity because of the Tokyo Olympics as it was "redesigned". The Shibuya River was converted into an underground drainage conduit, and a parking lot was built where the park had been. The park was then reconstructed on soil dumped back onto the parking lot. Strange but true. Now Nike wants to buy out the park, and use it as an advertising gimmick. Here's the story.

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Smash Nike:‏
SMASH NIKE

Urgent call for action, protest and solidarity.

Smash Nike Japan's plan to take over and privatise a public park in central Tokyo (Miyashita Park in Shibuya ward) by purchasing "naming rights" from the local Shibuya Ward Council and building paid sports facilities including a skate park, rock climbing wall, etc.. Shibuya Ward is estimated to receive approximately 150 million yen over 5 years, and NIKE, the sporting giant infamous for its exploitation in South East Asian sweatshops, will gain yet another prime location for advertisement.

...And the homeless who have no where else to go, are again in danger of losing homes and basic living rights.

Just stop it.

Time is pressing.

The DEADline is September 1.

The "NIKE Park" project was officially announced on June 11 at the Shibuya Ward Council meeting. Construction is planned to start on September 1. Only one month ahead.

Your actions, protests and solidarity will be most helpful and effective in making Japanese society become aware and raise questions to this scandalous project called "NIKE Park". Please send in your action footage, reports and solidarity comments, etc., to: minnanokouenn@gmail.com .

Today, on July 31, a protest action in front of the NIKE Japan headquarters in Tokyo will be held. And of course, more to come.

In solidarity.

Read and see more:

http://minnanokouenn.blogspot.com/

http://nikepolitics.org/

"NoG8 2009 / Keep It Miyashita Park (Tokyo)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V_FIp1hIfE

"Second Sin / The social cleansing of the homeless in Shibuya, Tokyo"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZJTkhdeZEM

AMERICAN LABOUR:

SUPPORT WORKERS AT NIKE DISTRIBUTOR:

Very few companies have been so successful in the cotton candy world of selling a name rather than quality than the Nike Corporation. Nike has tried to distance itself from its image of being a sweatshop buyer from shops abroad, but in the USA itself its supply chain leaves much to be desired in terms of fairness to labour. Here's the story of one such instance from the American Rights at Work group, and what you can do to help out the workers affected.

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Nike turns a blind eye:‏
From:
Liz Cattaneo,

American Rights at Work

(action@americanrightsatwork.org )
For mega-retailer Nike, workers' rights are taking a back seat to holiday profits.
This holiday, take a stand for the truckers who help keep Nike running!

When it comes to protecting workers' rights, it's time for Nike to stop talking about it and just do it.

Nike is one of the world's largest retailers – raking in billions in profits – but the truckers who haul all their sneakers to JCPenney say they have faced unfair working conditions including intimidation during contract negotiations and rising healthcare premiums.

Nike won't join other leading retailers in defending these workers, but you can.
Stand up for the drivers who ship for Nike – demand fairness TODAY!

Over 500 employees of Oak Harbor Freight Lines – the company that ships merchandise for Nike and Ralph Lauren to JCPenney – are on strike.

They're taking a stand against on-the-job abuses, including an outrageous proposal to cancel health coverage for retired employees, cut paid sick days and overtime pay for current employees, and reduce pension benefits.

But rather than negotiate in good faith, this shipping company has hired a notorious strike-breaking firm to strong-arm workers into giving up. What's more, the subcontractor reportedly recruited disadvantaged drivers from the south as replacement workers, promising them high wages and stable employment, then fired them when local employees became available.

Nike pretends to be an advocate for workers' rights – working hard to shed its association with sweatshops abroad – but hasn't stood up for these American drivers.
Show Nike that protecting America's workers is the right thing to do this holiday season. Take action today!
Thanks for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Liz Cattaneo

American Rights at Work

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/

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WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Nike management.

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THE LETTER:

As an activist who cares about the way a company treats its employees, I wanted to let you know how upset I was to hear how the company that ships Nike's merchandise to JCPenney, Oak Harbor Freight Lines, has been treating its striking workers.

Rather than respond to employee concerns by negotiating in good faith, Oak Harbor has chosen to import teams of professional strikebreakers to coerce and scare loyal long-time employees.




People should be able to work in an atmosphere free of bullying, harassment and fear.




More and more, employers understand the value and importance of fair and respectful labor practices. Other Oak Harbor customers have chosen to respect the rights of these truckers, and I hope you will, too.




I urge you to stand up and ensure Oak Harbor employees get the dignity and respect they deserve, and the fair pay and benefits they've earned for a job well done.

APPEAL FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

The Clean Clothes Campaign (see also our Other Interesting Links section), an international solidarity site for workers in the garment industry, has released an appeal from the workers in the BJ&B garment factory in the Dominican Republic. This factory is owned by the Korean Yupong group and was producing caps for Nike. previously it had produced caps for Reebok, now Adidas. The workers in this factory managed to form a union, and in retaliation management began to divert orders to other non-unionized plants. The work for Adidas has already been moved to other plants, and now the parent corporation hopes to close the plant and move work for Nike to other facilities where they don't have to respect workers' rights. The CCC is asking for international support to prevent this closure by putting pressure on both Nike and Yupong. To join this campaign go to:

http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/07-03-20.htm#action