Monday, December 18, 2006

[olympiaworkers] U.S. Army May Break Steelworker's Strike!

U.S. Army May Break Steelworker's Strike!

By Bernard Simon in Toronto

The US Army is considering measures to force striking workers back to
their jobs at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Kansas in the face of a
looming shortage of tyres for Humvee trucks and other military equipment
used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A strike involving 17,000 members of the United Steelworkers union has
crippled 16 Goodyear plants in the US and Canada since October 5.

The main issues in dispute are the company's plans to close a unionised
plant in Texas, and a proposal for workers to shoulder future increases in
healthcare costs.

An army spokeswoman said on Friday that "there's not a shortage right now
but there possibly will be one in the future".

According to Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House of Representatives armed
services committee, the strike has cut output of Humvee tyres by about 35
per cent.

Mr Hunter said that the army had stopped supplying tyres to units not
related to the Central Command, which is responsible for operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Tyres were also not being provided to army repair
depots.

While concern has centred on the Humvees, tyres are also critical to
aircraft and other military equipment.

Goodyear brushed off concerns of looming shortages, saying that production
at the Kansas plant, where the Humvee tyres are made, "is near normal
levels and will be back to 100 per cent in the near future."

It added that "we're in daily contact with the military to ensure delivery
of the required Humvee tyres".

The company said it was using salaried and temporary workers to keep the
Kansas plant running. It has taken similar measures at other plants, as
well as stepping up imports from overseas factories to maintain supplies
to the car and truck industry.

The union claims that the strikebound plants are running at about 20 per
cent of capacity. Goodyear has said that North American output is at about
half normal levels, including non-union plants.

According to Mr Hunter, the army is exploring a possible injunction under
the Taft-Hartley Act to force the 200 Kansas workers back to their jobs.

He proposed that they return under their current terms of employment, on
the understanding that any settlement would be extended to them.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16226231/


-------------------------------------------

Taft-Hartley Act
>From Wikipedia
The Labor-Management Relations Act, commonly known as the Taft-Hartley
Act, is a United States federal law that severely restricts the activities
and power of labor unions. The Act, still largely in effect, was sponsored
by Senator Robert Taft and Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr.. U.S.
President Harry S. Truman described the act as a "slave-labor bill" and
vetoed it, adding that it would "conflict with important principles of our
democratic society". The Senate followed the House of Representatives in
overriding Truman's veto on June 23, 1947, establishing the act as a law.
The Taft-Hartley Act amended the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA, also
known as the Wagner Act), which Congress had passed in 1935.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft-Hartley_Act

Monday, December 04, 2006

[olympiaworkers] This Holiday Season Remember the Starbucks Baristas Struggling for Justice

Monday, December 04 2006

Starbucks workers need your help to continue organizing a union with the
Industrial Workers of the World. With members at seven Starbucks locations
and growing, the IWW baristas are proving that workers at large
multinational retailers can gain an independent voice on the job. However,
we can't do it alone. The coffee giant is waging a fierce union-busting
campaign to defeat our organization and we need your financial support to
continue fighting for justice at work and in society.

This Holiday Season Remember the Starbucks Baristas Struggling for Justice

Sisters and Brothers,

Starbucks workers need your help to continue organizing a union with the
Industrial Workers of the World. With members at seven Starbucks locations
and growing, the IWW baristas are proving that workers at large
multinational retailers can gain an independent voice on the job. However,
we can't do it alone. The coffee giant is waging a fierce union-busting
campaign to defeat our organization and we need your financial support to
continue fighting for justice at work and in society.

A SWU Success Story

Sarah Bender joined the IWW Starbucks Workers Union after two months on
the job at the world's largest coffee chain. Like each and every Starbucks
barista in the United States, Sarah was a part-time employee. With her
schedule fluctuating unpredictably between 11 and 35 hours of work per
week, Sarah could not count on a steady paycheck to pay the bills. Her
irregular schedule meant that she often had to arrive at work at 5:00 a.m.
after a long commute only to be sent home just four hours later. Sarah's
precarious work life soon caused serious sleep problems. To get the
justice she deserved at work, Sarah decided to go union with the SWU.
Shamefully, Starbucks retaliated against her for exercising her
fundamental right to organize.

"I felt like I was walking on eggshells, always afraid that if I came a
minute late, or my register was off by pennies, I would face termination.
Starbucks certainly created an atmosphere of fear around the whole union
idea."

Soon after co-workers overheard the store manager complain that Sarah was
informing people about the union, Starbucks fired her. The SWU paid Sarah
an organizing stipend, on which she assembled a coalition opposing
Starbucks' unfair labor practices. She led several picket lines, and
successfully attracted local and national media attention. Meanwhile, the
SWU filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Sarah and
another employee won their jobs back, won a back pay award, and the NLRB
ordered Starbucks to cease and desist from its threats, bribes, and
surveillance aimed at driving out the SWU. Together Sarah and the SWU have
created more space to organize for every barista.

On May 17, 2004, workers at a midtown Manhattan Starbucks announced the
founding of the first union in the United States at the company. In less
than two and a half years of organizing, the Starbucks Workers Union has
won wage increases of almost 25% in New York City. Although the SWU's wage
gains are significant, Starbucks' entry-level wage of $8.75/hour is still
far from a living wage in NYC. Union workers have also won schedules that
are more consistent though Starbucks has yet to guarantee a minimum number
of work hours each week. Also, this summer the organizing drive expanded
to Chicago where Starbucks workers have already chalked up important
victories in compensation and safety.

Most importantly, as Isis Saenz explains, "Before I joined the Starbucks
Workers Union, I used to keep my head down and do anything management told
me. Now, I demand respect -- as a worker and as a human being." Sadly,
soon after uttering these words Isis was illegally fired for participating
in a union protest. She's now fighting for her job back.

The SWU has given its members a new sense of dignity, a sense that they
deserve respect. The SWU is poised to continue its growth through its
contacts with baristas around the country. Unfortunately, Starbucks'
paychecks are so small that there's little room for union dues. Currently,
dues are $6 per month. As a result, the SWU depends on donations from
people like you in order to succeed in building a union.

Here's how your donation will be spent:

* Stipends for organizers - All SWU organizers are currently unpaid. To
expand the campaign, we need to pay stipends to our otherwise unpaid
organizers to sustain their work.
* Campaign literature and other materials to accomodate the burgeoning
interest in the campaign around the world
* Strike Fund
* Office space

To make your contribution log on to
[http://starbucksunion.org/contribute]. Thank you in advance for your
solidarity and generosity. Together we can build a society where every
worker has a voice and can live with dignity.

In Solidarity,

Fundraising Committee IWW Starbucks Workers Union


http://www.iww.org/en/node/3044


http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/1126

http://www.retailworker.com/node/31258

Friday, December 01, 2006

[olympiaworkers] Oaxaca Calls to Action - please repost

Spread the word!

Please forward and re-post these urgent calls to action

December 1, 2006 - Oaxaca is under siege. More than 140 people were
arrested November 23rd through 25th and three were killed. The repression
has reached new heights, with disappearances occuring daily. The Federal
Police (PFP) are deploying special operation units to crush the popular
uprising, and have issued statements declaring that they will do whatever
it takes to put an end to the movement by December 1st, when the new
government takes power.

APPO, the popular assembly of the peoples of Oaxaca, has issued a call for
solidarity demonstrations on December 1st. International attention and
pressure is desperately needed.

Oaxaca Solidarity Demonstrations in the US on Friday, December 1st
http://elenemigocomun.net/592
(please add more events as a comment)

Los Angeles: All day protest at Mexican Consulate (2401 W. Sixth St.)
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/189892.php

Madison: 3:30pm Rally and march for Oaxaca on Library Mall (UW campus end
of State St.)
http://elenemigocomun.net/589

Minneapolis: 5:00pm Demonstration at Channel 4 WCCO (Nicollet and 10th Ave.)
http://radicalendar.org/calendar/twincities/all/display/56113/index.php

NYC: 12:00pm Rally at Mexican Consulate to UN (44th St. btw 1st and 2nd Ave.)
http://elenemigocomun.net/591

Portland: All day Flyer distribution
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/350035.shtml

Sacramento: 11:00am Protest at Mexican Consulate (1010 8th St.)
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/30/18334230.php

San Diego: 6:00pm Silent Vigil for Oaxaca at Mexican Consulate (1549 India
St)
http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/122545.shtml

San Jose: 12:00pm Protest at Mexican Consulate (540 North First St.)
http://elenemigocomun.net/592#comment-889

DECEMBER 2nd

Atlanta, GA: Call to Action, 12:00 noon at Plaza Fiesta on Buford Highway,
Capital Terminus Collective, capitalterminus@gmail.com

San Francisco: 2:00pm Lessons from Oaxaca at the Womens Building (3543
18th St.)
http://elenemigocomun.net/590

DECEMBER 7th

Chicago: 7:00pm Oaxaca Resiste!!
http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/75159/index.php

DECEMBER 8th

Rochester: 6:00pm The Peoples Struggle for a Liberated Oaxaca!
http://rochester.indymedia.org/newswire/display/19781/index.php

DECEMBER 15th

DC 7:00pm Film Screening: Granito de Arena - A benefit for Oaxacas
striking Teachers
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/136846/index.php

Oaxaca solidarity:

El Enemigo Comun
http://elenemigocomun.net

Mexico Solidarity Network http://www.mexicosolidarity.org

Re: [olympiaworkers] IWW meeting next week

Great!  I hope you'll all head over to the Homeless Forum at 7 at the Washington Center after your meeting.


Monica Peabody

Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
701 Franklin Street SE
Olympia, WA  98501
(360)352-9716
toll free (866)343-9716
www.wroc.org




On Nov 30, 2006, at 12:03 PM, olympiaworkers@riseup.net wrote:

There will be a meeting on Wednesday December 6 (that's next week) at
5:00pm at BRAC (Bread and Roses Advocacy Center) 1009 4th Ave E. We will
talk about preperations we have to make to get ready for the IWW
(Industrial Workers of the World) workplace organizing training which will
be held the 3rd weekend of January. This meeting is open to wobblies, OWA
members, labor activists, workers... and really anyone interested.

Hope to see you there.

Brendan
360 943-5344

www.iww.org
www.olympiaworkers.org