In this week's mailing:
- "I'd like a large latte, a muffin and a union card, please"
- The funniest union video I've seen in a while
- Workers in Russia and New Zealand thank you
- On the global waterfront - the fight to free the Charleston 5
"I'd like a large latte, a muffin and a union card, please"
Workers in coffee chains like Starbucks are notoriously difficult to unionize. But that's not stopping unions from trying -- and winning -- in some unlikely places.
The
IUF is running
an international campaign in support of workers in a Tel Aviv branch of Coffee Bean and has asked for all of us to take a minute and send off a message in support of the workers who have been on strike for a week now.
Meanwhile the efforts by the venerable Industrial Workers of the World to
unionize Starbucks have gotten a lot of mainstream media attention lately, including a major
article in The New York Times.
The funniest union video I've seen in a while
(It helps if you're familiar with the film "Life of Brian".)
If you've seen an online video that's pro-union and as good as this one, let me know.
Workers in Russia and New Zealand thank you
Trevor Hanson, General Secretary of the Maritime Union of New Zealand, thanked us for our recent online campaign. "As you will be aware," he wrote, "the union was successful in preventing the loss of jobs and conditions through a contracting out process to an anti-union employer. Around 100 jobs are secure for now with proper union coverage ... The international response to our battle was the deciding factor, with our international affiliate the ITF providing much assistance. The LabourStart email campaign was an effective part of the dispute for us. It provided a boost for the local workers, publicized our dispute internationally, and caused a reaction from the employers who initially demanded the emails stop, but by the end of the dispute were asking more politely."
Mikhail Chesalin, Chairman of the Dockers' Union of Russia, Kaliningrad Local, wrote: "I want to thank you for your support of our campaign for workers' rights in the port of Kaliningrad, and in protest of the attack on me this past June. Because of the global solidarity and commitment of thousands of trade unionists and activists like yourselves, we were able to mount an unprecedented flow of protest into the Kaliningrad Sea Commercial Port, and the Kaliningrad regional power structure ... We were able to force the authorities to deal with union rights with at least a modicum of care and decency, and given the climate here, that is a significant achievement. We were even able to force the reopening of the investigation into the attack on me, after the authorities cynically tried to close the case."
On the global waterfront - the fight to free the Charleston 5
On the Global Waterfront tells the story of longshoremen in South Carolina who confronted attempts to wipe out their union and rallied the nation and labour around the world in their successful fight. It's our book of the week, and by purchasing copies you help support LabourStart. Thanks.
Eric Lee
| This message was sent from Eric Lee to olympiaworkers@riseup.net. It was sent from: Eric Lee, 51 Briarfield Avenue, London, UK N3 2LG, United Kingdom. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below. |  | |
From: "Eric Lee" <ericlee@labourstart.org>
Date: Tue, January 29, 2008 6:02 am
If you are having trouble viewing this message, please go to
http://community.icontact.com/p/labourstart/newsletters/inside.
In this week's mailing:
- "I'd like a large latte, a muffin and a union card, please"
- The funniest union video I've seen in a while
- Workers in Russia and New Zealand thank you
- On the global waterfront - the fight to free the Charleston 5
"I'd like a large latte, a muffin and a union card, please"
Workers in coffee chains like Starbucks are notoriously difficult to
unionize. But that's not stopping unions from trying -- and winning -- in
some unlikely places.
The [http://www.iuf.org] IUF is running
[http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/campaigns/show_campaign.cgi?c=318] an
international campaign in support of workers in a Tel Aviv branch of Coffee
Bean and has asked for all of us to take a minute and send off a message in
support of the workers who have been on strike for a week now.
Meanwhile the efforts by the venerable Industrial Workers of the World to
[http://www.starbucksunion.org/node] unionize Starbucks have gotten a lot
of mainstream media attention lately, including a major
[http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/1943] article in The New York Times.
The funniest union video I've seen in a while
This had me laughing out loud -
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=184NTV2CE_c] What have the unions ever done
for us?
(It helps if you're familiar with the film "Life of Brian".)
If you've seen an online video that's pro-union and as good as this one,
let me know.
Workers in Russia and New Zealand thank you
Trevor Hanson, General Secretary of the Maritime Union of New Zealand,
thanked us for our recent online campaign. "As you will be aware," he
wrote, "the union was successful in preventing the loss of jobs and
conditions through a contracting out process to an anti-union employer.
Around 100 jobs are secure for now with proper union coverage ... The
international response to our battle was the deciding factor, with our
international affiliate the ITF providing much assistance. The LabourStart
email campaign was an effective part of the dispute for us. It provided a
boost for the local workers, publicized our dispute internationally, and
caused a reaction from the employers who initially demanded the emails
stop, but by the end of the dispute were asking more politely."
Mikhail Chesalin, Chairman of the Dockers' Union of Russia, Kaliningrad
Local, wrote: "I want to thank you for your support of our campaign for
workers' rights in the port of Kaliningrad, and in protest of the attack on
me this past June. Because of the global solidarity and commitment of
thousands of trade unionists and activists like yourselves, we were able to
mount an unprecedented flow of protest into the Kaliningrad Sea Commercial
Port, and the Kaliningrad regional power structure ... We were able to
force the authorities to deal with union rights with at least a modicum of
care and decency, and given the climate here, that is a significant
achievement. We were even able to force the reopening of the investigation
into the attack on me, after the authorities cynically tried to close the
case."
On the global waterfront - the fight to free the Charleston 5
[http://www.labourstart.org/bookoftheweek] On the Global Waterfront tells
the story of longshoremen in South Carolina who confronted attempts to wipe
out their union and rallied the nation and labour around the world in their
successful fight. It's our book of the week, and by purchasing copies you
help support LabourStart. Thanks.
Eric Lee
This message was sent by: Eric Lee, 51 Briarfield Avenue, London, UK N3
2LG, United Kingdom
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