tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126013492024-02-20T16:35:54.010-08:00Olympia Workers ResourceOlympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.comBlogger502125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-9490452766037243182020-01-18T06:46:00.000-08:002020-01-18T06:50:15.307-08:00Launching Thurston Public Power Initiative 2020!<div dir="ltr"><div>Puget Sound Energy is a foreign owned monopoly. If you didn't know that, there is a reason. They spend millions of dollars on lies. Those millions in lies are just a small part of the roughly 10% of your bill guaranteed to PSE in profit, the rest gets sent out of the USA. <a href="http://powertothepublic.org/index.php/2019/11/09/656158-84/">We are stopping them!</a><br><br>In 2012 we attempted the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thurstonpublicpower" target="_blank">Thurston Public Power Initiative</a> to replace PSE with a Public Utility District but millions were spent corrupting our election... it didn't pass. <br><br>We need you to <a href="http://powertothepublic.org/index.php/donate/" target="_blank">support this effort again!</a> Welcome to <a href="http://powertothepublic.org/" target="_blank">Power to the Public!</a></div><div><br></div><div>Here are some good reasons <a href="http://powertothepublic.org/index.php/donate/" target="_blank">to give and volunteer!</a></div><div><ul><li style="margin-left:15px">As predicted in 2012, PSE has kept racing to the bottom since being bought by foreigners in 2008. Right now the rates are much higher! The lack of maintenance is leaving us in the dark more often. They aren't investing in infrastructure or new generation. PSE was sold again in 2018 to more foreign owners. The LNG plant in Tacoma is a disaster no one wants. And they have shut down their pay centers! PSE has gotten worse!</li><li style="margin-left:15px">On the flip side our fight for public power has gotten stronger! Jefferson PUD is a success after becoming public in 2008. Thurston PUD is now twice as large as it was in 2012, making it a stronger organization for taking over electric utilities. We can build on the 40% yes base we gained in 2012. We have huge amounts of facts, plus volunteers who are veterans now to the struggle! We know what we are up against in terms of PSE's dirty tricks! </li><li style="margin-left:15px">Finally, we are not alone like in 2012. <a href="https://www.ekc-pud.org/" target="_blank">East King County</a> is joining the struggle in creating their own electric PUD this year! A second campaign that is larger can bolster and invigorate our own! </li></ul></div><div>I'm also excited that we have a heavy hitter coming for our launch. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/593455908160934/" target="_blank">Dennis Kucinich</a> will be speaking on behalf of our Thurston Public Power Initiative 2020 on February 4th, 7PM, at the Olympia Community Center! Please come!<br><br>Now the ask: will you donate right now to the effort? This is grassroots and we <a href="http://powertothepublic.org/index.php/donate/" target="_blank">need to raise about $1,000 by the end of this month</a> just to cover the start of the campaign. More importantly, we also need your time. 15,000 signatures need to be gathered in 6 months and then the real fight begins on the campaign!</div><div><br></div><div>PSE has all the money but we have all the heart! Get involved today!</div><div><br></div><div>Solidarity </div><span class="gmail-HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><font color="#888888"><div>Bruce Wilkinson</div><div>Volunteer</div></font></font></font></font></font></span></div> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-56100283875811021642015-07-29T11:30:00.000-07:002015-07-29T11:33:23.609-07:00Can you stop an oil rig? Want to learn how?<div dir="ltr">Inspired by #ShellNo actions? Backbone Campaign's "Localize This!" Action Camp brought many of those skills and relationships together. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mediaisland" target="_blank">Media Island</a> is bringing 8 people for this year's camp, contact us if you have questions or want to coordinate travel, tents, etc. This Sunday, August 2, 11-1pm, come to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/995122313873517/" target="_blank">First Sunday Brunch</a>, a <a href="http://kowalp.org/" target="_blank">KOWA 106.5FM</a> benefit to learn more, 816 Adams St. SE. Contact: <a href="mailto:dj@kowalp.org" target="_blank">dj@kowalp.org</a>, <a href="tel:360-352-8526" value="+13603528526" target="_blank">360-352-8526</a><br><br><font style="FONT-FAMILY:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif;FONT-SIZE:10pt;COLOR:#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" color="#000000" size="2"><div align="center"><font style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;color:#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#000000" size="2"><big><big><font color="#990000"><b><i><i><font color="#000000">Action Camp is merely two weeks a way. . .<br> Have you registered yet? </font><br> </i><span>Localize</span> This!</i></b><b> is <span><span>August 11th</span></span>-<span><span>17th</span></span></b></font></big></big><br> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001eQy9pfFJL02ttWbRQKeOkGX1xZF5GzGK53wlSlEhSutBdQ8ZKNRqwCK65YjfeyHWVcQy6X79L84jQoDgE0V0cmTmXgdGOMMK_OUgq3K7UB5XJ7B-U0rUtCZNG6GaLfjJkIJS_T_LzTPDUolRf-xF0HZmh2NY0ykJz-tExSRWfIp8MjX1K1GpDdRn6KWybH9Vev5zZLrnSvq5-_6Bp4C_AWzhIOYB_-jy&c=Dr-k_PLAJy8MRiLHOYEjwMkCiKV4vEjKZiIMm4Efz3L12O8NoMT48A==&ch=wC7lGT4UL1L3FZe-301DkQJcA2sqTppBCC-ONdkXzqmOVuu7yJcnBA==" target="_blank"><big><big><i><b>Register for Action Cam</b><b>p ->HERE<-</b></i></big></big></a><br> </font></div><font style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;color:#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#000000" size="2"> <i><br> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001eQy9pfFJL02ttWbRQKeOkGX1xZF5GzGK53wlSlEhSutBdQ8ZKNRqwCK65YjfeyHWVcQy6X79L84jQoDgE0V0cmTmXgdGOMMK_OUgq3K7UB5XJ7B-U0rUtCZNG6GaLfjJkIJS_T_LzTPDUolRf-xF0HZmh2NY0ykJz-tExSRWfIp8MjX1K1GpDdRn6KWybH9Vev5zZLrnSvq5-_6Bp4C_AWzhIOYB_-jy&c=Dr-k_PLAJy8MRiLHOYEjwMkCiKV4vEjKZiIMm4Efz3L12O8NoMT48A==&ch=wC7lGT4UL1L3FZe-301DkQJcA2sqTppBCC-ONdkXzqmOVuu7yJcnBA==" target="_blank">Register TODAY</a><a>, recruit your friends, and whatever you do, make sure you don't miss <span>Localize</span> This! Action Camp.</a><br> </i><br> <i><font color="#ff0000"><b>What:</b></font><font color="#ff0000"><b> </b></font></i><i><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><i><b><b><i><span>Localize</span> This!</i></b><b> 2015 is YOUR destination to explore Creative Direct Action Tactics and Effective Organizing Strategies</b></b></i></font></font></i><i><font color="#ff0000"><br> <b> When</b>:</font><font> </font></i><span><span>Tuesday August 11th</span></span> - Monday August 17th, come a day or stay a week<i><font color="#ff0000"><b><br> Where: </b></font></i>Vashon, WA a beautiful, rural island across from Seattle.<i><br> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001eQy9pfFJL02ttWbRQKeOkGX1xZF5GzGK53wlSlEhSutBdQ8ZKNRqwCK65YjfeyHWVcQy6X79L84jQoDgE0V0cmTmXgdGOMMK_OUgq3K7UB5XJ7B-U0rUtCZNG6GaLfjJkIJS_T_LzTPDUolRf-xF0HZmh2NY0ykJz-tExSRWfIp8MjX1K1GpDdRn6KWybH9Vev5zZLrnSvq5-_6Bp4C_AWzhIOYB_-jy&c=Dr-k_PLAJy8MRiLHOYEjwMkCiKV4vEjKZiIMm4Efz3L12O8NoMT48A==&ch=wC7lGT4UL1L3FZe-301DkQJcA2sqTppBCC-ONdkXzqmOVuu7yJcnBA==" target="_blank"><b>Register HERE</b></a></i><br> <br> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001eQy9pfFJL02ttWbRQKeOkGX1xZF5GzGK53wlSlEhSutBdQ8ZKNRqwCK65YjfeyHWVcQy6X79L84jQoDgE0V0cmTmXgdGOMMK_OUgq3K7UB5XJ7B-U0rUtCZNG6GaLfjJkIJS_T_LzTPDUolRf-xF0HZmh2NY0ykJz-tExSRWfIp8MjX1K1GpDdRn6KWybH9Vev5zZLrnSvq5-_6Bp4C_AWzhIOYB_-jy&c=Dr-k_PLAJy8MRiLHOYEjwMkCiKV4vEjKZiIMm4Efz3L12O8NoMT48A==&ch=wC7lGT4UL1L3FZe-301DkQJcA2sqTppBCC-ONdkXzqmOVuu7yJcnBA==" title="LocalizeThis2015-PosterWTbottom by Backbone Campaign, on Flickr" target="_blank"><img class="CToWUd" title="2015 Localize This Poster" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/498/19337972886_9881c7ccef_c.jpg" alt="2015 Localize This Poster" height="783" border="0" width="600"></a><br> <br> <p align="center"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001eQy9pfFJL02ttWbRQKeOkGX1xZF5GzGK53wlSlEhSutBdQ8ZKNRqwO0s5YB3F8ymUEX6V9bgYFBqtt--QLO6_MIdRENTqD5O--YKRIZ9Vh8TOCTvUDmYz9v5l0IB8lzJqEN22fU0bs0vZz-BZNm-P9OkBc3aXV18j1uCZYO-9J5ZuKZZCi8VlqxAkY8Gxx1MRNW3rJ-MCN4=&c=Dr-k_PLAJy8MRiLHOYEjwMkCiKV4vEjKZiIMm4Efz3L12O8NoMT48A==&ch=wC7lGT4UL1L3FZe-301DkQJcA2sqTppBCC-ONdkXzqmOVuu7yJcnBA==" title="Backbone Donate Button by Backbone Campaign, on Flickr" target="_blank"><img class="CToWUd" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5563/14878686629_c8954b2d71_o.gif" alt="Support Joyous and Creative Interventions for Justice" align="left" height="108" hspace="10" border="0" width="107"></a></p> What started out as training ground for a community's fight to stop a transnational corporation's environmental destruction has turned into an annual celebration of some of the best our movements for justice have to offer.<br> <br> <i><b>Action Camp is a valuable resource to your organizing. </b></i><br> <br> <font face="Verdana"><font face="Verdana"><big><b><i>Donate online </i></b><b><i><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001eQy9pfFJL02ttWbRQKeOkGX1xZF5GzGK53wlSlEhSutBdQ8ZKNRqwO0s5YB3F8ymUEX6V9bgYFBqtt--QLO6_MIdRENTqD5O--YKRIZ9Vh8TOCTvUDmYz9v5l0IB8lzJqEN22fU0bs0vZz-BZNm-P9OkBc3aXV18j1uCZYO-9J5ZuKZZCi8VlqxAkY8Gxx1MRNW3rJ-MCN4=&c=Dr-k_PLAJy8MRiLHOYEjwMkCiKV4vEjKZiIMm4Efz3L12O8NoMT48A==&ch=wC7lGT4UL1L3FZe-301DkQJcA2sqTppBCC-ONdkXzqmOVuu7yJcnBA==" target="_blank">HERE</a></i></b><b><i> or send checks to PO BOX 278, Va</i></b></big></font></font></font></font><font style="FONT-FAMILY:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif;FONT-SIZE:10pt;COLOR:#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" color="#000000" size="2"><font style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;color:#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#000000" size="2"><font face="Verdana"><font face="Verdana"><big><b><i>shon, WA 98070 </i></b></big></font></font></font></font></div> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-30843676827960914712014-03-11T11:39:00.000-07:002014-03-11T11:40:26.499-07:00Action Alert: Support Hunger Strikers @ NW Detention Center<div dir="ltr"><br><b>CALL TO ACTION!</b><br>Today, if you can make it, head to the NW Detention Center, <span>1623 E J St, Tacoma, WA, to show solidarity with the detainees and to prevent the GEO Group from violently force feeding and threatening the hunger strikers. There are people there at the fence starting at noon going till 4pm, and then at 5pm and a noise demo at 8pm. Carpool from Media Island, 816 Adams St. SE, at 5pm. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShutdownPrisons" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/ShutdownPrisons</a></span><br> <br><br><br><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/NNIRR%20header%20low%20res%205.28.10.jpg" alt="" height="124" width="600"> <p style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:Tahoma"><b>Urgent Action Needed</b></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:center"><b><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Support <span class="">Hunger</span> Strikers at the Northwest Detention Center</span></span></span></b></p> <p style="text-align:center"><b><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Sign the </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:Tahoma"><span style="color:rgb(128,0,0)"><a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FgL3Bpf1kcbQfoRV1WthJfC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"><b>petition</b></span></a></span><b><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"> NOW!</span></b></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:left"><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial">Friends,</span></span></p> <p><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"><b>Your urgent support is needed.</b></span></span></span><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"> You may have read the news reports about the hundreds of detainees on a <span class="">hunger</span> strike since <span tabindex="0" class=""><span class="">Friday</span></span>, at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. </span></span></p> <p><i><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial">We share this message from Maru Mora Villalpando of Latino Advocacy in Washington state:</span></span></i></p> <p><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span>"We have reports that more than 20 of the strikers were placed in isolation yesterday with no communications. ICE and GEO [the private prison company running the detention center] are pressuring immigrants to break the strike and harassing them verbally. We need more than 1000 signatures by <span tabindex="0" class=""><span class="">tomorrow at 5PM</span></span>. Please keep forwarding the petition and make sure all your contacts sign it as well.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span>The strikers need you!!!!!!!"<br> </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span>************************************</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span> </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"><b>Go </b></span><b><span><a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jdBrgMihySeP0WvoKCyn%2BfC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)">here</span></a></span><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"> to sign the petition (hosted by #not1moredeportation) by <span tabindex="0" class=""><span class="">5 pm PDT on Tuesday, March 11</span></span>.</span></b></p> <div><b>About the situation:</b></div> <p><span><span tabindex="0" class=""><span class="">On Friday</span></span>, March 7th, 1200 people held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, one of the largest immigration prisons in the country, began a <span class="">hunger</span> strike and work stoppage. They are putting their bodies on the line to protest the on-going deportations overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the inhumane conditions at the for-profit detention center owned and operated by the GEO Corporation.<br> <br> Inspired in part by the February 24 #Not1More deportation action at the detention center, the <span class="">hunger</span> strikers timed their action to begin <span tabindex="0" class=""><span class="">on Friday</span></span>. On Fridays, the people facing imminent deportation are separated and processed for deportation, weekly events that contribute to the nearly 2,000,000 deported during the Obama administration. The <span class="">hunger</span> strikers join a nation-wide movement of resistance against unprecedented levels of detention and deportation.<br> <br> </span><b><span><span>Apart from calling attention to the unrelenting deportations, the <span class="">hunger</span> strikers demands include:</span></span><br> </b></p> <ul><li><b><span><span>Improved food quality</span></span><br> </b></li><li><b><span>Improved treatment (including medical treatment)</span><span><br> </span></b></li><li><b><span> <span>Increased pay for work in the facility (the current pay is $1.00/day)</span><br> </span></b></li><li><b><span> An end to exorbitant commissary prices<br> </span></b></li><li><b><span> <span>Fundamental fairness and justice</span></span></b><span><span><br> </span></span></li></ul> <p><span><span> </span>People in the detention center are risking their health by not eating and withstanding potential backlash for participating in the <span class="">hunger</span> strike.<a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Wr6JFkznQHWaApbQacQvyfC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"> Sign the petition</a> and share widely to support the <span class="">hunger</span> strikers and their demands. Not one more deportation!<br> <br> <span>To: Natalie Asher, Washington Field Office Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement <br> CC: Daniel Ragsdale, Deputy Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement<br> John M. Hurley, Senior Vice President, GEO Corrections and Detention<br> </span><br> <i>I support the <span class="">hunger</span> strikers at the Northwest Detention Center and their demands. I am alarmed and disturbed by the ongoing deportations and the conditions facing those held at the Northwest Detention Center awaiting deportation.<br> </i><br> <i>I urge you to initiate accountable negotiations with the <span class="">hunger</span> strikers and/or their chosen representatives. I urge you to take action to implement the demands immediately, and in good faith. I also want your guarantee that <span class="">hunger</span> strikers will not face retaliation.</i></span></p> <b><span></span><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)"><span style="font-size:9pt"><a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1n%2BN%2BgqO1gYrlXiQyuFyjvC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial">Add your name</span></span></a></span><span style="font-size:small"><span style="font-family:Arial"><span> to the petition now!</span></span></span></span></b> <p><span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:Tahoma"><span style="color:rgb(128,0,0)"><br> </span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:left"><b><i><span style="font-family:Tahoma"><span style="font-size:small">Connect/Support:</span><span style="font-size:small"> </span></span></i></b><span style="font-size:small"><b> <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DMyDxIogXjVhgD48LKxSeR%2BjqQR7jWfV" target="_blank"><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/facebook%20round%20icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35"></a> <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=OssAuFKUqlGkbfWdP2yKW%2FC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/twitter%20round%20icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35"></a> <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=REc6S1tGYmPls4tfQZFlx33mPuoK5D0x" target="_blank"><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/rss%20round%20icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35"></a> <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uBveVB%2BuzZicM0kOFsbaMvC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/youtube%20round%20icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="35"></a></b></span> <a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=83SpY0m2hgkO3%2ByXbXHrKvC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/join-nnirr%20icon.png" alt="" height="35" width="113"></a> <span style="font-size:small"><b> </b> </span><a href="http://org2.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=lu9VTB0scmsu4YIK9iUeCPC1DEU6uNmp" target="_blank"><img src="http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5702/images/donate%20button.png" alt="" border="0" height="35" width="113"></a> <br> </p><br></div> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-7413292362041657972013-08-29T13:53:00.001-07:002013-08-29T13:53:59.855-07:00[olympiaworkers] Fast food strike gets super-sized over wagesAug. 29, 2013 CNBC
<br>
<br> The battle to boost the minimum wage escalated Thursday when thousands of
<br>workers at fast-food restaurants in 50 U.S. cities walked off the job to
<br>demand a "decent" wage.
<br>
<br>From San Diego to New York, workers stopped flipping burgers, frying
<br>fries, and slathering on secret sauce in what organizers called the
<br>largest strikes against the nation's fast food companies ever.
<br>
<br>"You're trying to go up and you're just going down," said protester
<br>Shantel Walker, 31, of Brooklyn, who makes $7.25 working at a Papa John's
<br>(PZZA) in Manhattan. "All of us are in the same financial crunch. We're
<br>trying to take care of our families and our livelihood."
<br>
<br>The strikes mark the latest salvo in a nearly year-long battle to get not
<br>only higher wages but also an opportunity to unionize without facing
<br>retaliation from their employers. The workers' ire, too, is at the very
<br>heart of a politicized debate to raise the country's minimum wage that
<br>eventually may be decided in Washington.
<br>
<br>Labor Secretary Thomas Perez told The Associated Press that the worker
<br>strikes were a sign of the need to raise the minimum wage. "For all too
<br>many people working minimum wage jobs, the rungs on the ladder of
<br>opportunity are feeling further and further apart," Perez said.
<br>
<br>At the core of the workers' demands with the $200 billion fast food
<br>industry is salary starting at $15 an hour from the current $7.25 an hour
<br>minimum wage and the $8.94 median wage for front-end workers.
<br>
<br>Workers mobilized in cities from Alameda, Calif., to West Haven, Conn. and
<br>across the nation, including several demonstrations set for New York City.
<br>To date, strikes have been held one city or the other, or in regions, but
<br>nothing like Thursday's national push involving hundreds of restaurants.
<br>
<br>About 200 workers marched through the midtown Manhattan McDonald's (MCD)
<br>on Thursday morning, and more gathered downtown in the Financial District.
<br>As the streets became more crowded with protesters beating drums and
<br>blowing loud whistles, police struggled to keep traffic moving.
<br>
<br>(Read more: Earn minimum wage? It'll take this long to afford a Big Mac )
<br>
<br>The strike comes as more and more fast food workers making minimum wage
<br>are not teenagers, but adults trying to support families, particularly
<br>since the Great Recession. Only 16 percent of fast food industry jobs now
<br>go to teens, down from 25 percent a decade ago. More than 42 percent of
<br>restaurant and fast-food employees over the age of 25 have at least some
<br>college education, including 753,000 with a bachelor's degree or higher,
<br>according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
<br>
<br>Janul Dixon, 35, came out on Thursday to offer his support to the workers.
<br>He used to work at Wendy's for a low wage, but has since found work as an
<br>exterminator. "They need to allow people to make enough to support their
<br>family," he said. "In New York everything is going up but wages are not."
<br>
<br>The National Restaurant Association has countered that only about 5
<br>percent of fast-food workers earn the minimum wage. Other defenders of the
<br>industry note that increased wage costs will be passed onto consumers.
<br>
<br>"The restaurant industry provides opportunity to over 13 million Americans
<br>with jobs that meet critical needs within our economy. We welcome a
<br>national discussion on wages, but it should be based on facts," said Scott
<br>DeFife, the association's executive vice president of policy and
<br>government affairs. "The restaurant industry is the nation's second
<br>largest private sector employer and our industry is an industry of
<br>opportunity."
<br>
<br>(Read more: Minimum wage hike: Just what the economy ordered? )
<br>
<br>"Nine out of ten salaried restaurant workers, including owners and
<br>managers, started as hourly workers. The fact is, only 5 percent of
<br>restaurant employees earn the minimum wage, and those that do are
<br>predominantly working part-time and half are teenagers," DeFife added.
<br>"Restaurant jobs teach valuable skills and a strong work ethic that are
<br>useful for workers throughout their professional careers."
<br>
<br>McDonald's, which has 34,000 restaurants across the globe., was quick to
<br>defend its salaries. "McDonald's aims to offer competitive pay and
<br>benefits to our employees. We provide training and professional
<br>development for all of those who wish to take advantage of those
<br>opportunities," the company said in a statement. "Our history is full of
<br>examples of individuals who worked their first job with McDonald's and
<br>went on to successful careers both within and outside of McDonald's." The
<br>chain posted $5.5 billion in profits last year on revenues of $27.5
<br>billion.
<br>
<br>Thursday's strike was expected to be "the largest attempt at worker
<br>organizing in this industry ever" due to support from the Service Workers
<br>International Union, and grassroots efforts from community groups, local
<br>politicians and the clergy, said Tsedeye Gebreselassie, an attorney at the
<br>National Employment Law Project.
<br>
<br>"The workers are responding to total failure on behalf of the federal
<br>government to raise the minimum wage to keep up with inflation and the
<br>cost of living," Gebreselassie said.
<br>
<br>(Read more: How bad math about Big Macs gives me indigestion )
<br>
<br>Organizers stressed the importance of the strike spreading to Southern
<br>states.
<br>
<br>"The South has always been the model for low wage employment, from slavery
<br>to the Jim Crow laws, to the present," said Dorian Warren, an assistant
<br>professor of political science at Columbia University who has published
<br>work on labor organizing and inequality. "It's also the most anti-union
<br>part of the country, so the fact that workers feel empowered enough to
<br>take collective action is enormous."
<br>
<br>Strikers complain that while revenue is up about 13 percent at fast-food
<br>restaurants as of August, it's not being passed on to the workers.
<br>
<br>All the media attention paid to the strikers Thursday will surely
<br>re-ignite the minimum wage debate, in which opponents say higher
<br>employment costs will mean fewer jobs and higher prices for customers. In
<br>The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, the conservative Employment Policies
<br>Institute ran a full-page ad with a picture of a robot making pancakes,
<br>warning that higher wages would mean "fewer entry-level jobs and more
<br>automated alternatives."
<br>
<br>"You can either raise prices and lose customers, or (automate) those
<br>jobs," said Michael Saltsman, EPI's research director. "The idea that
<br>restaurants are rolling in the money is not representative of the
<br>situation franchisees face."Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-6459561360502685402013-08-13T13:09:00.000-07:002013-08-13T15:43:47.971-07:00[olympiaworkers] SeaSol quickly wins $6,710 at a South Seattle grocery store.Aug. 13, 2013 Libcom.org
<br>
<br>New SeaSol member Antonio worked at a grocery store in White Center for
<br>two grueling years. Working regular 6-day, 72-hour weeks, Antonio received
<br>no breaks, no overtime pay, and was irregularly compensated at less than
<br>$7 per hour (far below Washington State's minimum wage). When he learned
<br>of our win at Jumbo Buffet, Antonio got in touch with the Seattle
<br>Solidarity Network. After much discussion and research, SeaSol and Antonio
<br>voted to fight for 30 weeks of back wages, or $6,710, for Antonio.
<br>
<br>On Saturday July 27th 2013, Antonio, his family, and over forty SeaSolers
<br>filed into the store to deliver our demand. The atmosphere was tense as
<br>the boss read the letter, shaking, and looking around at the stern faces
<br>glaring in solidarity with Antonio. The boss was so intimidated by our
<br>direct action that he immediately contacted a lawyer friend for help. His
<br>lawyer called us the following Monday with weak - and quickly shut down -
<br>attempts at bargaining.
<br>
<br>On Thursday August 8th 2013, the thieving boss and his lawyer friend met
<br>up with Antonio, his daughter, and other SeaSol members. More attempts to
<br>bully Antonio into accepting less money were rejected, and Antonio was
<br>paid $6,710 on the spot.
<br>
<br>The unwavering position presented by SeaSol and Antonio throughout this
<br>fight, our refusal to play legal games with a lawyer, and flawlessly
<br>carried out direct action quickly resulted in a swift win in this fight.
<br>Congratulations to our new comrade Antonio, and thanks to all who showed
<br>up to the demand delivery!
<br>
<br>[originally posted at <a href="http://seasol.net">seasol.net</a> August 2013]Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-87695639510727237022013-07-29T19:40:00.001-07:002013-07-29T19:40:19.928-07:00[olympiaworkers] Fast-food workers in NYC stage strikes, ralliesNEW YORK (AP) — Workers at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's restaurants
<br>across New York walked out Monday in a one-day strike to demand better pay
<br>and the right to unionize, calling for minimum wage to more than double
<br>from $7.25 to $15 an hour and the end to what activists called "abusive
<br>labor practices."
<br>
<br>"It's noisy, it's really hot, fast, they rush you. Sometimes you don't
<br>even get breaks. All for $7.25? It's crazy," said Nathalia Sepulveda, who
<br>works at a McDonald's opposite Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, where one
<br>protest took place.
<br>
<br>Outside the McDonald's as well as a Wendy's in lower Manhattan, workers
<br>chanted "we can't survive on $7.25" and "supersize our wages." At the
<br>Wendy's, the crowd shouted at customers not to go in and two police
<br>officers were stationed inside.
<br>
<br>They were among hundreds of people who took part at locations throughout
<br>New York, activists said. Similar strikes were planned across the country
<br>this week, organized by the national Fast Food Forward campaign, which was
<br>launched last year to tackle stagnating wages and the proliferation of
<br>low-wage jobs as the nation recovers from the recession, said campaign
<br>director Jonathan Westin.
<br>
<br>"The workers' actions will lift up all of New York City," he said. "If
<br>they have more money in their pockets, they'll spend it right here,
<br>helping to boost the entire economy."
<br>
<br>Doubling the minimum wage would have a "significant effect on the private
<br>sector's ability to create jobs, especially those typically filled by
<br>first-time workers and teens," said Scott DeFife of the National
<br>Restaurant Association. McDonald's had directed requests for comment to
<br>the trade group.
<br>
<br>Spokesmen for Burger King and Wendy's both said they respect the rights of
<br>their workers.
<br>
<br>"We're proud that Wendy's provides a place where thousands of people with
<br>different backgrounds and education levels can enter the workforce," said
<br>Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini.
<br>
<br>Glenda Soto, 35, a single mother supporting four children said that though
<br>she works full-time and often puts in 13-hour days at the Bronx
<br>McDonald's, money is a constant headache.
<br>
<br>"My rent is going up in September," she said. "We are already living
<br>paycheck to paycheck."
<br>
<br>Many workers brought their families with them, including children.
<br>
<br>"We're a movement, we're a team," Sepulveda said as she held the hand of
<br>her 3-year-old son, Hayden.
<br>
<br>The striking workers in Manhattan were joined by politicians and community
<br>leaders, including U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who represents the
<br>district. He said the fact that the fast food industry is worth $200
<br>billion a year and yet many of its employees still rely on food stamps and
<br>Medicaid is "disgusting."
<br>
<br>Ashley Pinkney, who works at McDonald's in Times Square, arrived at the
<br>downtown rally still in her uniform.
<br>
<br>"I can't even order something off the menu with what I earn," she said.
<br>"It makes me wonder what I'm even doing there."Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-74808053454941654712013-07-08T10:12:00.000-07:002013-07-08T10:13:32.586-07:00[olympiaworkers] Backbone Activist Camp! What fun! You should come!<div dir="ltr"><div>Hello Olympia! Have you been to a summer camp made just for you and your activist friends focused on creating a better world? If you have, you know it's fun, if you haven't, think Wet Hot American Summer... (It's nothing like that.) Come to <a href="http://backbonecampaign.org/component/k2/item/18-localize-this" target="_blank">Localize This! Action Camp!</a> <br> <br></div>Localize This Action Camp is for people who care and have a day or a week on their hands July 31- Aug. 5. Paddle, sail, swim, walk, bike or hitch a ride to Vashon Island, eat delicious food, camp under the stars (there are bathrooms and showers nearby) and learn excellent techniques to challenge the powers that spy on all your emails, put you in bottomless debt through steroidal student loans and devastates the climate of our only earth amongst other nefarious things (such as wars, Guantanamo, oppressing women, police state, etc.) that only benefit the sick 1% who control America's government and the corporations.<br> <div><br></div><div>Register TODAY! It's a short app. If you're broke, no one is turned away for lack of funds. Register now to be counted early and let's throw a party to raise some money. Nearly every large highway banner, noisy artful action, puppet headed protest, light projection and helium filled highlight of the past 3 years seen in Oly has been a product of the skills acquired at a Backbone Campaign training. Don't miss this!<br> <br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/533301153379337/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/events/533301153379337/</a><br><br></div><div>July 31 is an anti-oppression training with the camp following August 1-5 in full. If you don't know how you'll get there or don't have camp gear to bring or just want to know more, email me (this is my 4th year). Lot's of fun, share this with friends and let's all meet by the campfire after days of kayaking, tree climbing, strategizing, blockade trainings and art making.<br> </div><br>---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Bill Moyer</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bill@backbonecampaign.org" target="_blank">bill@backbonecampaign.org</a>></span><br> Date: Mon, Jul 1, 2013 at 8:35 AM<br>Subject: Pitch in to Get Change Agents to Localize This! $5? Frequent Flyer Miles? What Can YOU Do?<br><br> <center><table bgcolor="#ffffff" width="595"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size:8pt;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" width="100%">If this doesn't look BEAUTIFUL then, <a href="http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=wooxt9n6&v=0013dcFqZEsrWlHD2XXwA7Aa9c0qIDtBuo6Q9HEsmNp17ZIGi-Z1QJGKtUTblXc3x0NKs2PAW6P7W3IgFjX8IK-u86T3pd7hlaX7DlQSupXEeFbO_ihIJ4dKcWvG65S3n-jpCwtzVb-gHrrm3x-eT35qaKOMU248sT9" target="_blank">Click Here to View Online </a></td></tr></tbody></table></center> <img alt=" " src="http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?t=1113882510706.0.1011284163030.21301&ts=S0915&r=3&o=http://ui.constantcontact.com/images/p1x1.gif" height="1" width="1"> <table style="text-align:left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"><tbody><tr> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1"> <font style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" color="#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="bottom"> <br></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <font style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" color="#000000" face="Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="4"><font style="font-style:normal;font-size:16pt;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,Serif;font-weight:bold" color="#000000" face="Times New Roman,Times,Serif" size="4">REGISTER for <i><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd3o6F21zjaau0uEWZBkX4Zuwc7xufMpRqj1Ilzy7UcZW1arQIudDSNdhT-LG3rWgwsjsD4mdQEufI5zdLHOS4rWdae_uRAmXuvjFbf0_MrHIQ==" target="_blank">Localize This! 2013</a></i> - Contribute - AND Spread the Word!</font></font> <div> <font style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold" color="#000000" face="Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold;color:rgb(153,0,0)" color="#990000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" size="3"><br> Get AMAZING Change Agents like Jeff and Ahern to Localize This! 2013 so they can share their skills with others! (like YOU)</font></font> </div> <font style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold" color="#000000" face="Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font style="font-style:normal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold" color="#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" size="3">$5? $10? Share & Tweet? Frequent Flyer Miles? What Will YOU Do?</font></font> <div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <p><font style="font-style:normal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,Serif;font-weight:normal" color="#000000" face="Times New Roman,Times,Serif" size="3"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd0ASzgRYpxU841ojRtX8QWfRL-5tNC3KOhAaa-UQ1s11WhKdfV2bVT-vtceaqstPlYV1WsEt9MO0S8EoYvPehzKJ0NKHRJZ3r1FqrKdUFVgk_a1Pu3L2fHVolfjedtxEY30dyqQHxjLkw==" target="_blank"><img alt="CLICK HERE: IndieGoGo Campaign for Travel and Scholarships "Badge"" src="http://www.indiegogo.com/project/badge/441675/209722" align="right" border="0" height="545" hspace="6" vspace="6" width="251"></a> <b>Ahern Dreadsen - Direct Action, Online Media & Tactical Communications</b><br> <img title="Ahern Dreadsen - NVDA Trainer, Media Skeptic, and man of many captivating stories" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7645871492_0c325bf342.jpg" alt="Ahern Dreadsen - NVDA Trainer, Media Skeptic, and man of many captivating stories" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left" height="189" hspace="7" vspace="7" width="250"><br> Ahern is the Direct Action trainer and Organizer of Multi Kulti in Chicago. Unity For A Change, the Activist organization of Multi Kulti, recruited him to conduct Direct Action training workshops and long-term power-building consultation with the many grassroots organizations who utilize the Co-Op. Ahern has diverse experience & accomplished a wide-range of actions from animal rescue in Hurricane Katrina, and shutting down 2 of the oldest Coal plants in Chicago with Rainforest Action Network Chicago, to long-term campaigns which have closed a corrupt police department and worked on Appalachia Rising Campaign. Ahern has worked with FIJA , "Fully Informed Jury Association" and has been deeply involved with Occupy Chicago organizing, being one of the the first two people to form their Non-Violent Direct Action Committee.<br> <i><b>PLEASE </b></i><i><b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd0ASzgRYpxU841ojRtX8QWfRL-5tNC3KOhAaa-UQ1s11WhKdfV2bVT-vtceaqstPlYV1WsEt9MO0S8EoYvPehzKJ0NKHRJZ3r1FqrKdUFVgk_a1Pu3L2fHVolfjedtxEY30dyqQHxjLkw==" target="_blank">Pitch in NOW!</a></b></i><br> <br> </font></p><p style="line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:left;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-size:10.9091px;white-space:normal;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal"> <font style="font-style:normal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,Serif;font-weight:normal" color="#000000" face="Times New Roman,Times,Serif" size="3"><span style="font-size:medium"><b><span><i>Jeff Lucas - Organizer, NonViolent Direct Action Trainer & Artful Activism Innovator</i></span><br> </b></span></font></p><font style="font-style:normal;font-size:12pt;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,Serif;font-weight:normal" color="#000000" face="Times New Roman,Times,Serif" size="3"> <p style="line-height:normal;text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-size:10.9091px;white-space:normal;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal"> <img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8618795627_33c08e41e5.jpg" alt="Jeff Lucas - Organizer, Non Violent Direct Action Trainer, and Artful Activism Innovator" title="Jeff Lucas - Organizer, Non Violent Direct Action Trainer, and Artful Activism Innovator" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 6px 6px 0px 0px;" align="left" height="142" hspace="7" vspace="7" width="250"></p> Jeff Lucas hails from coal country in central Illinois. His introduction to activism came from his grandfather who was a 60 year rank and file member of the Industrial Workers of the World. His current focus is organizing and movement building with frontline communities in the Illinois Coal Basin, Chicago, and St. Louis. Residing in Chicago for 8 years Jeff has worked with Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Rainforest Action Network, Action Now, Forest Ethics, United Steel Workers, Heartland Coalfield Alliance, The Alliance for Appalachia, United Food and Commercial Workers, Chicago Housing Initiative, Anarchist Black Cross, Rising Tide, Service Employees International Union, Chicago Youth Climate Coalition, Agit-Pop, Food Not Bombs, and more, and trained Students for a Free Tibet. <br> <i><b>PLEASE </b></i><i><b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd0ASzgRYpxU841ojRtX8QWfRL-5tNC3KOhAaa-UQ1s11WhKdfV2bVT-vtceaqstPlYV1WsEt9MO0S8EoYvPehzKJ0NKHRJZ3r1FqrKdUFVgk_a1Pu3L2fHVolfjedtxEY30dyqQHxjLkw==" target="_blank">Pitch in NOW!</a></b></i></font><p> </p> <p> <font style="font-style:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;font-weight:normal" color="#000000" face="Verdana"><big><u><b>What is <i>Localize This!</i>? Check out this 2 min. </b></u><u><b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd1hiHB8SkNcwNXdVFpDUhHq1zKYDP8JMB9XlrlJn9e8BiNSNAMQ00hjwmoYPu180cDrf2k8Vge59xwABaTy8x6lEY9UYWKcdFbAOwBJOIwPfW5K3ADQifJq" target="_blank">video</a></b></u><u><b> </b></u><big><u> </u><br> </big> <br> </big><i><b>Change is not just possible, it is inevitable.</b></i> But opportunity favors the prepared. There is nothing the Backbone Campaign does that is more crucial to preparing progressive change agents or weaving connections between them than our annual <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd3o6F21zjaau0uEWZBkX4Zuwc7xufMpRqj1Ilzy7UcZW1arQIudDSNdhT-LG3rWgwsjsD4mdQEufI5zdLHOS4rWdae_uRAmXuvjFbf0_MrHIQ==" target="_blank"><b><i>Localize This! Action Camp</i></b></a>. <br> </font></p><p align="left"><font style="font-style:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;font-weight:normal" color="#000000" face="Verdana">All year long, the Backbone team appears in our region and across the country, but only one time per year does the country come to us. For the past four years this gathering has been at the cusp of movement innovation, a source of numerous collaborations, and a spark for countless creative actions from viral Flash Mobs to Giant floating buttocks. Our giant 1% arrows banner and light projections preceded Occupy. Last year's camp lifted up Eviction Protection in the Seattle area and now our allies are celebrating a victorious Eviction Blockade. <b><i>Our first camp helped </i></b><b><i>save an </i></b><b><i>island!</i></b><br> </font></p><font style="font-style:normal;font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;font-weight:normal" color="#000000" face="Verdana"> <b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd1hiHB8SkNcwNXdVFpDUhHq1zKYDP8JMB9XlrlJn9e8BiNSNAMQ00hjwmoYPu180cDrf2k8Vge59xwABaTy8x6lEY9UYWKcdFbAOwBJOIwPfW5K3ADQifJq" title="localize this promo vid screenshot by Backbone Campaign, on Flickr" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/8892120390_99f9df78d0.jpg" alt="Localize This Promo Video" align="right" border="0" height="256" hspace="7" vspace="7" width="464"></a>HERE is how you can help spread the word about the 5th annual </b><i> </i><i><b>Localize This! Artful Action Camp</b></i> <ol><li>Please copy and SHARE/Tweet/email to friends this link <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd3o6F21zjaau0uEWZBkX4Zuwc7xufMpRqj1Ilzy7UcZW1arQIudDSNdhT-LG3rWgwsjsD4mdQEufI5zdLHOS4rWdae_uRAmXuvjFbf0_MrHIQ==" target="_blank">http://LocalizeThis.org</a><br> </li><li>Invite Facebook Friends to our FB event page <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd1IZAyLPExlVbouxhhEv1eC5P3ImGcSAAThb_N5xJmr7hQWrQVezibS5JzIXAQZKUF4t1AJV05jXDFsmUOMG2KEhtmiH0Txsp603XFpGaUfkYiQf1bwP6-GHN1VdyEW2CS_qdl-sCusI59DSKogqaZJ" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</li> <li>Download 4 per page handbill <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd1upCSeQ9eZMh_fdoa4Th1c9Xcf1sLuNsCrfST8Kxd5iSk_pX-UgkIcocUuKRjkwjfxo7k85LHGZ2TG-Vly5_4PgpxwmX67lNf9HOzZGoRDnYnUuyBlwAvy-dJpj1u_N67qRxO6C85zVVg-Pad-ilUk28HaRznTkpIbgGWnoW0xuQ==" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</li> <li>Download poster <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd2qVI0QOpb9kgbgTp8Q6cjRx9RbRqJU75NHUBAY2BhtXEzEvbO1gOKuPBgICqrxxQ7MCfHykFGf38hP0IQbjqz4R8Nbr4ay_D2qjZgPRtKsOiJsaCN_Q5RukDhp7Dp5F9zGQZXgnIpDJzJq1zNA1Arpz_C8bF0HOVJpy1mnTflVjatgI0ROG9-x" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</li> </ol> <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd2lr1Hh4c__rV3UFKJoe3y9gNUmhB8hwa-CQhuGqBGH2s-u8Bgn2WinmP0BaTl_a30mvkTLrq35TzoQ4SDXkVUx_-2N0w_70pQJKGw3Uu4x9Q3_SK-RLRLIGlEGCfUI8hng5hfHgJ4_x1_URLdAw9MHDPJDMZBwkHM=" title="localize this 2013 as of 5.5 by Backbone Campaign, on Flickr" target="_blank"><img alt="localize this 2013 Flier" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8272/8709943874_93aa309e46_b.jpg" border="0" height="1045" width="799"></a></font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="1" rowspan="1"> <font style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" color="#000000" face="Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> <br><br> <font style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold" color="#000000" face="Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Feel free to contact the Backbone office or Bill at: </font> <div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> <div> email: <a color="#000000" href="mailto:bill@backbonecampaign.org" shape="rect" target="_blank">bill@backbonecampaign.org</a> </div> <div> o. <a value="+12063569980">206-356-9980</a> c. <a value="+12063569980">206-356-9980</a> </div> <div> web: <a color="#000000" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001_5pjWPPWNd1vqEK6MGpyOfjDbsYf60hTqlnsGQaNII_b9qP-2TvZammL8-29bDBvFncQUrPxZwvLunkGUb_O_SHcJfeCJfFfscnUh9RZFQD4uXgPg4gfGeOMksvJBbZ_" shape="rect" target="_blank">http://backbonecampaign.org/</a> </div> <div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div> </font></td></tr></tbody></table></div> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-7067765560217965352013-05-10T16:50:00.000-07:002013-05-10T16:51:05.224-07:00[olympiaworkers] Fast-food workers in Detroit walk off job, disrupt businessMay 10, 2013 By Steve Neavling and Lisa Baertlein
<br>
<br>(Reuters) - Hundreds of fast-food employees in Detroit walked off the job
<br>on Friday, temporarily shuttering a handful of outlets as part of a
<br>growing U.S. worker movement that is demanding higher wages for flipping
<br>burgers and operating fryers.
<br>
<br>The protests in the Motor City - which is struggling to recover from the
<br>hollowing out of its auto manufacturing sector - marked an expansion in
<br>organized actions by fast-food workers from ubiquitous chains owned by
<br>McDonald's Corp, Burger King Worldwide and KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut
<br>parent Yum Brands Inc.
<br>
<br>Fast-food workers, who already have taken to the streets in New York,
<br>Chicago and St. Louis, are seeking to roughly double their hourly pay to
<br>$15 per hour from around minimum wage, which in Michigan is $7.40 per
<br>hour.
<br>
<br>Organizers said more than 400 people turned out for the Detroit event, the
<br>most to date.
<br>
<br>They also said the walk-outs forced the temporary closures of two
<br>McDonald's restaurants, a Burger King, a Subway, a Long John Silver's and
<br>a Popeyes in Detroit - a claim some chains disputed.
<br>
<br>Outside a Burger King on 8 Mile in Detroit, employee Claudette Wilson said
<br>she's tired of poor wages, especially at a time when the fast-food
<br>industry continues to grow.
<br>
<br>"I make minimum wage, which is what I made when I started working in fast
<br>food three years ago," the 20-year-old college student said. "I can't
<br>understand how the industry is growing but our wages aren't."
<br>
<br>Organizers said the Detroit metro area has 53,000 fast-food jobs, which
<br>pay at or just above minimum wage.
<br>
<br>The fast-food workforce is twice as large as that of the region's famed
<br>auto manufacturing sector and is projected to grow faster than the
<br>region's overall workforce in the coming years, organizers said.
<br>
<br>"People can't make a living at $7.40 a hour," said Rev. Charles Williams
<br>II, a protest organizer. "Many of them have babies and children to raise,
<br>and they can't get by with these kind of wages."
<br>
<br>Those workers face high hurdles in their fight for better pay. Low-wage,
<br>low-skill workers lack political clout and face significantly higher
<br>unemployment than college graduates.
<br>
<br>U.S. President Barack Obama proposed raising the federal minimum wage in
<br>his State of the Union address as a way to help lift some workers out of
<br>poverty. But critics of such a move, including representatives for the
<br>nearly $200 billion U.S. fast-food industry, say it would kill jobs by
<br>burdening small businesses with higher costs.
<br>
<br>PROTESTS, DISPUTES
<br>
<br>At a Long John Silver's on Detroit's east side, a lone manager tended the
<br>restaurant as the presence of protesters appeared to stifle business.
<br>
<br>A McDonald's spokeswoman told Reuters its Michigan restaurants were "open,
<br>and operating as usual". Burger King said none of its restaurants were
<br>shut down and no workers walked off the job.
<br>
<br>Representatives from Subway, Long John Silver's and AFC Enterprises'
<br>Popeyes did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
<br>
<br>Margaret Neal, 52, said frustration with the low wage she earns after more
<br>than a decade working at a McDonald's in Detroit prompted her to join
<br>Friday's protests.
<br>
<br>Asked about her pay, Neal said: "You don't even want to know, I've been
<br>there 15 years. I'm still making $8.83 (an hour). That's not right."
<br>
<br>Neal, who works full-time, says her bosses have told her she is "maxed
<br>out" at her current wage and ineligible for an increase.
<br>
<br>The vast majority of McDonald's more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants are
<br>owned and operated by franchisees. The company said in a statement that
<br>McDonald's employees are paid competitive wages, have access to a range of
<br>benefits and opportunities for training and career advancement.
<br>
<br>The Detroit action was put together by the Michigan Workers Organizing
<br>Committee, an independent union of fast-food workers, that is supported by
<br>community, labor and faith-based groups such as the Interfaith Coalition
<br>of Pastors, UFCW Local 876, SEIU Healthcare Michigan and Good Jobs Now.Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-1447399100097772702013-03-05T12:08:00.001-08:002013-03-05T12:08:23.688-08:00[olympiaworkers] Lonmin miners strike in S.Africa, unnerving investorsTue Mar 5, 2013 11:50am Reuters
<br>
<br>* Wildcat strike launched as media tours mine
<br>
<br>* Confusion sends rand, platinum, shares on bumpy ride
<br>
<br>* Union feud at heart of dispute
<br>
<br>By Sherilee Lakmidas
<br>
<br>MARIKANA, South Africa, March 5 (Reuters) - Workers went on a wildcat
<br>strike at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine in South Africa on Tuesday,
<br>embarrassing the company as it launched a publicity drive to try and show
<br>it had recovered from months of deadly labour unrest.
<br>
<br>The world's third-largest platinum producer invited journalists to tour
<br>the mine, but the public relations exercise backfired as thousands of
<br>workers took advantage of the media spotlight to down tools at four
<br>shafts.
<br>
<br>Confusion mounted after the company said they had all returned to work,
<br>only to revise its statement when it became clear miners at two of the
<br>shafts remained above ground.
<br>
<br>The conflicting statements sent platinum prices, South Africa's rand and
<br>Lonmin's shares on a bumpy ride, highlighting nerves over the health of
<br>the country's key mining sector after months of labour unrest.
<br>
<br>Disruptions at Marikana are particularly closely watched as it was the
<br>site where 34 striking miners were shot dead by police last August in
<br>South Africa's deadliest security incident since the end of apartheid in
<br>1994.
<br>
<br>"Things are still not right," said Johannes Liofo, a rock drill operator
<br>at Lonmin's Karee mine. Speaking at a rock face and drenched in sweat, he
<br>said he was still waiting for working conditions to improve.
<br>
<br>Lonmin said workers affiliated to the Association of Mineworkers and
<br>Construction Union (AMCU) refused to go underground on Tuesday, demanding
<br>the closure of the offices of a rival union.
<br>
<br>AMCU has a reputation for militancy and one of its shift bosses, Phahla
<br>Mekela, said there was still a high level of absenteeism at the shafts,
<br>something he attributed to widespread resentment among workers and a long
<br>list of demands still unmet.
<br>
<br>Lonmin spokeswoman Sue Vey said the miners had taken advantage of the
<br>presence of the world's media to stage a stoppage and make their point.
<br>
<br>"They made use of the opportunity to convey their message. They have been
<br>heard," she said.
<br>
<br>TURF WAR, ROUND TWO
<br>
<br>AMCU Members are demanding the closure of the offices of the rival
<br>National Union of Mineworkers because they say it is no longer the largest
<br>body representing workers there.
<br>
<br>The turf war between AMCU and NUM, which is a powerful political ally of
<br>the ruling African National Congress, was at the heart of much of the
<br>unrest that hit the platinum and gold mining sectors in South Africa last
<br>year, triggering labour violence that killed over 50 people.
<br>
<br>The union rivalry has shaken investor confidence in Africa's largest
<br>economy and the world's top platinum producer and led to credit downgrades
<br>for the country.
<br>
<br>The rand initially fell to a session low of 9.1173 and then recovered
<br>after the company said the strike was over. Lonmin's share price fell as
<br>much as 2 percent in Johannesburg while platinum prices jumped over 1
<br>percent, leap-frogging gold before easing back to parity with bullion.
<br>
<br>Investors are also nervously monitoring union reaction to plans by Anglo
<br>American Platinum, the world's top producer of the precious metal, to
<br>restore profits by mothballing two mines and cutting up to 14,000 jobs.
<br>
<br>The platinum belt northwest of Johannesburg remains a flashpoint of social
<br>and labour tension after it was the scene of riots last year and
<br>widespread intimidation as AMCU recruited workers angered at the NUM
<br>leadership, which they see as out of touch with the rank and file and too
<br>close to the ANC.
<br>
<br>Glaring income disparities and grinding poverty in the shantytowns around
<br>the platinum mines have also fueled the violence.Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-1980106300320374312013-02-28T14:50:00.000-08:002013-02-28T14:53:04.284-08:002 rabble rousing analysts on Latin America + Israeli Apartheid Week!<font size="4"><b>Laura Carlsen<font size="4">,</font> two major talks in Olympia on <font size="4">the Drug Wars</font> and Neoliberalism<font size="4">.</font></b></font><br>1) <b>Latin America's Challenge to Neoliberalism</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/214326362039336">https://www.facebook.com/events/214326362039336</a><br> Monday, March 4, 2013 7-9pm, Olympia Center, Room 101, 222 N Columbia St, Downtown Olympia<br>2) <b>A Nation at Risk: Drug Wars, Democracy, and Dependency in Mexico</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/446797372059675">https://www.facebook.com/events/446797372059675</a><br> Tuesday, March 5, 2013 11am-1pm, The Evergreen State College, Seminar II, Room E1105<br> <br><i>Laura Carlsen </i>is a political analyst and writer who has lived in Mexico City for 25 years and is the Director of The Americas Program, <a href="http://www.cipamericas.org" target="_blank">www.cipamericas.org</a>, at the Center for International Policy, She has written extensively on NAFTA, the drug war, immigration and gender issues in Americas Updater, Counterpunch, La Jornada and others. She is a columnist for Huffington Post and Foreign Policy in Focus, and a commentator with Al Jazeera, CCTV, NBC, Democracy Now!, NPR and Mexican television and radio stations. Laura Carlsen is co-editor of "Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexico" and has participated as an analyst and activist in the movement against militarization and the drug war on both sides of the border. Both events are free and open to the public! Sponsored by OMJP (Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace), MEChA de Evergreen and the TESC Political Economy and Social Movements Program.<br><br><font size="4"><b>EVENT: Eyewitness Updates on <span>Honduras</span>: Attacks on <span><span>LGBTQ</span></span> Community and Unions</b></font><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/406819922734669/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/events/406819922734669/</a><br> <i>Friday, March 8, 6PM, Media Island, 816 Adams St. SE, Olympia, free event (donations accepted)</i>,<i> food for purchase by <a href="http://mijasrestaurant.org/" target="_blank">MIJAS</a></i><br>Come out to hear <a href="http://www.afgj.org" target="_blank">Chuck Kaufman</a> as he speaks about his first hand experiences organizing delegations to <span>Honduras</span>. Three years after the <span>Honduras</span> coup, Indigenous, <span><span>LGBTQ</span></span>, Teachers, Labor and Farmers are subjected to continual violence. The Resistance Front calls for greater international solidarity to stop the violence. This is Chuck Kaufman's final stop on a NW tour speaking on this issue, Evergreen masters student Caitlin Payne Roberts will give a recap of her experience doing solidarity work in <span>Honduras</span> and the delegation trip she took with Chuck. Introducing both will be Bruce Wilkinson, who traveled to <span>Honduras</span> 6 months after the coup and now works for Alliance For Global Justice. MIJAS will be selling food and talk about their project in honor of International Women's Day.<br> <br>On June 28, 2009, democratically elected <span>Honduran</span> President Manuel Zelaya was rousted from his bed by the military and flown into exile. Under the coup government, and the illegitimate government of Porfirio Lobo, "selected in sham elections," violence and repression against the people of <span>Honduras</span> has continued to grow.<br><ul><li>More than 55 small farmers, members of cooperatives farming land they are entitled to under the country's land reform laws, have been murdered by government forces and "security guards" of large landowners.</li><li>Thirty <span><span>LGBTQ</span></span> activists have been murdered, many of them tortured and mutilated first.</li><li>African-descended Garifuna people on <span>Honduras</span>' Caribbean Coast are being violently evicted to make way for tourism projects.</li> <li>In May, four indigenous Miskito people, including two pregnant women, a 14-year old boy and a 21-year old youth were wrongfully slaughtered when a US helicopter with DEA agents aboard, negligently fired at Miskito families in a community boat. Four other indigenous family members of the boat were badly wounded. Six of the sixteen persons on the boat were children.</li></ul> The US government trains and funds the <span>Honduran</span> military and corrupt police. It was the primary force behind recognizing the coup government and returning <span>Honduras</span> to membership in the Organization of American States.<br> <br>Join Chuck Kaufman who has traveled to <span>Honduras</span> frequently since the coup to learn about the violence against marginalized communities there, how they are fighting for their economic and civil rights, and what you can do to help. Chuck Kaufman is National Co-Coordinator of the Alliance for Global Justice with 25 years of Latin America solidarity work and anti-war, anti-US militarism work in the US. He has led many delegations to <span>Honduras</span> since the coup and is one of the key organizers in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HondurasSolidarityNetwork" target="_blank"><span>Honduras</span> Solidarity Network</a>.<br> <br><strong>AFTER the EVENT: Heartsparkle Players – Playback Theatre: "Stories of Women Making a Better World: Their Struggles, Successes and Resilience"</strong> in recognition of International Women's Day, and in collaboration with the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, 7:30, Traditions, $5-10<font size="6"><b><br></b></font><font size="4"><b><br>ALSO: Israeli Apartheid Week at The Evergreen State College <br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/397306510366028/">https://www.facebook.com/events/397306510366028/</a></b></font><br> <br><span><span class="fsl">You're invited to Evergreen's Second Annual Israeli Apartheid Week! <br> <br> During this week, hosting by the Mideast Solidarity Project and the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, please join us in conversation about the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement. If you don't know what BDS is, come to these events! If you aren't sure why "apartheid" is an accurate term, or <span class="text_exposed_show">disagree, come to these events! We will have current Evergreen students reporting on their recent travels in Palestine, in addition to various films and an introductory workshop. We welcome everybody--students, friends, community members, faculty, and staff. All events will have facilitated discussions after the main event. <br> <br> <font size="4"><b>Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW): March 4th- 8th. </b></font>More info about the international movement: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fapartheidweek.org%2F&h=9AQEYlSwT&s=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow nofollow">http://apartheidweek.org/</a><br> <br> Sunday: Author and Activist, Remi Kanazi: Hosted by MSP and The Rachel Corrie Foundation<br> Time: 2-4PM workshop, 6PM poetry reading Location: the Washington State Labor Council, 906 Columbia St. SW. <br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/288730851256532/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>https://www.facebook.com/</span><span class="word_break"></span>events/288730851256532/</a><br> <br> Monday: Intro to Israel/ Palestine<br> Time: 4-5 PM Location: Lecture Hall 3 <br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/539843806050493" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>https://www.facebook.com/</span><span class="word_break"></span>events/539843806050493</a><br> <br> Student Report back from Palestine <br> Time: 5:30- 7 PM Location: Lecture Hall 3<br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/407730202653910" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>https://www.facebook.com/</span><span class="word_break"></span>events/407730202653910</a><br> <br> Wednesday: Film screening: Five Broken Cameras <br> Time: 6 Pm Location: Lecture Hall 3<br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/506621916054946" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>https://www.facebook.com/</span><span class="word_break"></span>events/506621916054946</a><br> <br> Thursday: Film Screening: Slingshot Hip-Hop<br> Time: 4 PM Location: Sem 2 B1105<br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/496086030429158" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span>https://www.facebook.com/</span><span class="word_break"></span>events/496086030429158</a><br> <br> Sponsored by Mid-East Solidarity Project</span></span></span><br><br>###<br><br>To unsubscribe from this list: <a href="https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mediaisland">https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mediaisland</a><br> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-58664551769004980222013-02-14T16:30:00.000-08:002013-02-14T16:35:46.026-08:00[olympiaworkers] Honduras: Attacks on LGBTQ & Unions; Rising Resistance Front! Speaker Chuck Kaufman, 3/8 6pm, Media Island<font size="4"><b>EVENT: Eyewitness Updates on Honduras: Attacks on LGBTQ Community and Unions</b></font><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/406819922734669/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/events/406819922734669/</a><br> <i>Friday, March 8, 6PM, Media Island, 816 Adams St. SE, Olympia, free event (donations accepted)</i><br>Come out to hear <a href="http://www.afgj.org">Chuck Kaufman</a> as he speaks about his first hand experiences organizing delegations to Honduras. Three years after the Honduras coup, Indigenous, LGBTQ, Teachers, Labor and Farmers are subjected to continual violence. The Resistance Front calls for greater international solidarity to stop the violence. This is Chuck Kaufman's final stop on a NW tour speaking on this issue, Evergreen masters student Caitlin Payne Roberts will give a recap of her experience doing solidarity work in Honduras and the delegation trip she took with Chuck. Introducing both will be Bruce Wilkinson, who traveled to Honduras 6 months after the coup and now works for Alliance For Global Justice.<br> <br>On June 28, 2009, democratically elected Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was rousted from his bed by the military and flown into exile. Under the coup government, and the illegitimate government of Porfirio Lobo, "selected in sham elections," violence and repression against the people of Honduras has continued to grow.<br><ul><li>More than 55 small farmers, members of cooperatives farming land they are entitled to under the country's land reform laws, have been murdered by government forces and "security guards" of large landowners.</li><li>Thirty LGBTQ activists have been murdered, many of them tortured and mutilated first.</li><li>African-descended Garifuna people on Honduras' Caribbean Coast are being violently evicted to make way for tourism projects.</li> <li>In May, four indigenous Miskito people, including two pregnant women, a 14-year old boy and a 21-year old youth were wrongfully slaughtered when a US helicopter with DEA agents aboard, negligently fired at Miskito families in a community boat. Four other indigenous family members of the boat were badly wounded. Six of the sixteen persons on the boat were children.</li></ul> The US government trains and funds the Honduran military and corrupt police. It was the primary force behind recognizing the coup government and returning Honduras to membership in the Organization of American States.<br> <br>Join Chuck Kaufman who has traveled to Honduras frequently since the coup to learn about the violence against marginalized communities there, how they are fighting for their economic and civil rights, and what you can do to help. Chuck Kaufman is National Co-Coordinator of the Alliance for Global Justice with 25 years of Latin America solidarity work and anti-war, anti-US militarism work in the US. He has led many delegations to Honduras since the coup and is one of the key organizers in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HondurasSolidarityNetwork">Honduras Solidarity Network</a>.<br> <br><strong>AFTER the EVENT: Heartsparkle Players – Playback Theatre: "Stories of Women Making a Better World: Their Struggles, Successes and Resilience"</strong> in recognition of International Women's Day, and in collaboration with the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, 7:30, Traditions, $5-10<br> <br>-bruce<br>360-742-0864<br> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-42054351074589417582013-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:002013-02-13T14:48:58.271-08:00[olympiaworkers] The machines of self-management have been switched on!From Viome <a href="http://www.viome.org/">http://www.viome.org/</a>
<br>
<br>After 3 days of intense mobilization, the factory of Vio.Me. has started
<br>production under workers' control earlier today! It is the first
<br>experiment in industrial self-management in crisis-striken Greece, and the
<br>workers of Vio.Me. are confident this is going to be only the first in a
<br>series of such endeavors.
<br>The march was massive and vibrant.
<br>
<br>The mobilization kicked off with a big
<br>assembly of the workers and solidary organizations and individuals in
<br>a central downtown theater on Sunday evening. Here the course of
<br>action of the solidarity movement was discussed, and everyone had the
<br>chance to take the microphone and to express their opinion on the workers'
<br>struggle.
<br>Really talented artists played in support of the Vio.Me struggle.
<br>
<br>On Monday evening there was a march in
<br>the city center followed by a huge benefit concert with several well
<br>known folk bands and singers. Among them Thanassis Papakonstantinou,
<br>one of the most important contemporary Greek songwriters who is in a
<br>sense "part of the movement" since he always supports with word
<br>and deed the efforts of society for self-determination. The
<br>attendance exceeded everyone's expectations. Unfortunately about a
<br>thousand people didn't manage to get in, as the stadium was packed.
<br>The stellar moment of the night was when the workers took the
<br>microphone and explained their vision of another society, based on
<br>social justice, solidarity and self-management. Five thousand people
<br>were applauding, shouting and chanting songs of support. It was then
<br>that everyone realized that this endeavor is bound to succeed!
<br>One of the Vio.Me. workers addresses the people.
<br>
<br>Early next morning the mobilization went on with a vibrant march towards
<br>the factory. The workers were
<br>already in their positions and the production was triumphantly
<br>kick-started in front of the cameras of national, local and
<br>alternative media. The workers organized a guided tour of the factory
<br>and explained all the details of the production process to journalists
<br>and participants in the solidarity movement.
<br> The first batch of products produced under worker's control!
<br>
<br>There is still a long
<br>road ahead: The costs of production are high, access to credit is
<br>impossible and getting a part of the market in
<br>times of recession is uncertain. The workers are however optimistic:
<br>The proceeds from the benefit gig and the donations of supportive
<br>groups and individuals collected through <a href="http://viome.org">viome.org</a> should be
<br>enough to keep the company afloat in the first few months. And the
<br>support of the social movements means many of the products will be
<br>distributed through the existing structures of social and solidary
<br>economy. The workers of Vio.Me. are already researching new cleaning
<br>products, based on non-toxic ecological ingredients, apt for home
<br>use. The factory makes quality building materials (mortars, plasters,
<br>tile adhesive paste and jointing materials, waterproof grouts, etc.)
<br>and the workers know very well how to improve the quality even more
<br>while lowering the production costs and hence the price. The
<br>challenge is now to find a market for these materials, which
<br>unfortunately are too voluminous to be transported across long
<br>distances, and should be sold within Greece or the surrounding Balkan
<br>countries.
<br>The 40 workers of Vio.Me. and hundreds
<br>of participants in the solidarity movement have for three days
<br>lived an unforgettable experience, which however is only the start of a
<br>long and difficult road. Now more than ever we need to be united and
<br>strong, determined to build a new world based on solidarity, justice
<br>and self-management!Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-58293300707392628502012-12-13T21:13:00.001-08:002012-12-13T21:13:32.371-08:00[olympiaworkers] Fired workers taken to court for blogging about work conditionsDec. 11, 2012 <a href="http://libcom.org">libcom.org</a>
<br>
<br>Solidarity with the Workers of Natais popcorn factory in France! Exposed
<br>to hazardous substances, forced to work on precarious conditions, the
<br>workers tried to fight back. On Thursday, two former employees will be in
<br>court for supposedly "defaming" their former employer!
<br>
<br>On Thursday, December 13, 2012, former workers from the Natais popcorn
<br>factory in Bézéril, France will go to trial for supposed „defamation" of
<br>their ex-employer, for talking about their working conditions on a blog.
<br>
<br>Among the problems the workers faced was exposure to Diacetyl. This
<br>chemical can cause bronchitis obliterans, also known as „popcorn workers'
<br>lung", or other serious respiratory illnesses. Diacetyl is a component of
<br>the artificial butter flavor used in microwave popcorn. Bronchitis
<br>obliterans is irreversible and can lead to death.
<br>
<br>The workers at Natais popcorn factory are not even given masks to protect
<br>themselves from the vapors. They also must work in extreme heat. Around
<br>80% of the people at the factory are temporary workers. The work is hard,
<br>people are sometimes forced to work on Sundays, the pay is bad.
<br>
<br>There was even a strike at the factory. A year-end bonus was won, but then
<br>the union called off the strike. Some workers however tried to keep
<br>fighting. For trying to speak out against these conditions, a case was
<br>brought against 2 of the strikers, now former workers of the company.
<br>
<br>We call on comrades around the world to support this case by sending an
<br>email to the company. <a href="mailto:info@popcorn.fr">info@popcorn.fr</a>
<br>
<br>Sample text: We demand an end to the repression of Natais workers and
<br>support their struggle for safer working conditions and job security. (Add
<br>whatever you like to text.)
<br>
<br>You can also BCC or forward your mail to <a href="mailto:sia32@no-log.org">sia32@no-log.org</a>, the local union
<br>in Gers which has been involved.
<br>
<br>Some leaflets and more information in different languages is available
<br>here: <a href="http://www.zsp.net.pl/natais">http://www.zsp.net.pl/natais</a>Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-71625397155709440172012-12-03T00:35:00.001-08:002012-12-03T00:35:39.794-08:00[olympiaworkers] Los Angeles port strike triggers fears, lobbying by businesses(Reuters) - A national coalition of U.S. business groups is urging an end
<br>to a strike at the twin California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
<br>amid fears that a prolonged stand-off will cost the American economy many
<br>billions of dollars, and could even spread to the east coast.
<br>
<br>Trade groups led by the National Retail Federation have sent letters to
<br>U.S. President Barack Obama and leading members of Congress asking them to
<br>intervene and help end the strike at America's two busiest container
<br>harbor facilities. Those industry groups say the strike, which entered its
<br>sixth day on Sunday, is already costing $1 billion a day.
<br>
<br>The labor dispute has been triggered by 500 clerical workers at the ports,
<br>members of the relatively small Office of Clerical Union Workers. Their
<br>industrial action and clout has been significantly strengthened because
<br>some 10,000 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
<br>have supported them, refusing to cross the clerical workers' picket lines.
<br>
<br>Their action has effectively shut down 10 of the two ports' combined 14
<br>container terminals. Four other container terminals have remained opened,
<br>along with facilities for handling break-bulk cargo such as raw steel and
<br>tanker traffic.
<br>
<br>Industry groups say they have fresh memories of a 10-day lockout at West
<br>Coast ports in 2002. They estimate that dispute cost the U.S. economy $1
<br>billion a day and that it took six months before the supply chains fully
<br>recovered.
<br>
<br>Groups are also warily monitoring an ongoing labor dispute between the
<br>International Longshoremen's Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance
<br>which could affect ports from Maine to Texas.
<br>
<br>The employment contract between the two groups expired at the end of
<br>September without a new agreement. The contract was temporarily extended
<br>for 90 days, until the end of this year. A federal mediator has stepped in
<br>to oversee negotiations to try an avert a strike that would hit at least
<br>14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts.
<br>
<br>"Our members are very nervous and very upset about the impact of the (Los
<br>Angeles) strike on their businesses," said Jonathan Gold, vice president
<br>of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation.
<br>
<br>"We have had a lot of feedback. They have very fresh memories of what
<br>happened in 2002 and what is happening on the east coast."
<br>
<br>Gold said his organization has been working with groups including the
<br>American Apparel and Footwear Association, the Retail Industry Leaders
<br>Industry Association and the Harbor Truckers Association to pressure
<br>lawmakers in Washington to end the stand-off.
<br>
<br>The NRF sent a letter to Obama last week asking him to intervene. Barbara
<br>Boxer and Diane Feinstein, California's two Democratic senators, have also
<br>urged both sides to resolve the dispute.
<br>
<br>Negotiations ran late into Saturday and continued Sunday. The clerks had
<br>been without a contract for more than two years when labor talks with
<br>management broke off on Monday. The chief stumbling block has been the
<br>future of union representation for jobs that are lost through retirement.
<br>
<br>ILWU leaders are demanding that jobs traditionally performed by their
<br>members remain classified as union work and subject to the union's
<br>contract terms, even after individuals holding those jobs retire. They
<br>accuse the management of seeking to outsource union clerical jobs to
<br>overseas workers paid far less in wages and benefits.
<br>
<br>The Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest container harbor facility,
<br>and second-ranked Long Beach together handled more than $400 billion in
<br>goods arriving or leaving the West Coast by ship, L.A. port spokesman
<br>Philip Sanfield said.Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-77612635234845859532012-11-25T18:52:00.001-08:002012-11-25T18:52:17.700-08:00[olympiaworkers] Fire kills 112 workers at Bangladesh garment-makerNov. 25, 2012 Associated Press
<br>
<br>DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Fire raced up the floors of a garment factory in
<br>Bangladesh, killing at least 112 people, many of them trapped in the
<br>eight-story building with no emergency exits where they make clothes for
<br>major global retailers.
<br>
<br>The factory outside the capital, Dhaka, is owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd.,
<br>a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which makes products for Wal-Mart and
<br>other companies in the U.S. and Europe.
<br>
<br>Firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory and 12 more
<br>people died at hospitals after jumping from the building to escape, Maj.
<br>Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director, told The Associated
<br>Press on Sunday.
<br>
<br>Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed. The cause of the
<br>blaze that began late Saturday was not immediately clear, and authorities
<br>ordered an investigation.
<br>
<br>Army soldiers and border guards were helping keep order as thousands of
<br>onlookers and anxious relatives of the factory workers gathered, Mahbub
<br>said.
<br>
<br>Tazreen was given a "high risk" safety rating after a May 16, 2011, audit
<br>conducted by an "ethical sourcing" assessor for Wal-Mart, according to a
<br>document posted on the Tuba Group's website. It did not specify what led
<br>to the rating.
<br>
<br>Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner said online documents indicating an
<br>orange or "high risk" assessment after the May 2011 inspection and a
<br>yellow or "medium risk" report after an inspection in August 2011 appeared
<br>to pertain to the factory. The August 2011 letter said Wal-Mart would
<br>conduct another inspection within one year.
<br>
<br>Gardner said it was not clear if that inspection had been conducted or
<br>whether the factory was still making products for Wal-Mart.
<br>
<br>If a factory is rated "orange" three times in two years, Wal-Mart won't
<br>place any orders for one year. The May 2011 report was the first orange
<br>rating for the factory.
<br>
<br>Neither Tazreen's owner nor Tuba Group officials could be reached for
<br>comment.
<br>
<br>The Tuba Group is a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients also
<br>include Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website. Its factories export
<br>garments to the U.S., Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, among
<br>other countries. The Tazreen factory, which opened in 2009 and employed
<br>about 1,700 people, made polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts.
<br>
<br>Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety
<br>measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of
<br>garment products, mainly to the U.S. and Europe.
<br>
<br>In its 2012 Global Responsibility report, Wal-Mart said that "fire safety
<br>continues to be a key focus for brands and retailers sourcing from
<br>Bangladesh." Wal-Mart said it ceased working with 49 factories in
<br>Bangladesh in 2011 because of fire safety issues, and was working with its
<br>supplier factories to phase out production from buildings deemed high
<br>risk.
<br>
<br>At the factory, relatives of the workers frantically looked for their
<br>loved ones. Sabina Yasmine said she saw the body of her daughter-in-law,
<br>but had seen no trace of her son, who also worked there.
<br>
<br>"Oh, Allah, where's my soul? Where's my son?" wailed Yasmine, who works at
<br>another factory in the area. "I want the factory owner to be hanged. For
<br>him, many have died, many have gone."
<br>
<br>Mahbub said the fire broke out on the ground floor, which was used as a
<br>warehouse, and spread quickly to the upper floors. Many workers who
<br>retreated to the roof were rescued, he said. But he said that with no
<br>emergency exits leading outside the building, many victims were trapped,
<br>and firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor alone.
<br>
<br>"The factory had three staircases, and all of them were down through the
<br>ground floor," Mahbub said. "So the workers could not come out when the
<br>fire engulfed the building."
<br>
<br>"Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory,
<br>the casualties would have been much lower," he said.
<br>
<br>Many victims were burned beyond recognition. The bodies were laid out in
<br>rows at a school nearby. Many of them were handed over to families;
<br>unclaimed victims were taken to Dhaka Medical College for identification.
<br>
<br>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed shock at the loss of so many lives.
<br>
<br>The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said it
<br>would stand by the victims' families.Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-37217499302630897722012-11-16T21:36:00.001-08:002012-11-16T21:36:29.430-08:00[olympiaworkers] Wal-Mart files U.S. labor charge against union(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is taking its first legal step to stop
<br>months of protests and rallies outside Walmart stores, targeting the union
<br>that it says is behind such actions.
<br>
<br>Wal-Mart filed an unfair labor practice charge against the United Food and
<br>Commercial Workers International Union, or UFCW, asking the National Labor
<br>Relations Board to halt what the retailer says are unlawful attempts to
<br>disrupt its business.
<br>
<br>The move comes just a week before what is expected to be the largest
<br>organized action against the world's largest retailer, as a small group of
<br>Walmart workers prepare to strike on Black Friday, typically the busiest
<br>shopping day of the year.
<br>
<br>"We are taking this action now because we cannot allow the UFCW to
<br>continue to intentionally seek to create an environment that could
<br>directly and adversely impact our customers and associates," Wal-Mart
<br>spokesman David Tovar said on Friday. "If they do, they will be held
<br>accountable."
<br>
<br>The union is undeterred. "Walmart is grasping at straws," said UFCW
<br>Communications Director Jill Cashen. "There's nothing in the law that
<br>gives an employer the right to silence workers and citizens."
<br>
<br>Protests and rallies outside Walmart stores around the country and other
<br>actions such as flash mobs have been orchestrated by groups including OUR
<br>Walmart, a coalition of thousands of current and former Walmart workers
<br>that wants to collectively push for better wages, benefits and working
<br>conditions.
<br>
<br>"Wal-Mart is in effect firing a shot across the bow of the UFCW,
<br>essentially saying 'Look, you can expect this and more unless you
<br>desist,'" said Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of
<br>California, Berkeley, who specializes in labor issues.
<br>
<br>Filing with the NLRB suggests that the protests have caught the attention
<br>of Wal-Mart, which has no union-represented workers in the United States.
<br>
<br>OUR Walmart and another group, Making Change at Walmart, are affiliated
<br>with the UFCW, which represents more than 1 million workers including many
<br>at retailers that compete with Walmart. According to a filing with the
<br>Labor Department, OUR Walmart was a subsidiary of the UFCW as of 2011.
<br>
<br>Walmart worker and OUR Walmart member Mary Pat Tifft told Reuters that OUR
<br>Walmart is an independent organization that gets technical support from
<br>the union but that the UFCW has no stake or controlling interest in the
<br>group.
<br>
<br>"The fact that Wal-Mart is responding in such a public way is itself both
<br>unusual and indicative that they truly don't want to see this spread,"
<br>Shaiken said.
<br>
<br>The NLRB typically receives a charge and investigates. At times, it
<br>resolves issues without issuing a complaint, spokesman Tony Wagner said.
<br>While most investigations take about six weeks, they can be expedited
<br>under certain criteria, he said.
<br>
<br>Activities over the past year or longer "have caused disruptions to
<br>Walmart's business, resulted in misinformation being shared publicly about
<br>our company, and created an uncomfortable environment and undue stress on
<br>Walmart's customers, including families with children," Walmart outside
<br>counsel Steven Wheeless said in a letter sent on Friday to Deborah Gaydos,
<br>assistant general counsel of the UFCW.
<br>
<br>PICKETING PROHIBITED
<br>
<br>The National Labor Relations Act prohibits such picketing for more than 30
<br>days without the filing of a representation petition. The NLRA also
<br>requires the NLRB to seek a federal court injunction against such
<br>activity, the letter states.
<br>
<br>The OUR Walmart group of current and former Walmart employees has been
<br>organizing 1,000 protests including strikes and what it called online
<br>actions that began this week and will culminate on Black Friday.
<br>
<br>For example, workers walked off the job in Seattle on Thursday and in
<br>Dallas on Friday, OUR Walmart said.
<br>
<br>Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart said that anyone who is not an
<br>employee is prohibited from coming onto its owned or controlled parking
<br>lots or other facilities to solicit, hand out literature or otherwise
<br>engage in any demonstration.
<br>
<br>Wal-Mart said that it intends for the UFCW to be held accountable for any
<br>injury or property damage that may occur as a result of the actions led by
<br>the union, OUR Walmart or any of its other affiliates.
<br>
<br>Past attempts to unionize Walmart U.S. workers have failed. In 2005, Tire
<br>and Lube Express department workers at stores in New Castle, Pennsylvania,
<br>and Loveland, Colorado, voted against representation by the UFCW.
<br>
<br>OUR Walmart is not a union, though the thousands of Walmart employees it
<br>says are members do pay $5 monthly dues.
<br>
<br>Wal-Mart has 1.4 million U.S. workers. Of 5 million job applications
<br>Walmart U.S. received in 2011, 20 percent of the workers it hired were
<br>coming back to the company. The turnover rate among Walmart U.S.
<br>employees, 37.26 percent in 2011, was below the industry average of 43.6
<br>percent, it says.
<br>
<br>"We just don't think what the unions have to offer is a better deal for
<br>our associates," said Wal-Mart's Tovar.
<br>
<br>Wal-Mart filed its charge against the UFCW late on Thursday with the NLRB
<br>regional office in Little Rock, Arkansas. The case number is 26-CB-093342.
<br>
<br>For copies of Wal-Mart's letter to the UFCW and the NLRB charge document
<br>click <a href="http://bit.ly/Qj5c0t">http://bit.ly/Qj5c0t</a> and <a href="http://bit.ly/RZoNkD">http://bit.ly/RZoNkD</a>
<br>
<br>For copies of Wal-Mart's letter to the UFCW and the NLRB charge document
<br>click <a href="http://bit.ly/Qj5c0t">http://bit.ly/Qj5c0t</a> and <a href="http://bit.ly/RZoNkD">http://bit.ly/RZoNkD</a>
<br>
<br>(Reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago. Additional writing by Phil Wahba in
<br>New York; Editing by Tim Dobbyn and Leslie Gevirtz)Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-24306218694095390392012-11-12T21:14:00.000-08:002012-11-12T21:17:26.332-08:00[olympiaworkers] Hostess closing Seattle bakery following strikeMon, 11/12/2012
<br>
<br>Hostess Brands Inc. is permanently closing three bakeries following a
<br>nationwide strike by its bakers union.
<br>
<br>The maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread said Monday that the
<br>strike has prevented it from producing and delivering products, and it is
<br>closing bakeries in Seattle, St. Louis and Cincinnati. The facilities
<br>employ 627 workers.
<br>
<br>Hostess, based in Irving, Texas, operates 36 bakeries nationwide and has
<br>about 18,300 employees. It warned earlier this month that the strike, by
<br>about 30 percent of its workforce, could lead to bakery closures.
<br>
<br>"We deeply regret this decision, but we have repeatedly explained that we
<br>will close facilities that are no longer able to produce and deliver
<br>products because of a work stoppage - and that we will close the entire
<br>company if widespread strikes cripple our business," Hostess Brands CEO
<br>Gregory F. Rayburn said.
<br>
<br>Hostess said customers will not be affected by the closures.
<br>
<br>A representative for the union could not be reached immediately for
<br>comment Monday.
<br>
<br>Thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and
<br>Grain Millers International Union went on strike Nov. 9 to protest cuts to
<br>wages and benefits under a new contract offer, which the union rejected in
<br>September. Union officials say the company stopped contributing to
<br>workers' pensions last year.
<br>
<br>Hostess has argued that workers must make concessions as it tries to
<br>improve its financial position. The privately-held food maker filed for
<br>Chapter 11 protection in January, its second trip through bankruptcy court
<br>in less than a decade. Hostess cited increasing pension and medical costs
<br>for employees as one of the drivers behind its latest filing.
<br>
<br>The company, founded in 1930, is fighting battles beyond labor costs,
<br>however. Competition is increasing in the snack space and Americans are
<br>increasingly conscious about healthy eating.Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-78457399455517998272012-10-30T19:51:00.001-07:002012-10-30T19:51:14.141-07:00[olympiaworkers] European-wide general strike November 14 - how real? How relevant?<a href="http://libcom.org/blog/european-wide-general-strike-november-14-how-real-how-relevant-22102012">http://libcom.org/blog/european-wide-general-strike-november-14-how-real-how-relevant-22102012</a>
<br>
<br>In at least four countries, there will be a general strike on November 14.
<br>There are calls to turn it into a European general strike. What to make of
<br>the idea, how to operate most fruitfully in connection to these and
<br>similar initiatives, is the subject of this article.
<br>
<br>November 14 will – at the very least – see strike action against austerity
<br>in four European countries: Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus. (1) There
<br>is the potential of much, much more, and people from very diverse
<br>backgrounds are working in the direction of en Europe-wide general strike
<br>on that day. Does it make sense? How can we contribute in such ways that
<br>N14 – as the date is beginning to be called – can become much more than
<br>yet another mostly symbolic action such as we have been seeing many times
<br>already?
<br>
<br>First, the situation itself. Trade union federations have called
<br>nationwide one day general strikes for November 14 in the four countries I
<br>mentioned. Apparently, union federations in France and Italy are
<br>considering the idea as well. Let's be clear on the importance of this.
<br>Union federations do not launch these kind of strikes because they want
<br>serious resistance to austerity. Rather, they want these strikes as a show
<br>of force to strengthen their own positiaon as mediators of the class
<br>struggle, as managers of discontent. They want to show governments and
<br>bosses: hey, there is a lot of discontent amongst workers. We will try to
<br>hold it in check for you; it is our (rather well-paid) job. But you have
<br>to give some concessions, you have to soften your stance on austeriry a
<br>bit. Only that will enable us to play our role, ony then we can say to our
<br>members: trust us, don't rock the boat, we will bring about some
<br>improvements. To show governments that the trade union leaders have to be
<br>taken into account, trade union leaders call their members to strike, as
<br>if to say to govermnent: do you see all these angry workers? Do you feel
<br>the disruption they cause, for just one day? Now, do you appreciate our
<br>trouble to keep them quiet? Please help us doing so, by giving us
<br>concessions to increase our credibility among these workers. Or would you
<br>rather have these workers pushing us aside and fighting on their own
<br>terms? Would you rather have strtikes without fixed duration, wildcat
<br>strikes, all-out class confrontation?
<br>
<br>These strikes, then, are entirely bureaucratic in their motivation, as far
<br>as trade union functionaries are concerned. Workers, however, tend to see
<br>them as opportunities to show their anger, and make their anger felt.
<br>Rightly so! For radicals, that makes them relevant. The more a strike call
<br>is supported, in as militant a fashion as possible, the stronger workers
<br>will feel, the stronger ties of solidarity will be built.. In itself, this
<br>does not stop governments or austerity policies. But it builds working
<br>class strength and confidence needed for a serious struggle. Trade union
<br>leaders use these kind of strikes to parade workers as their stage army.
<br>Radical workers, anarchists among them, want to see the soldiers of that
<br>army starting to fight on their own account, turning the stage army in an
<br>independent force fighting from below. That is whay libertarian communists
<br>should, in my view, take these strike calls seriously. Not because we
<br>trust the trade unions, but on the contrary, because we doe not trust
<br>them, and refuse to leave the struggle in their iron grip.
<br>
<br>The general strikes on N14 will not, in themselves, stop austerity or
<br>bring down governments. Even a one day European strike will not do that.
<br>Greece has seen 20 general strikes of this type. Yet, the government did
<br>neither fall nor budge because of that. One can say that, without the
<br>discontente expressed through thesee strikes, the Greek goverment and the
<br>EU bureaucrats would feel even more arrogantly confident to push on; in
<br>that sense, the strikes may have acted as a brake. But it is clear that to
<br>beat back austerity, a much more offensive approach – ongoing strikes,
<br>occupations, street blockades, confrontation with the state – will be
<br>needed (2). But the mobilizations around the strikes can be used as
<br>stepping stones in that direction. The same applies to the European wide
<br>strike action now being organized and discussed for N14. And yes, when you
<br>are striking in Spain in the knowledge that workers in Greece, Portugal
<br>and Cyprus (and Italy? And France? And... ?) are out on strike, it
<br>probably raises your confidence, making you feel part of an even bigger
<br>whole. So yes, by all means, let's support the European-wide general
<br>strike – in our own independent fashion. It is not at all the magic trick
<br>to end our problems. But we can use it as part of building our fight – and
<br>spreading our ideas within the fight.
<br>
<br>How? I have not very much to say here about the specifics of struggle in
<br>Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece. The general idea is clear: making the
<br>strike as forceful as possible, challenging the top-down union
<br>bureaucratic grip on events, connecting with ongoing struggles,
<br>introducing direct-action dynamics within and around the strike and
<br>connected demonstrations. For instance, the anti-austerity protest
<br>organized in Londen last Saturday was by trade unions along familiar,
<br>bureaucratic, blowing-off-steam-and-then-go-home lines. However, as
<br>mentioned in "What October 20 tells us about the state of the movement",
<br>on Libcom (3), Disabled People Against Cuts held a beautiful street
<br>blockade with wheelchairs as part of the action which raised the
<br>temperture and added to the pressure. Initiatives like these can make
<br>mobilizations much more forceful than trade union organizers intend them
<br>to be. Radicals in the countries where the strike is on will find their
<br>way.
<br>
<br>There are, however countries where ther is no general strike call from
<br>trade union circles in sight. The Netherlands is one of these countries.
<br>Yes, ETUC, the European trade union federation, has made a call for "a day
<br>of action and solidarity on 14 November, including strikes,
<br>demonstrations, rallies and other actions." (4) Not quite a call for a
<br>general strike, but a step in that direction. The purpose: "mobilising the
<br>European trade union movement behind ETUV policies as set down in the
<br>Social Compact for Europe". Whatever is in that document, people will
<br>understand this call as a protest against the European-wide austerity
<br>policies, at least in their current form. Just like national general
<br>strike calls can be used to mobilize around in the direction of a more
<br>radical approach, the ETUC call can be used to build in the direction of
<br>European-wide strike action and more. This is what people, myself
<br>included, are trying to do in the Netherlands.
<br>
<br>It is important to do it right, however. There is the temptation to get
<br>stuck on trade union territory, to just take the ETUC call, step to the
<br>unions and demand that they organize strike action, imploring them,
<br>pressurizing them, leaving it up to them. This is the approach that
<br>Trotskyists use in Britain: demanding that the TUC organize a general
<br>strike. Lenin's Tomb expresses the idea: "there is a basis for mass
<br>industrial action to happen if only the trade unions are willing to
<br>support it." (5) Ah, if only! They will solve the problem for us! And what
<br>if they don't? Wait for better days and Sell the Paper? I think a much
<br>more fruitful approach can and should be tried. The idea of e a general
<br>strike on a European scale can be pushed by radical circles, whether
<br>anarchists, Occupy-related networks, other formal or informal netwerks of
<br>radicals.
<br>
<br>For the day itself, street actions can be planned, noisy pots-and-pans
<br>protest marches ans assemblies like in Quebec last summer, blockades of
<br>buildings where hated, austerity-related institutions are seated,
<br>'ordinary' demonstrations, pickets at embassies of states where general
<br>strikes are going forward. People might spontaneously get sick of
<br>austerity on that 14th of November as well. Anything to express solidarity
<br>with the struggle against austerity. Anyything to raise the anti-austerity
<br>temperature. And all exoplicitly connected to the general strike idea for
<br>N14. And who knows, there might just be an office department, a factory, a
<br>company, where workers are already so fed up and confident that they might
<br>come out on strike. There might even be a trade union branch or wing here
<br>and there that is sensitive to the mood, and starts supporting the idea.
<br>You never know how far you come unless you try. However, our approach
<br>should not make itself depend on that unions will or will not do.
<br>Independent initiative and organization from the bottom up, are essential.
<br>Waiting for the unions would be catastrophic and, more importantly, it is
<br>entirely unneccessary.
<br>
<br>The idea has been tried before. On May Day this year, calls went out in
<br>the US for a general strike. Occupy- and related initiatives spread the
<br>call, and organized street protests on that day. No, it was not a general
<br>strike. But is spread the idea of such a strike, and it was a step in that
<br>direction. No, a combination of the actions that I mentioned for N14 will
<br>very likely not amount to a full general strike, it may not even come
<br>close. But it would spread the idea that strike action is needed and
<br>should be built, it would be a step in the right direction. And maybe it
<br>could become a dress rehearsal for something much bigger as well, on the
<br>First May 2013...
<br>
<br>[1] "Anti-Austerity Allies Coming Together for Cordinated European
<br>Strikes", Common Dreams, 19 oktober 2012,
<br>[2] The insights that Thrasybulus expresses in "General strike: Round 20",
<br>on Libcom.org, are vital here.
<br>[3] Phil, "What October 20 tells us about the state of the movement",
<br>Libcom.org, 21 October.
<br>[4] ETUC, "ETUC day of action and solidarity for a Social Compact for
<br>Europe" , October 17
<br>[5] "Mass protests against the cuts", Lenin's tomb, October 20.
<br>
<br>For this article, the forum thread on Libcom, "European general strike? 14
<br>November" , has been very useful.Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-58215936388560367972012-10-10T21:42:00.001-07:002012-10-10T21:42:56.402-07:00[olympiaworkers] Walmart Workers Threaten Black Friday ActionBy ABBY ELLIN and ALAN FARNHAM
<br>October 10, 2012 ABC NEWS
<br>
<br>The latest news in the Walmart labor protests -- which have included
<br>walkouts and marches in Dallas, San Diego, Chicago and Los Angeles -- is
<br>the threat of a strike on Black Friday. That's the day after Thanksgiving,
<br>widely considered the busiest, and most lucrative, retail day of the year.
<br>
<br>Some 200 angry protesters showed up at a meeting of investors and analysts
<br>earlier today at Walmart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. Under
<br>discussion at the meeting was Walmart's intent to go head-to-head with
<br>Amazon and offer same-day delivery.
<br>
<br>Walmart is the world's largest private employer and has long been a target
<br>of workers' rights groups, who advocate higher wages, more flexibility in
<br>hours and an end to the punishments (reduced shifts, for instance) they
<br>claim are meted out to workers seeking to unionize.
<br>
<br>Evelin Cruz, a department manager at Walmart in Pico Rivera, Calif., told
<br>ABC News that for many years she kept quiet about what she views as the
<br>company's unjust labor practices because she feared she would be fired if
<br>she spoke up.
<br>
<br>"People were really tired that any time they would speak out against the
<br>pay, hours, how much they would work, that management would cut their
<br>hours or not give them a schedule," said Cruz, who is one of thousands of
<br>members of Our Walmart, a labor organization backed by the United Food and
<br>Commercial Workers that defends Walmart workers' rights.
<br>
<br>On a conference call today, leaders of Our Walmart, the National Consumers
<br>League and other labor groups said they will join Walmart workers outside
<br>stores on Black Friday if their demands are not met.
<br>
<br>NOW president Terry O'Neill said her organization would join in the action
<br>on Black Friday, it was reported in the Guardian. "We are standing in
<br>solidarity with the workers who are walking off the job," said the
<br>National Organization of Women's president.
<br>
<br>Last Thursday, about 30 employees from the Pico Rivera store, including
<br>Cruz, wielded signs that read "Stand Up, Live Better, Stop Retaliation"
<br>and "Stop Trying to Silence Us" and marched outside the store. At the same
<br>time, workers at eight other Walmart stores in California protested
<br>working conditions and treatment.
<br>
<br>It was the first-ever employee walk-out in the company's 50-year history,
<br>said Dawn Le, a spokeswoman for Making Change at Walmart, a coalition
<br>whose mission is to change the way Walmart conducts business.
<br>
<br>"Everyone else has a union," said Le. "Workers in every other country —
<br>Japan, the U.K., Nicaragua, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina — have been
<br>able to form a union, except the U.S. and Canada. We just don't understand
<br>the double standard Walmart has. How come those in other countries get to
<br>have a voice, yet not in the U.S., its home country?"
<br>
<br>Walmart spokesman Dan Fogleman disputed Le's charges, claiming that most
<br>employees have "repeatedly rejected unionization.
<br>
<br>"They seem to recognize that Walmart has some of the best jobs in the
<br>retail industry — good pay, affordable benefits and the chance for
<br>advancement," he said in a telephone interview with ABC News.
<br>
<br>Walmart and its practices have made the news a lot lately. In
<br>mid-September, warehouse workers in Southern California were on a 15-day
<br>strike that included a six-day, 50-mile pilgrimage for safe jobs. Around
<br>the same time, hundreds of people marched in Dallas and San Diego,
<br>demanding better work conditions.
<br>
<br>On Monday, Chicago police dressed in riot gear arrested 17 peaceful
<br>protesters blocking the entrance to a warehouse operated by an outside
<br>contractor that supplies Walmart stores, in Elwood, Ill. The protestors
<br>were there to show support for workers who had been on strike since Sept.
<br>15, the Chicago Sun Times reported. What's more, the company faces yet
<br>another sex discrimination lawsuit, filed on behalf of 100,000 women in
<br>California and Tennessee.
<br>
<br>According to Dan Schlademan, director of Making Change at Walmart, Walmart
<br>employees across the U.S. have recently filed more than 20 charges of
<br>unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board. "Workers
<br>find how Walmart has tried to retaliate by cutting their hours and not
<br>scheduling them for certain shifts when they tried to speak out, and
<br>they're tired of it," he said.
<br>
<br>But the $16 billion company sees it differently, arguing that the
<br>California rally was simply a "publicity stunt by the UFCW to seek media
<br>attention in order to further their political agenda and financial
<br>objectives," said Fogleman.
<br>
<br>Cruz, who makes $13.20 an hour — up from $7.40 when she started – begs to
<br>differ. "We just wanted to be treated like humans, not robots. We do have
<br>health insurance, but in most cases, you're not even making enough to live
<br>on, let alone take anyone to the hospital." And though she worries about
<br>losing her job, she didn't see another option but to voice her anger.
<br>
<br>"We are still worried that they might retaliate," said Cruz. "We know
<br>exactly how they operate. They wait until you feel confident, or put down
<br>your guard, and then they come after you one way or another. But that's
<br>how tired we are of what's going on in the stores."Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-87571135246810153982012-10-06T18:32:00.001-07:002012-10-06T18:32:54.345-07:00[olympiaworkers] SUNDAY! ALL DAY MUSIC AND SPEAKERS AT SYLVESTER PARK!October 7th, is the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan occupation & the 1st anniversary of the Movement that will END IT! 11 years ago, America used its collective pain from 9/11 to begin an occupation in Afghanistan. At the time no-one assumed it would go this long, cost this much or inflict this much suffering. 10 years later, Occupy Wall Street was born & Occupy Olympia sprung forth in solidarity.<br> <br>Localization Not Occupation is a gathering that connects the dots between the Afghanistan occupation, the increasing inequality at home & the movement towards greater local responsibility. By itself, demanding that the politicians and corporations, both of whom are profiting from the war, end the war, is not enough. Localization builds community strength & demands we the people end the war & occupation directly.<br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/396399460423317/">https://www.facebook.com/events/396399460423317/</a><br><br><b>SCHEDULE</b> SUBJECT TO CHANGE!!<br>12:45 Music Begins in Gazebo<br>1PM Opening Ceremony Event Begins, MC Jusby the Clown<br> 1:10 Welcome to event: Swaneagle Harijan<br>1:20 Glen Anderson<br>1:30 Bill Moyer<br>1:40 Music: <b>Olympia Peace Choir</b><br>2:00 Chris Stegman<br>2:10 Music: <b>Mailhotia with guest poets</b><br>2:50 Larry Mosqueda<br> 3:00 Music: <b>Calvin Johnson</b><br>3:35 Zahid Shariff<br>3:45 Music: <b>Violet Flame Meditation</b><br>4:05 MC Kayla Perez introduce's Peter Bohmer<br>4:15 Music: <b>Betsy Holt</b><br>4:30 Lady Liberty: Mary Spokane<br> 4:35 Music: <b>1985</b><br>5:05 Music: <b>Brian McKracken</b><br>5:20 Patty Imani<br>5:25 Music: <b>Monica Peabody</b><br>5:40 Music: <b>Jacob Meyer</b><br>6:00 Elissa Goss<br>6:10 MC: Thank you, last words, reminder that continuing in the Olympia Ballroom will be a very special skype session, brought to us by Doug Mackey, with Afghan youth in the ballroom!<br> <b>FINALLY A DANCE PARTY!</b><br>Clean up and out by dark! Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-38996980208530275272012-10-02T11:14:00.001-07:002012-10-02T11:14:33.085-07:00Re: [olympiaworkers] End the Occupation of Afghanistan, celebrating the localization of resistance, Sun., Oct. 7, Sylvester Park, 1-7PMI said I'd give out flyers but I haven't heard from youDBK<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 4:52 PM, Bruce Wilkinson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bwildleaf@gmail.com" target="_blank">bwildleaf@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><span style><b>Localization NOT Occupation</b></span></span>, this Sunday, October 7, 1-7pm, at Sylvester Park, is the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan Occupation and the 1st anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street Together Movement that will end it! The 1% profit off wars and then profit off the occupations afterwards. This demonstration is joining together the 99% and localizing our efforts at resistance to the Afghanistan Occupation. Sylvester Park, the birth place of Occupy Olympia, will feature music, speakers, poetry, artwork, tabling organizations, street theater, artful activism, solidarity calls with Afghanistan people, veterans against the war and breakout workshops put on by knowledgeable local people. <br> <br>Facebook event! SHARE IT! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/396399460423317" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/events/396399460423317</a><br>Demanding politicians and war profiteers end the military occupations is not enough. Localization builds community strength, by working on developing the grassroots organizations we are creating the mechanisms for a popular movement that can take direct action aimed at ending the Afghanistan Occupation. When the people lead the leaders follow. Come down to Sylvester Park and be part of something that is great!<br> <br>WEBSITE: <a href="http://www.localizationnotoccupation.org/" target="_blank">http://www.localizationnotoccupation.org/</a><br>Welcome! It is time that we end this war and occupation once and for all! Thanks to <a href="http://jusbytheclown.com/" target="_blank">Jusby the Clown</a>, Kayla Perez and Terry Zander for MC'ing the event! Thanks to our speakers and musicians who are listed online. Special thanks to the many people who have volunteered to make this happen. You are the messengers of hope that another world is possible and by your actions you are ensuring that another world is happening! THANK YOU!<br> <i><br>***MORE INFO ON WHY YOU SHOULD COME AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS***</i><br>October 7th, is the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan war: the unhappy day when America used its collective pain from 9/11 to inflict suffering and occupation upon the poor people of Afghanistan. Eleven years later, with 42% of their population below the age of 15 and their access to information severely restricted, ninety percent of Afghan people have never even heard of 9/11. Within this country the reasons for the war is similarly confused. Not one of the 9/11 hijackers were from Afghanistan and the former Taliban government did not participate in 9/11 either. With US soldier deaths in the Middle East surpassing the number who were killed that day, it is time to end the war and occupation.<br> <br>On the main stage, speakers will share much more about the enduring reasons why the US government has made the choice to stay far too long there. US corporate interests are making lucrative profits off of oil pipelines, mineral deposits and development work while the indigenous Afghanistan people are treated as second class citizens of their own country that they are severely restricted and suffering in. The continuing racism and stereotypes in the US against the Afghanistan people serve to back up their continued oppression. While the 1% grow wealthy off of Afghanistan, including those profiting off the 90% of the world's opium that is produced there, the US and NATO troops face extensive deployments, increasing danger, PTSD, increasing numbers facing a lifetime with severe war injuries, suicide and other brutal ways of death. <br> <br>Finally, demanding an unresponsive government end an unconscionable war and occupation is not enough to absolve us from responsibility. We are the 99%, this disgraceful occupation in Afghanistan ends with the soldiers refusing to fight backed by the support of the people. It ends with the people blockading the mechanisms of war with support of the soldiers. It ends with the corporations and banks that profit off of the military industrial complex brought to their knees for their crimes against humanity by the community that has resolved itself to finally acting responsibly when their representatives have refused to.<br> <br>In the United States many adults now were children when this war started. Some who were adults have children who have never lived in the US without it being at war. The war has had a severe and lasting effect on our society and it effects our children the most. Protecting the children of today and the children we raise of tomorrow from a lifetime of living in a country responsible for the injustice of the Afghanistan occupation is our strongest motivation for change. Though the Afghanistan war is the very definition of extreme violence, resistance to war and occupation within the US doesn't have to be violent and the long lasting restorative change that we need to heal this country, Afghanistan and the world will be a process that is overall restorative. We are going to demonstrate in a way that creates bonds, ensures space for diverse conversation, respects personal boundaries and supports the long high road to a just peace through community building and restorative change. Come prepared to listen, chant, learn and become involved. Leave feeling empowered, informed, activated and with a greater responsibility to a loving community.<br> <br>Thanks and solidarity!<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br><br>Bruce Wilkinson<br><a href="mailto:bruce@afgj.org" target="_blank">bruce@afgj.org</a><br><a href="tel:360-742-0864" value="+13607420864" target="_blank">360-742-0864</a><br> </font></span></blockquote></div><br> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-41110939080708089442012-10-01T16:52:00.001-07:002012-10-01T16:52:36.903-07:00[olympiaworkers] End the Occupation of Afghanistan, celebrating the localization of resistance, Sun., Oct. 7, Sylvester Park, 1-7PM<span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b>Localization NOT Occupation</b></span></span>, this Sunday, October 7, 1-7pm, at Sylvester Park, is the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan Occupation and the 1st anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street Together Movement that will end it! The 1% profit off wars and then profit off the occupations afterwards. This demonstration is joining together the 99% and localizing our efforts at resistance to the Afghanistan Occupation. Sylvester Park, the birth place of Occupy Olympia, will feature music, speakers, poetry, artwork, tabling organizations, street theater, artful activism, solidarity calls with Afghanistan people, veterans against the war and breakout workshops put on by knowledgeable local people. <br> <br>Facebook event! SHARE IT! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/396399460423317">https://www.facebook.com/events/396399460423317</a><br>Demanding politicians and war profiteers end the military occupations is not enough. Localization builds community strength, by working on developing the grassroots organizations we are creating the mechanisms for a popular movement that can take direct action aimed at ending the Afghanistan Occupation. When the people lead the leaders follow. Come down to Sylvester Park and be part of something that is great!<br> <br>WEBSITE: <a href="http://www.localizationnotoccupation.org/">http://www.localizationnotoccupation.org/</a><br>Welcome! It is time that we end this war and occupation once and for all! Thanks to <a href="http://jusbytheclown.com/">Jusby the Clown</a>, Kayla Perez and Terry Zander for MC'ing the event! Thanks to our speakers and musicians who are listed online. Special thanks to the many people who have volunteered to make this happen. You are the messengers of hope that another world is possible and by your actions you are ensuring that another world is happening! THANK YOU!<br> <i><br>***MORE INFO ON WHY YOU SHOULD COME AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS***</i><br>October 7th, is the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan war: the unhappy day when America used its collective pain from 9/11 to inflict suffering and occupation upon the poor people of Afghanistan. Eleven years later, with 42% of their population below the age of 15 and their access to information severely restricted, ninety percent of Afghan people have never even heard of 9/11. Within this country the reasons for the war is similarly confused. Not one of the 9/11 hijackers were from Afghanistan and the former Taliban government did not participate in 9/11 either. With US soldier deaths in the Middle East surpassing the number who were killed that day, it is time to end the war and occupation.<br> <br>On the main stage, speakers will share much more about the enduring reasons why the US government has made the choice to stay far too long there. US corporate interests are making lucrative profits off of oil pipelines, mineral deposits and development work while the indigenous Afghanistan people are treated as second class citizens of their own country that they are severely restricted and suffering in. The continuing racism and stereotypes in the US against the Afghanistan people serve to back up their continued oppression. While the 1% grow wealthy off of Afghanistan, including those profiting off the 90% of the world's opium that is produced there, the US and NATO troops face extensive deployments, increasing danger, PTSD, increasing numbers facing a lifetime with severe war injuries, suicide and other brutal ways of death. <br> <br>Finally, demanding an unresponsive government end an unconscionable war and occupation is not enough to absolve us from responsibility. We are the 99%, this disgraceful occupation in Afghanistan ends with the soldiers refusing to fight backed by the support of the people. It ends with the people blockading the mechanisms of war with support of the soldiers. It ends with the corporations and banks that profit off of the military industrial complex brought to their knees for their crimes against humanity by the community that has resolved itself to finally acting responsibly when their representatives have refused to.<br> <br>In the United States many adults now were children when this war started. Some who were adults have children who have never lived in the US without it being at war. The war has had a severe and lasting effect on our society and it effects our children the most. Protecting the children of today and the children we raise of tomorrow from a lifetime of living in a country responsible for the injustice of the Afghanistan occupation is our strongest motivation for change. Though the Afghanistan war is the very definition of extreme violence, resistance to war and occupation within the US doesn't have to be violent and the long lasting restorative change that we need to heal this country, Afghanistan and the world will be a process that is overall restorative. We are going to demonstrate in a way that creates bonds, ensures space for diverse conversation, respects personal boundaries and supports the long high road to a just peace through community building and restorative change. Come prepared to listen, chant, learn and become involved. Leave feeling empowered, informed, activated and with a greater responsibility to a loving community.<br> <br>Thanks and solidarity!<br><br>Bruce Wilkinson<br><a href="mailto:bruce@afgj.org">bruce@afgj.org</a><br>360-742-0864<br> Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-61999438213153994932012-09-29T19:07:00.001-07:002012-09-29T19:07:27.489-07:00[olympiaworkers] "Every Place Will Need To Have A Solidarity Network"Check out this nice introduction to the Seattle Solidarity Network
<br>
<br><iframe width="560" height="315"
<br>src="<a href="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_unRLeFxTb8">http://www.youtube.com/embed/_unRLeFxTb8</a>" frameborder="0"
<br>allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br>
<br><a href="http://youtu.be/_unRLeFxTb8">http://youtu.be/_unRLeFxTb8</a>
<br>
<br> A mutual support network, open to workers both employed and unemployed,
<br>active and retired. We use collective direct action to fight employers
<br>and landlords who are pocketing our wages, refusing repairs, stealing
<br>deposits, or otherwise cheating or abusing one or more of us.
<br>
<br>How to get in touch:
<br><a href="http://www.seasol.net/contact">www.seasol.net/contact</a>
<br><a href="mailto:info@seasol.net">info@seasol.net</a>
<br>(206) 350 - 8650Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-7934860335674854762012-09-27T19:26:00.001-07:002012-09-27T19:26:52.731-07:00[olympiaworkers] Lyon, France: Strike at Domino's PizzaSept. 27, 2012 Libcom.org
<br>
<br>News of the struggle against Domino's Pizza Friday in the 8th district to
<br>protest working conditions and low wages. Here is the translated text from
<br>the site, edited for this post.
<br>
<br>Contact the strikers at col­lec­tif-domi­nos-lyon8 [AT] hot­<a href="http://mail.fr">mail.fr</a>.
<br>Original page:
<br><a href="http://rebellyon.info/Engagement-d-une-lutte-a-domino-s.html#formulaire_forum">http://rebellyon.info/Engagement-d-une-lutte-a-domino-s.html#formulaire_forum</a>.
<br>
<br>Friday, 21 September, 2012, 6pm. Employees of Domino's Pizza store Lyon 8e
<br>were given an appointment to find a solution to low wages and poor working
<br>conditions (the leaflet is written attached to the end of the text).
<br>
<br>Accompanied by many unionists, workers decided to request a meeting with
<br>their employer. It is not available, employees have decided to unanimously
<br>get out this situation by exercising their right of strike for the evening
<br>after a meeting with the employer was fixed the next day at 10am.
<br>
<br>Saturday, 22 September at 10am, employees collectively met their employer
<br>and demanded respect of the Labour Code and the collective agreement of
<br>fast food (which represents a revolution in the franchise), the massive
<br>hiring to compensate for the lack of staff making the conditions of
<br>appalling working and renewal of equipment deliverymen (request an outfit
<br>winter tire quality, protection, ...)
<br>
<br>After the employer responded to most requests with rhetoric and
<br>demagoguery, it was decided that it should allow 1 week to allow time for
<br>it to implement various advanced.
<br>
<br>Employees returned to work in "partial service", refusing to deliver
<br>without new tires and better equipped scooters. New arrivals were held,
<br>providing reuse their right of withdrawal if they felt too much pressure.
<br>The next appointment with the employer shall be next Saturday!
<br>
<br>Insecure jobs, poor working conditions, low wages, committed throughout
<br>the fight!
<br>
<br>Leaflet distributed Sept. 21: Domino's pizza Lyon 8e:
<br>
<br>STOP THE PUZZLE OF EMPLOYEES!
<br>
<br>Students and precarious workers, forced to work for a large majority of
<br>us, we no longer support the use of which we are the object and the
<br>attitude of management who feels above the law!
<br>
<br>Employees working in appalling working conditions: Members of the
<br>management team are demoted without prior interview and pushed to the
<br>limit, under constant pressure that brings some of the depression.
<br>Schedules are often notified 2 days before the beginning of the week they
<br>are intended. Lack of occupational visits.
<br>
<br>The hours spent in the dressing room are mandatory unpaid but then that
<br>compensation is provided for by the collective agreement of fast food.
<br>Outfits and scooters are a pathetic quality and they do not protect any of
<br>the deliverymen winter cold, rain and road accidents ...... not to mention
<br>temperatures inside the store that have been regularly above 35 ° C!
<br>
<br>Poverty wages for niche huge work: 12 week contracts are imposed on the
<br>vast majority of employees, some are forced to work five nights a week to
<br>complete these hours while the salary does not exceed some € 425 net per
<br>month! Management is very flexible schedules imposed on employees
<br>regardless of their personal lives.
<br>
<br>Monthly pay slips must be verified by the employees to avoid errors.
<br>Additional hours and overtime are not paid. Illegal practices with the
<br>signing of an addendum to the employment contract after hours they target
<br>are often implemented. It may take months to get compensation for
<br>transport to our workplace, even if the compensation comes a day!
<br>
<br>In addition, the lack of manpower (departures not replaced) puts us in a
<br>dangerous situation and a report of conflict with customers who complained
<br>to the employees of the service quality.
<br>
<br>Under these conditions a number of employees of Domino's pizza Lyon 8e
<br>will implement articles 40L4131-1 of the Labour Code and following which
<br>include that "the employer may require the worker who has exercised his
<br>right of withdrawal to resume its activities in a work situation where
<br>there is continuing imminent and serious danger. "Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12601349.post-92106046969136381222012-09-18T17:09:00.001-07:002012-09-18T17:09:39.079-07:00[olympiaworkers] South Africa's Lonmin miners accept pay rise to end strikeBy Mish Molakeng | Reuters – Sept. 18, 2012
<br>
<br>MARIKANA, South Africa (Reuters) - Striking platinum miners at Lonmin's
<br>Marikana mine in South Africa accepted a hefty pay rise offer on Tuesday,
<br>ending six weeks of violent labor unrest that killed 45 people and rattled
<br>Africa's largest economy.
<br>
<br>The strikers, grouped on a bare soccer pitch near the mine, 100 km (60
<br>miles) northwest of Johannesburg, cheered when they were told that
<br>management were offering a 22 percent pay increase, and said they would
<br>return to work on Thursday.
<br>
<br>"I am happy - and forward with the struggle," said one of the striking
<br>miners, Sithembile Sohati.
<br>
<br>"It's a huge achievement. No union has achieved a 22 percent increase
<br>before," Zolisa Bodlani, a worker representative at Marikana, told
<br>Reuters.
<br>
<br>At least one analyst expressed concern that the Marikana wage increase
<br>could trigger a rash of pay demands across a mining sector already being
<br>squeezed by low metals prices and rising labor and electricity costs.
<br>
<br>Lonmin confirmed that the deal had been signed in Rustenburg on Tuesday
<br>night.
<br>
<br>"The agreement includes a signing bonus of 2,000 rand and an average rise
<br>in wages of between 11 and 22 percent for all employees falling within the
<br>Category 3-8 bargaining units, effective from 1 October 2012," it said in
<br>a statement.
<br>
<br>In another sign that weeks of trouble in South Africa's platinum belt were
<br>ending, the world's biggest platinum producer, Anglo American Platinum,
<br>said it had resumed operations in the strike-hit Rustenburg area.
<br>
<br>The spot platinum price fell 2 percent on the Marikana news to
<br>$1,627.49/oz and the rand firmed over 1 percent to 8.166 to the dollar.
<br>
<br>The wildcat mining strikes hitting a major sector of the economy had
<br>depressed the rand, increased the cost of insuring against default on
<br>South African debt and spooked some foreign investors into selling mining
<br>shares.
<br>
<br>CRITICISM OF ZUMA
<br>
<br>The conflict, most notably the police killing of 34 Marikana strikers on
<br>August 16, had also ignited criticism that President Jacob Zuma and his
<br>ruling African National Congress were neglecting poor workers and siding
<br>with wealthy business owners.
<br>
<br>Zuma acknowledged that the wildcat industrial action had caught the
<br>government and powerful allies such as the National Union of Mineworkers
<br>(NUM) on the hop.
<br>
<br>"This incident has been a surprise given the established procedures we
<br>have in place," he told reporters in Brussels minutes after news of the
<br>settlement.
<br>
<br>The deal will see wages raised by up to 22 percent depending on the
<br>category of worker but that percentage hike is not across the board,
<br>according to the Solidarity trade union of skilled workers which was not
<br>on strike but took part in the talks.
<br>
<br>The rock drill operators who began the strike will receive an effective 22
<br>percent rise on their total package including allowances which will bring
<br>it to just over 11,000 rand per month, Solidarity said.
<br>
<br>"The key worry now is that 22 percent wage rises will be seen spreading
<br>across the mine industry. That is hardly affordable in an industry with
<br>such hefty cost pressures already," said Peter Attard-Montalto, emerging
<br>market economist at Nomura International.
<br>
<br>Marikana strikers' representative Bodlani said the workers had asked
<br>Lonmin management to promise that they would work with unions to reach
<br>within two years the 12,500 rand ($1,500) basic monthly salary that the
<br>miners had originally demanded.
<br>
<br>The company has not yet responded to this. It had previously argued that
<br>paying 12,500 rand a month would put thousands of jobs at risk and
<br>challenge the viability of the business.
<br>
<br>In its statement, Amplats said it considered it was now safe for employees
<br>to return to their jobs but acknowledged that "many mining employees are
<br>still to return to work".
<br>
<br>It said smelting and other processing operations at Rustenburg were
<br>already at normal levels.
<br>
<br>Amplats suspended operations in the heart of the platinum belt last week
<br>when machete-wielding strikers marched on shafts.
<br>
<br>ECHOES OF APARTHEID
<br>
<br>The Marikana police shootings were the deadliest security incident since
<br>the end of white minority rule in 1994 and, for many South Africans,
<br>painfully recalled security force massacres of black demonstrators under
<br>apartheid.
<br>
<br>In all, 45 people died in the Marikana unrest, which spread beyond Lonmin
<br>to other platinum firms around Rustenburg and some gold mines.
<br>
<br>ANC renegade Julius Malema, who was expelled from the party for
<br>indiscipline this year, has used the Marikana unrest to relaunch his
<br>political career and stir up opposition against Zuma ahead of an ANC
<br>leadership election in December.
<br>
<br>Malema was barred by police on Monday from addressing the striking miners
<br>at Marikana, but said his campaign to improve workers' pay and conditions
<br>would not be cowed by a government crackdown.
<br>
<br>"Not even the president can stop me. Not even death can stop me. My ideas
<br>are out there. Even if I am no more, people will continue those ideas," he
<br>told a news conference.
<br>
<br>South Africa is home to 80 percent of all known reserves of platinum and
<br>is a major gold producer. The unrest this year has cost the mining
<br>industry 4.5 billion rand ($548 million) in lost output, Zuma said on
<br>Monday.
<br>
<br>An illegal strike by 15,000 workers at the KDC West mine operated by Gold
<br>Fields, the world's fourth largest bullion producer, continued on Tuesday
<br>as its chief executive said the firm would not agree to demands for a
<br>minimum wage of 12,500 rand a month.
<br>
<br>In a separate development, parliament approved a 5.5 percent pay increase
<br>for Zuma on Tuesday, taking his annual remuneration to 2.6 million rand
<br>($315,600) a year.
<br>
<br>($1 = 8.2075 South African rand)
<br>
<br>(Additional reporting by Agnieszka Flak, Sherilee Lakmidas, Ed Cropley and
<br>Ed Stoddard; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Ed Cropley and Kevin
<br>Liffey)Olympia Workers Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01909005294968474306noreply@blogger.com0