Oly APWU presents Triple Trouble Friday, June 30th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHAT:  The Triple Trouble Tour, featuring hell-raising singer Anne Feeney, satirical
sharp-shooter Dave Lippman, and singing C.I.A. agent George Shrub

WHEN:  Friday, June 30th, 7:30 pm

WHERE:  Labor Temple, 119-1/2 Capitol Way, Olympia

COST:  $10 general, $5 low income

WHY:  Presented by Olympia Local, American Postal Workers Union, to kick-off the
“Keep the Mail in Olympia!” letter-writing campaign to the Postal Rate Commission.
For more info: http://www.lunewsviews.com/Olympia

DESCRIPTION: 

The Triple Trouble Tour, a fair and balanced brew of satire and songs to stir the
soul, features these unbalanced performers:

Anne Feeney has lived her life on the frontlines, comforting the afflicted and
afflicting the comfortable with songs like “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?”
"Anne Feeney is the best labor singer in North America..." -- Utah Phillips

Dave Lippman is fired up about weapons of mass distraction, SUVs, and wars to defend
SUVs. Lippman has just filed suit in Miami against the FBI and Miami Police for
violation of his civil liberties at the Free Trade Area of the Americas
demonstrations in 2003. See http://davelippman.com/suit.html "Lippman is a national
treasure," --  L.A. Herald-Examiner. "Viciously funny" -- The Guardian.

The world’s only known singing CIA agent, George Shrub, will be provided equal time
to present the hidden charms of torture, conquest and lies.

Visit http://davelippman.com and http://annefeeney.com for audio and video samples
of the show.

- # -

Colombian workers strike against Alabama based mining company

STRIKE AT US COAL MULTINATIONAL DRUMMOND

As from 22 May 2006 a strike has commenced at the coal mine and loading port of the
US multinational Drummond that works the ‘La Loma’ concession in Cesar department.

3, 500 workers affiliated to SINTRAMIENERGÉTICA stopped work to demand a reponse to
their petition of demands. Drummond has refused to accept extending the Collective
Agreement to 2, 000 comrades working in contracted and sub-contracted activities at
the mine and the port. The incidence of work related illnesses and accidents is
extremely high, [the workers demand] an improvement in working conditions.

This strike has a similar motivation to the one already started on 17 May by the
comrades at Carbones La Jagua, both of which have fulfilled legal requirements.

We demand that the National Government and the corporation respect this just protest
and that a solution is found through dialogue.

Send messages of support to CUT Human Rights Department, e-mail:
derechoshumanos@cut.org.co

HUELGA EN LA DRUMMOND LTDA

A partir de hoy 22 de mayo de 2006, se inició la huelga en la mina de carbón y el
puerto de embargue de la multinacional norteamericana Drummond, que tiene el
contrato de concesión de la Loma-Cesar.

3. 500 trabajadores afiliados a Sintramienergética, paralizaron las labores para
reclamar solución al pliego de peticiones. La Drummond se niega a aceptar la
extensión de la Convención a 2. 000 compañeros de las firmas contratistas y
subcontratistas que laboran en actividades de la mina y el puerto, mejoramiento de
las condiciones de trabajo pues el índice de enfermedades y accidentes con ocasión
de la realización de las actividades es altísimo.

Esta huelga tiene similares motivaciones a la adelantada, desde el 17 de mayo, por
los compañeros de Carbones La Jagua e igualmente aquí se cumplió con todos los
requisitos establecidos en la ley.

Reclamamos del Gobierno Nacional y de la multinacional que se respete esta justa
protesta y se procure una solución por la vía del diálogo.

CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ DÍAZ
Presidente    BORIS MONTES DE OCA
Secretario General    GUSTAVO TRIANA SUAREZ
Secretario de Asuntos Energéticos

Bogotá, D. C., 22 de mayo de 2006

"the work of the theater is the liberation of dreams, the transformation of ideas
into working acts" Julian Beck

Olympia Workers Association Statement on the Militarization of the Port of

May 30, 2006

In solidarity with workers worldwide, The Olympia Workers Association condemns union labor loading military machinery onto ships to Iraq. Dock workers in Seattle began the General Strike of 1919 when they refused to load weapons to fight workers in Russia. We urge local dock workers now to refuse to load military equipment to fight workers in Iraq. Only when local workers stand in solidarity with workers worldwide will we earn the true value of the work we produce.

Hundreds Mark Historic May Day in Olympia

Reports from 2008 May Day

Olympia, WA-- Hundreds of community members celebrated International Workers Day on Monday May 1st, 2006. People in Olympia assembled in Sylvester park for a “Day Without an Immigrant” and joined in solidarity with millions of people across the US and workers around the world.

People gathered while speakers from various community groups talked about immigration, Zapatistas, cross border organizing, local worker solidarity and other ways for people to get organized. When the speeches ended, people took to the streets toward the State capitol to voice their views.

The doors to the State Capitol building were locked. No politician came out to greet the May Day participants. People made speeches from bullhorns calling for immigration reform and the need for more worker solidarity. At many times people chanted “¡Sí, Se Puede!”

The May Day Parade reassembled at the base of the capitol stairs, approximately a half hour later, and then proceeded down Capital Way toward downtown. Some stores along the parade route were closed for the day in solidarity. The Parade took a right on 4th Ave. and ended at the Artesian Well in the parking lot by Jefferson Street.

Bike police officers, a half block away, guarded Pizza Time. Pizza Time became a focal point of the local labor movement last year when all 10 workers went on strike for better working conditions in February 2005. Those workers were locked out by the current owner Heath Flores in August. A boycott of Pizza Time still remains in effect although Pizza Time was not made an issue this May Day.

People took turns hitting a piñata made to look like a Border Patrol SUV. A mobile sound system broadcast Free Radio Olympia 98.5fm and a dance party started in the parking lot. The IWW Banner “Capitalism cannot be reformed” got duct taped to a bank billboard overlooking the parking lot on 4th Ave.

Hundreds of people in Olympia answered the call to not work or go to school on May 1st and gather to support immigrant and worker rights. Many people talked about taking their May Day experiences back to their workplaces and asserting their rights on the job.

May Day Olympia - Primero Mayo

May Day - Primero Mayo

"Hands Off" Immigrants, Workers and Families 
Join Us Monday, May 1st 3 pm Sylvester Park
Olympia, WA

We Stand in Solidarity with the 40 Million + Immigrant Worker General
Strike MAY DAY COALITION:

-Speakers-
"Un Dia Sin Immigrante" (Seattle Statement)
IWW (Industiral Workers of the World)
Bread and Roses
UCAN (United Communities AIDS Network)
WROC (Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition)
TSTSCA (Thurston-Santo Thomas Sister County Association)
Schools for Chiapas
Alternatives to CAFTA in Nicaragua
Resist the Grand Jury


-Music-
Fast Rattler
Citizens Band (IWW)
Rosaura Segura (TSTSCA)

-Interactive Tables-
Rec the Place - make your own buttons -
Yes Yes - Art for Social Change -
Last Word Books
...and more community organizations...

Meatpacker Wildcat in Kansas

Workers won't face penalties for protests at Excel plant
GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press

Several hundred workers briefly walked off the job at a Dodge City meatpacking plant Tuesday after company officials disciplined employees for missing work to protest proposed federal immigration laws a day earlier, union leaders said.

Just before the lunch hour, about 600 workers left the line and filed into the Excel Corp. cafeteria, saying they would not work if the company sanctioned some employees for attending Monday's immigration rally, an official with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 2 said.

Excel spokesman Mark Klein said he "didn't want to get into" whether the company had attempted to discipline or suspend employees at the southwest Kansas plant. He and union representatives said that after several hours of negotiations, the two sides agreed workers wouldn't be penalized for skipping work to demonstrate against legislation that would make it a felony to illegally enter the United States.

Ford County Sheriff Dean Bush said the plant's security director called earlier Tuesday requesting help. Three officers were sent to the plant, and dozens of highway troopers assembled to handle any possible disturbance, law enforcement officials said.

Union officials said members walked off the line because they felt some workers were being unfairly punished, since Excel had stated publicly that workers wouldn't be penalized for attending the protests.

Excel, the nation's second-largest beef processor, said the plant was fully operating Tuesday afternoon.

"We had a number of discussions today to work through," Klein said. "As we move forward we're going to work together to handle any future events around immigration reform."

Klein said the company's contract with the union allows Excel to sanction employees for taking a personal day if they exceed their allotted number of absences. He said Monday the immigration rally in Dodge City had contributed to a slowdown in production, but that the company would take no adverse action against its workers.

Several meatpacking plants across the country - including Creekstone Farms Premium Beef in Arkansas City and three Tyson plants in Iowa and Nebraska - shut down production lines or closed entirely Monday because workers went to the rallies.

Los Angeles: Port Truckers Set to Strike May 1st

Wednesday, April 12 2006 For the past 20 years port truckers in Los Angeles have been organizing for employee recognition, respect, dignity, and decent wages. Port Truckers Set to Strike May 1st By John Riley, Si Se Puede Collective April 11, 2006 For the past 20 years port truckers in Los Angeles have been organizing for employee recognition, respect, dignity, and decent wages. Their struggle has past through various ups and downs, but this May 1st might just be the beginning of a new wave or radicalism for Los Angeles port truckers. If all goes as planned LA Harbor, the biggest port on the west coast, will come to a screeching halt on May 1st. Unlike the common vision of a trucker, an old white man wearing a cowboy hat drinking a big gulp full of coffee, most truckers in LA are Latino, some are women, and most speak Spanish. They call themselves troqueros. They work an average of 60- 80 hours a week, and are often forced to drive under dangerous and illegal conditions. Many of them have histories as organizers or radicals in their home countries. And now they are making history organizing in the U.S. Troqueros, or owner operators as the trucking companies call them, are denied benefits given to most employees because the companies contend that they are independent contractors and thus not entitled to collective bargaining rights. Trucking companies have also used this loophole to set up dubious insurance scams. Instead of offering insurance plans from private HMOs like most employers do, the trucking industry has been charging truckers high premiums for a company health plan, and then buying a cheaper plan from an HMO, and pocketing the profit. And the money trucking companies are making from this scam is substantial. One company, Pacer, made over three million dollars in a period of ten years with this insurance scam. On top of this, wages for truckers has stayed stagnant for years, and with the cost of diesel rising to almost 3$ a gallon, it is the truckers who are feeling the pinch. But the tide may be turning for the troqueros. Recently the International Longshoremans Union along with the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters have committed to supply serious time and resources into organizing the 50,000+ truckers in the LA area. The Teamsters have tried before, without much success, but some hope that now with the support of the ILWU, the truckers might have another shot at organizing. In the end however, the fate of the troqeros lies in their own hands. The Troqueros are organizing themselves, mostly over via two-way and CB radio. If you happened to tune into one of their conversations these days, the radio is filled with talk, in Spanish and English, of the Huegla General the General Strike on May 1st. The planned strike is part of a larger general strike called for in support of immigrant rights, but the truckers are also calling for their own demands including a 25% wage increase. In Long Beach a small band of truckers and supporters stands across one of the major freight lines with a sign that reads: Huegla General, 1 de Mayo. Trucks pass by with drivers leaning out their windows to see the sign, most raise their thumbs or their fists in support, some honk and smile. The rumor is that truckers in ports across the United States may join the LA truckers in striking on mayday. The extent to which the strike takes hold is yet to be seen, what is certain is that if these truckers and successful, they will do some serious economic damage to the international commerce, and if the truckers are able to successfully organize, either through official union recognition or otherwise, it will be a serious victory for workers in Los Angeles and across the country.

Immigrant Rights Now! National Day of Action *Monday, April 10*

 Please print out and distribute the flyers at
http://olymedia.mahost.org/olyworkers/april10.pdf .

No meeting this week. See everyone in Seattle.

Joe

Immigrant Rights Now!
National Day of Action
*Monday, April 10*

Protest Anti-Immigrant Laws! Don't Criminalize Our People! Don't Break-up
Our Families!
The federal government is considering racist, anti-immigration laws that
would criminalize all undocumented immigrants and anyone who "aids,"
helps, lives, or works with undocumented immigrants. Under the new law we
would become felons and subject to imprisonment and even the death
penalty. 12 million immigrants would face mass imprisonment or deportation
and the break-up of millions of families.

2:00pm - Student Contingent
Gather at 4th Ave S and S. Jackson St., then march to St. Mary's
Sponsored by: Latino Liberation Movement, Youth Against War and Racism
Endorsed by: Freedom Socialist Party, Radical Women, and Socialist
Alternative
For more information contact:  latinoliberationmovement@gmail.com, or
calni04@yahoo.com. Or call Joaquin 253-334-7261 or Carrie 206-963-4873

3:30pm - Community Rally
Saint Mary's Church, 611 20th Ave., off Jackson St.

4:00pm - March to Federal Building
2nd Ave & Marion St, downtown Seattle
Rally and March endorsed by: El Comité Pro-Amnistia General y Justicia
Social, Radical Women, CASA Latina, LELO, Centro de la Raza, Inglesia Sta.
Maria, Southwest Family and Youth Services, SEIU Local 6, Centro Latino De
Tacoma, M.E.Ch.A.-SVCC, M.E.Ch.A.-UW, M.E.Ch.A.-TESC, Cascade People's
Center, Arab American Community Coalition and much more.
For more information call El Comité Pro-Amnistia General y Justicia Social
at 206-324-6044.

Laborers start week of protests against McDonald's

By Dominick E. Tao
Alligator Writer

The same group of farm workers that succeeded in a boycott against Taco Bell in 2005 is now targeting McDonald's, and their first protest was under the golden arches on Northwest 13th Street.

On Sunday, more than 50 members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an organization of Florida farm laborers, demanded increased wages for workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's.

"The CIW influenced Taco Bell. If McDonald's doesn't heed the warning, another national boycott might change things," said Jonathan Skeet Surrency, 19, a protester from Gainesville.

The coalition is on a weeklong, nationwide tour calling for McDonald's to pressure its tomato suppliers to pay its workers "one cent more" per pound for the tomatoes they pick.

They hope this tour will be as successful as their 2005 Taco Bell boycott, which resulted in an agreement with Taco Bell's parent company to raise workers' profits from 40 cents to 72 cents for each bucket of tomatoes.

Even though the protesters' chants were in Spanish, their colorful signs were clear.

"Sub-poverty wages make me grimace," was written across the chest of a distressed-looking cutout of Grimace, one of McDonald's mascots.

"I'm not lovin' it," read another.

Translated, one of their chants was "The Clown. You're lying. You're buying cheap tomatoes."

But representatives from McDonald's Corp. said the company is not contributing to unfair labor practices.

"The coalition needs to take a hard look at what our suppliers are doing," said William Whitman, McDonald's Corp.'s director of media relations.

Whitman said the company's suppliers abide by standards that already meet or exceed the coalition's current demands.

Most of the protesters are Hispanic farm workers from Immokalee, Fla., an agricultural community near Alligator Alley.

They are taking time off work to picket in the weeklong tour, said Julia Perkins, one of the coalition's organizers.

"It's important for the workers to come out and have their voices heard," Perkins said.

"They chose to leave work to do this."

Protester Michael Phelan, a part-time Florida resident from Maine, said McDonald's is targeting college students with its products.

"Students should know where their money's going," he said.

On Saturday, the coalition plans to picket outside the rock 'n' roll-themed McDonald's restaurant in downtown Chicago. The coalition will be joined by several other groups, said Calendario Vasquez, one of the coalition's organizers.


http://www.alligator.org/pt2/060327mcdonalds.php

Unite Union wins historic new deal for Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut workers

Monday 27 March

Restaurant Brands Unite members In Auckland should be proud of themselves. They have campaigned for five months and finally won a union contract.

Unite has successfully negotiated wage increases and other improvements. The new Agreement is effective from today. The main points we won for you are:

A minimum of 7.9% on wage rates for KFC and Pizza Hut store workers. 75 cents an hour on Starbuck rates. Another increase next March.

Youth rates will be phrased out. As a first step all under 18 year olds wages will increase to 90% of the adult rate.

Supervisors in charge will receive another 50 cents per hour as will team trainers as well as their 7.9%.

Supervisors under 18 years will get the full adult supervisors rate.

Tea breaks will move from 10 minutes to 15 minutes.

When additional hours become available in stores existing workers will be offered these hours before new staff are employed. It will possible for existing workers to build their regular hours up to 39.5 hours a week. Reduction of store hours will be fairly applied.

(To find out exactly what your new pay rate is, go here:

http://supersizemypay.com/files/restaurant%20brands%20newsletter.pdf)

On top of this deal all Restaurant Brand workers who join Unite will get a lump sum equal to 1% of their quarterly earnings every three months on top of the new deal. This reimburses your Unite union fees so means that effectively joining Unite is free. Workers who don’t join Unite don’t get this money.

Unite has proved that it gets things for you. Unite has agreed to pass the union benefits on to everyone. But we do want you to do the right thing and join Unite today. The rest of Unite members have helped financed the successful campaign to win your new increases. Now we need all Restaurant Brand workers to join Unite so we can finance a campaign to help win a deal for McDonalds and Burger King.

Thank you to all the Restaurant Brands crew who made this happen. Now we need all of you to join and help others win too.

Warmest regards,

Matt McCarten

National Director

Unite Union – Restaurant Brands Division

P.S. Don’t forget – join Unite today. All employees who join before 28 April have their union fees reimbursed by Restaurant Brands every 3 months.

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