Texas Labor Against the War

We call on all supporters of workers’ rights who are available Monday afternoon to come out in support of our sisters and brothers who work for the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority.  The Cap Metro Board and the Texas Legislature are illegally trying to take away the union’s rights and the workers’ pay and benefits.  Cap Metro is trying to “lower labor costs”–which means making up for its financial mismanagement on the backs of its workers

Istanbul--200,000 rally at Taksim Square (photo Reuters-Stringer)

 May 1, 2011, Istanbul, Turkey–200,000 people march.  Milwaukee, Wisconsin–100,000.  These were among the largest events in the world on May Day, International Workers Day–or simply Labor Day for most of the world, El Dia del Trabajo. 

 Born in the U.S. in 1886 in the struggle for the 8-hour day, May Day was associated with anarchists, socialists, and communists, so the U.S. government undermined it with the establishment of a new and innocuous “Labor Day” holiday in September.  Kept barely alive by a few leftists, May Day was brought back to the U.S. in a big way by immigrants in 2006 and became a big day for the expression of immigrant issues and the demand for immigrant rights.  As U.S. workers tried to reclaim our holiday,

Milwaukee (photo Tom Lynn, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

 consciousness grew about the need for solidarity with workers all over the world, and more U.S. workers joined with immigrants in the celebration of this holiday.  The biggest expression of this unity in 2011 was in Wisconsin. 

Some of the issues around the world:  More jobs, union rights, better working conditions, higher wages to counter higher prices for food and fuel; migrant worker rights; an end to the growing income gap between rich and poor; democratic political rights and an end to autocratic governments; an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ciudad Monte, Tamaulipas, Mexico--workers remember the "martyrs of Chicago" along with their own fallen comrades (noticiaselmexicano.com) Dhaka, Bangladesh (photo Pavel Rahman-AP)

Beirut, Lebanon (photo Migrant Workers Task Force)

Ankara, Turkey (photo Umit Bektas-Reuters)

Manila, Philippines--workers demand immediate wage increase, burn President Benigno Aquino III in effigy (photo Aaron Favila-AP)Jakarta, Indonesia (photo Irwin Fedriansyah-AP)

Hyderabad--All India Trade Union Congress (photo Mahesh Kumar A.-AP)

Mumbai--Striking Air India pilots (photo Vivek Prakash-Reuters)

Katmandu--Supporters of CP (Maoist) and activists of Nepal Trade Union (photo Binod Joshi-AP)

Baghdad--Members of the Iraqi Communist Party (photo Khalid Mohammed-AP)

Basra (Federation of Workers' Councils and Unions in Iraq--uslaboragainstwar.org)

Cairo, Egypt--May Day in Tahrir Square (photo Khalil Hamra-AP)

Lahore, Pakistan--Union workers rally (photo K.M. Chaudary-AP)

Madrid, Spain (photo Arturo Rodriguez-AP)

Moscow, Russia--members of the Left Front (photo Ivan Sekretarev-AP)

Lisbon, Portugal--Against the IMF, for Leftist Unity (photo Armando Franca-AP)

Caracas, Venezuela (photo Ariana Cubillos-AP)

Havana, Cuba--Students in Revolution Square (photo Enrique de la Osa-Reuters)

Mexico City--Workers protesting labor law "reform" burn image of Labor Secretary Javier Lozano (photo Marco Ugarte-AP)

Houston (thefirecollective.org)

Houston (thefirecollective.org)

Dallas (labordallas.org)

San Antonio (blogs.sacurrent.com)

Atlanta, GA--Protesters urge Gov. Nathan Deal to veto anti-immigrant legislation (photo Rich Addicks-AP)

New York--rally for jobs and immigrant rights (photo Seth Wenig-AP)

Los Angeles, California (photo L.A. County Federation of Labor)

Milwaukee--Voces de la Frontera has been organizing big May Day marches since 2006 (photo Tom Lynn-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Milwaukee--This says it all (photo Tom Lynn-Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

MAY DAY RALLIES CELEBRATE UNITY; LABOR UNIONS AND IMMIGRANTS PLAN TO MARCH SIDE BY SIDE

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/29/may_day_rallies_celebrate_unity_labor

Excellent program on Democracy Now!, April 29, 2011.  Read (or listen to) the whole thing.  Juan Gonzalez and Amy Goodman interview Clarence Thomas, member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 in San Francisco–”The local has a history of shutting down the ports of Oakland and San Francisco in protest, most recently on April 4th in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin;” and Christine Neumann-Ortiz, director of Voces de la Frontera, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin–”On May 1, 2006, she was key organizer behind the 70,000-strong march in Milwaukee.”

HERE ARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS:

Juan Gonzalez:  “The immigrant rights movement has in essence resuscitated May Day and now is building closer ties with the organized labor movement. . . . immigrants have continually renewed the radicalism and the fighting capacity of the American labor movement.”

Clarence Thomas:  “So many of our younger members in the trade union movement have very little knowledge about May Day. They associate it with countries overseas celebrating International Workers’ Day, [but] it started here in the United States with the fight to establish the eight-hour workday and to eliminate child labor exploitation. . . . we believe that solidarity is not an empty slogan. Solidarity means making a sacrifice. And on April 4th [anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] our members did not go to work. We did not get paid. And for 24 hours, international commerce was shut down. And we believe that more unions need to do the same. . . . [Immigrants] are the most exploited sector of the trade union movement. And as such, the issues that they face have to do with the fundamental rights of workers. . . . The labor movement is very small, when you talk about the percentage of workers that are represented by a union. The overwhelming majority of workers don’t belong to a union, so that the labor movement has the responsibility for charting a course for all workers. That’s why it’s so important that this year that we’re going to have a united May Day action.”

Christine Neumann-Ortiz:  “[The May Day mobilization] has always been supported by labor and has had a greater diversity each and every year. But this year, because of the attacks on public employees, like teachers, we know that, you know, there’s a level of support and mutual support. And that’s really what is historic about this march, is these movements coming together at a scale that hasn’t been seen before. . . . [Governor Walker's] budget is also an attack on immigrant rights and poor people.  In terms of immigrant rights, one of the biggest threats that’s pending, you know, in the budget is the repeal of in-state tuition rights for immigrant youth that was won in 2009, as well as the institutionalization of discrimination against legal immigrants, low-income families that would be denied access to food stamps or healthcare because they’re non-U.S. citizens, as part of this broader attack on poor people’s access and privatization of the public sector, like public education and so forth.  But one of the biggest things that’s motivating the Latino and immigrant community as part of this broader platform that we have is that there’s a pending Arizona copycat bill that’s being circulated in the state legislature . . . we’ve had a number of unions, maybe now close to 10, including the South Central Federation of Labor, that have passed resolutions rejecting this bill and also asking for—or building for May 1st.”

TxLAW note:  Sunday, May 1, San Antonio holds its Gran Marcha por los Derechos del Migrante on May Day–El Dia del Trabajo.  See http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/04/20/san-antonio-march-on-may-day/

And in Houston, also:  http://txlaboragainstwar.org/2011/04/30/houston-may-day-march-for-immigrants-and-working-families/

Monday, April 4, 5:30 PM,  Downtown Dallas, City Hall, Young & Ervay.

Anniversary of death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while supporting striking sanitation workers.  North Texas Jobs with Justice.   http://www.labordallas.org/

Rally for workers and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, The Dallas sanitation workers will be there in remembrance of the “I Am A Man” struggle in Memphis in 1968. Contact Kenneth Stretcher ([email protected]).

In solidarity with the ONE NATION March for Jobs, Peace, Justice, and Education for All ! to be held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 2, 2010, the Texas State Employees Union will rally at the AFL-CIO (11th & LaVaca) in Austin Friday, Oct. 1, at 4:45 pm.

TSEU calls for:
JOBS
EDUCATION
REBUILD PUBLIC SERVICES
DEFEND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

In conjunction with our biennial General Assembly, TSEU always has an action the first afternoon of the GA highlighting issues of importance to state/university workers and the provision of state services.  This year our GA is Oct. 1 – Oct. 3, and we want to show our solidarity with all our sisters and brothers gathering in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 2.

We expect there will be a couple of hundred TSEU members from all over Texas here in Austin for the event.  Join us!

For more information call the TSEU office at 512-448-4225

http://www.cwa-tseu.org/

5/30/10, Amjad Ali

A demonstration that began May 7 in Basra intensified today with new threats upon the workers and union leaders being relocated 1000 km from their jobs.

Dock workers rally in Basra (ITF photo)

In response to a call made by the leaders of the general union of harbor workers in Basra (an affiliate union with the General Federation of Worker Councils and Unions in Iraq) hundreds of employees of the Iraqi Harbor Corporation walked off the job on May 7, 2010, demanding better wages and living conditions.
Immediately after being informed, Iraqi Harbor Corporation director sought aid from U.S. troops who quickly arrived and formed a parameter on scene to protect the director, and sent Iraqi troops to surround and intimidate the demonstrators.
In a strange reaction, the mayor of Basra asked to meet union leaders Hirman Kaghim, Ali Khuthayer Abbas and Kadhim Kareem, and told them that they are implementing a foreign agenda and threatened to arrest them if they insist on their demands and continue the demonstration.
The leaders, however, denied links to any agenda except the interests of workers and vowed to continue the strike. In the meantime, the head of the troops asked to meet with union leaders instead of the corporate director, but the leaders rejected his request stating that he has nothing to do with the workers. This stance lead the mayor to back down from his threats. The mayor promised to hold a negotiation in the presence of the director of the corporation who in turn did not attend the meeting that was scheduled for May 28, 2010.
On May 29, 2010, the union leaders met with the director of Iraqi Harbor Corporation who threatened the delegates and vowed them ill fate should they continue. The delegates were ordered relocated to the Iraqi Railroad Corporation in Mosul (1000 km north of Basra).

We extend a plea to all federations and unions around the world to support our delegates in their struggle.

Amjad Ali
General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq
www.workerstoday.com
phone# 1-416-264-1131

Basra: Workers at the South Refineries Company protest Feb. 18 2010. (STAFF/Iraq Oil Report)

Picture–Another case where the government transferred 5 union leaders from Basra to Baghdad.  Refinery workers were demanding bonuses due to them since 2007.

Most of you know about the U.S. Social Forum this year.  Many people from San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and other Texas cities are going.  Some are presenting workshops. USSF’s website is http://www.ussf2010.org/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1828946493&v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=111695722194402&index=1

U.S. Labor Against the War is sponsoring 2 workshops:  “Building solidarity with working people and unions in Iraq and other U.S. war zones” (Thurs., 6/24, 1 – 3 pm) and “Talking to workers and unions about war, military spending and U.S. foreign policy” (Friday, 6/25, 10 am – 12 noon).

Here’s a small excerpt from the USSF’s statement of beliefs:

Thanks to our friend Ali Issa (formerly in Austin, now in New York) for the link to his blog, Iraq Left: On Iraqi Organizing and Movement Building Now, http://iraqleft.wordpress.com/

What will the change at the top of the U.S. government mean for the war and occupation in Iraq?

What do Iraqi workers think?  What do you think?  Read some labor perspectives on this website and on the website of U.S. Labor Against the War.

And what about Afghanistan???