Confront Politicians Tuesday About Compacts

WE'LL BE BACK!

To Defend Our Right to Organize

All day, starting 8 AM Tuesday, June 26

Meet at 1804 Tribute Rd., Suite K, Sacramento to visit legislators' offices in the Bay Area

Questions/ RSVPs: jeidelson@unitehere.org, (916) 494-1726
Time: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 8:00am PST

One article on the circumstances of why someone would travel thousands of miles across numerous borders for a job and the second on why the "guest worker" program is analogous to being indentured servitude. Click the headers for the entire articles. And lastly, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus

Between a rock ...

By age 18, Kelvin already had tried twice, unsuccessfully, to cross into the United States after traveling hundreds of miles from his home in Honduras. The first time, he said, he was beaten and his backpack taken by thieves.

“Mi,” who was robbed while riding atop a train on his way to the United States, lived for five years in Texas before being deported because his work permit expired.

Both Kelvin and Mi laughed when asked if they could support themselves on the salary offered by the vast maquiladora (maquila) network of factories stretching throughout Central America.

“I worked two jobs in Texas, at the 7–Eleven and the Stop & Go,” Mi said. “I could make more money working two jobs in Texas than I can at the maquila.” Yet work in the maquilas is the best most Central American countries have to offer.

And despite the risks, both intended to keep trying to get into the United States, crossing the guarded borders of two nations until they succeeded—or were killed.

Rally for the Right to Organize!

Tuesday, June 19
12 Noon
California State Capitol, North Steps (Near 11th and L)

Workers at Indian casinos are among the most vulnerable in the state since they are not protected by state law. These workers deserve real rights to organize!

The assembly will soon vote on compacts that allow wealthy Indian tribes to expand already lucrative casinos. These compacts lack important labor protections that were included in compacts approved in 2004 for other tribes.

After a 30 minute rally, we'll take our message to legislators inside the capitol.
Time: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - 12:00pm PST

UPDATE ON THE IRAQI OIL WORKERS' STRIKE
From US Labor Against the War

The most recent report from Basra informs us that the strike by members of the Federation of Oil Unions at the Iraqi Pipeline Company has been suspended. The government has agreed to resume negotiations and withdraw the arrest warrants issued against the leadership of the union. The way this came about is a testament to the prestige and influence of the union, the isolation and political weakness of Prime Minister al-Maliki, and the depth of nationalist sentiment within the country.

al-Maliki had issue the arrest warrants with the promise that he'd deal with the strikers with an "iron fist." He ordered elements of the Iraqi armed forces (it is not clear whether these were regular army, security police or other units) to execute the order to arrest the union leadership. An Iraqi general in charge of the operation refused to carry out the order. He is said to have told the Baghdad government that they had until Monday to "sort it all out" or he would resign and join workers. As a nationalist and a resident of Baghdad, he refused to order his forces against the workers. In the face of this insubordination, al-Maliki backed down and agreed to withdraw the arrest warrants and reopen negotiations. The union suspended the strike and has given the government a week to reach an agreement or they will resume the strike and expand it to other areas of the oil industry.

Talking Points: A Discriminating Judgement

June 1, 2007

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "prohibits employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin." But unfortunately, inequality still exists, and this week, the Supreme Court sided in favor of discrimination by stripping the civil rights law of "much of its potency." On Tuesday, the Court voted 5-4 to "throw out a Goodyear employee's complaint that she earned thousands of dollars less than her male counterparts." Writing for the all-male majority, Justice Samuel Alito "forced an unreasonable reading on the law, and tossed aside longstanding precedents to rule in favor of an Alabama employer." Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg took the unusual step of reading her dissent aloud from the bench, making clear that "the majority [was] not only mistaken, but profoundly wrong." Discrimination is not "long past," as the majority tried to argue in this case. Women continue to make just 77 cents for every dollar a man is paid. As the New York Times noted, "The ruling is the latest indication that a court that once proudly stood up for the disadvantaged is increasingly protective of the powerful."

UC JOBS NOW!
JOIN US WEDNESDAY MAY 23rd
UC Davis MU PATIO 11:30am

On May 1st, Davis witnessed the biggest protest in recent history. Around 800 students, workers, and community members marched from the MU and demanded the end of UC Davis' contracting-out of over 500 on-campus food-service jobs to the multi-national corporation Sodexho, which exploits workers by paying them poverty wages and offering them extravagantly unaffordable health coverage. In order to end this injustice, we demand that these workers be given UC JOBS NOW!!! On May 1st, the UCD administration promised Sodexho workers a meeting within a week in the presence of someone with the power to amend the situation. Three weeks have passed and the administration has refused to meet to resolve the situation.
Time: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 11:30am PST

This event has been cancelled.

The Lotto Commissioners have apparently decided to reschedule their meeting for next week, and to move it to Southern California. Which means while we won't be able to confront them in person, Glendale Hilton workers will.

And the Glendale Hilton contract is listed on the meeting's agenda for closed session.

What all of us can do is call the commissioners this week to express our concerns:

Commissioner John Mass; phone # 310-859-4000 (this is the number at the William Morris Agency, where Mass is Executive VP – ask for Mass's extension)

Commissioner Rachel Montes; phone # 626-625-4886 (this is a cell phone, the only way to reach her)

Commissioner Manuel Ortega; phone # 916-323-0403 (this is the lottery commission office, the only contact info we have for Ortega)

Some talking points are below. If you leave a message, ask them to return the call to Ty Hudson at (213) 250-8720. Please let me know if you're able to talk to one of them. Thanks!

Josh Eidelson
Time: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 10:00am PST

Take Back America
Dr. Bob Bowman & Dave Dionisi
Presented by the Teach Peace Foundation

June 8th, 7-9 pm, Marriott Courtyard Main Ballroom at 4422 Y Street in Sacramento. Free parking and peace gift.
Tickets are $15 at www.teachpeace.com and $20 at the door.


“The Best Public Speaker in the Country” (Los Angeles Times) Dr. Bob Bowman, Lt Col, USAF, ret. (101 Combat Missions as Fighter
Pilot in Vietnam) , is bringing his Patriot Tour to Sacramento! Dr. Bowman challenges us to “Take Back America” for the people. He explains why we need a government that:
Time: Friday, June 8, 2007 - 7:00pm PST

Contacts: Victor Bernal, UCD Student, 209-712-8716
Max Bell Alper, AFSCME Lead Organizer, 510-529-5552
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>Contracted Out Workers, Supporters Forced to Plan Major, Dramatic Action
Time: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 12:30pm PST

May 1st: Full Rights for All Immigrants!

California State Capitol
10th & L Streets, Sacramento, California

at 10:00 am, Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Immigrant workers, labor union leaders and activists, immigrant
rights groups, civil rights organizations, will gather to march in
grassroots solidarity with working people facing immigration (ICE)
raids and dragnets. Protest rallies and pro-worker rights rallies
have picked up the pace in April and most large California cities
will hold a May 1st Rally: San Jose, San Francisco, Stockton, Los
Angeles, San Diego, San Bernadino, Orange County, Fresno and more
united for a fair immigration law for all workers and their families.
Time: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - 11:00am PST

Dissent on worker sweeps in Valley rises

Seven rural ag towns may join Mendota in condemning federal immigration raids.
By Vanessa Colón / The Fresno Bee
03/30/07 04:40:09

Mendota's stand against federal immigration sweeps has sparked a movement among Fresno County's small farming towns.

City councils in seven Fresno County cities plan to take up the issue in weeks to come. Most of them are agricultural towns, where undocumented and legal farm laborers work, live and shop. City leaders worry the raids will upend their economies and separate or disrupt families.

Parlier Mayor Armando Lopez, whose council will consider a resolution in April opposing the raids, said farmers already complain about labor shortages. He worries that the raids will further deplete the labor pool and undermine the economy.

"Obviously, without the farm workers, the farmers will be shorthanded," Lopez said.

Sacramento Coalition of Labor Union Women awards reception will feature labor view on California health care reform proposals

The labor union view on the California health care reform proposals, labor history storytelling and labor songs will be featured at the Coalition of Labor Union Women's Ruth Holbrook 10th Annual Awards Reception, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, at the Sacramento Central Labor Council Hall, 2840 El Centro Road, Sacramento.

Honorees at the Awards Reception will be women activists of the Blue Diamond Almond Workers, the UNITE-HERE Hotel Workers Rising, and the Sacramento Coalition for Justice for Immigrants. Anastasia Ordonez from California Federation of Labor will speaking on the California health care reform legislation.
Time: Saturday, March 17, 2007 - 2:00pm PST

UC Davis = last UC to have contracted out workers
By MONICA KRAUTH
Democrat staff writer

UC Davis is the last of the UC systems to contract out food service and some workers said they've have had enough.

They've met with their managers. They've met with administration. And they're still making less money per hour than their university employee counterparts. So Thursday they came out in the hundreds to garner community support.

But Rahim Reed, UCD's associate executive vice chancellor, said he was not sure what they were fighting for as he walked past the crowd that marched toward the administration building and then to the Silo Union where some of them work. The protest ended with some allowed to step into a brown bag luncheon with the university's chancellor.

[Click the 1st picture to see Rep. Miller on fire today and the 2nd to see Ivo Camilo's testimony]

Leveling The Bargaining Table

George Miller
February 09, 2007

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., is the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

The overall U.S. economy has been growing since the end of the 2001 recession, yet the median household income in the U.S. has fallen by $1,300. This should worry anyone who cares about whether our economy is fair to American workers or not.

Many different reasons account for the fact that America’s middle class is losing ground despite the country’s economic growth. One of the most important is that companies routinely deny workers the ability to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits. As a result, unions represent just 12 percent of the U.S. workforce today—a much lower percentage than just a couple of generations ago.

[...]

Consider the case of Ivo Camilo. For 35 years, Camilo worked at the Blue Diamond Growers plant in Sacramento, the world’s largest almond processing plant. But he and his co-workers were worried about job security and felt they had no voice at work. So, in 2004, Camilo joined with some of his co-workers to try to form a union. In 2005, just two weeks after Camilo and 58 of his coworkers informed management of their union efforts, he was fired.

You can see that Sen. Kennedy is truly passionate about the minimum wage. He really lays into them about 4:45 into this video clip. --Bill

Kennedy to Republicans: "What is it about working men and women that you find so offensive?"
Bob Geiger

It's a sure bet that Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has a lot of bottled-up frustration from years of fighting the Republican party to get a simple minimum wage increase for America's families and it boiled over on the floor of the Senate Thursday night.

Angry about Republican filibustering of the minimum wage increase that easily passed the House of Representatives two weeks ago, Kennedy erupted on the Senate floor, demanding of the other side of the aisle "When does the greed stop?"