Five thousand workers... great news.
SMITHFIELD WORKERS OK CONTRACT: Five thousand workers at the world’s largest pork processing plant have their first-ever union contract, after a majority of workers at the Smithfield plant in Tarheel, NC ratified the agreement over a two-day vote. Members of UFCW Local 1208 join more than 10,000 other Smithfield workers, and more than 240,000 others who work in the meat packing and food processing industry who have a UFCW union contract. “This contract will completely transform our workplace,” said Orlando Williams. “This is the biggest four-year wage increase Smithfield workers have ever had and it will make a real difference for our families and in this community. We could never have gotten that increase without a chance to bargain with the company. We will finally have a sense of security on the job because through our union we can make sure we have a safe place to work, and that everyone’s treated fairly.” The campaign to organize the Smithfield workers included a major focus on DC-area customers, who make up one of Smithfield’s largest markets. "Thanks to all the local leaders and activists who played such a critical role in supporting the Smithfield workers," said UFCW Local 400 President C. James Lowthers.
photo: 2008 DC Smithfield demo; photo by Tiye Kinlow
(From the Union City emails... sign up here: https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/366/personal2.asp?formid=signup)
lunes, 6 de julio de 2009
martes, 30 de junio de 2009
Getting the message across...
Photos here:
http://obamarememberus.wordpress.com/
DC STREETS BLOCKED TO PROTEST COLOMBIAN UNION MURDERS:
Labor and human rights activists shut down traffic in front of the White House yesterday to protest the murders of Colombian trade unionists. The noontime action was timed to coincide with President Obama’s first meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Dressed completely in black, their faces painted a ghostly white to represent murdered union leaders, the activists locked their arms into PVC pipes and laid down in a human chain across the intersection of 16th and H streets, while over a hundred chanting supporters surrounded them and helped block traffic. “I took a bus from New York this morning,” Colombian native Amy Velez told Union City, “My heart is bleeding to see my country with over four million displaced people.” Afro-Colombian activist Marino Cordoba was forced to leave his homeland seven years ago, after his community was bombed and his neighbors killed. “We were fighting for the right of Afro-Colombians to own their own land. Uribe’s government kills most Afro-Colombians who received their own land titles.” Curious tourists mingled with activists and their supporters for well over an hour as the demonstration continued to block the street. Eventually, police carefully cut the pipes and chains from the demonstrators arms and released them into the surrounding crowd, which triumphantly chanted “We are with the resisters, they’re our brothers they’re our sisters!”- Julia Shindel; photos by Adam Wright
Text courtesy of Jobs with Justice
CNN says, "President Barack Obama discussed a free-trade agreement with his Colombian counterpart Monday, while scores of protesters clogged streets near the White House to demonstrate against the pact."
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/29/protesters-block-streets-as-obama-uribe-talk-free-trade/
This from yesterday morning (pre-protest) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062901496.html "Obama to Pursue Different Path with Colombia's Uribe"
http://obamarememberus.wordpress.com/
DC STREETS BLOCKED TO PROTEST COLOMBIAN UNION MURDERS:
Labor and human rights activists shut down traffic in front of the White House yesterday to protest the murders of Colombian trade unionists. The noontime action was timed to coincide with President Obama’s first meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Dressed completely in black, their faces painted a ghostly white to represent murdered union leaders, the activists locked their arms into PVC pipes and laid down in a human chain across the intersection of 16th and H streets, while over a hundred chanting supporters surrounded them and helped block traffic. “I took a bus from New York this morning,” Colombian native Amy Velez told Union City, “My heart is bleeding to see my country with over four million displaced people.” Afro-Colombian activist Marino Cordoba was forced to leave his homeland seven years ago, after his community was bombed and his neighbors killed. “We were fighting for the right of Afro-Colombians to own their own land. Uribe’s government kills most Afro-Colombians who received their own land titles.” Curious tourists mingled with activists and their supporters for well over an hour as the demonstration continued to block the street. Eventually, police carefully cut the pipes and chains from the demonstrators arms and released them into the surrounding crowd, which triumphantly chanted “We are with the resisters, they’re our brothers they’re our sisters!”- Julia Shindel; photos by Adam Wright
Text courtesy of Jobs with Justice
CNN says, "President Barack Obama discussed a free-trade agreement with his Colombian counterpart Monday, while scores of protesters clogged streets near the White House to demonstrate against the pact."
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/29/protesters-block-streets-as-obama-uribe-talk-free-trade/
This from yesterday morning (pre-protest) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062901496.html "Obama to Pursue Different Path with Colombia's Uribe"
miércoles, 17 de junio de 2009
I didn't realize avaaz.com was this good
Dear friends,
Iran is on a knife-edge, with millions of voters taking to the streets in outrage as evidence mounts that the government may have massively rigged and stolen Thursday's election. The regime has cracked down brutally on the protesters and is imposing a blackout on Iranian society -- shutting down domestic and international media, the internet and even text-messaging.
The voice of Iranians may have been silenced at the polling booth, now the regime is attempting to silence them everywhere else. Facing beatings and gunfire, the opposition is organising mass demonstrations and a general strike. We can’t afford to let the regime dismiss the voice of the people -- the truth must be heard.
Avaaz is urgently organising a rigorous “exit poll” of Iranian voters and a media effort to publicise it -- working with an international polling firm to do a telephone survey of Iranian citizens to ask how they voted. We urgently need 10,000 Avaaz members to pitch in a small amount each to raise $119,000 in the next 24 hours and give Iranians a powerful new way to be heard -- follow this link to view video from the streets of Tehran and support this exit poll to find out the truth:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/
Public polling in Iran is heavily restricted, and no-one else is mobilizing fast enough to fund an international exit poll. It's urgent that we pitch in. A telephone poll won't be 100% accurate, but the difference between opposition and government claims is massive -- a rigorous poll can show which claim is remotely near the truth.
Unlike Western organizations, Avaaz's global network has a strong membership in Iran and across the Middle East. Backed by a respected polling firm, our effort will be harder to dismiss by Iranian conservatives. We'll send the poll results to the media and help our members in Iran to rapidly and virally spread the news despite the regime's blackout.
Messages have been flooding in from our Iranian members -- from Fariba: “20.000.000 people have lost their votes for peace and human rights. The government wants to use this votes for every thing but PEACE. Avaaz is a Persian word too and means voice -- hear our ‘avaaz’”. From Mahmoud: “The government has stolen the vote the people. The people in the street are beaten badly by the police. Now now now do not lose the time”. Stand with Iranians now and help their voices be heard:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/
This election matters to us all. Iran is a major regional power, and the international community is seeking diplomatic engagement that holds a key to peace in the Middle East. But hawks and extremists on all sides want war instead: a conservative coup in Iran could destroy all our hopes.
The conservative Guardian Council, headed by a key Ahmadinejad ally, is reviewing the vote over the next 9 days -- our poll can be ready before they give their verdict, to counter any further rigging and the violent purge that could follow.
There is a real possibility that democracy will prevail. Ultimate power in Iran lies with Ayatollah Khamenei, who may have backed the rigging -- but he is hired and fired by the Assembly of Experts, chaired by ex-President Rafsanjani who has condemned vote-fixing. If Rafsanjani and allies can get enough votes on the Assembly this week, they can press to re-open the results, even to remove Khamenei from power. A scientific opinion poll could be a powerful piece of evidence.
In the next 72 hours, the Iranian people will try once again to be heard. Let’s help make sure their voices are not silenced -- follow this link to see their courage and donate now to help fund the exit poll:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/
With hope,
Ricken, Graziela, Paul, Pascal, Alice, Brett, Paula, Milena, Raj, Raluca, Taren and the whole Avaaz team
Sources:
1. The Guardian: "Iran's regime cracks down on opposition and media", 16 June 2009http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/16/iran-protests-election-recount
2. Al-Jazeera: "Supreme Leader Under Pressure", 15 June 2009http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/2009616184556951795.html
3. "Evidence that the Iranian Presidential Election Was Stolen", Juan Cole, 13 June 2009http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/stealing-iranian-election.html
4. More detailed analysis by a polling expert of "fishy numbers" in the results announced by the interior ministry:http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/iran-does-have-some-fishy-numbers.html
5. One of many active live-blogs:http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
6. #IranElections - live, unfiltered updates via Twitter from Iran and around the worldhttp://twitter.com/#search?q=%23iranelection
----------
Want to support Avaaz? We're entirely funded by member donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated online team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way -- donate here.
ABOUT AVAAZ Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. Call us at: +1 888 922 8229 or +55 21 2509 0368
Iran is on a knife-edge, with millions of voters taking to the streets in outrage as evidence mounts that the government may have massively rigged and stolen Thursday's election. The regime has cracked down brutally on the protesters and is imposing a blackout on Iranian society -- shutting down domestic and international media, the internet and even text-messaging.
The voice of Iranians may have been silenced at the polling booth, now the regime is attempting to silence them everywhere else. Facing beatings and gunfire, the opposition is organising mass demonstrations and a general strike. We can’t afford to let the regime dismiss the voice of the people -- the truth must be heard.
Avaaz is urgently organising a rigorous “exit poll” of Iranian voters and a media effort to publicise it -- working with an international polling firm to do a telephone survey of Iranian citizens to ask how they voted. We urgently need 10,000 Avaaz members to pitch in a small amount each to raise $119,000 in the next 24 hours and give Iranians a powerful new way to be heard -- follow this link to view video from the streets of Tehran and support this exit poll to find out the truth:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/
Public polling in Iran is heavily restricted, and no-one else is mobilizing fast enough to fund an international exit poll. It's urgent that we pitch in. A telephone poll won't be 100% accurate, but the difference between opposition and government claims is massive -- a rigorous poll can show which claim is remotely near the truth.
Unlike Western organizations, Avaaz's global network has a strong membership in Iran and across the Middle East. Backed by a respected polling firm, our effort will be harder to dismiss by Iranian conservatives. We'll send the poll results to the media and help our members in Iran to rapidly and virally spread the news despite the regime's blackout.
Messages have been flooding in from our Iranian members -- from Fariba: “20.000.000 people have lost their votes for peace and human rights. The government wants to use this votes for every thing but PEACE. Avaaz is a Persian word too and means voice -- hear our ‘avaaz’”. From Mahmoud: “The government has stolen the vote the people. The people in the street are beaten badly by the police. Now now now do not lose the time”. Stand with Iranians now and help their voices be heard:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/
This election matters to us all. Iran is a major regional power, and the international community is seeking diplomatic engagement that holds a key to peace in the Middle East. But hawks and extremists on all sides want war instead: a conservative coup in Iran could destroy all our hopes.
The conservative Guardian Council, headed by a key Ahmadinejad ally, is reviewing the vote over the next 9 days -- our poll can be ready before they give their verdict, to counter any further rigging and the violent purge that could follow.
There is a real possibility that democracy will prevail. Ultimate power in Iran lies with Ayatollah Khamenei, who may have backed the rigging -- but he is hired and fired by the Assembly of Experts, chaired by ex-President Rafsanjani who has condemned vote-fixing. If Rafsanjani and allies can get enough votes on the Assembly this week, they can press to re-open the results, even to remove Khamenei from power. A scientific opinion poll could be a powerful piece of evidence.
In the next 72 hours, the Iranian people will try once again to be heard. Let’s help make sure their voices are not silenced -- follow this link to see their courage and donate now to help fund the exit poll:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/iran_vote_truth/
With hope,
Ricken, Graziela, Paul, Pascal, Alice, Brett, Paula, Milena, Raj, Raluca, Taren and the whole Avaaz team
Sources:
1. The Guardian: "Iran's regime cracks down on opposition and media", 16 June 2009http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/16/iran-protests-election-recount
2. Al-Jazeera: "Supreme Leader Under Pressure", 15 June 2009http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/2009616184556951795.html
3. "Evidence that the Iranian Presidential Election Was Stolen", Juan Cole, 13 June 2009http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/stealing-iranian-election.html
4. More detailed analysis by a polling expert of "fishy numbers" in the results announced by the interior ministry:http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/iran-does-have-some-fishy-numbers.html
5. One of many active live-blogs:http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/
6. #IranElections - live, unfiltered updates via Twitter from Iran and around the worldhttp://twitter.com/#search?q=%23iranelection
----------
Want to support Avaaz? We're entirely funded by member donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated online team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way -- donate here.
ABOUT AVAAZ Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. Call us at: +1 888 922 8229 or +55 21 2509 0368
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