People Before Profit blog

10,000 flight attendants at Southwest voting on new contract

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Original source:

The nearly 10,000 flight attendants at Southwest Airlines—members of Transportation Workers (TWU) Local 556—are voting on a new four-year agreement that includes a number of improvements, including pay raises.

Along with the pay raises, the tentative deal—approved by TWU Local 556’s executive board—includes a boost in 401(k) contributions and improvements in leave, flexibility and job security, among other areas and no economic concessions. Says TWU Local 556 President Thom McDaniel:

This round of negotiations was conducted with a spirit of cooperation and partnership that demonstrates the legendary culture of Southwest Airlines. Times are tough in the airline industry, but labor relations don’t have to be. At Southwest Airlines, we are at our best when we focus on solving problems instead of just winning and that’s what happened here.

TWU President James C. Little says that along with being the most profitable U.S. airline, Southwest also is the most unionized—and workers have played a major role in the airline’s success.

Southwest Airlines flight attendants have always been an integral part of the airline’s success and it is great news that together they have negotiated a contract that recognizes their contribution.

National Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:12:00 +0000

Reposted from boards.history.com The basketball and hip-hop culture fusion born in 1984 that is known now as The 'Dunkadelic-Era' In America, 1984-Present. The 'Dunkadelic-Era' is celebrating its 25th Anniversary during the year 2009 (1984-2009).

To honor the 25th Anniversary of The 'Dunkadelic-Era' June 2009 has been selected to be the 1st National Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month. It's an American cultural celebration for people from all over the country to join in and be apart of.

During the month of June the NBA crowns a new league Champion (NBA Finals), usher in a new crop of soon-to-be-stars with their Annual NBA Draft, and the WNBA begins play for its new season.

There has been positive responses for National Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month by various Governors, Senators, Mayors, and Congressman. NBA players and rap artists have also been receptive to honor the culture fusion of hoops and hip-hop.

June marks the end of the school year with kids looking forward to a nice Sunmmer vacation. Students from high school and college graduate with a positive outlook toward the future.

Many hip-hop artists release albums and hit songs for a popular Summer run. June is a great month to celebrate the fusion of basketball and hip-hop says, Derrick E. Vaughan the self proclaimed Dunkadelic-Era Scholar who is spearheading the cultural month celebration.

To celebrate Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month kids and young adults can get back to having fun, and that's something that's needed with the state of the American economy. It's inexpensive for families and kids just play or watch some basketball games, and listen to a few old school party rap songs.

Back in 1984 the culture fusion of basketball and hip-hop was flying under the radar until a rap group from Queens, New York named RUN-D.M.C. released their pioneering debut album named after the group (RUN-D.M.C.). They would also be the first major rap act of a sub-culture that went by 2 simple, 3-letter words 'Hip-Hop.'

Some said that rap-music would be a fad, and it wouldn't last, but only a few knew that the city game, and the music of the city street would merge together and create the first sport-and-music defined time period in American history.

A few states down south from New York City at the University of North Carolina a skinny 6'6 kid from Wilmington, NC was being compared to basketball great Julius 'Dr. J' Erving. He had leaping ability that would soon become part of his name and signature basketball sneakers (Air Jordan). Michael Jordan was the 1984 College Basketball Player of the Year, an Olmypic gold medalist, and the man that would be the marquee player of the best Draft in NBA history (1984).

Michael Jordan and RUN-D.M.C. will both be enshrined into their Hall's-of-Fame (Naismith and Rock-n-Roll)during the year 2009. It's also a 25th Anniversary for both as they made their cultural impact together to help forge basketball and hip-hop as one in 1984.

With 25-years slam dunked home The 'Dunkadelic-Era' has grown up, and those within the culture can now be Ambassadors of the culture fusion who carry themselves with class and respect. They can sit back and look forward to another 25-years and its 50th Anniversary in 2034.

LeBron James the superstar forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers was born during the birth-year of the era in 1984. When LeBron turned 1-years old on December 30, 1985 Michael Jordan was injured and didn't play for most of the season with a broken foot. His Chicago Bulls on that day played and defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron is now the franchise player for the Cavs. James also wears the same #23 as Jordan. Now that's Dunkadelic!

National Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month, June 2009

Nigeria: Maritime union holds conference despite attack

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:36:00 +0000

Reposted from All-Africa.com Despite last Friday's bloody attack on their secretariat by suspected hoodlums, members of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), will tomorrow hold their national delegates conference to elect a new set of officials to run the affairs of their union for the next four years.

During the attack which left four of the union's staff critically injured and 12 others sustaining various degree of injuries, the hoodlums carted away and burnt vital documents including the ones relating to the conference with an intent to frustrate it.

Though the out-going President-General of MWUN, Comrade Onikolease Irabor, told Labour Vanguard that no legible candidate had been disqualified and that even before the attack, no protest had been received against the conference, he assured that the conference would go ahead as scheduled because it is a constitutional issue.

It would be recalled that on Friday March 20th, over 50 armed hoodlums attacked the union' secretariat injuring no fewer than 16 staff and officials of the union. Four of them are still battling to survive.

Besides that, the attackers were suspected to be hired thugs.

The hoodlums who were said to have arrived the union's national secretariat around 11a.m. with guns, machetes and other dangerous weapons, smashed vehicle windscreens, windows, doors and ransacked all the offices including the account department, President-General and the General Secretary offices after shooting indiscriminately at doors and windows of the building.

Labour Vanguard gathered that but for the quick intervention of men and officials of the Nigeria Police, from Trinity Police station and a detachment of Mobil Police, there would have been loss of lives.

The hoodlums were said to have manhandled security men at the gate and inflicted injuries on many of them before smashing glass windows and doors of some of the offices.

Already the police have arrested 12 suspects including four who were caught hiding on the last floor of the four-storey building with charms and were said to be making useful statements to the police authorities.

The President General of the union, Comrade Onikolease Irabor, told Labour Vanguard that many of the union's staff escaped death by the whiskers as the attackers stormed the four-story building housing the union secretariat with double barrel guns, locally made pistols, machetes, axes and charms.

According to him: 'I can not call them anything else beside assassins, armed robbers and thieves who merely came to destroy, rob and kill innocent members of the union. Don't forget that by next week, we would have our national delegates conference and new executives would be elected to take over the affairs of the union. So these are the people that do not want the election to hold. They came to kill, maim, steal and destroy and inflict a monumental damage on our union. But thank God, they failed. Although four of our staff are battling to survive with 12 others with various degrees of injuries, nothing would stop the planned delegates conference because it is a constitutional matter. Nobody has protested against the delegates conference. Even those that have been arrested are not union members.' Relevant Links

* West Africa * Economy, Business and Finance * Labour * Nigeria * Transport and Shipping

At the of filling this report, a dozen of gun brandishing policemen have taken over security at the secretariat, with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Trinity Police Station, physically present to take inventory of the monumental damage at the office.

Labour Vanguard gathered that activities at the nation's ports were temporarily paralysed on the day of the attack by dockworkers who were protesting the attack as many of them trooped to the union's secretariat to show solidarity to their leaders who were obviously the target.

The presidents bad joke and the GOPs backwardness

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:45:00 +0000

The hallowed halls of political power in Washington, DC are known for a great many things. But if we’re being entirely candid, humor is not among them. This is not to say that the inhabitants of the city are incapable of being funny, even when laughter is not the response the politicians desired.

John F. Kennedy’s brief term in the White House treated the public to flashes of humor; there was even a book entitled “The Kennedy Wit.” A century earlier, President Lincoln responded to complaints about General Ulysses S. Grant’s alleged drunkenness by quipping that someone should find out what brand Grant was drinking and send a case of it to every other general in the union army.

So, when a politician’s attempt at humor falls flat this is not generally considered newsworthy. Unless, that is, you are President Obama and the joke has the Special Olympics as a perceived punch line.

The president’s unfortunate gaffe took place during his appearance on the “Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno. The purpose of the appearance, the first by a sitting chief executive (Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton made appearances on the show with the late host, Johnny Carson, before they were elected to the White House) was to tout his plans for the economy.

But as a side comment about his bowling skills, Obama, who had famously rolled a gutter ball during the campaign, said he had been practicing on the White House lanes and earned an unimpressive score of 129. “It was, like, the Special Olympics or something,” he said in an off-hand comment that drew laughter from the audience.

The president immediately recognized the potential for hurt caused by his joke and contacted Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver to apologize and express his support for the organization. Shriver, whose mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, created the Special Olympics program, accepted the apology.

His sister Maria, the wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, said in a statement that, “While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone, the response that his comments have caused, coupled with the reaction of a prime-time audience, demonstrate the need to continue to educate the non-disabled community on the issues that confront those with a developmental disability.'

In contrast to the graciousness of the Shriver’s comments, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the former GOP vice presidential hopeful now touted in some media corners as the “front runner” for the Republicans in 2012, said she was “shocked…by [the] degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.”

Palin’s remarks, however, underscore the condescending and paternalistic attitudes that the civil rights movement for persons with disabilities has struggled against for decades.

“President Obama’s joke was not simply in bad taste but displayed some very disappointing insensitivity on his part,” one activist with disabilities said. “I would have expected better from him. But on the other hand, it was a ‘spur of the moment’ comment, and he promptly apologized.”

Yet, the activist continued, “I am equally upset by Sarah Palin’s remarks about ‘precious’ and ‘unique’ people. It is one thing to make a gaffe, quite another to issue a prepared statement. All people are unique, but to say that Special Olympics participants are ‘precious’ is dehumanizing in itself. Many Special Olympians are young adults. ‘Precious’ is a word used to describe a baby or young child.”

The Special Olympics is calling for a national day of awareness on March 31st to eliminate the word “retarded” (the R-word) from common usage.

“Most people don’t think of this word as hate speech, but that’s exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual disabilities, their families and friends. This word is just as cruel and offensive as any other slur,” read the statement on the Special Olympics website.

“‘Spread the Word to End the Word’ will raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the R-word and encourage people to pledge to stop using it. America will be asked to declare their support for more respectful and inclusive language, specifically that referring to those with intellectual disabilities.”

Lawrence Albright chairs the national at-large members club of the Communist Party USA. To contact him, or find out more about the at-large members club, email clubatlarge@cpusa.org

Chicago Archbishop calls for immigration reform

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:35:00 +0000

CHICAGO – Speaking at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Albany Park here, Archbishop Cardinal Francis George called on President Obama to put a stop to deportation raids and to pass fair and compassionate comprehensive immigration reform this year.

The Archdiocese of Chicago and several immigrant rights and religious groups organized the prayer forum. Organizers of the event said more than 360,000 families have been split up due to deportations over the past year.

“Our Church teaches that the family is sacred,” said George before more than 2,000 people at the North Side church on March 21.

George added that families are “the cradle of life, the core institution of society. To separate families, wives from husbands, children from parents, is to diminish what God has joined,” he said.

George went on to say that Obama should enact legislation that fixes the broken immigration system, which currently is inadequate and does more damage than good.

“Such reform would be a clear sign this administration is truly about change,” said George.

George said passing immigration reform is a moral issue calling it “a matter of conscience” and an important part of developing a more peaceful society. He also talked about the devastating results raids have on families where a culture of hate continues to increase in the absence of better border enforcement.

Immigrant families are too often subjected to harsh conditions and brutal treatment in border territories, said George. They also face discrimination and are exploited by employers and unscrupulous lawyers, he added.

“We cannot strengthen families when people live in fear from day to day,” he said.

“There is a darkness cast upon many families living among us who have been caught between the need for cheap labor and badly broken immigration laws,” said George. “We … are called to be that light for those forced onto the shadows.”

Last week, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with President Obama and Latino lawmakers are hopeful Obama will tackle the issue later this year.

But according to U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) who attended the Chicago event, Obama did not say he would order a moratorium on enforcement measures. Gutierrez, a leading advocate for ending raids and deportations, began a 20-city national tour of prayer vigils and town-hall meetings in November. He has collected thousands of signatures on petitions asking for immigration reform.

plozano@pww.org

World Notes: India, Iraq, Turkey, Haiti and Cuba

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:11:00 +0000

India: New left electoral coalition is formed Before general elections starting April 16, nine left parties met March 15 to shape a coalition to oppose both the centrist alliance headed by the Congress Party, in power since 2004, and the coalition led by the rightwing BJP party.

At a press conference the next day, general secretary Prakash Karat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) released an election manifesto reflecting the program of the left front coalition. Key components, according to The Hindu newspaper, were reversing neo-liberal policies, social support for the poor, defending secularism, relief for oppressed sectors and foreign policy independence. Last year four left parties including the CPI (M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) abandoned the Congress-led coalition to protest the U.S.-India nuclear power deal.

Iraq: Marshland crisis continues The Saddam Hussein regime ousted rebellious inhabitants of southern Iraq’s marshlands by drying up the Middle East’s largest wetland ecosystem. Water and some people returned after the successor government removed dams and sluiceways.

Since 2003, however, water levels have dropped 50 percent. Marshland waters are now plagued with sewage, high salinity and pesticides. Azzaman news says thousands of families are leaving again.

Restoration may cost billions of dollars, IRIN news said. UN official David Shearer observed March 12 that marsh people “are some of the poorest and most badly provided with basic services.” Iraqi officials have announced plans to remove remaining dams and canals.

Southern Africa: Trade talks contentious Negotiations are coming to a close for an economic partnership agreement (EPA) between the EU and Southern African Development Community members South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana. Temporary arrangements have prevailed following a missed deadline in December 2007.

At a meeting in Namibia joined by Angola and Mozambique, the EU conceded protection for African industries and continuation of export taxes. Most favored nation provisions, to pass on to the EU any beneficial terms reached with developing nations, remain contentious. Withdrawal of holdout South Africa from the EPA would represent a challenge, according to the South African Business Day web site. Opponents protest as incipient re-colonization any arrangements seeming to favor established European economies.

Turkey: Water Forum reconvenes Without immediate action, a global water crisis is certain, says a UN report delivered at the 5th World Water Forum, convened March 16 in Istanbul. Causative factors, according to 26 UN agencies contributing to the report, include climate change, population increase and human migration.

“Water is the principal medium through which climate change will affect economic, social and environmental conditions,” declared UNESCO head Koïchiro Matsuura. Food availability is crucial, according to IRIN news, with agriculture accounting for 70 percent of fresh water use. Some 3,000 liters of water are required daily to feed one person. The week-long gathering attracted activists, scientists, and business and government representatives. Protesters accused the Forum of colluding with companies to promote water privatization.

Haiti: Aristide party fights for election participation In early March, a court reversed the Provisional Electoral Council’s disqualification of Lavalas party candidates in April 19 senate elections. The action coincided with demonstrations for Lavalas leader and ex-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, timed with the arrival of ex-U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to re-evaluate UN troop deployment in Haiti.

Haiti Liberté cited a protester’s warnings of further demonstrations should Lavalas be excluded. He and others demanded Aristide’s return from exile, five years after a U.S.-supported coup. Last week a visiting U.N. Security Council delegation praised Lavalas, presently divided into two factions, for contesting exclusion from the senate elections. Election council procrastination has left 12 senate seats vacant since 2007.

Cuba: Bonds tightened with Central America Salvadoran President-elect Mauricio Funes and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias each announced plans on March 18 to restore their countries’ diplomatic relations with Cuba. Implementation for El Salvador will wait until June 1 when Funes assumes office.

Then all Latin American and Caribbean nations will have full relations with the island, a turn-about from nearly five decades ago when Washington induced all except Mexico to spurn Cuba. “The world,” Arias declared, “is diametrically distinct from [then]. We must adjust to new realities.”

Meanwhile last week Panamanian Vice President and Foreign Minister Samuel Lewis signed far-reaching commercial agreements with Cuba. The Cuba News Agency noted that over 1,000 Panamanians have either graduated recently from Cuban universities or are studying there now. Lewis expressed appreciation for Cuban assistance in combating illiteracy and for the presence in Panama of 33 Cuban ophthalmologists who have recently performed thousands of sight-restoring operations.

World Notes are compiled by W.T. Whitney Jr. (atwhit@roadrunner.com)

GUINEA-BISSAU: Teachers strike over non-pay

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:00:00 +0000

BISSAU (IRIN) -- Intermittent teacher strikes that have disrupted the school year since October 2008 are on again as most of the country’s teachers went on strike on 19 March over salary arrears, according to the Union of Teachers.

The strike was initially planned to last 48 hours and end on 20 March but union spokesperson Mario Lima Ingualdé told reporters on 19 March: “We will continue until 24, 25, and 26 March unless the government agrees to our demands.”

Teachers are asking for up to one year of unpaid salary as well as education sector reform, including improved school equipment, better teacher training and increases in the education budget – currently six percent of the national budget, according to the teachers’ union, SINAPROF.

Education has not been a priority for Guinea-Bissau governments and the budget does not always cover salaries, secondary school teacher Infamara Conté told IRIN.

In the meantime it is children who suffer, said head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Guinea-Bissau Silvia Luciani. “Children should not pay the price of the State’s fragility…The children of Guinea Bissau have already lost over four months of school this year, due repeated teachers' strikes and political instability.”

Teacher strikes have plagued Guinea-Bissau’s education system for years, even since the end of the civil war a decade ago. Education officials have been forced to declare entire school years null and void because of continuous strikes over conditions and pay.

Coming up short Teacher Conté told IRIN no teachers in Guinea-Bissau have been paid for the past five months.

He said he has been teaching for many years and that half of his monthly salary of US$115 goes toward rent. “My salary, when I receive it, does not even last for two weeks,” Conté told IRIN. “I am forced to stay in education because I have no other options for my life.'

Most teachers start at $50 a month, which gradually increases to $75, said Conté.

The average monthly salary of employed persons in Guinea-Bissau in 2007 was less than $17, according to World Bank.

SINAPROF’s Ingualdé told reporters that the French government and the World Bank have paid the government to settle wage arrears in the education sector, but the money has not yet been processed to cover teacher salaries.

The French government gave the Guinea-Bissau government $313,464 in late 2008 to cover teachers’ salary arrears.

Malam Djassy, chairman of the government’s education commission, told IRIN this money will soon be disbursed for teacher pay. “We are coming to an agreement with teachers to lift the strike,” he told IRIN.

The start of the 2008-09 academic year, initially intended to start last October, was delayed until January 2009 because of teacher strikes.

Most teachers in the country are untrained and many of them never finished primary school, according to UNICEF.

“The fact that there are many urgent problems to resolve in Guinea-Bissau should not put education in second place. This country cannot afford another generation whose majority cannot write, read or count,” UNICEF’s Luciani said.

“People’s limited access to education is one of the factors behind continued instability in the country. The children of Guinea Bissau cannot wait for the solution of all political problems in the country... They need to go back to school tomorrow.'

Trade unions to G20: Half measures will not fix broken global economy

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Brussels, 23 March 2009 (ITUC OnLine): In a worldwide push for action by G20 governments to pull the global economy out of recession and chart a new course for job creation, financial regulation and global governance, trade unions across the world are today delivering a common set of demands to their national governments. The five-point union plan, which includes detailed policy proposals, sets out the actions needed to tackle the crisis and build a fairer and more sustainable world economy for the future. It calls for:

a coordinated international recovery and sustainable growth plan to create jobs and ensure public investment;

nationalisation of insolvent banks and new financial regulations;

action to combat the risk of wage deflation and reverse decades of increasing inequality;

far-reaching action on climate change;

a new international legal framework to regulate the global economy along with reform of the global financial and economic institutions (IMF, World Bank, OECD, WTO).

The “Global Unions G20 London Declaration” , developed by the ITUC and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) at the OECD, sets out the steps which need to be taken by the G20 in cooperation with other governments. It is being presented by national trade union movements to their governments today, and will be formally submitted to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in London on 2 April. Trade unions from around the world will be joining their colleagues from the British TUC in a huge civil society mobilisation planned for London on 28 March, to press home the need for coordinated global action by governments.

“If the G20 governments in London are only able to agree on half-measures, they will have failed to meet their responsibilities. As the world’s largest economies, they have the responsibility and the possibility to replace the failed neo-liberalism of the past with a whole new direction for globalisation,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

Recovery and sustainable growth can be achieved, according to the Declaration, but only if the focus is on job creation and public investment, active labour market policies, extending social safety nets and special measures for developing and emerging economies. The trade unions also put forward an eight-point specific action plan for global financial regulation, with immediate action to nationalise insolvent banks.

“Weak or non-existent regulation of banking and financial activity turned the world economy into an anything-goes casino, plunging the world into deep recession and causing the loss of tens of millions of jobs. This needs to be fixed urgently. Another main pillar of recovery and reform, creating decent, sustainable jobs and boosting purchasing power, must also be given priority attention at the G20,” said John Evans, General Secretary of the TUAC.

The London Declaration points to the real risk of wage deflation, and highlights the fact that growing income inequality across the world has been a major contributor to the current recession, as workers’ purchasing power has been insufficient to help maintain demand for goods and services. Ensuring that all workers have the right to collective bargaining, and strengthening wage-setting institutions, will establish a decent floor in labour markets and feed economic stimulus through more household buying power. This is closely linked to the broader requirement for reform of the IMF, World Bank, WTO and OECD, with the inclusion of the International Labour Organisation at the centre of an effective and accountable system of global governance.

“Financial regulation is essential, but it is not enough. The new global governance must be based on a strong pillar of social rights, including crucially the ILO’s core labour standards. The real economy, decent work and poverty reduction can no longer be left at the fringe of global policy. The G20 should not limit its horizons by simply making marginal changes to a discredited system. It needs to lead a complete overhaul in the way the world economy is run. Those who think that we can return to business as usual are seriously mistaken,” said Ryder.

The union proposals also focus on the urgent need for impetus to tackle climate change, given the enormous environmental, social and economic costs of inaction. Already, governments should be using coordinated global fiscal response to the economic crisis to set the world on a “green economy” path. Creation of green jobs, and action to ensure “just transition” in communities and sectors affected by the move to environmentally-friendly production, are central to achieving the levels of greenhouse gas reduction needed, and will contribute to pulling the world out of recession.

“Governments have the levers available now to turn the world towards a green growth path. Failure to take this opportunity would be a tragedy for humankind, and for the future of the planet,” said Evans.

The ITUC represents 170 million workers in 312 affiliated national organisations from 157 countries. http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

Rush Limbaugh joins CEOs with anti-Employee Free Choice threats

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:53:00 +0000

CLEVELAND – The labor movement here is actively mobilizing to support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would weaken the ability of companies to intimidate workers from joining a union.

“We are in the fight for our lives,” Loree Soggs, president of the North Shore AFL-CIO, told the heavily attended March 11 meeting of delegates to the Cleveland-area labor federation. He called on local unions to contribute generously to a $20 million “Turn Around America” media campaign on behalf of the bill.

“This is not just about organizing more people,” Harriet Applegate, executive secretary of the federation said. “Once the Employee Free Choice Act passes there will be a permanent shift in the balance of power between labor and management.

“We haven’t fully comprehended the meaning of the Obama victory,” she said. “This bill will place labor in a different position. Think about how much institutional power European unions have in society.”

Applegate urged delegates to write letters to U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown thanking him for co-sponsoring the bill and urged efforts to get support from employers who understand that raising living standards is necessary for economic recovery. Les Wiley, coordinator of the North Coast Area Labor Federation, covering the area along Lake Erie from Lorain on the west to the Pennsylvania border, said with the introduction of the bill in the House and Senate that very day “the fight has begun.”

He said corporate forces have stepped up anti-labor propaganda and cited the claim of right-wing extremist Rush Limbaugh on his radio show, that morning, if the bill passes, organizers would use lead pipes to coerce workers to sign union cards.

Wiley urged delegates to attend the rally for the bill being organized by Cleveland Jobs with Justice in Public Square downtown here on March 30 at 4 p.m. The theme of the rally is: “Employee Free Choice Act = Economic Recovery.”

Celebrate Deaf History Month March 13 - April 15, 2009

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:42:00 +0000

Most American public libraries own or have access to books and videos related to American Sign Language, deaf culture and history. The public is also encouraged to look up information at the library or on the Internet about great American heroes, like Laurent Clerc (deaf) and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (hearing).

Many members of the deaf community remember deaf historical events, especially the following three: (1) Victory of the Deaf President Now movement at Gallaudet University on March 13, 1988; (2) Charter signed on April 8, 1864 by President Lincoln, authorizing the board of directors of what is now Gallaudet University to grant college degrees to deaf students; and (3) First permanent public school for deaf students in the Western Hemisphere, now known as American School for the Deaf, was co-founded on April 15, 1817 by Laurent Clerc, Thomas Gallaudet and Dr. Mason Fitch Cogswell.

Public libraries in Alabama, District of Columbia, Maryland, Puerto Rico and Virginia will present deaf cultural programs celebrating Deaf History Month. For additional information, please contact:

Alabama: Paul William Ellis, volunteer program coordinator of the International Institute of Deaf Services in cooperation with the Birmingham Public Library, 205-305-2173 VP/Text/Voice; pwellis@enablelight.com.

District of Columbia: Janice Rosen, Librarian to the Deaf Community, Adaptive Services Division, DC Public Library, 202-727-2145 (voice or videophone) or 202-727-2255 (tty); library_deaf_dc@yahoo.com.

Maryland: Susan Cohen, Coordinator of Library Services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community, Disability Resource Center, Montgomery Public Libraries, 240-777-0001 (voice) or 240-777-0902 (tty); drcinfo@montgomerycounty.gov.

Puerto Rico: Alec McFarlane, President of Deaf Library Friends of Puerto Rico in cooperation with Jane Stern Library in Dorado, PR, means2madness@yahoo.com.

Virginia: Neil Phelps, Westover Library Manager, Arlington Public Library, 703-228-5261 (voice) or 703-228-6320 (tty); or nphelps@arlington.us.

Everyone is invited to participate in the National Literary Society of the Deaf (NLSD) national project: “Deaf America Reads: 2008-2010.” The NLSD mission is to promote deaf culture, books and literacy through library programs and exhibits in local communities.

Alice L. Hagemeyer is Volunteer Coordinator for NLSD “Deaf America Reads” Programs and is president of the Friends of Libraries for Deaf Action (FOLDA).

Foreclosures, recession hit renters hard

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Original source:

Though legislators are currently paying more attention to homeowners, renters are among the most adversely affected by the foreclosure crisis and the recession.

Nearly 40 percent of families facing eviction due to foreclosure are renters, according to a recent report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Renters' rights in foreclosure vary by state, so some renters who pay their rent on time may find themselves evicted without notice. Currently, only 17 states require that landlords provide tenants notification of foreclosure.

Washington, D.C., and New Jersey are the only states where renters' tenancy transfers over to the property's new owner.

And many renters who may not be facing eviction through foreclosure are dealing with the rising cost of utilities and rental prices that remain high, even as housing values continue to fall.

As a result, local government housing programs that help struggling homeowners, renters and homeless people have seen sharp increases in request for aid over the past year. The recently passed economic recovery package will provide 1.6 billion dollars in grants to these programs.

Iraqi women suffering silent emergency, survey finds

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:31:00 +0000

BAGHDAD (IRIN) - Marking International Women’s Day on 8 March a new survey has painted a grim picture for Iraqi women who it says are suffering a “silent emergency” as they endure insecurity, poverty and a lack of basic services.

Entitled “In Her Own Words: Iraqi women talk about their greatest concerns and challenges”, the survey was conducted in 2008 by aid agency Oxfam International in cooperation with the Iraqi women’s NGO al-Amal. It surveyed 1,700 women from five provinces: Baghdad, Ninevah, Basra, Kirkuk and Najaf.

The survey found that continuing insecurity has devastated women’s physical wellbeing and greatly restricted their day-to-day lives.

About 60 percent of respondents said security was their number one concern, despite an improvement in security since mid-2007.

Some 55 percent said that they were directly or indirectly victims of violence since the US-led invasion in 2003 that toppled the government of former president Saddam Hussein.

Fifty-five percent also said that they were displaced at least once since 2003. A third said they had received no humanitarian assistance over the past five years while 76 percent of those who were widows said they had received no governmental support.

“Incomes have disappeared, poverty has deepened, (and) the Iraqi government has not been providing sufficient financial assistance to vulnerable groups, such as widows, and at-risk women are in need of humanitarian aid,” the 19-page survey said in one part.

It also found that a quarter of the women surveyed had no daily access to potable water while half cited difficulties in getting access to quality healthcare in 2008 compared to 2006 and 2007.

Forty percent of those interviewed who were mothers said their children were not going to school. Nearly 36 percent said they were the head of household, primarily for violence-related reasons.

“Countless mothers, wives, widows and daughters of Iraq remain caught in the grip of a silent emergency,” the report stated. “They are in urgent need of protection and – along with their families – are in desperate need of regular access to affordable and quality basic services, and urgently require enhanced humanitarian and financial assistance.”

Photo: UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Flickr Nawal al-Samaraie (right), Iraq's former minister for women’s affairs Report recommendations

In light of the report, Hanaa Adward, head of Baghdad-based al-Amal, called on the government to adopt an immediate and effective strategy for women to save “the country’s future generations”.

“The Iraqi woman is still suffering from an acute and harsh situation and daily circumstances and marginalization in her own society,” Adward told IRIN. “She is missing the minimum basics of life, whether she lives in the city or the countryside.”

She suggested that the strategy include finding jobs for unemployed young women and for widows so that they can be productive and active elements of society.

Most importantly, Adward said, would be the establishment of a higher women’s commission with sufficient state financial support to identify and resolve women-related problems.

“We are determined to push for this strategy with all decision-makers in the government,” she said. “If the government wants a healthy society, then it must start with women.”

On 3 February, Nawal al-Samaraie resigned as minister of women’s affairs, protesting a lack of resources to implement her plans to help improve women’s lives.

Al-Samaraie accused the government of ignoring what she called an “army” of uneducated women, widows, victims of domestic violence and female internally displaced persons who were in dire need of assistance.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accepted her resignation but the post is still vacant.

Jobs, justice and climate: what the G20 must do to ensure global economic recovery

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:07:00 +0000

As G20 finance ministers gather in the UK today (Friday) to agree the world's response to the economic crisis, the Put People First platform has released a blueprint charting a path out of global recession that places jobs, justice and climate at the centre of global action.

Put People First, which is organising a march for jobs, justice and climate on 28 March in London in the run-up to the summit, says that the G20 must:

* create jobs by investing in public works and services and a green new deal that can both provide work and move to a low carbon economy; * make sure we never suffer from a another global recession caused by an out of control finance sector by creating and reforming international institutions and toughening up regulation; and, * reverse global inequality and injustice by fundamentally transforming the global economy.

The blueprint for change by the Put People First platform, an unprecedented group of diverse organisations representing over ten million people in the UK, charges that existing economic policies and institutions have failed to deliver a just or sustainable world. It argues that the current system is scarred by high levels of poverty and inequality, which is contributing to an environmental catastrophe that also causes massive economic damage. And it concludes that the notion that 'the market always knows best' has been shown to be fundamentally flawed.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'For twenty years, governments round the world have believed that a mix of light touch regulation, tolerance of tax havens and a relaxed view of the growth of the global super-rich would deliver prosperity. Now we see that it was built on an illusion and as it crashes it takes down jobs, increases poverty and destroys communities with it.

'We need a fresh start from Barack Obama, Gordon Brown and the other world leaders coming to London for the G20 summit. They need to admit the mistakes of the past, but more importantly build a different future that fights recession by making the world a fairer and a greener place.

'And the UK can show a lead by cracking down on the tax havens in UK territories, stepping up investment in green jobs and getting tough on the deregulated world of tax avoidance, soaraway top pay and city bonuses.'

Head of Policy at ActionAid Claire Melamed said: 'Finance ministers are the gatekeepers for the international response to the crisis and it is imperative that they put people, not special interest groups, first.

'The starting point for any change must be the understanding that an unfairly regulated economy has wrecked many people's lives at home and across the developing world.

'The world's leaders must be brave enough to rebuild a global economy that is fair and just and lives within its environmental means. They must signal that they are serious about fundamental change.'

Stop Climate Chaos Coalition Director Ashok Sinha said: 'Ever increasing levels of consumption have led us dangerously close to the planet's environmental limits. World leaders must seize the opportunity to tackle climate change and the economic downturn together. Only by investing in green jobs and thriving low carbon economies will a sustainable way of life be secured for generations to come.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Put People First - March for Jobs, Justice and Climate on Saturday 28 March will start from the Embankment (Temple) at 12 noon and culminate in a rally in Hyde Park from 2pm. It will demand decent jobs and public services for all, an end to global poverty and inequality, and a green economy.

- The following organisations are backing the march: ActionAid, Action for Global Climate Community, ACTSA, Advocacy International, Akina Mama Wa Africa, AMREF UK, ATL, Avaaz, BECTU, BOND, Bretton Woods Project, CAFOD, Centre for Democracy and Development, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Change is Coming, Christian Aid, Compass, Concern Worldwide (UK), Co-operative News, Connect, Dalit Solidarity Network UK, Defend Council Housing, Engineers Against Poverty, Equity, Everychild, Fairtrade Foundation, Fatima Women's Network, Find Your Feet, Fire Brigades Union, Friends of the Earth, GardenAfrica, Global Call to Action Against Poverty, GMB, Green New Deal Group, Greenpeace, HelpAge International, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Lattitude, Merlin, Micah Challenge UK, MRDF, Musicians Union, Muslim Council of Britain, NASUWT, National Union of Journalists, National Union of Teachers, NEF, New Internationalist, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, One World Action, Oxfam, Pants to Poverty, PCS, People and Planet, Progressio, Prospect, Red Pepper, RMT, Salvation Army, Save the Children, Shelter, Stamp Out Poverty, STOP AIDS Campaign, Stop Climate Chaos, Synergy Centre, Tax Justice Network, Teach a Man to Fish, Tearfund, Thirty-eight degrees, Tourism Concern, Trade Justice Movement, Trades Union Congress, Trading Visions, Traidcraft, Transnational Institute, Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, UCU, UK Aid Network, UNISON, UNITE, Usdaw, VSO, War on Want, Womankind Worldwide, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, World Development Movement, World Vision, WWF.

- The policy statement is available at http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/putpeoplefirstpolicy.pdf It

sets out 12 key policies for the G20 summit to address:

Put People First: Ensure democratic governance of the economy

We believe that the first step is that there is a need for a transparent and accountable process for reforming the international financial system. This will require the consultation of all governments, parliaments, trade unions and civil society, with the United Nations playing a key role.

1. Compel tax havens to abide by strict international rules.

2. Insist on fundamental governance reform of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund

3. Make all financial institutions, financial products and multinationals transparent and publicly accountable.

Jobs: Decent jobs and public services for all

4. Ensure a massive investment in a green new deal to build a green economy based on decent work and fair pay.

5. Invest in and strengthen public provision of essential services.

6. Work to ensure sufficient emergency funding to all countries that need it, without damaging conditionalities attached.

Justice: End global poverty and inequality

7. Deliver 0.7% of national income as aid by 2013, deliver aid more effectively and push for the cancellation of all illegitimate and unpayable developing country debts.

8. Ensure that poorer states are allowed to take responsibility for managing their economies, including controlling cross-border capital flows.

9. Stop pushing developing countries to liberalise and deregulate their economies, and do not attempt to rush through a completion of the Doha trade round, a deal that developing countries have rejected several times.

Climate: Build a Green Economy

10. In addition to the green new deal (recommendation 4), introduce the robust regulatory requirements and financial incentives needed to deliver a green economy.

11. Push for a deal at Copenhagen to agree substantial, verifiable cuts in greenhouse gases, which will limit temperature increases to well below 2°C.

12. Commit to substantial new resource transfer from North to South, additional to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), to support adaptation and sustainable development in poor countries.

Facing the death dance: Israel's My Lai

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:52:00 +0000

MovieREVIEW

“Waltz with Bashir”

Directed by Avi Forman

2008, Israel, 90 min., Rated R

By Curly Cohen

“Waltz with Bashir” is an animated Israeli film with English subtitles about Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

It is not a documentary, although the last minute or two of the film is black and white, live footage of the aftermath of the massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps where at least 1,000 Palestinians were slaughtered.

The opening scene is of a dog sprinting down a street. The scene builds until there is a ferocious, menacing pack of six dogs. Their panting allows us to see their fangs ready to maul, not just soft fat, human tissue, but able to bore down deep into our bones.

They stop at a midrise apartment building. About six flights up, a man is sitting, looking out the window.

In the next scene, we meet the man in the window. He’s in a bar, talking to Forman. He explains his nightmare. We learn there are 26 dogs because that’s the number he says he shot in the summer of 1982. The man was an Israeli soldier and part of the invasion/assault on Lebanon and Palestinian refugees.

From the start questions go off like bombs. Why are his nightmares recurring and so dangerous? Did he really shoot dogs? Were dogs a metaphor?

During some parts we see just a small family dog just outside a rural village of family compounds with their olive and lemon trees. The dog is scared of the soldiers, creeping along, constantly looking back, staying away from the danger, being passive.

Later, about three quarters of the way through the film, there’s another short scene. In a Palestinian refugee camp, we see a truck. Women in head scarves are being herded onto it. When we stare, we realize the women could be Jewish women wearing babushkas on their heads and herded onto trucks, then taken to trains, heading for labor/death camps the Nazis created.

There has been a fair amount of criticism of Forman for “soft selling” the action of Israeli soldiers during that occupation. The animation shows the fantasies soldiers have when you’re locked and loaded in a country not your own. What’s on your mind? Are you playing artillery scenes in your mind or are you thinking about disco and sex back in your own country?

In Errol Morris’s “Fog of War” interview with former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, the architect of the Vietnam War, McNamara didn’t reveal a lot and Morris didn’t go after him too hard. Forman has invented an anti-fog of war machine and unapologetically sucks out every bit of delusion, including his own. The animation gives life to the “inconvenient truth” in Fog of War. A truth most soldiers never want to acknowledge.

When we think of child soldiers, the images we focus on are 10- and 12- year old African children with Kalashnikovs and high on drugs (their payment). Forman charges that 18-year-old conscripts in the Israeli army are also child soldiers. (And the United States supplies billions of dollars per year for military aid to Israel.)

Should we not think that 18-year-old Marines are child soldiers also? How do we explain the Iraq veterans’ PTSD rates and spikes in suicides and homicides? These are the realities of child soldiers, and they’re our children.

In addition to connecting the 1982 massacre to the Holocaust, Forman connects it to the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. He even gives a nod to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” with the surfboarding soldier.

Forman’s film, wild and wickedly wise, is breathtaking because he dares to connect the dots from the Nazis, to the Vietnam War, to the invasion of Lebanon.

Twenty-five years after the massacre might seem too little too late, but this waltz is a dance that can’t be ignored.

US: Time to ratify women's treaty, groups urge

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:56:00 +0000

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 8 (IPS) - Rights activists in the United States are urging their newly-elected government to support global initiatives aimed at protecting women’s rights.

'If Barack Obama wants one important thing to do for women, he will direct the U.S. Senate to ratify CEDAW,' said Ritu Sharma, a leading women’s rights activist.

CEDAW is the acronym for the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which has been endorsed by over 170 countries.

In the past three decades, U.S. policymakers rejected CEDAW by reasoning that women in the United States already enjoyed legal protections against violence and discrimination.

But rights activists counter that the U.S. refusal to ratify the treaty encourages repressive regimes to promote discriminatory practices against women.

'There is no reason for us to wait for the U.S. ratification of CEDAW,' said Sharma, who leads the Women’s Edge Coalition, which comprises hundreds rights groups worldwide.

Created about 30 years ago, CEDAW clearly defines what constitutes gender discrimination and sets an agenda for national action to end abuse of women's rights.

Many countries that are signatory to the treaty have improved their laws, but in most cases, have failed to protect women from everyday violence and abuse.

Numerous studies carried out by the U.N. and independent think tanks in recent years show that in many parts of the world millions of women continue to face discrimination of every description.

Researchers say every year hundreds of thousands of women are forced into prostitution, with many suffering beatings not only by pimps and customers, but also policemen.

And how many women repeatedly endure violence in the supposed safety of their own homes? No one really knows, not even those who specialise in this subject. In many countries, including those with high rate of education, domestic violence is still regarded as a 'private' matter, which gives authorities a justification to look the other way.

Women’s situation, according to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, is not going to change unless men, particularly those in power, are willing to change their behaviour.

'Changing mindset and habits of generations is not easy,' stated Ban on the eve of International Women’s Day, which is observed all over the world on Sunday, Mar. 8.

'We must work together to state loud and clear, at the highest level, that violence against women will not be tolerated, in any form, in any context,' he said.

Women’s rights activists who work closely with the U.N. note that since the 1995 World Summit in Beijing, some progress has been made to protect women's rights. But many of them say there's still a long way to go for full recognition of women's rights as human rights.

As the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women convened its annual meeting last week, delegates said they were hopeful that the new U.S. leadership would act differently.

The past U.S. administration had imposed harsh conditions for funding to the U.N. agencies working to help improve women’s life conditions in poor countries.

The George W. Bush administration refused to fund health programmes in countries that recognised women’s right to have abortion. As a result, hundreds of thousands of women died during pregnancy.

Ban was silent on the issue of the U.S. non-ratification of CEDAW. However, in a recent conversation with IPS, he said he appreciated the intentions of the new administration.

'I think it is going to be very positive,' he said in response to a question about whether the Obama administration would be willing to sign U.N. treaties that the previous administration had either ignored or worked actively to undermine.

Last week, Ban ordered U.N. officials to organise special events all across the world in observance of International Women Day. The U.N.-sponsored events are supposed to include rallies, seminars, exhibits, film screening and concerts to create awareness about women’s rights.

Women’s rights activists say they are glad that the world community was consistent in trying to make progress on its agenda, but stress that in order to gain positive results a powerful country like the United States must be part of the movement.

Sharma hopes that the new U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, would play an important role in advancing the international agenda on women’s rights.

Before taking charge of the State Department, Clinton stressed the importance of aiding women and girls, who are at greatest risk of being poor, and form seven in 10 of the world’s hungry.

'Investing in our common humanity through social development is not marginal to our foreign policy but integral to accomplishing our goals,' she said in a recent statement. In her view, 'If half of the world’s population remains vulnerable to economic, political, legal, and social marginalisation, our hope of advancing democracy and prosperity will remain in serious jeopardy.'

Though pleased with Clinton’s position on women’s rights, Sharma, like many other activists, said she would like to see the new administration take real and practical steps to cooperate more closely with the international community.

'Clinton’s nomination as our third female secretary of state means that, once again, a woman will be the nation’s chief diplomat and public face to the world, underscoring America’s commitment to women’s equality and empowerment worldwide,' she said.

'But to take this commitment to the next level, this administration has to make U.S. international assistance a foreign policy priority and ensure that it benefits the world’s women,' she added. 'Putting a real emphasis on investing in women would mean both women and men can contribute to lifting themselves from poverty.'

New report shows global gender pay gap bigger than previously thought

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:29:00 +0000

A new report released by the ITUC for March 8, International Women’s Day, has revealed that the pay gap between men and women worldwide may be much higher than official government figures. The report, “Gender (in)Equality in the Labour Market”, is based on survey results of some 300,000 women and men in 20 countries. It puts the global pay gap at up to 22%, rather than the 16.5% figure taken from official government figures and released by the ITUC on March 8 last year.

The report also confirms previous findings that union membership, and particularly the inclusion of women in collective bargaining agreements, leads to much better incomes for both women and men, as well as better pay for women relative to their male co-workers. The study, which follows the March 8 ITUC Global Gender Pay Gap report, was written by London-based pay specialists Incomes Data Services and is based on internet surveys conducted in industrialised and developing countries in 2008 by the WageIndicator Foundation.

“This report clearly confirms the advantage which men and women workers gain from union membership, which is all the more important in the current global economic crisis when jobs and living standards for millions of workers are under severe threat,” said Guy Ryder, ITUC general secretary.

Other key findings in the report include confirmation that women with higher educational qualifications actually experience a larger income gap compared to males with similar qualifications and that the pay gap increases with age.

“There are a number of reasons why women still earn so much less than men, including overt as well as subtle discrimination against women in the labour market and in the workplace, the way that employers, especially in the private sector, handle promotions to better-paid jobs, and lack of maternity protection for women and parenting leave that both men and women can access,” said Sharan Burrow, president of the ITUC and of the Australian Trade Union Centre ACTU.

A special new ITUC video on maternity protection aims to bring public attention to the problems faced by women workers in balancing work and activities at home and in the community.

Impact of Economic Crisis on Women

The report also examines the impact of economic recession on women’s access to employment and incomes. Previous downturns have had a particularly negative effect on women in developing countries working in export industries and agriculture. Any reductions in government spending on health, social protection and education also often hit women hardest. Special attention must be given to the impacts of policy responses on women in the context of government action taken to tackle the current crisis.

“The global trend towards regular employment being replaced by contract labour and agency employment has had a particular effect on women, and these precarious jobs are the first to go as employers reduce their payrolls in this global recession. Millions upon millions of women working in domestic service and as migrant workers are facing unemployment or have already lost their jobs, and already-struggling households around the world are being hit hard because of this,” said Ryder.

A special chapter in the report also tackles the appalling human and economic cost of violence against women, taking a close look at the impact of violence against women at home, in society and at work. The report cites WHO figures indicting that in some countries a majority of women experience physical assault and psychological intimidation, while a global average of some one-third of women suffer from violence at some stage in their lives. Along with the lasting physical and mental damage caused by violence against women, the report advances clear evidence of its economic effects on women’s employment and economic situation. Examples are given of the total economic cost of violence against women in several countries indicating that the total global cost is likely to be in the tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars.

“Unions around the world are working to stop violence against women, through government action, raising awareness and also action in workplaces. We are calling on governments to work together to build a complete picture of the causes and effects, including analysis of the huge economic costs which add to the impacts on women themselves and on society,” said Burrow.

States and cities look to freeze wages; threaten layoffs

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:51:00 +0000

(Reposted from Workers Independent News) State and city workers across the country are facing threats of layoffs if they don’t agree to have wages frozen.

In New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine threatened on Thursday to start laying off workers if unions representing the workers don’t agree to 12 unpaid furloughs and a wage freeze.

Corzine said he has begun the process for preparing the layoffs and insists it isn’t intended to be an intimidation move. New Jersey is required to give workers 45 days notice of lay offs.

Upwards of 7000 workers could be laid off if an agreement isn’t reached while the furloughs, which amount to a paycut, would impact 80,000 workers. Similar pressure is being levied in Boston where Mayor Thomas Menino said lack of a pay freeze could result in the loss of 700 jobs.

Menino said in a speech that he is seeking a one year pay freeze to help close a $131-million hole in the budget. He said even with the pay freeze he won’t be able to completely avoid making some layoffs.

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 93 announced on Friday they would be willing to accept the freeze preserving the jobs of 50 members.

New Yorkers fight City Hall on taxes

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:14:00 +0000

‘Don’t balance budget on backs of working people’

NEW YORK — Tens of thousands of people— unionists, community members, religious leaders and elected officials—came out here, March 5, at City Hall and in cities across the state to demand a fair budget for working people, and that the rich pay their fair share in taxes.

New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson told the nearly 75,000 people gathered, “We must ensure that City Hall and Albany put forth proposals that take into account the needs of all New Yorkers. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of working people.”

New York State has a budget deficit of around $14 billion, and the City has a $4-5 billion hole to fill. While the state is poised to receive more than $24 billion in stimulus funds, the governor has argued that New York has a “spending problem” and that the funds will not cover future deficits. He has proposed regressive sales taxes and $2.5 billion in education and $3.5 billion in healthcare cuts, gradually ending aid to all cultural institutions, and huge cuts to libraries, among other things.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, for his part, has echoed the governor’s rhetoric, and proposed similar cuts at the city level. While Paterson has been pushed to retreat—due in large part to public outrage and actions such as the Rally for New York—Bloomberg won’t budge. He has proposed $127 million in cuts to the city’s medical institutions and nearly $1 billion in cuts to city schools. Bloomberg has also demanded another tier be added to the contracts of public workers.

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten told the crowd in NYC, “As President Obama has said over and over, we cannot simply cut our way out of this economic crisis because that would be a recipe for disaster. That is why we pushed so hard for passage of the stimulus package.”

Weingarten is also president of the American Federation of Teachers, the national parent union of UFT.

In a show of solidarity, the rally demanded no cuts to anything: the Untied Federation of Teachers demanded no cuts to healthcare, while 1199 SEIU, which represents healthcare workers demanded no cuts to education, for example. Instead, everyone demanded Fair Share Tax Reform, in which the wealthiest New Yorkers would pay slightly more in taxes.

Currently, New York’s highest marginal tax rate is 6.85 percent, whether you make $40,000 or $40,000,000. The plan would add a few new brackets, and would raise $6 billion. However, Bloomberg, and others of his ilk, argue that the rich would not pay, and would simply move out—though New Jersey and California have similar tax brackets, and, as 1199 SEIU President George Gresham said, “there are a lot of rich people there.”

Gresham noted that “study after study” have shown that the rich do not move when their income tax is raised. Further, “this is New York,” he told the cheering crowd. “Where are they going to move? To Iowa?”

According to Thompson, “all New Yorkers must play a part in bringing New York back.”

A huge cross-section of the city’s unions were represented, including the teachers, SEIU Local 32 BJ, the Working Families Party, most AFL-CIO unions. Many community and civic groups, like Citizen Action, Brooklyn’s Make the Road New York, ACORN and others, were also out in force.

dmargolis @cpusa.org

Charter of rights of working women

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:43:00 +0000

AFL-CIO Executive Council statement

Women work every day. No matter where they live, their economic activity is vital to the economy and society at large, their communities, their families and their personal autonomy and growth as human beings.

Around the world, women plant and harvest crops, build roads, manufacture goods, carry water and run the office. They care for the young, the sick and the elderly, often without due recognition of their work. They make up more than 40 percent of the global labor force. Whether they are teachers, sales clerks, pilots or plumbers, women fill many professions and perform many jobs. Although they speak different languages, they share the vision of a world founded on respect, peace, equality and solidarity, and without violence, harassment and discrimination.

For all women, especially for the millions who work in insecure, temporary, unsafe, underpaid and unpaid jobs, this vision lies far beyond the truth of their daily lives. To meet their needs and those of their families, women increasingly are moving around on their own initiative as economic migrants, rather than as dependents of male migrants, and are subjected to exploitation by unscrupulous employment agencies and employers. In both developing and industrialized countries, women’s jobs are often part-time, low-wage, temporary, insecure, unregulated and unprotected. Women appear in disproportionate numbers among the world’s poor and suffer the worst effects of unregulated trade and corporate-driven globalization. The privatization of public services has a disproportionate impact on women, both as workers and as consumers of services.

As social inequality rises across and within countries, so does the need to redress these wrongs. To that end, changes must be made to ensure that the system of world trade promotes gender equality, eradication of poverty, respect for human rights and environmental protection and sustainability. Women and men alike are entitled to decent work, which is a vital precondition for having a decent life. Women and men alike are entitled to basic human rights in the workplace.

To this end, the AFL-CIO will do all in its power to secure for women the rights set down in this Charter.

* The freedom to organize and bargain collectively. o Particular attention should be paid to organizing young women, immigrant workers and women in the informal economy, and to ensuring their full participation in trade union activities and responsibilities. * Access to employment and promotion. o Equal pay for work of equal value should include any additional reimbursements with all social rights and benefits linked to the employment relationship. o Discrimination against women in social security schemes must be abolished, particularly provisions in pensions that penalize career breaks for maternity reasons or to provide care to dependent persons. o Employers must be held responsible for ensuring that women have a safe workplace free of all forms of violence and sexual harassment. o Governments should take effective measures to prevent and combat human trafficking by devoting particular attention to protecting women and children and by prosecuting the traffickers. o Women and girls should have equal access to vocational guidance and training including on-the-job training in technical skills. o Positive action programs and gender mainstreaming programs for women and men should be put into operation with a view to changing stereotyped attitudes and addressing the effects of discrimination. * Maternity protection. o Maternity protection is a duty of society. Women must have the right and the opportunity to plan their families and to choose motherhood freely. These protective measures should not negatively affect women's promotion at work or their pension and retirement rights. o Women on maternity leave should be provided with cash benefits at a level allowing them to meet their own and their children's needs and to retain good health. * Family Responsibilities. o Family responsibilities should be shared between women and men on equal terms. Reductions in and flexible working hours are needed to help parents combine working and family life. o The mother and father should have the right, before or after the maternity leave of the working woman or the leave for adoption of a child, to take parental leave without forfeiting any employment and related rights. * Education and training. o Inequalities in access to education and training and programs must be eliminated, as should curriculum content that helps perpetuate the concept of a division of labor between women and men and thereby discriminates against women. o Access to free, good-quality public education is a prerequisite for the eradication of child labor. Parents need access to decent jobs and a living minimum wage. * Integration of women in trade unions. o Actively promoting the goal of women’s integration in union organizations and gender parity in trade union activities and decision-making bodies at all levels, appropriate constructs should be set up to analyze the problems facing women workers, propose solutions, eliminate discrimination and encourage participation. o A gender perspective should be incorporated in trade union work, including family-sensitive scheduling of union activities and child care at union meetings and events. o Training programs for women should be organized within unions with the goal of training women to take up positions at all levels. o Training on equal opportunities for men and women should be included in the training provided to activists. * Solidarity among diversity. o As a driving force for promoting solidarity among women and between women and men, unions should initiate activities designed to remove the barriers that women face owing to factors such as civil conflict and occupation, race, language, ethnicity, culture, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic class, or because they are indigenous peoples, immigrants, displaced women or refugees.

The AFL-CIO calls on its affiliated organizations and other progressive forces to commit themselves to the promotion and implementation of the principles set out in this Charter.

Further, we urge the U.S. government to ratify and actively implement all current ILO Conventions, including but not limited to those with specific application to women.

These should include ILO Conventions 87, 98, 100, 105, 111, 138, 156, 175, 177 and 183, covering freedom of association; the right to organize and bargain collectively; equal remuneration; abolition of forced labor; prohibition on discrimination with respect to employment and occupation; minimum age for employment of children; protection of workers with family responsibilities; part-time work; home work; and maternity protection.