People Before Profit blog

Video: The Windy City protests federal housing cuts

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:39:00 +0000

CHICAGO - On Friday close to one thousand Chicagoans turned out at the Illinois State Office Building hopping mad about planned federal budget cuts proposed for HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development). Their anger overflowed into civil disobedience as they blocked traffic at one of downtown's busiest intersections during rush hour. (see video below)

The demonstrators drew cheers and applause from people hurrying to get home after work. Even some of those stranded in their cars by the action got out and cheered the protest. Some took pictures and videos on their smart phones.

The Republican members of Congress are proposing to cut two-thirds of HUD's budget. Like many other of the cuts proposed by the extreme right-wing Republicans in Congress, these will have virtually no actual impact on the deficit. In fact when you factor in additional costs to Medicare and Social Security to pay for nursing homes and extra medical attention for the disabled, the cuts will probably increase the deficit.

GOP budget would close Social Security offices

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:44:00 +0000

If Republicans have their way with the federal budget it would close Social Security offices across the country.

That means, if your mother or grandfather has any problem, they wouldn't get it straightened out; if you have a baby between now and the end of the year, he/she may not get a Social Security number; and if you are a disabled worker waiting for an appeal -- you won't get it -- or your benefits.

These are among the conclusions of a new report by Strengthen Social Security Campaign released today, Feb. 25, in a state-by state analysis of projected harmful impacts to Social Security from the U.S. House of Representatives-passed budget. The Republicans took over the House after the 2010 midterm elections.

On Saturday, Feb. 19, the House of Representatives passed a budget with $61 billion in cuts to domestic programs while protecting coal corporations, agribusiness and oil refineries, according to the Associated Press.

The budget was passed primarily along party lines, in a 235-189 vote. Its chances of passing in the Senate are a long-shot, but if it did pass, President Obama has said he would veto the draconian budget.

But the budget threatens to shut down the government, including the cherished Social Security programs, at least temporarily, experts say. The government shut down could come as soon as March 4 when the Continuing Resolution that has been funding the government expires.

If the House Republican budget was approved it would leave SSA with $1.7 billion less than the agency needs to fulfill its obligations, according to Ways and Means Committee Democratic staff analysis.

If Social Security shuts down for a month:

400,000 people nationwide would not have their retirement, survivors, and Medicare applications processed this year, resulting in a large backlog of unprocessed retirement and survivor claims for the first time in SSA history; and
290,000 people nationwide would not have their initial disability benefit applications processed, which means disabled workers, who already wait months for their applications to be processed, will wait an average of 30 days longer.

The report's sponsor, the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, is comprised of 270 national and state organizations representing more than 50 million Americans from many of the nation's leading aging, labor, disability, women's, children, consumer, civil rights and equality organizations, according to their website.

Campaign co-chair Nancy Altman said, "Social Security has a $2.6 trillion surplus today. It has not contributed to the budget deficit, and it should not be cut to reduce the deficit. Social Security belongs to the people who have contributed to the program, not to politicians in Washington who want to use it as a piggy bank."

The passage of the House Republicans' budget comes at the same time as public workers, teachers, firefighters, students, nurses and families fight anti-union and anti-democratic budget measures in Wisconsin, Indiana , Ohio and many other states face draconian budget cutting measures.

On Wednesday, March 2, a coalition of groups, American Federation of Government Employees, Strengthen Social Security Campaign, Alliance for Retired Americans, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare will host informational pickets in front of Social Security offices in 25 states. You can join them and find out more information here.

Photo: (John Bachtell/PW)

Philly students, teachers assail top-down school “reform”

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:44:00 +0000

PHILADELPHIA - A spirited crowd of some 500 parents, students, teachers and other education staff and activists rallied in front of School District headquarters on Broad Street here Feb. 25 to protest what they say are arbitrary and top-down decisions that the district is imposing in the name of "school reform." Chants of "We deserve a choice; we deserve a voice!" filled the air as the protesters gathered on a windy day at the close of the school week.

The protest was triggered by the School District's announcement of plans to turn several neighborhood high schools over to the control of outside managers known as Educational Management Organizations (EMOs). The changes call for the staffs at the affected schools to be replaced and the teachers transferred. Those desiring to remain in their schools would have to re-apply for positions there.

Groups of students had walked out of three high schools on different days over the past two weeks to protest the district's plans, and a teacher at one of the schools had been reassigned for her alleged involvement in the student walkout. Students said they had been threatened with disciplinary action after their orderly protests against what they consider arbitrary decisions by the central administration.

Friday's rally here was originally called by the Teachers Action Group (TAG), a rank and file group of union teachers. It then drew support from a range of parent, student and community forces which came together to organize the event in the space of a week. The rally showed remarkable unity among all the groups represented.

David Kirui, an English teacher at Martin Luther King High School, a city school already under the control of an EMO, told the crowd, "We invite the District to join with us in discussing reforms, and we demand the right to be heard in a democratic forum."

Matt Van Kouwenberg, a math and science teacher at the Science Leadership Academy, seemed to summarize the grievances of many of the participants when he told the People's World, "Charter schools are an unsustainable, failing system. The privatization of public education is a disaster waiting to happen. When you are selling off schools to EMOs, it ultimately ends up hurting the majority of students."

Maurice Johnson, a junior at Audenried High School, one of the schools where a student walkout took place, presented the protesters' three demands: 1) Give students, parents and teachers a legitimate voice in school reform; 2) stop intimidating teachers and students; and 3) institute a transparent process of school changes.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan sent a statement of support to the demonstrators which said, "The administration doesn't seek our input; they issue directives and implement programs, but don't seek ideas."

Hope Moffett, the teacher reassigned for allegedly encouraging the student walkout, told the rally that her offense had actually been to urge the students to gather data to back up their claims if they intended to go public with their protest.

Moffett explained her concerns about the district's plans and defended the record of the teachers and students at her school in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer last week. In that article she disputed the designation of Audenried as a "failing school." Several teachers at the school signed their names to the article as well.

The Philadelphia School District currently enrolls 155,000 students in 257 public schools, with an additional 45,000 students attending 74 charter schools.

Photo: Teacher Shanae Garner expresses her opinion at the Feb. 25 rally in Philadelphia. (PW/Ben Sears)

Dallas demonstrates for Wisconsin

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:13:00 +0000

DALLAS - A diverse crowd of about 250 people here joined the simultaneous demonstrations all over the nation in solidarity with the public workers in Wisconsin. They gathered at noon, immediately following a Workers Rights Board public hearing, at the Beckley Courthouse near downtown. The "open mike" agenda brought union members, unorganized teachers, student activists and long-time community organizers before the crowd.

The speakers vied for most militant. The crowd was urged to do everything possible to overcome the crisis in Wisconsin and at home.

The Texas budget deficit is seven times as large as Wisconsin's, and far more drastic layoffs are anticipated here. Speakers repeatedly emphasized that the Republicans in Texas and Wisconsin are engaged in union busting, not fiscal responsibility.

The statewide assault on workers goes back decades, and Republicans are now trying to finish the job. Texans lost their ability to get an attorney in workers' comp cases in 1989, and so-called "tort-reform" has diminished their ability to get legal representation for other crimes against workers. The assault against unions is an attempt to remove the final defense that individual workers have, one speaker said.
Prior to the rally, about 75 people gathered inside the courthouse for a penetrating look at the situation in Texas as it relates to Wisconsin. Panelists representing teachers, legal aid workers and state employees talked about the cuts that are underway. Legal aid services may lose a large part of their funding. State workers expect to lose 10,000 jobs and all the services that go with them. School workers anticipate 100,000 job cuts.

For every public job lost, 1.4 more jobs will be lost in the private sector, said American Federation of Teachers member Hobie Hukill. Thus, the resulting 250,000 jobs lost will raise the unemployment rate approximately 2 percent.

"From Wisconsin on down, this business of 'budget crisis' is a fraud. Nothing more!" Hukill said.

Image: Teamster Billy Zachary brought his fighting message to the Dallas crowd. Jim Lane/PW

Nationwide actions urge full funding for Head Start

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:43:00 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. - "We're the biggest supporters of parents working at low-wage jobs, teen parents who want to go back to school, special needs kids," said center director Hetzel Simbulan, as she stood in a brightly lit, colorfully decorated Early Head Start classroom here.

Simbulan was worried because among $61 billion in draconian cuts in the federal spending bill the Republican-dominated House of Representatives passed last week is $1.1 billion in funding for Head Start. The 22.4 percent cut would eliminate some 218,000 places from the 45-year-old program.

By contrast, President Obama is calling for $866 million more for Head Start, to maintain funding that was increased under the 2009 stimulus bill.

"I don't know what will happen to our children, and to our parents who are working, taking job training or going back to school, if these cuts go through," Simbulan said.

One member of Congress she didn't have to persuade was U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, a Democrat, whose district includes Oakland.

As a press conference got underway in the classroom, Lee told reporters, "These are our sons, our daughters, our grandchildren, right here in this city. We all know how important these programs are to the many parents who depend on them, and the children they serve."

The Republicans "want to balance the budget on the backs of poor, low-income people and children," Lee said. "They're talking about cutting domestic spending back to 2008, but they're cutting these programs and leaving defense. Cut defense!" she said.

Lee also pointed out that when Congress should be creating jobs, the Head Start cuts would eliminate some 55,000 Head Start teachers.

Mayor Jean Quan said the city is fighting a similar struggle over the California budget, and state cuts have already forced the school district to close many early childhood development centers.

"This has a effect on our youngest, most vulnerable citizens. And it's an investment that makes so much difference, and gives them the ability to have good start at education," Quan added.

Over 2,000 Oakland children and their families participate in Head Start and Early Head Start, at 31 centers around the city. The centers also provide "wrap-around" health and social services.

Both Lee and Quan called attention to the huge percentage of African American young men - 40 to 50 percent - who drop out of high school. "We need to take stock of our priorities and look at what Head Start has done with minimal amounts of money, and expand it with more resources so we can reduce that dropout rate," Lee said.

The elected officials, and the parents and children at the press conference, were part of nationwide actions this week in support of Head Start.

In Lewiston, Idaho, parents and children demonstrated at the office of Republican Rep. Raul Labrador. Jessica Powers, of nearly Clarkston, told the Morning Tribune, "The cuts they're trying to make are terrible. My youngest is going to be ready for kindergarten because of the program. Without Head Start, there would have been no way."

As Wheeling, W.Va., parents protested at the office of Republican Rep. David McKinley, Head Start parent David Murphy told the News Register he has been jobless for over a year. While he and his wife take university classes, he said, Head Start provides affordable day care and education for their four-year-old son and 22-month-old daughter.

Sarasota, Fla., parents held a "stroll-in" at Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan's office. Among them was Christina Espino, carrying her two-year-old daughter on her hip. Espino, who lives with her mother and works part-time, told the Herald-Tribune she wants to start training for a nursing job that would pay up to three times what she earns as a cashier. If the Republicans' proposed cuts were to go through, they would take effect just when her classes start.

Photo: Marilyn Bechtel

Conn. gov joins in "We are one with the workers of Wisconsin"

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:29:00 +0000

HARTFORD, Conn. - Shouting "We Are One" and "Shame on Walker," hundreds of union members and representatives of community groups were joined by newly elected Governor Daniel Malloy on the Capitol steps Tuesday in support of public workers in Wisconsin.

"I am proud to stand with you and the workers of Wisconsin," declared Malloy to cheers and whistles. Rejecting the "full assault on the right to organize, the right to negotiate," Malloy said, "We may not always agree. But we can sit down and talk. Negotiated agreements make a stronger United States and Connecticut."

The multi-racial crowd of teachers, nurses, custodians, laborers, clerical workers, teamsters, firefighters, hospital workers, construction workers, sheet metal workers and unemployed carried their banners and signs.

"As workers we rise or fall together," said Sal Luciano, executive director of AFSCME Council 4 which initiated the rally. Decrying the "all out war on the middle class," he emphasized the great wealth in Connecticut and the country. and called the attempt to blame public workers and unions for the economic crisis "a distraction from those who created dislocation and suffering in the United States."

John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL CIO, called upon Wisconsin to adhere to the International Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees the right of workers to freedom of association and collective bargaining, noting that every sector of the labor movement is standing together in solidarity "for a just and right cause."

Referring to the budget fight within Connecticut, Olsen said, "in this state alone, the Bush tax cuts extended to those over $250,000 would bring in $3.1 billion dollars. That alone could solve the problems in Connecticut. The problem is we have to tax some people. We just want the taxes they stole," he said to loud applause.

Wisconsin is one of 11 states targeted by corporate interests for attempts to break public sector unions and weaken all unions. The national outpouring of solidarity in support of union workers in these states is also strengthening understanding that state workers and those they serve are not responsible for budget crises.

Gov. Malloy issued his budget proposal last week and is touring the state for a series of 17 public meetings. Unlike other Governors, he acknowledges that the greatest need is more revenue, not less spending. He proposes to maintain the same level of funding for municipalities. His proposed cuts to services, while untenable, are less than other states. However, he calls on state workers to finance the proposal through huge concessions.

A distributional analysis of the Governor's proposal reveals that of $3,7 billion raised to balance the budget, roughly 77% would be paid by the bottom 90 percent, including one billion dollars from state workers. Despite talk of "shared sacrifice" the working class families of Connecticut would pay more than three quarters of the total cost of balancing the state budget. Compared with millionaires, moderate income working families will see a higher percentage of their income go to these extra costs.

Governor Malloy's budget includes only a token 0.2% increase in the tax on the portion of incomes over one million dollars. A coalition of unions and service providers, Better Choices for Connecticut, has proposed an additional two percent on that income, which still leaves Connecticut taxes lower than New York or New Jersey, the state's main competitors for corporations and the super rich.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie belligerently berated Malloy for raising any taxes on the rich. Speaking on national television Christie called for businesses to move from Connecticut to New Jersey.

This race to the bottom was soundly rejected at the solidarity rally. Speaking as a native of New Jersey, Brendon Sharkey, majority leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives, told the rally that since Christie became Governor, New Jersey lost 20,000 private sector jobs.

"The Republicans are using the economic crisis as a reason to bust unions. This is nothing to do with balanced budgets," Sharkey exclaimed.

A worker from the State Department of Social Services read a message from a Wisconsin AFSCME union brother who had been in Madison for six days. "The corporate funded right-wing Tea Party has the power but in the fight for justice we have friends," he wrote. "This is the first salvo for big business that is meant to wave across the country. When we stand in solidarity with each other we cannot be silenced."

Sharon Palmer, president of AFT Connecticut, brought greetings from a teacher in Wisconsin. "In Wisconsin and across the country we join together and stand up for our basic rights as workers. Governor Walker's proposal is not about fixing the budget but weakening the working class. Thank you for standing up for us today and saying enough is enough."

"Keep up the fight!" was the chant in response.

David Roche, speaking for the Sheet Metal Workers Union, which along with the building trades is suffering 30 to 50 percent unemployment, concluded, "The attacks on working men and women are clear. The sleeping giant is awakened. An attack on one union is an attack on all unions."

More rallies and solidarity actions are underway as this epic battle unfolds.

Photo: Hartford, CT, Feb 25 2011, solidarity rally with WI workers at CT state capitol. Henry Lowendorf.

Missouri Republicans work to dismantle non-discrimination act

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:39:00 +0000

ST. LOUIS - The Missouri House and Senate are currently debating two bills that would greatly weaken the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA). The bills in question, SB 205 and HB 188, would require a higher burden of proof in discrimination cases. They would also decrease or eliminate jury-awarded punitive damages, eliminate individual liability and make it easier for businesses to fire whistleblowers.

For example, these bills would require proof that racism, sexism or discrimination based on sexual orientation or based on a disability were "motivating factors" that led to adverse employment conditions, hostile work environments and/or firings. It is well known that proof of individuals' motivations is almost impossible to obtain.

(See related story, "Missouri groups fight anti-equality bills," for more information.)

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Missouri business leaders have a bold plan ... their proposal: make it easier to fire employees."

The American Cancer Society opposes these bills, saying, "Cancer patients jobs' could be at risk because of the time they miss from work receiving treatment."

The video below was filmed by the Missouri Employee and Human Rights Coalition.

Obama makes historic move on same-sex marriage rights

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:28:00 +0000

A federal law that bans recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional says the Obama administration, which has ordered the Justice Department to stop defending it in courts nationwide.

Activist’s say Obama’s historic decision, announced by Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday, Feb. 23, represents a big victory for gay and lesbian rights against the discriminatory law.

In a statement Holder said the Justice Department has been preserving the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) for two years noting the Obama administration had been acting out of a sense of legal precedent, not moral obligation.

The federal law, enacted in 1996, defines marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Holder stated the congressional debate during the law’s passage “contains numerous expressions reflecting moral disapproval of gays and lesbians and their intimate and family relationships – precisely the kind of stereotype-based thinking and animus the (Constitution’s) Equal Protection Clause is designed to guard against.”

Holder added, “After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the president has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classification based on sexual orientation should be subjected to a more heightened standard of scrutiny.”

In the past Obama has called the law “unnecessary and unfair.”

Holder added that from now on, the Justice Department will no longer defend the law but the government will continue to enforce the policy across the executive branch unless Congress repeals it or a federal judge throws it out.

Much of the legal landscape has changed in the 15 years since Congress passed the measure, noted Holder. He added the Supreme Court has ruled the laws criminalizing the gay community are unconstitutional noting that Congress has recently repealed the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said Obama’s move is a great step forward and a tipping point for the gay rights movement. This will reach into issues of employment discrimination, family recognition and full equality rights for lesbian and gay people, he said.

“The president did the right thing and just propelled gay rights into the 21st century, where it belongs,” said Romero. “Our government finally recognizes what we knew 14 years ago – that the so called ‘Defense of Marriage Act’ is a gross violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection before the law. DOMA betrays core American values of fairness, justice and dignity for all, and has no place in America. Our constitution promises that government will treat everyone equally. Today’s announcement is a recognition that gay people, too, are promised equal treatment under the law. Now it is only a matter of time before LGBT people in the U.S. will finally have full equality in our society.”

The ACLU is urging supporters to contact their lawmakers to demand that instead of defending DOMA, they co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, which will be reintroduced next week.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., a senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told The Huffington Post that he will be introducing the Respect for Marriage Act “very soon,” which would repeal DOMA.

“The president’s move is another step in the increasing realization that there is no conceivable justification for DOMA, that it is motivated, was motivated, purely by irrational considerations and fear and that there is no rational basis that will stand up to a constitutional challenge,” said Nadler. “Hopefully, that will make it somewhat easier to pass legislation in Congress.”

However the legislative battle will be difficult especially since House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, has wide latitude over what bills get a hearing. Smith criticized Obama’s decision calling it “irresponsible.”

Meanwhile Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told the Huffington Post she intends to propose a similar bill in the Senate to effectively end DOMA.

“My own belief is that when two people love each other and enter the contract of marriage, the federal government should honor that,” said Feinstein. “I opposed DOMA in 1996. It was the wrong law then; it is the wrong law now; and it should be repealed.”

Over the years Obama has said he favors civil unions. However, advocates of same-sex marriage rights say Obama’s courageous stance on the issue today stands as a signal that the president would soon embrace their cause for full equality.

In a letter written to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Holder said the president has concluded DOMA fails to meet a rigorous standard under which courts view with suspicion any laws targeting minority groups who have suffered a history of discrimination.

In other news Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed legislation legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples on the same day of Holder’s announcement. The Hawaii bill grants same-sex couples the rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples under state law.

Photo: Steve Bott/ cc by 2.0

Rahm Emanuel elected Chicago mayor, voters say ho-hum

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:27:00 +0000

CHICAGO -- The only surprise in the Feb. 22 mayor's race was how quickly Rahm Emanuel's victory came in. Just 90 minutes after the polls closed it was clear Emanuel had won decisively with 55 percent of the vote.

Since announcing his candidacy, Emanuel was seen as the inevitable winner with $12 million in the campaign bank, his celebrity status and ties to the White House in both the Obama and Clinton administrations.

With the corporate media's help, Chicagoans saw Obama's former chief of staff as the only "tough" leader who can "get things done" in challenging economic times and mess left by the previous mayor. Voters said he would utilize his powerful connections to make Chicago a "global" city. Chicago's big business community is anxious to capitalize on the connections.

Yet, the "inevitability" factor may have contributed to the low voter turnout with many saying, "Why vote? It's a done deal." Only 40 percent of registered voters cast their ballots citywide, meaning Emanuel was elected by just over 20 percent of the electorate.

Another byproduct of the Emanual "invincibility" was the absence of substantial issue and policy debates among the candidates. Emanual ignored most of the community-hosted debates on public education, affordable housing and other important issues.

One candidate had perfect attendance at every forum: Miguel Del Valle who finished #3 among the top four candidates. With the least money and the least name recognition, Del Valle became the main advocate for a progressive, neighborhood-oriented vision for the city. He's got a well-earned reputation of being a coalition builder and a strong advocate of labor and immigrant rights.

His campaign attracted thousands of young progressives and high school students. His daughter, Vanessa, recruited hundreds of volunteers from Facebook, while at law school in California.

In a jam-packed election night party, Del Valle gave a fighting speech, promising to continue what the campaign started -- organizing a progressive-oriented, neighborhood-based force to "keep government accountable." He urged Emanuel to adopt the campaign's "neighborhood agenda." Del Valle emphasized making neighborhood schools as viable an option for parents as Emanuel's favored charter schools.

Gery Chico, former Daley staffer, came in second with 25 percent of the vote. Carol Mosley Braun, who had early on been polling at number two, came in fourth with under 9 percent of the vote. Mosley Braun had been dubbed the Black "concensus" candidate, yet did not win the majority of the African American vote. Numerous problems arose before and during her campaign that fatally hurt her credibility in voters' eyes.

City council races became a battleground of labor and corporate interests. Labor-backed candidates won some key races. But, 14 aldermanic races are headed for an April 5 run-off with 10 incumbents failing to get 50 percent-plus-one votes needed to win outright. First-time candidate and Grammy-winning hip hop artist Che "Rhymefest" Smith forced labor-backed incumbent Willie Cochran into a run-off.

In 2007, a group of labor-backed independents were elected to the council during the battle for a living wage ordinance. They offered some challenges to the mayor, but for the most part the City Council has been a "rubber stamp" for Daley and his mainly pro-business, pro-real estate developers agenda. This election has changed that.

In arguably the most exciting results of the city's elections, Ameya Pawar, a 30-year-old Indian American program assistant at Northwestern University, won the 47th Ward aldermanic seat, defeating the hand-picked "machine" candidate. The race attracted the third highest ward-based voter turnout in the city.

Pawar won just over 50 percent of the vote, avoiding a run-off, and surprising even himself with the win.

The 47th is the home ward of Mayor-elect Emanuel.

Pawar developed an iPhone app for ward residents to request city services and then follow where the request is at. The alderman-elect had offered it to all 50 ward aldermen, but none responded. Pawar has said he plans to utilize the new technology for better and equitable delivery of services.

Pawar not only won a stunning upset, he broke new ground by being the first Asian American to serve on Chicago's city council.

In another first, Emanuel will be the first Jewish mayor of the Windy City.

Photo: Rahm Emanuel with the flag of Chicago in the background. (CC)

Fort Mose: early marker in African American freedom movement

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:16:00 +0000

The fight for African American equality, which reached a new high in 2008 with the election of President Barack Obama, is one of the most well known American revolutionary traditions. But what most people don't realize is how far back it dates: before the 1960s Civil Rights Revolution, before the struggles of the 1930s, before the Civil War, before the American Revolution of 1776 against the British - even before the British themselves arrived in North America.

It reaches, in fact, all the way back to the arrival of the Spanish - along with slaves and free Black Africans - in the 1500s, and an early high point was the establishment, in 1738 by Governor Manuel Mantiano, of Fort Mose, Fla., as a sanctuary for escaped slaves from the British Carolina territory. The town, the first community of free African Americans, existed until 1763, when the British won Florida from Spain and imposed slavery.

The free town was located just south of Saint Augustine.

According to the Fort Mose Historical Society, while most people consider the history of African Americans to begin with the arrival of slaves in Jamestown, there is actually a brighter past alongside, and before, that.

"The first Africans to accompany Europeans in coming to the New World arrived not as slaves in Jamestown in 1619," notes the organization's website. "Aboard ships with Spanish conquistadors and Adelantados, Africans arrived as artisans, seamen, navigators and adventurers, forever establishing their presence in North America."

"In early 1500s," the history continues, "Juan Garrido took part in the expeditions of Ponce de Leon in Puerto Rico and Florida as well as with Hernando Cortez in Mexico. Esteban joined Panfilo de Narvaez traveling through the Gulf Coast and the Southwest."

The oldest European settlement in what is now the U.S. is Saint Augustine, Fla., dating back to the mid-1500s. Free Black Africans were an important part of life there. Africans formed 12 percent of the population, the historical society notes, and 20 percent were free.

Of course, as evidenced by its brutal slaughter of the Native American population, Spain wasn't particularly enlightened. Slaves were kept on its territory, and other European nations had small free African populations. Consequently, it wasn't Spanish benevolence that led to the eventual acceptance of the liberation movement of former slaves and the formation of Fort Mose, but a convergence of a couple important factors.

First, Spain's chief enemy was Great Britain, who formed the Carolina colony in 1670. Both Spain and Britain were eyeing each other's colonies: the British wanted Florida, and the Spanish wanted Carolina as well as areas north.

The second factor was the Black population itself. While the Spanish were far from perfect, African Americans knew that, were Britain to take Florida, it would likely mean slavery for all Blacks. Consequently, in 1683, the first Black militia on modern-day American soil formed in Florida, aimed at defending the colony against the British. Four years later, the Saint Augustine received the first-ever recorded escaped slaves: eleven people, including two women and a child. The governor refused to return them to their Carolinian masters, and put them to work - as wage laborers.

A few years later, Spanish King Charles II made the area a sanctuary for freed British slaves. Around the same time, the slave population of the Carolina colony increased in number beyond that of the whites.

Slaves revolted in 1711 and 1714, and some of them joined a local Native American tribe in its 1715 war against the British. While that war ultimately failed, African Americans had established themselves as a powerful force, and the tradition of anti-slavery resistance took shape.

In 1739, the Spanish established Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose, for free African Americans. While it was burned once during the war with the British, it was rebuilt and continued its existence as a free territory for escaped slaves and other African Americans.

The war between Britain and Spain raged on - with the residents of Fort Mose a heroic role in the fights - until the British took control of Florida in 1763. Slavery was re-imposed and continued until its overthrow by Union troops with the conclusion of the Civil War more than 100 years later.

Only in the late 1980s and early 1990s was the site of Fort Mose rediscovered. A few years after that, it was listed as a national landmark. In 2009, the National Parks Service named it as a "precursor site" to the Underground Railroad.

For those who want to visit, the State of Florida maintains it as a park.

Today, Fort Mose stands as a testament to the struggle of African Americans for freedom, which spans back hundreds of years before the United States was founded - and continues today.

Image: The fort itself, photographed by Eric Gorski // CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Wisconsin governor reveals allegiance to Koch brothers

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:07:00 +0000

Do the notoriously right-wing Koch brothers own the Republican Party, its tea party arm - and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker?

Apparently so. A prank call by the Buffalo Beast to Gov. Walker - who thought he was talking to David Koch - proves it. The call is available below, so you can hear for yourself.

It's hard to tell what's more extreme: Walker's anti-working class attitude or his stupidity. Why would he accept calls and discuss strategy with far-right billionaires if he doesn't hate the working class? And why would he go into a nearly half-hour long soliloquy outlining his secret plans to anyone who calls if he's not stupid?

A few gems from the conversation:

Walker is plotting against the principled Democratic senators who left town in solidarity with the workers. He wants to cut off their direct deposit and force them to come to town to collect the checks - and then "chain them to their desks" in the State Capitol.
Walker considered a COINTELPRO style operation against the demonstrators. When "David Koch" suggests that he "plant some troublemakers," Koch replies that he's "thought about that," but ""if there was a ruckus caused, that would scare the public into thinking the governor's got to settle to avoid all these problems."
Sending Andrew Breitbart - who gained notoriety for releasing doctored videos purportedly showing progressive activists breaking the law - to Madison is, according to Walker, "good stuff." Does he know that the unions are on the right side and receive public support - and therefore realize that he needs to slander them if he wants to convince the public he's right?
Walker apparently knows that he's the "first domino" in the Koch brothers' scheme to destroy labor and push back working-class rights. "Koch" adds that he has a "vested interest," which Walker seems to already know.
Walker would love to accept unethical, or possibly illegal, bribes. When "Koch" says, "Once you crush these bastards, I'll fly you out to [California] and show you a good time," Walker agrees.
Walker sees his role as akin to Reagan's when he crushed the air traffic controllers' union, PATCO. This, says Walker, "was the first crack in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of communism."
Walker sees himself as the "first domino" in a long fight, and is touch with Gov. Kasich in Ohio, Gov. Rick Scott in Florida and other Republican tea party governors across the country.

Listen to the recordings below:

Continued:

Koch brothers play self-serving role in Wisconsin battle

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:12:00 +0000

Multi-billionaire corporate magnates Charles and David Koch, major behind-the-scenes players in the dispute between Wisconsin public employees and Republican Gov. Scott Walker, stand to gain more than meets the eye from this epic battle.

Buried deep inside Walker's 144-page contested budget bill are 10 lines, unrelated to employee takeaways or union rights, which would allow the state to sell to or contract with a private corporation any state-owned heating, cooling and power plant, "with or without the solicitation of bids," Milwaukee's TMJ-4 television news reports.

The no-bids option could mean sweet deals for the ultra-right Koch brothers, who are major business and political players in the state, and who gave generously to Walker's 2010 gubernatorial win.

"They put all this money into getting him elected and now they are reaping the benefit," One Wisconsin Now director Scot Ross said, "whether it's reducing the rights of working families in Wisconsin as well as this payoff on the power plants."

Koch Industries, a private energy conglomerate with subsidiaries in manufacturing, trading and investments, has extensive holdings in Wisconsin.

The second largest donation to Walker's campaign, $43,000, came from Koch Industries PAC. It was slightly less than the combined contributions of a number of housing and realtor groups in Wisconsin, according to state finance filings.

In addition, Koch Industries PAC gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, out of which $65,000 was spent on independent expenditures to support Walker. With the help of Koch's PAC, the RGA also spent $3.4 million on TV ads and mailers attacking Walker's opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

"Really," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Public Administration Professor Mordecai Lee told TMJ-4, "it seems to me it makes government look like it's for sale."

The Koch brothers are involved up to their eyeballs in the current struggle over union rights in Wisconsin.

The brothers founded and help finance Americans for Prosperity, a Virginia-based far-right "astroturf" group that is orchestrating the current actions of Walker supporters on the ground. The group's budget jumped from $7 million three years ago to $40 million in 2010.

Tim Phillips, AFP's president, revealed in a New York Times interview that executives with the Koch-backed group worked behind the scenes to encourage a union showdown, even before the new Republican governor was sworn in last month.

Phillips also said that AFP is working with state officials and right-wing activists in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania to curtail public employee benefits or union rights.

The Koch-backed group has been bussing supporters into Wisconsin to counter the massive union-led protests.

"We are going to bring fiscal sanity back to this great nation," Phillips told counter-protesters.

In a sign that the battle to win public opinion will escalate, AFP spokesperson Mary Ellen Burke told the Washington Post Monday, "We're planning to run TV and radio ads tomorrow, as well as host a few events across the state later this week."

Meanwhile, the union-led actions are also being ratcheted up as unions stage solidarity actions across the country and hit the state's airwaves with ads pummeling Gov. Walker for refusing to drop his assault on public employee bargaining rights.

Launched by the national and state AFL-CIO, in coordination with unions representing public employees, one TV ad features Racine firefighter Mike DeGarmo.

In an obvious rebuke to Walker's effort to divide public workers by exempting firefighters and police from his proposal, the Racine firefighter states, "We stand together, or we fall together." He called on "the people of Wisconsin to stand with us."

During a demonstration outside the Wisconsin Capitol this week, a protester's sign declared wryly, "Gov. Walker: Kick the Koch Habit." (Koch is pronounced Coke).

Image: cpa-connecticut.com

Snow, ice and wind no deterrent as Wisconsin protests begin week two

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:01:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. - On the coldest, most miserable day of the now epic battle here for worker's rights, state police, using handheld clickers, counted 6,000 people as they made their way into the Capitol. Workers and their allies, in protest of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to take collective bargaining rights away from public employees, have occupied the building for more than a week.

"We didn't think we'd see this many here today," said a state policeman who was ushering the crowds into the building.

Also on Feb. 21, thousands stayed outside, some staging the twelfth major rally since the protests began, while others held hands and formed a human chain around the ornate 19th century edifice. There were more demonstrators than needed to complete the chain so they doubled up again and again until the formation became a march around the capitol.

When Leo Gerard, president of the Steelworkers union, spoke to the thousands rallying outside, hundreds in the crowd, standing in the slush and ice, waved the sign his union had distributed: "One More Day," it read.

"We've used that slogan through many struggles," he said. "We know it's smart to fight when we believe we can win. What it takes is outlasting the boss by one day - fighting a day longer than he does. And that's what we all are doing now. It's how we will defeat Walker. We will fight a day longer than him, no matter how many days it takes." His words seemed to warm the crowds, who broke out into prolonged cheering and applause.

Gerard described what he had seen minutes before, when he toured the occupied Capitol. "I saw fat, white middle-aged men like me," he said, "but I saw them linking arms with people of every race, creed, color and age, fighting together for their rights and for a future for their children and grandchildren." Again, the people cheered. Some hugged the strangers or the friends standing next to them.

While Gerard spoke people off to the side of the speaker's platform began stacking hundreds of pizzas from a local pizzeria, paid for by union supporters who had called into the shop. It was just one of many efforts by local businesses and restaurants to help feed the thousands who have come to Madison.

Workers at the Irish pub, Starbucks, Subway and an Indian restaurant across from the Capitol all said that union members supporting the protests were calling in to purchase gift certificates the venders could use to feed demonstrators for free.

Late in the afternoon 60 firefighters from around the area met at the city's Fire Station #1. They marched from there to the Capitol, lugging bulky blankets and bags of food to spend the night with hundreds of other protesters. As the crowds lining the streets around the Capitol saw them, they yelled support and flashed "V" signs.

Only an hour earlier, a large contingent of Steelworkers had joined the sleep-in. The firefighters are a favorite of almost all the protestors because of the strong backing they have given to the demonstrators. The Republican governor had hoped that by exempting firefighters and police from some parts of his anti-worker legislation, he would split the labor movement.

"We just couldn't stand by and let Walker do this to our brothers and sisters," said Marlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin, as he marched toward the Capitol. "We are firefighters, we respond to emergencies and we are responding to an emergency of the middle class."

Gerard drew cheers in the Capitol rotunda earlier when he warned that it would be difficult for the governor to remove steel workers determined to sleep in. "When you throw in the firefighters, it will be impossible," he said.

Asked how he felt about the cheers coming from other demonstrators, Pete Silva, a firefighter from Kenosha, said. "We recognize how important this is and how much it lifts the spirits of everyone when we join in and give our support. It is very humbling."

Image: Workers occupy legislature. Teresa Albano/PW

Sit-in aims to end coal’s grip on Kentucky

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:30:00 +0000

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Several recent events combine to demonstrate the power of coal over this state, while also highlighting Kentuckians actively standing against it.

On February 14, Wendell Berry, famous Kentucky author and poet, with 13 others, emerged from a four-day occupation of the governor's office. Their goal was to conduct a real conversation with Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, about the damage caused by mountaintop removal mining in Kentucky. On the previous Friday, Beshear held fast to his pro-coal positions, but on Monday morning, after the Feb. 11-14 sit-in, he promised to travel to Eastern Kentucky within 30 days and survey damage from mountaintop removal personally.

Stanley Sturgill, retired underground coal miner and mine inspector, was among those who camped in the governor's office. He said his main concerns were stopping mountaintop removal, dismay over the governor's lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and "getting some of these mines closed that don't follow the rules and regulations."

Sturgill said he was worried about a "strong pattern of violations" that will "lead to more tragedies like Upper Big Branch." An explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia killed 29 miners on April 5, 2010.

The Frankfort 14 (who called themselves "Kentucky Rising") were greeted with enthusiasm by over 1,000 protesters who had gathered outside the Capitol for "I Love Mountains Day," sponsored by the citizen activist group Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.

Wendell Berry, Stanley Sturgill and their fellow Kentucky citizens have a steep road ahead in their efforts to minimize environmental damage from mountaintop removal. All the powers of Commonwealth and coal have allied themselves to preserve business as usual.

The University of Kentucky in Lexington recently accepted large donations from coal companies to build a new dorm for its basketball team. The building is named Wildcat Coal Lodge and, according to the terms of the agreement, must set up a display of the history of coal in Kentucky that is acceptable to the donors. In protest, Berry has removed his papers from the UK archives.

Gov. Beshear, in his State of the Commonwealth address, said: "Coal provides 90 percent of our electricity and - because our rates are low - has helped us build a robust manufacturing industry. Washington bureaucrats [i.e.: the EPA] continue to try to impose arbitrary and unreasonable regulations on the mining of coal. To them I say 'Get off our backs!'"

The Kentucky House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, led by Rep. Jim Gooch, a Democrat, unanimously approved a bill last week to "exempt coal mines and coal alteration facilities that mine or alter coal in Kentucky for use exclusively within the Commonwealth from requirements of the Clean Water Act."

The state Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee later unanimously approved a "Joint resolution declaring Kentucky a sanctuary state from the regulatory overreach of the United States Environmental Protection Agency against coal operators and the coal industry in Kentucky." The legal authority of such a resolution is unclear, but it also prohibits "enforcement of federal conductivity standards" and prohibits "collection of fines and penalties for standards in excess of federal requirements." Conductivity is a measurement of pollutants in the water around mine operations.

While citizens work to protect the vital resources of Kentucky - the health of her mountains and her citizens - the "leaders" continue business as usual: protecting the coal business from regulation.

Photo: Kentuckians occupy the office of Gov. Steve Beshear this past weekend. Stanley Sturgill is standing at the right. Kentuckians for the Commonwealth

Montanans protest Republican assault on working families, environment

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:20:00 +0000

HELENA, Mont. - Montanans from Helena and across the state assembled at the State Capitol here on President's Day to reject the ultra-right state legislature's assault on working families.

Among what are considered the worst pieces of legislation to be introduced this session are bills to privatize veterans' homes, roll back public employee salaries to 2005 levels, criminalize abortion and prohibit its coverage by insurance plans, cap state employee salaries, slash budgets for the Montana university system, gut state environmental law, repeal incentives for renewable energy - and even declare global climate change to be beneficial for the state.

With Republicans in Montana's legislative bodies going to town on the State budget with what the protestor's categorize as reckless abandon, it would be easy to assume that the state was in the midst of a financial crisis. However, Montana has over $350 billion in the bank, a luxury previous governments secured by not deflating surpluses through handouts for the rich. Furthermore, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, has proposed a budget that maintains funding levels for public programs and still allows the government to live within its means.

The Republican attack on Montanans brought people from all walks of life, and from all around the state, to Helena, beginning with an assembly on the Capitol lawn under a banner reading "For love of Montana", and featuring a spirited crowd of environmental activists. Conservationists, hunters, families and concerned citizens of all types gathered to join in song and discussion within view of the lawmakers who were debating these bills.

Speakers denounced what they say is a false dichotomy presented by the Republican-led state House and Senate, whose ultra-right members are attempting to pose environmental regulation, green energy investment and conservation as threats to job creation.

"It doesn't have to be one way or the other," argued Ed Gulick, architect from Billings and chairman of the Northern Plains Resource Council, as he explained how projects to make buildings more energy efficient have driven demand for workers in various trades. "We can have jobs where our people live, in our towns and cities. Jobs for general contractors, carpenters, window installers, insulation installers, architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers."

As the rally drew to a close, busloads of public employees and their allies began to gather before the Capitol building steps for another rally against the Republicans' cuts. Throughout the afternoon, speakers underscored the importance of public employees.

"When the alarm bells ring today in Billings, Butte, Great Falls or Helena, firefighters suit up, they go out the door, never knowing what they'll face. We exhibit courage," said firefighter Joe Sands. "For those of you who work in the classroom, it takes courage to stand up and say, 'Trust me to educate your youth.' Whatever the job, public employees have the courage to stand up, put our differences aside, and make Montana a better place to live and thrive."

Standing in solidarity were Montana public university students who met earlier in the day to lobby the legislature against the cuts. Students fear that these measures will drive up tuition and class sizes, and lower the quality of education in Montana as well as their ability to stay in the state once they graduate. Student lobbyist leader Jen Gursky drove the message home, saying, "I can't stay in Montana and work and pay off my student loans. Thirty years ago, when my Montana parents attended the University of Montana, returning home to Polson was accessible to them. I fear that that same option is not accessible to me."

Aware that people around the globe were staging similar protests to the ones they had organized, many at the demonstrations saw the parallels between the struggle in Montana and that in Wisconsin, as well as recent popular uprisings worldwide. Protestors carried signs comparing Helena to Madison and Cairo, and circulated petitions through the crowd in support of the weeklong occupation of the Capitol building in Wisconsin.

While it was rumored that local tea party groups would be holding a counter-rally, they had little to show for any efforts made to do so. Their presence on the hill was limited to a pair of individuals who spent most of the day loitering inside the Capitol building, only to emerge infrequently and make a lap through the crowd while heckling speakers and demonstrators.

Concluding their orations, speakers urged participants into the Capitol building to bring the demonstrations to the legislators, who were in session. Joining the mob of citizens entering the halls were supporters of reproductive rights groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice Montana, who came to demonstrate against the anti-choice and anti-women laws coursing their way through the House and Senate.

Representative Edie McClafferty of Butte had encouraging words for the protestors about to enter the building. "The state budget is not just about a bunch of numbers. The state budget is about people's lives," she said. "It's not too late. We can reverse the cuts, but we need your help."

Image: PW/Jesse Jack

Controversy brews over Calif. redevelopment agencies

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:38:00 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif. - A controversy is brewing over Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to do away with local Redevelopment Agencies and return their functions to local governments. Doing so would offset state costs by $1.7 billion as part of closing a $25 billion-plus budget gap, and provide local governments with more revenue.

The 65-year-old California Community Redevelopment Act lets cities and counties declare an area blighted and pay for redevelopment with a share of the increase in property tax revenues. Most cities and many counties have established such redevelopment zones. Redevelopment is also a big source of funds for affordable housing, with 20 percent of funds earmarked for that purpose.

Brown and supporters of his proposal say this assigning of property tax revenue to redevelopment deprives other programs, such as education, health and public safety, of funds needed for their services. The governor also proposes making it easier for cities and counties to pass taxes for their local development projects, by lowering the majority needed to 55 percent from the present two-thirds.

Many mayors, county officials and organizations engaged in redevelopment projects argue that shutting down the agencies would make it impossible for older cities like Oakland to undertake the long-term planning needed to revitalize areas, which they say brings job creation and more sales tax revenue.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was among mayors from California's 10 largest cities who met with the governor and legislative leaders last month to urge preserving as much of redevelopment funding as possible.

In statements on the issue, Quan says eliminating redevelopment would "cause serious and permanent economic damage at the local level." She notes that redevelopment generates over 300,000 statewide jobs each year, contributes $40 million annually to the state's economy, and typically generates over $2 billion a year in state and local taxes. She says the tax revenue dedicated to redevelopment encourages much greater participation by private investors.

Affordable housing advocates also object to the proposal. Hundreds of demonstrators traveled to the state's capital, Sacramento, Feb. 15 to show their concern.

On the other hand, California's non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office calls the governor's proposal generally sound. While redevelopment has revitalized downtown and historic districts around the state, the LAO says, there's no reliable evidence it attracts business to the state as a whole or increases overall regional economic development or job creation.

The LAO also questions the California Redevelopment Association's contention that 304,000 part- and full-time jobs are created through redevelopment each year, and says funds designated for affordable housing often languish in redevelopment agencies' unspent balances.

The California Budget Project, an independent organization analyzing budget issues with an eye to the economic and social wellbeing of low- and middle-income Californians, takes a similar position.

Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, himself a resident of another "old" city, Richmond, says that city has benefited from redevelopment projects. But, writing in the Contra Costa Times, he said redevelopment agencies "have diverted badly needed revenues from vital public safety, education and health programs." Done properly, he said, Gov. Brown's proposal to return revenues and responsibilities to local governments can increase their ability to operate public safety, mental health and child welfare programs more effectively.

The state's 10 largest cities are proposing a counter-plan, initiated by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Under it, the redevelopment agencies would divert about $200 million a year to the state for 25 years, which would let the state finance a $1.7 billion loan - the same amount the governor says the state would save by doing away with the agencies.

As the President's Day holiday weekend began, the Assembly Budget Committee was reportedly responding to the mayors' concerns by considering possible alternatives to eliminating the Redevelopment Agencies altogether.

Video: Fighting for Chicago mass transit

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:13:00 +0000

CHICAGO - Last Thursday transit workers and environmental activists rallied here in support of mass transit. (See video below.) Spurred on by the Republican moves in Congress to cut transportation funding, angry bus drivers, subway workers and community environmental activists called on their representatives to increase funding. They argued cuts would kill transit jobs and endanger the jobs, health and safety of riders.

Speakers noted that demonstrations from Cairo, Egypt, to Madison, Wisconsin, are fighting for jobs and justice for working people. They noted that similar fights to save mass transit are happening all over the country. They hailed the hard work and bravery of transit workers during the huge snowstorm that struck Chicago last month. They also gave examples of how transit cuts have already hurt many in the Chicago area.

Image/video: PW/Scott Marshall

Ohio fights attack on labor

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:32:00 +0000

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, the state AFL-CIO and its affiliates have called for a massive turnout for a rally Tuesday at the Statehouse in Columbus to protest a Republican bill to repeal collective bargaining for public employees.

In robocalls and emails sent throughout the state, Strickland said "the fate of Ohio's middle class is on the line" and urged people "to join with the thousands who will gather to oppose Senate Bill 5 and the rest of our opponents' backward agenda."

The agenda of Gov. John Kasich, who narrowly defeated Strickland in November, includes drastic cuts in health and education programs, abolishing the state's tax on large inheritances, privatizing agencies, such as the turnpike and prisons, curtailing reproductive freedom and restricting rights of immigrants.

"The people of Wisconsin are standing up and speaking out," Strickland said. "We must do likewise. We must defend the people of our state."

The radical measure to abolish the right, established in 1984, of public employees to bargain over wages, hours, working conditions, health care, and pensions, would also eliminate seniority as a basis for pay increases and layoffs, increase employee contributions to health care and pensions, abolish the right to strike and allow the state to permanently replace workers who do strike.

Rallies at the Statehouse have grown continuously since hearings on the bill began Feb. 9. Eight hundred, mainly members of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, representing state workers came for the first hearing. The following week 2,000, including teachers, public school employees and city and county workers, came to the second and nearly 4,000 rallied last Thursday, including many steel, auto, building trades and other private sector unions and community supporters, at the third hearing.

A small group of tea party members, wearing red, showed up to support the bill at the second hearing and promised to "bring thousands" to the third but the unions answered by printing up and wearing red t-shirts reading "No on SB 5" and "Kill the Bill" at the third hearing, and shouting "Red means No" as rightwing Tea Party representatives testified on the need to curtail "big government." Only a few dozen teabaggers ventured into the crowd.

Within a sea of "Vote No on SB 5" signs, some carried homemade placards reading "Union Rights are Human Rights," "Hitler Outlawed Unions in '33, Kasich wants to in 2011" and "Bargaining works for Everyone, Ending it Works for Millionaires."

Former State Representative Sue Morano, a nurse in Lorain and member of the Service Employees International Union, was in the crowd.

"This is not just about unions," she said, "it's about communities. Who do these Republicans think will be buying goods at local stores if unions are busted? If workers lose health care and pensions, it will cripple the tax base. This is what they put up as a solution. This is a Depression-maker!"

The first hearings dealt with testimony from the bill's supporters, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, rural school superintendents and other public officials claiming government bodies could not afford union-won wages and benefits, even though thousands of contracts have been mutually agreed to and strikes sharply reduced over the past 27 years that the current law has been in effect.

Also speaking on behalf of the bill was Rebecca Heimlich, Ohio State Director of Americans for Prosperity, the group founded by oil billionaires Charles and David Koch, who many believe are coordinating the national anti-labor offensive. Heimlich repeated the claim often made by Republicans that public employees are paid more than their private sector counterparts. This was later debunked by Amy Hanauer, director of Policy Matters Ohio, who presented research showing that public employees in Ohio are paid 5.7% less than comparable private sector workers.

Opponents of the bill began testifying in the afternoon and continued late into the night.

With the hearing room holding only about 60 people, some 3,000 protesters filled the capitol building's atrium, rotunda and adjacent stairwells Thursday where proceedings were broadcast. Nearly a thousand others heard the testimony from loudspeakers as they stood outside in unseasonably warm weather on the west lawn.

A huge roar went up as Strickland arrived and made his way through the crowded atrium shaking hands and encouraging the protesters, who began chanting "Bring Back Ted!"

Union activists said they would immediately launch a repeal referendum if the bill is passed and some urged a referendum to recall Kasich. Although he won the election with claims he would be better able to create jobs, Kasich's approval ratings plummeted to around 35 per cent after he announced his union busting plans and slash and burn budget proposals.

The uproar over SB 5 and similar legislation pushed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has
caused a growing number of Republican Senators to break ranks and oppose all or parts of the Ohio bill.

"I have been a strong supporter of collective bargaining my whole live and I'm not about to change now," Republican Sen. Scott Oelslager of Canton told the Columbus Dispatch.

Unions are urging members to build pressure on Republican legislators with phone calls and emails.

Tuesday's rally, preceding the fourth hearing will be the first time unions are bringing buses from throughout the state, reactivating phone banks used during election campaigns and email rapid response networks to mobilize members against Kasich's program. Police, firefighters, service employees, auto workers and teachers unions are among those organizing buses. Organize for America, President Barack Obama's campaign group, is working to fill buses from seven cities and MoveOn, the national progressive group with an email list of 120,000 in Ohio, is mobilizing its members. It is expected that, aside from Strickland, Democratic members of the state's U.S. Congressional delegation will also take part.

Bruce Bostick contributed to this story.

Photo: Rick Nagin

Interfaith coalition fights wage theft

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:34:00 +0000

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Food prices are up. Clothing prices are up. Fuel prices are up. But it has been over three years since the support staff at the University of Memphis has received a raise. It's been especially tough on workers who are paid poverty wages. Custodial worker Emma Davis says she's had to rely on help from family members to make ends meet. Thelma Rimmer, also a custodial worker, wiped tears from her face as she said that she cannot even afford to live without a roommate at the age of 57, because she's only paid $8 per hour. Ms. Rimmer described co-workers who've worked at the university for more than a decade, but still have to ride the bus to work because they can't afford to buy a car.

These women spoke at a crowd of about 60 university staff, students and local residents who had gathered for a living wage vigil, sponsored by the Workers Interfaith Network, on the university's campus last month.

WIN is a coalition of members of the faith and labor communities who seek justice in the workplace for metropolitan Memphis workers. Recently, Delmar, a dishwasher who was being paid nearly $3 an hour below minimum wage, confided to a friend that he did not know what to do about being cheated out of a wage that was legally his. The dishwasher's friend told him about WIN and advised him to contact them. Soon, fifteen WIN members were picketing the restaurant during the busy lunch hour. After several customers had asked the wait staff what was going on, an angry manager came out and yelled at the WIN volunteers. But they stood their ground and fifteen minutes later a different manager came out and paid the dishwasher all of the back wages he was owed.

WIN's Executive Director, Rev. Rebekah Gienapp, wrote recently of a similar WIN victory. Luis, a young Hispanic man, was hired by a janitorial company to clean Memphis area car dealerships. But after a month of work, this young man had not received a dime in pay. When he complained, his boss fired him.

Suddenly he had no way to buy food or pay his rent. Then he found the WIN, who trained him in his rights. The result? The company that had previously refused to pay sent him a check for $1,437, the full amount he had earned for his month of work.

In addition to advocating for individuals like those just mentioned, WIN champions the cause for just wages for all workers in Tennessee. Next month, on March 15, WIN will sponsor "Lobby Day," when WIN members and friends will join workers and worker advocacy groups from other Tennessee cities at noon for a big rally at the Capitol Building. Organizers say that it is crucial that all who support workers' rights in Tennessee attend this rally. The new Republican majority in the state legislature is sponsoring a bill that would effectively repeal local fair wage laws enacted by city and county governments throughout the state.

Rev. Gienapp's most recent email to those who support workers' rights closed with these words: "Don't just shake your head in disgust... channel your disgust into something positive: action that brings real results for workers." Many now say that if more people had heeded that advice, the gains of the 2008 election would not have been widely erased in the 2010 election results.

For more information about the Lobby Day rally and transportation to and from the event, contact the Workers Interfaith Network at (901) 332-3570 or via their website. Caravans are scheduled to leave for Nashville from Cooksville, Chattannooga and Martin. To reserve a spot on the bus leaving for the event from Knoxville, contact Rev. Rebekah Jordan Gienapp at the number above or registering on the WIN website.

Update: On February 18, the Tennessee Senate's Education Committee voted to take away the right to collective bargaining from public school teachers. As in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states where workers' rights are under attach, WIN is hoping for a huge turnout in Tennessee on March 15 to show support for those who contribute the most to the economy of the state.

Image: Emma Davis and Thelma Rimmer; Paul White/PW

Atheism grows among youth, high school students

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:12:00 +0000

While religion has found itself in a nationwide downturn, with 15 percent of the American people saying they don't follow any particular faith, the trend is far more pronounced - nearly double, with a corresponding figure of almost 30 percent - among young people. And, despite pressures from parents and school districts, these youth are coming out.

For the past few years, atheist and other freethinker groups have been putting advertisements on subways, buses and billboards across the country and across the world. Now, the Secular Student Alliance, which already has chapters on 200 college campuses nationwide, announced that it would work to help high school-aged free thinkers express themselves.

The SSA received a grant in 2010, and used the money to hire organizer J.T. Eberhard to help with SSA's new effort, which would start with establishing local chapters at 50 high schools across the country.

Eberhard pointed to the case of Skyler, a secondary student in Maryland, as one reason why groups like the SSA need to be on high school campuses.

"I've been called an idiot for not believing in God, which is quite rude, since that's my opinion," Skyler wrote in an email to SSA. "I've gotten death threats. One person said he wasn't scared of me because he's a 'crusader.'"

A group of students attempting to organize an SSA chapter in Oklahoma City was called to the principal's office and accused of attempting to form a "hate group," a label quite incongruous with SSA's policies.

According to the "minimum standards" for groups affiliating with SSA, they must be "civil rights minded - we cannot support groups that promote denial of liberties in areas such as religion, speech or equality under the law." In addition, "We cannot affiliate with groups that bar members from joining on the basis of their creed or worldview. We also cannot affiliate with groups that discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, handicap or veteran status."

So where does the "hate group" concept - which isn't limited only to Oklahoma City - come from?

"I think it's that religion has had such a privileged position in society," Galef explained. "There is this idea that morality comes from religion, and when people say, 'No, you can be moral without it,' then that is seen as an insult, an assault ... We stand up for the rights of religious groups, though."

Especially in extremely conservative religious areas, people who question religion or disbelieve in God commonly voice feelings of isolation. Students need SSA-like groups, says Galef, for "the same reason [they need] Christian groups. There's a need to find like-minded people. They need to talk about good values, talk about what it means to be a good person. They also have the urge to help community, make friends, do service. Without a religious text, these students need to discuss what all that means. Particularly in more oppressive religious climates, they need to find friends and not be stigmatized."

This, Galef says, explains the seeming paradox of SSA's popularity in more conservative areas, especially Texas and the South.

Eberhard's job is different than other SSA organizers in that he will focus only on high school issues. "He can specifically answer questions high school students face," said Galef. "Administrations tend to give more pushback at the high school than the college level. One thing he does is work with administrations to let them know exactly what the law is."

Some administrations, even some dominated by the very religious, would be happy to allow students the right to organize such groups, Galef said, but are fearful of legal action by people on the religious right. Some are dominated by people who simply don't want secular groups. "In extreme cases, [Eberhard] sets students up with lawyers."

SSA points to the Equal Access Act as helpful in allowing students to express their first amendment rights. Ironically, the religious right first pushed the EAA in the 1980s. They argued and won a sound constitutional case: if a school permits any extracurricular groups on campus, it should therefore not discriminate against religious groups also trying to organize. Since then, GLBTQ alliance groups have won the right to campus presence because of the law, as well as others.

The group is specifically non-political, though, says Galef, "For any politician who claims to be a crusader, or a holy warrior, we object to that."

The Alliance also refuses to allow its local organizations to endorse any specific economic policy. Right-wing Ayn Rand supporters - objectivists, as they call themselves - are as equally accepted as Democrats, Keynsians, Greens or Communists, so long as they all respect each other and stand for democracy and a separation of church and state.

The idea behind this, as well as the group as a whole, is that better ideas arise when people meet and discuss things rationally, says the Alliance.

Photo: Members of the Secular Students Alliance at UMBC. Courtesy of secularstudents.org.