New phase begins in Calif. special election
With Labor Day marking a new phase in the campaign to defeat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s corporate-right wing agenda in the Nov. 8 special election, labor and people’s organizations are moving into high campaign gear.
Supporters rally for Northwest Airlines workers
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — One week after their walkout began, striking Northwest Airlines workers got a much-needed boost at a large outdoor rally.
Oakland joins worldwide Wal-Mart protest
OAKLAND, Calif. — Over 100 protesters gathered at Wal-Mart’s new East Oakland superstore Aug. 27 to demand the store provide its workers with decent wages and benefits, union rights and good working conditions. Their demonstration was part of a worldwide campaign to demand that the virulently anti-union company recognize the right of its workers to organize.
Solidarity grows for Southwest copper miners
HAYDEN/KEARNY, Ariz. — Thousands of Mexican miners and metallurgical workers staged one-hour work stoppages in an action in solidarity both with striking copper miners here and striking steelworkers in one of Mexico’s largest steel mills, Sciartsa, located in Monterrey. The action, carried out by the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of Mexico (STMMRM), “sends a loud message” to Grupo Mexico, the mines’ owner, that “there’s a lot of solidarity,” said USW District 12 Sub-Director Manny Armenta.
Roberts blasted as corporate hatchet man
WASHINGTON — The National Women’s Law Center called on the Senate Aug. 31 to deny John Roberts Jr. a seat on the Supreme Court on grounds he would “undermine women’s basic legal rights.” A day earlier, the Alliance for Justice, a coalition of 71 women’s rights, environmental and other advocacy groups released a 103-page report also demanding that Roberts be rejected.
Catastrophe on the Gulf
Mother Nature struck the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast Aug. 29 with a fury that left the area’s 1.3 million residents reeling. Hurricane Katrina, the fourth storm to hit the region since July — a record since hurricane tracking began in the 1850s — left hundreds or even thousands dead and turned New Orleans into a toxic bayou, with rescue efforts hindered by lack of resources and rising water. click here for Spanish text
Military families launch Bring Them Home Now tour
Cindy Sheehan and other military family members and supporters ended their vigil near President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, Aug. 31, and boarded buses for a nationwide “Bring Them Home Now” tour. The tour is set to arrive in Washington for a massive antiwar march and rally Sept. 24.
Silvio Rodriguez still inspires millions with poetic and visionary song
HAVANA (AP) — In his 58 years, Silvio Rodriguez has watched wars come and go, ideologies blossom and wither, love emerge and evaporate.
An appreciation of John H. Johnson
Ebony and Jet have been decorating the furniture in African American living rooms and offices for many years. John H. Johnson, one of the wealthiest African Americans in the country and founder of Ebony, Jet and the Johnson Publishing Co., died on Aug. 8. His funeral a week later drew an overflow crowd, ranging from personalities like former President Bill Clinton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to throngs of ordinary people who came to pay their respects. What was the essence of the contribution of John H. Johnson to the struggle for social progress?
Pastors group campaigns for Cuba solidarity
You might assume that Pastors for Peace, which is being harassed by the U.S. Treasury Department for delivering humanitarian aid to Cuba, is in a pickle. But the Rev. Lucius Walker, director of the New York-based ecumenical group, thinks otherwise. He calls the department’s actions “another gift given to us by the U.S. government to organize and gain support for Cuba.”
