[Educationforall] spam con huevos, labor news, views and concerns, 11.18.11‏‏-II

Sat Nov 19 08:16:15 UTC 2011

housekeepers sue, teachers strike and casino workers protest firings‏

Reminder: A Call to Action in Phoenix, AZ: Join LCLAA and the "We Are One" Moving America Forward Coalition‏
ACN Cuba: US Activist Describes Unfair Treatment of Workers in her Country‏

Six Democrats and the 99%‏

Unions press for alliance with Occupy Sacramento

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HOUSEKEEPERS SUE, TEACHERS STRIKE AND CASINO WORKERS PROTEST FIRINGS - Bay Area Workers Up In Arms
Photos by David Bacon

Hyatt Housekeepers Sue the Hotel in San Jose

In San Jose, two housekeepers at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after they were fired for protesting against sexual harassment.  Martha and Lorena Reyes came to work and saw photos of themselves grafted onto images of women in bikinis, posted on the company bulletin board.  They tore them down.  Then they were fired.

"When I arrived at my job one day in September, I heard my co-workers laughing at a photo collage posted on the wall," Martha recalled. "I saw a photo of my face edited onto the "sexy" body of a bikini-clad woman holding a surfboard. A similar faked image of my sister Lorena had also been posted.  I was humiliated, and I took down the photos of my sister and me. I wouldn't give them back, and I said that if anyone wanted the photos back they would have to get them from me in court.  Days later the hotel fired us."

Lorena worked at the hotel property for 24 years, and Martha worked there for seven. "I have five children and legal custody of three grandchildren, and I'm now in danger of losing my home," Martha added.

Both women have supported the effort of UNITE HERE Local 19 to win a fair contract at the hotel.  One reason workers want a union there is the high rate of job injuries.  According to the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Hyatt housekeepers have the highest injury rate of all housekeepers it studied.  State and Federal health and safety authorities have issued 16 citations against the Hyatt at 11 hotels.  "We did not deserve to be fired. We just want to be treated with respect," Martha said.

Teachers Go On Strike at Cal State East Bay

On November 17 members of the California Faculty Association shut down two campuses in the state university system, in Hayward and Dominguez Hills.  At Cal State East Bay, almost all of the normal 600 classes were cancelled.  Traffic backed up so far that police shut down the roads in and out of the campus.

Faculty members of the California Faculty Association have been trying to negotiate a new contract, and are incensed by the raises and perks given by Chancellor Reed to top executives, while claiming the system is broke, that fees for students must rise, and salaries for faculty must decline.

As chanting and dancing students joined teachers on the picket lines, Kim Geron, CFA Vice President of the California Faculty Association voiced solidarity with the Occupy movement that has led young people to erect encampments across the country.  "The American people feel an urgency to save the American middle class," he said.  "We see that with the Occupy movement all over the country.  Here in California on the CSU campuses, we feel the same way.  The Chancellor is taking care of his management team behind closed doors, just like the 1% of Americans have been taken care of in this country.  The CSU community has had enough."

Lillian Taiz, CFA President, added, "Chancellor Reed is completely out of touch with what is happening on the 23 CSU campuses. He is very in touch with his Presidents and management team - and the salaries and perks that they all enjoy."  The same points were made by Cornel West, the noted African American historian, who visited the picket lines at CSU East Bay.  "Human life is not subject to cold market calculations," he declared. 

Casino San Pablo Workers Protest Anti-Union Firing

At Casino San Pablo just north of Richmond, workers and community supporters joined in a candlelight vigil to focus public attention on the termination of one worker, the threatened firing of another, and efforts by the wealthy casino to roll back benefits for its employees. 

Nirmani Kalakheti came to the vigil with his wife and daughter.  Kalakheti was fired after he took time off to mourn the death of his father, according to Hindu ritual.  While the casino gave him permission to take the time, he was fired after he returned to his job.   "I feel that I have been targeted as a union leader and that the Casino management
is not respecting my religious and cultural traditions," he said.

Another worker, Ruth Springs, is due to have a baby any day, but was told that she would have to return to work three days after giving birth or lose her job.   "During these difficult economic times, my family has already had to move into a smaller apartment," she said.  "Now I am worried that we could lose our health care and end up on the streets.  No one, especially not an expecting mother, should have to go through what I am going through".

Despite making fabulous profits, Casino San Pablo is replacing full time workers, who have benefits, with part timers who do not.  The company is demanding extensive givebacks in contract negotiations, after getting help from the workers' union, UNITE HERE Local 2850, in getting permits to set up the casino years ago.

"These are the some of the most significant moments in any of our lives -- the death of a parent and the birth of a child." said Local 2850 President Wei Ling Huber.  "These are times when we should be showing sympathy and compassion for workers, rather than creating even greater hardship and insecurity."

For more articles and images, see  http://dbacon.igc.org

See also Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants  (Beacon Press, 2008)
Recipient: C.L.R. James Award, best book of 2007-2008
http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002 

See also the photodocumentary on indigenous migration to the US
Communities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006)
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575 

See also The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html -- 

__________________________________

David Bacon, Photographs and Stories
http://dbacon.igc.org 

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Brothers and sisters,

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement is calling on the National LCLAA leadership, Chapter Presidents and members across the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to join the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), LCLAA, and the convening organizations of the “WE ARE ONE” Coalition, for a historic conference to “Move America Forward.” 

This conference is an opportunity to bring Latino and African American activists together to work collectively to address the shared struggles that are preventing the progress of our communities.

Workers across the nation are facing serious attacks to the rights and structures that help promote shared prosperity and as the 2012 elections approach, we are taking the "We Are One" movement to the next level.  While past conferences have focused on the challenges working families are facing, this conference will serve as a vehicle to unify labor movement and communities of color for a common purpose: to demand actions that will “Move America Forward.” 

Leading to 2012, this timely conference will shed light on issues relevant to the social, political and economic advancement of the country as a whole, with a focus on underserved communities.  Conference topics will include: immigration, voter education, voter suppression, voter registration, voter turnout, human rights, jobs, education, housing, health care, and trade  agreements.

REGISTER NOW AT: http://cbtu.org/MOVING%20AMERICA%20FORWARD%209.28.pdf

WHAT:  
“We Are One: Moving America Forward”

WHO: 
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI)
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
Black Caucus of State Legislators
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
Congressional Black Caucus
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
National Caucus of Black Mayors
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Policy Alliance
Pride at Work (PAW)
Rainbow PUSH
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

In Solidarity,

Milton Rosado
National LCLAA President

Karla Pineda-Santos
Director of Operations
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
815 16th Street N.W
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 508-6919 – Main
(202) 508-6976 – Direct
(202) 508-6922 – Fax
www.lclaa.org

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acnnews 4

Cuba: US Activist Describes Unfair Treatment of Workers in her Country

HOLGUIN, Cuba, Nov 18 (acn) Mary-Alice Waters, president of Pathfinder
Press and member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), spoke of the unfair
treatment workers received in the United States, during the VII
International Colloquium to Free the Cuban Five, underway in the Cuban
eastern province of Holguin.

Waters described the hardships the US labor force is enduring, when in a
time of crisis, it has become the main victim.

“The situation in the United States is growing worse, the living standards
are crashing, the working conditions deteriorate and workers without
papers are being deported by the thousands”, she said.

“The number of foreclosures is impressive, millions of families are left
to fend for themselves, the government doesn’t take any actions against
the banks but it does against workers.”

She said that the people throughout the United States are protesting,
while the rejection towards the government increases, because it is an
accomplice and responsible of this calamities.

“Millions of families are suffering the injustices against their kin in
jails, just as the families of the five Cuban Heroes, sentenced in the US
for fighting terrorism, due to the violations of their rights during their
trials and later in jails,” she added.

She explained that The Militant, her party’s newspaper, now published in
English and Spanish, is sold all over the United States and in other
countries like the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

“For us is mandatory to speak about the Cuban Five in our newspaper, due
to the silence about them in the mass media, and we need to spread their
truth though different means” 

cubanews/aga/2.00 PM/aga
Cuban News Agency
www.cubanews.ain.cu
ainnews at ain.cu

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It looks like every single Republican on the Super Committee is ready to sell out working families. 

If even a single Super Committee Democrat goes along with the Republican plan to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits while cutting tax rates for the richest Americans, it will pass.

Sign our petition urging all six Super Committee Democrats to stand together and protect the future of working people in America—the 99%.

Republicans on the so-called Super Committee have proposed cutting hundreds of billions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits that America’s working families depend on—while keeping Bush’s tax rates for the richest Americans, including the top 1%. This is Robin Hood in reverse—class warfare against working America on behalf of the top 1%. 

And it’s deficit hypocrisy, too. You can’t use budget deficits as an excuse to cut middle-class benefits one minute and the next minute propose making the deficit worse by lowering tax rates for rich people. After all, the Bush tax cuts are the No. 1 reason projected deficits are so high over the next 10 years. 

If we want to bring down the federal deficit, we have to start by letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire on schedule. Haven’t Republicans noticed that Americans are fed up with politicians who constantly cater to the demands of the 1%? This is the same kind of tone-deaf overreaching that voters in Ohio overwhelmingly rejected last week. 

Sign our petition: Urge Democrats on the Super Committee to reject the proposal to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for the 99% and make the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy permanent. 

The debt reduction Super Committee that’s considering these cuts is no ordinary congressional committee. It is empowered by law to propose legislation that cannot be amended and can be rammed through Congress quickly, with minimal debate. 

And since it looks like every single Republican on the Super Committee is ready to sell out working families, we need every single Super Committee Democrat to stand strong and protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

That’s why it’s urgent that you sign our petition—we need a unanimous working families vote from all six Super Committee Democrats. Add your name now.

Working families are counting on all six Democrats—Sens. Patty Murray, John Kerry and Max Baucus, and Reps. Chris Van Hollen, James Clyburn and Xavier Becerra—to stand with the 99% of Americans who are demanding change. It’s shameful that Republicans on this committee are united in representing America’s wealthiest 1% instead of their constituents. Let’s hope these six Democrats stand together and prove that Congress is capable of standing up for the rest of us.

In Solidarity,

Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

To find out more about the AFL-CIO, please visit our website at www.aflcio.org.

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http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/18/4063788/unions-press-for-alliance-with.html

Hector Amezcua / hamezcua at sacbee.com
Dawn Gullick, owner of Eddo's Harbor & RV Park in Rio Vista, makes a point about her health insurance costs as she joins other protesters in the Gold River office of Rep. Dan Lungren. Concerns were also raised about cuts to social services and calls for raising taxes instead. Protesters politely thinned out when told the office had been filled to its safe capacity.

Hector Amezcua / hamezcua at sacbee.com
Members of the Service Employees International Union and other labor groups get drivers' attention on a Highway 99 overpass on a day with similar rallies nationwide.

Hector Amezcua / hamezcua at sacbee.com
Quinn Jones-Hylton, center, a Sacramento municipal worker, joins union protesters and other activists on a Highway 99 overpass Thursday night during the evening rush hour.

Hector Amezcua / hamezcua at sacbee.com
Dawn Gullick, owner of Eddo's Harbor & RV Park in Rio Vista, makes a point about her health insurance costs as she joins other protesters in the Gold River office of Rep. Dan Lungren. Concerns were also raised about cuts to social services and calls for raising taxes instead. Protesters politely thinned out when told the office had been filled to its safe capacity.

Slideshow: Arrests on 2-month anniversary of OWS 
Slideshow: UC Berkeley Occupy 
Slideshow: Occupy Sacramento Meets Sac City Council 

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/18/4063788/unions-press-for-alliance-with.html#ixzz1e8YBQuVt

Unions press for alliance with Occupy Sacramento

Share 

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher at sacbee.com 
By Ed Fletcher The Sacramento Bee 
Last modified: 2011-11-18T15:51:52Z

Published: Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 1B 
Last Modified: Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 - 7:51 am 
Copyright 2011 The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 

The Occupy movement's ability to draw a crowd and media attention has not been lost on more mainstream political forces such as labor unions.
Thursday, two separate groups held Occupy events in the Sacramento region. Both were organized partially or fully by established organizations with long histories of activism.
The raw energy of the Occupy Wall Street movement makes it an attractive ally for traditional liberal forces, said Bruce Cain, a UC Berkeley political science professor and director of the University of California Washington Center. 
But the movement's attempt at leaderless decision-making makes mainstream groups wary of a political marriage with such an amorphous entity. 
"It makes it hard to figure out how you can coalesce with them," Cain said.
While some level of trepidation may remain, a conglomeration of unions and liberal activists took a step toward the altar – organizing more than 300 "We are the 99 percent" rallies across the country Thursday.
Locally, Service Employees International Union, Local 1000, organized an Occupy 99 rally atop the 12th Street overpass during the evening commute.
Separately, a smallish Occupy Elk Grove teamed with MoveOn.org, a group that works for "progressive" candidates, to occupy Republican Rep. Dan Lungren's Gold River office.
SEIU has been somewhat involved with the Occupy Sacramento movement since it began demonstrating mostly at Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown Sacramento on Oct. 6, and the group professed its support of the union's Thursday event. The union plans to join with the group at Chavez Plaza for another rally Saturday. 
SEIU Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker said she has urged members to lend their voices to the Occupy movement. 
"The Occupy Wall Street movement has done a great job of drawing attention to income disparity in this country and the need to create middle-class jobs. We need to do what we can to support them here in California," Walker said. 
For their part, the young people spending evening after evening chanting, meeting, planning and getting arrested in Cesar Chavez Plaza expressed some reservations about joining forces with established organizations such as unions and political action groups.
"We don't want to get bogged down with other people's agendas," said Sean Thompson, an active Occupy Sacramento protester.
But Chris MacDonald, a designated spokesman for Occupy Sacramento, said there can be middle ground between the goals of the outside forces and theirs. That is the beauty of their ever-shifting form, he said. 
"We are probably going to see a lot more coming from labor unions," MacDonald said.
Rob Stutzman, a GOP political operative, said that while Democratic forces are eager to tap into the energy, they are rightfully concerned about just what they are endorsing.
He cited clashes with the police, concerns about camp sanitation and anti-capitalism talk. 
"Democratic forces are desperate to energize their base," Stutzman said, but "it's a bit of a dangerous bet."
Bob Ostertag, a professor of technocultural studies at UC Davis, said the unions are eager to take advantage of the Occupy movement's grassroots energy after failing for years to energize the labor movement.
"Now they want to piggyback on it, because they couldn't figure out how to do it themselves," Ostertag said.
He said criticism of the Occupy movement as undisciplined and unsanitary is overblown.
"There has never been a grass-roots movement that wasn't messy," he said. "Talk about the American revolution – that was messy."
He added that the movement has already succeeded by putting the idea of the 99 percent into the American lexicon. 
" 'Tax the rich' and 'the 99 percent' are the two contributions of the Occupy movement," Ostertag said. 

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/18/4063788/unions-press-for-alliance-with.html#ixzz1e8XpXIsw
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