[Educationforall] spam con huevos, labor views, news, and concerns, 1.12.12-III

Fri Jan 13 04:27:34 UTC 2012

Again?! Indiana Democrats Walk Out Over Right-to-Work Bill  ACN The Seattle Teacher’s Union Sponsors Art Exhibit by Antonio Guerrero‏ May 1, 2012 General Strike - call for coalition‏Dallas Cowboys 'Amerika's Team' ~ Cowboys Sweatshop Scandal Exposed on ESPN: Take Action‏NYPD Arrests Operators Of Occupy Wall Street LIVESTREAM | Addicting Info‏Super Bowl-Level Stakes for Indiana Labor in Battle Over Union Rights  American Exceptionalism and Worker-Bashing, Adam Davidson Style  Nigeria: General Strike, Occupy Nigeria‏Stand Up to Mortgage Fraudsters and Big Banks‏Conference: Labor Across the Food System, Feb 3-4‏ 

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Again?! Indiana Democrats Walk Out Over Right-to-Work BillBy Kristen Gwynne | AlterNet

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ACN The Seattle Teacher’s Union Sponsors Art Exhibit by Antonio Guerrero‏
acnnews 17

The Seattle Teacher’s Union Sponsors Art Exhibit by Antonio Guerrero

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 10 (acn) The American Federation of Teachers Local 1789 of Seattle, 
Washington, is hosting, since January 3, a beautiful exhibition of paintings by Antonio 
Guerrero, one of the five Cubans unfairly incarcerated in the United States for over 13 years 
now. 
The M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery, venue of the exhibit, is located at the main campus of the 
Seattle Community College, in 1701 Broadway. The opening reception will take place on 
Thursday, January 12, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The exhibition, entitled From My Altitude, 
will be opened until February 10, according to information provided by the National Committee 
to Free the Cuban Five. 
Ken Matsudaira, the gallery’s curator and director, has been working diligently to prepare 
the exhibition. “We’re very enthusiastic about being the hosts of Antonio’s art and reach the 
community with the powerful message of his paintings, and tell the story of the five Cubans. 
It’s a privilege for us to have his art pieces on display,” he pointed out.

Cuban5/trm/trm/trm

Sindicato de maestros de Seattle auspicia exposición de arte de Antonio (Información enviada 
por el Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco)

Cuban News Agency
www.cubanews.ain.cu
ainnews at ain.cu

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Date: Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 11:42 PMSubject: [Activist_List] May 1, 2012 General Strike - call for coalitionTo: Activist_List at yahoogroups.com Please forward widely:

Occupy Los Angeles, Occupy Long Beach, Occupy Riverside and Occupy the Hood, building on the "Occupy the Ports - A Day without Goldman Sachs!" action on December 12, have all issued calls for and started building towards a General Strike on May 1, 2012.

At a meeting of the General Strike Preparation Committee of Occupy LA today, with representation from Occupy Long Beach, Pasadena and Riverside as well as Occupy the Hood, consensus was reached to call for the formation of a broad, deep and larger coalition for a General Strike, first meeting to be held on Sunday, January 22 at 2:00 PM, location to be announced, around the following provisional program:

FOR IM/MIGRANT RIGHTS
FOR ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND LABOR RIGHTS
FOR PEACE WITH JUSTICE
FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES AND AN END TO THE POLICE STATE
FOR HOUSING, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH CARE AS HUMAN RIGHTS
FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUITY

A General Strike, Boycott and Day of Action on May 1, 2012, the anniversary of the historic general strike for the 8-hour day in Chicago IL in 1886.

We are seeking to unite with immigrant communities resisting oppression, organized and unorganized labor, the unemployed, prisoners, unwaged workers, students, and the rest of the 99%.

The next sub-committee meetings of the Occupy LA general strike preparation committee (including media, labor, student and community outreach, research and resources) will take place Tuesday, January 10 at 7:30 PM at Corazon del Pueblo, 2003 E. First St., East L.A. 90033 (at Cummings, just east of the I-5). Check us out on-line at www.occupymay1st.org, by email at occupymay1st at gmail.com, or call 323-250-MAY1.

Rolling actions are being planned for the coming months, including participation in the Martin Luther King Day parade on Monday, January 16, and an "Occupy the Corporations" action on February 29 [based on a call from Occupy Portland focusing on ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council, which spread prison privatization, Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070, and attacks on collective bargaining)] which will take up an action by Occupy Riverside and Warehouse Workers United aimed at non-union warehouses of Walmart in the Inland Empire area.

We invite you to get involved and make this struggle and manifestation of the collective power of working people your own!

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Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2012 14:59:05 -0500From: organize at usas.orgTo: airezapatista at hotmail.comSubject: Cowboys Sweatshop Scandal Exposed on ESPN: Take Action!       Watch the ESPN documentary and tell President Gee to stop OSU from another scandal!

Did you see us on ESPN exposing the Dallas Cowboys’ sweatshops in Cambodia? Sadly, my university continues to entertain a bid from the Cowboys to provide all of our college apparel. A company that abuses workers rights, violates our code of conduct, and lies about sweatshop use is not welcome at my university! Take action now to demand Ohio State President Gordon Gee stop moving forward on a 10-year deal with the Cowboys! 
As a proud member of Buckeye Nation at the Ohio State University, I’m fighting our University's corrupt bidding process which they’ve rigged in an attempt to hand over our multi-million dollar apparel program to the Cowboys. Independent labor rights groups have reported several cases of sweatshop abuse in Cowboys supplier factories, and we won’t stand for it. Just yesterday, ESPN even aired a documentary on our campaign. If you missed it, watch it online here.
Stand with us and tell OSU President Gee that we don’t want OSU further tainted with scandal, and to end the bidding process immediately. 

Through a Freedom of Information Act request, our group revealed disturbing collusion between the Cowboys and our University to completely restructure our licensing program and to give the Cowboys exclusive rights to make Buckeye gear, cutting off ties with dozens of local Ohio businesses. For months, we have been pleading with our university administration to restart this unethical process, yet they refuse to. How can OSU continue to entertain a rigged deal with a company that abuses workers' rights and conspires to obtain backdoor deals?
Take action in solidarity with OSU students and workers, e-mail President Gee and tell him to end the bidding process to stop the Cowboys deal; then call him at (614) 292-2424 to make sure he gets the message!
Here’s a sample phone script: 	
Hello, my name is _____ . I am calling you because I saw the ESPN documentary yesterday on Dallas Cowboys' sweatshop abuse, and I'm extremely concerned that OSU might sign a ten-year deal with this notorious company. I've also learned that the bidding process for this contract was entirely rigged. By signing a contract with the Dallas Cowboys, you will send the message that Ohio State supports sweatshops—a message I refuse to support. Thanks for your time. 
We’re going to keep fighting to make sure Ohio State upholds our Code of Conduct and ensures that every worker who sews Buckeye apparel has the right to join a union and be paid living wages! 
Thanks for all of your support,
Rob Battista
Ohio State USAS
      USAS: Organizing for Student and Worker Power       
You have received this email through your subscription to this campaign's email list.

If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates unsubscribe here

USAS - UNITED STUDENTS AGAINST SWEATSHOPS 

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Subject: NYPD Arrests Operators Of Occupy Wall Street Livestream | Addicting Infohttp://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/01/03/nypd-arrests-operators-of-occupy-wall-street-livestream/NYPD Arrests Operators Of Occupy Wall Street LivestreamJanuary 3, 2012By Stephen D. Foster Jr.In the absence of traditional media coverage that Tea Party protests enjoyed, the Occupy movement has been largely ignored and has had to rely on cell phone footage and livestream internet feeds to show the American public what’s been happening.Global Revolution is considered to be the most important channel covering Occupy Wall Street, broadcasting live feeds of the protests all around the world. So when protesters tell police that the world is watching as the officers beat and pepper spray innocent Americans, they mean it. So it was shocking when Global Revolution ceased their livestream of Occupy protests against the National Defense Authorization Act in New York, and switched to Occupy Maui in Hawaii.
That’s because the NYPD ambushed the operators of the feed in the studio and arrested them. On Tuesday, police raided the building where Global Revolution was broadcasting from and took key operators into custody, including Vlad Teichberg, an operator named Spike, and four or five other volunteers. Vlad and Spike maintained the livestream feed.Police raided the Bushwick studio after ordering everyone to vacate the premises because the space supposedly is “imminently perilous to life.” The livestream is now down for the time being.Clearly, Wall Street is paying the NYPD and the mainstream media very well to silence the protests. Police have made every effort to violently end the Occupy movement. They’ve beaten and pepper sprayed protesters. They’ve fired rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds. They’ve even tried to end live web coverage of the protests and now they’re arresting the operators of these feeds. The NYPD has violated just about every civil right guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Maybe it’s time for the entire mass of protesters to occupy the headquarters of the NYPD, because the police are just as corrupt as Wall Street.

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-Super Bowl-Level Stakes for Indiana Labor in Battle Over Union RightsGovernor Mitch Daniels' attempt to pass a "right-to-work" law in Indiana extends the GOP's war on organized labor beyond the public sector and into the private. READ MOREBy Roger Bybee / In These Times
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-American Exceptionalism and Worker-Bashing, Adam Davidson StyleNYT/NPR economic guru Adam Davidson misrepresents the facts and appeals to American prejudices to sell worker-bashing. READ MOREBy Yves Smith / Naked Capitalism
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(1) Nigeria Paralyzed by 'Occupy' Strike Over Gas Prices
By Gillian Parker
Time
January 9, 2012

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2104053,00.html?xid=gonewsedit

Oil-rich Nigeria ground to a halt, Monday, amid mass
demonstrations and strikes protesting a government
decision to end billions of dollars in fuel subsidies
that saw pump prices double overnight. At least 20
people were wounded and at least three demonstrators
were reported killed as police opened fire on protests
in the country's business capital, Lagos, as well as in
the largest northern city, Kano. Witnesses said police
also attacked protestors with batons and tear gas
overnight in the capital, Abuja. Banks, airports, gas
stations and markets were closed throughout the country
on Monday, as streets in some of Africa's largest
cities, normally blocked solid with traffic, were quiet
but for the sound of protests. And the violence against
protesters comes in a security climate already clouded
by mounting Muslim-Christian tensions that have seen an
upsurge of sectarian violence in the north.

The demonstrations mark the start of what is expected
to be a drawn-out battle that protest organizers have
called Occupy Nigeria, adopting the brand name
franchised by the Wall Street protests against economic
inequality. But while the fuel price hikes - and their
knock-on inflationary effect on the cost of food,
power, telecommunications and other essentials - may
impoverish poorer Nigerians in the short term,
government economists say ending subsidies is essential
to the long-term prospects of reducing poverty. The
subsidy cut has become the acid test of whether or not
President Goodluck Jonathan will succeed in his effort
to reform the economy of Africa's most populous
country, and one of its most corrupt. (See "Nigeria's
Christmas Bombings Herald Muslim-Christian Conflict.")

Nigeria's economic plight, and the failure of its
political leadership, is encapsulated by the fact that
despite being Africa's largest producer of crude oil
(ranked fifth among suppliers to the U.S.) it relies on
imports for almost all of its own gasoline
requirements. The ineptitude and corruption of
successive governments has allowed Nigeria's own
refineries to rot: Funds allocated for maintenance and
upgrades have gone missing, not least because annual
subsidies to make imported fuel affordable - which
amounted to $8 billion in 2011 - have earned fortunes
for politically connected fuel importers, while killing
off any incentive to regenerate domestic refining
capacity. Almost all of the 2 million barrels a day of
crude pumped in Nigeria is exported, while four
domestic refineries operate at less than 25% capacity,
according to industry estimates. And crime is rife:
Militants, state officials, army officers and others
all siphon off crude to sell on the black market, while
imported fuel is smuggled out of Nigeria and sold to
countries where, absent subsidies, fuel is three times
the price. (Photo: The Two Sides of Lagos)

But for many ordinary Nigerians, the import subsidy
amounts to the only tangible benefit from their
country's oil wealth, and they've previously fought -
and won - battles to prevent its removal. Jonathan vows
that this time, however, the government will not back
down. "If I were in your shoes at this moment, I
probably would have reacted in the same manner," he
said in a speech Saturday. But reform, and the fight
against corruption, must take priority, he said, adding
he would use the money saved to improve Nigeria's
decaying infrastructure. "The deregulation policy is
the strongest measure to tackle this challenge in
downstream sector." As a gesture to skeptics, who say
his administrationis no less corrupt and self-
aggrandizing than its predecessors, he also pledged to
reduce by 25% salaries of all politicians in the
executive arm, which exceed their equivalents in the
U.S.

Many Nigerians agree with Jonathan's diagnosis of
Nigeria's problems but question his methods. "How can
you ask people to tighten their belts when you run an
obese system?" asked one protestor via Twitter. Many
believe money saved from the hand-out withdrawal will
go straight into government coffers. "The politicians
are using the money from oil to enrich themselves
instead of rebuilding our country," said protestor John
Paul from Benue state in the southeast. "They are
talking of building a new refinery but our current
refineries do not even work. They should fight
corruption, not the fuel subsidy." Gbenga Bojuwomi, a
member of the Youth Reformation Group Nigeria, added:
"Why does everything boil down to the masses? Why
should we suffer for the mistakes of the government?"
At least for now, the credibility of Jonathan's
presidency rests on whether Nigerians accept his
answers to those questions.

Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2104053,00.html#ixzz1j1QJRyhe

(2) Tens of Thousands Occupy Nigeria
Citizens Came out in Solidarity all over the Country to
Protest the Removal of the Fuel Subsidy
By Emmanuel Chidiogo
Daily Times Nigeria
January 9, 2012

http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/tens-thousands-occupy-nigeria

In protest against the fuel subsidy removal by the
Federal Government, on Monday, citizens all over
Nigeria embarked on a strike which paralysed the
country.

Over 10,000 protesters took to the streets to show
their displeasure against the policy which led to an
increase in the price of petrol (PMS) from N65 per
litre to N141 per litre, resulting in an astronomical
hike in the prices of goods and services.

The protests, which were tagged "Occupy Nigeria" took
place in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Jigawa, Kano,
Bauchi, Edo and Kaduna amongst other states. In most of
the states, the demonstrations were peaceful.

Protesters said that they are not only protesting
against the fuel subsidy removal, but also against the
high cost of governance, corruption in the country and
the security challenges which the government have
failed to curb.

The turnout in Abuja was massive as residents stormed
the streets. When Labour leaders finally ended the
protest at about 4pm, it was with a promise to
reconvene at 8am on Tuesday morning.

In Delta State, hundreds of protesters roamed the
capital city of Asaba, while Kaduna also had a rally
which was led by Balarabe Musa.

In Benin, touts tried to hijack the protests but were
curbed and arrested by police officers and the
protesters. Jigawa State citizens also came out in the
thousands to peacefully protest.

Lagos

Thousands of protesters gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi
Park, Ojota, in what was the largest of such gatherings
the state had seen in a long while. The protesters
carried placards and sang songs to express their
feelings to the government.

A lot of activists and entertainment stars such as Femi
Kuti, Jide Kosoko and ElDee amongst others front-lined
the protest. Numerous speeches were given, all
condemning the fuel subsidy removal and calling on the
government to eradicate corruption in the government
instead of placing more burdens on citizens of the
country.

Some protesters also gathered at the Falomo area of
Lagos. The Ojota and Falomo protests were peaceful,
however, in the Ogba area of the city, police officers
killed a protester identified as Ademola Aderinto, and
left three others with gunshot wounds.

Kano

In Kano, demonstrators burned a patrol car and a
private car parked next to it, calling for the
resignation of President Goodluck Jonathan on the basis
that he is unfit to rule the nation.

However, security officials used force to combat the
people, with stray bullets killing at least one person
and leaving several others with gunshot wounds. The
protesters also had teargas thrown at them as the
police tried to keep them from entering into the Kano
State Government House.

The struggle continues

It will be recalled that the members of the House of
Representatives, on Sunday, called on the FG to suspend
the fuel subsidy removal. On Monday, the Minister of
Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala appeared on Channels TV to
once again defend the government's move.

According to her, the government had been borrowing
funds to maintain the subsidy and she likened the
situation to the Greek economy, saying that was where
Nigeria was headed if the country did not stop
borrowing.

In Warri, a group called the Good People of Nigeria
Group came out to hold a pro-fuel subsidy rally,
expressing their support of the federal government's
action.

The labour unions have vowed to continue the strike
until the demands of the citizens are met by the
government.

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The Big Banks have a lot to answer for. As their greed and recklessness gave us a devastating financial crisis, they also abused and defrauded consumers. There are 7.5 million homes that have entered the foreclosure process, with another 4.8 million homeowners at risk. It’s time to set things right—and not with a slap on the wrist for bankers and fraudsters.

Unfortunately, some state attorneys general are considering just that—a small slap on the wrist, not real accountability. To get the best deal for homeowners, and to make sure the banks are held fully accountable, your voice needs to be heard. 

Your attorney general has the power to hold the banks accountable. Tell the AG you want real accountability and not another giveaway. 

The collapse of the housing market and widespread abuses of homeowners are holding back our economy. Misconduct by the nation’s biggest banks gave us the financial crisis, and your attorney general has the power to hold them accountable. A deal already is being considered—and we have to get this right. We can’t repeat the mistakes of the bailout process.

Your attorney general will be making a decision soon; tell the AG to put homeowners above banker greed.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

P.S. Have you checked out Working America's 9 Demands of the 99%? View eight commonsense solutions we need to fix the economy, add your own and sign on in support.To find out more about the AFL-CIO, please visit our website at www.aflcio.org.
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The UC Berkeley Labor Center is forwarding the following announcement on behalf of the Center for Labor Studies:FRIDAY & SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3-4, 2012Home | Program | Participants | Location & Directions | SponsorsFOOD SYSTEM WORKERS are often a glaring absence in discussions of the contemporary global food system, even though they are employed in some of the most labor-intensive industries within the entire economy, among them agricultural field work, food processing, food distribution, and restaurants of all kinds. The new food localism privileges questions of “where food comes from” over “how” and “who” questions about the conditions under which food is grown, shipped, processed, cooked, served, and sold. Labor Across the Food System will advance research and advocacy by bringing key scholars and advocates to Santa Cruz for discussions of the critical role of labor and social justice in remaking the global food system.Keynote Lecture by local historian, Frank Bardackeauthor of Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers
Friday, February 3, 2012, 7pm
Humanities Lecture Hall, UCSCConferenceSaturday, February 4, 2012, 8:30am-5:30pm
Humanities Lecture Hall, UCSCLabor Across the Food System, organized and sponsored by the Center for Labor Studies in collaboration with the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) and the Food First Institute for Food and Development Policy. Major conference sponsors include the Food and the Body Multicampus Research Group, the Institute for Humanities Research, Community Studies Department, Environmental Studies Department, Sociology Department, Politics Department, Cowell College, Colleges Nine and Ten, and Oakes College. Additional financial support generously provided by the Departments of American Studies, Anthropology, History, Latin American and Latino Studies, and Psychology.For further information and updated conference program, visit http://ihr.ucsc.edu/laboracrossfoodsystem; or contact Shann Ritchie at the UCSC Institute for Humanities Research, sritchie at ucsc.edu, (831) 459-5655. Maps: maps.ucsc.edu. Staffing provided by the Institute for Humanities Research. Poster Design: © 2011 Kim Ferrell, kimferrelldesign.com  Stay connected to the Labor Center DonateJoin our mailing listFollow usBecome a fan Center for Labor Research and Education, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley2521 Channing Way # 5555 · Berkeley, CA 94720-5555 · TEL (510) 642-0323 · FAX (510) 642-6432 If you do not wish to receive occasional emails from the UC Berkeley Labor Center, please reply to clre_unsubscribe at berkeley.edu and place UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monitory gain to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the material for research and educational purposes. This is in accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. section 107..
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

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