[Educationforall] spam con huevos labor news, views and concerns, 5.31.12‏‏‏‏-I‏

Fri Jun 1 06:53:49 UTC 2012

Venezuela:El Sindicato de Helados EFE ante el ataque a nuestro secretario general‏ Peru: Anti Mining Mayor Arrested & Start of the anti-Conga strike today in Cajamarca CWA Newsletter: Piedmont Agents Win First Contract‏  Chicago Factory Occupiers Form Worker Cooperative  For-Profit Education: Milking Students and the Taxpayers for Corporate Profits  What's So Important About Collective Bargaining?‏ Foiled attempt to kill a trade union leader in Venezuela – Campaign for justice‏Burned Alive at Work: American Workers Dying in Totally Preventable Accidents
UTLA Action Alert - Senate Bill 1530 (Padilla) (corrected version)‏ 5 Things to Know About the Paycheck Fairness Act (The Next Big Legislative Battle for Women)  
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http://www.luchadeclases.org.ve/lucha-obrera-leftmenu-166/7224-helados-efe-ataque
El Sindicato de Helados EFE ante el ataque a nuestro secretario generalEscrito por Junta directiva del Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Socialistas de Helados EFE   Jueves 31 de Mayo de 2012Reciban un cordial saludo de parte de la junta directiva del Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Socialista de Helados EFE (SINATRASOHE). A través del presente documento explicamos detalladamente los sucesos ocurridos el día lunes 21 de mayo de 2012, dentro de las instalaciones de Productos EFE.Un ciudadano quien se identifico como Alexander Zambrano, ex Funcionario de la Policía Metropolitana, portando un arma de fuego ingresa a las instalaciones de la empresa, quedando demostrado que los dispositivos de seguridad interna de la Empresa no funcionaron y se deja en entredicho si estos garantizan la seguridad de los trabajadores y trabajadoras que allí hacemos vida. Así como se observa a través del video de seguridad presentado por representantes de la empresa a la opinión publica, y donde el asesor legal, Jesús Loreto, inicia su intervención anunciando que “por cuestiones de tiempo este video esta recortado” es decir, se indica la manipulación del mismo donde cortan imágenes y obvian presentar partes importante de lo ocurrido y que sin duda aclararía muchos interrogante.El que observa el video podrá darse cuenta que este ciudadano ingresa sin que ningún oficial de seguridad se le acerque o pregunte al menos donde se dirige, normalmente cualquier persona que ingrese por esta puerta se le hace una revisión corporal con un detector de metales y si posee bolsos o carteras debe mostrar a los vigilantes a fin de evitar cualquier ingreso de arma o artefacto que altere la seguridad de los trabajadores. Es importante observar la hora en que este ciudadano se acerca a la recepción la cual se muestra en el video y la hora donde se acerca el directivo, transcurre un espacio de tiempo que sin duda no es el normal para un simple anuncio o identificación, la verdad que cuando vemos a esta persona ingresar e identificarse es la primera vez que ingresó durante ese día, sin embargo cuando se presenta el acercamiento con el directivo ya era la segunda visita del sujeto en busca del Secretario General, lo que se presume que hubo alguien desde adentro que le aviso la llegada del compañero Abrahan. Éste le indica que debe hablarle lo cual inmediatamente Abrahan Rivas, conociendo que ya tenían días buscándolo, incluso en las adyacencias de su lugar de residencia, le pregunta “quien es usted, yo no le conozco por lo tanto no tengo tema que conversar contigo”. Inmediatamente se percata que porta un arma de fuego e reacciona despojando al sujeto de la misma. Por cierto  nunca la Empresa presenta a través del video de seguridad el despojo de la misma, sin embargo se observa que el vigilante concentra su atención al lugar donde están ocurriendo los hechos. Una vez teniendo dominio del arma de fuego, Abraham le hace entrega a otro trabajador con el propósito de resguardar la misma y alejarla del alcance del individuo, como se observa través del video los oficiales de seguridad a pesar que observaban lo ocurrido nunca llaman a los cuerpos policiales, lo que obliga a los trabajadores a dar conocimiento a las autoridades para que se apersonen hasta el lugar de los acontecimientos. Asimismo ponen en resguardo al individuo y como se evidencia ningún oficial presta la colaboración, no queda mas que llevarlo hasta un lugar seguro en espera de las autoridades. Pero surge una interrogante ¿Por qué la policía municipal de Chacao no es la primera que llega al lugar de los acontecimientos, cuando se encuentra a escasos 150 metros de la planta de Helados EFE? ¿Sera que los representantes de la Empresa no tenían interés de que esto siguiera su curso legal? Una vez  bajo custodia este ciudadano y estando ya presente los funcionarios de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana, a la cual reconocemos el excelente trabajo realizado ese día,  se le incauta documentos donde contenía información persona del directivo sindical Rivas. En los documentos se describen sus datos personales detallados, nombres de sus hijas, esposa, madres, hermanos, profesión de cada uno de ellos, edades, dirección de habitación, descripción de su vehículo, religión, lugares donde transita tanto en día de semana como los fines de semana, lugares que frecuenta, afiliación política, y como característica importante, se describe que es “líder de la recién creada federación clasista de trabajadores en contra de Empresas Polar”. Además los documentos contienen una foto impresa en el mismo documento de su carnet de trabajo. Es importante dejar en claro que a este archivo ningún trabajador tiene acceso, solo personal de la alta gerencia. Cuando se le interroga al respecto de quien le ha dado tal información, él mismo solicita que se le permita ingresar a su correo personal para mostrar el archivo adjunto. Así se hace y se visualiza quien es la persona que lo envía. Los funcionarios de GN al percatarse que a través de mensajes de texto el sujeto esta intercambiando conversación con otro individuo, que en ese momento se presumía que estaba a las afueras de la planta y se ordena un dispositivo para dar con la captura del mismo, la cual fue productiva, incautándosele además una cámara fotográfica que contenía imágenes de la vivienda del compañero, de su vehículo. Así, a las afueras de la planta se encontraba un segundo sujeto el cual estaba a la espera del primero. De manera irresponsable, la empresa a través de su rueda de prensa indica que nunca hubo una segunda persona, por lo cual la misma no presento el video de la cámara principal de la cuadra sin solo la de la entrada, lo que sin duda llama poderosamente la atención. ¿Cuál es el interés que no se sepa la verdad? La Guardia Nacional realizo el procedimiento respectivo donde los dos ciudadanos fueron presentados ante el tribunal 38 de control, lo que evidencia que la supuesta falsedad de los hechos o no fue corroborada por las autoridades competentes. Camaradas, muy responsablemente nos toca decir que lo ocurrido dentro de las instalaciones de Productos EFE era un paso a lo que venia a futuro, ya que en medio de la investigación el sujeto poseía en su teléfono celular una fotografía del Secretario General, Abrahan Rivas, lo cual presumimos que dentro de uno de los objetivo era tomar una fotografía de como estaba vestido ese mismo día. Si en algo coincidimos con la representación Patronal, es que se realicen las investigaciones respectivas al caso, con el fin de determinar los responsables intelectuales de tal situación. Así como rechazamos rotundamente que se pretenda criminalizar a trabajadores con el fin de salvaguardar el nombre de la empresa. Sin duda sabemos que toda esta persecución e intento de agresión proviene porque en los próximos días se estará discutiendo nuestro proyecto de Convención Colectiva y en la cual la empresa sabe que no relajaremos el derecho y que al igual que la lucha pasada iremos a huelga si es necesario a fin de garantizar la mejor calidad de vida de nuestros hermanos de lucha. Daremos la pelea para que se cumplan los ordenamientos jurídicos en cuanto a materia laboral se refiere, haremos cumplir la nueva Ley Orgánica de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores, agotaremos las vías administrativas, judiciales, aquellas que nos permita la ley para que se cumplan las leyes venezolanas. Siempre que ocurra un acto de inseguridad como el que se vivió el lunes dentro de las instalaciones de productos EFE lo denunciaremos ante las autoridades , ante la opinión publica, y ante el mundo. Junta directiva del Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Socialistas de Helados EFE (SINATRASOHE)“Los trabajadores de Venezuela le enseñaran al mundo lo que es vivir en una verdadera Patria Libre y Soberana”
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Peruvian police on Wednesday arrested the mayor of Espinar for his role in leading heated anti-mining protests in the area, which resulted in the government declaring a state of emergency this week. Some 50 police stormed City Hall to arrest Mayor Oscar Mollohuanca while he sat in a meeting with local community groups, Peru’s RPP reports.5/31/12Cajamarca: The start of the anti-Conga strike today in CajamarcaTwo days ago we brought you images of the pro-Conga march in the main square in Cajamarca city. Today marks the first day of strikes against the project, with marches and roadblocks being headed up by local leader Gregorio Santos. Just a few minutes ago, this was the scene in the main square.

What we know: It's packed with anti-mining protesters, it's peaceful, there are more people out against the project today than there were for it a couple of days ago. More photos right here.---------------Peru: Humala Takes Off His GlovesAdd new commentEmail this pageMay 17 2012Deborah Poole and Gerardo Rénique The following article was published in the Spring 2012 issue of the NACLA Report on the Americas, "Central America: Legacies of War." On January 5, Peru’s new prime minister, Óscar Valdés, came before the country’s congress for the first time since his appointment in December. Valdés took office as part of a sweeping cabinet reshuffling that followed President Ollanta Humala’s clumsy reaction to popular mobilizations against mining projects in different parts of the country. The prime minister began by asserting that the government would maintain the previous administration’s policies favoring private investment and large-scale mining. “Peruvians,” Valdés stated, “need more investment to create more jobs. What we don’t need is disorder.”His speech stood as a clear rejection of Humala’s original electoral platform promising a “great transformation,” after his government came to power five months earlier on a wave of popular opposition to the neoliberal policies of outgoing president Alan García. More worrisome still was Valdés’s unambiguous praise for the “pragmatism” of the sweeping and authoritarian economic reforms imposed between 1990 and 1995 by former president Alberto Fujimori. For Valdés, “1990–1995 was the period in which the economy developed in a very practical way, leading to a marked improvement in the country’s economic situation.” Political commentators on both the right and the left were unanimous in characterizing Valdés’s speech as marking a 180-degree turn in a government that had been elected thanks to strong support from the regions most affected by mining, making sweeping promises to remedy corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth in neoliberal Peru. Ollanta Humala (elcomercio.pe)Indeed, when Humala took office in July 2011, many held high hopes for his government’s ability to address the failed developmental and environmental policies, rampant corruption, and uneven distribution of wealth that had characterized García’s administration (2006–10). Marketing himself as the “candidate of change” with the support of important figures on the Peruvian left, Humala had promised to end corruption, deepen access to quality education, strengthen national sovereignty over natural resources, and expand social-welfare programs for the elderly and poor.His courtship of Peru’s popular and rural electorate, however, did not embrace the popular movements’ long-standing demands for rethinking Peru’s dependency on mining or the neoliberal economic model. Yet the right, backed by monies from large mining corporations, warned that a Humala victory would cause private investment to disappear from Peru and the free press to wither. As an alternative, the right set aside its concerns over “democracy” to rally around the candidacy of Fujimori’s daughter—and political proxy—Keiko, who proposed social handouts accompanied by increased foreign investment. Galvanized by the right wing’s unwavering support for Fujimori, social movements successfully opposed Keiko for her clear ties to the human rights abuses and authoritarian policies of her father’s ousted regime.Once in office, Humala appointed neoliberal technocrats from García’s government to key economic posts in the Central Bank and the Economy and Finance Ministry, a move welcomed by his former right-wing opponents. In a nod to his electoral base, however, Humala also attempted to distance himself from the outgoing García administration’s exclusionary policies by distributing posts in “social” ministries such as labor, culture, education, and women to campaign supporters and personalities from the Peruvian left, including his first prime minister, Salomón Lerner. In his first weeks in office, Humala also approved incremental increases in the minimum wage, laid the initial groundwork for a consultation law required by international indigenous rights treaties, and launched several social-welfare programs.Other campaign promises regarding sovereignty over natural resources and the distribution of taxes levied on mining companies were resolved in closed chambers with representatives of the powerful Society of Mining and Petroleum. The new mining tax—which was quickly approved by the new congress—promised to raise $3 billion in new taxes on mining. The increase was effected, however, through a cosmetic shift in the tax structure wherein the burden on mining companies that enjoyed tax-stabilization contracts would be redistributed to allocate more money to a general mining “levy” (gravamen), and less to the royalties that benefit Peru’s regional and municipal governments. As a result, many of the same regional governments that had enthusiastically supported Humala’s candidacy now face a significant decrease in the income they receive from mining. Humala’s campaign promise to enact a 45% tax on mining profits was not part of the new tax agreement.Public debate on the duplicity of the new tax laws was soon overshadowed, however, by a wave of peasant and indigenous mobilizations against mining projects in the Andean highlands. Within weeks of Humala’s inauguration, major mobilizations were staged in the departments of Ancash, Apurímac, and Cajamarca—which are characterized by extreme poverty, long traditions of subaltern politics, and some of Peru’s largest mining projects. The protesters’ demands included an end to all mining in headwaters, a ban on the use of cyanide and mercury, a national ecological zoning code elaborated with citizen participation, and implementation of the national Law of Consultation. Led by Valdés, at the time minister of the interior, the Humala government moved quickly to repress the popular mobilizations. In November, during a strike in Apurímac, Valdés’s heavy-handed approach clashed with the more conciliatory politics of then prime minister Lerner and other left-wing cabinet members who favored negotiation and reform. It also, however, drove home the widening political and cultural divide pitting Humala’s right-wing functionaries against the popular organizations that had helped to bring his government to power.Speculation over the government’s policy toward popular movements and consultation came to an abrupt end with Humala’s response to the massive mobilizations against the Conga open-pit mining project in Cajamarca. Minera Yanacocha—a joint-venture of Peru’s most powerful mining corporation, Buenaventura, the transnational Colorado-based Newmont Corporation, and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation—enjoyed the unquestioning support of Peru’s economic elites to undertake the $4 billion gold-and-copper-mining project, the largest investment in Peruvian history. The people of Cajamarca, however, believed Conga would only exacerbate the region’s already critical levels of environmental contamination, territorial dispossession, and health problems. Most striking was Conga’s plan to empty four high-altitude lakes, depleting aquifers that feed six major river drainages.Despite a well-publicized national poll showing that 74% of the public sympathized with the protesters’ demands, the right waged a relentless media campaign demonizing the Cajamarca protesters and regional government as anti-investment, anti-development, and opposed to the national interest. Having received no concrete response to their demands from the central government, Cajamarca’s popular organizations launched a general strike on November 24 under the slogan “Yes to Water, No to Gold.” In response, Humala declared that he would not “take ultimatums from anybody” and that his government would embrace a more “down-to-earth position [on] water and gold.” In response, protesters quickly circulated videos on social media showing the eight separate campaign speeches in which Humala asserted to Cajamarquinos that “water is more important than gold” and that his government would “respect agriculture . . . and guarantee water for all Peruvians.”As the strike entered its second week, Humala asked Minera Yanacocha to suspend the project pending new studies. The suspension, however, did not end the conflict, nor did it resolve differences within Humala’s cabinet. A report issued by Environment Minister Ricardo Giesecke clearly warned that “the Conga project will transform in a significant and irreversible manner the river basins, causing several ecosystems to disappear, and fragmenting others.” The minister of mining and energy responded by denouncing Giesecke’s report as “widely exaggerated.” Faced with an imminent political crisis and announcements of national mobilizations in solidarity with the Conga struggle, Humala declared a regional state of emergency just as Lerner was initiating negotiations in Cajamarca with representatives of the regional government and popular organizations. Lerner’s ensuing resignation was followed by the departure of 10 ministers, along with a number of important left-wing political appointees and advisers. The new Valdés cabinet, dominated by technocrats at the service of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, marked a dramatic end to Humala’s much touted “left-wing” flirtation with social and political reform.As this issue goes to press, the Peruvian right celebrates Humala’s betrayal of his electoral promises as signs of the president’s newfound “maturity” and “pragmatism.” The Peruvian popular organizations that helped bring Humala to power, however, continue to mobilize against Peru’s neoliberal economic model. After a nine-day trek from Cajamarca, the National March in Defense of Water arrived to Lima on February 9, where protesters presented Congress with a legislative proposal that would ban mining in headwaters and allow for the “sustainable management of natural resources” and the “protection of highly vulnerable ecosystems.” Each of the march’s central demands—a ban on open-pit mining and mining in glaciers and wetlands; community sovereignty over natural resources; prohibition of the use of mercury and cyanide; and the declaration of access to water as a basic human right—articulate fundamental challenges to the forms of governance and domination that characterize the extractivist regimes that now rule so much of Latin America.
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May 31, 2012Piedmont Agents Win First ContractWisconsin Recall Race Drives Activists to Get Out the VoteAFA-CWA Reaches Tentative Deals with Horizon Air, Air WisconsinAmerican Airlines Agents Petition for Representation ElectionCWA, Allies Call on White House to Prevent Chemical DisastersCohen Calls for Defense of DemocracyD2-13 Legislative Team Helps Win Protections Against OffshoringPiedmont Agents Win First Contract  Piedmont agents in Philadelphia celebrate winning a union voice.The CWA bargaining team has reached a tentative first contract with Piedmont Airlines covering 3,500 fleet and passenger service agents.CWA and the bargaining advisory council will hold conference calls and informational meetings for members who will vote on the tentative settlement.Long and tough negotiations, with the involvement of the National Mediation Board, finally produced a tentative agreement that provides improvements in pay, job security and health care benefits. For the first time, agents will have an effective grievance and arbitration process. And the bargaining team successfully fought back against management's demand to increase workers' health care costs by 33 percent.The new contract provisions include:A lump sum signing bonus of 6-8 percent of salary in 2012.A new pay system with guaranteed 4 percent raises and additional increases.A first-ever grievance and arbitration process.Longevity bonuses each year for good attendance.Equity for part-time workers for holiday pay.Job security improvements."This tentative settlement was a long time coming, and Piedmont workers stood together and mobilized for more than a year to win real improvements in pay and working conditions. These agents were determined to gain economic justice, and they did," said Jimmy Tarlau, assistant to CWA's District 2-13 vice president.Piedmont agents overwhelmingly voted for CWA representation in November 2010 despite a tough anti-union campaign by management. They hung on for more than a year of bargaining and mobilized across the airline's 79 stations to keep solidarity strong.More information at www.PiedmontAgent.org.Wisconsin Recall Race Drives Activists to Get Out the Vote  CWA activists' get-out-the-vote efforts have gone into overdrive in the last few days before Wisconsin's recall election."The response has been incredible," said CWA Local 4603's Kathy Antoniewicz. "People are willing to come out and knock on some doors and make some phone calls. I don't think there's more than a handful of union members who don't get the magnitude of this election."Across the state — from Madison to Kenosha to Green Bay — members are doing everything possible to encourage union families to go to their early voting location and vote now. Armies of canvassers are encouraging union members to go vote for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and kick Republican Gov. Scott Walker out of office for his assault on public workers and bargaining rights. Activists are using their vacation time to work the phones and talk to as many Wisconsin voters as possible. And supporters from Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico and other states are joining the effort, too, making phone calls to be sure everyone gets out to vote.For Antoniewicz and others, that will mean joining up with We Are Wisconsin this weekend to knock on more than 100,000 doors in Racine.Why should Walker lose his job next week? Here are 11 good reasons.AFA-CWA Reaches Tentative Deals with Horizon Air, Air Wisconsin  AFA-CWA Flight Attendants at Horizon Air and Air Wisconsin reached tentative contracts with management this month.On Wednesday, 500 Flight Attendants at Horizon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, reached a tentative settlement that includes more vacation, pay increases and substantial improvements to employees' flexibility and quality of life."Horizon Flight Attendants play a crucial role in the success of our airline," said Leslie Miller, acting AFA president at Horizon, which flies to 40 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. "This agreement recognizes our contributions and addresses the concerns most important to Flight Attendants."And last Friday, more than 300 Flight Attendants at Air Wisconsin — the largest privately held U.S. regional airline, which operates as a US Airways Express carrier — announced their own tentative agreement with the assistance of the National Mediation Board. Details won't be made public until they are presented to the membership, which serves 70 cities in the United States and Canada."We worked tirelessly to ensure this agreement reflects their priorities," said Brenda Barrall, AFA Air Wisconsin president. "Throughout negotiations, Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants have sent a loud and clear message to management that a mutually beneficial agreement must reflect our role as first responders and secure improvements on several key issues."American Airlines Agents Petition for Representation Election  The federal judge overseeing the American Airlines bankruptcy proceedings is urging the company to negotiate with unions over new contracts. Judge Sean Lane delayed a decision on the airline's call for termination of the contracts, stating, "I urge, and I cannot urge this any more strongly, that the parties resolve this where they need to resolve this — the negotiating table."Read more here.Separately, American Airlines passenger service agents who want CWA representation are calling on the company to stop stalling on the union representation election. The company has filed a lawsuit against the National Mediation Board to block the election, based on its own wishful thinking about the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization passed by Congress in February. Communications from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, other leading senators and members of Congress have made it clear to American Airlines CEO Tom Horton that the law does not apply to the agents' election authorized by the NMB last December.Join agents in calling on Horton to stop blocking a democratic union election. Sign the petition here. CWA, Allies Call on White House to Prevent Chemical Disasters  CWA and 200 allies are urging President Barack Obama to use his executive power to "prevent the catastrophic release of extremely hazardous chemicals."In a coalition letter, the groups point out that across the country, facilities using, storing or manufacturing highly toxic chemicals remain susceptible to terrorist attacks or accidents. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are 483 facilities in 43 states where such a chemical disaster would put at least 100,000 people at risk.The Obama administration has repeatedly asked Congress for the authority to remove these risks by requiring companies to design and operate their facilities with safer chemical processes. But, Republicans in Congress have blocked these efforts. And thanks to the deep pockets of the chemical lobby, the legislation is going nowhere.But now the Obama administration can take action. As early as next week, the president can use his authority to put these new protections in place through an amendment to the Clean Air Act.CWA is joining Greenpeace, Sierra Club and others to advocate for the "Bhopal amendment," a general duty clause referencing a 1984 disastrous gas leak in India that killed thousands of people and disabled several thousand more.Add your name to the petition by clicking here. Cohen Calls for Defense of Democracy  CWA President Larry Cohen speaks at the Center for National Policy. Photo courtesy of the Center for National Policy.To fix America's jobs crisis, there first must be a mass political movement to restore democracy, CWA President Larry Cohen said last week.During a roundtable discussion at the Center for National Policy, Cohen candidly laid out the "obscene attacks on the democracy" that have prevented the long-term, sustainable economic growth that would lift millions of job seekers out of unemployment.First, the country must get the flood of corporate cash out of politics, overturning the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, he said."Money in politics, no accountability, no real disclosure, absolutely will cloud once again the direction this country needs to go in," said Cohen, estimating that an open Senate seat costs a minimum of $25 million, while this year's presidential election is expected to reach $1 billion.Next is reforming the Senate rules, so that hundreds of House-passed bills can make it to the Senate floor for debate. A number of important issues, from President Obama's jobs plan to the DREAM Act, have been buried under a series of filibusters and blocked votes. And the President's nominees for hundreds of vacant judgeships have all been gridlocked by the arcane legislative process."There's no democracy in the world today that functions anything like the U.S. Senate," he said. "It's the worst it's ever been."Activists must also be vigilant about new state-level laws intended to limit the voting rights of young people, the elderly, poor people and people of color. "It's not about voter fraud, and everybody knows it," he said.Cohen repeatedly stressed that to "create demand," America must tackle the "huge structural issues" that have flat-lined workers' wages for the past 40 years. Once upon a time, productivity and wages used to grow together, but weakened manufacturing and trade policies has stymied the American dream. Fixes, he said, include investing in infrastructure, lowering the U.S. trade deficit, restoring the power of workers to organize and bargain collectively, and doubling the country's manufacturing workforce.Watch the video of the discussion here. D2-13 Legislative Team Helps Win Protections Against Offshoring  CWA District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney and members of CWA Locals 2106, 2107, 2108 and 2100 watch Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley sign the bill.CWA's Maryland Legislative-Political Action Team and a strong coalition helped win new protections against the offshoring of jobs in the state.CWA District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney and members of CWA Locals 2106, 2107, 2108 and 2100 were on hand as Governor Martin O'Malley (D) signed the law that requires companies bidding on contracts of $2 million or more with the state of Maryland to disclose whether any of that work will be performed outside the United States. The law also prohibits public employers from contracting for specific services unless those services are to be provided in the U.S., and requires that state contracts for architectural, construction and engineering services, as well as energy performance contract services, must be performed in the United States."Governor O'Malley understands that taxpayer dollars should not go to companies that intend to send this work overseas. We hope that the U.S. Congress adopts this same attitude and moves forward to stop federal subsidies and tax breaks to corporations that move U.S. jobs offshore," Mooney said.CWA is a strong supporter of the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 3596) that would bar corporations that offshore work from receiving federal grants and loans and provides additional protections for consumers, giving them the right to know where an agent is located and the ability to request a transfer to a U.S. agent. The bill currently has 120 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.You have received this message through your subscription to a Communications Workers of America e-mail list.  If you did not subscribe or would like to unsubscribe click here.Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, CLC. All Rights Reserved.
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http://truth-out.org/news/item/9500-republic-windows-and-doors-serious-materials-workers-form-cooperative

Chicago Factory Occupiers Form Worker CooperativeYana Kunichoff, Truthout: "First, they occupied the factory to get their wages from the bosses that owned the machinery. Then, they occupied their factory to keep the second bosses from shutting down their machinery. And, now, they are on their way to owning and running the machinery." Read the Article 

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http://truth-out.org/news/item/9485-for-profit-education-milking-students-and-the-taxpayers-for-corporate-profits

For-Profit Education: Milking Students and the Taxpayers for Corporate ProfitsCharles M. Smith, Truthout: "If you pay attention to the investment banking industry, the for-profit prisons, the health insurance industry and now for-profit colleges you will see this same pattern; private profits with public risks. When industries are structured in this manner, we also get intense lobbying for favorable legal treatment, the spreading around of campaign money and a revolving door for politicians and regulators. The public often foots the bill with little or no benefit from the process." Read the Article 

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May 31, 2012
A new study shows the Associated Builders and Contractors is the American Legislative Exchange Council of its industry. Find out why.There are many reasons to fire Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) next Tuesday. One big one is the fact that he eliminated the collective bargaining rights of 380,000 public employees. So what’s so important about collective bargaining in the first place? Read more and comment.  Study: Associated Builders and Contractors, the ALEC of its Industry Wisconsin: Recall Is About Lawmakers Who Game the System L.A. Labor Gives Big Send-Off for Workers Headed to Wal-Mart Shareholders Meeting AFSCME Leaders Chronicle Main Street’s Fight Against the 1% Terry Melvin Elected to Lead CBTU into New Era Farm Workers Co-Founder Huerta Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom Pa. AFL-CIO Reaches Out to Help JoblessRead more important news of the day on the issues working families care about.Follow the AFL-CIO:
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 I have provided info on the US consulates below the article. Cort   http://www.marxist.com/foiled-attempt-to-kill-trade-union-leader-venezuela.htm
Foiled attempt to kill a trade union leader in Venezuela – Campaign for justiceWritten by In Defence of Marxism Wednesday, 30 May 2012On Monday May 21, there was a foiled attempt against the life of comrade Abraham Rivas. Rivas is General Secretary of the National Union of Workers of Helados EFE (SINATRASOHE) as well as General Secretary of the recently created National Federation of Workers in Food, Beverages and Other Companies (FENACTRALBECA), which organizes workers in 21 different companies belonging to Grupo POLAR. He is also a revolutionary Bolivarian activist and a supporter of the Marxist tendency Lucha de Clases.Photo: Luissana Cárdenas / Noticias24An armed individual entered the premises of Helados EFE in Caracas and asked to see Abraham Rivas. He told him, in a threatening way, that he needed to speak to him personally and outside of the company’s premises. Abraham Rivas realized that the man was carrying a gun which he quickly seized from him and, with the help of other union activists present, proceeded to overpower the man, who was later identified as Alexander Zambrano.The workers took Zambrano to the union offices and questioned him about his motives. By looking through the messages in his mobile phone they found out that another person (later identified as Robert Guedez) was waiting outside the premises on a motorbike.The workers called the National Bolivarian Guard and with their help both men were arrested and taken into custody. One of them confessed to being in possession of an email sent to him by a third person, containing detailed personal information about Abraham Rivas and his family. This included his full name, those of his wife and children, their phone numbers, national ID card numbers, the age and profession of his wife, their home address, places he visits, as well as the plate number of his car and other details about it. This detailed dossier also included a picture of Abraham Rivas which is the same as that of his company ID card. This was not a copy or a scanned version of his company ID card, but rather a copy of the actual picture which was taken at the time when he started work and the company made the ID card. Only the company Helados EFE has access to that picture. The dossier also referred to Abraham as “leader of the new trade union federation created against Empresas Polar”.Ever since the 2010 strike of Helados EFE workers, in which Abraham Rivas played a leading role, the union attempted to unite the different union organizations across the POLAR group of companies. The Federation was finally created in March this year. The POLAR group belongs to the Mendoza family and has a monopoly position in the production and distribution of food and beverages in Venezuela.Despite the amount of evidence against the two individuals who made the attempt on Rivas’ life, and against two other women, who were identified as having commissioned the attack, all were later released without charges.Photo: AM NOTICIAS360The trade union leaders of SINATRASOHE, with the support of a number of other trade union leaders from the federation held a press conference in Caracas on Friday, in which they accused the company of being behind the attack and presented all the proof they had. They stressed that all the evidence points to that the company (Grupo POLAR) is responsible. The security guards allowed Zambrano to enter the premises with a gun, without searching him, in spite of this being normal practice. The dossier which the attackers had received, contained details and pictures of Abraham Rivas which could only have come from the company’s records.This is a most serious case of intimidation against trade unionists, whose only crime is defending workers’ rights. Had the attack been successful it would not have been the first time that revolutionary Bolivarian trade union leaders were killed in Venezuela by the hired guns of the bosses. We had the case of three leaders of the UNT in Aragua, Gallardo, Hernandez y Requena, killed in November 2008, the case of the secretary of the Toyota workers union in Cumaná Argenis Vazquez, killed in May 2009, and many others. Their killers were never brought to justice.The impunity and the ease with which the justice system (basically still a bourgeois system) sides with the bosses and denies justice to ordinary workers and peasants, is one of the main threats to the Bolivarian revolution.We strongly condemn this attack. We express our solidarity with comrade Abraham Rivas and his comrades in the union and the federation. We also demand that the Bolivarian authorities, the leaders of the PSUV, the State Attorney and the Ministry of Peoples’ Power for Labour and Social Security, make sure that this case is investigated thoroughly and that those responsible are brought to justice.We ask trade union activists, left wing and solidarity organizations, as well as individuals to join this campaign.Model letter:We are extremely concerned about the reports of an attempt to kill Abraham Rivas, a trade union leader at Helados EFE and Grupo POLAR, on May 21 this year in Caracas.We are furthermore extremely worried that despite the fact that four individuals were identified as being involved in the attack and taken to the police, they have all been released without charges.We ask the relevant authorities to make sure that this case is fully investigated and that those responsible are brought to justice.Please send letters to:State Attorney Luisa Marvelia Ortega Díaz: ministeriopublico at mp.gob.ve  
National Coordinator PSUV Jorge Rodríguez jorgerodriguez at psuv.org.veOffice of the President Hugo Chavez: Drsociales at presidencia.gob.veWith copy to cmi.venezuela at gmail.comOr contact the embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in your country---------------------------------US Info:Boston: Telephone- (617)266-9475 or (617)266-9368 email:   consulado at boston.embavenez-us.orgChicago: (312)324-0907 email:  ven.chicago at gmail.comHouston: (713)974-0028 or (713)974-9002  email: informacion at consuvenezhouston.orgNew Orleans: (504)210-1020 email: info at neworleans.embavenez-us.org
consulado at neworleans.embavenez-us.orgNew York: (212)826-1660 email: info at consulado-ny.gov.veSan Francisco: (415)294-2252 email: ven.sanfrancisco at gmail.comSan Juan: (787)766-4250 email: venezuel at tld.netWashington, D.C. : (202)342-6852 email:consular at venezuela-us.org\@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
http://www.alternet.org/story/155632/burned_alive_at_work%3A_american_workers_dying_in_totally_preventable_accidents?akid=8867.16102.r1Opa4&rd=1&t=15

-Burned Alive at Work: American Workers Dying in Totally Preventable AccidentsA push to protect workers from the danger of dust explosions has stalled in the face of bureaucratic hurdles, industry pushback and political calculations.READ MOREBy Chris Hamby / The Center for Public Integrity\@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
UTLA Action Alert - Senate Bill 1530 (Padilla)(corrected version) Have you read the latest UTLA Action Alert-Senate Bill 1530 (Padilla)? Well, if you have not, I would recommend that you read it.  I am attaching a copy of what I received on my email for your own convenience. First, let me remind you that just a couple of weeks ago, I circulated a document  where I indicated that UTLA should not support any presidential  election farce. Unfortunately, only a handful of teachers and union members shared comments with regard to the circulated document. However, I would like to remind  you how important it is that we remain vigilant and alert of what our union leaders are doing to cover up  for  corrupt politicians who claim to be  “friendly” to teachers.  If you pay careful attention to the attached document, you will realize that UTLA attempts to dissuade us from actually knowing who, in fact, is   (State Senator) Padilla.   If you read the document (UTLA Action Alert) in its entirety, you will find his full name only once.  That is not a mere mistake, as you would think. Well, sometimes the best way to hide something, is when you leave it in plain sight.  I am not going to go and discuss techniques on how to deceive people because I am not a deceiver.  The point is that  we all know that Senate Bill 1530 is bad for teachers because it will take away educator’s rights to hearings, eliminate  educator’s opportunity  to respond to charges, allow districts  to summarily dismiss educators, etc. Senator  Padilla is actually Mr. Alex Padilla of Pacoima, California.  This individual is a Democrat. Yes, if you did not know, now you do. Is that the reason why our union attempts to conceal his full name on this document?  Surely so and for a good reason. Actually read the following statement: “Contact Senator Padilla and urge him to change his bill – Senate Bill 1530 -- into a measure that teachers can support.  Let Senator Padilla know the bill is both unfair and detrimental to the best interests of students and educators.”   In both instances he is  referred to as Senator Padilla. As you can see, his last name is presented to us throughout the document many different times. His full name only once. Is there a reason for that? Yes, there is a good reason and I will discuss it subsequently. However, this document  is telling us to take actions that would clearly correspond to PACE  and the UTLA as an institution. We have a political "action" committee that collects many hundreds of thousands of dollars from members. Those funds ultimately end up in the hands of a lot of Democrat politicians. So, if PACE collects and spends these many thousands of dollars to elect politicians, Why can't they use thousands of dollars to start a real campaign of mobilization of members AGAINST all the  Senator Padilla types  and their  reactionary bills ?   Well, the reasons are  obvious: Senator Padilla is a Democrat,  he also  received campaign funding from the California Teachers Association (CTA) and in June 8th, 2010, UTLA recommended the election of Senator Alex Padilla.  Are you surprised? PACE recommended “open endorsement”. In a press release in March 30th, 2006, Padilla stated the following, “I will fight to ensure our students and teachers have the resources they need for success at school”. Has he kept his promises? .NO, he has not.  Why can’t the Union admit that?  Well, because they want to continue playing their dishonest game of giving away our dues money to all these Democrat  politicians  who later turn their guns against us. Mr. Padilla's case is just one example of that. Numerous other elected Democrats have joined the GOP's Corporate led assaults on teachers and Public Education   and  yet are STILL raking in piles of your Union PACE  dollars! Mr. Padilla  is a member of the Democratic Party. As  long as those who attack our teachers are Democrats, our union leaders and PACE  will keep their mouth shut and will continue to support them at the expense of many of our fellow teachers livelihoods . This latest UTLA  document is only one more example of how our  union tries to deceive their own membership to cover up for politicians such as Mr. Alex Padilla and others more who are our enemies. Shame on you  UTLA, and the PACE Committee for using  our dues money to support politicians such as Mr. Alex Padilla and many other Democrats who have joined up with the Republicans to continually attack and destroy our profession. (See Attachment). This adds insult to injury of all members!    UTLA Action Alert 
- Senate Bill 1530 (Padilla) -Call right away as hearing is Wednesday, April 18thSenator Padilla's Opposed Dismissal Bill Takes Away Your Rights and Does Nothing to Protect Children. The Los Angeles Unified School District failed to protect students at Miramonte Elementary school. Instead of using their powers immediately to remove and fire a teacher who breaks the law, the LAUSD is deflecting responsibility and supporting changes to the teacher dismissal law for all educators.Senator Padilla has introduced SB 1530 to make changes in teacher dismissal law.  Senator Padilla should instead be calling for an investigation of why LAUSD management failed to use its powers that current law provides.Senator Alex Padilla has told the L.A. Times that he wants to work with CTA to make SB 1530, into something more useful. But he's also told a Sacramento reporter that he thinks school boards should have the right to get rid of a teacher as soon as district officials come to believe that a teacher has committed a firing offense.This bill would eliminate constitutional due process rights for teachers and enable local school districts to fire a teacher regardless of the facts.  Let's take a closer look at what SB 1530 would do:Take away educators' rights to a hearing.Eliminate educators' opportunity to respond to charges.Allow districts to summarily dismiss educators for almost any type of misconduct, whether it be minor offenses (such as smoking cigarettes in a personal car on school grounds or wearing open toed shoes in a shop class) or major offenses.  It treats all misconduct the same way.And raise district costs by providing an automatic appeal to superior court. Current law avoids that cost.  These changes would raise district costs needlessly at a time classrooms desperately need more money.CALL TODAY as SB 1530 (Padilla) is slated for a hearing on Wednesday, April 18, in the Senate Education Committee.Contact Senator Padilla and urge him to change his bill – Senate Bill 1530 -- into a measure that teachers can support.  Let Senator Padilla know the bill is both unfair and detrimental to the best interests of students and educators.Contact Senator Padilla at his Capitol office:  Phone: (916) 651-4020. 
Identify your name and that you are a LAUSD teacher or educator.  If you live and/or work in the Senator's District 20, you should note this.  If you get a recording, please leave a message.
UTLA TEACHERS NEED TO UNITE TO DEFEND THEIR JOBS

Two years ago, teachers were still putting hopes in a new UTLA leadership. Linda, Neil, and many members of SAVE, at the time, did the analysis and concluded that Fletcher or Julie Washington would not represent a significant difference from the former leadership in the context of our new reality. The decline in militant unionism in the US led many of us to believe that UTLA was not going to break away from the existing political direction established and dictated by the Democratic Party and the mainstream political structure. Unfortunately, we were right. Mr. Fletcher and the other officers are not much interested into building an actual resistance outside the framework of the Democratic Party's political ball game. He, and most of the other officers have technically given up to the political and economic forces without instituting an strategic plan of action to defend teachers.

In consequence, the District has not missed any opportunity to push our union back even farther. LAUSD has taken a clear advantage over an already politicized court system and the inability of our union leaders to wage effective union actions to defend our careers. As usually happens, our union leaders continue to put hopes in a judicial system that usually protects the political and economic establishment that oppresses workers. We should have learned well from a prominent previous case in our recent past. In 2009 a court ruled that it was illegal for UTLA to strike for one day. The latest arbitration that ruled in LAUSD's favor, in detriment to our teachers, is one other tragic example of how the district continues to score high against our union. Many within our union, even with all these series of defeats, continue to argue that courts are instruments to exercise justice for the oppressed people. This, in reality, is nothing more than just a fallacy, an illusion and nothing else. If this argument would hold any truth behind it, Martin Luther King and many other leaders, not only in the US but in other parts of the world, would have not organized resistances outside the judicial branches of government. All these leaders would have relied upon the courts to decide the fate of many millions of peoples.

Reality indicates that any group of people who chooses the courts for liberation will find out, sooner or later, that courts only serve one purpose: to guarantee the continuation of the political and economic establishment that oppresses workers and the poor. If any positive result is desired, a court action must be accompanied by all sorts of other actions, i.e. boycotts, work slowdowns, labor education for the workers, rallies, etc. A court alone, will serve the establishment before producing any positive result for the workers. The political system, on the other hand, exists to guarantee the continuity of the political and economic establishment. In that case, the political parties, essential instruments to control the government, decide on what is best for the economic ruling class, before they make any decision that would benefit the workers. This clearly explains in practice why Republicans or Democrats will always vote for more layoffs, elimination of aid for the poor, cut backs in education and social services, etc, while they give tax breaks and stimulus support to the corporations and the super rich in this country.

In the case of UTLA, teachers need more than just the courts and the empty political posturing made by politicians to protect their livelihoods. Unfortunately, UTLA President Warren Fletcher and the other officers are not much interested into building an actual resistance outside the Democratic Party's political framework. He, and the rest of the other officers have technically given up to the political and economic forces without instituting an strategic plan of action to defend teachers. Instead, they want to continue a failed path of in-action that has produced more RIF's, lay-offs and fear among the rank and file.

It is clear that President Fletcher has not been able to unite or defend our teachers against the District and the abuses from the political establishment. Fortunately, teachers are taking isolated individual actions in their school sites or in different events throughout the District. However, in order to defeat the political forces who are destroying teacher's livelihoods and public education, we need more than just court actions, political endorsements and isolated work site actions. We need to organize and redesign a long term plan of action that guarantees independence from the political framework of the Democratic Party and the highly politicized court system. Only then, we will build a true labor institution that would represent the best interest of our teachers.

SOCIAL ALTERNATIVE VOICE FOR EDUCATION

lausd-teachers at yahoogroups.com
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http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/934484/5_things_to_know_about_the_paycheck_fairness_act_%28the_next_big_legislative_battle_for_women%29/#paragraph3

5 Things to Know About the Paycheck Fairness Act (The Next Big Legislative Battle for Women)By Annie-Rose Strasser | Think Progress

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