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<H2 class=ReadMsgSubject>Unions and Occupy Demonstrators March Through Oaklandž</H2></LI>
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<H2 class=ReadMsgSubject>Strikes in Chinaž</H2></LI>
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<DIV><FONT color=#000000>Unions and Occupy Demonstrators March Through Oakland</FONT></DIV></FONT><FONT color=#000000>Photos by David Bacon</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT color=#000000>OAKLAND, CA - 19NOVEMBER11 - Unions join grassroots people and political activists from the Occupy Oakland movement to march through the city. The march of about 4000 people protested the exploitation of 99% of the population by the wealthiest 1%, as well as police repression and removal of occupy encampments in Oakland, at the University of California campus in Berkeley, and around the country. Marchers voiced solidarity with the original New York City demonstration, Occupy Wall Street. The march ended at Lakeview Elementary School, where students and teachers denounce its impending closure and the closure of other schools.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>For more articles and images, see <FONT color=#000000> <A href="http://dbacon.igc.org/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://dbacon.igc.org</FONT></A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>See also Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants (Beacon Press, 2008)</DIV>
<DIV>Recipient: C.L.R. James Award, best book of 2007-2008</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.beacon.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=2002</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>See also the photodocumentary on indigenous migration to the US</DIV>
<DIV>Communities Without Borders (Cornell University/ILR Press, 2006)</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4575</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>See also The Children of NAFTA, Labor Wars on the U.S./Mexico Border (University of California, 2004)</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html</FONT></A></DIV><PRE>--
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<DIV>__________________________________<BR><BR>David Bacon, Photographs and Stories<BR><A href="http://dbacon.igc.org/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://dbacon.igc.org</FONT></A><BR><BR></DIV>
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<DIV class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass PlainTextMessageBody" id=mpf0_MsgContainer><PRE><STRONG><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt" size=4>Strikes in China<BR> <BR> <BR>Thousands of Workers Strike in Dongguan: New Balance,<BR>Yucheng Shoe Factory Should Take Responsibility<BR></FONT></STRONG> <BR><A href="http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/index.html" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/index.html</FONT></A><BR> <BR>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR> <BR>New York:November 18th, 2011,<BR> <BR>In Huangjiang Township, near Dongguan in Guangdong<BR>province China, over 7,000 workers walked off the job<BR>at the Yucheng factory, owned by a Taiwanese investment<BR>firm. They then surrounded the factory and blockaded<BR>the town's main road in the largest protest against a<BR>Taiwanese company in 2011. During the protest, dozens<BR>of workers were injured in clashes with police and<BR>public security personnel.<BR> <BR>The anger behind this protest had been building for<BR>some time. On October 27th, the factory suddenly<BR>dismissed 18 section managers, in a move seen by<BR>workers as a preparation for relocation. According to<BR>several media reports, the riot erupted due to new,<BR>widely-condemned regulations set by the factory<BR>management. The new rules axed all bonuses regardless<BR>of worker performances for as long as the factory was<BR>suffering losses. The new regulations, which led to the<BR>strike, also aroused fear among the workers that they<BR>might be dismissed someday.<BR> <BR>This protest and strike illustrates the unfairness of<BR>the relationship between labor and capital in the<BR>Chinese economy and the lack of channels for Chinese<BR>workers to communicate their frustrations. It also<BR>shows how factory management is opaque, releasing<BR>decisions that have not been made with the consent or<BR>even foreknowledge of workers. While workers have<BR>become more conscious of their rights, managers still<BR>often cling to the same antiquated management model of<BR>using force to control their employees. This has only<BR>intensified the conflict between workers and<BR>management.<BR> <BR>The specific grievances the workers have against<BR>Yucheng factory management are as follows:<BR> <BR>1. The factory fired workers illegally.<BR> <BR>2. The factory did not respect the workers, and<BR>managers would verbally abuse the workers.<BR> <BR>3. The factory did not negotiate with workers before<BR>they made the decision about moving their plant and did<BR>not provide a reasonable plan for the workers to do so.<BR> <BR>4. The factory did not negotiate with workers before<BR>set their new rules. The reward system is not<BR>transparent.<BR> <BR>5. The labor union was not adequately protecting the<BR>workers' rights.<BR> <BR>China Labor Watch calls upon the Yucheng shoe factory<BR>workers and management to sit down and have a full and<BR>frank discussion about the situation at hand and for<BR>the factory management to issue a statement recognizing<BR>the workers' demands as valid. However, in addition to<BR>Yucheng management assuming responsibility for the<BR>workers' dissatisfaction, New Balance, the factory's<BR>principal client, must also assume responsibility for<BR>the situation. They bear this responsibility because<BR>they have consistently driven down the price of their<BR>purchase order, dodging the issue of labor costs,<BR>therefore all but forcing Yucheng to keep worker<BR>compensation and spending on working environments low<BR>to meet New Balance's price and quality requirements.<BR>The shortcomings at the Yucheng factory and the strike<BR>that resulted from them illustrate the failings of New<BR>Balance's social responsibility policy, to the extent<BR>that workers must strike and protest to ask for the<BR>respectful treatment that they deserve. New Balance<BR>cannot completely avoid responsibility for what happens<BR>at this factory. China Labor Watch calls on the Yucheng<BR>shoe factory and New Balance to work together to<BR>address the workers' demands.<BR> <BR> <BR>1,000 Workers Strike at Factory That Makes Keyboards<BR>for Apple and IBM<BR> <BR> <BR>November 23rd, 2011-- Guangdong's rising tide of worker<BR>unrest continues unabated, this time at a factory owned<BR>by what is considered one of the world's largest<BR>keyboard manufacturers. Yesterday, 1,000 workers staged<BR>a strike at the Jingmo Electronics Corporation's <BR>Shenzhen factory, which is located in the 3rd<BR>industrial district of Shajing township and employs<BR>3,000 people. This corporation is owned by the<BR>Taiwan-based Jingyuan Computer Group, which mainly<BR>produces keyboards and other computer components.<BR>According to its public statements, the company has<BR>been an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) and Original<BR>Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for name-brand<BR>multinationals that have included Apple, IBM, LG,<BR>Tulip, Legend and Founder Great Wall.<BR> <BR>On the morning of November 22nd, 1,000 workers at the<BR>factory held a meeting in which they decided to strike,<BR>owing to the unreasonable overtime demands made on them<BR>by management. One by one, they walked off the job and<BR>moved to block National highway 107 in protest.By the<BR>time the protesters decided to end the demonstration<BR>and disperse, authorities had assigned several hundred<BR>police officers, including riot police, to the protest.<BR> <BR>According to what workers have told China Labor Watch,<BR>the motivation behind the strike was the factory's<BR>decision to make workers work nightly overtime. The<BR>factory decided to require workers to work from 6 p.m.<BR>until 12 p.m., and sometimes even until 2 a.m. the next<BR>morning, in addition to their regular work hours<BR>(7-11:30 a.m., 1-5 p.m.) Workers now commonly worked<BR>anywhere from 100 to 120 hours of overtime a month.<BR>Moreover, the factory refused to let the workers work<BR>this overtime on Saturday, which would necessitate<BR>paying them double wages in accordance with Chinese<BR>Labor Law.<BR> <BR>Apart from the overtime issue, the workers said that<BR>they also had other grievances with the factory. These<BR>include the high rate of workplace injuries (there have<BR>been nearly 20 recently), mass layoffs of older workers<BR>and the lack of any benefits. Apart from these more<BR>tangible hardships, factory managers often verbally<BR>abuse and bully the workers, causing them severe<BR>emotional distress.<BR> <BR>As a result of the strike, the factory now states they<BR>will reduce each employee's average overtime and allow<BR>them to work overtime on Saturday. China Labor Watch<BR>calls upon Apple, IBM and the other clients ofthis<BR>factory to assume responsibility for these workers'<BR>dissatisfaction and work with the factory to improve<BR>the working conditions in the factory. We particularly<BR>urge Apple to take responsibility, as there are more<BR>than 300 workers working on the Apple keyboard assembly<BR>line. Additionally, Executive Director of China Labor<BR>Watch Li Qiang added that the factory itself needs to<BR>change its management system to accommodate the<BR>workers' increased awareness of protecting their own<BR>rights.<BR> <BR>--<BR> <BR>About China Labor Watch:<BR> <BR>Founded in 2000, China Labor Watch is an independent<BR>not-for-profit organization. In the past ten years, CLW<BR>has collaborated with unions, labor organizations and<BR>the media to conduct a series of in-depth assessments<BR>of factories in China that produce toys, bikes, shoes,<BR>furniture, clothing, and electronics for some of the<BR>U.S.'s largest companies.CLW's New York office creates<BR>reports from these investigations, educates the<BR>international community on supply chain labor issues,<BR>and pressures corporations to improve conditions for<BR>workers.<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>Meanwhile, CLW's Shenzhen office works closely with<BR>local factories and serves migrant workers in Guangdong<BR>Province through several programs. These include the<BR>Free Legal Consultation Hotline Program, community<BR>training in collective bargaining, and the Train the<BR>Trainer Program to enhance the capacity of local labor<BR>movements.<BR> <BR>____________________________________________<BR> <BR>PortsideLabor aims to provide material of interest to<BR>people on the left that will help them to interpret the<BR>world and to change it.<BR> <BR>Submit via email: labor@portside.org<BR> <BR>Submit via the Web: <A href="http://portside.org/submittous3" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://portside.org/submittous3</FONT></A><BR> <BR>Frequently asked questions: <A href="http://portside.org/faq" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://portside.org/faq</FONT></A><BR> <BR>Sub/Unsub: <A href="http://portside.org/subscribe-and-unsubscribe" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://portside.org/subscribe-and-unsubscribe</FONT></A><BR> <BR>PS Labor Archives: <A href="http://portside.org/archive" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://portside.org/archive</FONT></A><BR> <BR>Contribute to Portside: <A href="https://portside.org/donate" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>https://portside.org/donate</FONT></A><BR></PRE></DIV>
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