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<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>East Coast ILWU Wants to Remain Lilly White as Always<BR></FONT></STRONG></LI>
<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>Detroit Afscme Ready To Give Give and Giveback some More<BR></FONT></STRONG></LI>
<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>HONORING MIGRANTS ON DECEMBER 10TH, FNS News</FONT></STRONG></LI>
<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>Stand with the Unemployed this Thursday 12/8/2011!</FONT></STRONG></LI>
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<H2 class=ReadMsgSubject><FONT size=3>The 8th US-Cuba-México and Latinoamérica Labor Conference Held</FONT></H2></LI>
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<H2 class=ReadMsgSubject><FONT size=3>Shutdown the ports 12/12. Find out why</FONT></H2></LI>
<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>Unemployed and Liberal Groups to Hold Protests in DC</FONT></STRONG></LI>
<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>Jobless In Wonderland</FONT></STRONG></LI>
<LI><STRONG><FONT size=3>Class Warfare in Canada Orchestrated By Right-Wing Prime Minister Harper</FONT></STRONG></LI>
<LI><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13572?akid=7936.16102.aOefzp&t=26" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf size=3><STRONG>Declining Labor Force Participation Leads to Sharp Drop in Unemployment</STRONG></FONT></A></LI>
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<P class=ecxheadline2 style="FONT-SIZE: 18px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13658?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=5" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf size=3><STRONG>Occupy Our Homes: From the Streets to Foreclosed Homes, OWS Finds a New Frontier</STRONG></FONT></A></P></LI>
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<P class=ecxheadline3 style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><FONT color=#0068cf><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13657?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=12" target=_blank><STRONG>How the Occupy Movement Helped Americans Move Beyond Denial and Depression to Action</STRONG></A></FONT></P></LI>
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<H2 class=ReadMsgSubject><FONT size=3>The Search for an Era of Labor Peace</FONT></H2></LI></OL></DIV>
<BR>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@<BR> <BR><STRONG><FONT size=4>East Coast ILWU Wants to Remain Lilly White as Always</FONT></STRONG><BR> <BR> “Imagine our dismay that in a diversity program, the I.L.A. would come up with an<BR>all-white slate of candidates,” Walter M. Arsenault, the executive<BR>director of the commission, said. “That’s an oxymoron.” <BR> <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/01/nyregion/told-to-diversify-dock-union-offers-nearly-all-white-list.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/01/nyregion/told-to-diversify-dock-union-offers-nearly-all-white-list.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y</FONT></A><BR> <BR><BR>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@<BR> <BR><STRONG><FONT size=4>Detroit Afscme Ready To Give Give and Giveback some More</FONT></STRONG><BR> <BR>The president of Detroit’s largest city employee union, AFSCME, which<BR>represents nearly 3,000 workers, said today the union is willing to<BR>make changes in some parts of its contracts to help save the city. <BR>“I’m expecting the city to give us a call,” Al Garrett said a<BR>day after standing with the mayor and other city officials at a press<BR>conference to declare solidarity. “We’re going to have a table,<BR>not the traditional table, and fashion out an agreement that includes<BR>not only concessions, but other changes. I have a team already<BR>assigned. I have sent the paperwork to be analyzed by our national<BR>office in Washington. We are positioned to deal. We have never refused<BR>to deal.” <BR>“If they call, we’re willing to make adjustments that impact the<BR>fiscal crisis,” he said. <BR> <A href="http://www.freep.com/article/20111202/COL10/111202044/Rochelle-Riley-Detroit-s-largest-union-willing-make-changes-?odyssey=mod" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.freep.com/article/20111202/COL10/111202044/Rochelle-Riley-Detroit-s-largest-union-willing-make-changes-?odyssey=mod</FONT></A>|breaking|text|FRONTPAGE<BR><BR><BR>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@<BR>
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December 4, 2011<BR><BR>Immigration News<BR><BR>Honoring Migrants on December 10<BR><BR><BR>Migrant advocates in the southern New Mexico borderland plan to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Saturday, December 10.<BR><BR>Organized by the Task Force for Immigrant Advocacy and Services in Southern New Mexico (TIAS-NM), a panel of elected leaders will gather in Las Cruces to explore how education, human trafficking, drivers’ licenses, racial profiling, labor and food tie in with the lives of immigrants in New Mexico and beyond.<BR><BR>Diana Bustamante, executive director of the Las Cruces-based Colonias Development Council and member of TIAS-NM’s executive committee, told Frontera NorteSur that the planned discussion will be of interest to all people in a post-9/11 era when the Patriot Act, proposed national identification cards and beefed-up Border Patrol checkpoints are embedded in the political and geographic landscape.<BR><BR>“As a person of Mexican descent, every time I go by (checkpoints) I am affected by that,” Bustamante said of her experiences passing through the mandatory highway stops where often young agents run some people through an inquisitive gauntlet while allowing others to simply state their citizenship and go off on their merry way.<BR><BR>According to Bustamante, confirmed presenters scheduled for the December 10 commemoration include New Mexico State Rep. Antonio Lujan (D-Dona Ana); New Mexico State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (D-Dona Ana); Dona Ana County Commissioner Billy Garrett; Las Cruces City Council member Olga Pedroza, who worked as an attorney representing immigrant farmworkers for many years; and Nathan Cote, a former state lawmaker who sponsored a successful 2009 anti-racial profiling bill.<BR><BR>>From a national perspective, the event comes at a time when immigration reform is still stalled by Washington gridlock. Yet a new study by the Pew Hispanic Center found that nearly half of 10.2 million unauthorized adult immigrants in the US are parents of minor children, some of whom were brought here at a very young age while many others were born in this country.<BR><BR>Asked her reaction to the November suicide of 18-year-old Joaquin Luna, the top-notch Texas high school student who reportedly took his own life over frustration at the failure of national politicians to approve immigration reform, Bustamante was direct:<BR><BR>“We need to remember the human element in all this political maneuvering that is taking place…nobody talks about what the kids are going through in the homes that have mixed status.”<BR><BR>The Luna suicide, Bustamante said, should cast attention on the personal anguish suffered by many immigrant families, as well as the corresponding manifestations of frustration that could play out as alcoholism or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-like symptoms.<BR><BR>But Bustamante said pro-immigrant forces have scored victories in New Mexico, despite an adverse national political climate. She gave as an example the anti-racial profiling law passed by the 2009 New Mexico State Legislature and signed into law by then-Governor Bill Richardson.<BR><BR>“There have been a lot of inroads in the state for the protection of all people, regardless of status,” the longtime Dona Ana County activist said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s a call for people to get what human rights mean on a day-to-day basis,” Bustamante said in reference to the December 10 Human Rights Day event.<BR><BR>Immigration issues, especially the unresolved battle over driver’s licenses for undocumented residents, are likely to on the state’s political agenda in 2012, she said, adding that pro-immigrant groups have scheduled a day of action for January 24 during the upcoming New Mexico State Legislature in Santa Fe.<BR><BR>More than three years old, TIAS-NM defines itself as prioritizing “just and fair immigration reform that furthers American values, enhances our national interest and protects constitutional and human rights for all.”<BR><BR>Open to the public, next Saturday’s Las Cruces event is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at St. Albert the Great Newman Center on the corner of Solano and University, near the New Mexico State University campus. In addition to the presentations and discussion, TIAS-NM is expected to unveil a new booklet on immigrant rights that was prepared with the assistance of New Mexico State students.<BR><BR>-Kent Paterson<BR><BR><BR> Frontera NorteSur: on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news<BR>Center for Latin American and Border Studies<BR>New Mexico State University<BR>Las Cruces, New Mexico<BR><BR>For a free electronic subscription email:<BR><A href="mailto:fnsnews@nmsu.edu"><FONT color=#0068cf>fnsnews@nmsu.edu</FONT></A><BR><BR><BR><BR>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@<BR>
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<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: right" align=right><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: dimgray; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">Share This: <A href="http://social.e2ma.net/next/e/1407959/57d2048ebaf3aabfe02fbc8f5b32d7a3/7370787626/?mrid=2bb859416fa6046effd08442331d806b" target=_blank><SPAN style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><IMG id=ecx_x0000_i1027 height=16 alt="Image removed by sender." src="" width=16 border=0></SPAN></A><A href="http://social.e2ma.net/next/t/1407959/57d2048ebaf3aabfe02fbc8f5b32d7a3/7370787626/" target=_blank><SPAN style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><IMG id=ecx_x0000_i1028 height=16 alt="Image removed by sender." src="" width=16 border=0></SPAN></A><A href="http://social.e2ma.net/next/f/1407959/57d2048ebaf3aabfe02fbc8f5b32d7a3/7370787626/" target=_blank><SPAN style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><IMG id=ecx_x0000_i1029 height=16 alt="Image removed by sender." src="" width=16 border=0></SPAN></A><A href="http://social.e2ma.net/next/l/1407959/57d2048ebaf3aabfe02fbc8f5b32d7a3/7370787626/" target=_blank><SPAN style="BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt solid; PADDING-TOP: 0in; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><IMG id=ecx_x0000_i1030 height=16 alt="Image removed by sender." src="" width=16 border=0></SPAN></A></SPAN><BR></DIV></TD></TR>
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<H3 style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #a5003a">National Day of Mobilization for the Unemployed and for Jobs</SPAN></H3>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Unemployment insurance is set to expire on December 31st. If Congress doesn't act before the end of the year, they will cut the lifeline of jobless families and local economies already struggling. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #a5003a">Thursday, December 8, 2011 </SPAN></STRONG><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #a5003a"><BR><STRONG>Vigil - 5:00 p.m. </STRONG></SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Civic Center Plaza, Downtown San Diego</SPAN></STRONG><BR><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">1200 3<SUP>rd</SUP> Avenue</SPAN></STRONG><BR><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">San Diego, CA 92101</SPAN></STRONG></P></DIV>
<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">Followed by a march to the Federal Building</SPAN></STRONG></P>
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<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Let's hold Congress accountable and let them hear from those who rely on unemployment insurance.<STRONG> If you are someone who relies on unemployment insurance and would like to share your testimony, please contact Elizabeth Newman at (619)228-8101.</STRONG><EM> </EM></SPAN></P></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
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<P class=ecxMsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #999999; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">3727 Camino del Rio South Suite 100 | San Diego, CA 92108 US</SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></TD></TR>
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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: #666666; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">This email was sent to <STRONG><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'">carmen.lopez1@sdcounty.ca.gov</SPAN></STRONG>. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your<BR>address book or safe list.</SPAN></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
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<STRONG><EM>in English</EM></STRONG><BR>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><A href="http://uniondelbarrio.org/events/tijuanaConfSindical2011.html" target=_blank><STRONG><FONT color=#0068cf>8vo Encuentro Sindical EEUU-Cuba-México-América Latina</FONT></STRONG></A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><BR><FONT color=#0068cf></FONT></B></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><BR><FONT color=#0068cf></FONT></B></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><A href="http://www.flickr.com//photos/uniondelbarrio/sets/72157628297145445/show/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>Ver galería de fotos, haga clic aquí</FONT></A></B></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">4 de diciembre 2011, Tijuana, México-En los salones del Hotel Palacio Azteca, de la ciudad de Tijuana, éxico, quedó oficialmente inaugurado la octava edición del Encuentro Sindical EEUU-México-América Latina con representantes de los Estados Unidos, Uruguay, Cuba, Brasil y el país sede.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">En la actualidad se informo como se vienen cumpliendo los acuerdo del ESNA (Encuentro Sindical Nuestra América), relativos a la preparación de los dirigentes sindicales del continente, en los cursos Políticos-Sindicales que se han realizado.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Fueron entregados los diplomas a los participantes en el reciente concluido curso, el que fue realizado durante las tres jornadas precedentes.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Se conoció la situación por la que atraviesa los trabajadores mineros de México, dado en varios de sus estados se le priva de las garantías laborales y son sometidos a difíciles condiciones de trabajado y despedidos arbitrariamente.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Al conducir el acto inaugural del Encuentro, Juan Castillo, Coordinador General del Encuentro Sindical Nuestra América, destacó lo importante y necesario de la celebración de estos tipos de eventos, que vanconstruyendo propuestas de alternativas desde los trabajadores, para enfrentadas en mejores condiciones el neo-liberalismo, el capitalismo y el imperialismo.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Entre los temas puestos a debate en el Encuentro, estuvo el relacionado con el efecto de la crisis mundial en nuestra región y la respuesta de los sindicatos y trabajadoras para contrarrestarlo.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">En ese sentido se conocieron valiosas intervenciones se los representantes sindicales de los países, los que abordaron los efectos y las soluciones que se ponen en practicas, para atenuar los impactos de la crisis.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">La actualización del modelo económico cubano, la difícil situación que fue hoy enfrentan los trabajadores afiliados en el SindicatosMexicano de Electricistas, las medidas económicas y sociales que aplican elgobierno de Brasil y las respuestas que hoy dan los trabajadores estadounidenses ante la aplicación de legislaciones totalmente anti obreras, fueron temas conocidos y debatidos en la reunión.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">En el preciso momento que en Caracas, Venezuela, quedaba constituida la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), donde por primera vez en más de 200 años los países de América Latina y el Caribe, sin la presencia de EEUU y Canadá, se agrupaba en un ente integrador, fueron presentadas amplias y valiosas informaciones, de cuanto ha realizado el ALBA, que lo conveniente en un mecanismo eficaz de integración donde la solidaridad y la complementariedad son principios inviolables en sus intercambio comerciales.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Las acciones que hoy emprende la Federación Sindical Mundial (FSM), desde su representación en América, surcito el interés de los participantes, queremos señalar que el carácter clasista y democráticos, siempre en defensa de los intereses de los trabajadores, son principios que hoy enarbola esta organización.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Los resultados de los cuatro eventos del ESNA desarrollados y sus perspectivas, ante la celebración de la quinta edición en la Ciudad de México, en mayo próximo, fué un aspecto que despertó marcado interés, estableciéndose compromisos de participación de las organizaciones presentes en el Encuentro.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Significativo momento lo constituyó la presencia de padres de los niños muertos en el incendio de la Guardería Infantil, en la localidad de Hermosillo, Sonora, por negligencia de las autoridades del Estado, del cual no se ha hecho justicia, no se han investigado y condenado los responsables.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Oportunidad de singular importancia, que suscitó la atención de todos los participantes, fueron las valiosas informaciones que ofrecieron los integrantes del panel por la Liberación de los 5 héroes cubanos presos en los estados Unidos donde, Alicia Jrapko, presidenta del Comité Internacional por la Liberación de los 5, Cristina Vázquez de los Trabajadores Unidos (Workers United), y Reymundo Navarro, Miembro del Secretariado de la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba, informaron de la situación actual y las acciones que se llevan a cabo, en la exigencia al Gobierno de los EEUU, para que liberen a los cinco patriotas ya.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">En el evento se conoció la situación laboral y social que hoy enfrentan los trabajadores migrantes, el movimiento huelguístico desarrollado en los puertos del pacífico del los EEUU, donde se anuncian próximos paros, así como el rescate de la celebración del primero de mayo, con desfiles y marchas en muchos lugares de la geografía norteamericana.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Los participantes al Encuentro evaluaron de muy positivos los múltiples intercambios realizados y los resultados alcanzados en este Octavo Encuentro Sindical.</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><A href="http://www.ustream.tv/socialstream/8028140?activeTab=video" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>Ver video archivo de la conferencia, haga clic aquí </FONT></A></B></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><BR><FONT color=#0068cf></FONT></B></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><BR></B></DIV>
<DIV align=center><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 20px"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 20px"><A href="http://uniondelbarrio.org/events/tijuanaConferenceSeminar2011.html" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>The 8th US-Cuba-México and Latinoamérica Labor </FONT></A></SPAN><A href="http://uniondelbarrio.org/events/tijuanaConferenceSeminar2011.html" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>Conference Held</FONT></A></SPAN></B><B><BR></B></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B><A href="http://www.flickr.com//photos/uniondelbarrio/sets/72157628297145445/show/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>View picture gallery, click here.</FONT></A></B></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">December 4th, 2011, Tijuana, México- The halls of the Hotel Palacio Azteca, in this border city, the 8<SUP>th</SUP> US-Cuba-México and Latin America Labor Conference was held by workers, their unions and organizations from the Unites States, Uruguay, Cuba, Brazil and México.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The event informed on how the agreements of the Trade Union Meeting of Our America (ESNA) has been accomplishing its goals of realizing political and technical training to workers and their unions.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Certificates were provided to the participants of the courses offered at the recently concluded events of the first three days of exchange prior to the Conference.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The situation and conditions of México’s workers was elaborated on by the miners’ union and the various ways in which their democratic guarantees have been restricted,working conditions deteriorated and have been subjected to arbitrary dismissals.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">As part of the inaugural event the General Coordinator of the Trade Union Meeting of Our America (ESNA), underscored the importance of holding these types of gatherings, which build upon alternative proposals by workers to confront neo-liberalism, capitalism and imperialism under better circumstances.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Among the themes covered was the relationship and effects of the world capitalist crisis on our region and the response by workers and their unions to counter it. In this vein valuable interventions were provided by representatives of labor unions from various countries, who covered various solutions that are being put into place to lesson the impacts of the crisis on workers everywhere.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The modernization of the socialist economic model of Cuba was discussed, as well as the difficult situation which workers today face within the Mexican Electrical Union, the social and economic measures adopted by the Brazilian government, and the response by workers in the United States against legislation that are completely anti-worker; these were some of the themes covered and debated in the opening panel of the meeting.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">At that precise moment the Latin American and Caribbean Community of States (CELAC) was formally established in Caracas, Venezuela; where for the first time in more than 200 years Latin American and Caribbean heads of state met- without the presence of the United States and Canada- and were able to adopt agreements that mutually support the aspirations of the people’s of the region towards continental integration. Similarly the conference covered valuable information of the achievements reached as part of the ALBA alliance which demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of this entity in integrating and complimenting economies where the principles of solidarity and complementariness are inviolable pillars of the commercial exchange among the member nations.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The actions of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in the Americas provided an overview of their work in the region highlighting its class oriented struggle and democratic principles in the interest of the working class, principles that have guided this international federation, and which aroused interest amonglabor unions.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The results of the last four gatherings of the ESNA, its development and perspectives, were exchanged in preparation of the fifth gathering to take place in Mexico City in May of 2012. This point generated interest and a resolution was adopted by the conference to attend the next ESNA.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">There was a significant moment when the presence of families of the children who died from the July 5<SUP>th</SUP> childcare center fire in Hermosillo, Sonora took the podium to denounce the negligence by the authorities of that state, a case which has not resulted in justice for the families who lost their infant children and where impunity reigns as no judicial cases has sought to bringjustice or properly investigated, no one has been convicted of any responsibility in this tragedy.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">There was a lasting impression on attendees regarding the case of the 5 Cuban heroes in US prisons for their role in uncovering terrorist plots against Cuba planned by extremist organizations in Miami, with full knowledge and complicity of the US government. Alicia Jrapko, Coordinator of the International Committee to Free the Cuban 5, Cristina Vazquez of Workers United, and Reymundo Navarro, member of the Secretariat of the Central Workers Council of Cuba (CTC), informed the attendees of the actual situation of the case of the Cuban 5, and the demands made to the President of the United States to free these five Cuban patriots.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The event informed on the social and labor conditions that migrant workers face, the developing actions of the occupy movement and their actions planned to shutdown the ports along the Pacific coast in the United States. Similarly the work done to uphold and retake the class character of May 1<SUP>st</SUP> was discussed as organizations began to plan activities on this date with marches, parades and many other events throughout North America.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">The participants of this gathering evaluated the many positive exchanges and planned actions that marked the successful closure of this 8<SUP>th</SUP> Labor Conference.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><A href="http://www.ustream.tv/socialstream/8028140?activeTab=video" target=_blank><B><FONT color=#0068cf>Watch live stream archive, click here.</FONT></B></A></DIV>
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<DIV id=mpf0_hmlvControl_05_video_desc style="DISPLAY: block">Occupy movement calls for Dec. 12 West Coast Port Shutdown. Featuring Boots Riley.</DIV>
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<DIV>Added on 12/04/11</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: arial,helvetica">Shutdown the ports 12/12. Find out why.<BR><BR>
<DIV id=ecxAOLMsgPart_0_d4a1b7db-0ca5-4c8d-b673-0eebad8b85d1 style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: #000; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff"><PRE style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><TT>A week from today Monday
Dec. 12 the Occupy Wall Street movement will
mass at the ports along the west coast. The youtube.com
below explains
the class struggle reasons for engaging in this mobilization
that
intends to stop a major profit stream.
It explains that the masses will do what the courts stop
unions from
doing in solidarity with the longshore workers in Longview
Washington
fighting the EGT corporation and the truckers in Los Angeles
fight to
unionize.
<A href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGqncu3wlEI" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGqncu3wlEI</FONT></A>
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<DIV class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" align=left><STRONG><FONT size=3>Unemployed and Liberal Groups to Hold Protests in DC<BR></FONT></STRONG>Tony Pugh, McClatchy Newspapers: "Roughly 3,000 unemployed workers from around the country are expected in the nation's capitol next week for four days of protests with labor, religious and social justice groups that say Congress cares more about America's wealthiest 1 percent than it does the masses of struggling middle-class families. Piggybacking on the Occupy Wall Street movement, the three-day 'Take Back the Capitol' protest will open Monday with construction of a 'Peoples Camp' on the National Mall as a base of operations." <BR><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bc4HKnsgkYq7VLDx6Z0/aO7cXB60pU9l" target=_blank><FONT color=#cc0000>Read the Article</FONT></A> <BR><BR><BR><BR>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</DIV>
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<DIV class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" align=left><STRONG><FONT size=3>Jobless In Wonderland<BR></FONT></STRONG>Dick Meister, DickMeister.com: "Finding a job is hard enough for the many millions of unemployed American workers. But, believe it or not, the fact that they are jobless keeps many employers from hiring them…. Many employers are saying, in effect, that workers who are laid off by other employers, or who can't get other employers to hire them, must automatically be considered bad workers who they don't want to hire either." <BR><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=35VJOYd7GmZbcoG6uRun1O9kJBueMq58" target=_blank><FONT color=#cc0000>Read the Article</FONT></A> <BR><BR><BR><BR>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</DIV>
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<P class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" align=left><STRONG>Class Warfare in Canada Orchestrated By Right-Wing Prime Minister Harper<BR></STRONG><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZLhsANuwCY6oQtHRbCr2We7cXB60pU9l" target=_blank><FONT color=#cc0000>Read the Article at Buzzflash</FONT></A><BR></P>
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<P class=ecxheadline3 style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif" align=left><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13572?akid=7936.16102.aOefzp&t=26" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>Declining Labor Force Participation Leads to Sharp Drop in Unemployment</FONT></A><BR><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #4d4d4d; FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif">By Dean Baker | CEPR</SPAN></P>
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<DIV class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" align=left><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13658?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=4" target=_blank><IMG height=106 alt="An eviction team carries out a family's belongings during a foreclosure eviction in Adams County, Colorado. In angry exchanges before a Senate investigative committee, the storied Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs was accused of fueling a crisis that forced thousands of Americans from their homes and continues to ravage the US economy." src="http://images.alternet.org/images/AFP/photo_1272420487534-1-0.jpg_640x425_150x107" width=150 border=0></A> </DIV>
<P class=ecxheadline2 style="FONT-SIZE: 18px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" align=left><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13658?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=5" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>Occupy Our Homes: From the Streets to Foreclosed Homes, OWS Finds a New Frontier</FONT></A></P>
<P class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: #666; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" align=left>As occupiers prepare to take over foreclosed homes, an exciting new phase of action on behalf of the 99% begins. <A class=ecxreadmore style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 0.1em" href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13658?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=6" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>READ MORE</FONT></A></P>
<P class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" align=left><FONT face="Georgia, Times, serif" color=#4d4d4d><I>Sarah Seltzer / AlterNet</I></FONT></P>
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<P class=ecxheadline3 style="FONT-SIZE: 16px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif"><FONT color=#0068cf><A href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13657?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=12" target=_blank>How the Occupy Movement Helped Americans Move Beyond Denial and Depression to Action</A></FONT></P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: #666; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The spirit of liberation psychology--a tradition from Latin American protest movements--has been embraced by U.S. Occupy participants. <A class=ecxreadmore style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 9px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; LETTER-SPACING: 0.1em" href="http://act.alternet.org/go/13657?akid=7945.16102.iIIQQ8&t=13" target=_blank><B><FONT color=#0068cf>READ MORE</B></A> </P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #4d4d4d; FONT-STYLE: italic; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif">By Bruce E. Levine / AlterNet </P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>
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<DIV class="SandboxScopeClass ExternalClass" align=left><PRE><STRONG><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt" size=4>The Search for an Era of Labor Peace<BR></FONT></STRONG>By Steven Greenhouse<BR>The New York Times Economix <BR>December 5, 2011<BR> <BR><A href="http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/the-search-for-an-era-of-labor-peace/" target=_blank><FONT color=#0068cf>http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/the-search-for-an-era-of-labor-peace/</FONT></A><BR> <BR>When the Boeing Company announced its far-reaching,<BR>precedent-setting agreement with the machinists' union<BR>last week, all the talk was about the ushering in of a<BR>new era of labor peace between a company and union that<BR>were long known for their horrendous labor relations<BR>record. That record included five strikes since 1977,<BR>among them a 58-day walkout in 2008 that cost Boeing<BR>$1.8 billion.<BR> <BR>When I wrote about the Boeing deal, I realized that<BR>there were some uncanny parallels with another far-<BR>reaching contract - and far more precedent-setting one<BR>- reached in 1948 between General Motors, then by far<BR>the nation's largest company, and the United Automobile<BR>Workers.<BR> <BR>Both Boeing now and General Motors then were eager to<BR>ramp up production, but both companies worried that<BR>another round of painful strikes would throw a wrench<BR>into their expansion efforts. In late 1945, a 113-day<BR>strike by 175,000 workers had paralyzed G.M., with the<BR>union demanding hefty raises not just to enable workers<BR>to keep pace with raging inflation, but to help<BR>stimulate the overall national economy. One of the<BR>strike's slogans was "Purchasing power for prosperity."<BR> <BR>G.M.'s president at the time, Charles E. Wilson, feared<BR>another walkout by the militant U.A.W., then headed by<BR>Walter Reuther, especially because G.M. had ambitious<BR>plans to invest $3.5 billion - about $30 billion in<BR>today's dollars - to expand production to take<BR>advantage of the huge pent-up consumer demand from<BR>World War II and the flood of Americans moving to the<BR>suburbs.<BR> <BR>Fearing new union conflagrations, both Boeing and<BR>General Motors agreed, in essence, to buy labor peace<BR>by offering unusually generous contracts.<BR> <BR>In 1948, G.M. signed a two-year contract - often called<BR>a "grand bargain" - that offered the auto workers an 11<BR>percent raise over two years, an annual cost-of-living<BR>adjustment to help workers keep up with inflation and a<BR>newfangled notion: an additional 2 percent annual<BR>raise, called the annual improvement factor, intended<BR>to let G.M.'s workers profit from the company's<BR>steadily improving productivity. (I write about this<BR>landmark contract in my book, "The Big Squeeze, Tough<BR>Times for the American Worker," pages 73-76.)<BR> <BR>Boeing, too, has been eager to expand, with its current<BR>backlog of 3,500 planes valued at $273 billion. (Like<BR>General Motors, it should be noted Boeing worried that<BR>a new, prolonged strike would give a big boost to its<BR>competitors, especially Airbus.)<BR> <BR>Boeing's four-year contract - its grand bargain with<BR>the International Association of Machinists and<BR>Aerospace Workers - contained many elements similar to<BR>those in the 1948 G.M. contract: annual wage increases<BR>of 2 percent, cost-of-living adjustments, a<BR>productivity incentive program intended to pay bonuses<BR>of 2 percent to 4 percent. In addition, Boeing gave the<BR>union something it badly wanted - it pledged to add<BR>several thousand jobs in Washington State (rather than<BR>another state) as it moves to expand production of its<BR>737 Max passenger jet to 42 aircraft a month from 35 a<BR>month.<BR> <BR>Tom Wroblewski, president of the machinists local that<BR>represents Boeing workers in Washington State, spoke<BR>for both sides when he said the agreement "signals the<BR>start of a new relationship that can both meet our<BR>members' expectations for good jobs, while giving<BR>Boeing the stability and productivity it needs to<BR>succeed."<BR> <BR>For Boeing, one big, additional benefit of the "grand<BR>bargain" is that the newly happy machinists union has<BR>promised - assuming the rank and file ratifies the deal<BR>- to push the National Labor Relations Board to drop<BR>its complaint against Boeing for building a $750<BR>million assembly plant in South Carolina rather than<BR>Washington State, a complaint originally brought at the<BR>machinists' behest.<BR> <BR>(I should note that Boeing, like G.M. six decades ago,<BR>can afford to be generous to its workers because it is<BR>in an oligopoly situation with few competitors, making<BR>it easier to pass on increased labor costs to its<BR>customers.)<BR> <BR>Because G.M. was the largest and most influential<BR>company in the nation, its 1948 contract generated a<BR>cascade of large me-too raises at companies across the<BR>United States. Not only that, its two-year bargain for<BR>labor peace was so successful that it caused G.M. and<BR>the auto workers to reach an even more generous five-<BR>year contract in 1950 that assured five years without<BR>strikes. In that agreement, G.M. promised the auto<BR>workers the highest employee pensions in the country.<BR>(In the new Boeing deal, the company - at a time when<BR>many companies are freezing traditional pensions and<BR>not giving them to new hires - agreed to make its<BR>pension formula more generous for current employees and<BR>to continue providing traditional pensions to new<BR>hires.)<BR> <BR>Like G.M.'s 1948 agreement with the U.A.W., its 1950<BR>contract caused a flood of copycat deals in which<BR>hundreds of other companies agreed to provide generous<BR>raises and benefits in exchange for years of labor<BR>peace - a wave of contracts that went far to create<BR>America's great middle class during the 1950s. As<BR>Nelson Lichtenstein wrote in his biography of Walter<BR>Reuther, "The Most Dangerous Man in Detroit," Business<BR>Week hailed the 1950 deal as "industrial statesmanship<BR>of a very high order" and The Washington Post declared<BR>it "a great event in industrial history."<BR> <BR>Professor Lichtenstein, a labor historian at the<BR>University of California, Santa Barbara, sees the<BR>Boeing deal as far different from the G.M. deal in one<BR>important respect. He does not believe other companies<BR>are going to rush to copy the Boeing deal. Indeed,<BR>Boeing signed its generous contract in an era when many<BR>companies are reluctant to deal with labor unions, and<BR>those that do often seem to be demanding concessions.<BR> <BR>Professor Lichtenstein said, "This kind of successful<BR>private-sector bargaining is so unusual today - and the<BR>Boeing situation is so different from the rest of the<BR>economy - that it will set no `pattern.'"<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><BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR><BR><BR> <BR></DIV></DIV>
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