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Labor Alerts: a service of Campaign for Labor Rights
Posted May 2, 2002
Table of Contents:
MOBILIZED CAMPAIGNS (4 entries)
Tainan - Gap Factory in El Salvador
On April 26th the management of the Tainan factory in El Salvador announced
- through an article in local newspapers -- that workers who had been
suspended from the factory would NOT be returning to their jobs. The
workers in the Tainan factory have been organizing a union, Sindicato
de Trabajadores de la Industria Textiles (STIT) or the Industrial Union
of Textile Workers, in the second of the two plants at Tainan for almost
two years. STIT obtained legal recognition in July 2001 and had just
submitted a request to the Labor Ministry for collective bargaining
rights when the management made the announcement that it would close
the factory. Tainan then began to dismantle machinery in the factory
and initiated the legal process of dissolving the company. The company
had been suspending workers since last August claiming lack of orders,
though the union has evidence that the factory was receiving work and
sending it to other factories. Suspensions escalated sharply at the
beginning of April after a meeting between the Labor Ministry, the company,
and the union in which the company announced that it would offer full
severance benefits to anyone who would voluntarily resign. If workers
didn't resign, they would be suspended. Tainan El Salvador produces
for many US retail companies - its primary customer world-wide is the
Gap.
Tainan Enterprises operates factories in China, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Taiwan, and El Salvador. It has operated the factory in El Salvador
for two years. Now, just as the union in El Salvador requests permission
for a collective bargaining agreement, the parent company says it has
insufficient orders for its Salvadoran plants and is closing the facility
that has an active union organizing campaign. The workers at Tainan
El Salvador suffer forced overtime, harassment, and low wages at the
factory. Those who support the union hope that a union will empower
them to both speak out and end the on-going violations of their rights.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Tainan Enterprises must resume operations in Salvador
IMMEDIATELY, rehire all union workers, and negotiate in good faith.
Anything less indicates that Tainan Enterprises is a union-busting manufacturing
company. Contact Tainan Enterprises in Taiwan. Ask the parent company
to respect worker rights by reopening the factory, rehiring all the
union workers, and negotiating with the union in good faith. Fax: 011-886-6-230-6722,
e-mail: lindy@mail.tainantn.com.tw
~ For more information, contact Campaign for Labor Rights, clr@clrlabor.org,
or US/LEAP, www.usleap.org www.usleap.org/
Coalition of Immokalee Workers - Boycott
Taco Bell (Florida)
Campaign for Labor Rights is working with the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers (CIW), a farmworker organization based in Immokalee, Florida,
on their national boycott of Taco Bell. The members of CIW pick tomatoes
for Six-L's Packing Co. -- one of Taco Bell's principle partners for
the year-round supply of tomatoes -- receive sub-poverty wages, stagnant
piece rates, no right to overtime pay, no health insurance, no sick
leave, no holiday leave, and no pension. Six-L's pays today what the
industry paid as a standard piece rate over 20 years ago-40 cents per
32-pounds of tomatoes. And Taco Bell has the power and responsibility
to change this situation for the workers who plant, cultivate, and harvest
the tomatoes from which they profit. If Taco Bell were to pay JUST ONE
PENNY MORE per pound for the tomatoes it buys from Florida growers,
and the growers were to pass that extra penny on to the workers, the
rate paid to workers could nearly double!
Campaign for Labor Rights is helping to coordinate the student arm
of this campaign, affectionately called "Boot the Bell." Students across
the country whose dining halls are run by the food-service provider,
ARAMARK, are mobilizing to get ARAMARK to end its agreement with Taco
Bell which allows for Taco Bells to exist on their campuses. In a letter
that was delivered to Taco Bell executives at their headquarters in
Irvine, CA, dozens of college, university and high school students announced
their intent to kick Taco Bell off their campuses and out of their dining
halls. "Boot the Bell" is currently focused on the University of Chicago,
where students believe they are close to getting Taco Bell removed from
their campus. May will be an incredibly intense month of organizing
for the students at UofC, and they are calling for your support.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Send letters of solidarity and support to Leonore Palladino lmpallad@midway.uchicago.edu.
These letters will be delivered along with other materials to UofC administration
and ARAMARK representatives to demonstrate that not only do students
and faculty at UofC support booting the bell, but organizations and
individuals across the country also feel strongly that the UofC, ARAMARK,
and Taco Bell should stop supporting sweatshop working conditions.
~ For more information, contact Campaign for Labor Rights, clr@clrlabor.org,
202-232-5002, or check out CIW on the Internet at, www.ciw-online.org
Coca-Cola and the War on Unions in
Colombia
As a part of a campaign to support union organizing in Colombia, Campaign
for Labor Rights (in coalition with other groups) gathered student endorsements
for a letter to the Coca-Cola Company. This letter was delivered to
Coke during their annual shareholder meeting in Mid-April, and in it
students demanded that Coke take responsibility for the assassinations
of the trade union leaders at the bottling plants it buys from in Colombia.
In the mid-80's, Coke took this responsibility with its bottlers in
then-war-torn Guatemala and was able to stop a string of murders of
Coke union leaders. The student letter was one step in this campaign,
which is a coordinated effort among unions and labor rights organizations
in Colombia and here in the U.S. The groups involved include the biggest
Colombian Coke union, SINALTRAINAL, US/LEAP, the International Labor
Rights Fund, the United Steelworkers of America, and the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters. The campaign is built around a lawsuit against
Coke to take responsibility for its bottlers in Colombia - and the hope
is that pressure on different fronts - corporate and governmental -
will slow the militarism in Colombia and to create political space for
worker and other civil society organizing.
The civil war in Colombia is no doubt getting worse and is compounded
by continued military aid from the U.S. and the recent congressional
decision to give the country even more military aid to fight "terrorism"
in the country. Now the Bush Administration is considering not imposing
any conditionality on the money sent - no way to ensure that human rights
are respected. And, though Colombia is by far the most dangerous country
in which to be a union supporter (with more union murders there than
the rest of the world combined) Colin Powell recently certified Colombia
as in compliance with the human rights guidelines. Colombian union members
are targets because unions there are one of the few civil society movements
supporting the peace process and speaking out against civil war. In
the past few years, since the granting of US military aid to Colombia,
the assassinations of trade unionists in Colombia have skyrocketed.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
This campaign to force Coca-Cola to take responsibility for the murders
in their plants is one important way to support workers in Colombia.
Write a letter to Douglas Daft, Chairman of Coke. Tell him that Coke
has a responsibility to ensure the rights and safety of all workers
who produce, bottle and distribute Coke products. Demand that Coke take
immediate action to address the violence that has devastated Coca-Cola
bottling plant workers in Colombia and negotiate an enforceable global
agreement that with Coke unions and worker representatives that will
protect the rights and safety of workers. Send your letter to clr@clrlabor.org
and we will forward it on to the company.
~ For more information, check www.clrlabor.org,
www.usleap.org, Carin Zelenko, International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, (202) 624-8700.
Noboa (Bonita Brand) Bananas in Ecuador
More than 1400 workers at seven plantations producing for the Noboa
Company in Ecuador went on strike on February 25th to call for their
basic labor rights and the right to a union. Since the strike, 120 banana
workers have been fired and a police force has been stationed on the
plantation. In response to this anti-union intimidation, 300 banana
workers marched in protest in nearby Guayquil on March 12th. These new
anti-union activities place renewed responsibility on the Noboa Company
and its owner, Alvaro Noboa Ponton - who is expected to run for president
of Ecuador in the next election - to demonstrate respect for Ecuadorian
law and internationally recognized worker rights. There are over 220,000
banana workers in Ecuador! The Noboa Company is the fourth biggest banana
company in the world (after Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte) and owns the
Bonita brand.
The union has submitted to the Labor Minister an application for legal
registration. Assuming the Labor Minister approves the registration
of the new union, this will be the first independent banana workers'
union since the 1970s. The fight of the Ecuadorian banana workers is
being watched carefully by banana unions throughout Latin America, whose
wages and benefits are threatened by the dominance of non-union, low-wage
Ecuadorian banana exports.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Write a letter to the Noboa Company addressed to its owner, Alvaro
Noboa Ponton. Urge Noboa to (a) reinstate the fired workers, (b) comply
with Ecuadorian law concerning worker rights, (c) recognize the union,
and (d) negotiate the union's demands in good faith. Send the letter
to < clr@clrlabor.org >.
We will forward your letter, along with the 100s of others we will receive
to the company.
~ For more information, clr@clrlabor.org,
202-232-5002, or visit US/LEAP in the web at: www.usleap.org
U.S. DOMESTIC (2 entries)
Reports from the 2002 April 4 Day
of Action
On April 4, 2002, 34 years after his assassination, thousands of students
nationwide celebrated the too often untold legacy of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.'s support for the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Worker Strike. There
were over 100 events as part of this year's April 4th National Student
Labor Day of Action that involved a wide range of national student and
labor organizations and workers' rights campaigns. Co-sponsoring the
day of action were Jobs with Justice, the U.S. Student Association,
United Students Against Sweatshops, and the Prison Moratorium Project.
For a complete list of reports on the April 4 Day of Action go to:
www.jwj.org/SLAP/A4/2002reports.htm
Join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
at Taco Bell Shareholders'
Meeting Join this coalition of farmworkers at the Tricon shareholders'
meeting on May 16th in Louisville. Student, religious, and labor allies
will join together for a day of creative demonstrations and communication
with Taco Bell's shareholders. Tricon is Taco Bell's parent company,
and owns Pizza Hut, KFC, Long John Silver's, and A&W restaurants, forming
the largest restaurant system in the world. The Coalition of Immokalee
Workers launched a national boycott of Taco Bell just over one year
ago.
Check the CIW web site for more details (www.ciw-online.org),
or email coaimmwkr@aol.com.
INTERNATIONAL (4 entries)
Workers at Alcoa Plant in Mexico Form
Union
On April 30, about 400 employees from Alcoa Fujikura's Maquiladora de
Componentes Eléctricos de México (Macoelmex) formed a new union. Workers
cheered as they signed the charter for their union, the first step in
the registration process. Alcoa is the world's largest producer of aluminum.
Headquartered in New York City and Pittsburgh, Alcoa employs 129,000
people in 37 countries. Mexico's former president, Ernesto Zedillo,
was recently appointed to Alcoa's Board of Directors. Paul O'Neill,
Alcoa's CEO from 1987 until 2000, left the company to become secretary
of the treasury in the current Bush Administration. The Alcoa Fujikura
Ltd. (AFL) Division is one of the world's five largest manufacturers
of electrical distribution systems for motor vehicles. In Mexico, AFL
manufactures wire harnesses for Ford, Volkswagen, Subaru, Harley-Davidson,
and other firms. Its maquiladora operations in Piedras Negras and Ciudad
Acuña employ more than 14,000 production workers.
~ For more information contact the Mexico-U.S. Border Program of the
American Friends Service Committee: RHernand@afsc.org
Violence Against Colombia Trade Unions
Bulletin
The wholesale murder of Colombia's trade unionists shows no signs of
abating in 2002. CUT, the country's largest labor confederation, reported
45 union members murdered in 2002 as of April 4. Ten of the victims
were leaders, including members of local executive committees as well
as three union presidents. Forty-two of those murdered were members
of CUT, while three were members of the Christian-Democrat affiliated
CTGD, Colombia's second-largest labor confederation. Meanwhile, CUT
has updated its 2001 figures, using new information gathered from its
local affiliates; the confederation's new total of union members murdered
in 2001 now stands at 190 (up from the 171 reported in Bulletin #2),
of whom 51 were leaders. The independent National Labor College (Escuela
Nacional Sindical, ENS) reported a similar number of 184 union members
murdered in 2001. The 2000 total was 113.
For the full bulletin go to: www.usleap.org
Workers Hit by Wave of Repression
in Haiti
Haiti Support Group press release. 26 April 2002. " In a statement issued
on 24 April, the Haitian workers' organisation, Batay Ouvriye, denounces
a month-long wave of violent repression endured by workers and peasants
at the Guacimal orange plantation at St. Raphael in northern Haiti.
The violence perpetrated by police, acting in collusion with the local
landowners and agents of the Guacimal company, has forced workers in
the area to go into hiding. Two peasant farmers have been imprisoned
without trial for over a month, while another was arbitrarily arrested
last week. One worker was brutally beaten up on 22 March but when he
tried to file a legal complaint, the judge at the St. Raphael court
refused to hear him and made it clear he was not concerned with the
fate of the Guacimal workers."
For more information, go to: http://haitisupport.gn.apc.org/
Kukdong (Mexmode) Update -- Unionized
Workers Win a Wage Increase
On April 1, workers at the Mexmode (formerly Kukdong) garment factory
in Atlixco, Mexico reached a settlement that provides a significant
increase in their wages and benefits. The Mexmode plant produces sweatshirts
for Nike and Reebok, and licensed Nike sweatshirts for a number of US
universities that have adopted No Sweat purchasing policies. Last September,
the workers achieved a precedent-setting victory by winning the only
independent union with a signed collective agreement in Mexico's over
3,500 maquiladoras. Workers receiving the new attendance bonus (granted
to all workers who, in a given week, have no absences, instances of
tardiness or disciplinary violations) will take home up to 40% more
pay than they were receiving under the old contract. This large wage
increase will have a very significant impact on the ability of Mexmode
workers to support their families. Also on April 1st, Nike announced
the placement of a substantial order at Mexmode involving 215,000 units
of fleece apparel -- with a value to the factory of roughly $2.5 million.
~For more information go to: www.maquilasolidarity.org/campaigns/nike/,
or: www.workerrights.org
JOB/INTERNSHIPS POSTINGS ( 4 entries)
Pacifica Foundation seeks new Executive
Director
Founded in 1948 by anti-war and social justice activists, Pacifica is
the only listener-sponsored, community-based radio network in the nation,
with signal areas in Berkeley, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, D.C.
and New York City. The Executive Director will provide leadership during
period of transition to democratic governance and accountable decision-making
processes. Candidates must have demonstrated organizational and leadership
experience, the ability to work in collaboration with others, be a skillful
consensus builder, and be comfortable with controversy anddiverse points
of view. Letters of interest and resumes are due by May 10, 2002. The
Pacifica Foundation headquarters will move to Berkeley, California in
2002. EOE.
To apply, mail to Human Resources, Pacifica Foundation, 2309 Champlain
St., NW, Washington, DC 20009, or fax to (202) 234-7488.
Citizens Trade Campaign Seeks Program
Assistant
Citizens Trade Campaign (CTC) is a national coalition of environmental,
labor, consumers, family farm, and religious groups, united in a common
belief that U.S. policies on trade and globalization must reflect the
views and needs of the broad majority of Americans in areas such as
jobs, wages, the environment, food and consumer safety, and public health.
The Program Assistant reports to the Director and provides substantive
support to the Director in carrying out legislative trade campaigns.
Location: Washington, DC. Salary: $28,000 + benefits, 3 weeks paid vacation,
sick leave.
To apply, send resume, references and brief writing sample to: Citizens
Trade Campaign PO Box 77077 Washington DC 20013, fax 202-293-5308 or
email: gretchenliese@hotmail.com.
United Students Against Sweatshops
- hiring for 2 positions
United Students Against Sweatshops is currently hiring for two full-time
positions: Fundraising & Communications Coordinator and Field Organizer
at their national office in Washington, DC. USAS is a national student-run
organization with chapters across the country running exciting grassroots
campaigns focused on issues of worker rights and social and economic
justice from our campuses and communities to the factories across the
world manufacturing garments and other products for U.S. corporations
and universities. Each position requires a one to two year commitment,
a commitment to social and economic justice and a willingness to often
work long hours and weekends but with fulfilling results. All positions
offer a competitive non-profit salary, health and dental benefits and
flexible vacation time. People of color, women, working class, and LGBTQ
folks are strongly urged to apply.
~For more info contact: USAS, Attn: Job Search, 888 16th St. NW Suite
303, Washington DC 20006. E-mail: emailusas@yahoo.com.
Web: www.usasnet.org/
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
is seeking a Legislative Assistant
The Legislative Assistant provides administrative support to the GTW
staff in carrying out their research projects, grassroots education
and organizing and legislative campaigns. Manage several major databases
including data entry to facilitate the team's contacts with international
allies, government officials, press and U.S. citizens' groups. Assist
webmaster, assist in production of written products, copying of materials
and distribution including through Hill and press drops and mailings.
Management of in-house library and extensive filing system so as to
make accessible to the public many otherwise unavailable documents concerning
trade and globalization. This is an entry-level position.
To Apply: Send resume with cover letter to: Public Citizen, Attn. Personnel,
1600 20th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009. Job number (list-074b) must
be indicated. No calls please.
OTHER IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENTS (7 entries)
Help Campaign for Labor Rights Update
Our Database
Campaign for Labor Rights is known around the world as a powerful grassroots
mobilizing force within the anti-sweatshop movement. Help us grow our
organization and become even more effective - just click on the link
below, and fill out the form that appears. We will NOT share your contact
information without your explicit permission.
Find the form at: www.vidacom.org/clr/contact.html
NISGUA Delegation: Globalizing Justice.
July 5-14, 2002
Plan Puebla Panama, Free Trade Area of the Americas, and the Central
America Free Trade Agreement: Guatemala has found itself at the crux
of these three destructive programs. Join NISGUA as it explores how
communities are fighting back and demanding a more just globalization.
Visit La Quetzal, a G.A.P. community, to learn what they're doing to
fight the construction of dams on their river, and to talk with community
members about their sustainable forestry project. Visit Guatemala's
maquila sector to speak with workers about labor conditions; meet with
maquila union organizers; and learn how independent monitors are helping
ensure that companies treat their workers fairly.
~ For more information, contact NISGUA at 202-518-7638 or nisgua@igc.org
Justice in the Fields: July Workcamp
with NC Farmworkers
This week-long workcamp will educate participants about the history
and current situation of NC farmworkers through workshops about why
immigrant workers come to the US, the conditions in which workers live,
and organizing & advocacy efforts to improve things, including the Mt.
Olive Pickle Boycott. Participants will have the opportunity to interact
directly with workers and will engage in a construction project to leave
at a labor camp. Strong preference given to Spanish speakers. The fee
is $275 for one week and $250 for a second week.
To apply, download an application from the web: www.uusc.org/involved/ncworkcamp011502.html
~For more information, email us at justworks@uusc.org,
call 1-800-388-3920 or visit our website:
Global Activist's Manual
In this manual, three dozen organizers describe how they are working
to create a multiracial movement for global and local economic justice.
Working with different constituencies and issues across the United States,
they offer lessons that you should find valuable wherever you are. An
introduction by Naomi Klein starts the book. Essays by Elizabeth 'Betita'
Martinez ("Where Was the Color in Seattle"), Colin Rajah, Chris Crass,
and others strongly frame the challenge of race. Other case studies
cover coalition-building, cross-border work, direct action, corporate
and government campaigns. A "Practical Tips" section of basic organizing
skills is included as well as a brief movement directory.
to order single copies email, www.faireconomy.org. Check www.globalroots.net
for selected articles from the book.
Mexico-US Border Delegation -- June
1-8, 2002
The Mexico-US border is the only place in the world where an industrialized
capitalist country shares a 2000-mile land-locked border with the so-called
"third world." Maquiladoras (factories that produce for export) dominate
the economy of the region, paying low wages and offering oppressive
working conditions. Local authorities and factory owners stifle the
right of workers to organize. Immigration, too, is a major theme. As
low-quality US-grown corn floods the Mexican market, displaced farmers
wait in border cities to cross in search of employment. They risk their
safety and their lives in the process. Join Mexico Solidarity Network
on our first delegation to the border. The cost of the delegation is
$650 for double occupancy and $700 for single occupancy.
~For more information, contact the Mexico Solidarity Network at 773-583-7728
or msn@mexicosolidarity.org.
180/Movement for Democracy 3rd Campus
Democracy Convention
This August 1-4, 2002 at Kansas University. Students: are you working
on campiagns targeting your campus administration over issues of the
right to organize, civil rights and diversity, access to education,
research, technology, and curriculum, social responsibility, or campus
governance? Then you've probably noticed through your work that corporations
are moving steadily and strategically to colonize our schools, colleges,
and universities. Education, a potential well of democracy, is becoming
instead a source of conformity, profits, discrimination, and corporate
control. The 180/Movement for Democracy and Education stands in opposition
to the corporatization of education, and for a 180 degree turn towards
democracy.
~For more information contact: 180/Movement for Democracy and Education
Clearinghouse. P.O. Box 251701. Little Rock, AR 72225-1701. Phone: 501-244-2439.
Fax: 501-374-3935. E-mail: clearinghouse@tao.ca
Website: www.corporations.org/democracy,
www.corporations.org/180mde
Mexican Maquila Sector Has Worst Performance
in 35 Years
Last year was by far the worst in the 35-year history of Mexico's maquiladora
sector - the sector lost over 238,000 jobs. The declining US economy,
which imports some 90% of maquila production, and a strong peso accounted
for the severe downturn. Some maquiladoras shifted production to China,
Malaysia, Thailand, Ecuador, Guatemala and Honduras, where wages are
even lower than Mexico's legal minimum of 52 cents an hour. Baja California
was hardest hit because of the state's concentration of consumer electronics
and toy and recreational equipment manufacturers. Companies that left
Baja California last year included ALPS, a large Japanese electronics
manufacturer; Aldila, a Poway company that shifted golf-club production
to China; Saft, a French battery producer; and Kisho Electronics, a
Korean television and computer circuit board maker that moved to the
Philippines. Maquiladoras were introduced to Mexico in 1965, when the
government opened the first free trade zone, offering tax and tariff
breaks to foreign companies that permitted them to manufacture goods
for the US market.
~ For more information, contact the Mexico Solidarity Network www.mexicosolidarity.org
Report on Working Conditions in Soccer/Football
Factories in China
This new report, written by the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee,
documents the working conditions of workers in factories that produce
footballs, soccer, and basketballs in mainland China. Workers a three
companies were interviewed, giving a snapshot of their living and working
conditions. The three operations are run by Taiwanese and Hong Kong
owners manufacturing for brand names such as PUMA, WILSON, UMBRO, LOTTO
and DIADORA. Two of the factories have been supplying to ADIDAS, which
is the major World Cup sponsor. The findings reveal wage violations,
long working hours, poor living and health and safety conditions, and
lack of social security provisions.
Find the report on the Clean Clothes Campaign website: www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/china.PDF
"Argentina: Growing Movement for Workers'
Control"
Workers Power Global, Buenos Aires. "Nearly 200,000 workers have lost
their jobs in the first three months of this year, many as a result
of factory closures. But a growing minority in the working class are
refusing to accept these closures. Workers in a growing number of enterprises
decided to run production without the boss. According to cautious estimates
there are around 150 enterprises in the region of Greater Buenos Aires
which are either run under workers' control or as cooperatives. Against
this background the workers of the two most known occupied factories
- Zanon und Brukman - called for a "The Assembly for the defence of
occupied factories" on 13th April, in Buenos Aires. Around 700 people
participated in the conference under the open sky in front of the Brukman
factory."
For full article go to: www.workerspower.com/wpglobal/Argentina-Control.html
"Hats Off: US Cap Company Gets a Hard
Look from Universities"
Wall Street Journal. Apr. 2, 2002. "In recent months, Ohio State University,
the University of Iowa and other colleges have questioned or canceled
contracts with New Era Cap Co., a closely held firm near Buffalo, N.Y.
The schools are responding to allegations by the Worker Rights Consortium,
an anti-sweatshop group that has dealt with companies abroad, that U.S.
workers face unsafe conditions. New Era says the scrutiny is due to
a dispute with the Communications Workers of America union, which represents
some of its employees. 'We want to make sure rights are respected, whether
it's in Bangladesh or Buffalo,' says WRC's Scott Nova."
"Smithsonian to Collect Farmworkers'
Version of Statue of Liberty"
By Mireidy Fernandez. Thursday, March 28, 2002. "When Immokalee farmworkers
created their own version of the Statue of Liberty, they never imagined
Lady Liberty would one day become a permanent symbol of American history.
Two years after Collier County farmworkers used fabric and plaster and
painted the statue brown to symbolize a new generation of immigrants,
officials from the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C., have decided to collect the image as
an artifact. 'It's wonderful and it's evocative. It's a democratic movement
for a political voice and it's great because it reminds us of some of
the core values we think of as Americans and the freedom to participate,'
said Barbara Clark Smith, museum curator of social history."
For full article got to: www.naplesnews.com/02/03/naples/d758367a.htm
"D.C. Protest Organizers Join Arms:
Middle East Turmoil Becomes Uniting
Force"
By Manny Fernandez, The Washington Post. Published 4/14/2002
"The escalating violence in the Middle East has given a new emotional
urgency to social activism, uniting a diverse mix of demonstrators headed
to downtown Washington this week.Those opposed to global capitalism
and the U.S. policies that support it, others who have decried the war
in Afghanistan, and activists who objected to widespread arrests of
Muslims in the United States have joined pro-Palestinian groups to march
for a common cause...Working together under a room-for-all banner of
anti-oppression, four broad contingents plan four days of demonstrations
focused on marches and rallies next Saturday..."
For full article go to: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43015-2002Apr13.html
"How Living Wage Laws Affect Low-Wage
Workers and Low-Income Families"
By David Neumark. 2002.
"Since December 1994, many cities in the United States have passed living
wage ordinances. These ordinances typically mandate that businesses
under contract with the city, or in some cases receiving assistance
from the city (such as subsidies, grants, or tax abatements), must pay
their workers a wage sufficient to support a family financially. Baltimore
was the first city to pass such legislation, and nearly 40 cities and
a number of other jurisdictions have followed suit. Although living
wage laws have become popular nationally, California has to some extent
been at the forefront of the living wage movement..." Copyright © 2002
Public Policy Institute of California, San Francisco, CA. All rights
reserved.
For complete study go to: www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC156/index.html
Please send entries for next month's edition of Campaign for Labor
Rights'
Monthly Index to: clr@clrlabor.org
In Solidarity,
Campaign for Labor Rights Staff
202-232-5002
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