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CLR Monthly IndexJANUARY 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. CLR Campaigns 2. Domestic Campaigns 3. International Campaigns 5. Resources 6. Job listings <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< 1. CLR Campaigns 1.1 We’d rather go hungry than eat sweatshop
tacos 1.1 "We'd rather go hungry than eat sweatshop tacos!"ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE your community to converge on Taco Bell headquarters (Irvine, CA) for the national hunger strike and demonstration from February 24- 28, 2003! On February 24, 2003, farm workers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and their student, religious, and labor allies will begin an historic hunger strike outside Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, CA. Highlighting the injustice of fast food profits derived, in significant part, from farm workers’ starvation wages, the hunger strike will send a powerful message to executives at one of the world’s largest fast food corporations: END SWEATSHOPS IN THE FIELDS NOW! From February 24 to February 28, 2003, hunger strikers will stand vigil >at Taco Bell headquarters, while a caravan of workers and allies head south from Sacramento, CA, stopping at colleges and other communities to spread word of the hunger strike through teach-ins and protests at local Taco Bell restaurants. [If you live in California and want to know if the tour is coming to your town – or to host an event in your community – please visit the CIW website at www.ciw-online.org.] At the same time, solidarity fasts and protests will take place across the country, leading up to the national day of convergence at Taco Bell headquarters on Friday, February 28th. Increasingly, campus-based groups are succeeding in booting Taco Bell off their campuses, convincing administrators that the fast food corporation is a bad business decision. At the University of Chicago, the Anti-Sweatshop Coalition is working with the student government and administration to replace Taco Bell on campus. And in Pomona, CA, the CIW recently visited the Cal Polytechnic University, sharing their experiences of working long hours for little pay and no benefits; the campaign has so far succeeded in convincing students to eat elsewhere on campus. Similar campaigns and actions are gaining momentum on campuses throughout the United States. The Student – Farmworker Alliance (www.sfalliance.org) and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (www.ciw-online.org) are spearheading the “Boot the Bell” campaign. Check out their websites to download organizing packets that can help you launch a campaign in your community. The list of campaign endorsers has also grown to include Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, as well as When Corporations Rule the World author, David Korten. For a full list of endorsers, go to www.ciwonline.org/tz_site-revision/breaking_news/endorsements.html. Your PARTICIPATION is CRUCIAL. Here’s what you can do:
EMAIL OR CALL the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to discuss your involvement either in Irvine, CA or in your community – workers@ciw- online.org, (239) 657-8311 To learn how your community can launch a “Boot the Bell” campaign, please also visit the Student-Farmworker Alliance, www.sfalliance.org. For background information on the campaign, please visit the Campaign for Labor Rights, www.campaignforlaborrights.org. back to top 1.2 After Workers Unionize, Puma Cuts and Runs from MexicoEMAIL or CALL Puma CEO Jochen Zeitz and show your support for Matamoros Garment workers and to protest Puma’s “cut and run” departure from the Matamoros Garment factory. After working for over three weeks without pay - a violation of Mexican labor law - 190 of the 250 active workers at the Matamoros Garment company initiated a wildcat strike on Monday, January 13, 2003. Located in the central Mexican state of Puebla, workers charged that they "are forced to work mandatory overtime, the guard was given orders to lock the door, [and] wages are less than the [legal] minimum wage for the region. For example, the lowest wage is 39.00 pesos per day (approximately $3.90 USD). When the customers do audits of the factory, the company forces us to lie." Also that day, more than 160 workers formed an independent union – the Sindicato Independiente de Trabajadores de la Empresa Matamoros Garment (SITEMAG) or the Independent Union of Matamoros Garment Workers. As usual, the company informed the workers that they already had a union. And so for the first time in four years, the so-called "union representatives" visited the factory to persuade the workers to end their strike, work harder, and vote against an independent union. Collusion between company management and sweetheart unions is widespread in Mexico, especially in the garment industry, where companies chose a union often without the workers' knowledge. At the Matamoros Garment factory, workers have been "represented" by the CTM – Confederation of Mexican Workers – which is widely viewed as corrupt and authoritarian. Ironically, the CTM has signed an international agreement prohibiting this specific type of sweetheart or protection contract. During the one-day strike, workers attempted to contact Puma, the German sportswear producer that is one of the factory’s major customers. Puma’s Code of Conduct guarantees basic labor and human rights, including the freedom of association. Acknowledging the violations of its Code of Conduct, Puma promised "immediate action" and an immediate presence in the factory. On Friday, January 17th, plant manager John Whittinghill announced Puma’s immediate action: cancellation of its production orders from Matamoros and refusal to pay employees’ back wages. Shortly thereafter, Matamoros Garment initiated a systematic campaign of intimidation against independent union leaders and supporters. Puma, despite its promises, never sent any company officials to the factory. Instead, they just cut and ran. [Matamoros Garment is a factory that produces uniforms for restaurants and hospitals in the United States under the Angelica label, and sports apparel for the German corporation Puma. The factory employed over 1,000 workers at its peak, but most workers have recently left the factory frustrated with worsening working conditions, including late payment of wages. The workers suspect that these practices are being implemented to have workers resign, rather than being fired, which would require the company to pay severance.] Matamoros workers filed papers to gain legal recognition for their independent union on January 20th. Again the company response was immediate, and by the next day, all Puma tags were removed from the factory. Calling the independent union leaders into their office, Matamoros management informed them that, as a result of their efforts, the factory had indeed lost their Puma contract and would not pay their wages; workers were asked to retract their complaints, but refused once more. Next, Puma agreed to negotiate with the independent union if it retracted its complaints, itself a de facto recognition of the workers' independent union. This was an important initial victory, and an indication of how international solidarity can make a difference. Finally, on Friday, January 24th, Puma officially confirmed that it terminated its contract with Matamoros, claiming to have done so back in October 2002. And yet, workers continued sewing Puma apparel up until the wildcat strike on January 13, 2003. Puma cannot claim to have ended its contract in October 2002, because company officials were at the factory as recently as January 18, 2003. Puma must be held accountable for its actions. Puma waited until conditions of worker unrest and international pressure to disavow responsibility for workers' wages, although it profited off of apparel sewn between October 2002 and January 2003. Connection to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Mexico is the largest garment exporter to the United States, and the majority of garment workers are located in the central Mexican state of Puebla. Over 100,000 people sew apparel in Puebla, which is also known as the "FTAA Capital". This is because Puebla is the gateway to the widespread maquila industry in Mexico and the rest of Latin and Central America. Sweatshops are increasing as a result of free trade deals, because such agreements grant multinational corporations (MNCs) greater control over workers by allowing MNCs to threaten relocation when workers organize to demand higher wages, stronger job protection, and benefits such as health care. Essentially, the FTAA is creating a race to the bottom in terms of wages, job security, and benefits. During the first four years of NAFTA (1995-99), manufacturing wages in Mexico fell 21 percent, and have only started to recover. In Puebla, there is a stark contrast between high profits for maquila factory owners, on the one hand, and garment workers' abysmal labor conditions, on the other. And if workers resist the sweatshop system, state authorities have not hesitated to apply heavy-handed repression against independent labor movements, including assaults on workers with riot police and arrests of union leaders. Two years ago, a similar demand by Matamoros Garment workers for back pay ended when police attacked peacefully-protesting workers, leaving a number of them wounded; many of the workers were also locked out and never paid. We must let Puma know that it cannot wash their hands clean of labor rights violations. Puma must be held responsible for the physical, emotional and psychological violence that workers suffer now that Puma has cut and run. The Campaign for Labor Rights (CLR) will be closely monitoring the workers struggle in Matamoros and may also be engaged in a campaign against the Matamoros Garment factory, which services other US multinational corporations. New information will be posted on our website, www.campaignforlaborrights.org. In the meantime, EMAIL OR CALL Puma CEO Jochen Zeitz at jochen.zeitz@PUMA.com, (978)698-1124 and protest their "cut and run" departure from the Matamoros Garment factory. Please also visit Sweatshop Watch, www.sweatshopwatch.org and United Students against Sweatshops, www.usasnet.org, for more background information on the garment industry. back to top <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< 2. Domestic Campaigns2.1 Big victory in the struggle for justice at Azteca
Foods 2.1 Big Victory in the Struggle for Justice at Azteca FoodsCALL Azteca Foods and urge the company to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract. Workers on strike against Chicago-based Azteca Foods declared a major victory on January 28, 2003 as the Hyde Park Food Co-op Board of Directors announced its support of the national boycott against Azteca. The Board voted at their meeting to stand with the workers and not stock Azteca tortillas, shells, chips or Buena Vida tortillas until the strike has ended. Many allies, including the University of Chicago's United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) chapter, as well as members from Seminarians for Worker Justice supported the workers. As the board voted unanimously in support of the resolution with only one abstention, the crowd in the packed community meeting room at the Co-op's 47th Street location cheered wildly. Josefina Bonilla, an Azteca worker who testified prior to the board's vote, exclaimed afterwards, "The Hyde Park Food Co-op sent a very strong message last night to Art Velasquez (Azteca Foods President and CEO) that union busting will not be tolerated by the Chicago community. We really appreciate the Board's solidarity and the support that they are giving us in our fight for a fair contract." Background to the Struggle For years, workers at Azteca Foods faced verbally abusive supervisors and workplace injuries like burns and rashes. Mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants from Mexico, Azteca workers have given many years to the company; the majority of them have been there more than 12 years. They also faced a corrupt company union that threatened workers and did its best to protect the company. Demanding a fair raise, health and safety protections in the plant, improvements in their health insurance, fair pensions for retirement, union security, and respect for their years of service, Azteca workers voted 3 to 1 to form a real union that would represent their interests in April 2002. The following month, workers and UE officials sat down with Azteca management to engage in serious negotiations and secure improvements in workplace safety and wages. But instead of negotiating fairly, Azteca - a profitable and growing company with annual revenues of up to $33 million - insisted on cutting what benefits workers had for many years. Seeking to cut medical and maternity leaves, eliminate seniority rights, expand the use of temporary workers who make around minimum wage with no benefits, and ban all union newsletters from the company premises, the company also violated workers' rights via threats, interrogation and acts of surveillance. As a result, Azteca workers went on strike to protest the company's unfair labor practices on September 30, 2002. The picket line remains solid and spirits high, thanks to an outpour of community support in Chicago, the Midwest and worldwide. Over 3,000 emails have flooded Azteca Foods headquarters in Chicago, while activists in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee have leafleted retail stores, encouraging consumers to boycott Azteca. In spite of appeals from religious and community leaders to negotiate fairly, Azteca owner millionaire Arthur Velasquez continues to demand concessions from the employees. CALL Azteca Foods at 1-800-475-7997 to support Azteca workers and urge the company to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract. SEND a boycott email pledge, and encourage others to do so as well - www.ranknfile-ue.org/cm/azteca.php. DOWNLOAD fliers from the UE website, www.ranknfile-ue.org, and LEAFLET outside local retailers that stock Azteca Foods products. For more information, please visit the UE, www.ranknfile-ue.org, or call (312) 829-8300 and the Campaign for Labor Rights, www.campaignforlaborrights.org. back to top 2.2 Dining Service Workers at Xavier & Eastern Connecticut State Universities Win Union BidsAfter a two-year campaign, the 98 food service workers at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH have completed the union organizing process as set forth by school President Father Michael Graham. The workers - employed by Sodexho -- are now represented by Local 12 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) and will soon negotiate their first union contract with Sodexho. On April 19, 2002, Father Graham issued an historic statement, guaranteeing workers important protections as they undertook the union organizing process. Valerie Isaac, a Sodexho employee at Xavier for the past 16 years, expressed her excitement to begin contract negotiations. HERE organizer, Ryan Nissim-Sabat noted that the campaign received critical support from student groups and the Cincinnati Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. Similarly, 73 Sodexho employees at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) in Willimantic, CT achieved union recognition in mid December after a ten month organizing drive. HERE organizers noted that the university administration's neutrality was instrumental in ensuring a fair process for allowing workers to decide on whether or not they wanted a union. Also critical was the community support from three members of the local clergy: Reverend Richard DuVall of the First Congregational Church of Willimantic, Rev. Paul Murdoch of the Iglesia Sagrado Corazon and Rabbi Jeremy Schwartz of the Temple B'Nai Israel. More than 80 percent of the workers indicated support for the union, following a pledge of neutrality by ECSU officials. The union, HERE Local 217, is forming a negotiating committee for its first contract talks with Sodexho. For updates on the workers' union contract negotiations, please visit the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE), www.hereunion.org. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 3. International Campaigns3.1 Mexico controversy dominates COSTCO
meeting 3.1 Mexico Controversy Dominates Costco MeetingORGANIZE leafleting actions at local Costco stores to protest the destruction of murals and dozens of 100 year old trees at the location of a planned Costco store in Cuernevaca, Mexico Costco shareholders raised concerns about the company's destruction of historic murals and green space in Cuernevaca, Mexico at the company's annual meeting held in Seattle, WA on January 30, 2003. Joined by community leaders from Cuernevaca, shareholders pointed to rising anger throughout Mexico over the destruction of exceptional murals and scores of century-old trees at the site of a planned Costco store. After only two shareholders' comments on the subject, CEO Jim Sinegal and Board Chairman Jeff Brotman issued a blanket denial and declared the matter closed. They cut off others waiting to speak, including two Cuernevaca citizens who traveled to Seattle for the meeting. Cuernevaca community leader Vera Sisniega said she is "disappointed to get the same runaround from Costco senior management in the U.S. that we [sic] have experienced in Mexico." Shortly after Seattle-based supporters unfurled a 20-foot banner that read "Costco Don't Destroy Cuernevaca" and before answering shareholders' questions, Sinegal and Brotman adjourned the meeting. Citizens and community groups in Cuernevaca have drawn widespread support throughout Mexico and in the United States. "We empathize with the people in Mexico who have been fighting this corporation in their country", said Kathleen Casey of the Sierra Club. Community Alliance for Global Justice Director, Jeremy Simer, demanded that Costco be held accountable for the destruction they have already caused. Simer added, "Costco executives have refused to listen to the people of Cuernevaca, but today they heard them loud and clear." DOWNLOAD fliers on Costco's destructive environmental actions in Cuernveca, Mexico from the Mexico Solidarity Network website, www.mexicosolidarity.org. For more background information on the campaign against Costco, please read CLR's December 2002 Index available at www.campaignforlaborrights.org/alerts/2002/Dec18-02-DecIndex.htm. Also visit the Cuernevaca community organization, Frente Civico Pro Casino de la Selva, website, www.procasino.org as well as the Mexico Solidarity Network, www.mexicosolidarity.org. back to top 3.2 Bed & Bath Workers End Picket, But Continue CampaignBed and Bath workers in Thailand are seeking continued support in their struggle against the Bed and Bath company as the workers take their case to court and start up their own apparel-producing cooperative On January 31, 2003, the remaining 171 picketing workers -- out of a total 350 Bed & Bath workers -- decided to accept a severance package from the Thai Ministry of Labour (MoL) in the amount of 8,900 baht per worker. This figure is equivalent to about 30 percent of their legally entitled severance wages; the first group of over 100 workers to accept the MoL's offer received 80 percent of their full severance, while the second group representing 20 percent of the workforce collected only a tenth of the back wages owed them. The picket outside the MoL has therefore ended. However, the campaign against the Bed & Bath company is still active. Appointed leaders representing all 350 workers will follow up on the case to pressure the Thai Government into bringing the factory owners -- that are now supposedly hiding in the United States -- to trial. In the meantime, the workers' representatives have decided to rent a house and use it as the campaign's headquarters as well as a 60-worker apparel-producing cooperative. Sujanthra, one of the appointed leaders, explained that the workers established their own cooperative because they felt that severe exploitation and repression would continue if the factory re-opened. The decision to end the picket outside the MoL was reached due to the increased willingness on the part of government negotiators to meet the needs of the locked-out workers as well as the workers extremely difficult to provide for themselves and their families' needs without any severance pay. At the end of the picket, the workers thanked many of the international groups (Thai Labour Campaign, Clean Clothes Campaign, Campaign for Labor Rights, UNITE, Maquila Solidarity Network, and numerous labor unions throughout Asia and Europe) that have supported the Bed & Bath workers, noting that without their help, the struggle may not have progressed as far as it did. To follow the updates and developments of the campaign and to learn how you can help, please visit the Thai Labour Campaign website, www.thailabour.org and the Clean Clothes Campaign, www.cleanclothes.org. For background on the Bed & Bath campaign, read CLR's December 2002 Index, www.campaignforlaborights.org/alerts/2002/Dec18-02-DecIndex.htm. 3.3 The Calculus of War: Who Profits? Who Loses?The Campaign for Labor Rights has declared its opposition to a war against Iraq, and recently put together a leaflet -- titled "The Calculus of War: Who Profits? Who Loses?" -- outlining objections and demands to the Bush Administration. "Bush's permanent, open-ended 'war on terrorism' is being waged on many fronts - in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Central Asia and here in the US itself. Dick Cheney says this war may continue for a lifetime. The peoples' legitimate concerns about terrorism must not be used as pretexts to advance the corporate agenda. If the U.S. occupies Iraq, its first order of business according to Secretary Powell will be to secure the oil fields and increase oil production." To read and download CLR's flyer, please visit our website, www.campaignforlaborrights.org/alerts/ 2003/Jan18-CalculusOfWar.htm. back to top 3.4 Labor Opposes a War against IraqOn the eve of the meeting between US President George Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, the ICFTU-affiliated AFL-CIO (US) and TUC (Great Britain) have appealed in a joint letter on January 30, 2003 to the two leaders to allow the United Nations Iraq weapons inspectors adequate time, and to "take every possible step to achieve the legitimate ends of disarming Iraq without recourse to war". The letter, signed by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and TUC General Secretary John Monks, urges the two governments to continue to work against totalitarianism and terrorism through the United Nations, and stresses that if the path of war is chosen as a last resort, it should be done on the basis of the fullest possible support of friends and allies of the two countries. The 700,000-member Communication Workers of America (CWA) union also recently passed a resolution against a war on Iraq. Their statement can be read at: www.cwa-union.org/issues/iraq.asp To read the full text of the Sweeney-Monks letter, go to: www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991217055&Language=EN For more information and lists of labor unions and Central Labor Councils that have denounced war against Iraq, please visit the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, www.icftu.org. back to top <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< 4. Announcements4.1 CLR’s year in review (2002) 4.1 Campaign for Labor Rights' Year in Review (2002)The CLR year in review highlights important victories for workers in the midst of a political landscape hostile to people's rights and an economic environment that taxes the resources of even the leanest of organizations. To read the review in full, visit our website, www.campaignforlaborrights.org/donate/clr29.htm. back to top 4.2 "All Bush wants is Iraqi oil", says MandelaSpeaking at the International Women's Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa on January 30, 2003, former President Nelson Mandela stated that Bush wants to attack Iraq in order to "get hold of the Iraqi oil." To read the full article and about the Bush Administration's response to Mandela's comments, please visit Independent Online (IOL), www.iol.co.za. back to top 4.3 Rainforest Action Network (RAN) Hosts Strategic Action TrainingsFor years, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has been at the forefront of the radical ecology and environmental movement, using strategic non-violent direct action to win protection for the world's endangered forests and the cultures and creatures that call these places home. RAN's activist network has been active on campaigns such as stopping Citigroup and the World Bank from funding destructive fossil fuel investments, preventing old growth logging in Boise, Idaho, and local community campaigns. The Strategic Action Training is a weekend-long program, offered in key regions throughout the United States. Featuring local and RAN trainers, the training can help you with specific needs for individual campaigns and projects such as street theater, media work, and fundraising. For more information and to sign-up for a training program, please visit the Rainforest Action Network on the web at www.ran.org or call (415) 398-4404 back to top 4.4 Wal-Mart wins Sweatshop "People's Choice Award" by a LandslideThe Maquila Solidarity Network has announced the winner of the 2002 Sweatshop Retailer "People's Choice Award" bestowed upon the company most closely connected with sweatshop abuses for that year. Close to 2,000 people in Canada and 27 other countries voted online in the annual poll. Wal-Mart received 56 percent of the vote, while Disney came in second with 22 percent. Other nominees this year included Nike, Gap, and Hudson's Bay Company. Cited for its poor treatment of employees and its contribution to the global sweatshop problem, Wal-Mart has even stooped to profiting from employee deaths by taking out life insurance policies on its workers, payable to the company. Among Canadian voters, Disney and Hudson's Bay Company nearly tied for second place. Canada's oldest retailer, Hudson's was caught red-handed having made clothes for its Zellers stores in three sweatshops located in Lesotho. When informed of the serious labor rights violations in these supply factories, the company cut and ran, terminating orders and abandoning workers. For more information about Maquila Solidarity Network campaigns, please visit their website, www.maquilasolidarity.org. back to top 4.5 Turning the Tide: The Growing Resistance to Neoliberalism in Latin AmericaOn February 21 and 22, 2003, NYU Department of History and Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Information Network of the Americas, Left Turn Magazine, and the Committee for Social Justice in Colombia will host the "Turning the Tide: The Growing Resistance to Neoliberalism in Latin America" conference at New York University's Silver Center. Conference speakers include Oscar Olivera from Cochabamba, Bolivia and Evo Morales, president of the Bolivian coca grower's union and leader of Bolivia's largest opposition party, Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS). Panelists will address the social consequences of economic reforms in Latin America and recent challenges to these policies, such as the new social movements that have emerged in Argentina; anti-privatization battles in Bolivia and Colombia; environmental protection movements in the Amazon; and the turn to the organized left in Brazil. For a full list of conference participants and panels, as well as registration information, please contact J.P. Leary, jpl257@nyu.edu. back to top <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< 5. Resources5.1 Responsible shopper software 5.1 Responsible Shopper SoftwareConsumer spending has a profound impact on corporate policy, yet individuals rarely have the information they need to consciously exercise their power. Co-Op America is providing the Social and Environmental insight icons for the Green Thumbs-Up Software via its Responsible Shopper website, www.responsibleshopper.org. Individuals can click on the icons for more information, including corporate profiles highlighting both positive corporate behavior such as progressive recycling initiatives and support for international human rights. Also included are examples of destructive corporate policies such as the use of sweatshops, employee disputes, and privacy concerns. In addition, the system automatically generates donations for environmental causes when shopping at over 150 online stores. To download the Green Thumbs-Up Software, go to www.care2.com/greenthumb/. back to top 5.2 Berlin Conference Book Now AvailableAfter many months of hard work, the 152-page book with the full report of the February 2001 Berlin Conference Against Deregulation and For Labor Rights for All is available. It's a magnificent book, a must read for every unionist and activist fighting corporate globalization and for trade union rights in every country. Activists and unionists from over 40 countries share their stories and conference presentations in this book, which are chilling indictments of the "New World Order." Their presentations weave together a story of worker resistance as told by participants in the massive struggles waged by working people and the oppressed on all continents. Also, their messages constitute a call to mobilize ? in unity and across borders ? in defense of worker's hard-earned rights and gains, in defense of the independence of their unions and organizations. The Open World Conference Continuations Committee, which is based in the San Francisco Labor Council, is selling this fabulous book for $15.00. Funds raised through the sale of the book will go to new organizing campaigns, as well as the upcoming Western Hemisphere Conference Against the FTAA, to be held in Brazil in July 2003. To read the table of contents and to order a copy of the book, please go to the Open World Conference of Workers website, www.owcinfo.org/News/Berlin%20Book.html. back to top 5.3 Resources for Fair Trade OrganizingThe movement against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is gaining support in the United States and throughout Latin and Central America. Fair trade is a democratic, sustainable, and equitable alternative to free trade policies such as NAFTA, which have created a race to the bottom throughout North America. There is nothing free about free trade: workers' rights (including falling wages and lack of freedom of association), the environment, human rights, and accountability have all been sacrificed for corporate profits. There are several tools and resources that activists can use in order to build local campaigns for fair trade:
5.4 A Timely Resource: US Labor Against the WarThe Labor Against the War listserv is a resource for the pro-labor, anti-war community in the United States. To join, send an email to LaborAgainstWar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com back to top <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 6. Job listings6.1 Field internships with Student
Action with Farmworkers (SAF) 6.1 Field Internships with Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF)Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) has 30 "Into the Fields" internship positions available for the summer of 2003 (program runs from June 1-August 10, 2003). SAF links students with farmworkers to improve the living and working conditions of farmworkers in the Carolinas and to build student commitment to social justice and direct action. Into the Fields is a ten-week internship and leadership development program for college students to work for fairness in our agricultural industries. For more information, contact Libby Manly, (919) 660-3652, levante@duke.edu. Applications are due by February 10, 2003. To download an application, go to www.saf-unite.org and click on Into the Fields. back to top 6.2 Youth Program DirectorStatewide Latino organization seeks Youth Program Director for its tobacco prevention campaign. Excellent bilingual skills (oral and written), and a background in public health or program management required. For full job description, please go to www.elpueblo.org. Applications are due by February 10, 2003. To apply, send cover letter and CV to: Sandra Rodriguez / El Pueblo, 118 South Person St / Raleigh, NC 27601 Sandra@elpueblo.org. 6.3 Research Associates/FellowshipsA collaborative project of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), the Five College Women's Studies Research Center invites applications for its 2003-2004 Research Associate and Fellowships. Scholars and teachers at all levels, as well as artists, community organizers and political activists - local and international ? are welcome to apply. Associates are provided with offices in our spacious facility, computer access, library privileges, and the collegiality of a diverse community of feminists. Applicants for both programs should submit a project proposal (up to 4 pages), curriculum vitae, two letters of reference, and application cover sheet. Scholarships are available from the Ford Foundation. For more information, contact the Center at (413) 538-2275, fcwsrc@wscenter.hampshire.edu, www.wscenter.hampshire.edu/. Applications are due by February 10, 2003. To apply, send all application materials to: Five College Women's Studies Research Center / Mount Holyoke College / 50 College Street / South Hadley, MA 01075-6406. 6.4 Field Organizer with Massachusetts Jobs with JusticeThe Field Organizer will be responsible for organizing and outreach around particular current campaigns that build solidarity for workers' rights. Major roles and responsibilities: organize and mobilize for actions, events, and press conferences for current campaigns (strikes, contract campaigns, collective bargaining, others); represent JWJ for current projects; participate in national JWJ activities when appropriate (annual meeting, trainings, conference calls, etc.). Shared responsibilities: plan meetings of the Executive and Steering Committees; recruit volunteers; plan demonstrations and rallies; coordinate volunteer committees; produce JwJ written materials, leadership development (interns and volunteers), and general office maintenance. Approximately $30-34,000 (DOE) plus health care and three weeks paid vacation. Position opens February 15, 2003. For more information, please go to Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, www.massjwj.net. 6.5 Executive Director with Witness for PeaceThe Executive Director position is based in Washington, DC. However, the job requires frequent travel both in the United States and abroad. The director must provide strong leadership that is balanced with an equally strong respect for the organizational culture and community. The Witness for Peace teams in the field offices, in DC, and in the regional organizing offices around the US all consider themselves part of both a work team and a community. The Executive Director must play the dual role of ensuring both the quality of the work, and the health of the community. The Executive Director will be expected to play a key role in all fundraising programs of the organization. For more information, please go to www.witnessforpeace.org. Applications are due by March 1, 2003. To apply, send a resume/CV and cover letter by mail or electronically to: Leigh Carter / Witness for Peace Search Committee / P.O. Box 53144 / Washington, DC 20009 / ed-search@witnessforpeace.org. 6.6 Autry FellowshipThe Autry Fellowship's goal is to increase economic opportunities for poor people and poor places in North Carolina and across the South by developing, over time, a cadre of young leaders who have experience in issues related to economic development, workforce development, and community capacity building in the South and are poised and ready to apply their new learning to benefit this state and the region. The Fellowship provides a one-year, full-time paid position for a recent college graduate to work at MDC, Inc. Applicants must either be in their final year of undergraduate or graduate study at or have graduated within the past two years from any four-year college or university in North Carolina or at Furman University; graduates must have one to two years of work experience. The application process is competitive, with review of candidates and applications by a selection panel. For more information or an application, go to the MDC, Inc. website, www.mdcinc.org or contact Leah Totten at (919) 968-4531 or ltotten@mdcinc.org. Applications are due by March 14, 2003. 6.7 Organizing Internships with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) FLOC is looking for 6-10 full time interns to spend the summer building a farm worker union in the fields of North Carolina. FLOC has called a National boycott of the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. and is organizing North Carolina cucumber pickers to win a union voice for some of the lowest paid workers in the second-most dangerous industry in the US. Interns will organize in pairs at selected labor camps throughout the summer. You will be involved in building relationships with workers at labor camps, conducting house meetings, organizing camp educational meetings, resolving camp grievances, and organizing demonstrations. Also, interns will be involved in community organizing and helping run the FLOC office. Training will include farm worker history and basics, the agricultural industry, the H2A guest worker program, health and safety laws in agriculture; immigration issues and laws, conflict situations, organizing and union basics. For more information, go to www.floc.com. Applications are due by March 15, 2003. To apply, send a resume and a cover letter via email, fax, or snail mail to Farm Labor Organizing Committee / P.O. Box 557 / Dudley, NC / Fax: (919) 731-4441 / Email: bpendergrass@floc.com, Tel. (919) 731-4433. back to top <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< Please send entries by February 14, 2003 for next month's edition of Campaign for Labor Rights' Monthly Index to: organize@clrlabor.org and type "February Index" in the subject line. In Solidarity, Campaign for Labor Rights Shrayas Jatkar, Coordinator |
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