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San Francisco Bay Area GMB

This is the news page for our San Francisco Bay Area General Membership Branch. To get an overview about our contact info, news and events, please visit our home page.

Motion Passed by SFBA GMB of the IWW on Siege of Gaza

Submitted on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 7:59pm

The following motion was passed at the San Francisco Bay Area GMB January meeting, Thursday, Janury 8, 2009 with few dissenting votes:

"WHEREAS the Apartheid State of Israel has conducted a siege of Gaza for many months; and

WHEREAS this siege, itself, is an act of war as well as an act of collective punishment; and

WHEREAS  this siege is simply a further extension of the apartheid policies of the State of Israel, including calls within Israel for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Israel, stealing of land and water rights from Palestinians both within Israel as well as in the West Bank, and the
building of the Apartheid Wall, as well as other measures; and

WHEREAS the Industrial Workers of the World stands for working class unity, which is impossible as long as any sector of the working class is oppressed in the way that the Palestinian people are by the State of Israel; now be it

RESOLVED that the San Francisco chapter of the IWW unreservedly condemns the Israeli attack on the people of Gaza; and be it further

RESOLVED that we also oppose all terrorist acts aimed at civilians, whether they be Palestinian, Jew or anybody else, and in this particular case we recognize that the rocket attacks on Israel being carried out by Hamas can only serve as a cover for official Israeli racism and expansionism, even though we recognize that the State of Israel bears primary responsibility for the situation; and be it further

RESOLVED that we call for complete Israeli withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders, including dismantling of the settlements and the Apartheid Wall, the right to return of the Palestinians driven into refugee status, and for equal rights for all within the State of Israel; and be it further

RESOLVED that we recognize that the Histadrut leadership, in their support for the Israeli bosses and the bosses' politicians as well as their support for the apartheid policies of the State of Israel, have placed themselves squarely in the camp of the class opponents of the working class; and be it further

RESOLVED that we oppose the state imposition of or support for any religion; and be it finally

RESOLVED that we will support any steps to oppose division within the working class as well as racism and all forms of special oppression in our struggle for workers' rights and workers' power internationally."

IWW Workers at Curbside Ready to Strike - Solidarity Needed

Submitted on Tue, 12/30/2008 - 5:46pm

Everyone - Workers at Curbside recycling are bargaining over wages and benefits on their contract. This is to take effect starting Jan. 1.
 
We do not have an agreement yet. The Ecology Center, which runs Curbside has taken the position that any agreement in January will not be retroactive to Jan. 1.
 
Workers at Curbside have decided that unless they back down on this, they will strike on Jan. 1. A strike is not definite; management could still change its position on this, but we need to begin preparing for a strike now.
 
Anybody who can get out to Curbside first thing Friday, Jan. 2 first thing in the morning - your presence would be greatly appreciated. I think we need to start gathering at 6:30 a.m., but if people can only come later, this would be good too.
Call 510-845-0540 for details.  

San Francisco activists demonstrate in solidarity with Republic Windows & Doors workers

Submitted on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 6:18pm

By Richard Becker - Tuesday, December 9, 2008, Originally posted at Party for Liberation and Socialism.

A sit-in and protest was held in San Francisco on Dec. 9 as an act of solidarity with workers who have been sitting-in since Dec. 5 at the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago . Four people were arrested after sitting in at a downtown office of the Bank of America during the protest in San Francisco.

Bank of America, which has received tens of billions in taxpayers money from the bank bailout, triggered the plant closing by cutting off credit to the company to pay workers their wages and ongoing expenses. The shutdown of the plant without notice is a violation of federal law.

The workers, members of the United Electrical Workers union, have refused to leave the factory until they are paid in full for wages, unused vacation time and other compensation due to them. They are also demanding that Bank of America extend credit so that the plant can remain open and they can keep their jobs.

Mark Cuban: The Perils of Ayn Rand Populism

Submitted on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 8:45pm

Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.

Stonemountain Workers Score 3-year Contract, Raises, Healthcare!

Submitted on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 11:23am

The workers and management at Stonemountain & Daughter, a Berkley California based Fabric Store, have signed a new contract. Tentative agreement on the contract was reached in the final bargaining session on the night of June 26th, the shop vote was unanimous in favor of the contract, and the contract was officially ratified on July 22nd.

The gains for all the workers in the shop are huge: a raise in the starting wage from $9.25 per hour to $10.60 per hour, employer funded health care for employees working over 24 hours per week, a 35% raise in paid time off, new holidays, and even an easy chair in the break room. In a win for the campaign to retain the eight hour day, all overtime is now guaranteed to be voluntary, meaning that anyone who chooses to work only eight hours cannot be disciplined for refusing overtime.