Submitted on Thu, 08/17/2006 - 7:48am
Unterstützung für Call Center ArbeiterInnen in Melbourne. Rund 15 Leute folgten einem Aufruf der Kölner IWW und protestieren am Dienstag, den 15. August 2006 von 12.30 Uhr bis etwa 13.15 vor der Zentrale der Lufthansa AG an der Deutzer Brücke. An die Beschäftigten des Flugunternehmens, die zu diesem Zeitpunkt in die Mittagspause gingen oder aus selbiger kamen, wurden über 200 Flugblätter verteilt. Auf Schildern stand "Lufthansa / Global Tele Sales - Stop cutting wages!" und "Gegen das weltweite Lohndumping - Globale Solidarität". Die Aktion wurde beendet, nachdem die Lufthansa die Polizei gerufen hatte, die mit zwei Streifen anrückte. Wir wollten ohnehin gerade aufbrechen.
Was sind die Hintergründe?
Die Lufthansa-Tochter "Global Tele Sales" (GTS) betreibt weltweit die Call-Center für die Lufthansa AG. In Melbourne versucht das Unternehmen nun, eine reale Lohnkürzung von 15% durchzusetzen. Sie macht sich dabei die neuen arbeiter- und gewerkschaftsfeindlichen Gesetze zu Nutze, die von einer rechten Regierung gegen massive Proteste durchgesetzt wurden.
GTS ignoriert neuerdings den Tarifvertrag mit der Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft "Australian Service Union" (ASU) und bietet den 80 Angestellten des Melbourner Call Centers Einzelverträge an, die zum einen eine zehnprozentige Lohnkürzung beinhalten, desweiteren deutliche Verschlechterungen in Sachen Überstunden. Die Gewerkschaft errechnet insgesamt 15 % Lohneinbußen.
Wieso unterstützen wir ausgerechnet australische ArbeiterInnen?
a) Die Zentrale der Lufthansa Commercial Holding sitzt nun mal in Köln. Es wird die KollegInnen in Melbourne sehr freuen, unsere Unterstützung zu erfahren. Das Kapital agiert global. Wir sollten endlich nachziehen.
b) Der Streik bei Gate Gourmet in Düsseldorf und London-Heathrow hat gezeigt, dass im Bereich des Flugverkehrs der Klassenkampf von oben verschärft wird. Was heute in australischen Call-Centern passiert, kann jederzeit auf Betriebe in Europa übertragen werden. Da die Lufthansa (Gewinn 2005: 577 Millionen Euro) bis 2008 den Gewinn verdoppeln will, dürften weltweit andere arbeitnehmerfeindliche Maßnahmen folgen.
c) Wir haben von den Vorgängen in Melbourne über das International Solidarty Committee der I.W.W. via e-mail erfahren. Die ASU bat um Unterstützung.
Es handelt sich um die erste Aktion der Kölner Wobblies (IWW). Wir sehen - neben dem Aufbau einer kämpferischen Gewerkschaft vor Ort - die Stärkung der globalen Solidarität unter ArbeiterInnen als eins unsere wichtigsten Ziele.
Submitted on Fri, 07/21/2006 - 3:51am
Disclaimer - This is neither an official campaign of the Bay Area IWW General Membership Branch, nor is it a campaign of the IWW as awhole. This appeal is published in solidarity with the volunteers of the KPFA Labor Collective:
On March 8, 2006, the KPFA Program Council and the management of KFPA banned any further labor programming proposals from the KPFA Labor Collective for one year. This is even longer than the anti-labor Taft-Hartley which prevents strikes and lock-outs for 90 days.
The KFPA Labor Collective has produced labor programming for many years on Labor Day, May Day, MLK day and on Workers Memorial Day.
The Program Council instituted this ban without allowing the KFPA Labor Collective the opportunity to refute false charges against us.
At the same time more than 60% of the programming on KFPA is by music programmers while many of the working class issues that people face every day are kept off the air.
The KFPA Labor Collective has members from many unions including SEIU 616, NALC 214, IBT Local 70, SEIU UHW, IUOE 39, SEIU 1000. It has also received support from the San Francisco Labor Council, the Contra Costa Labor Council and many other trade unionists for a regular weekly one hour program.
Unfortunately, the KPFA management and some of the staff are not
interested in more community programming at KFPA. Some programmers have had their time slots for 20 and 30 years and they have many hours every week while labor and other community programmers are prevented from having regular programming.
The latest statement from Acting Manager Lemlem Rijio again supports the illegal banning by the Program Council and states that managment supports it despite the fact that there have been no hearings on the reason for the banning and no transparency on this flagrant act of censorship and intimidation. This will not stand.
KFPA is an important community resource for all the people of the bay area. It has the potential of reaching 6 to 7 million people in our
region and it is critical that it provide regular labor programming.
The banning for "disruption" and taking too much "time" to review labor programming proposals from the KPFA Labor Collective is unacceptable and an attack on labor free speech rights. It was also outside the rights of the Program Council and has been challenged by many members of the Local Station Board
We call for supporters of more labor programming to attend the
upcoming KPFA Local Station Board meeting on Saturday August 19, 2006 at 11:00 AM at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley1111 Addison/San Pablo near University Ave in Berkeley
We also call on all supporters of more labor programming on KFPA to
send letters.
Please go to the http://www.kpfa.org and email:
KPFA Local Station Board
Acting KPFA Manager Lemlem Rijio at 1929 MLK Bld Berkeley, CA
Pacifica Executive Director Greg Guma greg [at] pacifica.org
Please send a copy to http://www.kpfalaborcollective.org
Ms. Rijio's letter:
KPFA Acting Manager Lemlem Rijio
To: KPFA Local Station Board
From: Interim General Manager, Lemlem Rijio
Date: July 16, 2006
Administration
Program Council---The station management agrees with members of the LSB that the KPFA program council does not have any authority in personnel matters. However, the council¹s decision to ask a group of producers to hold-off submitting proposals for a year based on its own working relationship (or lack of) with the group of producers seems well within the authority of the program council.
I have asked our HR consultant to investigate whether there are any
personnel matters that require resolution. I expect a follow up report
from him in a few weeks.
Submitted on Fri, 07/14/2006 - 3:26am
The Industrial Workers of the World uses the Internet extensively to get the word out about its projects, including organizing Starbucks employees. “We find the Internet has been a wonderful tool for outreach, education, and information,” says Mark Damron, general secretary and treasurer of the IWW. “In the U.S., a shop cannot disallow organizing activity, but the Internet provides a good anonymous way for someone who is worried their workplace may frown upon union-organizing work.”
Todd Jordan could have taken to the streets to air his grievances with America’s bankrupt giant automotive parts maker, Delphi. But he’s got a better place to picket—online.
Mr. Jordan, a 29-year-old, third-generation autoworker, runs a blog called Futureoftheunion.com to keep rank and file Delphi employees informed about the latest developments in the company. The site is run by Mr. Jordan out of an office plastered with Che Guevara posters in Kokomo, Indiana.
Apart from serving as a rallying point for Delphi workers, the site calls for sweeping change within the United Auto Workers union. “It allows people not only to keep up to date on things important to them, but also enables workers to connect with each other who would otherwise not be able to,” says Mr. Jordan, a card-carrying UAW man who worked at Delphi’s Kokomo plant for nearly seven years. Mr. Jordan, who uses his blog to press for greater worker control of the union, says in a posting that he has “made a few enemies.”
Submitted on Tue, 05/23/2006 - 2:09pm
PR WATCH - The new industry-funded front group from lobbyist Rick Berman, the Center for Union Facts, has launched its first TV ad campaign. The 30-second spot, running on Fox News and local markets, has "actors posing as workers" saying "sarcastically what they 'love' about unions," like paying dues, union leaders' "fat-cat lifestyles," and discrimination against minorities. The ad campaign cost $3 million, which was raised "from companies, foundations and individuals that Mr. Berman won't identify."
Another TV ad will be filmed in June. Labor and economics professor Harley Shaiken said the effort "to create an anti-union atmosphere" more generally, as opposed to business-funded ads against a particular union organizing drive or strike, "is a new wrinkle."
Submitted on Tue, 04/18/2006 - 8:01pm
This is an AFL-CIO campaign; it is reposted here in solidarity.
KGTV, Channel 10, promises to be "on your side." But they are not on the side of their own employees. Engineers, Technicians, Directors, Photographers, Editors and Artists have been trying to negotiate a fair contract with Channel 10. These are the same people who bring you 10News, The 10NewsChannel (24-hour news coverage) and Azteca America (Cable 15), as well as your favorite ABC shows.
Read more about this campaign and take action: http://www.10newsunfair.com/