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Submitted on Mon, 06/08/2009 - 10:41pm
By Greg Rodriguez
June 3, 2009 was a day of anger and sadness for people in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas—a region known for its vast rural landscapes and primarily immigrant community. At around 6:15 a.m., Southwest Workers’ Union (SWU) member Nadezhda Garza received a phone call from a detainee inside the Port Isabel Detention Center (PIDC). The worried voice on the other end of the phone line informed Garza that fellow detainee Rama Carty had been assaulted by four private guards and one federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent at around 5:45 a.m. The ICE agent allegedly involved was identified as Lieutenant Sandoval. When Carty demanded to speak with representatives of Amnesty International, USA, the guards proceeded to drag him away.
Policy Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights for Amnesty International, USA, Sarnata Reynolds, and a representative named Daryl Grisgraber, were at PIDC since June 2. They were writing up a report on conditions inside the facility, and met with Carty on the day before the assault.
Submitted on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 1:15pm
By Diane Krauthamer
Despite the torrential late spring rain, thousands of workers spent their May Day marching and rallying through the streets of Manhattan, displaying solidarity with workers at home and abroad. New Yorkers celebrated this international workers’ holiday with actions, events, marches and rallies, coordinated by a number of labor unions, community associations, political parties and non-profit organizations. In the spirit of celebration, the New York City IWW marched on Starbucks to demand that the coffee giant treat its workers with respect.
Beginning with a 2:00 pm a rally in the heart of Chinatown, the IWW joined hundreds of individuals from community and labor organizations to demand “Equal Rights for All Workers.” IWW members Stephanie Basile and Vance Hinton delivered powerful speeches on top of the soapbox.
“May 1st is the real Labor Day. They want us to forget that, but we’ll never forget. It was through collective action that those before us made the gains we currently enjoy today,” Basile said.
Submitted on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 3:55pm
By Greg Rodriguez,
[email protected]
Rio Grande Valley, South Texas --It is known that nearly one-hundred of the immigrants being detained at the Department of Homeland Security(DHS)/Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s(ICE) Port Isabel Detention Center (PIDC) have been on a hunger strike since April 22, 2009. PIDC is a prison used to detain immigrants arrested by the United States government. It is located in an extremely isolated area of the remote South Texas town called Los Fresnos.
The detainees have resorted to this form of non-violent direct action after months of demanding adequate medical attention and an end to abuses by guards; to no avail.
Submitted on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 3:28pm
By Adam Welch - originally posted here.
Yet again May Day quickly approaches.
Since 2006 the immigrant rights marches- made up of millions of
undocumented migrant workers along with their supporters, families and
children- has brought back May 1st to its original roots in the US. But
many are still unaware of its origins in US labor history and the
impact this commemorative day still has internationally- such as you
can still walk into neighborhoods in Mexico and find streets such as “Calle Los Mártires de Chicago” (Martyrs of Chicago Street).
Below is a short, pamphlet length piece I edited on the origins and radical history of May Day. For an in depth look you might try Paul Avrich’s classic “The Haymarket Tragedy” and AK Press offers a listing of books they carry on the subject here. -AW
What is May Day and why is it called International Workers Day?
May
1st, International Worker’s Day, commemorates the historic struggle of
working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country
except the United States and Canada. This is despite the fact that the
holiday began in the 1880’s in the United States, with the fight for an
eight-hour work day led by immigrant workers. The recent historic
marches and protests for immigrant rights, which began with “El Gran
Paro Americano 2006,” have brought back into our memories May 1 as an
important day of struggle. Although the history of the day has largely
been forgotten in the United States, it is still actively remembered
and celebrated today by workers, unionists and oppressed peoples all
over the world. In fact you can still walk through neighborhoods in
Mexico and find streets such as Calle Los Martires de Chicago in Oaxaca
City, Oaxaca, commemorating the leaders of the eight-hour day movement
who were imprisoned and executed.
Submitted on Sun, 04/26/2009 - 11:13pm
Happy International Workers’ Day!
Dear Friend,
This Friday, May 1st, is YOUR day, a day to celebrate all working people.
Please take a moment to thank your co-workers, friends, and family members for all the hard work they do every day.
Many people don’t know about the history of May 1st as a workers’ holiday. Here is some information on the roots of May 1st, also called May Day.
ORIGINS
The origins of International Workers’ Day go back to 1886, when hundreds of thousands workers across the United States went on strike. Workers demanded that their 10- and 12-hour workdays be shortened to an 8-hour day with no reduction in pay. Over the next few years, thousands of workers won the 8-hour workday that many of us still enjoy today.
REMEMBERING THE HAYMARKET MARTYRS
We also celebrate in memory of the Haymarket massacre, in which eight labor activists were framed and put on trial by the government. On May 4, 1886, there was a rally at Chicago’s Haymarket Square in support of striking workers from a nearby factory.
