Submitted on Tue, 01/19/2010 - 9:00am
Con:
- Inmigrantes detenidos en huelga de hambre en el centro de ICE del Sur de Texas
- Trabajadores de la construcción se organizan para trabajo y condiciones seguros
- Trabajadores de la ciudad de nueva York luchan contra sus jefes, lluvia el Primero de mayo
- El primer sindicato de Starbucks en America Latina
PDF
Submitted on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 7:55pm
Disclaimer: the following is the opinion of the author and not the official position of the IWW.
When the earthquake leveled much of Haiti, including the
Presidential Palace, it destroyed the capitalist state apparatus as well as
buildings and lives. In a country whose history includes bloody repression and
paramilitary death squads, all reports were that both the police and the
military had disappeared from the streets.
For several days, the US administration dithered,
uncertain of what to do. Then Obama announced the sending of troops to Haiti along
with the commitment of the miserly sum of $100 million in aid (one third less
than was spent on his inaugural ball). What is the purpose of those troops
there?
“Restoring Order”
The conservative Heritage Fund spelled it out: “We should rapidly
deploy sufficient US
military and civilian forces to help Haitians restore order in the capital of Port-au-Prince and in
surrounding areas,” they write on their
web site. They also clearly see the necessity of using the troops to
prevent the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes from increasing their influence in Haiti.
Nobody should be surprised if conflicts develop along these lines in Haiti.
Obama also carried out the Heritage Fund’s recommendation of
appointing Bill Clinton and George Bush to head up US initiatives in Haiti.
Clinton has a long
history of helping foster neo liberal policies there (low wages and
privatization) as well as having supported the coup against Aristide. Bush is
famed for his administration’s “relief” effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The
failure to provide timely aid in Haiti
shows that the direction of efforts in New Orleans
was no mere accident, nor the product of the incompetence of one particularly
stupid US
president; it was the result of the policy of massive privatization. The fact
that these two are in their present position regarding Haiti shows
that nothing has changed.
Submitted on Sun, 01/17/2010 - 8:12am
IWW Fundraising for Haiti Earthquake Relief
Haiti's Tourniquet (Part 1 of 2)
Haiti's Tourniquet (Part 2 of 2)
A devastating 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti Tuesday January 12th. Thousands have been killed, and much Port au Prince leveled. This follows a series of deadly hurricanes in late 2008, and decades of foreign-influenced economic terrorism, culminating in a US-led coup in 2004, and continuing UN occupation. Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, is the only country to successfully liberate itself from slavery and the former colonial masters have not let them forget. Most people live on less than $2 a day, and many on less than $1. In April 2008 representatives of the ISC participated in an IWW delegation to Haiti where they met with workers and peasants struggling against neo-liberal slavery. We pledged our continued support to their struggle, and FW's donated generously to support their organizing, and again for aid following the hurricanes. Currently communications with Haiti are nearly impossible, but no doubt they will need our help again.
Submitted on Fri, 01/01/2010 - 5:39pm
For Immediate Release:
IWW Starbucks Workers Union (Industrial Workers of the World)
Contact: Liberte Locke, 917-693-7742
December 30, 2009
Statement of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union
Year of Legal Losses for Starbucks is Capped Off with Another Union Victory
Less than two months after a legal defeat in a high-stakes appeal, Starbucks is settling charges of further workers' rights violations committed against baristas organizing with the Industrial Workers of the World for secure work hours, affordable health care, and respect on the job.
After an independent investigation, Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board in Manhattan brought a complaint against the fast food coffee chain for illegally suspending and reprimanding a barista who stopped work to participate in a union protest; interrogating baristas about their union activity; and tearing down union flyers from company bulletin boards.
Submitted on Thu, 12/31/2009 - 1:36pm
Headlines:
- Ontario Transit Workers Strike
- Mexican Electricians Fight Privatization
- Dispatches From Palestine Delegation
Features:
- Crisis At The Cegielski Factory In Poland
- Review: The Little Known Life of Frank Little
- Anti-Privatization Protests In Serbia
Download a free PDF copy of this issue.
