Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 3:59am
Disclaimer: The action described here was not organized by the IWW.
By Francine Brevetti - staff writer, inside bayarea.com, May 6, 2008
OAKLAND — About 80 striking truckers from Middle Harbor Road at the Port of Oakland were ticketed and dispersed Tuesday after some of them committed vandalism, police said.
Some drivers had damaged a truck's window while the driver was operating the rig, Sgt. Peter Lau said.
Nevertheless, the protesting truck drivers who own and operate their own rigs vowed to continue demonstrating at the port for the rest of the week. They say motor carrier firms have been underpaying them for diesel fuel.
Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 3:35am
By Jim Crutchfield, IWW NYC GMB - Industrial Worker, May 2008
Members of the New York City IWW
branch attended a rally on April 1 at a
truck stop on the New Jersey Turnpike,
where an estimated 300 drivers, mostly
owner-operators, met to protest fuel
price gouging and address the media.
The rally was part of a nationwide
work stoppage by truckers that reportedly
shut down several major ports on
the East and West Coasts and turned
highways around Chicago into parking
lots.
Drivers from as far away as Florida
were present at the New Jersey gathering,
along with many drivers’ family
members and other supporters.
Two Wobblies addressed the crowd
and were warmly received. The union
collected contact information from
nearly 100 drivers, many of whom
expressed great enthusiasm for continuing
their agitation and solidifying their
organization.
Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 3:15am
Industrial Worker, May 2008.
On April 1, troqueros from New Jersey
rallied on the New Jersey turnpike.
On April 3, Houston followed. Truck
drivers across the country participated in
scattered actions to protest rising diesel
fuel prices.
The price of diesel across the United
States has risen by 21 per cent since the
end of December 2007, from $3.35 to
$4.05 per gallon, according to the US
Energy Information Administration. A
month before the March 2003 invasion
of Iraq, the price of diesel was $1.71 per
gallon.
Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 2:59am
On May 17, join the IWW Starbucks Workers Union and allies around the world to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the union's founding in a Day of Action.
2008 is the 40th anniversary of the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., felled by a sniper's bullet as he stood in solidarity with sanitation workers striking for the right to form a labor union.
As a rabidly anti-union, poverty wage employer, Starbucks represents the unbridled greed and exploitation that King opposed. Indeed, the
Starbucks Corporation demeans Dr. King's legacy by treating his federal
holiday like a second-class occasion as it fails to pay the premium it
pays on several other holidays on Dr. King's day. If Starbucks is really interested in "embracing diversity", it can start by respecting Dr. King's holiday.
Submitted on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 2:31am
Please keep calling City Bakery; apparently it has cut off the general manager's extension! You can call at (212) 366-1414 and then just press 0 and ask for a manager. Please send the revised call to action below to your lists, otherwise folks won't be able to get through:
The City Bakery chain enjoys an image of being a "green" and "socially conscious" business. Yet, the City Bakery NY sells seafood from labor rights violator, Wild Edibles, Inc.
Given City Bakery's progressive image, current and former Wild Edibles workers were surprised when owner Maury Rubin refused to even enter into a dialogue regarding the hardships they face.
