Submitted on Sun, 04/06/2008 - 4:09pm
To the Comrades of IWW
We would like to introduce ourselves to you; we are the Freeters'* Union. We are a Tokyo-based general union, established
recently in the face of the out-of-control global situation that the neo-liberal capitalism is running rampant. As precarious workers suffering from working conditions that are becoming more and more fluid and amorphous, we are intensifying our struggles for freedom and survival.
At this moment one of our new campaigns is to organize the "Gas Station Union" to confront Kanto Toyu Co., LTD. – a Japanese member of the Shell Oil Group – that has begun to lay off an increasing number of part-time workers on the pretext of the rise of oil prices and financial instability. It is a necessity to fight gas station chain and the oil driven conglomerate which forcibly lays off its employees in order to make even bigger profits. We will continue to inform you about this campaign, so please keep an eye on our efforts.
Submitted on Thu, 04/03/2008 - 8:58pm
Headlines:
- Puerto Rican teachers defy government
- Scottish college sacks Unison steward, cuts jobs
- Maquila workers denounce NAFTA
Featured Articles:
- Metro Lighting a scab business
- Green unionism
- Review: End of America offers no alternatives, ignores unions
Download a free PDF copy of this issue.
Submitted on Thu, 04/03/2008 - 3:21pm
Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. The image pictured to the right did not appear in the original article, we have added it here to provide a visual perspective. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.
RIDGEFIELD, N.J. (AP) -- Tons of freight idled across the country Tuesday
as independent truckers pulled their rigs off the road while others slowed to a
crawl on major highways in a loosely organized protest of high fuel
prices.
Using CB radios and trucking Web sites, some truckers called for a strike
Tuesday to protest the high cost of diesel fuel, hoping the action might
pressure President Bush to stabilize prices by using the nation's oil
reserves.
"The gas prices are too high," said Lamont Newberne, a trucker from
Wilmington, N.C., who along with 200 drivers protested at a New Jersey Turnpike
service area. "We don't make enough money to pay our bills and take care of our
family."
Submitted on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 2:40pm
To truckers and media:
Our members and organizers in the trucking industry have been hearing about the called for April 1, 2008 trucker shut down.
The IWW is not organizing or calling for this shutdown, but supports all truckers taking action to improve their lives and protest the skyrocketing fuel, low pay, unpaid waits and all the other conditions that grow worse by the day.
Truckers unite! Only through organizing a union across the transportation industry can we begin to change this.
The IWW is committed to building a democratic, fighting union in the trucking industry whether you are an independent contractor driver or company driver, intermodal, LTL or over-the-road. Please contact us if you and your co-workers need support or are interested in making trucking a job worth keeping.
Motor Transport Workers IU 530 contacts:
- Pat Tresca- Midwest (224) 381-4088
- Billy Randel- New York (646) 645-6284
Submitted on Wed, 03/26/2008 - 3:54pm
Wild Edibles Continues to Lose Millions of Dollars Over Mistreatment of Workers
New York, NY- Large seafood wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, is seeing its customer base rapidly erode with Sushi Samba, one of the nation's hottest sushi restaurants, cutting off purchases from the company until an employment dispute with workers is fairly resolved. Sushi Samba Park and Sushi Samba 7 join leading New York restaurants like Pastis, Union Square Cafe, La Goulue, and Mermaid Inn that have previously pulled out of Wild Edibles over concern for the treatment of employees there.
"We are very pleased that Sushi Samba has chosen to support the legal rights of workers at Wild Edibles," said Daniel Gross, the founding director of Brandworkers International, a non-profit workers' rights organization providing legal and advocacy assistance to the employees. "Wild Edibles' remaining customers would do well to consider playing a similarly positive role."
