Canton, IL – About 100 trade unionists and others gathered here, July 8, for Solidarity Day 2. This second annual picnic and program celebrating the solidarity of working people brought together labor activists from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri. Rob Wilson, a rank-and-file leader of UAW members at Caterpillar told the crowd that the corporate elite that run this country do not care about anyone or anything except their bottom line. Larry Solomon, retired president of Decatur UAW Local 751 and a legendary labor leader of the mid-1990s battle with Caterpillar, gave the Solidarity Day address, in which he called on workers to come together to transform the labor movement and the country as a whole. Other speakers included Tom Seymour, retired president of UAW Local 858 and Leroy McKnight, a General Motors retiree.

Iowa City, IA – March 27, students marched on the house of the University of Iowa's President to protest the use of sweatshop labor used to make clothing with the U of I logo. They demanded the University drop out of corporate-backed Fair Labor Association (FLA), and join the pro-labor Worker's Rights Consortium.

Iowa City, IA – Registered nurses (RN's) at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics are sick and tired of forced overtime. RN's are told to put in 16-20 hours extra, in every 6 week period. Many are putting in even more “voluntary” hours because of pressure from supervisors.

Bloomington, MN – More than 800 aircraft mechanics and their supporters rallied here Nov. 19, expressing their determination to continue the fight against Northwest Airlines. Members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) have been on strike since Aug. 19. They rejected an NWA contract proposal that would have eliminated 53% of the mechanics’ jobs and given the remaining workers wage cuts. Since August, the contract proposals of NWA have gotten worse and the company has hired permanent replacement workers – scabs.

Commander Sonia, a leader of the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) was extradited to the United States on March 9. In many press reports the women rebel commander is also referred to as Omaira Rojas.

In a statement issued Feb. 27, Colombia’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), said that extradition of an important guerilla leader to the United States was a roadblock to organizing an exchange of prisoners of war in Colombia. Ricardo Palmera, also known as Simon Trinidad, is being held in a prison near Washington, D.C.

Chicago, IL – “It's a crime that the U.S. government has jailed a man who has dedicated his entire life to fighting for the liberation of the Colombian people,” said Tom Burke of the newly formed National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. Palmera, a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), is being held in a prison near Washington D.C. The FARC is a rebel army that has fought for 40-plus years to rid Colombia of exploitation, oppression and foreign domination. The FARC now controls more than 40% of the countryside.

St. Paul, MN – Organizers of the massive anti-war march scheduled for Sept. 1, the opening day of the Republican National Convention, slammed the Saint Paul city council for turning down the permit appeal, May 21. By a six to one vote, the Council voted to uphold the unworkable permit that was issued for the protest on May 15.

Minneapolis, MN – In a great display of unity and solidarity, activists from around the country gathered on the University of Minnesota campus, Feb. 9-10, for an organizing conference to plan the anti-war protests at the Republican National Convention.

St. Paul, MN - “We have forced the politicians to re-open the debate on 'welfare reform,'”; stated Deb Konechne of the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition (MN-WRC). At a March 5 press conference, she noted that most politicians and the media thought welfare was a dead issue this legislative session. Instead, poor people from around the state made it clear that Minnesota's new welfare law, MN Families Investment Plan (MFIP) is a disaster, and legislation has been advanced to deal with some of its worst parts.