News and Views from the People's Struggle
On Sunday, October 7, at 3 p.m., various anti-war and international solidarity organizations will be gathering to mark of the 17th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan.
Pittsburgh, PA – Steelworkers represented by United Steelworkers (USW) are making preparations to strike against ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel company. The union is currently discussing plans for an orderly shutdown with the company in the event a strike occurs. Picket duty surveys, which workers fill out with their times available to picket, have also been distributed to the membership.
Chicago, IL – Nearly 500 teachers, students, parents and allies gathered at the Chicago Board of Education, Sept. 26, to call for equal pay for equal work for charter school educators. “We fought for and won a large increase in state funding for education in Chicago, but in our schools most of that money was pocketed by charter operators and not put into their classrooms,” said Chicago Teachers Union Charter Division Chairperson Chris Baehrend.
Chicago, IL – Frank Chapman is Field Organizer for the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, a leading organization in the fight against police crimes in Chicago. The Alliance created the legislation for the elected, Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) that is gaining support among progressive candidates for the Chicago city council. The Alliance also has led the mobilization of over 400 people since the Sept. 5 start of the trial of Jason Van Dyke, who shot Laquan McDonald 16 times in October 2014.
DOJ, FBI, and DHS fail to disclose records on CVE initiative
Chicago, IL – On Sept. 26, the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), a grassroots community organizing and social services institution based in southwest Chicagoland, filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI to force them to release records about a secretive and controversial federal initiative called Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), and how it has spread to Illinois. The CVE initiative is a collection of federal programs and grants, allegedly designed to prevent homegrown terrorism by identifying potentially ‘radicalized’ people in local communities.
New York, NY – Nearly 2000 people gathered at Riverside Church in New York City, Sept. 26 to hear Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez. The event, titled “Cuba Speaks for Itself!”, was organized by the September 25th Welcoming Committee, consisting of various New York and New Jersey solidarity organizations.
Tampa, FL – With the vote count a little less than two weeks out, west Florida UPSers will be voting ‘no’ on the tentative agreement. Despite retaliation from the company, rank-and-file militants have been informing the membership of Local 79 throughout the contract negotiation process. Now that balloting information has been mailed out and the vote is underway they are making sure UPS Teamsters have received their ballots and voted.
Tampa, FL – Tampa activists protested at a Tampa area funeral home, Sept. 21, the location of the remains of torturer Jon Burge. The protesters demanded that the torture victims of Jon Burge be freed. They also called for the conviction of killer-cop Jason Van Dyke.
Jacksonville, FL – A critical vote is underway on the largest private-sector union contract in the United States. Beginning on Sept. 11, hundreds of thousands of Teamsters at UPS and UPS Freight began receiving ballot information in the mail to vote on their respective tentative agreements, regional supplements and local riders.
Fight Back! interviewed Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez, the founder of the Young Lords. A Young Lords 50 Year Commemoration is taking place at DePaul University in Chicago, starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21. Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez and freed political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera will be speaking together on the struggle of the Puerto Rican people. Also, there is a Young Lords 50 Year Memorial Tour to honor the church people, Young Lords, and Black Panthers who died in the struggle, starting at noon, Saturday, Sept. 22.
Washington, D.C. – Alrededor de 250,000 Teamsters recibirán una boleta a principios de septiembre sobre la ratificación del principal acuerdo UPS nacional de cinco años entre UPS y la International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Los Teamsters de UPS en todo el país se están movilizando para rechazar el acuerdo, firmado por el Comité Nacional de Negociación de UPS de Teamsters, el 21 de junio. Los únicos dos locales de UPS no afectados por el acuerdo son Local 705 y Local 710, que actualmente se encuentran en negociaciones.
I’ve Been Away Now for a Full Year
Today is the one year anniversary of my deportation, and I miss you all very much. I miss the colorfulness of my life with you, and the value that you added to it! My life now is as grey as everything else in Jordan, but it would be worse without the legacy of struggle that we built together. Our wonderful, strong relationships have deep roots that continue to grow, and these lovely memories accompany me every day, especially on the difficult ones.
Strike authorized
Washington, DC – Contract negotiations between United Steelworkers (USW) and U.S. Steel have failed to make headway after an overwhelmingly successful strike authorization vote took place earlier this month. In what has been described by the negotiating committee as a “frustrating series of negotiations,” the company continues to offer the same concessionary proposals by shifting around wages, benefits and bonuses.
Por la Organización Socialista Camino a la Libertad
Washington, DC – The United Steelworkers (USW) announced today, Sept. 18, that the 13 locals at ArcelorMittal unanimously authorized a strike. About 15,000 workers could take part. The vote means that the USW bargaining committee now has the power to call a strike if needed.
New York, NY – Over 200 people gathered in New York City on Sept. 16 to protest against the U.S.-backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s government of the Philippines. The action was to bring attention to the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, the crackdown and murders of opposition leaders, poverty, and the martial law that is currently in place.
Chicago, IL – More than 100 people rallied at South Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway, Sept. 15, to demand justice for Laquan McDonald.
Battle Ground, WA – Teachers, who had voted to continue striking despite a court order to return to work, made major gains and won a strong contract, Sept. 16. The Battle Ground Education Association (BGEA) had been on strike since August 21. The strike came after the school district’s refusal to properly allocate state funding for teachers’ salaries.
Philippines: Revolutionary forces to assist masses amid ravage of typhoon Ompong
Chicago, IL – Thousands of striking hotel housekeepers, servers, cooks, doormen and other workers marched on Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile, Sept. 13 to press their demands for a decent contract. Workers from 26 hotels are now out on strike.
#ChicagoIL #strike #Strikes #UniteHere #UniteHereLocal1 #ChicagoHotelStrike
