Fight is over job security and defending public education

Chicago, IL – On Sept. 10, Chicago Teachers Union Local 1 went on strike after ten months at the bargaining table. They tried to use negotiations with the Chicago School Board to defend their jobs and the interests of their students. When the Chicago Public Schools refused to back away from their corporate agenda, CTU members had no choice but to strike.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) have chosen Ricardo Palmera as one of their negotiators for Colombian peace talks. Professor Palmer is a political prisoner held in solitary confinement by the U.S. government in the Florence, Colorado Supermax prison. Palmera’s supporters in Colombia and around the world are demanding that Palmera be set free and that the U.S. government stop interfering in Colombia’s internal affairs. The FARC put Palmera’s name forward as one of the three main negotiators after peace negotiations were announced last week.

Protest sends message: We need jobs, housing, justice – not war!

Charlotte, NC – Organizers estimate that more than 2500 people from throughout the South and across the U.S. braved the heat, filling the streets of Charlotte on Sept. 2 for the March on Wall Street South. The demonstration confronted the banks and corporations headquartered in Charlotte that are wreaking havoc on communities throughout the country and raised a people’s agenda for jobs and justice as the Democratic National Convention convenes here.

Tampa, FL – Over 1000 people rallied and marched in the streets of Tampa, August 27, to demand good jobs, affordable education, healthcare, equality and peace. Although the Republicans canceled the first day of their convention due to Tropical Storm Isaac, organizers with the Coalition to March on the RNC went through with their promise to march to the site of the convention to show their opposition to the agenda of the 1%.

_24-hour picket and occupation of Hot and Crusty Bakery _

New York, NY – After news of an impending store closure, workers at the 63rd Street location of Hot and Crusty Bakery called for a 24-hour picket and store occupation, saying the company deliberately withheld rent payments following a hard-fought and successful unionization drive in May 2012. The company, owned by private equity partner Mark Samson, gave the Hot and Crusty Workers Association 11 days notice of eviction from the property, informing employees that August 31 would be their last day.

Tampa, FL – Members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) from the Eastern and Western wings of the Southern Tour met up in Tampa, Florida after completing their tour of campuses in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia.

Tampa, FL- Though the weather has delayed the opening of the Republican National Convention, the organizers for the Coalition to March on the RNC have stated that they will go forward with their plans to rally Monday morning for good jobs, healthcare, affordable education, equality, and peace. Coalition leaders urge everyone to join the march at Perry Harvey, Sr. Park at 10 am.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 21, 75 people attended a dinner in solidarity with American Crystal Sugar workers who have been locked out by their employer for over a year. The event was also a fundraiser; over $9,000 was raised to support the Crystal Sugar workers who have gone without pay for over a year to stand up for their jobs and their union. The event was sponsored by AFSCME Local 3800, the clerical workers union at the U of M, and Next Wave, AFSCME’s young workers’ organization.

Minneapolis, MN – Fifty people packed the popular Mayday Books, August 22, for the forum, “Is U.S. Military Intervention Ever Humanitarian?” organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC). The event was held because politicians of both parties and the mainstream corporate media are escalating calls to intervene in Syria to “protect human rights.”

Tampa, FL – Members of the Student Labor Action Project will be among the many campus activists who join the massive march that will coincide with the August 27 opening of the Republican National Convention.

Tampa, FL – Joe Iosbaker, a spokesperson for the largest anti-war coalition in the U.S., the United National Antiwar Coalition, spoke at a press conference here, August 24, stating that the peace movement will be joining the mass march on the Republican National Convention. “The Republicans have never met a war they didn’t like,” said Iosbaker. “They support all the wars the U.S. government is waging right now. We are going to march on the RNC and say no to the wars being waged on behalf of the 1%.”

Prepare for trip to RNC protest in Tampa

Minnetonka Beach, MN – On August 23, members of the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) and others protested outside a fundraiser for presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In two days, WRC members will load up in a van for a drive to Tampa, Florida for the protest at the Republican National Convention, which takes place on Monday, August 27.

Los Angeles, CA – The Centro CSO (Community Service Organization) and the Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) held a town hall meeting on August 18 in East Los Angeles to mobilize the community to support the statewide campaign, Licenses for All – to push a law demanding driver’s licenses for undocumented migrants and immigrants.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 17 more than 80 people attended a rally here in defense of civil liberties. The event, held at the Communications Workers of America Local 7200 union hall on Lake Street, featured twelve speakers who all emphasized the need to wage a broad, united fight to defend civil liberties in the face of deepening state repression.

New Orleans, LA – Organizers from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) canvassed campuses in New Orleans, August 21, including the University of New Orleans, Loyola University and Tulane University. They were there to promote the August 27 march on the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Student organizers from Utah, Wisconsin and New Orleans are also building SDS chapters by leafleting and gathering hundreds of contacts.

Athens, GA – Student organizers from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), in anticipation of one of the largest demonstrations Florida will see in years, are eager to share their plans with students and activists who will be traveling to Tampa next week for the march on the RNC. The group of organizers was in high spirits, listening to political hip hop and swapping stories about activist experiences as they pulled in to Athens Georgia on August 20.

Tampa, FL – Student got together here, August 18, to make some of the thousands of signs that will be carried at the August 27 march on the Republican National Convention. The protest will demand good jobs, health-care, affordable education, equality and peace.

Tampa, FL – Immigrant rights organizations will join the massive August 27 march organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC. On August 27, Students Working for Equal Rights and the Student Farmworker Alliance will be joined by other immigrant rights groups to say, no to the bigotry of the Republican agenda and the parties of the 1%. The protest also has the backing of Proyecto Dignidad (Gainesville) and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Acton Committee.

Tampa, FL – Standing in front of a wall of TV cameras and reporters, organizers from Coalition to March on the RNC spoke at a press conference here, August 14, giving important updates on the plans for the massive August 27 march that will coincide with the opening day of the Republican National Convention.

Charleston, WV – About 20 anti-coal mine activists were arrested on July 27, when between 80 and 100 protesters entered the Hobet 45 Mine near Charleston, West Virginia. The activists achieved their goal of shutting down operations for several hours and drawing public attention to the country's largest mountaintop removal mine, which was granted a controversial permit under the Obama administration about two years ago. Hobet 45 is owned by Patriot Coal Corporation.