Chicago, IL – When rank-and-file members of Teamsters Local 743 arrived at the door of their union hall at 9:00 a.m., Oct. 16, they were forced to stand outside in the cold. Rogelio Garcia, Elizabeth Michaca and Josefina Mendez were denied entrance into the building that is paid for with their dues money. They had come to watch the ballot count in their union officers’ election.

St. Paul, MN – Low income people from cities across Minnesota confronted Commissioner Dave Doth, of the Department of Human Services on December 11. Leaders of the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition told Doth, that Minnesota's new welfare program, MFIP-S is a disaster for poor people. Demands were placed on the Department, which is responsible for the state's welfare programs.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 150 people join the Welfare Rights Committee for a rally in front of the New Federal Building to protest hunger and homelessness caused by welfare cuts. The rally coincided with the arrival of the New Freedom Bus, which traveled to poor communities across the country, collecting stories of human rights abuses caused by poverty. The Bus finished its journey at United Nations Headquarters, where human rights charges were lodged against the U.S. government.

Chicago, IL – The officers’ election in Local 743 was held once this fall. Now it’s being held again.

Chicago, IL – Rank and file union members of Teamsters Local 743 say the corrupt officials of their union are stealing the election for local officers.

Duluth, MN – Members of Low Income People Organizing For Power confronted St. Louis County Commissioners, December 15, at the County Courthouse. They demanded that the Commissioners call a public hearing on abuses with the state's new welfare law, Minnesota Family Investment Plan – Statewide (MFIP-S).

Immigrant workers again being denied right to vote by union officials

Chicago, IL – Rank-and-file workers will rally Oct. 7 to stop an attempt by the corrupt leaders of Teamsters Local 743 to steal the election for union officers. The rally will take place at Teamster City, 300 S Ashland at 4:30 p.m.

Duluth, MN – Skip Humphrey and Mike Freeman of the DFL, and Ken Pentel of the Green Party, contenders for Governor, sparred in a candidates forum August 25. “We wanted to nail them down on where they stood on poor people's issues,” said Marvella Davis, event organizer and a leader of Low Income People Organizing For Power (LIPOP). “Minnesota has a lot of poor people, and a handful of rich. We need to know what, if anything they plan on doing to address poverty,” she added.

Chicago, IL – Workers laid off from their jobs at a Bedford Park factory are continuing their fight to win fair compensation. 175 former employees of the Silver Capital Corporation have picketed, held a one-day strike and even rallied outside the union offices for their cause. On Sept. 15, 35 workers went to the National Labor Relations Board and filed charges against the sell-out leadership of Teamster Local 743.

Chicago, IL – At 6:30 in the morning on Thursday, Aug. 5, over one hundred workers went to work at the Frederick Cooper lamp factory. For 80 of them, it was the end of their week, because the company had cut out work on Friday. This reduced the workers’ income by 20% – one dollar out of five.

Chicago, IL – Members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 743 say it’s time for a change. “We can’t stand another term of the current officers,” Richard Berg stated. Berg is the presidential candidate of the 743 New Leadership Slate, which will be on the ballot being mailed out on Sept. 22. The votes are to be counted on Oct. 16.

Outside the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) convention in Puerto Rico, Saturday, May 31, members of the Puerto Rican teachers union were attacked by riot police when they attempted to distribute fliers. The fliers were critical of SEIU for making a deal with Governor Acevedo Vila for SEIU to replace the militant teachers union in February.

Chicago, IL – When 50 angry Teamsters confronted their union president, Robert Walston, he arrogantly demanded to know who they were. “I’ve been paying dues to you for 15 years, and you don’t know who I am?” replied Manuel Rico. Rather than learning who Rico was, Walston turned his back on the group and walked away.

San Juan, Puerto Rico – Demanding a halt to the repression of activists working for the independence of Puerto Rico, about 1000 people rallied at the Federal Courthouse here, Jan. 10. Protests took place in ten other cities including, Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles.

Chicago, IL – Teamsters reformer Richard Berg is being threatened with expulsion from the union. A rank-and-file activist, Berg has been a housekeeper and a member of Local 743 at the University of Chicago Hospitals (UCH) since 1989. The gangsters running the local are out to get him for the ‘crime’ of fighting for workers.

Fight Back News Service is reprinting the following article on the FBI murder of Puerto Rican freedom fighter Filiberto Ojeda Ríos. A longer version of this article first appeared in Red Banner - a journal for left, progressive and socialist students at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.

Chicago, IL – University of Chicago students and workers have pulled together an alliance that promises to be a force on campus for years to come. The alliance between university workers and students has challenged the university's ability to treat its workers, “just any old way,” according to Daniel Davis, a University of Chicago Hospitals environmental services worker.

Las Vegas, NV – Teamster President James P. Hoffa got what he wanted – the largest union dues increase in Teamster history. The vote at the April 30 convention on finances was not even close.

Jessica Sundin, of the Colombia Action Network, led a small delegation of three North American activists to Bogatá in July 2000, to attend a conference responding to U.S. military aid. The delegation also traveled to the area in Southern Colombia controlled by the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP). Fight Back! interviewed Jessica about what she saw there.

Chicago, IL – For the members of Teamsters Local 743, being sold out by their union officials is a commonplace event. Rigged votes on contracts, rigged votes for union stewards, back room deals with the boss around grievances and contract issues is the normal state of affairs.