Tacoma, WA – On September 4, members of the IBEW Local 46 and community members picketed at the Tacoma location of Auto-Chlor to demand an end to illegal firing and intimidations and for the company to acknowledge workers’ lawful right to organize.
“We are tired of the always increasing workloads, pressure to get more done with less, more and more time away from our families, and not being compensated at market value for our skills and the profits we bring to the company,” said Dametrius Ballarad, an Auto-Chlor technician.
Talison Crosby, a member of Teamsters Local 174, said, “I'm out here today because as a rank-and-file Teamster, I know the power of a union. We gotta stand with our siblings in the working class who are fighting for what's right. Tacoma is a proud union town, and we won't let this union-busting go unchallenged!”
Wrapping up the picket, community member Sean Renning commented, “The sentiment was one of solidarity and visibility. We were there to show the workers of Auto-Chlor that they're not alone and that they have our support in the struggle for fair pay and working conditions.”
“Ultimately our goal as a labor union is to elevate the industry in which we represent working-class people,” said Shannon Hagen, senior organizer with IBEW Local 46.
Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, September 2, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council (MALC) and other unions such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association (MTEA) hosted LaborFest, an annual celebration held in commemoration of Labor Day. Hundreds of workers and union supporters turned out for the occasion.
The first portion of the day’s events saw the traditional mass march featuring rank-and-file workers mobilized by unions spanning the spectrum of organized labor, from trades workers to letter carriers to communications workers and everything in between.
Tampa, FL – As the trial of the Uhuru 3 enters its second day, the prosecution calls its first witnesses. The Uhuru 3 are members of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru Movement who are charged with conspiracy and “acting as agents of the Russian government within the United States without prior notification.” The courtroom was packed with supporters of the defendants. Many had traveled from all across the country to be there.
The prosecution first called Professor Brian Taylor, a professor of political science, to the stand as a witness. Taylor’s role in the trial was to provide background information on the Russian intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB). When other witnesses were questioned, it was revealed that there was no proof of any of the defendants or the Russian nationals being agents of the FSB.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The English translation and photo appeared on the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
The martyrdom of the Turkish-American activist, Aisha Noor Ezgi, after being shot in the head by occupation forces near Mount Sbeih in the town of Beita, south of occupied Nablus, is yet another Zionist crime added to the occupation’s black record of targeting foreign activists in solidarity with our people.
East Los Angeles, CA – On Saturday, August 24, around 200 Chicano activists and community members came out to Rúben Salazar Park to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Julie de Lima, chairperson of the Peace Negotiating Panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating Panel firmly reiterates its commitment to the resumption of peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). Our dedication to achieving a just and lasting peace remains steadfast, as we believe the negotiations present an effective means to address the underlying causes of the civil war.
Chicago, IL – On Thursday, August 29, New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) started the week strong with a demonstration on campus, with about 90 students, demanding U.S. hands off Lebanon, an end of U.S. aid to Israel and to stand strong with Palestine.
Speakers from other progressive student organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UIC, and Anakbayan at UIC, also spoke. The rally strengthened the students’ message of funding for education – such as cultural centers and student resources – not for genocide, war and occupation in Palestine.
Tacoma, WA – Over 150 demonstrators gathered outside the Northwest ICE Immigrant Detention Center Sunday, September 1 to demand closure of the facility.
“We are here to show solidarity with those inside who are protesting their wrongful imprisonment,” said Rufina Reyes, director of La Resistencia. “We are here every day, but today is special because we are joined by the organization Tsuru for Solidarity, celebrating the resilience of their ancestors who survived the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.”
Salt Lake City, UT – Over a dozen students and youth gathered on August 30 to launch a campaign against the University of Utah’s affiliation with the University of Haifa, an Israeli university with deep ties to the Israeli military and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
Utah Students for a Democratic Society hosted the event, which was itself a victory in the aftermath of arrests, intimidation and repression of the student and Palestinian movement in Utah during the last academic year.
Denver, CO – On August 28, Denver Students for a Democratic Society held a rally and march against the repression of student organizers who have been demanding that the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado – Denver cut financial ties with Israel.
Pensacola, FL – On a humid August morning, the sound of car horns fills the air up and down Davis Highway, each honk a note of solidarity for more than 25 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 3109. These workers, standing firm outside the AT&T worksite, are part of the largest strike currently unfolding in the United States, a powerful labor struggle involving over 17,000 CWA members across nine southeastern states. Their picket line is just one of four in the far-west of Florida’s panhandle.
Lakewood, CO – Around 10 a.m., August 26, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) rallied outside Representative Brittany Pettersen’s Lakewood District office on Wadsworth. Around 35 protesters showed up from various Colorado Palestine Coalition organizations in a continuation of DAWA's fight against Israel’s genocide, Lockheed Martin and war profiteering politicians.
Pettersen, the U.S. representative from Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, is beyond complicit in the Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. Indeed, she actively profits from and endorses it.
Washington, DC – On August 28, flight attendants at United Airlines who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) voted on whether or not to authorize a strike if needed in contract negotiations with the carrier. The flight attendants filed for federal mediation eight months ago, after working under what they call an amendable contract for the last three years. After not seeing the movement at the table that they needed, the flight attendants decided to take the next step let their members vote over whether to authorize a strike.
The results were loud and clear. A near unanimous majority of 99.99% of ballots cast voted to authorize a strike; over 90% of United flight attendants participated in the vote.
Portland, OR – On Monday, August 26, the organization Portland for Palestine (P4P) held a protest at the Leupold and Stevens manufacturing facility in Beaverton, Oregon. About a dozen protesters showed up to expose Leupold’s involvement in supplying the Israeli occupation with rifle scopes and other telescopic technology.
The protesters were met with hostility. Beaverton police department vehicles were spotted making the rounds. Leupold stationed armed private security guards at both driveways leading to their main facility.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) gives its highest tribute to Maria Concepcion Araneta-Bocala (Ka Concha), Vicente Hinojales (Ka Hadjie/Ka Emil) and the August Heroes and Martyrs of Panay. They are Party cadres and Red fighters of the New People’s Army who died resisting the Marcos fascist regime, defending the rights of the oppressed masses of workers and peasants, and fighting alongside the Filipino people to attain their centuries-long aspirations for genuine freedom and democracy.
Brooklyn, NY – The NYU Students for a Democratic Society held a pro-Palestine rally on August 26, during welcome week for the incoming freshman class at New York University Tandon School of Engineering (NYU Tandon).
The goal of the rally was to make sure the incoming freshman class was aware of the ties that NYU Tandon had to the ongoing genocide in Gaza through the school’s partnerships, sponsorships, research funding, and investments with military companies and companies aiding apartheid Israel.
Denver, CO – On Thursday, August 22, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Colorado Denver kicked off the semester with a pro-Palestine rally and march on the Auraria campus. The 40-person rally was addressed by members of SDS and a speaker from Denver Anti-War Action.
Chicago, IL – More than 11,000 people marched for Palestine on the final evening of the Democratic National Convention, August 22. While Kamala Harris was giving her presidential nominee acceptance speech inside, the protesters outside chanted against the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza. Delegates inside the convention report hearing demonstrators on the streets inside the convention hall.
Tallahassee, FL – On Sunday, August 18, about 30 community members gathered at the Florida Capitol building to protest Kamala Harris and her policies regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Protesters held signs within sight of the busy intersection in front of the capitol complex stating, “We won’t vote for genocide” and “Arms embargo now!”
Chicago, IL – On August 19, over 20,000 people marched on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel and an end to the genocide in Gaza. The march was the result of over a year of work by the Coalition to March on the DNC. Marchers came within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention, putting heat on United States government as it facilitates a genocide.
Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, told the crowd, “Black liberation, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, women's rights, workers’ rights, the right to strike, the right to unionize. The rank-and-file workers are here, the Black community members are here, the documented and undocumented immigrants are here, how powerful this is to be together here, all of us.”
