Lebanon, IN – On Wednesday, July 29, survivors stood together to protest the abuse and exploitation they faced while at the Refuge Girls Academy (previously Central Indiana Teen Challenge) and brought attention to an ongoing legal case against the academy.

The nine original plaintiffs have expanded to represent 35 survivors who are now fighting the academy's crimes. The long list of crimes of the academy include institutionalized cruelty, physical abuse, labor trafficking, forced malnutrition, religious indoctrination, humiliation rituals, conversion therapy, human trafficking and torture, amongst many more.

All of these crimes were committed against children under the authority of Dawn and Dave Rose, the director and CEO of the academy at the time.

Survivors partnered with Students for a Democratic Society at Purdue and began their protest right outside the academy chanting “Education! Not exploitation!” “This refuge is not safe!” and “Rise up women of the world, women of the world rise up!” One chant in particular highlighted just how many young women suffered under Dawn and Dave Rose’s control. The chant “If [name] don’t get it, shut it down!” went on to name 30 survivors in total. The protest marched across the street to a park where survivors shared their stories.

“20 years ago I entered Central Indiana Teen Challenge. I was 15 years old. I needed help, instead I was left with trauma that has taken over a decade to begin healing,” said Mandi MacDonald, a survivor of the academy. “I want you to understand something. When I entered Teen Challenge I wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to anyone. I was taken from my classroom in handcuffs, and on the way to the program I attempted suicide,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald survived. And after nearly a year at the academy, she eventually earned the “privilege” of a supervised visit with her parents. After the visit, she made an attempt to contact those who missed her on MySpace, something the academy strictly prohibited, and, upon confessing this to her unaccredited counselor, she was severely punished. “Dawn told me I had never admitted what I had done and that they had discovered it on their own. I told them that wasn’t true. I begged them to ask my counselor. My counselor did not support me. In that moment something inside of me broke,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald was stripped of all of her progress at the academy and forced into solitary confinement for two months. She was made to live off a diet of cold beans, bread, carrots and an apple for every meal. During this time, she was forced to perform repetitive remedial tasks which her OCD tendencies made impossible to complete, resulting in the academy banning her from speaking and being spoken to for months.

“Lebanon Teen Challenge broke a lot of things inside of me, but Lebanon Teen Challenge also shaped who I am today. It taught me to not be silent, it taught me to be courageous, and to never give up. And here we are, almost 20 years later, and I finally can speak on this,” said Emelia Neel, another survivor of the academy. “I will not remain silent any longer. I remember… staying up late with Brittany and Bridgett and we would talk about all the things we would do when we get out. Very similar to people who are in prison, except people in prison get to know when they go home. We didn’t!” said Neel.

The Refuge Girls academy preys on young women in vulnerable situations and violates the trust in religious institutions most people have. Parents often see the academy as a safe place to send their children, where they can overcome their hardships and grow up in a healing environment that some parents simply can’t provide. Many of the girls at the academy are orphans, and some homeless, before their time at the academy, a vulnerability the academy sees profit in.

One crime at the academy was unpaid child labor. Residents were forced to maintain the academy itself and were often trafficked across Indiana to perform heavy labor in extreme weather conditions for no pay, all while any medical concerns were completely neglected. Residents were sent to residential homes, religious institutions and universities, including Purdue and Butler University, where they would be made porters for college students, hauling their personal belongings and assembling heavy bunk beds. The children often worked 12 to 16-hour days.

This exploitation was not just a means of profit for the academy, but an avenue for cruel punishment as well. Minors were often made to clean staircases with toothbrushes or cut the lawn with scissors, all while performing every bit of cooking, cleaning and food preparation, as the academy refused to pay professional adult workers for that labor.

The academy brings in millions of dollars in revenue each year. The struggle to bring the Refuge Girls Academy to justice is an issue of women’s liberation, LGBTQ liberation and workers’ rights. Each struggle is connected and all necessary for justice.

Follow @sdsatpurdue on Instagram to stay up to date and join the fight.

#LebanonIN #IN #PeoplesStruggles #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #SDS #Purdue

Michigan City, IN – Slot attendants and dual-rate slot attendants at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa voted overwhelmingly to unionize with Teamsters Local 135 in an NLRB election held July 30 and 31. 18 workers voted yes, only two voted no, and one ballot was challenged, equating to a 90% landslide for the union. Every eligible voter cast a ballot.

The outstanding victory caps off more than a month of organizing that began June 23, when slot attendants marched on the boss and delivered a union recognition letter to General Manager JC Rieger. After Blue Chip refused voluntary recognition, Teamsters Local 135 filed for an NLRB election that same day.

In the weeks between the march and the vote, Boyd Gaming, which owns Blue Chip, mounted an aggressive campaign to defeat the union. They delayed pre-scheduled annual raises earned by the slot attendants and dual rates, citing the impending NLRB election. At the same time, they gave sizable raises to the other non-union departments in hopes of demoralizing the workers.

The company brought in a union-avoidance consulting firm it has yet to disclose to the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), as federal law requires. Workers say at least three consultants worked the floor, including two who went by the names “Louisa” and “Charlie.” Union-busting consultants regularly lie about their real names to obscure their identities and avoid accountability for their shameful activities. Blue Chip must, by law, disclose their real identities to the OLMS.

The consultants pulled slot attendants into repeated one-on-one and small-group meetings to pressure them into voting no. Management sent anti-union letters to workers' homes, papered break rooms and back-of-house areas with misleading propaganda, and bombarded workers' phones with text messages. Boyd Gaming even enlisted employees from a separate, non-union department to lobby slot attendants against the union.

None of it worked. Union organizers and slot attendants said that management appeared visibly shaken by the result of the vote when the NLRB agent read out the count on the afternoon of July 31.

Blue Chip Teamsters will now move to elect their bargaining committee and begin drafting contract proposals. Teamsters Local 135 conducts open bargaining, meaning any union member can sit in on negotiations with the company, a practice the local uses to keep rank-and-file workers directly involved and organized throughout the fight for a first contract.

The Blue Chip win is part of a broader surge in casino organizing by the Teamsters, who have organized hundreds of new casino workers over the past year, including table games dealers in Indiana and Virginia. The union now represents more than 6000 casino workers nationwide.

#MichiganCityIN #IN #Labor #Election #Casino #Featured

The rally will be hosted by Save Heritage Indiana, a nonprofit considered by the Southern Poverty Law Center to be an anti-immigrant hate group. It will also feature recorded remarks from Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith.

Bovino became notorious as the face of ICE and CBP after Trump’s second term began. The blowback came at the beginning of this year, after agents under his command murdered Renee Goode and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. His removal was one concession wrung out of the Trump administration by the unprecedented mass mobilization of Minnesotans against “Operation Metro Surge.”

Bovino is leveraging his notoriety on a tour of the country in preparation for a potential presidential run in 2028, using the narrative that he was forced out by a feckless administration unwilling to do “real” mass deportations. Bovino claims, per the “Heritage Rallies” website, that there are over 100 million “illegal aliens” in the country needing to be deported, nearly a third of the U.S. population.

These false claims are being backed up by a coterie of far-right Indiana politicians, the most prominent of course being Lieutenant Governor Beckwith. Beckwith has long courted controversy: he has always referred to himself as a “Christian Nationalist” and most recently called Islam “demonic” and “more dangerous than Nazism.”

Another speaker will be Brandon Harnish, founder of the Pat Buchanan Society and self-proclaimed member of the “New Right” and county councilor for Wells County. The third speaker will be Anthony Rubin, founder of the website Muckraker, who produces anti-immigrant propaganda similar to that of Youtuber Nick Shirley, whose staged reporting in the Twin Cities was used as a pretext by the Trump administration for Operation Metro Surge.

The host of the event, Save Heritage Indiana, is run by Daniel Poynter. A Purdue alumnus, tech industry businessman, and self-proclaimed descendant of Patrick Henry and Mayflower passengers, Poynter got his start in the non-profit world with Carbon Neutral Indiana, which is dedicated to finding ways to mitigate climate change. Last year, Poynter pivoted to co-founding SHI with Nathan Roberts, a far-right college student, because, according to their website, they “realized the world we grew up in is being destroyed.” SHI’s website is a litany of thinly-veiled racism but makes its violent white supremacy clear when they state their goal of “reversing mass migration.”

Save Heritage Indiana is but one part of a larger nationwide alliance called the Mass Deportation Coalition. According to its website, this coalition includes partners ranging from institutional heavy hitters to private individuals. The former includes the likes of the Heritage Foundation (of Project 2025 infamy) and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (a longstanding anti-immigration think tank cited by both Democrats and Republicans in making policy) with the latter including Blackwater mercenary Erik Prince and former ICE head Mark Morgan.

This “movement” for mass deportations is indicative of a contradiction within Trump’s ruling coalition. This contradiction is between the tendency of the monopoly capitalist base to seek ever larger numbers of precarious, super-exploitable workers from the world’s oppressed nations to immigrate, and the tendency of the white chauvinist superstructure to prevent immigration. The contours of this contradiction became immediately clear even before Trump had begun his second term, in a bitter debate over H-1B visas.

The racist position, espoused by Stephen Miller, was that these visas should be eliminated and that the jobs filled by these visa holders go to Americans instead. The monopoly capitalist position, argued by Elon Musk, was that there simply are not enough sufficiently trained workers in the U.S. to fill the jobs and that the immigrants coming through H-1Bs are qualitatively different “desirable” immigrants. Trump sided with monopoly capital and, in the end, left H-1Bs alone.

The stakes involved in the struggle are all too clear in the wake of ICE’s most recent murders, and thankfully, the mass movement against ICE repression and for legalization for all continues to gain momentum.

A coalition of local organizations in Indiana has already planned a counter-march: the Hoosier Hospitality March. The coalition includes Indivisible chapters from all over central Indiana, Indy Resistance, Voices 4 Democracy, Somos Latinos, and Hamilton County Food Not Bombs.

Since Save Heritage Indiana (SHI) refuses to disclose to the public where their event will be held, the protesters’ coalition will be marching from Holland Park to the Municipal Center, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of SHI’s Bovino rally. The march will be a show of support and solidarity to the members of the community that SHI and Bovino seek to terrorize.

If you want to join that fight, look for local affiliates near you of the Legalization for All (L4A) Network, or local Chicano rights organizations. If you have any information as to where SHI’s rally will be held, do not hesitate to reach out to the organizations named above, or to FRSO Indiana.

#PerdueIN #IN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Bovino

Indianapolis, IN – Drivers for uniform and workplace-supply company Vestis walked off the job at 2 a.m. Monday, July 13, launching an unfair labor practice strike organized by Teamsters Local 135.

The union says the strike is about accountability. Local 135 alleges Vestis threatened workers for engaging in protected concerted activity, a right guaranteed under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

Vestis, based in Roswell, Georgia, provides uniform rental, workwear, floor mats, linens and related workplace supplies to businesses across North America. The company was spun off from Aramark in 2023, separating Aramark's uniform services division into its own publicly-traded company. Vestis drivers deliver and service uniforms and supplies for businesses like UPS.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Local 135 said the union remains “ready, willing, and available” to meet with the company to bargain in good faith and called for Vestis to respect workers' rights and negotiate fairly to end the dispute.

The union is asking Teamsters members, families and labor supporters in the Indianapolis area to join the picket line, which will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 2050 Oliver Avenue.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #Vestis #IBT135 #NLRA #Featured

Michigan City, IN – Slot attendants at Blue Chip Casino Hotel Spa marched on management Tuesday, June 23, to demand voluntary recognition of their union with Teamsters Local 135.

Joined by Teamsters from Locals 135, 364 and 142, approximately 15 slot attendants and supporters marched through the casino before presenting a union recognition letter to General Manager JC Rieger on the gaming floor. The letter was read aloud before being handed to Rieger, who accepted the demand letter but offered no response.

The letter warned Blue Chip management to refrain from union-busting, stating “that should you or any other Company Representative make any unilateral changes to the employees’ terms and conditions of employment or take any type of retaliatory action against employees” the local union would “enforce these employees’ rights to the fullest extent of the law.”

As the delegation concluded, workers filled the casino with chants of “Who are we? Teamsters!”

Later that day, Teamsters Local 135 filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board. A pre-election hearing has been scheduled for July 2.

The bargaining unit includes slot attendants and dual-rate slot attendants, a majority of whom have signed authorization cards for representation with the Teamsters. Workers say they are organizing in response to declining wages, chronic understaffing, unjust discipline, a punitive attendance policy, and a paid time off system that often leaves employees waiting without timely approval or denial of their requests.

Workers also point to the consolidation of the guest service representative position into the slot attendant classification without any corresponding increase in pay, leaving attendants responsible for additional duties while earning the same wages.

One of the central issues in the campaign is the decline in tip income for slot attendants. Although attendants receive an hourly wage, the most significant portion of their earnings comes from pooled tips, or tokes, left by players receiving hand-paid jackpots. Recent changes to the federal W-2G reporting threshold increased the amount that triggers a mandatory hand-pay from $1200 to $2000, and many casinos have adjusted their slot machines accordingly. Workers say fewer hand-pays means fewer opportunities to earn tips, resulting in a sharp decline in take-home pay even as their workload has increased.

Teamsters Local 135 is also seeking contractual protection for tipped casino employees elsewhere in Indiana, including guaranteed toke rates for slot attendants and table games dealers during ongoing contract negotiations at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The recognition campaign at Blue Chip marks the latest casino organizing effort by Teamsters Local 135, as gaming workers across Indiana continue pushing for a greater voice on the job and contracts that address wages, staffing, and working conditions.

#MichiganCityIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Casino #IBT135 #Featured

Lawrenceburg, IN – Workers at Batesville Products Inc. (BPI) have been on strike since May 11 after voting unanimously to withhold their labor and demand recognition of their union, Teamsters Local 135.

The strike began after a supermajority of workers signed authorization cards seeking Teamsters representation and demanded voluntary recognition from the company. BPI management refused to recognize the union, prompting the filing of a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Rather than allowing workers to move quickly toward an election, the company challenged which employees should be included in the proposed bargaining unit through the NLRB's pre-election hearing process. Workers and Teamster representatives contend the objections are a bogus attempt to delay the election and buy time for union-busting inside the facility.

The union's bargaining unit includes machinists, polishers and shipping and receiving employees working at the company's facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Management wants to include workers from another separate location in Aurora, in hopes of diluting the vote with unorganized workers who were not a part of the union campaign.

The strike comes as the NLRB faces significant staffing shortages and case backlogs nationwide. Delays in the union certification process give employers major advantages in their campaigns to break organizing drives before workers have the chance to vote.

BPI workers formed their union over unsafe and unfair workplace conditions, excessive overtime, low wages, high health insurance costs, and declining benefits. Employees say many workers have been required to work mandatory 60-hour weeks for extended periods.

Facing delays from the bureaucratic pre-election hearing process, Teamsters Local 135 held a strike authorization vote and the workers unanimously approved a recognition strike. Picketing began outside the facility on May 11 and has continued for more than a month.

“This is about workers standing together and demanding a voice in their workplace,” said Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach on the day of the strike's commencement. “These workers built their majority themselves, they organized themselves, and now they are prepared to stand together on the picket line for as long as it takes to win the dignity, respect, and representation they deserve.”

The strike remains ongoing as workers continue to seek recognition of their union and the opportunity to negotiate a first collective bargaining agreement.

This is the second strike for recognition called by Teamsters Local 135 in the past year, with the first taking place at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino in Shelbyville. The early U.S. labor movement made use of the strike for recognition in the period of time before the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 and for years after. In the modern era, the tactic was virtually extinct as unions came to rely more heavily on the NLRB for union certification.

As the NLRB becomes more dysfunctional and openly operates on behalf of employers, militants in the labor movement are beginning to rediscover this tactic – and in Teamsters Local 135, they are making use of it to counter employers' unchecked union-busting campaigns.

#LawrenceburgIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #BatesvilleProducts #Strike

Indianapolis, IN — More than 30 workers, Teamsters members and labor supporters rallied outside the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) office in Indianapolis on the morning of June 2. They gathered to demand union certification for nearly 200 table games dealers and dual-rate dealers at Horseshoe Indianapolis, who struck for recognition in fall 2025.

Although the workers won an NLRB election on December 5, 2025, with 70% voting yes, the dealers and dual-rate dealers have continued to face anti-union tactics from Caesars Entertainment. The company filed three objections to the election results in an attempt to delay certification, leading NLRB Region 25 to schedule a hearing for June 2 – nearly six months after the workers' victory.

The rally began an hour before the hearing. It brought together many of the dealers and dual-rate dealers who spent 52 days on strike last year, along with Teamsters from workplaces including UPS and Kroger. Members of other unions, including the United Steelworkers and the Air Line Pilots Association, also joined community supporters in solidarity.

Outside the federal building, the energy was defiant and militant. Workers carried signs reading “Union now,” “Fight back,” and “Organize” as chants echoed through downtown Indianapolis. Teamsters Local 135's tractor-trailer repeatedly circled the building, sounding its horn as workers cheered.

“What do we want? Union! When do we want it? Now!” protesters shouted, calling for the election result to be respected and for the company to stop delaying recognition.

Other chants came directly from the strike that first united the dealers and dual-rate dealers. “One day longer, one day stronger,” demonstrators repeated – a familiar phrase that became a source of encouragement and solidarity on the picket line.

After the rally, members of Teamsters Local 135 and other supporters entered the federal building for an NLRB hearing on Caesars Entertainment's objections related to the payment of strike benefits during the workers' 52-day strike for union recognition.

Dealers and dual rates revive the strike for recognition

A supermajority of dealers and dual-rate dealers at Horseshoe Casino formed a union with Teamsters Local 135 and demanded recognition from the company on September 4, 2025. When management ignored that demand, the workers moved toward an NLRB election scheduled for October 17. But last year's federal government shutdown postponed the election indefinitely.

The union proposed holding the vote as scheduled through a neutral third party under the stipulated election agreement, but the company ignored that proposal as well. Instead, Caesars hired Littler Mendelson, one of the country's largest anti-union law firms, to launch an aggressive campaign against the union.

With no resolution in sight, the Horseshoe dealers and dual-rate dealers turned to a tactic used widely before the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935: the recognition strike.

Strikes for union recognition continued after the passage of the NLRA, though employer and government attacks on the right to strike in general made them increasingly less common. In the last four decades, the tactic virtually disappeared, as organized labor came to rely on the NLRB election process for union certification and moved away from strikes at all. Meanwhile, union density has collapsed from 20.1% in 1983 to 10% in 2025, with an even greater decline in the private sector.

On October 17, the date originally set for their union election, the dealers and dual rates of Horseshoe casino made history. By a vote of 92%, they authorized a strike for recognition and set up a picket line to force Caesars to the bargaining table. The strike lasted 52 days through severe thunderstorms, subzero temperatures, and heavy snow. Caesars relied on the Shelbyville Police Department and city officials to pressure the strikers, but those efforts failed to break the strike.

After the federal government reopened in mid-November, the NLRB set a date for an expedited election. NLRB Region 25 rejected union requests to hold the vote off-site while the strike continued, forcing striking workers to cross their own picket line to cast ballots.

Following advice from Littler Mendelson, Caesars challenged the eligibility of 50 of its own workers, further delaying the process. Even so, the union won decisively on December 5, 2025, with 100 votes in favor and 47 against. The strike ended a few days later, and the dealers and dual-rate dealers returned to work.

Employer attacks on the right to strike

One week after the union's victory, Caesars Entertainment, through outside counsel, filed three objections aimed at delaying certification. All three focused on strike benefits paid to workers while they were out, which Caesars claimed improperly influenced the election.

Since 2023, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) has offered enhanced strike benefits of $1000 per week, beginning on the first day of an authorized strike. Under General President Sean O'Brien, the union has paid these benefits in more than 300 labor disputes in less than three years.

Because the Horseshoe dealers and dual-rate dealers had already organized, whether or not the employer or the NLRB formally recognized them, the IBT extended enhanced strike benefits to support their fight for recognition. Teamsters Local 135 also provided supplemental aid from its own strike and defense fund. That support helped protect workers and their families from serious financial hardship and enabled them to sustain the strike through victory.

These benefits became the basis for all three company objections, which the NLRB allowed Caesars to pursue without requiring proof at the outset. Caesars argued that the benefits bribed workers to support the union, even though the strike began when no election was scheduled. The company also claimed, without evidence, that the union threatened workers with having to repay benefits if they did not back the union.

Despite decades of case law supporting unions' right to provide financial support during strikes, the Region 25 director ordered a hearing on these claims. The hearing took place on June 2 and 3 and drew more than a dozen dealers and dual-rate dealers.

These objections amount to a broad attack on workers' right to strike. Under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) of 1959, workers picketing for union recognition must file an election petition with the NLRB by the 30th day, and employers may file their own petition during that period. As a result, while not every recognition strike ends in an NLRB election, any recognition strike can.

If the NLRB were to rule that strike benefits constitute a form of bribery that taints an NLRB election, it would effectively restrict the ability of workers to strike for recognition at all. Such a ruling would give employers a powerful weapon for breaking recognition strikes any time a union provides financial support to its members.

Caesars' false testimony and Littler Mendelson's real motive

On the first day of the hearing, Jill Bortone, Horseshoe Casino's director of human resources, testified. When challenged during the union's cross-examination, she said twice that she had received a union message about strike benefits before the December 5 vote. When the union attorney produced screenshots of the original message dated December 6, the day after the election, doubts were raised about the accuracy of her testimony.

As the company's case weakened, Caesars attorney Alan Model of Littler Mendelson became increasingly combative before the hearing officer.

Model, who says he specializes in “NLRA compliance” and represented Starbucks in its recent anti-union campaign, signaled the company's broader goal in his opening remarks. He argued for limiting recognition strikes by restricting a union's ability to support members on the picket line. Over the two-day hearing, he presented no evidence for the company's third objection: that the union threatened workers with repaying strike benefits.

Lawyers like Model hate working people. They ideologically despise unions because they represent the organized power of the working class. Billing tens of thousands of dollars per hour, they work on behalf of big business and monopoly corporations to attack labor.

For Littler Mendelson, this case is larger than Horseshoe casino. By reviving the strike weapon during an organizing campaign, the dealers and dual rates dealt a mighty blow to their union-busting playbook and won. Employers and their dogs like Model fear the power of the recognition strike will spread to other workplaces. Much to their dismay, this has already happened in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where workers at Batesville Products Inc. are engaged in their own strike for recognition, also with Teamsters Local 135.

Teamsters power at the NLRB hearing

The union presented a strong defense to the objections, calling witnesses and introducing evidence showing the true picture of the Horseshoe strike. Payroll records and other documents showed that Caesars artificially juiced wages for dealers who continued working during the strike and even paid scabs from another casino to break the strike, all of which far exceeded the $25 per hour of strike benefits ($1000 per week divided by 40 hours on the picket line).

Strike leaders testified to the discipline on the strike line, in which both part-time and full-time dealers walked the picket line for five eight-hour shifts each week, and highlighted the real economic harms that strikers overcame to fight for their union. In a particularly powerful display, the union introduced a petition that dealers and dual rates gathered themselves in the days before the hearing. Well over 100 workers signed the petition to demand union certification from the NLRB and to dispel the company's bogus objections.

The proceedings ended on June 3. Both the union and the company have additional days to file a 25-page brief outlining their positions and using the available evidence introduced at the hearing. The hearing officer will make a recommendation to NLRB Region 25 director Colleen Maples, who will then issue a ruling.

After the hearing, dealers and dual rates pledged to continue fighting in the workplace. They have already formed their union, and billion-dollar corporations cannot override the power of organized labor.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Featured

Indianapolis, IN – Around 100 workers, union members and community allies gathered Friday evening, May 1, at Monument Circle to mark International Workers’ Day with an energetic May Day rally centered on solidarity and a renewed pro-labor program for Central Indiana.

Organized by the Central Indiana AFL-CIO and Teamsters Local 135, the rally brought together a cross-section of the local labor movement. Speakers from Teamsters Local 135, the Indiana AFL-CIO, UAW Region 2B, IUOE Local 399, BCTGM Local 372A, AFSCME Local 3395, and SAG-AFTRA addressed the assembly of workers from the podium. Community allies, including Indivisible Central Indiana and students from across the state, also attended.

May Day, rooted in the 19th-century struggle of U.S. workers for the eight-hour workday, set the tone for the evening as speakers emphasized the continued relevance of that fight amid rising costs of living, anti-union policies, and employer resistance to organizing.

Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135, opened the May Day rally with a fiery call for renewed worker militancy. “International Workers’ Day was a day built on sacrifice, struggle and worker power,” said Roach. “In 1886, workers in this country fought, they bled, and they died for an eight-hour workday. Did they get that by asking nicely? Hell no! They stood together and they took that shit. Here we are over 100 years later, and we're still dealing with the same bullshit today. Different year, same fight. Working people versus corporate greed.”

Roach asked the crowd, “Who built this city?” They responded in unison, “We built this city!”

Dakota Massman, a Teamster table games dealer at Horseshoe Indianapolis casino, delivered a powerful speech recounting the workers’ 52-day strike for union recognition last year and their ongoing fight with Caesars Entertainment.

Massman told the crowd, “Every workplace has the right, every worker the ability, to carry the torch of the working class and become union,” Massman said. “Don't be afraid. I promise you from experience, if you have a little faith and the backing of a strong union, things will turn out better. Solidarity will always win, so let's get to work building a stronger labor movement.”

Tavish Bryan of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Purdue University spoke about an ongoing campaign demanding transparency from the administration over what organizers say is a de facto ban on international graduate students, particularly from countries such as China and Iran. Bryan emphasized that while the full scope of the policy remains unclear due to a lack of transparency, its effects are already being felt by graduate and research assistants, many of whom are international workers who perform a large share of the university’s academic labor. The campaign also calls for protections for international students and pushes back against broader anti-immigrant policies, linking these attacks to declining conditions, wages and rights for graduate workers more broadly.

“This isn't just about Purdue,” said Bryan. “This is about a system that divides workers to weaken them. But we know the truth: An injury to one is an injury to all. If international workers are under attack, all workers are under attack. That's why SDS at Purdue stands with graduate workers – teaching assistants, research assistants, all of them – in the fight for living wages, the right to organize without fear, and dignity on the job, no matter where you're from.”

Throughout the rally, chants echoed across Monument Circle: “An injury to one is an injury to all!” and “We ain’t no one’s working slaves, we deserve a living wage!” and “They say give back, we say fight back!”

Union members carried signs reading “Organize!” “Fight back!” and “Stop the war on workers,” while two large banners framed the gathering: “Labor built this city,” and another displaying the rally’s six-point Pro-Labor Agenda. Some attendees carried signs that read, “Fight for workers and immigrant rights!”

The Pro-Labor Agenda, highlighted repeatedly by speakers, called for a living wage for all workers, healthcare for all, retirement with dignity, protection of the right to strike and honor picket lines, repeal of “right-to-work-for-less” laws, and resistance to attacks on voting rights.

Near the end of the event, rally organizers called for a moment of silence in observance of Workers Memorial Day, which was on April 28 and recognizes workers who have lost their lives on the job. They also held a moment of silence for Alex Pretti, a VA hospital nurse and AFGE member, who was murdered by ICE in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Despite chilly weather, the crowd remained energized throughout the event. The rally concluded with participants joining together to sing Solidarity Forever.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Labor #MayDay #Teamsters

Whiting, IN – On Saturday April 11, members of Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Jobs with Justice Chicago (JwJ Chicago) traveled to Whiting, Indiana to stand in solidarity with the over 800 United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-1 members who have been facing an illegal lockout by British Petroleum (BP) since March 19.

USW members warmly welcomed the supporters and were anxious to share their story about a fight with one of the most powerful corporations in the world. Despite the vast wealth of the bosses at BP, the locked-out USW members are confident that worker solidarity will prevail in the end.

BP and USW Local 7-1 have been bargaining over a new contract since January 2026. On March 2, BP came to the table with an offer that USW says showed they were not negotiating in good faith with the union. BP’s offer would expand managerial rights significantly, reduce hourly wages, replace seniority-based promotions with promotions only granted after training given by management, and eliminate other bargaining unit rights. The contract proposal from BP would also eliminate around 100 jobs.

BP’s offer was rejected by the USW members through a 98% no vote on March 12. On March 13, BP came back to the table with a revised offer that the USW members say was worse than the March 2 offer. This new offer was also rejected by the union’s negotiating committee on March 17.

On March 19, the BP responded by illegally locking out the USW members. Since the lockout began, BP management has since been making statements to the public about the negotiations and lockout that USW members say have been misleading, and has refused to return to the table and negotiate in good faith.

USW District 7 Director Mike Milsap said, “In its drive to lower staffing levels and implement wage cuts, BP is choosing confrontation and gambling the community safety on inexperienced replacement workers. The lockout is a direct attack on workers’ rights and an attempt to weaken the bargaining power of the very people who can make this facility successful. We are standing united and will not back down from securing a fair agreement.”

BP has brought in hundreds of out-of-state scabs who lack the training and experience of the USW members who regularly run the refinery, posing a risk to public safety for the community of Whiting.

What stood out as the largest concern in BP’s unreasonable offer was the expansion of managerial rights. This would increase BP’s ability to undermine the contract if it was ratified and would defeat the purpose of that contract entirely. USW members say that if they signed that contract they would become a union only on paper with no real rights inside the massive BP oil refinery.

USW Local 7-1 members are preparing for a long fight ahead. In 2021-2022, USW Local 13-243 in Beaumont, Texas faced a ten-month lockout and a campaign by ExxonMobil management to try to push employees to decertify the union. Management from the Exxon refinery in Beaumont have been brought into the BP Whiting refinery during the current clash.

Despite BP’s history of attacks on unions, USW International President Roxanne Brown was defiant and said, “Generations of union members have kept this refinery running safely and efficiently, and they deserve a contract that reflects their value – not intimidation tactics designed to force concessions.”

USW is accepting donations at United Steelworkers Local 7-1, Inc., Strike and Defense Fund, 2045 Schrage Ave, Whiting, IN 46394

#WhitingIN #IN #Labor #Lockout #USW #USW71 #Featured

Starting from Margerum Fountain, the massive crowd of protestors spanned the entirety of the John T. Meyers Pedestrian Bridge as they marched shoulder to shoulder making their way to the Lafayette courthouse. After the massive crowd rounded the courthouse they made their way back to Tapowingo Park to listen to live music and speakers

Protesters demanded an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, an end to the terror of ICE, a return to the rule of law, and disparaged the lack of accountability of the Trump administration.

“Today the war that no American asked for has reached a month in length,” said Lea Rush, a member of SDS at Purdue. “As a student I call on all American institutions of higher learning to immediately divest from their military industrial partners. We will not tolerate our schools being the intellectual and technological backbone of terror and genocide all across the world.”

It is clear that wide sectors of people are vehemently against this illegal and unpopular war of aggression. People are tired of billionaires sending young people to fight and die in their dirty wars and the No Kings protest are evidence that there is popular outrage against the Trump administration. People want real change and want it now.

The protest was organized by Indivisible. The No Kings Rally had attendees from various organizations including Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Purdue, JVP Indiana, Greater Lafayette DSA, and YDSA.

To get involved with SDS at Purdue follow us on Instagram @sdsatpurdue and attend our weekly planning meetings every Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Haas Hall room 101.

#LafayetteIN #IN #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #StudentMovement

But AI is not on the verge of being introduced, it has been introduced into every sector of the economy possible, and the balance sheets are coming up wanting. Last year MIT conducted a study of over 300 firms and found that 95% of them saw no return whatsoever on their investment in AI. British firm PricewaterhouseCoopers reported in its 29th annual CEO survey that over half of respondents had seen no benefit from AI whatsoever, either in the form of reduced costs or higher revenue.

Despite these gloomy reports and increasing fears that the dramatic overvaluation of the tech companies tied into the AI boom is a financial bubble waiting to pop, the tech moguls are still demanding more investment. For the most part, they are getting that investment, whether into sprawling new data centers or the power stations to keep them online. While cultural backlash to AI “slop” is becoming more and more widespread, it is clear that the capitalist class still sees AI as the future.

In trying to understand why, it is important to disaggregate the hype of AI’s most shameless salesmen, like Sam Altman or Elon Musk, from the actual capabilities of the technology. Essentially at its core all of what we see called “AI” is just a series of mathematical equations whose parameters are set by a combination of pre-existing data and manual rules set by its designers. The process of “training” AI can be likened to feeding paper into a shredder that can then recombine the letters and words to form new sentences. The AI is “incentivized” to make “good” sentences, which tends to mean ones that look like a human could have written them. The same goes for photos, videos, or music: all the AI is doing is regurgitating something it was already fed.

Throughout the entirety of the process, then, human labor still plays the essential role. Humans need to make the works to be fed to the AI in the first place, because if AI is trained on AI generated data it begins to “rot” and produce increasingly poor results. Then humans need to design the mathematical procedures for the AI to be “trained,” and humans often have to intervene forcefully to prevent the AI from breaking the law (by relaying legally sensitive information like how to make explosives or creating images of illegal activity like CSAM). Then, to create the final generated product, the AI needs to be prompted to do so by a human, who needs to write the prompt in such a way that the machine gives them the output they want. The value that AI possesses is the value of embodied human labor within it.

This is plainly not what capitalists believe. They think that AI carries in it the same unique capacity that only human labor power possesses: the ability to create new value beyond that which it cost to produce it. Capitalists do not understand that, out of the portion of capital they advance for means of production, and out of the portion of capital they advance for labor power, it is only the latter that creates new value in excess of that initial advance. To them, it simply appears as a profit in excess of the total cost they paid. While AI’s mystification is particularly intense, the capitalist class has never understood this fact about any machine, or indeed about their entire mode of production: the origin of profit is in the unpaid labor time of workers.

It is no coincidence that AI investment and speculation took off in the last five years, in the wake of COVID’s disruptions and the growing power and militancy of the labor movement that emerged out of them. Capitalists are desperate for the next big technological innovation to save them from the contradictions of capitalism, as Mr. Andreessen himself admitted last month. “If we didn't have AI, we'd be in a panic right now about what's going to happen to the economy,” he said on a podcast, claiming that “declining population” (a racist dog whistle he uses alongside Elon Musk) and “slow productivity growth” would be the “real crisis” that AI is thankfully solving.

What he is facing up to is the idea that without populations of “surplus” human beings to form the reserve army of the unemployed, and with the rate of profit falling continuously as more and more capital becomes advanced and embodied in machines that merely transfer value and do not create it, that capitalists are dinosaurs living on borrowed time. As they look up at the meteor of class struggle and socialism plummeting towards them, they are conjuring phantasms and trying to breathe life into them with dollars and electricity. AI can be a useful tool, a means of production like any other, but it will not save capitalism from itself.

#WestLafayetteIN #IN #Commentary #Opinion #CapitalismAndEconomy #AI

Indianapolis, IN – On Sunday, March 15, braving forceful winds, around 20 Indiana residents from around the state gathered in downtown Indianapolis to demand that the United States end its criminal war on Iran and the entire Middle East.

The protest was organized by FRSO Indiana, SDS at Purdue, and SDS at Butler, who answered the national call to action by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN).

Protesters opened the rally with chants “No justice, no peace, U.S. out of the Middle East,” “From Iran to Palestine, killing children is a crime,” “From Iran to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine” and “No blood for oil, U.S. out of foreign soil!” The crowd was highly energized, receiving supportive honks from passing cars and raised fists throughout the rally.

The U.S. war on Iran, waged alongside its partner in genocide, Israel, is now in its second week and shows no signs of letting up. The U.S. has repeatedly claimed that Iran is in disarray and on the brink of defeat, all while the Iranians have launched over 40 waves of coordinated missile attacks on strategic U.S. military assets and Israel. More than 2100 people have already been killed in Iran, and over 3 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes.

“We do not want anyone, Iranian or American, dying for this cruel and senseless war,” said FRSO organizer Erica Schnieder.

Speakers denounced the criminal actions of Trump and Israel, calling out their hatred and abuse of women and disregard for humanity. The crowd held a moment of silence for the over 185 young schoolgirls killed in Minab on the first day of the war as attendees held signs with the names and faces of each person who lost their lives.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #AntiWarMovement #Iran

West Lafayette, IN – On Monday, March 2, over 30 protesters gathered in front of the Armory on Purdue University campus to protest the illegal war on Iran by the United States and the apartheid state Israel.

The protest was held in front of the Armory because that is where Purdue ROTC is based, where military recruiting takes place on campus, and is a longstanding symbol of the militarization of the academy. Purdue University has strong, historical ties with major military contractors and eagerly pushes engineering students to work for these companies after graduation through a well-established pipeline. 

The protest was organized by the Purdue chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), with support from the Purdue chapter of YDSA. Speakers were invited from SDS, YDSA, and the West-Lafayette Revolutionary Student Front

SDS member Tavish Bryan led the protest with chants including, “From Iran to Palestine, killing children is a crime!” “No more sanctions, no more wars! We won’t stay quiet anymore!” and “Trump wants war, Trump wants oil! Hands off Iranian soil!”

“I'm a teacher, and one of my students asked me today, 'Mr. Tavish, did World War III just start?' and I didn't know what to say to them. Can you imagine what the students in Minab would be asking? They might be asking the people who are still alive, 'Why are all of my friends dead?'” Bryan said, referring to the elementary school bombed by the U.S. on the first day of the war.

Protester Ellen Newkirk Jahoda stated, “As someone who's constantly scared of something like a school being shot up, the idea of your school being bombed is just terrible, especially when [schools] are supposed to be a safe space for everyone.”

Purdue has already been implicated in attacks on Iran before this war even began with its illegal, de facto admissions ban of graduate students from China, Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba, and most notably, Iran. Graduate students from these countries have already been deported in some cases, creating an atmosphere of dread and terror among those left. 

This ban is spearheaded by the bootlicking Provost Patrick J. Wolfe, who explicitly stated that he will not sign the final admissions for any graduate students from these countries. The university wants to have its cake and eat it too. By leaving the policy unwritten it hopes to leave intact its progressive bona fides and attraction of international talent, while also maintaining servility to the Trump administration.

The provost and his ilk cannot hide behind verbal instructions and closed doors forever, because every day more and more people wake up knowing they must dismantle the war machine in all its forms.

If you want to join that fight, contact SDS at Purdue on Instagram, or join our weekly planning meetings, held at Haas Hall room 101.

#WestLafayetteIN #IN #PurdueSDS #SDS #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #Iran

The bill, authored by State Senator Liz Brown of Fort Wayne, revives core portions of an immigration bill she previously refused to hear last year as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This led to an open spat between Brown and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, during which Rokita claimed Brown had held up the bill because she had an “illegal alien” in her family. Brown said these comments were false and filed an attorney misconduct grievance over Rokita’s comments, which ended up dismissed. Then, after the Indiana Senate voted to reject Trump’s gerrymandering scheme in December, Brown was replaced as chair of the committee by State Senator Cyndi Carrasco of Indianapolis.

The fractious Indiana Republicans are now fumbling for unity through this “improved” version of the bill, which is drawing praise from Rokita as properly forceful. Under the law, local governments at all levels would be legally required to comply with federal detainer requests, holding arrested immigrants for 48 hours past their usual release so they can be disappeared by the DHS. Local governments, public schools and universities as well, would be liable for civil penalties of $10,000 per violation of immigration enforcement.

Additionally, the Family and Social Services Administration and hospitals would be required to turn over reams of data about non-citizens who receive benefits from Medicaid, expanding the massive DHS surveillance dragnet. And even the private sector does not escape the crackdown. Employers face threats of temporary or even permanent suspension of their right to operate if found to be employing people deemed “illegal.”

Indiana has had a law on the books outlawing sanctuary cities since 2011, Senate Enrolled Act 590, but the attorney general has had considerable trouble enforcing this ban and is using this law to seek firmer enforcement mechanisms to ensure a clear path for DHS boots to march.

Senate Bill 76 stands to expedite the terror waged against immigrant communities across the U.S. to Indiana’s front door. With the terror comes repression, a futile attempt of Trump’s running dogs to silence any institution willing to fight back. While tightknit communities’ decades long established may lean on each other for support, recent immigrants and rural communities strewn across Indiana face a greater threat of serious harm if targeted.

However, it is doubtful that Rokita and Trump’s other henchmen in Indianapolis will have their way. Resistance to the immigration crackdown is growing across the state. Hundreds of people from all walks of life have hit the streets week after week all across the state since Renee Good was murdered in Minneapolis during “Operation Metro Surge.” Their message has been clear: ICE is not welcome in their streets.

In contrast to the bickering Republicans seething at one another over personal insults and failed legislation, the people of Indiana are finding unity in their common opposition to the murder and kidnapping of their neighbors and do not believe in any special “immunity” for federal immigration jackboots. Even in what some would write off as “Trump Country,” people are standing up to fight back because they know they can win.

If you want to get organized and join that fight in Indiana, you can reach out to FRSO Indiana at frsoindiana@gmail.com, on Instagram at @frso_indiana.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #ImmigrantRights #Opinion #Commentary #ICE #FRSO

Lafayette, IN – On Tuesday, January 27, nearly 300 protesters gathered at the Tippecanoe County courthouse to protest the brutal execution of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by two federal agents in Minneapolis.

Protesters braved the brutal cold to demand an end to ICE’s occupation of Minneapolis and stood to honor Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Renee Nicole Good, Keith Porter, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, Johnny Noviello, and all people killed by ICE.

On the steps of the courthouse, speakers rallied the crowd in defiance of the Trump administration.

The demonstration was organized by Students for a Democratic Society at Purdue, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Indiana, Young Democratic Socialists of America at Purdue (YDSA), and Ayuda Mutua Lafayette Indiana (AMLI).

“We stand here today in solidarity with Chicago, with DC, with LA, with all our immigrant neighbors, because it is right to rebel. It is right to resist,” said Tavish Bryan of FRSO Indiana. “There will be no business as usual while ICE is terrorizing our streets, because these are our streets,” said Bryan.

Protesters marched around the courthouse block to the constant honks and cheers from cars in support. Community members and organizers spoke with local reporters to express their rage at the Trump administration and relay their hope, fueled by the strength of people standing together against ICE.

In a city a fifth the size of Minneapolis, not a single counter-protester was present in the face of such a large, energetic crowd.

“We saw a man murdered in the streets of Minneapolis, and we wanted to show solidarity. This is what ICE does when left unchecked. And we don't believe this organization should exist at all,” said a member of YDSA Purdue.

The crowd persevered even after the speakers finished. As the sun set, the volley of honks and cheers did not let up. “The people united will never be defeated!” rang from the crowd as the temperature fell and the night descended.

ICE's presence in Greater Lafayette is relatively small. Still, Indiana lawmakers have passed legislation requiring state, city and county police to cooperate with ICE or face severe consequences.

SDS member and FRSO cadre Lea Rush emphasized that ICE “will come here soon enough, we need to stand up in defiance before that happens.”

#LafayetteIN #IN #ImmigrantRights #ICE

West Lafayette, IN – On Monday, January 12, over 100 protesters gathered at the busy intersection of State Street and Northwestern Avenue just outside of Purdue University campus to protest and grieve the brutal murders of Renee Nicole Good and Keith Porter, and the killings of Johnny Noviello and Ismael Ayala Urribr, who died in ICE detention from criminal medical neglect.

The protest was organized by the Purdue chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) with attendance from Purdue Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), Greater Lafayette Democratic Socialists of America (GLDSA), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Greater Lafayette Immigrant Allies, and United Tippecanoe Rapid Response Network (UTRRN).

SDS member Reed Stoerck opened the protest, citing the furious anger at the murder of Good and Porter, and the killings of Uribe and Noviello, that have brought people out to the streets, and called on everyone to get organized.

The crowd, composed of students and community members, was impassioned and loud, gathering the attention of people on their commutes home, chanting “IDF, KKK, ICE, they’re all the same!” and “Jonathan Ross is a? Murderer!”

“In her glove compartment, there were no weapons, no explosives, but stuffed animals. Is this what a domestic terrorist would have in their glove compartment?” said Vincent Ferro, a Purdue freshman from Minneapolis who witnessed the cold-blooded murder of Renee Nicole Good. “What's been going on in Minnesota is absolutely just disgusting. It's heartbreaking.”

Melissa Hernandez, a Purdue student, told the crowd, while in tears, “My parents have been waiting 20 years for papers in this country. Never once have they committed a crime!” adding, “They are people too! They are human! They have emotions! We will not live like this and take it anymore!”

Another speaker, who identified themselves as undocumented, said, “I’m an illegal immigrant— I’m not scared to say that – I would like to thank you guys for coming out here. You guys are doing great. If you guys are scared of ICE, just know that we do have a God, and God is by our side, so do not be scared.”

The overall message of the night was to fight despair, get organized, and unite. Many speakers encouraged people to remain vigilant and fight complacency, with others calling for unity and organization.

ICE remains a constant threat to our lives and communities. The best way to fight back is to get organized. Purdue SDS will be hosting a new member meeting at Mad Mushroom on State Street, Thursday, January 22, at 5:30 p.m. Follow us @sdsatpurdue on Instagram.

#WestLafayetteIN #IN #ImmigrantRights #ReneeGood #SDS

Indianapolis, IN – Several hundred people gathered at Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis last night, January 8, to express their collective rage, grief and resilience over ICE’s murder of Renee Nicole Good.

Chants of “IMPD, KKK, ICE they’re all the same” and “The people, united, will never be defeated” filled the air as protesters held signs demanding ICE leave their communities and comparing them to the Nazi Gestapo. The crowd was repeatedly cheered by passersby honking their horns as they drove the circle, and people walking by raising their fists in solidarity.

Renee Good was a legal observer of ICE’s latest batch of raids. When ICE saw her vehicle in their way, they surrounded it, shouting contradictory orders at Good both to drive away and leave the vehicle. One officer, Jonathan Ross, jumped in front of Good’s car, drew his weapon, and shot Good to death.

The crowd listened to speakers from Indianapolis Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), About Face: Veterans Against the War, Indianapolis Indivisible, and others. The speakers were totally united in their demand that the killer ICE agent Jonathan Ross face full legal repercussions for the murder he committed.

The crowd was extremely diverse, representing the near universal outrage at the blatant criminality of ICE and the DHS. Many people used signs they’d originally brought to No Kings protests last year, and they were shoulder to shoulder with attendees from the ACLU and Food Not Bombs, chanting “One solution, revolution” alongside the protest organizers.

At multiple points the Monument Circle sound system began its nightly broadcast of red, white and blue propaganda, including a full rendition of America the Beautiful blared at full volume, but the people’s anger and resolve was undimmed.

Speakers connected the brutality and lawlessness of ICE at home directly to that American imperialism has imposed overseas in places like Venezuela and Palestine. At the mention of Palestine, a “Free, free Palestine” chant started at the back of the crowd spontaneously and was soon being taken up by the entire group, including the speaker who began to help lead it.

After the speeches and chanting, the crowd took to the streets, marching and raising a righteous din as bystanders watched in open admiration from storefronts and shop windows. The march concluded at the State Capitol building with speakers reiterating their calls to get organized and fight back against the Trump regime’s racist campaign of terror.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #ImmigrantRights #ReneeGood #ICE #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #KillerICE

Indianapolis, IN – About 60 people gathered Saturday afternoon, January 3, at Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis to protest the U.S. military attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Demonstrators chanted, “No war on Venezuela” and “Maduro, aguanta, el pueblo se levanta,” Spanish for “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up.” Protesters held signs reading “No war for oil” and “Hands off Venezuela,” while passersby honked their horns and raised fists from their cars in support.

Organizers said the emergency protest was called in response to rapidly unfolding events in Venezuela earlier that morning. The United States bombed Venezuela and captured President Maduro during a large-scale military operation launched in the early hours of Saturday.

Reports from Caracas indicated that explosions began around 2 a.m. local time, with multiple military installations and numerous civilian buildings being bombed. The number of casualties remains unknown.

In an official statement, the Venezuelan government condemned the attack as a violation of the United Nations Charter and a threat to regional peace, announcing the activation of national defense plans and the deployment of armed forces. Venezuelan leaders also called for mass popular mobilizations of working people and trade unions. Authorities said they would bring formal complaints before international bodies, including the United Nations, over what they described as a criminal act of war committed by the Trump administration.

Speakers at the Indianapolis rally echoed those condemnations, denouncing the attack as an act of imperial aggression and warning that a U.S. war on Venezuela would be fought for corporate and oil interests at the expense of civilian lives. Several speakers emphasized solidarity with the Venezuelan people and the Bolivarian Revolution and called for an immediate end to the U.S. war on Venezuela, as well as the safe return of President Maduro.

Trump’s war on Venezuela, though carried out under the bogus pretense of drug trafficking, is being waged at the behest of the monopoly capitalist class that rules the United States. Trump could barely contain himself at the press conference announcing the military operation, pledging to occupy Venezuela and turn its oil over to Western energy corporations. By targeting Maduro, U.S. imperialism is attempting to decapitate the Bolivarian Revolution. In 2002, the United States backed a coup attempt against then-President Hugo Chávez, who was restored to power by the Venezuelan people within 47 hours.

The Bolivarian Revolution is an ongoing national democratic revolution that has been unfolding in Venezuela for over 25 years. Contrary to the claims of the Trump administration, Maduro and the Venezuelan government retain broad support among the working class, peasant farmers, the urban poor, and the workers and peasants in uniform who comprise the military. Despite U.S. sanctions that have placed severe strain on the Venezuelan economy, the country has stood firm in the face of imperialist aggression. As masses of working people in Venezuela mobilize to defend their independence, solidarity and anti-war demonstrations like the one in Indianapolis make clear that they are not alone.

#IndianapolisIN #IN #Antiwarmovement #venezuela

Shelbyville, IN – In a decisive victory for their historic strike for union recognition, table games dealers and dual rate dealers at the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino voted overwhelmingly on Friday, December 5, to join Teamsters Local 135.

In an expedited NLRB election ordered after the end of the government shutdown, striking casino workers delivered a landslide mandate for union representation and forced Caesars Entertainment, the corporation that owns the casino, to recognize their union. The vote took place on day 50 of the strike.

The final tally showed 100 votes for the union and 47 against, a 53-vote margin in favor of Local 135. Caesars management challenged the ballots of 50 of its employees – more than one in four eligible workers – but the challenged ballots were not determinative to the outcome. More than two-thirds of the challenged ballots were cast by striking workers, who voted yes. Caesars also challenged all dual rate ballots, continuing to claim dual rates are “supervisors,” despite multiple NLRB rulings rejecting that position.

A strike-day election

Polling opened at 5 a.m. inside the Horseshoe casino. Across the street, the striking dealers and dual rates held a mass rally before walking together in groups to cast their ballots. The NLRB’s decision to hold the election at the casino was an egregious example of the federal government violating the rights of workers. In ordering the election in this manner, the NLRB effectively forced strikers to cross their own picket line. Despite this gross violation of workers’ rights, turnout was not diminished in the slightest. Every striker voted, and the rally on the picket line across the street continued throughout the day.

When polls closed at 10 p.m., workers again assembled across the street for a victory gathering. An hour later, the results were announced. Striking workers celebrated an overwhelming win for the union.

Horseshoe General Manager Trent McIntosh and Table Games Manager Lee Ann Hinthorne were present during the vote count, along with an attorney from the casino. All three were advised by Littler Mendelson, the anti-union law firm that Caesars paid tens of thousands of dollars per day throughout the campaign. All looked on as the workers delivered a resounding defeat to Caesars’ months-long anti-union effort, which included illegal firings, threats, captive-audience meetings, illegal attempts at strike-breaking, and around-the-clock pressure.

The road to victory and beyond

The December 5 election came exactly 50 days after the strike began on October 17, when day-shift dealers walked off the floor in unison, shutting down table games. The strike came after Horseshoe management refused to honor the union's request to proceed with a neutral-administered election during the government shutdown, which indefinitely postponed all scheduled union elections.

Workers held a continuous, militant, round-the-clock picket line through storms, freezing temperatures, police repression, and a coordinated effort by the city of Shelbyville and Caesars to restrict public space around the casino. Their organization and persistence sharply limited Caesars’ ability to continue union-busting and held the unit together through the shutdown until victory.

Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach called the outcome “a victory written in courage, sacrifice and snow,” saying the workers had “shown the world exactly what it means to fight for dignity.”

In a statement after the vote, Teamsters Local 135 said that the dealers and dual rates “faced down a billion-dollar corporation. They endured pressure, fear tactics, and every trick Caesars could throw at them. They sacrificed paychecks, sleep, family time and comfort — all for each other. And tonight, they won.”

The strike officially concluded on Monday, December 8, when the dealers and dual rates returned to work as recognized Teamsters Local 135 members. They are immediately beginning to organize a strong first-contract campaign.

The Horseshoe recognition strike now stands as one of the most consequential labor victories in recent Indiana history, and a rare example in the modern era of workers using a recognition strike to force a major corporation to the bargaining table.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #Feature

Shelbyville, IN – Thirty days into their historic strike for union recognition, the Horseshoe Indianapolis table games dealers and dual rate dealers marked the milestone the way striking workers always have: together, in solidarity, and in full public view.

At noon on November 15, striking workers and their supporters gathered for “Labor Day in November,” a large cookout held directly across from the Horseshoe Indianapolis casino. Despite being one month into a bitter showdown with casino giant Caesars Entertainment, morale on the line was high and the sense of momentum unmistakable.

More than 100 Teamsters from other shops joined the celebration, alongside members of the UAW, USW, AFSCME, AFT, and other unions from across central Indiana. Indiana State Senator Andrea Hunley and Indianapolis City-County Commissioner Jesse Brown also attended, walking the lines and speaking directly with the dealers and dual rates who have held out for a month in the face of weather, corporate pressure and coordinated strike-breaking by the company and the city of Shelbyville.

A giant Teamsters Local 135 tractor-trailer drove up and down North Michigan Road, blaring its horn in support of the striking workers. At one point, Shelbyville police – who evicted the striking workers from their picket lines on day 20 by force and have effectively operated as Caesars' private security force – pulled the truck over, threatening to ticket the Teamster driver for supposedly “violating a noise ordinance.”

After lunch, the crowd surged back onto the picket lines, now re-established in the grassy public medians along North Michigan Road and CR-200 W, where striking workers stand on public right-of-way and easement. With fresh banners and high spirits, strikers marched in formation, chanting, “Hey Caesars, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”

Dustin Roach, president of Teamsters Local 135, led the crowd in a chant, “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Teamster power!”

Strikers and their supporters leafleted customers as they entered the casino, explaining the strike and urging them not to cross. Many drivers honked, waved, or turned around—another sign of the broad community support the strike has gained.

A militant month

The 30-day mark follows a week of high energy on the line. One night saw picket-line karaoke, drawing dozens of strikers to sing and laugh together despite the cold. On another, two local bands, Work Friends and Boozehounds Bluegrass, held a solidarity concert for the striking dealers and dual rates. Work Friends delivered a set of union classics like Union Maid, and even a Horseshoe-strike version of Which Side Are You On? – featuring the lines:

They say in Shelby County,

There are no neutrals there,

You’ll either stand with Caesars’ greed

Or fight for what is fair.

Later that night, the entire swing shift sang Solidarity Forever together in full view of the casino.

Reviving the recognition strike

The strike began on October 17, when day-shift dealers set phone alarms for noon, closed their lids, secured their tables, raised their hands, and walked off in unison – shutting down table games and launching a 24-hour picket that has held firm ever since.

The walkout followed an NLRB election that was postponed indefinitely because of the government shutdown. Caesars refused to accept a union proposal to hold the scheduled election through a neutral third-party election supervisor, despite both the union and company having previously agreed to all terms of the election.

In response, the workers chose a route rarely seen in the modern U.S. labor movement, a recognition strike – a tactic common before the 1935 NLRA but almost unheard-of today.

Their determination has only grown stronger. The strike has weathered torrential storms, freezing nights, unexpected snow, strike breaking attempts by the city of Shelbyville's police and the company, and more. Through it all, the dealers and dual rates remain disciplined, united, and unwavering.

NLRB reopens and moves toward an election

The federal government shutdown ended on the night of November 12, marking the longest shutdown in U.S. history at 43 days. The NLRB reopened the following day and is now moving to schedule an expedited election for the Horseshoe dealers and dual rates.

Labor Board policy has been to expedite elections when a strike is taking place. With a historically large backlog of elections, hearings and cases stemming from the shutdown, the priority that the Horseshoe election is getting from the NLRB speaks to the effectiveness of the dealers' and dual rates' strike for recognition.

Workers say that whatever date is chosen, they are ready to win their strike and begin bargaining their first contract.

“One day longer, one day stronger”

If Caesars hoped the cold, the storms, or the city’s interference would break the strike, Saturday made clear just how wrong they were. The Day 30 turnout demonstrated growing support from other workers and unions, as well as community members and elected officials.

In the last week, dealers and dual rates began filling out bargaining surveys on the picket line. They are eager to begin the collective bargaining process immediately to address their many issues, including wages, health insurance, PTO and unjust discipline.

As the crowd marched down North Michigan Road after the cookout, one chant echoed louder than any other: “One day longer!” “One day stronger!”

And after 30 days on the line, the Horseshoe dealers and dual rates mean every word.

#ShelbyvilleIN #IN #Labor #Teamsters #Strike #IBT135 #Feature