Bessemer, AL – As workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse have begun voting by mail on whether or not to join the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Amazon is pulling out all of the stops to try to coerce them out of voting for the union. They are trying many tactics straight out of the age-old union busting playbook and have forced workers to attend anti-union meetings, even in violation of Amazon’s own social distancing policies.
St. Paul, MN – On February 20, one month after President Biden’s inauguration, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) organized the first protest of their new campaign to end the war on immigrants. About 100 people gathered outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple Building, the federal building where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters are located in Minnesota. The campaign demands include, among others: “Legalization for all,” “Close the camps,” “No kids in cages,” “No border militarization,” “No wall on Native land,” “End abuses in ICE jails,” “No forced sterilizations,” and “Immediate access to COVID-19 vaccines for ICE detainees.”
Sheriffs disrupt press event, anti-protest law denounced
Tallahassee, FL – On February 11, several Tally19ers planned an 11 a.m. press conference downtown at the Clerk of Courts across from the Capitol, in support of Tally19er Ben Grant, who is the only one still facing felony charges. Grant was due in court that morning.
St. Paul, MN – Over 20 people held banners and signs as part of a national day of action, February 18, on the Snelling Avenue bridge over Interstate 94. The national call was issued by the United National Antiwar Coalition’s youth committee, Youth Against Empire, to show of international solidarity by demanding “No war with Iran! End the sanctions now!”
Denver, CO – On Saturday, January 20, the Denver Peace Council and Students for a Democratic Society gathered at the Colorado state capitol for a roadside protest against U.S. sanctions on Iran. The protest was called for as part of a national day of action by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC)’s youth committee, Youth Against Empire.
A Texas weather emergency spiraled out of control on February 14. This emergency has resulted in over 60 deaths, power outages affecting millions, and more than 13 million currently without access to water. What led to the emergency can be blamed mostly on natural gas and coal companies like Comstock Resources Inc, who sought only to make profits during the crisis. These companies never properly maintained these plants and, when the temperatures in Texas dipped, the plants froze and became inoperable.
New York, NY – Between February 8 and March 29, over 6000 Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting on joining the Retail, Wholesale Department Store Workers Union (RWDSU). On Saturday, February 20, there was a national day of action called by the Southern Workers Assembly, with actions taking place in over 50 cities across the country.
