7 months into the strike the miners have vowed to continue their strike regardless of the temporary restraining order. Warrior Met has already taken more than $1.4 billion in Concessions from the miners according to the UMWA

Cecil E. Roberts, International President of UMWA, stated “Consider for a moment that the Wall Street bankers who are calling the shots at Warrior Met took $1.4 billion in workers’ concessions out of Alabama communities and sent it up to New York to line their pockets. And then sucked another $750 million from the company’s revenues almost immediately after Warrior Met emerged from bankruptcy”.

Roberts went on to say “Consider also that for the last several months, Alabama State Police have been working on the public’s dime to escort out-of-state strikebreakers who have been brought in to take Alabama taxpayers’ jobs. Where is the sense in that? We have seen no protest or investigation by our state’s leaders about this clear misuse of taxpayer dollars.” and “Let me be clear: We remain ready to engage in serious and good-faith negotiations to resolve this dispute, but this TRO will not stop our strike”

The company sites safety as the reason for the TRO, however Warrior Met has long been attempting to bring in scab workers to replace the miners and try to break their strike. This order forbidding picket lines near entrances to the premises of the mine is another way for Warrior Met to attempt to outlast the strikers by using scab labor.

The miners continue to be resolved to strike for as long as it takes.

#TuscaloosaAL #PeoplesStruggles #strike #Strikes #WarriorMetCoalMine #UnitedMineWorkersOfAmericaUMWA

UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts, “the UMWA will continue to strike at Warrior Met until an agreement can be reached that provides these miners what they deserve.”

As this strike stretches into a third week, there is no clear end in sight, and Fight Back! will continue to provide updates as they become available.

#TuscaloosaAl #TuscaloosaAL #PeoplesStruggles #Strikes #WarriorMetCoalMine #UnitedMineWorkersOfAmerica

On April 3, large crowds of miners could be seen picketing in front of the entrances to the mine chanting “No contract, no coal!”

UMWA says that members of management have received bonuses recently that were as large as $35,000.

The strike is an unfair labor practice strike and UMWA has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board around management’s behavior throughout the contract negotiations, and the union expects those charges will found to have merit and go through as they are investigated.

Management is reported to be looking at this as a long-term strike and beginning to make plans to bring in scabs in an attempt to bust the strike. While the use of scabs in any strike has a tendency to infuriate the striking workers, the coal mining industry has a special history in which use of scabs has created scenes involving destruction of company property and violence as a result.

Many of the most remembered of these clashes took place around the Coal Wars which happened over several decades between 1880 and 1930. However in much more recent history, coal strikes have continued to evoke major battles between coal miners who feel they have few options and mining companies which attempt to extract as much as wealth as possible from those workers. What will happen if the company follows through and brings in scabs is yet to be seen.

The UMWA says they are committed to this for the long haul and will keep fighting until they prevail.

#TuscaloosaAl #TuscaloosaAlAL #PeoplesStruggles #Strikes #WarriorMetCoalMine #UnitedMineWorkersOfAmerica

Tuscaloosa, AL – A dozen people gathered in front of the downtown Federal Building on Tuesday Oct. 5 to protest the FBI raids and repression of peace activists.  The protest was part of a national day of action against the first day of scheduled grand jury proceedings for the targeted peace activists. The University of Alabama chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized the protest.  Students were joined by faculty as well as members of the local community.

“The FBI is making it clear that the U.S. government is committed to imperialism and international interference,” said Pia Garber, one of the students in attendance. “Their actions will only make the anti-war movement stronger and bring more people together to say we've had enough!”

A statement from Tuscaloosa SDS about the FBI raids reads in part:

Tuscaloosa SDS condemns the FBI raids on peaceful anti-war activists. We find it disturbing that in our 'free' society this kind of political repression is occurring.  We stand in solidarity with the victims of the raids as well as all fighters for justice and social equality throughout the world.  We will not be scared or deterred from continuing to fight for justice in our own communities, and the FBI cannot stop the people’s movement from moving forward.

For more information, visit http://www.stopfbi.net.

#TuscaloosaAL #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSocietySDS #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #TuscaloosaSDS

Alabama Bus Drivers Win Union Contract!

*Statement from the Network to Fight for Economic Justice (NFEJ)*

Union bus drivers at the University of Alabama are celebrating today! They voted to accept their first union contract late last night, March 8, 2010. All the members and supporters of the Network to Fight for Economic Justice are rejoicing with them!

Organizing a union and winning a first contract are difficult enough. To organize in the South where racism and intimidation are strong factors, is spectacular! The union workers and leaders of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1208 are to be congratulated for their grit and determination. They stood up and sent a message across the country, “We’re NOT going to take it anymore!”

Most of the bus drivers are African-American, and many are women. The key to victory was uniting the workers and having solid allies in the fight – especially the University of Alabama Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). SDS organized the campus support that shifted the balance in favor of the union. The students stayed up past midnight making poster board signs and showed up at the bus depot by 4:30 AM to walk the strike picket. While the bus drivers held the picket lines, SDS rallied students to actively support the strikers in ending their poverty wages. Public opinion overwhelmingly supported the bus drivers. It was powerful!

SDS also brought in the Network to Fight for Economic Justice to organize national call-in days targeting UA President Witt. The first call in day demanded Witt make a statement in support of the hard working bus drivers. The second one, during the one-day strike, demanded President Witt stop university “scab vans”. Union leaders and activists, welfare rights organizers, community organizers, and students called from at least thirty cities and towns – including Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Tucson, Boston, Birmingham, Asheville, Gainesville, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Milwaukee, Olympia, Chapel Hill, and New York City. Mario Harmon, the ATU Local 1208 Secretary Treasurer, could not be more thankful for the solidarity shown.

The gains made by establishing the union contract are important and will benefit every worker. The First Transit management, part of British corporation FirstGroup, will no longer be able to fire workers at a whim. The union provides fairness to everyone. The wage increases negotiated at the table will raise most drivers out of poverty. The drivers won one more personal day, for a total of three. When a bus is unsafe, management will have to listen to the driver.

The rank and file bus drivers will have to prepare for the next contract struggle down the road. The union will need to make gains around affordable health care, sick days, and wage increases to match other union bus drivers. Today however, the victory is won! The workers now have a contract to build upon and they are setting an example to other workers to stand up and take back what belongs to them!

#TuscaloosaAL #AfricanAmerican #NetworkToFightForEconomicJustice #CrimsonRide

Mario Harmon, ATU Local 1208 Financial Secretary, said that the drivers would vote on the contract the evening of March 8. “It’s a good first contract and it improves our situation a great deal. There are some things we want to work toward in future contracts, but this is a good contract,” he said. He mentioned that their main priorities were to improve the drivers’ wages as well as provide them with a just cause clause to give them more job security.

Leading up to the strike, Students for a Democratic Society in Tuscaloosa and the Network to Fight for Economic Justice have supported the drivers. There was a successful call-in day to university president Dr. Witt on Feb. 17 demanding that the school put pressure on First Transit to provide the drivers with a fair contract. Since then they have continued to call in, and students have offered on-the-ground support through flyering on campus, holding a rally and joining the drivers on their early morning picket line.

#TuscaloosaAL #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #AfricanAmerican #NetworkToFightForEconomicJustice #CrimsonRide

Tuscaloosa, AL – Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1208 went on strike here, March 1. After a successful day on the picket line, First Transit called them back to the table for further negotiations. They made the agreement that if they went back to the table, then the strike would end and the drivers would return to work. So on Tuesday, March 2 the drivers went back to their job. After a few hours of negotiating, the company still refused to agree to a fair contract for the union.

On Wednesday, March 3, the drivers showed up to work and all but three of them were sent home. The university made a statement to the entire student body saying, “Limited bus service will be available on the UA campus until First Transit and the Amalgamated Transit Union agree on a contract, and the bus operators return to work.” A student organizer, Chapin Gray, said, “The way the university is describing the situation makes it sounds like the strike is still going on, but the drivers showed up ready to work today and most were sent home. It seems to us that limiting the bus service was meant to put pressure on the union to accept an unfair contract.”

Negotiations between First Transit and ATU Local 1208 continued on Wednesday. At the end of the day on Wednesday, a statement was released from President Witt. First Transit emailed Witt's statement to Kenneth Kirk, international vice president of ATU. The statement also appeared on a local news station. President Witt said that First Transit can afford to pay the drivers more and that if their wages are not increased, then the University of Alabama will no longer be doing business with First Transit.

Students for a Democratic Society in Tuscaloosa will be holding a rally in support of the drivers on March 4. Bus drivers and other union members will be in attendance. The rally will be targeted at First Transit, putting pressure on them to negotiate a fair contract. Until the company agrees to a fair contract, the University of Alabama will keep the majority of bus drivers out of work.

#TuscaloosaAL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #strike #ATULocal1208 #AmalgamatedTransitUnion #UniversityOfAlabama #FirstTransit

Solidarity with Tuscaloosa Campus Bus Drivers!

Justice for Southern Workers!

The women and men who drive the buses at the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa need your support and solidarity. They are sick and tired of getting paid $9.50 an hour for hard work. They are fighting hard for a decent first contract that would offer protection from arbitrary firings. And as things stand today, the vast majority of them aren’t working – most of the buses are not running and the drivers do not have a dime of income coming in.

The Crimson Ride Shuttle Drivers are members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1208. Many of the drivers are African Americans and many are women. Their struggle for justice has attracted national support from students and trade unionists. On March 1 they went on strike. Later that day, negotiations resumed and the drivers announced they would return to work the next day. On March 2 the university announced that it was only going to operate a few of the bus routes and only a few of the bus drivers would be going to work.

But the Crimson Ride Shuttle Drivers are determined to win better lives for themselves and their families. And they are not walking alone in their efforts. At the University of Alabama, students organized by the local chapter of Students for a Democratic Society have shown they understand the stand the true meaning of solidarity. They have organized rallies, circulated petitions, and walked the picket lines during the strike. They put pressure on the university to stop supporting the union busters at First Transit. In addition the Network to fight for Economic Justice has been building support for the drivers across the country.

This is an important battle, for the Tuscaloosa bus drivers, their families, and for working people across the U.S. Big corporations like First Transit want to drive down our standard of living. They like the fact that that pay is lower, and working conditions are worse in the South. A victory in Tuscaloosa will be a victory for everyone who wants justice.

Call First Transit today at (205) 345-0941

Demand First Transit give Drivers a decent contract

Network to Fight for Economic Justice

#TuscaloosaAL #StudentMovement #AfricanAmerican #NetworkToFightForEconomicJustice #CrimsonRide

Tuscaloosa , AL – On March 1, the University of Alabama Crimson Ride shuttle bus drivers began a strike in order to gain a living wage, benefits, job security and respect on the job. At 5:00 a.m., the drivers formed their picket line in front of the local First Transit headquarters and Crimson Ride bus yard. Students quickly mobilized to support the drivers, making signs and a massive banner reading, “Students support the strike!” They held signs reading, “Walk or bike, respect the strike!” and “Safety and dignity for drivers now!” Chanting, “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Right now!” the drivers and their supporters stood as the sun rose and waited for any possible strikebreakers.

The surprise strike came in response to a failed attempt at contract negotiations with First Transit, the corporation that the University of Alabama contracts with to provide the campus bus service. After months of attempting to negotiate a contract, First Transit came to the table due to increased pressure generated by the national support for the drivers. On Feb. 18, the negotiations ended with an insulting offer of a 17-cent raise for the drivers, with no mention of benefits or the ‘client prevails’ clause that allows drivers to be fired at any time.

Though the bus drivers were able to convince most of their coworkers to not cross the picket line, a few crossed it. Only a few buses made it to campus to drive their routes. Signs were posted at bus stops telling riders to expect delays and that certain routes would not be running. The strike was successful, as the usually busy roads around campus were empty. However, a couple of hours later, Dr. Witt, the University of Alabama President who previously refused to make a statement about the drivers’ situation, made it clear that he was on the side of First Transit. Calling on university employees to drive 15-passenger vans under threat of job termination, he compensated for the inactive buses by bringing in ‘scab vans.’

Back on campus, the students responded to Witt’s actions by splitting up into teams and distributing informational fliers about the strike. They encouraged other students not to ride the scab buses and vans; some students briefly boarded the buses and vans, asking the drivers who had crossed the picket line to support the strike, and passing out information to the passengers on board. Meanwhile, supporters organized by the Network to Fight for Economic Justice (NFEJ) called in from across the country, demanding Dr. Witt support the strike and the workers.

Several hours into the strike, union members received word that First Transit wanted to return to negotiations. Though they will return to work, their struggle is not over yet; their demands, including safer buses and a living wage, must be met or the strike may continue.

“I'm hoping they didn't just bring us back to the table for no reason,” said Tia Brown, union steward for the Crimson Ride drivers. “I pray that they brought us back to the table for something worthwhile that the members consider to be fair. Whether the negotiations go good or bad, the ultimate decision is in the members’ hands.”

Students are hopeful, but preparing for more struggle. “The strike was successful because so many people were willing to put themselves out there and take a stand for fair labor practices and dignity for the workers,” said Pia Garber, a member of the University of Alabama Students for a Democratic Society. “And the really amazing thing is that we’re all ready to continue the fight at a moment’s notice if we have to. We’re not going to stop until a fair contract is accepted by the union, and even then, we’ll always have an eye on First Transit.”

#TuscaloosaAL #StudentMovement #AfricanAmerican #NetworkToFightForEconomicJustice #CrimsonRide

Alabama Bus Drivers On Strike! Justice for Southern Workers!

Stop President Witt From Breaking Bus Drivers' Strike!

March 1, 2010 – Alabama bus drivers are now on strike! At 4:30 this morning, union bus drivers, joined by students with home made picket signs, gathered at the company depot to begin picketing. Bus drivers talked other fellow union members into joining them on the picket line and the buses are idle. Alabama Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) leaders report the university posted signs saying, “No bus service today.” Mario Harman, a local officer with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1208, said the strike was effective so far and spirits are high!

However, Dr. Witt, University of Alabama President is forcing university workers to run 15-passenger vans around campus and threatening to fire them if they don't break the strike.

Last week Dr. Witt told Chapin Gray, a member of Alabama SDS and a steering committee member of the Network to Fight for Economic Justice, “You are calling the wrong person, the university was not involved at all in the dispute between First Transit and the bus drivers' union, ATU 1208.” Chapin asked Dr. Witt to make a statement of support for the union bus drivers and he refused. Now we see whose side he is on!

Call Dr. Witt TODAY at 205-348-5103

Tell Dr. Witt, “Stop Scabbing! Support the union bus drivers!”

1. Honor the strike
2. Make a public statement supporting the ATU 1208 bus drivers
3. Tell First Transit to settle with the union!

The Network to Fight for Economic Justice (NFEJ) can be reached at www.wesayfightback.com

#TuscaloosaAL #StudentMovement #strike #NetworkToFightForEconomicJustice #CrimsonRide

Tuscaloosa, AL – Alabama bus drivers are on strike. At the University of Alabama, bus drivers, students and supporters picketed First Transit headquarters the morning of March 1. The Crimson Ride Shuttle Drivers, part of ATU Local 1208, decided to strike after First Transit offered the workers crumbs from the table. At last week’s negotiation, First Transit refused to offer a living wage, job security and decent health care benefits. The Alabama bus drivers, who make $9.50 an hour, decided they had had enough.

One of the Alabama bus drivers, Felicia Graves, said, “I am demanding that we be fairly treated. I've driven the bus for some of ‘my babies’ – I call them ‘my babies’ since I’ve known them from when they were in the fourth grade. The company refuses to do any maintenance on these buses and not only are they putting my safety on the line but also they're putting the students safety on the line. I'm going on strike until they give us respect. I'm already not making money. I have nothing to lose.”

Another Crimson Ride driver, Singrid Sanders, said, “What I don't understand is that if you go down to the Alabama Department of Transportation to get a driver's license you have to pay $20. I have to pay $65 for my license. That's because you can't do what I do. We really love working and doing what we do, but they aren't taking us seriously. I'm going on strike until they recognize us for the hard work that we do.”

Students are also involved, and Students for a Democratic Society organized a rally on campus in support of the strike. Dozens of students and supporters met on the quad to show support for the bus drivers. “We are going to join the strikers and rally and picket to show our support. We can walk or bike to show our respect for the strike. We wa