Chicago, IL – Negotiations continued between Teamsters Local 705 and UPS, October 25 and 26, on a collective bargaining agreement covering nearly 10,000 Chicago-area workers and one of the last two to settle with UPS around the country.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Oct. 27 statement from Jose Maria Sison, Chief Political Consultant, National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

San José, CA – On Friday, October 26, the U.S. stock market fell again. The broadest measure of U.S. stocks, the S&P 500, which measures the prices of 500 of the largest corporations in the United States, fell 1.7%, ending the day below where it started the year in January. One of the hardest hit stocks was Amazon, which fell almost 8% on Friday, down nearly 20% since it hit a high in September, giving the corporation a market value of $1 trillion.

Jacksonville, FL – On November 6, Floridians will vote on 12 amendments to the state constitution. Some of these amendments would have a far greater impact on the working-class and oppressed communities of this state than others. Several reached the ballot by citizens’ petition, while others were added by Governor Rick Scott’s majority-appointed Florida Constitutional Revision Commission, which met in 2017.

Washington, DC – UPS Freight (UPSF) employees will be voting on a Last, Best, and Final Offer (LBFO) presented by the company on November 9, 10 and the 11. The vote will take place in person at UPSF employees’ respective local unions and will not be online like the previous vote. The previous tentative agreement was rejected by the membership with a 62% “no” vote.

According to widespread media reports, two Palestinian protesters were killed in Gaza, October 26, while participating in the Great Return March. According to the news outlet Ma’an, “Spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, identified one of them as Muhammad Khalid Mahmoud Abed al-Nabi, 27, saying that al-Nabi succumbed to his wounds while being treated at the al-Shifa Hospital.”

Chicago, IL – Strikes are on the agenda. The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) made this perfectly clear, turning out more than 250 people on October 24 for a rally to announce strike authorization votes at 19 charter schools next week. The votes will occur at two of the largest charter networks: Acero (formerly UNO, famous for scandals) and Chicago International Charter School (CICS).

Tampa, FL – More than 50 Tampa area students and community activists gathered at the University of South Florida’s MLK Plaza, October 24, for a rally against Trump’s attacks on transgender rights. The protest was organized by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Los Angeles, CA – Over 300 militant parents and students, along with teachers who are members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), gathered at LA Unified School District (LAUSD) headquarters, October 23, to protest Superintendent Austin Beutner. Near the end of the rally, they all marched into the LAUSD superintendent’s office and staged an occupation, demanding to meet with Beutner.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

_Entrevista con Luiza Bezerra de la federación sindical Central de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de Brasil (CTB) _

El 28 de octubre, los brasileños votarán en la segunda vuelta de sus elecciones presidenciales. La primera vuelta, el 7 de octubre, provocó conmociones en todo el mundo, ya que el candidato de extrema derecha pro-militar de la dictadura Jair Bolsonaro ganó el 46% de los votos y encabeza las urnas en la segunda ronda de votaciones, donde se enfrentará a Fernando Haddad del Partido de los Trabajadores (PT). Brasil es un vasto país que tiene la segunda economía más grande de América, detrás de la economía de los Estados Unidos. Brasil sólo emergió hace 33 años de una dictadura militar de derecha. Bolsonaro proviene de las fuerzas armadas y ha pedido abiertamente el retorno de Brasil al gobierno militar. Los sindicatos y la izquierda en Brasil enfrentan una situación potencialmente sombría si Bolsonaro gana, ya que llama a la represión contra sindicalistas e izquierdistas, así como a promueve ataques contra los Afro-Brasileños, las personas LGBTQ y las mujeres.

Minneapolis, MN – Steff Yorek, the Political Secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, sharply condemned the Trump administration, October 22, for orchestrating attacks on the democratic rights of transgender people.

Chicago, IL – Over 1000 Teamster Local 705 members packed their union hall, October 21, on the eve of serious negotiations with UPS. Support was widespread for the bargaining team, who are ready to end their contract extension should the company refuse to address some key issues.

Interview with Luiza Bezerra of the Brazilian Workers Central (CTB) union federation

On October 28, Brazilians will vote in the second round of their presidential election. The first round on October 7 sent shock waves around the world as extreme right-wing pro-military dictatorship candidate Jair Bolsonaro won 46% of the vote and leads polls heading into the second round of voting, where he will face Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party (PT). Brazil is a vast country which has the second largest economy in the Americas, behind only the U.S. economy. Brazil only emerged 33 years ago from a right-wing military dictatorship. Bolsonaro comes from the military and has openly called for returning Brazil to military rule. Unions and the left in Brazil face a potentially grim situation if Bolsonaro wins, since he calls for repression against trade unionists and leftists as well as promoting attacks on Black people, LGBTQ people and women.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 75 people rallied and marched through the Cedar Riverside neighborhood, October 21, as part of an demonstration organized by the MN Peace Action Coalition. The protest was a part of a nationally coordinated weekend of anti-war events in cities across the United States. The call for protests coincided with an anti-war protest to be held at the Pentagon that same day, organized by the Women's March on the Pentagon. The call for the Women's March on the Pentagon was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 1967 march against the U.S. war in Vietnam.

Tampa, FL – A recent ruling of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said that janitors who were picketing for better working conditions were not protected from unfair labor practices committed by their employer. The Board ruled that the janitors, who were being contracted by a building management company, were engaged in secondary picketing. With a Trump-appointed NLRB, workers fighting for rights on the job will be facing new challenges.

New York, NY – Organizers from across the five boroughs joined together for a press conference, Oct. 19, decrying the recent assaults by Proud Boys and 211 Bootboys on community members. The organizations and speakers at the conference not only called attention to the violent assaults and the ultra-right wing groups behind them, but also to the collusion between these street gangs and the New York Police Department.

A dive into national oppression, violence and trauma in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, FL – The United States has a notorious history with the national oppression of Black people. In the South, remnants of slave society exist as a constant reminder of this – Confederate street names, school names and monuments are physical reminders one encounters daily – but we see it also manifest in the social structure of the Black Belt South – the historically constituted nation of Black people in the United States.

Opposition to attempt at glorifying war crimes against Palestinians

Minneapolis, MN – Dozens of protesters gathered in front of Folwell Hall at the University of Minnesota, October, 18, to protest Student Supporting Israel’s event that hosted former Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers. The MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) organized the protest

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Oct. 17 statement from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, Southern Mindanao Region (SMR).