Pittsburgh, PA – On March 8, the International Solidarity Committee of Pittsburgh (ISCPIT) celebrated International Women’s Day on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh with a rally to end “End the War on Women!”

ISCPIT speaker Marigold Cameron told the crowd, “Although Western media likes to portray the Islamic Republic as an ultimate oppressor of women, it should be noted that since the revolution, literacy among women has jumped from 67 to 97%, with women now constituting a majority of university students, especially in STEM fields. This marks Iran as the country in the region with the highest participation of women in academia – and yes, that is even counting Israel.”

Cameron continued, “When the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran eight days ago, one of their first targets was a school for girls, where over 150 students and teachers were murdered!”

A representative of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) stated, “Here in Pittsburgh, the healthcare providers for trans youth, namely UPMC, Central Outreach, and Metro Community Health, have all pre-complied with Trump's lies and cut off this care entirely. Planned Parenthood has also shut down three of its Pittsburgh-area family planning offices, and unionized workers at Allegheny Reproductive Health Center have been repeatedly fired or locked out of their jobs.”

Another speaker from ISCPIT, Kate Hagerty said, “Hatred of women, violence against women, and the sexual abuse of children are symptoms of patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism visited on the weakest and most defenseless people in our society. When the identity of your country is rooted in dominance, theft, exploitation and dehumanization, sexual violence becomes an obvious and unavoidable consequence.”

Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s (FRSO) Ed Gallo stated, “Even within the already exploited working class, women’s work is even more undervalued, underpaid and rendered invisible. When women's labor is treated as worthless, it lowers the floor for everyone. Capitalists use the devaluation of women's work to justify cutting wages, slashing benefits and demanding more from all workers.”

Gallo continued, “The struggles of women, workers and oppressed nationalities are not separate fights. They are all fronts in the battle against our common enemy – monopoly capitalism and the ruling class that profits from exploitation at home and abroad. When we can build an alliance between the labor movement and the liberation movements of oppressed people, we will have the power to win.”

#PittsburghPA #PA #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement

Pittsburgh, PA – On February 20, the International Solidarity Committee of Pittsburgh (ISCPIT) rallied outside of the headquarters of Howmet Aerospace – a company that produces essential F-35 jet components for Lockheed Martin which are used against Palestine

The demonstration took place in coordination with the Anti-War Action Network’s week of action. Protesters chanted, “No more violence, no more threats, no more parts for bomber jets!” Volunteers read selections of poetry by Palestinian authors, and members of local organizations delivered speeches bringing attention to the many facets of U.S. imperialism facing the world today.

ISCPIT’s Dot Bodwell stated, “The genocide did not begin when it hit U.S. headlines, and it will not end once it's out of the spotlight. Pittsburgh needs a consistent voice against war.”

Pittsburgh’s branch of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) has long been leading the campaign against Howmet Aerospace. The Howmet Accountability Project is one of many efforts by local organizers to end Pittsburgh’s complicity in genocide and war crimes.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s (FRSO) Marigold Cameron stated, “During the renegotiations between Howmet and Lockheed Martin, Lockheed's representatives argued that if Howmet dropped the contract, it would take 18 months to resume F-35 production.”

Cameron continued, “The work done in this building forces laborers to work in unsafe conditions around the country; it consumes all other titanium manufacturers, forcing whole industries to do business on its terms; it contributes to the gentrification of our city, pricing our poorest neighbors out of their own homes; and it drops bombs on Palestine, Venezuela, and perhaps soon Iran. Here is our enemy!”

A member of ISCPIT told the crowd, “This oil-obsessed imperialism is the same mindset that darkened Pittsburgh’s sky with coal dust, and set fire to the Cuyahoga River. They are seeking profit at the expense of our world, our home, and our children.”

Other demonstrators drew attention to the idea of the “imperial boomerang,” which refers to the phenomenon where the repression and violence used overseas in imperialist aggression is eventually turned back on the people of the imperialist nation itself.

The rally’s call to action emphasized the important role of the labor movement in disrupting the military industrial complex’s supply chain.

Ed Gallo, a local union worker, said, “The trade unions in Italy swiftly and repeatedly mobilized the workers. They seriously threatened the economic interests of those in power – what is it going to take for U.S. labor leaders to acknowledge that there is no safety, or secure institutions, nothing is sacred in a world where people are murdered by the thousands with impunity? It’s up to us, the rank-and-file, the workers of the United States, to be brave and make our voices heard.”

A strong anti-war movement will be vitally necessary as the Trump administration continues to boldly stoke conflict with Cuba and Iran.

#PittsburghPA #PA #AntiWarMovement #ISCPIT #Palestine

Pittsburgh, PA – On October 10, the Pittsburgh BDS Coalition led hundreds into the streets to speak out against Howmet Aerospace, a locally headquartered company manufacturing aircraft parts for Lockheed Martin. The boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement works to isolate Israel for the crimes it is committing in Palestine.

Coming just a day after the announcement of a new ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Pittsburgh organizers didn’t think for a moment about letting the Palestine solidarity movement settle down. “Just because there might be a new ceasefire doesn’t mean that it’s suddenly okay to sell Israel military jets,” said a member of the Pittsburgh BDS Coalition. “Now is the time to keep up the pressure!”

The event got going with a powerful speech by a representative from the Pittsburgh University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, who spoke to the exhaustion and rage which so many around the world feel watching the Zionist Entity commit genocide in Palestine, with the support of Western Imperialism.

Other speakers included members of PSL, the Our Streets Collective, 50501, the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, the East End Food Co-op labor union, and Jewish Voices for Peace.

Protesters marched down Penn Avenue behind a large banner reading “Howmet kills,” chanting slogans calling on the company to cancel its contract with Lockheed Martin. Upon reaching the Howmet headquarters, three cardboard models of the F-35 jet, which Howmet manufactures parts for, were smashed in front of the building.

The protest kicks off a week of action against Howmet, which the Pittsburgh BDS coalition has been organizing with other groups around the country. Although Howmet has locations in a dozen states across the US, they are not well-known as a component of the military industrial complex. The Pittsburgh BDS Coalition has been working to fix this by reaching out to anti-imperialist groups near other Howmet locations, several of which plan following Pittsburgh’s example with their own actions across the next week. The week of action also coincides with the international BDS campaign against the F-35 fighter jet, which many European socialists are participating in through shipping boycotts.

Although only 16% of Howmet’s business is dedicated to defense contracts, the fact that it manufactures highly specialized titanium parts makes it a crucial part of the F-35’s production chain – especially as the company has spent years buying up specialized factories to grow and maintain its monopoly on titanium aircraft parts. As the Pittsburgh BDS Coalition sees it, if a popular campaign were to succeed in pressuring Howmet to drop the Lockheed Martin contract and rely on the other 84% of their business instead, it would deal a serious blow to the continued production of the IDF’s favorite fighter jet.

#PittsburghPA #PA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

The local’s original contract expired on June 30 after several months of bargaining. They have signed a 14-day extension, with their new expiration date approaching on July 21.

“Health care workers are experiencing record levels of burnout, and we urge our employer to come to the table with an offer that acknowledges the hard work we put in every day for our patients,” said Local 4-200 President Judy Danella.

Hospital management has not moved on the issues most pressing for the workers, including staffing ratios and benefits for nurses who work at least 36 hours per week.

“Nurses don’t take this decision lightly, but they feel it’s an essential step toward bargaining a contract that will benefit workers and their patients alike,” said District 4 Director Dave Wasiura.

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedSteelworkersLocal4200

Negotiations started on October 26, 2021, and union members had been working without a contract since the previous agreement expired on November 20. Sherwin-Williams refused to enter into an extension agreement.

Terrell Williams, president of United Steelworkers Local 14919 states, “All we are asking for is a fair and just contract that keeps up with inflation and provides economic sustainability and security for our members.”

When the parties last met on February 10 and 11, the company reiterated its previous substandard offer, reflecting no progress on their part. Sherwin-Williams is not available to meet again until later this month, and the USW requested the assistance of a federal mediator.

Sherwin-Williams just broke ground for a new headquarters complex in downtown Cleveland and announced the construction of a state-of-the-art research and development center in Brecksville. These projects have a price tag of over $600 million, and both received government assistance.

#PittsburghPA #strike #UnitedSteelworkersUSW

The USW has been in talks with Marathon, which represents industry as its lead negotiator, since January 13. The current national agreement expired at midnight on February 1.

“Our members remain strong and united in their commitment to reaching a deal that meets their needs on wages, benefits, health and safety and more,” said Mike Smith, who chairs the USW’s National Oil Bargaining Program. “We call on Marathon to demonstrate the same urgency.”

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedSteelWorkers

Debbie Blakeley, a recreation aide at the Kane Ross Center facility in Ross Township, said that workers voted to join the USW in order to pursue workplace rights and a voice on the job as well as stronger wages and benefits.

“Respect is a big thing for all of us,” said Blakeley, who has worked at the Kane Centers for 37 years. “I’m looking forward to working with the union to get what we deserve, because we all work really hard.”

The bargaining unit will consist of certified nurse assistants, licensed practical nurses, recreation aides, dietary and housekeeping workers, and material handlers at the Allegheny County-run assisted living and senior facilities in McKeesport, Glen Hazel, Ross Township and Scott Township.

The union vote, which began on December 15, 2021, was certified through the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. The new bargaining committee will enter negotiations for a first contract as USW members in the coming weeks.

“We’ve been striving all year to make this election happen, and I am so glad we can now move on to the work of bargaining a fair contract,” said Desirae Beatty, who has been with Kane for 17 years as a certified nursing assistant. “We have shown the county and Kane that we can organize and move as one, and we are ready for a positive change.”

Kane workers will now join the nearly 150 other Allegheny County workers represented by the USW and the more than 50,000 other USW-represented health care workers across North America.

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #unionization #UnitedSteelworkersUSW

The university paid Philadelphia ‘union avoidance’ firm Ballard Spahr nearly $900,000 during the fiscal year that ended June 30 to help the university wage campaigns to stop Pitt graduate student workers and faculty members in their simultaneous efforts to join the USW. That amount brought the total Pitt has paid the firm to more than $2.1 million since 2016.

“It’s unconscionable that Pitt accepts millions in Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars while in turn spending millions of dollars to prevent its own employees from having a voice on the job,” said Melinda Ciccocioppo, a lecturer in the university’s Psychology Department. “It’s long past time for the university to end its union-busting efforts.”

The university graduate student workers fell just short in a vote to join the USW in April 2019, an outcome that came as a result of unfair labor practices by the university. A Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) hearing examiner ordered a new election, but the university contested that ruling.

Likewise, a PLRB hearing examiner ruled last summer that the university administration artificially inflated a list of its faculty employees in order to impede the faculty’s unionization campaign.

“Allowing the university’s work force to have a voice in the decision-making processes that affect their lives and the lives of students would be a win-win for everyone on campus,” said Kim Garrett, a PhD candidate in the Department Of Environmental And Occupational Health. “It’s shameful that the university is spending that $2 million-plus to silence students and faculty instead of using it to improve their lives.”

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedSteelWorkers

The group, working under the banner of the United Museum Workers, announced their organizing drive on June 29 and are now seeking a formal vote through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“Our movement began with concerns about transparency and limited career opportunities, but it now has even greater urgency as it’s expanded to address furloughs, pay cuts, and safety issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Katie Pirilla, an art handler at the Carnegie Museum of Art. “Workers continued organizing throughout the pandemic and found renewed strength in our fight for a safe museum for employees and the public alike.”

By filing for a certification election, the United Museum Workers seek to create a wall-to-wall collective bargaining unit comprising the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the Carnegie Science Center, the Andy Warhol Museum, and central administrative staff.

“Our group represents a diverse range of departments, duties, interests and ideas, but what all of us need is a seat at the table and a voice in the museum’s decision-making process,” said Ryan Martin, a sales associate in the Carnegie Museum of Art gift shop. “The founder of our museums, Andrew Carnegie, made his fortunes on the backs of thousands of workers who labored for low pay in extremely hazardous conditions. We intend to honor this legacy by voting for union representation.”

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedSteelworkersUSW

Under the rule change, students in the United States on F-1 visas must take at least one in-person class or face deportation. This comes at a time when many universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, are still weighing their options for online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

“This is yet another targeted attack on immigrants disguised as a premature return to ‘business as usual,’” the statement reads. “The modified policy not only forces international students to choose between our safety and academic careers, but also makes it especially dangerous for us to join the call to cancel in-person teaching.”

The group commended the Pitt administration’s call to reverse the decision but stated university leaders needed to do more.

“We ask that Pitt immediately halt its expensive legal campaigns designed to deny us our right to form a union, and instead divert those millions of dollars to take legal action, which must include retaining immigration attorneys to serve students and faculty,” the statement reads.

“As a union, we are committed to fighting for the rights of all people to study, teach and conduct research without having to compromise their health, safety or visa status. We will not sit idly by while more workers become collateral damage due to the U.S. government’s abdication of its duties. Similarly, we will continue to hold the Pitt administration accountable to make sure it protects the safety and wellbeing of our community when making decisions about the upcoming academic year,” according to the statement.

Graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh filed for an election to join the USW in 2017. Last fall, a Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board hearing examiner found that the university administration committed “coercive acts” that undermined the integrity of that election, held in April 2019, and ordered a new one. The Pitt administration appealed the decision, and this process is still underway.

#PittsburghPA #StudentMovement #ICE #PeoplesStruggles #Immigrants #StudentRights #VisitorPrograms

Under the rule change, students in the United States on F-1 visas must take at least one in-person class or face deportation. This comes at a time when many universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, are still weighing their options for online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

“This is yet another targeted attack on immigrants disguised as a premature return to ‘business as usual,’” the statement reads. “The modified policy not only forces international students to choose between our safety and academic careers, but also makes it especially dangerous for us to join the call to cancel in-person teaching.”

The group commended the Pitt administration’s call to reverse the decision but stated university leaders needed to do more.

“We ask that Pitt immediately halt its expensive legal campaigns designed to deny us our right to form a union, and instead divert those millions of dollars to take legal action, which must include retaining immigration attorneys to serve students and faculty,” the statement reads.

“As a union, we are committed to fighting for the rights of all people to study, teach and conduct research without having to compromise their health, safety or visa status. We will not sit idly by while more workers become collateral damage due to the U.S. government’s abdication of its duties. Similarly, we will continue to hold the Pitt administration accountable to make sure it protects the safety and wellbeing of our community when making decisions about the upcoming academic year,” according to the statement.

Graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh filed for an election to join the USW in 2017. Last fall, a Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board hearing examiner found that the university administration committed “coercive acts” that undermined the integrity of that election, held in April 2019, and ordered a new one. The Pitt administration appealed the decision, and this process is still underway.

#PittsburghPA #StudentMovement #ICE #PeoplesStruggles #Immigrants #StudentRights #VisitorPrograms

The United Library Workers began discussing unionization last summer in hopes of gaining a voice when it comes to making decisions that affect the library, the people they serve and their own working environment.

“I am so excited for us to start this next chapter and look forward to working toward a contract that we deserve,” said Isabelle Toomey, a children’s librarian at the Downtown and Business branch. “And I am proud of my fellow coworkers for coming together and utilizing our right to organize.”

The Teamsters and SEIU currently represent the Carnegie Library’s drivers and environmental service workers. This new effort includes all 321 remaining eligible staff who will join a growing number of white-collar Steelworkers in Allegheny County.

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #Steelworkers

The petition, delivered to the main Oakland branch and the East Liberty location, includes over 1,000 signatures calling upon the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to release a statement of neutrality towards the United Library Workers’ unionization efforts and act in good faith.

“The staff at the library in my community are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, and they should be able to collectively bargain for better working conditions without resistance or pressure from anti-union law firms,” said Jessica Benham of Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes.

The Teamsters and SEIU currently represent the Carnegie Library’s drivers and environmental service workers. This new organizing effort includes all 350 remaining eligible unrepresented staff across 19 public branches and the library support center.

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedSteelworkers #CarnegieLibrary #unionDrive

Pitt faculty began collecting confidential union cards in January 2018. Their goals include addressing concerns about pay and job security for adjunct and part-time faculty. They also would like to see more academic freedom and greater transparency from the university administration.

“Specific faculty needs differ so much by department and rank,” said Tyler McAndrew, a visiting lecturer in the department of English and member of the Pitt faculty organizing committee. “But even for people on the tenure track, transparency is so important: with regard to tenure requirements, how everyday decisions are made at the university, and who’s deciding to put what money where and why.”

“All this stuff ripples out to the students whether they realize it or not,” said McAndrew. “A union is not just good for us, but will be a positive thing for the students and the university as a whole because our interests are with the students.”

“We’re organizing in the spirit of recognizing the intellectual labor all of us do,” said Mrinalini Rajagopalan, associate professor in the department of history of art and architecture. “A union is a way to bring back a level of dignity to scholarly work and teaching that we’re not seeing. It’s also about preserving what’s working, what’s viable and sustainable and humane in our university atmosphere.”

Graduate students at Pitt filed for their own union election in December 2017. The university administration objected, and the legal process is ongoing.

#PittsburghPA #StudentMovement #PeoplesStruggles #PublicSectorUnions #UniversityOfPittsburgh #unionElection

American Federation of Government Employees Local 332, which represents about 500 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees at Pittsburgh International Airport and airports across Pennsylvania, is calling lawmakers and the administration to end this shutdown.

“We have members across the state who are worried about feeding their families and paying their bills,” AFGE Local 332 President William Reese said.

The Trump administration is moving to require additional federal workers to report to their jobs, without pay.

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #AFGE #federalWorkers

Pittsburgh, PA – Steelworkers represented by United Steelworkers (USW) are making preparations to strike against ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel company. The union is currently discussing plans for an orderly shutdown with the company in the event a strike occurs. Picket duty surveys, which workers fill out with their times available to picket, have also been distributed to the membership.

The USW and ArcelorMittal have been in negotiations since early July and Steelworkers took a successful strike authorization vote on Sept. 17. The company continues to propose concessions such as forcing workers and retirees to pay for their own healthcare. Current employees with families would have to pay over $9000 over the life of a three-year contract.

ArcelorMittal has also proposed a wage increase – however as the USW negotiating committee points out in a Sept. 17 update, “its concessionary demands would more than wipe out any pay increases the company has proposed.”

#PittsburghPA #PeoplesStruggles #ArcelorMittal #Strikes #UnitedSteelWorkers

“This settlement marks an end to the lawsuits filed by people arrested or harassed during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh,” said Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “We hope that it serves as a lesson to Pittsburgh and other cities about the importance of respecting demonstrators’ First Amendment rights.”

The lawsuit stemmed from the actions of police during the last day of the G-20 Summit on Sept. 25, 2009. That evening, Pittsburgh deployed hundreds of police officers to Schenley Plaza, a public park in the middle of the University of Pittsburgh campus, after learning of plans for a demonstration in the plaza to protest the police's use of arrests, tear gas and rubber bullets in Oakland the night before. Without justification, the police ordered people assembled on the plaza to disperse and then funneled them onto the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning, where police surrounded about 100 people and then arrested them for failure to disperse and for disorderly conduct. Others were arrested for failure to disperse even though they were blocks away from the plaza.

The ACLU-PA filed suit on behalf of 25 people arrested that night, including 14 students from the University of Pittsburgh and nearby Carnegie Mellon University, claiming that the police violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment right to peacefully assemble and Fourth Amendment right to be free from unlawful arrest.

“I hope that this settlement will at the very least show authorities across the U.S. that they cannot violate the First Amendment rights of their citizens,” said Plaintiff Galen Armstrong, who traveled to Pittsburgh from Chicago to participate in G-20 demonstrations.

Plaintiff Melissa Hill traveled to Pittsburgh from Minneapolis to document the G-20 demonstrations for Twin Cities Indymedia. She was arrested on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning after being trapped by police lines. Her video camera, which was confiscated by police during her arrest, was later returned to her, broken and without the memory card.

“With this settlement, I will now be able to move forward after the traumatic events of that evening that resulted in the destruction of my video camera,” Hill said. “I hope that this settlement sends the message that there are consequences when a city uses police state tactics that I hope to never witness again.”

#PittsburghPA #PoliceBrutality #G20 #ACLU #rightToProtest

Pittsburgh, PA – A powerful march for jobs filled the streets here, Sept. 20, in the first major protest before the G-20 summit. Organizers estimate more than 1000 people joined the demonstration, which marched from the Hill district, the historic center of the city’s African American community, to Freedom Corner.

Organized the Bail Out the People Movement, speakers at the rally included Pam Africa, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Nellie Bailey, Harlem Tenants Council; Mick Kelly, Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout; Oscar Hernandez, participant in the 11-month Stella D’Oro bakery strike in New York City; Sandra Hines, Michigan Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions; Larry Holmes, Bail Out the People Movement; Fred Redmond, vice-president of the United Steelworkers; Lynne Stewart, civil rights attorney and others.

Speaking to the rally, Rosemary Williams, who has waged an heroic battle to keep her foreclosed home, urged all those in attendance to attend the Oct. 3 “We Say Fight Back!” Conference in Chicago.

#PittsburghPA #CapitalismAndEconomy #US #WorkersAndGlobalization #G20 #BailOutThePeopleMovement