Workers Resistance

Author: Fight Back

  • Faculty strike at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

    Chicago, IL – 1100 faculty members at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) went on strike, Feb. 18, to demand a fair contract. Several rallies drew 500 strikers and their supporters to the middle of campus.

    These members of Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) Local 6456 showed a high degree of solidarity. Issues in the strike include a wage increase for the entire bargaining unit, but also a minimum salary for the non-tenured full-time lecturers – teachers with PhDs currently earning only $30,000 a year. IFT Local 6456 is demanding a $45,000 minimum for them.

    The union points to the wrong priorities in place at the university, where tuition has risen 25% since 2007 and where the school has over $1 billion in reserves, but where faculty are not paid what they are worth. Most professors have gone two years without raises. Three years ago, their pay was docked through the use of furlough days.

    IFT leaders blame the Board of Trustees and University President Bob Easter. Joe Persky, president of UIC United Faculty, said in a statement, “The administration’s priorities don’t match the University’s mission, and after trying to negotiate a fair contract for eighteen months, they’ve left us no choice but to strike.”

    UIC looks more and more like a corporation each year. The IFT notes that the number of administrators has increased by 10%, while tenured faculty positions have decreased by 1% in recent years. In response to this, one of the chants heard from picketers has been, “Chop from the top!”

  • Lessons from the UAW’s defeat at Volkswagen

    The recent defeat of the UAW at the Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen plant marked a serious setback for the working class, the auto-workers of the Tennessee plant, as well as hundreds of thousands of rank-and-file autoworkers within in the UAW. Workers at the plant voted against representation by a narrow margin of 712 to 626. A victory for labor would have marked the unionization of the first foreign auto plant in the U.S. and one of only a handful of unionized plants in the South. As the growth and survival of the U.S. labor movement in general, and the UAW in particular, depends in part on unionizing the largely unorganized South, union militants and rank-and-file activists need to draw key lessons from this defeat and augment our tactics and strategies.

    The factors of defeat

    Volkswagen, a company where the German autoworkers union sits on the board of directors, signed a neutrality agreement with the UAW, claiming they wanted to implement a ‘German-style’ works council where workers and management could collaborate on various workplace issues. This led many media pundits and union supporters to expect a slam dunk victory for the UAW.

    But let’s be clear: unfavorable conditions for labor still reigned in Tennessee. The jobs at Volkswagen pay relatively well in the low-wage South. Racism and national oppression of black people also served as a basis for anti-union propaganda. Automakers in the South have used slogans such as “This is not Detroit,” exploiting racism and attempting to divide white and Black workers.

    A major factor put forward by the UAW leadership blamed right-wing politicians and special interest groups for the loss. As UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel, the man in charge of the union’s Southern organizing said, “Unfortunately, politically motivated third parties threatened the economic future of this facility and the opportunity for workers to create a successful operating model that that would grow jobs in Tennessee.”

    While we should not underestimate the effects of the reactionary Senator Bob Corker threatening job losses in front of plant workers, it seemed mild compared to the outright firings, intimidation and attack on workers’ rights common to most labor organizing campaigns.

    Perhaps then the deciding factor layed with the UAW’s class collaborationist approach. UAW President Bob King put forward its perspective to the Washington Post: “Our philosophy is, we want to work in partnership with companies to succeed… With every company that we work with, we’re concerned about competitiveness. We work together with companies to have the highest quality, the highest productivity, the best health and safety, the best ergonomics, and we are showing that companies that succeed by this cooperation can have higher wages and benefits because of the joint success.”

    Let’s look at this approach in practice. In the neutrality agreement, the UAW agreed, without the consent of the rank and file at the facility, that if they won bargaining rights, any future negotiations would be guided by considerations such as “maintaining and where possible enhancing the cost advantages and other competitive advantages that Volkswagen enjoys relative to its competitors in the United States and North America;” i.e. keeping ‘competitive’ wages and benefit compensation in comparison to the Big Three.

    The UAW also agreed that it is “committed to the delegation to the Works Council of certain duties, responsibilities and functions that are traditionally the subject of collective bargaining.” The details of this ‘works council’ would be left to bargaining in the first contract. This means surrendering functions of the union to an entity half comprised of management. To make matters worse, the union also agreed to a strict no-strike clause during first contract negotiations that would bar the workers from implementing basically every effective tactic to pressure their employer during the critical negotiations of that first contract, including picketing, boycotting or slowdown actions. The UAW also surrendered their right to house visits with plant employees, a critical organizing tool in any labor drive.

    The UAW leadership’s class-collaborationist strategy opened the door for anti-union groups such as the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to spread to make inroads at the plant. A group of managers and backward workers to created a “No 2 UAW” website and social media presence. The backward forces opposed to the UAW’s effort publicized and organized around the UAW’s collaborationist approach to successfully defeat the drive. Hourly worker Mike Burton, who created the No 2 UAW website was quoted by In These Times journalist Mike Elk as saying “I am not anti-union, I am anti-UAW,” and that “There are great unions out there, and we just weren’t offered any of them.” Elk’s article details the recent history of sell-out contracts the UAW negotiated with the big three. These contracts included two-tier wage systems that lock in low pay for new hires doing the same work.

    In a racist and ruthlessly anti-worker South (and U.S. for that matter), can the tactics and strategies of the UAW leadership deliver victory? After decades of vicious attacks and attempts to destroy organized labor, should our strategy now include shaking hands and agreeing with the boss? Can agreeing to keep wages and benefits lower than competitors and promising to push worker’s productivity ever higher for the same compensation save the union movement? The answer is all too clear to rank-and-file workers across the country.

    Militant union members and the rank and file must oppose accepting the company’s line of ‘competitiveness.’ Accepting ‘competitiveness’ means accepting a race to lower wages and rewarding the company that extracts the most profit at the expense of their work force, and undercutting the highest wage scales and standards in that industry.

    Capitalists make their profits by exploiting workers. They take part of the value that their workers’ labor produces as profit for themselves. The interests of the capitalists will always conflict with those of their workers because every penny they squeeze out of us, means one more in their pocket. Any union that pledges themselves to cooperation, by definition, must betray those they claim to represent. In such a tight vote, there seems little doubt that Bob King’s class collaborationist snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

    Just look at the current UAW’s record, and compare it to the UAW of old which implemented a “fight the bosses” strategy to win substantial improvements in the lives of unionized autoworkers. A study of the UAW’s history over the past 60 years makes clear that cooperation means the erosion and long-term destruction of unions. For more on this, read Michael D. Yate’s Monthly Review article “Who Will Lead the U.S. Working Class.”

    Fight the boss, fight for class struggle unionism

    What type of unionism should we propose in the place of this ‘cooperate with management’ unionism? One which embraces industry wide organizing. This means fighting for industry standards like national master agreements and pattern bargaining agreements to take wages out of competition. To counteract ‘undercutting’ and ‘competition’ we must push for unified standards, contracts and compensation.

    From a strategic stand point, we need a unionism which recognizes that the bosses, the corporations and the 1% billionaires who own them are the enemies of the workers. We need a unionism that understands that the rank-and-file workers are the union. The workers themselves should run their unions, not a bunch of career bureaucrats with $100,000 salaries.

    We need a unionism willing to revive the strike weapon. Historically, production-stopping strikes played a key role in the CIO organizing millions of workers and winning real wage and benefit increases from the 1930s through the 1950s. The strike and other militant production-stopping tactics awaken workers to their collective power and demonstrate in practice that they possess the real power in the workplace.

    To implement these strategies seriously, we need a unionism willing to spend real money on industry-wide organizing campaigns and conducting real strikes instead of donating millions to sellout 1% politicians from both parties.

    We must embrace militant, class struggle unionism. We must look to the militant movement embodied by the Chicago Teachers strike and by the spirit of the “Vote No” movement at UPS. This is the unionism of the UAW of the 1930s, led by militants, socialists and communists who conducted the Flint sit-down strikes, where the rank and file led the union and put forward militant demands even by today’s standards. The old UAW implemented tactics that defied the law, and that kept scabs from walking through the factory gates when the bosses and their crony politicians sent in thugs, police and the National Guard in to break the strike.

    The ultimate lesson from Tennessee is that the working class cannot expect our generals to lead us to victory in battle, when their tactics and strategies involve shaking hands with those who would gun us down.

    If we want to change the fortune of the labor movement, we must organize and unite the militant fighters in our work places and unions to put them on a fighting basis against the bosses. We must form a left wing in the labor movement that is willing to win local unions, labor councils, state federations, and international unions, over to the side of militant tactics and strategies.

  • Hundreds of St Paul teachers and supporters rally at school board

    Saint Paul, MN – A sea of red spread over the Saint Paul School District headquarters Feb. 18 as more than 500 teachers and their supporters rallied at the school board meeting, most wearing the color used by the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers. The group rallied outside the School District building at 360 Colbourne then marched inside to pack the board meeting. Teachers and their supporters overwhelmed the meeting room, spilling out and filling two overflow rooms. Speaker after speaker told the school board and Superintendent Silva that they need to actually negotiate with the teachers if they want to avoid a strike. Teachers have set a strike vote for Feb. 24.

    The crowd included teachers and other school workers as well as parents, students, members of other unions, community supporters and some politicians.

    The teachers union has been negotiating with the Saint Paul School District for nine months with little progress. The teachers’ proposals have won support from many parents, and include reducing out-of-control class sizes, increasing support staff – such as nurses and librarians – in the schools, reigning in standardized testing in favor of more quality classroom learning, universal pre-K and other measures that cut against the trend of corporate-style education ‘reform.’

    While Saint Paul Superintendent Valeria Silva has a long history as a teacher and then administrator in Saint Paul Public Schools, she is also a graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy. Broad Academy was created in 2002 by billionaire Eli Broad to train school administrators around the country to run schools like corporations. Graduates are now in leadership positions at many of the largest school districts around the country. Critics say that Broad Academy graduates are trained to use corporate-management techniques to consolidate power, weaken teachers’ job protections, cut parents out of decision-making and introduce unproven reform measures.

    This week Saint Paul school district officials sent out mass mailings and emails to parents that drew the ire of many teachers and parents, who saw them as an intentional attempt to instill fear and divide parents from teachers. At their Feb. 18 meeting, the school board was set to discuss a resolution that would have amplified the fear campaign, by threatening school closings, the possible extension of the school calendar and layoffs of nonessential employees if teachers strike. In the face of growing criticism from teachers and parents toward these kinds of tactics the school board decided to table the resolution.

    The next negotiation day is set for Feb. 20. If no agreement is reached and teachers vote to authorize a strike on Feb. 24, a strike could start as soon as ten days after that. If a strike happens, all Saint Paul schools would close.

  • 34th annual Day of Remembrance in San José

    San José, CA – On Feb. 16, more than 250 people gathered at the Buddhist Church hall in San José Japantown to commemorate the 34th annual Day of Remembrance. Days of Remembrance events are held in Japanese American communities to commemorate Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II. The San José event was organized by the Nihonmachi (Japantown) Outreach Committee (NOC).

    The event was emceed by Reiko Nakayama of NOC, and began with an opening aspiration by Reverend Hajime Yamamoto of the Wesley United Methodist Church. The remembrance speech was given by Joe Yasutake of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. Mr. Yasutake began by saying it was good to see so many young people, who made up about 40% of the audience.

    He told his family’s story, in which his father, who worked as a translator for the federal government Immigration and Naturalization Service, was arrested right after Pearl Harbor as an ‘enemy alien,’ along with thousands of other Japanese immigrant men. These men, along with thousands of Japanese taken from Latin America and smaller numbers of Italian and German immigrants, were held in Department of Justice camps during the war. Mr. Yasutake ended by asking why we should be talking of events of 70 years ago. He then said that after Sept. 11, 2001 one heard about the treatment of Arab Americans and American Muslims.

    The next speaker was Sara Jaka, of the South Bay Islamic Association, which is located a few blocks from San Jose Japantown. She said that coming to the Day of Remembrance event made her feel both “fearful and hopeful,” hearing how actions then and now are driven by racial prejudice, but also seeing people coming together in solidarity.

    The theme of the program was “Civil Liberties and War: Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Korematsu v. United States.” Fred Korematsu was one of three people who were arrested for not going to camp, who took his case all the way to the Supreme Court of the U.S. In 1944, the court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld the government’s “military necessity” argument for the concentration camps for Japanese Americans.

    The next speaker was Dale Minami, who was the lead attorney of the legal team that challenged Korematsu v. United States in court in 1983. Mainly made up of young Asian American attorneys, the legal team was able to show that there were no arrests of Japanese Americans for espionage. Further, they showed how the government prosecutors altered, suppressed and destroyed evidence, including reports from military intelligence that showed that there was no need for the camps.

    Minamii said, “We need to remember the losses and humiliation of Japanese Americans. We also need to remember the triumph of redress [the official government apology issued in 1986] as part of the long march to social justice by the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations, the National Council for Japanese American Redress, the Japanese American Citizens League and others. This was made possible by the struggle of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans who fought for civil rights.”

    He went on to quote Fred Korematsu’s statement to court, who said in 1983: “I would like the government be shown wrong so it will never happen again.” Minami continued “The only victory is continued activism and education” and “justice is not a gift, it is a challenge.”

    Another highlight of the program was an award presented by the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, to local congressperson Mike Honda, who was an annual speaker at the Day of Remembrance events.

    The Day of Remembrance included a performance by the San José Taiko )Japanese folk drums) and candlelight procession through Japantown. The evening ended with a closing meditation by Rinban Ken Fujimoto of the Buddhist Church.

     

  • Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross speaks to Anti-War activists about Syria

    Minneapolis, MN – On, Feb. 16, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) organized an event for Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross, the Mother Superior at the Monastery and Convent of Saint James in Qara, Syria, to speak via Skype to a packed room at the 4200 Cedar Community Center here.

    Mother Agnes is an international spokesperson for peace in the Syrian conflict. Time and again, Mother Agnes has faced life-threatening situations in her humanitarian work for the safety and security of others.

    Margaret Sarfehjooy, chair of the WAMM Mideast Committee, opened the event, saying, “We care deeply about the human suffering of the Syrian people… The situation is becoming more and more violent, with more and more Syrians losing their homes, losing their children, living in horrible situations that we can’t even imagine. What can we, in the U.S. do to help?”

    She continued, “WAMM strongly opposes U.S. military intervention, whether direct or indirect, in the war that is currently raging in Syria, and call for an escalation of diplomacy, not war.”

    Noting the significance of the Syrian conflict, Mother Agnes said, “Syria is becoming a battleground of regional war, and maybe a worldwide war.” She noted that on the one hand, Syria’s government has the support of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), ALBA countries (Latin American countries including Cuba and Venezuela), and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    She named some of the countries supporting the opposition, “Qatar, Saudi Arabia, France, the U.S., Britain, Jordan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and of course, Israel.” She continued, “We think it is scandalous to set out to topple the Syrian government with these allies.”

    Mother Agnes is one of the main organizers of this Mussalaha Intitiative, which Sarfehjooy described as, “an example of how diplomacy and reconciliation are used in Syria to reduce the violence. Mussalaha describes itself as a community-based, non-violent initiative originating within Syrian civil society. Founded at the community level, it includes members of all Syria’s ethnic and religious communities who are tired of war. It stands as a demonstration of hope that a third way option to armed conflict remains possible and provides an alternative to military intervention from abroad.”

    Mother Agnes said, “Reconciliation brings the possibility to build bridges between different sides of conflict. Diverse people were living together for a long time in Syria under a civilian pact. Foreign forces are sowing dangerous fear and hatred among people. Mediators must be willing to talk to all sides and bring them to a common accord in civilian areas.”

    She then described one community, where the intervention of foreign fighters had displaced 50,000 civilians, brought on a military siege and resulted in starvation conditions for the remaining inhabitants. Through her work, a ceasefire was negotiated to allow the evacuation of those who wanted to leave. Following the agreement, she said, “650 rebels came to give up their arms and act as non-violent opposition. Now that neighborhood has settled a peaceful agreement with guarantees the population its rights.” Mother Agnes reported that such agreements had been negotiated in six more areas, covering 1.5 million people.

    Critical of the U.S., Mother Agnes said, “We need to stop fueling this on all sides with arms. The U.S. should agree with Russia to not arm either side, but instead to support reconciliation.”

    When asked about the prospects for a negotiated settlement to come out of Geneva 2 talks, she said, “As long as toppling the government is a condition of the talks, nothing can happen. This government enjoys the support of more than half the population. The demand should be to create a good atmosphere for fair elections.”

    Mother Agnes urged U.S. peace activists to oppose U.S. military intervention in Syria, including the shipment of arms to fuel the conflict, in Syria. She said, “I love the American people, but the American government can be very harmful. When they want something they think any means are justified.”

    Some 70 people attended the event, which was endorsed by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, the Twin Cities Peace Campaign, and Veterans for Peace Chapter 27.

  • Victories in resistance: Lynne Stewart and CeCe McDonald speak out

    Minneapolis, MN – On Feb. 15, a panel called, “Victories in Resistance, Solidarity Against Injustice” was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) to celebrate newly-won freedom and to reflect on how to do political prisoner solidarity which builds our movements.

    The basement at the Minnehaha Free Space was packed for an emotional discussion that was alternately jubilant and sobering. More than 50 people gathered to hear from Lynne Stewart and CeCe McDonald, both recently released from prison. Sabry Wazwaz, an Palestinian activist and AWC member also spoke, along with AWC-member Jess Sundin, one of the Midwest activists targeted by an ongoing FBI and grand jury investigation.

    Sundin explained the motivations for the event, “In 2010, the idea that any of us could become a political prisoner became very personal for me and other members of the Anti-War Committee. As many of you know, we were the targets of a two-year undercover investigation. Our homes and office were raided by the FB, and we were ordered to appear before a grand jury in Chicago. When each of us refused to testify there – to serve as witnesses against each other, our movements or our allies abroad – we made that decision in spite of the very real threat of imprisonment.

    “While it was painful, as we made arrangements for who would care for our children if we were taken away, we felt we had no choice. Our testimony could have endangered the very lives of people like Samer Issawi, leaders of the people’s movements we had met on solidarity trips to Palestine and Colombia. And while on the one hand, it’s a decision you make alone, we never stood alone – Lynne sent a solidarity statement to one of our early rallies. Delicious lasagna made by CeCe was served at a community dinner to support us. And thousands of people across the country – and the world – joined us in demanding an end to the grand jury. We had our own victory against that grand jury – out of 23 people called, not one testified. And out of 23 grand jury resisters, not one was jailed for refusing to testify. The threat against us was very real, and very personal. But so was the solidarity.”

    The government claims it is investigating anti-war and international solidarity activism as a form of “providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations.” Long-time attorney, Lynne Stewart, was also faced a ‘material support’ charge, for her work defending an Egyptian cleric accused of terrorism.

    Lynne Stewart, speaking via Skype, was greeted by audience cheers. First, she thanked supporters for writing her in prison and encouraged people to keep writing other prisoners. She said that letters are important acts of solidarity that keep political prisoners from being isolated and called each one “a poke in the eye against imperialism.”

    Stewart, who is battling stage four breast cancer, credited the movement with getting her out before she was ready to die. She said it was through the tireless work of supporters that the U.S. government decided it was more destructive to keep her in prison than to release her. 45,000 people signed the petition demanding Stewart’s compassionate release. She highlighted the work of her husband, Ralph Poynter, for her release. In speaking of his relentless picketing of the White House during blistering heat in August she said “Everyone should have a Ralph, and everyone does when we have a movement!”

    The audience was moved to see Stewart in her first Midwest appearance since her release from prison.

    CeCe McDonald was also warmly greeted by the audience which was eager to hear her speak about her experiences just one month after being released from prison. In June 2011, CeCe McDonald fought off a racist, transphobic attack. She was sentenced to 41 months in a men’s prison for second degree manslaughter, despite clear evidence of self-defense. She is an international symbol of the resistance and resilience of trans women of color.

    McDonald said that community support also helped her win an early release from prison. She was proud that the movement had sent a loud and clear message that trans women of color were not disposable. She gave special mention to the CeCe McDonald Support Committee, several of whom were present.

    McDonald described how the struggle around her case moved her forward politically, “I learned about my history, about the history of powerful Black women like Assata Shakur and Angela Davis through this process. It made me open up my eyes and learn to love myself more… It was my duty to prove a point, that they couldn’t turn me into a statistic and it was the people in the community who helped me.”

    Anti-War Committee activist Sabry Wazwaz shared the words of Palestinian political prisoner Samer Al-Issawi, written in a message to his supporters on Day 209 of his hunger strike, “I draw my strength from my people, from all the free people, from friends and the families of the prisoners who continue day and night chanting freedom and an end to the occupation.” Wazwaz added some experiences of his own family, Palestinians confronting Israeli apartheid.

    After a record 266 days on hunger strike, Issawi won his freedom in December 2013. During Issawi’s hunger strike he became a symbol of the epidemic of unlawful detention of Palestinians with no charges or trials by the Israeli government. He would only end his hunger strike with a promise of freedom and the right to return home, tying his demand to the universal Palestinian struggle for that right to return to homes and land stolen by Israel.

    These cases inspired international support and attention not only because of the extreme injustice faced in each case, but also because Lynne Stewart, CeCe McDonald and Samer Issawi all spoke from behind the prison walls, to demand greater justice for all.

    Jess Sundin called on those present to continue to fight for more victories against injustices. “The government has used its investigation of us to target our friends and allies across the country. First was Carlos Montes, Chicano leader from Los Angeles – we beat back their attempts to imprison him.” At this point, the crowd interrupted with applause.

    She continued, “And now we have Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh. We know her from Chicago’s Arab American Action Network, where she works with Hatem Abudayyeh, one of the main targets in our case. Rasmea is charged with immigration fraud. Allegedly, in her application for citizenship, she didn’t mention that she was arrested 45 years ago by an illegitimate Israeli military court. To describe her past as though she was a some kind of terrorist, legitimately and legally arrested by the Israeli government, covers up that Israel occupies Palestinian land and arrests and tortures Palestinians systematically and illegally.

    “Supposedly an immigration case, this stems at least in part from the investigation against us. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas, the lead prosecutor in our case, was at the courtroom, consulting with the assistant U.S. attorney who was presenting the indictment to the judge. The indictment against Rasmea reads more like one of his anti-terrorism cases than an immigration paperwork violation.”

    Sundin urged action, “If the government wins its case against Rasmea, she faces imprisonment and deportation. We ask that all of you learn more about her story, and take action to stop the government from railroading her as part of its continuing repression of Palestinians and people who stand in solidarity with them.”

    A collection was taken to support CeCe McDonald and to contribute to Lynn Stewart’s medical expenses. For information about how you could donate to help keep Stewart alive please go to: http://lynnestewart.org/.

    The event was organized by the Anti-War Committee and endorsed by Communities United Against Police Brutality, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, MN Coalition for Palestinian Rights, MN Committee Against FBI Repression, MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Twin Cities Socialist Action, U of MN Students for a Democratic Society, Veterans for Peace (chapter 27), Welfare Rights Committee, and Women Against Military Madness.

     

  • Jordan Davis trial verdict fails to deliver justice, the people respond

    Jacksonville, FL – The steps of the Duval County Courthouse were filled with protesters and community members on Saturday, February 15. They waited to hear the verdict in the trial to convict Michael Dunn for murdering Jordan Davis. Groups ranging from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to the New Black Panther Party (NBPP), to the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) held up signs, gave speeches, demanded justice, and marched around the courthouse. The day of protest began with a 9:00 am press conference and lasted long into the evening. So many people showed up throughout the day, it was hard to find a spot to sit or stand on the giant steps leading to the courthouse.

    Inside the court, the jury was deliberating for a fourth day over the November 23, 2012 murder of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis and his friends were in their Dodge Durango outside a Jacksonville gas station, when Dunn fired eight times into their vehicle. Michael Dunn, a white man, drove over, parked next to them, and then brutally murdered Jordan Davis in cold blood “for playing his music too loud.”

    All week outside the court, organizers and everyday working people, especially African American community members, gathered eagerly awaiting justice. Everyone was there to demand that Michael Dunn be found guilty of all charges, especially the charge for the first-degree murder. Sunday February 16 would have been Jordan Davis’s nineteenth birthday, surely a difficult day for his parents.

    On Saturday, the crowd grew more and more energetic as they chanted and listened to speakers. Then came an announcement that the jury was deadlocked on the charge of murder one for Michael Dunn. Protesters were stunned, but quickly identified the problem as State Attorney Angela Corey. Corey botched the prosecution of George Zimmerman who stalked and murdered Trayvon Martin. Corey’s mishandling allowed Zimmerman to walk free after killing the African-American youth in Sanford, FL. Now she was mishandling another prosecution.

    In another problematic case, State Attorney Corey was aggressive in prosecuting Marissa Alexander, an African American woman given 20 years for defending herself against her abusive husband. Angela Corey also has a long history of locking up African American and Latino youth, and trying them as adults – as was the case for both Christian Fernandez and Travis Swanson.

    Later on Saturday, another announcement was made from the doors of the courthouse. The nearly one hundred protesters turned their attention to the announcement: “On the count of murder one, a mistrial had been declared.” People grew outraged and began shouting “We want justice NOW!” and “Justice for Jordan Davis!”

    Protesters rallied on the steps and issued statements to a big circle of news cameras. The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition called for an emergency march to Angela Corey’s office to demand her resignation that same night. The New Black Panther Party called for civil disobedience and for people to wear black ribbons and black armbands this week on Black Ribbon Tuesday.

    Protest leaders next drafted a letter on poster-board demanding Angela Corey’s resignation. People crowded in to sign the letter to State Attorney Corey. Then the protesters took to the streets and marched in the roadways blocking traffic on their way to Angela Corey’s office. Jacksonville Progressive Coalition member Tefa Galvis led the crowd chanting “Hey-Hey! Ho-Ho! Angela Corey has got to go!” and “Murder is a Crime! Michael Dunn should do the time!” The dozens of police officers present just watched, so visible was the crowd’s anger and focused determination to get justice for Jordan Davis.

    After marching for about a mile, the crowd gathered in front of Angela Corey’s office and heard speakers denouncing the “mistrial” verdict. Activists placed the letter demanding Angela Corey’s resignation in front of the revolving door at her fancy office building. Tefa Galvis urged the community to stay involved in the ongoing fight for Jordan Davis, and minister Mikhail Mohammad from the NBPP closed out the night with a prayer.

    The fight for Jordan Davis is far from over, while Angela Corey’s career is in question. Galvis said, “The people will determine whether justice is found for Jordan Davis. The people will also work to put an end to Angela Corey’s reign of terror and repression against young African American and Latino men and women.”

    Fight Back! News Service urges everyone to travel to Tallahassee on March 3, 2014 for Moral Monday. Look for more information from Fight Back! in the coming weeks about this important event.

  • Senate to ‘revisit’ Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC)

    Washington D.C. – Congress has failed the unemployed, by going into recess without passing legislation to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless. Senate majority leader Harry Reid tweeted, Feb. 12, that the issue would be “revisited” when the Senate goes back into session Feb.25.

    More than 1.7 million unemployed workers have been impacted, with the number climbing each week. Many are losing their homes and are unable pay utilities or help feed their families.

    This crisis has been building since December, 2013, when Congress failed to extend long-term jobless benefits. Republicans are generally opposed to programs that serve working and low-income people. Democrats by and large support an austerity agenda that aims to cut federal spending. They failed to insist on the inclusion of Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits in December’s budget agreement.

    Many states continue to have extremely high unemployment rates.  California has an 8.3 unemployment rate and in Illinois it is 8.6. Rhode Island has the highest unemployment rate coming in at 9.1.

     

  • Newark Airport workers rally for higher wages and economic justice

    Newark, NJ – Workers and supporters of SEIU Local 32BJ held a rally at Newark Airport, Feb. 11, to demand pay equity for all airport workers of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A spirited crowd turned up in Terminal C to present demands. Workers from JFK and LaGuardia airports came to support Newark workers.

    The Port Authority’s mandate covers bus, rail, air and shipping transport in the entire area of New York City and northeastern New Jersey. It is a huge and immensely wealthy agency that employs many thousands of low-income workers. Newark Airport alone employs 4000 – as baggage handlers, skycaps, wheelchair assistants, ticket agents, etc. It falls under the joint administration of the governors of the two states.

    Late last year 32BJ negotiated a contract with JFK and LaGuardia airports that raises pay in two steps from $8.00 per hour to $10.10 per hour. No corresponding step has been taken for workers in New Jersey, however. A worker at speaking at the protest got loud cheers saying that they were going to send a letter to New Jersey Governor Christie “in language he likes to talk – you can ignore Newark Airport as long as you want but we’re not going anywhere!”

    Many elected officials and candidates turned up to speak. It is the workers who have taken the initiative and taken the lead, it is they who are the news. They have every intention to keep it that way.

    The Port Authority management at this point looks to be going in a favorable direction. Still, success would leave the workers with low incomes. The struggle must go on. Anti-labor laws must be repealed. Stronger unions with a class struggle orientation are the way forward.

  • FRSO in solidarity with Venezuela’s battle against right wing violence

    Fight Back News Service is circulating the following solidarity statement from Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). The statement has been sent to the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

    Stand in solidarity with Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution

    By Freedom Road Socialist Organization

    We stand in solidarity with the government of Venezuela headed by President Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan people in the face of the murderous turmoil that is being unleashed by the country’s right-wing opposition. We are confident that the ringleaders of this reactionary violence will quickly be brought to justice.

    Venezuela’s progressive government is working hard to improve people’s lives and build popular power. The achievements of the Bolivarian revolutionary process are an inspiration to people around the world, and we are well aware of the humanitarian assistance that Venezuela provides to people in the U.S.

    The right-wing opposition is unleashing a wave of violence to take Venezuela backwards, at the expense of the country’s working people.

    We know that the government of the U.S. stands behind the right-wing opposition. The U.S. hates the freedom that Venezuela represents and the independent course it is taking. Wherever people want liberation from Washington D.C.’s empire, Venezuela has offered its support and solidarity.

    We join with progressive and revolutionary people everywhere in demanding the U.S. stop interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs.

    Solidarity with Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution!

    U.S Hands off Venezuela!