Sparks Defy Anti-Union Laws With Massive Wildcat Strike
Hundreds of electricians took wildcat strike action on Wednesday, defying the bosses who want to slash their wages, the anti-union laws which the bosses use to pick holes in strike mandates, and the union bureacracy which had to be dragged kicking and screaming to holding a ballot at all. The country’s biggest ‘unofficial’ walkout in decades represents a new stage in the UK class war – a stage in which workers recognise the limitations of their own leaderships, and consciously move beyond them. By cutting out the utterly compromised middle men and women in this way, working people come face to face with their ultimate enemy – huge corporations and the capitalist state………..
………But despite yesterday’s burning of ‘sign or be sacked’ Balfour contracts, the company will soon want to make good on their threats. In this, they will have the assistance of Unite fat cats. If Wednesday 7th December is to be the high water mark of the rank and file resistance, Sparks will lose this historic battle. If they are to win, they must now organise completely independently of both Unite and the anti-union laws, and immediately make an appeal to the wider working class for support.
Click here for my analysis of why workers and union bosses are enemies.
Repsol YPF amenaza con el ‘fracking’ una región argentina.
Con el truco de declarar ‘nuevos’ depósitos que podrían ser explotados con la nueva técnica de ‘fracking’ Repsol ha ganado 5% en valor, no sé cuantos milion. No les importa que ‘fracking’ envenena permanentement el acuífer.
Pero los depositos de hydrocarburos ya conocidas son más que suficientes para llevar el Cambio Climático al límite absoluto de +2·C , así que
las prospecciones de Repsol son crimenes masivos contra el futuro de la tierra, denegando una vida a nuestros hij*s y condenando miles o miliones de especies maravilosas a la extinción.
After visiting 94 offices on Capitol Hill Tuesday, unemployed demonstrators targeted a Newt Gingrich fundraising event on Wednesday night. The hotel, like many of the representatives’ offices, locked its doors to the demonstrators, who are in D.C. with a group called “Take Back the Capitol.” Wednesday night the demonstrators called for Gingrich to discuss his jobs plans with the “99% outside” protesting, rather than the “1% who are contributing thousands to his campaign,” according to a press release sent out by organizers. Gingrich never came out.
“Take Back the Capitol” is made up of “unemployed and underemployed people from every state, students, community activists, union members, healthcare advocates, and travelers from Occupy sites from coast to coast,” according to the group’s website. Organized labor has helped coordinate three days’ worth of Capitol Hill protests under that banner.
The protesters are in D.C. as Congress is expected to vote on extending unemployment insurance to 2.2 million unemployed workers who face losing their benefits if the legislation is not passed.
Today, Senate Republicans blocked a vote on President Obama’s nomination to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Congress created the bureau, which was the brain child of Massachussets Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, during last year’s financial reforms. But Republicans have worked to strip its authority ever since, and have vowed not to confirm a director for it. Obama is weighing a recess appointment, which would circumvent the Senate vote.
Meanwhile, many of the demonstrators are using cameras on their mobile phones to upload images of members of Congress ignoring them. In the video below, Congressman Joe Walsh, who represents Illinois’ 8th District, was caught on video fleeing from his constituents. “We’ve been waiting a few hours to speak with you congressman,” a woman is heard saying as Walsh races down a set of stair. “You can at least acknowledge us,” the woman says once she realizes the congressman is fleeing.
California Rep. Elton Gallegly, a Republican who represents most of Ventura County and inland Santa Barbara Couny, at least acknowledged the demonstrators with a “Merry Christmas,” but he then ran quickly behind locked doors.
“Even when one of his constituents presented herself and tried to talk to him, he just kept saying ‘Merry Christmas,’” Esperanza Arrizon, a youth leader with Good Jobs LA, wrote about the event. According to her, before the congressman ran behind closed doors he did have one question for demonstrators, “I just donated 750 gifts to needy children, how many of you can say you did that?”
The event is being organized by several community groups by the American Dream Movement, a partnership between several groups including MoveOn.org, SEIU and other progressive, labor, and faith-based organizations.
‘Occupy’ protesters reclaiming foreclosed homes in 20 cities
#OccupyOurHomes, By David Edwards. The 99 percent movement, which has been evicted from many of their encampments across the country, is finding common cause with thousands of homeowners who are also being evicted from their homes.
Even though the movement has often been criticized for a lack of defined goals, Tuesday’s “Occupy Our Homes” action in at least 20 cities makes it clear that they are standing up to banks to reverse foreclosures.
“We’re in the neighborhood in New York City that had the highest number of foreclosure filings in 2010 to send a message that the economy is failing the 99 percent,” Vocal New York organizer Sean Barry told Raw Story from a Brooklyn neighborhood as about 200 protesters chanted in the background.
“We’re here because [there are] a lot of empty buildings owned by Wall Street banks and we’re going to liberate them.”
Tasha Glasgow, the single mother of a 9-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son, was expected to be one of the first occupants of a reclaimed home. Barry said that Glasgow, who had been in and out of the shelter system in New York City, had been slated to get a Section 8 voucher before budget cuts by Mayor Michael Bloomberg put an end to that promise.
“We’ve gained access to the home, and we’ve got the support of the neighbors,” Barry explained. “They’re going to start occupying it. … And then, there’s going to be 24/7 eviction defense by Occupy Wall Street.”
There were over 40 events planned in more than 20 cities Tuesday, but that is just the beginning.
“When it comes to Wall Street’s control over our economy, our democracy and our lives, there’s few better examples than the housing crisis,” Barry noted. “Occupy Wall Street is going to continue to support this national Occupy Our Homes campaign, and both defend homeowners who are being threatened with eviction due to foreclosure, and to move families that need homes into vacant buildings that banks are just sitting on.”
David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.
Related: Occupy protesters take over foreclosed homes
In the case of imprisoned pacifist blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad, the military court on 27 November again adjourned the trial, this time until 4 December, to hear a new prosecution witness. At the hearing on 27 November, Maikel Nabil Sanad’s internet provider TE Data told the prosecution that they would not be able to provide the court with the information requested, and that the military should have requested that the internet company monitor the blogger’s activity prior to arrest. At the hearing on 13 November, the case was adjourned to 27 November, to wait for the report of the internet service provider. Meanwhile, Maikel Nabil Sanad passed the 97th day of his hunger strike, surviving on fruit and dairy juices. Maikel Nabil Sanad was arrested at the end of march on charges of violating article 184 of the Egyptian penal code, which criminalizes “insulting the People’s Assembly, the Shura Council or any State Authority, or the Army or the Courts”, and article 102, “spreading false information”. In a trial in front of a military court violating all established legal standards, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on 10 April 2011, in absence of his family, friends, or lawyers. Since then he has been kept in El Marg prison.
On 23 August, Maikel Nabil Sanad began a hunger strike in protest against his imprisonment. In a statement at the beginning of his hunger strike, he declared that his hunger strike is in protest against the severe injustice he is subjected to, namely his unfair trial in front of a military court, the slow processing of his appeal, and the difference of treatment in the cases of Asmaa Mahfouz and Louie Nagati (who had their charges dropped on 18 August 2011) and in his case.
As a result of growing pressure, the appeal hearing was finally brought forward to 4 October, but then again adjourned, because a file was missing. On 11 October, the military appeal court declared the original sentence of 10 April 2011 “null and void”, but failed to release Maikel Nabil Sanad.
Maikel Nabil Sanad refuses to co-operate with the re-trial, and also asked his lawyers to stop any co-operation with the military court. On 18 October, a military court again heard the case of Maikel Nabil Sanad, and appointed a lawyer to represent him, who – according to one of Maikel Nabil Sanad’s lawyers – was unacquainted with the case. The court ordered to transfer Maikel Nabil Sanad to a psychiatric hospital “for examination” (see co-alert, 20 October 2011), but the hospital refused this attempt at pathologisation of political dissent, and sent him back after a few days, declaring him “sane”.
The case has now been adjourned to 4 December, and Maikel Nabil Sanad remains imprisoned and on hunger strike.
War Resisters’ International calls for urgent letters of support to Maikel Nabil Sanad: Maikel Nabil Sanad El-Marg prison , El-Kalag El-Khanka, Qalyubeya, Egypt Letters to Maikel can also be sent via http://links.causes.com/s/bkfSOb
War Resisters’ International calls for urgent letters of protest to the Egyptian authorities.
Director of Military Judiciary Major-General Ahmed Abd Allah ,Military Judicial Department ,Cairo, Egypt Fax: +202 2 402 4468 / +202 2 411 3452 (ask for fax)
Military General Attorney ,Major-General Medhat Radwan ,Military Judicial Department ,Cairo, Egypt +202 2 412 0980 (ask for fax)
A protest email can be sent at http://links.causes.com/s/bkfSOR.War Resisters’ International calls on the Egyptian authorities to respond to Maikel Nabil Sanad’s hunger strike and to immediately release him. Andreas Speck ,War Resisters’ International http://links.causes.com/s/bkfSOS
Wednesday will see about three million public sector workers walking out on strike, as civil servants join teachers in opposing government cuts to pensions.PCS, UCU, NUT and ATL had all previously balloted for further industrial action, so their members will be out. But added to them are a seemingly ever-growing list of other trade unions, including Unison, GMB, Unite, UCATT and NASUWT. (To see a more comprehensive list with breakdowns of ballot results, see Who’s out on Nov 30 on libcom.org.)
Nov 30: We’re All In It Together
As UK Prepares for Biggest Strike in Generations….
Well, it’s been a long time coming… Wednesday 30th November will see the first mass strike in the UK for four decades. 17 unions, including the biggest ones Unite, UCU, Unison, various teaching unions and PCS, have balloted to strike on pension reform which will see an estimated 3 million off work and, hopefully, cause massive disruption. Demonstrations and pickets are planned across the country – see http://www.n30strike.org for a complete list. Amongst the strikers are some unlikely suspects: 18,000 Border Agency workers are expected to strike leaving the government having to employ sinister private security firm Serco to take over for a day. Even the National Union of Probation Officers voted to join the strike four-to-one.
The government wants public sector workers to forgo 3% of their salary as pension contributions, which equates to a pay cut. So far workers have had to accept a two year pay freeze during a time of high inflation (in other words a pay cut), if they haven’t already been thrown out on their arse during the waves of mass redundancies (a total pay cut). The government’s arguments are designed to play on long term disgruntlement among the private sector that they have to deal with, on the whole, a shockingly shit pensions scenario and the public sector have had it a bit better off. Rather than aiming to sort out the private pensions mess which leaves millions in poverty on retirement, the PM wants the country to believe the public sector pensions are ‘gold plated’, unfair and unsustainable. Actually, most public workers end up with less than £5000 a year pension. They’ve also been reformed already: through a mix of negotiated and underhand changes, public sector pensions have been reduced to the tune of 25p in each pound over the last few years.
Documental] Emma Goldman, una mujer sumamente peligrosa
Documental dirigido por Mel Bucklin. Título original: Emma Goldman: An exceedingly dangerous woman, 2003. Duración: 90 min.
Emma Goldman considerada durante más de treinta años como el enemigo público número uno en Estados Unidos, no por cometer actos violentos, sino por utilizar el arma más peligrosa que está a la mano de todo ser humano: la razón.
Enviado por redaccion ryn el Mar, 15/11/2011 – 23:40.
Documental de Mel Bucklin que gira en torno a la figura de Emma Goldman considerada durante más de treinta años cómo el enemigo público número uno en Estados Unidos, no por cometer actos violentos, sino por utilizar el arma más peligrosa que está a la mano de todo ser humano: la razón.
Con una vida apasionante, Emma Goldman, junto a Alexander Berkman, se encontrará en el ojo del huracán del movimiento anarquista. Célebre anarquista de origen lituano conocida por sus escritos y sus manifiestos radicales, libertarios y feministas, también fue una de las pioneras en la lucha por la emancipación de la mujer.
Sparks Defy Anti-Union Laws With Massive Wildcat Strike
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