The last two days have been a whirlwind of excitement for the VWC delegation. Delegation members have attended workshops on international labor solidarity; creating deep and lasting coalitions to defend, expand and improve the public sector; building the Student Labor Action Project; fighting for democratic schools; urban issues of housing and land use; ending the war and bringing the troops home; and many, many more.
VWC members are also presenting at workshops. VWC Director James Haslam reported on the Workers' Center's "non-majority unionism" work over the years with the Alliance @ IBM, the Montpelier Downtown Workers' Union and the United Staff at UVM in a workshop on non-majority unionism that also included security guards from Philadelphia and UE members from North Carolina. Rebecca Smith, president of the Burlington Education Association, and Jessica Morley, Chief Steward at UE Local 203 at City Market, reported about their experiences at the VWC Solidarity School this past winter in a workshop organized by the national Jobs with Justice about leadership development and education.
We're also making valuable connections. Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) member and VA workers Adrienne Kinne is not only getting to spend time with other IVAW members from around the country, but she's also connecting with other VA workers and members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to talk about organizing and mobilizing for adequate funding for the Veteran's Administration. We've made connections with grassroots community organizations in New York City like Community Voices Heard, and discussed bringing some of our members down to NYC to learn about their work with low-income working people.
Tonight some of us will be participating in an "anti-free-trade-agreement" signing ceremony: today, President Bush is holding a formal signing ceremony with the president of South Korea for the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KorUs FTA); meanwhile, labor, farmer and community groups from the U.S. will holding a ceremony signing a pledge of solidarity to fight against the FTA and for workers' rights and sustainable agriculture with Korean social movement activists at the USSF.
Look for more updates and report-backs as we return...
US Social Forum, days 2 and 3
Meeting with Iraqi trade unionists at USSF
After an inspirational opening march with over 10,000 working people, the VWC delegation had dinner with two Iraqi trade unionists, including the first women elected president of a union in Iraq. Delegate Adrienne Kinne, from Iraq Veterans Against the War, got a chance to speak Arabic with them. We're all looking forward to the plenaries and workshops beginning this morning. More details and more photos to come...
VWC heads to the first-ever US Social Forum
This week, a delegation from the Vermont Workers' Center will travel to Atlanta for the first-ever U.S. Social Forum (USSF), where trade unions and other social movements, ranging from environmentalists to women's organizations, from urban youth movements to indigenous peoples fighting for land rights, will come together to share experiences, build relationships, and return to our local struggles with renewed insight and inspiration. It will help develop leadership and develop consciousness, vision, and strategy needed to realize a world where the needs of working people are not subjected to the profit drive of massive corporations.
The first World Social Forum, held in January of 2001 in Brazil, popularized the slogan "Another world is possible," and was the first major space where movements fighting against corporate globalization could begin to define the alternatives that we are for, instead of just being "anti-globalization." Since then, seven successful World Social Forums have been held (three of which, in 2002, 2006 and 2007 were attended by Workers' Center members), and regional, national, and local social forums have been held throughout the world, including a highly successful Southeast Social Forum which brought 700 working people from throughout the Southeast U.S. together in June of 2006.
The Social Forums are designed to be both a "space" to promote the integration of different movements, rather than a decision-making body, and a "process" that allows different movements to work together and build trust and shared understanding of the challenges we face. They consist of a wide mix of speakers, conferences, seminars, workshops, and cultural performances, with no one event dominating, and with no pressure to come to exact agreement; there are no behind-the-scenes deals on the exact wording of resolutions. In practice, this makes them excellent spaces for informal networking, the kind of spaces where the "labor/community alliances" and the "movement vision" that labor activists regularly proclaim the need for are actually built and strengthened.
The VWC delegation includes union members, students, and members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). Delegation members are excited about the possibility of sharing experiences with and learning from a wide variety of social movements, and developing an understanding of how our various struggles are connected. Jessica Morley, chief steward of UE Local 203 at City Market in Burlington, is "looking forward to being able to compare my methods with those of others, allowing me to learn and grow from this experience and bring some more useful tools home. We are all in this together."
For more information on the U.S. Social Forum, visit www.ussf2007.org. And during the USSF, check out the Vermont Workers' Center blog for regular updates from the forum!
SiCKO Coming to Theaters June 29th: Workers' Center helps get Free Tickets to Un-insured Vermonters
"...a very strong and very honest documentary about a health system that's totally corrupt and that is without any care for its patients."
-- Stephen Schaefer, Boston Globe
The Vermont Workers' Center and Vermont Health Care For All and others are asking sponsors to help get free tickets for Vermonters who don't have health insurance to attend SiCKO, Michael Moore's new movie about the broken US healthcare system.
Don't have health insurance? If you are uninsured and want to learn more about getting a free ticket. Or...
Can donate $25, $50, $100 or more to help sponsor uninsured Vermonters to go to SiCKO? Email james@workerscenter.org
Watch the trailer to SicKO, click here
Stay tuned about upcoming events! Let us know if you want to get involved in building a movement for single payer health care in Vermont.
Livable Wages at Burlington Schools
Rally for Livable Wages at Burlington School Board Meeting
6:30pm - 7:30pm, Tues, June 12th
HO Wheeler School, (corner of Archibald and Elmwood Ave)
Last year the VT Workers' Center, VT Livable Wage Campaign, Student Labor Action Project and local Burlington unions began a campaign to truly make Burlington a livable city for everyone. There have been efforts over the last few years to establish livable wages in Burlington Schools and the University of Vermont. This coalition has brought together construction workers, teachers, nurses, utility workers, restaurant workers and people working all types of jobs to make sure no job in Burlington pays poverty wages. The Burlington School Board has raised the important discussion of the impact of poverty on students through their Socio-economic Integration proposals. If they truly believe in eliminating the barriers of poverty for students, here's a great place to start -> STOP PAYING POVERTY WAGES TO YOUR WORKERS!
Get the facts about Livable Wages at the Vermont Livable Wage website
Also learn more at the Burlington Education Association website
To learn more about Burlington Coalition for a Livable City email James Haslam at james@workerscenter.org
Verizon Stop The Sale Rally & Burlington Livable City Campaign
Verizon Stop The Sale Rally draws 250+ supporters
Thanks for everyone who made it to the Verizon Stop The Sale rally on Saturday, over 200 people came out, in addition to the huge showing of Verizon workers of CWA Local 1400 and IBEW Local 2326, there were members from over a dozen other unions, including Vermont State employees, UVM workers at UE Local 267, Flynn Theater workers of UE Local 221, Copley nurses of UNAP Local 5109, Teamsters Local 597 & GCIU Local 1L, UAW Local 1981, IBEW Local 300, and other members of the VT Workers' Center and concerned community members. See Burlington Free Press coverage