On Saturday, September 29th twenty members of the Vermont Workers' Center (VWC) spent the day discussing priorities and next steps. In 2006, VWC members decided that they would prioritize leadership development and laid the foundation to start the VWC Solidarity School and established the principle of: We believe that the most effective means of change is when people engage in collective action to place direct demands upon those who hold power.
Now entering its 10th year, priorities for 2008 and beyond include:
- Building off VWC Solidarity School 2007 to expand popular education and organizing training opportunities for VWC members.
- Creating a Healthcare Action Committee to fight to make quality health care publicly financed and a basic right for every Vermont resident
- Expanding an building the Burlington Livable City Campaign to include workers who work in more industries
- Exploring getting a building in Burlington to open up a real Workers Center!
- Starting a VWC Art Committee to make puppets and other creative props for actions and events
- Building the Student Labor Action Project statewide
- Continuing to mobilize solidarity for any group of workers who organize for more rights, building Vermont Labor Against The War, operating the Vermont Workers' Rights Hotline and supporting the Justice For Healthcare Workers Campaign.
Email james [at] workerscenter.org if you are interested in learning more about getting involved in the above areas and/or let us know other issues you would like to work on.
Looking Ahead
Community Meeting Held To Support FAHC Midwives
Dozens of parents, community members and kids joined Fletcher Allen Health Care (FAHC) midwives and the president of FAHC nurses union UPV/AFT Local 5221, Jennifer Henry, RN. They came to ask questions and plan how to stop FAHC's attempt attempt to eliminate the 24/7 birthing midwifery program and cut 4 midwive. Newspaper and television reporters covered the discussion, which was the result of a huge outpouring of community support that immediately followed reports of ending the midwifery program. In less that 24 hours alone, the Vermont Workers' Center received over a dozen emails from concerned community members about wanting to do something. The nurses union is in negotiations to keep the program and the midwives. Stay tuned for upcoming activities such as wearing buttons to support the midwives and a big turnout for the 2pm, October 9th FAHC Board of Trustees meeting in the McClure lobby conference room. Email james@workerscenter.org to sign up to a newly created listserve for Supporters of FAHC Midwives.
Burlington Community Demands Livable Wages
Dozens of Burlington workers and residents attended Burlington School Board meeting to demand livable wages. Broad community delegation reads Board their statement: BURLINGTON LIVABLE CITY DELEGATION STATEMENT: “THE TIME FOR LIVABLE WAGES FOR BURLINGTON SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF IS NOW”
September 11, 2007
Good evening. We would like to thank all of you as elected School Board representatives of the residents of Burlington. We are here tonight, also as representatives of the residents of Burlington to deliver a statement to our School Board regarding the longstanding efforts to establish livable wages for all school support staff in our schools. Our delegation represents the major stakeholders in this community.
[Read by Martha Ahmed, RN from Fletcher Allen Health Care, UPV/AFT Local 5221]
We include school support staff, paraeducators, food service workers, service and maintenance workers, teachers, parents, taxpayers, Fletcher Allen Nurses, UVM students, City Councilors, State Representatives, and leaders of the faith community.
[Read by State Representative Joey Donovon]
We are here tonight to deliver a message you have heard before. You have heard it in many different ways. Hundreds of others have come before many previous School Board meetings over the last 3 years to say the same thing. We have been coming before some of you were even elected to this Board. Thousands of Burlington residents and school staff have signed petitions, wrote letters to you and to the newspaper, we have called you and sent you emails, we have worn buttons and rallied with signs. We know you know what our message is, but we are not sure you have really heard us. The time for livable wages for all school staff is now.
[Read by Donna Iverson, Burlington school paraeducator, BEA member]
On a June 25, 2007 you received a Report on Livable Wages in Burlington Schools: How to Address Poverty in Our Community & Reverse Gender Wage Inequity”. It was produced by the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign and Vermont Workers’ Center and supported by dozens of current and former elected officials, UVM faculty, parents, faith and other community leaders. Unfortunately, then July came and all of the school support staff contracts expired. Then July past, then August and there was still no contract and no livable wages for our school support staff. Now the next school year is underway, and still nothing. So we would like to ask you all to read the report again, but as a reminder we will read a couple of parts:
[Read by Angela Diguilio, UVM Student, SLAP and VT Workers’ Center member]
“Paying livable wages will help reduce poverty. Economic inequality erodes our communities and contributes to the race to the bottom for all workers. In order for Burlington to be a livable city for all residents, employers must pay wages sufficient to meet a person’s basic needs.
[Read by Tim Ashe, Burlington City Councilor]
“Some students have parents who are Burlington School District employees and are forced to work two or even three additional jobs to make ends meet. Parents working two or three jobs do not have adequate time to spend with their children in support of their education at home. Now is the time for the Burlington School Board to do its part in solving the underlying problem by paying livable wages to all school support staff.
[Read by Kaarin Goncz, Burlington high school teacher, BEA]
For Burlington to be a truly livable city, all residents must earn a livable wage. Paying livable wages to our school employees would actually stimulate the economy because low-income families typically spend most of their money on local goods and services, keeping the money in the community. More livable wage jobs mean a stronger local economy, healthier families, and more equitable education opportunities.”
[Read by Rev. Gary Kowalski, Unitarian Universalist Church of Burlington]
The report also points out that of all of the school and city employees now not earning a livable wage, the vast majority are women. Many of these school support staff positions have been historically undervalued jobs, and have historically been done by women. Every single food service worker is a women and every single one does not earn a livable wage. Everyone deserves livable wages and we must end this gender inequity.
[Read by Sandy McAuliffe, Burlington school food service worker, AFSCME Local 1343]
As we just passed Labor Day we are reminded that this struggle is not a new one. In 1912, 30,000 women and young girls working in Massachusetts textile sweatshops including many Vermont farm girls, went on strike. It was called a “Bread & Roses” Strike. They were fighting to increase their meager wages that left them in poverty. But they called it Bread & Roses, because they not only needed to eat, but they deserved to live with a basic level of dignity as human beings and to enjoy life. At this very moment there are school support staff that are working their second or their third job just to try to squeak by each month. In 95 years since this strike, we have come a long way, but employers are still paying poverty wages. Burlington school support staff workers deserve bread and sustenance, and they deserve roses and dignity, too. We ask you to take responsibility as representatives of this community by making livable wages not just a priority but a reality in Burlington Schools now. Thank you.
[Read by Karl LaBounty, Burlington school service & maintenance worker, President AFSCME Local 1343]
Sept 21st -Workplace Action to End the War
Let’s Engage Our Members to Bring Our Troops Home . . .
and Take Care of Them When They Return
70% of Americans are against the war in Iraq. Yet our political leaders have failed to end it. We must find new ways to force an end to U.S. military involvement in Iraq. It is up to US to provide the 70% Solution! That’s what this letter is about.
President Bush wants another $190 billion to continue the occupation and war. He now seems intent on attacking Iran as he sends more forces to Iraq. Doing so will not only kill numerous innocent Iranians, but will also expose our troops in Iraq to a horrific backlash by pro-Iranian Iraqis. Such a reckless attack will only further isolate the U.S. in the world.
It’s time to show the politicians that we’re not as apathetic as they apparently think. We elected them to get us out of this mess, not to drag it on. We don’t want more of their empty promises, phony compromises, contrived goals and meaningless benchmarks. We want this war ended now. We won’t accept anything else.
Since President Bush refuses to end it, we must tell Congress to exercise its authority to stop funding the war and instead to fund an immediate rapid withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq. It is the only way to truly support our troops, and end this nightmare. Let’s use our resources to fully fund services to vets, provide universal health care, rebuild the Gulf, and meet numerous other human needs.
We need to draw more of our members who have yet to take action to actively oppose the war. Let’s press our demands for an immediate end to the bloodshed, shattered lives, wasted resources, abuses of power, and inadequate funding that has deprived the VA system the resources needed to provide world-class care our vets deserve.
Let’s ask our members to join the Nationwide Iraq Moratorium
The Iraq Moratorium is a simple, powerful organizing idea. On the 3rd Friday of the month, starting September 21st – and again on October 19th and November 16th – all those who oppose the occupation of Iraq are asked to take an action to call for bringing our troops home now from Iraq, and taking care of them when they return.
We want to encourage locals to explore what you can do with workplaces actions. We favor actions that can be built in an organized way. Here are some ideas:
· Wear stickers
· Distribute a handout on the cost of the war to Vermont
· Organize a call-in, write-in or petition signing to Congress during breaks
· Ask people to do Congressional district office visits
· Show “Meeting Face to Face,” a documentary about the U.S. tour of Iraqi labor leaders
· Vigil near the VA hospital with signs saying, “Fund Vets’ Services, Not the War.”
For stickers, flyers, or the video, contact Vermont Labor Against the War - a coalition of the Vermont AFL-CIO, Champlain Valley and Washington-Orange-Lamoille Labor Councils, and Vermont Workers Center – at: traven_L@earthlink.net or 55 E. Bear Swamp Rd., Middlesex, VT 05602; tel. 802-522-3484
Working together, we in organized labor can provide a big part of the “70% Solution.” We do it for our troops. We do it for our families. We do it for our country. We do it to defend our democracy. We do it for peace. If we don’t do it, who will?
Labor Day 2007
Remembering Our Past For Our Children's Sake
By James Haslam
Burlington Free Press My Turn, Labor Day, Sept 3rd, 2007
(A longer version which ran August 30th in Bennington Banner can be viewed by clicking here)
Labor Day has lost much of its original meaning. A day once set aside to pay tribute to the achievements of working people now has more to do with shopping at big box stores than with honoring the “Labor Movement: The Folks That Brought You The Weekend.” Realizing that existing Labor Day events had little to do with historic Labor Day, Vermont labor activists started the Burlington Labor Day Parade & Free Community Cookout to celebrate labor’s role as a force for progressive economic change and justice..
While ideals of democratic freedoms were celebrated in our Constitution, we should also recognize the realities of exploitation, racism, and extermination of the Native Americans. Slavery was written into the Constitution. Laws limited suffrage to men of property. The advancement of democracy and freedom has more to do with the struggles of working people than with the triumph over the British Crown.
We have been denied our history. In 1882, when the first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City, workers were fighting for the eight hour day because they believed people should have time to spend time with their families. Vermont farm girls who had gone to work in the textile sweatshops in Massachusetts were amongst 30,000 women and girls, many immigrants, who rebelled in the 1912 “Bread & Roses” strike. Workers’ action ended child labor. Free speech, the right to vote, the right to organize, and public education for all were won through struggle. While we have been pitted against each other by race, creed or immigrant status, our gains were made when we united for the benefit of all.
Barre granite workers’ history shows us we had to fight for safe, dignified work lives. Winning improved conditions in workplaces and in our communities didn’t come easy. In the face of deportations, physical and economic violence, we overcame temporary defeats through solidarity, including sit-down strikes, and mobilizing the community to win economic justice. This is our history, which we do a great disservice to ourselves to ignore.
Today, unions are on the decline due to corporate assault, and as a result the nation suffers from unconstrained corporate greed. The past gains achieved by workers banding together are being whittled away; the middle-class is being squeezed and we have the most economic inequality in our history.
But our movement is reorganizing to reestablish labor’s role as a force for justice. When Michael Moore’s film Sicko exposed the harmful impact of the insurance industry on healthcare, it sparked thousands of nurses across the country to join others to begin organizing for universal, single-payer healthcare. Verizon workers are fighting against the anti-worker and anti-customer sale of their company to Fairpoint to protect good jobs and lead a movement for universal fiber optic high-speed internet access. Workers, students, and community members in Burlington are organizing for livable wage policies in the Burlington Schools and the University of Vermont, which would help raise wages for low-income workers region-wide.
The multinational corporations, and the politicians in their service, are pushing a “free trade” agenda, resulting in incredible wealth for the few, and growing inequality, jobs losses and insecurity for millions. Their quest for political and economic domination has mired us in a disastrous war and occupation with human and economic costs that will plague us for generations. But the future is unwritten: worldwide, people are organizing for justice in their workplaces and communities - “Another World Is Possible”.
Join us in Burlington this Labor Day to honor labor’s achievements, but also to connect with other Vermonters interested in building a broad movement for social justice. Let’s transcend differences to build alliances across borders, to build a better world for our children.
James Haslam is the Director/Lead Organizer for the Vermont Workers' Center - Jobs With Justice. He can be reached at james@workerscenter.org
CCTV and Workers' Center to Show "Salt of the Earth" September 5
Salt of the Earth is the first and only film ever blacklisted in the U.S. Telling the story of a zinc mine strike in 1950-51, and produced using few professional actors (most of the actors are actual miners, many of them involved in the strike), the film shows workers and their families taking on and wrestling with issues of health and safety, racism, and feminism — well before the civil rights and women's movements of the 1950s and 60s brought these issues into the mainstream. Read more about Salt of the Earth at Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia
Wednesday, September 5, 6:30pm
CCTV Studios (294 North Winooski, Burlington)
USSF Report: Project South's workshop, "Critical Classroom: Education for Liberation and Movement Building"
Rebecca Smith, BEA President and VWC USSF delegate
This was easily the highlight of my first day. First off, I have never seen a room occupancy fire code violated so badly – there were so many people in the room we were literally knee to knee on the floor with no more than a few square inches of carpet to be seen!
The facilitators used the popular education model to engage us all as active participants. This was really cool to turn to the people whose knees were touching mine and hear their reasons they chose to teach for social justice. The goals of this workshop were to “examine and reframe assumptions found in traditional scholarship and teaching, to discuss popular education as a pedagogical strategy for creating a climate of social justice, and to explore action steps in classroom and curriculum transformation.”
I learned a new, scary term: Professional Industrial Complex. The facilitators are all university professors, and consider themselves “scholar activists”. They specify these two aspects of their jobs because one cannot exist without the other. In order to teach independently of the corporate, industrial model of education, they need to act as scholar activists, encouraging their students to unlearn misconceptions and rethink what it means to be educated.
Why does popular education work? Here’s what the group shared:
* Popular education is directly connected to community organizing – it’s learning in action.
* is egalitarian, human, and fosters cooperative relationship building through the sharing of personal experiences
* allows us to temporarily live the microcosmic society we envision
* requires support, time, resources, integration of teachers and community
* integrates culture, theater, arts, music
* brings grassroots action to institutions
* teaches us to unlearn misconceptions
I’m now a proud member, and looking forward to participating in the planning sessions for the next World Education Forum.
Two Labor Day Weekend Events
Sept 3rd: 6th Annual Burlington Labor Day Parade & Celebration - Starting 10am at Burlington College, 95 North Ave, ending at Battery Park for free hotdogs, hamburgers, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, face painting & fun activities. Speakers include Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Jen Henry, RN and president of United Professions Vermont - AFT, Adrienne Kinne of Iraq Vets Against The War & member of her union at the VA Hospital in White River Junction. Sponsors include the Vermont Workers' Center, Student Labor Action Project, Peace & Justice Center - VT Livable Wage Campaign, VSEA, Vermont NEA, Vermont AFL-CIO and many other Vermont unions and community organizations. Music will be performed by Sweet Justice & Wildcat Strikers, the official band of the Vermont Workers' Center. Call James at 802-272-0882 for details.
Sept 2nd: Old Labor Hall Benefit Event - 5pm., 46 Granite Street, Barre Another Is World Possible: Changing around a cycle of endless war, poverty and enviromental destruction. A recent flood caused thousands of dollars in damage to the Barre Labor Hall, a national historic landmark. Join in for good food, good music and discussion w/Bernie Sanders, representatives from the Vermont Workers’ Center and our US Social Forum delegation, Grassroots Global Justice, Iraq Vets Against War Peace & Justice Center, & others to put the “move” in the movement.
Stop The Sale
Workers' Center members Kit Andrews and Tina Scanlon table at the Addison County Fair to Stop The Sale of Verizon. Verizon is trying to sell off its landlines in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine because they do not want to invest in the needed new fiber optic technology. We need your help getting postcards signed to Stop The Sale. Email james@workerscenter.org if you can help us outreach around Vermont. TO learn more go to www.stop-the-sale.org
Vermont Labor Against the War work plan for discussion
Draft for discussion
1. a. Work more closely with Iraq Veterans Against the War & Military Families Speak Out. Including Workers Center/Iraq Vets Against the War Fundraiser October 19th.
b.Identifying union members who are Iraq war vets, or family members, for one on one discussions.
c. Organize IVAW & MFSO talks at union meetings, e.g. September VSEA and AFl-CIO and October NEA conventions – other union meetings as possible.
d. Dawn go on Bert Thompson's (Green Mtn Vets) TV show in Burlington, on 8/5.
2. Build a strong VTLAW contingent in the Burlington Labor Day parade with Adrienne (IVAW, AFGE & VWC) speaking. Also tabling there, and have info about all the events available at Labor Day event.
3. Participate in the Iraq Moratorium by planning actions that people can bring to their work places in hopes of turning people from passive to active (even if in a small way/small step) – like wearing stickers, calling politicians on cell phones during breaks, signing petitions at work, etc. Have well known union folks sign & send a letter to all union locals urging unions to organize their rank and file to participate in Iraq Moratorium days and letting them know these leaders will be participating on those action days.
4. Campaign, along with workers at the White River Junction VA Medical Center, to adequately fund the V.A. so we don't continue to have the disgraceful situation that we currently do, and to end to the war that is causing the casualties in the first place. Requires internal organizing with American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
Could include working with Sen. Sanders, who’s on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, to increase resources to adequately support the veterans who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, plus all of our older veterans,
Nationally, we are working with USLAW to explore a major campaign with AFGE, which represents roughly 150,000 employees in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as Iraq Veterans Against the War & Military Families Speak Out to demand that Congress fully fund and staff the VA, and end the war that is causing the casualties.
Such a campaign’s demands might include:
· meeting the demands of AFGE members at the VA hospitals - which include increased staffing, a better nurse- and staff-to-patient ratio, and extended bargaining rights to include doctors hours, nurses assignments and staffing.
· full funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs
· separating VA funding from war funding
· ending the war which is causing the casualties
5. Do more to educate people about how the war is costing jobs and public goods and benefits. This is particularly true for public sector workers. Would a workshop be a good way to get people educated to talk to their co-workers? Produce popular written materials by Labor Day, like those from the National Priorities Project, into peoples' hands.
6. Build VTLAW’s Organizing Committee – a requirement for carrying out this ambitious work plan – and seeking another union affiliation to USLAW.
VWC Summer Meeting Discusses USSF, Leadership Development, Campaigns
Newly elected Workers' Center Vice-President David Kreindler leads a workshop on leadership development at the Workers' Center summer meeting.
The VWC's summer steering committee meeting brought new excitement, energy and leadership to the organization. In addition to many long-time steering committee members and representatives from VWC coalition members such as CWA, UE, SLAP and the Washington-Orange Central Labor Council, there were new steering committee members from Iraq Veterans Against the War, COTS workers, media organizers and health-and-safety activists. In addition, a number of members of the VWC Coordinating Committee (or "CoCo," the VWC's executive committee, made up of officers and at-large representatives) recently stepped down, and five new members, all women, were elected. "It's great to have so many new people, especially young people, excited about the Workers' Center," commented VWC Organzier James Haslam. "And it's always good to have a meeting where so many different people get to talk about their campaigns and experiences, and everyone gets to participate."
The meeting led off with a report from four members of the VWC delegation to the US Social Forum in June. Delegates Angela DiGiulio, Julie Winn, Jessica Morley, and Jonathan Kissam shared their excitement at being part of this historic gathering, and reported on workshops on topics ranging from international labor solidarity to the death penalty to the ongoing effects of Hurricane Katrina. The VWC/USSF delegation is continuing to meet to discuss how to bring the movement-building work of the USSF back to Vermont (anyone who wants to be part of these ongoing meetings should contact VWC Organizer James Haslam at 802 272 0882 or james at workerscenter dot org).
VWC CoCo member and 2007 Solidarity School graduate David Kreindler then led the meeting in a leadership-development exercise to give steering committee members a flavor of the Solidarity School held by the Workers' Center in the winter of 2007. "Instead of reporting on the solidarity school, we're going to demonstrate it," he said, using the kinds of popular education tools featured in the school. Steering committee members broke up into small groups and everyone got to share one instance in which they had been helped to step up as a leader. The small groups analyzed the commonalities and then reported back to the larger group, report-backs which repeatedly stressed the importance of mentoring, of being asked to take a leadership role, and of a personal commitment to justice. The VWC will likely be holding a one-day Solidarity School for community leaders in the fall, as well as another 3-day Solidarity School for emerging union leaders in the winter of 2008.
Reports on campaigns and Coordinating Committee elections filled up the rest of the meeting. VWC Organizer James Haslam reported on the efforts of the Burlington Livable City Coalition to support the livable-wage campaign by school support staff represented by AFSCME and the Burlington Education Association, VWC CoCo member Peg Franzen reported on successful petitioning for single-payer outside the showings of Michael Moore's new movie SICKo, and Traven Leyshon, president of the Washington-Orange Central Labor Council (and VWC CoCo member) reported on the efforts of Vermont Labor Against the War to build an antiwar presence at the Labor Day parade and to encourage union members to participate in the Iraq Moratorium. CWA member Darlene Stone stop the sale of Verizon's land-lines to Fairpoint, ending her report by singing "They Tried to sell us off to Fairpoint" to the tune of Amy Winehouse's "They Tried to Send Me to Rehab," for which she received a round of applause.
The newly elected members of the Coordinating Committee are Kit Andrews (Secretary), Angela DiGiulio (Student Labor Action Project rep), Jen Henry (Justice for Healthcare Workers rep), Darlene Stone (at-large), and Emily Casey (at-large). In addition, several current CoCo members took on new officer positions: Dawn Stanger took over the position of President, David Kreindler was elected Vice-President, and Peg Franzen became Treasurer. At-large members Traven Leyshon and Jonathan Kissam will continue in their duties.
Upcoming USSF Report-backs from VWC delegates
At the end of the month, VWC supporters will have two great opportunities to learn about Vermonters' experiences at this exciting and important event. Most of the VWC members who went to the US Social Forum will be presenting a report at the VWC's summer meeting on Saturday, July 28 (see calendar section for details), and catch delegates Julie Winn and Isaac Grimm on the Vermont Workers' Center's TV show, live at 5:25pm on Friday, July 27 on Burlington's Channel 17.
USSF report from VWC delegate Julie Winn
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi
I've recently been inclined to exert myself in every way possible to advocate for social justice and to continue to wage a fight for people who are oppressed in my own community, throughout the state of Vermont, throughout the lands of the United States and around the World. I often times am overwhelmed by the countless struggles and issues worldwide that often time seem unrealistic to overcome. However, I was recently humbled when I encountered thousands of like-minded individuals who gathered in Atlanta, Georgia to share their experiences of struggle, to provide testimonials and information, and to collaborate and ponder ways to achieve the issues at hand. In this light I would like to share with you my experience at the first ever US Social Forum.
I arrived off the plane in Atlanta not knowing what to expect, but knowing that at some level this conference would have an immense impact on my life. I traveled down there representing the Vermont Workers Center, which I recently got involved with after the organization greatly helped in the unionization efforts at my own workplace. I traveled down south with a group of 7 other people who I either never met or had not known very well. By the end of the trip I felt like I had seven new friends. This conference could not have been so enjoyable if I had not spent it with the company of such inspirational, intellectual and kind-hearted people.
One of the most memorable experiences of my trip was when I went I met with a group of advocates for people experiencing homelessness. In the group there were homeless individuals from Atlanta and Nashville. They talked about their experiences of being homeless and specifically the criminalization they face in their particular communities. Many cities have no day shelters for the homeless to utilize. It is illegal for a homeless person to spend more then fifteen minutes on a park bench (in various communities) which I witnessed first hand as police encountered a person resting in the park. They have no place to go and the resources needed to help them are scarce. The Section 8 waiting list in Atlanta and New York (which is a much desired housing subsidy voucher for people in poverty) averages ten to fifteen years. One woman in the group was put on the waiting list when her baby was first born. Her baby has just graduated high school and the woman is still on the waiting list for a voucher.
The most emotional part of this conference was when I attended a workshop on the broken criminal justice system, specifically on the death penalty and wrongful persecutions. I was fortunate enough to be part of a discussion where a Chicago based death row inmate, Victor Safforld (Cortez Brown) spoke to us on speaker phone from prison about his experience. He states that he was wrongly convicted of murder. With out a doubt, I personally believe there was absolutely not enough evidence to convict him. In fact the only evidence was a signed document that he was physically tortured into signing after he was picked up on a traffic violation. The corrupt Chicago detective, John Burge and his team who are accused of these brutal crimes are now being exposed not only by Victor Safforld, but many other inmates who have had similar experiences. Chicago journalists and lawyers are taking interest in all these cases that appear to be wrongful persecutions of human souls.
I had to leave the room in tears when Victor, a very well spoken and enlightened individual, read his poem titled "There is a fire in my soul." This was the moment where I knew I was in that room for a reason and I had to continue to fight the good fight for all the people out there who have to suffer at the cost of our nations numerous flaws and imperfections.
Another incredible moment in Atlanta was when I had the opportunity to leave the downtown area of the city and eat the best Lebanese food I have ever had. Fifteen of us went out for great food and conversation(with interpreters-Adrienne and the owner of Cedars). We met up with two of the speakers of the US Social Forum plenary: US Imperialism, War, Militarism, and Prisons. One of the speakers was Faleh Abood Umara who is part of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Workers Union. The other speaker who we met was the first ever woman President of the Iraqi Electrical Utility Workers Union, Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein. They showed us pictures of their children, told us about their lives in Iraq, and they seemed heartened and encouraged by the fact that our group and many people throughout our country oppose the occupation of Iraq, as well as our efforts to make some change in this world.
During the six days in Atlanta we met so many organization and individuals from all over the world. It was truly a spectacular event. I met one woman on a subway who worked at Ground Zero doing search and rescue of possible survivors after the 9/11 tragedy. She had so many intense stories I could not even fathom experiencing myself. I didn't even catch the woman's name, although we talked for nearly thirty minutes about the suffering and pain she was dealt with on those days. The man who was blind on the same subway ride also chimed in with his own stories and knew the neighborhood that the woman from New York lived in. There happened to be a conferene for the blind in Atlanta at the same time. That was just one of many experiences I had.
I was surrounded by diversity and people from all walks of life, people who smiled when you passed them by and in depth it is discovered that they all have a story to tell. They all have experienced struggles, or simply have the compassion to help combat those struggles.
I actually got a miniscule taste of what hunger is like when I lost my debit card in Atlanta. I went two days without eating. My fellow crew was generous to help out but I was hopeful to fix my own problems myself. Our group was also so busy running around the city to various workshops that it made it difficult to meet up with anyone to eat…..so I didn't for two days. That plus the fact that US Airlines sucks and lost my baggage, made me wait and stand on a "mini" turbulent airplane while they served the customers soda and snacks, the fact they had no portable water on the airplane (yes- no washing hands, no coffee or tea, nothing) , and the fact that we sat in a hot plane idling in the runway for an hour and a half only to miss our connecting flight in Philly and having to spend the night in Camden, NJ and return home nearly 24 hours after we were suppose to and miss work…….well it wasn't that bad of a trip.
The last night we were in Atlanta we went to support our fellow VWC delegate Adrienne who is part of Iraqi Veterans Against the War. They had a party that we went to that raised nearly $4800. After the party we traveled in the IVAW bus that is pimped out in comfort and a peaceful easy setting. They are doing a national tour trying to gain awareness to the fact that there are many veterans who are opposed to our military operations in Iraq. "The voice of protest, of warning, of appeal is never more needed than when the clamor of fife and drum, echoed by the press and too often by the pulpit, is bidding all men fall in and keep step and obey in silence the tyrannous word of command. Then, more than ever, it is the duty of the good citizen not to be silent." – Charles Eliot Norton
My overall experience at the first US Social Forum was clearly mind changing. I learned so many things that I was oblivious to. I met so many people from different cultures and different parts of the world. I found issues that touched me so much that I will use my skills and abilities to try and make some change. I was assured of the numerous struggles and issues surrounding people of oppression. I learned that although it might appear to be unrealistic for one person to change the world that it is realistic for people to collectively do their part to change the larger picture. It starts in the community. It starts on the road in which you live on, the neighborhood that surrounds you, the faces of your community, the people all around who contribute to each others well being. If you can make positive change in your community it sets an example for other communities and the change becomes somewhat replicated. Change can effectively evolve at a local level and spread around the world.
I hope whoever reads this realizes the power a person can have in this life. Any individual can make a positive difference, but it takes time and energy in doing so. "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the creative light of altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life's persistent and most urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?" -Martin Luther King, Jr.
That was just a quick blurb of my experience. I intend to write more about it later. I have yet to catch up on my sleep from that trip. Hope that wasn't too intense.
Peace,
Julie
[ See Julie's slideshow of USSF pictures ]
Reports, photos and video of US Social Forum
Stay tuned for more reflections on the US Social Forum from the Vermont Workers' Center members who went, but for now, here's a collection of articles written by other people, as well as some videos and photos:
ARTICLES:
US Social Forum Forges Common Ground, by Matthew Cardinale (Common Dreams)
AFL-CIO blog posts about the USSF
VIDEO:
VWC USSF delegates Julie Winn and Isaac Grimm interviewed on Vermont Workers' Center TV
YouTube video in which the VWC delegation makes a brief appearance
PHOTOS:
Slide show put together by VWC delegate Julie Winn
USSF photos from VWC photo album
USSF photos from flickr
Workers' Rights Plenary Closes US Social Forum
On Saturday night, the final plenary of the US Social Forum 2007 was a plenary on workers' rights in the global economy. Stewart Acuff, AFL-CIO Director of Organizing (who spoke at the Burlington Labor Day parade last year), eloquently detailed the class war being waged against workers by corporations and the wealthy, and suggested that "we give them some class war in return." The panel also featured speakers from SEIU, the National Day Labor Organizing Network, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. Stealing the show was Ai-jen Poo of Domestic Workers United in New York City, who described the struggles of domestic workers in New York and DWU's successes in organizing these "unorganizable" workers. She recalled a little-known strike by African-American domestic workers in Atlanta in the 1880s, which shut down the city as the wealthy found themselves unable to keep their households going without this labor, and announced at, at the USSF, DWU and other groups had formed a new national domestic workers' association, the first such national organization in several decades. Asked what her vision of the labor movement was, she said that her vision of the labor movement was one where "when we call a strike of domestic workers, we will be calling a strike not just for the rights of domestic workers, but for the rights of all workers, for an end to the war in Iraq, for an end to oppression, and for the interests of the whole working class."
The photo at the top of this post is by Ruby Sinreich
US Social Forum, days 2 and 3
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...
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