BradleyStuart.net » Labor

We Are One Rally in Santa Cruz Stands with Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, etc..

bradley — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:36:08 +0000

Solidarity actions with embattled workers in the states continue this week as part of the April 4 Days of Action, with more than 1,200 events, including teach-ins, vigils, faith services and town halls. In the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Area, demonstrations were held on April 4 in Salinas, Hollister, Watsonville, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Vallejo, San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin, Novato and elsewhere. In Santa Cruz, over 500 people rallied at the County Courthouse to support local public service workers, as well as those in Wisconsin and other states. In addition to Martin Luther King Jr., the work of Cesar E. Chavez was recognized at the Santa Cruz rally. Read More and View Photos

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In events across the U.S., as well as in other countries, the actions honor the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. He went there to stand with sanitation workers demanding their dream: the right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life. The sanitation workers were trying to form a union with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME).

Union members, people of faith, rights activists, students and other people in California are raising their voice, along with working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and dozens of other states where well-funded, corporate-politicians are trying to take away many of the rights which Dr. King gave his life for, including the freedom to bargain and vote, to obtain an education and justice for all.

ILWU Rally and Shut Down All Bay Area Ports Demanding “Justice for Oscar Grant! Jail Killer Cops!”

bradley — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:49:38 +0000

On October 23rd, the ILWU Local 10 longshore workers closed all bay area ports (Richmond, Benicia, Redwood City, Oakland and San Francisco) and rallied in Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza to protest the murder of Oscar Grant with the demand “Justice for Oscar Grant! Jail Killer Cops!” ILWU union port workers joined the rally which brought together many organizations, including labor unions, high school and college students, the faith-based community and the general public in a call for justice.

The rally was initiated by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 after Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson of the Oscar Grant Family spoke to union members about the similarity between the murder of his nephew and a mural on the union hall depicting the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike. On “Bloody Thursday,” July 5th, 1934, a striking seaman and a strike sympathizer, Nicolas Bordoise and Howard Sperry, were killed by a police officer who fired a shotgun into a crowd.

Johanes Mehserle, the ex-BART cop who shot Oscar Grant in the back on January 1, 2009 while Grant was being held face down by multiple officers, faces sentencing in Los Angeles on November 5th. Read More and View Photos

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For more information, see:

Oakland Rally Says: Justice For Oscar Grant! Jail Killer Cops!
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/23/18662094.php”

Justice for Oscar Grant! Jail for Killer Cops! Longshore To Shutdown All Bay Area Ports
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/18/18661635.php

Oscar Grant Rally For Justice: ILWU Jack Heyman and Clarence Thomas
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/21/18661940.php

ILWU Rally for Oscar Grant
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/23/18662085.php

http://www.indybay.org/oscargrant

Rally and Walkout at UC Santa Cruz to Defend the Future of Public Education

bradley — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:55:13 +0000

On September 24th, students, faculty, staff and alumni at University of California (UC) schools participated in a day of coordinated walkouts and rallies in defense of the future of public education. Hundreds rallied at the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus to protest the privatization of the UC system, which includes student fee hikes, faculty and staff furloughs and layoffs, executive pay increases, and cuts to courses, programs and services. The University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) held a daylong strike at all UC schools, with pickets at the main and west entrances of UCSC from 6am–6pm.

Rallies took place at the base of UCSC, amplified courtesy of People Power!’s human-powered bicycle generator, at 12pm and 3:30pm. After the 3:30pm rally, students marched and occupied the intersection by the Bay Tree Plaza. From there, it was announced that a building occupation was underway, and people moved to the Bay Tree Plaza to support an ongoing inhabitation of the Graduate Student Commons. Read More and View Photos

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Labor Organizing and Independent Media are Not Crimes

bradley — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:45:30 +0000

On August 31st, members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) were accompanying their fellow worker, Erik Forman, to his first day back on the job at Starbucks in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Erik was recently fired for labor organizing, although that was not the official explanation given by Starbucks.

Police from Plymouth, a town outside of Bloomington, prevented Erik’s supporters from getting off the light-rail and entering the mall. Erik was eventually allowed into the mall so he could get to work, although he was late as a result of all the police harassment and misinformation.

My friend David and I caught up with the group of people that were turned away from the mall. David recorded a video interview with Jake Bell about the day’s events and the future plans of the Twin Cities branch of the IWW. A Metro Transit Police officer drove past us in an SUV. The interview was finished and as we were walking away, the police officer turned around and drove to the spot where the interview was conducted. At that point the officer appeared to be looking for an unattended item that may have been left behind. No such items were found, but the police officer decided to follow us for about two miles.

Neither labor organizing nor independent media are against the law, but both activities are being repressed in the Twin Cities, and elsewhere. Read More and View Photos

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Neighbors and Labor Rally Against La Behemoth; Change to Zoning Law

bradley — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:42:47 +0000

On August 21st, workers and Santa Cruz community members rallied in front of La Bahia protesting a variety of issues, including the ratio of unionized labor during the reconstruction and then operation of the new hotel. Neighbors, particularly those that live on First Street, are upset that the proposed project exceeds the current legal height limit and because the site is not zoned for such a large building. Other people want to preserve, rather than destroy, the historic landmark built in the 1920s.

A press release by the Build a Better La Bahia Coalition, a group of neighbors, construction and service workers, and community representatives interested in the successful development of a hotel at the site of La Bahia, states that they want the new hotel to be “both economically and environmentally successful.” However, concern for the environment, at least from the labor unions, appears to be token at best. In 1999, Mary Spicuzza wrote an in-depth article in Metro Santa Cruz about the plans for La Bahia. In the article, Spicuzza notes, “Union advocates concede that the their primary concern isn’t preserving landmarks or keeping neighbors happy, it’s organizing workers.”

On the other hand, Ross Gibson and the City of Santa Cruz Historic Preservation Commission seem to be the most influential in regards to architectural preservation and environmental concerns, as well as the relocation of residents. Read More and View Photos

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AFSCME on Strike During New Student Orientations at UCSC

bradley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:49:35 +0000

Incoming UC Santa Cruz students and their families got an official orientation to college on July 17th while campus service workers were striking for the fourth day in a row. Since 2004, the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ) at UC Santa Cruz has been working to spread awareness and solidarity with the hardest-working and lowest-paid employees at the University of California (UC). In the last year alone, the demand to end poverty wages at the UC has been carried far and wide, including meetings of the UC Regents, dorms, dinning halls and classrooms, an alumni fundraiser luncheon, a $1,000 a plate dinner with Chancellor George Bluementhal, the Chancellor’s inauguration, Highway 1, as well as to representatives in Sacramento. Service workers are vital to the UC, however AFSCME, the union representing the workers, reports that they are nowhere near reaching a fair settlement with the UC. Read More and View Photos

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Day One of AFSCME’s Five Day Strike at UCSC

bradley — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:33:43 +0000

July 14th kicked off AFSCME’s five day strike at the University of California’s ten campuses and five medical centers. At UC Santa Cruz, AFSCME workers, students, workers from supporting unions, and other community members are picketing at the intersection of Bay and High at the base of campus. County buses are respecting the picket line by dropping people off at the base of campus. Some classes were held at the base of the campus and other spaces in Santa Cruz. Scabs have been hired by the UC, but AFSCME workers say as the week continues, people will start to notice declines in the quality of service and cleanliness in buildings, bathrooms, dinning halls and throughout campus. Read More and View Photos

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UC Workers and Students Block California Highway 1 in Santa Cruz to Protest Poverty Wages

bradley — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:42:50 +0000

On June 6th, George Blumenthal was inaugurated as the 10th Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz during a ceremony on the East Field overlooking the Monterey Bay. Students and workers, organized through the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), rallied at UCSC, marched to the Chancellor’s Inauguration and blocked California Highway One at Mission and Bay during a 10-hour day of action to deliver a loud and clear message — end poverty wages at the University of California. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

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UC Service Workers Announce STRIKE on June 4th and 5th

bradley — Fri, 23 May 2008 23:35:20 +0000

On May 23rd, 2008, workers at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and across the entire UC system, announced the almost unanimous vote of “Yes!” to strike to win a fair contract. Workers and students assembled in the Baytree Plaza at UC Santa Cruz to publicize the overwhelmingly affirmative vote to strike for two days from Wednesday, June 4th through Thursday, June 5th. However, the workers, who have been negotiating in good faith since August, still hold hope that a strike can be averted.

The central issue has been that wages have fallen dramatically behind other hospitals (UC has 5 medical centers) and California’s community colleges where workers are paid an average of 25% higher for the same work. For service workers, wages are as low as $10 an hour, forcing many to work 2-3 jobs or rely on public assistance to meet the basic needs of their families. Read More with Photos and Audio

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UCSC Reunion Luncheon Interrupted to Demand Fair Wages for Workers

bradley — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:06:37 +0000

The All-Alumni Reunion Luncheon held in the College 9/10 multipurpose room at UC Santa Cruz on April 26th was interrupted when students marched in demanding fair contracts for UCSC’s underpaid service workers. The luncheon was part of the annual UCSC Reunion Weekend where alumni were invited back to campus to “learn how innovation is going global, sip wine, tour new facilities on campus, explore the “unnatural” history of UCSC, and more…” The brief interruption was widely supported by alumni who clapped, smiled, listened, and took souvenir photos as students passed out flyers, chanted and spoke on stage to inform alumni about the contract campaign for UC service workers.

Since August the UC and the service workers’ union, AFSCME Local 3299, have been negotiating a new three-year contract. These negotiations present an important opportunity for workers to receive more recognition for their hard work. While George Blumenthal and other UC executives have declared their support for labor, little has been done to meet the demands of the workers. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

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