Support IWW Union In Dispute Against "Alternative" Union Busters

IWW members in the USA are in dispute with the "Collective" managing an "alternative" business that has sunk to employing right wing union busting legal support to try and break the union.  More from Facebook below:

MAY 22 UPDATE & SUMMARY from the IWW SCCU

Since we have not put out any public press releases or statements recently, here is a summary and update from the IWW Sisters' Camelot Canvass Union on our struggle:

SUMMARY:

After months of consensus-based organizing, the canvass workers at Sisters' Camelot went public to the bosses as unionized with the IWW on Monday, February 25.

On Friday, March 1 the union met with the managing collective to begin negotiations-- only to be forced to go on strike when management flatly refused to negotiate with the union.

On Monday, March 4 the union went to the managing collective's weekly decision-making meeting (by invitation)-- hoping to restart negotiations. At this meeting, the managing collective offered easier access to the bosses decision-making body (the Collective) as an alternative to negotiating with our union-- then they publicly fired one of the striking union members in retaliation for union organizing.

Since then, the managing collective (with the help of a group of their friends: http://libcom.org/library/statement-autonomous-union-busting-firm-twin-cities ) has run an aggressive union-busting campaign-- included aggressive character assassination of the fired union member, and many public statements full of lies about the facts of our unionization & management's refusal to negotiate.

After several weeks of being on strike, the union made an offer of a package deal to the management. This deal took all demands regarding pay and benefits off the table, leaving only 8 of the original demands. These 8 demands would have simply given the workers more workplace democracy and more control over their immediate work environment. The management refused this offer to end the strike.

Soon after the package deal was refused by management, the NLRB made a decision that the firing of a striking union member was illegal. Upon making that decision, the NLRB offered the management a settlement offer to end legal proceedings which would include rehiring the fired worker and paying back-pay.

Instead of accepting the settlement offer from the NLRB, the Sisters' Camelot managing collective is now working with a known right-wing union-busting lawyer to fight the decision in court.

Sisters' Camelot has been working with John C Hauge from the nationwide anti-union law firm Ford
Harrison as their pro bono lawyer. John C Hauge has been on a personal campaign against workers rights which has included:
(1) Silencing victims of workplace sexual harassment.
(2) Decertifying unions.
(3) Taking pension funds away from union members.
(4) & making sure the family of a worker who died on the job got no compensation.

UPDATE:

Sisters' Camelot's management is now fighting the illegal firing in court with the right-wing union-busting lawyer John C Hauge as their pro bono lawyer. If Hauge is able to appeal this case to a higher court, it could set a precedent which would result in hundreds of thousands of misclassified independent contractors in the US losing access to their basic rights as protected by the NLRA. Trial is set for June 6, when the NLRB will be seeking a court-order to enforce their decision that the fired worker should be rehired and given back-pay.

The union canvassers have now been denied their livelihood while having to endure being on strike since March 1, a hardship endured for 83 days now (as of May 22, 2013).

Since refusing to respect the canvassers right to organize and forcing them to strike, Sisters' Camelot has lost the workers who traditionally raise 90-95% of Sisters' Camelot's income. Because of this lost income Sisters' Camelot has had to scale back it's program operations drastically, is moving out of their warehouse space and office, and has begun selling off their assets.

It is abundantly clear at this juncture that the managers at Sisters' Camelot would see the good works of the organization scale back and suffer rather than respect their worker's right to unionize & give up some of their personal power in favor of more workplace democracy.

It is also far too clear now that the managers at Sisters' Camelot would rather assist a sexist, right-wing lawyer with his personal campaign against workers rights rather than admit that they were wrong to fire a union member while on strike.

We are still constantly organizing to win this campaign and assert our right to unionize. We are organizing outreach to other unions, constantly fundraising for our strike fund, organizing to prevent scabs from being able to take our jobs, and doing direct outreach to supporters in the community to prepare them for mobilization.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

We have been enduring economic violence in the form of lost livelihood while on strike since March 1. We depend on money from the strike fund to allow those of us who have not gotten side jobs to continue organizing with our phone bills paid, rent paid, and food on our dinner tables. Please donate money to our strike fund at: 

You can also creatively organize a fundraiser for our strike fund and invite your friends & family. Feel free to contact us at sisterscamelotcanvassunion@gmail.com if you are interested in organizing a fundraiser.

Give us your contact information so that we are able to contact you when and if changes in this situation could allow for public involvement to help turn the tide and end this conflict. Email your name and telephone number to sisterscamelotcanvassunion@gmail.com . Your contact information will be kept carefully guarded.

Even though overwhelming public opinion in support of us has failed to persuade Sisters' Camelot's management yet, you can sign our Community Support statement on our website at www.canvassunion.org .

Also you can stay on top of new developments by liking our facebook page at www.facebook.com/SCcanvassunion

The Welfare Cuts Tsunami Arrives

To the accompaniment of criticism from the churches, disability groups, charities, voluntary organisations, political parties outside the coalition and decent fair minded folk everywhere, the Government's welfare cuts regime is upon us - arriving at the same time as the implementation of the "NHS dismemberment legislation" and attacks on legal aid.

The welfare cuts include the hated bedroom tax which will face many low income families with the choice of going without or moving (perhaps away from friends, family, jobs, schools etc) into more expensive private sector accommodation (that will also raise rather than decrease the government's required expenditure - so will not succeed even on those terms, though perhaps one government aim is to further enrich their friends in the Rachmanite community).  There simply is not enough smaller property available in the Social Housing Sector to accommodate all those affected that are being expected to move. This will cause widespread hardship and anguish.

At the same time there is a 1% cap being put on increases in benefits which will reduce the income of poorer people in real terms.

This is not to be confused with the cap in overall benefits which is encountering problems in roll out through pilot areas but the government is still determined to bring in.

There is also the farming out of Council Tax Benefit payments to Councils with a cut in their funding which will lead to people who have never had to pay Council Tax before having to fork out large sums from limited and fixed or decreasing (see above!) incomes.

There is also the moving of many disabled people from DLA into the new PIP regime, again likely to cause disruption and potential hardship. (Not to mention the ongoing war on the disabled being conducted by ATOS and their ilk.)

Taken as a whole this is a wide ranging and multi-faceted, disgusting attack on the most vulnerable in our society and should be opposed - it is all the more sickening when coming from a government of Millionaires, most of whom have never had to suffer any kind of deprivation.

Councils must be encouraged to follow the lead of those Green, SNP and (few) Labour councils that have said that they will not evict tenants who fall into arrears as a result of the Bedroom Tax.  Local campaigns must be built to resist bailiffs and fight people's corners.  The hypocrisy of the well heeled,  expenses- claiming, generously pensioned, extravagantly paid and often multiple job holding political classes must be exposed.

The People's Assembly Against Austerity gives an opportunity for uniting much of the rising tide of opposition to the Coalition's policies and both the local and National events should be supported and built.

The local elections in May will give an early opportunity to show the Coalition parties the contempt that millions of ordinary people now hold them in.

This blog supports Scottish Independence!

This blog supports Scottish Independence!
A long haul to the vote, (Now scheduled for 18th September 2014) but the Scottish Greens are formally involved in the YES Campaign
A website is also set up to rally supporters of Scottish independence in England - Yes England.
There is also a Facebook Page for both these campaigns.

Action For Rail Day of Action

Action on Wednesday 27th March :
Action for Rail campaigners will be meeting passengers at stations around the UK, to put the case against cutting vital staff roles at stations, on trains, and in maintenance and safety. Please join us at your local station on the day.

Its so important to get out there and let hard-pressed passengers know that we are there to speak up for an affordable, people-centred rail service that puts passengers before train company profits.
We will be handing out postcards to passengers, that they can send to their MP, demanding better services.

Find an event near you

In addition to this, there will also be strike action on Wednesday by workers employed by Churchills on the Arriva Trains Wales contract.

Brighton and Hove Green Party Draw Welcome Red Lines

Encouraging news from Brighton, where the local Green Party have passed a number of resolutions to guide their councillors in ongoing negotiations with staff, including this one:


*The Brighton and Hove Green Party wishes to make clear that under no
circumstances whatsoever will it agree with or support dismissing and
rehiring staff, who on the advice of their union negotiators, reject new
pay and conditions unilaterally imposed on staff by the Council
management side. The party therefore asks the Green Group to make it
unequivocally clear to the CE and other officers leading the
negotiations on "Pay Modernisation" that both the activation and/or the
threat of the activation to dismiss/rehire is completely unacceptable,
and should this  nevertheless proceed the party will publicly dissociate
itself from such an action and will actively campaign against it.

This is in relation to the argument over the ongoing "revenue neutral" pay modernisation negotiations in Brighton which had the potential to be very difficult, as "Single Status" agreements have been for many Labour Councils and Labour linked unions around the country.

It is very important that local Green Parties maintain strict scrutiny and regular contact with their elected Councillors to guard against the temptations and incentives to "go native" in the Council chamber.  The Green Party in England And Wales has a very good policy platform, and now, following last conference, a good Philosophical Basis statement favouring social justice.  Members should not allow the desires of individuals to appear "pragmatic" or "reasonable" to establishment politicians and media to damage our public image as a party firmly on the side of workers and their families.

Eastleigh By-election

The Green Party in Eastleigh have decided not to stand a candidate in the forthcoming by-election brought about by the downfall of the disgraceful Chris Huhne.  The main reason is that the local Party need to concentrate on the forthcoming Council elections and do not have the funds to run in the crowded by-election field as well.

As this was a "safe" Lib Dem seat with a majority Lib Dem Council, where the main challengers are the Tories, it is safe to say we do not have a horse "likely to win" in this race.  The likely victors seem to be the Treacherous Quislings or their Dark Overlords!  However, the lack of a Green candidate and the lack of any pressure for "tactical" voting gives an opportunity to look at the other alternatives on offer.

The preferred alternative candidates of many former Green voters look likely to be either Dr Iain Maclennan of the National Health Action Party, (a former Green Party member and local election candidate)  Jim Duggan of the Peace Party (whose policies are very similar to the Greens), or Daz Procter of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) (who comes from the TU side of that coalition)

These candidates all offer a good opportunity for a meaningful protest vote highlighting the Coalition Government's continuing attacks on the NHS, their overseas warmongering and their horrendous attacks on working people, benefits and the welfare state in general.

As far as Labour is concerned, it is interesting that they are standing a comedian/humorist - one might say that they are joking if they think that people have forgotten the wars, the privatisations, and the craven crawling to corporations and banks that led us to having to suffer the current ghastly Coalition.  Truly, as far as this election is concerned, a plague on the houses of all three main parties.

Of course, the gutter media favourite contenders are UKIP.  The vote of this Party of climate change denying conspiracists, xenophobes and ill-informed bar room ranters continues to rise.  This is no coincidence.  The right-wing media barons and their attack dog commentators and journalists who are promoting them see UKIP as a useful tool to drag the Tories even further to the right.  Once this is achieved, I predict that UKIP will be very quickly cut down to size, with the right wing vote directed back home to Toryland.  The yellow press have ample dirt on Farage and co (not least the behaviour of their hypocritical MEPS) to bring them down to size when required. Consequently, expect the Thatcherite droolers to poll well, for now, in Eastleigh.  Politics - it's a dirty game.....

Mobilise Against Austerity - And For Peace!

The TUC have arranged a major UK anti-austerity demonstration for London on 20th October.  This is everyone's chance to make a stand against the Con-Dem Corporate Puppet Government and to stand with the people of Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy in their growing resistance to their own corporate puppet governments and the would-be Centralised Corporatist Empire of Europe.  It is abundantly clear that what the elites are about is removing every last one of the gains of European working people since 1945 - pensions, healthcare, workplace and union rights, free education - everything must go! The elite are about the task of creating a finance capitalist's wet dream world of cowed and impoverished workforces too busy struggling to survive to resist or organise,  workers who will be smashed with all the available force of the corporatist state (witness the behaviour of the Spanish State forces of late) if they dare to even complain politely.

And there is more - the storm clouds gathering over the Middle East could lead to horrors beyond imagining if the chain reaction of war is not able to be stopped by organised workers and the mobilised unemployed.  If the forces of opposition are in the field and mobilised it will be that much more difficult for the national ruling classes to rally their national populations, 1914 style, for the planned slaughter.  The lesson of 1914 must be learnt - there will be no excuse this time for not seeing what "rallying round the flag" will lead to.

Everyone who considers themselves an opponent of the current ruling class,  should be doing what they can to move people into action against the Cameron-Clegg Government and the forces they represent. I believe that as a generation we may be soon facing the most serious challenge since 1914 - with the possibility of even more catastrophic events than even the bloody slaughter of the First World War.  Being able to defeat, or at least challenge the current ruling class could well be a life and death matter.

The movement we must build across Europe and the world must have three key perspectives - an end to the power of the finance capitalists, the dismantling and defeat of the military-industrial complex
that is threatening and lobbying for war and a global recognition of the catastrophic climate change situation. 

The recent data on Arctic Sea Ice is truly frightening.  The prospect of runaway climate change, megadeaths and even species extinction becomes ever more realistic.  Equally, those who talk blithely about "surgical strikes", or war with Iran, and think that this could not spin out of control and plunge the whole world into slaughter are knowingly or unknowlingly gambling with all our futures.

All the available forces of humanity need to be mobilised to fight the disaster of climate change rather than be dragged into disastrous war.

Those who are planning for war, and those who are getting in the way of addressing the looming climate catastrophe must be recognised as potentially some of the most heinous criminals in the history of our planet.

It is easy to be cowed by the enormity of the challenges facing us.  It is still, just about, easy enough for many to hide in everyday life and its routines.  But the time is coming when "normal" everyday life will no longer be an option.  If we do not start to act now to halt the multiple threats that loom we may well find ourselves strapped to the runaway train as it heads for the collapsed bridge.

My thoughts and solidarity go out to all those taking up the challenge.  We truly have nothing to lose and a world to win.....