The Digital Dispatch

From NOEBIE.net

Union

Target Anti-Union Video

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Here’s the Cheesy Anti-Union Video All Target Employees Must Endure. [Gawker] – Gawker has obtained a copy of Target’s notorious internal anti-union propaganda video, which it shows to all new employees in America when they’re hired. The 13-minute video, “Think Hard Before You Sign,” has the production values and cheesy dialogue of an eighth-grade educational film. It begins with an earnest discussion of Target’s business agility, and, at about the 1:50 mark, the anti-union push begins in earnest.

What is May Day?

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On May Day 2012, I’ll be joining in solidarity with workers around the world for “A Day Without the 99%.” My plans are simple: to spend the day in reflection, and perhaps share some appropriate music and movies with my children. I hope that next year I’ll be able to be in the company of Fellow Workers in Chicago for the day, but that’s simply not possible this year.

If, like me, you grew up without knowing the significance of May 1st to the working class, you might find some of these articles of interest as we prepare to celebrate International Workers’ Day 2012.

What is May Day and why is it called International Workers’ Day? [IWW.org] – May 1st, International Worker’s Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States and Canada. This is despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880’s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day led by immigrant workers.

Building on May Day traditions today. [SocialistWorker.org] – On May 1, workers across the globe will demonstrate, attend meetings and go on strike in celebration of International Workers Day, a working-class holiday with origins in the U.S. more than a century ago. With class inequality reaching new heights and shaping politics in the U.S. and internationally, a new generation is discovering the importance of May Day and embracing its message of militant working-class struggle and international solidarity.

A Short History of International Workers’ Day. [Holt Labor Library] – May 1, 1886, became historic. On that day thousands of workers in the larger industrial cities poured into the streets, demanding eight hours. About 340,000 took part in demonstrations in Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Baltimore, Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other places. Of these nearly 200,000 actually went out on strike.

The Haymarket Affair. [Illinois Labor History Society] – No single event has influenced the history of labor in Illinois, the United States, and even the world, more than the Chicago Haymarket Affair.

The McCormick Strike and the Haymarket Tragedy. [The Autobiography of Mother Jones | IWW.org] – “The police without warning charged down upon the workers, shooting into their midst, clubbing right and left. Many were trampled under horses’ feet. Numbers were shot dead. Skulls were broken. Young men and young girls were clubbed to death.”

Addressing Objections to Occupy May 1st. [IWW.org] – There have been a number of objections or concerns raised about the May 1st, 2012 general strike. Juan Conantz attempts to briefly address some of the most common ones.

Industrial Worker April 2012

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The April 2012 issue of Industrial Worker from the IWW is now available.

The Industrial Worker is the official (English language) newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World. It is published ten times a year, and printed by GCIU/Teamsters union labor. The editor is elected by the membership via a rank and file vote for a two year term of office.

I’ll be posting a link to the online version of each new issue as if becomes available. You can always find the most recent issue by clicking on the image of the newspaper in the right sidebar of this Weblog.

Headlines:

  • Industrial Bakery Workers Fight For Dignity In NYC
  • Living Wage Victory For IWW Cleaners In London
  • IWW Launches In Uganda

Features:

  • Direct Unionism And Beyond
  • Special: Lessons From Workplace Organizing
  • IW Book Review: The Fiction Issue

Download a Free PDF of this issue.

Occupy Transit!

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Occupy Transit! Transit Workers & the Occupy Movement Team Up. [Bob Simpson | Daily Kos] – Calling mass transit “a genuine civil rights issue,” the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents transit workers across the nation, joined with the Occupy Movement, community organizations and transit riders to demand a revitalization of our transit systems.

”Public transit is a central municipal service, and we don’t put money into a fare box to make some guy rich.”

– Charles Paddock, Secretary of  Citizens Taking Action, a CTA riders organization.

Read the full article on Daily Kos.

Help The Red and Black

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The Red and Black is a worker-owned cooperative restaurant and community space in Portland, Oregon. The folks who work there (all of them IWW members) are living the dream of workplace democracy, and creating a model of a world without bosses. It’s also a hub of radical activity, hosting regular events with a variety of local, national and international social justice activists, authors, filmmakers and others. They also strive to maintain a Safer Space, that prioritizes the safety and needs of people who are survivors of abuse and oppression, as well as those typically marginalized by the status quo.

As such, it’s not surprising that The Red and Black has been the target of attacks from those who do not share the vision. Over the weekend, someone threw a brick through one of the cafe windows with a hate message attached. Although the restaurant is still open for business, they could use some help raising funds to replace the window.

You’ll find a PayPal donation link on their website, or you can simply go to PayPal and send money to “general@redandblackcafe.com” as the recipient. Donate what you can and share this information widely.

Thanks!

Read More: Help us replace our busted window! Red and Black | Portland, Oregon

Millions Join Spain’s General Strike

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The Spanish People Strike Against Austerity and Attacks on Labor

Coming Soon to a Country Near You!

Spain Hobbled by General Strike. [NYTimes.com] – Heavy industry and large parts of the transportation network were disrupted on Thursday by Spain’s first general strike since the Popular Party of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy came to power late last year.

The strike was called by Spain’s two main trade unions to protest a recent overhaul of labor rules that makes it less costly for employers to hire and fire workers. It came on the eve of Mr. Rajoy’s presentation of Spain’s 2012 budget, which is expected to contain about €20 billion, or $26 billion, in additional spending cuts and tax increases to help Spain meet deficit targets it agreed to with the European Commission.

Millions Join General Strike in Spain. [WSWS] – Yesterday’s general strike against new labour laws imposed by the right-wing Popular Party government was backed by millions.

The two main union federations, the Socialist Party (PSOE)-aligned General Workers Union (Union General de Trabajadores, UGT), and the Communist Party (PCE)-led Workers Commissions (Comisiones Obreras, CC.OO) estimated that the stoppages were supported by 77-80 percent of the workforce. Many more people, unemployed, school children, housewives and students used it as a vehicle to protest government cuts and austerity measures.

Mass stoppages took place in industry, transport and services. The walkout hit road, rail and air service with barely any domestic or European flights in operation.

Industrial Worker March 2012

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The March 2012 issue of Industrial Worker from the IWW is now available.

The Industrial Worker is the official (English language) newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World. It is published ten times a year, and printed by GCIU/Teamsters union labor. The editor is elected by the membership via a rank and file vote for a two year term of office.

I’ll be posting a link to the online version of each new issue as if becomes available. You can always find the most recent issue by clicking on the image of the newspaper in the right sidebar of this Weblog.

Headlines:

  • Pizza Hut Workers Demand A Proper Slice
  • Women Workers Fight Back Against Austerity In Poland
  • General Strike in Nigeria

Features:

  • Special: Centennial of the Bread & Roses Strike
  • A Wobbly Version of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”
  • Labor Solidarity Around the World

Download a Free PDF of this issue.