From rross@clarku.edu Sat Nov 1 13:53:36 1997 Date: Sat, 01 Nov 1997 15:51:52 -0500 From: "Robert J.S. Ross" Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu Reply-to: rross@clarku.edu References: Friends, I have noticed for days the dialogue about union made or American made toys. So: The equation of Buy American or American union made goods with chauvinism or imperialism implies logically that "all Americans" are equally part of imperial exploitation. It is the opposite of understanding a society as riven with class inequality. To be unable to defend the material level of living of workers in the society in which one lives is to leave to labor solidarity a vapid internationalism with no base anywhere. Politically this position is of course exactly what opponents of the left describe as limousine liberalism. Why should workers be interested in a left which is not interested in them? Rhetoric is no substitute for careful politics or strategy. RJSR -- _____________________________________________________ Robert J.S. Ross Phone: 508 793 7243 Professor and Chair of Sociology Fax: 508 793 8816 Clark University 950 Main St. Worcester, Massachusetts 01610 USA http://www.clarku.edu/~rross/ _____________________________________________________ From aikya@ix.netcom.com Sat Nov 1 15:23:18 1997 by dfw-ix6.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma012078; Sat Nov 1 16:22:58 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: "'Labor Research and Action Project'" Subject: RE: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Date: Sat, 1 Nov 1997 14:16:44 -0800 Robert S.J. Ross makes a very good point, as he often does. The physical presence of one human in the United States of America reveals little about that individual's imperialist tendencies race, class, gender, religion, education, degree of disability, etc. I started this exchange. Here are a few factoids about my personal, imperialist background: My maternal grandfather was a Fire Chief. My paternal grandfather worked for the post office. Grandmothers stayed home and took care of the children which on my father's side meant two and on my mother's, eleven. My paternal grandmother, however, since she had all this free time due to a smaller family, had a home business sewing costumes for the Metropolitan Opera and she was politically active. The latter was considered a bit controversial among the in-laws. My parents wanted to be better, but they didn't both pull it off since they didn't remain married. My mother sacrificed a lot to be sure I finished college. She would probably be horrified to know that I currently earn around $10 an hour working for the University of California. It's part time work because I am starting a newsletter to remind women that money should be an important part of planning things. Nobody mentioned that to me as I grew up. I didn't seem to keep it in mind much. Sure enough you do need the stuff to buy things. I'm a union member as I have been a lot in different jobs. I am proud to have served as Chief Steward and to have organized several unrepresented department in my last job. I get by on around $1100 a month less taxes, etc., in a good month maybe some more. One good thing is that I do get medical and benefits even though it's a part time job. Probably, the union should get credit for that. Eventually, the newsletter will earn more than I put out for it but that has not happened yet. It looks like it might start doing that in Jan 98. Can't give up that union job for a while. I live in a predominantly Black neighborhood in West Berkeley, the poor part of town. I do not have a car, a CD player, a fax machine, a VCR. Thanks to a woman friend who believed in the idea of Women and Money and GAVE me $3000, I have a computer, software and internet access. I took a course for poor women who want to start their own business in order to figure out whether the newsletter was a good idea. Now I make too much money to take more courses there. Women and Money is not a publication for well-to-do women. They don't need it. It's for the working women, the poorer women, who are trying to figure it all out, to support themselves and their families often, to enjoy some prosperity and support fairness including fairness regarding money. I don't have anything against people who make more money than I do or people who make less. It is important to acknowledge the class structure we have. It's also important to acknowledge racism and sexism and not be frightened by people who are different from us and who may be powerful too. When I was young, I thought there was a simple answer to everything, a formula. I tried many formulas. They are so simple and comforting. Each one got me into one kind of trouble or the other, eventually. I'm older now. Pretty soon I will be officially old enough to join AARP. Life and politics and economics seem to be dynamic. The questions seem more important than single formulaic answers. Aikya Param, Publisher, Women and Money Economic Justice and Empowerment Every Month! ---------- Sent: Saturday, November 01, 1997 12:52 PM To: Labor Research and Action Project Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Friends, I have noticed for days the dialogue about union made or American made toys. So: The equation of Buy American or American union made goods with chauvinism or imperialism implies logically that "all Americans" are equally part of imperial exploitation. It is the opposite of understanding a society as riven with class inequality. To be unable to defend the material level of living of workers in the society in which one lives is to leave to labor solidarity a vapid internationalism with no base anywhere. Politically this position is of course exactly what opponents of the left describe as limousine liberalism. Why should workers be interested in a left which is not interested in them? Rhetoric is no substitute for careful politics or strategy. RJSR -- _____________________________________________________ Robert J.S. Ross Phone: 508 793 7243 Professor and Chair of Sociology Fax: 508 793 8816 Clark University 950 Main St. Worcester, Massachusetts 01610 USA http://www.clarku.edu/~rross/ _____________________________________________________ From rjohns@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu Sun Nov 2 09:26:48 1997 Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1997 11:21:55 -0500 From: Rebecca Johns To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made References: <345B9667.EB1D998C@clarku.edu> In reply to Mr. Ross: I completely disagree with your willingness to absolve the American working class from complicity in the United States' role as an imperialist power (and I come from inside labor, not just the left!). Workers here benefit in clear and material ways from the activities of our government in support of capital abroad. Rather than saying that a critique of Buy American lacks a class analysis, what we need is a much more complicated class analysis that recognizes the real material rifts between groups of workers around the world. The "international working class" is riven by space, and capital creates and encourages this spatial difference. To work to perpetuate that difference by protecting the workers who benefit the most from the international capitalist system is to perpetuate the system itself, and the pain it causes workers in other places (as well as at home in times of downturn). Of course we need real, concrete strategies. But international strategies that do not address the real divisions with the international working class, or that work to reinforce those divisions, are not helpful in my view, but doomed to reproduce exploitative relations. There certainly are examples of international work by unions and other groups that have recognized these dilemmas and addressed them in fruitful ways. Those cases are still in the minority, to say the least. We should be thinking about how to make these cases stronger, not reverting to some archaic and misplaced tactic of Buy American. Rebecca Johns Robert J.S. Ross wrote: > > Friends, > I have noticed for days the dialogue about union made or American made > toys. So: > > The equation of Buy American or American union made goods with > chauvinism or imperialism implies logically that "all Americans" are > equally part of imperial exploitation. It is the opposite of > understanding a society as riven with class inequality. To be unable to > defend the material level of living of workers in the society in which > one lives is to leave to labor solidarity a vapid internationalism with > no base anywhere. > > Politically this position is of course exactly what opponents of the > left describe as limousine liberalism. Why should workers be interested > in a left which is not interested in them? Rhetoric is no substitute > for careful politics or strategy. > RJSR > > -- > _____________________________________________________ > Robert J.S. Ross Phone: 508 793 7243 > Professor and Chair of Sociology Fax: 508 793 8816 > Clark University > 950 Main St. > Worcester, Massachusetts 01610 > USA > http://www.clarku.edu/~rross/ > _____________________________________________________ -- "If you act like there is no possibility for change, you guarantee that there will be no change." ~Noam Chomsky Rebecca A. Johns Assistant Professor Department of Geography University of South Florida 140 Seventh Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 813-553-1556 813-553-1526 fax rjohns@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu From aikya@ix.netcom.com Sun Nov 2 11:04:10 1997 by dfw-ix1.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma026306; Sun Nov 2 12:03:50 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: Labor Research and Action Project Subject: RE: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 09:46:53 -0800 Do people on this list talk to others who are not union members or teachers or left wing people? That, by the way, is most people. I started my university job interviewing people cross the U.S. about AIDS related issues. Since I live in Berkeley, California where people think they invented leftist progressive thinking, I experienced rather a a surprise to find most folks were extremely conservative in every sense of that term. I know you all know the percentage of people in the U.S. who are union members so we can skip that fact. I have a Labor Union Section in my newsletter, Women and Money, because I believe in unions. The percentage of the newsletter's readers who are union members is probably about the same as in the population at large. Most readers don't know anything about unions. Some have never known anyone who belonged to a union because they are the wrong color or gender. Some have expressed hostility toward unions. That's my audience. When I was a union member but not active and entirely in the dark about most everything unions do and the concerns raised in these discussions, I went out to buy my first microwave oven. Mind you, I had just come back from a trip to Chicago where the car rental company had eagerly given me a Japanese car to drive, a larger car than I wanted, at the lower price. As I drove around that week, I found out that people in that part of the country would rather die than drive a foreign made car. (Well, that was in 1990 before there were Japanese auto makers making cars here in the U.S. etc.) I also saw plenty of people who were really struggling. So, when I went to buy my microwave, I wanted to buy one made in the U.S. I was told there was no such thing. The closest would be one made overseas by an American company. In my apartment house, there are 15 unemployed men. They are pleasant, resourceful people. They would be working today if there were manufacturing jobs for them. I hope that we continue to put pressure on NIKE, Starbucks, sweatshop owners whether they be in the U.S. or outside of it, whether the sweatshop is making hamburgers, doing health care or making dresses in every way we can. And I hope something encourages the return of manufacturing to the U.S. to some degree so that people like my neighbors can have good jobs again. I support whatever makes people realize that what happens with their money-whether it is salary, union pension fund, 201K, IRA, community development funds, initial public offerings, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, or holiday spending-can make a difference in people's lives here and around the world, can work for economic justice. I support that happening among union members and among people who don't like unions. I support that among conservatives as well as liberals. I support that among the rich as well as the poor, the educated and uneducated. I support that among atheists and religious people. I support that among the native born as well as immigrants. Aikya Param, Publisher, Women and Money Economic Justice and Empowerment Every Month! ---------- Sent: Sunday, November 02, 1997 8:22 AM To: Labor Research and Action Project Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made In reply to Mr. Ross: I completely disagree with your willingness to absolve the American working class from complicity in the United States' role as an imperialist power (and I come from inside labor, not just the left!). Workers here benefit in clear and material ways from the activities of our government in support of capital abroad. Rather than saying that a critique of Buy American lacks a class analysis, what we need is a much more complicated class analysis that recognizes the real material rifts between groups of workers around the world. The "international working class" is riven by space, and capital creates and encourages this spatial difference. To work to perpetuate that difference by protecting the workers who benefit the most from the international capitalist system is to perpetuate the system itself, and the pain it causes workers in other places (as well as at home in times of downturn). Of course we need real, concrete strategies. But international strategies that do not address the real divisions with the international working class, or that work to reinforce those divisions, are not helpful in my view, but doomed to reproduce exploitative relations. There certainly are examples of international work by unions and other groups that have recognized these dilemmas and addressed them in fruitful ways. Those cases are still in the minority, to say the least. We should be thinking about how to make these cases stronger, not reverting to some archaic and misplaced tactic of Buy American. Rebecca Johns Robert J.S. Ross wrote: > > Friends, > I have noticed for days the dialogue about union made or American made > toys. So: > > The equation of Buy American or American union made goods with > chauvinism or imperialism implies logically that "all Americans" are > equally part of imperial exploitation. It is the opposite of > understanding a society as riven with class inequality. To be unable to > defend the material level of living of workers in the society in which > one lives is to leave to labor solidarity a vapid internationalism with > no base anywhere. > > Politically this position is of course exactly what opponents of the > left describe as limousine liberalism. Why should workers be interested > in a left which is not interested in them? Rhetoric is no substitute > for careful politics or strategy. > RJSR > > -- > _____________________________________________________ > Robert J.S. Ross Phone: 508 793 7243 > Professor and Chair of Sociology Fax: 508 793 8816 > Clark University > 950 Main St. > Worcester, Massachusetts 01610 > USA > http://www.clarku.edu/~rross/ > _____________________________________________________ -- "If you act like there is no possibility for change, you guarantee that there will be no change." ~Noam Chomsky Rebecca A. Johns Assistant Professor Department of Geography University of South Florida 140 Seventh Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 813-553-1556 813-553-1526 fax rjohns@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu From culturex@vcn.bc.ca Sun Nov 2 17:01:26 1997 Sun, 2 Nov 1997 15:59:39 -0800 (PST) Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 15:59:37 -0800 (PST) From: Franklin Wayne Poley Subject: Re: PARTNERS: International Conference on Urban Poverty (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 14:38:04 -0800 (PST) From: Franklin Wayne Poley To: Michael Gurstein Canadian futures , canada-l@vm1.mcgill.ca, ecocity@segate.sunet.se Subject: Re: PARTNERS: International Conference on Urban Poverty (fwd) On Sun, 2 Nov 1997, Michael Gurstein wrote: > A report on the conclusions of the Conference will be > presented to the plenary on the final day of the Conference. > Participants will also enter into a "social contract" which > will commit them to reducing and/or eradicating poverty. > A contract is a contract. Here in Canada we have a high unemployment rate and therefore high poverty plus there are the 'working poor.' The politicians bandy about phrases like social contract without having to get down to the nitty gritty of what a REAL, BINDING SOCIAL CONTRACT would be like. Let's try it out with the False Creek Model Sustainable Village here in Vancouver. It is being planned for 5,000 people. Not just poor people of course. But I would think that a number of groups of 5,000 could be organized before it is done...and in all income levels. All have a stake in a sustainable future. Specifically with respect to the employable urban poor why not draft a real social contract which would enable them to buy a complete "habitat package" paying with the benefits they receive from various programs: unemployment insurance to welfare to pre-employent programs? That habitat package would include worker-owned industries, a pollution-free environment, housing etc. And the contract would be real-the kind that a court would uphold, not political hot air. FWP. (Financial Agent, Labour Welfare Party. A registered B.C. Political Party.) ***** Usenet on Future Villages: vcn.false-creek; listserv on Future Cities: send an email to khadija@wn.apc.org with "subscribe your-email-address" in the body; URL updates: ***** From sscipe1@icarus.cc.uic.edu Sun Nov 2 22:50:14 1997 for ; Sun, 2 Nov 1997 23:49:08 -0600 (CST) Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 23:49:08 -0600 (CST) To: labor-rap@csf.colorado.edu From: Kim Scipes Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Folks--I, too, have been following this debate somewhat, but the last few messages have focused my attention more, and I thought I might be able to contribute to the discussion. Rebecca Johns correctly noted that we in the US live in an imperialist, oppressor country, and that the nationalism developed here will usually (if not always!) be radically different than nationalism developed in an oppressed country such as Ireland. Robert Ross pointed out the need to support workers' struggles here to maintain or improve people's lives, else we be painted as "limousine liberals." And Aikya Param pointed out the efforts of her parents and herself to create a better material world for their families, and she is trying to help other women in particular do that for themselves. I think I can contribute to this. I am coming to this as a white male, from a working class background, who spent four years in the US Marine Corps (1969-73, although fortunately staying in the States the whole time). I got politicized in the Marines while fighting white supremacy on both the institutional and personal levels, and have been politically active since 1971. I have also worked for nine years as a printer (both as a member of the Graphic Communications International Union, and non-union), as a substitute high school teacher in an inner-city school district, and as an office worker. (I also have been a member of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.) I have since returned to academia and am working on my PhD in Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I've done a bunch of other stuff, too, but want to just share these highlights so those reading this message will have some idea of where I'm coming from. While recognizing that we live in an imperialist, oppressor nation, I think it is important to support workers whenever they struggle to maintain or improve their material standard of living, and especially when they join collectively to do so. I do not think--and don't think Rebecca was suggesting this, but want to be clear--that we should dismiss workers' struggles in the heart of the beast simply because they are here. But at the same time, I also do not think workers as workers are anything special: some of the finest people I've ever known have been workers, and some of the biggest scum bags I have ever known have also been workers. (I can say this for any group, whether based on race, gender, able-bodiedness, sexual orientation, etc.) No group, no matter where they are located, is all good or all bad. Workers CAN be one of the most progressive social forces when they choose to mobilize, because they have something unique that no other social grouping has: the ability to stop production, distribution and exchange from WITHIN these processes. The question is whether they will mobilize to do so, and should they mobilize, are they fighting for self-interest at the expense of others or are they fighting to improve their lives and those of others? For example, based on my research in the Philippines and my years of building international labor solidarity, I have some idea of what it takes to build unions, and especially progressive unions, in "third world" countries. At least in the Philippines, to strike means to literally put one's life on the line--and many workers have been arrested, tortured and/or killed for their efforts. At the same time, also from the Philippines, I know that unions can be incredibly corrupt, can be in cahoots with imperialist unions (the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, a creation of the Marcos Dictatorship, received over $5.7 million from the AFL-CIO between 1983-89, which is more than any single labor movement in the world during those years), and can work with death squads against progressive unions. (I am NOT using hyperbole here.) In short, workers aren't saints anywhere, nor are unions. What I think we as progressives need to do here is to focus on (1) who is struggling or not struggling and (2) of those struggling, are they fighting only for themselves, or are they struggling to improve the lives and well being of others? And, if there's any choice, support should be granted for those who are struggling to make the world better for themselves and others. In other words, if American workers are struggling to make the world a better place for themselves and others, I will support them; if they are not struggling, or struggling only for their own self-interest (e.g., white workers in particularly construction trades struggling against people of color, or workers struggling to keep US military bases open, or struggling to keep nuclear power plants open), then I will not support them. [If anyone is interested in a longer elaboration of this, see my review of Brecher and Costello's BUILDING BRIDGES in the December 1991 issue of "Monthly Review."] Now, ideally from my point of view, US workers should be struggling to end US domination of other countries and workers, as well as struggling to change the social order in this country, and I've been working and writing for years to convince people of this position. However, I think it wrong to make this a condition for my support, because it is a standard than almost none could meet. However, I think we should keep working toward this. But, realistically, I think that if and when workers join together to struggle, and to struggle to make this world better for themselves and others, then I think deserves my support and I do what I can to make this real. So, where does this leave me in this current discussion? If workers in "third world" countries are struggling to build progressive unions, I support them, even if it comes at the expense of US workers and/or US workers who are fighting only for their own self-interest. If workers in the US are struggling to make the world a better place, I support them against workers in the "third world" who are not struggling or who are only struggling for their own self-interest. And if workers in both the US and "third world" are struggling to make the world a better place, then I support both and try to find ways to link them up so as to help them join together to improve the situation for both. And, obviously, there are situations that may be more complex and/or ambiguous than I've suggested here that require further thinking, but I think these are a good basis on which to start. I look forward to responses and/or further discussion of these and related issues. With best wishes--Kim Scipes From adamwolf@cats.ucsc.edu Mon Nov 3 02:26:00 1997 Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 01:26:27 -0800 To: labor-rap@csf.colorado.edu From: Adam Jay Wolfson Subject: Looking for a Job with Organized Labor Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz who is looking for a legislative, education, or research related position with organized labor. If somebody out there knows of available positions or good places to look please do not hesitate to contact me. I focused on labor issues in my History and Politics Major at UCSC and I have interned with the White House, the Organizing Institute, the National Museum of American History, and I participated in Union Summer. I would be happy to pass on a resume and tell more about my background to anybody that is interested. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Adam Wolfson adamwolfson@hotmail.com From rjohns@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu Mon Nov 3 07:15:22 1997 Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 09:10:33 -0500 From: Rebecca Johns To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made References: Dear Kim, Friends: Thanks for your contribution to our discussion! I agree with you completely - and I think you helped clarify our disjointed comments. I like your way of thinking about sorting the different movements so you channel your own energies in the most effective manner. I know you, actually, though we may never have met in person, but I worked with the PWSC for years, and I believe you used to write for Labor Notes??? Thanks again for your comments. Rebecca Kim Scipes wrote: > > Folks--I, too, have been following this debate somewhat, but the last few > messages have focused my attention more, and I thought I might be able to > contribute to the discussion. > > Rebecca Johns correctly noted that we in the US live in an imperialist, > oppressor country, and that the nationalism developed here will usually (if > not always!) be radically different than nationalism developed in an > oppressed country such as Ireland. > > Robert Ross pointed out the need to support workers' struggles here to > maintain or improve people's lives, else we be painted as "limousine > liberals." > > And Aikya Param pointed out the efforts of her parents and herself to > create a better material world for their families, and she is trying to > help other women in particular do that for themselves. > > I think I can contribute to this. I am coming to this as a white male, > from a working class background, who spent four years in the US Marine > Corps (1969-73, although fortunately staying in the States the whole time). > I got politicized in the Marines while fighting white supremacy on both the > institutional and personal levels, and have been politically active since > 1971. I have also worked for nine years as a printer (both as a member of > the Graphic Communications International Union, and non-union), as a > substitute high school teacher in an inner-city school district, and as an > office worker. (I also have been a member of the National Education > Association and the American Federation of Teachers.) I have since > returned to academia and am working on my PhD in Sociology at the > University of Illinois at Chicago. I've done a bunch of other stuff, too, > but want to just share these highlights so those reading this message will > have some idea of where I'm coming from. > > While recognizing that we live in an imperialist, oppressor nation, I think > it is important to support workers whenever they struggle to maintain or > improve their material standard of living, and especially when they join > collectively to do so. I do not think--and don't think Rebecca was > suggesting this, but want to be clear--that we should dismiss workers' > struggles in the heart of the beast simply because they are here. > > But at the same time, I also do not think workers as workers are anything > special: some of the finest people I've ever known have been workers, and > some of the biggest scum bags I have ever known have also been workers. (I > can say this for any group, whether based on race, gender, able-bodiedness, > sexual orientation, etc.) No group, no matter where they are located, is > all good or all bad. > > Workers CAN be one of the most progressive social forces when they choose > to mobilize, because they have something unique that no other social > grouping has: the ability to stop production, distribution and exchange > from WITHIN these processes. The question is whether they will mobilize to > do so, and should they mobilize, are they fighting for self-interest at the > expense of others or are they fighting to improve their lives and those of > others? > > For example, based on my research in the Philippines and my years of > building international labor solidarity, I have some idea of what it takes > to build unions, and especially progressive unions, in "third world" > countries. At least in the Philippines, to strike means to literally put > one's life on the line--and many workers have been arrested, tortured > and/or killed for their efforts. > > At the same time, also from the Philippines, I know that unions can be > incredibly corrupt, can be in cahoots with imperialist unions (the Trade > Union Congress of the Philippines, a creation of the Marcos Dictatorship, > received over $5.7 million from the AFL-CIO between 1983-89, which is more > than any single labor movement in the world during those years), and can > work with death squads against progressive unions. (I am NOT using > hyperbole here.) > > In short, workers aren't saints anywhere, nor are unions. What I think we > as progressives need to do here is to focus on (1) who is struggling or not > struggling and (2) of those struggling, are they fighting only for > themselves, or are they struggling to improve the lives and well being of > others? And, if there's any choice, support should be granted for those > who are struggling to make the world better for themselves and others. > > In other words, if American workers are struggling to make the world a > better place for themselves and others, I will support them; if they are > not struggling, or struggling only for their own self-interest (e.g., white > workers in particularly construction trades struggling against people of > color, or workers struggling to keep US military bases open, or struggling > to keep nuclear power plants open), then I will not support them. [If > anyone is interested in a longer elaboration of this, see my review of > Brecher and Costello's BUILDING BRIDGES in the December 1991 issue of > "Monthly Review."] > > Now, ideally from my point of view, US workers should be struggling to end > US domination of other countries and workers, as well as struggling to > change the social order in this country, and I've been working and writing > for years to convince people of this position. However, I think it wrong > to make this a condition for my support, because it is a standard than > almost none could meet. However, I think we should keep working toward > this. But, realistically, I think that if and when workers join together > to struggle, and to struggle to make this world better for themselves and > others, then I think deserves my support and I do what I can to make this > real. > > So, where does this leave me in this current discussion? If workers in > "third world" countries are struggling to build progressive unions, I > support them, even if it comes at the expense of US workers and/or US > workers who are fighting only for their own self-interest. If workers in > the US are struggling to make the world a better place, I support them > against workers in the "third world" who are not struggling or who are only > struggling for their own self-interest. And if workers in both the US and > "third world" are struggling to make the world a better place, then I > support both and try to find ways to link them up so as to help them join > together to improve the situation for both. > > And, obviously, there are situations that may be more complex and/or > ambiguous than I've suggested here that require further thinking, but I > think these are a good basis on which to start. I look forward to > responses and/or further discussion of these and related issues. > > With best wishes--Kim Scipes -- "If you act like there is no possibility for change, you guarantee that there will be no change." ~Noam Chomsky Rebecca A. Johns Assistant Professor Department of Geography University of South Florida 140 Seventh Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 813-553-1556 813-553-1526 fax rjohns@bayflash.stpt.usf.edu From jeff@server.sasw.ncsu.edu Mon Nov 3 07:21:03 1997 From: "Jeffrey Leiter" To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 09:18:26 EST Subject: Re: LABOR-RAP digest 135 In-reply-to: <199711020703.AAA01148@csf.Colorado.EDU> Please repost the instructions for subscribing to the Labor-Rap list. Thanks. Jeff Leiter Department of Sociology and Anthropology North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695-8107 phone: 919-515-9009 fax: 919-515-2610 internet: jeff@server.sasw.ncsu.edu homepage: http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/~jeff/leiter.htm From aikya@ix.netcom.com Mon Nov 3 07:32:43 1997 by dfw-ix4.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma006563; Mon Nov 3 08:32:26 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: "'Labor Research and Action Project'" Subject: RE: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 06:21:51 -0800 Kim, I appreciate your thoughtfulness and sensitivity shown here. The goal is eliminating exploitation, ensuring justice, and providing quality of life for workers and their families. Each person has talents and opportunity to use in the task. Problems of control (authority), greed, and self-centeredness can't be eliminated by a political philosophy. Nevertheless, each of us can use what we have (talent and opportunity) to work together to achieve the goal. Aikya Param, Publisher, Women and Money Economic Justice and Empowerment Every Month P.O. Box 4193, Berkeley, CA 94704 mailto: aikya@ix.netcom.com ---------- From aikya@ix.netcom.com Mon Nov 3 08:14:54 1997 by dfw-ix7.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma029965; Mon Nov 3 09:14:14 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: "'Labor Research and Action Project'" Subject: FW: SUBSCRIBE LABOR-RAP Aikya Param Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 06:42:30 -0800 Hope this helps. Aikya ---------- Sent: Monday, March 10, 1997 7:42 AM To: aikya@ix.netcom.com Subject: SUBSCRIBE LABOR-RAP Aikya Param Welcome to list LABOR-RAP (Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu). The system has recorded your address as and it is required that you send your postings from that address, unless the list does not require subscription for posting. The list's owners are dcroteau@saturn.vcu.edu . You should contact them if there are any problems. Please do not send requests to this list; instead direct them to: listproc@csf.colorado.edu To get more information on how to use this service, please send the command HELP in a line by itself in a mail message to listproc@csf.colorado.edu. To signoff from the list, email to listproc@csf.colorado.edu with the following request: signoff LABOR-RAP or unsubscribe LABOR-RAP [NOTE: Please print this document and keep it handy. It contains valuable information that you will need in the future to send a message, change your account status, or quit the list.] ***** WELCOME TO LABOR-RAP ***** LABOR-RAP, the Labor Research & Action Project discussion list, was launched in the Fall of 1996. It began with a group of sociologists (members of the Sociology Labor Network) who wanted to build stronger links with each other and with the labor movement and its supporters. Membership, however, is certainly not limited to sociologists. The purpose of this discussion list is to facilitate research, teaching, and information sharing about and for the labor movement. You are encouraged to use this list-serve: 1) to post research questions or findings about labor related topics, 2) to communicate ideas or reports about labor related teaching, or 3) to share information about labor-related activities on campus or elsewhere. LABOR-RAP is hosted at CSF (Communications for a Sustainable Future) which was founded on the idea that quality communications between people of differing viewpoints can be an avenue for securing a more promising future. So, when you join a CSF-list you are agreeing to write in a way that is respectful of the views of others. E-mail communication can be easily misunderstood. Please be careful to avoid any "flaming" or personal attacks. ***** INSTRUCTIONS ***** TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE LIST use this address: LABOR-RAP@csf.colorado.edu This is the ONLY time this address should be used. 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ARCHIVES of the discussions on this list are available at: http://csf.colorado.edu/labor-rap ***** HOW TO USE BASIC COMMANDS TO CHANGE YOUR ACCOUNT STATUS Remember the "big five" rules for avoiding problems: 1) ALL LIST COMMANDS MUST BE SENT TO: listproc@csf.colorado.edu 2) leave the subject line of your e-mail BLANK 3) put the appropriate command (see below) in the BODY of the message 4) be sure to type in your commands EXACTLY as shown, without extra punctuation of any type 5) don't worry about CAPITALS or lower case letters; commands are case INsensitive ***** THE COMMANDS 1) Quitting...and Re-subscribing a) to CANCEL your subscription to the list send the message: signoff LABOR-RAP or unsubscribe LABOR-RAP b) to RE-SUBSCRIBE to the list send the message: subscribe LABOR-RAP example: subscribe LABOR-RAP Jane Doe 2) GETTING MESSAGES IN DIGEST FORM...OR INDIVIDUALLY a) if the volume of mail is too much for you and you'd like to get multiple messages packaged together in digest form, instead of being sent individually, send the message: set LABOR-RAP mail digest b) if you decide you'd like to return to receiving messages individually, instead of in digest form, sent the message: set LABOR-RAP mail ack 3) TEMPORARILY STOPPING MAIL...AND RE-STARTING DELIVERY a) if you are going to be away and would like to temporarily stop receiving mail, send the message: set LABOR-RAP mail postpone b) once you have returned and would like to resume receiving your mail, send the message set LABOR-RAP mail ack The listowner of LABOR-RAP is David Croteau. He can be contacted at: dcroteau@saturn.vcu.edu. From aikya@ix.netcom.com Mon Nov 3 08:15:05 1997 by dfw-ix10.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma008304; Mon Nov 3 09:14:23 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: "'Labor Research and Action Project'" Subject: RE: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 06:44:48 -0800 Wow! Labor Notes! That's why your name was so familiar. That publication and several books they put out was my security blanket and ally for years. Aikya ---------- Sent: Monday, November 03, 1997 6:11 AM To: Labor Research and Action Project Subject: Re: TOYS: U.S. Made or Union Made Dear Kim, Friends: Thanks for your contribution to our discussion! I agree with you completely - and I think you helped clarify our disjointed comments. I like your way of thinking about sorting the different movements so you channel your own energies in the most effective manner. I know you, actually, though we may never have met in person, but I worked with the PWSC for years, and I believe you used to write for Labor Notes??? Thanks again for your comments. Rebecca ------snip------- From aanz@sirius.com Mon Nov 3 09:15:01 1997 for ; Mon, 3 Nov 1997 08:14:56 -0800 (PST) Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 08:17:58 -0800 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu From: aanz@sirius.com (anzalone/starbird) Subject: Re: Looking for a Job with Organized Labor Hi! The California Faculty Association is looking for a temporary organizer for the San Jose area. Could get your feet in the door while you shop around for the cushier stuff. Good luck, Ellen Starbird, Labor Studies >Dear Brothers and Sisters, > > I am a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz who is looking for a >legislative, education, or research related position with organized labor. >If somebody out there knows of available positions or good places to look >please do not hesitate to contact me. I focused on labor issues in my >History and Politics Major at UCSC and I have interned with the White House, >the Organizing Institute, the National Museum of American History, and I >participated in Union Summer. I would be happy to pass on a resume and tell >more about my background to anybody that is interested. Thank you for your >time. > >Sincerely, > >Adam Wolfson >adamwolfson@hotmail.com From aikya@ix.netcom.com Wed Nov 5 23:57:04 1997 by dfw-ix15.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma008551; Thu Nov 6 00:56:47 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: "'Labor Research and Action Project'" Subject: MAJOR VICTORY as UC Workers Vote for New Union Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 22:30:00 -0800 Date: November 5, 1997 Contacts: Elinor Levine, President (510) 845-3447 (day), (510) 597-1164 (h) Claudette Begin, CUE-Berkeley (510) 489-8554 (h) Janeene Fisher-Booth, CUE-Davis (916) 924-3494 (h), (916) 201-4919 (day) Linda Salas, CUE-Irvine (714) 531-8262 (h), (714) 824-7814 (w) Claudia Horning, CUE-Los Angeles (310) 396-6491 (h) Angela Riggio, CUE-Los Angeles (310) 394-6996 (h) Jennifer Roth & Teresa Lass, CUE-San Diego (619) 607-2847 (h) Paul Hessinger, CUE-San Francisco (415) 641-7968 (h) Debbie Ceder, CUE-Santa Barbara (805) 686-1108 (h) Hae Min Cho, CUE-Santa Cruz (408) 458-3512 (h) Susan Lauer, CUE-Lawrence Berkeley Lab (510) 486-1983 (h) For Immediate Release MAJOR VICTORY AS UC WORKERS VOTE FOR NEW UNION In one of the largest union elections in the nation this year, clerical employees at the University of California systemwide have voted to replace the union that has represented them for 14 years with a new, grassroots union. By a vote of 63%, UC clerical workers elected the Coalition of University Employees (CUE) as their new representative and decertified the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which has represented the clerical workers at all nine campuses, five medical centers, and Lawrence Berkeley Lab since 1983. The bargaining unit of 18,000 clerical workers is among the largest public sector bargaining units in California and is the largest higher education bargaining unit in the country. In order to win, CUE needed a majority of votes cast and needed to defeat two other ballot options: AFSCME and "no representation." Those options received 21% and 16% percent, respectively. The victory caps a yearlong effort to bring about an election and comes almost exactly two years after the founding of CUE. In October, 1995, rank-and-file union officers, activists, and members quit AFSCME because of the failure of AFSCME's national leadership to devote sufficient resources to organizing and the consequent decline in union membership at UC. Since that time, many clericals who had not been members of AFSCME have joined CUE. "This is truly an historic vote," said Elinor Levine, president of CUE. "It's all the more remarkable because we were up against an anti-union employer with deep pockets and one of the largest unions in the AFL-CIO, and because of the huge numbers of people involved." Levine noted that just to call for an election CUE had to gather almost 5500 signatures from UC clericals. In fact, CUE activists gathered far more -- 8500 -- almost half the bargaining unit. "Many people said it couldn't be done. We think this election shows how much people want serious union representation at UC and how effective a rank-and-file movement can be to achieve that. It is also important to us that we have participation and support at every campus." CUE's program includes addressing the issues that are having a negative impact on the working conditions of clerical employees: stagnant wages, downsizing, work "speed-up," erosion of job classifications, health and safety, discrimination, and others. CUE also sees a larger role in the fight for social justice and in making the university accessible to poor and working people and people of color. According to Linda Salas, CUE activist at UC Irvine, "The first thing we intend to do is bargain a new contract with UC. But our larger goal is to get people involved and make the union a reality in people's day-to-day lives. What we're trying to do here is build a union from the ground up -- the way it should be done." From aaron@burn.ucsd.edu Thu Nov 13 13:08:31 1997 From: gerbrand@jma.antenna.nl To: helpdesk%jma.antenna.nl.Labor-Rap%csf.colorado.edu.LABOR-L@YORKU.CA Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 04:05:20 -0400 From: aaron@burn.ucsd.edu (Aaron) Subject: (en) Time of Liverpool Solidarity Demo changed to NOON!!! X-Clerk-Orig-To: (Bay Area Recipients) X-Clerk-Orig-Cc: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu, LABOR-L@YORKU.CA X-Clerk-Received-Via: a-infos@tao.ca X-Clerk-Published-In: a-infos-raw@tao.ca X-Clerk-Advised-Language: en X-Clerk-Approved-By: gshalif@netvision.net.il X-Clerk-Published-In: a-infozine@tao.ca, a-infos24@tao.ca, a-infos@tao.ca To: a-infos@tao.ca Sender: owner-a-infos@tao.ca Reply-To: a-infos-d@tao.ca X-Uidl: 2ae48973d9c569264953c97ea84b9a39 A AA AAAA The A-Infos News Service AA AA AA AA INFOSINFOSINFOS http://www.tao.ca/ainfos/ AAAA AAAA AAAAA AAAAA E M E R G E N C Y D E M O N S T R A T I O N In SOLIDARITY with the LIVERPOOL DOCKERS > > > > > NOTE CHANGE IN TIME FROM 5 PM TO NOON! < < < < < SUNDAY (Sept. 28) NOON Maritime and Pier Sts OAKLAND, California (Next to the SEALAND Terminal) Info: (510) 531-4717 or (415) 641-4440/4610 SF Bay Area friends & comrades, Most of you got my original message about this demo. Unfortunately, I didn't download Jack Heyman's latest message (see below) until a few minutes ago. Even if few of you see this in time to get there at noon, at least some of you will be saved the inconvenience of going there at 5 PM and not finding a demonstration. - In solidarity, - Aaron >Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 17:41:08 -0700 >From: Jack Heyman >Organization: ILWU Local 10 >To: aaron@burn.ucsd.edu >Subject: Change in Time of Liverpool Demo !!! >Sender: jhook@igc.org > >CHANGE TIME OF DEMO TO NOON!! > >Emergency Demo in Support of Liverpool Dockers > >Dear Friend: > The Liverpool dockers will have been on strike for two years this >weekend. We intend to honor their courageous struggle with a mass >picket/demo on the Oakland docks this Sunday 12:00 Noon at the gate on >Maritime and Pier Sts. (next to the Sealand Terminal). > Our hope is that this action will bolster them as much as they have >inspired us. When on Sept. 9, ports in South Africa were shutdown as >part of an international day of action in solidarity with the Liverpool >dockers, a dockers’ union leader said “the Liverpool dockers supported >us during the apartheid era, now they need help and we have the chance >to repay them.” This is a last minute appeal ..... but it is urgent. >Please let us know if we can count on you and your organization. > Bring your own signs. May we suggest a couple slogans: “Victory to the >Liverpool dockers”, “Never Cross A Picket Line”, “Don’t Handle Scab >Cargo” >“Fight Global Shippers With International Labor Solidarity”. > > AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL > >In solidarity, >Jack Heyman >Victory to the Liverpool Dockers Committee >415-641-4440,4610 or 510-531-4717 >9/26/97 > ---------- mailto:aaron@burn.ucsd.edu http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aaron ****** A-Infos News Service ***** News about and of interest to anarchists Subscribe -> email MAJORDOMO@TAO.CA with the message SUBSCRIBE A-INFOS Info -> http://www.tao.ca/ainfos/ Reproduce -> please include this section From rross@clarku.edu Thu Nov 13 16:20:50 1997 Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 17:09:21 -0500 From: "Robert J.S. Bob Ross" Subject: NYT and "false charges" To: Labor List , Progressive Sociology Network , World Systems Network , Sarah Weintraub , Marci Goede , Illana Lazinger , Rick Morocco , Lisa Grandmaison , Irene Antonellis , Peter Doran , Remi Hoki , Tom Gallagher , Rand Wilson This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------812ED92B5ED98F612017A5B7 For your information: A letter I doubt the NYT will print. rjsr Subject: False Charges Date: From: "Robert J.S. Bob Ross" Organization: Prof. and Chair of Sociology, Clark University To: letters@nytimes.com To the Editor, The New York Times editorial today calls "falsities" the claim that NAFTA has cost jobs and that unconditional admission of Chile to a NAFTA-like structure would hurt working people. The AFL-CIO is apparently the target of your wrath, not even deserving address as being of different views, no, you characterize them as fearmongering purveyors of falsehood. But I read in the Times last May 8 that "Low wage workers have been losing jobs to Mexico." And this Spring the Economic Policy Institute reported that after job gains were corrected for job losses, NAFTA in net had cost jobs to the American economy. Do you stand by your own story; do you call the EPI purveyors of falsehood? Is the only fount of "truth" the Brookings Institution? Here is what I advise: next time you counsel civility to some yahoo with whom you disagreee, take the advice seriously. Sincerely, Robert J.S. Ross, Ph.D. -- Robert J.S. Ross Professor and Chair Department of Sociology Clark University 950 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts 01610 Voice: 508 793 7376 Fax: 508 793 8816 Webpage: http://www.clarku.edu/~rross -- Robert J.S. Ross Professor and Chair Department of Sociology Clark University 950 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts 01610 Voice: 508 793 7376 Fax: 508 793 8816 Webpage: http://www.clarku.edu/~rross --------------812ED92B5ED98F612017A5B7 Fast-Track Falsities

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November 13, 1997

Fast-Track Falsities

The refusal of House Democrats to give the leader of their party "fast track" authority to negotiate trade pacts is disturbing testimony to the power of organized labor's campaign money -- and of flagrantly false rhetoric.

Opponents declared that their action would prevent President Clinton from entering into another pact as harmful as the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed with Mexico and Canada in 1993. After all, Mexico soon sank into recession and created a trade deficit for the United States. But Nora Lustig of the Brookings Institution shows that Nafta's impact on America has been trivial.

The Mexican economic crisis, not Nafta, created the trade deficit. The revealing fact is that Mexico's recession drove exports from Europe and Japan down by about 25 percent while exports from the United States under Nafta fell only about 2 percent. Contrary to Ross Perot's jeremiad, the number of displaced American workers has been small, and most of them quickly found new jobs.

Fast-track opponents raised the fear-mongering claim that trade with developing countries creates a race to the bottom for the wages of American workers. But American wages closely mirror American productivity. Trade cannot threaten productivity in American companies, so it does not threaten wages of most American workers. Indeed, history shows that trade boosts productivity, raising wages in America and, even faster, in previously low-wage countries like South Korea and Taiwan. The race, then, is to the top.

There is a legitimate concern that imports, though driving consumer prices lower for everyone, can whittle down the wages of America's least-skilled workers. But the actual impact has been small and there are far better ways to help the few displaced workers who are forced into lower-paying jobs than to stomp on trade and thereby make the entire country substantially poorer.



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--------------812ED92B5ED98F612017A5B7-- From aaron@burn.ucsd.edu Thu Nov 13 17:31:40 1997 Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 18:17:52 -0500 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu, LABOR-L@YORKU.CA, union-d@wolfnet.com, jovenes@condor.sccs.swarthmore.edu From: Aaron Subject: Tijuana, MX: Hyundai union denied certification (fwd) ---------- Forwarded Message: ---------- Labor Alerts a service of Campaign for Labor Rights [The following alert was written by the Support Committee for Maquiladora Workers. For more information on the Hyundai boycott or to receive a Hyundai action packet or our email labor alerts, contact Campaign for Labor Rights at CLR@igc.apc.org or (541) 344-5410. Note: The Han Young factory produces exclusively for Hyundai and hence, under Mexican law and in terms of real power, Hyundai is responsible for all labor law violations by Han Young managment. This is why Hyundai -- specifically, Hyundai Motors -- is the target of this boycott.] Labor Board Denies Union Certification need for solidarity continues In a decision November 10 by the Tijuana Labor Board, workers at the Han Young maquiladora (assembly factory for export) were denied certifciation of the October 6 election victory that has become an object of national media and congressional attention because it poses a potentially precedent-setting challenge to the protection contract system so prevalent in the Mexican maquiladora industry. An appeal of the decision will be filed November 12. Enrique Hernandez, coordinator of Union de Defensa Laboral Comunitaria, which has been assisting the workers, termed the considerations cited by the labor board as a "ridiculous explanation for a travesty of justice." The labor board's decision declares that the majority vote in favor of the independent Union of Metal, Steel, Iron and Allied Workers (STIMAHCS by its Spanish acronym) does not constitute sufficient proof to credential the unkion. The board claims that STIMAHCS does nto have the legal authority to provide affiliation to the Han Young workers. Han Young workers who weld and assemble steel chaassis for tractor trailers are making auto parts, according to the board's argument, and therefore cannot be represented by a union of metal, steel, oron and allied workers. Further, while STIMAHCS has been reistered as a national industrial union for many yrears in Mexico, the labor board says that it is not. The labor board claims that the vote only demonstrated the sentiment of the workers at the time of the elelction and does not necessarily indicate that a majority of workers continue to back the independent union. such a statement seems to further validate the allegations of the Support Committee for Maquiladora Workers, the International Labor Rights Fund, STIMAHCS and the National Association of Democratic Attorneys of Mexico who filed a complaint October 30 before the National Administrative Office (NAO) created under the NAFTA side accords. Their complaint alleges thaat the labor board does not function as an impartial aarbiter to hphold labor law, but violates its own country's labor law in order to keep indedendent organizing out of the maquilasdora sector. It aaffirms that, while the labor board routinely accepts new "protection contracts" with the government- affiliated unions which are paid by company maanagement, whenever an independent union tries to achieve recognition, decisions are delayed indefinitely and all sorts of pretexts are put forth in order to provide management time to fire and replace workers, thus avoiding the union drive. The petitioners call for urgent intervention by the NAO because Han Young management have stated their intention to replace all workers who voted for the independent union. The Support Committee for Maquiladora Workers in cooperation with Campaign for Labor Rights is coordinating a boycott of Hyundai Motors that has involved demonstrations in over 25 cities nation- wide. "Boycott Hyundai" bumper stickers are now available. $1.00 each or $6.00 for 10. Add $2.50 per order for shipping and handling. Order from: Labor/Community Alliance P.O. Box 5077 Fresno Ca 93755 CAMPAIGN FOR LABOR RIGHTS newsletter subscriptions: Send $35.00 to 1247 "E" Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. For a sample copy, send your postal address to . ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To receive our email Labor Alerts, send a message to with "labor alerts -- all campaigns" in the subject line or specify which labor issues interest you: Nike, Disney, Guess, child labor, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, US farm workers, US poultry processing workers. If you would like to receive information which falls outside those categories (prison labor, workfare, other policy issues, additional briefing material on some campaigns), indicate that you want to be on our Additional Labor Information list as well as our All Campaigns list. ---------- End Forwarded Message ---------- From Glafer@aol.com Fri Nov 14 12:50:43 1997 From: Glafer@aol.com by mrin41.mail.aol.com (8.8.5/8.7.3/AOL-2.0.0) Fri, 14 Nov 1997 14:49:29 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 14:49:29 -0500 (EST) To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Oregon AFL-CIO research job Job Announcement: Research and Education Director Oregon AFL-CIO The Oregon AFL-CIO seeks a committed trade unionist to build our research capacity to support and advance the strategic goals of the Federation in political action, communications, education and organizing. Related activities include lobbying, media relations, newsletter co-editor, guest speaking and teaching, staff support, scholarship administration, library maintenance and Oregon AFL-CIO representative on various committees, boards and commissions. Position requires hard work and dedication to the labor movement, strong written and oral communications skills, computer literacy, ability to conduct in-depth research and analysis and professional discipline. Experience as union staff or substantial involvement in union campaigns desirable. Position covered by collective bargaining agreement ($37,879 salary plus comprehensive benefits package). To apply please mail cover letter, resume, writing sample and a description of prior research work to: Search Committee Oregon AFL-CIO 2110 State Street Salem, OR 97301 All submissions must be postmarked by Friday, November 28, 1997, to be considered. The Oregon AFL-CIO is an equal opportunity employer; women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information call (503) 585-6320. From aaron@burn.ucsd.edu Sat Nov 15 00:32:06 1997 Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 02:28:54 -0500 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu, LABOR-L@YORKU.CA From: Aaron Subject: Re: (en) Time of Liverpool Solidarity Demo changed to NOON!!! To labor-l and labor-rap subscribers, On 28 September 1997, I sent an announcement with Subject 'Time of Liverpool Solidarity Demo changed to NOON!!!' to labor-l and labor-rap, and to a number of hidden recipients, including the mailing list . It appears that someone at jma.antenna.nl who received the post via a-infos resent it (with the header, etc. added by a-infos) to Labor-l and Labor-Rap on 13 November, more than 6 weeks after the event being announced had occurred. They did this, moreover, with my name in the 'From: header, thus making it appear that I had just sent the outdated post! I hadn't! It may have been resent entirely by error, or it may have been done maliciously. In any case, I am in no way responsible for its reposting. Not wanting to waste any more of your bandwidth, I am not quoting any part of the offending post here. Anyone interested in looking into the matter can contact me directly. - Solidarity, - Aaron From aaron@burn.ucsd.edu Sat Nov 15 12:46:04 1997 Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 14:44:22 -0500 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu, union-d@wolfnet.com, marxism-news@jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU, , itf@listbox.itf.org.uk From: Aaron Subject: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aaron/Docs/Bill_Jordan's_ICFTU.html Comrades, et al., I have placed on my web site a very sharp critique of Bill Jordan and the ICFTU, especially in relation to their activities in East Asia: >Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 12:41:28 +0800 (HKT) >From: AMRC > >BILL JORDAN'S ICFTU: BRITISH UNIONS' "NEW REALISM" GOES GLOBAL > >Gerard Greenfield The URL at my site is: . If you can't get the article off of my web site, e-mail me (or AMRC?) for a copy. I'd appreciate copies of any comments, and I suppose that AMRC would too. - Solidarity, - Aaron From aikya@ix.netcom.com Sun Nov 16 23:01:27 1997 by dfw-ix3.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma024937; Mon Nov 17 00:01:15 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: "'Labor Research and Action Project'" Subject: Work and Art Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 21:53:51 -0800 In February the theme of Women and Money is going to be Beauty and the Arts. I'd like to write something about art being created for the renewed labor movement...music, songs, documentary films, video, visual art, other? Or I'd like to run something about union workers in the artsy businesses (sorry; no offense intended) like film, television, radio, other. Or, how about a piece about how important beauty in the work environment is ....Is it? Isn't it? Are there any studies about this in terms of its effect on worker attitudes? Anybody want to contribute something? Suggest people I MUST contact? Other ideas? HEEEEEELP! Aikya Param, Publisher Women and Money, Economic Justice and Empowerment Every Month! P.O. Box 4193, Berkeley, CA 94704-0193; aikya@ix.netcom.com ********************************************************************************* Send your snail mail address for a sample copy! Thanks for your interest! ********************************************************************************* Past articles at: http://www2.netcom.com/~aikya/womenandmoney.html ***************************************************************** From aanz@sirius.com Tue Nov 18 15:13:01 1997 for ; Tue, 18 Nov 1997 14:12:56 -0800 (PST) Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 14:16:06 -0800 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu From: aanz@sirius.com (anzalone/starbird) Subject: Re: Work and Art Can I suggest Pat Wynne, who is a performance artist who teaches worker culture at Laney and CCSF: (510) 464-3210, also how about hte worker's struggle in the fashion industry? UNITE!'s Katie Quan and the recent struggles for international solidarity on the garment industry come to mind. ellen >In February the theme of Women and Money is >going to be Beauty and the Arts. I'd like to write >something about art being created for the renewed >labor movement...music, songs, documentary films, >video, visual art, other? > >Or I'd like to run something about union workers in >the artsy businesses (sorry; no offense intended) like >film, television, radio, other. > >Or, how about a piece about how important beauty in >the work environment is ....Is it? Isn't it? Are there >any studies about this in terms of its effect on worker >attitudes? > >Anybody want to contribute something? Suggest >people I MUST contact? Other ideas? HEEEEEELP! > >Aikya Param, Publisher >Women and Money, Economic Justice and Empowerment Every Month! >P.O. Box 4193, Berkeley, CA 94704-0193; aikya@ix.netcom.com >*************************************************************************** >****** >Send your snail mail address for a sample copy! Thanks >for your interest! >*************************************************************************** >****** >Past articles at: >http://www2.netcom.com/~aikya/womenandmoney.html >***************************************************************** From rtnewvision@sprynet.com Wed Nov 19 06:55:17 1997 From: rtnewvision@sprynet.com Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 05:53:12 -0800 Subject: More Postings To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu, Labor Research and Action Project In-Reply-To: It appears that after the UPS strike, I get very few postings. Can someone tell me why? Ray From aikya@ix.netcom.com Wed Nov 19 10:07:47 1997 by dfw-ix4.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4) id rma016849; Wed Nov 19 11:06:29 1997 From: "Ms. Aikya Param" To: Labor Research and Action Project Subject: RE: More Postings Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 08:57:21 -0800 I know I personally received a warning that I had posted too many things. This was an attempt to manage overenthusiasm but perhaps it's too much of a good thing. BTW the monthly Women and Money will have an issue in February on Beauty and the Arts. I'm actively looking for artists who are union members, artists who are creating works in support of the revitalizing labor movement, union reps from unions which are using art (including visual art, music, video, dramatic art) to include so please send me your referrals. I am already in touch with Mike Alewitz. This material will appear in the ever-present Women and Labor Unions section. Need I say I'd love to find women doing these things or someone using art to report on working conditions of women today? Well, there: I said it. Aikya Param, Publisher, Women and Money Economic Justice and Empowerment Every Month! Mamber, Coalition of University Employees University of California, Berkeley ---------- Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 1997 5:53 AM To: Labor Research and Action Project Subject: More Postings It appears that after the UPS strike, I get very few postings. Can someone tell me why? Ray From meisenscher@igc.apc.org Wed Nov 19 12:45:08 1997 Wed, 19 Nov 1997 10:19:44 -0800 (PST) Wed, 19 Nov 1997 10:12:05 -0800 (PST) Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 10:12:05 -0800 (PST) To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Michael Eisenscher Subject: Being Sued and Naming Names Sender: meisenscher@igc.org Return-Path: Subject: Re: Being Sued and Naming Names At 10:12 AM 11/19/97 -0800, you wrote: >Return-Path: Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 18:43:39 EST >Reply-To: H-Net Labor History Discussion List Sender: H-Net Labor History Discussion List From: "Seth Wigderson, U Maine Augusta" Subject: Being Sued and Naming Names > >Please reply directly to Albert Lannon in this very important matter. SW >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >Dear Colleagues: > > I'm asking you to read this rather long message in hopes that you >will then act on it. The Labor Studies Department at Laney College in >Oakland is being sued and the coordinator, myself, is being asked to >inform on students who participated in legal and peaceful demonstrations. >Here's the story: > > A couple of years ago Laney tried out a Labor Studies class called >Organizing Across Borders: Unions in the Global Economy, taught by Ellen >Starbird. One of the aims was to introduce students to use of the internet >as a means of building global solidarity. This was around the time when >the Liverpool dockers were fired and began their strike which has won >international support and solidarity actions. The student found that the >dockers had no internet connection, so he telephoned them. > > The result is that when the SS Neptune Jade, loaded by the >unionbusters, arrived at the port of Oakland, California on September 28, >1997, there was a picket line there to meet them. There were ongoing >demonstrations for several days, and the longshore workers, members of the >International Longshore and Warehouse Union, refused to cross the line. >The ship sailed to Vancouver, where workers refused to unload it, and then >to Yokohama, where it was again refused. The ship was finally sold to >China. Clearly this was an important action, hailed by Rep. Ron Dellums >as placing "a square focus on the new economic battle lines in which >global corporate alliances seek to use their transnational economic and >political power to divide and defeat organized labor and collective >bargaining." > > On the first day of the demonstrations, Sunday, September 28, a >Laney College Labor Studies student went to the site for about two hours >with the colorful banner of the Laney College Labor Studies Club. The >employers, not knowing who was demonstrating, cited "radical militant >labor organizations, i.e. the Laney College Labor Studies group and John >Doe Organizations 1 - 12" when they went to court seeking an injunction on >September 29. They did not get the injunction. They did get a TRO on >September 30, citing Laney, the Labor Party, Gold Gate Chapter, the Peace >and Freedom Party, and two individuals, picket captain Robert Irminger (a >member of the Inland Boatmen's Union) and Jack Heyman, a member of >Longshore Local 10's executive board. > > Despite the fact that the Laney student's participation took place >on one occasion, prior to the TRO, the judge left Laney named in the >complaint when she made the restraining order permanent. > > The Peralta Community College District, of which Laney College is >part, said that their lawyers would not handle the case as the action was >not one endorsed or initiated by their Board of Trustees. It was the >Peralta District that was served with the original summons. > While taking this "hands-off" position, the administration at >Laney issued new rules for all student organizations: no picketing, >boycotting or demonstrating in the name of the school, no off-campus >activities without the okay of the faculty advisor, and no use of the >banner which said "Laney College Labor Studies Club." > > The Club, in existence about two years as a duly-chartered campus >organization, has put on a number of successful campus events, >and over-filled two buses for the Farm Workers >strawberry march on Watsonville last spring. At that time faculty, >students, and administrators, had no problems rallying around the Club's >banner. The most recent event featured UNITE V.P. Katie Quan and former >prime minister of Haiti Claudette Werleigh, and filled the Laney Theatre. > > The attorneys for Yusen Terminals, Centennial Stevedoring, and the >Pacific Maritime Association are not dropping the issue. They are >pursuing a contempt citation against picket captain Irminger, demanding >money and the names of everyone who participated in the demos. They are >pursuing suits against the ILWU. And they are pursuing their action for >damages against the Laney College Labor Studies "group," demanding Club >membership lists, minutes of meetings, and that I name everyone I know >that was at any of the demonstrations. > > The demand for interrogatories and production of documents went to >the Peralta District Risk Manager who passed them along to me saying >"please handle." > > As of today, I have demanded that the school administration take >up the fight on the basis that no instructor should be compelled to inform >on students who participated in peaceful, legal demonstrations. No >faculty member should be required to name names, to be a stoolpigeon, and >the Peralta Community College District has a responsibility to protect >both faculty and students in such situations. > > If part of a college's mission is to prepare students for the real >world, then we must, in fact, encourage such participation, especially in >a labor studies program. Labor Studies is always a bit of a pain to >administrations which are becoming increasingly dependent on corporate >largesse and increasingly reflecting corporate ideologies, and we had >hoped to avoid this kind of confrontation. But it is here, and I have no >intention of finking on my students. Several attornies who teach labor >studies have offered to assist, and they are welcome, but I am trying >first to see that the administration lives up to their responsibilities. > >You can help: please send a few words of support for Laney College Labor >Studies, for the obligation of the administration to protect faculty and >students, for the right of instructors not to inform on their students, >for First Amendment rights to peacefully demonstrate, for concern about >free speech, academic freedom, and common morality. > >Send them to: A.J. Harrison, Chancellor Peralta Community College >District, 333 East 8th Street, Oakland, CA 94608, and to Earnest >Crutchfield, President, Laney College, 900 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA >94607. Copies can be sent to me at the Laney address, or by e-mail. > >Thanks in advance. Let us fight the good fight together. > > In Solidarity, Albert Lannon, Chair > Laney College Labor Studies Department > >From: ALBERT LANNON >===================================================== >++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > >NOTE: On November 18th, Robert Irminger appeared in court to defend himself >against allegations by the PMA, representing the shipping company that was >picketed, that he violated terms of the TRO referred to above. Prior to the >hearing, Robert was joined by a large rally of supporters, including the >Secretary-Treasurers of both the Alameda and San Francisco Labor Councils. >Several hours of informal negotiations between the PMA, the judge, and >Robert's attorney failed to produce a satisfactory compromise settlement. A >hearing was conducted in the afternoon. The judge took the matter under >submission and will likely issue a decision shortly. If adverse, Robert has >pledged to appeal. A defense committee is being established to defend the >right to peacefully picket in support of workers around the world and to >defend the right of workers to express their solidarity with others in >struggle. The employers appear to be intent on punishing all those they can >identify who participated in this action as an example to others of what >will happen if they attempt similar actions. If allowed to do so, their >retaliatory lawsuits will have a chilling effect on free speech and >international solidarity. All those involved, however, are determined not >to allow the PMA to get away with this intimidation. > >As part of its legal intimidation tactics, the PMA has demanded that those >served with its lawsuit answer a set of "interrogatories" (questions). >Failure to fully and honestly answer them could result in further legal >action being taken. The interrogatories prepared by the PMA come right out >of the 1950s. Here are just a few of the questions that the employers >demand the demonstrators who have been served answer in preparation for the >lawsuit. M.E. > >"Identify all persons, associations, and organizations known to you who >participated in one or more of the dmonstrations at Yusen Terminals, Berth >23, Port of Oakland, at any time between the dates of September 28, 1997 and >October 1, 1997, inclusive. > >"Identify all persons, associations, and organizations known to you who >participated in the planning, organizing, or arranging of any of the >demonstrations referred to in Special Interrogatory No. 1. > >"Identify all labor organizations in which you are or have been a member or >with which you are or have been in any way affiliated. > >"Identify all political organizations in which you are or have been a member >or with which you are or have been in any way affiliated.... > >"Identify the person or persons who first communicated to you the idea of >holding a demonstration at a Northern California Port with any connection to >dockworkers in Liverpool, England. > >"Identify the person who first communicated to you the idea of holding a >demonstration over the cargo, or any portion thereof, on the vessel Neptune >Jade. > >"Identify every person you believe was a member of or in any way affiliated >with the Committee for Victory to the Liverpool Dockers prior to October 2, >1997.... > >"Identify ever person who assisted in preparing or distributing any handbill >that was distributed at Yusen Terminals, Berth 23, Port of Oakland, between >Setpember 23, 1997 and October 1, 1997, inclusive, including but not limited >to, communicating or providing information about the Area Arbitrator, and >providing the paper, or the printing or copying services, for the handbills. > >"Identify your current employer(s). State your current job title(s)." > >These are but a portion of the questions the employers demand be answered. >They might just as easily been lifted from the McCarthy witchhunt or HUAC >hearings of the 1950s. > >For additional information, or to send letters of support and contributions >to help with legal fees, contact -- > >The Liverpool Dockers Victory Defense Committee >P.O. Box 2574 >Oakland, CA 94614 > >Please note: The Liverpool Dockers Victory Defense Committee does not >represent or speak on behalf of Laney College, or the Laney College Labor >Studies Program and Club. Expressions of support and inquiries directed to >them should be sent to the address provided by Albert Lannon above. > > > From djkeenan@ucdavis.edu Sat Nov 22 09:39:45 1997 Sat, 22 Nov 1997 08:39:39 -0800 (PST) Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 08:39:38 -0800 (PST) From: David Keenan To: publabor@relay.doit.wisc.edu Subject: Shift Work Stress Hi All, I'm working on a grievance on rotating schedules and I'm looking for some academic studies which detail the impact of rotating schedules on workers health and performance. Those which are specific to hopital workers would be most useful. Can anyone out there point me the right direction? thanks David Keenan djkeenan@ucdavis.edu From jstein@laedu.lalc.k12.ca.us Mon Nov 24 14:43:04 1997 Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 15:05:51 -0800 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu From: jstein@laedu.lalc.k12.ca.us (Julia Stein) Subject: RE: Reasons to Buy Americans Reasons to Buy American In Oakland, nine bison escaped from the city's zoo. I know you are probably thinking "So what," but you obviously haven't heard the rest of the story. Before the bison could wreak havoc in the streets of Oakland, clever employees found a way to lure them back. First they tried putting some mouth watering hay in front of them. When that failed they went to a tried and true American product. Yes, they put slices of Wonderbread in front of the dumbfounded bison and stopped them in their tracks. The bread that builds strong bodies 12 ways proved to be 100% more effective than hay in attracting the half ton mammals. What an endorsement. Can't wait to see Langendorf's next ad campaign. (Reuters 11/13) Julia Stein jstein@laedu.lalc.k12.ca.us From dcroteau@saturn.vcu.edu Mon Nov 24 16:59:18 1997 Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 15:45:42 -0500 To: labor-rap@csf.colorado.edu From: dcroteau@saturn.vcu.edu (david croteau) Subject: union checks? I used to get my personal checks from a union supplier which featured a "Union Yes" slogan and my union's logo. (They were great conversation starters when writing out checks in person.) The supplier has now changed their lone design to a "Buy American" slogan, which I'm not particularly interested in promoting. My question is: can anyone send me a reference for where I can get personal checks with pro-union messages? ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| David Croteau Sociology/ Virginia Commonwealth University E-mail: dcroteau@saturn.vcu.edu From mclarke@wiley.csusb.edu Mon Nov 24 17:45:28 1997 Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 16:44:49 -0800 (PST) To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu From: mclarke@wiley.csusb.edu (Michael Clarke) Subject: Re: union checks? If you find a printer for the cheques please let me know. I thin k that it is a great idea. Perhaps some division of the AFL-CIO could market this idea. Dr.Michael Clarke Professor Department of Public Administration California State University San Bernardino,California 92407 mclarke@wiley.csusb.edu From jstein@laedu.lalc.k12.ca.us Tue Nov 25 21:02:59 1997 Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 21:25:49 -0800 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu From: jstein@laedu.lalc.k12.ca.us (Julia Stein) Subject: Re: Work and Art >In February the theme of Women and Money is >going to be Beauty and the Arts. I'd like to write >something about art being created for the renewed >labor movement...music, songs, documentary films, >video, visual art, other? > >Or I'd like to run something about union workers in >the artsy businesses (sorry; no offense intended) like >film, television, radio, other. > > >Aikya Aikya, I have an article you might be interested infor your February issue. I organized a poetry reading which was sued by Guess Inc. for libel/slander. We got a lot of favorable publicity & persuaded Guess to drop the lawsuit. The article is about sweatshops, literature, and the Guess lawsuit. It's been published once before in a small LA poetry magazine, but noone has read it outside of LA. So you would, if interested, reprint it Julia Julia Stein jstein@laedu.lalc.k12.ca.us From culturex@vcn.bc.ca Wed Nov 26 14:29:16 1997 Wed, 26 Nov 1997 13:22:24 -0800 (PST) Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 13:22:23 -0800 (PST) From: Franklin Wayne Poley Subject: Labour Cities in APEC Context. Well, what do you think? Why not do it? FWP. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 11:39:06 -0800 From: Franklin Wayne Poley Subject: Re: APEC. On Wed, 26 Nov 1997, James Edward Lawson Jr. wrote: > FWP: Clinton and Chretien talk about $40-60 billion going to prop up the > APEC stock exchanges etc. let's translate. That means a lot of ordinary > Canadians and Americans and poor Canadians and Americans are going to > give welfare handouts to Clinton and Chretien's rich friends around the > Pacific Rim. I say, DON'T GIVE THEM ONE RED CENT! > FWP. > > Ordinary Americans will not be paying anything. Remember that in the > separation of powers a President has little or no authority. Clinton is > already specifically forbidden from paying long overdue UN dues, and from > putting anything into a South Korea rescue. He has also been disallowed > from making any trade agreement. Is there some reason to think he is > suddenly going to be given spending authority. It is unclear why he went to > the BC meeting except to act as a face so that the US was represented with > observer status. > > Jim Which brings up the question asked on L&J as to what their motives were. Maybe the pow-wow was arranged just so Bill Clinton could buy Christmas gifts at the (First Nation) Indian Shop here in Gastown, which he did. (And the shop keeper wouldn't say what he bought). Then there was golf and gourmet dining. (Clinton paid with American Express). The Rent-a-Mob Bureau did a brisk business for a few days. We were told that the $50 m. or so cost of the pow-wow was about half recouped in tourism revenue mostly the expenses of a lot of media people. The Canadian taxpayers will absorb the difference. Now if IMF is going to put $60 b. into the finance/stock/bond industries of Asia I have to ask if anybody on this or other lists knows off hand who is on the Board of IMF? Next, why would we think this initiative is in the best interest of the general public which is who people like Clinton, Chretien etc. are supposed to represent. And how is the IMF action on the recommendation of "our" leaders going to benefit "us" in specific terms. Is it the best solution to the pressing employment and poverty problems. Of course my recommendation is that we ask Professor MacLeod at UCCB to take his recently published book on Mondragon, Spain and tell us how to organize worker-owned conglomerate companies as a kind of grand pro forma statement. A network of such industries in North America (numbering say 10 million men, women and children all told) would be its own market and would be immune to the predations of NAFTA/GATT/MAI etc. and it would be immune to IMF and world stock exchanges. It would have its own currency. The AFL-CIO "Union Cities" Policy which is making the rounds of the Labour Lists would do the trick. Small cities would be quickly taken over by unionists and then expanded into union-owned cities with worker-owned industries. FWP. From aaron@burn.ucsd.edu Wed Nov 26 22:09:52 1997 Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 23:13:36 -0500 To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu, LABOR-L@YORKU.CA From: Aaron Subject: Gov't Tightens Control of Teamsters (fwd) While I don't agree with certain aspects of the following article -- particularly the uncritical adulation of Ron Carey -- I think it makes valuable points about what the capitalist state is up to. But I'd like to add a few points of my own. * Those who supported previous state interventions in the Teamsters and in other unions in order to get rid of the bad guys certainly share responsibility for the vulnerability of the Teamsters to the present attack. * It is a violation of workers' democracy for the leadership of a workers' organization to use the resources of that organization against its opponents inside the organization. But this is a matter to be handled within the class, and not in collaboration with the class enemy. * The need for large amounts of money to run a campaign for national leadership of the Teamsters is a direct result of the phony democratic reform of direct elections for national officers. That need opens up the campaigns to the influence of money, i.e., the bourgeoisie. In this case that class appears in the form of the Democratic party. For those who want to build class-conscious leadership in the unions, it is far better to struggle for democratic local selection of delegates to a convention that decides policy and elects the national leadership. - Solidarity, - Aaron >Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 01:19:22 -0500 EST ------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the December 4, 1997 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- FREE LABOR UNIONS? GOVERNMENT TIGHTENS CONTROL OF TEAMSTERS UPS Strike Leader Carey Framed in Move to Break Union By Shelley Ettinger The United States government escalated its dirty war against the labor movement Nov. 24 when it swept in and took virtually full power over the Teamsters union's finances and internal affairs. This appalling move lifts the capitalist class's campaign to quash labor's revival to ominous heights. The office of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Mary Jo White announced the new intervention at a Nov. 24 news conference. A so-called Independent Financial Auditor will have full authority to approve or reject any and all Teamster financial transactions except routine expenditures like salaries, and all contracts except collective-bargaining agreements. Everything else--organizing campaigns, hiring and so on--is subject to the auditor's approval. And who did White appoint as auditor? One Marvin M. Levy of the KPMG Peat Marwick accounting and law firm. Levy's most recent post was as a senior analyst for the FBI. Levy will undoubtedly work closely with former FBI and CIA Director William Webster, who runs the government's "Independent Review Board" that sits over the Teamsters. Teamsters General Counsel Earl V. Brown Jr. signed the "interim agreement" assenting to Levy's placement and committing the union to pay his salary. As Workers World goes to press, it is not known whether Teamsters President Ron Carey or the Executive Council approved the agreement. However, on Nov. 25, President Carey took a "temporary, unpaid leave of absence, effective immediately." In a letter to Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Sever, Carey called the Nov. 17 decision to disqualify him from the re-run presidential election next spring "demonstrably wrong and unfair." He said, "I totally reject the allegations that I knew of any attempts to violate the Election Rules in my 1996 campaign." Carey said he is someone "who has stood for integrity all his life, and has not yet had his day in court." Nevertheless, he said, "In spite of this injustice, I believe it in the best interest of the membership and the reform movement that I remove myself from IBT decision making while I fight my appeal." `FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT' Some six hundred rank-and-file Teamsters had greeted Carey with repeated standing ovations when he addressed the Teamsters for a Democratic Union convention in Cleveland Nov. 22. Over and over, TDU members interrupted Carey's speech with chants of "Fight! Fight! Fight!" In his talk, Carey spoke of "the union fight against corporations and corporate greed." Then he said, "Now there is a new challenge." Carey said he will fight Election Appeals Master Judge Kenneth Conboy's Nov. 17 ruling disqualifying him from a re- run presidential election. He said, "I want to look around this room and look into everyone's eyes and tell you that that decision was dead wrong." Workers World Cleveland correspondent Martha Grevatt reports that a sizable contingent of United Parcel Service workers, among them many women and people of color, attended the TDU gathering. These workers were in an upbeat mood despite the capitalist class's current efforts to crush the union. Carey said of the UPS strike: "Part-time and full-time, together like never before. You see the results. ... "We won the biggest victory in our lifetime--a victory that has inspired working people around the world. ... "That is Teamster power! We've built a union that stands up to corporate greed, that gives members the power they need. "They [the bosses] don't want a labor movement that fights back. You know it, I know it, and they know it." Referring to talk of his "legacy," Carey said: "Some of that sounded like an epitaph. This guy ain't gone!" TIME TO FIGHT BACK Carey said "the outcome of my appeal will be in the judge's hands." He added that he is confident a reform slate will win the election, "whether it's me on top or someone else." As a responsible labor leader, he was trying to prepare the membership for all contingencies. However, what labor really needs now is a fight to overturn Carey's ouster. That is the best way to strengthen the Teamsters--especially since negotiations for a national freight agreement and at Anheuser Busch loom--and all the unions. If the government's attempt to quash Teamster power and punish the union for the UPS strike meets active resistance--if the Teamsters and all of organized labor reject the Carey ouster with a mass campaign not limited to the courts--it will reinforce the lessons of the UPS strike and stymie the anti-union attack. That strike, after all, was won through struggle. And that struggle was carried out not only by 185,000 Teamsters but by the whole labor movement, through concrete financial support and other shows of solidarity. Now the same labor unity is needed to defend the Teamsters. Some want to prepare for the possibility of Carey losing his appeal by finding a replacement candidate. But this is a frame-up of the top union leader in the country. Giving up on him instead of resisting the attack will only encourage more of the same. This has got to be a fight. Workers World spoke with Trudy Rudnick, president of Teachers Local 3882 representing clerical workers at New York University. Rudnick said: "By trying to force out the leader of the UPS strike and now with this atrocious grab for direct control, the government is doing everything it can to destroy labor's new momentum. "This cannot be tolerated. "I feel that we in the labor movement have to do everything we can to fight back. Defending Ron Carey is defending the Teamsters, and defending the Teamsters is defending all the unions. "Instead of letting this attack demoralize or paralyze us, we should be getting together to plan a fighting response. I'm ready to act, and I know many others are too. "As for President Carey, whatever his official status, he retains the moral authority of the country's top union leader. He has the respect, admiration and loyalty of millions of workers in and out of the Teamsters. "As he fights the attempt to oust him from the union presidency, he should know that he does not stand alone. I hope this fight reaches beyond the bounds of legal technicalities and becomes a mass mobilization of the labor movement to stop the frame-up and beat back the attack." DISQUALIFICATION IS NULL AND VOID By what right does the government dictate to 1.4 million workers how to run their union? There is no basis in law or precedent for denying the Teamster rank and file the democratic right to vote for the leader of their choice. The ostensible legal basis for disqualifying Carey is the 1989 consent decree under which the Justice Department established an "Independent Review Board" to oversee union business. Through the consent decree, administered by Federal District Judge David Edelstein, the government acquired direct control of the Teamsters. The union has even been forced to pay millions of dollars in fees for the IRB. Five years ago, in an Aug. 20, 1992, statement headlined "Teamster President Carey blasts increased government control of union," Carey said "the rules imposed by the court go far beyond anything contained in the 1989 consent decree ... and represent an unwarranted imposition of increased government control over the union." At that time, Carey charged that "the government's real motives are to cripple a revitalized and democratic Teamsters Union in its work on behalf of the members." This is truer than ever now. By throwing out Carey's December 1996 election victory, barring him from running again and taking control of the union's finances, the government has extended the consent decree's bounds even further, offering only the flimsiest legal pretext. It's all supposedly based on evidence of Carey's complicity in illegal financial dealings in last year's re-election campaign. But that is a patent lie. History is full of government frame-ups of union leaders-- with the FBI usually playing a central role, as it is doing here. This is a purely political attack--a brazen instance of arbitrary and selective enforcement of campaign finance laws in service of the war against the unions. Why wasn't House Speaker Newt Gingrich removed from office after all his double dealings and unethical conduct? Instead, he was merely reprimanded. What about the wave after wave of revelations of rampant corruption in the 1996 U.S. presidential campaign? The Senate committee investigating that simply gave up and closed up shop. Take a look at the Sept. 19 issue of the New York Times. One front-page story reported that three people--not Ron Carey--had pleaded guilty to campaign-finance misdeeds involving tens of thousands of dollars in the Teamsters election. Another front-page article reported on tens of millions of dollars in dirty money donated to the Republicans and Democrats. Two months later, the government has summarily ruled Ron Carey unfit for office with no evidence against him and without due process of law. In contrast, not a single politician or business executive faces any charges in the real campaign finance scandal. This isn't about the law. It's about the class struggle. It's the bosses against the workers--and with stakes this big you can be sure the highest levels of the government up to and including the White House are involved. Labor's response must also be at the highest level, demanding with all the power of the working class that the disqualification of Ron Carey be declared null and void. The only way to make that happen is to mount a fight to push back the enemy class from this naked power grab. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@workers.org. For subscription info send message to: info@workers.org. Web: http://workers.org) From shostaka@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu Fri Nov 28 08:04:34 1997 Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 08:04:31 -0700 (MST) To: LABOR-RAP@csf.colorado.edu From: Art Shostak Subject: Worth Following Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 00:10:54 -0500 (EST) To: , UTOPIA-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU, , richardvlosky@sprintmail.com, "staff@stewards.net" , , mscosmo@usa.net, kurtz@top.monad.net, BLarcom@prodigy.net, bradmcc@cloud9.net, , , , gdauncey@islandnet.com, , , csrd.summer.series@nature.berkeley.edu, , , oxoasis@gnofn.org, sowerby@mala.bc.ca, , , , piddocke@sfu.ca (Stuart), arneh@mindlink.bc.ca (arne), , fsp@wimsey.com, pv@mindlink.bc.ca, blutes@alternatives.com, , izbar@vcn.bc.ca, jiivan@naturaltherapy.edu, jiiv@hotmail.com, jakechat@express.ca, kaatje@hotmail.com, kast@interlog.com, websight@lightspeed.bc.ca, alorni@hotmail.com, lemab@cam.org, michael@cam.org, info@biosfaire.com, bwolf@aracnet.com, fwpoley@vcn.bc.ca, jeanine@malindi.math.ualberta.ca, , gdauncey@islandnet.com (Guy Dauncey) From: eric@stewards.net (Eric Sommer) Subject: Stewards Planetary House News. Stewards Planetary House News The Stewards Planetary House, a new fledgling movement of poor and ecologically concerned people, wishes to announce the debut of its new and much-improved on-line facilities. Our new permanent website address is: http://www.stewards.net Our new permanent general e-mail address is: staff@stewards.net When visiting the website, don't make the mistake of assuming that most of our information is on the homepage; go to the `contents' page for references and links to hundreds of pages of detailed information on our movement and its unique approach. Background The Stewards Planetary House is a new just-being-born movement of working and non-working poor people who seek to become increasingly able to work together to care for one another together with the planet. Our approach is highly inquiry-oriented and includes new methods of social organization, economics, information technology, childcare, personal development, care of the earth, and much else. The SPH combines the seven ways people have traditionally sought liberation: The human potential movment, progressive social change, religion or spirituality, ecology, feminism, progressive art, and science. The Stewards Planetary House is open to all poor people, wherever they may be on the planet. People are needed to help us to begin our program of `organizing the poor people of the world - beginning with ourselves - to work together as Stewards to care for one another together with the world. Stewards Corporations One of many documents accessible from our website's `content' page is a short book entitled `The Stewards Corporation: A System For Total Human Development'. This work, many years in preparation, sets out a flexible, inquiry-based model for building `Stewards Corporation Communities'. These `corporations of a new type' use the shell of a traditional or non-profit corporation within which to build a dynamic new kind of community of poor and ecologically concerned people who care for one another and the planet. These Corporation Communities use such novel social forms as: `stewards houses', `stewards services', `stewards guilds', and a `stewards polis or system of government'. Check out this book! Forming the First Stewards Corporation A `study and exploration group' is now forming here in Vancouver, B.C., Canada for the purpose of forming the first functioning Stewards Corporation Community. In addition to `The Stewards Corporation', our study group will also draw on the practical conceptual tools for becoming organized together which are contained in `The Stewards Code: A Shared Framework for Building A Future Together'. This work is also available at the site. If you're in the Vancouver area, and would like to explore the possibility of participation in our `study and exploration group', please send e-mail to staff@stewards.net In case you - like ourselves - dislike the oppressive and life-fragmenting aspects of traditional business corporations, rest assured that the `Stewards Corporations' are corporations of a VERY different type! They include `Stewards Houses', `Stewards Services', `Stewards Guilds', and a `Stewards Polis' or government. Get in touch------------------------------------------------------------------ If you are interested in entering into regular dialogue and communication with us regarding joining our corporation or setting up a Stewards Corporation in your area, please e-mail us. Eric Sommer Arthur B. Shostak, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Department of Psych/Soc/Anthro, Drexel University, Phila., PA, 19104; 215-895-2466; fax 610-668-2727. email: SHOSTAKA@duvm.ocs.drexel.edu http://httpsrv.ocs.drexel.edu/faculty/shostaka/ "This time, like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it." Ralph Waldo Emerson From shostaka@dunx1.ocs.drexel.edu Sun Nov 30 16:43:03 1997 Received: from DUVM.OCS.DREXEL.EDU (duvm.ocs.drexel.edu [129.25.3.2]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.4/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with SMTP id QAA25400 for ; Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:43:00 -0700 (MST) Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:43:00 -0700 (MST) Received: from [207.103.142.211] by DUVM.OCS.DREXEL.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Sun, 30 Nov 97 18:42:40 EST Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: LABOR-RAP@csf.colorado.edu From: Art Shostak Subject: Request for Referrals Brothers and Sisters: On July 20 and 21 the World Futures Society will hold its 1998 Annual Meeting in Chicago. On the Monday, July 21, at 2pm I can have a panel discuss for 1 and a half hours the future of unionism: PLEASE send me the names and phone numbers or e-mail addresses of unionists you recommend for this very important panel. Many thanks, fraternally, Art Shostak Arthur B. Shostak, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Department of Psych/Soc/Anthro, Drexel University, Phila., PA, 19104; 215-895-2466; fax 610-668-2727. email: SHOSTAKA@duvm.ocs.drexel.edu http://httpsrv.ocs.drexel.edu/faculty/shostaka/ "This time, like all times, is a very good one if we but know what to do with it." Ralph Waldo Emerson From meisenscher@igc.apc.org Sun Nov 30 18:08:38 1997 Received: from igcb.igc.org (igcb.igc.apc.org [192.82.108.46]) by csf.Colorado.EDU (8.8.4/8.8.4/CNS-4.1p-nh) with ESMTP id SAA26632 for ; Sun, 30 Nov 1997 18:08:36 -0700 (MST) Received: from igc3.igc.apc.org (igc3.igc.org [192.82.108.33]) by igcb.igc.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id RAA27884; Sun, 30 Nov 1997 17:04:54 -0800 (PST) Received: from ppp6-11.igc.org (meisenscher@ppp6-11.igc.org) by igc3.igc.apc.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id QAA27568; Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:54:08 -0800 (PST) Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 16:54:08 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <2.2.16.19971130165411.0cffcd3e@pop.igc.org> X-Sender: meisenscher@pop.igc.org X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (16) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Michael Eisenscher Subject: Journals of Value to Labor Activists & Educators Sender: meisenscher@igc.org The labor movement is undergoing important, even potentially profound changes while confronting daunting challenges. As we grapple with both change and challenge and grope toward some as yet uncertain future, the need for thoughtful, creative, and provocative analysis becomes ever more urgent. Three journals deserve attention by those who hope to serve as pathfinders within and with the labor movement. The September/October issue of _New Left Review_ (No. 225, thematically entitled "Confronting Globalization") offers a number of articles that deserve both consideration and debate. Linda Weiss leads off with "Globalization and the Myth of the Powerless State," in which she questions both the newness of globalization and the purported previous power of the state to control its economic fate. She argues that governments do have considerable opportunities to develop 'state capacities' in ways that give them control over social and economic policy, but only if their policies directly discipline the accumulation process and sponsor new forms of productive organization. Her essay, like those of Doug Henwood and others, helps to counter the notion that globalization is some inexorable and inevitable force against which both workers and governments are powerless. A suitable companion piece is "Towards an International Social-Movement Unionism" by Kim Moody, taken from his new book. Moody both describes and prescribes the emerging labor rebellions based on a new, broader, and more inclusive social agenda that is not confined by national borders. He points to the social movement unionism of the developing South as a model for unions in the developed North as the appropriate response to an era of transnational corporations, capital mobility, and neoliberal political and economic restructuring. Moody warns that an effective global union response, however, must be concerned as well with increasing the extent of union democracy if unions are to play an effective role. In "Multiculturalism, or, the Cultural Logic of Multinational Capitalism" Slavoj Zizek argues that multiculturalism, far from opposing the logic of global capitalism, is its perfect expression: an inverted and disvowed racism, through which, as the editors observe, "it can view each separate and exotic 'Other' only as an authentic, self-enclosed community from the point of view of its own empty universality. Valuing only safe, marketable forms of identity, the market smoothly and efficiently destroys culture." Howard Winant, in "Behind Blue Eyes: Whiteness and Contemporary US Racial Politics," tackles the meaning of whiteness and how it has been used to define and judge all other colors from both right and left, analyzing both traditional conservative and New Right variants and their liberal and new abolitionist alternatives. He observes, "It is the problematic of _whiteness_ that has emerged as the principal source of anxiety and conflict in the postwar US.... Whitness -- visible whiteness, resurgent whiteness, whiteness as a colour, whiteness as _difference_ -- this is what's new, and newly problematic, in US politics. Most centrally, the problem of the meaning of whiteness appears as a direct consequence of the challenge posed in the 1960s to white supremacy." He argues that both the liberals and new abolitionists hold between them part of the key to challenging white supremacy in the U.S. **** Two new journals also deserve a look. _New Labor Forum_, in its premier issue (Fall 1997), describes itself as "a journal of ideas, analysis and debate." Volume 1 opens with "the New Urban Working Class and Organized Labor" by Robin Kelley, which takes up the theme of a social unionism that reaches beyond the workplace into the community -- beyond wages, hours, and conditions to the entire range of concerns of working and poor people. In doing so, this form of unionism must necessarily make issues of culture, race, gender, and sexual orientation fundamental to its agenda. Kelley offers examples from recent labor struggles of just such unionism, which is cognizant of, but also organizes across identity politics. In "Labor, Liberalism and Racial Politics in 1950s Detroit," Thomas Sugrue examines the roots of blue collar conservatism and "populist" opposition to social programs in the early failure of both New Deal liberalism and organized labor's response to white racism. Three articles discuss labor's involvement in politics. Editor Mark Levitan engages in a wide-ranging interview with Gerald Hudson, Executive VP of 1199 and Political Director of the NY State Democratic Party, including an interesting discussion of Hudson's view of the limitations and potential of the New Party and Labor Party. Dan Cantor and Wade Rathke follow with "A Non-Partisan Party: The New Party Model" and Sean Sweeney concludes with "The Labor Party's Alternative Politics." Those interested in various forms of independent labor political action will find the trio worth their time. Turning to the theme of globalization, Kate Bronfenbrenner authors "Organizing in the NAFTA Environment," Elaine Bernard and Sid Shniad give us "Social Unionism and Restructuring," and William Milberg and Bruce Elmslie coauthor "Harder Than You Think." Bronfenbrenner reports original research which shows how employers have used plant relocation and threats of relocation to resist worker efforts to organize. Bernard & Shniad discuss the impact of restructuring in the telecommunications industry and how social unionism and labor-community unity offer the best tools for resisting the downsizing paradigm. Milberg & Elmslie take up the issues of trade, labor rights and labor standards and challenge the notion that international labor standards offer a solution to unfair competition. They examine the issue not only from the perspective of unions in the developed countries, but also from that of workers and unions in developing nations. Against the neoliberal move toward downward harmonization of wages and conditions, they propose an approach that harmonizes the interests of workers, including a tax on all international capital transactions. NLF concludes with three book reviews from Kit Costello ("Life Support: Three Nurses on the Front Lines" by Suzanne Gordon), Leo Casey ("Bayard Rustin: Troubles I've Seen" by Jervis Anderson), and Steve Early ("Living Inside Our Hope" by Staughton Lynd). **** _WorkingUSA_ is a recent offering from M.E. Sharpe edited by Don Stillman. Its September/October issue includes articles by David Moberg on the UPS Strike and its lessons, Bob Master ("A New Political Strategy for American Unions"), Matt Witt & Steve Trossman ("NAFTA, Round Two"), Manning Marable ("Black Leadership and the Labor Movement"), William Wolman & Anne Colamosca ("The Judas Economy" about capital mobility and its impacts), Lillian Rubin ("Family Values and the Invisible Working Class," which takes on the ways in which the fiction of the US as a society without class distinctions, one of equal opportunity, helps keep workers from a sustained and organized effort on their own behalf), " Sam Pizzigati ("America Needs More Than a Raise"), and Jared Bernstein & John Schmitt ("The Sky Hasn't Fallen: An Evaluation of the Minimum-Wage Increase"). Stillman includes a section entitled "Periodical Patrol" in which he points his readers to artricles in other publications that are of potential interest to his audience. In this issue, he recommends "An Injury to All," Issue Nine of _The Baffler_, edited by Thomas Frank and Matt Weiland. The entire issue is devoted to labor. Taken together, these periodicals offer a rich resource of materials for labor educators, labor officials, union activists, and any others who are trying to grapple with how to release the labor movement from the grip of business/service-bureau unionism to embrace politically independent, global strategies based on social movement forms of unionism. They also help the labor movement take a step back from numbing acritical anti-intellectualism in which it was steeped throughout the Cold War. There is dim hope for labor's future if it does not permit, even encourage, critical thinking that challenges the assumptions of accepted wisdom. Let's hope that this portends a new appreciation of the capacity of workers for intellectual development and the capacity of intellectuals to identify with the working class and appreciate the problems that workers and their unions confront. We might also hope these periodicals indicate there is now an an opening for expressions of probing, critical analysis and commentary in the pages of publications that serve the labor movement. In solidarity, Michael