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Comment by Joe Balkis on March 24, 2012 at 16:34

port truck drivers in southern California working for the Australian owned Toll Group have been trying to unionize. Two weeks ago, Xiomara Perez, one of the truck drivers most outspoken in support of forming a union, was fired for taking an emergency bathroom break.
Click here to sign the petition telling the Toll Group to reinstate Xiomara Perez, let truck drivers take bathroom breaks, and stop intimidating union supporters.
It is illegal for a company to fire a worker for trying to join a union, but it happens all the time. The company doesn't admit that's the real reason for the firing, of course. It's just that coincidentally someone who's been an outspoken union supporter gets fired for a common practice that doesn't typically draw any disciplinary action, let alone firing. Companies do this because it removes a leader from the workplace and intimidates other workers who might support the union.
It is not coincidence that Xiomara Perez, who exactly fits that description, was targeted:

On Tuesday March 6th, Xiomara was driving to Rialto with a cargo load and began to feel slightly ill, thought she might throw up, and thus made an emergency detour. As a professional driver, Xiomara adheres to U.S. Department of Transportation regulations that require any hauler to pull over if they feel faint, fatigued, etc. – in other words, truckers must use their best judgment to protect their own safety, the public, and the merchandise they carry. She found a McDonald’s she was familiar with where she could freely use the restroom and get a sandwich to settle her stomach to continue her workday. She instantly felt better and got back on the road; the safety diversion took roughly 10 minutes at the most.[...]
Toll fired Xiomara, citing an unreasonably restrictive work policy prohibiting employees from stopping – even to use a restroom – when delivering a load. Xiomara had asked for the policy in writing but was denied.

A group of Xiomara's coworkers is sending Toll a letter calling for her reinstatement and the Teamsters have filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Join with them by signing our petition calling on the Toll Group to reinstate Xiomara Perez, let truck drivers take bathroom breaks, and stop intimidating union supporters.
In solidarity, Laura Clawson Labor Editor, Daily Kos

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 17:22

CEOs of massive corporations are poised to secretly funnel millions of dollars from corporate coffers toward electing corporate candidates in 2012.
They want to keep their spending in the dark. Thankfully, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has the authority to expose their hidden influence.
But the SEC isn’t going to act without pressure. And that’s where you come in. Tell the SEC to require publicly traded corporations to disclose ho...
The U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission unleashed this flood of unaccountable corporate money.
The bulk of this corporate money actually belongs to shareholders — mostly working people who have a 401k or similar retirement plan.
As the federal agency with the job of protecting shareholders from corporate abuse, the SEC can step in to stop Corporate America from using the public’s retirement savings and investments as its secret political war chest.
Tell the SEC: Shine sunlight on corporate spending in elections.

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 17:20

Save Seals. Boycott Canadian Seafood.

Baby seals face enough trouble. Each year, climate change takes its toll, melting the ice that the pups need to survive.

You'd think this would be enough to stop the Canadian commercial seal hunt -- the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world. But Canada and the commercial fishermen who club, shoot, and skin seal pups for fashion will not call it off.

Equally appalling is that on average these fishermen earn only a tiny fraction of their incomes from killing seals -- the majority comes from snow crabs, cod, cold water shrimp, and other seafood.

Our purchasing power is our strength -- we can use it to help seals....

Clearly, the world is moving beyond the commercial seal slaughter. Since 2006, seal

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 17:18

Hello Mess Hallers,
Please consider joining us for one or more of these events this weekend & next week!
The Short List:
Ongoing Exhibit (closes Sunday 25 March): Intersections: PIC and immigrant detention
Saturday 24 March, 1pm – 5pm: 3 Crises: G8/Nato workgroup
Sunday 25 March, 2pm – 5pm: Follow that Shit with Nancy Klehm and Jen Blair
Tuesday 27 March, 7pm – 10pm: The Next Objectivists
Thursday 29 March, 9am – 12pm: Art and Power 6pm – 9pm: Strange Love: Art As/And Social Justice

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 17:17

Rallies/Marches for Trayvon Martin

3 pm Today (Friday, 3/23): Millennium Park at the Bean

7pm Today: State and Lake

12 noon Tomorrow (Saturday 3/24)

Revolution #263, March 25, 2012

A Modern-Day Lynching The Vigilante Murder of Trayvon Martin!

By Carl Dix

Trayvon Martin, a Black youth walking home with a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea, is gunned down, and the cops see no reason to arrest the killer! Why not? The killer, George Zimmerman, is a member of a neighborhood watch group, and he tells the cops he shot Trayvon. Yet Zimmerman has yet to be even treated like a suspect in a homicide. Why not? Witnesses have come forward who have disputed Zimmerman's claim of self-defense, and still he walks free. Why?

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 5:35

IUF
Uniting food, farm and hotel workers world-wide

Spanish unions are united as never before in their mobilization against labour law 'reforms' which gut workplace protection and trade union rights and in defense of public services. A 24-hour national general strike has been called for March 29.
Spain's trade union movement is fighting back not only against their own government, but against the European-wide austerity drive which is transferring wealth and destroying public services on a massive scale. You can support their struggle by sending a message of support to the IUF's Spanish affiliates, telling them you are with them on March 29 and for as long as it takes for the government to change course.
Click here to send a message

For more information click here.
Ron Oswald General Secretary, IUF
International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF)
8, rampe du Pont-Rouge 1213 Petit Lancy, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 793 22 33 Fax: +41 22 793 22 38 website: www.iuf.org

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 4:57

Right this minute a global fleet of Arctic destroyers is speeding towards one of the last unspoiled places on earth.
The ships are part of oil giant Shell’s mission to drill the very first wells in the pristine waters off the coast of Alaska. It’s insane, but melting sea ice from global warming has made it a reality. If Shell finds oil, the Arctic oil rush will be on.
It’s not over yet though. People are pushing back. In New Zealand, Greenpeace activists (including Xena Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless) occupied a drill ship and prevented it from leaving for the Arctic for several days. And just last week activists occupied two icebreakers in Finland.
But to stop Shell for good, we eventually need the public support of millions around the world. Joe, that means you.
Join the 250,000 people from around the world who have already taken action and demand Shell stop its plans to put the fragile Arctic at risk.

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 23, 2012 at 4:55

The Washington Post revealed this weekend that the White House has a current offer "still on the table" to make billions of dollars of cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Democratic Leaders in Congress, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, grudgingly agreed to the deal, according to the Post.
Tell Obama, Reid, and Pelosi: hands off Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Obama should veto any budget that does not increase taxes on the wealthy. But missing from the entire budget discussion is the existence of absurdly bloated military spending.
Military spending takes over half of discretionary spending and is protected by the silence of both parties and the media.  Military spending hurts the economy, rather than boosting it. Military spending makes us less safe, destroys the environment, erodes civil liberties, concentrates presidential power, blocks progressive initiatives, and kills large numbers of people.
And polls show the majority of Americans want military spending cut.
Tell Obama, Reid, and Pelosi to cut the military instead of human needs.
Please forward this email widely to like-minded friends.
David, Aimee, Sarah, and the Roots Action Team

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 22, 2012 at 17:09

U.S., NATO and the Struggle Against Imperialism A PSL/ANSWER Teach-in with John Beacham, ANSWER Chicago Coordinator
Saturday, March 24, 6 pm 4802 N. Broadway #202 Directions Info: 773-920-7590 Join Facebook Event

In May, thousands of people will hit the streets to protest the warmongers at the NATO summit in Chicago. ANSWER Chicago and the Party for Socialism and Liberation will join the protests to demand, "End the War on Afghanistan Now! Hands Off Iran and Syria! U.S. Out of the Middle East, Africa and Everywhere!"
In the hopes that together we can build a better common understanding of the nature of NATO and imperialism and the central importance of the struggle for self-determination, we are inviting you to join us on March 24 for a special teach-in on the subject.
John Beacham is the Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition in Chicago and the Midwest Organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Beacham has been a central organizer of mass antiwar demonstrations all over the United States in the last decade. He was a principal organizer of protests in Chicago against the NATO bombing of Libya. A regular contributor to Liberation News, Beacham speaks frequently about the Middle East and the struggle against imperialism. On March 24, his presentation will address the following points:
** NATO and the myth of "Humanitarian Intervention" ** U.S. and NATO out of Afghanistan now! ** The truth about NATO's role in Libya ** What's at stake in Syria and Iran? ** How can people in the U.S. help the new global mass movement—which is opposed by the U.S. government—move forward?
The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a member of the ANSWER Coalition.
$5 Donation Requested. No one turned away for lack of funds.

---

PSL Chicago 773-920-7590 http://www.pslchicago.org

Comment by Joe Balkis on March 22, 2012 at 17:08

To the folks of Committee Against Political repression, We have been invited to have a lit. table at the fundraising concert listed below this Friday organized by CAMI folks in Pilsen. It will be a very hip event! Please RSVP to Stephanie or J about if you can staff the table or if you have stuff - especially in Spanish - that we can put on the table about CAPR, G8/NATO or Carlos Montes' case. en la lucha, Stephanie Weiner 773-368-6254    stephanieweiner6@gmail.com
SAVE THE DATE=

Concert/RALLY

KONSTRUCT PEACE-NO TO G8

FRIDAY EVENING MARCH 23 7 PM-12 MIDNITE

ST. PIUS CHURCH BASEMENT 1919 S. ASHLAND

GROUPS-KONSTRUCT, ATRAS NADA

MONOLOGUE WITH ALFONSO

CHE-SPOKEN WORD

NATA-POETRY AND MORE!!!

ALL DONATIONS GO TO HELPING FORM A CONTINGENTE DEL PUEBLO

FOR THE G8, NATO MARCH.

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