In this cross-post from Border Jumpers, Bernard Pollack, who is taking a leave of absence from the AFL-CIO to travel through Africa, and Danielle Nierenberg send us another report from their journey through Zimbabwe.
Imagine being one of only five opposition voices in a country of 13 million people, where all radio, print and television is strictly controlled by the government. That’s Ben Madzimure’s uphill battle every day as editor of The Worker, the voice of the labor movement, in Zimbabwe—especially because his newspaper is only printed once a month, with only 5,000 copies distributed throughout the country.
“Zimbabwe used to have such a vibrant and independent media but most of the press was shut down,” said Madzimure. Today, many of the print reporters across the country bite their tongues and print the government’s viewpoint. Madzimure, on the other hand, actively seeks out stories the government doesn’t want mentioned, such as worker discontent and political corruption, and provides an unfiltered analysis of current events.
While President Mugabe lost the presidential election of 2008 (despite employing voter suppression strategies), he refused to relinquish power to the victor, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai. Today, under a “power sharing” agreement between the parties of Mugabe and Tsvangirai, the government continues to control all forms of media and mass-communication.
Given that Zimbabwe is one of the most literate countries in Africa, around 90 percent literacy rate, print media is a critical tool in moving a message. Madzimure says that after the newspaper is read, it’s passed on to at least nine other people and it remains a “permanent marker” because people use it to “wrap things or to fill holes.”
With a population spread out over hundreds of miles in rural areas, The Worker is the main way for the trade union federation, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), to disseminate news and inspire activity. “When ZCTU calls for national actions, the media doesn’t report on it at all. The Worker is a main vehicle giving directions to people on how to participate in strikes, elections and public actions,” said Madzimure.
Yet, despite financial support from the ZCTU, the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center in the United States, the Canadian Labour Congress, and others—the $1 USD price tag to purchase the paper is too expensive for most Zimbabweans. With 80 percent job informalization in the country, according to a recent United Nations report, the labor movement relies on its local networks to make sure the message filters throughout the country. Union members at every district are providing reporting as “volunteer correspondents” and several unemployed reporters are also lending a hand.
Madzimure’s dream is to eventually turn The Worker into a daily publication, offering investigative reporting and political analysis. In the meantime, while most Zimbabweans have no access to the computer, this does not stop Ben from promoting widely via every medium at his disposal, including a news blog, a fan page on Facebook (it has 3,800 fans) and on Twitter (12,000 followers).
Hundreds Rally, Hold Vigils In Support Of Ascension Health Workers In Flint, Mich.
More than 200 Teamsters and religious leaders held a rally and prayer vigil at Ascension Health’s corporate headquarters in St. Louis to call on the nation’s largest Catholic nonprofit hospital chain to respect its workers and patients, and the health care rights of the communities it serves.
More than 200 Teamsters and religious leaders held a rally and prayer vigil at Ascension Health’s corporate headquarters in St. Louis to call on the nation’s largest Catholic nonprofit hospital chain to respect its workers and patients, and the health care rights of the communities it serves.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa spoke out in support of 300 technical employees, emergency technicians and licensed nurses at Ascension’s Genesys Regional Medical Center in Flint, Mich., whose pay, benefits and work rules are being targeted for cuts.
“This company has lost its way – Ascension and Genesys are supposed to serve the common good,” Hoffa said. “No good will come from undermining patients and their caregivers.”
More than 100 of Ascension’s health care workers from Flint traveled 10 hours by bus to attend the rally and vigil. Similar vigils were held at Ascension hospitals across the country.
“We came to St. Louis because we are trying to stop Ascension management from altering important working conditions that impact the community’s access to health care and the quality of care that patients receive,” said Genesys registered nurse Kelly Rivera-Craine,
“Ascension Genesys wants to cut or demote licensed nurses and fire all its paramedics and EMTs. This puts patients’ and the community’s health at risk, especially the elderly who depend on rapid response emergency services,” said Genesys EMT Rick Gatz.
Ascension workers in Flint are represented by Teamsters Local 332. Local 332’s President, Nina Bugbee shared the challenges the local and workers have faced during their negotiations with the company.
“Ascension Genesys also wants to stop the current pension fund and instead wants employees to pay for their own retirement in a tax-deferred savings plan,” Bugbee said. “They want to chop wages by 2 percent and eliminate the health care protections that have been promised to retired workers.”
“This about solidarity,” said Robert Gartner, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 6 in St. Louis.
“Ascension is treating its patients, its workers and its community in Flint badly. This outrageous behavior by a St. Louis corporate citizen is unacceptable. Corporate excess is a problem everywhere, and that is why we are out here today.”
The Rev. Martin Rafanan, Chair of the Workers’ Rights Board of Missouri Jobs with Justice, led the rally and vigil participants in prayer.
“We gather here today, Lord, in your presence and filled with hope, determined to preserve the well-being and dignity of working people, their families and the patient community,” Rafanan said. “Let us do so always in faith, hope and love and in the sure knowledge that justice will certainly triumph.”
Six additional prayer vigils in support of the Genesys employees were led by clergy members and attended by Teamsters and Jobs with Justice representatives. They were held today at Providence Hospital in Washington D.C.; Catholic Health Services in Buffalo, N.Y.; St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo.; Carondelet Health in Tucson, Ariz.; St. John Hospital in Detroit; and Genesys Regional Medical Center in Flint.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Representatives of the Teamsters Union plan to rally at 11 a.m. Friday outside Ascension Health’s corporate headquarters in St. Louis in protest of what the union says is a “change in working conditions” at Ascension’s Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Mich., south of Flint.
In a huge blunder - worthy of the phrase "astroturfing" (pretending to be grassroots, but in the end, fake) - Sodexo has published an opinion piece in the student newspaper The Emory Wheel, made to look like it was written by Emory dining employees rather than management.
But a simple Google search reveals that one of the co-authors, Suzanne Barner, is not an Emory Dining employee, but has worked as a Sodexo Marketing Manager and is now obtaining her law degree not at Emory University, but rather Georgia State University. It is not clear that the other Sodexo employees even work in the cafeteria.
It's a response that isn't just troubling from an "astroturfing" standpoint. Since the beginning of the Clean Up Sodexo campaign, Sodexo's canned response has been that Sodexo is not anti-union. In particular, in a response to our campaign, Sodexo has stated that the company "unequivocally respects the rights of our employees to unionize, or not to unionize."
But in the opinion piece in question, Sodexo Manager Suzanne Barner co-writes:
"A union is not the right solution...as Emory Dining employees, we do not feel that this measure is needed."
The opinion piece also argues that while Emory Dining employees do appreciate the outpouring of support towards Sodexo workers, a union isn't the way to go, because Sodexo has benefits like a "year-end celebration where gifts such as TVs, gift cards, iPods and Nintendo Wiis are raffled off." That's right, Nintendo Wiis.
Here's what it comes down to:
Workers are standing up for respect and dignity on the job. This is about much more than a raise--workers want opportunities for advancement, fair treatment, and a voice at work.
Sodexo workers don't want a raffle for an iPod or candy on their birthday, but a real path to the middle class.
It's offensive that Sodexo managers would pretend to be food service workers. They are standing up for their rights, their lives, and for their children's/families future in creating a better life.
It's clear to both the workers at Sodexo and Sodexo management that the workers won't back down and know they have the community's support.
In the meantime, readers of The Emory Wheel aren't falling for it:
Reader "mariposa29," in the Wheel's comments section, writes: "This reads like a public relations ploy by Sodexo. In fact, if you look up Suzanne Barner's public LinkedIn page, it says online that she worked for Sodexo as a 'Marketing Manager'."
Reader "lsoltis" writes: "People from the Sodexo's marketing department, who are paid to improve the company's brand image, wrote this article from the viewpoint of rank and file food-service workers and intentionally misled the Emory community."
Reader "MAH618" writes: "I can't decide what is more sad about this: people in positions of high privilege assuming the position of the oppressed in order to justify their oppression or the fact that they really think giving workers a free uniform can alleviate all of the other injustices."
Sodexo Manager in Opinion Piece: "A Union is Not the Right Solution."
originally appeared on
SEIU.org
on Friday, Mar 12, 2010.
Working people have plenty to be angry with Wall Street about. A $700 billion bailout. Toxic assets and loan guarantees to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. A financial crisis and credit crunch. Billions of dollars in six- and seven-figure bonuses to the Wall Street executives who got us into this mess.
Unemployment reaching 10 percent. A mortgage crisis extending far beyond subprime loans. Abusive credit and debit card fees. More than five job-seekers for every one job.
Wall Street has treated Main Street as a giant ATM—gambling with the economy, then coming back with their hands out for help. But somehow, no matter how much help the banks need to survive, they always have the resources to fight proposals to regulate them or get them to pay their fair share.
That’s why the AFL-CIO community affiliate, Working America, has launched the ”I am not your ATM” campaign. Already, people in Albuquerque, N.M.; Columbus, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Minneapolis have been photographed with “I am not your ATM” signs at major banks to let Wall Street know they’ve had enough. Wall Street’s biggest banks need to be held accountable, with a strong, independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Rather than asking taxpayers for more money, Big Banks need to start repaying us for the damage they’ve done.
In the coming week, we at Working America will hold more events in cities across the country, but you can participate online. Submit a photo to NotYourATM.com and send Wall Street the message that you’re done being Big Banks’ ATM. It’s time for them to clean up the mess they made, instead of expecting working people to do it for them.
A group of determined activists begin a 48-day “March for California’s Future” that will take the fight to preserve public services directly to lawmakers.
Solidarity eXhange is a grassroots effort to identify, train and support a new generation of Sweatfree sales people. It is an exciting opportunity for young labor activists who want to bring a new generation to buying sweatfree, USA made and union made apparel and other items. Below is a letter from SX that I am posting in full for anyone who is interested in participating. Also, the video with the story explains in detail how this program works -- you should definitely check it out.
On behalf of the Pasco employees, Teamsters Local Union No. 79 on Tuesday filed for an election with the Public Employees Relations Commission, the state organization that oversees public employee unions.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa spoke out in support of 300 technical employees, emergency technicians and licensed nurses at Ascension’s Genesys Regional Medical Center in Flint, Mich., whose pay, benefits and work rules are being targeted for cuts.
