Join the ONLINE PETITION initiated by Ramsey Clark (http://www.iacenter.org/gazapetition)- sign on and send the message to President Bush, President Elect Obama, VP Cheney, VP Elect Biden, Secretary of State Rice, Secretary of State designate Clinton, Congressional leaders, the U.N. Secretary General, Security Council, and key member states, the Israeli President, Prime Minister and cabinet, and members of the world media appealing for Israel to Immediately Cease Its Murderous Bombing, Siege and Threatened Invasion of Palestinian Gaza
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Jan.1, 2009
Vigil to End the Siege & Massacre in Gaza/Palestine
4:00pm
7th St & Pecan Ave, Charlotte, NC
Jan. 3, 2009
Mass Rally & March to End the Siege & Massacre in Gaza/Palestine
12 Noon
Marshall Park
Martin Luther King Jr Blvd & S. McDowell St, Charlotte, NC
Bring signs, banners, candles ( for Jan 1) and your friends, family, neighbors, & co-workers.
While the people of the U.S. suffer from the greatest economic crisis since "The Great Depression", billions of U.S. tax dollars are given to Israel to kill, maim & hurt people and cause irreparable suffering.
Worldwide actions protest Israeli massacre in Gaza
International Action Center (http://www.iacenter.org), Dec. 31, 2009
Dec. 31, 2008. The genocidal U.S.-backed Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip has had at least one unintended consequence. It has mobilized the anti-imperialist movement and other anti-war forces around the world.
The Washington-Tel Aviv axis might not yet see this as an obstacle to their war crimes. But it is a work in progress, coming as the workers' movements are beginning to get in motion to fight the consequences of the capitalist economic collapse. Even in vast parts of the world where the winter holidays often drain the strength of a social movement, people reacted quickly, angrily and in some places massively to oppose the new Israeli assault.
Groups all over the world made strikingly similar calls for action. There was complete solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza, a besieged and occupied population that had every right to resist. Most saw the Israelis as the direct criminal, the local gendarme acting as an appendage of world imperialism, especially out of Washington but also out of Brussels.
The immediate demands were to stop the Israeli attacks, lift the blockade of Gaza and for the government involved to break relations with or stop aiding the Zionist state. In some mostly Arab countries—Egypt, for example—the protests also targeted the regime for collaborating with the U.S. and Israel.
People began to hit the streets and squares in protest the day of the first Israeli bombing, Dec. 27, and spread through the world in the next few days. There are still some important gaps in our reports. However, we will list time and place for those protests that we know of that are planned for Jan. 1 or later with enough detail that people can use this information to attend.
North Africa and Asia
Tens of thousands of Lebanese, many supporters of Hezbollah, protested in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on Dec. 29 in the pouring rain. In Damascus, Syria, people held Hamas and Hezbollah and Palestinian flags aloft at an anti-Israeli rally. Protesters burned Israeli and U.S. flags in many Arab cities and demanded their governments react to Israeli aggression.
More than 50,000 demonstrated in Egyptian cities on Dec. 28 according to the AFP news agency. The biggest protest was in the southern city of Asyut, led by the Islamist opposition. Some 15,000 also attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Jordanian capital Amman, and there were rallies in many of Jordan's refugee camps that house thousands of displaced Palestinians.
There were demonstrations throughout the West Bank and in Haifa, Jaffa and other towns within the 1967 Israeli borders, and also a protest of 1,000 anti-war people in Tel Aviv. There were also anti-Israeli protests in Sudan and Yemen, where tens of thousands marched in Sanaa.
In Iraq, there were demonstrations in Baghdad, Mosul, Najaf and Kuffa. In Tehran, Iran, thousands of Iranians rallied Dec. 29. In India, there were demonstrations in Kolkata (Calcutta) and a number of other Indian cities. There was a protest of more than 1,000 people in Jakarta, Indonesia on Dec. 30, waving Palestinian and Indonesian flags, and in Tokyo, Japan that same day at the Israeli Embassy.
In South Africa a protest of the Gaza massacre is set for Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Consulate in Killarney, in Johannesburg.
Latin America
In Argentina, a vigil of hundreds was held the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires after a march there on Dec. 29, called by different Argentine-Arab organizations to show solidarity with Palestine. In Puerto Rico, the Socialist Front held a mobilization in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to reject and condemn the crimes of the Israeli state, gathering at the Federal building in San Juan.
Starting at 10 in the morning on Dec. 29, some 200 people protested in front of the Israeli Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela in the second day of protests there. The Communist Party of Venezuela and other social organizations were present. On Dec. 30 people protested before the Israeli Embassy in Mexico City, D.F. There was also a protest in the Colón, Costa Rica on Dec. 30 at the Israeli Embassy.
In addition to these popular actions, statements from the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia condemned the Israeli killing of Palestinians.
Europe
In Belgium, there have been local protest rallies in Ghent, Louvain, Brussels and Antwerp the days following the first attack, with a national protest rally on Dec. 31 at 2 pm at the Place de la Monnaie, and moving on to the Place des Martyrs. It is a joint effort of solidarity committees, NGOs, the Workers Party of Belgium and Arab organizations.
In Greece, where there have been youth protests against a police killing since early December, more than 3,000 demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. slogans marched on the Israeli Embassy in Athens. Greek left-wing parties and Arab groups participated. Another demonstration of 1,000 took place in Thessalonika.
In England, Scotland and Wales, as reported by the Stop the War Committee, there have been demonstrations Dec. 28 in London of 700 people at the Israeli Embassy where protesters scuffled with police. Some protesters were seen attempting to climb the gate towards the embassy and also throwing red liquid - to symbolize blood - towards the gate. Respect MP George Galloway and former Labor MP Tony Benn were among those who addressed the crowd. Afterwards Galloway said: "We should treat Israel as we treated South Africa during apartheid. They should be shunned."
Demonstrations are continuing in London at 2 - 4 p.m. outside Israeli Embassy, and on Jan. 2, will move to the Egyptian Embassy 2 - 4 p.m. at 26 South Street, London, W1K 1DW, to call for Egypt to open the border immediately. Also in Bristol opposite the Hippodrome at 3-4 p.m. Jan. 3, and Portsmouth at 11 a.m. at Guildhall Square, and Hull, at 11 a.m. at Queen Victoria Square.
Protests are set for Glasgow, Scotland, on Jan. 3 at 12 noon outside Lloyds TSB St Vincent Street then assemble for demonstration at Blytheswood Square 2 p.m. In Edinburgh, the same time at Foot of the Mound, Princes Street.
There were actions also in Cardiff, Wales, in Nottingham and Southampton.
In Lisbon, Portugal, various organizations concerned about the massacre in Gaza, including mass union and women's and anti-war organizations met Dec. 30 and decided to call a unified demonstration for Jan. 8, with the place and time to be announced later.
In the Spanish state, on Dec. 28, 1,000 demonstrated before Israeli Embassy in Madrid; also demonstrations reported from Barcelona, Bilbao, Coruna and Seville. Further actions are planned in Madrid on Jan. 3 at 12 noon at the Foreign Affairs Ministry at Plaza de Sta. Cruz, and on Jan. 11 at noon at Puerta del Sol. If there is an Israeli land invasion of Gaza, there will be a protest the next day at 8 p.m. at Puerta del Sol. A march is also planned between the squares of Cibeles and Sol on Jan. 17. In Madrid people have initiated a campaign of international solidarity with the Palestinian people by hanging Palestinian flags and scarves from windows and balconies.
In France, there were demonstrations called by a broad coalition of forces Dec. 29 and 30 in Paris, where 1,300 marched, and in Angers, Annecy, Besançon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nîmes, Quimper, Rennes, Roubaix, Rouen, St.Etienne, St.Girons, Thionville and Toulouse.
In Italy, Red Link reports demonstrations at least in Rome and Pisa on Dec. 28 and in Naples and Bologna on Dec. 29. Soccorso Populare in Veneto reports a Dec. 28 protest of 100 in Padua, on Dec. 31 in Venice Mestre, on Jan. 2 in Treviso and on Jan. 3 in Vicenza at 2 p.m. before the Central Train Station. There were also protests in Florence and Genoa and in Cagliari in Sardinia.
A broad national demonstration has been called for Rome on Jan. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at Piazza della Repubblica marching to Piazza Barberini.
In Germany, on Dec. 28 some 50 people gathered downtown spontaneously near the big cathedral in Cologne to demand an immediate end to the massacre. The next day there were actions in Berlin and Dusseldorf.
In Austria there were vigils and protests in Vienna on Dec. 30, when 2,000 people marched through the downtown area. On Jan. 3, at 3 p.m., there will be a demonstration: Stop the Massacre in Gaza! at the Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna. The Gaza Must Live group called further protests for Jan. 2 at 2:30 p.m. at Karlsplatz and on Jan. 9 In Switzerland there were protests in Basel and Geneva.
In Denmark, there were solidarity demonstrations in Copenhagen and Aarhus on Dec. 28, with 1,500 people in Copenhagen at the Israeli Embassy, in Odense on Dec. 29, and again in Copenhagen (Town Hall Square) and other cities on Dec. 30.
United States
From inside the U.S., International Action Center and other activists have sent more detailed reports. In general, most demonstrators at first have come from the Palestinian and Arab/Muslim community. The IAC has helped with organizational and logistical support and outreach to other North Americans in the labor, anti-war and anti-racist movements.
The largest demonstrations reported so far have been in Dearborn, Mich., New York, San Francisco, and Anaheim, Calif., near Los Angeles, all numbering in the thousands.
In Dearborn on Dec. 30, some 5,000 people formed a human chain stretching for blocks in this city near Detroit that probably is home to the largest Arab community in the U.S. Some of the many youth stood on snow banks and waved Palestinian flags, of which there were hundreds of all sizes, and chanted, "1,2,3,4--stop the killing, stop the war; 5,6,7,8: Israel is a terrorist state." Passersby in cars—some also draped with Palestinian flags--honked loudly and repeatedly for the over hour-long action in cold windy weather.
A follow-up action, a candlelight vigil, will be held Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. at the City Hall in Dearborn.
In New York, some 5,000 people gathered in front of Rockefeller Center on 5th Avenue on a very busy shopping day Dec. 28. The demonstration was largely Palestinian, young and very militant, chanting, "From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free." It marched a mile to the Israeli Consulate. Majids in New Jersey towns sent five busloads of people on 24-hours notice. There were other protests on Dec. 29 and 30. A major unified demonstration is planned for Jan. 3 to start at Times Square at 2 p.m.
More than 1,500 people participated on Dec. 29 in Anaheim, just south of Los Angeles. A coalition made up of Al Awda, Muslim Student organizations and many others including the IAC, called the action. The next event was on Dec. 30 in front of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. There was also a demonstration in San Diego.
On Dec. 30, several thousand Palestinians and supporters held a loud and militant march through downtown San Francisco.
In Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30, ANSWER held a demonstration at the State Department.
In Boston, there was a march of 120 people on Dec. 28 from Park Street to Copley Square with strong Palestinian participation, rush hour distributions on Dec. 29 and a demonstration Dec. 30 at the Israeli Consulate. The next action in solidarity with Palestine will be on Saturday, at 12:00 noon at Copley Square, and will march through downtown Boston past the Israeli Consulate in Park Square, Downtown Crossing, the military recruiters on Tremont Street and back to Copley Square for a concluding rally. It is being organized by a broad ad hoc coalition.
Some 80 mostly young people attended an emergency demonstration in Baltimore on Dec. 30, at the War Memorial Plaza. Over 100 people came out for a protest outside the Israeli consulate in Philadelphia Dec. 28, called with less than 24-hours notice.
The Palestinian community in Houston had a huge demonstration Dec. 28 on all four corners of the busiest intersection in town, maybe 750 people. From infants to elders, Palestinians came out with their families, lots of students, and a number of elderly women in beautiful Palestinian traditional clothing. In typical Texas style, pickup trucks filled with Palestinian youth carrying giant Palestinian flags waving in the wind drove up and down the streets honking and yelling. There were other protests during the week with the next action on Jan. 2 at the Israeli consulate.
In Atlanta, Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine and Athens for Justice in Palestine (UGA) with help from the IAC pulled together an action in less than 18 hours for Dec. 28. More than 100 people came; mostly Palestinian, many college and high school age youth as well as children brought by their parents, with good representation of the anti-war movement.
With help from Hana al-Bayaty for the Middle East, Paola Manduca for Europe, Berta Joubert-Ceci for Latin America and dozens of militant activists around the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and Japan, John Catalinotto compiled this report
Join the ONLINE PETITION initiated by Ramsey Clark (http://www.iacenter.org/gazapetition)- sign on and send the message to President Bush, President Elect Obama, VP Cheney, VP Elect Biden, Secretary of State Rice, Secretary of State designate Clinton, Congressional leaders, the U.N. Secretary General, Security Council, and key member states, the Israeli President, Prime Minister and cabinet, and members of the world media appealing for Israel to Immediately Cease Its Murderous Bombing, Siege and Threatened Invasion of Palestinian Gaza
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January 17 FIGHTBACK Conference demanding 'Bail Out the PEOPLE, Not Wall Street' on the 80th Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Speaker: Stephen Millies, of recent MTA protest fame, will give an update on the mobilization
International Action Center
www.iacenter.org
212-633-6646
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Action Center For Justice
www.charlotteaction.blogspot.com
Student starts cell phone boycott
LaShawn Parker, The A&T Register
Published: Thursday, March 20, 2008 Updated: Sunday, December 21, 2008
What's your best line of communication? Your phone, the Internet, mail, word of mouth? However you communicate with those near and dear just think for a minute if that was taken away.
While the internet allows people to communicate easily through instant messaging, chat, blogs or spread a message to people, junior Kambale Musavuli had those privileges on one site revoked.
Musavuli, a native of Congo, was using the online community to spread the word about the war going on in his homeland.
The civil engineering major was able to connect the situation to people here in America. As a result, he was kicked off the social networking site, Facebook. Musavuli started his Facebook account in 2004 and the people behind Facebook involuntarily terminated his account in January.
He had created an event about a cell phone boycott he was promoting to help raise awareness about the situation in Africa After reading an International Rescue Committee special report released in 2008, that reported 5.4 million people had died because of war related causes in war in his country since 1998 due to illegal mining. "How can that many people die without receiving any media coverage," Musavuli asked himself.
"If that same situation happened on A&T's campus with those same numbers everyone on our campus would be dead within a week." This situation is very similar to the one depicted in the movie "Blood Diamond." The culprit Musavuli set his sights on wasn't a precious gem but a mineral called Colton.
"Coltan, a mineral used in computers, cell phones, DVD players, pacemakers and many other electronic devices is one of the many minerals illegally extracted and deported from the mines in Africa," said Musavuli. The United Nations reported $25 million mineral profit was made from illegal extractions from Congo.
After reviewing the figures and mortality rates, Musavuli concluded there were more deaths as a result of this war than those of World War II and the Jewish Holocaust. Musavuli felt an obligation to inform others of this terrible situation, especially since the crisis was relevant and relatable to all but hadn't received the appropriate media coverage.
Thus the creation of the Facebook event and the plea for participation. Participation in the boycott would require cell phones to be turned off for a maximum of six hours and participants to tell the story of the situation in Africa on their voice mails to spread the word.
Within 24 hours of creating the event, Musavuli's account had been disabled due to a violation of Facebook's terms of use. The reason? Facebook felt Musavuli had harassed other users by posting the event on his friend's walls. After corresponding through email with Facebook's technical support throughout the month of February, Musavuli concluded that Facebook would not reactivate his account and created another one.
He also discovered that he could not join the A&T network as before and his event was also deleted. When another supporter of the boycott publicized the event she was also kicked out.
"Facebook kept giving me indirect answers. They didn't handle the issue properly," said Musavuli.
Musavuli also discovered a connection between Facebook and Nokia and its $15 billion stock in Facebook. After more research he discovered the role Nokia had in the war in Congo, which gave the company bad publicity and may have resulted in a conflict of interest which would explain why Facebook terminated Musavuli's account. "Corporations and media are creating illusions to help distract the public while they are stealing resources for their own profit," said Musavuli.
Those who have agreed to participate in the boycott had no prior knowledge of the current situation in Africa however, they have agreed to promote the boycott and explain its importance as well.
The boycott will take place on March 26 from Noon until 6 p.m. Musavuli hopes that this boycott will at least inspire others to take some form of action in response to this situation.
Although this boycott has received criticism he still feels it is important for people to be aware.
For more information on the war situation in Congo visit www.friendsofcongo.org or Google search "Coltan".
Published: Thursday, March 20, 2008 Updated: Sunday, December 21, 2008
What's your best line of communication? Your phone, the Internet, mail, word of mouth? However you communicate with those near and dear just think for a minute if that was taken away.
While the internet allows people to communicate easily through instant messaging, chat, blogs or spread a message to people, junior Kambale Musavuli had those privileges on one site revoked.
Musavuli, a native of Congo, was using the online community to spread the word about the war going on in his homeland.
The civil engineering major was able to connect the situation to people here in America. As a result, he was kicked off the social networking site, Facebook. Musavuli started his Facebook account in 2004 and the people behind Facebook involuntarily terminated his account in January.
He had created an event about a cell phone boycott he was promoting to help raise awareness about the situation in Africa After reading an International Rescue Committee special report released in 2008, that reported 5.4 million people had died because of war related causes in war in his country since 1998 due to illegal mining. "How can that many people die without receiving any media coverage," Musavuli asked himself.
"If that same situation happened on A&T's campus with those same numbers everyone on our campus would be dead within a week." This situation is very similar to the one depicted in the movie "Blood Diamond." The culprit Musavuli set his sights on wasn't a precious gem but a mineral called Colton.
"Coltan, a mineral used in computers, cell phones, DVD players, pacemakers and many other electronic devices is one of the many minerals illegally extracted and deported from the mines in Africa," said Musavuli. The United Nations reported $25 million mineral profit was made from illegal extractions from Congo.
After reviewing the figures and mortality rates, Musavuli concluded there were more deaths as a result of this war than those of World War II and the Jewish Holocaust. Musavuli felt an obligation to inform others of this terrible situation, especially since the crisis was relevant and relatable to all but hadn't received the appropriate media coverage.
Thus the creation of the Facebook event and the plea for participation. Participation in the boycott would require cell phones to be turned off for a maximum of six hours and participants to tell the story of the situation in Africa on their voice mails to spread the word.
Within 24 hours of creating the event, Musavuli's account had been disabled due to a violation of Facebook's terms of use. The reason? Facebook felt Musavuli had harassed other users by posting the event on his friend's walls. After corresponding through email with Facebook's technical support throughout the month of February, Musavuli concluded that Facebook would not reactivate his account and created another one.
He also discovered that he could not join the A&T network as before and his event was also deleted. When another supporter of the boycott publicized the event she was also kicked out.
"Facebook kept giving me indirect answers. They didn't handle the issue properly," said Musavuli.
Musavuli also discovered a connection between Facebook and Nokia and its $15 billion stock in Facebook. After more research he discovered the role Nokia had in the war in Congo, which gave the company bad publicity and may have resulted in a conflict of interest which would explain why Facebook terminated Musavuli's account. "Corporations and media are creating illusions to help distract the public while they are stealing resources for their own profit," said Musavuli.
Those who have agreed to participate in the boycott had no prior knowledge of the current situation in Africa however, they have agreed to promote the boycott and explain its importance as well.
The boycott will take place on March 26 from Noon until 6 p.m. Musavuli hopes that this boycott will at least inspire others to take some form of action in response to this situation.
Although this boycott has received criticism he still feels it is important for people to be aware.
For more information on the war situation in Congo visit www.friendsofcongo.org or Google search "Coltan".
Tar Heel, NC Smithfield Packing Workers Vote YES For Union
Dante Strobino, from UE Local 150, reported at 10:22pm that the workers at Smithfield Packing in Tar Heel, NC voted yes, 2041-1879, to have the United Food and Commercial Workers represent them.
Smithfield, UFCW start vote on union
By EMERY P. DALESIO, AP, Dec. 10, 2008
TAR HEEL, N.C. - Employees at Smithfield Packing Co.'s massive North Carolina hog slaughterhouse on Wednesday began two days of voting that will decide whether unions will get a rare boost in the country's least-unionized state.
But most important in the decision by about 4,600 workers expected to be announced late Thursday will be how secure Smithfield workers feel about their jobs, and whether they think involving the UFCW would help or hurt them, said Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research at Cornell University and a former union organizer.
"They look at the things that are happening right there in their town or in their workplace," said Bronfenbrenner, who studies factors contributing on union success or failure in organizing. "Has the union focused on the issues that resonate with them? Do they believe this union is theirs? It all depends on what happens there, at Smithfield."
The UFCW has maintained an office presence near the plant for well over a year as it tried to build trust with workers. It has brought in Spanish-speaking organizers to meet with the plant's growing Hispanic work force, and sided with them when federal immigration officials raided the plant. That contrasts with the union's 1994 and 1997 unionizing campaigns, when mobilizers rushed in a few months ahead of the vote.
A federal court ruled in 2006 that Smithfield's bad conduct during those two elections unfairly skewed the votes the union lost.
But Bronfenbrenner thinks the past month may have marked a turning point in America's mood. More than half a million people were laid off in November alone, the government reported last week. A recession was officially declared, and signs mounted that the coming months or years could be the hardest hard times since the Great Depression.
Rising public anger over taxpayer bailouts for corporations focused on the CEOs of the Detroit Three automakers flying private jets to Washington to ask for public money. Workers at a Chicago window factory occupied private property to demand Bank of America reverse its decision to cut off credit, and President-elect Barack Obama signaled he sided with them, Bronfenbrenner said.
"This is a time workers are feeling, 'maybe this is our time and maybe employers aren't so invincible,'" she said.
Jeffrey Hirsch, a University of Tennessee labor law professor who formerly worked for the National Labor Relations Board, agrees that bad economic times are often good times for unions.
"It's an irony perhaps that unions can get a bump in PR and show their relevance when times are bad. That's really when unions show their worth," he said.
Others think rising job fears will lead Smithfield workers to recognize they earn a paycheck because decades ago companies began leaving union-friendly states for places like North Carolina. Only about 3 percent of the state's North Carolina workers belonged to a union in 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the national average was 12.1 percent.
"The fact that there is so much economic uncertainty nationally, and so many of us don't see the resolution, actually makes employees in the South, who are a very savvy bunch, ask themselves, "Now, how will getting this union into this facility, how is it going to make my job more secure? How is it going to make this company prosper and with it my future?" said Bruce Clarke, chief executive of Capital Associated Industries, a nonprofit association of North Carolina employers.
Increasing demand for meat is expected to expand the number of U.S. jobs for people willing to do the hard work by 16 percent by 2016 compared to 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But for now, companies have been trying to counter an oversupply of meat by cutting production to boost prices.
Investors have been worried about the meat industry due to high animal feed costs and sinking profits. Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the nation's largest chicken producer, was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.
Smithfield Packing's parent company Smithfield Foods last week reported its profit sank 76 percent in its second quarter due to rising grain prices. But investors were encouraged by the pork processor's statements that it may have turned the corner, had the backing of lenders if it needed to borrow in a crunch, and looked to pay down debt in 2009. At least three industry analysts expressed bullishness about Smithfield's future.
"The supply picture is becoming clearer as we near 2009 and looks to be lower than we expected in mid-to-late October," Deutsche Bank analyst Christina McGlone wrote in a note to clients this week.
Smithfield, UFCW start vote on union
By EMERY P. DALESIO, AP, Dec. 10, 2008
TAR HEEL, N.C. - Employees at Smithfield Packing Co.'s massive North Carolina hog slaughterhouse on Wednesday began two days of voting that will decide whether unions will get a rare boost in the country's least-unionized state.
But Bronfenbrenner thinks the past month may have marked a turning point in America's mood. More than half a million people were laid off in November alone, the government reported last week. A recession was officially declared, and signs mounted that the coming months or years could be the hardest hard times since the Great Depression.The decision on whether to call in the United Food and Commercial Workers is colored by the rising specter of layoffs amid national economic gloom, and the election of a president and Congress seen as more friendly to labor unions.
Rising public anger over taxpayer bailouts for corporations focused on the CEOs of the Detroit Three automakers flying private jets to Washington to ask for public money. Workers at a Chicago window factory occupied private property to demand Bank of America reverse its decision to cut off credit, and President-elect Barack Obama signaled he sided with them, Bronfenbrenner said.
"This is a time workers are feeling, 'maybe this is our time and maybe employers aren't so invincible,'" she said.
But most important in the decision by about 4,600 workers expected to be announced late Thursday will be how secure Smithfield workers feel about their jobs, and whether they think involving the UFCW would help or hurt them, said Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research at Cornell University and a former union organizer.
"They look at the things that are happening right there in their town or in their workplace," said Bronfenbrenner, who studies factors contributing on union success or failure in organizing. "Has the union focused on the issues that resonate with them? Do they believe this union is theirs? It all depends on what happens there, at Smithfield."
The UFCW has maintained an office presence near the plant for well over a year as it tried to build trust with workers. It has brought in Spanish-speaking organizers to meet with the plant's growing Hispanic work force, and sided with them when federal immigration officials raided the plant. That contrasts with the union's 1994 and 1997 unionizing campaigns, when mobilizers rushed in a few months ahead of the vote.
A federal court ruled in 2006 that Smithfield's bad conduct during those two elections unfairly skewed the votes the union lost.
But Bronfenbrenner thinks the past month may have marked a turning point in America's mood. More than half a million people were laid off in November alone, the government reported last week. A recession was officially declared, and signs mounted that the coming months or years could be the hardest hard times since the Great Depression.
Rising public anger over taxpayer bailouts for corporations focused on the CEOs of the Detroit Three automakers flying private jets to Washington to ask for public money. Workers at a Chicago window factory occupied private property to demand Bank of America reverse its decision to cut off credit, and President-elect Barack Obama signaled he sided with them, Bronfenbrenner said.
"This is a time workers are feeling, 'maybe this is our time and maybe employers aren't so invincible,'" she said.
Jeffrey Hirsch, a University of Tennessee labor law professor who formerly worked for the National Labor Relations Board, agrees that bad economic times are often good times for unions.
"It's an irony perhaps that unions can get a bump in PR and show their relevance when times are bad. That's really when unions show their worth," he said.
Others think rising job fears will lead Smithfield workers to recognize they earn a paycheck because decades ago companies began leaving union-friendly states for places like North Carolina. Only about 3 percent of the state's North Carolina workers belonged to a union in 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the national average was 12.1 percent.
"The fact that there is so much economic uncertainty nationally, and so many of us don't see the resolution, actually makes employees in the South, who are a very savvy bunch, ask themselves, "Now, how will getting this union into this facility, how is it going to make my job more secure? How is it going to make this company prosper and with it my future?" said Bruce Clarke, chief executive of Capital Associated Industries, a nonprofit association of North Carolina employers.
Increasing demand for meat is expected to expand the number of U.S. jobs for people willing to do the hard work by 16 percent by 2016 compared to 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But for now, companies have been trying to counter an oversupply of meat by cutting production to boost prices.
Investors have been worried about the meat industry due to high animal feed costs and sinking profits. Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the nation's largest chicken producer, was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.
Smithfield Packing's parent company Smithfield Foods last week reported its profit sank 76 percent in its second quarter due to rising grain prices. But investors were encouraged by the pork processor's statements that it may have turned the corner, had the backing of lenders if it needed to borrow in a crunch, and looked to pay down debt in 2009. At least three industry analysts expressed bullishness about Smithfield's future.
"The supply picture is becoming clearer as we near 2009 and looks to be lower than we expected in mid-to-late October," Deutsche Bank analyst Christina McGlone wrote in a note to clients this week.
'Yes' Vote at Republic: Workers Get Pay, Plant Occupation Ends
UE News Update, Dec. 10, 2008
CHICAGO - After the conclusion of negotiations Wednesday evening, the membership of Local 1110, more than 200 workers, met in the plant cafeteria to hear and consider the tentative settlement that had been worked out by UE negotiators over the past three days.
The settlement was approved by a unanimous vote.
'Justice - We Did It!'
Following the vote, the UE members, led by Local President Armando Robles, marched out of the plant, chanting “We did it!” in English and Spanish.
Pres. Robles stepped to the microphones outside the front entrance to the plant, where a throng of reporters and cameras had been waiting. He announced the end of the occupation and said that justice had been achieved.
UE Western Region President Carl Rosen then described the negotiations, summarized the settlement agreement, and commented on the significance of the struggle and the achievement.
Pay, Health Care, Vacation Pay
The settlement totals $1.75million. It will provide the workers with:
* eight weeks of pay they are owed under the federal WARN Act;
* provided with two months of continued health coverage, and;
* pay for all accrued and unused vacation.
JPMorgan Chase will provide $400,000 of the settlement, with the balance coming from Bank of America.
Third Party Fund
Although the money will be provided as a loan to Republic Windows and Doors, it will go directly into a third-party fund whose sole purpose is to pay the workers what is owed them.
As the Local 1110 leaders characterized the settlement, “We fought to make them pay what they owe us, and we won.”
'Historic Victory'
UE Director of Organization Bob Kingsley spoke on behalf of the National Union, describing the outcome of the occupation as “a victory for workers everywhere,” and as “an historic victory for America’s labor movement.”
Kingsley went on to call the settlement “a win for all working men and women who face uncertainty, unfairness and job loss in a troubled economy.”
'The Window of Opportunity' Foundation
Kingsley then announced the creation of a new foundation, dedicated to reopening the plant. It will be initiated with seed money from the UE national union and the thousands of dollars of donations to the UE Local 1110 Solidarity Fund that have come in from across the country and around the world in just the past five days.
Melvin Maclin of Local 1110 announced the name of the foundation, which was chosen by the workers themselves: the Window of Opportunity Fund. Maclin said that the fund will be open to receive donations from all friends of the Republic workers and supporters of their struggle.
Rosen introduced U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, praising the congressman for his tireless work in behalf of the Republic workers and indispensible role in bringing about the settlement. Gutierrez spoke at some length, and then introduced David Rudis, Illinois State President, Bank of America. In a statement to reporters, Rep. Gutierrez said, "This money will only be used to pay the workers the benefits they are owed under the law, and it will not under any circumstance be used for corporate bonuses, luxury cars or any other perk for the owners of the plant."
CHICAGO - After the conclusion of negotiations Wednesday evening, the membership of Local 1110, more than 200 workers, met in the plant cafeteria to hear and consider the tentative settlement that had been worked out by UE negotiators over the past three days.
The settlement was approved by a unanimous vote.
'Justice - We Did It!'
Following the vote, the UE members, led by Local President Armando Robles, marched out of the plant, chanting “We did it!” in English and Spanish.
Pres. Robles stepped to the microphones outside the front entrance to the plant, where a throng of reporters and cameras had been waiting. He announced the end of the occupation and said that justice had been achieved.
UE Western Region President Carl Rosen then described the negotiations, summarized the settlement agreement, and commented on the significance of the struggle and the achievement.
Pay, Health Care, Vacation Pay
The settlement totals $1.75million. It will provide the workers with:
* eight weeks of pay they are owed under the federal WARN Act;
* provided with two months of continued health coverage, and;
* pay for all accrued and unused vacation.
JPMorgan Chase will provide $400,000 of the settlement, with the balance coming from Bank of America.
Third Party Fund
Although the money will be provided as a loan to Republic Windows and Doors, it will go directly into a third-party fund whose sole purpose is to pay the workers what is owed them.
As the Local 1110 leaders characterized the settlement, “We fought to make them pay what they owe us, and we won.”
'Historic Victory'
UE Director of Organization Bob Kingsley spoke on behalf of the National Union, describing the outcome of the occupation as “a victory for workers everywhere,” and as “an historic victory for America’s labor movement.”
Kingsley went on to call the settlement “a win for all working men and women who face uncertainty, unfairness and job loss in a troubled economy.”
'The Window of Opportunity' Foundation
Kingsley then announced the creation of a new foundation, dedicated to reopening the plant. It will be initiated with seed money from the UE national union and the thousands of dollars of donations to the UE Local 1110 Solidarity Fund that have come in from across the country and around the world in just the past five days.
Melvin Maclin of Local 1110 announced the name of the foundation, which was chosen by the workers themselves: the Window of Opportunity Fund. Maclin said that the fund will be open to receive donations from all friends of the Republic workers and supporters of their struggle.
Rosen introduced U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, praising the congressman for his tireless work in behalf of the Republic workers and indispensible role in bringing about the settlement. Gutierrez spoke at some length, and then introduced David Rudis, Illinois State President, Bank of America. In a statement to reporters, Rep. Gutierrez said, "This money will only be used to pay the workers the benefits they are owed under the law, and it will not under any circumstance be used for corporate bonuses, luxury cars or any other perk for the owners of the plant."
No Final Agreement Reached; Bargaining Continues Wednesday
UE News Update, Dec. 9, 2008
CHICAGO - 11:30 p.m. (CST) - No final agreement was reached in bargaining on Tuesday involving UE Local 1110 members who have occupied their workplace, the Republic Windows plant, since Friday. Another negotiating session has been set for Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. (CST).
A statement issued late Tuesday night by the UE negotiating committee said, "Negotiations will resume tomorrow as the parties continue to work towards an agreement. Progress was made, and the bank and the Union are bargaining in good faith."
The statement adds, "There are still important details to be worked out before the parties can reach an agreement."
The statement also noted that, in the case of a tentative agreement, UE Local 1110 members will meet, discuss and vote before details can be released.
The announcement was made at about 11:00 p.m. following the session which had begun ten hours earlier.
Representing the union during the meeting were UE Local 1110 President Armando Robles, Vice President Melvin Maclin, Steward Vicente Rangel, UE Western Region President Carl Rosen and UE International Representative Mark Meinster.
Wednesday's Chicago rally will be held as scheduled.
CHICAGO - 11:30 p.m. (CST) - No final agreement was reached in bargaining on Tuesday involving UE Local 1110 members who have occupied their workplace, the Republic Windows plant, since Friday. Another negotiating session has been set for Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. (CST).
A statement issued late Tuesday night by the UE negotiating committee said, "Negotiations will resume tomorrow as the parties continue to work towards an agreement. Progress was made, and the bank and the Union are bargaining in good faith."
The statement adds, "There are still important details to be worked out before the parties can reach an agreement."
The statement also noted that, in the case of a tentative agreement, UE Local 1110 members will meet, discuss and vote before details can be released.
The announcement was made at about 11:00 p.m. following the session which had begun ten hours earlier.
Representing the union during the meeting were UE Local 1110 President Armando Robles, Vice President Melvin Maclin, Steward Vicente Rangel, UE Western Region President Carl Rosen and UE International Representative Mark Meinster.
Wednesday's Chicago rally will be held as scheduled.
CANCELED: Dec. 13 Rally at Bank Of America national HQ to Support Republic Windows & Doors Workers
RALLY at BOA HQ CANCELED
Workers Get Pay; Plant Occupation Ends
Initiated by: NC Bail Out The People Movement; Dante Strobino, organizer, UE Local 150*; Action Center For Justice; & Students For A Democratic Society - UNCC.
(* listed for id purposes)
Info: David Dixon at (704) 492-5226, charlotteaction@gmail.com, or see http://www.charlotteaction.blogspot.com.
Updates from the workers occupying Republic Windows & Doors at http://www.ueunion.org
Republic Talks Continue in Chicago
UE News Update, CHICAGO - 10:00 p.m.
Negotiations that began today at 1:00 p.m. between the UE Local 1110 bargaining committee, Republic Windows and Bank of America are still in progress. No settlement has been reached.
Yesterday, Bank of America issued a statement that it was willing to provide a "limited amount" of additional loans to Republic Windows and Doors to help resolve the plant occupation.
Late this afternoon some news organizations published stories, based on the bank's statement yesterday, that were factually incorrect. Bank of America informed us their statement from yesterday was released in error.
Democratic Vote
When the meeting concludes, the UE committee will return to the factory and report on any progress. Because UE is a democratic organization, only the 200 plus workers currently occupying Republic Windows and Doors will decide if a settlement is acceptable by a democratic vote.
Chicago Rally
Meanwhile, tomorrow's Chicago rally will proceed as planned. See http://www.ueunion.org for details.
Negotiations that began today at 1:00 p.m. between the UE Local 1110 bargaining committee, Republic Windows and Bank of America are still in progress. No settlement has been reached.
Yesterday, Bank of America issued a statement that it was willing to provide a "limited amount" of additional loans to Republic Windows and Doors to help resolve the plant occupation.
Late this afternoon some news organizations published stories, based on the bank's statement yesterday, that were factually incorrect. Bank of America informed us their statement from yesterday was released in error.
Democratic Vote
When the meeting concludes, the UE committee will return to the factory and report on any progress. Because UE is a democratic organization, only the 200 plus workers currently occupying Republic Windows and Doors will decide if a settlement is acceptable by a democratic vote.
Chicago Rally
Meanwhile, tomorrow's Chicago rally will proceed as planned. See http://www.ueunion.org for details.
Protest at Bank Of America HQ Supports Worker Takeover Of Factory In Chicago
Some 20 people took part in a protest yesterday, Dec. 8, outside Bank Of America's national office in uptown Charlotte, NC. They were supporting the Republic Windows & Doors workers currently staging a sit-in at their factory in Chicago. See news reports & videos below. We'll also post a report from one of the participants soon.
News Reports & Videos:
News 14 http://news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=602224
WCNC http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-120808-mw-bofa_protest.429ac7d3.html
WSOC http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18229028/detail.html
WBTV http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9476271
Get involved & stay informed:
UE Local 150
www.ue150.org
Dante Strobino, 919-539-2051
Protesters gather at Bank of America
Updated 12/08/2008 05:15 PM
By: Johnell Johnson
Video at http://news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=602224
Workers feel that Bank of America should be able to continue the line of credit due to the $25 billion bailout they recently received from the federal government.
CHARLOTTE -- Union workers who feel Bank of America has turned its back on them have gathered outside the company's offices at Trade Street and Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte to protest.
Members of the United Electrical Workers Union in Chicago protested their layoffs last week, when they were informed that the Republic Windows and Doors plant would be closing three days before operations were set to shut down because they would no longer be getting a line of credit from Bank of America.
BOA Protesters
Protesters gathered outside Bank of America after the bank decided to stop extending a line of credit to a Chicago company.
Workers feel that Bank of America should be able to continue the line of credit due to the $25 billion bailout they recently received from the federal government. Protestors have also complained about violations of the WARN Act, which requires that businesses with more than 100 employees give 60-days' notice of mass layoffs.
Officials with the protest plan on attempting to speak with Bank of America officials at some point Monday. Calls to Bank of America were not immediately returned to News 14 Carolina.
Union Comment:
"We're in a crisis right now; an economic crisis," said Salia Warren, a field organizer for the United Electrical Workers Union. "Bank of America received $25 billion. It is just not possible that they can't continue to extend a line of credit which is only $5 million, a very small portion of what they received from the government, to these workers.
"We have 300-plus workers in Chicago, Illinois who are actually going to be out of work only for the mere fact that Bank of America is choosing not to extend a line of credit to them. And the government gave them the money, and since Bank of America was bailed out, in turn they should be bailing out the workers. This is sending a very bad precedent across America to companies.
"It's not possible that banks are receiving this money and they are actually telling their consumers, 'We can't give you any of the money we received.' What is going to happen next? Is it going to be another factory that has 500 people that's going to be out of work? It has to stop here. We can not continue to allow this to go on."
Protesters: BofA should restore company's funding
06:26 PM EST on Monday, December 8, 2008
By BETH SHAYNE / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Beth: BShayne@WCNC.com
Video at http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-120808-mw-bofa_protest.429ac7d3.html
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A small group of protesters picketed outside Bank of America headquarters in Charlotte Monday in solidarity with employees of a factory in Chicago.
Employees of Republic Windows and Doors were given three days notice of a layoff at their factory. Their owners said Bank of America had cut off their loan, and the company could no longer do business.
Those employees in Chicago have staged a sit-in since Friday. They are demanding the 60-day notice required by law in Chicago, and vacation back pay. Republic says that's money they can't pay and blames the Bank of America cut-off.
In Charlotte Monday, members of N.C. Public Service Employees Union held signs that read, "Bank of America, You Got Bailed Out. We Got Sold Out." They chanted, "Bail out the workers, not the banks!"
Organizer Salia Warren said, "The workers in Chicago, Illinois, are being told that they no longer have jobs because this line of credit is not being extended to them. If the banks were bailed out, now in turn they should be bailing out the workers."
She was referring to the money that Bank of America was asked to accept as part of the federal bailout. Warren also said demonstrators will be staged at Bank of America locations throughout the country in the coming days.
Those protesters got major support in Chicago Monday afternoon, where Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with Bank of America to pressure the bank into helping protesting workers at a shuttered Chicago plant.
Bank of America has said that the company cannot control their creditors. The bank released this statement Monday afternoon:
"We agree with the statements of public officials that Republic Windows and Doors should do all it can to honor its obligations to its employees and minimize the impact of failure on those employees.
We are reaching out to the management and ownership of the company to see what they can do to help resolve this issue.
As a creditor of the company, we continue to honor all of our agreements with the company and have provided the maximum amount of funding we can under the terms of our agreement.
By any objective measure, Republic Windows and Doors is unable to operate profitably given the challenges of the current economic climate and its industry. Public statements by management of the company have made this clear.
When a company faces such a dire situation, its lender is not empowered to direct the company's management how to manage its affairs and what obligations should be paid. Such decisions belong to the management and owners of the company.
Bank of America has worked with the company and shared our concerns about the company's situation and its operations for the past several months. It is unfortunate that the company has been unable to reverse its declining circumstances."
Ill. Gov. Refuses To Do Business With Charlotte-Based Bank
Monday, December 8, 2008 – updated: 6:31 pm EST December 8, 2008
Video at http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18229028/detail.html
CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered all state agencies Monday to stop doing business with Bank of America to try to pressure the bank into helping laid-off workers staging a sit-in at their shuttered factory.
The governor wants the North Carolina-based bank to use some of its federal bailout money to resolve the protest by about 200 workers at Republic Windows and Doors.
The sit-in began Friday and has fast become a symbol of the sour economy's impact on labor. The workers have promised to remain inside the plant in shifts until they get assurances they will receive severance and vacation pay.
"We hope that this kind of leverage and pressure will encourage Bank of America to do the right thing for this business," Blagojevich said from outside the plant. "Take some of that federal tax money that they've received and invest it by providing the necessary credit to this company so these workers can keep their jobs."
Republic has not made a move to evict the workers since they began the sit-in Friday, the day they lost their jobs with just a few days' notice.
Their plight has drawn support from President-elect Barack Obama, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others.
"We're going strong," Leah Fried, an organizer for the United Electrical Workers union, said earlier Monday. "We're not going anywhere until there's resolution."
Fried said the company told the union that Bank of America canceled its financing. Bank of America said Saturday it wasn't responsible for Republic's financial obligations to its employees.
On Monday, Bank of America officials said Republic Windows and Doors should "honor its obligations to its employees and minimize the impact of failure."
Bank officials said they've worked with the company for months and it's unfortunate Republic hasn't been able to "reverse its declining circumstances." The bank said it'll continue to honor agreements with the company and give the "maximum amount of funding" it can under the terms of the agreement.
But as a lender, bank officials said they're not "empowered to direct the company" on how to manage affairs.
Republic officials have not returned messages for comment.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez said Republic representatives will meet later Monday with union and bank officials.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said from the shuttered plant that he would talk to fellow senators about reminding banks that taxpayer dollars are not for dividends or executive salaries.
"We have been sending billions of dollars to banks like Bank of America and the reason we have sent them the money is to tell them that they had to loan this money out to companies just like Republic so that we can keep these companies in business and not lose these jobs here in the United States," he said.
The governor, meanwhile, said the state plans to pursue a court injunction Tuesday to make sure federal law is followed in giving workers benefits. And state Attorney General Lisa Madigan was investigating the company.
The laid-off workers are occupying the plant around-the-clock in eight-hour shifts, Fried said. About 60 were inside early Monday.
Obama said Sunday the company should honor its commitments to the laid-off employees.
"The workers who are asking for the benefits and payments that they have earned, I think they're absolutely right and understand that what's happening to them is reflective of what's happening across this economy," Obama said.
One of the workers, Silvia Mazon, said in Spanish that she needs the money owed to her for an $1,800 monthly house payment. The 40-year-old Cicero resident said she has enough money saved to survive for one month.
"We're making history," she said.
Local Union Members Protest In Charlotte
The four-day sit-in extended to the Queen City on Monday. About a dozen people gathered to protest right in the middle of uptown Charlotte.
"Bail out the workers, not the banks," they shouted.
The protest highlights the Charlotte connection to the labor dispute in Chicago. Local union members are outraged by what happened at Republic Windows and Doors.
"Bank of America received $25 billion in bailout money and now they're saying we can't continue to give Republic Windows and Doors a $5 million credit line?" asked Salia Warren, one of the protesters.
Warren and others tried to deliver a letter to Bank of America headquarters, but they were turned away.
Many uptown workers ignored the protest, but it did resonate with Rodney Courtney as he and others passed by.
"I'm looking for work too so I know exactly how they feel," he said.
The dispute brings unwanted notoriety at a time when Charlotte is already waiting to see how many jobs it will cut in its merger with Merrill Lynch.
Workers protest outside Bank of America
Posted: Dec 8, 2008 11:27 AM
Updated: Dec 8, 2008 11:55 PM
Written by Michael Handy
Video which shows protest at http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9476271
(this printed story from their website was posted prior to the demonstration-ACFJ)
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Members of the local United Electrical Union are taking over the Plaza in Center City to stage a huge protest outside Bank of America's headquarters.
They are coming to show support for workers who have been occupying a now-closed Chicago manufacturing plant.
Bank of America was the lender that kept this Chicago plant up and running, so when Bank of America recently decided to end that financing, it meant the plant had to shut down.
Hundreds of employees at Republic Window and Door received only a three-day notice telling them what had happened.
That is the key point here. Illinois law requires companies to give at least a 75-day notice or else pay the workers for the amount they would have made during that 75 days.
These workers have quickly gained national attention because they are refusing to leave the plant until someone cuts a check. About 200 folks have not left since Friday, and volunteers are now bringing in blankets, food, and water.
Their biggest complaint is the fact that Bank of America was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Wall Street bailout.
"The situation is just outrageous. It's shameful. Bank of America got $25 billion in bailout money. And then on top of it, they don't want to authorize the company to pay their vacation and severance they're owed under law? I mean, these are just what they're owed under law. We're not asking for anything extra," said Leah Fried, a spokeswoman for United Electrical Workers.
None of the folks who will be protesting on the Plaza have any connection to this Chicago plant. They are simply members of the same union, and felt it was their duty to come protest at Bank of America's headquarters.
The protest starts at 12:30 p.m. WBTV On Your Side will be there and have a complete report starting on our 5:00 p.m. newscast.
===========
Workers Rights are Human Rights!
Organize the South!
Support the Struggles of the NC Public Sector Workers Union, UE local 150
http://ue150.org
News Reports & Videos:
News 14 http://news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=602224
WCNC http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-120808-mw-bofa_protest.429ac7d3.html
WSOC http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18229028/detail.html
WBTV http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9476271
Get involved & stay informed:
UE Local 150
www.ue150.org
Dante Strobino, 919-539-2051
Protesters gather at Bank of America
Updated 12/08/2008 05:15 PM
By: Johnell Johnson
Video at http://news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=602224
Workers feel that Bank of America should be able to continue the line of credit due to the $25 billion bailout they recently received from the federal government.
CHARLOTTE -- Union workers who feel Bank of America has turned its back on them have gathered outside the company's offices at Trade Street and Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte to protest.
Members of the United Electrical Workers Union in Chicago protested their layoffs last week, when they were informed that the Republic Windows and Doors plant would be closing three days before operations were set to shut down because they would no longer be getting a line of credit from Bank of America.
BOA Protesters
Protesters gathered outside Bank of America after the bank decided to stop extending a line of credit to a Chicago company.
Workers feel that Bank of America should be able to continue the line of credit due to the $25 billion bailout they recently received from the federal government. Protestors have also complained about violations of the WARN Act, which requires that businesses with more than 100 employees give 60-days' notice of mass layoffs.
Officials with the protest plan on attempting to speak with Bank of America officials at some point Monday. Calls to Bank of America were not immediately returned to News 14 Carolina.
Union Comment:
"We're in a crisis right now; an economic crisis," said Salia Warren, a field organizer for the United Electrical Workers Union. "Bank of America received $25 billion. It is just not possible that they can't continue to extend a line of credit which is only $5 million, a very small portion of what they received from the government, to these workers.
"We have 300-plus workers in Chicago, Illinois who are actually going to be out of work only for the mere fact that Bank of America is choosing not to extend a line of credit to them. And the government gave them the money, and since Bank of America was bailed out, in turn they should be bailing out the workers. This is sending a very bad precedent across America to companies.
"It's not possible that banks are receiving this money and they are actually telling their consumers, 'We can't give you any of the money we received.' What is going to happen next? Is it going to be another factory that has 500 people that's going to be out of work? It has to stop here. We can not continue to allow this to go on."
Protesters: BofA should restore company's funding
06:26 PM EST on Monday, December 8, 2008
By BETH SHAYNE / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Beth: BShayne@WCNC.com
Video at http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-120808-mw-bofa_protest.429ac7d3.html
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A small group of protesters picketed outside Bank of America headquarters in Charlotte Monday in solidarity with employees of a factory in Chicago.
Employees of Republic Windows and Doors were given three days notice of a layoff at their factory. Their owners said Bank of America had cut off their loan, and the company could no longer do business.
Those employees in Chicago have staged a sit-in since Friday. They are demanding the 60-day notice required by law in Chicago, and vacation back pay. Republic says that's money they can't pay and blames the Bank of America cut-off.
In Charlotte Monday, members of N.C. Public Service Employees Union held signs that read, "Bank of America, You Got Bailed Out. We Got Sold Out." They chanted, "Bail out the workers, not the banks!"
Organizer Salia Warren said, "The workers in Chicago, Illinois, are being told that they no longer have jobs because this line of credit is not being extended to them. If the banks were bailed out, now in turn they should be bailing out the workers."
She was referring to the money that Bank of America was asked to accept as part of the federal bailout. Warren also said demonstrators will be staged at Bank of America locations throughout the country in the coming days.
Those protesters got major support in Chicago Monday afternoon, where Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with Bank of America to pressure the bank into helping protesting workers at a shuttered Chicago plant.
Bank of America has said that the company cannot control their creditors. The bank released this statement Monday afternoon:
"We agree with the statements of public officials that Republic Windows and Doors should do all it can to honor its obligations to its employees and minimize the impact of failure on those employees.
We are reaching out to the management and ownership of the company to see what they can do to help resolve this issue.
As a creditor of the company, we continue to honor all of our agreements with the company and have provided the maximum amount of funding we can under the terms of our agreement.
By any objective measure, Republic Windows and Doors is unable to operate profitably given the challenges of the current economic climate and its industry. Public statements by management of the company have made this clear.
When a company faces such a dire situation, its lender is not empowered to direct the company's management how to manage its affairs and what obligations should be paid. Such decisions belong to the management and owners of the company.
Bank of America has worked with the company and shared our concerns about the company's situation and its operations for the past several months. It is unfortunate that the company has been unable to reverse its declining circumstances."
Ill. Gov. Refuses To Do Business With Charlotte-Based Bank
Monday, December 8, 2008 – updated: 6:31 pm EST December 8, 2008
Video at http://www.wsoctv.com/news/18229028/detail.html
CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered all state agencies Monday to stop doing business with Bank of America to try to pressure the bank into helping laid-off workers staging a sit-in at their shuttered factory.
The governor wants the North Carolina-based bank to use some of its federal bailout money to resolve the protest by about 200 workers at Republic Windows and Doors.
The sit-in began Friday and has fast become a symbol of the sour economy's impact on labor. The workers have promised to remain inside the plant in shifts until they get assurances they will receive severance and vacation pay.
"We hope that this kind of leverage and pressure will encourage Bank of America to do the right thing for this business," Blagojevich said from outside the plant. "Take some of that federal tax money that they've received and invest it by providing the necessary credit to this company so these workers can keep their jobs."
Republic has not made a move to evict the workers since they began the sit-in Friday, the day they lost their jobs with just a few days' notice.
Their plight has drawn support from President-elect Barack Obama, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others.
"We're going strong," Leah Fried, an organizer for the United Electrical Workers union, said earlier Monday. "We're not going anywhere until there's resolution."
Fried said the company told the union that Bank of America canceled its financing. Bank of America said Saturday it wasn't responsible for Republic's financial obligations to its employees.
On Monday, Bank of America officials said Republic Windows and Doors should "honor its obligations to its employees and minimize the impact of failure."
Bank officials said they've worked with the company for months and it's unfortunate Republic hasn't been able to "reverse its declining circumstances." The bank said it'll continue to honor agreements with the company and give the "maximum amount of funding" it can under the terms of the agreement.
But as a lender, bank officials said they're not "empowered to direct the company" on how to manage affairs.
Republic officials have not returned messages for comment.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez said Republic representatives will meet later Monday with union and bank officials.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said from the shuttered plant that he would talk to fellow senators about reminding banks that taxpayer dollars are not for dividends or executive salaries.
"We have been sending billions of dollars to banks like Bank of America and the reason we have sent them the money is to tell them that they had to loan this money out to companies just like Republic so that we can keep these companies in business and not lose these jobs here in the United States," he said.
The governor, meanwhile, said the state plans to pursue a court injunction Tuesday to make sure federal law is followed in giving workers benefits. And state Attorney General Lisa Madigan was investigating the company.
The laid-off workers are occupying the plant around-the-clock in eight-hour shifts, Fried said. About 60 were inside early Monday.
Obama said Sunday the company should honor its commitments to the laid-off employees.
"The workers who are asking for the benefits and payments that they have earned, I think they're absolutely right and understand that what's happening to them is reflective of what's happening across this economy," Obama said.
One of the workers, Silvia Mazon, said in Spanish that she needs the money owed to her for an $1,800 monthly house payment. The 40-year-old Cicero resident said she has enough money saved to survive for one month.
"We're making history," she said.
Local Union Members Protest In Charlotte
The four-day sit-in extended to the Queen City on Monday. About a dozen people gathered to protest right in the middle of uptown Charlotte.
"Bail out the workers, not the banks," they shouted.
The protest highlights the Charlotte connection to the labor dispute in Chicago. Local union members are outraged by what happened at Republic Windows and Doors.
"Bank of America received $25 billion in bailout money and now they're saying we can't continue to give Republic Windows and Doors a $5 million credit line?" asked Salia Warren, one of the protesters.
Warren and others tried to deliver a letter to Bank of America headquarters, but they were turned away.
Many uptown workers ignored the protest, but it did resonate with Rodney Courtney as he and others passed by.
"I'm looking for work too so I know exactly how they feel," he said.
The dispute brings unwanted notoriety at a time when Charlotte is already waiting to see how many jobs it will cut in its merger with Merrill Lynch.
Workers protest outside Bank of America
Posted: Dec 8, 2008 11:27 AM
Updated: Dec 8, 2008 11:55 PM
Written by Michael Handy
Video which shows protest at http://www.wbtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9476271
(this printed story from their website was posted prior to the demonstration-ACFJ)
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Members of the local United Electrical Union are taking over the Plaza in Center City to stage a huge protest outside Bank of America's headquarters.
They are coming to show support for workers who have been occupying a now-closed Chicago manufacturing plant.
Bank of America was the lender that kept this Chicago plant up and running, so when Bank of America recently decided to end that financing, it meant the plant had to shut down.
Hundreds of employees at Republic Window and Door received only a three-day notice telling them what had happened.
That is the key point here. Illinois law requires companies to give at least a 75-day notice or else pay the workers for the amount they would have made during that 75 days.
These workers have quickly gained national attention because they are refusing to leave the plant until someone cuts a check. About 200 folks have not left since Friday, and volunteers are now bringing in blankets, food, and water.
Their biggest complaint is the fact that Bank of America was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Wall Street bailout.
"The situation is just outrageous. It's shameful. Bank of America got $25 billion in bailout money. And then on top of it, they don't want to authorize the company to pay their vacation and severance they're owed under law? I mean, these are just what they're owed under law. We're not asking for anything extra," said Leah Fried, a spokeswoman for United Electrical Workers.
None of the folks who will be protesting on the Plaza have any connection to this Chicago plant. They are simply members of the same union, and felt it was their duty to come protest at Bank of America's headquarters.
The protest starts at 12:30 p.m. WBTV On Your Side will be there and have a complete report starting on our 5:00 p.m. newscast.
===========
Workers Rights are Human Rights!
Organize the South!
Support the Struggles of the NC Public Sector Workers Union, UE local 150
http://ue150.org
Statement of UE National Officers on the Plant Occupation in Chicago
UE News Update, Dec. 9, 2008
The Plant Occupation in Chicago
As most Americans who follow the news know by now, the members of UE Local 1110 have peacefully occupied the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago since the evening of Friday, December 5. That was the day when their plant suddenly closed and their jobs were taken from them, with only three days notice, and without paying workers the vacation they had earned and the 60 days pay that the company owes them for not giving the 60 days plant closing notice required by the WARN Act. The workers now conducting a round-the-clock sit-in at the factory have vowed to stay there until they achieve justice from Republic and from its chief creditor, Bank of America.
Local 1110 members took this action with the unqualified support and encouragement of the UE National Union. We stand fully behind these brave union members in this fight. By their audacious initiative, they have issued a profound statement on behalf of all UE members and working people everywhere. That message is that our country has been following an economic course that is terribly wrong, and economic recovery requires a bailout for workers, not CEOs. Or as the Reverend Jesse Jackson put it, as he delivered food donations to the workers at Republic two days into their sit-in, “We’re going to have a self-induced depression because we are trying to change our economy from the top down. It must be changed from the bottom up.”
We call on working people and supporters of social justice everywhere to stand with us and defend this occupation, support the Republic workers’ continuing struggle for justice, and follow their lead in building a broad movement for economic justice and equality.
On behalf of all the members of UE, we want to express thanks for the broad support the Republic workers have received in their struggle, from people across the country and around the world. We particularly appreciate the supportive public statement from President-elect Obama; the strong advocacy on behalf of the workers by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the support of Rep. Jan Schakowsky, and the help and inspiration provided by Rev. Jackson. The assistance of the Chicago labor movement and national Jobs with Justice has been invaluable.
Workers at Republic Windows and Doors came into UE four years ago, with a resounding 73 percent vote in an NLRB election, because they wanted a union that was democratic and that would enable workers themselves to take the initiative in fighting for fairness on the job. From the start these workers were in synch with UE’s philosophy that workers gain improved economic and working conditions through unified, rank-and-file action. They applied that approach successfully in negotiating contracts and in dealing with grievances in their plant. That UE formula of democracy plus worker mobilization is what made the current historic struggle possible. It’s important to note that the members of Local 1110 chose this course of action through discussion and a democratic vote.
The action of the Republic workers fits well within UE’s unique tradition of empowering and assisting working people to conduct their own campaigns for justice and economic security. The Preamble of the UE Constitution, unchanged since its adoption in 1936, articulates the principles that built our union and which make possible the kind of creative, bold action that has captured the attention of the nation and the world at Republic. “We…form an organization which unites all workers… and pursue(s) at all times a policy of aggressive struggle to improve our conditions.”
John Hovis
General President
Bruce Klipple
General Secretary-Treasurer
Bob Kingsley
Director of Organization
The Plant Occupation in Chicago
As most Americans who follow the news know by now, the members of UE Local 1110 have peacefully occupied the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago since the evening of Friday, December 5. That was the day when their plant suddenly closed and their jobs were taken from them, with only three days notice, and without paying workers the vacation they had earned and the 60 days pay that the company owes them for not giving the 60 days plant closing notice required by the WARN Act. The workers now conducting a round-the-clock sit-in at the factory have vowed to stay there until they achieve justice from Republic and from its chief creditor, Bank of America.
Local 1110 members took this action with the unqualified support and encouragement of the UE National Union. We stand fully behind these brave union members in this fight. By their audacious initiative, they have issued a profound statement on behalf of all UE members and working people everywhere. That message is that our country has been following an economic course that is terribly wrong, and economic recovery requires a bailout for workers, not CEOs. Or as the Reverend Jesse Jackson put it, as he delivered food donations to the workers at Republic two days into their sit-in, “We’re going to have a self-induced depression because we are trying to change our economy from the top down. It must be changed from the bottom up.”
We call on working people and supporters of social justice everywhere to stand with us and defend this occupation, support the Republic workers’ continuing struggle for justice, and follow their lead in building a broad movement for economic justice and equality.
On behalf of all the members of UE, we want to express thanks for the broad support the Republic workers have received in their struggle, from people across the country and around the world. We particularly appreciate the supportive public statement from President-elect Obama; the strong advocacy on behalf of the workers by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the support of Rep. Jan Schakowsky, and the help and inspiration provided by Rev. Jackson. The assistance of the Chicago labor movement and national Jobs with Justice has been invaluable.
Workers at Republic Windows and Doors came into UE four years ago, with a resounding 73 percent vote in an NLRB election, because they wanted a union that was democratic and that would enable workers themselves to take the initiative in fighting for fairness on the job. From the start these workers were in synch with UE’s philosophy that workers gain improved economic and working conditions through unified, rank-and-file action. They applied that approach successfully in negotiating contracts and in dealing with grievances in their plant. That UE formula of democracy plus worker mobilization is what made the current historic struggle possible. It’s important to note that the members of Local 1110 chose this course of action through discussion and a democratic vote.
The action of the Republic workers fits well within UE’s unique tradition of empowering and assisting working people to conduct their own campaigns for justice and economic security. The Preamble of the UE Constitution, unchanged since its adoption in 1936, articulates the principles that built our union and which make possible the kind of creative, bold action that has captured the attention of the nation and the world at Republic. “We…form an organization which unites all workers… and pursue(s) at all times a policy of aggressive struggle to improve our conditions.”
John Hovis
General President
Bruce Klipple
General Secretary-Treasurer
Bob Kingsley
Director of Organization
Workers Occupying Factory Need your Support!
Bank of America, Recipient of $25 Billion in Bailout
Pulls Financing at Factory; 300 Workers Lose Jobs
What: Picket to Demand Plant stay Open!
When: Picket at 12noon - 1pm, Monday, Dec 8th
Where: Bank of America, Corner of Trade St and Tryon St, Charlotte
Background: Bank of America controls the day to day finances of Chicago-based Republic Windows and Doors, LLC, closed its doors on Friday December 5th. The company, in business since 1965, announced to its workforce that the Bank has ended its financing. Republic has told workers that Bank of America has refused to allow payment of money owed under the WARN Act and vacation pay.
Workers have been occupying their factory refusing to leave until Bank of America comply with federal and state WARN Acts which require 60 days notice before the closure of a workplace or 60 days pay in leiu of notice. Bank of America received 25 billion in federal bailout funds yet still refuses to support these workers!
"Just weeks before Christmas we are told our factory will close in three days", says Armando Robles, a maintenance employee and local union president, "taxpayers gave Bank of America billions and they turn around and close our company, we will fight for a bailout for workers."
National television news networks CNN News and Fox are running reports on the following story involving the UE members in Chicago. Several national news media outlets have covered this fast-developing story; several links are provided below. More news to follow as it becomes available...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-workersoccupyfact,0,1928458.story
http://www.france24.com/en/20081206-laid-off-workers-furious-bank-pulls-chicago-plants-credit
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/republic-windows-doors-120508.html
Pulls Financing at Factory; 300 Workers Lose Jobs
What: Picket to Demand Plant stay Open!
When: Picket at 12noon - 1pm, Monday, Dec 8th
Where: Bank of America, Corner of Trade St and Tryon St, Charlotte
Background: Bank of America controls the day to day finances of Chicago-based Republic Windows and Doors, LLC, closed its doors on Friday December 5th. The company, in business since 1965, announced to its workforce that the Bank has ended its financing. Republic has told workers that Bank of America has refused to allow payment of money owed under the WARN Act and vacation pay.
Workers have been occupying their factory refusing to leave until Bank of America comply with federal and state WARN Acts which require 60 days notice before the closure of a workplace or 60 days pay in leiu of notice. Bank of America received 25 billion in federal bailout funds yet still refuses to support these workers!
"Just weeks before Christmas we are told our factory will close in three days", says Armando Robles, a maintenance employee and local union president, "taxpayers gave Bank of America billions and they turn around and close our company, we will fight for a bailout for workers."
National television news networks CNN News and Fox are running reports on the following story involving the UE members in Chicago. Several national news media outlets have covered this fast-developing story; several links are provided below. More news to follow as it becomes available...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-workersoccupyfact,0,1928458.story
http://www.france24.com/en/20081206-laid-off-workers-furious-bank-pulls-chicago-plants-credit
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/republic-windows-doors-120508.html
Spying on pacifists, environmentalists and nuns
Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 7, 2008
Reporting from Takoma Park, Md. -- To friends in the protest movement, Lucy was an eager 20-something who attended their events and sent encouraging e-mails to support their causes.
Only one thing seemed strange.
"At one demonstration, I remember her showing up with a laptop computer and typing away," said Mike Stark, who helped lead the anti-death-penalty march in Baltimore that day. "We all thought that was odd."
Not really. The woman was an undercover Maryland State Police trooper who between 2005 and 2007 infiltrated more than two dozen rallies and meetings of nonviolent groups.
Maryland officials now concede that, based on information gathered by "Lucy" and others, state police wrongly listed at least 53 Americans as terrorists in a criminal intelligence database -- and shared some information about them with half a dozen state and federal agencies, including the National Security Agency.
Among those labeled as terrorists: two Catholic nuns, a former Democratic congressional candidate, a lifelong pacifist and a registered lobbyist. One suspect's file warned that she was "involved in puppet making and allows anarchists to utilize her property for meetings."
"There wasn't a scintilla of illegal activity" going on, said David Rocah, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit and in July obtained the first surveillance files. State police have released other heavily redacted documents.
Investigators, the files show, targeted groups that advocated against abortion, global warming, nuclear arms, military recruiting in high schools and biodefense research, among other issues.
"It was unconscionable conduct," said Democratic state Sen. Brian Frosh, who is backing legislation to ban similar spying in Maryland unless the police superintendent can document a "reasonable, articulable suspicion" of criminal activity.
The case is the latest to emerge since the Sept. 11 attacks spurred a sharp increase in state and federal surveillance of Americans. Critics say such investigations violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly, and serve to inhibit lawful dissent.
In the largest known effort, the Pentagon monitored at least 186 lawful protests and meetings -- including church services and silent vigils -- in California and other states.
The military also compiled more than 2,800 reports on Americans in a database of supposed terrorist threats. That program, known as TALON, was ordered closed in 2007 after it was exposed in news reports.
The Maryland operation also has ended, but critics still question why police spent hundreds of hours spying on Quakers and other peace groups in a state that reported more than 36,000 violent crimes last year.
Stephen Sachs, a former state attorney general, investigated the scandal for Gov. Martin O'Malley -- a Democrat elected in 2006. He concluded that state police had violated federal regulations and "significantly overreached."
According to Sachs' 93-page report and other documents, state police launched the operation in March 2005 out of concern that the planned execution of a convicted murderer might lead to violent protests.
They sent Lucy to join local activists at Takoma Park's Electrik Maid, a funky community center popular with punk rockers and slam poets. Ten people attended the gathering, including a local representative from Amnesty International.
"The meeting was primarily concerned with getting people to put up fliers and getting information out to local businesses and churches about the upcoming events," the undercover officer reported later. "No other pertinent intelligence information was obtained."
That proved true for all 29 meetings, rallies and protests that Lucy ultimately attended. Most drew only a handful of people, and none involved illegal or disruptive actions.
Using the aliases Lucy Shoup and Lucy McDonald, she befriended activists. "I want to get involved in different causes," she wrote in an e-mail, citing her interest in "anti-death penalty, antiwar and pro-animal actions!!!"
Max Obuszewski, a Baltimore pacifist who leads antiwar protests, said Lucy asked about civil disobedience, but didn't instigate any. "She never volunteered to do anything, not even hand out leaflets," he said. "She was not an agent provocateur."
Greg Shipley, a state police spokesman, said that no one in the department had been disciplined in connection with the spying program. Lucy, who has not been publicly identified, would not consent to an interview, he said.
The surveillance, Shipley said, was inappropriate. And the listing of lawful activity as terrorism "shouldn't have happened, and has been corrected."
Most of the files list terrorism as a "primary crime" and a "secondary crime," then add subgroups for designations such as antiwar protester.
Some contain errors and inconsistencies that are almost comical.
Nancy Kricorian, 48, a novelist on the terrorist list, is coordinator for the New York City chapter of CodePink, an antiwar group. She serves as liaison with local police for group protests, and has never been arrested.
"I have no idea why I made the list," she said. "I've never been to the state of Maryland, except maybe to stop for gas on the way to Washington."
Josh Tulkin, 27, a registered lobbyist with the Virginia state Legislature, is cited under "terrorism -- environmental extremists." Tulkin was deputy director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network, an environmental group that claims 15,000 members and regularly meets with governors and members of Congress.
"If asking your elected officials a question about public policy is a crime, then I'm guilty," he said.
Barry Kissin, 57, a lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006, heads the Frederick Progressive Action Coalition, a group that works "for social, economic and environmental justice," according to his police file. Their protests "are always peaceful," it added.
He was labeled "Terrorism -- Anti-Government."
Nadine Bloch, 47, runs workshops for protest groups that seek corporate responsibility and builds huge papier-mache puppets often used in street marches. Her terrorism file indicates she participated in a Taking Action for Animals conference in Washington on July 16-18, 2005.
Animal rights, Bloch said, is one of the few causes she doesn't actively embrace. Besides, she was attending an educators conference in Hawaii that week as a contractor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"This whole thing," she said, "is so absurd."
Drogin is a Times staff writer.
bob.drogin@latimes.com
Reporting from Takoma Park, Md. -- To friends in the protest movement, Lucy was an eager 20-something who attended their events and sent encouraging e-mails to support their causes.
Only one thing seemed strange.
"At one demonstration, I remember her showing up with a laptop computer and typing away," said Mike Stark, who helped lead the anti-death-penalty march in Baltimore that day. "We all thought that was odd."
Not really. The woman was an undercover Maryland State Police trooper who between 2005 and 2007 infiltrated more than two dozen rallies and meetings of nonviolent groups.
Maryland officials now concede that, based on information gathered by "Lucy" and others, state police wrongly listed at least 53 Americans as terrorists in a criminal intelligence database -- and shared some information about them with half a dozen state and federal agencies, including the National Security Agency.
Among those labeled as terrorists: two Catholic nuns, a former Democratic congressional candidate, a lifelong pacifist and a registered lobbyist. One suspect's file warned that she was "involved in puppet making and allows anarchists to utilize her property for meetings."
"There wasn't a scintilla of illegal activity" going on, said David Rocah, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit and in July obtained the first surveillance files. State police have released other heavily redacted documents.
Investigators, the files show, targeted groups that advocated against abortion, global warming, nuclear arms, military recruiting in high schools and biodefense research, among other issues.
"It was unconscionable conduct," said Democratic state Sen. Brian Frosh, who is backing legislation to ban similar spying in Maryland unless the police superintendent can document a "reasonable, articulable suspicion" of criminal activity.
The case is the latest to emerge since the Sept. 11 attacks spurred a sharp increase in state and federal surveillance of Americans. Critics say such investigations violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly, and serve to inhibit lawful dissent.
In the largest known effort, the Pentagon monitored at least 186 lawful protests and meetings -- including church services and silent vigils -- in California and other states.
The military also compiled more than 2,800 reports on Americans in a database of supposed terrorist threats. That program, known as TALON, was ordered closed in 2007 after it was exposed in news reports.
The Maryland operation also has ended, but critics still question why police spent hundreds of hours spying on Quakers and other peace groups in a state that reported more than 36,000 violent crimes last year.
Stephen Sachs, a former state attorney general, investigated the scandal for Gov. Martin O'Malley -- a Democrat elected in 2006. He concluded that state police had violated federal regulations and "significantly overreached."
According to Sachs' 93-page report and other documents, state police launched the operation in March 2005 out of concern that the planned execution of a convicted murderer might lead to violent protests.
They sent Lucy to join local activists at Takoma Park's Electrik Maid, a funky community center popular with punk rockers and slam poets. Ten people attended the gathering, including a local representative from Amnesty International.
"The meeting was primarily concerned with getting people to put up fliers and getting information out to local businesses and churches about the upcoming events," the undercover officer reported later. "No other pertinent intelligence information was obtained."
That proved true for all 29 meetings, rallies and protests that Lucy ultimately attended. Most drew only a handful of people, and none involved illegal or disruptive actions.
Using the aliases Lucy Shoup and Lucy McDonald, she befriended activists. "I want to get involved in different causes," she wrote in an e-mail, citing her interest in "anti-death penalty, antiwar and pro-animal actions!!!"
Max Obuszewski, a Baltimore pacifist who leads antiwar protests, said Lucy asked about civil disobedience, but didn't instigate any. "She never volunteered to do anything, not even hand out leaflets," he said. "She was not an agent provocateur."
Greg Shipley, a state police spokesman, said that no one in the department had been disciplined in connection with the spying program. Lucy, who has not been publicly identified, would not consent to an interview, he said.
The surveillance, Shipley said, was inappropriate. And the listing of lawful activity as terrorism "shouldn't have happened, and has been corrected."
Most of the files list terrorism as a "primary crime" and a "secondary crime," then add subgroups for designations such as antiwar protester.
Some contain errors and inconsistencies that are almost comical.
Nancy Kricorian, 48, a novelist on the terrorist list, is coordinator for the New York City chapter of CodePink, an antiwar group. She serves as liaison with local police for group protests, and has never been arrested.
"I have no idea why I made the list," she said. "I've never been to the state of Maryland, except maybe to stop for gas on the way to Washington."
Josh Tulkin, 27, a registered lobbyist with the Virginia state Legislature, is cited under "terrorism -- environmental extremists." Tulkin was deputy director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network, an environmental group that claims 15,000 members and regularly meets with governors and members of Congress.
"If asking your elected officials a question about public policy is a crime, then I'm guilty," he said.
Barry Kissin, 57, a lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006, heads the Frederick Progressive Action Coalition, a group that works "for social, economic and environmental justice," according to his police file. Their protests "are always peaceful," it added.
He was labeled "Terrorism -- Anti-Government."
Nadine Bloch, 47, runs workshops for protest groups that seek corporate responsibility and builds huge papier-mache puppets often used in street marches. Her terrorism file indicates she participated in a Taking Action for Animals conference in Washington on July 16-18, 2005.
Animal rights, Bloch said, is one of the few causes she doesn't actively embrace. Besides, she was attending an educators conference in Hawaii that week as a contractor for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"This whole thing," she said, "is so absurd."
Drogin is a Times staff writer.
bob.drogin@latimes.com
UAW to renegotiate labor terms, suspend jobs bank
KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON, AP, Dec. 4, 2008
DETROIT – The United Auto Workers said Wednesday it is willing to change its contracts with U.S. automakers and accept delayed payments of billions of dollars to a union-run health care trust to do its part to help the struggling companies secure $34 billion in government loans.
United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said the union will suspend the jobs bank, in which laid-off workers are paid up to 95 percent of their salaries while not working, but he did not give specifics or a timetable of when the program will end.
"We're going to sit down and work out the mechanics," Gettelfinger said at a news conference after meeting with local union officials. "We're a little unclear on some of the issues."
Members of Congress criticized the automakers last month for paying workers who are not on the job. About 3,500 auto workers across the three companies are currently in jobs bank programs.
One local union member who was in the meeting said the changes to the jobs bank would nearly eliminate the program. The member asked not to be identified because the details had not been made public.
Gettelfinger stopped short of saying the union would reopen contract talks with General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. but said it would be willing to return to the bargaining table to change some terms.
Talks with GM will begin immediately, but additional bargaining officials must be elected for Ford and Chrysler, Gettelfinger said, and any modifications would still have to be ratified by local union members.
He also said the union will run a television ad in Maine, Kentucky, Indiana and Minnesota to put the faces of union workers on the controversy over the loans, and explain how the auto industry differs from the banking industry. The ads presumably are designed to pressure Congressional opponents of the loans.
"There's a perception problem," Gettelfinger said, stressing that the automakers' woes have painted a negative view of the union. "Yes, we have lost some clout."
Delaying the health care trust payments will help the companies survive their cash shortages, which they say were brought on by the severe economic downturn and the worst U.S. sales climate in more than a quarter century.
GM had been scheduled to pay more than $7.5 billion early next year to the union-administered fund which will take over retiree health care payments on Jan. 1, 2010. Ford owes $6.3 billion to its trust fund at the end of this year. Chrysler figures were unavailable.
The delay will have to be approved by federal courts, which already have blessed the trusts' formation.
All three companies agreed to fund the trusts, called voluntary employee beneficiary associations or VEBAs, as part of the landmark 2007 contract reached with the UAW. By doing so they move billions in liabilities off their books.
When they go into effect, the trusts will pay health care bills for about 800,000 UAW retirees, spouses and dependents at the three companies. GM expects to save about $3 billion a year when the expenses are moved, while Ford says it will save $1 billion.
The CEOs of all three automakers are heading to Washington for more hearings Thursday and Friday on their loan requests after an abysmal showing before lawmakers last month. Gettelfinger will also attend.
Congressional leaders demanded business plans from all three that include a reduction in labor costs so Detroit is more competitive with foreign automakers with U.S. factories. The companies submitted their plans to Congress on Tuesday.
"I don't think Congress is out for blood," Gettelfinger said of the criticism the union received during his previous testimony last month. "There will be more pressure on us to do this. We're going to step up and do it."
That sentiment was echoed by several union representatives at the news conference.
"Everybody has to give a little bit," said Rich Bennett, an official for Local 122 in Twinsburg, Ohio, representing Chrysler workers. "We've made concessions. We really feel we're doing our part."
But a retired GM worker said the union might be acting hastily out of fear that one of the automakers could shut down.
"Fear is a bad basis on which to make decisions," said Frank Hammer, of Local 909 in Warren, Mich. "I think they're making another mistake."
Members at Local 122 are fearful of losing their jobs, said Bennett's associate, Ken Walters. They're seeing nearby plants shut down on regular basis.
General Holliefield, the UAW vice president representing Chrysler workers, said union members "historically do the right thing" in terms of making concessions during tough times, although the moves outlined Wednesday came to fruition following last month's congressional thrashing.
"Washington didn't ask us for concessions," he said. "It wasn't anything we were thinking about."
The president of Chrysler said the UAW's willingness to change the union's contract is a good step.
Chrysler LLC President Tom LaSorda said during a Toledo rally for the industry on Wednesday that both sides need to go back and review the entire framework of the contract. He said if the union would surrender job security protections it would help the Detroit Three in the long run.
___
AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report.
DETROIT – The United Auto Workers said Wednesday it is willing to change its contracts with U.S. automakers and accept delayed payments of billions of dollars to a union-run health care trust to do its part to help the struggling companies secure $34 billion in government loans.
United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said the union will suspend the jobs bank, in which laid-off workers are paid up to 95 percent of their salaries while not working, but he did not give specifics or a timetable of when the program will end.
"We're going to sit down and work out the mechanics," Gettelfinger said at a news conference after meeting with local union officials. "We're a little unclear on some of the issues."
Members of Congress criticized the automakers last month for paying workers who are not on the job. About 3,500 auto workers across the three companies are currently in jobs bank programs.
One local union member who was in the meeting said the changes to the jobs bank would nearly eliminate the program. The member asked not to be identified because the details had not been made public.
Gettelfinger stopped short of saying the union would reopen contract talks with General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. but said it would be willing to return to the bargaining table to change some terms.
Talks with GM will begin immediately, but additional bargaining officials must be elected for Ford and Chrysler, Gettelfinger said, and any modifications would still have to be ratified by local union members.
He also said the union will run a television ad in Maine, Kentucky, Indiana and Minnesota to put the faces of union workers on the controversy over the loans, and explain how the auto industry differs from the banking industry. The ads presumably are designed to pressure Congressional opponents of the loans.
"There's a perception problem," Gettelfinger said, stressing that the automakers' woes have painted a negative view of the union. "Yes, we have lost some clout."
Delaying the health care trust payments will help the companies survive their cash shortages, which they say were brought on by the severe economic downturn and the worst U.S. sales climate in more than a quarter century.
GM had been scheduled to pay more than $7.5 billion early next year to the union-administered fund which will take over retiree health care payments on Jan. 1, 2010. Ford owes $6.3 billion to its trust fund at the end of this year. Chrysler figures were unavailable.
The delay will have to be approved by federal courts, which already have blessed the trusts' formation.
All three companies agreed to fund the trusts, called voluntary employee beneficiary associations or VEBAs, as part of the landmark 2007 contract reached with the UAW. By doing so they move billions in liabilities off their books.
When they go into effect, the trusts will pay health care bills for about 800,000 UAW retirees, spouses and dependents at the three companies. GM expects to save about $3 billion a year when the expenses are moved, while Ford says it will save $1 billion.
The CEOs of all three automakers are heading to Washington for more hearings Thursday and Friday on their loan requests after an abysmal showing before lawmakers last month. Gettelfinger will also attend.
Congressional leaders demanded business plans from all three that include a reduction in labor costs so Detroit is more competitive with foreign automakers with U.S. factories. The companies submitted their plans to Congress on Tuesday.
"I don't think Congress is out for blood," Gettelfinger said of the criticism the union received during his previous testimony last month. "There will be more pressure on us to do this. We're going to step up and do it."
That sentiment was echoed by several union representatives at the news conference.
"Everybody has to give a little bit," said Rich Bennett, an official for Local 122 in Twinsburg, Ohio, representing Chrysler workers. "We've made concessions. We really feel we're doing our part."
But a retired GM worker said the union might be acting hastily out of fear that one of the automakers could shut down.
"Fear is a bad basis on which to make decisions," said Frank Hammer, of Local 909 in Warren, Mich. "I think they're making another mistake."
Members at Local 122 are fearful of losing their jobs, said Bennett's associate, Ken Walters. They're seeing nearby plants shut down on regular basis.
General Holliefield, the UAW vice president representing Chrysler workers, said union members "historically do the right thing" in terms of making concessions during tough times, although the moves outlined Wednesday came to fruition following last month's congressional thrashing.
"Washington didn't ask us for concessions," he said. "It wasn't anything we were thinking about."
The president of Chrysler said the UAW's willingness to change the union's contract is a good step.
Chrysler LLC President Tom LaSorda said during a Toledo rally for the industry on Wednesday that both sides need to go back and review the entire framework of the contract. He said if the union would surrender job security protections it would help the Detroit Three in the long run.
___
AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report.
President’s olive branch: Will Obama reciprocate?
Stephen T. Maimbodei, The Herald (Zimbabwe), Dec. 4, 2008
It was a statement that passed without notice in an international media obsessed with Mugabe-bashing.
On November 7, Jitendra Joshi of AFP made a poignant remark, which should not only be applauded but also taken seriously for the good of the Zimbabwean people.
Joshi remarked that President Mugabe, long "branded a dictator" by the Bush administration, sent a congratulatory message and "extended an olive branch to (Barack) Obama" telling the US President-elect that he "cherish(ed) the hope of working with (his) administration".
Due to America’s global standing, it also means that Obama’s response can influence the West’s attitude toward Zimbabwe.
However, we all wonder whether Obama will reciprocate this gesture of peace and goodwill. Will he live up to the meanings of his names "blessing, the good"?
The historic election of November 4, which saw Americans choosing the first black person to the presidency, has come and gone.
The variables at play in the US presidential poll are important when interrogating pertinent issues in the Zimbabwe-West discourse.
For they mirror African Americans’ 400-year struggle to achieve the so-called American dream, vis-a-vis Zimbabwe’s revolutionary fight for self-determination.
At the party political level, initially it was race and gender (black/white and male/female).
When Obama emerged the Democrats’ candidate, it translated into race and ideology (black/white, Republican/Democrat; right, left, centre right and centre left).
Never has a presidential hopeful’s name been such an issue as happened with Barack Hussein Obama.
As is the usual case with US polls, Obama’s bid also became a religious issue although it was eventually played down.
Some tried to make the etymology, meanings, spellings and pronunciations of his names central issues, at the expense of real issue as the names underwent immense scrutiny.
Despite all that, Obama still emerged victorious.
This was why the Zimbabwean leader’s message was so full of hope, congratulating a leader whose roots are set in Africa and in a country which, like Zimbabwe, fought a bitter struggle to gain independence under the leadership of Jomo Kenyatta.
The olive branch means that a new and positive chapter should be opened.
This writer hopes that Obama will appreciate that it has taken an African four centuries to be acceptable to the white world as a leader they can "trust".
However, I still question a justice system that puts in place mechanisms to prevent capable people whom it clams enjoy freedoms under its constitution to run for high office because of the colour of their skin.
Africa also had to pass that test from the colonial masters before being granted independence. Even then, the past five decades have shown that there are still many hurdles to be cleared before total independence.
Obama’s win was good for Africa and its impact was felt everywhere.
Although Africa acknowledges that Obama will not govern single-handedly, they still wonder what his win means for Africa.
How many positives will translate into tangibles from his election agenda?
Obama is now putting together his government and people are already second-guessing his policies through the key people he has so far picked.
There are great expectations after the ruinous Bush policies.
Three principles are central to any American establishment: economy; foreign policy and national security.
The team already in place shows that Obama has not been able to extricate himself from political dynasties like the Kennedys, Clintons and Bushes.
Thus, his policy changes span four decades, since John Kennedy had an immense impact on Obama and the majority of people who voted for him.
His is an unenviable task.
The present line-up for key ministries says it all.
After the rhetoric that characterised his campaign, it is now back to practicalities; serving the American establishment.
He is unlikely to have leeway to push through most of what is on his "change" agenda.
The line-up includes Caroline Kennedy who was a central figure in his campaign. She still has to get a substantive position.
Hillary Clinton is secretary of state-designate and she is true to what critics say about her: a cautious, pragmatist and shrewd contriver who does or says nothing for nothing.
Seeing the concessions former president Bill Clinton made to enable her to get the post, it goes to show how much power the position wields.
Obama said that he admires her because she is tough and they share America’s core values.
Another notable appointee is Bush’s secretary of defence who retains his post and his Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay policies seem to dovetail with those of Obama’s campaign promises.
Obama comes at a time of great instability and the president-elect is going the "African way" of inclusive governments.
On September 15, Zimbabwe’s three largest parties signed a Global Political Agreement, paving way for an inclusive Government.
And they did so under the watchful eyes of the Bush administration and other Western governments.
Now faced with a nation divided by Iraq and Afghanistan and reeling under a severe recession, Obama’s foreign policy will be intriguing to watch.
Arguments abound that he will be managing a lacklustre US whose superpower status is under threat from emerging economies such as China, Russia and India.
His task will be to "rebrand" America in a way that is acceptable to the establishment, the people who voted for him and an international community that is fed up with Washington’s arrogance.
That Susan Rice, dubbed an expert on Zimbabwe, was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations, could mean any one of many things for Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular.
Considering the huge investments in illegal regime change by the Bush administration, will Zimbabwe be one of Obama first ports of call in the "rebranding" exercise?
His administration already has Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice whose positions on Zimbabwe are well known.
However, what has been striking has been Obama’s conspicuous silence on his Africa policy, except for odd comments here and there.
It is doubly odd because his Middle East policy was outlined the day he clinched the party candidacy.
So, whither Zimbabwe under Obama? What are the "changes" under Obama? Will these be changes meant to fullfil America’s illegal regime change plans?
Will it be change that takes cognisance of the ruin that Western-induced sanctions have done to Zimbabwe?
Obama and Clinton vigorously supported these illegal sanctions and the regime change agenda.
Will there be an appreciation in the new administration that the land question is core to the principles and values of an independent Zimbabwe?
Will people like Susan Rice and Susan Page of the National Democratic Institute, who was recently in Zimbabwe, tell the truth that land has always been the issue?
Will it be change that will recognises Zimbabwe’s sovereignty?
A bitter and protracted liberation struggle left thousands dead and maimed, as well as destabilising neighbouring states, some of which the US is now using to vilify Zimbabwe.
Will there be acknowledgement that the US, Britain and the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world have unfinished business dating back to Jimmy Carter and Margaret Thatcher?
Will the Obama administration also realise that the land issue, even in his native Kenya, is the epicentre of Africa’s struggles, that Africa has to empower people using its rich natural resources?
Will the Obama administration realise that as much as we want democracy, human rights and good governance, these cannot exist outside of economic empowerment?
It is an understatement to tell the Western world that Africans want to be masters of their destiny.
Policies crafted by fly-by-night "experts" will not work until people are fully empowered.
Well-meaning policies on HIV and Aids and poverty should be premised on realities on the ground, such as who exactly is benefiting from Africa’s rich natural and human resources.
Why should Africa play second fiddle in
organisations such as the World Trade Organisation and the UN where they cannot even get a permanent veto-status seat?
Africa operates on policies which do not work imposed by the West, and when they do not work, it is reduced to governance problems.
Africa has become a dumping ground for Western excesses and has been negatively impacted by these excesses, resulting in climate change that is causing perennial droughts that threaten food security and regional peace and security.
Why should Africa be so indebted to the West when it is so rich in mineral wealth? Who is fuelling the continent’s conflicts when Africa lacks manufacturing capacity?
These are issues ignored by previous American administrations and the European Union, and Zimbabwe and Africa now hope that Obama will look closely and address them with a human heart.
Foreign Secretary-designate Clinton should realise that in a global village no one nation can be allowed to call the shots at the expense of others.
It is not true that Africom is being force-fed on a continent that is lagging in development.
Would the Obama administration pursue a project that Africa has rejected simply because it seeks to preserve American lives at the expense of lives elsewhere?
Late national hero Cde Eddison Zvobgo said in 1980 that the West’s unwritten policy was "(Robert) Mugabe must be stopped".
Twenty-eight years later not much has changed and we wonder if Obama will make any changes.
Successive US administrations have sponsored anyone who seems capable of stopping President Mugabe at the expense of real development that benefits all Zimbabweans.
Successive US ambassadors have been posted with the sole mission of dislodging the Zanu-PF Government from power and installing a puppet regime.
The divisive policies of past administrations while perpetuating US interests have been meaningless for the people they claim to be "fighting" for.
This antagonistic approach to Zimbabwe and Africa is what Obama should look at.
Obama should realise that the world is watching him acutely.
Some analysts argue that Obama’s Southern Africa policy (read Zimbabwe) will be based on close partnerships with what they say is an amenable emerging leadership in the region.
Such divide-and-rule tactics keep Africa in perpetual underdevelopment.
Clinton’s policy influence on Zimbabwe dates back to her days as first lady when she visited Zimbabwe in 1997, and she had the opportunity to meet various interest groups, most of which were anti-Government.
Two years after her visit, MDC was formed with immense backing from the West and with the mandate of effecting an illegal regime change.
The so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (commonly known by its acronym ZDERA) followed soon after that and sanctions are there for all to see.
In June 2007, Clinton sponsored the "Clinton Bill to Support Democracy and Human Rights in Zimbabwe", calling on Washington "to address ongoing human rights concerns in Zimbabwe".
Clinton said that the Bill would send a message to the region that America supports a "free and fair Zimbabwean election and a lasting democratic peace in the years that follow."
These sentiments were echoed in her acceptance statement last Monday, after the appointment.
Obama is no different.
In March 2007, he introduced the "Obama Resolution Condemning Human Rights Violations in Zimbabwe", which basically called for regime change and was passed in June 2007 by the Senate.
However, campaigning and governing are separate issues.
Come January 20, 2009 Obama will be governing, and Zimbabweans anxiously await Obama’s response to President Mugabe’s olive branch.
Zimbabwe’s revolution is ongoing and generations later many will continue from where Cde Mugabe left. The region has also made it clear that it does not want to again host the likes of Jonas Savimbi, Afonso Dhlakama and Laurent Nkunda in order to feed Western interests.
It was a statement that passed without notice in an international media obsessed with Mugabe-bashing.
On November 7, Jitendra Joshi of AFP made a poignant remark, which should not only be applauded but also taken seriously for the good of the Zimbabwean people.
Joshi remarked that President Mugabe, long "branded a dictator" by the Bush administration, sent a congratulatory message and "extended an olive branch to (Barack) Obama" telling the US President-elect that he "cherish(ed) the hope of working with (his) administration".
Due to America’s global standing, it also means that Obama’s response can influence the West’s attitude toward Zimbabwe.
However, we all wonder whether Obama will reciprocate this gesture of peace and goodwill. Will he live up to the meanings of his names "blessing, the good"?
The historic election of November 4, which saw Americans choosing the first black person to the presidency, has come and gone.
The variables at play in the US presidential poll are important when interrogating pertinent issues in the Zimbabwe-West discourse.
For they mirror African Americans’ 400-year struggle to achieve the so-called American dream, vis-a-vis Zimbabwe’s revolutionary fight for self-determination.
At the party political level, initially it was race and gender (black/white and male/female).
When Obama emerged the Democrats’ candidate, it translated into race and ideology (black/white, Republican/Democrat; right, left, centre right and centre left).
Never has a presidential hopeful’s name been such an issue as happened with Barack Hussein Obama.
As is the usual case with US polls, Obama’s bid also became a religious issue although it was eventually played down.
Some tried to make the etymology, meanings, spellings and pronunciations of his names central issues, at the expense of real issue as the names underwent immense scrutiny.
Despite all that, Obama still emerged victorious.
This was why the Zimbabwean leader’s message was so full of hope, congratulating a leader whose roots are set in Africa and in a country which, like Zimbabwe, fought a bitter struggle to gain independence under the leadership of Jomo Kenyatta.
The olive branch means that a new and positive chapter should be opened.
This writer hopes that Obama will appreciate that it has taken an African four centuries to be acceptable to the white world as a leader they can "trust".
However, I still question a justice system that puts in place mechanisms to prevent capable people whom it clams enjoy freedoms under its constitution to run for high office because of the colour of their skin.
Africa also had to pass that test from the colonial masters before being granted independence. Even then, the past five decades have shown that there are still many hurdles to be cleared before total independence.
Obama’s win was good for Africa and its impact was felt everywhere.
Although Africa acknowledges that Obama will not govern single-handedly, they still wonder what his win means for Africa.
How many positives will translate into tangibles from his election agenda?
Obama is now putting together his government and people are already second-guessing his policies through the key people he has so far picked.
There are great expectations after the ruinous Bush policies.
Three principles are central to any American establishment: economy; foreign policy and national security.
The team already in place shows that Obama has not been able to extricate himself from political dynasties like the Kennedys, Clintons and Bushes.
Thus, his policy changes span four decades, since John Kennedy had an immense impact on Obama and the majority of people who voted for him.
His is an unenviable task.
The present line-up for key ministries says it all.
After the rhetoric that characterised his campaign, it is now back to practicalities; serving the American establishment.
He is unlikely to have leeway to push through most of what is on his "change" agenda.
The line-up includes Caroline Kennedy who was a central figure in his campaign. She still has to get a substantive position.
Hillary Clinton is secretary of state-designate and she is true to what critics say about her: a cautious, pragmatist and shrewd contriver who does or says nothing for nothing.
Seeing the concessions former president Bill Clinton made to enable her to get the post, it goes to show how much power the position wields.
Obama said that he admires her because she is tough and they share America’s core values.
Another notable appointee is Bush’s secretary of defence who retains his post and his Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay policies seem to dovetail with those of Obama’s campaign promises.
Obama comes at a time of great instability and the president-elect is going the "African way" of inclusive governments.
On September 15, Zimbabwe’s three largest parties signed a Global Political Agreement, paving way for an inclusive Government.
And they did so under the watchful eyes of the Bush administration and other Western governments.
Now faced with a nation divided by Iraq and Afghanistan and reeling under a severe recession, Obama’s foreign policy will be intriguing to watch.
Arguments abound that he will be managing a lacklustre US whose superpower status is under threat from emerging economies such as China, Russia and India.
His task will be to "rebrand" America in a way that is acceptable to the establishment, the people who voted for him and an international community that is fed up with Washington’s arrogance.
That Susan Rice, dubbed an expert on Zimbabwe, was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations, could mean any one of many things for Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular.
Considering the huge investments in illegal regime change by the Bush administration, will Zimbabwe be one of Obama first ports of call in the "rebranding" exercise?
His administration already has Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice whose positions on Zimbabwe are well known.
However, what has been striking has been Obama’s conspicuous silence on his Africa policy, except for odd comments here and there.
It is doubly odd because his Middle East policy was outlined the day he clinched the party candidacy.
So, whither Zimbabwe under Obama? What are the "changes" under Obama? Will these be changes meant to fullfil America’s illegal regime change plans?
Will it be change that takes cognisance of the ruin that Western-induced sanctions have done to Zimbabwe?
Obama and Clinton vigorously supported these illegal sanctions and the regime change agenda.
Will there be an appreciation in the new administration that the land question is core to the principles and values of an independent Zimbabwe?
Will people like Susan Rice and Susan Page of the National Democratic Institute, who was recently in Zimbabwe, tell the truth that land has always been the issue?
Will it be change that will recognises Zimbabwe’s sovereignty?
A bitter and protracted liberation struggle left thousands dead and maimed, as well as destabilising neighbouring states, some of which the US is now using to vilify Zimbabwe.
Will there be acknowledgement that the US, Britain and the rest of the Anglo-Saxon world have unfinished business dating back to Jimmy Carter and Margaret Thatcher?
Will the Obama administration also realise that the land issue, even in his native Kenya, is the epicentre of Africa’s struggles, that Africa has to empower people using its rich natural resources?
Will the Obama administration realise that as much as we want democracy, human rights and good governance, these cannot exist outside of economic empowerment?
It is an understatement to tell the Western world that Africans want to be masters of their destiny.
Policies crafted by fly-by-night "experts" will not work until people are fully empowered.
Well-meaning policies on HIV and Aids and poverty should be premised on realities on the ground, such as who exactly is benefiting from Africa’s rich natural and human resources.
Why should Africa play second fiddle in
organisations such as the World Trade Organisation and the UN where they cannot even get a permanent veto-status seat?
Africa operates on policies which do not work imposed by the West, and when they do not work, it is reduced to governance problems.
Africa has become a dumping ground for Western excesses and has been negatively impacted by these excesses, resulting in climate change that is causing perennial droughts that threaten food security and regional peace and security.
Why should Africa be so indebted to the West when it is so rich in mineral wealth? Who is fuelling the continent’s conflicts when Africa lacks manufacturing capacity?
These are issues ignored by previous American administrations and the European Union, and Zimbabwe and Africa now hope that Obama will look closely and address them with a human heart.
Foreign Secretary-designate Clinton should realise that in a global village no one nation can be allowed to call the shots at the expense of others.
It is not true that Africom is being force-fed on a continent that is lagging in development.
Would the Obama administration pursue a project that Africa has rejected simply because it seeks to preserve American lives at the expense of lives elsewhere?
Late national hero Cde Eddison Zvobgo said in 1980 that the West’s unwritten policy was "(Robert) Mugabe must be stopped".
Twenty-eight years later not much has changed and we wonder if Obama will make any changes.
Successive US administrations have sponsored anyone who seems capable of stopping President Mugabe at the expense of real development that benefits all Zimbabweans.
Successive US ambassadors have been posted with the sole mission of dislodging the Zanu-PF Government from power and installing a puppet regime.
The divisive policies of past administrations while perpetuating US interests have been meaningless for the people they claim to be "fighting" for.
This antagonistic approach to Zimbabwe and Africa is what Obama should look at.
Obama should realise that the world is watching him acutely.
Some analysts argue that Obama’s Southern Africa policy (read Zimbabwe) will be based on close partnerships with what they say is an amenable emerging leadership in the region.
Such divide-and-rule tactics keep Africa in perpetual underdevelopment.
Clinton’s policy influence on Zimbabwe dates back to her days as first lady when she visited Zimbabwe in 1997, and she had the opportunity to meet various interest groups, most of which were anti-Government.
Two years after her visit, MDC was formed with immense backing from the West and with the mandate of effecting an illegal regime change.
The so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (commonly known by its acronym ZDERA) followed soon after that and sanctions are there for all to see.
In June 2007, Clinton sponsored the "Clinton Bill to Support Democracy and Human Rights in Zimbabwe", calling on Washington "to address ongoing human rights concerns in Zimbabwe".
Clinton said that the Bill would send a message to the region that America supports a "free and fair Zimbabwean election and a lasting democratic peace in the years that follow."
These sentiments were echoed in her acceptance statement last Monday, after the appointment.
Obama is no different.
In March 2007, he introduced the "Obama Resolution Condemning Human Rights Violations in Zimbabwe", which basically called for regime change and was passed in June 2007 by the Senate.
However, campaigning and governing are separate issues.
Come January 20, 2009 Obama will be governing, and Zimbabweans anxiously await Obama’s response to President Mugabe’s olive branch.
Zimbabwe’s revolution is ongoing and generations later many will continue from where Cde Mugabe left. The region has also made it clear that it does not want to again host the likes of Jonas Savimbi, Afonso Dhlakama and Laurent Nkunda in order to feed Western interests.
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