No crystal ball here, of course, but one can hope. Lots of interesting stuff happening across the union. Best I’ve heard is folks starting to set up legal and other defense measures (pickets, press releases) for when people get retaliated against for not going to work. Because there will be retaliation. (The bosses are evil, after all. Even the dead are not safe from them when they win.) Other FWs are preparing work stoppages in their shops, doing some leafletting. I’m getting on a plane, hoping to hear reports of a trembling ruling class taking a step back on its racist political agenda. I would pray I were still so inclined. Sometimes wish I was.
The strike proposal’s made some of the bosses’ press, though not a lot as far as I can tell, not that making or not making press or my sadly unstudied opinions of the press necessarily means anything.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/14420294.htm
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3806040.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/411101p-347788c.html
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=BOYCOTT-04-25-06&cat=AN
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/14317422.htm
A few in Spanish
http://www.el-hispano.com/2006/15/l02.htm
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2006/04/14/019n1mig.php
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2006/04/25/027n1mig.php
Just got this off an email list. Anyone heard similar?
Someone wrote that someone they know works at a McDonald’s where a large portion of the employees are immigrants, including some who speak Spanish, and some folks from the Middle East. This person said that on May 1 at that place only white workers are scheduled for the day, there is a posting in the place that says anyone working that day will be paid an extra dollar per hour for the day.
Comment by Nate — April 26, 2006 @ 5:55 am
All I know is that I live in LA and all shit is going to go down on Monday. It’s going to be crazy! Some of the progressive principals in the school district are even planning on closing school in support…
Comment by Nate — April 26, 2006 @ 1:07 pm
Please post a report on what happens, if you don’t mind. I’ll be gone Monday through Sunday so I may not reply immediately. On the aut-op-sy email list someone else from LA said that the Paro has been really hotly debated in Spanish language radio programs there, it’s very much an issue that’s on some folks’ minds apparently.
Comment by Nate — April 27, 2006 @ 12:56 pm
Prez Bush commented on this as well. Says he is, shockingly, not on board. Also says he’s for comprehensive immigration, whatever that means.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-04-28T174904Z_01_N28275140_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-IMMIGRATION.xml
This is from the same speech, I think, where he said that the nat’l anthem should only appear in English in order that the US retain it’s national soul.
Comment by Nate — April 29, 2006 @ 3:09 am
Pasted below is a report from someone in LA, off the aut-op-sy email list. Also of interest might be the May Day issue of Giap, the newsletter of Wu Ming, here: http://www.wumingfoundation.com/english/giap/giapdigest33.htm
*
Mayday in Los Angeles is promising to be an extraordinary day. The momentum around the May 1st General Strike or “El Gran Boicot” has been building at an amazing pace. A few weeks ago it seemed the participants would be mostly workers with some job security and not the workers who had jobs of a more precarious nature. The supportive buzz around Los Angeles city, county and LAUSD workplaces prompted memos from the unions discouraging taking the day off and requiring doctor’s notes for those who called in sick. According to first hand sources, these memos made many
teachers and other govt workers even more determined not to go to work on May 1st.
Now it seems everyone is planning on taking the day off May 1st. Even Piolin, the DJ who helped organize the 3/25 march and who had initially been against the General Strike has joined in by canceling his radio show for Monday and offering on air support for those who participate. Other Spanish language DJs have been telling folks not to buy anything the whole weekend and to even refrain from depositing their payroll checks in the banks.
Many Latino owned businesses and those with predominantly Latino workforces (um, that’s most of Los Angeles) are planning on closing in solidarity with the strike. Others are closing out of social pressure, afraid of retaliation
for being known as the one store or factory that was open on Mayday. Most of the stores in my neighborhood have signs in their windows expressing solidarity with the strike and stating they will be closed May 1st. Even many Korean owned stores are planning on closing in solidarity with their
employees and Korean radio shows have been telling the store owners not to fire their employees if they don’t show up to work.
What’s been exciting about all of this is that the movement and momentum around the May 1st General Strike has been coming from the streets. Most of the newly self-appointed “leaders” of the movement have been pushed aside and disregarded. The shrill Cardinal Mahoney who has been all over TV with his broken Spanish exhorting people to go to work, now seems out of touch and ridiculous (okay he’s always been that way!) I’ve heard workers interviewed who have been saying stuff like “it doesn’t matter if the
leaders don’t back us up, we’re going to walkout anyways.”
Another interesting thing is there are no figureheads who have emerged from this movement, no Cesar Chavez types. People seem quite satisfied with the non-hierarchical nature of organizing. In fact I would say this has attracted many people, who are otherwise not political, to participate. They are deciding for themselves what they want to do and how they want to protest. Maybe people might tire of all of this but for now it’s really energetic. Let’s see what happens next.
Comment by Nate — May 1, 2006 @ 12:53 am
It looks like the truckers are going to try and shut down the entire port. I’ll be there and I’ll send out a full report to everyone tomorrow night or so. I look forward to hearing what happens in your neck of the woods.
Comment by Nate — May 1, 2006 @ 4:33 am
My report will be late cuz I’m going out of town today. I’ll post one, though. Folk from my IWW branch are going to today’s festivities, so I should have something.
Comment by Nate — May 1, 2006 @ 12:45 pm