Unions

Bishop Frederick Campbell claims that the March firing of Phys Ed teacher Carla Hale was not based on her sexual preference, but because it violated the church's moral teachings and values. He further went on to claim that the Diocese of Columbus "Doesn;t really go looking for this sort of things with their employees." But hale made her relationship with her lover public when listing her partner as a survivor in her mother's oituary which resulted in a public complaint.

Hale is a methodist, and as her attorney states isn't bound by catholic doctrine. Her teacher's union contract also says that she is not bound by any such religious beliefs or catholic doctrine.

Hale has not only filed a complaint with her union, but the city of Columbus as well on the grounds of discrimination based on  her sexual orientation. Columbus comissioners are reviewing the teachers case and could take weeks or months to decide whether or not the Diocese violated her civil rights.

The case has grown quick support from the Gay and lesbian communites as well as the activist communites across the ocuntry.
The Hacktivist group Anonymous have also thrown their name into the hat of groups concerned with the Catholic Church's violation of hale's right to be an individual.

Anonymous threatens that is Hale is not reinsatated all of the Columbus diocese's dirty secrets will be found out and revealed to the public.
Many donors to the church have refused to donate to the church's fundraiser held over this weekend.

Despite being well known for their priests molesting children and getting away with it due to big payouts from the churches, the catholic church still finds gay rights to be offensive.

20-30 people did a mic check in a downtown Pittsburgh Mcdonald's earlier today demanding fair wages and fair labor practices.
This action brought on by 3 Mcdonald's employees who arein this country on a work visa.
The visiting Mcdonald's employees were accompanied by local union members of Fight Back Pittsburgh, The United Steel Workers and SEIU 32BJ, and One Pittsburgh.
Today's mic check spilled into the sidewalk outside of the Smithfield street restaurant, brining the Pittsburgh Police and Allegheny County Sherrifs to the first organized protest requiring police attention for 6 months 

By Dr. Woody,WWH/CJE -

Workers’ right of all kinds, and vital concessions wrung from the Bosses with workers’ blood over the last 150 years are being rescinded by legislatures kowtowing to business interests all over the country. It seems to Citizen Journalist, Dr. Woody Konopak, that those rescinding the advances should pay the same kind of price as those paid who won them in the first place.

On November 14th 2012, thousands of people took to the streets of Portugal as part of a European wide general strike. Until recently, the International Monetary Fund held Portugal as an ideal example of the effectiveness of austerity policies, but today, its economy is heading in the same direction as Greece and Spain. This short documentary details the week of the November 14th strike in Lisbon and the events surrounding it.

On September 3rd, 2012, a southern workers assembly was held at the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC during the Democratic National Convention. Workers discussed various topics throughout the day including Right-To-Work (for less) & Taft-Hartley laws, low wages, denial of collective bargaining, and workers' human rights connected with the historical demands against the South's legacy of Jim Crow laws, anti-immigrant scapegoating and racism. Carly Campbell was at the assembly and Rochester Indymedia asked her what was going on...

Con Ed Engages in Surface Bargaining; Union Square Labor Rally Draws Thousands

By Liza Béar

NEW YORK, JULY 19. 2012--It’s been a busy week for the locked out Con Ed workers, with 24/7 rotating protests at the 4 Irving Place picket line and uptown in front of CEO Kevin Burke’s 455 East 86^th Manhattan residence, culminating in a formidable and vociferous show of support from several thousand members of at least a dozen other unions in a solidarity labor rally at Union Square.

Creative handmade cardboard signs now proliferate in addition to the glossy official Union red printed mainstays.

According to Gary Magliari, a UWUA Local 1-2 shop steward interviewed at the picket line, the lock out was due not to failed negotiations, as Con Ed claims, but was a deliberate act, a strategic move that was planned years in advance of the union's contract running out on July 1. Stripping away union benefits, says Magliari, is part of Con Ed's move towards needed consolidation prior to selling the company, to make it more attractive to a buyer without a freighted 4-year union contract. http://youtu.be/1jptOdNQZ0c

“What is going in their meetings is an endless barrage of pie charts, statistics and power point presentations that describe Con Edison’s new world order…” said Magliari quoting a source close to the talks. ” It is absolutely surreal.”

On Saturday July 14 at 6:30pm  Local 1-2 texted an announcement  from its president Harry Farrell that medical benefits had been reinstated  retroactively for all 8500 locked out Con Ed employees.  This is their only concession so far.

But pressure to end the lock-out , believed by the union to be the largest in US history,  and to provide a fair contract is mounting both from the labor movement and public officials.

5:42 minutes (28.78 MB)

read more

Ryan Gaughan, a ten year employee of New Seasons, was fired on February 6th, 2012, allegedly over taking an extra scoop of rice and tofu on his lunch break.

A more plausible reason for termination of his employment lies with the fact that Ryan has been a long time workplace organizer, working for safer conditions and equitible pay scales for employees.

As a result of this unfair desisicion by management, members or Portland's wider community showed up on Valentine's Day in mass to support Ryan and show their displeasure with "the friendliest store in town."

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On March 10th, New Seasons Market Workers’ Voice is calling for another rally dubbed “The Rally to Restore Friendliness.” The message is directed toward store management and company officials who are currently being investigated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for firing a worker shortly after he and other coworkers presented to them a series of concerns regarding disciplinary practices, pay inequities, and the direction of the company.

For more info: http://newseasonsmarketworkersvoice.org/

Come show your support.