NewPeople Blog

GE Union Rally in Erie, PA 6/4/11

aliciadell — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:11:59 +0000

Approximately 3,500 unionized GE workers and union supporters gather in Erie, PA this past weekend for a rally organized by UE Local 506 to kick off national contract negotiations with the manufacturing wing of the corporate behemoth whose financial branch has sustained enough losses through risky investment strategies for the company to qualify for billions in tax credits last year. They’ve already cheated citizens and now they are going after their workers. Following “corporate trends,” GE is trying to renegotiate and eliminate worker benefits and pensions, which is UNACCEPTABLE.

Here is video from the 6/4/11 rally:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ueunion?blend=24&ob=5

Rally for a Responsible Budget in Harrisburg – 5/3/11

aliciadell — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:26:30 +0000

The CLEAR Coalition (The Coalition for Labor Engagement and Responsible Revenues) is sponsoring a “Rally for a Responsible Budget” at the State Capitol on Tuesday, May 3rd at 1:00pm.

How can you get there? CLEAR will be sending multiple buses to Harrisburg, leaving from Downtown and the Southside–reserve your free spot on the bus today!

CLEAR’s demands for PA lawmakers include:

*Make jobs, not cuts.

*Protect Public Assets (like roads, education, and wine & spirits stores).

*Tax gas extraction and corporations to raise revenue.

For more information, and to register for a seat on the bus, visit: www.clearforpa.org

Tax Day: Make Them Pay Action 4/18/11

aliciadell — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:06:11 +0000

MoveOn, US UnCut, PA Wants to Work and other local and national partners are calling for a “Tax Day: Make Them Pay” action on Monday, April 18th at 12:15 p.m. in Mellon Square (6th and Smithfield in Downtown Pittsburgh, 15222).

They are calling for corporations to pay their fair share instead of using loopholes to neglect their tax responsibilities and cheat us of necessary revenue. That money could be spent to fund job creation and public services like transit and education.

For more information, see:

www.unemploymentlifeline.com
or facebook.com/PAWantstoWork

Coffee Party Film: “16 Corporations or We the People?”

aliciadell — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 15:01:44 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ9Pr4iT-QM

This is great video made by the Coffee Party in Pittsburgh. They filmed a lot of it at the PA Wants to Work event put on by Working America at the Teamster’s Temple on 4/2/11. Their main points include:

“I pay taxes; I did not cause the recession–That’s the difference between me and a corporation!”

“Trickle-down economics has failed us. Time to invest in America.”

Give it a viewing!

We Are One Events in Pittsburgh 4/4/11

aliciadell — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:32:24 +0000

On April 4, 2011 Pittsburgh-area unions and community organizations participated in a national day of action called for by We Are One in solidarity with the workers of Wisconsin. In addition to educational forums hosted by the Steelworkers, CCAC, and the UE, the main event of the day was a rally and march that began at EQT Plaza in front of the Equitable Gas Company. The message was, “Tax the Gas!” meaning: specifically, that PA should be taxing natural gas extraction to pay for public services, and, generally, that the economic crisis our nation is facing is not due to a spending problem but rather a revenue problem—corporations are not paying their fair share.

From EQT Plaza, people marched to PA Governor Tom Corbett’s office where the unions put on a tribunal to find Walker, Corbett, and other lawmakers guilty of trampling on workers’ rights. See pictures from both rallies below!

The actions on April 4^th were part of a nationwide We Are One campaign. See the link below for Dave Welsh’s report on how dockworkers in Oakland and San Francisco shut down the ports for a full 24 hours and teachers in Oakland blocked access to a Wells Fargo for three hours in solidarity with Wisconsin workers.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/04/06/18676515.php

You can also visit the We Are One website at http://www.we-r-1.org/ for photos and recaps from the 1,200+ solidarity events that took place on 4/4/11.

Mine Workers Rally in Waynesburg PA

aliciadell — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:21:49 +0000

Over 3,500 mine workers, their families, and supporters showed up in Waynesburg, PA to rally in support of public sector workers whose rights are under attack nationwide. Many of the marchers wore camouflage to symbolize their readiness to fight for the rights of unions and working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Follow the link below to get the full story:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=135048422

Students’ Video Opposing State Budget Cuts to Education

aliciadell — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:22:55 +0000

PA Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed state budget included a 50% cut to education funding. His administration keeps lamenting the huge gap between government spending and revenue without acknowledging that the problem is his unwillingness to generate any revenue, especially from gas companies and corporations. Now many state schools are faced with having to cut programs and jobs, raise tuition, and close regional campuses. Locally, at Pitt, the appropriation that the university used to provide in-state tuition is being cut. PA students’ access to more affordable quality education is in jeopardy. The Pittsburgh Student Government Board made this video to help document the effect of the cuts for local students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-WFHec2JJw&NR=1

Letter to the Editor Addressed to Corbett

aliciadell — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:21:19 +0000

Local activist Mel Packer sent the following letter to the Post Gazette. If it doesn’t get published there, at least it’s published here! Mel wrote:

“Just a quick note to Gov. Tom Corporate to say “thanks” for proving me right. Over the last few days, I have helped with numerous efforts to demonstrate opposition to transit cuts due partly to inadequate state funding.

Today, I joined a protest against the Marcellus Shale Gas hydrofrackers. I’m sure you know who I mean as it appears they are your main employer.

At each of these events, people often ask me, “Can it get worse?”.
With all the wisdom of my 66 years experience, I always reply, “Of
course it can.”

Today, thanks to you Tom, I was once again proven to be a veritable
fountain of wisdom when my very distressed daughter, a Sophomore at Temple Univ, called to tell us that her Major, and in fact her entire
department of Latin American Studies, has been closed due to education budget slashing by you. And this comes just a few days before she must choose classes for Fall Semester. WOW!

So yes, folks, it can get worse. I’d write more, but I need to make
some calls and see if I still have health insurance. After all, it can
get worse. But shouldn’t that be our choice and not yours, Tom?”

Full Day of Union-Solidarity Events Planned for 4/4/11

aliciadell — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:09:14 +0000

We Are One, a project of Working America, is calling for a National Day of Action on Monday, April 4, 2011 in honor of the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination, which took place when he was in Memphis supporting a strike of African American sanitation workers. The information from the flyer for related events taking place around Pittsburgh is posted below. To see events taking place around the country, visit www.we-r-1.org

Join us as we come together across our nation to fight for our rights and
our future. Several Pittsburgh area events are planned in the coming days:

Wednesday, March 30
Noon: Student rally against state budget cuts (University of Pittsburgh, Oakland: lawn of the
William Pitt Student Union – Bigelow Blvd. across the street from the Cathedral of Learning.)

Friday, April 1
11 a.m.: United Mineworkers’ of America Solidarity Rally and March at Greene County Airport
and Fairgrounds, Waynesburg, Pa. March begins at airport; rally at fairgrounds.
5 p.m.-7:30 p.m.: Free fish fry, sign making for April 4 and viewing of “At the River I Stand”
documentary about the death of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Memphis sanitation workers’
strike. (USW headquarters, 5 Gateway Center/ Stanwix and Blvd. of Allies, downtown)

Saturday, April 2
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.: PA Wants to Work Resource, Jobs and Unity fair that’s a project of the PA
AFL-CIO, Allegheny Central Labor Council and Working America. (Teamsters’ Temple, 4701
Butler St., Lawrenceville, 15201)

Monday, April 4 – National Day of Action
7 a.m.: APRI, PA AFL-CIO have press conference at Bedford Hope Center, 2305 Bedford Ave.,
Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
Noon: We Are One protest at EQT Plaza (6th St. and Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh) followed by
educational leafleting and sidewalk march to Gov. Tom Corbett’s office (301 Fifth Ave.,
Pittsburgh)
1 p.m.: Free luncheon at United Steelworkers headquarters, 60 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh,
featuring a national leader of the Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas (SME), Pipino Cuevas
Velázquez.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: USW International President Leo W. Gerard, US Steel CEO John Surma speak
at Labor & Global Economy lecture. CCAC Allegheny Campus, Foerster Student Service Center
Auditorium, 808 Ridge Ave., Pittsburgh, 15212.
7:00 p.m.: Pipino Cuevas Velázquez will be joined by local leaders of public sector unions from
around the U.S. and Pittsburgh who are fighting against cuts and the attack on fundamental
labor rights. University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Room 107 3900 Forbes Ave., 15260

Tuesday, April 5:
All day: Pitt students, others lobbying state lawmakers against proposed budget cuts. (State
Capitol, Harrisburg)

More info: www.we-r-1.org or www.facebook.com/steelworkers

UFCW Press Conference/Rally Planned for 3/29/11

aliciadell — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:51:53 +0000

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23 will be hosting a rally and press conference on Tuesday, March 29th at 2:15pm at Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh in support of Giant Eagle workers. All are encouraged to attend!

The UFCW is calling the event to draw attention to how the grocery chain Giant Eagle (the #1 private employer in town) is cutting back workers’ hours to such an extent that many are forced to file for unemployment and public assistance. Giant Eagle is cutting labor costs to offset the millions being spent to remodel stores into Market Districts, but since they continue to rake in upwards of $ 8 billion in profits annually, they shouldn’t be making workers pay for their building projects while making taxpayers foot the bill for wages they should be giving their workers.