International

Nora Castañeda, president of the Women’s Development Bank in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, will be touring the United States from Jan. 29 to Feb. 9 to speak on the topic of “Creating a caring economy in Venezuela.”

The “more compassionate” immigration system for undocumented workers proposed by President George W. Bush on Jan. 7 will grant corporations greater ability to pit U.S. workers against the global work force for domestic jobs, say labor and immigrant rights leaders. It will also help businesses further exploit undocumented workers. click here for Spanish text

The Department of Homeland Security’s latest addition to airport security checks has been greeted by a chorus of disapproval, both from domestic groups and internationally.

George W. Bush’s handlers tried to prepare a soft-landing for him during his Jan. 12-13 trip to Monterrey, Mexico, but they failed.

El sistema de inmigración “más compasivo” para trabajadores indocumentados, propuesto por el presidente George W. Bush el 7 de enero la dará a las corporaciones más capacidad de hacer los trabajadores de Estados Unidos competir con la mano de obra global por empleo doméstico, dicen líderes laborales y pro derechos de los inmigrantes.

CARACAS (Venpres) – El presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez Frías, reiteró este sábado pasado, la soberanía de Venezuela, país libre e independiente, y recordó al gobierno de Estados Unidos no inmiscuirse en asuntos que no son de su incumbencia.

Opinion

Last week, President Bush announced a vague plan to deal with the 8 to 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The plan has been denounced because it fails to guarantee what SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina calls “a new road to citizenship” for the undocumented.

Opinion

George W. Bush made a major space policy announcement at NASA headquarters on Jan. 14, including establishment of permanent bases on the moon and an aggressive program to take humans to Mars. Estimates for these projects could well exceed $150 billion.

Workers Correspondence

It was exciting, informative and uplifting, despite the heavy police presence. I’m referring to the anti-FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) meet in Miami the week of Nov. 16 – 20, which gave progressive organizations the opportunity to meet others from the same movement.

Wal-Mart is practically synonymous with “cheaper labor.” Its U.S. clerks averaged $13,861 a year in 2001, some $800 below the miserable federal poverty line for a three-person household. Its subcontractors are infamous for their mistreatment of workers in the U.S. and worldwide.