Labor

Bush lies ‘coming and going,’ CBTU leader charges

ATLANTA – Energy and solidarity lit up the 33rd Annual Convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU). Meeting here over the Memorial Day weekend, CBTU set a clear course to mobilize for the November elections and to end the George Bush presidency. click here for Spanish text

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Nearly 100 UNITE and Jobs with Justice members, as well as, youth and community activists rallied outside of the Angelica Corp. shareholders meeting here, May 25.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Communist Party leaders and activists met here to discuss plans to bring out the broadest possible Mexican American and Latino vote to defeat the ultra right in the November elections and to strengthen the CPUSA’s work among this section of the population.

ATLANTA – Linda Fields is an organizer with 1199 Health Care workers in Philadelphia. She was one of the delegates at the Atlanta convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists who went out to register new voters May 29 during the meeting’s Friday morning session.

WASHINGTON (PAI)–The Service Employees Union will start in June to recruit individuals who want to join the union but who don’t have a contract.

HOUSTON – This city’s mayor, Bill White, hastily called a municipal election early in his term so as to hold a referendum on Proposition 1. Its passage allows the city to opt out of a state law protecting city employees’ pensions.

CHICAGO – Ignoring hundreds of protesters, the City Council voted May 26 to allow one Wal-Mart store to be built here. However, a proposal for a second store did not get approval at this time.

CHICAGO – Phone giant SBC Communications got the message when 100,000 workers in 13 states put down their headsets and tool belts to hit the streets, transmitting their own powerful message.

WASHINGTON – About 1,000 Machinist union members marched from Capitol Hill to a rally near the White House May 12 to demand jobs with benefits and to cheer calls for the ouster of George W. Bush Nov. 2.

At press time, over 100,000 SBC workers in 13 states, members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), were on the job but poised to strike if SBC management continued to reject the union’s demands for affordable health care and job security.