Aug. 11, 2007

CHICAGO — They came to Soldier Field, not to cheer for the hometown Bears, but to challenge presidential candidates to represent the rainbow of working people on Main Street, not Wall Street.

Steve Share, editor of the Minneapolis Labor Review, was in his office the evening of Aug. 1 when he heard the sirens wailing, a din that grew so loud he stepped out to see what was the matter. In a steady stream, police cars, ambulances and fire engines were racing toward the I-35W bridge that spans the Mississippi.

Youth trek 3,000 miles for peace
Justice for the ‘Jena Six’

HAZLETON, Pa. — In a stinging rebuttal to anti-immigrant forces, a federal court has struck down this city’s ordinances against undocumented immigrants.

LOS ANGELES — Agustin Aguayo has a decision to make. Aguayo is seeking conscientious objector status, and may appeal his case to the Supreme Court. His deadline is Sept. 5. At issue is whether a soldier’s conscientious objection to war can develop after enlistment and outside of an organized religion.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Residents and businesses here and in neighboring cities heaved a collective sigh of relief this week as garbage workers returned to work July 30 at Waste Management of Alameda County, proud that with support from other unions and the community they had turned back a corporate giant’s all-out union-busting drive.

MILWAUKEE — Three white former city police officers were convicted July 27 on federal charges of beating to near death a biracial man, Frank Jude Jr. A fourth suspended officer, Ryan Packard, was acquitted.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The cost of the illegal Iraq war for Central Ohio came home here July 24 at a town hall meeting with hundreds of citizens, veterans and elected officials. For nearly two hours, the audience was riveted by accounts of the hardship endured not only by U.S. troops, but by towns and cities struggling to cope.

BELVIDERE, Ill. — As the United Auto Workers and the Big Three car companies hammer out a new contract, Tom Daniels is one of many thousands of workers who realize that the drive to cut wages and benefits is not warranted by the facts. Labor expenses for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, even by company accounts, do not amount to more than 10 percent of the price of a new car

Last week, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) became the first 2008 presidential candidate to co-sponsor a bill that protects U.S.-born children from being forcibly separated from their parents who face deportation.