The Battle of Toledo

Today in labor history: On May 23, 1934 workers in Toledo Ohio, overcame police and company strike breaking efforts.

Workers at the Electric Auto-Lite plant were striking for union recognition. National Guard troops machine gunned the strikers resulting in two deaths and several wounded.

A five-day running battle called "The battle of Toledo" between police and the strikers ensued.

The company later recognized the union and agreed to a five percent pay raise. The strike was led by the craft union dominated American Federation of Labor (AFL). It ended on June 3.

Photo: Creative Commons 3.0

 

VIDEO Depicted as gorilla, African American doctor sues UCLA for racism

A respected African American faculty surgeon filed a racial discrimination suit against the UCLA Medical Center and UC Regents. Dr. Christian Head has been intentionally degraded based on his race and UCLA officials have ignored blatant acts of racial discrimination, including an edited photo depicting Dr. Head as a gorilla being sodomized by his supervisor. That alone is offensive. But the fact that the photo was publicly presented for laughs during an annual medical school sponsored event attended by more than 200 physicians, faculty, residents and guests is both shocking and indefensible.

Hear what Dr. Head has endured and what UCLA officials continue ignore.

(You can sign the petition to UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and tell him to end discrimination at UCLA and UCLA Medical Center.)

 

 

 

U.S. intransigence on Cuban Five prisoners a high stakes game

 

With appeals all but exhausted, the only hope for relief of unremitting judicial abuse of the Cuban Five lies with President Barack Obama. Supporters of the Cuban Five are demanding that he issue a presidential pardon and free them. 

Stephen Kimber, Canadian journalist and author of a forthcoming book, "What Lies across the Water: the Real Story of the Cuban Five," says the prospect of improved U.S.-Cuban relations is also grim, and that nothing will be settled until the Cuban Five political prisoners are released.

Solidarity activists worldwide say the U.S. judicial system railroaded the Cuban Five defenders against terrorism to prison. Both the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International have slammed U.S. judicial proceedings. Yet after 13 years four of the men remain in jail and one of them, Gerardo Hernandez, is still the object of special abuse.

Ramon Labaniño and Antonio Guerrero are serving 30 and 22-year terms respectively. Fernando Gonzalez is nearing the end of his 19-year sentence on lesser charges. Rene Gonzalez, sentenced to 15 years, was released on parole. But why is Gerardo Hernandez serving two life sentences plus 15 years?

Life sentences against Labaniño and Guerrero for conspiracy to commit espionage were reduced on appeal. Hernandez has a life sentence on the same charge still intact. His other life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder also remains. It's clear that the U.S. government has taken special pains to inflict harm upon Gerardo Hernandez.

For example, U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard in Miami, the judge who presided at the trial of the Five in 2001, on May 15 freed Yuby Ramirez after 12 years in prison. Lenard ruled that Ramirez was the victim of incompetent counsel. Ramirez, like Hernandez, had been serving a life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder. Ramirez confessed she had participated in a plot consummated by drug trafficking bosses to kill a government witness. If Ramirez can go free, why not Hernandez?

Hernandez gets special treatment in other ways. The additional burden of a murder conspiracy charge was filed against him came late in the trial of the Five. In demanding the charge go forward, Judge Lenard overruled the prosecutors' reluctance to pursue it on grounds of lack of evidence. In fact, no evidence has ever been presented indicating Hernandez knew about Cuban plans to down two Brothers to the Rescue planes on February 24, 1996. Four pilots died in the Cuban attack, carried out by military aircraft.

Brothers to the Rescue is a Cuban exile organization that had been illegally entering Cuban air space to drop leaflets. The Cuban government complained repeatedly to the U.S. government about these incursions before the shoot-down incident occurred.

As analyst Saul Landau recently pointed out, the claim that Hernandez caused the deaths by alerting the Cuban government of the upcoming flights is meaningless. The U.S. Air Force notified the Cubans that the planes were on the way. Jose Basulto, the Brothers to the Rescue leader, had proclaimed his flight plans publically.

The U.S. government is refusing the request of Hernandez' attorney in a still-undecided habeas corpus plea that the National Space Agency release satellite maps expected to show that the planes had indeed entered Cuban airspace. If that was the case, then the murder conspiracy case against Hernandez collapses.

There is, of course, one major instance in which all the Cuban Five prisoners gained special treatment. In early 1998, Cuban security officials delivered to FBI personnel visiting in Havana reams of material gathered by the Cuban Five and other Cuban agents working in Southern Florida. The FBI thus gained considerable evidence as to terrorist plotting in Florida, past and present, against Cuba. They learned that a boat docked in the Miami River was laden with explosives.

What happened is that on their return to Florida, the FBI ignored evidence implicating private paramilitary groups in their bailiwick and instead arrested the Cuban agents. That was the work of Hector Pesquera, the newly appointed FBI head in Miami.

The new book by Stephen Kimber provides details on Pesquera's role. The local FBI head embarked upon a crusade to persuade a reluctant U.S. Justice Department to arrest and prosecute the Cuban Five, even interceding personally with FBI director Louis Freed to secure authorization. Pesquera, widely known as a friend of powerful, right wing Cuban-American families in Miami, even boasted on radio "It had been he who changed the focus, and instead of the spies spying, he presented accusations against them."

In mute testimony to his softness on terrorists, Pesquera ended his FBI office's investigation into crimes committed by Cuban exile plotter Luis Posada. Pesquera arranged for disposal of documents in the case of Posada, who had engineered the bombing of a fully loaded Cuban passenger plane and hotels in Havana.

Pesquera has recently been appointed police chief of Puerto Rico.

Photo: A billboard with images of five Cubans imprisoned in the U.S., popularly known as the "Cuban Five," in Havana, Cuba, April 11. Franklin Reyes/AP

 

Immigrant rights activists say keep families together

DETROIT - Pressure is growing on immigration authorities to release Gustavo Vargas.

Vargas, the father of four U.S. citizen children, has led a crime free life but now sits in a Monroe County jail. In his 23 years in the U.S., his only brush with law enforcement has been his immigration status.

"The Vargas family shows how desperately we need immigration reform now. Gustavo is a small business owner, he employs people, he's not stealing anyone's job, he's creating jobs" declared Chris Michalakis, President of the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO.

Michalakis made his appeal Friday while speaking at an Alliance for Immigration Reform (AIR) rally outside the Detroit offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Immigrant rights activists are demanding the Department of Homeland Security stick to its professed priorities of only deporting dangerous criminals and focus on people who pose a safety risk. 

Vargas is an active member of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Southwest Detroit, where his wife Rogelia serves as a deacon. Petitions and letters demanding his release have been signed by congregants and community supporters and were given to ICE officials at the rally.

Mary Turner, who works in the office of State Representative Rashida Tlaib, D - Mich., told the crowd "we need more people like Mr. Vargas. He's paying taxes to the city of Detroit that so desperately needs money."

She worried what will happen to the family left behind as his wife and children will have to fend for themselves, possibly forced to go on welfare. "Does it make any sense?" she asked.

Turner spoke from the experience of her own family who also were once "immigrants without documentation." Many years previously, her father came north from Mexico following the footsteps of his great grandfather.

In contrast to today, her father was welcomed by immigration authorities when they arrived in Detroit and her parents and siblings all made many contributions to the new community that became their home.

"I hate the word illegal, nobody is illegal," she added.

Rogelia Vargas, Gustavo's wife, thanked AIR, the churches, and the labor unions for working to keep families united. "We are learning to get together to tell our stories, to not fear. We will continue to struggle until we win," she said.

Michalakis called on Congress and President Obama's administration to do more to keep families like the Vargas's together saying, "We cannot deport our way to prosperity."

Photo: Senator Coleman Young Jr., father of Leo Reilly of St. Anne's Church, AIR organizer Roxanne Rodriguez, President of the Detroit AFL-CIO Christos Michalakis, and Rogelia Vargas (with son) spouse to Gustavo. Alliance for Immigration Reform

Traveling the road away from war

NATO's pledge, at its Chicago summit, to turn over the lead in combat operations to the Afghan National Security Forces by the middle of next year, and end the alliance's combat mission by the close of 2014, sets up a new signpost on the road to ending our country's longest war.

But NATO's stated commitment to "enduring partnership" with Afghanistan, and the new U.S.-Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement which could stretch out U.S. military involvement long after 2014, should dampen any optimism that the war is really coming to an end.

What NATO's commitment does reflect is the continued and growing opposition to the war among people in the NATO countries, symbolized by new French President Francois Hollande's decision to withdraw French combat troops a year ahead of schedule.

And, the ever-growing opposition here at home, with over two-thirds of the U.S. people now saying it's time and past time to leave.

A fascinating drama took place in the U.S. House of Representatives last week, as the Republican leadership refused to allow a vote on an amendment to the 2013 Defense Authorization Act.

The bipartisan amendment, introduced by Representatives James McGovern, D-Mass. and Walter Jones, R-N.C., would require President Obama to stick to his pledge to end all military and security operations by the end of 2014, and to get Congress' okay if any troops were to stay beyond that deadline.

A similar measure nearly passed last year, and House Republican leaders reportedly worried that it might actually pass this time. Rep. Jones told CNN his colleagues said another seven or eight Republicans were prepared to vote for the amendment. He said he believed it wasn't brought up because this time it would have passed.

The vote the Republican leadership scheduled instead held its own drama. The amendment first introduced two years ago by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., to limit spending on the war to that needed for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops and contractors, predictably failed. But for the first time a majority of House Democrats voted for it, by a margin of 101-79.

Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters are surging through Chicago streets this week, led by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, dozens of whom have thrown away hard-earned medals in protest 

As the enormous costs in money and lives continue to soar, it is more urgent than ever to end a war which is only making conditions worse for the Afghan people.

The only way forward lies in bringing all the U.S. troops and contractors home, negotiations involving all parties to the conflict and all countries in the region, and international aid to help Afghans rebuild their country and achieve a viable economy.

It's now the job of everyone among the two-thirds of the American people opposed to the Afghanistan war, to roll up our sleeves for a complete end to the conflict.

The determination and commitment to ending the war that's being shown by the demonstrators in Chicago points the way.

Photo: At a NATO protest, Chicago, May 20, 2012. Teresa Albano/PW

 

 

Latina moms in Chicago: “We’re done crying!”

CHICAGO - Except for one grandmother, the rest of the 20 or so women who patrol the streets around Davis Elementary School here every weekday are in their 20s and 30s.

Unlike the police, they earn no salary, carry no weapons and wear no bulletproof vests. But when members of the Latin Kings, the Disciples or Two-Six, the powerful street gangs whose territories converge where the Davis school is located, run into these women, the gang members back off.

They are a voluntary army of mothers who are determined that in a neighborhood where youth fall victim to gang violence almost every day, their children are going to get to and from school safely.

"My child will not be shot, and he is not going to die," said one of the volunteer moms who has a second grader at Davis.

"With most of the young people out of work, with the lack of jobs, the foreclosures - the gang violence around here is really going up," said Mariela Estrada who helped pull together not just the women protecting the area around Davis but a volunteer patrol throughout Brighton Park that now totals 150 women.

Asked why the patrollers were all women Estrada said, "the fathers have to work and they go out for some type of work even if they are officially out of a job.

"A ten-year-old was shot a few days ago, shot twice, and a month and a half ago it was a 15 year old shot right here outside Davis," said Estrada. "And for the last two days now, not a single police patrol has gone by. Our tax dollars are paying to protect NATO. The police have forgotten about us."

Estrada said the decision to join the moms' patrol was not easy for the young mothers or the one grandmother at Davis who are part of it. "It often means that only the father can work, provided he has a job, and economically times are so tough that you need everyone who can to be pulling in an income," she said.

Estrada led the way down the block to where the wall on a corner deli was sprayed with the graffiti signature of the gang Two-Six. The wall was a memorial marking the place and the date that a member of Two-Six had fallen dead in the area's ongoing street battles.

Around the corner she pointed to a "tagged," tree, into which a white cloth square had been hammered and onto the trunk of which some gang symbols had been spray-pained. "That 's a shrine to a gang member who died right there on the spot," she said.

"Young people dying all around us," she said, shaking her head, "because there are no jobs, because of poverty, injustice, foreclosures, lack of immigrant rights - but I'm done crying about it. Now I fight and that's why we have the patrol."

As she finished her sentence a member of the Two-Six gang pulled up on his bike, seemingly out of nowhere, demanding to know what was going on. She offered him the chance to be interviewed about one of the shrines painted by his group's members but he refused. "Tell them they better not take any photos and they better get out of my neighborhood," he told Estrada as he pulled away on his bike.

Two-Six is one of the largest street gangs in Chicago. Started some 30 years ago in the Little Village neighborhood, the gang has a long rivalry with another group, the Latin Kings.

Gangs operate in the shadows of their neighborhoods, doing a lucrative drug business, among other things, with the older people in charge of the gangs often taking advantage of the younger members through intimidation and fear.

The violence perpetrated against people in the neighborhoods where they operate is often totally senseless. Even youngsters killed accidentally in crossfire meant for another gang can become the cause of new spiraling violence as gangs play a game of one-upmanship to "make good" for that accidental killing in their territory.

"Young people without jobs often join because of the false expectation that they'll get rich and have power and for a feeling of wanting to belong," said Estrada.

"We took on this job even though it's the city's job," said Nancy Parazza, another of the guards patrolling closer to the school. "But we have a need at least for a little financing. We have the [uniform] vests that we wear only for 100 of us. The vests, at least are brightly colored so people in cars can see us. It would be nice if we could afford vests for all of us. When gang members see those vests they know to stay away, they know we mean to protect our kids."

"Where will the city get the money?'" she was asked.

"They are spending millions to protect NATO and with even a tiny bit of that we could do a heck of a lot to help our children keep safe and, if they were really serious, they'd put money in here to create some jobs for our older kids," Parazza answered.

"But for now, the kids feel safe when they see us," she said. "They come to us. And the gangs - well they see us and they know to stay away from our kids."

Asked how she feels about having to live in such a tough neighborhood, Parazza said, "I will never move. Family friends and neighbors here are gentle, warm and loving people. That's how my community is. We are a people who know how to pull together, how to support one another and how to love one another," she said as she continued on her late morning rounds as a protector of kids on the streets of Chicago.

Photo: Volunteer mom guuards pose for a picture in front of Davis elementary school. Blake Deppe/PW

Striking Red Cross workers' life blood on the line

CLEVELAND - In a unanimous vote May 21 the Cleveland City Council passed a resolution supporting the strike by 250 blood collection workers at Northern Ohio Red Cross. The action followed similar resolutions in Toledo and Lansing, Mich., where strikes against Red Cross are also under way.

The strike by Teamsters Local 507 in the Northern Ohio region, based in Cleveland and covering 19 counties, is now in its fourth month. The unions in all three locations charge the agency is stonewalling talks and seeking unilateral power to alter negotiated contracts, especially in health care plans.

"Our members are committed to retaining their collective bargaining rights as much as they are committed to providing caring service to donors who visit the blood drives," Mike Parker, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 580 in Lansing, said. Parker charged that Red Cross is also stifling negotiations and is offering only six hours of talks and then not until June 19.

"By the time June 19 rolls around, our members will have been on strike 11 weeks."

Dozens of strikers came to the Cleveland AFL-CIO meeting May 9, asking help to boycott blood drives and funds to support their fight. They said donations should be sent to Red Cross Strikers, c/o Teamsters Local 507, 5425 Warner Rd., Unit 7, Cleveland, OH 44125. Below is the statement read by one striker, a mobile unit worker, at the meeting:

"My name is Kathy Greene and I am a proud member of Teamsters local 507. I have been with the American Red Cross for 8 yrs. I was so excited to work for this great organization. Quickly the rose-colored glasses came off and the truth became clear.

"Blood drives were 50-100 miles from my home. My workday was anywhere from 10-16 hrs. Working at a site that was grandfathered in without air on a 90-degree day and trying to keep my staff and donors from passing out was part of my daily challenge. When donors went over goal and I called for help I was told that they didn't have anyone available and I would have to deal with it. Part of my dealing with it was making sure we were getting the donors through as quickly as possible because I didn't want customers to complain that they waited too long. The extra donors sand paperwork must be done correctly to avoid the blood being put on hold or discarded. Then I have to try to give breaks and lunches to my staff while donors look on.

"I personally have a heart condition and many times I have to look at my schedule to see if I should take my medication because I'm probably not going to be able to take a break to go to the bathroom due to extra donors. I have to make sure that my staff who have health issues or are pregnant get that break. We look out for each other not management.

"I don't know about everyone else, but would you want someone to come at you with a big needle that has not had anything to eat or drink in hours? Not me!

"Exhaustion from a long day without a break can cause errors. If I forget to dot an I or cross a t on my paperwork can put the blood on hold. Try explaining that to management, that you were tired or were rushed due to going over goal, or late setting up the blood drive, That's not an excuse! Red Cross could be fined by the FDA! And whose fault is that? MINE!

"We have many policies and procedures that we have to follow per the American Blood Bank Association and the FDA. We are all trained professionals. We are paramedics, EMTs, medical assistants, phlebotomists and nurses. Before we can work to our full capacity we go through months of training. Then every quarter we have to be observed by a supervisor then yearly. We constantly have some sort of training or updates.

"We are the front-line of the American Red Cross. We are the first person you see and we are the reason you come back. We love our jobs and the donors. Over these past 12 weeks we have been told: "if you don't like your job quit!" Our response to that is we do love our jobs. That's why we are out here fighting for them. All we want is respect and a fair wage! I would like to know that the American Red Cross sees each of us for who we really are-hard-working, dedicated people who understand the mission of the Red Cross. But do they? This is supposed to be a great humanitarian organization that strives to help others. What about their employees that can't afford their medical bills, can't afford to put gas in their cars so they can drive more than a hundred miles to work? What about the families who have to find a sitter to watch their kids at 4am? A fair wage, good medical and working with us on our schedules would be a reward for our blood, sweat and tears.

"In closing let me tell you about the hard working collection staff of the Red Cross. We are the ones that are up at 3 am driving in a snowstorm to set up a blood drive. We are the ones that get home after working more than 14 hours to find our kids already asleep. We are the ones that you tell your stories that getting blood saved your life or the life of a friend or family member. We are the ones that are providing a good experience to our donors so they keep coming back. We are the ones that keep the blood safe to save lives. WE ARE THE AMERICAN RED CROSS!"

Delegates responded to Greene's speech with a standing ovation.

Photo: Teamster Nation blog