Monday, July 16, 2007
Together for Solidarity Friends
Solidarity Not Charity!!! These words, "Solidarity Not Charity" have continued to speak truth to me everyday. Howdy, I'm Amanda and I am currently in Austin, Tejas with the fabulous Workers Defense Project. So again "solidarity not charity"!?! What is that in this so-call 'real world'? I have been finding myself continuously challenged in my summer experience here in Austin, which is amazing and hard to process as well. This past week a new city run day labor center opened. However, what was the actual workers' involvement and say, let alone their power in this project - to have an opening ceremony be completely in English, to visibly see the defining lines of those who it was to be a service to and those who worked to create such a 'service'?! I write to you now with thoughts in question and to ponder, for in this struggle toward equality, justice, and peace, we must note to try to be fully conscious of race, class, gender, ethnicity, social status, perceptions, where we come from, how we think and then do, and even so much more. We are in this together and now I think more than ever, that 'together' is a challenge in and of its own. We all have the power, but it is how we use it collectively, use it together that truly makes the world of difference. And so I until we meet again friends, both new and old, I must leave you with this - "If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Grassroots is the way to go
Hello from Central Indiana,
For the past few weeks I have been attending many churches to have clergy leaders aware of the Central Indiana Worker Center. Sometimes though when doing real grassroots organizing it needs to be at the grassroots level.
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Hispanic Leadership Committee at the local Catholic Church to announce the presence of the worker center and that we need their assistance to increase its visibility. A women after the meeting said she was interested in helping out. Prior to living in Logansport she has lived in Salinas, Ca. for 20 years and was active with organizing efforts of Cesear Chavez and the UFW.
After talking with her we went out leaf-letting flyers into the neighborhood. She brought her son along to help and we dropped by one of her friends house that worked at a meatpacking company who told us situations she exprienced with the corporate doctor how their medical "expertise" would be for the workers to tell them on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is the pain. Their remedy would be to take two tylenols, rest for 50 minutes and go back to work.
This Saturday she is organizing a house party to get some members in the community to talk about their work experiences. Having the setting be at a communal house will provide for a more relaxed setting. We quickly made her a board member to the new worker center. The clergy in the area are supportive of the center but are not familiar with the concepts of advocacy in the tactics a community organization or a union would implement building worker value and dignity.
Hope everyone is enjoying their worksites and I will let you know about the house party.
Peace,
Ken
For the past few weeks I have been attending many churches to have clergy leaders aware of the Central Indiana Worker Center. Sometimes though when doing real grassroots organizing it needs to be at the grassroots level.
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Hispanic Leadership Committee at the local Catholic Church to announce the presence of the worker center and that we need their assistance to increase its visibility. A women after the meeting said she was interested in helping out. Prior to living in Logansport she has lived in Salinas, Ca. for 20 years and was active with organizing efforts of Cesear Chavez and the UFW.
After talking with her we went out leaf-letting flyers into the neighborhood. She brought her son along to help and we dropped by one of her friends house that worked at a meatpacking company who told us situations she exprienced with the corporate doctor how their medical "expertise" would be for the workers to tell them on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is the pain. Their remedy would be to take two tylenols, rest for 50 minutes and go back to work.
This Saturday she is organizing a house party to get some members in the community to talk about their work experiences. Having the setting be at a communal house will provide for a more relaxed setting. We quickly made her a board member to the new worker center. The clergy in the area are supportive of the center but are not familiar with the concepts of advocacy in the tactics a community organization or a union would implement building worker value and dignity.
Hope everyone is enjoying their worksites and I will let you know about the house party.
Peace,
Ken
Saturday, July 7, 2007
This summer is an opportunity to learn different strategies of organizing utilized by the union. In implementing these strategies, organizers use various tools to help increase the effectiveness of their efforts and ensure success. One staple of a union organizers toolbox is the bullhorn and I love it. Love may not be a strong enough word here. I am willing to do almost anything if it involves a bullhorn. Now this statement is obviously hyperbolic and I have severe ethical limitations on what I am willing to do in any setting, but "bullhorning" is ridiculously fun and completely changes my demeanor. Something about having the literal soapbox afforded to any individual with a bullhorn is incredibly empowering.
To provide just a few fun and interesting examples, one of the very first days I led chants during an early-morning hotel picket line. Just today, I "bullhorned" at customers of a hotel being boycotted by the union, engaging them in conversations about the concerns surrounding the boycott and the deeper moral issues related to justice. Now before anyone accuses me of being overly righteous or prideful, I was careful to keep the comments and conversations respectful and issued-centered. Many of the individuals were unaware of the boycott and the point of the action was not pure annoyance, but an intentional and observable way of informing the customers about the situation and also sending a statement to the hotel ownership of how seriously the union took the matter. The presence of the bullhorn was necessitated by the distance between us and the hotel's entrance and our own desire not to be arrested for trespassing.
Needless to say, I did not expect this internship to be filled with these type of activities, but I am enjoying the opportunity to literally lift my voice for justice!
To provide just a few fun and interesting examples, one of the very first days I led chants during an early-morning hotel picket line. Just today, I "bullhorned" at customers of a hotel being boycotted by the union, engaging them in conversations about the concerns surrounding the boycott and the deeper moral issues related to justice. Now before anyone accuses me of being overly righteous or prideful, I was careful to keep the comments and conversations respectful and issued-centered. Many of the individuals were unaware of the boycott and the point of the action was not pure annoyance, but an intentional and observable way of informing the customers about the situation and also sending a statement to the hotel ownership of how seriously the union took the matter. The presence of the bullhorn was necessitated by the distance between us and the hotel's entrance and our own desire not to be arrested for trespassing.
Needless to say, I did not expect this internship to be filled with these type of activities, but I am enjoying the opportunity to literally lift my voice for justice!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
From HOT Arizona
I am Ayse, undergraduate IWJ intern in Arizona. My area of focus is immigration and the public policy. I am working with Trina Zelle and Sarah Schwarz on the New Sanctuary Movement.
My second day in Arizona, I was introduced to the Imam in Tempe, AZ and people involved in the immigration policies from the Muslim community. Later in the week, me and Sarah attended the New Sanctuary Movement follow up meeting in a church with mainly religious leaders and people of conscience in a Lutheran Church. Trina Zelle led the discussion on finding potential families, identifying the religious leaders, what to do next and how to approach senators in the state. After the bill was killed, we have attended a press conference in the State Capital.
Apart from the New Sanctuary Movement, we work along with UFCW and somos America on their Bashas campaign. Their research indicated that 58% of the baby formula in Bashas was expired and we participated in the action against Bashas as well as meetings before the action.
Currently, Sarah and I are beginning our initial outreach to faith communities. We have identified the religious leaders in order to develop materials on their religious response to immigration and their perspectives.
My second day in Arizona, I was introduced to the Imam in Tempe, AZ and people involved in the immigration policies from the Muslim community. Later in the week, me and Sarah attended the New Sanctuary Movement follow up meeting in a church with mainly religious leaders and people of conscience in a Lutheran Church. Trina Zelle led the discussion on finding potential families, identifying the religious leaders, what to do next and how to approach senators in the state. After the bill was killed, we have attended a press conference in the State Capital.
Apart from the New Sanctuary Movement, we work along with UFCW and somos America on their Bashas campaign. Their research indicated that 58% of the baby formula in Bashas was expired and we participated in the action against Bashas as well as meetings before the action.
Currently, Sarah and I are beginning our initial outreach to faith communities. We have identified the religious leaders in order to develop materials on their religious response to immigration and their perspectives.
Energy
Well I have survived my first week! There was never any doubt really....
I had a big week of meeting lots of new people, learning lots of new things, and adjusting to the schedule of a dedicated union worker. :) Some of the best experiences I had this week were getting to know some members of the union who are working in food services. Each person expresses a deep desire for something better. They know that the wages they receive and the benefits they do not receive just aren't cutting it. These people are leaders and they are trying to help others in their workplaces find energy to fight....but this task finds opposition. People are tired and overworked, and the thought of adding another thing to their schedule doesn't seem possible. And yet, they keep on fighting. I am in complete admiration of each person I met this week, and I only hope that I am able to keep the same constant passionate energy that I found in each person. Amen.
I had a big week of meeting lots of new people, learning lots of new things, and adjusting to the schedule of a dedicated union worker. :) Some of the best experiences I had this week were getting to know some members of the union who are working in food services. Each person expresses a deep desire for something better. They know that the wages they receive and the benefits they do not receive just aren't cutting it. These people are leaders and they are trying to help others in their workplaces find energy to fight....but this task finds opposition. People are tired and overworked, and the thought of adding another thing to their schedule doesn't seem possible. And yet, they keep on fighting. I am in complete admiration of each person I met this week, and I only hope that I am able to keep the same constant passionate energy that I found in each person. Amen.
First Encounters
She works four jobs, one being full-time, in addition to taking care of her family and trying to have a personal life. As one of three committee members in a very large "shop," her contributions as a leader within the union are invaluable. Throughout our conversation she never complained, instead she talked about the struggles of trying to make it in our society, the benefits she received from being part of the union, and her commitment to helping find more leaders from her workplace. She is the reason I am doing this and a reminder of how real, how raw, of an experience this summer is going to be for me.
My own middle-class upbringing and stable family life protected me from facing many of the struggles encountered by millions of people within the United States every single day. Hardworking individuals who are constantly trying to provide for their family and just make it one more day. Meanwhile, the efforts of their labor allows for the CEO's and stockholders of large companies to reap large financial benefits. Something is clearly amiss when some members of society must work 80 hours of week for their own economic survival and others have the resources to spend lavishly on absurd luxuries. The goal of a union is to correct these injustices by ensuring that an individual is justly compensated for the work he or she contributes to the overall success of a company.
All this sounds great in theory, but one gains a whole different perspective on the situation from talking with those who have endured these struggles and listening to their experiences. While every issue and debate in the world of labor involves political considerations, complex policy issues, and lots of talk centered around dollars and cents, one must never forget the people at the very core of these issues. Real people, with real lives and real struggles, are deeply affected by every policy decision affecting labor and every contract negotiated by a union. Unions are all about harnessing the power of the people and empowering people to fight for justice within their workplace. This summer is an opportunity for me to contribute to these efforts in a very small way. The focus of this work is caring for God's Children and those lessons are going to last way long after this experience ends and summer turns into fall.
My own middle-class upbringing and stable family life protected me from facing many of the struggles encountered by millions of people within the United States every single day. Hardworking individuals who are constantly trying to provide for their family and just make it one more day. Meanwhile, the efforts of their labor allows for the CEO's and stockholders of large companies to reap large financial benefits. Something is clearly amiss when some members of society must work 80 hours of week for their own economic survival and others have the resources to spend lavishly on absurd luxuries. The goal of a union is to correct these injustices by ensuring that an individual is justly compensated for the work he or she contributes to the overall success of a company.
All this sounds great in theory, but one gains a whole different perspective on the situation from talking with those who have endured these struggles and listening to their experiences. While every issue and debate in the world of labor involves political considerations, complex policy issues, and lots of talk centered around dollars and cents, one must never forget the people at the very core of these issues. Real people, with real lives and real struggles, are deeply affected by every policy decision affecting labor and every contract negotiated by a union. Unions are all about harnessing the power of the people and empowering people to fight for justice within their workplace. This summer is an opportunity for me to contribute to these efforts in a very small way. The focus of this work is caring for God's Children and those lessons are going to last way long after this experience ends and summer turns into fall.
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