March 20th Peace Rally and March--Update from organizers

On Saturday, March 20, thousands of people will be marching in cities across the country calling for an end to
wars and occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq and everywhere. Every day people, mostly civilians, are dying in
these wars, which cost more than $1 billion every two days. Meanwhile, more than 20 million people in the U.S. have lost their jobs, homes and health benefits in the last three years. On March 20 we will be saying: “Money for Healthcare, Jobs, Housing and Education—Not for War.”

Here in San Francisco, the Executive Board of UNITE HERE Local 2 and many other unions have endorsed the March 20 march and rally. The march will be going to two of the boycotted hotels, the Hilton and the Westin St. Francis in solidarity with the hotel workers. The Local 2 workers’ fight for a decent contract and to keep healthcare benefits is important to all working people.

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Students and Education Workers Take a Stand on March 4th : Indybay

Students and Education Workers Take a Stand on March 4th : Indybay

The March 4th rallies were an exciting moment where students and education workers stood up against the budget cuts to education in California and nationwide. What started out as just a date set by an anti-cuts conference in October ballooned into a day of mass action endorsed by every major student group and education union. See the Indybay website for detailed coverage.

Stars and Gears was individually at rallies in Berkeley and Vallejo.

Rite Aid action

Stars and Gears organized and carried out an action at a Rite Aid store in Oakland in support of the Rite Aid warehouse workers' new union. The company has been harassing, intimidating, illegally firing, etc. so we collected signatures on custom post cards to send to the company management. The cards said that the signatory was upset and would consider changing their shopping patterns away from the Rite Aid if the company kept strong-arming the union. We got plenty of signatures and the manager of the store got distressed and called his bosses, so it was a success in putting pressure on and raising awareness.

We'll continue to carry out actions in this campaign.

Feb. 27th, early afternoon--Solidarity with Rite Aid workers!

Stars and Gears will be outside of Rite Aid at 1400 Broadway in Oakland, distributing information on the struggle of ILWU warehouse workers in Lancaster, CA and asking them to sign postcards to Rite Aid's CEO.

EVENT: Feb 27th, Celebrate African American History

Celebrate African American History

with

Dinner & a Movie!

Soul food renderings – Bring a dish and tell about it!

Bring friends and family!

Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, from 5 – 8 p.m.

Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland

Suggested donation $5, no one turned away

Hosted by N. Calif. Communist Party USA

Information: (510) 251-1120 or ncalview@igc.org

The struggle for jobs, equality and peace continues!

Health care rally in SF

Stars and Gears were out at the rally for health care in SF. We handed out materials, signed stuff, and talked with people there.

There were somewhere between 50 and 100 people, with several speakers outlining how health care reform is desperately needed.

There was a doctor who talked about difficult hospital conditions.

There was an insurance industry worker who described the "death spiral" of rising premiums - premiums are increased to raise revenue, but this eventually causes people to drop their coverage, leading to increased premiums to compensate, etc. in a degenerate cycle.

There was a cancer survivor with a health care horror story. She had been successful in the corporate world, but diagnosis with cancer led her to loss of job, hence loss of insurance, and eventually, to financial ruin. She warned: "it can happen to you."

The speakers wanted Senate Democrats to use reconciliation protocol so that their majority would tell. They recognized that a more comprehensive and aggressive health care reform would be ideal, but saw the bill in congress as an important partial victory.

At the end the crowd chanted "what do we want? health care! when do we want it? now!"

Labor campaigns vs. NUMMI closure » peoplesworld

Labor campaigns vs. NUMMI closure » peoplesworld
By David Bester

FREMONT, Calif. - Labor and community allies are joining with workers at the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant as they and their union, United Auto Workers Local 2244, ratchet up pressure to keep the plant open despite Toyota's decision to shut it down in March.

NUMMI, begun as a Toyota-General Motors joint venture in 1984, employs about 4,700 UAW members and assures an estimated 50,000 more California jobs. Last year, after bankrupt GM pulled out, Toyota said it would close the plant. The workers and their allies, including elected officials, have campaigned against the closing ever since.

Many unions showed their support at a spirited rally Feb. 12 at union headquarters, across the street from the plant.

Local 2244 president Sergio Santos drew resounding applause when he told the crowd, "We want the company to review and reverse their decision to close our factory!" California Labor Federation head Art Pulaski got the hall chanting, "Stop your plan to close us down, don't be the bad guys in this town."

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, snowed in on the East Coast, told the rally by video, "Toyota betrays American workers ... Toyota - do not kill American jobs." Calling Toyota the most popular car brand in California, Trumka drew cheers as he warned, "Toyota shouldn't think they can destroy our jobs and communities and then sell us their cars."

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer wondered out loud why, among Toyota's many plants, they chose to close the one with a unionized work force. Then he pounced: "That's why this is a national issue!"

Noting that Toyota used to be known for loyalty to its workers and for a quality product, UAW National Vice President Bob King said the new management has "lost its way," as shown by the closure, the safety recall, and the apologies of Mr. Toyota himself. "If they close the Fremont NUMMI facility," he thundered, "we will not buy another Toyota."

"We Teamsters know how to boycott," declared Rome Aloise, Western Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. "We'll show you how to shut this company down... It's not too late to save this plant. We're with you!"

Since California is a big market for Toyota, the fightback was projected as both a boycott and public awareness-raising.

Foreshadowing coming actions at dealerships, Bargaining Chair Javier Contreras confidently predicted, "We're going to make ‘em call the corporation and say ‘why don't you get these guys outta my front yard?'"

The very next day, union members gathered at Toyota's dealership on Oakland's Oakport Street, holding banners reading, "Toyota-Lexus: A Danger to California," and "Toyota - Killing California Jobs. Theirs was among 14 boycott demonstrations at area dealerships.

"We're here to get the support of fellow Americans to keep that plant open," Javier Contreras Jr. said. He said the dealership had sold no cars that day, and told of getting a call saying "their manager's pretty upset right now." Earlier, police, summoned to dislodge the workers, determined they were on public land and had the right to stay.

Contreras Jr. said NUMMI workers had not been offered jobs at other Toyota plants. Everyone agreed that it was no accident that NUMMI, Toyota's only unionized plant, was being targeted for harsh treatment.

Communications Workers of America Local 9412 leaders Cookie Cameron and Keith Gibbs were out in support of their "brothers and sisters" at NUMMI. They related how the UAW supported them in their recent dispute with AT&T, and emphasized that everyone will lose if NUMMI is shuttered.

The UAW and its allies plan to demonstrate at dealerships every day.
Photo: David Bester Left to right:  Keith Gibbs (CWA), Javier Contreras Jr. (UAW), Julie (CWA), Cookie Cameron (CWA).