Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Labor

By staff

Minneapolis, MN – The University of Minnesota held a special Board of Regents meeting on April 7 in which they discussed their plans to respond to budget impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2822, representing 1300 clerical workers in Hennepin County, is calling on Hennepin County to immediately halt Hennepin County administrator David Hough’s dangerous work or debt mandate to library and service center workers.

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By staff

Milwaukee, WI – A new date is being announced for the March on the Democratic National Convention: Monday, August 17. Organizers are going ahead with the march by discussing ways to make the protest safe and taking into account health guidelines. Due to the coronavirus crisis, the Democratic Party recently changed their dates, as they continue to discuss limiting participation at the convention.

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By Dave Schneider

Editor's note: The following article was prepared for the print edition of Fight Back!, which is now on hold due to the pandemic.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Union nurses represented by Minnesota Nurses Association at five hospitals voted overwhelmingly that they have “no confidence” in M Health management’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitals where the votes took place are Fairview Southdale, St. Joseph's, St. John's, Bethesda, and the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

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By staff

Chicago, IL – Teamsters Local 710 published an online memorial to Brother William “Dollar Bill” Young, who passed away on Sunday, March 29. Brother Young worked at the UPS CACH facility and was remembered as “hard working,” and “dedicated to his craft and always a friendly face.”

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By Sean Orr

Chicago, IL – The COVID-19 health crisis has (rightly) led to millions of people staying home in order to reduce the spread of the virus. For hundreds of thousands of Teamsters though – drivers and warehouse workers at UPS and YRC, grocery store clerks and food service workers – all deemed “essential services” by the Trump administration – we have to continue to work regardless of the risks.

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By Jacob Flom

Milwaukee, WI – A wave of worker activity has sprung up in the past two weeks as the slow government and employer response to COVID-19 has thrown millions of workers into dangerous working conditions. Workers have organized petitions, walkouts and sickouts at dozens of workplaces this week, demanding safe working conditions and hazard pay for essential workers during the pandemic.

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By World Federation of Trade Unions

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 24 statement of the World Federation of Trade Unions.

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By Fight Back

Workers protest at Tampa UPS.

Tampa, FL – UPS preloaders held a demonstration March 24 demanding disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The demonstration was part of an ongoing local and national fight by UPS employees to get the PPE they need to safely perform their job and prevent the spread of the virus to customers and the public.

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By Sean Orr

Chicago, IL – This past week, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) won expanded protections for all its members at United Parcel Service (UPS). The mid-contract negotiations were in direct response to the Trump administration's designation of UPS as an essential service during the COVID-19 crisis, meaning that workers will continue to work throughout the duration of this health emergency.

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By Emily Butt

Lansing, MI – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world, UPS Teamsters are concerned about the lack of safety precautions taken by the company. While UPS workers were deemed essential workers, there has been little to no effort on the part of UPS to make the workplace safe from the virus. There has been no scale-back of operations to only essential or critical packages, there have been no additional jobs created for cleaning and sanitizing work spaces, and any efforts to supply the work force with cleaning and hygiene supplies has been at the discretion of local managers and supervisors on a case-by-case basis.

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By Tom Burke

FRSO labor delegation at laptop factory.

Caracas, Venezuela – A Freedom Road Socialist Organization labor delegation toured the Canaima laptops and tablets factory in Caracas, Venezuela on March 12. The Canaima plant is located within walking distance of the bridge where U.S. puppet Juan Guaido launched a failed coup d’état April 30, 2019. Upon arrival, leading representatives of the Canaima assembly plant greeted the American Teamsters with genuine smiles and warm handshakes.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Hennepin County union workers keep fighting for worker and community safety. AFSCME Local 2822 has led the charge, alongside sister Hennepin County AFSCME locals. AFSCME Local 2822 represents almost 1300 clerical workers, including service center representatives, office specialists and library specialists, who do work that cannot be done from home.

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization

The following statement was written by the Labor Commission of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), representing trade unionists across the United States.

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By staff

St Paul teachers on the picket line.

St. Paul, MN – Schools were closed for three days this week as teachers and other educators, who are members of the St. Paul Federation of Educators, went on strike. Each day nearly 100% of the teachers spent from 7 to 11 a.m. on the picket lines in front of their schools, and held large rallies and marches in the afternoons in which thousands of educators, students, family members and community supporters turned out to show that they support the fight for access to good schools and mental health care for all students.

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By Tom Burke

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation with Tibisay Luc

Caracas, Venezuela – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation met today with Tibisay Lucena, president of the CNE (the National Electoral Council) to discuss the upcoming elections. Lucena spoke about this election as very important in the face of U.S aggression and the economic war.

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By Fern

Terrie Brady, President of Duval Teachers United, addresses the audience.

Jacksonville, FL – Over 75 people gathered together to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 in Jacksonville. The program was held in the union hall of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

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By staff

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Caracas, Venezuela – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) labor delegation met with space program officials, March 11, at the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities. Pictured are Adolfo Godoy, the president of ABAE; Mariano Imbert, the manager of Commercial Development; Salvador Lugo, the vice minister of Science and Technology, along with members of the FRSO delegation.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Labor #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Socialism #BolivarianSpaceAgency

By staff

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St. Paul, MN – Saint Paul educators are on strike, March 10. Their demands include multilingual staff, mental health supports for students, and special education services.

#StPaulMN #PeoplesStruggles #strike #PublicSectorUnions #teachersStrike #Strikes #TeachersUnions #StPaulTeachersStrike