industrial worker - issue #1770, december 2014

8/10/2019 Industrial Worker - Issue #1770, December 2014

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Industrial Worker

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O F F I C I A L N E W S P A P E R O F T H E I N D U S T R I A L W O R K E R S O F T H E W O R L D

UnderstandingCo-ops And The IWW 11

Oregon CanvassersContinue Push ForUnionization 6

INDUSTRIAL WORKER

Farewell, FellowWorker Fred Lee 5

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 # 1 7 7 0 V o l . 1 1 1 N o . 1 0 $ 2 / 2 / 2

Whole Foods Workers Demand Higher Wages And A Union

S

olidarity In HongKong, Brazil AndSpain 12

Photo: Zoe Meyers

Toronto Harm Reduction Workers Organize With The IWW

Whole Foods workers picket after going public with the IWW inSan Francisco on Nov. 6.

IWW Resurgence In Bellingham, Washington

By Tim MaherOn the afternoon of Nov. 6, a delega-

tion of 20 cashiers, stockers, and cooksat Whole Foods Market in San Franciscoinitiated a temporary work stoppage todeliver a petition to Whole Foods manage-

ment demanding a $5 per hour wage in-crease for all employees and no retaliationagainst workers for organizing a union.After the delegation presented the petitionto management, workers and supportersheld a rally outside the store, located at 4thand Harrison Streets in San FranciscosSouth-of-Market district.

A worker must earn $29.83 per hourto afford a market-rate one-bedroomapartment in San Francisco, according to a2014 report from the National Low IncomeHousing Coalition. Workers at the storecurrently earn from $11.25 to $19.25 perhour. The new minimum wage ordinancejust approved by San Francisco voters willraise the citys minimum to $12.25 perhour next yearless than half of what is

needed to rent an apartment.Over 50 workers from the 4th Street

store signed the petition. In additionto demanding the $5 per hour wageincrease, the petition raises issues aboutpaid time off, hours and scheduling,

safety and health, and a retirement plan.Whole Food s is a mult in at io na l

chain with over 400 stores in the UnitedStates, Canada and Great Britain, with$13 billion in annual sales, and 80,000employees. Prices are high, which is whyWhole Foods is colloquially known asWhole Paycheck.

Beneath Whole Foods glossy imageof social responsibility, working condi-tions at Whole Foods reflect the lowindustry standards that dominate all foodand retail industries. Despite the com-panys claims to the contrary, low wages,constant understafng, and inconsistentschedules are rampant company-wide.Just recently CEO John Mackey

Continued on 6

By x331980IWW membership around Belling-

ham, Wash. surged this fall. In the pastfour months the group grew from onelonely delegate to 12 members. In earlyAugust, a recently-transplanted Wobfrom Phoenix contacted the delegatevia the general administration. Theyjoined a picket line on behalf of thelocal farm workers union, FamiliasUnidas por la Justicia, and found yetanother Wobbly on the line. I thoughtI was the only IWW in Bellingham, hesaid. Then, an old hand from the defunctBellingham General Membership Branch

(GMB) of the 1980s returned to the fold.Before long, new members were comingout of the woodwork by word of mouth.There are now enough Wobblies to applyfor a GMB charter.

Local Wobs work in distribution cen-ters, the city re department, legal ser-vices, roof maintenance and telecommu-nications. Two are students and a coupleothers are unemployed. There is one soleproprietor IWW job shop. The rst generalmembership meeting was held on Oct. 26.Members who had not previously met gotto know each other a bit. An election washeld for a secretary and a bylaws reviewcommittee, which has completed a draftset of bylaws. Meetings are scheduled forthe last Sunday of the month. See theIW

directory for contact information.Members live in Bellingham and in

Skagit County to the south. BellinghamIWW members participated in solidar-

ity work for the farm workers and theirboycott of Sakuma Brothers Farms ber-ries (see Union Harvests Major VictoriesFor Farmworkers In Washington, page7), as well as the OUR Walmart events onBlack Friday. Leaeting and face-to-faceoutreach with workers at the local JimmyJohns and the several Starbucks shops hasbeen sporadic. The Vancouver and Seattlebranches are within an hour or so of traveland the Vancouver Island GMB is just onthe other side of the San Juan Islands.Vancouver and Bellingham Wobblies metup at the Peace Arch climate rally andgathered around Bellinghams banner (seeClimate Change Knows NoBorders on page 5 of the NovemberIW).

Continued on 7

By the THRWUOn Friday, April 4, 2014, over 100

harm reduction workers from across To-ronto came together in a historic gather-ing. Although industry-wide meetings arecommon, conversation usually centerson the latest news and policies affectingservices; people share information abouttoxic heroin on the streets, increased po-lice carding in a certain area, or new lawsaround HIV and their impact on how weadvise our service users and our friends.

This time, the theme was differentthetopic of discussion was work.

Wor kers sha red sto ries of union -ized workplaces with trade unions thatwouldnt have them as members; othersspoke about the fact that managementdepends on workers being on social as-sistance to offset their low wages and lackof benets. Workers doing the same jobsat two different sites realized that whileone group was making $10 for three hoursof work, the other was being paid $15 perhour. Some workers explained that theywere paid with transit tokens and pizza.

Some workers demanded a union.On Nov. 11, after months of intensive

organizing, the Toronto Harm ReductionWorkers Union (THRWU), an afliate ofthe Toronto General Membership Branchof the IWW, announced its existence tomanagement at South Riverdale Com-munity Health Centre and Central To-ronto Community Health Centres. Theunion demanded employer recognition,a promise of non-retaliation for unionactivity, and a meeting with management

to discuss important issues of workplaceequity. The union also announced its in-tention to forgo the highly legalistic andbureaucratized Ontario Labour RelationsBoard certication process, electing for astrategy of solidarity unionism that allowsworkers full control over decision making.The THRWU is a city-wide organization,representing over 50 employed, unem-ployed, and student workers. It currentlyhas members at over a dozen agencies, andis continuing to organize with the goal ofunionizing all of the citys harm reduction

workers. Along with the direct unionismapproach, the THRWU campaign is alsobased on a multiple workplace organiz-ing model that allows for organizingcommittees at multiple sites to pool theirresources and experiences as they organizetogether. This solidarity is a precursor toexpanding workers struggle to the broaderindustry, explained THRWU worker-organizer Sarah Ovens.

Harm reduction work began with theimplementation and provision of needle

Continued on 7Photo: THRWUIWW harm reductionworkers in Toronto.

Photo: Bellingham IWWWobs protest the SakumaBrothers farm stand.


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Page 2 Industrial Worker December 2014

AsiaTaiwanTaiwan IWW: c/o David Temple, 4 Floor, No. 3, Ln. 67,Shujing St., Beitun Dist., Taichung City 40641 Taiwan.098-937-7029. [email protected]

AustraliaNew South WalesSydney GMB: [email protected]. Laura, del.,[email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]: nor [email protected]: P.O. Box 5842, West End, Qld 4101. Asger, del.,[email protected] AustraliaAdelaide: [email protected], www.wobbliesSA.

org. Jesse, del., 0432 130 082VictoriaMelbourne: P.O. Box 145, Moreland, VIC 3058. [email protected], www.iwwmelbourne.wordpress.com. Loki, del., [email protected]: [email protected] Canadian Regional Organizing Committee (CAN-ROC): c/o Toronto GMB, P.O. Box 45 Toronto P, Toronto ON,M5S 2S6. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 4197, T6E 4T2. [email protected], edmonton.iww.ca.British ColumbiaRed Lion Press: [email protected] GMB: 204-2274 York Ave., V6K 1C6.604-732-9613. [email protected]. www.vancouveriww.comVancouver Island GMB: Box 297 St. A, Nanaimo BC, V9R5K9. iw [email protected]. http://vanislewobs.wordpress.comManitobaWinnipeg GMB: IWW, c/o WORC, P.O. Box 1, R3C 2G1.204-299-5042, [email protected] BrunswickFredericton: frederictoniww.wordpress.com

OntarioOttawa-Outaouais GMB & GDC Local 6: 1106 WellingtonSt., P.O. Box 36042, Ottawa, K1Y 4V3. [email protected],[email protected] Panhandlers Union: Raymond Loomer, interimdelegate, [email protected]: c/o PCAP, 393 Water St. #17, K9H 3L7,705-749-9694. Sean Carleton, del., 705-775-0663,[email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 45, Toronto P, M5S 2S6. 647-741-4998. [email protected]. www.torontoiww.orgWindsor GMB: c/o WWAC, 328 Pelissier St., N9A 4K7.519-564-8036. [email protected]. http://wind-soriww.wordpress.comQubecMontreal GMB: cp 60124, Montral, QC, H2J 4E1. 514-268-3394. [email protected] Regional Administration (ERA): P.O. Box 7593Glasgow, G42 2EX. ww w.iww.org.ukERA Organisation ContactsCentral England Organiser: Russ Spring, [email protected] Department: [email protected]/Wales Organiser: Peter Davies [email protected] of Scotland Organiser: Dek Keenan, [email protected] Officer: Tawanda NyabangoLondon Regional Organiser: Tawanda NyabangoMembership Administrator: Rob Stirling, [email protected] Committee: [email protected] Regional Organiser: Northern Regional Organ-ising Committee, [email protected] Bar and Hospitality Workers IUB 640: [email protected] and Bargaining Support Department:[email protected] and Survey Department: [email protected]: Frank Syratt, [email protected] England Organiser: Nick Ballard, [email protected] Committee: [email protected] Department: [email protected]: Matt Tucker, [email protected] of Scotland Organiser: Keith Millar, [email protected] Officer: Marion Hersh, [email protected] BranchesClydeside GMB: [email protected]/Wales GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected]

Tyne & Wear GMB: [email protected]

Bradford GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: IWW Office, SYAC, 120 Wicker, SheffieldS3 8JD. [email protected] GMB: [email protected] Midlands GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] GMB: [email protected] IWW: IWW Belgi/Belgique, Sint-Bavoplein 7,2530 Boechout, Belgium. [email protected] Language AreaIWW German Language Area Regional OrganizingCommittee (GLAMROC): IWW, Haberweg 19, 61352 BadHomburg, Germany. www.wobblies.de

Austria: [email protected], [email protected]. http://wobblies.atBerlin: Offenes Treffen jeden 2.Montag im Monat im CafeCommune, Reichenberger Str.157, 10999 Berlin, 18 Uhr.(U-Bahnhof Kottbusser Tor). Postadresse: IWW Berlin, c/oRotes Antiquariat, Rungestr. 20, 10179 Berlin, [email protected]: [email protected]. iwwbremen.blogsport.deCologne/Koeln GMB: c/o Allerweltshaus, Koernerstr.77-79, 50823 Koeln, Germany. [email protected] - Eurest: IWW Betriebsgruppe EurestHaberweg 19 D- 61352 Bad Homburg. [email protected]: [email protected]: [email protected]. www.wobblies-kassel.deMunich: [email protected]: [email protected]. iww-rostock.netSwitzerland:[email protected] IWW: [email protected], [email protected]: Mental Health Services IU610 Union Clinic: Dr.Argyris Argyriadis, del., [email protected], [email protected]: Heimssamband Verkaflks / IWW Iceland,Reykjavkurakademunni 516, Hringbraut 121,107ReykjavkLithuania: [email protected]: iw [email protected] IWW: 004793656014. [email protected]. http://www.iwwnorge.org, www.facebook.com/iwwnorge. Twitter: @IWWnorgeUnited StatesAlabamaMobile: Jimmy Broadhead, del., P.O. Box 160073, [email protected]: Gerald Lunn. 205-245-4622. [email protected] GMB: P. O. Box 80101, 99708. Chris White, d el.,907-457-2543, [email protected]. Facebook: IWWFairbanksArizonaPhoenix GMB: P.O. Box 7126, 85011-7126. 623-336-1062. [email protected] IWW: 206-327-4158, [email protected] Corners (AZ, CO, NM, UT): 970-903-8721, [email protected]: P.O. Box 283, 72702. [email protected]

California

Los Angeles GMB: (323) 374-3499. [email protected] IWW: 916-825-0873, [email protected] Diego IWW: 619-630-5537, [email protected] Francisco Bay Area GMB: (Curbside and Buyback IU670 Recycling Shops; Stonemountain Fabrics Job Shopand IU 410 Garment and Textile Workers IndustrialOrganizing Committee; Shattuck Cinemas; EmbarcaderoCinemas) P.O. Box 11412, Berkeley, 94712. 510-845-0540. [email protected] Francisco IUB 660: 2940 16th Street, Suite 216, SanFrancisco, 94103. [email protected]. 415-985-4499IU 520 Marine Transport Workers: Steve Ongerth, del.,[email protected] Printing: 2412 Palmetto Street, Oakland94602. 510-482-4547. [email protected] Jose: [email protected], www.facebook.com/SJSV.IWWColoradoDenver GMB: c/o Hughes, 7700 E. 29th Avenue, Unit 107,80238. 303-355-2032. [email protected]: John W., del., 914-258-0941. [email protected] DC GMB: P.O. Box 1303, 20013. 202-630-9620. [email protected]. www.dciww.org, www.

facebook.com/dciww

FloridaGainesville GMB: c/o Civic Media Center, 433 S. Main St.,32601. Robbie Czopek, del., 904-315-5292, [email protected], ww w.gainesvilleiww.orgSouth Florida GMB: P.O. Box 370457, 33137. 305-894-6515. [email protected], http://iwwmiami.wordpress.com. Facebook: Miami IWWHobe Sound: P. Shultz, 8274 SE Pine Circle, 33455-6608.772-545-9591, [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 5390, 31107. 678-964-5169,[email protected], www.atliww.orgIdahoBoise: Ritchie Eppink, del., P.O. Box 453, 83701. 208-371-9752, [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 15384, 60615. 312-638-9155,[email protected]

IndianaIndiana GMB: [email protected]. Facebook:Indiana IWWIowaEastern Iowa IWW: 319-333-2476. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 1462, 66044. 816-875-6060Wichita: Richard Stephenson, del., [email protected] GMB: Mick Parsons, Secretary Treasurer,[email protected]. 502-658-0299LouisianaLouisiana IWW: John Mark Crowder, del, [email protected]. https://www.facebook.com/groups/iw-wofnwlouisiana/MaineMaine IWW: 207-619-0842. [email protected], www.southernmaineiww.org

MarylandBaltimore GMB: P.O. Box 33350, 21218. [email protected] Area GMB: P.O. Box 391724, Cambridge, 02139.617-863-7920, [email protected], www.IW-WBoston.orgWestern Mass. Public Service IU 650 Branch: IWW, P.O.Box 1581, Northampton, 01061

MichiganDetroit GMB: 4210 Trumbull Blvd., 48208. [email protected] Rapids GMB: P.O. Box 6629, 49516. [email protected] Rapids Bartertown Diner and Rocs Cakes: 6Jefferson St., 49503. [email protected], www.bartertowngr.comCentral Michigan: 5007 W. Columbia Rd., Mason 48854.517-676-9446, [email protected] IWW: P.O. Box 3232, 55803. [email protected] Country Food Alliance: 2104 Stevens Ave S, Min-neapolis, 55404. 612-568-4585. www.northcountry-foodalliance.orgPedal Power Press: P.O. Box 3232 Duluth 55803.www.pedalpowerpress.comPhoenix Mental Health, P.L.C.: FW Jeffrey Shea Jones,3137 Hennepin Ave. S., #102, Minneapolis, 55408.612-501-6807Red River GMB: [email protected], [email protected] Cities GMB: 3019 Minnehaha Ave. South, Suite 50,Minneapolis, 55406. [email protected]

MissouriGreater Kansas City IWW: P.O. Box 414304, Kansas City,64141. 816-875-6060. 816-866-3808. [email protected]. Louis IWW: P.O. Box 63142, 63163. Secretary: [email protected]. Treasurer [email protected] Workers IU 330: Dennis Georg, del., 406-490-3869, [email protected] IWW: Diane Keefauver, 1250 34th Street #D202,59801. 406-531-0601Two Rivers IWW: Jim Del D uca, del., 106 Paisley Court,Apt. I, Bozeman 59715. 406-599-2463. [email protected] a GMB: P.O. Box 27811, Ralston, 68127. [email protected]. ww w.nebraskaiww.orgNevadaReno GMB: P.O. Box 12173, 89510. Paul Lenart, del.,775-513-7523, [email protected] 520 Railroad Workers: Ron Kaminkow, del., P.O. Box2131, Reno, 89505. 608-358-5771. [email protected] JerseyCentral New Jersey GMB: P.O. Box 10021, New Brunswick,08906. 732-692-3491. [email protected]. BobRatynski, del., 908-285-5426. www.newjerseyiww.org

Northern New Jersey: 201-800-2471. [email protected]

New MexicoAlbuquerque GMB: 505-569-0168, [email protected] YorkNew York City GMB: 45-02 23rd Street, Suite #2, LongIsland City,11101. iw [email protected]. w ww.wobblycity.orgStarbucks Campaign: i [email protected],www.starbucksunion.orgSyracuse IWW: [email protected] NY GMB: P.O. Box 77, Altamont, 12009. 518-861-5627. [email protected] IWW: Brendan Maslauskas Dunn, del., 315-240-3149.North CarolinaGreensboro: 336-279-9334. [email protected] DakotaRed River GMB: [email protected], redriveriww@gmail.

comOhioMid-Ohio GMB: c/o Riffe, 4071 Indianola Ave., Columbus43214. [email protected] Ohio GMB: P.O. Box 141072, Cleveland 44114.440-941-0999Ohio Valley GMB: P.O. Box 6042, Ci ncinnati 45206, 513-510-1486, [email protected] Patches Screenprinting: [email protected] IWW: 539-664-6769. [email protected] GMB: Ed Gunderson, del., 541-743-5681. [email protected], www.iwwlane.orgPortland GMB: 2249 E Burnside St., 97214, 503-231-5488. [email protected], portlandiww.orgRed and Black Cafe: 400 SE 12th Ave, Portland, 97214.503-231-3899. [email protected]. www.redandblackcafe.comPrimal Screens Screen Printing: 1127 SE 10th Ave.#160 Portland, 97214. 503-267-1372. [email protected] IWW: P.O. Box 352, 17608. [email protected] Valley GMB: P.O. Box 1477, Allentown, 18105-1477. 484-275-0873. [email protected]. facebook.com/lehighvalleyiwwPaper Crane Press IU 450 Job Shop: 610-358-9496. [email protected], www.papercranepress.comPittsburgh GMB: P.O. Box 5912,15210. [email protected] IslandProvidence GMB: P.O. Box 23067, 02903. [email protected] IWW: Jonathan Beasley, del., 218 S 3rdSt. Apt. 7-6, Clarksville, 37040. [email protected]: Gus Breslauer, del., [email protected]: Houston IWWRio Grande Valley, South Texas IWW: P.O. Box 5456McAllen, Texas 78502. Greg, del., 956-278-5235 orMarco, del., 979-436-3719. [email protected]. www.facebook.com/IWWRGVUtahSalt Lake City GMB: P.O. Box 1227, 84110. 801-871-9057. [email protected]: John MacLean, del., 802-540-2561VirginiaRichmond IWW: P.O. Box 7055, 23221. 804-496-1568.

[email protected], ww w.richmondiww.orgWashingtonBremerton: Gordon Glick, d el., [email protected] IWW: [email protected]. Facebook: B ellingham IWWSeattle GMB: 1122 E. Pike #1142, 98122-3934. 206-429-5285. [email protected]. www.seattleiww.org,www.seattle.netSpokane: P.O. Box 30222, 99223. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 2442, 53701-2442. www.madison.iww.orgIUB 560 - Communications and Computer Workers: P.O.Box 259279, Madison 53725. 608-620-IWW1. [email protected]. www.Madisoniub560.iww.orgLakeside Press IU 450 Job Shop: 1334 Williamson,53703. 608-255-1800. Jerry Chernow, del., [email protected]. w ww.lakesidepress.orgMadison Infoshop Job Shop:1019 Williamson St. #B,53703. 608-262-9036Just Coffee Job Shop IU 460: 1129 E. Wilson, Madison,53703. 608-204-9011, justcoffee.coopRailroad Workers IU 520: 608-358-5771. [email protected] GMB: P.O. Box 342294, 53234. [email protected]. 630-415-7315

Northwoods IWW: P.O. Box 452, Stevens Point, 54481

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Industrial Unionism

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Evolving Into A Union Of Equality And InclusionFellow Workers,

In the November issue of the Indus-trial Worker (IW), our editor did well topublish both a letter in support and onein critique of Fellow Worker (FW) MariaParrottas report from the 2014 IWW Gen-eral Convention (The 2014 IWW GeneralConvention: Learning From Our Mistakes,Moving Forward, October 2014IW, page1 & 6). However the critique, instead of

making the (valid) point of separatingnews and opinion, only served to reinforceFW Parrottas original point; that sexismis alive in our union. The critique servedas a real attempt to silence the bringingforth of an important opinion regardingevents that I, as a union member unableto attend the convention, was not privy tountil reading that issue. By this I mean thatthe critique sidestepped all of the originalpoints regarding sexism and instead levieda response based upon loose comparisonsof union membership and meeting atten-dance; points which are irrelevant to theoriginal piece and the message thereof.

We are workers of the world. We arenot just men, not just white, and not just

of one perspective regarding our relationsto one another and our working conditions

under the boot of the beast. As theworking class our body is literallymade up of countless voices andperspectives, countless avenuesof power, and countless oppor-tunities for abuse, oppression,and, ultimately, failure. It is ourresponsibility to ourselvesas abody of workers united in the faceof capitalto accept internal criti-

cism and take it a step further, towelcome it and see it precisely as itis: the evolution of our class.

In essence, we must becomecomfortable evolving into exactlywhat we are. I encourage my malefellow workers to take a momentand see this as it is, for only as aclass undivided that we will everhave the strength to overcome thecontradiction.

Milo Unti

I am writing to express my strongsupport for Fellow Worker (FW) MariaParrotta's piece on the 2014 IWW GeneralConvention and FW Diane Krauthamersvery correct decision to publish it on the

front page (see The 2014 IWW GeneralConvention: Learning From Our Mistakes,

Moving Forward, OctoberIW, pages 1 &6). I am proud to call these two womenmy fellow workers and to have them inmy General Membership Branch (GMB),because it is people like them who will

actually work to make this union what itContinued on next page

Graphic: iww.org


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December 2014 Industrial Worker Page 3

__I afrm that I am a worker, and that I am not an employer.

__I agree to abide by the IWW constitution.

__I will study its principles and acquaint myself with its purposes.Name: ________________________________

Address: ______________________________

City, State, Post Code, Country: _______________

Occupation: ____________________________

Phone: ____________ Email:_______________

Amount Enclosed: _________

The working class and the employingclass have nothing in common. There canbe no peace so long as hunger and wantare found among millions of workingpeople and the few, who make up the em-ploying class, have all the good things oflife. Between these two classes a strugglemust go on until the workers of the worldorganize as a class, take possession of themeans of production, abolish the wagesystem, and live in harmony with theearth.

We nd that the center ing of themanagement of industries into fewer andfewer hands makes the trade unions un-able to cope with the ever-growing powerof the employing class. The trade unionsfoster a state of affairs which allows oneset of workers to be pitted against anotherset of workers in the same industry,thereby helping defeat one another inwage wars. Moreover, the trade unionsaid the employing class to mislead theworkers into the belie f that the workingclass have interests in common with theiremployers.

These conditions can be changed andthe interest of the working class upheldonly by an organization formed in such

a way that all its members in any oneindustry, or all industries if necessary,cease work whenever a strike or lockout ison in any department thereof, thus mak-ing an injury to one an injury to all.

Instead of the conservative motto, Afair days wage for a fair days work, wemust inscribe on our banner the revolu-tionary watchword, Abolition of the wagesystem.

It is the historic mission of the work-ing class to do away with capitalism. Thearmy of production must be organized,not only for the everyday struggle w ithcapitalists, but also to carry on produc-tion when capitalism shall have beenoverthrown. By organizing industriallywe are forming the structure of the new

society within the shell of the old.

TO JOIN:Mail this form with a check or money order for initiationand your rst months dues to: IWW, Post Ofce Box 180195, Chicago, IL60618, USA.

Initiation is the same as one months dues. Our dues are calculated

according to your income. If your monthly income is under $2000, duesare $9 a month. If your monthly income is between $2000 and $3500,dues are $18 a month. If your monthly income is over $3500 a month, duesare $27 a month. Dues may vary outside of North America and in RegionalOrganizing Committees (Australia, British Isles, German Language Area).

Membership includes a subscription to the Industrial Worker.

Join the IWW Today

The IWW is a union for all workers, a union dedicated to organizing on thejob, in our industries and in our communities both to win better conditionstoday and to build a world without bosses, a world in which production and

distribution are organized by workers ourselves to meet the needs of the entirepopulation, not merely a handful of exploiters.

We are the Industrial Workers of the World because we organize industrially that is to say, we organize all workers on the job into one union, rather than dividingworkers by trade, so that we can pool our strength to ght the bosses together.

Since the IWW was founded in 1905, we have recognized the need to build atruly international union movement in order to confront the global power of thebosses and in order to strengthen workers ability to stand in solidarity with our fel-low workers no matter what part of the globe they happen to live on.

We are a union open to all workers, whether or not the IWW happens to haverepresentation rights in your workplace. We organize the worker, not the job, recog-nizing that unionism is not about government certication or employer recognitionbut about workers coming together to address our common concerns. Sometimesthis means striking or signing a contract. Sometimes it means refusing to work withan unsafe machine or following the bosses orders so literally that nothing gets done.Sometimes it means agitating around particular issues or grievances in a specicworkplace, or across an industry.

Because the IWW is a democratic, member-run union, decisions about what is-sues to address and what tactics to pursue are made by the workers directly involved.

IWW Constitution Preamble

We Need To Focus On Our Common Goals, Objectives

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Continued from previous pageclaims to beabout equality and inclusion.

I am a dual carder who works for themainstream labor movement in the UnitedStates, and it never ceases to amaze methat members of the IWW can talk about

how the labor movement in the UnitedStates is a white mans club, and yet notexamine our own union. I was the onlywoman in my GMB until these two joinedme. Is this the One Big Union we want?!

To those of you involved in the walkoutat the convention and those of you criticiz-ing theIWs coverage of the conventionrealize that YOU are what alienates womenfrom this union.

FW Diane explained very well thatopinions are published throughout thepaper in every issue and only get calledout when it is a womans opinion. Insteadof trying to make excuses to hide behindyour prejudices (claiming it is an issue ofwhere the piece was published), maybe youshould try to listen to what other fellowworkers might be experiencing that youyourself never will understand as a man.Personal safety and harassment are noteveryday concerns in your life as they arefor so many of your women fellow work-ers. Without recognizing our own privilegeand listening to others who are experts ontheir own experiences, we will not developinto the union we are all supposed to beworking toward. FW Maria was very can-did about the Washington D.C. branchsshortcomings. She is one of the branchmembers actively working to overcomethese problems. But getting defensive ofyour own branch, and using the fact thatthe D.C. branch might be more screwed upas an excuse to avoid working to address

legitimate criticisms of your own branchmore generally, is standing in the way ofthe IWW becoming the inclusive and equalunion we claim we are.

Erin Radford

Cause the factories are in ruins, decentjobs are hard to ndAnd you can't get ahead no matter howhard you tryCause the Big Boys make the rules, toughluck for everyone elseAnd out on the streets, brother, it's everyman for himselfBut I still remember when we marched

side by sideBack in Gary, Indiana in 1959.

These are some of the lyrics to DaveAlvins song Gary Indiana 1959 fromhis new album Eleven-Eleven. Alvinrecalls marching side-by-side with hisfellow workers as their unions fought topreserve their jobs, communities andfamilies. Today, these very issues arestill a reality for Americans battling fordecent pay and working conditions.Thisis also a fresh memory to the millionswho heroically fought back against plantclosures, outsourcing of jobs, relocation offactories to union-busting states and cheapoffshore labor sites, and the endless raceto the bottom.

When these workers marchedthenand nowside-by-side into the ranks ofcorporate goons, hostile negotiators andgovernment agencies only interested inprotecting the prots of the wealthy, theydid notand do notconcern themselveswith their brothers and sisters positionon abortion rights or gay marriage. Theydo not quiz their fellow workers on theirattitudes toward patriarchy. They do notconcern themselves with the religiousbeliefs, or lack of them, of their comradesmarching beside them. They do not care ifthe people theyve linked arms with havea university degree or never nished highschool. They do not wrangle at their unionmeetings over minor matters and harshly

criticize those who disagree with them.They do not care about the criminal recordof their colleagues. Though arguments,often heated, on strategy and position arecommon, these union members do not

Evolving Into AUnion Of EqualityAnd Inclusion

tolerate disruptive, hateful comments oractions. They do not care if their unionbrothers and sisters are black, Chicano,white or Asian.

That is because these differences areinsignicant when compared to what theysharea fierce dedication to the com-mon good of their fellow workers and totheir own well-being, which can only be

achieved through collective action. Thatswhat happens in a union that works.A quick scan of the OctoberIndustrial

Worker, however, seems to tell anotherstory. It is the story of a labor organiza-tion looking for an identity and rife withdiscontent, frustration and unhappiness(see The 2014 IWW General Convention:Learning From Our Mistakes, MovingForward, pages 1 & 6). I have been in-volved in the Left for a long time, and thetone of several of the articles, includingthe disturbing account of the last annualmeeting, sadly reminds me of the last daysof Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)in 1969 when that organization tore itselfapart over identity politics, ideologicalschisms and personalities. Perhaps theconfused identity of the IWW is best il-lustrated by the piece lashing out at thepredominance of college-educated whitemale membership followed by the articleon Marx that would require a degree inpolitical science to fully comprehend, butits more than that. It seems to be thereis a malaise rooted in the fundamentalcontradictions of the organization: are wea real union committed to organizing realworkplaces where the most marginalizedand oppressed workers are located (inwhich case you better prepare yourself forviews on gender, gay rights, religion and soon that may make your hair curl), or are wea bunch of disenchanted privileged whitefolks attracted to the romance and vision

of the IWW who are more interested inarguing over social issues andthe eternalcurse of the leftmore interested in as-serting the correct position than beingsuccessful?

Obviously, in the world of the early

20th century we were that broad-basedghting union, and hopefully we will beagain. But in the meantime, I think theIWW needs to acknowledge it will alwayshave an element of memberslike mewho are not front-line workers, but whohave a lot of background, are profoundlycommitted to radical social change, andwho are willing to support the efforts ofthe organization and promote its ideology.What strikes me as far more damaging isthe corrosive tone of the current discourse.Any good organization revolves aroundtrust, cooperation, commitment to a com-mon goal and mutual respect. Perhaps weneed to focus on dening who we are interms of our common goals and objectives,not in terms of our differences.

Don Sawyer

Working WritersContest!

Which work ing writers have in-spired you? Here is your chance to gettheir name out! The IWW LiteratureCommittee is starting an annual work-ing writers contest, and is looking forsuggestions for a name. This couldbe the name of a working writer, or itcould be another inspiring name fora writing contest. All suggestions arewelcome. Please send your suggestion,and explanation, to iwwliteraturecom-

[email protected] with the subjectWORKING WRITERS CONTEST.In Solidarity,The IWW LiteratureCommittee


4/12


Answer Two Strategy Questions To WinBy Daniel Gross

Winning a worker justice struggle hasgot to be one of the greatest things thatlife offers. Winning means a better futurefor a family, for a community, and evenfor a society.

Winning a worker justice strugglehas also got to be one of lifes mostdifficult endeavors. Forces with greatpower, wealth, and privilege resist posi-

tive change with a mighty determination.Winning doesnt happen by accident.

It takes a complete organizational modelto build an enduring industrial union.Strategy is an essential element of amodel, and effective strategy-making inthe IWW is one of the keys to gettingthe union to the next level. Ourstrategies must assert sufcientpower to win demands and over-come resistance to change.

Last month, I introduced the two keyquestions to formulate strategy: whereto struggle and how to win. We modiedand adapted these questions from thework of Professor Roger Martin for usein worker organizations.

I suggested that an excellent way tolearn how to use the two questions is toapply them to existing worker organiza-tions. Id like to help you get s tarted witha case study.

Let me say rst that Im sharing astrategy-making framework rather thanproposing a particular strategy for theIWW. Strategy is not copy and paste.Each industrial union-building effortwill have to do its own strategic thinkingbased on its vision, values, opportunities,and capabilities. That said, I think thefollowing case study offers a rich oppor-tunity for learning strategy.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers(CIW) is a Florida-based organization offarmworkers in the tomato industry. Nowwell-known, the CIW spent 10 years op-posing egregious abuses without gainingsignicant traction.

In my estimation, the organizationsinitial where-to-struggle choice was thetomato elds and surrounding commu-nity of Immokalee, with farmworkersand local supporters directly targeting

farming companies. The how-to-winchoice was strikes, marches through thecommunity, and similar local initiatives.This strategy didnt work, and thats hard,but not fatal. What matters is stayingalive until you nd a strategy that workswhich is exactly what the CIW did.

After 10 years of valiant but unsuc-cessful struggle, the CIWs where-to-struggle choice pivoted dramatically

to the fast food companies and grocerystores who purchase from the tomatofarms, with farmworkers and local sup-porters coordinating a national move-ment of students, people of faith, activ-ists, and prominent opinion-leaders. Thehow-to-win choice became farmworkers

moving these national alliesto challenge the retail brandsaround their tomato supplychain in the news media, in the

streets around the country, and more.This new strategy successfully moved

the big brands into a code of conductwith the CIW and the farm corporations,with groundbreaking improvements forfarmworkers. Like all successful strategy

formulations, the CIWs strategy is rootedin research and understanding of how anindustry works, the key relationships,and the key opportunities for inuence.Understanding secondary stakeholders,in this case the retail buyers, is alwayscritical. Without insight into the industry,I dont think the organization would haveever gured out a way forward.

The CIW and IWW are obviouslydifferent organizations. The CIW builttheir winning strategy within their vision,and youll build your strategy within theIWWs unique vision. Other successfulworker organizations, including in agri-culture, have made very different where-to-struggle and how-to-win choices.Theres no one right answer. The idea is toapply the questions and get your own an-swers, not copy another groups choices.

One thing is certain: winning is ashard as it is essential. You and your fel-low workers will have to make focusedchoices and assert big power to taste thefruits of justice. The two strategy ques-tions will help you get there.

Graphic: Mike Konopacki

By x371688For me, being trans in the IWW is an

interesting exercise in combined accep-tance and growing pains. Ive largely metfellow workers (FWs) who respect how mypronouns are he/him, who havent battedan eye at how those pronouns are binarywhile my presentation and identicationare not. In many meetings I attend, duringintroductions there is often a cis FW whoremembers to ask that we state our pro-nouns after giving names or other infor-mation. Ive served as Branch Secretary-Treasurer (BST) for almost 18 months. Ifeel like my voice is usually acknowledged.Now, I was assigned female at birth, andtypically, trans people in that position havean easier time with cis acceptance becausein dominant (frequently accurate) narra-tives were the ones with an aversion tobinary femininity/femaleness; everyonesinternalized misogyny makes this a moresocially-acceptable gender experiencethan alternatives. It could be that Ive

missed overtly oppressive actions againstme, because Im not in the main categoryof trans people who contend with bullshiton a more constant basis. But whetheror not thats true, I cant help feeling agrowing discontent with some attitudes Ihear expressed by other FWs, along withsubtle behavioral trends that may have todo with my gender being other than cismale. Chiefest among these is somethingthat happens when introductions involvegiving pronouns: what I call the pronounshrug.

The pronoun shrug has a few permu-tations. Form A: someone doesnt evenaddress the topic of pronouns when itstheir turn. Form B: someone says some

varia nt of you can call me whatever,

any pronouns are fine, etc. Form C:someone offers a binary pronoun optionand accompanies it with the non-binarysingular they as an alternative. Most ofthe time, I witness this from men whom Iperceive as cis since they never assert anysort of gender (in)difference outside ofthis interaction.

Now, let me establish that Ive wit-nessed this from FWs with whom I haveequally strong or weak relationships, andId love to take the matter up individuallywith each of them, but thereare frankly too many for meto do so without exhaustingmyself. Also, Id never expectanyone to out themselvesas trans when they werentcomfortable doing so. I dontmean, Your behavior sug-gests that you are inherentlycis, or insufciently trans!Rather, my concern centersupon the message that the

pronoun shrug can unwittingly send,regardless of who does it or witnesses it.I only even raise demographics to notethat if you are a cis man, particularly onewith other privileges, you may want to paycloser attention here.

Anywa y, here s my worry: my gen-der identity isnt just something I haveto ght to establish. I also struggle withmaking the actual fact of my trans-nessaccepted. Even though it happens less tome in radical spaces than outside of them,throughout my daily life I have to contendwith my right to be called he/him gettingquestioned, alongside the mere idea thatanybody can self-select pronouns. Theseproblems are two sides of the same coin

transphobiabut theyre not absolutely

the same. Yes, I can sometimes be calledhe/him by making a major personal effortto dress and present masculine/butch/other variants of things that many peopleassume means Im inherently someonewho uses he/him, (i.e. what theyd call amale). But this strategy caters to peoples

expectations, relying on thepremise that whether or notan individual is trans-ac-cepting, if I can competentlyplay the gender game then Ican win. Id rather operatein a manner where Im notobligated to dress and pres-ent any one waywhere if Isay Im he/him, then thatsit, people will just call methat. I greatly prefer this to

an environment where I get nervous aboutsaying Im he/him because it means thatsuddenly I cant wear makeup anymorelest it cause confusion.

Unfortunately, thats where Im usual-ly stuck. Trans-ness is still widely regardedas a deviation from the norm. Just as manis considered some universal default withwoman being the binary aberration, sotoo is cis the forced default and trans thething thats Other. I dont want to be Other.The pronoun shrug, however, covertlymaintains this. Form A, declining to evencomment upon pronouns, implies that thespeakers gender is apparent, rubbing mynose in the fact that my gender is unusual.Forms B and C, saying that any pronoun

is ne or that they can be used alongside a

binary cis choicethese ought to suggest

some kind of solidarity, but the statementssound hollow if everything else aboutthe speakers presentation consistentlysuggests cis-ness, if they dont otherwiseexperiment with asking for a pronounbesides wha t defau lt cis cho ice mos tpeople assume, if nobody feels comfort-able randomly assigning them a pronounbesides the default cis choice. If, in brief,this person behaves no differently from theperson who shrugged things off in form A;for them, achieving a desired pronoun isnot any form of struggle. As long as I andothers have to genuinely ght for he/him,she/her, xe/hir, they/them, and numerousadditional possibilities, I dont nd it reas-suring for someone to treat pronouns as aforegone conclusion or a cavalier affair.

But I think theres luckily a simplesolution for anyone with the impulse topronoun shrug. Basically, when whatsyour preferred pronoun? is asked, alwaysanswer with the pronoun(s) you really doprefer; if theres more than one, brieyexplain the contexts in which youd prefereach. Other trans people may not feel thesame as I do about this, but I personallyprefer to hear someone give an honest,straightforward answer instead of a non-answer or an answer that feels misguidedlytailored to express gender blindness. Ifeveryone did just answer honestly, wedstill need to work on how we all respondto that honestybut Id already feel like Istood on vastly more equal ground with

cis comrades.

The Importance Of Being [Pronoun]

Graphic: Earth First! Newswire


5/12


Wobbly & North American News

By FW Martin ZehrEvery day there are casualties of

the class war in Americas cities. Peopleare shot by cops, imprisoned for smallcrimes, beaten and tear-gassed atdemonstrations and subjected to streetviolence in their neighborhoods. Thenames of Oscar Grant, James Boydand Mike Brown become part of weekly

lists of victimized brothers and sistersaround the nation. Suppressed newscoverage avoids the mention of childrenfrom Central America imprisoned inArtesia, N.M., and 43 normalistas(stu-dent teachers) are burned alive in Ayotzi-napa, in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, bynarco-trafckers with collaboration frompolice and public ofcials. Elections comeand go, but police repression remains.

On Oct. 22, Pittsburgh residentsraised their voices and took steps to bringpeople of all colors together to ght policebrutality. At the Pittsburgh City-CountyBuilding, Wobblies joined 50 other work-ers to demand an end to police brutalityas part of a national day of action in cities

throughout the country. Names of ourneighbors listed under STOLEN LIVESon a banner brought out the reality ofPittsburghs Iron Heel: Damian Jordan,Charles Dixon, Kenneth Walker, DionHall, Michael Ellerbee, Bernard RogersStolen Lives.

Resistance grows in Ferguson, Mo.,as demonstrators continue to protest

ofcially sanctioned murder. The city ofKobani stands in its own power againstgenocidal assaults on Kurdish cantonsin Syria.Autodefensas(popular militias)organize residents to defend their com-munities in the state of Michoacn fromofcial repression and narco-trafckers.Residents in Albuquerque take over theCity Council meeting and issue a peopleswarrant for the arrest of Chief of PoliceGordon Eden. On Nov. 11, people in citiesaround the nation marched against capi-talism. An injury to one is an injury to all.

People who cannot feel safe in theircommunities because of police violence;people saying in public what is coveredup in the media; determination to changedrives peoples resistance; empty promisesreplace justice for the criminals amongus: we will not accept this future for ourchildren and their children. End ofciallysanctioned violence. No pasarn!

A Sea Of Black FlagsBy Max Perkins

Truly the mostamazing thing I haveever been a part of, thePeoples Climate Marchon Sept. 21 in New YorkCity, was beyond thebiggest mass of activistsI have ever seen. Have

you ever seen 200 to300 anarchists, fromevery part of the coun-try and from all over the world? WOW!

The day started meeting up with ourwon der ful com rades fro m New YorkCity Black Rose / Rosa Negra AnarchistFederation, who did an amazing job or-ganizing our anti-capitalist contingent.At 11:30 a.m. we star ted masking up,assembling our banners, unraveling ourags and meeting each other. We thenmarched to meet a few other groups thathad been assembling between 90th Streetand 87th Street by Central Park West. Abeautiful day was in store. Never have Iseen so many diverse groups: 350.org, In-

digenous Rights activists, Vets for Peace,just to name a few. We assembled nearthe contingent from the RevolutionaryCommunist Party (Bob Avakians follow-ers). This was at rst very tense. A ghtalmost started when one of our comradeswas explaining that a cult of personality iscounter-revolutionary. However the issuewas resolved peacefully.

Looking around me was stunning: asea of black ags, red and black ags, andhundreds of folks of all ages and back-groundsthis was simply the most com-rades I have ever seen in the United Statesor in once place. Chanting, and singing abeautiful version of Solidarity Forever,the march began around 1 p.m. It tookhours for the rst contingents to reachthe end of the march, and even longer forus. The highlights included screaming upat the banks, and especially at Fox News.

So many people wereasking, Who are you?and the reply was Weare anarchists! Oh weneed more of you! Yeswe do! The march wasamazing and peacefulwith much support forus, many people taking

pictures and cheeringus on. At one point ahuge group of young

people of color on bikes saw us and therewas a massive show of anti-police solidar-ity. Wonderful!

The march continued to TimesSquare, with wave upon wave of dedicatedactivists and no loss of energy. The chantsnever stopped, and my voice was reallygone. The follow-up to this was that, whilewe made a huge statement, we receivedno press (not that we were seeking it, butto have so many anarchists together, youwould think that maybe someone wouldsay something!). Coverage seemed, as iscommon, to focus on the big groups.

Even Democracy Now! did not mentionthe anarchist involvement in the march.I think it means we have to work harderto bring the message to the people; thatthis should not be a one-time thing but aregular occurrence, for people forget alltoo quickly, and carry on with their livesas if nothing happened. I have been corre-sponding with Fellow Workers (FWs), in-cluding FW Maria from the IWWs Wash-ington D.C. branch, who, like me, wants tosee better communication and solidarityactions that include many branches. Ourstruggle continues, and until we reach ourgoal of a world free from the shackles ofcapitalist oppression, we must carry on.For an injury to one is truly an injury toall! Solidarity forever, and special thanksto Maria, the D.C. IWW, New York CityBlack Rose and Polish Anarchists, andany others who helped make this happen.

We Are All Ayotzinapa

Presente! FW Eugene Jack

Farewell, Fellow Worker Frederic S. LeeObituaries

By Jon BekkenFormer IWW General

Executive Board chair Fred-eric Lee died on Oct. 23.A member of the IWW for29 years, Fellow Worker(FW) Lee was also a lead-ing economist, founder ofthe Heterodox EconomicsNewsletter, and at the timeof his death, president-electof the Association for Evo-lutionary Economics. Hisrigorous scholarship, in-ternational reputation, andcommitment to organizingnetworks of solidarity helped open aspace for alternative approaches in aeld long dominated by worshippers ofmarkets and wealth.

I rst met Fred in 1985, when I wasGeneral Secretary-Treasurer of the In-

dustrial Workers of the World. He wasteaching at Roosevelt University at thetime and came by the ofce one day todiscuss Wobbly activities and our ap-proach to building a new society basedupon real democracy on the job, meetingeveryones material needs, and creatingthe possibilities for all to live satisfying,fullling lives. I knew Fred was a Wob-bly at heart the rst time we met, but wetalked several times over the next fewmonths before he accepted his red card.

Over the decades that followed, Fredkept up his IWW membership. More im-portantly, he stayed true to those Wobblyideals. He played the key role in revivinga moribund IWW organization in the

British Isles while teaching there, servedas chair of the IWWs General ExecutiveBoard, and spearheaded the successfuleffort to liberate Joe Hills ashes from theU.S. National Archives, where the federalgovernment was quietly holding themcaptive, and to scatter them around theworld in accordance with Joe Hills lastwishes (see photo above).

He joined the IWW Hungarian Lit-erature Fund as veteran Wobblies werehanding off this legacy to a youngergeneration, helping to support the pub-lication of new IWW and labor literature.This included the annual labor historycalendar he and I worked on togetherfor so many years. In this work, as in allhis work for the IWW, he did not hesitate

to take on the drudge work of stufngenvelopes and hauling mail to the postofce, realizing that there is little pointto producing Wobbly literature withoutmaking sure it gets into workers hands.

In 2005, as we were celebrating the

100th anniversary of the founding of theIWW, Fred suggested a conference ofradical economists and labor activistsinterested in economics to explore the in-tersection of Wobbly ideas and economictheory, and he made it happen. The paperhe presented at that conference was aconcrete example of how rigorous eco-nomic theory and workplace strategiesderived from on-the-job struggles leadto a common emphasis on job controland struggles over the conditions of ourlabor (it appears in the book we co-edited,Radical Economics and Labor). Suchstruggles are fundamentally battles toassert our human dignity against aneconomic system determined to treat us

as a cogs in the capitalist apparatus, asagents of prot-making, as subjects. It isin refusing subjugation and exploitation,Fred knew, that we discover our capacityand realize our humanity.

Fred was a Wobbly through andthrough; a rebel worker who never aban-doned the cause. He knew the strugglewas often difcult, but also that it waswell worth ghting. Our power, he knew,lies in organization and in action. He willbe missed.

FW Lees ashes will be distributed atthe Haymarket Monument in WaldheimCemetery; more information on his workand on the scholarship fund that contin-ues his legacy can be found at http://heterodoxnews.com/leefs.

By Harry Siitonen, San FranciscoBay Area GMB

IWW member Eugene (Gene) Jackdied in his late 80s in the latter part ofSeptember in Cascade, Mont.

Gene was a late recruit to the One BigUnion in his early 1980s, living in retire-ment with his wife Patty at their ranchhouse in Cascade. I had known Genesince the 1960s when we worked togetheras printers in the composing room of the

San Francisco Chronicle as members ofSan Francisco Typographical Union LocalNo. 21. Gene also worked as a typesetter inseveral commercial printing plants whileliving in San Francisco. Among them wasCharles Faulk Typographers in downtownSan Francisco where he served as ChapelChairman (chief steward) for the union.

We were all exci ted by the DelanoGrape Strike of the farmworkers in the1960s in the Central Valley in efforts tosuccessfully organize California agricul-tural workers. Gene and I collected about$300 in donations from our fellow Chron-icleprinters, and one Saturday afternoonfollowing work we took off for Delano todeliver this modest packet to the farm

workers. We got there late at night and meta contingent of strikers in an empty pack-ing shed, maintaining watch on any scabattempts to load grapes onto freight cars.We were well-received by these mostlyMexican-American and Filipino strikers.This led to a well-organized campaign byBay Area International Telecommunica-tion Union (ITU) printers to assist farmworker organizing and boycott supportfor several years, led by the newly-mintedUnited Farm Workers union.

After several years in printing, Geneleft the trade and worked for a time asa cable TV installer in the early years ofcable in Sonoma County, Calif. He latermoved to Denver and owned and oper-ated an electrical repair shop that he sold

upon his retirement. With the proceedshe purchased a ranch house in Cascade,Mont., on a hillside overlooking the Mis-souri River to which he brought his secondwife Patty.

Gene was born in Colorado on a smallfamily cattle ranch. He helped his dadpunch cattle during his growing years.During the Korean War he served in theU.S. Army, in Germany as I remember.Somewhere along the line he apprenticed

to the printing trade and became a mastercraftsman in the typographical arts duringits hot metal days.

We kept in touch during all these yearsthrough our retirements. Gene was activein the Veterans for Peace in Montana andat least once he and Patty joined in theannual demonstrations at Fort Benning,Ga. to protest the Armys training of deathsquads for South and Central Americandictators.

One year after wintering in Ensenada,Baja California to sh, the Jacks stoppedto see me in San Francisco on their wayback to Montana. As luck would have it,there was a march up Market Street fromthe Embarcadero to San Francisco Civic

Center in which the IWW had a contingent,the purpose of which I dont remember.I invited the Jacks to join us and Generesponded: Itll be an honor.

During our email correspondence overthe years Id often bring him up to dateabout IWW activity. One time he informedme he had sent in his initial dues into IWWGeneral Headquarters (GHQ), expressingpride in becoming a Wobbly, no matterhow late in life. Last year he joined hisMontana fellow workers for the rst timein their commemoration of Frank Littlein Butte and thoroughly appreciated theoccasion.

Besides his wife Patty, Gene is survivedby a son and daughter from an earlier mar-riage and some grandchildren.

Pittsburgh rally on Oct. 22. Photo: Ray GerardGraphic: eagnews.org

Signing ceremony for Joe Hillsashes: Trudy Peterson, Utah Phillips & Fred Lee, 1988.

Photo: reuther.wayne.edu


6/12


Feature

Oregon Canvassers Continue Push For Unionization

Continued from 1announced that the companywou ld be pha sin g out ful l-

time positions for new hires.Meanwhile, workers say thecompany has forced them toshoulder more and more ofthe costs of their limited healthbenets.

Who le Foo ds currentlyhas over 100 stores in development. CaseGarver, a buyer in the San Franciscostores Prepared Foods department, hasseen enough of the doublespeak. It seemslike every six months they open up a brandnew store, he stated, while at the sametime my manager turns around and saysthe company doesnt have enough moneyto give us 40 hours a week. Were tired ofdoing more with less.

Azalia Martinez, a cashierat the store, relates that in ad-dition to working full time for

Whole Foods, going to schooland fulfilling family obliga-tions, she must take additionalside jobs to make ends meet.Its extremely hard, she said.

Despite the hardships,worke rs at the store know

that we can win better wages by standingtogether. History proves that workers havethe power to make change when we cometogether to ght for our interests. We arere-igniting a workers movement wherewe have power: on the job. This is ourmovement, we are capable of victory, andwe are worth it.

For more information, visit: http://www.wfmunite.com.

By Shane BurleySeven workers and union activists

headed toward the ofce on Sept. 17, justbefore the morning shift began, debatinghow to enter. Should they all parade intogether? What if lower management isout front smoking before the shift begins?Should they go in early, or wait until the

days canvassers are already inside?They agreed to head in together in ashow of solidarity, a few minutes beforethe bell rang. As the workers led in thefront door, with their union representa-tives in tow, management declared thatoutside people were not allowed to enterduring business hours.

Dont worry, we wont be long, saidJonathan Steiner, a representative forthe United Campaign Workers (UCW),a project of the IWW. The workers andtheir union representatives entered anddeclared there was announcement to bemade: they have joined a union and invitedother workers to join them.

They work at Fieldworks, a get-out-the-vote shop that, with 30 to 40 canvass-

ers at a time, is one of the largest politicalcanvassing businesses in Portland, Ore.,and the nation as a whole. They are the lat-est in a slew of Portland campaign workersto organize with UCW in recent months,from canvassers for marijuana legalizationto fundraisers for organizations like thePlanned Parenthood Action Fund and TheNature Conservancy.

The complaints of canvassers at Field-works sound familiar: a lack of transpar-ency when it comes to decisions aboutcanvassing locations and the organizationsthey are funded by, minimal say in work-place decisions, reports of wage theft andlabor law non-compliance, and a lack of aliving wage.

Workers have come out publicly as aminority union, meaning that the unionis holding membership of less than halfof the workplace and are not currentlyattempting an election through the Na-tional Labor Relations Board (NLRB).As is the case with othe r rece nt UCWcanvassing shops, the high turnover rateand temporary nature of the work meansthat conventional union elections maynot be viable. Instead, they chose to comeout publicly and begin putting pressureon management with the hope that newrecruits would see the power that thisorganization has in their workplace andwould join the ght.

But the minority union stands out in

one important respect: their workplace isfunded by unions.One of Fieldworks major funders is

Our Oregon, a progressive 501(c)(4) thatreceives its funding from local unions andprogressive non-prots, such as the LGBTlobbying organization Basic Rights Or-egon. The states public employee unionsare the main force behind Our Oregon.They do not publicly disclose their donors,yet the participation of certain unions andnon-profits are no secret. Their boardof directors includes staff from Services

Employees International Union (SEIU)503, American Federation of State, Countyand Municipal Employees (AFSCME), theOregon Education Association, and theOregon American Federation of Laborand Congress of Industrial Organizations(AFL-CIO).

The groups mission is to pass legisla-

tion such as marriage equality, increasingtaxes on the wealthy and corporations, anddefeating anti-union right-to-work laws.To this end, they hope to increase voterturnout in progressive and working-classareas of Portland. The most recent tax l-ings available for Our Oregon lists themas having spent around $1.4 million ontheir various projects in 2012, which showstheir relative size and the investment thatOregons public sector unions have madein joint legislative lobbying.

Many of the canvassers say they weredrawn to this work because they sharethese progressive values and saw it as away to make a difference.

Voting on local initiatives doeschange things, said Fieldworks canvasser

Elliot Cheifetz. Having people out theretalking to strangers on these issues buildscivil society, and it does educate people.

Yet Fieldworks get-out-the-vote work-ers report some of the same workplaceissues that plague street canvassers. Turn-over is a primary complaint. Fieldworksdoes not have a formal quota system likemany of its fundraising counterparts, butmany of its workers report an unofcialquota of 21 voter registrations per day.Those who fall short are typically red withno explanation.

The fact that there are no officialstandards, or you are not told what thestandards are going to be each individualday means you can always imagine your-

self as behind regardless of your numbers,said Cheifetz. So it's always in the backon your mind. There are people who donteven take their lunch break, because theyare worried about meeting this undenedquota.

In addition, several workers have alsoalleged that their wages were stolen or thatlegally-required sick pay was withheld.Cheifetz said his paycheck for a pay periodwas short.

I was just shocked when I realized Iwas being underpaid, he said. When hecomplained about the pay discrepancyhe said, their response was basically tocondescend to me and to tell me I mustbe confused. That I just didnt know how

taxes work. He persisted, showing proofof hours, and eventually had his wagesreturned, but he said his trust in his em-ployer had been damaged.

Low pay is another complaint. The$10.50 per hour wage Fieldworks canvass-ers receiveplus a $10 gas card and a $10bonus for those who driveis above the$9.42 per hour that the Massachusetts In-stitute of Technology (MIT)s Living WageCalculator estimates to be the living wagein Portland for a single adult, but belowthe $19.57 per hour for an adult with one

dependent. Though the stereotypeof canvass workers is often one ofstudents without many expenses,workers say that many are parentstrying to support families on thisincome.

Aft er annou nci ng the uni oncampaign at the Fieldworks ofce

on Sept. 17, workers stated their de-mands. First, they asked Fieldworksto comply with all labor laws, espe-cially the paid sick leave ordinanceof the City of Portland.

They also demanded an end toretaliation against unionizing work-ersUCW has led unfair labor practicecomplaints with the NLRB against Field-works over the rings of several workerswho had stable voter registration numbersand were involved in the union campaign.Last, they asked for a negotiating meetingwith the union after 72 hours.

In response, one of the owners, LewisGranofsky, said that he had not heardany of these complaints before, but waswilling to hear the workers and set up a

meeting within three days. He noted thathe had already been in talks with unions,including AFSCME, about organizing theeld canvassers in Fieldworks nationally,though he said that any more in-depthinformation about this effort was con-dential.

Workers immediately reected on thispossible partnership between AFSCMEand Fieldworks as a problem, both becauseof its lack of transparency and becauseof AFSCMEs business relationship withFieldworks.

As a major funder of the Our Oregonproject, which in turn hires Fieldworks toregister people to vote in key areas thatare likely to vote for their important ini-

tiatives, AFSCME could have a conict ofinterest. AFSCME is also listed as a regularclient on Fieldworks website, along withdozens of major unions and progressivenon-prots.

Were the workers here, said recent-ly-red Fieldworks canvasser Joseph Kee-sler. Whos talked to us from AFSCME?Whos talked to us from anywhere else? Ihavent seen these people. Who said youcould represent me?

The same workers and union repre-sentatives allege that in another conver-sation with Granofsky later that day, henoted that he wanted to keep the labor-management relationship smooth sincethe election was only six weeks away. UCW

identied this as an important pressurepoint for the organization, since it ties di-rectly to ability for workers to continuingto get out the vote in key areas that areimportant for Our Oregon.

Fieldworks marks the third businessto go public with the United CampaignWorkers since its founding in June. Manyof the workers that were involved withthe organizing effort at the two previouslocations have continued to stay active inunion affairs, and several workers joinedthe staff of Fieldworks with the goal ofunionizing.

As promised, management met withworkers within 72 hours at the LaborersUnion Hall. They pledged to both providecorrect and clear information to individual

workers about the sick pay ordinance andto ban any retaliation against the workersfor union activity. Granofsky also publiclydeclared that no worker would be redfor not meeting a quota. This tangiblecommitment caused a stir among workerspreviously unafliated with the organiz-ing effort, who began to speak out abouttheir situation and sign union cards, notedSteiner.

A ball of excitement came over theroom, said Steiner. These were reallybig gains that the union was able to getat the table.

The owners also agreed to return to thenegotiating table with counter-proposalsto other demands from the union, namely

the $15 per hour base pay, incentive pay,and some sort of protection for canvass-ers from assault or harassment when inthe eld.

When management did return withtheir formal responses to the rest of theunions demands, they did not even ac-knowledge these demands as being pos-sible, according to workers present. Man-agement did not budge on pay and wouldnot acknowledge the alleged violations of

wage and labor laws. UCW members alsosay that management additionally refusedto recognize a union representative on-sitefor any worker disciplinary process or formorning announcements, citing that it isa moot point until the union is certied.

This would require the union to gothrough a regular NLRB election process,which would not allow for even enoughtime for certication before workers arelaid off at the end of the election season.Their position as a minority union does notguarantee them the right to negotiate asthe exclusive bargaining unit of the busi-ness, which means that management isunder less legal requirement to negotiate.The decision to do so is instead instigated

by the amount of action and pressure theworkers organizing on the job can push,which can often force management intonegotiations without any legal mandate.

The canvassing jobs were only avail-able up until the mid-term elections.Workers hoped to see some of their de-mands met before the end of this term,but management may hold off on theseuntil layoffs become mandatory. Thismakes long-term organizing at Fieldworksdifcult, but it may lend to the long-termvision of UCW in general that sees cam-paign workers as a sector worth targetingbroadly.

As workers got out the nal push to-wards Election Day, many were informedof a possible continued employment op-portunity with Fieldworks. These workerswere to be bussed to Reno, Nev. to worktowards criminal background checks forgun sales. When the workers arrived aftertheir long shifts the night before most ofthe people who were promised a seat onthe bus were denied, with managementallegedly performing elaborate selectiongames to narrow the crowd down.

According to Deshawn Blakey, a Field-works employee who had been hired in thefew days prior to the nal voter push, thescene was one of outright chaos as workerslined up outside the bus and were chosen.It felt like they had a cage full of newpuppies and they were picking them outstraight from the pen, described Blakey.

It was not how an organization shouldbe run. Workers allege that a few of thelast people crowded were offered $50for losing their jobs, though this was notdistributed to the entire group of workerswho were denied.

Our Oregon has a strong reputation inOregons progressive community and has aseries of important battles ahead to main-tain pay equity and collective bargainingin the state. The workers at Fieldworks saythey want to support that effort, and theefforts of the public sector unions fundingit, as much as they can.

This piece originally appeared onNov. 4, 2014 in In These Times. It was re-printed with permission from the author.

Whole Foods Workers Demand Higher Wages And A Union

Graphic: wfmunite.com

Photo: UCWFieldworks canvassers join the IWW.


7/12


Feature

Union Harvests Major Victories For Farmworkers In WashingtonBy Toms Alberto Madrigal

Familias Unidas por la Justicia, anindependent farm labor union based inBurlington, Wash., has taken their laborstruggle with employer Sakuma BrothersFarms, Inc. (Sakuma) to Skagit CountySuperior Court on six separate occasionsto defend their labor rights. In all but onecriminal case against their employer, thefarmworkers have emerged victorious.

Since their formation in July 2013, thecommunity of migrant berry pickers havedone eight work stoppages in the Sakumaberry elds and launched a boycott of theberry products.

The unions triple-pronged campaignhas cost the recalcitrant grower nanciallyand has put to rest any claim to reason forSakumas adamant refusal to negotiatea union contract with the workers. Theextent of Sakumas continued retaliationhas left a trail of litigation found in favorof the farmworkers.

LitigationEarly in the year the farmworkers set-

tled a wage and hour class action lawsuitfor a record $850,000 to compensate theworkers for missed lunch and rest breaks.Though the farmworkers settled with thegrower, the Skagit County Superior Courthas yet to make a decision about whetheror not farmworkers who work for piece-rates are entitled to rest breaks. A rulingon this matter will affect hundreds ofthousands of farmworkers in Washington.

Two of the lawsuits have sought in-junc tion s against Sakuma s cont inue dinterference and retaliation of the farm-wor ker s pro tec ted con cer ted act ivi ty.Though agricultural labor is exempt fromthe National Labor Relations Act, Wash-ington States Little Norris-La Guardia

Act protects the concerted activity of anyemployee from their employers interfer-ence and retaliation. Upon being sued forcontempt of one of these injunctions forrefusing to rehire and house the unionizedfarmworkers during this years strawberryharvest, the grower quickly hired a handfulof families the weekend before trial, mak-ing the criminal charges null.

Due to the litigation, Sakuma choseto withdraw an application for 438 H-2A

guest workers. Familias Unidas por la Jus-ticia looked to its rank and le to submitletters of their intent to work at the farmif provided cabins, as was the prevailingpractice, to prove that there was not a laborshortage for the harvest.

Two lawsuits sought to protect thefarmworkers rights as tenants of thegrowers labor camps. The Skagit CountySuperior Court granted the injunctions,requiring the firm to follow all Stateregulations governing tenancy. The law-suits came about because the grower hadsent letters to the unionized farm work-ers informing them that they were noteligible for rehire because they had beenabsent and that the rm planned to nolonger provide family units for the 2014harvest season. This change in housingrules would have excluded the majorityof the unionized farmworkers, and JudgeSusan Cook was of the opinion that it wasa clear case of retaliation for having goneon strike in 2013.

Work Stoppages

Familias Unidas por la Justicia en-gaged in seven work stoppages duringthe 2013 harvest season and one moreduring the 2014 harvest season. Threeof those were strikes over the ring ofunion members Federico Lopez during thestrawberry harvest, Ramon Torres dur-ing the blackberry harvest, and CornelioRamirez during the blueberry harvest in2014. Two work stoppages were due tobroken agreements that the farmworkershad negotiated with their employer: theunion had proposed a piece-rate processthat involved members of the union inprice setting and the agreement was bro-ken by company president Ryan Sakuma.The rest of the work stoppages were due

to unfair and onerous piece-rates duringthe late blueberry and blackberry harvests.

Union BustingFrom the very beginning of the labor

dispute, Sakuma elected to hire union-bust ing con sulta nts, inclu ding Rhe ttSearcesecurity consultant that wasthe subject of a California Labor ReviewBoard violation where he had tasered afarmworker organizer in Ventura County

in 2012 during a strike;Hermelindo Escobedoalocal labor contractor whowas quickly removed dueto community pressure;Raul Calvoa safety con-sultant who worked withMario Vargas, a humanrelations consultant forclosed audience and one-on-one meetings with union leadershipand represented the rm during commu-nity appearances at public forums put onby the local Latino Civic Alliance; and JohnSegaleof Precision Public Relations, a PRrm that served Sakuma.

From the beginning Sakuma BrothersFarms received considerable support fromDan Fazio, head of the Washington FarmLabor Association, in their applicationfor and defense of importing H-2A guestworkers during an ongoing labor dispute.The rm also received nancial supportfrom the Washington Farm Bureau, whohelped to fund a counter-boycott initiativeunder the slogan I


8/12


In December We Remember

Anniversary Of The First Earth First!-IWW Local #1 Meeting

Blai r, Katrina. The Wild Wisdom ofWeeds: 13 Essential Plants for HumanSurvival.White River Jct., VT: ChelseaGreen Publishing, 2014. Paperback, 384pages, $29.95.

By John MacLean

All natures plants are wild and freeand remind us that we have everythingwe need. - Katrina Blair

Katrina Blair, in her book The WildWisdom of Weeds, writes that humanshave had most of the wildness in them-selves rened out. She adds that we havebecome enslaved to a Big System andhave come to accept our domesticationas being normal and civilized. For Blair,what has been done can be dumped off ofall of our backs, and wild weeds [havebeen] sent as messengers of help. Shewrites: The wild weed-eating humansbecame revolutionaries and little by littlestarted unwinding the BS. The Big Systemwas never born with a heart of its own, so

it quickly collapsed and composted intothe bosom of the Earth where we can nowsee the smiling owers of dandelion, mal-low, plantain, purslane, lambs-quarters,mustard, thistle, knotweed, amaranth,grass, dock, clover, and chickweed.

These 13 global plants Blair fo-cuses on are freely available, even inmost places changed by human activity,and can be used as food and medicine.Many of these plants are wrongly seenas noxious and invasive, or non-nativealiens, t solely for eradication. Blairclasses them as primary and secondarysuccession plants, as natures rst lineof action for recreating stabilized fertilityin areas of disturbed ground. She writesthat succession plants are one of natures

brilliant ecological tactics toinsure the continuation oflife. These weeds bring tolight the basic concept thatthe whole world is a placewhere we can be nourished,embody health, know se-

curity, and be free to live aquality of life.

Blair has spent muchtime in recent years tryingto change the land manage-ment and weed policiesof her hometown, Durango,Colo. She sees this activity asguided by an experience of total eupho-ria she had as a youngster on HavilandLake, in the southwestern part of the state,among wild owers. She writes the gift-ing economy is the economy of natureand that it seems astounding a humaneconomy based on extraction, inequality,and wage slavery should develop given thedaily appearance of the sun. Our bodies

require a rainbow of trace minerals, ourphysical beauty is held up by them, andall around us wild supplements are freeand available to anyone who is interested.Blair gives us much advice on how to har-vest and keep weeds, as green powders,over winter, and also on how to use the 13global plants in sprouting and growing ofmicrogreens. She states plainly: Healthis our given right, but we have to chooseit very specically and consciously in ourmodern times.

The 13 global plants Blair looks intoare some of the best teachers in how toheal people, heal the Earth, and share theirabundance. Only good things can comefrom listening to the land and allowingit to be our primary guide in every deci-

The Wild Wisdom Of WeedsReview

By Steve OngerthBelow are the minutes of the initial

IWW Local #1 meeting, called by Judi Bari25 years ago on Nov. 19, 1989. They clearlyshow that Local #1 was intended to be aserious and genuine workers organization.Workers from Georgia Pacic and PacicLumber attended, and activity was primar-

ily focused on point-of-production issues,such as the Polychlorinated Biphenyl(PCB) spill in the Georgia Pacic mill inFort Bragg, Calif. (which is the campaignthat inspired the official chartering ofLocal #1 in the rst place), the export ofLouisiana-Pacic cut logs to Mexico, orthe hostile takeover of the Pacic LumberCompany (PALCO) by Maxxam Inc. Al-ready, Local #1 planned solidarity union-ism strategies, such as providing servicesfor International Woodworkers of America(IWA) Local #3-469 members affectedby cutbacks in services by their local. TheIWW had returned (ofcially) to timbercountry! Grammatical corrections havebeen made, as well as a few clarications,but otherwise these minutes are publishedas originally typed.

Minutes of the founding meeting ofIWW Local #1

The Mendocino-Humboldt GeneralMembership Branch of the IWW held ourrst meeting on Sunday, Nov. 19, 1989.Fourteen (out of 24) members came.

StructureWe set up our basic s tructure as fol-

lows: Judi Bari was elected CorrespondingSecretary and Anna Marie Stenberg waselected Financial Secretary. They wereinstructed to open a bank account andkeep track of dues and other paperwork.Other than these utilitarian positions, we

will have no officer s. Decis ions will bemade by the members at the meetings. Ifevents occur between meetings that re-quire action, temporary decisions (subjectto ratication at the next meeting) willbe made by the Entertainment Commit-

tee. Membership on theEntertainment Com-mittee is voluntary, andthe people who volun-teered were Mike Koepf,Treva VandenBosch,Judi Bari, Anna MarieStenberg, Pete Kayes,

and Bob Cooper.

Work So FarThe work of Our

Branch was described:We are a General Mem-bership Branch (GMB)and will take on what-ever issues the mem-be rs want , espe cia llyissues related to ourworkplaces. But so farour activities have beencentered around provid-ing support for timber workers who areghting their employers destruction offorests, jobs, and working conditions. Wehope to be a bridge between environmen-talists and timber workers and help bringabout community understanding of theworkers problems.

Pete Kayes, employee of Pacic Lum-ber Company (PALCO), in Scotia, talkedabout the failed attempt by workers toform an Employee Stock Ownership Plan(ESOP) and buy the company back fromcorporate raider Charles Hurwitz. Petealso gave out copies of the rank-and-lenewsletter Timberlyin that he and othersproduce and distribute at the Scotia mill.

Treva VandenBosch, recently retiredemployee of Georgia Pacic (G-P) Cor-poration in Fort Bragg, told about beingdoused with PCBs in the G-P mill andreceiving no help from the company or

union (IWA Local #3-469, AFL-CIO). Shewalked off the job and single-handedlypicketed the plant, eventually hooking upwith Anna Marie and Mike (now also IWWmembers), who helped get the story out.The plant was nally closed for three days

for clean-up, and OSHA(Occupational Safetyand Health Administra-tion) ned G-P $14,000for willful exposure ofwor ker s to PCBs. G-Pis appealing that deci-sion, and the hearing

will be on Feb. 1, 1990in San Francisco. Youmust sign up in advanceto be allowed to attendthe hearing. We are ask-ing all Wobs to sign up,even if you dont expectto come, to demonstratepublic interest. See en-closed forms.

An na Mari e to ldabout Fort Bragg mill-worker Julie Wiles beingarrested and led away in

handcuffs for distributing a leaet callingfor fellow IWA Local #3-469 membersto vote no on a proposed union duesincrease. IWA shop stewards distribut-ing pro-dues increase leaets were notinterfered with by the company. The IWAhas not provided Julie with any supporton her arrest and charges. We are askingall Wobs to come to Julies trial, and wehave been helping her with her defense.Ten people showed up to support Julie ather arraignment.

Future ProjectsIWA Local #3-469 Business Rep.

Don Nelson has threatened to cut unionservices such as help with unemploymentand workers comp, because the membersvoted down his dues increase. We decidedthat if he does this, the Wobs will providefor free any service he eliminates for G-P

millworkers. Mike (Koepf), Treva, AnnaMarie, Judi, Page (Prescott), Pete (Kayes),and Darryl (Cherney) volunteered for thisproject.

We also decided that, sometime afterthe holidays, our Branch will publish a

newspaper by and for timber workers,to be distributed area-wide. Mike volun-teered to be coordinator and Pete, Judi,Kay (Rudin) and Darryl volunteered towork on it.

We also dec ided to work on a seablockade of Louis iana Pacic (L-P) whenthey begin shipping North Coast redwoods

to Mexico in January.

MiscellaneousJudi announced that the Michigan

Wobs had voted to donate $500 to ourorganizing drive. We are impressed andappreciative of this show of solidarity. Wevoted to reimburse Judi and Anna Mariefor phone and travel expenses incurredorganizing the union so far.

We discussed the question of publicityfor our activities, since several newspapersand magazines have already expressedinterest in writing about us. We decidedthere was a danger of the press doingcutesy articles before we even had a chanceto do the groundwork for organizing. Wedecided that we would not give in-depthinterviews to the press about our IWWactivities until we decide collectively thatwe are ready.

The business meeting then adjourned,and we sang Wobbly and Earth First!songs, accompanied by guitars, ddles,and banjos. We then went to Mendocino tosee the documentary lm, The Wobblies.

DuesUnion dues are $3 (low income) or $5

(regular). If you did not pay your Novem-ber dues at the meeting, please see Judior mail them to the (local IWW branch).

Next MeetingThe next meeting will be Sunday, Dec.

17, 1989 at 4 p.m. Bring your red member-ship book and December dues money. Wehope to have more time for singing thistime, so bring instruments and songs.

Judi Bari,Corresponding Secretary

sion. These wild weedsare expert at refertilizingand remineralizing the soil,and if allowed they can do thesame for our bodies. Nothingliving is furthered throughthe continued application of

toxic herbicides, Blair writesthat when we embody theemotional frequencies ofanger, hatred, or irritationsof an intruder in the garden,it is not go

industrial worker - issue #1770, december 2014

Documents