Join Over One Million
Strong for the Employee Free Choice Act. Write a
letter to the editor for the Employee Free Choice Act!
New videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CijNp_bqNsM
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdq5FKyVUwY.
A NOTE ABOUT PUBLIC MEETINGS & CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES:
Men and women are requested to avoid wearing scented personal products
when attending public meetings. Scents trigger adverse responses in those with
chemical sensitivities. Note that many workers develop chemical sensitivities
on the job.
Thursday January 15 - Yes, Yesterday
MIRACLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY
LABOR UNIONS
They're calling it a miracle
– the successful landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson and subsequent
rescue of all 155 passengers. They're detailing the heroism of all involved, starting
with the pilot and including cabin crew, ferry crews, and first responders.
What they're not telling you is that just about every single one of these
heroes is a union member. See http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/01/16/this-miracle-brought-to-you-by-americas-unions/.
Saturday January 17 (First & Third Saturday of each
month)
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK!
Noon-4pm, ADP Workers
Center/Casa Obrera, 130 Union St, Springfield. Registration required.
Comprehensive know your rights training. Also serves as orientations that are
mandatory for people who want to join the Workers Center. The ADP Worker Center
has a number of programs and benefits for members, including a food co-op, ESOL
classes, democracy school, leadership training, and a legal clinic. Info,
to register: William Cano, 739-7233, william@a-dp.org.
Monday January 19
MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr DAY IN NORTHAMPTON
Please visit http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/mlk119.html.
COMMUNITY FORUM FOR GENDER
EQUALITY
6:30-8pm, Unitarian Society, 220
Main St, Northampton. Discuss the next steps in achieving full equality for the
LGBT community. This year, MassEquality will be working to pass An Act Relative
to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes, a bill that will make it
illegal to discriminate on the basis of one's gender identity or gender
expression. Also working for funding and legislation in support of LGBT youth,
seniors, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, domestic violence prevention and
support, as well as supporting equal marriage work in Vermont, Maine, New
Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Info: Ryan Brown, 617-878-2309, RyanBrown@MassEquality.org, www.MassEquality.org.
Wednesday January 21 (Third Wednesday)
MASS SENIOR ACTION COUNCIL
– WESTERN MASS MONTHLY MEETING
1:30-3:30pm, 1124 Berkshire Av,
Springfield. Massachusetts Senior Action Council Pres. John Bennett will speak
on the opportunities now to make basic changes in our health care system,
especially Medicare D. MSAC was founded in 1981 to promote the rights, well
being, and dignity of all people, particularly vulnerable senior citizens. Open
to people of all ages. MSAC has a proud history of effective community
organizing and legislative advocacy on health care, housing, transportation,
and other issues. Info: 543-2334, mbewsee@masssenioraction.org, http://www.masssenioraction.org/.
Wednesday January 21 (Third Wednesday)(note new time)
PIONEER VALLEY CENTRAL LABOR
COUNCIL
5:30pm, AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page
Blvd, near corner of Osborne Ter, across the street from the old Westinghouse,
Springfield. Special presentation on Employee Free Choice Act. Community
and labor activist guests are welcome, but RSVP to Jon at 732-7970, mail@pvaflcio.org, or Rick at 374-1492, rbrown@pvaflcio.org.
Wednesday January 21
FREE
DINNER & A MOVIE: KING CORN
6-8pm,
YMCA of Greater Springfield, 275 Chestnut St, Springfield. Almost everything
Americans eat contains corn: high fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and
corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. In this documentary,
Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis plant an acre of corn, follow their harvest into the
world, and attempt to understand what they—and all of us—are really
made of.
Do you
know where your food comes from? Do you know what's in your food? Interested in
creating healthy eating options in Springfield? Info, to RSVP: 794-2255 or
800-377-HEALTH, Baystatehealthlink@bhs.org
(please include your contact information and event title: “King
Corn”).
COMMUNITY FORUM FOR GENDER
EQUALITY
6-8pm, Unitarian Society, 245
Porter Lake Dr, Springfield. Discuss the next steps in achieving full equality
for the LGBT community. This year, MassEquality will be working to pass An Act
Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes, a bill that will make
it illegal to discriminate on the basis of one's gender identity or gender
expression. Also working for funding and legislation in support of LGBT youth,
seniors, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, domestic violence prevention and
support, as well as supporting equal marriage work in Vermont, Maine, New
Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Info: Ryan Brown, 617-878-2309, RyanBrown@MassEquality.org, www.MassEquality.org.
Thursday January 22 (Fourth Thursday)
FRANKLIN
COUNTY WORKERS' RIGHTS COMMITTEE
7-8:30pm, First Congregational
Church, 43 Silver St, Greenfield. Organizing local solidarity for Franklin
County workers and unions; nurses and other workers at Franklin Medical Center;
Greenfield municipal employees; and statewide and national workers' rights
campaigns, including People's Bail-Out and Employee Free Choice Act.
Info: 827-0301, wmjwj@wmjwj.org.
January 23-25
PEOPLE’S
MUSIC NETWORK CONCERT & WINTER GATHERING
Greenfield
High School, 1 Lenox Ave, Greenfield. The Peoples Music Network (PMN) uses
music and culture to promote progressive ideas and values. PMN is a network of
musicians, performers, song-writers, sound and recording engineers, music
lovers, record and concert producers, promoters and archivists, whose artistry
is rooted in political and social activism. Since 1977, PMN has developed a
format that includes a Friday night concert, a weekend of workshops, and a
round robin. Members come from all over the country to share their love of
music. The gatherings are held in different cities each winter. Summer
gatherings are at a camp in the Hudson Valley. PMN is a welcoming place for new
musicians and songwriters as well as seasoned veterans. It is a culturally
diverse group of people committed to working on issues of oppression, having
fun in the process.
FRIDAY
NIGHT CONCERT: 7pm, Greenfield High School
Auditorium. $25.00. The evening’s line-up features:
- veteran folk artist Tom
Paxton;
- the Democracy Now! of folk
music, singer/songwriter, David Rovics;
- our local Bard Insurgent, Tom
Neilson, accompanied by Kat Allen;
- PMN’s founder and political
lyricist, Charlie King, with Karen Brandow and local singer/songwriters, Pat
& Tex LaMountain;
- Greenfield’s activist
group, the Amandla Community Chorus, under the direction of Eveline MacDougal;
- our young singer/songwriters
and activists, Bess Hepner and Josh Wolfsun;
- our seasoned political
commentators, the Raging Grannies;
- our future, members of Sarah
Pirtle’s Journey Camp chorus;
- Greenfield’s mainstay
of the nationally revered Contra Dance scene, David Kaynor’s Band.
WEEKEND
WORKSHOPS: PMN members and the above performers will offer workshops on
topics such as songwriting, the marketing of musicians, funny songs, choral and
improvisational singing, rounds, labor, protest, Celtic and peace songs; and
song swaps on environmental, gay/lesbian/bisexual, disabilities awareness, and
other issues. The Plenary this year will focus on Alternative Economies. The
cost of the entire weekend gathering is on a sliding scale of $125 to $200.
Info, registration: www.peoplesmusic.org
or Diane Crowe, 548-9394, dianecrowe@riseup.net.
More events at http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/calendar.html
& http://people.umass.edu/jgerber/SustEvents.htm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send an email to wmjwj@wmjwj.org with a Subject of "Unsub
Workers' Rights".
[Workers' Rights] posts opportunities for you
to learn about and show solidarity with workplace and working class struggles.
And these events are opportunities for JwJ members to fulfill their pledge: "I'll be there for workers' rights at
least five times a year!" This is the core mission of Jobs with
Justice (www.jwj.org), affirming that workers' rights are
human rights. To subscribe, send an email to wmjwj@wmjwj.org
with a Subject of "Subscribe Worker's Rights".
Western
Mass Jobs with Justice
640 Page Blvd #101
Springfield MA 01104
(413) 827-0301