10/1
~ MARCH AGAINST A JOBLESS RECOVERY!
9/23
~ Steve Early on AFL-CIO Convention & more.
Now
through October 24
INTERNATIONAL LABOR POSTER EXHIBIT CELEBRATING WOMEN’S
STRUGGLES
Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to 4pm, and other times by
appointment. Holyoke Heritage State Park Visitor Center, 221 Appleton St, Holyoke.
Free admission, fully accessible. Exhibit by Stephen Lewis, Treasurer, SEIU
Local 509; sponsored in part by the Lawrence Cultural Council. Info: 534-1723.
Tuesday
September 22
PROTEST HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES
10am, 1350 Main St, Sovereign Bank Building across from Court Square, Springfield. Health and insurance
interests are spending nearly $5 million per week to oppose health care reform,
fighting to keep a broken system because it benefits their bottom line. But
what we've got right now—skyrocketing premiums, denial of treatment,
canceling coverage when you get sick—is a disaster for regular people. Info:
ahe40@aol.com.
Will Rep. Richard Neal vote for the real “public option”
– Medicare for All? The Weiner Amendment is scheduled to come to a vote in the House
of Representatives soon. It would replace Division A of the House health care
bill (HR3200) with the text of HR676, the United
States National Health Care Act (sponsored by
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and cosponsored by Western Massachusetts’
Rep. John Olver but not Neal). This would effectively transform HR3200 into
single-payer legislation. Write to Congress at this link: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/307/t/9290/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27743,
or go to http://www.house.gov/neal/write_neal.html
and tell Neal to honor his April 24, 2006, pledge to a large group of
labor leaders at the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council that he would vote
for HR676 if it ever got out of committee. Or send a
free eFax to Neal.
And
Boycott Whole Foods at www.mackeysgottago.com.
Tuesday
September 22
LEGAL RESOURCE & ADVOCACY CENTER (LRAC) PANEL
7pm, Kendade Building Room 305, Mount Holyoke College, Rt 116, South
Hadley. A panel of attorneys will discuss their experiences with law school,
working in the legal field, and volunteering with LRAC. Info: Jessica Levy, jlevy@lracsite.org, www.lracsite.org.
Tuesday
September 22 (Fourth Tuesday)
HAMPSHIRE/FRANKLIN CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL
7:30pm, Northampton Fire Station Community Room, 26 Carlon Drive
at King St/Route 5, Northampton (587-1148). Community and labor activist guests
are welcome, but RSVP to Pres. Fiore Grassetti, 877-725-0357, org7@comcast.net.
September
23-25
MASS AFL-CIO CONVENTION
Newton. http://www.massaflcio.org
Wednesday
September 23 (Fourth Wednesday) (NOTE TIME CHANGE)
GREENWORK: THE WESTERN MASS GREEN ECONOMY WORKING GROUP
1-3pm,
Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield (732-7970). Brown Bag Lunch. This Working Group
consists of advocates for a Green Economy which serves local communities;
guarantees workers' rights to organize; and promotes community-owned
sustainable projects. On the agenda: Caroline Murray on Green Justice Coalition campaign; progress report
by GreenWork Organizational Subcommittee on our Articles of Organization and discussion
of By-Laws.
Subscribe to the GreenWork listserve at http://lists.gaiahost.coop/mailman/listinfo/greenwork
or send an email to greenwork-subscribe@lists.gaiahost.coop.
Info: Jon Weissman, 827-0301, wmjwj@wmjwj.org,
or Eduardo Suárez, 335-6224, director@echosd.org.
Wednesday
September 23
ANNUAL FIVE COLLEGE WOMEN'S STUDIES RECEPTION
4-6pm, 83 College St, South Hadley. This year's reception will
feature the launching of a new website for the Valley Women's History
Collaborative's "Creative Economies Project," providing the resources
to document the history of women's creative work in Western Massachusetts.
Info: 538-2275, fcwsrc@fivecolleges.edu,
www.fivecolleges.edu/sites/fcwsrc.
Wednesday
September 23
STEVE EARLY: EMBEDDED WITH ORGANIZED LABOR:
JOURNALISTIC REFLECTIONS ON THE CLASS WAR AT HOME
7-8:30pm, Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St (Routes 116 at 47), in the Village
Commons, South Hadley, 534-7307 or 800-540-7307; odysseybks@aol.com; www.odysseybks.com (www.odysseybks.com/directions.html).
Steve Early, labor journalist, lawyer, and former Communications Workers of
America (CWA) International Representative, will talk about his new book and
• Workers and the economic crisis. • The fight for
national health insurance. • The fate of "Employee Free Choice"
• Struggles for union democracy and reform. • What
happened at the AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh? • The future of Change
To Win.
Embedded With Organized Labor describes how union members have organized
successfully, on the job and in the community, in the face of employer
opposition now and in the past. The author has produced a provocative series of
essays—an unusual exercise in “participatory labor journalism”
useful to any reader concerned about social and economic justice. As workers
struggle to survive and the labor movement tries to revive during the current
economic crisis, this book provides ideas and inspiration for union activists
and friends of labor alike. Info: 617-930-7327. To order the book online,
visit: www.monthlyreview.org.
September
24-25
GLOBAL MOBILIZATION AGAINST THE G20 SUMMIT
Pittsburgh PA. Info: www.resistg20.org;
www.bailoutpeople.org. Local transportation
organizing: Wayne Standley, w.standley@comcast.net;
Adam Hurter, ahurter@wesleyan.edu.
Thursday September 24
JUSTICE
FOR JANITORS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
4:30pm,
SEIU Local 615, 20 Maple Street Suite 1L, Springfield (on-street parking plus parking
garage in the building which everyone can use for free; just tell the attendant
that you are coming to the SEIU office; bring your parking slip for
endorsement).
SEIU
615 invites all community organizations, labor unions, workers, and activists
in the Pioneer Valley to join with us in support of the Housekeeping department
at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. These Janitors deserve the same level
of dignity and respect as the Janitors in other parts of the state. Contractors
like Global Spectrum routinely pay substandard wages and benefits in an effort
to undercut union contractors that respect their workers. Springfield Janitors
are fed up with always being on the bottom. We are looking for community
support to help bring our struggle to the streets and to public attention. On
September 24, we will be brainstorming and forming a comprehensive coalition
plan to support Springfield Justice for Janitors. When we fight WE WIN! Info: Jesse
Martin, 733-0590, jmartin@seiu615.org.
Thursday September 24
FRANKLIN COUNTY WORKERS'
RIGHTS COMMITTEE ~ ORGANIZING AN UNEMPLOYED SPEAK-OUT
7-8:30pm, Traprock Center for
Peace and Justice, 24 Miles St, Greenfield (773-7427). Organizing a public
event, tentatively on October 21, where unemployed workers can speak out and
develop community standards for lay-off and recall, etc. Info: 827-0301, wmjwj@wmjwj.org.
Friday September 25
FIRST ANNUAL MASSACHUSETTS
AFL-CIO UNION CANDIDATE SCHOOL
Noon-7pm, Marriott, Newton. The
Massachusetts AFL-CIO has been working hard to implement its Target 5000
Program to elect union members to all levels of political office. This
Candidate School is open to, and perfect for, any union member who currently
holds public office and wants to run for re-election or run for higher office,
has considered running for public office, or has unsuccessfully run for public
office and would like to run again. Led by campaign expert Murray Fishel,
President of nationally recognized Grassroots Political Campaigns, and
coordinated by the staff of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Registration and
sponsorship forms at http://www.massaflcio.org/node/81156.
Info: Political Director Bob Bower or Political and Legislative Coordinator
Chrissy Long, (781) 324-8230.
16TH ANNUAL NUESTRAS RAÍCES FESTIVAL DE LA COSECHA /
HARVEST FESTIVAL
Noon-6pm, La Finca, 24 Jones Ferry Road, Holyoke. In partnership
with the Holyoke Learning and Education Fair of the Holyoke Public Schools,
this unique event celebrates the harvest, pride and productivity of the
community, as well as builds the strength of the community with educational
resources for families. Live music, traditional farm-fresh and Caribbean foods,
demonstrations of Paso Fino Horses, children’s activities, amidst lush
farms and overlooking the beautiful Connecticut River. Info: Ramiro
Davaro-Comas, Event Organizer, 535-1789, ramirodavaro@gmail.com,
www.nuestras-raices.org.
Saturday
September 26
PETE SEEGER TRIBUTE FOR PACE
7pm (doors open at 6:30pm), Academy of Music, 274 Main St,
Northampton. A tribute concert to Pete Seeger that will raise funds for Pioneer
Arts Center of Easthampton (PACE) and its Green Mill project. PACE has an
opportunity to purchase a 19th century abandoned mill building in Easthampton
and make it as Green as possible, move PACE into it, expand programming, and
rent out most of the building to small businesses and artists, to fund PACE's
operations. Musicians lined up for the show include Chris Scanlon, Carrie
Ferguson, Claire Dacey, Bruce King, Diane Sanabria, Chris Thompson, Emily
Greene, David Bernz, The Nields, and Jim Henry. Info: 527-3700, pace@pioneerarts.org, www.pioneerarts.org.
Saturday
September 26
TOM JURAVICH CONCERT
7:30pm (pot luck supper at 6pm), Echo Lake Concert Series, Town
Hall, 9 Montague Rd, Leverett. Admission: $8-$10. The son of a factory worker, Tom Juravich worked on the line as a
young man. Growing up in upstate New York, he played in his first band, The
Strikers, at 13. He began singing professionally about work and labor back in
the early 1980s, in the middle of the first wave of plant closings in the US.
His first album, Rising Again was sponsored by the United Auto Workers
in 1981. He went on to record A World to Win. His album Out of
Darkness: The Mine Workers Story became the soundtrack for a film about the
coal-miners’ union. According to the film’s producer, Academy-award
winner Barbara Kopple, “Tom Juravich has put together an album that stirs
the soul and shakes the body. A wonderful soundtrack for any
struggle…that deals with the human condition." Always captivated by
workers’ stories, Tom turned to them for the heart of his recently
released album, Altar of the Bottom Line. Tom says, “We tend to
think that labor songs as coming out of the Great Depression and industrial
work during the 1930s and 1940s. But after listening to people talk about what
they are facing today on the job, I just had to go write and sing about
it.” For all their different experiences, workers share much in
common. So it’s fitting that Altar was sponsored by 17 diverse
unions, including a number of international unions and several state union
federations and coalitions “There hasn’t been a union support for a
cultural project like this in a long time,” he says. Info: 548-9394, diacrowe@yahoo.com.
Tuesday September 29
INTRODUCTORY
PRESENTATION ON UNDOING RACISM
1-4pm,
The Springfield Institute, 32-34 Hampden St, Springfield. Download
flyer here. Info, RSVP: Anne Richmond, anne.richmond@gmail.com, 736-5136.
Tuesday September 29
WESTERN MASS. JOBS WITH
JUSTICE STEERING COMMITTEE
6:30-8:30pm, Conference Room, second floor, room 234
&/or 236, Potpourri Plaza, 243 King St, Northampton, opposite Stop & Shop.
Light meal provided (RSVP! for head count). The Steering Committee is at
least one rep from each Member Organization, networking with other Workers'
Rights advocates and learning about our Member Organizations' current
organizing. Community and labor activist guests are
welcome, but RSVP. Info: 827-0301, wmjwj@wmjwj.org.
NEAL APPEAL & WHOLE FOODS BOYCOTT COMMITTEE MEETING
5:30-6:45pm, location TBD in South Hadley. Planning events asking
Congressman Richard Neal to support the single-payer solution to the health
care crisis and planning Whole Foods Boycott actions too. Info: Western Mass.
Single Payer Network, 827-0301 x1, wmspn@wmjwj.org.
7pm, Hooker Auditorium, Art Building, Mount Holyoke College, Rt
116, South Hadley. PBS Frontline documentary screening by Weissman Center for Leadership.
Info: 538-3071, wcl@mtholyoke.edu.
Wednesday
September 30
ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE: WHAT IS IT? AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
7pm,
Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, 24 Miles St, Greenfield. Longtime peace
activist, community organizer, and Traprock co-founder Randy Kehler will talk
about his personal understanding of, and life-long commitment to, active
nonviolence as a means of resolving conflicts at all levels and creating a more
just, peaceful, and sustainable world. He will also speak to, and lead a
discussion about, the relevance of active nonviolence in relation to the
social, environmental, and economic crises we are currently facing. Info: 773—7427,
info@traprock.info.
MARCH AGAINST A JOBLESS RECOVERY! PART OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY WEEK OF ACTION
4pm Kickoff at the State House; 4:30pm March through Downtown and
the Financial District; 5:30pm Rally at Federal Reserve Bank (600 Atlantic Ave),
Boston. Working people facing layoffs and reductions in their hours while fat
cat CEOs continue make their multi-million dollar salaries and bonuses. October
1st is the one-year anniversary of the Wall Street bail out. The
government gave hundreds of billions of dollars to save the banks and insurance
companies, but where are the jobs? Join the fight against a jobless recovery
and for an economy that works for everyone. Motorcycle ride-ins to the rally
are planned: call 617-929-6000. Info, to get on a bus or carpool from WMass:
827-0301, wmjwj@wmjwj.org.
Donations to help with event expenses should be made out to
"Rally for Jobs Fund," c/o IBEW Local 2222, 1137 Washington Street,
Dorchester MA 02124.
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