August 26, 2008

SEIU, Change to Win Blogging from the DNCC

ILCA Vice President Jason Lefkowitz of Change to Win and Michael Link of SEIU are in Denver for the Democratic National Convention. To see what "live blogging" looks like, check out the SEIU site. Lefkowitz's blog is less of a blow-by-blow account, and more diary-like.

UNITE-HERE members Pamela McGinnis and Deanna Thompson work at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Photo by AFL-CIO taken from Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Keep checking back at these two sites over the next few days--they'll be including tons of video footage, impressions, and lots of updates on the proceedings from labor's perspective.

Poor People's March, Truth Commission,

Take Back Labor Day Concert Drown Out The RNCC

Deborah Rosenstein of ILCA member Workday Minnesota reports:

"On the heels of a statewide bus tour which exposed the reality of Minnesotans living in poverty, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign will hold truth commissions in Minneapolis leading up to the Republican National Convention.

 On Sept. 2, the campaign plans to lead thousands of people through the streets of St. Paul to draw attention to the economic policies that have left them and their allies battling homelessness and poverty."

The Take Back Labor Day music festival will rock the Twin Cities on Monday. SEIU is sponsoring the fest. Stars like Billy Bragg, Lupe Fiasco, Steve Earle, Mos Def and others will easily make this $10 ticket the most sought-after event for several states.

Oh, and the Republicans will be kicking off their convention that day, too.

Labourstart.org Launches User-Friendly Redesign, Labor Photo Contest

Labourstart.org, the worldwide labor news service, is hosting the first-ever global labor photography contest. Union communicators:  Represent the US trade union movement by clicking over to the Flickr site and entering your photos of union members at work, on picket lines, celebrating a new contract. Go!

June 4, 2008:Canadian Auto Workers Local 222 set up a blockade outside their GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario and await  the company's response. This photo by CAW Local 222 is one of the Labourstart contest entries.

Labourstart has also upgraded its website to make it more user-friendly and relevant for the 55,000 trade unionists worldwide who use the site. A spiffy new database, state-specific article listings and a cosmetic facelift are among the changes.  Head on over and take it for a spin.

Breaking: Another Major Immigration Raid

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a factory in Laurel, Mississippi on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers who said they were in the US illegally, according to an article in today's New York Times. The raid, which has separated parents from their children and triggered fear and confusion among the town's immigrant community, echoes the profoundly destructive ICE raid on a meatpacking facility in Postville, Iowa in May.