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General Defense Committee

General Defense Committee

University of New Mexico fires Wobbly in safety beef

Submitted by x344543 on Sun, 03/05/2006 - 10:14pm

Industrial Worker - March 2006

Albuquerque Wobblies are assisting a member fired by the University of New Mexico despite ten years of dedicated, accident-free work for insisting on a safe workplace.

Feydoun “Fred” Mahinfarahmand’s job as woodshop supervisor was eliminated Dec. 2 by the School of Architecture and Planning, citing the unsafe conditions he had been protesting. The woodshop is now closed.

Fred was hired as woodshop supervisor in early 1996, helping students and teachers with their projects and teaching them how to use the shop safely. In 1998, UNM’s safety inspectors found that the shop’s dust collection system was far below OSHA standards. Dust inhalation is a major occupational hazard for woodworkers. The report estimated that the problem could be fixed for $8,000. The school promised to fix the dust collector in 1999, but nothing happened.

LEND A HAND: Starbucks Engaging in Religious Persecution of IWW Barista

Submitted by x344543 on Fri, 02/10/2006 - 2:54pm

A Message from the IWW Starbucks Workers Union - February 10, 2006

Religious Discrimination

For the second time in as many months, Starbucks management has kicked SWU member Suley Ayala out of the workplace for wearing her modest Pentagram necklace. Ms. Ayala is a practicing Wiccan and as a religious observance never takes off the necklace.  She wore the necklace at Starbucks without interruption for three years until the company started harassing her after she and a group of her co-workers went public as members of the Starbucks Workers Union on November 18, 2005.  Since then various management officials have badgered her and sent her home for refusing to take off the necklace.  Ms. Ayala is extremely distraught and understandably angry.  Management can't even get its story straight, sometimes saying no religious symbols are allowed and other times saying the necklace is too distracting.  All the while, baristas wearing crosses of the same modest size have never been disciplined.  Our opinion is that Starbucks is exploiting Suley's non-traditional religion to retaliate against her for union activity.

NW Leonard Peltier March Report

Submitted by x344543 on Sun, 02/05/2006 - 3:47pm

SACRIFICE: REPORT ON OUR EVENT

13th ANNUAL NORTHWEST REGIONAL INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH LEONARD PELTIER MARCH. RALLY AND AFTER RALLY GET TOGETHER FOR JUSTICE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2006, TACOMA

“There are a lot of nights I lie in my cell and I cannot understand why this hell and this terror I have been going through for 21 years (30 years now) hasn’t ended. But yet I know in my heart that someone has to pay a sacrifice to make things better for our people. The sacrifice I have made, when I really sit down to think about it, is nothing compared to what our people of 100 years ago, or 50 years ago or 25 years ago made. Some gave their lives. Some had to stand there and watch their children die in their arms. So the sacrifice I have made is nothing compared to those. I have gone too far now to start backing down. I don’t give up, not until my people are free will I give up. If I have to sacrifice some more then I sacrifice some more.” Leonard Peltier

Solidarity with Activist Daniel McGowan

Submitted by x357474 on Sun, 01/29/2006 - 8:13pm

The New York City General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers  of the World stands in solidarity with falsely accused environmental  and social justice activist Daniel McGowan (http://www.supportdaniel.org/).

Daniel's efforts in projects such as the demonstrations against the Republican National Convention as well as  support of political prisoners have enriched our progressive  communities here in New York City. He has been a friend to us and now  we must stand with him. An injury to one is an injury to all.

This is what FBI harassment looks like

Submitted by x344543 on Sun, 01/29/2006 - 2:46am

By Tabitha Chase - Industrial Worker, February 2006

When I awoke on March 17, 2005, I checked my phone and found that I had five calls from three different phone numbers that I did not recognize. All of them were from special agent Dante Jackson of the FBI stating that I “had to call him back.” I immediately called my friend and attorney Ken Driggs, gave him the name of the agent and numbers, and asked him to find out what these calls were about. He called back later that day saying that they “were demanding a compulsory interview, and that should I refuse to schedule one or fail to show up, they would come and pick me up.” We scheduled the appointment for the following day.