Dziś sąd wydał wyrok w rozprawie przeciwko jednemu z działaczy Inicjatywy Pracowniczej, który protestował przed centrum handlowym w Zielonej Górze w grudniu 2008 r. Pozewy do sądu złożyła policja zarzucając związkowcom zakłócanie porządku i umieszczenie transparentu bez zgody zarządzającego terenem. Piotr Krzyżaniak został uniewinniony od tych zarzutów. Wyrok nie jest prawomocny.

W związku z podpisaniem przez niektóre związki zawodowe w Cegielskim Porozumień z pracodawcą, Inicjatywa Pracownicza rozpoczęła akcję informacyjną. Porozumienia faktycznie obniżają wynagrodzenia pracowników o ponad 30 proc.  wprowadzają w to miejsce premię regulaminową. W przyjętym w dniu 15 marca stanowisku Komisji Międzyzakładowej przy HCP czytamy:

12 marca grupa działaczy Inicjatywy Pracowniczej spotkała się z zastępcą prezydenta Zielonej Góry. Rozmawiano na temat bezrobocia i tragicznej sytuacji z tym związanej w mieście. Lubuskie jest jednym z najbardziej zagrozonych strukturalnym bezrobocie województw. Była to to kolejna akcja związku wywierania nacisku na władze samorządowe z powodu pogarszającej  się dramatycznie sytuacji na rynku pracy.

Dziś część związków zawodowych działających przy HCP S.A. podpisała porozumienia w sprawie nowych zasad wynagradzania i premiowania pracowników Cegielskiego, co w praktyce oznacza zgodę na obniżenie wynagrodzeń. Porozumień nie sygnowały Inicjatywa Pracownicza i Związek Zawodowy Inżynierów i Techników. Pró ba wprowadzenia ich w życie będzie niezgodna z prawem.

Dziś rano rozpoczął się w Grecji kolejny strajk generalny, w którym bierze udział ok. jednego miliona pracowników. W miastach zamknięto większość instytucji i nie działa transport publiczny, co utrudnia ludziom dotarcie na protesty. O północy wstrzymano też cały transport lotniczy i morski. Niepokoje społeczne, będące wynikiem głębokiego kryzysu ekonomicznego i politycznego, trwają nieprzerwanie w Grecji od końca 2008 roku.

Odbyły się kolejne rozprawy przeciwko działaczom Inicjatywy Pracowniczej, którzy protestowali przed jednym z centrum handlowych w Zielonej Górze w grudniu 2008 r. Wczoraj przed sądem stanął Jacek Rosołowski, dziś Piotr Krzyżaniak. Ani w jednym, ani w drugim przypadku nie wydano wyroku.

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Ever buy a bag of Just Coffee's beans and wonder what that little four digit number is on the bottom?

Well friend, wonder no more!

On the right hand side of our site we now feature a "Trace Your Coffee" field. Type the number from your bag into the field and you will find out:

-What cooperative it came from

-What farm lot the coffee came from

-When the coffee was roasted

-Who the roaster was

-What temperature the coffee was roasted to

and more!

Hit the lot number and you will see exactly what the cooperative was paid between the Cooperative Coffees contract price and the Just Coffee differential price.

This is another installment in the Just Coffee Co-op "Transparency Project". We will continue to try to make our operations clearer and all information as user friendly as possible. Please use the comment section to make suggestions on how we can continue to improve.

We do it all for you, people!!!

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If you are in or around the Madison area, please come to this event!

The Guatemalan Dream: Fair Trade and Fair Politics
DESGUA Speaker in Madison
Monday, March 15th
5:30-7:30pm
Speaker presentation, follow up conversation, and potluck dinner
Centro Hispano of Dane County
810 W. Badger Road

Speaker Omar Mejia will discuss DESGUA's work to create economic development and alternatives to immigration for rural Guatemalan communities through fair trade. A conversation will follow to exchange information and ideas.

This event is part of a nation-wide speaking tour organized by DESGUA (Economic Development for a Sustainable Guatemala/ Desarrollo Económico por una Guatemala Sustentable) to strengthen a network of solidarity among Guatemalan migrant communities, community coops in Guatemala, and supporters in the United States.

DESGUA is working to cultivate a relationship between Guatemala's producer community and U.S. markets to generate a sustainable and dignified way of life so that immigration in exchange for food is not the only option.

Event Speaker: DESGUA member Omar Mejia is an agronomist who has worked for more than 4 years providing technical support in various organic farming projects such as organic coffee and livestock. He has worked with Café Conciencia to market products with organic and Fair-trade principles within a network of fair-trade conferences and educational workshops.
DESGUA: is composed of Cafe Conciencia(Guate), Santa Anita La Union(Guate), Grupo Maya K'iche(U.S./Guate), Grupo Cajola(U.S), and the Canary Institute(U.S)

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This just in...

Washington, DC - March 9, 2010 – The League of American Bicyclists is proud to announce Just Coffee Cooperative as a Silver Medal Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB), in an impressive group of 51 new BFBs. The official announcement was made at the 10th Anniversary National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 9. The announcement, the fourth time BFB winners have been named since the program's inception in 2008, marks the ongoing success of the program and continued momentum amongst businesses to provide a more bike-friendly environment. "The League is especially excited to recognize Just Coffee Co-op 

as a 2010 winter BFB winner at the 10th Anniversary National Bike Summit. "Just Coffee is setting a community-wide example,” said Andy Clarke.

Just Coffee serves as an example for best practices and innovations in bicycle friendliness at the workplaceand makes bicycling an easy option for transportation. “This Bicycle Friendly Business is making a difference for employees, customers, and communities,” said Bill Nesper, Director of the Bicycle Friendly America Program. “Just Coffee Co-op promotes bicycling as a viable form of transportation and gives their employees choices and options that make biking to work easy and fun.” 

The Bicycle Friendly Community and Bicycle Friendly Business programs are generously supported by program partners Bikes Belong and Trek Bicycle’s One World, Two Wheels Campaign.

 The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of America's 57 million bicyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.

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Mudslides last week in Uganda's Mt Elgon region have displaced hundreds and killed at least 80 people with scores more feared dead. At least one village associated with the Gumutindo Cooperative-- our partners in Uganda-- was wiped out.

Below is a letter from Willington Wamayeye from Gumutindo to Colleen Coy who will lead our upcoming delegation to Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania:

Dear Colleen,

We very much your sypathies and I will definitely pass them over to the affected farmers.

I sent my team to assess the situation, they are back assembling the report. The situation is a state of flux, although the humatarian part of the disaster is more or less addressed, ie the sentlement of people in camps, provision of food and temperary shelter. The government and the Red Cross and some other orhanizations have provided some of the immediate needs of the survivours.

We have chosen to look at the long term needs of the survivours, the more reason we went for a more comprehensive report, detailing the individual survivours who belong to our cooperative and their neighbours. After we have assessed the medium to long term needs of the survivours, only then can we then ask some of trading partners like you with specific proposals. I believe this is better than for us to saturate the disaster area with relief food and forget the long term needs of the survisors, which i do believe are not being considered by government and others.
 
As for yours, please keep us updated on the itinerary so we prepare for you.

Thanks

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Z początkiem tego roku Komisja Europejska rozpoczęła drugi etap procedury w sprawie naruszenia prawa wspólnotowego poprzez nieprawidłowe wdrożenie przez Polskę przepisów antydyskryminacyjnych w dziedzinie zatrudnienia.  Wydanie przez Europejski Trybunał Sprawiedliwości nieprzychylnego dla Polski orzeczenia będzie jednoznaczne z wysokimi karami finansowymi.

Wczoraj Poznańska Komisja Międzyzakładowa Inicjatywy Pracowniczej, do której przystąpiło 25 byłych pracownic Jutrzenki/Goplany, zorganizowała rozdawanie ulotek informacyjnych pod zakładami Jutrzenka Colian w Poznaniu (Goplana). Domagano się wypłaty dla całej załogi zaległych za 2007 rok premii.

• Part1, question 2: Explain your reason(s) for filing this form (for example, you received a bill from the IRS, you believe you erroneously received a Form 1099 or Form W-2, you are unable to get worker’s compensation benefits, or you were audited or are being audited by the IRS). You believe you erroneously received a form 10-99
• Part1, question 5: Attach copies of all supporting documentation (contracts, invoices, memos, Forms W-2 or Forms 1099-MISC issued or received, IRS closing agreements, IRS rulings, etc.). In addition, please inform us of any current or past litigation concerning the worker’s status. If no income reporting forms (Form 1099-MISC or W-2) were furnished to the worker, enter the amount of income earned for the year(s) at issue If you are employed at CMS, you can site IL case #05WC45117, in which an employee was

• If both Form W-2 and Form 1099-MISC were issued or received, explain why. If this is the case at your company, just answer that you have no idea why your company does this.
• Part1, question 6: Describe the firm’s business It is a messenger service which provides same day delivery services.
• Part1, question 7: Describe the work done by the worker and provide the worker’s job title. I (the worker) am dispatched by a company employee to pick up and deliver packages for the company's customers.
• Part1, question 8: Explain why you believe the worker is an employee or an independent contractor. This is the most important question on the form. If you work at CMS, the first point is easy: you are required to wear a company uniform. At all messenger companies in Chicago, you receive your work over company equipment, either a radio or pager that you lease from the company. Your dispatcher determines the way in which your work is performed. You are not free to decide how and when to make your deliveries. The company tells you when to report to work, and when you can go home. The primary business of the company is providing delivery service, and your job at the company is to do deliveries for the company.
• Part2, question 1: What specific training and/or instruction is the worker given by the firm? If you work at Standard, you are required to watch a training video in the company office, and then follow another worker in the field for additional training.
• Part2, question 2: How does the worker receive work assignments? You receive work assignments from your dispatcher who is a company employee. The dispatcher instructs you where to go to pick up packages and also tells you when you should deliver them.
• Part2, question 3: Who determines the methods by which the assignments are performed? Your dispatcher, who is your direct supervisor at the company determines how and when your deliveries are made.
• Part2, question 4: Who is the worker required to contact if problems or complaints arise and who is responsible for their resolution? If problems arise, you contact your dispatcher (supervisor), and they resolve the issue.
• Part2, question 5: What types of reports are required from the worker? Attach examples. A daily manifest, provided by the company, with the company logo and phone number, is used to track each delivery and signature.
• Part2, question 6: Describe the worker’s daily routine such as, schedule, hours, etc. You are given a start time, and are expected to start each day at that time. You begin your day by going to the office to pick up manifest forms and the equipment with which you will be dispatched your work. You then continue on with your day, being dispatched every job by your dispatcher (supervisor). If you want to take a break or get lunch, you have to ask your dispatcher for permission. You also have to ask your dispatcher what time you have to work until every day. The dispatcher tells you when it is ok to go home. You then have to go back to the company office to return your equipment and turn in your paperwork before going home.

Over the years we have seen the genesis and growth of many coffee marketing systems that, on some level, seek to put a different spin on the old school exploitative coffee industry. There are systems and certifications that focus on bird habitats, tree canopies, production practices, and social conditions. There are many varying opinions in the coffee world about which of these systems brings the most benefits to growers, the environment, and to coffee drinkers themselves. Within this discussion, there is a growing debate about the merits and deficiencies of two of the most popular systems: Direct Trade and Fair Trade.

While these systems have some things in common, they also have some stark differences. "Direct Trade" roasters market their coffee as the best-tasting coffee out there and take this idea as the final measurement of their product. Roasters using the "Fair Trade" philosophy use the relationship with the coffee grower as a starting point and work forward towards the end product from that point. Both argue that their system benefits growers and end consumers more than the other.

Instead of dissecting how DT operates or extolling the virtues of FT, this little article will instead implore you, the brave coffee drinker, to make up your own mind using one simple tenet as a baseline measurement for what you buy. I am talking about transparency.

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Dziś grupa członków i sympatyków Inicjatywy Pracowniczej spotkała się z burmistrzem miasta Kostrzyna nad Odrą Andrzejem Kuntem. Tematem rozmowy był problem braku ofert pracy. To kolejna tego typu akcja nacisków związku na lokalne władze w sprawach dotyczących sytuacji na rynku pracy i przestrzegania praw pracowniczych.

From our friends at DESGUA...

Four Guatemalan Human Rights Defenders Murdered in January and February 2010

2009 was the most violent year in the past decade for Guatemalan human rights defenders, with 15 defenders murdered; 2010 is proving to be even worse, with 17 attacks on defenders, among them 4 dead.

Take action now to investigate these murders.

The Guatemala Human Rights Commission respects and promotes the work of Guatemalan human rights defenders and their right to continue their work without threats, attacks, or assassination.

We condemn the murders and demand the immediate and thorough investigation of the crimes, and prosecution of those responsible. We insist on protection for the families and other threatened defenders in accordance with their wishes.

Evelinda Ramírez Reyes was attacked and killed while driving home to San Marcos from Guatemala City on the evening of January 13, 2010. Evelinda was a community leader and member of FRENA (Resistance in Defense of Natural Resources and People's Rights) and the CUC/Farmer's Union. She had just attended a series of meetings with government officials on public access to electricity; she and other FRENA members filed complaints about the excessive rates charged by service provider DEOCSA-Unión Fenosa and also advocated for the public management of electrical energy distribution. She leaves behind a four year old son.

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W sobotę 27 lutego odbyło się spotkanie robocze zorganizowane przez Lewicową Alternatywę i Inicjatywę Pracowniczą w sprawie kampanii na rzecz pracowników zatrudnianych na tzw. „śmieciowe umowy o pracę”, która ma ruszyć jeszcze w tym półroczu. Obecnie są przygotowywane jej założenia i harmonogram.