From Labourstart.org: Watch--don't just read about--the Irish ferry dispute
Submitted on Thu, 12/01/2005 - 3:44pm
WATCH - DON'T JUST READ ABOUT - THE IRISH FERRY DISPUTE
The story will be a familiar one to many of you. An employer, fed up with paying union wages, decides to import a few hundred non-unionized workers from poorer countries. Security guards are brought in to "escort" the new contract workers into the workplace as hundreds of unionized workers are about to get the sack.This is what Irish Ferries was attempting this week when they ran up against the determined resistance of union members who barricaded themselves onto ships. Those workers and their union, working together with the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), have turned this from a simple cost-saving move by a heartless management into a major struggle for social justice. The Irish unions have called for a national day of protest on 9 December.
LabourStart's coverage of the dispute has been extensive, but if you really want to get the feel for what is going on -- to get a sense of the drama as workers stand up for their rights, you should check out the video coverage of this dispute on LabourStart.tv, here:
http://www.labourstart.tv
Full coverage of the dispute is available here:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Ireland
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TELL MCDONALD'S TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF TACO BELL
McDonald's and Taco Bell are both examples of fast food chains which exploit their workers and serve fattening and non-nutritious food, thus contributing to the growing obesity crisis. But there is at least one difference between the two chains and it is this: a few months ago Taco Bell agreed to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to improve the wages and working conditions of the farmworkers who pick the tomatoes both chains use.
McDonald's, however, is dragging its feet, refusing to follow Taco Bell's example. United Students Against Sweatshops has launched an online campaign to pressure McDonald's to work with the CIW to improve the condition of the farmworkers. Please send your own message in support of that campaign, here:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/mcdonalds/
And if you have a spare moment, please do visit the list of LabourStart's current campaigns and make sure you have sent off messages in support of your fellow workers:
http://www.labourstart.org/actnow.html
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MILLIONS VISIT ANTI-UNION WEBSITES - HERE IS THE ALTERNATIVE
According to a report in today's newspapers, the number of visitors to the websites of Amazon.com and Wal-Mart -- two giant companies which pay their workers low wages and refuse to recognize the right to form unions -- has grown massively in the post-Thanksgiving weekend in the USA. Wal-Mart alone got some 3 million visitors to its website last Friday.
If you're thinking of doing your holiday shopping online, use union shops!
Here are some links you should keep, and pass on to fellow union members:
Powells.com - unionized online bookshop (now selling DVDs too!):
UCS - books for trade unionists
Union-made clothing from No Sweat Apparel
Union members -- don't shop at union-busting websites like walmart.com! Buy union!
Have a great weekend.
Eric Lee