[PAA-Discuss] Fw: Support striking office cleaners in Houston

[Edna Thompson]

Dear Friends

Please support the Janitors in Houston.

Best regards
Pat
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Lee" <ericlee at labourstart.org>
To: <labourstart at unionlists.org.uk>
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 10:50 AM
Subject: Support striking office cleaners in Houston


In this week's mailing:

* USA: Support striking office cleaners in Houston
* Colombia: Tell the government - no more killings of trade unionists
* New International founded
* The "new web" and the unions
* What's a "zipper clause"?

***

USA: SUPPORT STRIKING OFFICE CLEANERS IN HOUSTON

Hundreds of office cleaners in Houston, Texas have been on strike since
October 23 -- and now they want your help and support.  They are asking
all of us to send a clear message to the CEO of one of the world's largest
energy companies (Chevron) to get him to pressure cleaning contractors to
pay a living wage and health benefits to their workers.  It will take you
only a moment and it WILL make a difference:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=161

Done it?  Now pass this message on to others!

***

COLOMBIA: TELL THE GOVERNMENT - NO MORE KILLINGS OF TRADE UNIONISTS

Not long ago, we told you about the murder of a rural workers' union
activist in Colombia.  This has been followed by threats to the lives of
two members of the union's national executive.  Enough is enough --
Colombia already holds the world record for the number of trade unionists
killed every year.  You can do something about it: the IUF is asking all
of us to send messages to the Colombian president, with copies to the
union.  Make your voice heard:

http://tinyurl.com/ylfcp6

***

NEW INTERNATIONAL FOUNDED

This may not have made your local newspaper or the evening news on
television where you live, but for those of us who are active in the trade
union movement, the merger of the two largest organizations of trade
unions in the world into a single body is pretty important.  The creation
of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) last week was
covered fairly comprehensively on LabourStart and today we're pleased to
have a detailed analysis of what it all means from an eyewitness and
expert on international trade unions:

http://www.labourstart.org/docs/en/000382.html

***

THE "NEW WEB" AND THE UNIONS

Recognize any of these terms?  Flickr.  Digg.  MySpace.  YouTube.
Deli.cio.us.  Web 2.0.

I think that unions can learn something from changes taking place today on
the net.  You might find this article of interest (and please feel free to
post your comments):

http://www.ericlee.info/2006/11/the_new_web_and_the_unions.html

***

WHAT'S A "ZIPPER CLAUSE"?

I'm not even sure I want to know that one.  But I would want a good
definition of what a 'maquiladora' is, or what 'Taft Hartley' means, or
even a short biography of Mother Jones.  All these and some 500 other key
places, people and events in US labour history are described in a highly
readable book called "The Lexicon of Labor" by R. Emmett Murray.  Elaine
Bernard of the Harvard Trade Union Program says: "More than a reference
book and guide to American labor, it's an encyclopedia of the world of
work and workers ... informative and fun to read."  It's this week's
LabourStart Book of the Week:

http://www.labourstart.org/bookoftheweek

Order copies for your union today.  Thanks.

Eric Lee




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