This message is forwarded to you by the editors of the Chiapas95 newslists. To contact the editors or to submit material for posting send to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:29:44 -0400 From: Mexico Solidarity Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: MSN News and Analysis April 10-16 EXICO SOLIDARITY NETWORK WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS APRIL 10-16, 2007 1. CIW WINS AGREEMENT WITH MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS 2. FLOC STAFF PERSON MURDERED IN MONTERREY 3. LASC SUMMARY NOTES 4. CALL FOR OBSERVATION BRIGADES IN CHIAPAS 5. ZAPATISTAS CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH MERIDA 23 6. APPO ACTIVIST ARRESTED 7. MOST UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS PAY INCOME TAXES 8. JUDGE ORDERS LABOR SECRETARY TO RECOGNIZE UNION LEADER 9. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]) 1. CIW WINS AGREEMENT WITH MCDONALDS RESTAURANTS The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) signed an agreement with McDonalds Restaurants this week calling for wage increases for tomato harvesters in central Florida that could nearly double their yearly income. The one-cent-per-pound increase, enforced by McDonalds rather than individual growers, sets a new standard for migrant labor and forces tomato growers to abandon the market-driven mechanisms that left harvesters without a wage increase for the past two decades. The victory is a result of community pressure from organized farmworkers in Immokalee working with allies across the US to force McDonalds to the negotiating table. Wary of its international reputation and unwilling to endure a two year campaign like the successful Taco Bell boycott organized by CIW, McDonalds quickly came to agreement, which marks an important improvement in the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. 2. FLOC STAFF PERSON MURDERED IN MONTERREY Santiago Rafael Cruz, a staff person for the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), was murdered in the FLOC offices in Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday. FLOC opened its office in Monterrey last year as part of a groundbreaking program to organize immigrants who come to the US under temporary farmworker visas. Since the office opened, it has been vandalized several times, apparently by mafia-style labor recruiters who are unhappy with FLOCa^s work to organize migrant farmworkers. FLOC calls for the following actions: Contact the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (http://www.cidh.oas.org/): We are asking all FLOC supporters and organizations who are deeply affected by the brutal murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz to call or fax the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Santiago Canton, and encourage the IACHR to investigate the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz. If the IACHR accepts the case, it has the power to compel the Mexican government to provide security for the FLOC office in Monterrey and for all FLOC staff operating in Mexico. This would be a major step forward in insuring a speedy investigation and helping FLOC prevent tragedies like this in the future. A FAX is most effective, but if you do not this capability you can call, email, or write a letter to the IACHR. Send your message to: Dr. Santiago Canton, Executive Secretary Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 1889 F St., NW, Washington, D.C., USA 20006. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telephone: (202)458-6002 Fax: (202) 458-3992 Ask the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to take on the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz as an official case. Points to make are: * Santiago Rafael has been involved in the struggle for the human rights of immigrant workers in the U.S. for years. * The brutal nature of his murder in the offices of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee AFL-CIO in Monterrey Mexico indicates that this murder has serious human rights implications for Mexican workers coming to work in the U.S. * A thorough investigation of Santiago's murder is needed to reveal those forces involved in the abuses of "guest workers" bound for the U.S., particularly in the recruiting system. * This is an international human rights issue, involving both Mexico and the United States. Be sure to send a copy to FLOC at [EMAIL PROTECTED], so we can follow up with the IACHR. Contact the Mexican Ambassador to the United States: Please write to the Mexican Ambassador expressing your outrage at the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz and demanding a rapid, thorough, and professional investigation of his murder, and bringing Santiago's murderers to justice. Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Mexican Embassy 1911 Pennsylvania AV, NW Washington D.C. 20006 Tel: (202) 728-1600 Internet message at: http://portal.sre.gob.mx/usa/index.php?optioncontact&Itemid6 Ask the Ambassador to ensure that the Mexican government conducts a thorough and open investigation of the brutal murder of FLOC organizer Santiago Rafael Cruz in Monterrey. Points to make are: * The Farm Labor Organizing Committee AFL-CIO has a long record as a grass-roots leader in the immigrant rights movement in the U.S. FLOC organizer Santiago Rafael had been involved in the struggle for the human rights of immigrant workers in the U.S. for years. Santiago's murder is a critical challenge to protecting Mexican workers in the U.S. * The brutal nature of his murder in the offices of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee AFL-CIO in Monterrey Mexico indicates that this murder has serious implications for Mexican workers coming to work in the U.S., particularly in the recruiting system for "guest workers". * A thorough investigation of Santiago's murder is needed to reveal those forces involved in the abuses of Mexican workers in the U.S., particularly in the recruiting system in Mexico itself. * This case has serious implications for international human rights issue, involving both Mexico and the United States. Be sure to send a copy to FLOC at [EMAIL PROTECTED], so we can follow up with the Mexican government. 3.LASC- Summary Notes The IV Latin American Solidarity Conference - Alternatives to Empire- took place at the University of Illinois (UIC) College of Medicine this last April 13-15, 2007. More than two hundred activists in solidarity with the different social movements in Latin America --and with different organizations within the US- gathered to discuss, network, strategize the focus and vision of their work as US allies. Some of the plenary discussions and dialogues revolved around: 1) Revisiting and redefining the solidarity model: the challenge and necessity to direct our daily and long term struggles for humanity and against capitalism, 2) the need of defend the historic spaces that resist the privatization of culture, education and knowledge production and the urgency to create an alternative venues for radical cultural &media production 3) the emergence of grassroots social movements and shift in the correlation of social forces all throughout Latin America and the role of US solidarity groups.4) The confluence and dialogue among afrodescending peoples from Latin America , the Caribbean and the US, and last but not least 5) the urgency to stop the immigration raids, demand a moratorium on deportations and demand the regularization of all undocumented immigrants. 4. CALL FOR OBSERVATION BRIGADES IN CHIAPAS In the context of the Worldwide Campaign in Defense of Autonomous Indigenous and Campesino Territory in Chiapas, in Mexico and in the World, launched by the Sixth Commission of the Zapatista National Liberation Army on March 25, the Mexico Solidarity Network joins CAPISE in calling for the formation of Observation Brigades in indigenous communities under threat from paramilitary forces in Chiapas. The Brigades will be formed by individuals, groups and delegations, both from Mexico and internationally, to visit indigenous communities under threat of being displaced from their land. Individuals interested in participating in the brigades should contact CAPISE at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for an orientation program and to receive assignments to a specific community or communities. Individuals who want to participate in the Brigades should: - Be at least 18 years old. - Commit to a minimum of seven days in a community or communities. - Have a letter of recommendation from your organization, institution, collective or group accrediting your participation in the Brigades. - If you are Mexican, present three copies of identification a^" passport, drivers license, etc. - If you are an internationalist, present three copies of your passport and immigration form. - Spanish fluency. - Participate in an orientation program organized by CAPISE in San Cristobal de las Casas. 5. ZAPATISTAS CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH MERIDA 23 The Sixth Commission of the Zapatista National Liberation Army joined dozens of organizations this week in calling for support for 23 young people arrested on March 13 during President Busha^s brief visit to Merida, Mexico. Most of the young people are held on trumped up charges without the possibility of bail, part of President Calderona^s a^oeiron fista^ policy toward political activism. The charges stem from vandalism that resulted in the destruction of a potted plant and the panel of a door at City Hall, though it is unlikely that any of the arrestees participated in the vandalism. Arrestees were beaten by police, and most have been in prison since March 23. Please send emails to officials listed below (example letter at bottom): Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Email by going to the following link: portal.sre.gob.mx/usa/index.php?optioncontact&Itemid6 (Additionally, one could consider calling the embassy in Washington D.C. Tel: (202) 728 1600.) President Felipe CalderA~³n Hinojosa President of Mexico Fax: (+52) 55 52772376 Correo-e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] YucatA~ !n Governor Patricio PatrA~³n Laviada. Fax: (+52) 9999 303124 Correo-e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Attorney General Armando Villarreal Guerra Attorney General of the state of YucatA~ !n Fax: (+52) 999 9303267 Correo-e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Magistrate A~ngel Prieto MA~CRndez. President of the Superior Tribune of Justice of the state of YucatA~ !n Fax: (+52) 999 9300650 Correo-e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Amerigo Incalcaterra. Office Representative in Mexico of the High Commission of United Nations for Human Rights Correo-e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fax: (+52) 55 50 61 63 58 IndignaciA~³n, Promotion and defense of human rights, AC. Correo-e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fax: (+52) 999 9 137020 Sample letter: To [Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, etc.] I write to you out of concern for the recent violation of human rights in the state of Yucatan. On March 13, some 200 individuals exercised their Constitutional free speech rights to protest the presence of President George Bush in Merida. Forty-eight were detained, many of which were not even part of the demonstration. Many of these individuals were beaten, resulting in at least one broken rib and nose, with additional allegations of physical and psychological torture within the prison. Ultimately 23 young Mexican students and citizens have been charged unjustly. I must protest the unjust treatment, including torture, imprisonment, excessive bail, and excessive charges levied against 23 young people in Merida. These 23 political prisoners should be released immediately without charge: Maria Victoria Texeira Fabian Sonda Souza Miguel Angel Sulub Mut Willian Enrique Vera Veliz Juan Jose Garcia Ortiz Carlos Orlando Mejia Cocom Roger Adolfo MagaA~+-a Yam Edgar Manuel Gomez Navarro Gerardo Gonzalez Miranda Ivan Alexander Baas Osorio Isaac Gualberto Mutul Guevara Martha Carolina Ruiz Puch Carlos Miguel Lopez Sierra Julian Bernandino Campos Casanova Leonido G.Moguel Bergman Luis Fernando Rodriguez Lopez Juan CArlos Cohuo Uicab Fernando Posadas Gonzalez Sara gabriela Guzman MuA~+-oz Rigoberto Moreno Mendoza Mario Alberto Tuz Medina Cesar Peniche Lopez Fabricio Angulo Zarate You should be aware that this violation of human rights is now an incident of international concern. Thank you for your prompt attention in this matter. Sincerely, [Your name] Organize a protest in solidarity with Yucatan 24 at a Mexican consulate near you on Friday, April 27th. Go to www.mexonline.com/consulate.htm for a location near you. 6. APPO ACTIVIST ARRESTED Daniel Venegas Reyes, a prominent activist in the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO), was arrested on Friday in the center of Oaxaca City. Police claimed Venegas yelled at them, while a human rights observer accompanying Venegas from the Mexican League for Human Rights (Limedh), Isaac Torres Carmona, claimed six officers surrounded Venegas for no reason, beat him and hauled him off in a pickup truck without presenting an arrest warrant. Torres tried to write down information on the pickup, but found it had no license plates, at which point one of the police threatened, a^oeWe dona^t have plates, idiot, and dona^t make waves or youa^ll be next.a^ Police later charged Venegas with possession of cocaine and heroine, apparently after the Limedh filed a temporary restraining order that would have freed Venegas. The arrest comes amid increased public activities by the APPO, and increased repression on the part of the State. 7. MOST UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS PAY INCOME TAXES Many undocumented workers are filing federal tax returns using a nine-digit Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), created by the IRS in 1996 to facilitate filing tax returns for foreign nationals who dona^t have citizenship. Between 1996 and 2003, ITIN holders paid US$50 billion in taxes, and it is widely believed that most ITIN holders are undocumented workers. The IRS issued 1.5 million ITINs in 2006, a 30% increase from the previous year. In 2004, the IRS received 7.9 million W-2 forms that didna^t match a Social Security number. More than half came from California, Texas, Florida and Illinois, states with high numbers of undocumented workers. People who use ITINs to file taxes must still invent Social Security numbers, and many employers require Social Security numbers before hiring employees, though they are not required to check the validity of the numbers. Most experts assume the vast majority of the W-2s that dona^t match Social Security numbers ar! e from undocumented workers. In 2004, the population of undocumented workers in the US was estimated at 9 to 10 million, meaning that with 7.9 million a^oeunmatcheda^ W-2 forms filed, the vast majority paid Social Security and income taxes from their paychecks. ITIN numbers are also used to open bank accounts and take out loans, and five states a^" West Virginia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Utah and Illinois a^" allow ITINs to be used as identification for drivers licenses. 8. JUDGE ORDERS LABOR SECRETARY TO RECOGNIZE UNION LEADER A federal judge ordered the Secretary of Labor to recognize Napoleon Gomez Urrutia as the legitimate president of the Mineworkers Union. Gomez is currently in exile in Canada after federal authorities charged him with a series of crimes and formally recognized a rival leader in an effort to cover up federal negligence in last yeara^s Pasta de Conchos mine disaster that claimed the lives of 65 mineworkers. The Secretary of Labor is expected to formally recognize Gomez on Monday. Gomez still has two arrest warrants pending, and he is not expected to return to Mexico until the legal issues are resolved. The federal government charged Gomez with misuse of US$55 million in union funds, but the union claims it will clarify the disbursement of the funds at a meeting on Tuesday of next week. While Gomez is a corrupt union boss in the PRI tradition, many unions, including in Canada and the US, came to his defense when the Fox administration tried to illegally intervene in inte! rnal union affairs by recognizing a rival president. 9. MSN PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]) Study Abroad: June 3 a^" July 14, 2007: Summer Study Abroad Program. Earn 8 credits studying Indigenous Social Movements and the Other Campaign in Chiapas, Mexico. 8 credits. June 17 a^" July 28, 2007: Summer Study Abroad Program. Earn 8 credits studying Migration: Dynamics and Debates. Students spend 16 days in Tlaxcala, a sending state for undocumented migrants; 16 days in Ciudad Juarez, a center of migration, maquiladora workers and undocumented border crossings; and 10 days in Washington, DC, home of the community-based group Mexicanos Sin Fronteras and center of the current debate on immigration reform. 8 credits September 2 a^" December 7, 2007: Study in Chiapas, Tlaxcala and Mexico City, with a focus on indigenous movements, campesino organizations, and urban movements, 16 credits. September 9 a^" December 14, 2007: Study in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua City, Mexico City and Chiapas, with a focus on border dynamics, urban movements and indigenous movements, 16 credits. January 27 a^" May 2, 2008: Study in Chiapas, Tlaxcala and Mexico City, with a focus on indigenous movements, campesino organizations, and urban movements. 16 credits. February 3 a^" May 9, 2008: Study in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua City, Mexico City and Chiapas, with a focus on border dynamics, urban movements and indigenous movements. 16 credits. Speaking tours: April 16 - May 1, 2007: Speaking tour - Immigrant Rights, with lessons from the first post World War II US-Mexico guest worker program, featuring an Ex-Bracero and member of the Asamblea Nacional de Braceros. DC, New England, Chicago National Traveling Conference: Mexico in Focus. A panel of noted academics, journalists and activists will present analysis and the latest information on Chiapas, Oaxaca, Atenco, and the border region. April 11 West Coast April 13 Chicago April 16 Washington, DC Alternative Economy Internships: Develop markets for artisanry produced by women's cooperatives in Chiapas and make public presentations on the struggle for justice and dignity in Zapatista communities. Interns are currently active in Washington, D.C.; Lancaster, PA; Rutland, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Poughkeepsie, NY; Stonington, ME; Grand Rapids, MI; St Paul, MN; Chicago, IL; Guelph, Canada; Ontario, Canada; Spokane, WA; Turner, OR; Chico, CA; Davis, CA; Sacramento, CA; Redlands, CA; Provo, UT; Albuquerque, NM; El Paso, TX; Austin, TX; and Lilburn, GA. Mexico Solidarity Network http://www.mexicosolidarity.org This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscription : http://www.mexicosolidarity.org/newsletter/subscription.php?list_id1&opleave&email_addrhcleave%40eco.utexas.edu -- To unsubscribe from this list send a message containing the words unsubscribe chiapas95 (or chiapas95-lite, or chiapas95-english, or chiapas95-espanol) to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Previous messages are available from http://www.eco.utexas.edu/faculty/Cleaver/chiapas95.html or gopher to Texas, University of Texas at Austin, Department of Economics, Mailing Lists.
