> WW News Service Digest #155 > > 1) On the picket line: 8/24/2000 > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) Mergers consolidate wealth, signal layoffs > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 3) Venezuelan president resists U.S. pressure > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 4) U.S./Britain bomb civilian targets in Iraq > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 5) Workers around the world: 8/24/2000 > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 24, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >On the picket line > >UNITED PILOTS >GROUND FLIGHTS > >Fewer than half of all United Air lines flights have left on >time--defined as with in 14 minutes of the scheduled time-- >since Memorial Day. Things have been even worse in August. >For the first 10 days of the month, on-time performance was >down to 40 percent. > >Why? Mostly because pilots are refusing to work overtime. > >That simple job action is shining a bright light on a dirty >secret that United shares with many companies: Instead of >hiring enough people for good-paying jobs, they plan >production or service based on speedup and overwork. Most >employers would rather pay overtime than hire more workers >with the complete wage-and-benefit package that entails. > >That's been the tune at United. Now the airline is paying >the piper. Ten thou sand members of the Air Line Pilots >union are exercising their right to work only their regular >full-time schedules. As a result, United has had to cancel >hun dreds of flights every day this summer. > >One-quarter of United is supposedly "owned" by its >employees. But the "employee stock ownership plan" >provisions covering wages expired April 12. Pilots are >demanding significant pay and benefit improvements to make >up for the years of cuts they endured under the ESOP. > >WICHITA STRIKERS >DEFY COURT > >It's the first strike by Machinists Lodge 70 at the York >International plant in Wichita, Kan. The workers, who >manufacture heating and cooling equipment, got the hang of >it real fast. On July 31 they voted to reject the company's >proposal; Lodge 70 President Richard Aldrich said the 3- >percent wage increase offered was "simply not sufficient." >The 700 workers walked out later that evening. > >By the next morning, company law yers were in court getting >an injunction. > >That didn't bother the strikers. They kept blocking vehicles >from entering the plant, causing traffic to back up on >surrounding streets, according to the bosses who complained >to the judge several days later. The bosses were also upset >that strikers were using bad words, calling scabs ugly >names. > >Naturally, the workers say, they're mad. One of them >commented that they make air conditioners but they don't >even have air conditioning inside the plant. They say >they'll stay out until their demands for decent pay and >improvements in working conditions are met. > >WASH. FARM WORKERS MARCH > >Over 4,000 farm workers and their supporters marched four- >and-a-half miles--from Desert Aire to Mattawa, Wash.--on >Aug. 7. United Farm Work ers President Arturo Rodriguez led >the march in 90-degree heat in the apple-growing region >southeast of Seattle. > >Workers, most of them immigrants and many undocumented, are >paid $9 or $10 per bin of apples picked. They're demanding >amnesty, decent wages, improved conditions and union >recognition. They carried signs reading "Workers deserve a >piece of the apple" and more racism." Members of other >unions from the region swelled the march, along with >community and religious activists drawn to the cause. > >Rodriguez said, "We have literally millions of Latinos and >people of other ethnicities performing the work that other >people don't want to do, and they' re treated like second- >class citizens." > >Despite all the threats against them, including the threat >of deportation, the workers made some threats of their own. >Strike talk was in the air. "We cannot feed our families >with these low wages," said farm worker Arnulfo Ramirez. >"And we will stop working if necessary to get a fair wage." > >UFW Regional Director Lupe Gamboa commented on the mass >turnout for what became the biggest march for immigrant >workers' rights ever in Washington: "It shows how much >worker discontent there is." > >GEORGIA BRICKLAYER SOLIDARITY > >Members of the Bricklayers union demonstrated outside City >Hall in suburban Smyrna, Ga., on Aug. 9. "Drop the charges," >they chanted. The construction workers were protesting the >racist arrests of six of their union brothers in July. > >The workers' crime? Working--at 7 p.m., one hour past the 6 >p.m. cut-off time stipulated in a city noise ordinance. >Police charged six Mexican bricklayers with violating the >law. They were arrested, handcuffed, taken to jail and >forced to post $175 bail each. > >Outraged union members said they had never before heard of >workers being arrested for working. Six organizers >personally reimbursed the immigrant workers for the bail >money. Bricklayers National Organizing Director Bob Yeggy >said, "They were arrested and handcuffed because they are >Hispanics in Smyrna." > >Needless to say, police made no move against the >construction company that employed the workers even though >the bosses are clearly the ones responsible for violating >the noise ordinance. Nor has there been an investigation of >whether they were paying the workers overtime. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <001301c00bf2$1a32c560$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Mergers consolidate wealth, signal layoffs >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 00:33:21 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 24, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Behind 'economic prosperity' > >MERGERS CONSOLIDATE WEALTH, SIGNAL LAYOFFS > >By Gery Armsby > >As politicians campaigned on the coattails of the so-called >capitalist boom, Exxon Mobil, Qwest/U.S.West, First Union, >Bank of America, First Data, and Conseco all announced major >layoffs. > >Bank of America leads the herd with a proposed 7 percent cut >in its current work force--this after axing an initial 7 >percent of the nearly 162,000 workers it employed one year >ago. Its total layoffs will reach as high as 22,000 by next >year. > >Bank of America is the second biggest bank in the United >States--a result of the 1998 East Coast/West Coast merger >between San Francisco-headquartered BankAmerica Corporation >and NationsBank, based in the Southeast. > >Another banking giant, First Union Corp., will up its >original layoff projections made in June from 3,500 to over >5,000 jobs cut. In order to slice away these workers, the >bank plans to spend $135 million on consultants and >severance pay. > >British-owned Standard Chartered PLC reported it plans 6,000 >layoffs in its Asia-based banking operations as part of a >restructuring drive that is likely to cost $720 million. > >Qwest, a telecomm leader that recently merged with U.S. West >communications, will cut between 2,000 and 4,000 jobs in the >coming months. > >Workforce cuts have sprung from various sectors and >industries including energy, insurance and banking, >technology and communications, and the dot-com enterprises. >Many of the layoffs are directly tied to recent mergers. > >All these companies' layoffs were announced to Wall Street >brokers after second-quarter earnings reports. They were >framed, for the most part, as restructuring or "rightsizing" >initiatives. > >Greedy top executives and investment bankers--nervous about >flat earnings reports--generally welcomed the layoffs as a >signal that costs are being diligently pared down to >increase profits. Some investors were reportedly relieved by >the layoffs, having previously feared many companies were >hoarding employees. > >Executives do not hide the fact that they want to squeeze as >much profit as they can out of each worker. They court >investors with their projections and boast about the >"earnings potential" of the layoffs. > >Qwest officials put this very clearly. They said that >although each of their current employees brings in well over >a quarter of a million dollars in revenues on average, they >want to cut the work force and increase revenues at the same >time. > >The combined 72,000 Qwest/ U.S. West employees generate over >$18 billion annually. Qwest wants to cut jobs and build >revenues up to the $24 billion mark. > >Bank of America Chief Financial Officer James Hance told the >same story in another way. He said he will slash jobs to >improve the bank's "efficiency ratio" from 54 to 50. > >This ratio reflects the cost of generating each dollar of >income. In order to squeeze an extra eight cents out of >every dollar spent, Hance will relentlessly hack away jobs. > >DOT-COM AND WIRELESS LAYOFFS > >According to "The Standard," a Web site featuring research >on the Internet economy, over 9,000 layoffs have occurred in >the dot-com and wireless sectors so far this year. One >hundred seventeen very small to very large Internet-based >companies reported between 10 and 1,500 layoffs. > >NBC's Internet division bought out Xoom and Snap.com in 1999 >to form NBCi. On Aug. 8, NBCi laid off 170 Internet workers, >a 20-percent cut. > >Deutsche Telekom let 1,500 workers go after taking over >VoiceStream wireless in July. Qualcomm, another wireless >company, cut 200 jobs at the end of June. > >Corel, maker of WordPerfect software, severed 320 employees >in June to save $40 million in costs annually. > >Agilent, formerly a health-care-technology subsidiary of >Hewlett-Packard, announced Aug. 14 it intends to cut 450 >jobs by November to "boost efficiency." > >A common refrain among technology companies handing out >layoff notices to their workers is "rightsizing"--a close >relative of "downsizing." > >Even in a period of capitalist boom, when outrageous >fortunes are being accumulated through mega-mergers, those >in traditionally more secure jobs, along with millions of >workers around the world, are threatened by the slings and >arrows of restructuring. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <001901c00bf2$344b11a0$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Venezuelan president resists U.S. pressure >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 00:34:04 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 24, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Venezuelan prez resists U.S. pressure > >CHAVEZ DEFIES SANCTIONS ON IRAQ > >By Andy McInerney > >Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez delivered a diplomatic body >blow to U.S. efforts to isolate and economically strangle >Iraq on Aug. 10. Chavez crossed the Iran-Iraq border to meet >with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein--the first meeting >between Hussein and a foreign head of state since the 1991 >U.S.-led war against Iraq. > >The meeting was held as part of Chavez' 10-nation tour to >meet with members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting >Countries. But it had special importance because of >Washington's efforts to isolate Iraq, including the 10-year >policy of economic sanctions that has caused over 1.5 >million deaths. > >U.S. officials fumed about the visit. State Department >spokesperson Richard Boucher called it "particularly >galling." The trip "bestows an aura of respectability on >Saddam Hussein," he whined. > >Britain, an imperialist junior partner in the U.S.-led >campaign against Iraq, lodged a diplomatic protest with the >Venezuelan government in Caracas. The British Foreign Office >called the visit "inappropriate." > >But unlike the leaders of most other countries in the >capitalist world, Chavez refused to back down. > >"We regret and denounce the interference in our internal >affairs," Chavez said. "We do not and will not accept it. > >"What can I do if they get upset?" he continued. "We have >dignity and Venezuela is a sovereign country." > >In addition to discussions on maintaining oil price levels >to near $25 per barrel, the Venezuelan delegation made a >special point of criticizing the U.S. sanctions against >Iraq. > >"President Chavez affirmed the Venezuelan position >supporting an accord against any kind of boycott or >sanctions that are applied against Iraq or any other country >in the world," said Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Valero. > >After leaving Iraq, Chavez took the case of Iraq to >Indonesia, another OPEC member. Chavez and Indonesian >President Abdurram Wahid issued a joint statement opposing >U.S. sanctions in Iraq. > >"We share the sentiments of President Chavez with regard to >the Iraqi people," Wahid said on Aug. 12. "For that reason >Indonesia hopes for lifting the blockade of Iraq soon." > >DEFIANCE REFLECTS MASS SUPPORT > >Venezuela is currently the leading oil exporter to the >United States. Normally a country of such importance would >be held under the thumb of U.S. imperialism through client >regimes and economic pressure. > >But in 1998, seething discontent from Venezuela's 23 million >people rocketed Chavez to the presidency, breaking the grip >of Venezuela's notoriously corrupt traditional political >parties. Chavez had led a 1992 military rebellion against >the government in support of popular demonstrations against >poverty and austerity. > >On July 30, Chavez was enthusiastically re-elected in a >special election called to "re-legitimize" his government. >His Fifth Republic Movement and allies in the Patriotic Pole >won 60 percent of the seats in the new legislative body. > >Expectations are high that Chavez will confront the >country's mass poverty--afflicting nearly 80 percent of the >population--and unemployment. Chavez is promising a >"revolution" to shake up the traditional ruling elite. > >In the international arena, Chavez has already defied the >United States by refusing to allow U.S. military planes to >fly over Venezuela in operations directed at neighboring >Colombia. He has embraced Cuban President Fidel Castro as a >"brother." Visiting Beijing in 1999, he encouraged the >Chinese government to "continue to fly its standard so that >the world would not be run by a universal police that >imposes everything." > >He has advocated cooperation of exploited nations against >U.S. hegemony. "We, the small, poor nations, underdeveloped, >of the Third World ... we have no alternative but to unite, >whatever our geographic location," Chavez said on Aug. 6, >before leaving on his tour of OPEC nations. > >The social ferment throughout Latin America--from the Chavez >government to the revolutionary movement in Colombia--is >beginning to be felt on the international arena. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <001f01c00bf2$4885e6e0$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] U.S./Britain bomb civilian targets in Iraq >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 00:34:38 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 24, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Iraq > >U.S./BRITAIN BOMB CIVILIAN TARGETS > >By Gery Armsby > >U.S. and British warplanes attacked sites in northern Iraq >Aug. 15. This followed heavy bombardment in southern Iraq >Aug. 10-12. > >The air strikes killed two civilians and injured more than >20 others. They also destroyed a train station, several >homes and a food rations storage and distribution facility >that warehoused food allowed into Iraq under the United >Nations oil-for-food program. > >The Pentagon claimed the jets were targeting anti-aircraft >artillery sites. > >In almost daily bombing raids, U.S./British maneuvers have >killed over 200 Iraqi civilians and wounded more than 800 >since December 1998. At that time, a torrent of Pentagon >bombs rained on Iraq for four straight days. > >The two imperialist powers claim to be enforcing so-called >"no-flight zones," which they imposed on Iraq after the 1991 >Gulf War. Baghdad has protested the no-flight zones, >pointing out that the unilateral constraints violate Iraqi >sovereignty. > >The zones cover most of the northern and southern portions >of the country, restricting Iraqis from flying over two- >thirds of their own air space. > >The latest bombings by the United States and Britain >occurred in these zones: in the city of Samawa, 175 miles >south of Baghdad; and near Mosul, 250 miles to the northeast >of the Iraqi capital. > >At an Aug. 13 Baghdad news conference, Iraqi Air Defense >Commander Lt. Gen. Shaheen Yassin Ahmad said, "I expect them >to intensify their activities and aggression." > >He also suggested as a pretext for the increased U.S. and >British hostilities "their international political failure, >the challenge of the Venezuelan president [Hugo Chavez] to >their policies and the calls of the world community to stop >aggression." > >The Iraqi Air Defense Command reported in July that more >than 21,600 U.S. and British warplanes have flown into >Iraq's air space since December 1998. An average of one >bombing or missile attack occurs every three days; Pentagon >bombs kill an average of one civilian every other day. > >The Pentagon admits to flying over 280,000 sorties since >imposing the "no-flight zones." > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > >Message-ID: <002501c00bf2$5809c3c0$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Workers around the world: 8/24/2000 >Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 00:35:04 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="Windows-1252" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the Aug. 24, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >Workers around the world > >CZECH REPUBLIC: > >ANTI-IMF PROTESTS SET > >Thousands of activists are preparing to face off against the >Sept. 21-29 meeting >of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Prague, >Czech Republic. > >"This summit is a challenge to those who are concerned about >the destiny of >today's world," charged the Initiative Against Economic >Globalization (INPEG), one > >of the coalitions organizing the protests. "Let us face the >globalization of capital with the globalization of >solidarity." > >Demonstrations by Czech unionists and leftists will take >place on Sept. 23. INPEG's Global Day of Action is scheduled >for Sept. 26. Solidarity actions are also being organized >around the world. > >The Czech government is mobilizing at least 11,000 riot >police for the demonstrations. > >ECUADOR: > >PROTESTS DEMAND REFERENDUM >AGAINST PRIVATIZATION > >On Aug. 2, representatives of the Confederation of >Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the >Coordinating Committee of Social Movements (CMS) delivered >over 1.5 million signatures to the Supreme Electoral Court >demanding a people's referendum. The six items proposed for >the referendum are the main demands of the movement that >overthrew former President Jamil Mahuad on Jan. 21. > >The first question asks for a ban on foreign military bases >on Ecuador's territory. U.S. troops are using the Manta base >in eastern Ecuador as part of their war maneuvers against >Colombia's revolutionary movement. > >Economic matters include reversing the "dollarization" of >the economy, where the U.S. dollar has become the national >currency; immediately returning frozen bank funds, canceling >the foreign debt, and ending privatizations. > >The final point on the proposed referendum is a general >amnesty for the participants in the Jan. 21 uprising. > >CONAIE President Antonio Vargas told the Quito-based Pulsar >news agency that the "cease-fire" with the current >government of Gustavo Noboa is over. > >Mobilizations to support the demands and against the >government's privatization attempts are planned for Aug. 15. > >- END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > > > _______________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________
