From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 22 May 1999 01:33 Subject: Carpenter's Wildcat Strike Continues -- Solidarity Requested! PLEASE FORWARD! PLEASE FORWARD! PLEASE FORWARD! Fellow Workers, friends, and comrades: The Carpenters' Wildcat Strike continues and is gaining momentum. However they need our solidarity. I went to their rally at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco at 2:30 PM this afternoon, where Carpenters (including workers from several parts of this extensive building trade's union) discussed where to take the strike from here. Workers from all around the Bay Area continue to wildcat. The open meeting included discussions about strategy and tactics and it's clear that while some differences exist about how to proceed with the strike itself, an overwhelming majority of those present voted to continue the strike. I'm sorry that I d not have all the details, and admittedly this spontaneous wildcat strike has been spontaneously organized to say the least. Whatever the case, these workers have taken direct action and they've already crossed that magical line between theory and reality. If they lose this battle it will represent a defeat for the working class. If they succeed, it will send a shot in the arm to the labor movement. We need to do our part to make this as successful as the Neptune Jade if we can. What these workers need is solidarity on the picket line and on the front lines. They need folks to spread the word about what's happening. They need financial support. Because this wildcat was the spontaneous efforts of a small group of pissed-off workers, many carpenters do not know about it. The mainstream media is largely ignoring the wildcat (when they're not belittling it). The only thing that's helping spread the word about this strike are the efforts of these rank & file workers who've been traveling from job-site to job-site pulling workers off the job. There will be more walkouts on Monday and Tuesday. You can help by joining in the pickets. Call (510) 496-3458, Working Carpenters for a Stronger Union, for further information. That is a voice mail. Listen carefully for instructions. TEXT OF THE FLYER FOLLOWS ------------------------------------------------- CARPENTERS: ONE MEMBER ONE VOTE! Brothers & Sisters: throughout (the) San Francisco (Bay Area) carpenters are shutting jobs down. The San Francisco AirPort-the largest construction job in California-is shut down. Carpenters walked off Pacific Bell Park. They walked at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco. They walked at Microsoft. We are getting support from the ironworkers, the laborers, the cement finishers, and the electricians. If we have left any out, or we have left out any other jobs that have been shut down, we apologize. This first day has succeeded so far beyond our imagination that we are unable to fully keep up with our successes. We all understand what is at stake. We are fighting to take our union back from that tiny handful of unelected, unrepresentative officials who are shoving this contract down our throats. We are the strongest union supporters there are, but we know that the only way the union will be truly strong is if it fights for us. We are told that we are jeopardizing the "Project labor Agreement" at the airport. We, the working members, are the real project labor agreement. We have sworn a blood oath that when we go back to work there, Agreement or no, there will be no non-union construction at the airport. We don't need a "PLA", all we need is our own strength and our own unity. We demand the following: (1) (The sellout) contract (negotiated by the union's bureaucrats and the bosses without the consent of the union's rank & file) must be taken off the table. It does not represent our interests and it was voted on illegally at a meeting that was called illegally. It must be removed. (2) No new contract voted on by the Regional Council delegates until it is voted on and passed by the working members at area-wide general membership meetings where we can discuss the pros and cons. No phony "mail-in" ballots, where they control the source of information, they keep the members feeling isolated, and they count the "results". We are united, we are strong, and we will take back our union. JOIN US! Working Carpenters for a Stronger Union For more information and regular updates, call (510) 496-3458. ------------------------------------------------- Posted in Solidarity by a Wobbly For the One Big Union, -FW Steve East Bay IWW / Branch Secretary East Bay IWW http://bari.iww.org/ Phone (510) 845-0540 Timber Workers IU 120 -- http://bari.iww.org/iu120/local/ Marine Transport Workers, Local 9 -- http://www.iww.org/iu510/local9/ Communications Workers, Local 23 -- http://www.iww.org/iu560/local23/ Take Part in the I99 International Solidarity Conference! http://www.iww.org/~intl99/ Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
