Come see an advance screening of Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story... Thursday, October 1, 2009 8:00pm Kerasotes City North, 2600 N. Western Av, Chicago. Sponsored by UE, organizers of the Republic occupation. Proceeds go towards UE's innovative education and organizing projects, such as Warehouse Workers for Justice. Michael Moore's new movie has some great sections on the victory of the Republic Windows and Doors workers, members of UE Local 1110, here in Chicago last winter. Moore's film crew was the only one allowed inside the factory during the occupation. He has agreed to let UE have an advance showing of the film this Thursday night as a fundraiser so that we can help additional workers fight and win the way the Republic workers did. We hope you can make it to the screening and that you forward this email to anyone who you think might be interested in attending. United Electrical Workers 312-829-8300

Here are some updates on the struggle of 6,000 Chicago hotel workers for a fair contract with 30 hotels in the Chicago area, straight from their union, UNITE-HERE, Local 1... Hundreds arrested in civil disobedience action Fighting layoffs and cuts, hospitality workers take a stand, saying big corporations like Chicago‐based Hyatt have gone too far (Chicago, IL) – Nearly 200 hospitality workers and community supporters were arrested today as part of a non-violent civil disobedience action in downtown Chicago. The action, witnessed by over 600 workers and community supporters, took place in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel amid an escalating local labor dispute and a growing public backlash against Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels for the recent firing of 100 Hyatt housekeepers in Boston. Hotel workers in San Francisco also staged a major civil disobedience action in conjunction today. After months of layoffs and chronic understaffing, hospitality workers in Chicago and across the country are c...

Thousands are demonstrating against the gathering of the G-20 nations in Pittsburg. This afternoon police fired tear gas on the protestors. You can find out more on the following links... http://indypgh.org/g20/ # http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/24/teargas-protest-g20-summit-pittsburgh http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2446872920090924 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/g20-protest-photos-vote-o_n_298692.html For information on the organizations leading the protests (OR TO TAKE PART!) go here... http://resistg20.org/ http://www.g20media.org/ http://www.peoplessummit.com/

NPR reported this morning rumours that in its crack down on protesters outside the Brazilian embassy, hundreds have been detained in a sports stadium in the area (disturbing echos from Latin Americas past). Here is a recent urgent action call from the Alliance for Global Justice... Please write immediately to the UN missions members of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, from Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and others, IMMEDIATELY. The contact information for all the listed missions is below the sample letter. Demand that the United Nations immediately impose an economic blockaid on Honduras, a demand of the National Front of Resistance to the Coup against Honduras. The United Nations initiated a session today. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya yesterday arrived in Honduras, and is in the Brazilian Embassy. The defacto government is attacking protesters who have gathered around the Bra...

PRI's The World, a generally good international news program on public radio, reported on the stand off between Zelaya and the coup leaders taking place in Honduras. Unfortunately what was OK coverage, was ruined at the end of the piece when the reporter repeated the coup leader's propaganda that Zelaya was trying to find a way to run again for president in November and that is why he was removed from the country. This myth is repeated as fact in the U.S. media with almost every story on the situation in Honduras. It is the one thing that has lead some "progressives" to question the efforts to bring Zelaya back into the presidency. We really need to respond to this misinformation when ever we hear it. You can go here to post a comment on the piece... http://www.theworld.org/2009/09/22/ousted-president-zelaya-returns-to-honduras/#comments I have already but for some reason my post is still "awaiting moderation."

This is from Vicki Cervantes of La Voz de los de Abajo... !Todos Somos Honduras - We are all Honduras! Tuesday - Martes September 22 Septiembre 4pm Plaza Federal Plaza - Jackson and Dearborn St. Celebrate this step in ending the coup and demand the "Golpistas Out Now!" No More Repression! Celebramos este paso hacia el fin del golpe de estado y dicimos "!Fuera Golpistas Ahora!" !No Mas Represion! Some of you have already seen the early announcements. According to Radio Globo in Tegucigalpa and TeleSur, Mel Zelaya arrived in Tegucigalpa late yesterday and spent the night in the Brazilian Embassy. Today he announced his presence and has been interviewed (TeleSur has the telephone interview with him up on its website). The streets near the embassy are filling up with people and people are arriving in Tegucigalpa from outside the city in large numbers. The reaction from the coup government and military is unclear, the risk to Zelaya and the risk of repression agains...

Once again I must apologize for my lack of entries recently – especially with so much going on locally, nationally and internationally. Working for a living sucks!!! Especially when your job requires you to work the hours of two full time jobs. Nationally: AFL-CIO Convention Wraps Up in Pittsburg: New Leadership, New Direction? The 26th Convention of the AFL-CIO officially comes to a close tomorrow. And it has been an eventful convention on a number of fronts. But the question remains – is organized labor in the United States ready to transform itself into a more democratic, militant, broad based social movement, or will the concessionary, cooperationist, business unionism of the past half century continue to prevail in the House of Labor. Richard Trumka, the new head of the federation certainly comes out of a union with a militant, fighting history – the United Mine Workers of America. Will the U.S. trade union movement of the next decade look more like the Pitston strike of 1989 (or ...

On Monday, August 31st, the union contract for 6,000 hotel workers in Chicago expired. Now hotel workers from 30 Chicago area hotels, all members of UNITE-HERE Local 1, are engaged in a major contract battle with billionaire hotel chains that are trying to use the current economic crisis to demand major concessions in work rules, work hours, wages and health care benefits. Listen to the 9-7-09 episode of Labor Express Radio for more on the situation… http://www.archive.org/details/LaborExpressFor9-7-09 Below are some documents provide by UNITE-HERE that detail the reality of the enormous profits generated by the major hotel chains at the expense of the lives and health of their employees… http://www.laborexpress.org/PDFs/AboutUniteHereLocal1.pdf http://www.laborexpress.org/PDFs/ContractExpirationPressRelease.pdf http://www.laborexpress.org/PDFs/Hotel_Industry_Fact_Sheet.pdf

This year’s Labor Day is packed with activities. Here is a list of labor solidarity stuff happening next Monday… 10:00 AM Legalization for All Labor Day Immigrant Rights March Meet at Union Park (Ashland & Lake) at 10:00 AM At 11:00 AM March will advance down Washington Blvd. to Federal Plaza. Rally – 12 Noon at Federal Plaza For flyer click below… http://www.laborexpress.org/PDFs/labordaymarchenglishflyer.pdf 10:30 AM Rally Outside the Congress Hotel - 520 S. Michigan Ave. WHAT: Community delegation to deliver an open letter to the management of the Congress Hotel calling for an end to the 6-year strike. WHO: Alderman Toni Preckwinkle; Alderman Toni Foulkes; Tim Drea, Secretary-Treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO; Rev. Dr. Rita Root, Chicago Metropolitan Association of the United Church of Christ; Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris, Community Renewal Society; Rev. C.J. Hawking, Arise Chicago; Rev. Larry Dowling, St. Agatha Catholic Church; and workers fighting for a fair contract at other Ch...