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8 killed in Dominican general strike
February 13, 2004Eight people were killed during a general strike that shook the Dominican Republic for 48 hours on Jan. 28-29. The general strike, which was organized by the National Coordinating Body of People’s Organizations and Labor Unions, was called to protest the Dominican government’s signing of a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund. The Coordinating Body said the government offered weapons to its followers in order to attack the strikers....
Read moreWhen Bush comes to shove resist!
January 30, 2004MUMBAI, India – “Imagine all the people living life in peace ...” The voices of many continents mingled in a song that has become an anthem of the worldwide peace movement, as Brazilian singer and minister of culture Gilberto Gil sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” to thousands gathered in this vast Indian metropolis for the closing ceremony of the World Social Forum, Jan. 21.
Read moreThe L factor: Icons of Latino art and politics
December 19, 2003NEW YORK – Latino art in U.S. culture, like Latinos themselves, cannot be easily categorized or narrowly defined. A bold new exhibit at Exit Art provides a box-of-chocolates sampling of a new generation of Latino artists which ranges from the humorous to the eclectic to the bizarre to the sublime. It also provides a glimpse at a new way of thinking about what it means to be an “americano.” The...
Read moreAngel Torres: Militant seaman, 1929-2003
November 22, 2003Angel Rene Torres, a lifelong fighter for democratic, member-controlled unions, died in September. Torres was a Puerto Rican who born in New York. While only in his teens, Torres shipped out as an able-bodied seaman. He joined the National Maritime Union where he fought for seaman’s unity. He fought against racism on U.S. merchant vessels and for the 40-hour workweek. Fifty years ago, Torres fought against registry of U.S. ships...
Read moreHealthSouth fraud impacts millions
November 22, 2003You may have already heard a lot about Mr. Richard Scrushy, the founder and former CEO of HealthSouth Corp. Scrushy was indicted on 85 criminal counts alleging that he was the mastermind of an enormous corporate fraud involving money laundering, conspiracy, and securities fraud, that allowed him to pocket more than a quarter-billion dollars. The government wants him to fork over $279 million worth of his own personal assets, including...
Read moreCommunity activist gets labor backing
October 31, 2003LAWRENCE, Mass. – Community activist Martina M. Cruz was recently endorsed by the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council in her run for School Committee here. Cruz is one of three candidates being endorsed by the labor council in this year’s municipal elections. Cruz said, “I am proud to have the endorsement of the organizations that represent the working people of Lawrence and the rest of the Merrimack Valley.” Cruz, a...
Read moreHistory The month of October
October 17, 2003Oct. 1, 1949. 500,000 steel workers in 29 states struck for pensions and wage increases. Oct. 11, 1987. National Coming Out Day established at National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay rights. Oct. 12, 1492, Native Americans discovered Columbus. . Oct. 14, 1949. Eleven member of the Communist Party USA National Board convicted under the Smith Act; ten sentenced to 5 years. In the next few years, 138 other...
Read moreWhy we march today
October 03, 2003Three of my four grandparents hailed from far-flung places: Spain, Puerto Rico, Italy. They struggled to get ahead, learned English (or didn’t), raised children. They had all kinds of jobs. One worked at a power plant in the New York City subway system and later opened a hardware store in East Harlem. Another made lipsticks in a cosmetics factory and worked in the garment industry turning collars. For a time,...
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The Vanquished: A Puerto Rican novel
September 19, 2003Book review The Vanquished by César Andreu Iglesias University of North Carolina Press, 2002, 232 pp., Paperback, $19.95 This coming week, on Sept. 23, thousands of Puerto Ricans will converge on the mountain town of Lares to commemorate the 135th anniversary of El Grito de Lares, the site of the failed revolt against Spanish colonialism in 1868. They will also demand an end to 105 years of U.S. colonialism. This...
Read moreLetters
September 12, 2003Big tobacco vs. N.Y. law The fairest thing about New York State’s smoke-free workplace law is that it treats all workplaces (and all employees) equally. No business has a perceived or real advantage or disadvantage. All workplaces must be smoke free. The health of waitresses is treated with as much importance as the health of bankers. In most legislation, however, there is a waiver clause for special unforeseen circumstances that...
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