Medicaid Rally in Austin

A rally was held in Austin, Texas to protest against Rick Perry’s refusal of $13 billion in federal money that could expand Medicaid for 2.3 million low-income, disabled, and elderly Texans. The refusal to add more Texans to Medicaid is in place to reduce state spending overall and give private healthcare providers more opportunity to make profits from their services. Now, instead of receiving Medicaid benefits, those most in need will receive a voucher of a mere $500, entirely insufficient for most medical costs. 

The Texas Organizing Project organized buses from all over Texas to come to Austin and protest against Perry’s draconian legislation. There were bus-loads of working people and activists from Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, as well as dozens of activists from the local Austin metropolitan area. The unions and organizations involved included, the Texas Communist Party (the Houston and the Austin branch), Texas Organizing Project, Service Employees International United, the AFL-CIO, and Good Jobs=Great Houston.  The people who filled the buses were low-income, working class people who would be most affected by Perry’s decision.  Quite a few of the participants were in wheel chairs and many would directly benefit from the additional Medicaid funding.

Participants on the bus rides shared their own personal stories.  Maria Phillipe spoke of her 14 year-old daughter who suffers from Lupus.  The cost of the medication and treatment to address her illness per month dramatically exceeds the family’s income after rent, food, and other basic necessities.  Without Medicaid, “my daughter will no longer receive treatment and will die.”  Many others had unfortunate stories like this as well.

The march started at the State capitol building. Approximately, 800 activists entered the capitol building and filled up all the floors. Their signs read “keep your hands off my healthcare!” and they chanted “What do we want? Healthcare! When do we want it? Now!” After rallying in the main section of the capitol building, the activists marched upstairs to Rick Perry’s to deliver a signed petition to repeal Perry’s legislation . Neither Perry, nor any representative from his office opened the door or offered to accept the petition and hear any of the concerns from the protesters.  In fact, as the activists attempted to slide the petition under his door, the police said it was illegal and the activists had to leave. 

After rallying inside the capitol building, the activists marched to the University of Texas, for Perry was supposed to be speaking there. The union leaders and their allies had hoped to again deliver the petition to Perry himself.  However, Perry was nowhere to be found as he nor his representatives were not interested in listening to the demands of average working people and have no interests in how their legislation will affect the working class in Texas. 

All of the protesters should rightfully be satisfied with their highly courageous efforts. It is important to remember that whether a certain objective is immediately achieved or not, enormous credit is due for the initiative, strength, and effort put forth. The activists and their union allies will not give up the struggle to keep health care for over 1,200,000 Texans. Until Rick Perry and his puppeteers decide to listen to the demands of the working people in Texas, TOP, SEIU, the AFL-CIO, and their allies will continue to organize for health care. In the coming months, there will be many more marches, rallies, protests, and electoral struggles until we have victory. Although the real battle will be in the next Texas elections for governor, the struggle must continue on the ground until then.
 
--Jane Kakutani and Fabian Sneevliet

Medicaid Rally in Austin (9/23/2012)

Recently, I was invited to a rally in Austin, Texas to protest against Rick Perry’s apparent refusal of $13 billion in federal money that could expand Medicaid for 2.3 million low-income, disabled, and elderly Texans. Apparently, this refusal to add more Texans to Medicaid is in place in order to reduce state spending overall and to give private healthcare providers more opportunity to make profits from their services. Now, instead of receiving Medicaid benefits, those most in need will receive a voucher of a mere (an entirely insufficient) $500 for their medical costs. 

Although the unconscionable and insensitive nature of this refusal should have filled me with passionate indignation over a gross social injustice, it did not, for I initially did not know the details of the decision. The extent of my knowledge was that it was a “healthcare rally.” Thus, I hardly thought about what I was protesting or what injustice there was; I was eager to attend mostly out of curiosity and a desire for a new experience. 

I attended the event with a person who is deeply committed to helping the working class and has spent years doing so. He’d spent the 24 hours before the rally filling me in on what to expect, asking if I wanted to make signs, and speaking of his plans to interview participants. This, too, should have rubbed off on me, yet at first it did not. 

It was when we arrived at the Houston office of Good Jobs late Friday morning, where we waited for the departure of buses and vans which would transport us and about a hundred and fifty others to Austin that I began to get into the spirit of the rally. I had previously thought that the attendees would be middle-class citizens who like to go to political protests and rallies. I was pleased to see, however, that the people who filled the Good Jobs office were the very low-income, working class people who would be most affected by Perry’s decision. Quite a few of them were in wheel chairs. Quite a few of them looked sickly and/or otherwise very much down on their luck. Seeing them there in the flesh did much to engage me emotionally. I thought it was amazing of them to fight for themselves. 

I enjoyed chatting with a man at the office of Good Jobs who was upbeat and enthusiastic about his plans to finish a Bachelor’s degree and go into high school teaching. Although he did not talk about the Medicaid issue much, I was energized by his positive attitude and hope for the future in general. It gave me a good impression of the people with whom I’d be traveling and rallying, and furthermore reminded me of the hopes and dreams of all the people there. I thought about how, without just basic healthcare and means to survive, those aspirations would never be realized. 

Before the buses departed, one of the leaders led people in prayer for a safe trip to Austin, a mood and spirit of solidarity, and an ultimately successful protest. I was likewise moved by this, and it was duly impressed upon me that the protestors were doing nothing more than trying to save their own lives and those of their loved ones. There is nothing greedy, demanding, or unreasonable about that. 

The bus ride to Austin was initially pleasant, quiet, and respectful. Everyone was serious, intently preparing for the important business to come that afternoon. However, about an hour into the trip, an organizer began to exhort the crowd with her personal story; she herself has a 14 year-old daughter with Lupus, the cost of whose medication and treatment per month dramatically exceeds the family’s income after rent, food, and other basic necessities are paid. Others had unfortunate stories like this as well. The organizer also led everyone in practicing the chants that would be used at the protest and reminded them that what they were asking for was not a luxury or extravagance, but simply a chance to survive. 

At the rally itself, there were protestors from Dallas and San Antonio, in addition to the two buses and two vans which came from Houston. All together, the group converged on the capital building and continued to sing and chant in protest. I was enthralled by a man in a wheelchair and a small crowd around him who sang: “Help me…oh Lord…help me on my journey. Help me on my way. Oh Lord, I want you to help me. Help me on my journey…” Not only was their singing beautiful and highly emotive, but it once again reminded me of their plight and the simplicity of their request: Help. 

The crowd had a number of chants, but the one which was most invoked was: “What do we want? Healthcare! When do we want it? Now!” This was perhaps the most basic of the six or so chants prepared and practiced in advance, and perhaps fittingly most iterated because of its directness. While some of the other chants were critical and hostile toward the character, or lack thereof, of Perry, this chant was most to the point. At the end of the day, the concern is not Rick Perry and what kind of man he is or isn’t, although one can’t help but call that into question. It’s about what’s needed and when it’s needed. 

It was not at all surprising to me, though, that neither Perry, nor any representative of his office, opened the door, even with a crowd just outside breathing down the office’s proverbial neck. The truth is, at no point did I think I would see Rick Perry, even when I was told that the protest intended to go to his office door, knock, and force a confrontation. The cynical side of me, which is unfortunately highly developed when it comes to things like this, assumed he and his office would just evade. And that was, indeed, what occurred. 

I had thought it would be nice if at least someone from the office, if not Perry himself, stepped out to make some kind of statement. Even if it weren’t a particularly pacifying or hopeful statement (or even if there was an actual scolding of the crowd), some form of acknowledgement would be a sign, at best, of hope, and at least, of a lack of indifference. Instead, there was absolutely nothing, and that, while absolutely expected, was nonetheless disheartening. 

The whole event was a new experience for me, and one which induced emotional highs and lows. I was happy to see people coming together and fighting for what they need. I was highly annoyed at seeing them ignored. By the end of the trip, everyone was tired and irritable after walking for two plus hours in sweltering Texas heat. The ride to Austin had been full of anticipation and preparation; in contrast, the ride home had the air of carping fatigue. Broken down buses and delayed departures exacerbated this. 

In the end, though, I think everyone was rightfully satisfied with their highly courageous efforts. It is important to remember that whether a certain objective is immediately achieved or not, enormous credit is due for the initiative, strength, and effort put forth. Everyone present should be endlessly proud of themselves.

The upshot for me personally is that I would like to participate in more such protests. While Medicaid in particular does not affect me, a plethora of other things do, some of which concern health insurance in some capacity. It occurred to me that the protest may have made a much bigger impact if it had been four or five times the size that it was. That means that a lot more previously inactive people like me must get on board. We all need to practice making ourselves heard, whether on behalf of ourselves others, or both.

 

--Jane Kakutani

March in Austin Against Governor Perry’s Cuts on Healthcare (9/21/2012)

Over 800 activists from a variety of progressive organizations protested in Austin today against Perry’s draconian cuts on Medicaid. Perry has proposed a bill that will cut Medicaid for over a million Texans and prevent them from getting medical coverage. Instead of full coverage health insurance, Perry is proposing to give all families currently on Medicaid a five hundred dollar voucher that they can use for their doctor’s visits. In most cases, a five hundred dollar voucher will not pay even for a single doctor’s visit and certainly not for medical treatment, such as chemotherapy or surgery. Unless someone has a hundred thousand dollars for chemotherapy, he or she will be denied treatment and die. Perry’s cuts would thus prevent the poor from getting treatment for serious illnesses and lead to the death’s of thousands of Texans.

People’s World interviewed Maria Phillipe, a working class woman whose daughter is receiving treatment for lupus from Medicaid. Phillipe said that “my daughter has Lupus and can only continue to live if she gets regular treatment. Medicaid is currently paying for her treatment and she is able to live a reasonably healthy life. If Perry cuts our Medicaid, my daughter will no longer receive treatment and will die.” Perry and the Republicans clearly have no interest in helping working class children and could care less if their cuts on Medicaid cause people to die.

The working people of Texas responded in outrage by marching to Austin and demanding that Perry give them health care now. The Texas Organizing Project organized buses from all over Texas to come to Austin and protest against Perry’s draconian legislation. There were bus-loads of working people and activists from Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, as well as dozens of activists from the local Austin metropolitan area. The unions and organizations involved included, the Texas Communist Party (the Houston and the Austin branch), Texas Organizing Project, Service Employees International United, the AFL-CIO, and Good Jobs=Great Houston. This march was unique in that it recruited people to ride the buses to Austin from working class neighborhoods. There were thus not only the usual activists from the progressive Left, but average working people demanding that the Right stop its vicious attacks on the working class. 

The march started at the State capitol building. About 800 activists entered the capitol building and filled up all the floors in the round circular platforms. Their signs said “keep your hands off my healthcare!” and they chanted “scary Perry!”, and “Rick makes me sick!”. There was also a progressive group of church singers who were singing a prayer asking that Perry not take away their health care. After rallying in the main section of the capitol building, the activists marched upstairs to Rick Perry’s office. They chanted “open the door!” for twenty minutes, but neither Perry nor any of his representatives opened the door. The activists spent months getting signatures on a petition to repeal Perry’s legislation and wanted to deliver it to Perry himself (or at least one of his representatives). When the activists wanted to slide the folder with petitions under Perry’s door, the police officer said it was illegal and that the activists had to leave. 

After rallying inside the capitol building, the activists marched to the University of Texas, for Perry was supposed to be speaking there. The union leaders and their allies had hoped to deliver the petition to Perry himself, yet when the protesters got there, Perry was no where to be found. No one was allowed in the building and the protesters were told to stay outside. Perry and his puppeteers were not interested in listening to the demands of average working people and have no interests in how their legislation will affect the working class in Texas. 

The activists and their union allies will not give up the struggle to keep health care for over 1,200,000 Texans. Until Rick Perry and his puppeteers decide to listen to the demands of the working people in Texas, TOP, SEIU, the AFL-CIO, and their allies will continue to organize for health care. In the coming months, there will be many more marches, rallies, protests, and electoral struggles until we have victory. Although the real battle will be in the next Texas elections for governor, the struggle must continue on the ground until then.

 

--Fabian Sneevliet

HISD School Board Meeting

From the front line of the class struggle...Tonight a crowd of activists from Good Jobs = Great Houston and other progressives and trade unionists from C.O.C.O.,SEIU,& AFL-CIO attended the Houston School Board meeting at the Hattie Mae White Building which is the headquarters of the Houston Independent School District. There is a 1.9 billion school bond (the largest in Texas history) that will be voted on in the Nov. elections. The HISD board has a history of blatant waste and corruption. The corruption is so bad that even the board members and some of their allies realize the need for ethics reform before the coming election so they can win support from the tax payers. Tonight we addressed the need to reform the way they carry out their business. We demand 1st ,that they begin by disclosing in writing when they or or other family members work for a company or non profit group seeking HISD business and not letting the trustee discuss or vote on these deals. 2nd,that there be disclosure if it even appears to be an appearance of conflict of interest like a close friend or anything which dampens the public trust. 3rd,the board could seek help from the districts inspector general to investigate whether staff members or the trustees exerted improper pressure in the competitive bidding process. 4th,no trustee could vote on deals where vendors gave more than $500 to their political campaigns in the last year. 5th,vendors would be barred from contributing during the bidding process until the contract was signed. 6th,trustees must list a donors employer on their campaign reports. 7th,that the trustees file their campaign forms in a searchable format so it easier for the public to find them. This is the least they must do to have any credibility with the public. The question remains for the need for a civilian review board which can monitor how the funds are spent & represent the interests of the public. We the 99% need our own organizations of power to protect our interests and our tax dollars. For way too long the hen house has been watched over by the wolves. The hens are beginning to wake up. 

--Mark Simpson

Voter ID Laws in Texas

From The Front Line of The Class Struggle...Today 3 federal judges turned back the attempts of the reactionary right to stifle democracy here in the great state of Texas. The judges blocked the voter ID law passed by the Republican legislature which would have prevented tens of thousands from voting in the up coming elections in November. The 3 judges said it would place unfair burdens on Latinos,racial minorities and the poor. The Republicans claimed there is massive voter fraud ,but in the last elections in Texas in 2008 and 2010 where 13 million voted ,only 4 allegations of voting fraud occurred. So if there is no voter fraud as the Republicans claim, whats their game ? Here is the real truth of their anti democratic actions. Texas grew by over 4 million people in the last 10 years. Roughly 90% of the growth was attributed to minorities which vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. Of course this is not the first time the Republicans spit on the 99%s democratic rights. Texas is included in Voting Rights Act restrictions because of a history of past discrimination. The federal judges also threw out a Texas redistricting plan earlier this week. The Republicans and their reactionary and racist backers were unable to prove their new maps did not discriminate against minorities. The federal judges said this voter ID law if passed would be the most stringent in the country. For instance a voter could use their gun permit but not a student ID ! To get a drivers license some Texans would have to travel up to a 240 mile round trip because around 80 Texas counties have no DPS drivers license office. Low income neighborhoods in the cities also have few DPS offices. Seniors as well would be hit hard by this law. While the reactionary and semi fascist sectors of capital have been doing all they can in the upcoming elections to take away our hard earned right to vote, here in Texas they were stopped dead in their tracks. They of course will appeal but it will be too late for November elections. Lets not forget what they tried to do to us,lets go in the millions and send these slimy bastards a message. Dont mess with Texas! 

--Mark Simpson

Houston Organization of Public Employees Meets to Discuss Pension Battle

From the Front Lines of the Class Struggle. Tonight on 8/28/2012 at the Cope building around 100 members and organizers meet to discuss the coming class battle over the pension funds for the Houston Organization of Public Employees. This is the same struggle as in Wisconsin and all over the country. The city only allocates 2% of its budget for its public employees pension. 9 % for the firefighters and police. The mayor Annise Parker is planning to use "Goverance " by her wealthy friends and cohorts to take control of the workers pension so it can be eventually turned into a 401k. This will lead to the end of any real retirement for the workers .One union member said they would have to work till they died if this happened. The Union leadership mapped out a plan to fight back against the mayor and her rich business friends. Can more money be found ? 300 of the wealthiest building owners in Houston save 57 million dollars a year by not paying their fair share of property taxes and the city spends another 17 million fighting them in court. Theres 74 million for the city budget right there !The guest speaker was Mary Kay Henry the head of the SEIU in Houston. She spoke of the coming battle and how building a broad coalition of unions and community support they could win. She spoke of the lessons learned from the victory of the Janitors strike here recently. I was impressed by one of the leaders in the Firemans Union who said they were approached to set up a separate deal with the city,but they said no. They would stand by their brothers and sisters in the other unions and not do a separate deal. He said we must stand united or they will separate us and take us down one at a time. Unfortunately the police Union made a separate deal with the city. No surprise there. H.O.P.E. Represents around 4000 city employees since signing its first collective bargaining agreement with the city of Houston. It is the largest city workers union in southeast Texas. I can say without a doubt the Union members left the meeting ready to win this up coming struggle.We need to support their struggle by helping to build the broadest coalition possible.This is just the beginning of the 1% trying to drive all our wages down until we lose all the historic gains our brothers and sisters have made in blood and suffering over the years.Lets not allow ourselves to be tricked or divided by our enemies. Otherwise they will suck us dry and leave us in the dirt while they live high on the hog.  

--Mark Simpson

Meeting at the SHAPE Center About HISD Bond

From The Front Lines of the Class Struggle.Good Jobs Great Houston held a large public hearing at S.H.A.P.E. Community Center in the Third Ward on August 20th. Around 250 people showed up to voice their concerns to a panel of activists and members of the  Houston Board of Education.While all nine board members were invited to hear and give their input only three showed up. The panel of activists and the public wanted more transparency and more oversight of the trustees.The school bond is the largest in Texas history,1.9 billion dollars.Houston schools are in bad shape and need repair.There are over 200,000 students in HISD.The last bond in 2007 passed by only 2000 votes.It failed in every African American precinct because there was no community input.There were no tax hikes last time.This time there will be a raise of property taxes,so all the more reason to have transparency and public input in the way the money will be spent and what schools will benefit from the money first.Last time no local community contractors were used,they were all from outside the community and none were minorities.A lot of the money last time was wasted in shoddy work ,bribes and other scandals.The community feels like the HISD Board of Education does what it wants with the money benefiting their own pocket books and their cronies instead of the community.The hearing got very heated at times.There were 9 chairs set up for the HISD members the ones who refused to show up had life size photos of their heads taped to the backs of the chairs in which they would have sat.Congress woman Sheila Jackson Lee and Richard Shaw head of the AFL-CIO,and Deloyd Parker head of S.H.A.P.E. Community Center were also in attendance The audience was made up of ministers,lawyers,trade unionists,parents, and of course members of the Houston Communist Party .One member was on the panel and called for a community review board which would have the power to make decisions on how tax payers money would be spent ,calling for the schools in poor areas to be fixed first ,the construction done by minority contractors from the communities itself. He said only by doing this could the community empower itself and make sure their children benefited from the bond.Many in the audience applauded and agreed.Its a hard and difficult struggle,first the bond is opposed by Republicans & other right wing reactionaries who want public schools to fail,then our taxes will go up,and finally people are despondent over how the money in the last school bond in 2007 was spent. If the community sticks together and empowers itself and doesn't rely on the supposed good will of those in power we can achieve a victory for our children in November.

--Mark Simpson

Feeding the Hungy is Not a Criminal Act

Houston Food Not Bombs has been sharing healthy vegetarian food with hundreds of hungry people, several nights a week, for over 18 years and is a 2011 Recipient of a Peacemaker Award from the Houston Peace and Justice Center. Now in Houston, Mayor Parker and her puppeteers have made it illegal to share food with five or more needy people “without the advance written consent of the public or private property owner.”  There are other provisions in the law, but the crucial part is this new criminalization of sharing food on public property. As with most politics in Houston, real estate investors were calling the shots.     

A fellow waitress/philanthropist and I went out to the sharing tonight and saw a wonderful thing happening. Houstonians still enraged by the injustice of the law (which has brought more attention to the org of late and therefore, more volunteers) had flocked to the Houston Library to particiapte and stand up to those who would criminalize one of the simple and easiest acts of compassion to their fellow men and women. There was more food prepared, brought, and shared than could be eaten, and after seconds were given, take away bags of food were also provided due to the recent surplus in the FNB movement. I met artists, musicians, and writers on both the giving and receiving end; some thankful to give and others thankful to receive. There were no apparent egos at this event , only a mutual respect for humanity. Spirits were high and defiant and I encourage all in Houston and other cities to participate in their local food sharing events. The sense of community was in the very air and everyone spoke as if they were already friends. We can all learn a lot from each other at these events. How to keep division at bay, how to not draw lines between humans in different life circumstances, and how to push politics aside to unify for the greater good of our fellow human beings pushed down by the current system and "forgotten".....or so the powers at be would hope. The lovely fact is that they are wrong, we will not leave our fellow men and women behind, we will let the fight go on and push the envelope for all the right reasons. Morality is a precious thing. We will not be defeated, law or no law. Please join us on Mon, Wed and Fri @ 8pm, and Sunday evening at 7pm to continue this just cause now facing even more injustice. ( A big shout out goes to Council Member Helena Brown for coming out to volunteer and show her solidarity for Houston food sharing!)

--Vera Davis

HOUSTON - Janitors here won a historic victory this past week as the contractors were forced to begin negotiations with the Service Employees International United (SEIU). The talks took place Aug. 2-3. Busloads of striking janitors marched through downtown drumming up support for their cause. Approximately 800 strikers and their supporters showed up. They marched with bullhorns, whistles, drums and chants.

The crowd then decided to free strikers who were arrested Aug. 1 for participating in acts of civil disobedience. Seven were still being held in the downtown jail while the others had been released. The strikers got on buses headed for the jail. Soon 800 strikers were amassed outside the steps of the jail chanting "justice now" and "libertad." They were determined to stay as long as it took.

One hour later, after 27 hours of incarceration, all seven were released to the applause of the striking janitors. An incredible scene never before witnessed in Houston. The freed SEIU members were as surprised as the receptive crowd as they came out to freedom, smiling with their arms up in the air. The class struggle could be seen in the starkest terms. The power of the union, of the people united winning a great victory, forcing the Houston police to free the seven workers. You could see new strength, hope, and confidence in the faces of the men and women as they left to go home to rest so they could come back out tomorrow and continue their just struggle.

The janitors have been on strike since the end of May. Each week, the strikes get larger, louder and more unified. They are demanding a $10 an hour wage. They currently make $8.35 an hour and their employers have been unwilling to fulfill their demands. Since the strike began, the union has sent delegation after delegation to the employers to try to work out a deal, and each time, they have been asked to leave. The employers have been unwilling to cooperate and have refused to raise the janitors' wages.

The janitors' strike had entered a new phase last week when thousands of people marched through downtown. People from different parts of the country and many different progressive organizations came in support of the janitors. Busloads of janitors kept arriving and the crowd kept getting larger and larger. On three separate streets, hundreds of janitors, along with other trade unionists and progressive activists, marched through downtown. The janitors made their way to one of the busiest streets in Houston, Fannin St., during rush hour, and let their voices be heard. Everyone had a whistle and cheered loudly for the janitors. Four trade unionists walked into the street and sat down in an act of civil disobedience. Their fellow unionists cheered them on with the call of "Sí Se Puede!" The civil disobedience act shut down Fannin St. for over 30 minutes; all four trade unionists were arrested.

Since July 24, there have been marches nearly every day and the movement is still growing. The janitors had their largest demonstration to date on Aug. 1. The union flew its banner over I-45 during morning rush hour and, in the Galleria area, over 1,000 janitors, trade unionists, and progressive activists marched. They marched on two different streets to the busiest intersection of Houston: Westheimer and Post-Oak Blvd. When they arrived at the intersection, approximately 30 trade unionists walked into the middle of the intersection and sat in civil disobedience. On all four sides of the intersection, their fellow trade unionists cheered them on. The feeling of unity was very strong and it was very exciting to be there. The 30 brave trade unionists occupied the middle of the intersection for over an hour. When the cops ordered them to get up, they refused, heroically remaining seated. The cops had their vehicle ready but it was too small and they required a large bus to remove all of the trade unionists. These heroic trade unionists remained seated and were dragged out of the intersection by the cops, and then thrown into the police buses. All 30 were arrested.

--Fabian Sneevliet and Mark Simpson

From the front lines of the class struggle (August 2,2012)

Today brought an incredible and historical victory for the janitors strike. Because of the strike spreading to eight different cities the contractors were forced to begin negotiations with the SEIU.The talks ended at around 2:30 PM and will continue Friday. Bus loads of striking janitors were brought downtown to march up and down the streets drumming up support for their cause.I would estimate around 800 strikers and their supporters showed up.They marched with bullhorns,whistles,drums, and chants.Then everyone went back to the starting point and decided to free the strikers who were arrested yesterday.Seven were still being held in the downtown jail while the others had been released. Well before you knew it everyone got on the buses and headed to the downtown jail,soon 800 strikers were massed outside the steps of the jail chanting justice now and libertad! You could see they were determined to stay as long as it took. One hour later after 27 hours of incarceration all seven strikers were released to the applause of the striking janitors. I have never seen anything like this in Houston in all my years as an activist.The freed SEIU members were as surprised as us as they came out to freedom smiling with their arms up in the air. Tonight you could see the class struggle in the starkest terms. The power of the Union,of the people united winning a great victory,forcing the Houston police to free the seven workers. You could see new strength,hope and confidence in the faces of the men and women as they left to go home to rest so they could come back out tomorrow and continue their just struggle.

-Mark Simpson-

Houston Janitors Strike Enters a New Phase (August 2, 2012)

Since the end of May, Houston janitors with the Service Employees International United (SEIU) have been on strike. Each week, the strikes get larger, louder, and more unified. The janitors have been striking for the last two months in order to get a 10 dollar wage. They currently make 8.35 dollars an hour and their employers have been unwilling to fulfill their demands. Since the strike began, the union has sent delegation after delegation to the employers to try to work out a deal, and each time, they have been asked to leave. The employers have been unwilling to cooperate and have refused to raise the janitors' wages.

The janitors strike entered a new phase last week Tuesday when thousands of people marched through downtown. People from different parts of the country and many different progressive organizations came in support of the janitors. Busloads of janitors kept arriving and the crowd kept getting larger and larger. On three separate streets, hundreds of janitors, along with other trade unionists and progressive activists, marched through downtown. The janitors made their way to Fannin street, one of the busiest streets in Houston during rush hour, and let their voices be heard. Everyone had a whistle and was cheered loudly for the janitors. Four of the trade unionists walked into Fannin street and sat down in an act of civil disobedience. Their fellow trade unionists cheered them on with the call of 'Si Se Puede!'. The civil disobedience act shut down Fannin street for over 30 minutes; all four trade unionists were arrested.

Since July 24th, there have been marches nearly everyday and the movement is still growing. The janitors had their largest demonstration to date on August 1st. Today, the union flew its banner over I-45 during morning rush hour and, in the Galleria area, over a 1000 janitors, trade unionists, and progressive activists marched. They marched on two different streets to the busiest intersection of Houston: Westheimer and Post-Oak Blvd. When they arrived at the intersection, approximately 30 trade unionists walked into the middle of the intersection and sat in civil disobedience. On all four sides of the intersection, their fellow trade unionists cheered them on. The feeling of unity was very strong and it was very exciting to be there. The 30 brave trade unionists occupied the middle of the intersection for over an hour. When the cops ordered them to get up, they refused and, heroically, remained seated.

The cops had their paddy-wagon ready but it was too small and they required a large bus to remove all of the trade unionists. These heroic trade unionists remained seated and were dragged out of the intersection by the cops, and then thrown into the police buses. All thirty were arrested. The civil disobedience was planned and the union has bail-bondsmen ready to get them out of jail quickly.
The march concluded with several captivating speeches given by the union leaders. Tomorrow, the union will initiate a new attempt at bargaining and meet with the janitors' employers. The union leaders stated that the union will stay on strike until their demands are met. If the employers do not raise the janitors' wage to 10 dollars an hour, the union will stay on strike and the marches will continue.

--Fabian Sneevliet

Houston church, NAACP support striking janitors

HOUSTON - Striking janitors held a large rally here yesterday at St. John's Methodist Church with 600 to 700 striking union members represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1 attending. Strike banners hung from the sanctuary walls while large photos of workers were displayed. The crowd rose to their feet, time after time, with clenched fists after each speech.

Ada Edwards, a St. John's member and former Houston city councilor, spoke along with the church's pastor. She ikened the strike to a war and urged the workers to be a winner. When you win, we all win, she said.

The strike, which started here, has now spread to eight other cities. The workers are demanding higher wages from cleaning contractors, which are hired to clean buildings that house some of the largest corporations in the world, including JP Morgan Chase, KBR and Exxon Mobil.

The cleaning companies have been forced to go back to the bargaining table this week. There are 3,200 union members. They are paid $8.35 an hour and average 30 hours a week. They are striking for $10 an hour.

The average janitor makes less than $9,000 a year. The U.S. government defines the poverty level at $22,314 for a family of four, and $11,139 for an individual. In contrast, Houston has more millionaires than any other city in the nation, along with 10,000 homeless and 870,000 families that go hungry every day.

In a blatant attempt to intimidate the workers, contractors have threatened to call immigration, speakers said. Employers have harassed union members at home, they said.

But the strike is growing both in numbers and support. The unions strike fund of $10,000 grew by another $3,200 donated by the NAACP at their national convention held here.

St. John's too answered the union's call for help. The church has 9,000 members, including 3,000 who are - or were - homeless. The church serves 7,000 hot meals each month and distributes more than 9 tons of fresh food weekly.

--Mark Simpson

SOURCE: http://peoplesworld.org/houston-church-naacp-support-striking-janitors

NAACP fighting “battles we thought we had won”

HOUSTON - With a rousing call to action, NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock opened the 103rd NAACP Annual Convention here last week. She was addressing national delegates and observers from all over the country. The increased militancy of the nation's largest civil rights organization has resulted in increased membership during the last three years, and the number of online activists has swelled from 175,000 to more than 600,000. The donor base has also increased from 12,000 per year to more than 120,000 in response to the increased attacks on civil rights from the ultra-right.

As the theme for this year's convention, "NAACP: Your Power, Your Decision - VOTE," indicated, the attack on voting rights has become a critical issue.

"Our right to vote is under attack more than at any time since we passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We overcame then and we shall overcome now - but only if we are willing to dedicate ourselves to fighting a battle that many of us thought we had won," Brock said.  

There have been more attacks on voting rights in the last two years than in the last 45 years.

A case in point is the recent voter identification law passed in Texas in 2011. Similar to the poll tax and other Jim Crow laws passed in the South, it is part of a concerted effort to disfranchise the poor and minorities. This attack on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is part of the most recent effort by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), an ultra-right organization.  Its membership includes ExxonMobil, Wal-Mart, AT&T, Koch, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, Bayer and many other multinational corporations. This law is now under review by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and on a probable path to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is yet another example of how capitalism can continue to challenge and sometimes reverse prior major democratic reforms.

"This year's convention will allow us to prepare for what we feel will be an all-out assault against the Black and Latino voting bloc in November," said NAACP Texas State Conference President Gary Bledsoe.

Brock outlined the most pressing problems facing the civil rights movement:

"Millions of Americans exercised their power, made a decision and voted for change. Election night 2008 was the end of the process for many in our community when it should have been just the beginning. Instead of exerting our power again in the 2010 mid-term elections, many of us stayed at home and across this land, people who do not share our values or vision for America won majorities in the Congress and state legislatures. They immediately passed laws to remove safety net provisions for the poor and vulnerable, scaled back the rights of workers to organize, restricted women's rights, attacked the dignity of new immigrants, and - in what proved to be our wake-up call - erected systematic barriers to our right to vote."

In the face of an onslaught of state restrictions on voting, the NAACP has set a goal to register 1 million new voters by the November elections.

Voting rights is not the only challenge facing the country.  

Chairman Brock eloquently emphasized, "Today, the enemies of justice are not lynching African Americans and practicing Jim Crow laws of segregation. They are more sophisticated. But they are equally sinister. They are erecting barriers to economic viability, educational quality, health care accessibility, judicial equity, and political opportunity. The opponents of justice are more refined, but they are equally threatening."  

The effects of the economic crisis of 2008 have hit hardest on people of color.  While there have been expressions of concern over the more than 8 percent general unemployment, there are few references in the commercial media to the 14 percent unemployment among African Americans and 11 percent among Latinos.

"To avoid another economic calamity that will fall hardest on people of color, we must demand from our elected leadership the end of casino capitalism," Brock said. "We need the banking and finance industries to be regulated in ways that prevent them from playing with money and playing with people's lives in ways that jeopardize our families and our futures."

The NAACP has also made a call for comprehensive immigration reform and has repudiated the most recent attacks on new immigrants.  

Recent victories were cited as examples of what can be achieved when civil rights organizations, labor and other people's organizations stand together:

* Hard work and determination were required to overcome the malicious attacks from the ultra-right in Wake County, North Carolina. The school board was taken by conservatives promoting racial segregation. Local NAACP President and board member Rev. William Barber was arrested while protesting the destructive plan. He became the face of hope for the residents of Wake County who got organized and took back the school board from the Tea Party

*In April of this year, the NAACP, provided some of the key leadership in convincing the Connecticut state legislature and its governor to repeal the death penalty - a penalty that falls disproportionately on people of color and the poor.

* In New York City, the number of routine "stops and frisks" by police officers reached almost 700,000 a year. The majority of those being stopped and frisked were African American and Latino young men. They were being stopped as "suspects" solely because of their race. An intergenerational march of more than 70,000 people walked in silence for 32 blocks to protest this policy.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly quickly changed their media statements and admitted that their procedures needed to be changed.

The NAACP National Convention continued through the week of July 8. National presidential candidates were invited to speak. Vice President Joe Biden, representing President Obama, and Republican contender Mitt Romney both spoke, with widely varying messages and audience responses.

SOURCE: http://peoplesworld.org/naacp-fighting-battles-we-thought-we-had-won/

--Alvaro Rodriguez

Simon Boliver Celebration in Houston (July 27, 2012)

HOUSTON - Almost 200 progressives here celebrated South American liberator Simon Bolivar's birthday, July 24. Bolivar was born on that day in 1783. Similar celebrations were held in more than 100 cities in the United States and around the world.

Bolivar is considered one of the continent's greatest generals and is called the George Washington of South America. His victories over Spanish colonialism won independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. He is also called El Liberator (The Liberator).

The program honored Bolivar along with present day fighters for liberation and against imperialism, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Venezuela's official name is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, having changed it after Chavez's 1998 election and the launch of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Speakers included a representative of Venezuela's consulate general, along with local union, peace and civil rights activists.

The Venezuelan speaker explained the country's revolution and how the poor and working masses were taking back their country from the capitalists bit by bit. He talked of the up coming elections and how important it was to the lives of the poor and oppressed.

We heard of struggles past and present against tyranny both here in Houston & in Venezuela.

Two activists who just came from a march to raise the minimum wage told the crowd more than 1,000 union members and supporters turned out.

In addition, despite arrests the striking janitors of the Service Employee Union continues with daily support marches.

It made me think of how the U.S. struggle against the 1 percent was the same as the people of Venezuela and of all working people of the entire world.

It was an inspiring day, and the organizers did a terrific job.

--Mark Simpon

SOURCE: www.peoplesworld.org/houston-celebrates-birth-of-the-liberator-simon-bolivar/

Texas Janitors on Strike (June 25th)

HOUSTON -- June has been a month of fierce struggle for janitors in Houston. They make only $8.35 per hour and often only get four-hour shifts each day. They make only $9,000 dollars per year and live in poverty.

Many of the janitors employed by big corporations such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Penzoil, Centerpoint Energy, and Reliant, do not make enough to provide food for their families and live in one-bedroom apartments with three other family members. Most cannot afford healthcare and often have to choose between food and medicine. Most of the janitors cannot afford to pay the high price of gas and most can barely even afford to take the bus to work.

One of the janitors, Rita Soto, says that "we are left with nothing at the end of the month," and is unable to afford Internet or even a new pair of shoes for her daughter. She works two other jobs and barely has any time left at the end of the day to spend with her children.

Houston janitors are paid the lowest in the country, with workers in other cities making much higher wages: Cincinnati ($9.80), Cleveland ($10.30), Detroit ($10.97), and Chicago ($15.47). With the cost of living continually rising, $8.35 is not enough to support a family of four and provide for the means of subsistence.

Some 3,200 janitors in Houston are members of the Service Employees International Union and have a contract agreement with their employers. The janitors, sick and tired of the total impoverishment created by their low-wages, rose up to demand a wage of 10 dollars per hour (incrementally over the next three years). The employers denied the proposal, offering the workers only an increase to $8.85 by 2016.

When the companies broke off contract negotiations with SEIU on May 31, 11 janitors at Pritchard Industries walked off the job and went on strike. The company fired them immediately.

Many of the other janitors in the SEIU were harassed by their managers and threatened with firing. Izabela Miltko, spokeswoman for the SEIU, says that the employers who have fired the workers for striking are in violation of federal labor law.

On Tuesday, June 5, all janitors with the SEIU voted to go on strike until their employers renew their negotiation contract and pay them a living wage of 10 dollars per hour.

In order to prevent the bosses from crushing their strike effort, the janitors have called strikes at random locations each day for the coming two weeks. Whenever the janitors walk out, their bosses call in scabs to walk across the picket line. Many of the janitors have lost their jobs, despite the fact that by firing strikers their employers are in clear violation of federal labor law.

On June 14, during a march with the janitors as well as over 450 activists from progressive organizations, one of the janitors was arrested. One of the janitors, Hernan Trujillo found himself suddenly trampled by a group of mounted police officers.

Trujillo's fellow co-worker rushed to the scene to help him get free from underneath the horses. When she attempted to help Trujillo, one of the cops handcuffed her and threw her into a police van.

The janitors have received much support from the progressive community in Houston, as well as from their fellow janitors across the U.S. At a rally on June 12, Texas Rep.Al Green, D., gave an inspirational speech in support of the striking workers. At this rally, Richard Shaw, head of the Texas AFL-CIO, was there in solidarity with the janitors, as well as the Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston. Even Mayor Anise Parker called on the employers to pay the workers a living wage and fulfill their demands.

Every afternoon the janitors organize at Tranquility Park in Downtown to try to get the bosses to fulfill their demands. The union sends a delegation a few times a week to the corporations where the workers are employed to try to work out a deal with the employers. When the delegation arrives, they're met by mounted police, who do not allow them to enter the building. Police harass both the activists and the workers, following them around after demonstrations and threatening them with arrest.

--Fabian Sneevliet

Source: http://peoplesworld.org/texas-janitors-on-strike/