Field Observations – USSF 2007, Atlanta, GA

Matthew Kaneshiro

UC-Riverside

 

Building a Movement for Global Climate Justice

 

Date:  6/27/07

 

PROPOSING ORGANIZATIONS FOR THIS WORKSHOP:
Friends of the Earth US, ActionAid International USA, Indigenous Environmental Network, Institute for Policy Studies, Jubilee USA Network, Oil Change International

MESSAGES
If you care about social justice and global poverty, it’s time to take action on global climate change.
• Global warming is already seriously affecting our planet and threatens the world with increased storms and flooding, droughts, drops in food production, water scarcity, and disease. Around the globe, the most impoverished people are likely to bear the brunt of the impacts.
• The United States and other rich countries are disproportionately responsible for the greenhouse gas pollution that causes global warming. Responses to climate change must be just and equitable and acknowledge the responsibility of the United States in creating the problems of global warming.

We can begin to build a movement for global climate justice by:
• joining with others around the world who are working on the climate crisis;
• finding ways to push our government to take action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, acknowledging the disproportionate contribution of the U.S. to the problem;
• supporting countries in the global South and affected communities in the U.S. in adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change; and
• ending harmful policy practices like fossil fuel subsidies and instead supporting clean energy solutions

WORKSHOP
This workshop aims to educate participants about the impacts of global warming on people around the world, in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the United States. We will use pictures, videos, and brief presentations on the ways in which communities are being impacted by problems caused by climate change and how they are fighting back. We will also highlight the growing global movement for climate justice, and discuss opportunities for involvement in and strengthening of this global movement.

In interactive sessions, we will discuss possible messaging, policy, and actions to address the problems of climate change. Discussion sessions could include:
• How to incorporate climate justice in the climate change debate, in order to push for an acknowledgment of equity concerns in policy discussions
• How to promote equitable responses to climate change – both inside and outside the United States – including funding and support for communities to adapt to climate change.
• What sort of policies can address climate, energy, and global poverty issues – for example, ending domestic and foreign aid for oil projects, debt forgiveness, and funding for renewable energy

The workshop will be conducted in English, but we hope to provide materials in Spanish.

CHALLENGES
The biggest challenges to building a climate justice movement are misinformation and a lack of understanding about the causes and solutions to global warming. Until very recently in the United States, global warming has been portrayed in the media as creating problems for ice caps and polar bears, but the impacts on human beings have not been highlighted nearly as much. But global warming is already disrupting the lives of people around the world, and climate-related storms, droughts, and disease threatens the lives of millions if we do not take action now. There are feasible actions that can be taken to address this problem, but we need to build popular pressure to take action for climate justice immediately.

CROSS CUTTING THEMES
Neoliberalism, corporations, World Bank, environmental degradation, inequality, privatization, deregulation, imperialism, capitalism, institutional racism, Hurricane Katrina, internationalism, social justice, sustainability, popular education

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  20; 7 or so trickle-ins

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

80:20 females:males

 

age:

65%: 20 – 30               30%:  30 – 40 5%: 40+

 

predominantly white; a few of: south asian, black, asian

 

English.  1 IBASE representative

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

Friends of the Earth; an international network of environmental movements

Action Aid

University of Policy Studies

Indigenous Environmental Network

Jubilee International

 

All females

 

Observations

 

Primarily an informative session re: the issues and organizations involved.

 

The Q&A session raises issues regarding the movement

            -local vs. macro approaches

            -legitimacy of “compromise solutions”

            -coalition shortcomings (indigenous)

 

Recurrent issue of needing to find a common ground

 

Networks and collaboration evident in some cases

            Friends of the Earth being structurally a networked organization

            The Indigenous group being marginalized in a collaborative project

 

Chronology

 

Video showing testimonies of Friends of the Earth satellites in other countries. 

            Focus on climate change, vs. the organization

 

Speaker 1: divulging environmental impacts/statistics.

Flooding recurrent theme

Seems to be an informational dissemination project

            Impacts on…

Africa: food

                        Flooding, impacts on agriculture

            Asia: floods; losing land and food

            Latin America

            Women: burden on work as “food providers”

                        Travel for water; food production; caring for elderly and sick

 

Speaker 2:  Indigenous Environmental Network (Jihana?)

Climate justice: policy criticism

Local context

            Low income, color, indigenous, workers most affected.

            Impacts on health, economic, social

Worked with Environmental Climate Initiative for change

Environmental justice movements having accountability mechanism

            They “speak for themselves:” grassroots level.

            Elders personally experiencing climate change

Left out of policy discussions à bad policies against indigenous communities

            Oil coming from “our land.”

Little/no government regulation on land, making it an attractive target for oil companies

Grassroots level seen as most effective conduit for solutions.  If people are safe, all are safe.

Beginning to make positive change in “greener” industries for energy à jobs

USSF as forum to change thought-processes and mentalities of

            Understand colonization and each other à come to table with the same understanding

 

Speaker 3: Janet

IMF context; large-scale

International scale as structural impediment to climate justice

Personal hydroelectric “dams” vs. large dams.

G8: carbon-finance program.  Replanting forests (timber-plantations).  It’s a farce.

Problem in financial structure

            Finance large-scale, profitable industries vs. small-scale “industries.”

World Bank as improper “target” for climate justice

Reform in increased green standards offset by higher extraction.

Keeping informed on legislation in order to implicitly “endorse.”

 

Speaker 4: 

Climate justice about: holding governments accountable

Sierra Leone: a non-profit water-provider was beaten to death

Access to water fueling conflict.

            IMF privatization of water

-this speaker handed out a petition to senators and representatives to cancel the debt for impoverished countries

 

Q&A:

This network arising through conversations at an earlier conference.

Call for a need to build movements

For coalitions, what is missing is:

            Common framework and background.  Shared ideals, without consideration for logistics of organization.

            Need to “watchdog” the coalitions

Environment and development/litigation should work together

Audience respondent thinking that working through politics is pre-mature

            First need to organize

            Environmental groups are making compromises

Disputes about whom is to blame for environmental justice, and thus of strategies for change.

            Macro-level source of finance, which makes local activism ineffective

Panelist: national-level approach to change.  But can do both, utilizing all strategies.

Audience: wanting a solution and list of demands all can agree on (no coal, no development in India, etc).  Need positions that all can agree with.

Sessions regarding personal consumption as a source of environmental degradation neglected in USSF.

Audience: one should target conduits for easiest change, rather than attacking the large-scale, grand sources of problems.  It should be a strategic movement by taking up feasible goals successively.

Must resist capitalism and hierarchies in order to make room for ecologically-sound industries.  Civil disturbance strategies.

 

Class, Caste and Conflict in Nepal

Thurs, 1:00

 

Organization Description

Nepal National Social Welfare Association (NNSWA) was established in 1994 in Kanchanpur, in the Far Western Region of Nepal. NNSWA was formed by members of the Dalit (untouchable) community with the goal of striving towards an equitable society. The organization was inaugurated by then American Ambassdor to Nepal, Julia Chang-Bloc and former Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba. NNSWA’s target groups include the poorest and most oppressed members of Nepali society: Dalits (members of the “untouchable” caste), Disabled and Deprived persons. From the beginning, NNSWA’s dedicated and talented staff has worked to improve the educational, health, livelihood and legal status of these target groups. Over the years, NNSWA has developed successful partnerships with local NGOs as well as international NGOs including Save the Children/US, Poverty Alleviation Fund, ActionAid Nepal, UNICEF, Hellen Keller International, Family Health International, World Bank Nepal DFID and Handicap International among others, to help improve our ability to meet our goals. NNSWA has also expanded its operations into three additional districts in the far west, making it one of the biggest NGOs in the region. NNSWA knows that discrimination and oppression are prevalent in Nepali society, as they are throughout the world, and we also believe that the only way to end these problems is to tackle them indirectly by providing programs for the benefit of the victims of oppression, and directly by advocating for legal and human rights. We continue to look for ways to achieve our vision of an equitable society, and we constantly strive to improve our programs in Education and Early Childhood Development, HIV/AIDS, Adolescent Reproductive Health, Nutrition, Women's Empowerment, and Advocacy.

 

Session Description

Nepal is a country rife with discrimination and oppression of various minority groups, including Dalits (members of the “untouchable” caste), ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples and women. Negative cultural practices and the history of discrimination against these groups is one of reasons not only for their poor educational, health and legal status, but also for the high participation of these groups in the Maoist ‘Peoples War’ that held Nepal hostage for over 10 years. The links between poverty, oppression and violence have long been noted, so it is not surprising that the conflict in Nepal has been fueled by the existence of these problems among its rural and minority peoples. Throughout the world, conflicts are driven by the frustrations and grievances of people who have been exploited and deprived, and it is important to share our stories and strategies for fighting poverty and oppression if we ever want to attain a world of peace.

NNSWA has 15 years of experience working with the most deprived and disadvantaged members of Nepali society. We have developed several successful programs to help elevate and empower these oppressed groups and help them find alternatives to conflict. At NNSWA, we believe that peaceful revolution is not only possible, it is the only means of achieving true, lasting social change. We propose to share our experiences of working for positive social change in the hopes of learning from and contributing to a community of learners at the United States Social Forum. We will share success stories of communities and individuals our organization has worked with, as well as strategies for developing programs which foster positive social change. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions and contribute suggestions for the improvement of our efforts to fight oppression, poverty and conflict.

 

*I was not taking notes and arrived very late

 

General Observations

The panelists were representatives of an NGO in Nepal, speaking of the political turmoil in Nepal (infusion of Maoists and its effects on power-relations between “castes”)

 

The panelists used the Forum for the purpose of consciousness-raising

Explicitly stated that there were hopes for more attendees to their session to aid them in their cause

            Aim of raising awareness to Americans, who can then petition the government (USA) to address the situation in Nepal.

 

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers: Fighting for Fair Food

 

2. Date:  6/28/07

 

Organization Description

The CIW is a community-based worker organization. Our members are largely Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. We strive to build our strength as a community on a basis of reflection and analysis, constant attention to coalition building across ethnic divisions, and an ongoing investment in leadership development to help our members continually develop their skills in community education and organization. From this basis we fight for, among other things: a fair wage for the work we do, more respect on the part of our bosses and the industries where we work, better and cheaper housing, stronger laws and stronger enforcement against those who would violate workers' rights, the right to organize on our jobs without fear of retaliation, and an end to indentured servitude in the fields.

 

Session Description

In March 2005, after a four-year national boycott and amidst growing pressure from students, churches, and communities throughout the country, fast-food giant Taco Bell agreed to meet all of our demands to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers in its supply chain. This precedent-setting victory now gives us a strong foundation for pursuing deeper change throughout the entire $100 billion fast-food industry and, in turn, the Florida agricultural industry.

Over the past several years, through campaigns like the boycott and our anti-slavery work, Immokalee has evolved from being one of the poorest, most politically powerless communities in the country to become today a new and important public presence with forceful, committed leadership directly from the base of our community -- young, immigrant workers forging a future of livable wages and modern labor relations in Florida's fields.

This participatory, multimedia, English/Spanish session will explore the history and organizing methods of the CIW, paying particular attention to the Campaign for Fair Food, including recent developments in the CIW-led nationwide movement to hold McDonald's accountable for the sweatshop wages and working conditions in its tomato supply chain.

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  35.  About 20 more trickling in

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

English, Spanish, Korean translator

 

Diverse spectrum, well proportioned and about equally gender-represented

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

Coalition of Immokalee workers

 

Observations

 

An informative session on the Coalition of Immokalee workers.

            Coalitions not explicitly created at the USSF

            Primary functions of inspiration and providing testimony of a successful strategy

            No competing ideas btw or w/in audience and panel

 

Networks as key to social change

            Religious community, students

 

Strategy for this movement

Primarily education and consciousness-raising (ex. tours)

Higher wages were not attained from the farm-owners, but rather from Taco-Bell directly.

Get the same base pay from the farm-owners, while Taco Bell gives the workers a separate check for the tomatoes that it purchases from the farm.

-a novel approach to handle wage-issues by bypassing parts of the hierarchy

 

Chronology

 

Exercise: think of a tomato, what do you think? (audience participation)

2nd exercise: who has heard of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers?  When?

            Taco Bell boycott, newspaper articles on the treatment of workers

 

Description of a typical day; testimonial from a couple farmworkers:

 

Wake about 4 to make lunch and go to work

Go to a parking lot and look for work. Taken to fields 7 – 8ish.

Work with a bucket; 32lbs when full, carrying over shoulders in hot sun.

Crouching, picking.

$15 day, 125 buckets; 2 tons of tomatoes, 4,000lbs.

not enough to feed, house, and send home.  10 – 12 living in a trailer
incidence of slavery; workers held against their will

            forced to work in one place.

            African Americans, other people.

            6 cases of slavery taken to court

 

when 1st started, asked boss for better wages

did a lot of actions: works, strikes, hunger-strikes…  no avail because too many causes of shit.

            big corporations buying these tomatoes (Taco Bell).

            Boycott for 4 years.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers conducting tours.  Finally won court victory in 2005.

22 incidences where students prevented Taco Bell from opening in their schools.

            Student Workers Alliance

 

Coalitions of faith communities, schools, community,

Media not a useful conduit; ex. Viacom owned a billboard and prevented advertisement

 

Allicance of Prepared Food: committing to work with the CIW to work with companies to ensure purchase of non-exploitation food.

 

-food consciousness; question where one’s attained food.

            Sustainable food movement

 

More audience participation: what do people think are qualities of “sustainable food?”

            Organic, humane treatment of animals, environmental

                        Many times people would pay more for these products (organic, animal treatment), but no alternatives for human rights; the farmers that produce the food that we eat.

            à need to raise consciousness and human rights

fast food, why people go

            cost, (school or work, not much time). 

Initial demand: 1cent more per pound of tomatoes. Cost not passed down to consumer

 

Try to get McDonald’s to sign a contract with growers, workers, and purchasers on one table.

Try to make a code-of-conduct that is industry-wide.

 

May, brother organizations of Taco Bell joined the organization

            Today there’s McDonalds, Pizza Hut, A&W, KFC, Long John Silvers, … (6 big fast-food industries) that buy from these farms

Recompense to workers coming from a separate check from Taco Bell

 

Video

History: a 17yo got beaten for drinking water.

            à boycott; Coalition of Immokalee Workers formed

beginning consumer boycott of Taco Bell

            rallies, students (Boot the Bell). 2005 won; then heading toward for McDonalds

McDonalds formed SAFE (additional certification) from growers

            11 suppliers stopped selling to these companies.

Shareholders got ability to vote for McDonald’s paying more farm workers

à pay more than 75 cents more per bucket

Burger king, next

 

Q&A

Snowball effect; powerful corporations that sign agreements lead to other codes of conduct for other corporations to follow suit.

 

Starting with tomatoes, cause it’s kind of the bottom of priorities.  Ripple effect toward other crops.  It’s a beginning, a precedent

            Never before has a union effectively attacked a fast food industry

Popular education as a strategy; a strategy found in Latin America and Carribean.

            Community consciousness-raising.  Weekly meetings.

 

Training for Justice: Connecting the Dots between Local and International Struggles.

June 29, 2007 - 10:30a

Organization Description

The primary submitter is 50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice, a coalition of over 200 U.S. grassroots, women's, solidarity, faith-based, policy, social- and economic-justice, youth, labor and development organizations dedicated to the profound transformation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Network works in solidarity with over 185 international partner organizations in more than 65 countries. Through education and action, the Network is committed to transforming the international financial institutions' policies and practices, to ending the outside imposition of neo-liberal economic programs, and to making the development process democratic and accountable. We were founded in 1994, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the World Bank and IMF. We focus on action-oriented economic literacy training, public mobilization, and policy advocacy. While 50 Years Is Enough is the primary submitter of this workshop, this event is part of the Justice Project Collaborative--a collaboration of trainers representing numerous organizations including Books Not Bombs, TransAfrica, Global Justice and the Student Global Aids Campaign. A note on proposal demographics: I checked all of these off because among the four presenters we have lined up, at least one is part of each of these categories. However, not all are part of all of these.

Proposal Demographics

identify as women

identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered, queer)

identify as people of color

are 25 years old or younger

are immigrants (not born in U.S.)

Session Description

The U.S. is the world’s predominant military and economic power, and change in this country must precede meaningful change globally. This creates a special role and responsibility for social justice organizers in the U.S., and places critical importance on organizing with a global analysis and understanding of the impacts of U.S. foreign policy. This 4-hour, popular education training is meant not only as an economic literacy workshop, but as a way to help achieve the greater goal of building and strengthening the U.S global justice movement.

We realize that one of the biggest challenges of the global justice movement has been that too often we have failed to recognize that people in the United States are not exempt from the ravages of the global economic system. The training will focus on connecting the dots between these struggles, and will address the following questions:

• What kind of policies does the U.S. promote internationally?
• What is the link between these economic policies and war, disease, and development?
• How are these policies different or similar to what national and local governments do right here at home?
• What are some of the alternatives being articulated and implemented by movements in the Global South and here in the US?
• What do will the next generation of the global justice movement look like?

Using games, role-plays, and small group discussion, this training seeks to move beyond issue-based campaigning, and help engender a greater understanding and consciousness of global justice issues among those already engaged in organizing work.

This activity will be conducted in English. We hope to have oral interpreters available, but will not be able to provide headsets and transmitters. We will have popular education materials available. The majority of them will be in English, though some will also be available is Spanish, Portuguese and French.

 

Proposing Organization

50 Years Is Enough Network, The Justice Project

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  65

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

Diverse; primarily white and black but with others. Age spectrum represented in good proportion.

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

black, white, south asian, 1:1 male:female ratio

 

General Observations

 

This session was used to refine the pedagogy of The Justice Project.

            TJP is an organization aiming to educate [high school-age students*?] about social problems.

            It replicated what they would have done in the high school setting and asked for feedback

-panelists using the USSF for feedback for its organizations’ pedagogy.

 

No networking, no collective strategy, just self-serving refinement of TJP’s operations

            -the audience generally did not mind the relative lack of discussion on social issues and prospective solutions

-got caught in the games and found them entertaining

-there were a few voices at the end, however, that alluded to the lack of “substance” in this session

 

Brief Chronology

 

Jeopardy-type setup

            Introducing the issues; review of global issues

            History, Institutions, Philosophy, Programs

                        Ex. Coca Cola (illegal chemicals, Colombian death-squads), WTO and its role in sustaining equality and enforcing unfair trade agreements, immigration issues.

            Competitive atmosphere fostering a lively, jubilant crowd with a good humor.

Well-knowledged crowd who are aware of the gamut of issues at hand.

-to start us thinking about the global equality issues.  Engagement to incite stimulation.

 

tell us what we want to change?”

            -talking on the merits and pitfalls of this kind of presentation

-something of a self-serving exercise that detracts from the issues.

 

Game 2: “Trade for your life.”

            Role-play:

                        Groups playing delegates from US, China, and Ghana-ian economic representatives, Ghanian farmer, Chinese factory owner, etc.

                        Purpose to lay out a platform for trade

                        -role-play demonstrating the politicks of creating the best trade conditions for the self.

 

Resolution: difficult to come to any decisive conclusions given the diverse interests involved

 

Justice in the Global Economy: International Solidarity Against Free Trade / For Fair Trade

 

June 29, 2007 - 1:00pm

Organization Description

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a voluntary federation of 54 national and international labor unions. We represent more than 10 million workers across the United States. The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families—to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation. To accomplish this mission we will build and change the American labor movement. We will build a broad movement of American workers by organizing workers into unions. We will recruit and train the next generation of organizers, mass the resources needed to organize and create the strategies to win organizing campaigns and union contracts. We will create a broad understanding of the need to organize among our members, our leadership and among unorganized workers. We will lead the labor movement in these efforts. We will build a strong political voice for workers in our nation. We will fight for an agenda for working families at all levels of government. We will empower state federations. We will build a broad progressive coalition that speaks out for social and economic justice. We will create a political force within the labor movement that will empower workers and speak forcefully on the public issues that affect our lives. We will change our unions to provide a new voice to workers in a changing economy. We will speak for working people in the global economy, in the industries in which we are employed, in the firms where we work, and on the job every day. We will transform the role of the union from an organization that focuses on a member's contract to one that gives workers a say in all the decisions that affect our working lives—from capital investments, to the quality of our products and services, to how we organize our work. We will change our labor movement by creating a new voice for workers in our communities. We will make the voices of working families heard across our nation and in our neighborhoods. We will create vibrant community labor councils that reach out to workers at the local level. We will strengthen the ties of labor to our allies. We will speak out in effective and creative ways on behalf of all working Americans.

Proposal Demographics

identify as women

identify as people of color

Session Description

The workshop will include workers from around the world to disucss the potential impact of free trade agreements on working people and building international solidarity to fight neoliberal trade agreements and to propose fair economic alternatives. We will invite representatives from the US (AFL-CIO), Korea and Colombia with experience in national and international trade campaigns to engage with audience members on analyzing trade policy and building grass roots and international social movements.

The workshop will be in English and Spanish. The will have available factsheets, postcards and other media. The workshop connects to the USSF theme of worker rights. Participants will be asked to strategize about building resistance to proposed free trade agreements, and participating in those campaigns at the local, national and international level.

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  ~70 – 80

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

Diverse, yet a slightly disproportionate representation of whites: a section devoted to Spanish speakers.  1 asian.  Slight majority of males.

 

English, Spanish, Portuguese

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

CGT:  female.  Expert on globalization, migration.  France

Gustavos ***:  COOT*  Brazil (largest labor union)

International Secretary of the MWF of the CGIL*.  Italy.  Federation of Metal Workers

De Silva: 2nd largest union?  Force de Senecal*.  Brazil

Labor lawyer by training.  ITUC.  Represents the AFL-CIO.  American

 

Observations

 

Primarily informative re: previous collaboration between unions for the North/South American unions; as well as on immigrant issues in the European unions.

            -secondarily prescriptive, painting broad strokes and vague strategies

                        Brazil: a call to continue to work together for an implicit Pan Americanism.

                        Europe:  be mindful of immigrant issues

 

Seemingly artificially amicable and diplomatic.

            No conflicts between the involved parties were noted

            -networks/coalitions have been formed previously between the AFL-CIO and the Brazilian unions.  Due to this, it is likely that the speech was political and diplomatic with no taste of conflict

 

Chronology

 

Introductory remarks

  1. how do we as unionists deal with labor/human rights for migrant workers?
  2. What is the importance of labor rights in the international global economy?
    1. Not trade related

 

Re: immigration: council resolution.  AFL-CIO concluded that

System was victimizing the victims

            Need pro-worker, pro immigrant union

            Immigrant workers should have a right to vindicate their labor rights

 

Should use cooperation between countries, rather than coercion.

Must have a whole system of sustainable agriculture.

 

Worst of times: globalization harming workers

Best: unprecedented unity; international confederation of ***.  Linking what had been independent unions

 

Gustavo

AFL-CIO had a big part in organizing the Seattle protest

à brought a framework to help the WSF

2 things

  1. actions by workers in globalized economy must work together; work and south
    1. understanding that there can’t be an answer to globalization if we can’t work together
  2. the unionism cannot work alone to halt globalization.
    1. Need alliances with other social movements at the local, national and global level

FTAA as result of labor unions working together.

Phrased not just as resistance against conservative tendencies.

            Creating a vision of how trade and work should work between countries

Unionism should work with social movements and communities

 

MWF / CGIL (difficult to understand)

Speaking on Italian tradition of migration/immigration. 

Victims of immigration; how should unions deal with such?

            Italian law: they are illegal.

            In order to become legal, must have and fulfill a legal contract.  When the contract is nullified, the legalization is nullified*.

Solutions:

            Organization: give conduit for migrants for addressing their concerns

            Collective bargaining:  equal rights; even people under different conditions should have rights.

            Italy’s conduits for collective bargaining

                        Italian labor law incorporates:

National contract for all sectors

                                    Corporate agreements

            Main tool is the national contract

Demands:

  1. health and safety

accidents and protection; migrant labor more prone to have dangerous jobs

  1. use working hours
  2. national, bilateral commission of unions and companies to define changes about main questions like: organized communities

1 victory: immigrants get the same pay and conditions of native Italians.

Things to fight against

  1. trade and free-trade.
  2. Racism

 

Brazil

Seeing Social Forums as bringing global solidarity. 

            Been to all of the WSFs.

At 1st Xecal* was only an economic bloc

            But created a separate sub-group for worker rights

1 thing to develop is free transport without need for a passport.

            Big task is to develop a constitution of basic worker rights.

            Governments do not want this.

Xecal and AFL-CIO worked out a protocol for basic labor rights.

            Next step: determine how many immigrant workers (esp Brazilian) there are in the United States.

Seeking to work further with AFL-CIO for worker rights.

The world is all of ours.  No need for borders

            (APPLAUSE)

We really believe that the root of things, the way to solve these immigration problems is to foster sustainable industries at the home country.

Belief that with solidarity, will honestly make another world possible.

 

CGT

New division of labor (NS, EW) creating new problems for unions

France has history of importing labor

            Immigrants used as scapegoats.

***description of “exotic labor”

EU is proposing contracts with Africa, Pacific, and Carribean, which, if passed, would lead to catastrophic effects.

            Allow for dumping

Unions discussing; considering migration initiatives and immigration labor rights.

            Need cooperation btw receivers and deliverers of migrants.

Sweatshops & sweatshops in the fields: What can you do about it?

June 29, 2007 - 3:30pm

Organization Description

International Labor Rights Fund ILRF is an advocacy organization dedicated to achieving just and humane treatment for workers worldwide. ILRF serves a unique role among human rights organizations as advocates for and with working poor around the world. We believe that all workers have the right to a safe working environment where they are treated with dignity and respect, and where they can organize freely to defend and promote their rights and interests. We are committed to overcoming the problems of child labor, forced labor, and other abusive labor practices. We promote enforcement of labor rights internationally through public education and mobilization, research, litigation, legislation, and collaboration with labor, government and business groups. STITCH Women in Central America and the U.S. face similar challenges in the workplace, especially when it comes to low wages, discrimination, insufficient childcare services and dangerous working conditions. To change these shared conditions, STITCH, founded in 1998, unites Central American and U.S. women workers to exchange strategies on how to fight for economic justice in the workplace. STITCH equips women with the essential skills through trainings and educational tools, and in the process, builds lasting relationships with women across the two regions, further empowering women in the labor movement. STITCH also ensures women's voices are heard in global debates and discussions on issues that impact them: globalization, trade agreements, immigration policy, and global labor standards. U.S.LEAP The U.S.Labor Education in the Americas Project (U.S.LEAP) works to support the basic rights of workers in Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, especially those who are employed directly or indirectly by U.S. companies. Founded in 1987 as the U.S./Guatemala Labor Education Project (U.S./GLEP) by trade unionists and human rights advocates concerned about the basic rights of Guatemalan workers, USLEAP has since expanded its work to other countries in the region. SweatFree Communities SweatFree Communities was founded in 2003 by anti-sweatshop organizers in Maine, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin and elsewhere who had been working separately on local campaigns to convince school districts, cities, states, and other institutional purchasers to adopt “sweatfree” purchasing policies and stop tax dollars from subsidizing sweatshops and abusive child labor. SweatFree Communities created a structure to facilitate the sharing of resources and information and built a national sweatfree movement that has the unity and political strength to generate significant market demand for products that are made in humane conditions by workers who earn living wages.

Proposal Demographics

identify as women

are 25 years old or younger

Session Description

Sweatshops & sweatshops in the fields: What can you do about it?

This workshop will focus on workers’ rights in global supply chains for manufactured and agricultural products. As Americans, we are actively engaged in supporting global supply chains and it’s up to us to be conscientious consumers. This workshop will examine some of the key issues connected to workers’ rights throughout supply chains of various products such as bananas and garments. If we as consumers continue to expect and demand low prices, labor rights will continue to deteriorate in the US and around the world as suppliers are forced to cut costs. This workshop will also include a dialogue and brainstorm about how we can use our buying power to promote companies that have respect for workers. This dialogue will focus on what localities and states have done to pass policies regulating government procurement of apparel for things like police uniforms.

There will also be an in depth focus on how global supply chains connect to women’s issues and immigration because it is often women that struggle in their home countries and then come to the US looking for economic stability only to then be thrown into the US economy that further discriminates against them.

Presenters include:
- Beth Myers, STITCH (immigration and women)
- Trina Tocco, International Labor Rights Fund (garments)
- Charity Ryerson, USLEAP (bananas & cut flowers)
- Liana Foxvog, SweatFree Communities (local government policies)

This workshop will provide simultaneous English to Spanish translation though we will not have equipment but rather whispering in the back of the room. Various groups will provide handouts and there will be some literature available in Spanish.

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  35

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

slightly female-dominant.  Almost exclusively white except 2 black, 2 asian.  Primarily a younger crowd.

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

homogenously young, white females.  All but one came across as nervous and disorganized

 

Presenters include:
- Beth Myers, STITCH (immigration and women)
- Trina Tocco, International Labor Rights Fund (garments)
- Charity Ryerson, USLEAP (bananas & cut flowers)
- Liana Foxvog, SweatFree Communities (local government policies)

Observations

Descriptive; not prescriptive.

            Describing simplistic, common-knowledge issues primarily rather than posing solutions to the problems, strategies, historical success stories, etc.

 

Chronology:

Background: the global-supply chain.

People involved in the steps: farms, manufacturing/processing, etc.

            Oversimplified description of power relationship of whom has power over whom.

-admitted that goal is to frame movement to empower the workers.

 

Vague description of organizational work

Help workers in Guatemala, particularly for women

            -Flower industry

Immigrant rights

Personal stories

 

How people “fight sweatshops.”

Dole plantation

            strong union” involved in the producers of the Dole flower company.

            Unions formed in response to pesticides and chemicals

                        Dole “not budging”

            International organizations becoming involved.

Strategy:

  1. make negotiations with Dole
  2. organize a boycott/consumer action
    1. connect consumer (letters, calls, etc) to pressure Dole.  Ex. Email campaigns
    2. attacking Nike itself one alternative; petitions can also be sent to companies further down the line.  Recalling the global supply chain

 

Brands: short discussion

Wal-Mart: listing of figures

 

Demands:

            Costs of production should reflect the costs of the product

            Long-term contracts for employment

            Price should reflect the living wage

 

Legal approach to end sweatshops

            6 states with sweat-free laws

            -however, difficult to monitor and translate to active practice

student anti-sweatshop groups pushing for enforcement mechanisms

            -independent monitors

 

Break into groups for Q&A

What are strategies for addressing this issue?

Local coalitions

            Schools making demands/raising consciousness

            NGO meetings with politicians

            Schools pressuring politicians

 

USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops)

            Compiling lists of producers/distributors that use sweatshops

            Educate communities

 

Ideally a good strategy would be to get a company to negotiate with the government that houses the workers

            Attempt to get government protection for workers

 

Connecting Environmental Justice Movements

 

June 30, 2007 - 10:30am

Organization Description

Climate Justice Chicago: People Reversing Global Warming is a multi-issue, multi-racial, multi-ethnic grassroots coalition dedicated to reversing global warming through a radical change in both the perception and definition of the problem, and prescriptions for action. In light of the urgent need to create a climate-safe planet, we have a common agreement about the need to initiate immediate local action in the following areas of daily living: - Environmental justice: anti-racism and ending class privilege - Local food and food security - Green collar jobs and worker rights - Zero waste manufacturing - Mass transit: building a cars-are-optional future - Renewable energy: carbon-free and nuclear-free - Green building, energy conservation and efficiency

Proposal Demographics

identify as women

identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered, queer)

identify as people of color

Session Description

We will create a space to connect with others who are integrating environmental work with a justice agenda, to talk about our movements, best practices, and setbacks, and where we can strategize together with allies in the environmental justice movement.

Creating a just and livable future for all will require that we move beyond techno-fixes; that we embrace systemic change, create sustainable economies and justly allocate resources; and that we take action to address the environmental problems in our communities and our world. Climate Justice Chicago is a grassroots coalition of organizers, activists and NGOs, from a variety of areas of work, dedicated to reversing global warming. We focus on:
- Environmental justice: anti-racism and ending class privilege
- Local food and food security
- Green collar jobs and worker rights
- Zero waste manufacturing
- Mass transit: building a cars-are-optional future
- Renewable energy: carbon-free and nuclear-free
- Green building, energy conservation and efficiency

Language: English

Interpretation: No. (We are unable to provide it, but would like to -- contact us if you'd like to collaborate on this.)

Handouts: Yes (English and Spanish)

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  40

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

diverse crowd; even distribution btw age, race, hygiene.  English

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

Just Transition Alliance

Little Village Environmental Chicago

Communities for a Better Environment

React for Environmental Justice in Harlem

 

4 black, 1 latino, 1 white: 1 black male, white male, the rest female

 

Observations

 

Session geared to pointing out successes of the environmental groups on the panel

            Not “Environmentalism 101”

Openings made for cross-organization collaboration, to be continued in a follow-up session.

 

Panelists almost exclusively working at the grassroots level.  Working with less affluent communities, with limited resources (funding).  All but 1 black.

            Direct work with communities, vs. with the larger system in which it is embedded

            Tension with an audience-member with a more top-down approach to justice.

            -bringing up issues of race, class, strategy, alluding to divisions within the movement

            -previous collaboration with top-down, wealthier groups (Sierra Club) led to being “shat on”

 

Point out that labor and environmentalism can be reconciled

            Creating “green jobs.”

            Collaboration noted to be largely with grassroots and community unions (not national unions)

 

Actual attempts made to unite the participant organizations (see next session)

 

Chronology

 

Conglomerate of activists; different approaches to reform

 

Just Transition Alliance

Started with Oil

            Working with workers and communities

Context of poor people, workers that this organization works with/for

Inception; a lot of education that had to be disseminated

            Stereotypes that had to be surmounted, understanding each persons’ point of view.

Unions around the area.  Mixed degrees of cooperation

Micro level

Concern regarding what happens during transitional phases (as industries/communities move toward “greener” solutions/jobs/cultures?  Moving toward climate justice; altering coal refinery; what happens to income, healthcare, etc.

            Accounting for restitution for lost jobs

Transportation Justice: new, affordable ways for public transit

 

Climate Justice in Chicago

Climate justice: primarily environmental?

            International finance, globalization as factors in environmental justice game.

Advocate replacing coal power-plants with “green energy campuses”

            -Energy efficiency, renewables (solar power, wind), fighting “safe nuclear energy.”

Real issue/solution: toward doubling public-transit (which creates jobs)

The environmental movement doesn’t take jobs away; energy efficiency creates jobs

 

CBE

Richmond-based (impoverished; mostly black, latino, and immigrants)

            City of Chevron (refinery); because many jobs stem from it

Elected a “green” mayor

            Did not take campaign money from Chevron; open with disgust with Chevron

CBE sitting down and talking to mayor

Foundation created to consider health (many residents w/o health care)

Another city: Rodeo (Conco-Phillips* refinery)

            City not as receptive.  Need help from outside to educate

 

Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (since 1991)

            2nd most segregated state in country; 2nd to LA in minorities living in pollution

            87% of pollutants in Detroit

Dilemma re: running out of landfills, proposal for incinerator (to be built with Phillip Morris)

            AFSCME against, and Building Trades (white, middle class organization) fighting for incinerator

City ordinance against roadside recycling

County looking at global warming; org. working with, even though they are not talking with the city of Detroit

Proposal for nuclear plant (their 3rd)

Developed group for Environmental Justice

            Energy efficiency, clean technology, green stuff

            Kicking out 3 month training on how to work toward EJ.

 

React for EJ Harlem and Washington Heights

Working personally, within communities; 1 on 1 on how to build change.

            Educating on energy star rating on AC; planting a tree, fluorescent bulbs

            Educating communities how environmental issues affect the person (asthma); how the people personally can relate to it.

            “Quick hit” solutions not their personal approach.

Developing training on planning actions.

Diesel Leadership Council created; how to organize and hold people accountable for their actions.

Building a relationship with transportation workers union

            Need more public transit

            Pushing for less fossil-fuel based shit.

Pesticides; as the globe warms, more danger of insects and disease

Connections btw pesticides and low birth rate, etc.

From tar beach to green roofs (grass on roofs)

            -cools the building à decrease reliance on AC

Working to restore an abandoned building to be green

Contracts with 2 schools to have green roofs.

Section in Harlem that are working toward having green roofs.

Transforming communities without waiting for “those in power” is the way that we will, not only mitigate climate change, but …

 

Q&A

Part of problem is educating the naysayers and upper-middle class who vote for non-environmentally-friendly initiatives.

Another part of problem is the salience of the problem for the communities at hand.  Ex. Violence may be much more salient than environmentalism

Re: solution “getting trained in solar in Chicago.”  Where in Chicago can one get trained?  How can training be done when people need to feed their families? etc

            Community colleges West Side tech

            Proposal in govt to have all community colleges get education on solar energy

White, older, wealthier audience member arguing that economic framework/consideration should be utilized to create demand for environmental concerns.  Not doing enough macro-work.

            Panelist: priviledged position.  Speaking about how this white woman has access to resources that others don’t have.  Limited funds.

            Audience: middle-class privileged groups need be in collaboration with the local communities

            Panelist: have attempted to work with the Sierra Club and other resourced organizations and have been used and shit on (very, very heated)

Point-system for carbon trading; problems associated.

            Anti-capitalist response; whom does it benefit?

            Also, this approach leads to making money for others.  Reinforces culture of money.

 

Asking audience to point out organizational challenges.  List created

            White privilege / class privilege

            Connecting local issues w/ broader climate change

            Organizing around carbon trading

            Large environmental groups as coopting the movements

            High cost of “just transition” (moving toward “greener” jobs)

            Expanding and sustaining the organization; funding

            Finding common agenda

            Worker-owned cooperatives should be formed

            Culture of consumption

            Momentum behind compromise solutions

 

Connecting Environmental Justice Movements 2: Local Organizing Building to National Power

-not on program

 

2. Date:  6/30/07

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  35ish; nearly all members of NGOs; primarily environmental

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

Representatives of all age demographics, but slightly disproportionately representing 20s – 30s.

 

Primarily white; equal distribution btw males:females

 

Observations

 

Session geared toward collaborative work

            -break into groups by region to address organizational goals, needs, and opportunities for future collaboration

            -Forum used as a networking resource

 

One group (North East), actually used the time to plan collaborative activities.

            -the other two regions did not seem to use this session for its intended purpose (save for the creation of a list-serve)

 

Groups admitted their obstacles toward collaboration

-a representative from a wealthier group admitted guilt for cooptation of smaller movements

-grassroots groups finding little room for collaboration

            each has goals that are very specific and localized, making collaborative action toward a common aim difficult.

 

Chronology

 

Science greatly willing to help out with environmental movement

            -not necessarily what the movement needs.  Does not work directly with the communities.

 

Conglomerate regions/organizations represented.

            Idea to actually link potential networks by region

            Personalize the struggles, rather than large forum-type proseletyzing

 

Challenges of local campaigns (a list created in advance)

Literacy and organizing

            Connecting knowledge and action

Broadening support for campaign

Mixed messages some environmental organizations are making to communities

            clean coal”

competition btw communities and groups

            funding going to “larger” environmental groups

                        conservative” groups that work within the political system.

            People of color underrepresented

Alliance with labor

            taking on popular issues (vs. direct concerns)

                        not directly taking into account the voices of those concerned

 

Group work divided btw regions.  3 questions to address:

1.      what do you work on?

2.      What are movement needs?

3.      What are potential collaborative activities

a.       Brainstorm, then prioritize

 

West group (creating lists of how we, as a group, addressed the 3 above questions)

Primarily smaller environmental organizations

1 representative admitting guilt for coopting other environmental organizations.

            Large environmental organization

            Here to actually work with smaller organizations

 

Needs

Data on local pollutants/polluters

Principles of collaboration

            Do people contribute to each other’s work to collectively move forward.

Groups getting broader support without stymieing the smaller

Raising profile as a unified movement

Don’t undermine each other’s work

            Better communication between movements, as local campaigns can just outsource to other communities

Collaborate, form a regional exchange

Share successful models

Come up with a regional vision

Work beyond the environmental justice movement        

            Creating more networks.  What are supplemental networks that can be formed outside of EJ movements to increase power

Who else is working on these issues

Link btw scientific communities and their contribution to the movement

 

Question: what are the merits of national list-serves?

            Awareness

 

Opportunities for Collaboration

Announcing a regional climate convergence in WA

What are the shared goals that people can work together toward?

 

A lot of big, lofty talking, but no concrete plans made, save for the need for information sharing and list-serves

 

Wrap-up (bringing the groups back together to report)

Commitment to stay together

            Shared resources/emails with one another

            EJCC (training materials); CCC (Climate Crisis Coalition) information resource

Brought to our attention that the USSF offered us to compile a Resolution for the Climate Justice Group.  To be compiled by 7.

            As of 5:30, nothing has been established

            Asked whether anyone would volunteer to put this together (no hands)

            -a little indicative of the disorganization of the forum participants.  And of the Forum as a salient unifier of groups.

            -in the final minutes of the session, a Resolution was worked on, using the Environmental Justice principles as a baseline.

                        -audience members voiced concerns on the wording of certain principles and stayed around when the session ended to fashion the “Resolution”

 

North East report: 2 collaborative convergences formed

Commitments to further collaborative work as follows:

To re-convene at the Climate Change Camp in New Orleans

Attend inauguration protests

Commitment to create regional networks regarding basic needs

            Health care, food

Clearinghouse to present issues and accomplishments to see peoples’ stuff in one

East coast education tour

-personally surprised to hear that this group actually “committed” to future collaborative work, specifying events and dates.

-I attained a follow-up form (UCR’s 2nd phase of the project) from the spokesperson of this group to see if these commitments were actually carried out.

 

 

An Intimate Discussion on Darfur

-not on program.

-I missed the first half-hour

 

Saturday: 1:00

 

Demographics

 

4. Estimated number of attendees:  20ish – trickle ins/outs

 

5. Describe the composition of attendees in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, languages used, etc.

 

Attendees almost exclusively over 30 years of age.  Evenly distributed between 30yo and 60.  70% black, 30% white, one Asian (myself).

 

A few born in various African countries (1 from South Africa – who was also white – another Kenya…)

 

6. Describe panelists: name, organizational affiliation, country, etc.

 

A female from Africa Action as a moderator

 

Observations

 

Exclusively discussion-format.  Moderator collecting attendees’ opinions regarding Darfur and related issues and playing “devil’s advocate.”

            -something of a stream-of-consciousness discussion

 

The Africa Tent was the last along the strip leading to the food/cultural/merchandise section.  Relatedly, the Indigenous tent was even further from the Civic Center, resting as a satellite perhaps 150 – 250 feet from the food/cultural/merchandise section.  It is as if to say that these marginalized groups were physically marginalized at the USSF.

 

Furthermore, the Africa Tent had a stage as a neighbor, hosting a couple of raucous punk/ska bands during the Darfur discussion.  It obstructed the session in terms of audibility and also legitimacy; audience members felt free to have conversations over the speakers and mosey around/in/out the tent at whim.

 

Chronology/Opinions

 

Darfur not a problem of ethnic hatred; groups have historically lived side-by-side in peace

            -imperialism as root of the problem

            -diverse interests involved: China, oil, Zionism

            -globalization, competition for resources fueling ethnic conflict

 

PanAfricanism as a solution

 

Africa Action promoting UN intervention

            NOT US intervention

            -Somalia debacle noted as justification for this position

            -reminder: Congo and the assassination of Lumumba

 

However, let us not discount successes such as Liberia and Sierra Leone

 

Kenyan’s opinion

            -internal solutions should be sought; Kenya routinely helps surrounding countries

            -international interventions go sour

            -African Union as Solution

 

American looking up to Mugabe as a hero

            -redistributes, and protects resources

 

South African: pointing out merits of international intervention

PAP: African Parliament emerged from the West

NIPAD: African development institution

-also, be skeptical of how PanAfricanism is framed; who is defining it?

The only country that consistently came to the aid of Africa: Cuba

 

White woman: following the Rwandan genocide, visited Rwanda

            question that she consistently received was “where were you?”