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Will the AFL-CIO Split? A Debate on the Future of Organized
Labor
The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the
Myth of Job Creation
Pastors For Peace Caravan to Cuba Stopped at U.S.-Mexican
Border
Remembering Farouk Abdel-Muhti: One Year Anniversary of Death
of Palestinian Activist
Will the AFL-CIO Split? A Debate on the Future of
Organized Labor
As the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization,
heads to its convention, we host a debate on the future of
organized labor. We speak with Karen Ackerman, political director
of the AFL-CIO, Chris Chafe, Chief of Staff at UNITE HERE
as well as Kim Moody, co-founder of the rank and file newsletter
Labor Notes and professor at Brooklyn College. [includes rush
transcript - partial]
The labor movement brought American workers the forty-hour
week, pensions, healthcare, and basic rights on the job. From
a high point of 22.8 million union members in 1978, the ranks
of organized labor have dwindled to 15.5 million in 2004.
Now, with less bargaining power and a deindustrialized service-based
economy, the labor movement is in the throes of a debate over
how to build for the future.
The venerable American Federation of Labor may face the largest
rupture in its history next week. In March, five of the AFL-CIO's
largest affiliate unions criticized the leadership of federation
president John Sweeney. Together the Service Employees, Teamsters,
United Food and Commercial Workers, Laborers, and UNITE HERE
represent 40% of the AFL's membership and most of their workers
are in rapidly expanding service sectors where low-wage immigrant
workers of color have won some hard fought union battles in
recent years. Last month the five unions launched the Change
to Win Coalition, which is threatening to split from the AFL-CIO
if their demands are not met at the annual convention next
week in Chicago
The Change to Win platform revolves around the premise that
the AFL should direct more resources towards organizing new
workers than lobbying Washington politicians. But the AFL
leadership charges that effective organizing can't happen
without a more favorable political climate...which requires
leverage in Washington. Meanwhile other labor activists question
whether renewed organizing could even be successful unless
current union members are mobilized and unions democratize
their own structures.
Today, we host a roundtable on the potential split in the
AFL-CIO and the future of the labor movement.
- Kim Moody, co-founder of the rank and file newsletter
"Labor Notes,"
professor at Brooklyn College and Cornell's School of Industrial
and Labor Relations. He is author of "Workers In A
Lean World: Unions In The International Economy."
- Karen Ackerman, Political Director of the AFL-CIO.
The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging
and the Myth of Job Creation
We speak with Greg Leroy, author of the book "The Great
American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of
Job Creation" that shows how - in case after case - false
promises of good jobs and higher tax revenues by large corporations
land them huge tax breaks and other subsidies from state and
local governments.
What do Wal-Mart, Dell, Fidelity Investments and Boeing have
in common? They're all part of a $50 billion dollar-a-year
scam in which corporations play states and cities against
each other to win hefty taxpayers subsidies in the name of
job creation.
But do they provide more jobs, higher wages or improved living
standards? A new book says otherwise. We are joined now by
Greg Leroy, author of "The Great American Jobs Scam:
Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation."
He is director of the non-profit Good Jobs First.
- Greg Leroy, author of "The Great American Jobs Scam:
Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Job Creation"
and director of the non-profit Good
Jobs First.
Pastors For Peace Caravan to Cuba Stopped at U.S.-Mexican
Border
Volunteers attempting to deliver tons of humanitarian aid
and hurricane relief to Cuba were stopped at the U.S. - Mexican
border Thursday. The volunteers are part of a Pastors for
Peace caravan, a group which delivers shipments of humanitarian
aid yearly to Latin American countries and Cuba.
Volunteers attempting to deliver tons of humanitarian aid
and hurricane relief to Cuba were stopped at the U.S. - Mexican
border yesterday. The hundreds of volunteers are part of a
Pastors for Peace caravan, a group which delivers shipments
of humanitarian aid yearly to Latin American countries and
Cuba.
The caravanistas refuse to apply for a license under the
US embargo of Cuba as a matter of principle. They view the
embargo as an "immoral policy" and resist complying
with it.
Remembering Farouk Abdel-Muhti: One Year Anniversary
of Death of Palestinian Activist
A vigil is being held today in New York to commemorate the
anniversary of the death of Palestinian human rights activist
Farouk Abdel-Muhti. He was jailed for two years without charge.
He died last summer just three months after being released.
We play an excerpt of the documentary, "Farouk Abdel-Muhti:
Political Prisoner.
A vigil is being held today in New York to commemorate the
anniversary of the death of Palestinian human rights activist
Farouk Abdel Muhti.
In March 2002, Farouk began working regularly at Pacifica
Radio station WBAI. He used his contacts to arrange interviews
with Palestinians in the Occupied Territories on the morning
radio program "Wake-Up Call."
Farouk was detained one month later. He was jailed in various
facilities around the country and was never charged with a
crime. Two years after his detention, a federal judge ordered
Farouk to be deported, charged or released. He walked out
of prison on April 12, 2004.
Two months after his release, Farouk was giving a speech
at the Ethical Culture Society in Philadelphia. When he finished
his address, Farouk's head fell to the table. He collapsed
and died shortly afterwards. He was 57 years old.
To commemorate the anniversary of his passing we bring you
this is an excerpt of a documentary about Farouk that was
produced when he was still in prison.
- Farouk Abdel Muhti: Political Prisoner, documentary by
Konrad Aderer.
To commemorate the anniversary of his passing, a vigil is
being held at noon tomorrow in front of the Federal Building
in New York - the same time and place of the vigils that were
held every week during Farouk's confinement. Farouk's fiancee
Sharin Chiorazzo and his son, Tarek, his will be there as
will longtime New York civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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