Resources
The clock is ticking for thousands of welfare recipients who will be thrown off the rolls as the five-year limit imposed by the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act kicks in. With only limited opportunity for low-wage jobs, these families will be left vulnerable to even greater poverty than they have previously known. Washington’s New Poor Law: Welfare “Reform” and the Roads Not Taken is a new book by Sheila Collins and Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg. They argue that, like the “poor laws” of not so long ago, this new act is condemning the poor to continued impoverishment, depressing wages for all workers, increasing unemployment, and exacerbating social conflict. Cost $21.50, plus $3.50 shipping. Call Apex Press at 800/316-2739.
Voices and Choices: A Pastoral Message on Justice in the Workplace from the Catholic Bishops of the South was issued by 41 clergymen to point out intolerable conditions in poultry plants in the U.S. South. Written in English and Spanish, the letter describes working conditions for poultry-plant workers—increasingly people of color and immigrants—who suffer from asthma, repetitive-motion disorders, and back problems due to their work. It also offers ideas for building solidarity between churches and workers in the fight for justice. Contact the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, 1020 Bryn Mawr, Chicago, IL 60660-4627. Phone 773/728-8400. E-mail nicwj [at] igc [dot] org.
Bucky Halker and the Complete Unknowns have issued a collection of labor protest music, Don’t Want Your Millions. Halker and friends, along with special guests Studs Terkel, Robbie Fulks, and Don Stiernberg, provide a string of classic and new songs that tell of historic struggles and reaffirm the strength and solidarity of working people. Cost $15.00 postpaid. Contact Revolting Records, P.O. Box 257608, Chicago, IL 60625.
The Massachusetts Jobs with Justice Annual Awards Dinner, set for March 1 in Boston, celebrates last year’s local strike victories. Enjoy chicken piccata or pasta primavera while hearing the stories of commercial actors, St. Vincent nurses, and workers from Verizon, Raytheon, and Family Services. The dinner will feature organizers and workers from the Massachusetts Nurses Association, SEIU Local 285, IBEW Local 1505, and more. The night’s special guest is Larry Cohen, organizing director of the Communications Workers of America. Cost $75.00. Contact Jobs with Justice, 3353 Washington St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Fax 617/524-8996. E-mail bostonjwj [at] mindspring [dot] com.
The Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company produces books covering labor and other justice movements. Titles include Labor Struggles in the Deep South and Other Writings, Solidarity Unionism, and Roll the Union On: A Pictorial History of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. For a catalog, contact Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co., 1740 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL 60626. Phone 773/465-7774. E-mail info [at] kerrpubco [dot] org.
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The New York State Nurses Association needs registered nurses to serve as representatives for its Economic and General Welfare Program. These people will organize nurses, negotiate contracts, and provide various services to members in the New York City area. Send a resume and cover letter to New York State Nurses Association, 120 Wall St., 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Fax 212/785-0429.
Transnational Cooperation Among Labor Unions describes the official structures for international cooperation: the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and international trade secretariats such as the International Metalworkers Federation. It describes the legal barriers to cross-border cooperation and suggests that unions can gain much by sharing information, even if they fall short of the “classic aspiration (and often pipe dream) of international bargaining across an entire corporation.” Although much of the book is dry and repeats information available elsewhere, it also includes case studies of the Mine Workers’ international campaign against Peabody and Hanson PLC and the CWA’s joint campaigns with Mexican, Canadian, and British unions. Edited by Michael E. Gordon and Lowell Turner. Cost $19.95 plus $4 shipping. Cornell University Press, CUP Services, Box 6525, Ithaca, NY 14851-6525. Phone 607/277-2211. Fax 800/688-2877.
The stories and songs of singer Joe Glazer are highlighted in his new book, Labor’s Troubadour. With a lighthearted storytelling style, Glazer tells of over 50 years of adventures using his voice and guitar to fight for the rights of workers in mills, mines, factories, and offices. He also writes of traveling around the world singing, writing, and collecting the music of the working class, and of his encounters with U.S. presidents, politicians, and labor leaders. And in a chapter called “New Voices,” Glazer turns the spotlight on the labor singers who are continuing the tradition. Cost $25.00, plus $3.00 shipping. Contact the Labor Heritage Foundation, 1925 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20006.
Just Economics provides workshops and materials for educating grassroots activists and rank and file workers on the ways in which corporate and public policy decisions affect wages, jobs, and communities. It also helps organizers and others understand how they can fight back effectively. Workshops cover welfare/workfare, community development, taxes, the rich-poor gap, and more. For more information, or to bring a workshop to your group, contact Just Economics, 1600 Shattuck Ave., Suite 124, Berkeley, CA 94709. Phone 510/548-4760. E-mail justecon [at] igc [dot] org.
The Union Producers and Programmers Network promotes the production and use of television and radio shows to support the labor movement. Members produce and broadcast shows covering strikes, struggles, and debates in labor, and work to more widely distribute such programming. Annual dues are $30.00. Contact UPPNET, c/o Labor Education Services, University of Minnesota, 321 19th Ave. South, #3-300, Minneapolis, MN 55455.