May Day 2010 *March & Rally* in Austin, TX - International Workers' Day

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Austins first May Day demonstration focused on immigrant rights was in 2006. I was stunned then by an Austin crowd as large as any I had ever seen -- 30,000 -- massive numbers, snaking through downtown streets to the federal building. That was the year of the first national mobilizations for comprehensive immigration reform. There were unprecedented turnouts occurring in every major U.S. city, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Other Texas cities -- Houston, Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio -- had large demonstrations that year.

Those national mobilizations met with considerable blowback. There were rants on cable television about Mexican flags. Vigilante Minute Men got publicity for assembling on the border. More important, there were raids on places of employment, deportations, and jailings. Along with repression, the collapsing U.S. construction sector and increased violence associated with Mexican drug cartels made for a perfect storm of declining participation in subsequent years.

Arizonas law changed all that. The broad strokes of that recent legislation make the mere suspicion of undocumented status cause for questioning and detention. The potential impact on Latinos ignited Austins community as well as communities across the nation.

Organizers at the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC) -- www.airc.org -- had been holding their meetings in a small office. They moved to a church hall to accommodate the growing interest. AIRC describes itself as a grassroots, action-oriented coalition of immigrants, students, and allies including labor, faith, and community organizations. That is who they turned out for a spirited rally at the state Capitol and a march down Congress Avenue to City Hall.

Conchero dancers reminded those attending of the real non-immigrants in this country -- Native Americans. Linda Chavez, former union organizer and Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, addressed the crowd. Marchers chanted:
Si se puede
[Yes, we can]
Obama, escucha, estamos en la lucha
[Obama, listen, we are in the struggle]
El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido
[The people united will never be defeated]
Like it or not, President Obama, comprehensive immigration reform demands have moved from the shadows onto center stage.

May 1st,cCelebrated all over the world as labor day, May Day started in the U.S. in Chicago in 1886 during the fight for the 8-hour day.

Direct Action Against Gables & 21 Rio for Wage Theft! *Entire Protest*

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AUSTIN -- Luxury condos were the backdrop for two protests yesterday, April 28, in Austin. The Workers Defense Project, also known as Proyecto Defensa Laboral, brought 120 workers and supporters into the streets at two different sites demanding wages and safe working conditions.

Three of my co-workers were killed, and the rest of us are still owed our money. When is it enough? said Gumercindo Rodriquez, who performed plaster work at 21 Rio and Gables Park Plaza. Gumercindo, along with two dozen other workers are owed over $120,000 in wages by a Dallas-based contractor, GMI (Greater Metroplex Interiors).

Protesters focused attention on Gables Park Plaza, a high-end condo on the north side of Town Lake in Austin. At that site, wages have gone unpaid. Later, demonstrators moved into the West Campus where 21 Rio has also refused to pay final wages. It was at this luxury high rise that three workers died last summer when faulty scaffolding collapsed.

A recent study by the Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas found that workers who are denied payment are most likely not to receive appropriate safety training or equipment. The report also found that Texas leads the nation in construction deaths, with a worker dying every 2.5 days in the state and that Austin construction workers have a one in five chance of not being paid their wages.

The issue of immigrant rights has once again captured media attention as debate heats up over Arizonas recent draconian legislation. Show me your papers or go to jail is an approach that collapses civil liberties.

In this atmosphere, the organizing work of the Workers Defense Project brings humanity back into the discourse. The plaster and stucco of luxury condos depended on immigrant labor. For the workers who toiled 70-hour work weeks, six days a week, without rest breaks or overtime pay, the human issue is simply to be paid for their work. For the three men who lost their lives at 21 Rio, the human issue is a safe working environment.

The protestors remembered those who died at 21 Rio by calling out their names.
Wilson, Presente!
Raudel, Presente!
Jesus Angel, Presente!
No los vamos olvidar.
We will not forget.

Visit www.WorkersDefense.org to learn how you can help bring justice for workers in Austin!

This is a ZGraphix production. Produced by Jeffry Zavala.

We The People vs American Empire

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Lynne Jackson with Project SALAM (Support and Legal Advocacy for Muslims) speaks out on how Muslims are treated in American society today, followed by Mickey Huff from Project Censored talking about how people in America can't get factual knowledge about what is going on in the world. Gene Bruskin from U.S. Labor Against the War speaks on Iraqi Unions.

For more information about this event go to:
http://www.answercoalition.org

March for America - Comprehensive Immigration Reform Rally in Washington DC

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On March 21, 2010, 200,000+ immigrants and their allies marched on Washington, DC for immigration reform for new American families and economic justice for all American families. This was the largest mobilization of people on any issue since the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2008.

To learn more go to:
http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/march-index/

People United on KOOP FM 91.7 - Interview with Patricia Zavala and Hector Hernández of the Workers Defense Project

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PEOPLE UNITED with host Allan Campbell talks with Patricia Zavala and Hector Hernández of the Workers Defense Project/Proyecto Defensa Laboral (PDL) about the rights and lives of low-wage laborers in Austin, particularly in the construction industry.

To Learn More Visit:

http://www.koop.org

http://www.workersdefense.org

http://www.buildaustin.org

21Rio Workers Hold Vigil to Remember Deceased Co-Workers

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Workers Defense Project calls for an end to gross workplace abuses

AUSTIN, TX---Six months after construction workers Wilson Joel Irias Cerritos, Raudel Ramirez Camacho and Jesus Angel Lopez Perez fell 11 stories to their deaths while working on 21Rio apartments complex, their co-workers will hold a candlelight vigil in their memory.

Workers Defense Project - Building Austin, Building Injustice - Press Release

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Combining results from surveys of more than 300 Austin construction workers and industry-related data from federal and state agencies, the 68-page study, "Building Austin, Building Injustice," depicts an industry rampant with poor and dangerous working conditions. Although many builders, developers and contractors are model employers, the study notes, others cut costs by not paying some workers for overtime, not paying some at all, misclassifying others as independent contractors, and failing to provide proper safety equipment such as harnesses and helmets, violations of federal and state regulations.

"The report is just shocking in the way that it shows how the industry (in Austin) is really rife with these conditions that are pretty deplorable in terms of safety and health issues," said Richard Heyman, a UT professor and an adviser and researcher on the study. A specialist in urban development studies, Heyman said the report reveals systemic, structural failures.

Major findings:

Though overtime work in the construction industry is common, half of workers who did so reported receiving no overtime pay, a violation of wage and hour laws.

Nearly four in 10 workers were misclassified as independent contractors, denying them legal protections to overtime pay, workers' compensation coverage and benefits.

Sixty-four percent said they had received no basic health or safety training provided by OSHA. The training is voluntary.

A majority of workers lacked employer-based health insurance, pensions and sick or vacation days. Only 45 percent of workers said they had workers' compensation coverage. In Texas, employers can opt out of workers' comp.

Most workers earned $10 an hour. Using federal guidelines, the report calculated a poverty hourly wage as $10.56 an hour, based on a family of four.

Drawing on existing data, the report also says that Texas led the nation in construction-related deaths in 2007 with 142 fatalities, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor. Tzintzún said similar data is not available by city. Per capita data is not tracked by state.

Texas had 23,900 construction-related injuries in 2007, an incident rate of 3.7 per 100 full-time workers, according to the Department of Labor. In all private industries, Texas had 242,000 injuries in 2007, an incident rate of 3.3 per 100 full-time workers.

[Text From the Austin American Statesman, , June 17, 2009]