TruStage Union Workers United

We are raising funds for union members who would financial financial duress by participating in a future strike. No employee should fear financial ruin for standing up for themselves and their coworkers in support of a fair and equitable contract!

Go to trustageunion.com to support our fight and donate!

Save the date for an historic book signing event with ILWU’s Clarence Thomas:

“Cleophas Williams, My Life Story in the Int’l Longshore Union Local 10”

Saturday, August 5

From 2 pm to 5 pm

St Mary’s Episcopal Church – Harlem

521 West 126th Street, NYC 10027

The following call is from the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5:

The Tampa 5 – Gia Davila, Lauren Pineiro, Laura Rodriguez, Jeanie K, and Chrisley Carpio – are the five Students for a Democratic Society protesters at the University of South Florida who were attacked by campus police and are now facing five to ten years in prison for protesting Governor Ron DeSantis’ attacks on diversity programs and all of higher education.

Students for a Democratic Society (National)

On July 12, 2023, the Tampa 5 had their second court appearance. At this pretrial hearing, they learned that a trial date will be set by the judge on August 9, at their next court appearance.

The Tampa 5 are still in the middle of the process of discovery, which means that they are obtaining evidence from the prosecution that is meant to convict them. They have said publicly that all the security camera footage they have seen so far absolves them, and they are eager to not only receive more of this evidence but also to share it with the world. The Tampa 5 and their supporters demand full transparency and USF’s full cooperation with discovery, to which all of the defendants are entitled.

In spite of this, the charges have not yet been dropped. The case of the five SDS protesters is hurtling towards a trial. So, they need all of their supporters and all parties interested in the right to protest DeSantis to stay out in the streets!

On August 9, the Emergency Committee to Defend the Tampa 5 is calling on all member groups to declare a National Day of Protest! On July 12, we saw at least 15 cities pour out into the streets to say, “Drop the charges!” 

We need to be out again on August 9 in even greater numbers. We need to demand that the DeSantis-appointed, unelected State Attorney Susan Lopez and Assistant Prosecutor Justin Diaz drop the charges.

We need to win this case once and for all, and protect the right of the student movement – and all social movements in the United States – to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech and to protest.

All Out for July August 9 to Defend the Tampa 5!

State Attorney Susy Lopez, Prosecutor Justin Diaz, Drop the Charges!

Save Diversity in Higher Education! 

Protesting DeSantis is Not a Crime!

https://blackagendareport.com/black-august-builds-our-black-radical-traditions

Black August is the commemoration of actions carried out by revolutionaries ranging from Nat Turner to George Jackson. It is a month to “study, fast, train, and fight” to build the Black radical tradition.

This article was originally published in The Brooks Blackboard: Race, Politics, and Social Change

Protect Our Water Heritage Rights

Communities fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline just entered their 10th year of resistance and they need your energy and support to stop MVP once and for all.

After Biden and Congress greenlit the Mountain Valley Pipeline, the company has been devouring Appalachian mountains, streams, and homes with its rabid construction. On July 25, a gas pipe exploded in the nearby Shenandoah Valley, causing community members increased worry for what could happen if the 42-inch diameter, corroding MVP pipes are implemented on the steep Appalachian slopes.

Join the frontlines in Appalachia from August 25-27 for a weekend of trainings, art-making, music, and food!

Events will primarily take place at Sweet Springs Resort in West Virginia, just over an hour drive from Blacksburg and Roanoke. There is space to camp in tents at Sweet Springs. Additional lodging support can be requested using the form.

West Virginia is often marginalized on the national stage but we will continue the fight to change that. This is an opportunity for you to meet the people and interact with the environment on the frontlines of active fossil fuel construction. Biden and other elected leaders continue to greenlight new fossil fuel projects as the climate crisis worsens.We will all face the repercussions of inaction, so this is a chance to learn from and support a community enduring the brunt of injustice now.

Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the beauty, people, and music of West Virginia. RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/…/we-are-these-mountains-a…

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Young_America%27s_Foundation

In July 2019, Scott Walker, former Governor of Wisconsin, accepted the full-time position of being YAF’s president. As a part of his focus, Walker’s chief is to promote conservatism among young people. ^[10] Walker’s current salary is $800,000.

Walker currently oversees YAF’s “The Long Game,” which is a project to spread conservative ideals and values to younger generations. They do this by creating chapters of YAF from middle school all the way through college in order to distribute educational materials in order to spread their message. ^[11]

YAF is an associate member of the State Policy Network. SPN is a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of April 2023, SPN’s membership totals 163. Today’s SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party.

Center for Media and Democracy’s in-depth investigation, “EXPOSED: The State Policy Network — The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government,” reveals that SPN and its member think tanks are major drivers of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders.^[13]

A set of coordinated fundraising proposals obtained and released by The Guardian in early December 2013 confirm many of these SPN members’ intent to change state laws and policies, referring to “advancing model legislation” and “candidate briefings.” These activities “arguably cross the line into lobbying,” The Guardian notes.^[15]

Funding:

Robert Ruhe is YAF’s largest donor with his estate gift of $16 million. According to the New York Times, “armed with a $16 million infusion… the organization has doubled its programming, including campus speeches.”^[7]

Dick and Betsy DeVos gave $10 million to endow the Reagan Ranch.^[7]

Between 2002 and 2015, YAF received $561,500 from the right-wing Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. YAF has received $20,000 from the Charles G. Koch Foundation and $12,500 from the Claude R. Lambe Foundation.

Between 2010 and 2015 YAF received $913,986 from DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund, two funds with ties to the Koch brothers that shield the identity of their donors. See a full list of DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund grant recipients here.

Reagan Ranch

YAF bought Ronald Reagan’s “Rancho del Cielo” in 1998 and preserves it as “a living monument to Reagan’s ideas, values, and lasting accomplishments.” YAF offers opportunities to visit the ranch to its members and supporters.^[17]

YAF National Headquarters
11480 Commerce Park Dr, Suite 600
Reston, Virginia 20191-1556
Phone: (703).318.9608
Phone: (800).USA.1776
Website: http://www.yaf.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngamericasfoundation/
Twitter: @yaf

Reagan Ranch Center
217 State Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Phone: (805).957.1980
Website: http://www.reaganranch.yaf.org/

Union, student, faith based and community organizations mobilizing!

3 P.M. on at Dontre Hamilton Park (Red Arrow Park) 920 Water Street in Milwaukee with people’s actions following all night.

More information available at the Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement Facebook page and blog: https://wibailoutpeople.org/

Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement

Mass protests will take place July 15-18, 2024 at the RNC and in Chicago in August 2024 at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).