http://tinleyparkfive.wordpress.com/

The Tinley Park Five have a court appearance 9 am June 12 at the Bridgeview Courthouse (10220 South 76th Avenue Bridgeview , IL 60455). The white supremacist community is threatening later violence against anyone in attendance as can be seen in this thread from Stormfront. The International Action Center has posted a short article about the court date located here. The Tinley Park Five and their support network hope to gather a large group of people to attend, in order to prevent their friends and family from being targeted by violent fascists.

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http://www.ctunet.com/

CHICAGO, June 11 – Today, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) revealed nearly 90 percent of its eligible members voted to give their labor organization the authority to call a strike should contract negotiations reach an impasse. The Union has been in negotiations with the Chicago Public School system (CPS) since November 2011. A new state law requires a 75 percent of all eligible CTU voters to vote in the affirmative in order to provide strike authorization.

Although both CTU and CPS are in the fact-finding stage of negotiations, the Union pointed out that the independent review will only provide recommendations on a small number of contract concerns. Public school educators say they are fighting for smaller class sizes, art, music, world language and physical education classes for students, and fair compensation for being asked to work under more difficult guidelines as determined by CPS.

Armed with strike authorization, teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians say they believe this will give them more leverage at the bargaining table going forward. Should a strike become necessary, the Union’s 800-member House of Delegates will set the date for a work stoppage.

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http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/index.php

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For more information and how to support the Palermo’s Workers: http://vdlf.org/

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http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.328947213851468.78654.151521811594010&type=1

For more information and how to support the Palermo Workers: http://vdlf.org/

Members of the Palermo Workers Union and their supporters on the picket line June 11, 2012.

Members of the Palermo Workers Union and their families on the picket line June 11, 2012.

Rev. Willie Brisco represents the faith-based coalition Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) at the June 11, 2012 press during the Palermo Workers Union picket line.

Members of AFSCME, the Ironworkers, the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), the Steelworkers, the Teaching Assistants union at UW-Milwaukee, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the national AFL-CIO and many more union members joined the Palermo Workers Union picket line on June 11, 2012. Members of community organizations including the Riverwest Co-Op, Occupy Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Bail Out The People Movement and others participated as well.

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On June 1, workers at the Palermo’s frozen pizza factory in the Menominee River Valley of Milwaukee went on strike. They are demanding their right to form a union in an effort to improve working conditions—which currently include lack of sick days, automatic firings and work-weeks which sometimes extend to ninety hours. They have filed a union bid with the National Labor Relations Board. Palermo’s management has not, as of this date, entered into negotiations to allow a union to form. In response, Palermo’s workers have called for a boycott of Palermo’s Pizza products.

It is part of in the Riverwest Co-op’s mission to supply food from labor-friendly sources. The management of Palermo’s must honor the worker’s right to form a union. Until a resolution between workers and management occurs, the Riverwest Co-op will honor the boycott and has ceased carrying Palermo’s pizzas.

-The Riverwest Co-op

Please note that the East Side’s Palermo Villa restaurant is not associated with Palermo’s Pizza, and is not included in the boycott.

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FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Striking-Palermos-Workers/244786995631242

Join the striking workers on the picket line! We will be in front of the plant at 3301 W. Canal St. throughout the day on most days. The most critical time to have people join is during workers’ shift changes- early morning (8-10 am), mid-afternoon (2-4 pm, and late evening.(8-10 pm).

Thank you for your solidarity in the struggle for immigrant-labor justice.

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http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150875742608946.412248.729593945&type=1

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUNE 9, 2012

CONTACT: JOE SHANSKY (414) 218-3331 / http://vdlf.org/

Palermo’s Pizza Workers Cautiously Cheer as Termination Date Passes

One week after walkout, picketing and efforts to support workers’ union spread

MILWAUKEE, WI – Palermo’s Pizza employees, engaged in aweek-long strike in protest of the company’s unlawful interference with their efforts to form a union, expressed cautious optimism as Friday passed without further unlawful terminations.

Soon after union organizing efforts began, the frozen pizza company began its anti-union campaign, threatening workers with termination and immigration audits.  Management issued letters to a group of employees indicating they must re-verify their immigration status or be terminated by today.  ICE then sent a letter indicating there was a stay on any actions.

Workers are demanding that Palermo’s immediately reinstate striking workers who were fired through the company’s hiring of replacement workers and generating “resignation” letters on behalf of the strikers.  Workers are also demanding that the company immediately stop hiring replacement workers.

“We really see this as a small victory that’s part of the much larger struggle to form a union and secure safe working conditions and dignity on the job,” said Jose Torres, a striking worker.

“By standing together in a strong show of solidarity in the picket line and online, and by highlighting the pattern of retaliation and unsafe conditions workers have been subjected to at the workplace, we hope we can end Palermo’s unlawful intimidation campaign and ultimately form a union,” added Roberto Silva, another Palermo’s employee on strike.

Less than 24 hours old, an online petition that is circulating has already garnered nearly 1,000 signatures of Wisconsinites and others who are calling on Palermo’s to stop intimidating and firing workers forming a union.  Local activists are pledging to stop purchasing their products until workers’ rights are protected.  Riverwest Co-op in Milwaukee has issed a statement declaring its immediate boycott of Palermo’s frozen pizzas.  A strike fund has also been started to help the workers recoup lost income during the labor dispute.

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