Madison, Wisconsin, Thursday, March 19, 2020 – Members of Machinist Union (IAM) Local 1406 employed at GE Datex-Ohmeda in Madison, WI are in a race against the clock to produce ventilators needed in the worldwide fight against the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The more than 340 workers – who build anesthesia, respiratory and infant care machines – ratified a one-year emergency contract extension Thursday night in a lightning fast attempt to meet the sudden increased demand for ventilators across the globe.

The goal is to produce as many ventilators as possible in the next 90 days….

“Our union couldn’t be more proud of the members of IAM Local 1406, who are on the frontlines as the world fights to contain the coronavirus pandemic,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “There are many people fighting for their lives right now. The ventilators our hard-working members produce could literally mean the difference between someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, or son coming out on the right side of this crisis. The members of IAM Local 1406 recognize that. As the proud union members they are, they will do whatever it takes to support their country and those in need around the world.”

About the IAMAW
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in manufacturing, aerospace, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking and other industries. For more information, visit www.GoIAM.org.

https://bit.ly/3dgT6kY

https://thegrayzone.com/

Brazil’s far-right government requested the return of thousands of Cuban doctors to help fight the coronavirus. Months ago, President Jair Bolsonaro smeared the doctors as “terrorists” and expelled them.

By Ben Norton

The coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed the health infrastructure of countries around the world. Desperate to contain the deadly virus, hard-hit countries, including even rich European nations like Italy and Britain, have reached out for expert medical help from Cuba, China, and Venezuela.

Even Brazil, currently under the control of a far-right administration that has joined the US in demonizing Cuba’s socialist government, has fallen back on the small nation for much-needed medical support — requesting help from the very same Cuban doctors it expelled months ago.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly called for the restoration of the military dictatorship, threatened his political opponents with violence, and backed terrorist attacks on Venezuela.

Bolsonaro has also taken aim at Cuba, praising the far-right military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet for supposedly preventing Chile from becoming like Havana.

Before Bolsonaro was elected president in 2018, 10,000 doctors Cuban doctors were inside Brazil, working in some of the poorest, most remote regions of the country. Their assistance arrived thanks to an agreement between Havana and the country’s left-wing Workers’ Party government, which sought Cuban help to treat those that the Brazilian health system had long failed to reach….

Voces de la Frontera

See below and attached for the latest draft of a call for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. Please circulate and ask for organizations – community groups, activist groups, nonprofits, etc. – to sign in support. If you get any groups to sign on, please report back and I’ll add them as a signatory. Joe McGuire <joehenrymcguire@gmail.com>

Moratorium NOW!

Remember Crusaders are here to help with emergency resources call 920 320 9283
Acuerdanse que Crusaders estan aqui con recursos para nuestro communidad llama 920 320 9283

CONTACT: Sylvia Orduño 734-846-9465 smorduno@gmail.com

MEDIA ADVISORY: COVID-19 Response Must Include Residential Water Access for Handwashing and Sanitation to Protect All Residents

LANSING – On Friday, March 20th , People’s Water Board Coalition — frontline grassroots, social justice, environmental and faith-based groups working with low-income residents who struggle with water shutoffs and affordability — will hold a telepress conference to discuss the urgent immediate need from government to provide residential water access for drinking water, plus disinfectants, to households that do not have them. People’s Water Board Coalition has requested Governor Whitmer use her authority to send in the National Guard and request other federal assistance to set up emergency potable water stations in Detroit and Flint to provide bulk water, bleach and sanitizing products to residents who do not have running water and in their homes.

This need is keenly felt in Detroit, where roughly 10,000 households are without running water. and cannot manage proper sanitation. Although Governor Whitmer has ordered the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to restore immediately residential water service to disconnected residents who cannot afford to pay, full restoration could take nearly six months at the current pace due to damaged and contaminated plumbing from long-term shutoffs. People’s Water Board Coalition is deeply concerned about the public health implications that this is having on the State of Michigan’s ability to control the spread of the coronavirus. Read more at https://www.peopleswaterboard.org/2020/03/16/appeal-to-gov-whitmer-in-light-of-covid-19- water-sanitation-needs/

WHO: Sylvia Orduño, People’s Water Board Coalition

Nicole Hill, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization

Dr. Paul von Oeyen, Retired Physician

http://bit.ly/3aZQyFQ

Inmates in Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail have filed a collective grievance to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and Santa Rita Jail describing ongoing horrific jail conditions and demanding improvements. Call the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Board of Supervisors, and State Senator to tell them to meet pris­oner demands and refrain from retaliating against prisoners!

Script

Hello,

I am calling in support of the inmates inside Santa Rita Jail who filed a collective grievance to the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Office on Monday. Santa Rita should meet all of the demands outlined in this grievance to improve jail conditions. I would like to highlight that one of the demands is regular access to cleaning supplies to reduce the risk of infection. What actions are you planning to take to support inmates who are being put at risk during a public health crisis? Additionally, inmates should not face punishment or retaliation for this peaceful action, which has highlighted the unacceptable conditions inside Santa Rita and the difficulty of inmates’ voices being heard around these issues.

Thank you for your time.

Numbers

• Sheriff Gregory Ahern (510) 272-6866
• California State Senator Nancy Skinner (510) 286-1333
• Assistant Sheriff Dennis Houghtelling (510) 208-9964
• 2nd District Supervisor & President Richard Valle (510) 272 6692

You don’t have to give your name or any other information you don’t want to. Entering *67 before any number may block your caller ID. Don’t worry about anyone giving you the runaround, not getting through or having to leave a message. We are call­ing to apply pressure and every call counts.

Dear friends of Wisconsin public schools,

In a time of great uncertainty, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the ways our school leaders, teachers and communities are coming together to meet the needs of our children during the now-indefinite COVID-19 school closure. We are also overwhelmed by the urgency, magnitude and volume of questions that we all have at the moment.  And we’re especially overwhelmed navigating the demands of the work-from-homeschool apocalypse as we struggle to find quick and effective strategies for working together and taking action remotely.

We need to check in.

We must align our advocacy efforts so that we are all on the same page in asking the right people for the right things as the bars continue to shift on us every day.  This Emergency Meeting will include reports from the countless hours of conference calls and briefings we’ve participated in with DPI, the Governor’s office, and our education partners around the state. We will also provide details on opportunities for digital mini-grants to support nonpartisan election advocacy [if you are interested in this, please contact Heather ASAP – don’t need to wait until Friday; grants can support referenda work and efforts to register voters and push for absentee voting].

Click here to RSVP for a virtual meeting this Friday, March 20 at noon.

Registration is required; you will receive the link to the meeting info after you RSVP.

See you there!

Heather