Mass Action Sept 24 with Unite Here

COME WITNESS THE ACTION AND RALLY IN SUPPORT.
MEET THURSDAY, SEPT 24 AT 4 PM AT WATER TOWER PARK.

Hundreds to be arrested in civil disobedience action

Fighting layoffs and cuts, hospitality workers take a stand, saying big corporations like Chicago-based Hyatt have gone too far.

WHAT:           Civil disobedience action with hundreds of hospitality workers and community supporters, in what will be one of the largest actions of its kind in Chicago history.
WHO:            Nearly 200 arrestees and over 500 witnesses from Unite Here Local 1, Chicago’s hospitality workers union, and the Chicago community.
WHERE:       Meet at Water Tower Park near Chicago and Michigan
WHEN:         Thursday, September 24, 2009, 4:00 p.m.

WHY:  In the last decade, big corporations like Hilton and Chicago-based Hyatt have taken home record profits, while many people who work for them are living in poverty. Now hospitality companies are using the economy as an excuse to further squeeze workers and communities—eliminating jobs, trying to roll back benefits, and getting a smaller pool of workers to risk injury by working harder and faster.

As companies like Hyatt lay off workers in Chicago, workers across the country are also being squeezed.  One clear example: In Boston on August 31, Hyatt Hotels fired 100 long term housekeepers and replaced them with low wage workers from a subcontractor.

In Chicago, workers are fighting back. Workers from the area’s airports, hotels, and casinos are banding together to say big corporations have gone too far.  Together, hospitality workers are fighting to rebuild our economy from the ground up, to transform poverty-wage jobs in the service sector—which can’t be shipped overseas—into solid, middle-class jobs with decent wages and affordable healthcare.

The action comes amid union contract negotiations, affecting more than 10,000 hotel, food service, and casino workers in the region and the national campaign to bring back the fired Hyatt 100 in Boston.

Unite Here Local 1, Chicago’s hospitality workers union, represents over 15,000 hotel and food service workers in Chicago and casino workers in Northwest Indiana.

Teamsters Local 743 on Strike

This is a a TDU local, good people:

Dear Sisters and Brothers from the Friend Family support list,

Workers at SK Hand Tools in Chicago (3535 W. 47th St.) and McCook
(9500 W. 55th St.) voted unanimously to STRIKE as of Tuesday, August
25, 2009!  Please forward this e-mail to friends and allies.

Strike support will be needed on a 24/7 basis at both locations –
please contact the Teamsters Local 743 union hall at (773) 254-7460
for more information.

For Immediate Release:
For More Information:
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sarah Hainds, (773) 254-7460

Cell: (773) 860-0306

Teamsters Strike Over Lost Health Insurance

Workers and their families forced to delay important medical treatment

Teamsters Local 743 union members working at SK Hand Tools voted
unanimously to strike today at 3:30pm due to the company’s unilateral
withdrawal of the workers’ health insurance without notice.

The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has issued an unfair labor
practice complaint alleging that the company has bargained illegally
by stopping health care coverage without notice.

“President Obama is leading a national debate about how to protect
hard-working Americans from callous employers like SK Hand Tools,”
said Teamsters Local 743 president Richard Berg.  “This French-owned
company has left us no choice but to strike for our basic needs,
health care,” he continued.

SK Hand Tools has been making high quality metal tools in Chicago for
88 years.  SK workers have been in contract negotiations for nine
months.  The company has been in the Teamsters union since 1968.

“We are willing to make concessions to save the company,” union
steward David Biedrzycki stated, “but we can’t lose our health
insurance.  They expect us to pay for our health coverage
out-of-pocket when they’re also asking for a 20% pay cut – we can’t
afford this!”  The workers’ wages have been frozen for the last six
years.

The workers currently earn on average $14 per hour.  The pay reduction
that management is proposing includes an additional $4 cut in the
first 6 months, which would lower that average to just over minimum
wage.  SK Hand Tools employs about 70 workers.

SK Hand Tools sells its merchandise through its website and through
stores like Sears & Roebuck and Amazon.com.  SK also makes some of the
Sears Craftsman products.

Teamsters Local 743 represents 11,000 workers throughout the
Chicagoland area working in manufacturing, health care, clerical, food
service, warehouse and maintenance industries.

8/17- Starbucks! Stop the Cuts! Hand Off Our Healthcare! Protest/Rally!”

Event: 8/17- Starbucks! Stop the Cuts! Hand Off Our Healthcare! Protest/Rally!
“Members and supporters of the IWW Starbucks Workers Union to protest and rally against Starbucks’ HEALTH CARE CUTS and UNION BUSTING on this National DAY OF ACTION”
What: Protest
Host: I ♥ Union Baristas!
Start Time: Monday, August 17 at 12:00pm
End Time: Monday, August 17 at 3:00pm
Where: Starbucks Coffee Co. (California and Logan Blvd)

Two FSAO Members share their experience as war resistors on active military

FSAO veteran on active duty

Recently, two members of FSAO were interviewed and published describing their experiences as war resistors on active military duty at Ft. Polk Lousiana 2004-2005.

The interview was published at
http://www.truthout.org/080309T?n

The FSAO members served in 1/131 INF (infantry) located out of Elgin, Il and began active and open resistance to the military when they received word while on active deployment in 2004-2005 at Ft. Polk LA, that their unit was gearing up for Iraq.
While in Louisiana, their primary job was to train soldiers and participate in large scale war simulations. To hear more about their mission at ft. Polk watch the video located at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEfOpSSYBXQ

The former soldiers resisted by individually filing for conscientious objector status and for hardship discharge. As far as collective action, they actively agitated and built strong relationships with other enlisted soldiers who came from working class backgrounds.  Through dedicated organizing, FSAO members encouraged one soldier to file for Conscientious objector status (who was later discharged from service), and four others to seek discharge through other means.

On a day to day level, FSAO veterans took part in agitation and propaganda; which included graffiti of military poster at their barracks and on post, the creation of their own posters and flyers and movie nights showing radical films.  Several soldiers activly displayed anarchist and anti-war materiel and went as far as refusing to take it down.

Tagged poster

At the height of the deployment, FSAO members started a massive letter writing campaign to Illinois senators that created a massive investigation of the unit because 2/3 of the weapons were deadlined (non functional), and the soldiers would not be able to train with them before deployment.  The deployment was halted after two months of investigation leading to a major victory for the anarchist soldiers.

Continuing political work until discharge after the deployment in 2006, these members further influence three soldiers to ETS (leave the military on their  agreed commitment date) instead of re-uping for additional service and two others switched military units to avoid participation on their units next deployment in Afghanistan 2008-2009.

We hope that these experiences serve as a model and example of what collective resistance can bring.

Mid-Term Goals

Almost a year ago, not long after Four Star was founded, we adopted a set of brief mid-term goals to guide our future development. This document is likely something that we will revisit soon.

Statement of Principles

At our meeting this week — which also happened to be Four Star’s one-year anniversary — we finalized our Statement of Principles. Check it out!

Chicago Anarchist Film Fest

The 9th Annual Chicago Anarchist Film

Friday April 24 – Sunday April 26, 7-10pm.

at Jane Addams Hull House 800 S. Halsted
(on UIC Campus just south of Jane Addams museum; off blue line UIC/Harrison stop)

Anarchists, anti-authoritarians, the anarcho-friendly and the anarcho-curious to view this year’s features, shorts, documentaries, animation, and found footage. Join us as anarchy takes center stage through humor, drama and suspense and emerges from the cracks of mass media in this weekend volley of images and stories that reveal and invigorate a rich anarchist presence in society.

A sliding scale donation of $5-10 per festival day is requested with no one turned away for lack of funds.

For more information email CAFF or visit the CAFF website.

Going Public

Welcome to the website/blog for the Four Star Anarchist Organization in Chicago. We’re just getting this rolling, so bear with us while we expand the content.

RIP Franklin Rosemont

Chicago lost a great activist and artist this week with the death of Franklin Rosemont, co-founder of the Chicago Surrealist Group. Full details on Franklin’s long history and accomplishments can be found here.