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 WSWS : Workers Struggles Around the World

                 Workers Struggles: The Americas

                 15 January 2002
                 Latin America

                 Argentine strikes and protests

                 Hospitals

                 Provincial hospital workers in Buenos Aires began a
24-hour
                 strike on January 10 against the critical shortage of
medicine
                 and material they face in the wake of Argentina's
December
                 crisis. Seventy Buenos Aires hospitals on strike
maintained only
                 skeleton emergency crews.

                 Jorge Yabkowski, general secretary of the Buenos Aires
                 Association of Health Professionals (ASPSBS), described
the
                 situation as a "sanitary emergency that keeps getting
worse."
                 Striking workers are also demanding that unpaid wages
from
                 December be paid for the 12,000 provincial health
employees.

                 ASPSBS officials say that the medicine shortage, which
                 includes a critical shortage of insulin, is due to
price speculation
                 by laboratories. An emergency shipment of Brazilian
insulin took
                 place last week to partially alleviate the crisis.

                 The unemployed

                 On December 10 in the southern city of Neuquen, 80
                 unemployed youth confronted police in a protest to
demand jobs
                 at an industrial park. In Huincul, Neuquen province,
130 families
                 blocked a national highway and picketed to demand jobs.
In
                 Tucuman, in the Northwest, unemployed workers blocked
                 several highways, demanding 2,000 jobs.

                 Public employees

                 In Santiago del Estero, more than 400 municipal workers

                 burned tires and refuse in front of Senator Jose
Zavalia's home,
                 demanding back pay. The workers have protested for over
eight
                 weeks. Previously workers had disrupted the senator's
press
                 conference at a local hotel, forcing him to flee
through the roof.

                 A mountain of refuse was also burned on December 8 in
the
                 Buenos Aires suburb on Lanus by garbage collection
workers
                 who have not been paid in weeks. In Mar Del Plata,
2,000
                 workers marched through the streets of the resort town.
National
                 University employees also protested in La Plata over
December
                 salaries and year-end bonuses.

                 In San Juan, federal workers struck and blocked public
buildings
                 in the city to press demands for back pay.

                 Transit strike

                 In Rosario, workers on 27 bus lines have been on strike
since
                 December 8. The drivers rejected a management offer
that
                 would have brought their pay up to date in stages. They
are
                 refusing to return to work until all their wages are
paid in full.

                 In the northern city of Salta, striking bus drivers
mobilized and
                 rallied at City Hall, demanding three months unpaid
wages.

                 Salvadoran health workers join protests

                 El Salvador's Public Health Ministry employees
mobilized on
                 December 10 to demand the rehiring of 1,200 government
                 employees laid off by the current administration.
President
                 Francisco Flores insisted that the layoffs were
necessary to
                 make the government run more efficiently.

                 Union leaders claim that, while they do not oppose the
layoffs,
                 they consider them arbitrary, pointing out that union
officials
                 have been made the target of the firings. On January 1,
8,000
                 were sacked in one day. Previously another 6,000 had
been let
                 go. Flores claims that the government will save $32
million
                 through the layoffs.

                 Flores' plan now is to lay off workers who maintain the
Health
                 Ministry's vehicles. Their work will be contracted to
Star Motors,
                 a company owned by Roberto Murray Meza, leader of the
                 right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA),
according
                 to union sources.

                 By the end of January health workers plan to expand
their
                 protests to involve 25 hospitals. The Health Ministry
employs
                 18,000 workers in 30 hospitals.

                 Argentines protest new bank restrictions

                 On December 10, over 6,000 people rallied in front of
the
                 Government House in Buenos Aires, while many others
banged
                 pots and pans in neighborhood protests across this
sprawling
                 capital to protest harsh restrictions on access to
their savings
                 accounts. Protesters battled police and attacked banks
and
                 ATM machines.

                 Throughout Thursday night until dawn on Friday
protesters
                 denounced the Duhalde government's decision to freeze
                 dollar-denominated accounts for a year, and
peso-denominated
                 accounts for at least two more months. The policy seeks
to
                 protect the banks from another run. Banks lost 25
percent of
                 their deposits in 2001.

                 On Friday, banks were allowed to open for the first
time since a
                 peso devaluation was announced. The free market price
for
                 dollars immediately jumped to between 1.60 and 1.70
pesos to
                 the dollar. The official price is pegged at 1.40 for
exports and
                 essential imports.

                 Protests in Paraguay

                 Hundreds of Paraguayans rallied on December 8 in
Asuncion,
                 banging pots across from the capital. The protesters
demanded
                 relief from the economic crisis that is afflicting the
land-locked
                 nation. Many warned that supermarkets would be looted
if
                 emergency measures were not taken. The organizers
                 announced that beginning on December 13 they would
establish
                 soup kitchens in Asuncion to dramatize that many
Paraguayans
                 are going hungry.

                 Unemployment in Paraguay now stands at 20 percent.
                 Factories and commerce are paralyzed, inflation is
accelerating
                 and crime is increasing.

                 United States

                 New York bus workers carry out wildcat strike

                 About 1,500 bus drivers and mechanics who work for
three
                 private bus companies-Jamaica Buses, Triboro Coach,and
                 Queens Surface Corporation-spontaneously walked off the
job
                 on January 7. Workers in two other Queens bus
companies,
                 Green and Command, engaged in a sympathy slowdown.

                 The walkout caught the leadership of the Transport
Workers
                 Union (TWU) Local 100, which represents the workers, by

                 complete surprise. The union officials proceeded to do
                 everything in their power to end the wildcat strike. As
a result,
                 the job actions that began at 5 a.m. came to an end
before
                 noon.

                 TWU Local 100 President Roger Toussaint visited the
workers
                 in each company and told them to return to work.
Afterwards he
                 told the press, "We had a very difficult time getting
people back
                 to work. People's frustration is really riding high."

                 One driver said, "I feel like we didn't get anything
accomplished.
                 My take is, we should've stayed out until we got what
we
                 wanted."

                 The workers have been without a contract since December
31,
                 2000. Two of their major demands concern wages and job
                 security. The striking workers want pay parity with
their
                 counterparts in the public transportation system.

                 Toussaint has told the press that the union has given
up on
                 achieving parity because of the financial troubles of
the bus
                 companies and the city. The workers are also demanding
that
                 they have job security even if the city does not renew
the
                 franchise to the private companies for which they work.

                 Toussaint became president of the union a little more
than a
                 year ago when he ran at the head of the New Directions
slate
                 that overwhelming defeated the old entrenched and
corrupt
                 leadership in a local-wide election. New Directions'
victory was
                 based on the promise that they would develop a genuine
                 fighting union sensitive to the needs and feelings of
the
                 membership. In reality, in the service of the financial
powers that
                 they really represent, they have done everything in
their power to
                 keep workers under control.

                 Tyson employee admits to conspiracy to transport
                 undocumented workers

                 A former employee of Tyson Foods, the giant poultry
processor,
                 admitted to smuggling undocumented immigrants into the
                 company's US plants to be used as low-paid labor.
Amador
                 Anchondo-Rason, a native of Mexico, faces a possible
five-year
                 prison sentence, a $250,000 fine and the forfeiture of
profits
                 from the illegal venture.

                 Anchondo-Rascon testified that he transported foreign
workers
                 to Tyson plants in Shelbyville, Tennessee and provided
them
                 with fraudulent identification, including Social
Security cards.

                 Justice department officials would not say whether
                 Anchondo-Rascon would be used as a witness against six
                 Tyson executives who have also been charged by the
federal
                 government with conspiracy to transport undocumented
                 workers. Anchondo-Rascon's lawyer indicated his client
would
                 cooperate with US attorneys.

                 Machinists union sues over presidential emergency board

                 at United Airlines

                 A US federal judge refused to grant a temporary
restraining
                 order barring the decision by George W. Bush to appoint
a
                 presidential emergency board to preside over
negotiations
                 between United Airlines and its 15,000 mechanics. The
                 International Association of Machinists (IAM) had sued
to
                 overturn Bush's action that barred a Christmas holiday
strike at
                 United.

                 Judge James Robertson, however, will allow a hearing on

                 whether the Bush administration should have intervened
in the
                 dispute. The IAM's suit named the National Mediation
Board
                 and United as defendants and sought to bar Bush's
decision
                 that prevents the mechanics from striking for 60 days.
The judge
                 will allow the IAM to present its case that the board
made its
                 recommendation to the White House to simply avoid a
strike,
                 while not meeting the legal requirements governing
negotiations
                 in the airline industry.

                 Mechanics at United have been without a pay raise since
1994
                 and for the past two years the IAM has negotiated
without
                 success to reach a new agreement.

                 Delta Air Lines to finally grant pay raise to mechanics

                 Delta Air Lines will allow a 16 percent pay raise for
10,000
                 mechanics to be implemented in March. The pay hike,
originally
                 due to be awarded in October, was withdrawn in the wake
of the
                 September 11 disaster.

                 Pay for Delta mechanics, who are nonunion, had fallen
behind
                 pay at other major airlines as of last year when the
Aircraft
                 Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) launched a
campaign
                 to organize the workforce. AMFA charged that Delta
finally
                 conceded the pay raise to its mechanics to head off
their
                 unionization. According to Delta, the pay raise makes
its
                 mechanics the second highest paid in the industry,
behind those
                 at American Airlines.

                 President overturns unions at Justice Department
                 agencies

                 President Bush, using the excuse of heightened national

                 security following the September 11 tragedy, overturned
union
                 representation at several Justice Department agencies.
The
                 decision involves the department's Criminal Division
and 93 US
                 attorney's offices.

                 The White House argued labor contract work rules could
prevent
                 the implementation of new practices aimed at fighting
terrorism
                 and therefore threatened national security. Carl
Goldman,
                 executive director of Council 26 of the American
Federation of
                 State, County and Municipal Employees, declared, "It's
a cynical
                 attempt to use September 11 to weaken unions."

                 The move is based on a 1978 law governing unionization
of
                 federal workers. While allowing workers to join unions,
it also
                 permitted the president to ban unions in agencies that
focus on
                 "intelligence, counter-intelligence, investigative or
national
                 security work." Besides the Criminal Division and US
attorney's
                 offices, Bush's ban includes the National Drug
Intelligence
                 Center, Office of Intelligence Policy and Review and
the US
                 Interpol office.

                 Canada

                 Law extending workweek cited in Windsor strike

                 New labor legislation which came into effect last
September in
                 Ontario is behind the strike by workers at a food-oil
processing
                 plant in Windsor Ontario, according to their union.
Changes to
                 the provincial Employment Standards Act now allow for a

                 60-hour workweek as opposed to the historic standard of
48.

                 Ninety-two workers, members of the Canadian Auto
Workers
                 union (CAW), went on strike December 12 in opposition
to
                 demands by ADM Agri-Industries for a longer workweek.
The
                 changes are supposed to require workers to agree to the

                 extended hours, but that provision is proving to mean
little in
                 practice

                 The company operates 24 hours a day refining canola and
soya
                 oils and prior to the changes required employees to
work 48
                 hours a week. Minister of Labour Chris Stockwell, who
drafted
                 the new rules, has denied that the changes affect union

                 contracts, saying that unions have often agreed to
longer
                 workweeks than allowed by law.

                 Labatt workers locked out at Ontario plant

                 Over 300 workers at Labatt's Horton Street plant in
London,
                 Ontario walked off the job last week after they were
locked out.
                 The brewing company closed its doors the day after
workers
                 voted to reject a final contract offer. According to a
union
                 spokesman, the outstanding issue is the hiring of 80
part-time
                 workers at reduced wages and with no benefits.

                 The workers are represented by the Brewery General and
                 Professional Workers' Union and say they expect this
could be
                 a lengthy strike. They voted to reject the company's
final offer,
                 which had provisions for an 18 percent wage hike over
six years
                 and a $2,000 signing bonus, but with major concessions
on the
                 number and rights of part-time workers. The company has
been
                 stockpiling product in anticipation of a job action,
but its seven
                 other breweries in Canada have continued operation.

                 Students walk out in support of B.C. teachers

                 About 500 students in southern British Columbia walked
out of
                 classes to stage a protest in front of Premier Gordon
                 Campbell's office in Vancouver last Friday.

                 Teachers in the province have been involved in limited
job
                 actions against the provincial Liberals, which in
recent weeks
                 has meant the elimination of extracurricular activities
for
                 students. Most of the students at the demonstration
were from
                 one high school in the town of Kitsilano, but there
were also
                 walkouts in the nearby Okanagan Valley.

                 The Campbell government has provoked public opposition
with
                 deep cuts to budgets and services and last year
outlawed the
                 right to strike by teachers. The British Columbia
Teachers
                 Federation is asking for wage increases of 22.5 percent
in a
                 new three-year contract, but the province is offering
only 8
                 percent.

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