The things you can find on the Interwebs, like this piece, on The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research:

In collaboration with The Portland Phoenix, The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research is issuing a call for public art: Mural depicting the glorious contributions of the Maine businessperson.

Seeking designs for a 36-foot-long, 8-foot-tall mural to replace a degenerate, “one-sided” mural at the Maine Department of Labor office in Augusta. Please e-mail jpgs to jinglis@phx.com, or if you insist to us.

Submissions are encouraged to honor Maine’s grand business history, from logging to ship building, from the brave executives who put down the 1937 women’s strike to steadfast proponents of child labor, from the paper mill bosses who purified our waters with dioxins to those who intrepidly called in the National Guard to restore order in the face of wrong-thinking mobs and crybabies, and surplus and salvage company CEOs who selflessly offer damaged goods for retail sale before giving it all up for public service.

Labor history as one sided, it's a fascinating concept, since Labor history in general is about, LABOR. It's totally one-sided. But then again so is the history of slavery, so is women's history, and so is the history of mental health care in the US. History about a given topic is about that topic, as was this art work. It was about workers for a building catering to workers, not the businesses that abuse, disregard or even love the workers. It was about the workers and their struggles, not the businesses and their struggles.

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We all get caught up in our own lives. I know I have. From my kid heading to Egypt (Boo, I miss you so much) for a year to study Arabic to taking friends home for the holidays to that darn Master's degree (just a few more classes, it's half over now!). It's my stuff, and I'm wrapped up. Rick isn't though:

He has been asking listeners to stop by his outdoor studio and donate either food or money to help Project S.H.A.R.E and Carlisle C.A.R.E.S., two organizations that help feed those in need in Central Pennsylvania. This is the third year he's spent a week outdoors.

Unlike the dearth of right wing talk radio hosts who spend every moment on air spreading lies and hate, Smith is a breath of fresh air. All he is aiming for is that "people will empty their hearts and wallets and grocery bags and help us out."

Could you imagine if this was your life? Rick's doing this for a week, and for a third time, to draw attention, but what if this was a day to day reality:

According to a news report, "the reality is I've got three small children and I can't imagine if this were my reality. I can't imagine where I would go or what I would do," said Smith.

I can't even begin to imagine. What are the kinds of decisions, lack of decisions, forced situations that can lead you to being this kind of screwed? As wrapped up in my own stuff as I am, as many of are, it's a breath of fresh air to hear about folks like Rick, doing what should be done, drawing attention to a real issue, and one that often flies under our radar.

You can donate online for Rick's effort here. You can also listen to Rick's show online at www.thericksmithshow.com and if you're in Central PA, you can pick up his talk radio show every weeknight from 9PM-12AM on WIOO 97.9FM and WEOO 93.9FM. I'm a bit partial to Rick, probably because of what he talks about, working men and women, and there's also the time he had me on the show. What can I say, I'm still a little wrapped up, huh?

If you get a chance check out Rick's blog and webcam and see how his homeless week has gone thericksmithshow.com And, give him some love.

Blessed Be

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I had the flu, but I'm now at the government doesn't suck rally and thrilled I am. Yeah it's also part of the fear/sanity rally, but that's cool with me!

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So, this is the banner that greeted everyone this morning at McPherson Metro station, and I can't agree more!

I was thinking the other day about growing up before Fox. There were lots of incidents of violence like the 68 Riots in Chicago, Kent State, even the air traffic controllers who were handcuffed and lead away in clear view of cameras. There were incidents, yes, but the stomping of the MoveOn member outside of the debate by a Rand Paul volunteer is beyond ugly. And I wonder how much of that hate, hate enough to stomp someone's head in for an opposing view, is caused by the likes of Fox personalities and their slanted coverage of the US and the world. From my vantage point, it sure seems like a lot.

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We are One Nation.

We Value People, their lives, their jobs, their communities.

We Value the American Dream.

We Value Immigrants.

We Value our contributions to this nation, one nation, working together.

When we are one nation working together, we are able to accomplish anything, just like the American moto, Together we stand, Divided we fall.

AFL-CIO is now live streaming the rally. I'll try to post pictures later today.

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I got this notice in the mail and wanted to pass it along:

Nominate a Woman on the Rise

The Women on the Rise award was created to honor women who have broken down barriers and stereotypes and who have helped to lead the way for other women through their exemplary service and excellence in a trade or technical career.

Please take a moment to consider women whom you know and/or work with who deserve to be recognized for all their leadership and hard. To nominate them, please fill out a short nomination form which can be found here. Nominations are due July 23.

The link goes to a form to complete that you can then email.

I don't think enough women are acknowledge for the trailblazing or amazing things we do to help other women entering fields dominated by men. So, take a minute and nominate an amazing woman you know. I bet she deserves this honor. The honors are through Hard Hatted Women, a Cleveland based non-profit.

As a person suggestion, I'd recommend Laura Clawson or Tula Connell.

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It's been a while since I posted. I'm trying to figure out how to go back to school (in classes now) and to then pay for school. Reality certainly bites.

Then today came and I got an email from Working America with the latest main street blog post, and my issues seem so far removed now.

I "lost" my job way back in 1995 and 1996. My daughter was 2 and then 3 at the time. I can't say that I lost the first one as a matter of anything more than being replaced by a free worker. The State of Ohio at the time had what were called State Operated Service workers. They had worked at the local mental health facilities in the state, but as the state screwed up the entire mental health system and all of its workers, the state then offered to pay the salaries of the SOS workers for a given time. I was replaced by one of these workers.

He was a nice guy. I worked along side him for a while. And as painful a situation as it was, it wouldn't hold a candle to the hell I would then suffer in county government.

It's funny how life works.

Looking back now, I feel grateful to both agencies for firing me. I hated both jobs and felt like I couldn't do anything right, ever. But, at the time, with a small child and a husband that had just realized his undying love for another woman, well, let's just say, I didn't find joy or gratitude in my situation. I'm not sure how I was even able to hold either job at the time. I was terribly unhappy, had a cheating husband, a small little one to worry about and when he left me after the 2nd job loss, I really didn't think I'd ever find peace again.

That's when I went to work on a congressional campaign.

I found not only my footing again, but my candidate won. And then, he gave me a glowing recommendation. Based on his letter and the degree I'd gotten a few years earlier, I landed a job in the federal government.

I haven't had a lot of good bosses in federal service. But the ones who have been good, have so stood out for their ability to treat workers like we're human beings, that they almost make up for what I've been through up to this point.

After nearly 13 years in federal service, I feel as if I may have finally found the right spot for me and my skills. Both me and my skills are even appreciated, often cited as a resource and then last week, I was named one of 100+ women in Government and Technology.

So, I feel for the writer and everyone else out there who's been devastated with job loss:

On these matters, I can only speak for myself. What struck me most immediately was that, without my job, I had no place to go to. Not just the routine of going to work, but having a sense of ‘place’ and belonging in and to a place, was suddenly taken from me. The psychologist James Hillman has written extensively on the subject of the soul being nourished by its sense of place, and that our workplaces are, or should be, vital places that help instill a sense of shared purpose, of mutual encouragement, so that they themselves have a sense of soul.

I completely agree, work gave me a sense of being, of having meaning greater than being a mom or a wife. Being unemployed, made me realize, that I really was nothing without a job. I was not able to provide. I was not able to function. I had no where to go. But from this abyss, I found meaning by volunteering on a campaign. Running a campaign office, scheduling events, training canvassers, designing walk lists, calling voters and walking door to door with my 3 year old, it all gave me new life and new meaning. And when he stood on that stage and thanked all of us, I was so proud of what I'd accomplished and how I felt about everything that I had done. It took a while before I was working again, 2 and a half months to be precise, but since then, I have found that we can do some amazing things when we get screwed over. Even stuff, you never thought you had in you.

So, to all of my sisters and brothers out there, I'm in your corner, hoping that through this rough, terrible, sickening time, you are able to find hope, peace and ultimately a new place to hang your hat.

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It's been a very long time since I was able to hold my nose, turn off my brain and watch the Sunday morning talk shows. I know, it's not just me, but with Health Care, the economy and jobs the arguably top stories of the day, this Sunday hosts folks like Disgraced Former Majority Whip Tom DeLay (isn't he still awaiting trial or did he plead out?), Orrin Hatch (when was the last original thought that came out his mouth?) and some Jackass from the National Review who recently was taken to task for LYING in an op-ed? These are the many guests we have to look forward to? Really?

Why is it Richard Trumka, James Hoffa, or even Andy Stern not on these shows? If we're talking jobs, why not Hilda Solis? Personally, I'd much rather hear what Leo Gerard has to say about the state of manufacturing than what might spill from the orifices of DeLay. And if you're reading this site and can't identify the names I just wrote, ask yourself, when was the last time you read a story about working Americans and it even noted the good that labor unions do to keep Americans at work?

Sunday talk is just that, talk. And until they start addressing real issues with real discussion and not dumb sound bites, I just don't think I'll bother wasting my time on them. I'd much rather unclog a drain or fix the garbage disposal. I'm a working American, these are the kinds of things I do. I bet they're the kind of things you do as well.

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I've been so busy with life. I changed jobs and started taking classes for a Master's degree, and that doesn't even mention the single mom thing and how my kid graduated from High School last month and is hoping now to get into a study abroad program called NSLI-Y. See how busy, look at that run-on sentence I just wrote!

So, anyway, this is where I get to the title. I've been planning a graduation trip for my kid. My parents and I are taking her on a Disney transatlantic cruise and when we get to London on our way home, I had high hopes of getting to finally see Bill Bragg in concert. But I find out this:

The second annual fundraiser Harvest of Hope Foundation Music and Arts Festival, March 12-14th, 2010, located at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds in St. Augustine, Florida features a three day, multiple stage alternative music festival that is unique in many ways, but mostly because it is all to benefit and raise awareness for nonprofit charity Harvest of Hope Foundation.

The Harvest of Hope Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides financial, educational, and service oriented aid to migrant farm workers all over the country. The event emphasizes on being not only entertaining, but educational, family friendly and environmentally conscience. The HOH Fest showcases not only a large group of musicians who are donating much of their time and performances to the cause but will also showcase a variety of progressive artists, local vendors and a nonprofit “educational center” that will help raise awareness for the many issues surrounding Migrant Farmworkers and their families.

I love that he's doing this amazing concert next weekend in Florida for Immigrant workers. I do, I love it. I have just got to say, that I have the worst fucking timing. Can I just say that? I can't go to Florida to see him and I can't see him in England. What the Fuck?!?!

Anyway, if you can make it next weekend to St. Augustine Floriday, highly recommend you make it to the Punk, Indie, grassroots music festival and someone, could ya tell Billy "hey" from me, I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

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I gave to Oxfam during the Tsunami and I gave to the humane society for Katrina (mostly because I couldn't bring myself to give to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army, and if I couldn't give to the humans, I had to give to the animals).

This morning, I gave to ShelterBox. It wasn't much, but I figure, if I gave $$ and I can inspire 5 more folks to give $$ even just a dollar, and then they inspire 5 others and those 5 inspire 5 each, well, you get the point.

So, What's in the box? From Shelterbox:

• One 49 gallon box (The Shelterbox) initially the container for delivery of the materials listed below. Once delivered, can be used as water tank, food store, cot, table, etc.

• One ten-person tent, including two fabric interior privacy partitions, outer fly-sheet and repair kit. These tents are considered ‘winter suitable’ by international relief standards.

• Vinyl insulated sleeping mats and lightweight thermal blankets. More compact than sleeping bags, these mats and blankets have multiple uses. The blanket can also be fashioned to catch water, as a tarp, etc. while the mat also serves as a ground ‘table’ for meals, or tent rugs.

• One pack of 180 water purification tablets or a water purification kit; and one 5 gallon flat-pack water container (Each tablet will purify a full container of water providing 1,800 gallons of clean drinking water which should be sufficient for a family of ten for up to three months).

• Two 2.1 gallon, collapsible, plastic water carriers.

• One collapsible trenching shovel

• Rope, 164 foot

• Repellant-treated mosquito netting

• Ten PVC Ponchos/ ten HD plastic bags

• Tool kit in canvas bag: hachet, jack-knife, screwdriver, hammer, hoe head etc.

• Multi-fueled cook stove

• Eating utensils: enamel plates/cups

• Children's activity kit-simple school supplies, stickers and coloring book

I'm just a working woman in the US. But I didn't think I could stand by and not try to help, even in a small way, my fellow human beings in Haiti.

Please, take a minute and give. If you can't give, and some can't, forward the information to others, perhaps one of those people can, and then encourage those folks to forward the information to others... If we can't help in Haiti now, perhaps we can make sure that Shelterbox has enough resources to make sure that they can provide the next box to the next family in the next disaster area.

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We're very pleased to be co-sponsoring the online labor film database together with the DC Labor Film Fest. This extraordinary resource includes no fewer than 1,465 union films and videos. I think it's a fantastic resource for trade unionists everywhere and we should all be grateful to Chris Garlock and the Washington DC Metro Labor Council for putting this together. If you have videos to suggest for inclusion in this list, please send them on to cgarlock@dclabor.org.

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Crossposted on UnionReview

When I heard South Carolina Republican Senator say that Collective Bargaining threatens US security, I thought I'd actually fall off my chair.

We cannot allow them by unanimous consent, to move ahead with the unionization and collective bargaining of our Airport Security.

And there it was, coming out of the mouth of a sitting US Senator, working Americans are a hindrance to National Security. National Security. Come on, repeat that with me, NATIONAL SECURITY.

Again, from the mouth of the hate mongering idiot:

...we didn’t allow that when the agency was formed because we knew that collective bargaining would slow down the decision process and…and jeopardize security.

I know, everyone here knows what collective bargaining is, but for our wesbite guests, let's talk definition:

Collective bargaining is a type of negotiation used by employees to work with their employers. During a collective bargaining period, workers' representatives approach the employer and attempt to negotiate a contract which both sides can agree with. Typical issues covered in a labor contract are hours, wages, benefits, working conditions, and the rules of the workplace. Once both sides have reached a contract that they find agreeable, it is signed and kept in place for a set period of time, most commonly three years. The final contract is called a collective bargaining agreement, to reflect the fact that it is the result of a collective bargaining effort.

I know, this might seem a little lame, but I'm saying it anyway. I'm tired of having to defend the rights of working folks to form communities to stand up for their rights at work.

That's what we're really talking about.

Unions are communities of workers.

We come together, work together and work to have each others' back so that if something goes wrong like a boss making a pass at me, or a co-worker losing a finger or simply being forced to work over time but not being paid for that time at an OT rate, well, I've got someone to make sure that I'll still have a job the next day.

I joined AFGE this past spring. Until recently, I worked in a position that had been excluded from the bargaining unit. In the summer of 08, I was told that I'd been re-classified and could join the union, then it was rescinded. I started asking around, looking for the names of the union officials in my agency, and after several months, finally found them and started paying dues ASAP.

Since joining, my union has listened to my issues. They've discussed with me options until I can be recognized under the collective bargaining agreement. They've been supportive, helpful and accessible. They've been member based and work toward making my work life a good one. As a dues paying member, I expect that of my union and I've referred a number of co-workers to the union to join. Often, even in Government, workers are afraid to join because it could mean a stop in their career, or at least that's the perception. For me, it's been the opposite.

For me, joining the union has meant much, much more in terms of responsibility and a rise in stature. Skills I have that have gone on used at my agency are now being looked at and I'm moving to a new job. These are skills I have acquired through my blogging on workers issues and my activity in building websites through a community of coders. I credit where I am today to the work I've done on behalf of worker's rights and the work of my AFGE union local.

You see, collective bargaining means that we as employees through our elected representatives set the terms of which we work.

We agree to the over time, compensatory time, the long hours or the short ones, the temporary, the extended or even the types of jobs we might do. We work with our employers to set the standards we can all live by in order to make the workplace work for the folks on the front line to the folks in the ivory towers.

I support the ability of Transportation Security Administration workers to join a union. It will mean that the union can work with the employer to draft better suggestion processes. It will mean that a pregnant woman screening bags can move from one position to the next for the betterment of not only her body and her baby's body, but also for the agency. I mean, come on, who wants a fatigued pregnant woman doing one job all day long? Let them have a hand in making these rules.

A TSA union will not mean millions of American deaths on American soil, no matter how badly Senator Asshat says it will, again, Senator Asshat himself:

Politicizing security is a real problem in this administration. There’s absolutely no good reason to submit security to collective bargaining with union bosses.

Senator, TSA needs the option of collective bargaining. They are American workers doing an important job at American airports. Denying them this basic human right, to join in a community to have their voices heard is Un-American. It's your continued politicization of American workers that's the legitimate threat to American National Security.

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I'm planning a trip for this April for my parents and for my kid who is graduating from High School. Ugh, I'm so old!!

So, I open my e-mail and what do I see?

American Airlines

Winter Flight Deals!

Book now and save on travel into 2010! Great destinations like Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans and more are on sale with fares starting as low as $58* each way.

Hurry, purchase your tickets by November 23, 2009, for travel December 2, 2009, through March 10, 2010.

Most excellent except for one small tiny little itty bitty thing...

United Airlines flight attendant members of the Association of Flight
Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA-CWA) will join members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) at American Airlines on the picket line at airports around the country tomorrow. While American Flight Attendants conduct a mock strike and walk the picket line,
United.

Flight Attendants will join them in solidarity for a fair Contract and coordinated efforts to lift the standard for Flight Attendants across the industry.

Now, American Airlines, did you think you were going to get that one past me? Tease me with a great looking deal, only to piss on the workers who will be protecting my ass in the sky? Well, American Airlines, I think not!

So, get to the table and hammer out a fair deal. Psst, and a fair deal doesn't look like the kind of crap the the likes of Dick E. Dauch pulled when he sank American Axle into a hole, took millions from the company in pay days, asked workers for 60% pay cuts and left them out their on the picket lines for 11 weeks. Fairpay for CEO's should be measured based on what the lowest paid workers under you make.

So, for anyone taking a flight tomorrow on American, perhaps, you can reconsider. And thanks for the fabulous deals American, but no thanks. I don't live in Wal-Merica, I live in the United States of America. So, take that deal... what, I have to paint you a picture?

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Crossposted on UnionReview

Over the hot and steamy summer month of August, I was able to tour the most amazing factory, a Steel mill. Campaign for Ameirca's Future and the Alliance for American Manufacturing arranged for this amazing tour of the Edgar Thomson mill (Mon Valley Works) US Steel mill.

I walked, coughing and wheezing, my way up what they said were 5 flights of stairs in about 50 lbs of safety gear but what really felt more like 10 stories. For some reason, being in Pittsburgh kicked in allergies I didn't even know I had.

Walking through the mill reminded me of being a kid. My dad worked at a Steel Mill. I remember a really big bucket that poured this orange liquid into what looked like really big jello molds to me. I was a kid, so, they are kid memories. My dad worked in the Forge shop. He hammered out the pieces that were used in most of the American made convertibles up until about 1980. The company he once worked for still holds the patent even though the company no longer exists. But, I digress.

When I took the tour, I remembered the process, the liquid orange drink that went into the molds. It was a small operation in comparison to US Steel. What was most fascinating to me is how few people are needed now to do the same job performed by about (per the tour) 100 Chinese mill workers. The computers control and sense just about everything. The mill doesn't pour the liquid orange drink anymore either, they have what looked like a lid on it. The liquid steel turned out the most beautiful looking bars of steel I'd ever seen. They looked so perfect. You could see them cooling from the bright deep orange to auburn to almost a red and then a brick red and gray/black. I could see the rising heat like I were staring at the pavement in summer as the water cooled it, sending steam and heat into the air. It was really more beautiful than anything I can remember seeing before.

I wish there were words for how I felt and what I saw. Amid the sneezes, coughing and sniffles I was thinking about how wonderful it was to see Americans manufacturing. I knew my dad did, but it had been a while since I saw real American manufacturing this close up and with this kind of efficiency. It was really just beautiful.

So, today, I was looking for pictures of the Edgar Thomson mill in Braddock when I got an e-mail from someone I know about a deal at the Container Store. Yeah, I know, it's a girly thing.

I like the container store. I like organizing my apartment, but that's because 1000 square feet with 2 bedrooms and a 16 year old needs some intense organizing to function.

I've bought from the container store and I knew they carried American made products because I've bought them there, but I had no idea that they actually allow you to browse by category for products and one of those categories is Made In The USA.

They have unique items like the Flip Fold and Flip Fold jr. When I worked in retail, we used these to fold shirts uniformly, oh and jeans too. Before these were available, we had to use a cutting board that we folded around. These cut our folding time in half.

I'm planning to buy these nifty power converters for my parents for an upcoming trip to Europe. My mother has never been and if you promise not to tell her, then I'll share the surprise I'm hoping to give her. Okay, here it is, I'm hoping that when we arive in Barcelona, that we'll be able to travel to where her father was born in Viitasaari, Finland. My mother has never been and I'd like her to see it at least once. I mean, come on, how can we go all that way and not actually make it to Finland? “Hyvää päivää!” to all my Finnish friends!!

My point here is that Americans make cool stuff. From pretty, hot, and orange planks of steel to the smallest of electrical converters. The way to pull ourselves out of the mess the banks and Wall-street have gotten us into is to re-invest in ourselves. And that means MANUFACTURING.

So, tell me what you made today. I'd love to know and I bet, so would everyone else.

 

 

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ENDA is

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017), introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), would prohibit employment discrimination, preferential treatment, and retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity by employers with 15 or more employees. Currently, it is legal to discriminate in the workplace based on sexual orientation in 29 states and in 38 states based on gender identity.

And the place to start for me is with the testimony of William Eskridge, John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School, it's short but very pointed.



And next up, another personal story, this one from Vandy Beth Glenn, where she was fired from her Georgia state legislative job



Normally, when I write these posts, I have loads to say, but I honestly couldn't add analysis or even a thought when presented with the testimony of Vandy Beth Glenn and William Eskridge. Nothing I've experienced comes close to being fired from a job that you love and are good at because your boss has an issue with how your co-workers might feel. Feel? Seriously? WTF?

I think we as a society have a long way to go on the issue of equality. From women's pay, to Don't Ask Don't Tell, we have long walk ahead of us. Legislation like ENDA is a major step down that long road, and no one says it better than the men and women most affected by ENDA, like Helen C. Walther:

By Helen C. Walther on September 22, 2009 12:59 PM
As a transsexual woman I can directly attest to the need of this legislation. I can directly relate to the fear of losing a job, or not even having a chance for one, because of my gender identity as well as the limiting nature of this fear on my current job search (I’ve been unemployed for 9 months).

ENDA needs to come to the floor and every member of Congress needs to vote for it.

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Crossposted on dailykos

When Michael Jackson died, I didn't really notice. He didn't move me; didn't change my life; he didn't make me get to my feet and find reason in it.

Michael Jackson was a great entertainer. But he was no Crystal Lee Sutton. He never took on management to bring a better life to her, her family and her co-workers. Crystal Lee Sutton, took a stand and paid a heavy price for it:

“Management and others treated me as if I had leprosy,” said Crystal. She received threats and was finally fired from her job. But before she left, she took one final stand, filmed verbatim in the 1979 film Norma Rae. “I took a piece of cardboard and wrote the word UNION on it in big letters, got up on my work table, and slowly turned it around. The workers started cutting their machines off and giving me the victory sign. All of a sudden the plant was very quiet…”

Over the past few months, Crystal (aka Norma Rae) has battled brain cancer and her health insurer for life saving care, care she was denied.

Last week, Crystal Lee Sutton entered hospice care. Today, I received word that Crystal has lost her battle.

Thank you so much for getting the word out about Crystal. I was able to share the messages with her, and it meant a lot to her and to her family. She even managed a smile at the H.L. Mencken quote! She died yesterday about 3:30, peacefully, with her family there. The local paper had a front page article this morning, www.TimesNews.com. The funeral is tomorrow, the last I heard, at Maclure funeral home in Graham, N.C., at 2:00, with visitation prior to the service. I miss her already.

For those of you too young to remember Norma Rae, Brave New Films has a great review of the film.



From it, you can get a good idea of who Crystal Lee Sutton was and has been to an entire movement.

As a single mom, I especially found inspiration in her story. I am a liberal, a union activist because of Crystal Lee Sutton. She is today and will always remain, my personal hero.

Please, take a minute and remember an amazing woman.



Join me in song. Solidarity forever, For the Union Makes Us Strong!


Thank you Crystal. Thank you.

You are missed.

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I’ve been covering issues related to the production of chocolate through the use of child slave labor for a few years now. In all of that time, I didn’t really have a moment to really feel like anyone was listening inside the walls of Congress. Today, however, Congress doesn’t have to act on this, the Department of Labor has and the tone is set in the opening paragraph to their List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor report:

As a nation and as members of the global community, we reject the proposition that it is acceptable to pursue economic gain through the forced labor of other human beings or the exploitation of children in the workplace. However, we are aware that these problems remain widespread in today’s global economy. Indeed, we face these problems in our own country. The International Labor Organization estimates that over 12 million persons worldwide are working in some form of forced labor or bondage and that more than 200 million children are at work, many in hazardous forms of labor. The most vulnerable persons – including women, indigenous groups, and migrants – are the most likely to fall into these exploitive situations and the current global economic crisis has only exacerbated their vulnerability.

What’s hardest to conceive of in the issues surrounding child slave labor in chocolate production is really how easy it could be to fix. Let’s start with the world’s major producer, Côte d’Ivoire. Did you know that Cote d'Ivoire produces about 40% of the world supply of cocoa, and this cocoa comes from about 600,000 total farms in this very small West African country.

The 600,000 producers are often very small farms where children are forced to work to help their families or are sold to larger farms. From the New Internationalist

The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has made many visits to Côte d’Ivoire and it has never met a single parent who would not have preferred their child to go to school, get an education, and have a better future. The problem is that many parents have no choice: there are simply no schools, no teachers and no books. Their children have to work because these cocoa farmers do not receive a fair price for their beans and as a result, live in poverty. And a recent study by the Payson Centre at Tulane University has shown that, despite millions of dollars and many years, the chocolate companies’ charitable efforts are not having a broad impact on improving the lives of children on cocoa farms.

The problem of child slavery in chocolate production comes from control of revenues, revenues which were used to fund a civil war. I’m sure everyone knows the “Golden Rule”, He who has the Gold makes the Rules? Well, that’s the case in Côte d’Ivoire. It's a horrendous situation for thousands of children. This is a very real problem caused by poverty and war and held in place by greed and abuse:

An investigative report by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) in 2000 indicated the size of the problem. According to the BBC, hundreds of thousands of children are being purchased from their parents for a pittance, or in some cases outright stolen, and then shipped to the Ivory Coast, where they are sold as slaves to cocoa farms. These children typically come from countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Togo. Destitute parents in these poverty-stricken lands sell their children to traffickers believing that they will find honest work once they arrive in Ivory Coast and then send some of their earnings home. But that's not what happens. These children, usually 12-to-14-years-old but sometimes younger, are forced to do hard manual labor 80 to 100 hours a week. They are paid nothing, are barely fed, are beaten regularly, and are often viciously beaten if they try to escape. Most will never see their families again.

Today, I’m thrilled that the US Department of Labor has listed cocoa production in their report. What I was a bit disturbed by, was my utter lack of knowledge of other child slave produced products like Electronics, Fireworks, garments and textiles from China; Coal from Pakistan; Shrimp from Thailand; and how often child slave labor is associated with clothing from the harvesting of cotton to the production of the garment in countries as divergent as Argentina, India and Uzbekistan.

We have a long way to go to end forced labor all over the world. I think a good first step is for Congress and the President to no longer agree to more Favored Nation status’ or Free Trade Agreements with countries that can’t do the bare minimum for the most vulnerable in society. These products and their raw materials shouldn’t even be on the market and should never reach the shelves at our local stores. Best way to stop it, is to start with Trade, and that’s up to the Politicians we elect. I mean, they do work for us, don’t they?

The next thing we can all do, is to take a step back, put down the coffee and cocoa and check the labels on our clothes and other textiles. If they’re made in a country on this list or the cotton comes from one of these countries, look elsewhere. Look toward local chocolatiers for that chocolate fix (list available in link of a few chocolaty suggestions) and find ways to recycle clothes from the Good Will or a local thrift store that supports causes you do. Look for the union made label, you’ll get a great item and know that it was not child slave labor produced.

And one last thing, let folks know what you’re doing. Let them know that you don’t support child slave labor and that’s why you’re not buying chocolates right now. It’s your way of sending a message to companies like Cargill, companies that just don’t care who produces the materials they trade:

It admitted, in its public response to an ILRF action last year, that it did not have sufficient ‘market incentive’ to eliminate slavery from its supply chain. Consumers can avoid eating chocolate by one company or another. However, as Cargill is selling to all of them, can you be sure your chocolate did not go through Cargill’s hands?

It’s really time these companies looked at children and saw something other than Market Incentives, it’s time they actually see in children what they are, our future.

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Crystal Lee Sutton (AKA Norma Rae) has been battling cancer for some time now.

Helping Norma Rae: Crystal Lee Sutton – the woman whom the movie "Norma Rae" was based on – is fighting for her life. Ill with meningioma (a brain tumor), her health insurance – which initially denied her coverage – covers so little that her husband must work two jobs to help pay her medical bills. "Crystal's long been a heroine to many of us in the labor movement," says Community Services Agency Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy, "CSA is proud to help coordinate metro-area support for the real 'Norma Rae'" To contribute to the Crystal Lee Sutton Foundation, click here now and be sure to put "Norma Rae" under Designation.

So it is with a heavy heart that I read this message this morning:

Dear bendygirl,

Crystal Sutton is now at the Hospice Home in Burlington, NC. She still holds the Union dear but will soon be advocating for justice on a higher plane. She would appreciate your prayers. Messages can be sent to me at my email address and I will see that she gets them.

Please post a message in the comments section if you'd like to send her your thoughts or prayers. You can also e-mail me at bendygirl@gmail.com and I will forward them for you.

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I got this message today and wanted to share:

Dear friend or past customer of Northland,

Thank you for your support for Northland Poster Collective over the years. Northland has now officially closed its doors after thirty years of supporting organizing, movement building and educational mischief through art. It is sad to see the end of such a long-lasting and well-loved institution but the fact of its existence feels like a victory (as is the length of its survival and its continued ability to attract young people).

To find any of the ongoing projects spawned by Northland, look at historical images or comment in the blog (many have registered, no one has yet dared make the first entry), go to the Northland Legacy web site at www.northlandposter.com.

If you wish to receive news from my new studio (I have been a main artist at Northland) or to be notified when my commerce-enabled website opens, please sign up at Ricardo Levins Morales.

Thank you and be well,
Ricardo


Ricardo Levins Morales
Northland Poster Collective
PO Box 7096
Minneapolis, MN 55407
(800) 627-3082

Right now, I'm sitting in my hotel room at Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh, sad that I'm too tired to head to PNC Stadium for batting practice with AAM. I think the mill tour yesterday and all the walking around, well, I'm just plain tired. So, here I am, in my room, wearing a Northland T-Shirt, one of my favorites. It's a picture of a school of fish following one huge fish. The school of fish are in the shape of a bigger fish trying to eat the big fish, collectively. Underneath, it says, ORGANIZE. I agree, when we're organized, together, we can do anything.

Right now, I'm ready to collectively do anything, apparently, just not batting practice at PNC!

If you're at Netroots Nation, hit me up!! Pst, it's Bendygirl!!

Goodbye Northland. You are already missed.

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I love taking the train.

In the dining car, you can eat with the most interesting and random assortment of folks, at the same table. And, the food is good. You also eat with silverware.

I’ve eaten with a woman who can’t fly due to inner ear issues. I’ve eaten with students because Amtrak gives student discounts, so it makes sense for them. I’ve even eaten with folks from the First Class sleeper cars, now try and do that on a plane. But best of all, are the people who are taking their first ever trip. I love seeing the countryside through their eyes.

I’ve had mostly good experiences and occasionally, I’ve had amazing experiences.

I’ve taken the train to Orlando, Savannah, Cleveland, Chicago, New York and even a commuter train into New York (not Amtrak). I’m hoping to take the train to see friends in Fayetteville this winter and it’s really convenient for Fayetteville since they have a station there. If I wanted to get there faster and fly, I’d need to fly into Raleigh-Durham, about an hour away. I’m also likely to take the train to Pittsburgh for the blogging convention Netroots Nation in August. As you can see, I take the train.

Taking the train for me is cost effective, first and foremost. I rarely pay as much for the train as I would for a flight and then there’s the added bonus of not having to pay additional security taxes and fees. Of course, when your ticket has been issued, if you lose it, as my daughter did on our last trip, you will need to re-purchase that return trip ticket. That was a very expensive lesson to learn for the 15 year old. On the other hand, trust me, she’s never done that again.

Second, it’s safer than driving. Of course, there are those moments when car and train collide, and car always looses. I suppose the accident last week in Michigan is a reminder to all of us that, you can’t race a train:

Early last Thursday afternoon a passing Amtrak train pulverized a car full of young people when the driver decided to circumvent waiting cars at the crossing in an attempt to beat the train. The car occupants included four boys and a girl, ranging in age from 14 to 21.

The driver was 19 and operating the vehicle on a suspended license. It took a mile before the train came to a complete stop. When I saw the initial footage on TV taken by helicopter, I couldn’t tell where the car was.

SNIP

First of all, he should have known enough not to race an Amtrak train going 65 mph. He should have known if the gates were down, they were down for a reason and no emergency in the world would justify trying to go around them.

And my last reason for train travel:

It’s better for the environment. Train travel is mass transportation. By taking the train, there are fewer cars on the roads or planes in the air. Sure, walking is even better, but who has that kind of time?

All in all, I love taking the train. So, imagine my excitement when I saw this story on MSNBC, I mean, it’s like they’re actually trying to give me another reason to take the train:

It’s all part of the Trails & Rails program, a joint program between the Park Service and Amtrak that operates on 12 trains across the country. Now in its ninth year, it’s designed to showcase the cultural and natural heritage of each local area.

Volunteers get onto the trains and tell stories about what you see. From history to nature to architectural beauty, it’s all right there and explained for everyone who’s interested, again from MSNBC:

Adirondack
Bookended by New York and Montreal, the Adirondack spends much of its route traversing the less-crowded countryside of the Hudson River Valley and eastern Adirondacks. Along the way, riders can experience, not one, but two Trails & Rails programs.

For an easy morning outing, consider tagging along from Croton-Harmon to Hudson, an 80-minute run narrated by volunteers from the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. Hugging the east bank of the Hudson, the train passes several historic sites, including Bannerman’s Castle, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (across the river) and Frederick Vanderbilt’s 54-room summer home.

There’s even a program that adds sort of an artist in residency to a section in North Dakota:

Depending on your itinerary, you’ll find yourself following the Mississippi River (think paddlewheelers and grain barges), crossing the northern plains (think Lewis and Clark) or traversing “the crown of the continent” (along the southern edge of Glacier National Park). This year, the program between Minot, N.D., and Shelby, Mont., will also feature artisans provided by the North Dakota Arts Council and special performances by Keith Bear, a Mandan/Hidatsa storyteller and flute player.

I wish more of us Americans would decide to take the time to take the train. There’s so much to see in this expansive country of ours, and apparently the National Park Service and Amtrak are working together to give it to us.

Now, if we can just get people to understand you can’t beat a train with a car; I can dream of for this, right?

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