Opportunity for IWW Organizer Training in Albuquerque

The Albuquerque Industrial Workers of the World GMB will be hosting Organizing 101 Training on June 1st and 2nd at La Plaza del Encuentro (714 4th St SW). The training is open to any worker, employed or unemployed. There is a $5 registration fee and $30 suggested donation. 

About the Training
 
IWW's Organizer Training provides workers with the training needed to organize at their jobs. The training provides a foundation in U.S. labor law, and gives workers direct action tactics necessary to assert their rights on the job, with or without union representation.

The training also covers the basics of building an organizing committee, reaching out to coworkers through one-on-one meetings, and building strength up to the point of going public with a union. Learn to organize in your workplace through discussion with experienced organizers, workshops, role-playing, and other exercises.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days. A vegan option will be available. Training materials will also be provided.
 
To register: email abq@iww.org or call 505-255-4684

About the IWW 

The IWW is a radical rank and file union, founded in 1905, that is open to all workers, regardless of occupation. The Albuquerque IWW is active and organizing in the education and food service sectors.

Las Vegas IWW's Monthly Meeting and May Day After Party (5-4-13)

The Las Vegas IWW at May Day 2013

The Las Vegas Industrial Workers of the World will be holding our official monthly meeting on Saturday, May 4th at 4pm at the Sunrise Coffee shop on Sunset between Eastern and Pecos (see below for map). Among other things we will be celebrating and reminiscing about the recently concluded May Day march.

Despite some initial misgivings about some outside organizations attempting to exploit the International Day of the Worker for their own misguided purposes, this years May Day turned out great and there was an impressive visible turnout by Las Vegas' IWW crew. Everyone that was there and helped to hold the ground for the true spirit of May Day deserves an enormous pat on the back.

We also will be discussing and finalizing our official bylaws, and potentially electing a treasurer, delegates, and other necessary positions for our branch to be certified as an official GMB along with other formalities such as when we will officially meet, on what days, how long meeting should last and other related issues.

This meeting is an open meeting and can be attended by the general public. Prospective members and those wishing to find out more about the IWW are welcome to attend, but will not be able to participate directly in any decisions or votes that might take place.

What is the IWW?:

The IWW is a member-run union for all workers, a union dedicated to organizing on the job, in our industries and in our communities. IWW members are organizing to win better conditions today and build a world with economic democracy tomorrow. We want our workplaces run for the benefit of workers and communities rather than for a handful of bosses and executives.

We are the Industrial Workers of the World because we organize industrially. This means we organize all workers producing the same goods or providing the same services into one union, rather than dividing workers by skill or trade, so we can pool our strength to win our demands together. Since the IWW was founded in 1905, we have made significant contributions to the labor struggles around the world and have a proud tradition of organizing across gender, ethnic and racial lines long before such organizing was popular.

For more info visit: IWW.org


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Join the Las Vegas IWW at a May Day Solidarity Rally for Salvador Zamora

Salvador Zamora has been conducting a hunger strike across the street from the federal courthouse in Las Vegas for 21 days (as of 4-30) demanding genuine immigration reform. To honor what he is doing and because it is the spirit of May Day, the true worker's holiday, I will be joining him in solidarity to support and help bring attention to his cause and would like to invite others to join me.

Find out more info either on FaceBook here: May Day Solidarity Rally event or on our Meetup group here: Las Vegas Anarchy Meetup May Day Solidarity Rally.

Unfortunately, this is very short notice due to the fact that I didn't even know he was doing this until I happened to walk past and see him. While he has received some coverage from the local Spanish language media, none of the other local media has even mentioned it at all. Personally, I'm pretty hard pressed to understand how a guy going without food for over three weeks (and counting) isn't newsworthy, regardless of the reasons.

Although it isn't actually required to participate in the rally, I will be fasting for 24 hours beginning at midnight once May Day officially starts to show my support for his own sacrifice.

There is no "official" start time, although I'll be going down there in the morning and spending the day with Salvador. You are welcome to come at whatever time is convenient for you.

There will also be an official, albeit really sanitized and docile, May Day parade hosted by local unions and politicians beginning around 4 o'clock at the federal courthouse that you may or may not want to take part in. If so, you could just show up a bit early to show Salvador some support.


I hope to see you there.

LasVegasIWW.org is now live!

Enjoy

Join the Las Vegas IWW for the February Monthly Meeting

The Las Vegas Industrial Workers of the World will be holding our first official monthly meeting on Saturday, February 2nd at 4pm. We will be discussing and finalizing our official bylaws (view text file here), and will also be electing a treasurer, delegates, and other necessary positions for our branch to be certified as an official GMB. In addition, we will decide how often to formally meet, on what days, how long meeting should last and other related issues.
This meeting is an open meeting and can be attended by the general public. Prospective members and those wishing to find out more about the IWW are welcome to attend, but will not be able to participate directly in any decisions or votes that might take place.
What is the IWW?:
The IWW is a member-run union for all workers, a union dedicated to organizing on the job, in our industries and in our communities. IWW members are organizing to win better conditions today and build a world with economic democracy tomorrow. We want our workplaces run for the benefit of workers and communities rather than for a handful of bosses and executives.
We are the Industrial Workers of the World because we organize industrially.
This means we organize all workers producing the same goods or providing the same services into one union, rather than dividing workers by skill or trade, so we can pool our strength to win our demands together. Since the IWW was founded in 1905, we have made significant contributions to the labor struggles around the world and have a proud tradition of organizing across gender, ethnic and racial lines long before such organizing was popular.
For more info visit: IWW.org

May Day 2012 Afterthoughts

Personally, I'm rather glad that I and several other members of the local Occupy movement were given the opportunity to become involved with the planning of the May Day march this year. While I've been involved tangentially in the  past, this is  the first time that I've taken part in the actual planning and execution of the march from beginning to end. It was a lot of work and at times stressful, but the end result was well worth it.

As an Anarchist and someone who has been intimately involved in the fight for labor rights, May Day is a very important holiday for me in its own right. However, anyone that is genuinely interested in the professed ideals of the Occupy movements is or should become aware of the ways in which racism, homophobia, sexism, and nationalism are used to divide and set us against each other and to keep us fighting our fellow workers, with whom we actually have the most in common with, instead of uniting as the singular people that we truly are to eliminate abuses throughout the workplace and beyond.

Immigration laws and the police powers that the scare tactics associated with them bring, absolutely are an injury to all, even if the initial and most visible injury is perpetrated against a small minority. The undocumented worker that is blackmailed into accepting inferior pay and working conditions is also used as a threat against non-immigrant workers who dare to ask for better working conditions and pay for themselves. It's a vicious cycle that ultimately benefits no-one excepts the bosses.

Similarly, the cops in riot gear that we all witnessed tearing down Occupation tents, arresting, and abusing peaceful protesters were funded by budgets inflated through border controls and drug war justifications that primarily target minority communities with devastating effect. The creeping militarization of police starts at the borders, but it doesn't end there. Anyone that believes in the right to protest for basic human rights and common dignity needs to be in the fight, even if they haven't personally been affected by it yet.

May Day 2012 was a great success and I feel like Occupy Las Vegas brought several new and fun wrinkles to the march without distracting from the larger issues and goals of previous years. I hope that the other participants agree with that assessment and look forward to any other opportunities that might come along in which it would be appropriate for Occupiers to collaborate with UCIR, MEChA de UNLV, and the other groups/individuals who organized this important event.

Official Las Vegas May Day Press Release

General Strike & March in Support of Immigrant & Workers’ Rights on May 1st

On May 1st, 2012 the people of Las Vegas will participate in a day of action in solidarity with immigrants and workers of the world. We will join national efforts to support comprehensive immigration reform and denounce the passage of unjust laws that target the working poor, people of color, women, queer people, transgender people, im/migrants and other marginalized communities.

Economically disenfranchised communities continue to be oppressed as a result of the greed of corporations and governments; therefore, we are calling on our communities to take part in a general strike. We ask the community to not participate in the system for one day by abstaining from spending money, buying gas, going to school or work. Instead, come out into the street and march alongside us!

The March will begin at Commercial Center District and end at the Lloyd George Federal Building in downtown Las Vegas. The March will be followed by a rally and vigil at the Federal Building.

WHAT: May 1st Annual Immigrant & Workers’ Rights March, Rally and Vigil

WHEN: Saturday, May 1st 2012 at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: At the Commercial Center District, 953 East Sahara Avenue, LV 89104

Points of Unity:

• Denounce and end the unprecedented number of deportations by the Obama administration 
• Support Family Reunification. 
• Close the immigrant detention centers. 
• End anti-immigrant segregation in education: 
• Support the Dream Act. 
• No to the wall; no to the militarization of the border. 
• Support same Sex bi-national couples: Support the Uniting American Families Act. 
• Stop femicide along the US-Mexico Border. 
• Stop the abusive, inhumane and genocidal treatment of immigrants. 
• Support workers’ rights to organize. 
• End Secure Communities, E-Verify, Arizona’s SB 1070, and Alabama’s HB 56. 
• Stop using the term “illegal”. 
• End the criminalization of and provide protection for Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender immigrants.

For more information, please contact Jasmine Rubalcava by Phone: (702) 900-4918 or email us at: ucirlv@gmail.com