[Antiracism] [Workers' Rights] Calendar 4/14-5/4

[WMass Jobs With Justice]

Monday April 14
	SENIOR ACTION DAY 2008
	10:30am, Great Hall, State House, Boston. Mass Senior Action Council
(MSAC) rally and then talk with legislators about issues affecting seniors
and all people in Massachusetts. This year the focus is on Saving Senior
Housing, Home Care, Bringing Down the Cost of Prescription Drugs, Safe
Staffing, and Reopening the Gardner Auditorium Entrance to People with
Handicaps. A light lunch will be served. Buses are available from several
locations. Info: 543-2334, mbewsee at masssenioraction.org,
www.masssenioraction.org. 

Monday April 14
	BEHIND THE KITCHEN DOOR: Research & Organizing among Immigrant
Workers in the Service Economy
	4pm, UMass Amherst Labor Center, room 302, Gordon Hall, 418 N
Pleasant St, Amherst. Speakers: Dr Saru Jayaraman, co-author, "The New Urban
Immigrant Workforce", and Fekkak Mamdouh, co-founder, Restaurant
Opportunities Center United. Saru Jayaraman, Asst Prof of Public Law in the
Political Science Dept at Brooklyn College, co-founded and directs the
Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-United) in New York City. She
also founded Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (W.Y.S.E.), a national
non-profit providing young women of color with the resources and support to
take leadership in their communities for change. Fekkak Mamdouh was a
waiter, shop steward, and union activist at Windows on the World. After
September 11, he staffed the Immigrant Worker Assistance Alliance (IWAA) and
then co-founded ROC-United. He is co-author of "The Accidental American",
coming out in September 2008. Free childcare provided. Info: Eve Weinbaum,
577-0458, weinbaum at lrrc.umass.edu.
 
Tuesday April 15 Tax Day
	WHERE TAX DOLLARS GO
	In "Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?", the National Priorities Project
provides a breakdown of how the federal government spent the median
household's 2007 tax payment in each state and almost 200 cities. With the
current Administration's priorities to fund a half a trillion dollar war in
Iraq and a yearly military budget of the same amount, the breakdown of the
income tax dollar is as predictable as it is shocking. While the federal
government spent 42.2% of every 2007 income tax dollar towards military
spending, anti-poverty programs received 8.7% and funding for the
environment, energy and science received just 2.6%. You can contrast this
breakdown with the cost of the Iraq War to your state, city or congressional
district at www.nationalpriorities.org.
	NPP's latest tax day publication also looks ahead at the Bush
Administration's proposed federal spending and tax cuts for Fiscal Year
2009. The Iraq War would receive another $139 billion in Iraq War spending,
bringing the total allocated to the war to $745 billion. Tax cuts for the
richest 10% would cost $116.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2009. At the same time,
spending on renewable energy and conservation would receive $1.3 billion.
Voters have made clear in the latest polls that they are not happy with the
country's current direction. With a quick look at how the government spent
last year's income tax dollars, it's easy to see why.

Tuesday April 15
	MERCY MEDICAL CENTER NURSES & ALLIES INFORMATIONAL PICKET
	1-4:30pm, Mercy Medical Center, 271 Carew St, Springfield. The
Registered Nurses at Mercy Medical Center will picket in front of the
hospital to highlight the lack of movement by management in recent
negotiations. The RNs, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association,
have been in negotiations since December. Management continues to seek a
wage and benefit plan that will not allow the hospital to remain
competitive, threatening the ability to retain and recruit experienced
nurses. Info: Diane Scherrer, 584-4607 x2, dscherrer at mnarn.org.

Tuesday April 15 (Third Tuesday)
     FRANKLIN/HAMPSHIRE HEALTH CARE COALITION
     7pm, Lathrop Village Community Room, Shallow Brook Drive, off Bridge
Rd, Northampton. Organizing for the Massachusetts Health Care Trust Fund
Bill (S.703/H.1137) - a universal health care system, providing universal
access, a comprehensive range of physical and mental health benefits, choice
of provider, quality, unified financing and cost controls, accountable
governance, and stability. A Massachusetts Health Care Trust Fund will be a
"single-payer" of all health care costs, statewide. Info: info at fhhcc.org. 

Wednesday April 16 (Third Wednesday)
     PIONEER VALLEY CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL 
     7pm, AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Blvd, near corner of Osborne Ter, across
the street from the old Westinghouse, Springfield. Community and labor
activist guests are welcome, but RSVP to Jon at 732-7970, mail at pvaflcio.org,
or Rick at 374-1492.

Wednesday April 16 
	A TOWN HALL CONVERSATION ON RACE, CLASS, & GENDER IN TODAY'S
ELECTORATE
	7pm, Stoddard Hall, Smith College, Rt 9, Northampton. In 2008,
progressive thinkers are grappling with a historic dilemma: how to choose
between Democratic candidates whose policies are similar and who represent
the aspirations of the civil rights and women's rights movements. Tensions
with respect to race and gender have made some speculate that it would be
best to attempt to ignore these categories, and certainly not to highlight
them as critical frameworks for analysis. How have women made these choices
during this primary season? How have thought processes differed along
generational, or racial, lines? Please join Meridians, the Smith College
Government Department, and the Program for the Study of Women and Gender in
a dialogue about recent landmarks in American electoral politics. Speakers:
Susan Carroll, Prof of Political Science at Rutgers University, and Paula
McClain, a political scientist from Duke University. Moderator: Prof Martha
Acklesberg of the Smith College Government Department. A town hall Q&A will
follow. Info: meridians at email.smith.edu.

Thursday April 17
	FREE FILM: "MADE IN L.A."
	7-8:30pm, Graham Auditorium, Smith College, Rt 9, Northampton
(www.smith.edu/map). Donations welcome. Q&A with the filmmakers after the
screening. "Made in L.A." follows the remarkable journey of three Latina
immigrants working in Los Angeles sweatshops as they embark on a three-year
odyssey to win basic labor protections from mega-trendy clothing retailer
Forever 21. Compelling, humorous, deeply human, "Made in L.A." is a story
about immigration, the power of unity, and the courage it takes to find your
voice. View the trailer at www.madeinla.com. Sponsored by SweatFree
Communities, Smith College Department for the Study of Women and Gender,
Students for Social Justice and Institutional Change, and Nosotras. Info:
Liana Foxvog, SweatFree Communities, 140 Pine St #10, Florence MA 01062;
586-0974, liana at sweatfree.org, www.sweatfree.org.

Friday April 18
	PIONEER VALLEY CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL ANNUAL CONFERENCE & WORKERS
MEMORIAL DAY
	9am-3pm (doors open at 8:15), Teamsters Local 404 Hall, 115 Progress
Avenue, Springfield (781-6326). $35. Suzanne Bump, Mass. Secretary of Labor
and Workforce Development, Robert Haynes, President, Mass. AFL-CIO, and Greg
Speeter, National Priorities Project, will address the conference. Delegates
Dale Melcher and Maureen Carney will lead a presentation on health care
reform. 
	Workers Memorial Day Ceremony at 2pm, Osborne Terrace at Page Blvd,
Springfield. Info: 732-7970, mail at pvaflcio.org.	
Friday April 18 & Saturday April 19
	"NOW LET ME FLY"
	8pm, Griswold Theatre, Karen Sprague Arts Center, American
International College, 1000 State St, Springfield. Free. Set mostly during
the early 1950s, the script celebrates the fight against legalized
segregation in this country. Thurgood Marshall, about to argue the Brown v.
Board of Education case, is visited by the ghost of his mentor, Charles
Houston. The two men visit several grassroots activists fighting against
segregation in different locales. “Now Let Me Fly” - which at times contains
strong, difficult language - is a play rich in visual imagery and also in
music. On Friday a talkback with the playwright Marcia Cebulska, director
Fred Sokol, and actors will follow the performance. Info: Patty Scagliarini,
205-3264; or Fred Sokol, sokolaustin at verizon.net.

Saturday April 19
	LEAFLET BIG Ys FOR JUSTICE @ SMITHFIELD
	Noonish depending on location. Sign up to participate and pick a
store: 827-0301, wmjwj at wmjwj.org. 
	Poverty wages, brutal conditions, crippling injuries - 5,500 workers
in Tar Heel, North Carolina, face this every day at the world's largest hog
processing plant. They are trying to correct it by forming a union. 
	Their employer's response got it cited by Human Rights Watch for
violating international human rights standards and cited by the National
Labor Relations Board and US Court of Appeals for labor law violations.
Smithfield Foods has created an environment of intimidation, racial tension,
violence, and fear of deportation for workers who want a voice on the job.
	You can help them exercise their right to a union. (See
www.smithfieldjustice.com.) 
	The local Justice @ Smithfield committee is asking Big Y to stop
selling Tar Heel pork (USDA establishment codes: 18079 and [bacon] 79-C). 
	Stop & Shop, Atkins Farms Country Market (Amherst), State Street
Fruit Store and Delicatessen (Northampton), Coopers Corner (Florence), and
US Foods at Westover Job Corps (Chicopee) are not offering Tar Heel pork.
The Springfield City Council and Mayor have urged all area stores to join
in. State Rep. Ben Swan has personally appealed to Big Y. But when a
delegation of religious, community, labor, educational, and student leaders
tried to see Big Y's owners, they were kicked out of the Springfield
headquarters. So we're leafleting Big Y customers. 
	Join us! Info: 827-0301, wmjwj at wmjwj.org. 
	 
Tuesday April 22
	EQUAL PAY DAY
	Originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as
a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's
wages. The day is observed on a Tuesday in April because Tuesday is the day
on which women's wages catch up to men's wages from the previous week. April
represents how far into the year a woman must work, on average, to earn as
much as a man earned the previous year. The wage gap is even greater for
most women of color. Women working full time still earn only 77 cents for
every full-time male dollar, and nothing has changed in more than a decade.
Here is what it looks like over a lifetime:  
•	If you're a young woman who graduated last summer from high school,
over your working life you will earn $700,000 less than the young man
standing in line with you to get his diploma.
•	If you graduated from college, you'll lose $1.2 million compared to
the man getting his degree along with you.
•	If you graduated from law school, medical school, or got an MBA last
summer, you’ll lose $2 million over your lifetime. Info: www.pay-equity.org.
SEE ALSO APRIL 23.

Tuesday April 22 (Fourth Tuesday)
     HAMPSHIRE/FRANKLIN CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL
     7:30pm, Northampton Fire Station Community Room, 26 Carlon Drive at
King St/Route 5 (across Carlon Dr from Northampton Athletic Club),
Northampton (587-1148). Community and labor activist guests are welcome, but
RSVP to Pres. Fiore Grassetti, 877-725-0357, org7 at comcast.net.  

Tuesday April 22 Earth Day - Friday April 25 Arbor Day
	ECO SUSTAINABILITY & SOLIDARITY FESTIVAL
	UMass Eco-Coalition is excited to invite us to share a commitment to
sustainability this Earth Day on the lawn in front of the Student Union at
UMass Amherst. Our intentions for this gathering are three-fold:
	To promote solidarity between campus groups, community groups, and
individuals who share visions of a sustainable future. To get the word out
about all of the good work that is being done around the issue of
sustainability on the UMass campus and in the greater Pioneer Valley
community. To have fun while embracing our different approaches to promoting
a
sustainable future.
	Opportunities to participate are open and up for creative
interpretation. Tables will be available between the hours of 10am and 3pm
in order for groups and individuals to present their ideas and actions.
Space will also be provided for workshops and presentations on all aspects
of sustainability. Theater, art, and other forms of creative expression are
deeply encouraged. Musicians, poets, and others who would like to have their
voices heard are encouraged to come perform in front of the Student Union
during all hours on all days. Info, to participate: Matt, 860-823-8106,
EcoCoalition.umass at gmail.com. To learn more about Sustainability Events in
the region, you are invited to join the listserve at
http://lists.topica.com/lists/sustliving.

Wednesday April 23
	EQUAL PAY DAY AT UMASS - EVELYN MURPHY (PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL
WAGE PROJECT) & CECELIE COUNTS (LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE, AFL-CIO)
	Noon, Cape Cod Lounge, Student Union Building, UMass Amherst.
Everywoman’s Center and the UMass Labor Center invite us to a light lunch
with Dr Evelyn Murphy and Cecelie Counts. Murphy - President of the National
WAGE Project, author of "Getting Even: Why Women Don’t Get Paid Like Men and
What To Do About It" - will speak about the reality of current wage
discrimination against women in the US and what we can do about it. Counts -
Legislative Representative for the AFL-CIO - will speak on the status of
federal pay equity legislation. Info: 545-0883, smandel at admin.umass.edu.
(See April 22.)

Thursday April 24
	THE HUMAN SERVICE WORKER AS SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST
	9:30am-12:30pm, Room KC 226, Kittredge Center, Holyoke Community
College, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke. $45, includes light refreshments and
handouts. This workshop will explore a critical issue: Oppressed groups are
commonly denied access to community life and are treated unjustly. Service
workers can and should strive to build a more just society and welcoming
community for such socially devalued groups and individuals. Info: Jim
Brunault, 788-6981, web001 at srvip.org, www.srvip.org.

Friday April 25
	HAMPSHIRE FRANKLIN CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST &
WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY
	9-10:45am, Bluebonnet Diner, 324 King St, Northampton. $20, payable
to HFCLC. To Northampton City Hall, 210 Main St, immediately afterward to
observe Workers Memorial Day. This is an excellent opportunity to talk with
area legislators and Mayors about our issues. Info, RSVP: Dale Melcher,
545-6166, dmelcher at lrrc.umass.edu. Send payment to Dale Melcher, UMass Labor
Center, 418 N Pleasant St, Amherst MA 01002.

April 25-26
	TRIGGERING CHANGE: HIP-HOP, MEDIA JUSTICE, & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ~
NATIONAL HIP-HOP CONFERENCE
	Friday, 4pm: Meet & Greet: Live Music & Book Signings, Food for
Thought Books, 106 N Pleasant St, downtown Amherst.
	Saturday 9am-6pm: Workshops, Panels, & More, School of Management
Building, UMass Amherst. 
	Saturday 9pm: Concert: REBEL DIAZ & DEAD PREZ, and local talent,
Hampshire College, Rt 116, Amherst.
	In light of the Dec. 18, 2007, FCC ruling allowing media
conglomerates to control more media outlets, on the heels of the Jena Six
case, and the two-year commemoration of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, among
other critical social issues, this conference will put students, scholars,
artists, activists, and intellectuals in conversation with each other about
the political mission of Hip Hop culture. Info, transportation options from
Holyoke & Springfield: 545-7676, triggeringchange08 at gmail.com,
www.triggeringchange08.blogspot.com.

Sunday April 27
	THE LOOMING CRISIS IN OIL DEPLETION
	7:30pm, Main Lecture hall, Franklin Patterson Hall, Hampshire
College, Rt 116, Amherst. Suggested donation $3-$10; free to students.
Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute speaks on "The Looming Crisis
in Oil Depletion and How Pioneer Valley Towns Can Prepare For It Starting
Now." Introduced by Hampshire College Prof Michael Klare of the Five College
Program in Peace and World Security Studies. Heinberg’s latest book is "Peak
Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Decline". Klare’s new book is
"Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy". Heinberg’s
books and Klare’s new book will be sold in the lobby after the lecture.
Info: Pioneer Valley Relocalization Project, 256-6044.

Monday April 28
	HEALTH CARE TEACH-IN & TRUTH HEARING
	Boston. Sponsored by Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, Boston
Liberation Health Care Network, Mass-Care, and Healthcare-NOW! Complimentary
breakfast and lunch included. A shuttle will provide transportation between
the hotel and the State House. 
	9am-Noon, Boston Marriott Conference Room: Teach-In on the effects
of Individual Mandates and Chapter 58 from the perspectives of Businesses,
Consumers, and Health Care Providers. 
	1-4pm, Boston State House: "SICKO" Showing and Truth Hearing,
followed by speakers including Donna Smith from "SICKO".  
	4:30pm: Single Payer Rally outside of the State House. 
	In an attempt to provide universal coverage to all Massachusetts
citizens, the state implemented Chapter 58 legislation mandating everyone to
purchase private health insurance, while extending subsidized coverage to
many low-wage working families. With no cost controls, individuals and
businesses are facing mounting costs and eroding coverage and the state is
facing a massive under-funding of the new law.  
	A comprehensive review of the Individual Mandate idea can be found
at www.weap.org. Individual Mandates:
•	force US citizens to purchase private insurance at rates which
include corporation profits, high management compensation, the costs of
consultants, lobbying, and union-busting, etc. 
•	do not provide a fair and just health care system 
•	exacerbate current health care problems and create new ones 
•	are the main road block between the current health care system and a
single-payer National Health Insurance Plan 
•	will charge more for coverage and we get less! 
Info, to register: 800-453-1305, info at healthcare-now.org,
www.healthcare-now.org. 

Thursday May 1 INTERNATIONAL LABOR DAY
	IMMIGRANT RIGHTS MAY DAY RALLY ~ Immigrant Rights Are Human Rights ~
An Injustice To One Is An Injustice To All
	Noon-2pm, Amherst North Common (in case of inclement weather, the
rally will be held at Grace Church Parish Hall). Organized by Western Mass
Coalition for Immigrant and Worker Rights (WMCIWR), a group of organizations
and community members who advocate, educate, organize, and mobilize to
protect the Human, Civil, and Constitutional Rights of all workers and
residents in our communities. Co-sponsored by Artists for Justice, SAGE,
Western Mass. Jobs With Justice, Western Mass. AFSC, Greensboro Justice
Fund, Western Mass. Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Western
Mass. CopWatch. The event features local guest speakers, poetry and musical
performances, and opportunities for the public speak out against injustice.
	Current enforcement-only immigration policy in the US tramples on
internationally recognized human rights, including protection of family, the
right to employment, the right to live with dignity and respect, and the
human right of recognition as a person before the law. We cannot tolerate
immigration enforcement’s violation of the rights of immigrants, people of
color, the poor and most vulnerable in our society.
	We demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stop
tearing families apart! Currently 14 million residents of the United States
live in mixed status families, including 3 million citizen children with one
or both undocumented immigrant parents living in fear of deportation.
	Immigrants’ rights are workers’ rights! We believe in the human
right to work for fair wages that ensure living with dignity as well as the
right to form and join a union.
	Immigrants are human beings! We condemn the unreasonable searches
and raids on workers and families, in the homes, the workplace, and the
community. As a community, we must protect all from attacks on their honor
and reputation.
	Equal protection before the law! We believe that everyone is
entitled to protection from arbitrary arrest and detention and that all have
the right to legal representation and due process before the law. No one
should be subjected to torture and cruel or degrading treatment or
punishment.
	Info: wmciwr at gmail.com, http://wmciwr.blogspot.com.

Thursday May 1 INTERNATIONAL LABOR DAY
	25th ANNUAL CELEBRATION
	3:30-6pm, Brattleboro VT Town Common, Linden St & Park Pl. Free
food. Speakers and live music. Info: 802-387-4060, james at workerscenter.org,
www.workerscenter.org.

Thursday May 1 INTERNATIONAL LABOR DAY
	VOICES OF WORKING PEOPLE'S HISTORY 
	7-9pm {doors open 6:30}, Unitarian Universalist Society of
Northampton & Florence, 220 Main St, Northampton. Dramatic readings, lots of
songs, from people who make history happen but are usually left out of
history books. A fundraiser for Western Mass. Jobs with Justice - Donation
Requested (but no one will be turned away for lack of funds) - $5 for School
Age, Seniors, Low Income - $10 for Everyone Else (or more if you can afford
it).  $100 Sponsorship includes two admissions. Reserve a seat/sponsorship
in advance: 827-0301 or wmjwj at wmjwj.org or send your tax-deductible donation
and ticket order to WMass Jobs with Justice, PO Box 296, Granby MA 01033.

May 2-4
	JOBS WITH JUSTICE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
	Providence RI.  See www.jwj.org.

MORE EVENTS AT www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/calendar.html. And please
post your events there by emailing Roger Conant, conant at ecs.umass.edu, with
Event for AFSC Calendar as the Subject, with this information in the body of
the email: Date and Time; Location; Brief description of the event; How to
get more information about the event. Please help Roger keep the recurring
events page accurate - see
www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/calendar2.html#recurring. 


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People's History or Solidarity Calendar - or WMJwJ for all four.

Western Mass Jobs with Justice
640 Page Blvd #101
Springfield MA 01104
(413) 827-0301 


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