Help Plan the Fight for Rights

Jobs with Justice needs to review the ever-changing situation and make a 2012 plan of work. Our 7 PM February 8 meeting at 2218 E Main in Grand Prairie is none too soon!

Fight Voter Suppression!

When I see the fight against voter suppression in Texas taking shape, I'm beginning to get a little impatient with my friends who say "don't vote." If voting isn't important, how come politicians are doing so much to keep us from doing it? Like most progressives, I'm hoping that the Texas "Voter ID" (suppression) act will be overturned, but can we really rely on the courts?

Here are some of the probable results of the law that we can expect in the very next election:

Fortunately, those last two categories can overcome the law by using their right to vote by mail. I put my ideas on the Texas Retirees Site. See what you think.

Reverend L. Charles Stovall is also putting together a coalition of civil rights activists to fight voter suppression. They had a terrific meeting on January 26 at St. Luke's on Hiway 30.

Texas AFL-CIO COPE Conference

Redistricting is voter suppression, too

Another great meeting was held by the Texas AFL-CIO during the weekend of Jan 27-29. It started with an excellent convention by the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans. About 280 of the state's top progressive leaders came together to go over the political situation and learn what to do about it. Texas redistricting was the principle issue for everyone. The U.S. Supreme Court, with hands still bloody from castrating American democracy in the "Citizens' United" case, is supposed to come up with an equitable solution. Meantime, nobody is sure what to do. The Committee on Political Education (COPE) conference went ahead with a few tentative endorsements and made one really big commitment to U.S. Senate candidate Paul Sadler.

Attorney Rick Levy came up with the best explanation of the redistricting process. Voters aren't selecting politicians, he said, the politicians are attempting to handpick their voters!

 

Fight the bullying and intimidation of public employees!Alliance/AFT held a press conference

President Rena Honea of Alliance/AFT, the Dallas teachers' union, held a great press conference on January 30. They protested the case of an elementary school teacher, Joseph Drake, who had hurriedly put on administrative leave after he wrote a complaint to Dr. Flores of the DISD school board. Flores is still claiming that it frightened him, but it's total baloney. Drake was given his job back immediately after the press conference and received a public apology from Flores the next day. The teachers really showed us how to fight back on that one.

But make no mistake, public employees in Texas and all over the world are being laid off, fired, downgraded, shamed, maligned, and bullied. This is a fight that will have to go on!

Apparently, the City of Dallas wants to join the school district in kicking around the teachers. See

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/02/city_wants_to_create_education.php

 

Fight hunger!

This came in from Brother Jim McCasland of the Dallas AFL-CIO:

DalCo Logo JPEG.jpg

Dear Friends,

For over a decade, the North Texas Food Bank has been lending a helping hand to our locals, while at the same time making efficient use of contributions for the benefit of North Texas families. 

Please stand with us, and more specifically UFCW Local 540, UFCW Local 1000, and the North Texas Food Bank in their efforts to tackle hunger in our community by supporting the Souper Bowl of Caring. 

Now, through February 5th, you can help tackle hunger locally by purchasing a prepackaged bag, or by making a donation at Kroger or other outlets supporting the North Texas Food Bank and the Souper Bowl of Caring. Your support goes a long way in helping our neighbors in our community.

The above message has been posted on our Facebook page, please try to notify your membership so that they may participate also.

Yours in Solidarity,

Jim McCasland

 

Fight the 1%

There's no denying the tremendous contribution that the Occupy Wall Street movement has done in bringing American consciousness around to realizing that not everybody hates unemployment and recession as much as we do. The 1% are getting fatter and fatter from it! The Dallas occupiers deserve special credit for working with other progressive groups in their march and rally on February 4th.

JwJ in Feb 4 march

 

 

Jobs with Justice was proud to join the occupiers, MoveOn.com, Dallas Peace Center, and others in this march. The focus was against evictions and foreclosures. The main slogan, which might not make sense to everyone but was sure a lot of fun, was "Death of the American Dream." They had a coffin, a preacher, funeral music, several widows, and a bunch of mourners dressed in black.

Thank goodness so many people are getting active today. There's a lot more work to be done!coffin

--Gene