Story by Pete Shaw Supporters of Francisco Aguirre gathered outside the Portland Field Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) the day after USCIS cancelled the activist’s visa appointment. Aguirre has been taking sanctuary in Augustana Lutheran Church since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials showed up at his home on the morning…
Tag: Solidarity
Populist Newcomer in Commissioner Race Insists City Work for Its Citizens
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Story by Pete Shaw With Election Day less than two weeks away, one of Portland’s most interesting races is City Commissioner Position 3 featuring Nick Caleb and incumbent Dan Saltzman. Caleb, a Concordia University professor of law and government, is running an upstart campaign against Saltzman, who is seeking a fifth term. Caleb’s campaign is…
Justice Delay for Local Houseless Leader; Arrest Reflects Racial Bias, Says Ally
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Ibrahim Mubarak, co-founder of Right 2 Dream Too (R2DToo), the rest area serving people without housing, has had his court appearance rescheduled for April 4 at 9 AM. Mubarak was arrested on February 28 for trespassing and interfering with a police officer as he spoke with people without housing…
Big Grain Shuts Out Longshoremen Struggling for Workplace Equity
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw Columbia Grain locked out ILWU Local 8’s grain handlers on May 4 in Portland, accusing them of “engaging in inside game’ tactics, including slowdowns, work-to-rule, and demands for repeated inspections of the same equipment – all designed to negatively impact Columbia Grain’s operations.” Late the next day, twenty of…
ILWU Strength Imperiled by Dangerous Course
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw A crowd of over 200 Longshore workers, other union members, and community supporters rallied at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, WA, on March 8 in support of ILWU Local 4 grain handlers locked out of their jobs by United Grain Corporation in late February. After some speeches, the assembly,…
Longshore Struggle Brews On Both Coasts: Trouble in the Northwest
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By Mark Vorpahl Second of two parts In the Northwest, at the terminals on the Columbia River, Puget Sound, and Portland, Oregon, the membership of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) are on the defensive against the Northwest Grain Handlers Association (NWGHA). The conflict involves nearly 3,000 workers at terminals that handle a quarter…
Longshore Struggle Brews On Both Coasts
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By Mark Vorpahl First of two parts It’s a familiar pattern: those on top of the economic ladder enjoy massive profits while expecting workers to sacrifice even more for the “greater good.” This storyline weaves itself into every justification for anti-worker policies. From Washington’s potential Grand Bargain that would cut trillions from needed social programs,…
Threat to ILWU Rallying Point for All Workers
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Story and photos by Pete Shaw The contract being offered to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) by the Pacific Northwest Grain Handlers Association (PNGHA) has little effect on wages, but seeks vast changes to workplace rules, particularly those dealing with hiring and safety. Though the contract signing deadline of November 28 has been…
Supporters Rally Around Chicago Teachers Union as Ten-Day Strike Notice Issued
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This story originally appeared at the Occupied Chicago Tribune. By Nick Burt News of the Chicago Teachers Union’s declaration of a ten-day strike notice spread across the city’s evening news broadcasts Wednesday. As Chicagoans prepared for the first schools shutdown in twenty-five years, hundreds rallied at the downtown Chicago Temple to build community support for the prospective teacher…
Pussy Rioters on Bike Swarm Portland in Solidarity
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By Elona Trogub Three members of Pussy Riot, the anonymous feminist group that’s half performance art, half punk band, have been found guilty of hooliganism, motivated by religious hatred. Now Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 will spend two years in a medium security prison for their ‘crime’–a one minute performance…
