photo by wavy1

United Farm Workers fight for union recognition at Country Natural Beef. The union said the majority of workers had signed cards in support of a union but the company questioned the validity of the vote. After being dogged by boycotts and negative media attention, the company late last week agreed to a process whereby the employees would decide if they want union recognition. Since the majority of workers already voted for a union, this re-vote is simply a reaffirmation of the previous one.  What this means for the workers at Country Natural Beef is better pay and benefits, safer work conditions and dignity as unionized workers. Si Se Puede!  Takepart by learning more about the UFW and supporting their other organizing efforts.

Coalminers shut down a mine in Blacksville, WV (the red dot on the map) last week in protest of the filming of an Anti-Obama ad at the facility. The work stoppage, which gave 440 miners the day off, was in response to a film crew, hired by the National Rifle Association to shoot interviews for an attack ad against Barack Obama, being given permission by the management at the Blacksville #2 coal mine to enter the facility and ask miners their opinions on the Illinois Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate. Workers at Blacksville #2 took notice of the production and phoned in their concerns to the headquarters of their union, the United Mine Workers of America. The union, which has endorsed Mr. Obama for President, subsequently called for a work stoppage “Memorial Day”, a part of the union’s contract, to protest the exploitation of their workers in the political advertisement which they felt was contrary to their interests.

While the response of these West Virginia coal miners to the NRA ad might have come as a surprise to the right wing, it makes perfect sense to me. While I was in West Virginia over the summer I was pleased to find a region much more diverse and open than the stereotypes leveled against it. It’s not West Virginia either, indeed both southern and rural areas across the United States are coming more and more to realize the integrated America on display in, say, a Craig Brewer movie or HBO’s True Blood than the typical racist depictions of the past. All of this is very good news for those working for true equality in this country, and bad news for those who continue to play on hate and fear politics in order to distract people from the real issues that affect their lives.

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President George W. Bush was heckled yesterday at a Fourth of July naturalization ceremony speech he gave at Monticello. Members of the activist group Code Pink protested the Iraq War and the Bush Administration’s policy towards civil liberties in the middle of an address the President was giving at Thomas Jefferson’s gorgeous estate in the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside.

Code Pink protesters hurled the words “war criminal” and “fascism” at Bush almost as soon as he took the stage to address the assembled crowd. After the activists were quieted, or whisked off, by security the President told the gathering. “To my fellow citizens to be, we believe in free speech in the United States of America.” You can see video of the incident below:

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As is the case with many things, the publics focus on the Writer’s Strike has worn off. While they made headlines in the beginning - now we are only reminded that they are on strike when we turn on our television only to find American Gladiators or some Dancing with the Stars like show. (The exception being the premiere of Lost tonight - yay!)

But the unfortunate news that some striking WGA members may be at rich to lose their benefits may bring them back into the news.

About 250 WGA members will lose their eligibility April 1 because they did not meet the plan’s 12-month earnings threshold of $30,823 as of Dec. 31. That’s about 40% higher than the usual number

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The Writers Guild of America is still holding out for fair compensation when it comes to media and the internet. They’ve been on strike for more than 2 weeks causing many TV shows to halt production and many films start dates to be pushed back. Everyday the writer’s are coming up with creative ways to get the word out about the strike and constantly have new folks joining them on the streetThis weekend, the writers and stars of Saturday Night Live proved the show could go on but only for a select few who were able to get into the groups live performance of the show at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater.Last week John Edwards showed his support for the writers when he joined them on the picket line. Will this help his bid for the Democratic nomination? Watch below and see what you think: