Rocky Neptun | 03.05.2005 00:43

While San Diego's upscale progressive community, from feely-goody new age yuppies and aging hippies to the power liberals who run the pitiful left-wing response to Bushism in San Diego, flocked to the corporate sponsored Earth Day festival, May 1st; others, workers around the world, refused to give up the their traditional day to celebrate the world's
laborers.

More info on San Diego's May Day Fair this year:
 http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2005/04/108641.shtml

Learn about the workers making Starbuck's coffee:
 http://sandiego.indymedia.org/en/2005/05/108670.shtml

Earth Day Sponsored by Starbucks!??!

While San Diego's upscale progressive community,
from feely-goody new age yuppies and aging hippies to
the power liberals who run the pitiful left-wing
response to Bushism in San Diego, flocked to the
corporate sponsored Earth Day festival, May 1st;
others, workers around the world, refused to give up
the their traditional day to celebrate the world's
laborers.
In a working-class barrio of Tijuana, Cinco y Diez,
at the swap meet on Blvd. Diaz Ordaz, over a hundred
maquiladores workers and their supporters gathered to
celebrate "Dia Internacional de Los y Las
Trabajadoras" and to alert their neighbors and fellow
workers to some of the tragedies that Tijuana
maquiladores employees face every day.
While thousands of enlightened liberals passed out,
read and discussed the theoretical notions of
Globalization in pamphlets and flyers as they strolled
through Balboa Park, pass displays of corporate
sponsors (like anti-union Starbucks and international
pariah, Caterpillar Company); just 20 miles away,
workers told stories of abuse, theft of wages, broken
promises, un-enforced laws and crooked government
officials.
Two different worlds, separated by a wall and
soldiers to be sure. But one is about theatrics, show;
the gentrification of the struggle, where new age
liberals talk about equality, fairness and are
terrified that they will be asked to give up too much.
The other is about women who were fired because they
stood up to abuse, others who had their wages stolen
from them. Single mothers, who must raise at 3 a.m. in
the morning, get their kids ready, travel for hours,
work 10.5 hours at shit wages and try desperately to
feel some pride in themselves as human beings, as
workers.
The Tijuana workers drew hundreds of spectators at
the busy intersection as they passed out flyers and
held street theater, sharing their struggle to defend
workers' rights, expose the injustices in the
maquiladores factories and to force the Tijuana Labor
Board to enforce the country's law, rather than
support the U.S. corporations.
Organizers spotlighted the latest U.S. criminal
company which exploits its Mexican employees, San
Diego's Cardinal Health Corporation.
The Sorrento Valley company, at 10221 Wateridge
Road, recently bought Alaris Medical Systems, with
more than 1,000 employees in Tijuana and 3,000
world-wide. They immediately instituted production
changes which added to the workload and transfered
most to it's El Florido facility, which is located on
the far outskirts of Tijuana, near the old road to
Tecate.
This change forced many hardships on parents and
single mothers who worked at the El Limon Industrial
Park location. Since there is no public transportation
to the eastern plant, workers must rely on company
buses which only run in the morning and evening. If
there is a school necessity or emergency, workers
would simply have to take the whole day off. Under
Alaris' almost slavelike contracts, signed by each
worker before being hired, wages are not only based on
hours worked, but "perfect attendance and
punctuality." So, if a worker misses 1 day, they not
only lose the wages for their 10.5 hour day, but all
other pay.
This means that a worker would lose half their week's
pay (about $45 dollars) for missing one day.
Because of the hardships of a transfer, many
workers asked to be let out of their contacts; which,
under Mexican Labor Law, entitles them to severance
pay equal to 90 days and an additional 12 days of pay
for each year employed by the company. Alaris forced
all its employees to sign new contracts or sign
resignations. Those who refused or tried to organize
opposition were fired.
Alaris , a company that has sales of $530 million
and gross earnings of over $285 million, in its
attempt to steal these folks wages, joins other U.S.
corporations like Sola Optic, AMS Plastic, San Diego
based Industria Fronteriza and others, as they take
advantage of the corruption and politics of the
Tijuana Labor Board.
The San Diego and Tijuana Maquiladora Workers
Network and the Worker Information Center
(CITTAC)organized the May day event.
Rather than let exploitive corporations usurp the
workers day of solidarity each May 1st; perhaps,
liberals and other self-indulgent "radicals" can
create a Workers Justice Day on May 1st. We can pool
our money, hire a maquiladora factory for a day, get
up before dawn to walk and ride a bus for hours, work
under harassing and stressful conditions, then have
our wages stolen at the end of the day. A stroll
through the park, marveling at the exhibits and lies
of
Starbucks, just might not make us so sure we've done
anything to save this Earth - or the people who toil
in miserable conditions on it.

e-mail:: rockyneptun@yahoo.com

i can understand this but you know.... 03.05.2005 11:54 I mean i can understand the let down of not having a mayday event in san diego. However i dont think anybody went out of their way to try and do anything about that, also mayday events in SD have slowly declined in numbers and any sort of action over the 3 or 4 years as i remember. Im also not sure that people should all be slammed as going to Earth day, there were alot of other events going on also and even a somewhat cultural holiday sponserd by beer companies. However though booths at earth day tend to suck and be stupid, it is a great way to do outreach seeing as there are soooo many people there. And i think for people who didnt take advantage of that fact, they suck, but i dont think everyone should be knocked for being at earthday perhaps trying to make a difference or educating people. Also anybody in san diego that would be organizing a mayday isnt really a worker worker, most the jobs we have are pretty easy and pay the bills, and because of that those people dont really have much reason to rise up. Instead of getting on San Diegans who are obviously well fed and have some expenses to spare we should all be asking why isnt the true working class rising up, why is it left to the typical "revolutionary" to do this shit. This can easily be done by taking advantade of large events such as earth day and cinco de mayo and flyering or talking to people or going into communities to get them involved. Sometimes you just gotta take advantage of oppurtunities. bebop Fight Starbucks on May 5th 03.05.2005 15:55 If you want to help fight Starbucks and other corporate coffee merchants who exploit workers and crush independent, small business owners who sell Organic Coffees, come to a special meeting at Cafe Motto. John Rippo of the San Diego Esprsso Newspaper will lead a discussion on the politics and business of coffee. May 5th at 6:30pm Cafe Motto is at 1227 J Street in the East Village. For more information, call 619-239-6686 x120 Espresso News