Two months after Safeway CEO Steve Burd forced 70,000 families to strike against healthcare and pay cuts, the Bush administration appointed him as a presidential advisor on domestic terrorism. On February 11, about 150 people gathered at the Mission St. Safeway in Santa Cruz to send George Bush a message that, "Healthcare IS Homeland Security... and Steve Burd is a Domestic Terrorist.

Check Indybay for more photos from the Santa Cruz Demonstration!
>> photos by watching them

Audio: Rockin' the Boat: Safeway Pickets Continue in Santa Cruz!

Earlier in the day, approximately 500 people gathered outside the Pacific Stock Exchange in San Francisco demanding shareholders drop their Safeway stock in solidarity with the striking Southern Californian grocery workers.

Boycott Safeway Rally at UCSC on Friday, February 20

[ MBCLC's Grocery Strike Solidarity Page I UFCW I Indybay's Labor Page ]

Two months after Safeway CEO Steve Burd forced 70,000 families to strike against healthcare and pay cuts, the Bush administration appointed him as a presidential advisor on domestic terrorism.

At 5:00 PM on Wednesday, February 11, we will gather at the Mission St. Safeway in Santa Cruz to send George Bush a message:

Healthcare IS Homeland Security…
and Steve Burd is a Domestic Terrorist.

Our peaceful, legal, disciplined, creative action will effectively shut down the store.

HELP US HOLD THE LINE!: download, print, copy, and distribute this flyer! thanks! (.pdf)

Grocery Strike Reality Check >> "Safeway is not entirely wrong and the UFCW is far from being right. The goals of my remarks are (1) to encourage other "progressives" to research both sides of an issue and (2) to introduce economics into the "progressive" discourse. What I'm about to say will be very unpopular in Santa Cruz. As has happened in the past, I will be branded as "anti-labor" when in fact I am speaking up for workers. What we want in the short term is not necessarily good for us in the long term. People will also attack me for not being a true "progressive." What labor leaders want is not necessarily good for us as consumers, taxpayers, or even workers." >> introduction from: Grocery Strike Reality Check

HOLD THE LINE FOR HEALTHCARE

The Grocery Workers Solidarity Committee will be informational picketing every Friday evening at the Mission St. Safeway in Santa Cruz from 5:30 - 7:00 PM in solidarity with striking grocery workers in Southern California. Informational picketing will continue until the strike and lockout is settled.

The strike by 70,000 Vons, Ralph’s and Albertson workers for affordable healthcare is now past its 100th day. If the giant food chains gets their way, health costs for these workers will rise 50% and put it out of reach for many who make an average of $20,000 a year. The contract for Northern California grocery store workers expires this summer and the struggle being waged in the South will have a big impact on their contract as well as the entire labor movement. The state Attorney General's Office is expected to file a lawsuit Monday alleging the companies are breaking antitrust laws in an effort to crush the union. Questions are also being raised about the treatment of janitors placed at the supermarkets by janitorial contracting companies; evidence suggests the supermarkets knew the janitors were not being paid as required by California wage and hour laws, and permitted the exploitation.

Informational Picketing Continues at Safeway

More Safeway Coverage on SC-IMC:
>> Local Pressure on Safeway Continues
>> 70,000 Strikers and their Families Need your Support

[ Monterey Bay Labor Council's Solidarity Page I Indybay's Labor Page I Update from LA-IMC ]

'Audio mp3 of SCIMC Reporter Bradley reporting on Police abuse to himself and others during FTAA Protests in Miami.\n\n[ Rockin\' the Boat Interview of Local activists at FTAA ]'

The Sierra Youth Coalition (SYC) is a Canada wide youth environmental organization. Since its inception in 1996, SYC has worked extensively toward raising awareness around critical social and environmental issues. This summer SYC has its sights set on the upcoming World Trade Organization negotiations in Cancun, Mexico.

Cyclists on the "Deconstructing Dinner: Caravan to Cancun" stopped in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Salinas before spending a couple of days in Cambria, Nipomo, and Isla Vista. They took the time to visit various community projects in the Monterey Bay area including the Homeless Garden Project and Free Radio 96.3fm in Santa Cruz and ¡Vote!, an organization dedicated to the support and organization of migrant farm workers in Salinas.

The SYC's Deconstructing Dinner campaign aims to provide information dissemination around the complexities of the WTO Trade Negotiations to communities across North America with a specific focus around trade, agriculture, and migrant farm workers.

Audio interview with Amy and Melissa of the Caravan to Cancun (1/2hr mp3)

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At a secret ballot election held August 20th and 21st by the National Labor Relations Board, workers at Peet's store 221 in downtown Santa Cruz voted 11-6 against union representation. The results came as a surprise to union supporters and organizers, who had expected a more even split between "yes" and "no" votes.

As soon as the union efforts were brought to the company's attention, they started holding mandatory staff meetings and talking with employees individually. Support for the union was much stronger when the effort began, which leads union supporters to believe that these meetings, (which the company paid employees to attend), persuaded many undecided and uninformed members of the staff to vote against union representation.

"Global Village or Global Pillage," a public forum on the World Trade Organization (WTO), will take place on Thursday, August 21 at 7:00pm at the Veterans Memorial Hall and will feature Kevin Danaher, Ann Lopez, and Sharon Delgado. This community event will raise funds for the delegation* as well as raise public awareness of the local and global significance of the issues being decided at the WTO meeting in Cancun.


*As the powerful WTO prepares to meet in Cancun, Mexico on September 10 - 15, the Santa Cruz Peacemakers of the Resource Center for Nonviolence are organizing a Santa Cruz Delegation to Cancun to parallel the Peoples' Forum on Alternatives to the WTO.

Update on Peasant and Indigenous Mobilization for WTO in Cancun

Become the Media Radio (BTMR) is a local grassroots one hour audio compilation of Free Radio Santa Cruz 96.3fm and can be streamed or downloaded for free at www.freakradio.org

The August edition of BTMR features arrests of political tablers on Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz, an interview with Anne Turner on how the Santa Cruz city libraries are trying to protect people against the Patriot Act, an interview with Reese Erlich about the possibility of Iran as the next U.S. target, and a documentary called "Stealing Air" about the Unlicensed Microradio movement.

[ 24k Stream I 64k Stream I 64k Download ]

Santa Cruz Night Out is a community based event downtown where families and visitors will enjoy a variety of events showcasing the diverse cultural talents of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Night Out is planned for three Tuesday nights in August from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. The purpose of Santa Cruz Night Out is to create an open-air street fair atmosphere on Pacific Avenue (between Cathcart and Lincoln Streets) for families to enjoy while invigorating downtown businesses on a weeknight.

Many in Santa Cruz are interested in events downtown that will enrich our community while helping local businesses. Recent downtown issues and the resulting negative publicity, combined with the economic downturn have taken a toll on the health of Pacific Avenue. Santa Cruz Night Out will hope to address the issues above.

Would you like to see the diverse talents of Santa Cruz displayed in your downtown? Would you like to experience downtown from a whole different perspective? Wonder what Pacific Avenue would be with less cars cruising the street and more space for the community to gather?

[ Discussion and Details of Santa Cruz Night Out I Photos: (8/12) 1 - 2 I (8/19) 3 I (8/26) 4 ]