Daily Archives: December 16, 2021

2021-12-16: News Headlines

_____ (2021-12-16). How the Left Can Get Ethiopia Right. popularresistance.org In the last few months, the left media outlets from various camps, in their sincere attempts to demonstrate solidarity and spotlight conflict in the Horn of Africa and internal developments in Ethiopia, got it wrong. They have been uncritically centering active ideological players on two opposing camps. The significant focus on the TPLF attacks on Eritrea, its invasion of Afar and the Amhara region, and its existence as a willing proxy actor of Washington was correct. They got it wrong, however, in their uncritical framing of neoliberal Abiy. They have chosen to over-amplify the Abiy camp's reactionary narrative…

Amy Goodman (2021-12-16). More Than 100 Firms Across the World Can Make the mRNA Vaccine If Tech Is Shared. truthout.org Image Credit: Facebook: Global Justice Now | As the coronavirus variant Omicron spreads across the world at an unprecedented rate, a group of vaccine experts has just released a list of over 100 companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America with the potential to produce mRNA vaccine. They say it is the one of the most viable solutions to fight vaccine inequity around the world and combat the spread of coronavirus variants, including Omicron. We speak to Achal Prabhala, one of the vaccine exper…

Michael Moore (2021-12-16). Report exposes dangerous conditions at Minnesota's Amazon warehouses. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minn. (PAI)—Amazon workers this week echoed the findings of a new report that paints a troubling picture of labor conditions and inequities at the retailer's Minnesota warehouses, prompting one state lawmaker to pledge action in the coming legislative session. In analyzing data from six Amazon facilities, researchers from the National Employment Law Project …

WSWS (2021-12-16). US postal workers' union proposes tentative agreement with cuts to real wages, keeps two-tier system. wsws.org The deal, which contains a measly 1.3 percent wage increase and provides for the expansion of second-tier labor, keeps every prior concession intact while adding a few more.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Omicron explodes in Australia as governments scrap nearly all safety measures. wsws.org As a result of truly criminal decisions taken by governments, Liberal-National and Labor Party alike, millions of people face infection within weeks.

People's World Editorial Board (2021-12-16). Uphold truth—by supporting People's World. peoplesworld.org Dear readers and friends, Our working class and people urgently need media that upholds the truth. People's World promotes solidarity. It gives voice to the heroic actions in defense of democracy, equality, and climate justice, that all of us, our fellow grassroots activists, neighbors, and co-workers are involved in. Please donate today to support the …

WSWS (2021-12-16). The issues in the Turkish health care workers national strike. wsws.org The Turkish Trotskyists support this strike movement and call on all workers and youth to draw the necessary lessons for the development of an independent political and social movement of the international working class.

Anonymous Contributor (2021-12-16). Presentation of the Little Autonomous Community School "Agua de Lluvia" in the Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca. itsgoingdown.org In the Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca, in the pueblo of Agua de Lluvia, teachers, community members, and youth are building autonomous education through community organization. Dating back to the 2006 social revolt in Oaxaca, and a conflict between the radical section 22 of the CNTE (National Coordinator of Education Workers) and the right wing Section…

Mark Gruenberg (2021-12-16). First Buffalo, now Boston: More Starbucks workers file for union recognition. peoplesworld.org BOSTON (PAI)—Energized by the unionization vote win in Buffalo, N.Y., workers at two Starbucks cafes in Boston filed on Dec. 13 for union representation elections. And even as the Buffalo ballots were mailed in November, Starbucks workers in Mesa, Ariz., filed, too. Workers United, the Service Employees sector that won recognition in Buffalo, filed all …

Colin Todhunter (2021-12-16). Key Body Demands Complete Ban on Glyphosate in India. dissidentvoice.org In October 2020, Pesticide Action Network India and PAN Asia Pacific released the report 'State of Glyphosate Use in India'. It concluded that the use of the world's most widely used herbicide is rampant. Despite this, it noted that its disturbing effects on the environment and the health of farmworkers and the public are not …

WSWS (2021-12-16). New Zealand rail union cancels strike, presents sellout deal. wsws.org After unilaterally cancelling a scheduled nationwide strike, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union presented KiwiRail workers with a proposed flat rate increase of $2.48 an hour, which does not keep pace with the cost of living.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Minneapolis-St. Paul airport maintenance workers authorize strike action. wsws.org The workers are demanding increased compensation, under conditions of soaring inflation, and benefits that correspond to other MAC workers.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Indiana University grad student workers seek union certification. wsws.org Graduate student workers have not had a university-wide wage increase since 2014 while tuition fees and living expenses have continued to rise.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Video game workers spread strike against Activision Blizzard. wsws.org An "open-ended" strike wave at the video game company Activision Blizzard has spread among quality assurance workers within multiple divisions of the $46 billion corporation based on Santa Monica, California.

Jim McIlroy (2021-12-16). NSW bus, train drivers strike over pay, privatisation. greenleft.org.au The Rail, Tram and Bus Union is calling for a quota on Australian-built infrastructure to put commuter and workers' safety first. Jim McIlroy reports.

Robert L. Funk (2021-12-16). Gabriel Boric and the New Left's Old Problem. zcomm.org The Chilean candidate represents a class of Latin American politicians who appear more revolutionary than they really are…

Editor (2021-12-16). Ten Marxist classics for Xmas. mronline.org Lindsey German's Marxist holiday reading list…

WSWS (2021-12-16). West Coast hospitals severely stressed as winter surge begins. wsws.org The situation facing the health care system on the West Coast exposes the criminality of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which rammed through a contract at Kaiser Permanente earlier this month.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Australian transport union working to push through sell-out deal at FedEx. wsws.org The TWU claims the deal is a "huge win" for drivers, but it does little to address job security concerns or the large pay disparity between FedEx and its competitors.

MIT-GSU (2021-12-16). MIT graduate employees announce majority support for unionization. zcomm.org Will MIT commit to contract negotiations?>

Eric A. Gordon (2021-12-16). A small but mighty IATSE organizing drive pops up in Beverly Hills. peoplesworld.org BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A funny thing happened to me on the way to The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts the other night to see Love Actually, Live, the classic Christmas-season film with Hugh Grant done up as a combined film cum live spectacle extravaganza with a large cast of actors, dancers, singers, …

In Defense of Liberation! (2021-12-16). How Can We Expect Things to Change?>. anchor.fm In this episode I discuss the practical ways in which we can expect the world to change based on the ways in which it has historically changed; through people taking control of their circumstances and building a new tomorrow. However it comes, we know that a new tomorrow must come, but if we want that new tomorrow to lead us towards an actually better society, then we need socialism. So how do we get there? Well, let's discuss!

WSWS (2021-12-16). Time's person of the year Elon Musk: Worshipping the pandemic profiteer. wsws.org Time magazine is celebrating a billionaire who personifies the most noxious tendencies in contemporary capitalism.

Pete Dolack (2021-12-16). Envisioning a world with no bosses. zcomm.org Please Help ZNet Source: Systemic Disorder Many people, especially those with eyes open to the ravages of capitalism, know what they don't want. Fewer know what they do want. That is understandable, given that the task of building mass movements on so many fronts is daunting. But while

Editor2 (2021-12-16). 20th ALBA-TCP Summit Declaration. orinocotribune.com "17 years defending Latin American and Caribbean integration and peace" | The Heads of State and Government and the Heads of Delegations of the countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America — Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), meet in Havana, Cuba, on December 14, 2021 to commemorate the 17th Anniversary of the Alliance. In signing this Declaration, we renew our commitment to strengthen this mechanism of political coordination based on the principles of solidarity, social justice, cooperation and economic complementarity, a result of the political will of its founders, the Commanders Fid…

Various Contributors (2021-12-16). "International solidarity once failed the people of Chile. It must not fail today." zcomm.org Parliamentarians and public figures from over 15 countries unite in defense of Chilean democracy ahead of 19 December elections.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-16). Colombia and Venezuela: Where is There a Dictatorship? libya360.wordpress.com María Fernanda Barreto Photo: Carlos García Rawlins / Reuters What is democracy in the 21st century? Where is there a true democracy? They say that all comparisons are odious, but at the same time they are inevitable. In the case of Colombia and Venezuela, the comparison between their political systems is constantly made by the…

WSWS (2021-12-16). Marighella, film on Brazil's urban guerrilla leader, screened after two-year delay. wsws.org A target of far-right attacks for centering on Brazil's foremost guerrilla leader in the late 1960s, the movie offers neither clarity on his life and times nor a perspective for those seeking to counter the current threat of dictatorship.

WSWS (2021-12-16). Marighella, film on Brazil's urban guerrilla leader screened after two-year delay. wsws.org A target of far-right attacks for centering on Brazil's foremost guerrilla leader in the late 1960s, the movie offers neither clarity on his life and times nor a perspective for those seeking to counter the current threat of dictatorship.

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-16). Libya: Military Mobilization in Sebha and the Looming Threat of War. libya360.wordpress.com The head of the Supreme Council of Tribes and Cities of Fezzan, Ali Misbah Abu Sbeiha, confirmed the presence of intensive military mobilizations in a number of locations in the city of Sebha by the General Command of the Army and the 166th Brigade of the Presidential Council led by Masoud Gedo. Abu Sbeiha said …

Internationalist 360 ∞ (2021-12-16). Why Cuba Does Not Have an Anti-Vaccine Movement. libya360.wordpress.com Marc Vandepitte, Toon Danhieux Increasingly, large sectors of the European population, and in the US to a lesser extent, openly express their distrust towards their government's policies to combat COVID-19. The reaction of the traditional policy is one of panic and is characterized by paternalism and repression: general obligation to vaccinate and restricting freedom of…

Staff (2021-12-16). As Omicron Spreads, 100+ Firms in Africa, Asia & Latin America Can Make mRNA Vaccine If Tech Shared. democracynow.org As the coronavirus variant Omicron spreads across the world at an unprecedented rate, a group of vaccine experts has just released a list of over 100 companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America with the potential to produce mRNA vaccine. They say it is the one of the most viable solutions to fight vaccine inequity around the world and combat the spread of coronavirus variants, including Omicron. We speak to Achal Prabhala, one of the vaccine experts who compiled the list. If mRNA technology could be shared with the listed companies, "we could vaccinate the world in as close to six months from now," says Prabhala.

Chris Walker (2021-12-16). DeSantis Hypes His Anti-Critical Race Theory Bill by Quoting Martin Luther King. truthout.org On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) proposed new legislation that would allow parents to sue school districts if critical race theory or other lessons involving racial equity are taught in Florida classrooms. | In doing so, DeSantis absurdly suggested that his proposal would have been supported by the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. | DeSantis's bill is called the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act. In a press release announcing the legislation,

Brittani Banks (2021-12-16). A Critique of Obscene Wealth. independentmediainstitute.org Wherever and whenever obscenely rich people existed, they always protected their wealth and the privileges that come with it from the majority of non-wealthy people working for them and around them. Emperors, kings, czars as well as masters of huge slave plantations, lords of big feudal manors, and major shareholders and top executives of capitalist …

teleSUR (2021-12-15). UN Report Raises Concern Over Human Rights Crisis In Colombia. telesurenglish.net On Wednesday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) published a report demonstrating that the Colombian State must urgently reform its way of handling protests so as to avoid massive human rights violations. | RELATED: | The report entitled "The 2021 National Strike: Lessons for the Exercise of the Right of Peaceful Assembly in Colombia" exhaustively analyzes the behavior of security…

Staff (2021-12-15). Saudi-led coalition launches airstrike on Sana'a. en.mehrnews.com Saudi coalition launched heavy airstrike on Yemeni capital of Sana'a on Wednesday.

Staff (2021-12-15). Cuba Hosts 20th ALBA-TCP Summit to Promote Regional Unity. orinocotribune.com The 20th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) was inaugurated this Tuesday in Havana, Cuba, on the occasion of its 17th anniversary, to reaffirm regional unity and solidarity, and reject US interference in regional affairs. | Among other topics to be discussed are the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the alliance's action program for the coming year. Its objective is to defend the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, approved in Havana in accordance with the 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbea…

Matthew J.L. Ehret (2021-12-15). Will Ethiopia Become Biden's Libya 2.0 or a Driver for an African Renaissance? dissidentvoice.org Many westerners trying to make sense of the events in the "dark continent" of Africa have many barriers standing in the way of their minds and reality. This must be the case, for without such filters of spin proclaiming Africa's problems to be self-induced (or the consequence of Chinese debt slavery), we in the west, …

WSWS (2021-12-15). SEP (Australia) Emergency Public Meeting: British court decision puts Assange's life in danger. Demand his immediate release! wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party (Australia) has called an online public meeting to fight for the immediate freedom of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, after the British High Court last week ordered his extradition to the US.

Timothy V. Johnson (2021-12-15). Frank Chapman, veteran activist, tackles Black Liberation and national question in book. peoplesworld.org Frank Chapman has a long and storied reputation as an activist-leader-theoretician in the anti-repression, labor, and left movements. His history makes it imperative that activists engage with his theoretical work, which is drawn from years of struggle in the mass movement. His latest book, Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism, traces the history of …

John Logan (2021-12-15). Union battles at Amazon and Starbucks are hot news. zcomm.org Which can only be good for the labor movement…

Mike Ludwig (2021-12-15). Not Just Billionaires — the Average Rich Person's Pay Has Risen During COVID. truthout.org Amid all the anxiety about inflation, the good news this year has been that many businesses increased wages in an effort to keep a reluctant workforce on the job and contend with a tight labor market. However, wages rose quickly for the ultra-rich even as the pandemic raged in 2020, and economists say gains made by workers in 2021 are not sustainable unless structural changes are made. | Wage growth in the United States has slowed since hitting an all-time high in April, when employers sought…

_____ (2021-12-15). Russia And Israel — A Double Standard In International Condemnation. popularresistance.org Over the past month, in a break from its usual focus on COVID-19, the Western mainstream media has dedicated a sizeable amount of coverage to unverified claims by unnamed US intelligence officials that the Russian Federation is planning an imminent military invasion of its western neighbour Ukraine — under the rule of the successive US-EU friendly governments of Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky since 2014, when the CIA-orchestrated Euromaidan colour revolution toppled the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych, following his November 2013 decision to suspend an EU trade deal in favour of pursuin…

Francisco Dominguez (2021-12-15). Honduras' Left-Wing Breakthrough. orinocotribune.com By Francisco Dominguez — Dec 10, 2021 | Since a US-backed coup toppled Mel Zelaya in 2009, Honduras has faced a clampdown on democracy and serious human rights abuses. But the election of socialist Xiomara Castro is a chance to break the cycle. | What appeared impossible has been achieved: the people of Honduras have broken the perpetuation, through electoral fraud and thuggish violence, of a brutal, illegal, illegitimate, and criminal regime.By means of sheer resistance, resilience, mobilisation, and organisation, they have managed to defeat Juan Orlando Hernandez's narco-dictatorship at the ballot box. Xio…

_____ (2021-12-15). Europe Finally Recognizes Platform Workers Aren't Self-Employed. popularresistance.org Sometimes change comes from the most unlikely of places. The European Commission—the unelected body of technocrats that designs European Union legislation—isn't exactly known as a friend of the worker. EU commissioners and their staff are more likely to be found having coffee with corporate lobbyists than rubbing shoulders with the working class. | Yet, last week, the EU Commission proposed what some are hailing as the most pro-worker reform to come out of the EU in years—a directive to regulate platform work. Often unfairly treated as self-employed, platform workers are now to be considered emp…

_____ (2021-12-15). Columbia Student Workers Defy University's Strikebreaking Threats. popularresistance.org Last week saw a sharp escalation of the strike by 3,000 student workers at Columbia University in New York City, which continues in the face of strikebreaking threats by the administration. In an effort to shut down the walkout before finals, the university warned striking student workers that it might replace them in the Spring semester if they remained on strike beyond Friday, December 10. | Columbia workers rejected this attempt at economic blackmail and held out on the picket line. A poll conducted by the Student Workers of Columbia union (SWC) bargaining committee found that 87 percent of union members and n…

_____ (2021-12-15). Kellogg's Strikers: We Want A Clear Path Out Of Two-Tier, Set In Stone. popularresistance.org In contract talks with its 1,400 workers this summer, Kellogg's proposed to remove the union logo from its cereal boxes. | It's an indication of the company's overall plan, said strikers on the Battle Creek, Michigan picket line this weekend. "Their long-term goal is to bust the union," said Michelle Fulcher, a warehouse crew leader at the company's flagship plant. | Kellogg's workers in four states have been on strike since October 5. Their top issue is the company's efforts to expand its two-tier system. | "Going into negotiations we had four things we were going to be hard-nosed on," Fulcher said: "Keep our pe…

Arjae Red (2021-12-15). Victory for Starbucks Workers United! workers.org Starbucks workers made history here Dec. 9 by winning the first union election at a corporate-owned Starbucks store in the United States. Starbucks Workers United gained a sweeping victory at the Elmwood Starbucks store with a greater than two-to-one margin (19 yes, 8 no). The win comes on the heels . . . |

Editor (2021-12-15). Keep your filthy SCOTUS hands off our bodies!!! workers.org In a just world, who would ever think that a known rapist would have the power to compel pregnant rape survivors, including minors, to carry their forced pregnancy to term? But that's exactly what happens in "the good old USA." Supreme Court of the U.S. "Justice" Brett Kavanaugh was part . . . |

Mark Gruenberg (2021-12-15). Biden backs Kellogg's workers; Sanders takes fight to cereal giant's doorstep. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Democratic President Joe Biden is publicly and bluntly backing the 1,400 Kellogg's workers whom the cereal giant forced to strike weeks ago. And he opposes the firm's plan to permanently replace them. "Every employee has the right to collectively bargain. Full stop," Biden's first tweet on the months-old conflict declared. "I am deeply troubled by …

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