MARITIME UNION BUSTING
A world-wide attack on maritime unions may make an appearance in Seattle next year, when all west coast Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) contracts expire. In the past year, large union-busting efforts have occurred in Liverpool, England, New Zealand, and Australia. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has fought a battle for its life. Roughly 2,000 MUA members were fired by the company Patrick Stevedores earlier this year, sparking large community-backed demonstrations in Melbourne and port cities nationwide. A judicial investigation found that government officials had conspired with Patrick to remove union labor from Australian wharves, and most of the workers have since been ordered back on the job, although the union is still embroiled in legal difficulties. To get involved locally with the Longshore and Inlandboatman's union, call (206) 441-5111 ext 12.

SEATTLE/SWITZERLAND SOLIDARITY
In May, thirty Swiss trade unionists led a demonstration in Zurich in support of striking warehouse workers in Auburn, Washington. The demonstrators, working in conjunction with Teamsters Local 117 in Seattle, leafleted and protested outside the annual shareholders meeting of Walter Meier Holding Company, the parent company of Jet Equipment and Tools (JET), which in January forced 20 Auburn warehouse workers out on strike, then permanently replaced them. Strikers complain that the company would not even agree to basic contract provisions regarding workers' rights. Roland Brunner of the Swiss Trade Union GBI said, "It's about lives and families. Permanent replacement of workers is not allowed in Switzerland and Swiss companies should not be doing it in the United States." The Teamsters are stepping up pressure on JET to settle the strike, and a national boycott and community pressure campaign is underway. For info call (206) 441-4860 x237. (Teamsters Union)

COMEDIANS JOIN WOBBLIES
Comedians in the greater Portland, Oregon area have formed an independent union affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). There are now 27 members in the bargaining unit, with a potential of 150 on the west coast, according to spokesperson, member, and comedian Bill Bradley, who has also helped organize for other unions. For info call (503) 236-6948. (NW Labor Press)

POSTAL PRIVATIZATION
The Postal Service has contracted out the sorting and shipping of Priority Mail in the eastern US to private company Emery World Air. The new Priority Mail Annex in Kent, Washington is a target for future privatization. The American Postal Workers Union says that the costs of operating Emery are actually more than if the priority mail had simply stayed a part of the Postal Service, but that worker wages are less. The union also says that the Emery operations have been plagued with difficulties. A currently proposed federal House bill (HR-22) would allow privatization of package delivery if passed by Congress. Call (206) 622-2163 for info.

BLUE COLLARS NOT REPRESENTED
What did US Representatives and Senators do before they were politicians? Almost all of them had white-collar careers, reports the Labor Party Press. Of 532 total congresspeople in the nation's capitol, 212 were previously lawyers, 70 were industrialists or bosses, 58 were professors or teachers, 48 had simply been lifelong professional politicians, 24 worked in real estate. Of the remaining politicians, only one had had what might be called a blue collar job (nursing), and one had been a labor union official. Some 16 had been farmers, but it's not clear whether they were the kind of farmers that get their hands dirty.

ORGANIZING SUCCESS
A number of union locals around the US have had extraordinary success in organizing previously non-union workplaces. For example, one Illinois local, AFSCME District 31, beat management in 29 of 30 workplace elections. The June issue of the AFL-CIO publication America@work tells the recipe for organizing well. First the union should shift resources to organizing. Successful unions are spending in the ballpark of 10 to 15 percent of their budget on organizing (so ask your union how much it commits!). Second, a union should make structural changes allowing member-organizers to specialize in organizing, and hire energetic organizers who have been or are working in jobs similar to those they are trying to organize. Third, research about the employer pays off, and allows a union to approach the employer from a number of different angles. Fourth, involving members is paramount. Workers tend to respond better to other workers, than to a professional organizer who has no actual connection to their jobs.

MEXICAN RAILROAD STRIKE
Because of pressure from the World Bank, the Mexican government has privatized the national railways, and the new railroad companies have threatened substantial layoffs and wage cuts. A series of strikes resulted in the spring, and in the state of Sonora, railroad traffic was stopped for three weeks. A 66-year-old widow, Lydia Cano, organized a march of 2,000 women and children in support of the labor actions, all carrying empty pots and pans to symbolize unemployment and hunger. Support was also lent by city and state officials, preventing force from being used to break the strike. In order to build support for a strike, union members for years have had to deal with a state-run union leadership that wholeheartedly supported the privatization plan. The action began initially as a wildcat strike at one local, and soon rank-and-file members rallied around reform leaders. The result of the strike was partially successful. Layoffs were minimized and many workers are still covered under their previous contracts. (Multinational Monitor)