Volume 1, Issue 151

Workers Protest Blakeslee and Whitman at Silicon Valley Fundraiser

Last night, Meg “Wall Street” Whitman joined “Oil Man” Sam Blakeslee at a ritzy fundraiser in Los Gatos. But when Whitman arrived, she was greeted by a throng of protesters who came out to take a stand against Whitman, a former Goldman Sachs exec, teaming up with Blakeslee, a former Exxon exec, to attempt a hostile corporate takeover of our state.

The economic philosophy Whitman and Blakeslee share is simple: If it's good for Wall Street and Big Oil, it's good for everyone. But we've learned the hard way just how flawed that philosophy is. The consequences of Oil Man Sam's "drill baby drill" philosophy can be summed up in one look at the disaster on the Gulf Coast. And the Wall Street agenda Meg Whitman wants to bring to California is responsible for millions of lost jobs and home foreclosures.

Check out the news coverage from the protest at http://bit.ly/aBFwu7 and learn more at http://www.wallstreetwhitman.com.

Jerry Brown Releases Ground-Breaking Green Jobs Plan

This week, labor-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown released his detailed clean energy jobs plan, which will create half a million new green jobs while also reducing carbon emissions and lessening our dependence on fossil fuels. Brown’s plan sets a goal of 20,000 megawatts in renewable energy, as well as key investments in innovative efficiency technology, by 2020.

"Investments in clean energy produce two to three times as many jobs per dollar as gas, oil or coal. And dollars invested in clean energy tend to stay in California, instead of going to other states or other countries," Brown said. "Clean energy jobs and businesses have grown much faster than the economy as a whole in the past fifteen years, and have continued to grow even during the economic downturn."

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/913mr0

LAUSD to Vote on Using CLEAN Carwashes

On Tuesday, June 22, the LA Unified School District Board will vote on a resolution requiring the District to do business only with carwashes that have signed the “CLEAN Carwash Agreement.” By signing the CLEAN Agreement, carwash owners pledge to abide by minimum employment, health and safety, and environmental standards and to respect workers’ right to organize a union free from intimidation or harassment.

Using only “CLEAN” carwashes to wash LAUSD vehicles will ensure that taxpayer dollars don’t go to carwashes that are abusing workers or the environment. Come out to a rally in support of this important vote on Tuesday at 4pm at LAUSD, 333 S. Beaudry Ave. in Los Angeles.

For more information, call 323-203-5197 or email chloe_osmer@yahoo.com.

Protest Discrimination and Union Busting at Hornblower Cruises

Last year, Vincent Atos, a union activist and deckhand at Alcatraz/ Hornblower Cruises in San Francisco, was fired for union organizing and, according to his supervisors, “acting too gay” at work. Mr. Atos filed a discrimination complaint with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club reached out with a letter of concern to the employer, but Alcatraz/Hornblower denies any wrong-doing or discrimination.

Tomorrow, join the labor and LGBT communities for a maritime-themed rally to send a message to Alcatraz Cruises that union-busting and homophobia won’t be tolerated in San Francisco, and it’s time for Vincent to get his job back. The rally will take place on Pier 33 on the San Francisco Embarcadero from 1-230pm.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/a2cA8k.

This Week on “Labor’s Edge”

We lambasted the Governor’s latest attempt to balance the budget on the backs of working families. http://bit.ly/blLdjH

We posted highlights from the Whitman-Blakeslee protest in Los Gatos. http://bit.ly/a0lJ6m

We posted our weekly Rants & Raves. http://bit.ly/9m8zhx

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