By Harry Kelber

Police Battle May Day Protesters  Over Crisis in Many Countries
Clashes have broken out in a number of countries as unions use traditional May Day marches to protest against the handling of the global economic crisis. In the Turkish city of Istanbul, riot police fired tear gas and water cannon, as protesters threw petrol bombs and attacked banks and shops. Police made dozens of arrests in the German capital, Berlin, where protesters set fire to cars. Greek police battled to quell voters in Athens after banks were attacked.

Some 300 rallies took place across France, which has already seen strikes by hospital workers, university staff and fishermen, among others.. There were also marches in Russia, the Philippines,  Japan and Hong Kong, where demonstrators called on the authorities to do more to protect jobs. Major demonstrations were also planned in Spain, Italy and Cuba, Around 50 Iranian workers and labor activists were arrested in Tehran  during a May Day meeting.

May 1st, International Workers’ Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States, Canada and South Africa. This, despite the fact that the holiday began in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour workday. Although May Day has been stigmatized as a “Communist” Day, it has been adopted as an official holiday by such non—totalitarian countries as India, Sweden, Brazil and New Zealand.

AFL-CIO Gives  Obama High Marks for His First ‘Hundred Days’
A statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney offers unqualified praise for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for their first 100 days in office. “They have  taken big, concrete steps on the economy, health care and the protection of workers’ rights that will build a more prosperous and fair future for working people and America,” Sweeney’s statement predicted.

Sweeney’s highly optimistic assessment of the Obama record is not fully shared by many important labor leaders.  Sweeney did not mention the enormous bailouts to the big banks and  Wall Street, or that there are more than 13 million workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Nor did he say anything about the quagmire in Pakistan, and  Afghanistan and the unfinished war in Iraq.

The Obama administration deserves credit for signing legislation in behalf of poor children  and underpaid women, along with progressive proposals on health care, energy and education, still in the formative stages.. But it is really too soon to give Obama a blanket endorsement. Many labor leaders are still chagrined that, after 100 days, Obama gives no sign of pushing the Employee  Free Choice Act, except promising to sign it if Congress approves it.

Shipyard Workers, Demonstrating in Warsaw, Are Attacked by Police
Police beat and used tear gas and pepper spray against protesting workers in Warsaw, Poland on April 29. The protest was scheduled to coincide with Congress of the European People’s Party (EPP), which was being held at the Palace of Culture. The workers were protesting government plans for restructuring shipyards with state-owned majority stakes. The breakup and sale of shipyards in Szczecin and Gymea was ordered by the European Commission.

The European Commission has said that the yard’s current owner, ISD (a Ukrainian company) has failed to make enough cuts. Closing down two of the three shipyards was part of the restructuring deal, made with the EU when the plant was privatized. The government passed a law in January allowing the company to wind down the shipyards.

Most of the protesters came from Gdansk,  where 16,000 shipyard workers made labor history by  striking in September 1980 over the dismissal of a woman crane operator and forcing major concessions from the Polish Communist government. Their victory led to the birth of their union, Solidarnosc (Solidarity), led by a shipyard’s electrician, Lech Walesa.

Rural School Teachers in China Strike for Promised Higher Pay
China’s 1993 Teachers’ Law gives teachers the same status as civil servants and a wide range of guarantees to protect their income and benefits. However, as with all laws in China at protecting workers,  the implementation of the Teachers’ Law has been less than thorough in rural Choongqing. For example, teachers’ salaries are currently about one-third or even one-fourth of other government employees.

In October and November 2008,  primary and middle school teachers from several counties in Choongqing, staged a series of strikes, demanding higher pay. The teachers also indicated that there was more at stake than simply wage levels. “Although it is a question of wages and benefits,  it actually  manifests more as a question of teachers’ status. We feel like the Teachers’ Law and the Compulsory Education Law are only there for display, like puppets,” a teacher said.

When asked about the role of the union, a teacher said that, although all of the teachers were union members, the union was “utterly powerless” to intervene in their behalf. All the union did was to explain that “state policies were still being formulated” and that an “emergency meeting” of the Choongqing government is being held and that the results would be posted on the Internet, the teacher said.

Canadians Oppose Afghan Laws that Trample on Women’s Rights
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Canadian government have expressed their strong opposition to repressive legislation recently passed in Afghanistan aimed at trampling women’s rights. The recent legislation  in Afghanistan, which defines what women can and cannot do, is an ‘absolute disgrace,” said a Canadian union official.

CAW Council President Tim Carrie emphasized that one reason the Canadian government said it was sending troops to Afghanistan was to protect the rights of women and children. “But now, that the Afghanistan Parliament has approved these repressive laws, it’s  imperative that Prime Minister Harper respond in the strongest terms,” Carrie said.

Among other repressive features of these laws,  women are prevented from going to school. This will create a generation of people without  the tools to fight back against oppression.

Los Angeles Teachers Union Plans One-Day Strike Against Layoffs
The union representing Los Angeles teachers announced on April 29 that its members have voted to endorse plans for a one-day strike this month to protest looming layoffs and larger class sizes.  Union leaders called on parents to join them, while acknowledging the demonstration would sacrifice  some instruction  and complicate student testing. It would also violate the union contract.

“We expect parents to understand that the loss of one day to stop the chaos that would occur with larger class sizes and the layoffs of teachers is well worth it,” said  A. J. Duffy,   president of United Teachers Los Angeles. “This is about maintaining the integrity of the  education program.” Last month, the school board voted 4-3 to  cut $5.96 million to help balance a nearly $6 billion general fund. Some 5,400 employees could lose their jobs, including 3,500 less experienced teachers who lacked  tenure.

District officials acknowledge likely disruptions. Low-poverty schools will see class size soar and will lose teachers as a result.  High-poverty schools (which have more money) might retain the same number of teachers, but it won’t necessarily be the same people—because many instructors at these schools typically lack tenure.

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