South Africa~ tlllinois Labor Network Update ------May1988------~------Labor conference to be held June 11 Illinois Labor Network ILNM will hold a conference for local unions The conference will focus on issues of in­ Against Apartheid on Saturday, June 11 at the Amalgamated Cloth­ terest to unions. It will include discussion of ing and Textile Workers Union, 333 S. Ashland, the Shell boycott; what U.S. sanctions mean Chairs Chicago, 9:00 a.m. to 1 :30 p.m. for U.S. and S.A. workers; the politics of apar­ Johnnie Jackson The conference is entitled From Soweto, theid; and building labor solidarity between President, Chicago Chapter Coalition of Labor Union Women South Africa to Chicago: A fight for Union Rights unions in Illinois and S.A. United Mine Workers Jack Parton & Human Rights. It is cosponsored by the President Richard Trumka and Cong. Ronald V. Director, District 31 Roosevelt University Labor Education Division Dellums have been invited to address the con­ United Steelworkers of America and the University of Illinois Chicago Labor Edu­ ference. Bill Stewart cation Program. Registration costs $10 per person. Write Director, Region 4 checks to the Illinois Labor Network Against United Auto Workers Apartheid and send to ILNM, %Machinists Dis­ Co-Chairs June 16 demonstration trict 8, 1225S. Harlem, Forest Park, IL60130. o Michael Calendo Directing Business Representative A demonstration will be held at the South Afri­ District 8, Machinists can Consulate, 200 S. Michigan, Chicago, on Stephen M. Culen, Executive Director Thursday, June 16 beginning at 4:00 p.m. Union Shareholders Rosetta Daylie, Associate Director members are urged to join with anti-apartheid Council 31, American Federation of groups on June 16 (Soweto Day) and demand State, County & Municipal Employees the release of jailed S.A. trade unionists. For move on Shell Elcosie Gresham more information, call 583-6661 (ILNAA) or 922- American National Bank has called for an ex­ President, Local 241 traordinary shareholders meeting to vote on Amalgamated Transit Union 9315 (CCISSA). D ending Shell's South Africa operations. With Phillip lmmesote Director, Region 11 nearly one million shares, it is the largest Illinois United Food & Commercial Workers 7 holder of Royal Dutch/Shell stock. The bank Tony Kujawa Charges against joined union pension funds, American Baptist International Exec. Board, District 12 Churches USA, Mellon Bank and other major United Mine Workers of America labor leaders dropped shareholders in calling for the meeting. Arthur Loevy Trespassing charges against 7 Illinois labor lead­ Royal Dutch/Shell is the largest corporation Manager, Chicago & Central States Joint Board, Amalgamated Clothing ers and a priest were dropped when defendants in the world in terms of assets. Its bylaws re­ and Textile Workers Union appeared in court on April 13. The 8 were ar­ quire 10% of the shareholders to call an extraor­ Eugene Moats rested on March 18 for refusing to leave the dinary meeting. More than 13 million shares, President, Joint Council 1 Borg-Warner building in Chicago after meeting about one-half of the number needed, are now Service Employees International Union with the South African Consulate General. committed to the action. Louis Montenegro jack Parton, District 31 Director of the Steel­ American National Bank agreed to join the Director, Midwest Region workers, and Bill Stewart, Region 4 Director of shareholders action following a meeting with Int. Ladies Garment Workers Union the Auto Workers, led the delegation to the State Rep . Aid. Robert Nelson Woods Bowman, Allan Streeter, National Vice-President, American Consulate, where they delivered thousands of United Methodist Bishop Jesse deWitt, Rosetta Federation of Government Employees petitions from local unions demanding the re­ Daylie (AFSCME), and representatives of I LNAA Robert T. Simpson, Jr. lease of jailed S.A. unionists and all political and the United Mine Workers (Washington of­ President, Local 743 prisoners. fice). At an April news conference, ILNAA union International Brotherhood of Teamsters Arrested along with Parton and Stewart representatives, Aid. Allan Streeter and Aid. Jacqueline Vaughn were: Elcosie Gresham, President of Transit Jesus Garcia announced the agreement. President, Chicago Teachers Union Union Local 241; Rosetta Daylie, Associate Di­ Shell is the target of a growing worldwide Coordinators rector of AFSCME Council 31; Rev. Michael boycott supported by the AFL-CIO, 47 interna­ Kathy Devine Pfleger, Pastor, St. Sabina Catholic Church; tional unions, the Coalition of Black Trade Un­ Coalition of Labor Union Women Richard Ziebell, President, UAW Local 477; ionists, and many religious and civil rights or­ (312) S83-6661 Johnnie Jackson, Chicago President, Coalition ganizations. o Harold Rogers Coalition of Black Trade Unionists of Labor Union Women; and Carole Travis, Pres­ (312) 684-7309 ident, UAW Local 719. (continued) BOYCOTT SHELL Steering Committee (in formation): John Agrela, Business Manager, Local S71, Sheet Metal Workers; Charles Barton, Secy-Treas., Local SOOP, UFCW; Emma Beck, Retired, Local SOOP, U FCW; Joe Costigan, Education Dept., ACTWU; Bob Dahlke, President/Bus. Mgr., Local 16S, Int. Brotherhood of Elec. Workers; Mike Flores, Int. Rep., Coordinator Civil Rights Council, Reg. 4, UAW; Michael I. Handley, Assistant to Vice-President, District 4, Communications Workers of America; Fred Harris, President, United WorkersAssociation/U.E. Local 11S4; Barbara (B.J.) Jones, President, Chicago/A. Philip Randolph Institute; Bessie Lee, Secy-Treas., Chicago Joint Board, Retail, Wholesale & Dept. Store Union; Max Liberles, President, Local 2000, AFSCME; Ronald F. Luesmann, President, Local 1SSO, UFCW; Ron Martin, Region 1, AFL-CIO; Andrew Mason, Executive Asst. to Regional Director, UFCW; Arthur L. Mitcham, Exec. Board, Local 81, Int. Fed. of Professional & Tech. Engineers; John O'Gara, President, Local 1, Hotel & Restaurant Employees; Rick, Olesen, President, Local 145, UAW; Ronald Powell, President, Local 881, UFCW; Alfonso Richardson, Business Rep., Local 881, UFCW; Frank Rosen, Director, District 11, United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers; Rachel Rubin, Chair, Chicago Committee in Solidarity with Southern Africa; Carl Shier, President, Retired Workers Chapter, Local 6, UAW; Tom Suhrbur, Illinois Education Association Staff Organization; Carole Travis, President, Local 719, UAW; Mitch Vogel, President, Local 4100, AFT; Cleveland Ware, President, Chicago Area Civil Rts. Council, UAW; Jarvis Williams, President, Local 46, SEIU; Cole Wright, President, Local SOOP, UFCW; Richard Ziebell, President, Local 477, UAW. Day of solidarity with S.A. unionists On March 18, hundreds of union members rallied at the Leaders of UFCW Local SOOP, USWA District 31, UFCW Local Federal Plaza and then marched to the S.A. Consulate. They 1550, AFGE, UFCE Local 881, UAW Local 719, AFT Local 4100, demanded the release of jailed unionists and carried signs SEIU Local 46, UAW Local 477 and CCISSA presented the to Free Moses Mayekiso, General Secretary of the National demands during the rally. Union of Metalworkers of South Africa. He is now on trial March 18 was declared A Day ofSolidarity with South African charged with "high treason" by the apartheid government. Trade Unionists by Chicago's City Council, which also sup­ Participating in the action were Chicago Federation of ported comprehensive sanctions against the apartheid gov­ Labor Secretary-Treasurer Michael Bruton, UFCW Region 11 ernment. City Council President Pro-Tern Danny K. Davis and Director Phillip lmmesote, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Will­ Aid. Allan Streeter introduced the action. Aid. Roman Pucinski iam Lucy and Congressman Charles Hayes. chaired the hearing, during which representatives of USWA, A labor delegation presented demands for comprehensive UAW, CLUW, AFSCME, ILNAA, RWDSU and CCISSA testified. sanctions to representatives of the U.S. State Department, A resolution passed the Council unanimously and all three Sen. Alan Dixon, Sen. Paul Simon and Rep. Sidney Yates. aldermen joined the March 18 rally. o

Charges dropped rcontinuedJ Speaking in court on the behalf of defendants, Gresham said: "Your honor, the people who were arrested ... are lead­ ers of thousands of working people .... As our members un­ derstand the need for a good contract, they also understand what it is like for black South Africans to live in a society where people do not even have basic human rights .. .. We may pay a price for what we did ... but we feel it is a very small price to pay .... We will continue our protest .. . until there is no more apartheid." Following the court appearance, Stewart urged all unions to join in "demanding that Shell stop fueling the notorious South African security and police forces!" o

Comprehensive sanctions Illinois Labor Network gain support in Illinois Against Apartheid In April Sen. Paul Simon and Rep. Sidney Yates became cospon­ ILNAA is rallying local unions behind jailed S.A. unionists sors of the Comprehensive Sanctions bills, S.556/H.R.1580, and COSATU, S.A.'s major labor federation. Affiliates of 30 sponsored by Sen. Alan Cranston and Rep. Ronald Dellums. international unions have participated since our first organiz­ Five Representatives from Illinois previously joined the 114 ing meeting in late 1987. cosponsors of H.R.1580: Charles Hayes, Gus Savage, Cardiss We stand with South African unions as they fight the at­ Collins, Lane Evans and Kenneth Gray. rocities of the apartheid regime. In June of 1986, the govern­ Democrats who are not yet cosponsors include Sen. Alan ment began a state of emergency and banned foreign repor­ Dixon, and Reps. Martin Russo, William Lipinski, Dan Rosten­ ters from covering unrest. While the struggle to free South kowski, Frank Annunzio, Terry Bruce and Richard Durbin. None Africa escalated, the story died in the U.S. news media. Ig­ of the Republicans from Illinois are yet cosponsors. nored were the 28,000 detentions under the emergency de­ The push for stronger sanctions has escalated since the crees- 40% children under the age of 18. apartheid regime began a new crackdown in late February While the S.A. government bans political dissent, it sends on major opposition groups, including the Congress of South propaganda agents to convince the American people that African Trade Unions (COSATU) - effectively banning the what is happening in South Africa is reform. groups. (The government also dealt a severe blow to unions What IS happening is that the apartheid government is by proposing new labor restrictions.) trying to destroy the growing, militant unions who are now In response to COSATU and major S.A. unions, the AFL­ in the forefront of the fight to end apartheid. But, South CIO and many unions are lobbying for passage of S.556/ African unions are fighting back. H.R.1580 which mandate a full trade embargo against S.A. We join them by responding to their repeated calls for total sanctions, for action on Shell, and for exposure of their Unions are urged to write Sen. Dixon and their Represen­ government's brutality against the black majority. That is what tatives in support of S.556/H.R.1580 immediately. o the Labor Network is about. In ILNM, we stand with union brothers and sisters as they build strong democratic labor Africans visit Chicago unions and fight for a free South Africa. D Nangolo lilonga, General Secretary of the public employees Leaflets, films and speakers are available for local unions union in Namibia, visited Chicago in April and met with many through ILNM coordinators Kathy Devine (583-6661) and groups including representatives of AFSCME locals and the Harold Rogers (684-7309). "Free Moses Mayekiso" and "Stop Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Chicago was also visited Apartheid/Boycott Shell" buttons are available for purchase. o by Sam Njoma, head of the South West Africa Peoples Organi­ Published by ILNAA, %Machinists District 8, 1225 S. Harlem, 8 zation, who met with CBTU and others. D Forest Park, IL 60130. ._., 601