Fed:Intevein hia pooq LCLAA.Leaders Support Call.1fo)rJusEinM vrxIco A call for U.S. intervention in ne- The action comes amid reports lands from the economic' encroach- iddle East, Bosnia -and Somalia, workers. to end the NAFT7A-linked gotiations that Mexican federal authorities ments of the United States. among other places, looks away "Mr. we in the Mexican State of continue to torture, and abduct Secretary, of Amnericaii uprising kill., "O(3n the very day- NAFTA was from government tyranny below the labor ask that you intervene iq the Chiapas was issued this week by persons suspected of involvement in signed into law by President Clin- border. the California Labor current -negotiations between -the. Federation, the armed revolt even as the Mexi- ton, the flag of rebellion. was raised "T1he. Indianfs of Chiapas have a of Mexico the AFL-CIQ. can contends that in government and In- government nego- Chiapas. knowing fear that the- sophisticated dians ofChiapas to the end of assur- It is contained in a message to tiations are progressing with leaders "Although protests from across processes of United.States of State Warren Christo- farming ing a fair and democratic solution to Secretary of the Chiapas Indians.'* the globe compelled the -Mexican agriculture will -mean their the -crisis. pher signed by Executive Secretary- Here is the text of the message to governent to abandon the military obliteration. Treasurer Jack Henning of- the state Secretary Christopher "Our country, which enacted executions and the airff bombings of "NAFTA has opened.all of Mexi- at.the demand of American federation*and 21 union leaders and "The price of NAFI7A is alrady civilians, the United States stood si- can agriculture and industry to the NAFTA members who are activists in the being paid Mexican State of worst And Mexican capital, can do noth- in._,* lent during the of the assaults. advanced technology of the Co- less than assure a and last- AFL-CIO's Labor Council for Latin Chiapas where Indians have been in "Our nation, which has found lossus of the North. -All at the ex- ing just American Advancement (LCLAA). armed revolt to save their farm economic interests to defend in the pense of Mexican and American (Contined on.Page 4) Labo.r Pushes Heal1th Vol. 37-No. 5 FebruaryIU. 1994 Care Coalition California's local central labor bodies. completed plans this week to Qluake Akid at WNork aim intensive., grass-roots lobbying Clls for in favor of President Clinton's A-new appeal for contributions to / labor's Los Health Security.Act. at representa- Angeles Disaster Relief tives who are home Fund went out this week as un- -due during the OSHA counted additional union members upeoming congressional recess. faced financial crises because of the Plans.-were'laid as the health care L.A. earthquake and its and insurance industries cranked up Reform multi-million-dollar advertising envi- aftershocks. Spokespersons for health, Jack Henning, executive secre- campaigns aimed at turning public ronmental, civil rights and church opinion. against the president's plan. organizations joined the AFL-CIO tary-treasurer of the California La- in bor Federation, sent the new appeal Executive: this #eek calling upon Congress to the more than AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer for early passage ofthe Comprehen-, 1,200 Jack Henning of the California La- unions and councils in-this state and bor sive Occupational Safety and Health to trade ujpnists across- the Federation, meanwhile, re- Act - OSHA reform.- mindvd leaders of -the states-14200 The occasion was a Capitol Hill country.The fund is administered by Jim loyal-*'nions that the national AFL- news conference called Wednesday Wood, executive secretary-treasurer. ... GO remains firmly in favor.of the by the Coalition for Safe Jobs. of the LoDs Angeles County Federa- president's. plan. -Henning distrib- tion of Labor. The address is 2130 uted to affiliates new data.compar- Joining AFL-CIO President Lane ing all health care reform proposals Kirkland were Jane Perkins, presi- West 9th St., L6s Angeles, CA currently before Congress. dent of Friends of the Earth; Dr. 90006 .~" Alfred Munzer, president, Ameri- "The earthquake tragedy. fell 4.'mxg,.*. Only two meet the AFL-CIO's can Lung Association; Donna with particular devastation on thou- ~4 criteria for acceptable health care reform, AFL-CIO President Lane L-enhoff, general counsel, Women's (Continued on page 4).. Legal Defense Fund; Mark Har- Kirkland declared- last week. These rison, United Methodist Church, Dennis Gluckman of ATU are Clinton's Health Security'Act and Ralph. Neas, executive director, Local 277, center.,. receives and the single-payer health 'care check to pay his mortgage plan patterned after the Canadian Leadership Conference on CiVil from Armando Olivas, left, Rights. .N system. Only the* president's plan* and Pewg Robinson, right, appears to have a chance of winning In all, more than 45 organiza- dfrector and senio represen- congressional approval, the AFL- tions are participating in the Safe tative respectively, at AFL- CIO leader said. Jobs Coalition campaign for pas- CIO Services in Los Angeles. sage -of OSHA reform. Their And, he noted., the Health Secu- spokespersons were at the Dirksen rity Act provides states with the op- Senate Office Building to- hear Sec- retary of Labor Robert B. Reich tes- tify in favor of the reform measure before the Senate Committee on La- bor and Human Resources. !3K'v 9>P Memberswhose homesof uniondamagedfamilies and whose paychecks are cut Reich told the senators that off because of earthquake. "6some z 4~r;~rx:22damge illgrocery bags at enduring problems, -along M food distribution center with a new set of workplace haz- oper- ards,)" demand that the 1970 Occu-' .-~ ..ated by AFL-CIO Commu- pational Safety and Health Act be nity Sevcsat L.A. revised. Endorsing 0 onve-ntionApril1 23 The official call to the convention liticil Education (COPE) in Pri- Statewide offices to be acted from local central labor bodies and that will determine state AFL-CIO mary Election contests for: upon are governor, lieutenant gover- to shape its own recommendations .1 endorsements in the June 7 Primary 0 Congress. nor, secretary- of state, controller, for presentation to the -delegates 18 Election went out this week to affili- * Governor and other statewide. treasurer,) attorney general, superin- starting Wednesday morning. ates of the California Labor offices. tendent of public instruction, insur- Delegate registration will start at Ii Federation. * The Legislature. ance commissioner, and State Board 2 p.m. Tuesday in the hotel's Delegates from local unions and Also to be decided are labor's of Equalization. Golden Gate Room, Henning said.. councils will be called to order at 10 recommendations on statewide bal- Endorsements will be considered Registration will resume at 8 a.m. a.m. Wednesday, April 13 , at the lot propositions. for races in the State Senate Wednesday outside the El Dorado half Room, where the convention will be Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Fran- Endorsements-and the volun- districts and for all of the Assembly 0 cisco, Executive Secretary-Trea- called to -order at- 10. a.m.-- teer campaign support that goes sea .Accommodations. at the Cathe- surer Jack Henning announced in with the convention call. COPE backing-*will be de- The Executive Council of the dral Hill at. $79, single or double, cided for all members of. the House state federation will be in session at plus tax. Delegates should make' They will decide which candi- Of Representatives. U,S. Sen.* Di- the Cathedral Hill Hotel Sunday, their own reservations by March 20 dates carry the endorsements of the anne Feinstein again will be seeking April 10, -through Thesday, April by phoning the hotel toll-free at state AFL-CIO's Committee on Po- COPE support. 13, to consider recommendations (800) 622-0355.. UFW Sy'Cca-Cl HiesFacts in 'lIda Coca-Colasrepnetpros Cola profited fromn their labors with days old, the-workers got a *.Iar and organizations complaining two decades ofuninterrupted&profits* picture of their non-union future. about the corporation's abandon-. at Minute* Maid. ment of 600 Florida farm workers An overwhelming majority of First,*the Dr. Martin Luthe*r who have: given Cokes Minute the 600.workers have signed.cards King,. Jr. holiday was taken' away. Maid orange juice operation more declaring that they want-the UFW Workers were told they would be than. 20 years of uninterrupted to continue as their collective bar- fired if they failed to show up for profits- are full of misinforaton, giigagent but the two corpora- work for any-reason that da. Pre,sident Arturo Rodriguez of the tions are -stonewalling.- Sick leave-and 'vacation time United Farm Workers charged. this A national protest against this. were quickly cut. There was a swift. week. corporate shuffle launched with demonstration of what. it means to The rich and powerful Coca- simultaneous demonstations in 15 lose contr-act.grievance -procedures Cola, based..in Atlanta, has sold its cities - has*generated thousands of when a worker was demoted after a 16,000 acres of Florida citrus letters urgingCoca-Colato recon- public dressingdown for reporting groves to King Ranch of Txws, an-, sider or facea ntoa boycott ofits' on the job. late because of-an auto other multi-billion-dollar. corpor- bestrselling Minute Maid. mishap, which. he had reported by to.King Ranch in* turn has'set-up The corporation's responses have, phone a -subsidiary called Runining W misersne the facts, Rodriguez Wages, and benefits under the Citrus to operate-the* same orchards delcared.- UFW contract at Minute- Maid with the-sameequiment and super- The typical -Coca-Cola response. helped raise.and maintAin wages for visors producing fruit that will con- says the corporation -was "pleased farm workers.