On Monday January 15th, the amazing young leaders at the Philadelphia Student Union held a "Call to Witness and Action" to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. The theme of the event was to call for an end to forms of school violence. The messaging that the students collectively developed for the event aimed to broaden our understanding of the subject of violence by explaining that the structural violence produced by underfunding our public schools leads to all sorts of negative outcomes from high drop out rates, low levels of college access and a school to prison pipeline. In order to develop this deep understanding of violence that many college students struggle to develop, PSU members came together for hours to probe the system in which their schools exist and develop a deeper analysis of the situation. Amazing right.

Philly UNITE HERE members held a candlelight vigil outside of the Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing demanding that Hyatt Hotels “Bring Back the Hyatt 100.” Workers offered prayers and songs, and unfurled a 150-foot long “Hope Quilt,” which stitches together stories of Hyatt housekeepers and the pain they endure everyday.

In August, Hyatt Hotels fired 100 housekeepers from its three Boston area hotels after asking the workers to train their replacements from an outsourcing agency. The action ignited a national controversy for Hyatt Hotels, which launched an initial public offering of its stock on November 5, 2009. One of the Hyatt 100, Aracelly Arango, spoke at our vigil.

The vigil ended a week of actions by thousands of workers in a dozen cities.

Here, and in 9 other battleground states nearly 1,600 have signed up to volunteer in the critical 96 hours before the election.

We're putting out names down for the last 96 hours because we worry this race could be much closer than the polls predict.

Will all of the hard work and long hours be enough?

With your help, it will be.

Click here to Volunteer in the final 96 hours

Here are a couple of reasons why we shouldn't take anything for granted.

* Record turnouts are expected on Election Day, but it's unclear if polling places are ready for the deluge of new voters. With long waits and new voting technology in several states, polls can't predict how voters will react.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Activists Hope For Progress Soon

Philadelphia, PA, September 8, 2008- On Sunday, September 7, hundreds of art lovers browsed the galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They came to see the art and also to make a statement. The message that they wanted to deliver to the museum managers and security guards was printed on stickers that they wore, “My Security Guard Deserves Paid Sick Days.”

“I am sure Gerry Lenfest has heard our demands. More than 2,000 supporters in the last two weeks have stood up for living wages, paid-sick leave and affordable health care for the guards by signing petitions and visiting the museum,” states Fabricio Rodriguez, Executive Director of Jobs with Justice the community organization that is coordinating the effort. Lenfest is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and millionaire philanthropist.

For more information contact Fabricio at Jobs with Justice via www. phillyjwj.org or the Lava Space.

Philadelphia's Defenestrator Newspaper has just released issue #40, featuring articles about Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, The Don’t Tax Me Out Campaign, To Snitch or Not To Snitch, and a labor victory at Temple and Penn.

Philadelphia for Philadelphians!: The Don’t Tax Me Out Campaign

by Candace Saunders
Defenestrator.org

This morning, I took part in an action with SEIU against David Rubenstein. Kati Sipp has already put SEIU's official shout-out up here. The story has already broke here and in The New York Times. The Inqy isn't quite right. Police did show but no arrests were made. The action's organizers had every intention of leading us out either before or when the police showed. Cops in Philadelphia are very respectful of protest of all kinds (I'm sure this isn't always true, but it has been for me). As long as you do what they say when they say it, I've never known anyone to get arrested. And, by that time, you've made your point so there is no reason not to go.

Rubenstein is a billionaire investor at the helm of the private equity firm, The Carlyle Group. Carlyle recently purchased Manor Care, the nation's largest nursing home chain. The work of a private equity firm is not, of course, quality services, quality work, honoring a mission or any other socially responsible business motive. The work of a private equity firm is to squeeze as much cash out of its investments as it can. At times, this might mean making a company do its job better, but it might also mean selling it off in pieces. Or kicking out Unions. Or scaling back services even more but in not quite measurable ways.

In the case of Nursing Home Care, of course, poorer services means a lower quality of life and shorter life expectancy for seniors. SEIU has an official campaign website for the issue.

I came along to the action as a friend of the Labor Movement and not as any sort of leader or Organizer. I was with the flyering group on the floor and joined in with the people unfurling the banners in the balcony when they chanted:
"Better Staffing, Better Care!
"No more money for The Billionaires!"

The event took place at The Bellevue. Click read more for the juicy details!

Temple University Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and Philly Jobs With Justice is asking for your support and solidarity.

RALLY/PRAYER CIRCLE
On December 11, 2007 from 3:00PM-4:00PM at Temple University (Sullivan Hall, 1330 W Berks St).

Temple Student Labor Action Project will gather to recognize International Human Rights Day and continue the escalation of tactics aimed towards the Temple Board of Trustees and Temple President, Anne Weaver Hart.

We have yet to get a straight answer from Temple administration about our demand for 5 sick days.
http://media.www.temple-news.com/media/storage/paper143/news/2007/09/11/...

Since then we have had a series of meetings: