Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is pledging to fight back to defend immigrants.
In Tight Re-Election, Pittsburgh Mayor Pledges Not to Cooperate with ICE
Donald Trump announced earlier today that he would restrict funds for cities that resist cooperating with ICE, so-called “sanctuary cities”. Trump’s Department of Justice even vowed to criminally investigate local officials, who don’t assist.
In Pittsburgh, Mayor Ed Gainey, the city’s first Black Mayor, is facing a competitive campaign this May with a run against him by County Controller Corey O’Connor, whose father was Mayor. O’Connor, and has engaged in race baiting, frequently accusing Gainey of being soft on crime.
Despite the ugly campaign against him, Gainey is not backing down in his pledge to make Pittsburgh a “sanctuary city,”
"We want to make sure that when immigrants are here they feel welcome. We want to make sure that they know we want to provide services for them," Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey told KDKA.
AFT Vows to Resist School ICE Raids
Yesterday, the Trump Administration announced that they would rescind long-standing ICE policies to not conduct raids at churches or schools. American Federation of Teachers union President Randi Weingarten has vowed to resist any attempts to conduct raids in schools.
“These actions are traumatizing to all children, especially the young ones, and will leave them with fear and worry about whether they’re next to be taken away. They won’t want to go to school, and why would they when it doesn’t feel safe?,” said Weingarten in a statement emailed to Payday. “This is cruelty. This is un-American.”
For more on how educators plan to defy Trump, check out Newsweek.
United Farm Workers Face Anti-Immigrant Intimidation & Harassment
In California, United Farm Workers officials report being the target of a coordinated campaign of intimidation. The union reports that multiple offices have received flyers threatening to report their members as undocumented.
To help the farmworkers prepare for ICE raids, the union has released this Red Card, which workers can use to understand their rights
$2,200 Raised Towards $10,000 Goal
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Donate to help us cover the fight to defend unions and immigrants
18,000 Costco Workers Vote to Strike
With a little over a week to go, 18,000 Costco workers, represented by the Teamsters, have voted overwhelmingly to strike.
"From day one, we've told Costco that our members won't work a day past January 31 without a historic, industry-leading agreement,” said Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. “Costco's greedy executives have less than two weeks to do the right thing. If they refuse, they'll have no one to blame but themselves when our members go on strike."
Strikes & News Elsewhere
- Federal authorities have identified dozens of targets for deportation in Chicago area, sources say
- Corporate Democrat DC Mayor supports Trump’s end of telework
- Illinois Governor signs bill to phase out subminimum wage for workers with disabilities
- Local meteorologists could face layoffs amid new initiative with The Weather Channel
- Thousands of resident physicians in Philadelphia voted to unionize this month
- The L.A. Fires proved the urgent need for local news in an age of social media conspiracies and outright lies
- Is Serbia on the brink of a general strike?
- Debate revived in WA Legislature over unemployment benefits for striking workers
- Providence and striking nurses, doctors remain at odds after 10 days
- Finally, a Member of the 1968 sanitation workers strike laid to rest before Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Be sure to fill out our survey and let us know how you can help
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
