Greeting from the Burgh, where we just received word that workers in Chattanooga voted overwhelmingly to strike. More on that later in the newsletter…
First, though, my thoughts all day have been with the pain happening in Rio de Janeiro. I’ve been many times to Penha, the neighborhood where the massacre occurred, and my thoughts all day have been with the residents of Rio de Janeiro, who have suffered a terrible massacre.
132 Killed in Deadliest Police Massacre in Brazilian History
Rio de Janeiro has been plunged into chaos as news broke that at least 132 people were killed in a police raid yesterday that targeted at the drug gang Commando Vermelho in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Penha. More than 2,000 police were involved in the largest and deadliest police raid in the history of Brasil.
According to reports, the Brazilian military police pushed the drug gangs away from the neighborhood and into the forest along a ridgeline the police had already occupied, opening machine gun fire on those fleeing. More than 60 bodies were found in the woods. Some showed signs of execution and even decapitation.
Schools were canceled throughout Rio today and the streets were largely empty as Rio residents fear what could come next. After major raids, drug gangs routinely light buses on fire and attempt to create a sense of chaos about what will happen next.
Lula and federal officials are also calling for an investigation of right-wing Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro who called the raid without consulting anyone. UN Secretary-General António Guterre also denounced the raid.
“The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the large number of casualties during a police operation conducted yesterday in the favelas in Rio de Janeiro,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Wednesday.
Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro is currently facing scrutiny due to his ties to former state representative TH Joias, a financial backer of his, who was arrested for gun running to the same gang. Many speculated that Castro carried out the excessive raid to distract attention from his ties.
The Guardian’s excellent reporter Tom Phillips was on the scene in Rio de Janeiro:
Day had yet to break over Vila Cruzeiro but already dozens of corpses were splayed out along the favela’s main drag after more than 130 people were killed during the deadliest police operation in Rio’s history: grotesquely disfigured, blood-smeared bodies that had been dragged out of nearby forests and dumped on blue tarpaulins and black plastic sheets covering the street.
“I’ve brought 53 down myself … there must be another 12 or 15 up there in the bush,” said Erivelton Vidal Correia, the head of the local residents’ association, bleary-eyed from a sleepless night spent hauling bullet-riddled local men down from the hills.
Correia broke down as he described his relentless nocturnal hunt for the dead after Rio suffered what is being called one of the biggest police massacres in modern Brazilian history.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, brother – not even in the Gaza Strip does this happen … I can’t bear to see any more corpses,” he wept, covering his face with the surgical gloves he was using to handle the deceased.
Please, take a few moments and read Phillips’ excellent dispatch from the Guardian.
Supermajority of Volkswagen Workers Voted to Strike
In Chattanooga, the UAW has announced that a supermajority of Volkswagen workers have voted to go on strike unless Volkswagen improves their offer, particularly on job security language.
While the UAW did not release the strike vote authorization number, wnder the UAW constitution, a 2/3rd majority is required to call a strike. The UAW has stated that they reached that threshold easily.
“I’m voting yes because this is the time to show Volkswagen we are serious about receiving industry-standard treatment. Job security’s essential. They could pay us $100 an hour, but it means nothing if they close the plant two weeks into the agreement,” Volkswagen worker James Robinson said in a statement announcing the vote. “I’m hoping this process shows the company we are serious about getting a fair contract. We will show them their offer wasn’t enough, show them we’re willing to stand up to get what we deserve.”
For more on the vote, check out the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Donate to Help Us Cover The Fight at Volkswagen Chattanooga
For more than 12 years, I have covered the union fight at Chattanooga. It’s now reaching a crucial point with workers voting overwhelmingly to strike. This is a crucial fight for national and international reasons. A lot of people are paying attention, and Payday needs to lead the way with our coverage.
AFGE Members Push Back Against Leadership Folding
Yesterday, Payday covered how AFGE, the nation’s largest federal union, was pushing for Democrats to cave and agree with Republicans on passing merely a continuing resolution.
However, a group of rank-and-file AFGE members have launched a petition calling for Democrats to continue to hold out.
“AFGE does not appear to have tallied the opinions of rank-and-file members or local leaders prior to taking this stance. AFGE has failed to stress the importance of passing a budget that protects Americans’ healthcare, the public services that federal employees provide, our rights as federal employees, and our Constitutional system of checks and balances, all of which this administration has attacked and attempted to dismantle since January,” the group said in a statement.
“AFGE’s unconditional calls to end the shutdown serve only to pressure our congressional allies to give up on the fight for a better budget for federal employees and all Americans,” wrote the group. “As public servants, we cannot support a policy position that puts our right to an on-time paycheck above the basic rights of all Americans to affordable healthcare, or accelerates unconstitutional overreach by the executive branch.”
Boeing Rejects Machinists’ Counteroffer as St. Louis Strike Enters 3rd Month
In St. Louis, a strike of over 3,200 fighter jet workers appears to be entering its third month. Today, Boeing rejected the Machinists’ counter offer.
“The company rejected our counteroffer and said they’ll only accept a deal within their ‘parameters.’ Our members have rejected four offers within the company’s parameters. We’ve bargained in good faith and were the last to move,” the Machinists said in a statement to their members. “The company owes us a counter, not more delays. Your bargaining committee will consider a company counter that moves us toward a fair deal.”
CBS News Purges Black and Brown Staffers
Last month, CBS News announced that right-wing commentator Bari Weiss, previously of the conservative outlet Free Press she co-founded, would be taking over as Editor-in-Chief of CBS News. Her appointment shocked many as Weiss has no prior experience in TV or broadcast news.
During FCC hearings over CBS’s parent company, Paramount, merging with Skydance, Trump’s FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that approval of the merger would be contingent on CBS News’ pledge to get rid of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
Earlier today, Weiss announced 100 staffers would be laid off throughout CBS News. Quickly, Black and brown staffers took to social media to denounce the layoffs as adversely affecting staffers of color.
“Every producer who was laid off on my team is a person of color,” veteran Black CBS news producer Trey Sherman wrote on an Instagram story. “Every producer on my team who will be relocated within the company is white.”
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- 3,100 Tenet nurses to hold one-day strike Oct. 30 for patient safety at six California hospitals
- General Motors lays off thousands of electric vehicle workers in U.S. plants
- ‘Midnight Massacre’: ICE leaders purged as Trump Admin eyes ‘more aggressive’ nationwide campaign led by Border Patrol
- Trump cuts probably hindered warning process for Alaska storm that displaced hundreds, experts say
- How real is the threat of a general strike in Alberta?
- Senate votes in bipartisan fashion to repeal tariffs on Brasil
- Finally, Eric Blanc has a long look at how labor needs to escalate tactics following the success of the No Kings protests
Alright folks, that's all for today. Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com.
