Greetings from the Burgh, but the big news today is back down in Brazil.
Bolsonaro VP Implicated in Plot to Assassinate Lula
During the 2020 Brazilian Presidential election, Bolsonaro attempted to pull off a coup. However, he was unable to do so in large part because the Biden Administration rallied an international coalition to recognize the election results.
Now, with Trump in power, it could be much easier for Bolsonaro allies to threaten democracy in Brazil.
In a sign of how close a violent coup may have come to pass, today the Brazilian federal police arrested four Brazilian special forces officers and a federal agent, who were accused of plotting to assassinate Lula in 2022. The plotters also planned to kill Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The officers included retired Brigadier General Mario Fernandes, who served as executive secretary to Bolsonaro. Meetings in 2022 were also held at the home of Bolsonaro Vice Presidential running mate Walter Braga Netto, who served as Defense Minister in Brazil during Bolsonaro’s first term.
Fernandes was also present in a meeting with Bolsonaro in 2022, where he instructed attendees to find ways to overturn election results. The involvement of so many high-ranking figures raises questions about who else may have been involved in the plot.
"Investigations indicate that the criminal organization used a high level of technical-military knowledge to plan, coordinate and execute illicit actions in the months of November and December 2022," the police said in a statement.
Help Maintain Brazilian-American Solidarity in Fight Against Fascists
At a time when democracy is under attack in the US, Brazilians in the second largest democracy in America are fighting against facism. Undoubtedly, fascists in Brazil will be encouraged and likely cheered on by Trump allies here in the United States.
During the 2022 presidential election in Brazil, Payday was the only American publication on the left to have a correspondent.
In the most recent election in the US, we also served as correspondents for Revista Forum, one of the most popular left magazines in Brazil.
While we are focusing heavily on the fight back here in the US, our fight against facism is a global fight and wwe ill be providing regular updates on the situation in Brazil.
Donate to help us maintain Brazilian-American solidarity.
DNC to Lay Off Staff Without Severance
After the loss in the most recent election, the DNC has been in a state of chaos. The staff union at the Democratic National Committee protested the move.
“The Democratic National Committee is facing the fallout of callous and short-sighted mismanagement by senior leadership. Starting Wednesday night, permanent employees were notified of their termination, effective Friday and with no severance pay,” said the DNC Staff Union in a statement. “These cuts go far beyond typical campaign turnover and impact employees who were previously told their positions would be retained after the election.”
For more, check out the full statement of the DNC Staff Union here.
NC Farm Bureau Moves to Decertify Farm Labor Organizing Committee
In a sign of the coming attacks that immigrant and labor rights groups are likely to face, the North Carolina Farm Bureau is attacking unions set up by workers employed on H-2A guest worker visas. Currently, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee in North Carolina represents nearly 10,000 guest workers employed in North Carolina.
Recently, the Department of Labor issued a new rule that would make it easier for farmworkers employed on H-2A visas to unionize.
However, the Farm Bureau is seeking to throw out the rule on a legal technicality. The rule would then likely not be taken up by the Trump Administration.
The lawsuit is one of four lawsuits being brought in the country that are seeking to overturn the law.
“The [N.C. Farm Bureau] and a couple of farmers basically allege that a very small portion of the final rule is unlawful, and that they want to strike down the entire rule, and there are a couple problems with that,” Nathan Leys, staff attorney from FarmSTAND told the Daily Tar Heel.
For more on the legal fight ahead, check out the Daily Tar Heel.
Haitian Migrants Mistreated by Brazilian-owned Colorado Meatpacker
Finally, the Wall Street Journal has a startling look at how Haitian migrants were treated by the Brazilian-owned meatpacking company JBS in Greeley, Colorado. From the Wall Street Journal:
“A JBS human-resources supervisor arranged for some of the immigrant workers to stay at the Rainbow Motel, a mile down the road from the plant, where they lived for weeks. They slept on the floor, as many as eight to a room, and cooked meals on hot plates on the carpet. JBS footed the bill.
The supervisor, himself an immigrant from the African nation of Benin, set up others to stay in a five-bedroom, two-bathroom unit he had leased in a house in town. There, too, they slept on floors. At one point, 30 or more people were living there, workers said. When the power went out in the winter, they cooked in their coats. They were charged $60 a week in rent.
Some workers worried that if they complained, they would lose their jobs.
After The Wall Street Journal approached JBS with questions about the treatment of the immigrant workers in Greeley, it opened an investigation, then fired the plant’s human-resources director and another HR official, but not the supervisor.”
For more, read the excellent reporting by the Wall Street Journal here.
Alright yinz, that’s all for today. Keep sending story ideas, comments, complaints, and cooking recipes to melk@paydayreport.com
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
