Canadian Federal Workers Strike Enters 2nd Week – Rutgers Staff May Strike Again – China Cold on Lula’s Peace Push

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Canadian Federal Workers Strike Enters 2nd Week.

In Canada, a strike involving ⅓ of all Canadian federal workers, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, is entering its second week. Canadian workers say that they are prepared to press on to improve working conditions as public support appears to be rallying to their side.

“I’m not going to lie, in the days leading up and the weeks leading up to it, I was pretty nervous,” one striking Canada Revenue Agency worker told Press Progress. “I think the public will see what’s happening. I hope that we have some popular support going forward. During the CUPE strike, the massive opposition in general to back-to-work legislation was quite encouraging, I hope that we can have the same effect.”

For more, check out Press Progress.

Rutgers Employees Could Walkout Again

Earlier this month, over 9,000 Rutgers employees reached a framework agreement to resolve a week-long strike at the University. However, union officials say that progress in finalizing contract details has met unnecessary roadblocks and that they could strike again.

“We got back to New Brunswick and it’s been the same tricks … slow bargaining, not responding to critical demands, playing whatever foolish stupid games they’ve been playing,” Todd Wolfson, vice president of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT told POLITICO. “So yes, we are pissed off. And we are asking ourselves what we need to do and what’s going to need to happen before the semester ends in order to get the contract we need to get.”

For more, check out POLITICO.

Sega Employees Unionize in the US

The movement of video game workers unionizing is gaining steam. Now, workers at Sega of America are unionizing.

“We are unionizing because we love the games that we work on, we love our coworkers, and we love working at SEGA,” the workers said in a statement. “But unfortunately for many this job is not sustainable. Our goal is to make SEGA someplace where we feel employees can thrive for many years to come”.

For more, check out the workers’ statements on why they are unionizing.

Seattle Transit Workers Sue to Speak in their Native Language

In Seattle, some transit workers are being told not to speak their native languages while on the job. The lawsuit comes after a group of Ethiopian workers were ordered to stop speaking Amharic while on the job.

“Our native language is in our DNA,” Berhanemeskal Gebreselassie told the Seattle Times. “That’s our blood. That’s our culture.”

For more, check out the Seattle Times.

Kyrgyz Migrant Workers Forced to Fight & Die in Ukraine

Finally, the LA Times has a look at migrant Kyrgyz Workers are being forced to fight in Ukraine:

“Gruz 200” — cargo 200 — are the code words for the front-line fighters who are returned to their homeland again in body bags. Gulnara Derbisheva, a migration expert and former deputy social protection minister of Kyrgyzstan, has counted a dozen corpses of Kyrgyz who served in the ranks of the Russian army or with the Wagner mercenary force and have been killed in Ukraine.

The bodies are usually flown in at night to the Russian military base in Kant, a small Kyrgyz town just over half an hour’s drive east of Bishkek.

Derbisheva, a resolute woman in her mid-50s, takes care of Kyrgyz who are working in Russia and have gotten into trouble there. Problems include criminal activity, mostly drug trafficking or robbery. Others contact her because they are seeking to avoid military service and don’t knowhow. Derbisheva frequently travels to Russia and takes care of Kyrgyz workers there in her capacity as representative of the Kyrgyz Trade Union of Migrants.

“We know of 12 dead, but very likely there are more,” Derbisheva said. “We also hear from relatives that quite a few Kyrgyz are fighting in Bakhmut,” the scene of fierce battles in eastern Ukraine.

For more, check out the LA Times.

China Slow to Commit to Lula’s Peace Push in Ukraine

Finally, last week, Lula went to China, hoping that China would become part of Brazil’s push to get a peace deal in Ukraine. However, Lula left China without any firm commitment to the peace push.

“China, like Brazil, has an interest in getting Russia to end the war. Unlike Brazil, however, it has the ability to force Putin’s hand and unlike Brazil has no interest in sharing credit for peace,” Andre Pagliarini, Hampden-Sydney College professor and a non-resident fellow at the Washington Brazil Office, told CNN.

For more on Lula’s push for peace, check out CNN.

Strikes & News Happening Elsewhere:

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Melk