Folks,
Greetings from Rio de Janeiro, where more than 70 have been killed in floods in Brasil.
70 Dead in Floods in Brasil
This week, more than 70 people died in flooding that triggered mudslides in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Rainfall in the Brazilian city of Juiz de Fora is nearly triple the average rate of rainfall during a regular period.
Brazilian Minister of Cities Barbalho Filho cited global warming for leading to an increase in deaths.
"Science indicates that there will be more and more extreme weather events like the one that happened here in Minas Gerais, as happened last year in Rio Grande do Sul," Jader Barbalho Filho told a press conference earlier this week.
Help Cover Paramilitary Gangs Intimidating Teachers' Union in Brasil
Folks, I have a bunch more articles coming out here, but I need your help to tell some incredible stories.
I am going to be examining paramilitary gangs targeting teachers' unions, landless workers' movement activists occupying land despite violent threats, the rise of Chinese-owned auto plants in Brasil, and campaigns of international solidarity.
We got another two weeks left in Brasil. Help me finish reporting stories and pay to edit them.
International Trade Union Confederation Calls for Ceasefire in Iran
As the attacks on Iran intensify, the International Trade Union Confederation is calling for a ceasefire.
“Workers’ voices have been sidelined both by authoritarian governance and by the logic of militarisation” said the ITUC in a statement. “A change of regime cannot be imposed by force. The people of Iran itself must decide for themselves who should rule their country. They must have the right to determine their own future, free from external aggression and internal repression.”
Read the full statement by the ITUC here.
Kuwait Defense Contractors Complain About Lack of Bunkers
Across the Middle East, countries are being hit with retaliatory missiles and drones from Iran. In Kuwait, 6 US Soldiers were killed this week as a result of missile attacks.
Now, American contractors employed by contractor V2X say that they are worried about safety issues. From the Guardian:
Workers interviewed said contract employees are assigned different bunker facilities from military personnel on the bases. Some of the shelters resemble above-ground concrete tunnels with open ends, while others are enclosed structures with metal doors but “no light, barely enough air and total darkness,” they said.
“We are all packed into the bunkers that are closest to wherever you work,” a second American worker said.
The two American contract workers the Guardian spoke to alleged that US military personnel stationed in Kuwait were evacuated in the past few weeks, leaving the bases relatively empty, while contractors remained in the country.
“It almost seemed like [the Pentagon] evacuated the soldiers so if anything would happen safely, for instance, that base was hit it would be less casualties on the military standpoint,” said the second American worker. “What about us? Are we just considered casualties of war? How did they leave before us?”
For more, check out the Guardian.
24 Million Asian Guest Workers at Risk in Gulf States
The International Labor Organization estimates that 24 million foreign guest workers, largely from South and Southeast Asia, are employed in the Gulf states, often in low-paying and exploitative jobs.
Already, four guest workers have been killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran. However, labor advocates say that it’s unlikely that most guest workers will be evacuated anytime soon, given the essential services that they provide in the region.
The Philippines has over 2.4 million guest workers employed in the region, but Jonvic Remulla, the Philippines Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, says it may not be so easy to evacuate those workers.
“It’s not as simple as it sounds. The Filipinos run maybe 50 per cent of the health and service capacity of the Emirates,” Remulla told Bloomberg. “We will have to prepare for all contingencies.”
For more, check out Bloomberg.
After the Minnesota General Strike, Immigrant Rights Advocates Seek 10,000 for Rent Strike
In January, activists in Minnesota pulled off a historic General Strike. As a result of ICE raids, many immigrants were unable to work, resulting in an estimated $47 million in lost wages. As a result, many immigrants are struggling to pay their rent.
As immigrants’ advocates attempt to pressure landlords to reduce rent payments for immigrants, who were unable to work, they are seeking 10,000 tenants to pledge to not pay their rent unless something is done on a broad scale across the region.
“We are the collective power and we are able to wield that power to protect our neighbors,” Nadia Langley, an organizer with Twin Cities Tenants, said at a rally on Tuesday. “People will be evicted unless we do something about it.”
For more, check out Minnesota Public Radio.
As Video Podcasts Boom, SAG-AFTRA Seeks to Unionize the Industry
Last month, the Pete Davidson video podcast became the first video podcast to unionize with SAG-AFTRA. Currently, the union has contracts at two video podcasts, but with major entertainment companies expanding, the union sees a lot of potential to organize these companies, where SAG-AFTRA already represents video employees.
“It’s something that we are constantly talking about internally. How are we going to define podcasts in six weeks, six months, six years? So we’re sort of trying to reflect back to the industry, what the industry is saying to us,” SAG-AFTRA’s Sue-Anne Morrow told the Hollywood Reporter. “If the industry says we think this is a podcast we’re going to look at that and say, ‘Well, what does that mean now? What is a podcast now?’ And try to cover it in a way that makes sense for the producers of that and for the performers in it.”
For more, check out the Hollywood Reporter.
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Texas migrant children’s shelter to lay off entire staff, citing Trump
- Florida now close to dealing death blow to public sector worker unions
- WNBPA offers revenue sharing, housing concessions in latest proposal
- In Spain, Amazon workers win with quick-hit walkouts
- Cambodian garment factory under investigation after several workers fainted and one worker died
- Finally, the chief of staff for Trump’s Labor Secretary was forced to resign today over allegations of misconduct
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
