Tidbits & Announcements - February 9, 2012

* FCC Attack on Worker Supported News Broadcasts (Frank
  Emspak)
* Unemployment Insurance on the Chopping Block (Manny
  Herrmann)
* A Panel Discussion on Occupy Wall Street - New York - Feb.
  15
* Resource - Anti-Racist Organizing to Build the 99%
  Movement (Chris Crass)
* Gerald Horne Brunch and Book Launch - Los Angeles - Feb.
19
* Dr. Steve Levin, R.I.P.(NYCOSH - New York Committee for 
  Occupational Safety and Health)

==========

* FCC Attack on Worker Supported News Broadcasts

I am writing regarding the questions and confusion that has
been raised by the recent fine against WLS radio in Chicago.
Please be aware that this was about a commercial radio
station airing a sponsored version of our news, it does not
relate to the non-commercial version of Workers Independent
News (WIN) that many of you air on your stations.

This week demonstrated the crucial importance of community
radio as a source for uncensored news. On Monday the FCC
announced that WLS- a large commercial station in Chicago
had not properly identified the specialized WIN newscast
that we provided the station for broadcast. It is the
station's responsibility to identify sponsored news as a
commercial when the time is purchased either by us, or a
broker or an advertiser. Almost no commercial radio station
in the US broadcasts a labor oriented news program
regularly. WIN is the ONLY 5 day a week program on
commercial and non-commercial radio. In the WLS case we
produced a news program focused on Chicago and it was
sponsored by several different unions. To simplify matters
WIN acted as a broker and made the arrangements for
broadcast.

Someone, we do not know who, scrutinized each of our
broadcasts  (several one-hour programs, a live two-hour
program from the Chicago Auto show, a large number of
promotional spots for the Saturday one hour show, and a
number of 90 second newscasts. It was ONE of the 90 second
broadcasts that was not identified properly by the station.
The news vignette was broadcast several times and the FCC
chose to assess a fine for each time the same broadcast
aired. These  broadcasts were all in 2009. There was no
wrong doing on WIN's part- BUT the effect of this initial
decision by the FCC will serve to make commercial stations
even more fearful than they are now of taking any content
that could be construed as controversial.

Bear in mind that every second of broadcast time on
commercial radio is paid for by someone-and it is that
barrier that keeps many voices off the air and imperils our
democracy. It is the commitment of community radio to
provide content without imposing censorship via financial
demands that so distinguishes it. That is why we at WIN
value community radio and appreciate your support and
willingness to broadcast our material.

Please feel free to call with any concerns.

Frank Emspak
Executive Producer
Workers Independent News
608-215-6701
[log in to unmask]

[Moderator's Note: The fine was $44,000 - a real shock for
being so high. Has a lot of station folks freaked out.]

==========

Unemployment Insurance on the Chopping Block

by Manny Herrmann,
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Now Blog
February 7, 2012

http://blog.aflcio.org/2012/02/07/unemployment-on-the-chopping-block/

Unemployment insurance as we know it is on the chopping
block.

So-called tea party legislators are trying to punish and
humiliate people who are out of work - they're even
threatening to take away unemployment insurance from some
people completely.

If you believe Congress should be focusing on jobs instead
of punishing and even humiliating people who are out of work
through no fault of their own, take action now.
http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=3594

These "tea party" politicians are pushing plans to:

*  Slash federal unemployment funding by more than half in
the states with the highest unemployment.

*  Let states whose governments have been taken over by the
tea party divert premium money away from unemployment as we
know it - and use it to experiment with right-wing social
engineering programs (like "workfare," where people are
forced to work for free to get unemployment benefits).

*  Mandate drug testing requirements. Politicians are ready
to humiliate people who are out of work - by making them
urinate in a cup to get benefits they paid for and are
entitled to.

*  Make jobless workers pay for their re-employment
services. People who are out of work through no fault of
their own and have paid into the system aren't asking for a
handout - but a helping hand. Now, the radical lawmakers
want to make them to pay for the privilege.

*  Deny benefits to people who never got their high school
diploma lose their right to benefits - they'd have
unemployment insurance taken out of their paycheck - but
will get nothing should they lose their job. Shame!

*  Cut federal employee pensions - or freezing wages for yet
another year. Federal workers have already done more than
their fair share to balance the budget - while the richest
1% of Americans have been asked to do absolutely nothing.

Outraged? You aren't alone. Demand Congress extend
unemployment insurance for a full year - with no barriers,
no strings attached and no brutal humiliation.
http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=hY5nL9BkEkWGYutzqg%2F0Ph3X%2FBBVA1Tt

Tell Congress to focus on jobs rather than punishing jobless
workers who have already suffered enough.

==========

* A Panel Discussion on Occupy Wall Street

Panelists will include:
* Richard Brodsky, former Assembly Member, Senior Fellow at
Demos
* Nelini Stamp, organizer, Working Families Party and Occupy
Wall Street activist
* J.A.Myerson, columnist for Truthout and field reporter for
Citizens Radio,OWS activist
* Maggie Goff, Christa Calbos, Justyn Richardson,
Manhattanville students

Cosponsors: Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action,
Manhattanville College; Duchesne Global Citizenship; Black
Student Union; Student Activist Coalition

Wednesday, February 15, 7:15 PM
East Library in the Castle
Manhattanville College
Purchase,NY

For info:contact:914 323 7156

Community Welcome

==========

* Resource - Anti-Racist Organizing to Build the 99%
Movement

Looking to build momentum in this powerful time of people's
movement?  Hungry for organizing insights and curriculum to
use in your community and beyond to build up Occupy and the
overall movement of the 99%?

Please share this far and wide.

Catalyst Project and I teamed up to put together the
Catalyzing Liberation Toolkit: Anti-Racist Organizing to
Build the 99% Movement.

http://www.organizingupgrade.com/2012/02/anti-racist-organizing-to-build-the-99-movement/

Just a few highlights:

* Popular education anti-racist, economic justice,
collective liberation curriculum from Catalyst Project.
* Exercises to help groups discuss vision, strategy,
leadership history of white supremacy and capitalism, ruling
class divide and rule tactics, the division between the rich
and the rest, and ways to build powerful multiracial
movements for justice.

* Curriculum and lessons from Occupy groups in Phoenix,
  D.C., Pittsburgh, and New Orleans.
* Ways to bring collective liberation/anti-oppression
analysis into facilitation and consensus trainings as well
as workshops on anti-racism and barriers to mass
participation in Occupy.

Interviews with visionary long time organizers about
movement building, anti-racist organizing in white
communities (rural working class, and Southern queer) ,
Indigenous anti-colonization organizing with suggestions for
allies.

Curriculum from Paul Kivel and Tools for Change on
challenging male supremacy, economics 101, and building
effective and healthy organizing culture.

Essays on anti-racist organizing in the Occupy movement.

Please share this with your people, post to blogs, websites,
Facebook, and email it to your lists.

Let's build, let's win, let's create,

Chris Crass

==========

* Gerald Horne Brunch and Book Launch - Los Angeles

Sunday, February 19 2012,
10:00am - 2:00pm

You are invited to a brunch and double book launch with Dr.
Gerald Horne, provocative historian, author of 32 books,
analyst and Professor of Afro and African- American studies
in Santa Monica.

Dr. Horne is a regular on Sojourner Truth Weekly
Roundtables.

At the event his two most recent books will be available and
he will sign copies:

- Negro Comrades of the Crown: African Americans and the
British Empire Fight the U.S. Before Emancipation

- Fighting in Paradise: Labor Unions, Racism, and Communists
in the Making of Modern Hawaii

Dr. Horne who is a regular panelist on Sojourner Truth's
weekly roundtable will sign copies of his two most recent
books which will be available.

Join Margaret Prescod, Dr. Horne and others at this
fundraising event for KPFK, "Radio for the 99% and powered
by the people!"

RSVP is required for this Sojourner Truth Black History
Month Salon.

Space is limited so reserve now by going to KPFK.ORG 
or call 818 985 2711 x 204.

A Benefit for KPFK Radio

Tickets: Pledge $35 for one, $50 for two.

Go to http://www.kpfk.org/  for tickets & info or call
818-985-2711 ext 204

Hosted by Jan and Jerry Goodman

Co-sponsored by the Paul Robeson Community Center

KPFK 90.7FM. Radio for the 99% and Powered by the People!

http://www.kpfk.org/eventcal.html?task=view_detail&agid=2491&year=2012&month=02&day=19

==========

* Dr. Steve Levin, R.I.P.

It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of
Dr. Stephen Levin.

Steve was first and foremost an advocate for health of
workers in the broadest sense     He devoted his life and
extraordinary talents not only to ensuring that workers who
contracted occupational diseases got the best possible
treatment, but to preventing workers from being exposed to
the conditions that caused the illnesses. He saw the fight
for higher wages, better working conditions shorter hours,
education, transportation and housing as part of the
struggle for the health of the working class as a whole

He understood that the health of working people was directly
tied to the health of the labor movement - that being
organized into union or any other formation - was the first
and most important step workers could take to protect their
safety and health.

In 1987, Steve became medical director of the Irving J.
Selikoff Occupational and Environmental Medical Center.
Working with Dr. Robin Herbert, the Occupational Health and
Environmental Medical Center became a nationally recognized
center for occupational medicine. Through their efforts, the
Clinic became known as a worker/union friendly clinic in
which doctors were seen as advocates - working with unions
and COSH groups providing scientific and medical support for
public policies which protected and advanced workers rights.

After 9/11 Steve mobilized the Clinic to address the needs
of emergency responders and clean-up workers whose health
was adversely affected by the contaminants which blanketed
lower Manhattan. Through the work of the Clinic, under the
direction of Steve and Robin, the problems workers faced as
a result of exposure were documented and their work provided
the scientific and medical justification for the passage of
the Zadroga Act, which established a compensation fund for
World Trade rescue, recovery and clean up workers,
volunteers and area residents. As a protege of Doctor Irving
Selikoff, Steve was one of the nation's leading experts on
asbestos disease. In the last years of his life, he devoted
considerable time and effort to working on providing medical
care for the workers and residents of Libby, Montana who
were callously and unwittingly exposed to asbestos by
W.R.Grace Corporation.

Steve was an early and active member of NYCOSH, serving for
many years in the early 1980s on our health technical
committee. He participated in and spoke at numerous NYCOSH
conferences on Workers' Compensation and occupational
diseases.  He was a passionate speaker and teacher helping
us understand the societal costs of occupational disease.
He was an advocate for the prevention of occupational
disease and the public's health.

We were honored to have known Steve; to have been able to
call him a friend. We will miss his impact in the fight for
safer workplaces, but will also miss his counsel, his
wonderful sense of humor, his ability to work with people
from different backgrounds -- hospital administrators, union
officials, rank and file workers and community residents --
to build .

His passing is a painful loss. He will be greatly missed. We
express our condolences to his family.

A memorial service will take place Tuesday, February 21,
2012 at 4 p.m. at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Stern
Auditorium, 1468 Madison Avenue (@ E. 100th Street, New
York, NY 10029.
 
Joel Shufro,
Executive Director

Bill Henning,
NYCOSH Board Chair

==========

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