Author: Workers Voice

By Joseph Rosen

“I was locked up because I was poor.” This is the testimony of Twanda Marshinda Brown, a single working mother of seven who spent 57 days in a Lexington County (SC) jail for failing to pay $100 a month toward traffic tickets. For thousands of poor Louisianans who have been put in jail, their experience has been much the same. The Louisiana Sheriff’s Association has recently admitted that throughout the state, at least 2,181 people have been incarcerated for more than a year without a trial. (The results of a public record request challenging the internal survey of the LA Sheriff’s Association is still pending.) In Orleans Parish Prison, 90% of inmates are currently awaiting trial; of these at least 1400 men and women, more than half find themselves in a position like Brown’s, charged with nonviolent offenses and imprisoned for no other reason that they cannot afford bail and fees.

A recent survey by the Federal Reserve revealed that 66% of Americans  would not be able to cover an emergency expense of $400. The cost of bail or a court fee represents an even greater burden for someone charged with a crime: the median annual income for an incarcerated person (calculated pre-detention) amounts to a mere $15,109. Under these conditions, many people are unjustly doomed to lengthy pre-trial detentions despite their legal right to a “speedy trial” and the legal assurance that these individuals are “presumed innocent until proven guilty in court of law.” As has always been the case in the US criminal injustice system, “equal rights” are enjoyed unequally.

“I have been struggling to find a job, and I have even more bills because I couldn’t work in jail.” Just like Brown, most people lose their jobs during their detention. Many lose their housing. Many suffer from failing health as their conditions go uncared for. Many have families that are thrown into chaos for lack of childcare. These hardships are born by the incarcerated as well as their families and communities on the outside. No one gains from these detentions except for the commercial bail bond companies, the private companies that are contracted to run these prisons, and the corporations whose executives leech profits from the legal wage theft of the imprisoned workers that they exploit.

Reform is being fought for by organizations inside and outside of the prison walls. The courts’ use of cash bail has been challenged on constitutional grounds and has been ended in some jurisdictions. Prisoners continue to mount strikes to demand their labor rights among other basic rights. Reforms to this system of mass criminalization and modern bondage can be won through struggle, but workers who know better will not let up the fight until we rid our society of those who would profit from our poverty.

By Antranette Scott

“Some of them are just born bad…” Those are the words of Ray Kern, the owner of one of the shops in the French Quarter from which a group of boys (14yrs old, 15yrs old and 2 9yrs olds) stole a tip jar and $500.00. Kern told reporters that the boys “looked like pros” and he did not believe that anything could correct the juveniles. Now I want to get something straight before we even start: I am in no way saying that these youth were not wrong, but I believe that there is power (to elevate or to destroy) in how black youth are portrayed in media and also the criminalizing of youth at such a young age. I know that the majority of our readers have at one time stolen items; this false idea that kids are complete angels is used as justification to inject them into our criminal justice system.

In the city of New Orleans where the school to prison pipeline is ever present, it is important that we take a critical look at youth incarceration. We know that mass incarceration is not a solution to our crime problem, especially for youth, yet we are constantly bombarded with the same narrative of criminalization. This is looking at the symptoms instead the cause for a solution. The cause is a lack of quality public schooling, a lack of after-school and summer programs that are open and readily available to our city’s youth. We need summer jobs that pay a reasonable wage for our youth. We also need mentoring programs that pay mentors a living wage and that foster an interest in seeing our youth succeed.

A lot of folks are wondering where we are going to get the funds to operate these programs, and the workers to implement them… These programs are already paid for by our tax dollars. Looking at the 2018 City budget we know that out of $647 million dollars, 63% goes to cops, jails, and other reactionary measures. Only 3% goes to families and children, and only 1% goes to job development. Imagine what our city would look like if those numbers were reversed; if we divested from mass incarceration and invested in our youth. By making our youth a priority instead of pushing the narrative that ours are born criminals with no hope of becoming whole and healthy members of society, we will be taking concrete steps toward a way of living that uplifts us all.

By Enigma E

Abdul Aziz in his SplinterNews article entitled “The Secret, All-White Committee Advising New Orleans’ Black Woman Mayor on the Fate of Confederate Statues” was able to effectively point out how white supremacists always squirm themselves into a seat at the table. His article uncovered the link between confederate monument supporters and racist ideology & big money. It shows how they are validated through political organizations, donations and business ventures. Aziz summed up who the pro-monument people are as “essentially white nationalists masquerading as historical preservationists”. He uncovered their links to White supremacy, but more importantly he summarizes the real tragedy of this city with the line, “white supremacist views have already succeeded in penetrating one of the major institutions of a supposedly progressive, majority-black city”. This line gets at the fact that we are still dealing with identity politics. Mayor Cantrell is the figure in front the curtains, but who’s behind them? Cantrell is supposed to be representing the people that come from systematic generational poverty, which has limited their access to the resources and opportunities in this city, a city that is defined off of Black plight. We know Cantrell voted for a budget that disproportionately favors cops and jails over children and families, several times. We know she meets with white supremacists behind closed doors and concedes to their wishes without public input, even as public property is concerned. So we as the working class people must realize that no one person or position is going to save us, it’s on us to do it. Educate, agitate organize! #AllPower2DaPeople

On May 16, North Carolina became the sixth state to see massive walk-outs by educators and support staff demanding higher pay, increased investment in classroom resources, and improved working conditions. More than 40 school districts cancelled classes for the rally. N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE) President Mark Jewell said teachers were making the case for “stopping the tax breaks for the wealthy and [corporations] and reinvesting in public schools.”

More than 4,600 workers at Google demanded the termination of a company contract with the Pentagon, declaring in a petition that “We believe Google should not be in the business of war.” In March, many workers learned for the first time of Google’s involvement in a Pentagon program known as Project Maven, which sought to harness artificial intelligence technology to automate the operation of military drones. As part of the unending war waged on so many African and Middle Eastern nations, the US military has used its fleet of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones, to kill thousands of men, women, and children. Workers for Google acted on their outrage by resigning in protest and by threatening public protest; on June 1, caving to the mounting pressure of its workers, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced that it would not renew its “Project Maven” contract with the Pentagon.

On May 29, Hilton-Riverside workers voted to approve their first contract. The workers organized with UNITE HERE! Local 23 (NOLA, MS, TN), and have gained job security, seniority rights, and some of the highest wage increases the union has won anywhere along the Gulf. Local 23 was founded in 2009 and now has approximately 20,000 members, including workers in fast food, airport concessions, hotel and parking, among other areas of the economy.

In Sept. 2017, the New York Teamsters passed a resolution to become a “sanctuary union,” following the Sept. 6 deportation of long-time Teamster member, Eber Garcia Vasquez. The union pledges to not cooperate with federal immigration agents seeking to deport its members, and to take proactive steps such as providing training and legal assistance. George Miranda, president of Teamsters Joint Council 16, stated: “Being a sanctuary union means we will do all that is in our power to keep our immigrant members safe and keep their families together. The Teamsters have fought against racism since our first days as a union, and this is the next step.”

Despite historically unfavorable conditions, the union movement continues to pick up steam in the southeast. In South Carolina, Boeing Co. technicians have scored a victory, forming the first collective bargaining unit at the South Carolina plane factory. The newly-unionized Workers face challenges, as they are still considered a “micro unit” (comprising only 180 flight-line workers). Boeing bosses have asked the labor panel to review the unionization process, accusing the workers of engaging in “artificial gerrymandering” for including employees at the North Charleston campus. Nevertheless, unionization at the South Carolina plant represents a major breakthrough for the labor movement in a so-called “right to work” state. Similar breakthroughs in organizing aerospace workers could occur in other southeast states, for example, at the Airbus SE factory in Mobile, Alabama.

Contact: queerworkersnola@gmail.com and join the fight.