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Home→Tags Killer Mike

Tag Archives: Killer Mike

3/27 Killer Mike Calls Jeff Bezos “Part of the Planter Class” at Bessemer Amazon Facility Rally; News Roundup & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on March 27, 2021 by BennyMarch 27, 2021

Killer Mike gave a great speech at the union vote rally in Bessemer, AL yesterday. Here’s the video. Lasts about 8 1/2 min. 1.2K people tuned in live, which is pretty good considering it was a Friday afternoon event at 3pm.

Bernie Sanders spoke after Killer Mike and here’s a report of his brief remarks:

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a former presidential candidate, spoke Friday afternoon at a rally in Birmingham to support Alabama workers seeking a union at the Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer.

“If you succeed here, it will spread all over this country,” Sanders said from a stage set up in a Southside parking lot behind the office of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in Birmingham.

“They know that it is not only workers here who are sick and tired of outrageous working conditions,” Sanders said. “A union is not going to solve it all, but what it does do is allow you a seat at the table.”

Votes will be counted Tuesday in the election, which will decide whether workers will be represented by the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union.

“When you go against one of the largest corporations in the world and you do it alone, you’ll have no power,” Sanders said. “But when you stand together in solidarity with each other, you can negotiate for a better work day.”

Sanders noted that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, worth $180 billion, is the richest man in the world, yet Amazon distribution center employees work in overheated conditions and are punished for taking more than two brief bathroom breaks on a 10-hour shift and barely have enough time to eat lunch.

“Enough really is enough,” Sanders said. “How much money do the richest people in this country require? How much in profits do the largest corporations really need?”

The union vote will send a message, he said.

“So, what this is about today is to say to this large, powerful profitable corporation, ‘Treat your workers with respect and with dignity.’ We’re not dealing with a mom and pop operation here. We’re dealing with a trillion-dollar corporation, that makes huge profits, that can certainly provide the kind of wages and benefits that working people desperately need.”

Two workers at the Amazon center in Bessemer also spoke at the rally.

“It’s just time to fight,” said Darryl Richardson, who initiated the unionization effort. “It’s time for us to stand together and fight.”

Richardson said that when he was a new employee waiting to be assigned to a station, he was written up for not being at his station. “If you leave your station you have to clock out,” he said. “I got a write-up for waiting for them to assign me to a station. That’s one of the reasons I thought we needed a union.”

He only gets two breaks a day on a 10-hour shift, and it’s nearly impossible to get to the bathroom and back to the station in the time allotted, he said.

Linda Burns said that after taxes are taken out, her weekly pay is $300. “With one hand, I have to pick up 1,000 pieces (shipments) in one hour,” she said. Getting to the lunch room and back on a 30-minute lunch break leaves about 10 minutes to eat, she said.

She had to get a second job and also attends nursing school on the side, she said. If she’s one minute late, she loses an hour of pay, she said. “We cannot fight Bezos by ourselves,” she said.

Sanders noted that in Europe, Amazon workers are represented by unions.

“People are afraid to stand up for their rights,” Sanders said. “They’re afraid they’re going to get fired.”

He noted that Amazon has criticized his efforts to support unionization. “It’s not Bernie Sanders they’re afraid of,” he said. “It’s the power of the workers.”

Workers are being intimidated and called in to meetings where they are told a union is not in their best interests and they are being urged to vote against it, Sanders said.

Even if the unionization effort in Alabama fails, it’s been a success, Sanders said.

“This is historically an anti-union state,” he said. “A major point has already been made.”

Bernie at Bessemer Screenshot 2021-03-26 153400.jpg

Bernie at Bessemer Screenshot 2021-03-26 153400.jpg

More news, tweets, videos, etc in the comments.

Posted in Activism, Bernie Sanders, News, Open Thread | Tagged Amazon, Killer Mike, union

12/15 Nina Turner Announces Official Bid for OH-11; News Roundup & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on December 15, 2020 by BennyDecember 15, 2020

It’s official! I am running for Congress. I am asking you to join me today as part of a historic grassroots campaign–one that centers the voices of everyday working Ohioans. We have so much to do and I hope we can do it together!

Please donate 👇🏾https://t.co/BXxAz1pNDt pic.twitter.com/Hw5ENHR7LI

— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) December 15, 2020

Former State Senator Nina Turner to announce bid for Ohio’s 11th Congressional seat on Tuesday

News’ Mark Naymik has learned that on Tuesday, former State Senator Nina Turner will announce her bid for the 11th Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge.

Fudge was tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner, who co-chaired Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, filed federal paperwork last week establishing a campaign committee for the run but has not commented.

If Fudge is appointed, Gov. DeWine will set a date for a special primary and general election to fill the seat.

Turner filed federal paperwork last week indicating her interest in campaigning for the seat, and is expected to formally announce her intentions soon. The 53-year-old John F. Kennedy High School grad has earned a national following for her progressive politics and blunt commentary, often at the expense of the Democratic establishment.

Shontel Brown, the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chair and a county councilwoman, who considers Fudge a mentor, is also expected to vie for the open seat.

Other local Cleveland officials as well as civic and religious leaders are also reportedly considering a bid, though they lack the backings of party insiders that Brown and Turner have already locked up. Those reportedly considering the run for the seat include State Rep. John Barnes, Pastor Jawanza Colvin, Cleveland Councilman Blaine Griffin, former Cleveland Councilman Jeff Johnson, and former State Sen. Shirley Smith.

The Republican Party will likely field a candidate, but the GOP historically has been crushed in this district. That means the special Democratic Party primary will most likely decide who heads to Washington.

Several factors will influence who wins the primary. First, whomever Marcia Fudge endorses will have an advantage. She’s proven she can sway party insiders, who play a big role in endorsing a candidate. Brown remains close to Fudge. But the progressive wing of the party will matter, as will money. On these fronts, Turner could have an edge. Tapping a national progressive base, she could raise money more easily.

I hope she shines a light on Cleveland not getting any doses of the vaccine, despite having more cases n the hospitals than in Columbus and Cincinnati. Cleveland was on the wait list. One of my comrades at TOP says Cleveland finally got some doses.

More news, tweets, videos, etc in the comments. See my comments about the Zoom announcement call. Come join us for this momentous occasion!

Posted in Activism, Bernie Sanders, grassroots, News, Open Thread, Video | Tagged Killer Mike, Nina Turner, Oh-11

5/30 Bernie Bro Killer Mike Makes Impassioned Speech to Protesters in Atlanta; Citizens March Against Police Brutality All Over the US; News Roundup & OT

The Progressive Wing Posted on May 30, 2020 by BennyMay 30, 2020

LeBron James picks up on Killer Mike’s Speech Last Night:

MANDATORY LISTEN!!!! @KillerMike always on point! So passionate and smart(knowledgeable) as hell!! Man I love you G! Salute ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 https://t.co/Mi8WQ74LWD

— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 30, 2020

Leave it to a Bernie Bro to speak “pragmatic” truths.

Updated active protests right now! More than 30+ cities 20 states. wow wow! pic.twitter.com/7zPcLiTOGP

— 𝟙𝟙 • 𝕃𝕆𝕍𝔼𝕃𝕐 (@Chaebomsus) May 30, 2020

Phil Collins sang about apartheid in South Africa. The song “Colors” could be applicable here. Today.

https://youtu.be/FKz5bK4wwn4

More news, tweets, videos in the comments section. Welcome to the weekend, with lots of civil and uncivil rest. Still 5 months to go until Election Day.

Posted in Black Lives Matter, grassroots | Tagged Killer Mike, Phil Collins, Police Brutality

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