Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
This week’s Nonviolence News is just full of fascinating stories: Cornell University workers just won a historic contract that includes up-to a 25.4% increase in wages, a cost-of-living adjustment, elimination of a two-tiered wage system, and much more. Australians can now ignore their bosses on the weekends, thanks to a “Right To Disconnect” rule. After protesters raised a ruckus, Indonesia shelved plans to change elections laws to favor the ruling party. Nearly 70,000 international students in Canada face deportation after visa laws changed – and demonstrations are erupting all over the country.
But one aspect of the stories to look closely at is the savvy – and unusual – tactics that many of the campaigns are using. Instead of the same-old protests and strikes, the organizers are making an impact by breaking out some of the less-commonly used tools in the nonviolent action toolbox.
A daring work-to-rule action led to a bold win for Kroger foods factory workers. A work-to-rule action is when workers follow the rules to the letter, often bogging down operations and costing companies money in the process. For Kroger workers, this meant that, instead of getting changed out of their street clothes off-the-clock, hundreds of workers charged the company for putting on the snow clothes they wear for working in the freezers. The action took 30-40 extra minutes and reportedly panicked the management as the factory systems were delayed.) The strike was also organized in five languages, emphasized solidarity between immigrant and non-immigrant workers, and had 150 workers come to the open bargaining sessions.
On a remote road in northwest Canada, Gitanyow hereditary chiefs burned a benefits contract that was signed with a gas pipeline company nearly 10 years ago. Then they launched roadblocks to stop construction. In another part of Canada, an unarmed patrol wearing pink vests is providing safety for the community in Winnipeg, the epicenter of the missing and murdered Indigenous women’s crisis. In the United States, members of the Wampanoag Nation are exercising their right to hunt, fish, and gather in their ancestral lands in Massachusetts – and defying private property signs to do so. It’s a proven strategy for asserting and reclaiming treaty rights; Anishinaabe tribal members in Northern Wisconsin were successful with a similar campaign decades ago.
In India, amidst mass protests over the rape and murder of a female doctor, women called out the silence and inaction of the Women’s Commission by symbolically locking the doors of their office. In Afghanistan, women are singing in public and on camera (under burkas) in protest of the Taliban’s new rule prohibiting women from being heard speaking or singing. An international team of librarians are working to preserve Palestinian cultural archives and ensure that library collections provide accurate and factual information about current events and historic contexts for the conflicts between Israel and Palestine. And climate activists made a bold statement by locking down to baby strollers outside the apartment of the CEO of a Citibank – one of the worst fossil fuel financiers.
Each of these stories reveals the startling range of powerful approaches that nonviolent activists can use to challenge and transform injustice. One of the gifts of Nonviolence News is our ability to see them used in current events, not just in history books. We can learn on our feet … and make our efforts even more strategic and effective as we do.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Work To Rule And Open Bargaining Back Down Kroger Warehouse Bosses: Teamsters in an Indiana grocery warehouse scored big this year with a contract campaign like never before. They organized in five languages and sported a multilingual union button. They opened up bargaining sessions for any member to come observe—on the peak day, 150 showed up. They even pulled off a daring work-to-rule action the week before bargaining kicked off, to start from a position of strength. It worked. Read more>>
‘We Did It!’ Striking UAW Workers at Cornell Win Tentative Deal: Unionized workers at Cornell University confirmed Wednesday that they had reached a tentative agreement with the Ivy League institution after months of negotiations and nearly two weeks on strike. The deal, which still requires ratification by over 1,000 workers, “includes record wage increases of up to 25.4%, a cost-of-living adjustment, and the elimination of the two-tier wage system,” according to a statement from the United Auto Workers (UAW). “The agreement also introduces significant improvements to policies on time off, uniforms, inclement weather, and safety protections.” Read more>>
A Landmark Federal Ruling Against Union-Busting Has Boosted Organizing: It’s been about a year since the Cemex decision overturned nearly five decades of precedent and limited an employer’s ability to illegally undermine union support without facing meaningful consequences. Agency data suggest that the ruling has bolstered union organizing. In mid-July, with two-and-a-half months remaining in the fiscal year, the National Labor Relations Board announced that requests for union elections were up 32% and had already exceeded last year’s total of 2,594. Read more>>
‘Historic Victory’ as Biden BLM Restores Protections for 28 Million Acres in Alaska: Indigenous tribes and conservation groups applauded the Biden administration on Tuesday for listening to the demands of Alaska Natives, who have called on the federal government to protect 28 million acres of land in the state from mining—warning that failing to do so would threaten food security and cultural identity for tens of thousands of people. Read more>>
Australians Now Have “Right to Disconnect” From After-Hours Work Notifications: Australians who feel pressured to respond to work emails during dinnertime, first thing in the morning, and all the moments in between are getting a much-needed reprieve, as yesterday marked the start of a new “right to disconnect” law. Much like it sounds, the rule aims to protect workers’ free time. While bosses can continue to message workers as they please, employees can no longer be punished for not responding or reading those messages when they’re off the clock. Read more>>
Statue of Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Replaces Confederate Monument in Georgia: A statue of civil rights icon John Lewis was unveiled outside of Atlanta, taking the place of a Confederate monument. Read more>>
Oregon County Sees Nearly 30% Boost in Homeless Residents Finding Housing: Multnomah, the Oregon county that houses Portland, got nearly 5,500 unhoused people moved into homes, a 28% boost compared to the previous fiscal year. Around 7,900 entered a shelter during that same time period, a roughly 35% improvement. The county said this is the largest annual increase in housing placements since the Joint Office was founded in 2016, and attributed that success to the state’s supportive housing services tax. Read more>>
A Whopping 80% of New US Electricity Capacity This Year Came From Solar And Battery Storage: Solar and battery storage are having an absolute field day this year in the US. According to fresh numbers from the Energy Information Administration, the two sources accounted for a staggering 80% of all new electricity capacity added in the first half of 2024. This means that solar is outpacing new developments in fracked gas, coal, and other fossil fuel energy plants. Read more>>
In Defense of the Herring People: Efforts to decolonize the herring roe harvest in Alaska highlight the contrast between tribal subsistence practices and the Department of Fish and Game’s management strategy. Read more>>
Venezuela Offers Inspiration And a Warning: Venezuelan democracy defenders are showing that the conflict isn’t about left verses right — it’s about opening a space to struggle for genuine freedom and democracy. Read more>>
Radical Municipalism Is Paving the Way For Direct Democracy In LA: Researcher and organizer Yvonne Yen Liu discusses efforts to build direct democracy and grassroots power in Los Angeles. Radical municipalism draws from a variety of frameworks that place cities at the center of social transformation, looking beyond capitalism and the nation-state for new forms of community-building. Read more>>
Indonesia Shelves Plan To Revise Election Law As Protests Rage: Indonesia’s parliament shelved planned changes to electoral laws on Thursday after protesters in the capital set fires and faced down tear gas and water cannon over legislation they say would weaken opponents of the outgoing president and his successor. Read more>>
‘Enough Is Enough’: Rohingya Demand End To Violence In Myanmar: Rohingya seeking refuge in Bangladesh hold rallies marking the seventh anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar. Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have held rallies in camps to mark the seventh anniversary of the military crackdown in Myanmar that forced them to flee. Read more>>
‘Can’t Make This Up’: Journalist Arrested Under UK Anti-Terror Law Hours After Criticizing It: “I criticized the Terrorism Act before getting on the plane, then got arrested under the Terrorism Act upon landing.” Read more>>
Thousands March On the Final Night of the DNC: Thousands took to the streets on Thursday night for a final March on the DNC. The demands of marchers and the Coalition to March on the DNC were clear: they called on the Biden Administration, the Democratic aarty, and the Harris campaign to take action to secure an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and to end US aid for Israel. Read more>>
US-Trained Military in Uganda Targets Oil Pipeline Protesters: Police and soldiers from Uganda’s U.S.-trained army cracked down on demonstrators at two Monday protests against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, continuing the globally condemned oppression of EACOP opponents. “The arrest of climate activists against EACOP is a blatant move to silence crucial advocates for change,” said Fridays for Future Uganda. Read more>>
Gitanyow Heredity Chiefs Burn Agreement, Block Roads: On a remote forest service road in northwest B.C., Gitanyow Simgiget (Hereditary Chiefs) burned a benefits agreement they signed with TC Energy 10 years ago in support of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline. As it burned, they said it will “make our ancestors happy.” The burning ceremony came after the chiefs, supported by dozens of youth from surrounding communities, closed their territories to all traffic related to the new pipeline and set up a blockade. Read more>>
New York’s ‘Permeable’ Pavement Absorbs Rain Like a Sponge: By mimicking what soil does, the city’s permeable pavement lets stormwater soak through to the ground, reducing flooding during big storms. Read more>>
A Year After the Worst Wildfire In Modern US History, the People of Maui Try To Heal: One year since a wildfire ripped through Lāhainā, killing more than 100 people in the deadliest wildfire in modern United States history. The violent inferno devastated the coastal community, burning more than 2,000 buildings and displacing thousands of residents. This week, the community has scheduled many events to commemorate the disaster: surfers will paddle out en masse, families will gather at the Lāhainā Civic Center, and more than 100 Kānaka Maoli sixth graders will put on a stage production to honor the history of the town, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Read more>>
We’re Naming Storms After The Polluters Who Caused Them: Yellow Dot Studios releases another humorous spoof. In this satirical news report, it’s announced that the US government is naming storms after the climate polluters who cause them. Watch here>>
Climate Activists Protest at Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium: Chanting slogans like, “Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go,” the activists came to deliver a clear message to Fed leaders. Read more>>
Climate Protesters Lock Themselves to Strollers ‘Outside Citigroup CEO’s Apartment Building’: Climate protesters chained themselves to strollers outside an apartment complex described as where the home of Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser is located in New York City on Wednesday, August 21. The protesters can be heard chanting: “Jane, Jane, you can’t hide, we charge you with ecocide!” Watch the video>>
Breastfeeding Mothers, Youth Protest Against EACOP In Hoima: In their petition, the PAPs (Project Affected Persons) demand environmental conservation, and that the “EACOP project should be stopped immediately in the Albertine region.” Read more>>
The US State Where Child Care Is Free for Almost Everyone: In the US, where parents receive less support than in most other countries, New Mexico stands out as a shining exception. The state, long known for its challenges with child wellbeing, is now a leader in early childhood education. Read more>>
UPS Drivers Won “Historic Heat Protections.” They Say the Company Hasn’t Lived up to That Promise: A year after a union contract won “historic heat protections” for UPS drivers, the Teamsters are still pushing the company to do more to protect workers in vehicles that can reach up to 120 degrees. Multiple employees told Mother Jones their vehicles are still hot—and dangerous. Read more>>
At New York’s Con Ed, Workers Demand A Fair Share of Huge Profits: Cleaners and their fellow union members protested outside of Con Ed’s downtown Manhattan headquarters last week demanding family-sustaining wages. Con Ed clearly has the resources to provide just that. The utility last year pocketed $2.5 billion servicing New York City and Westchester County — and spent $1 billion in stock buybacks. Con Ed cleaners contracted through Nelson Service Systems earned as little as $16 an hour. Read more>>
Unarmed Patrol Seeks To Prevent Future Murders: With the landfill search set to begin, the families vow to ensure that no vulnerable woman goes missing again. On Winnipeg’s north end streets, dozens of people don bright pink reflective vests, each emblazoned with the words “helping is healing.” The goal is to make themselves a beacon of love and safety in an environment where women have been preyed upon — in the epicenter of the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIWG2S+). Read more>>
Federal Judge Undoes Key Civil Rights Protections in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley: A federal judge in Louisiana who was appointed by president Trump, decided to block the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice from pursuing enforcement actions based on “disparate impacts” — or the idea that a regulation might disproportionately harm one group of people over another. The decision may open the door for other states to file similar lawsuits blocking efforts to fight environmental racism. Read more>>
How a Community Gardener Grew Food for Her Family, Quit Her Job at McDonald’s, and Started a Farm: Maximina Hernández Reyes emigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Oregon in 2001. Hernández Reyes was able to secure a small plot in the community garden and started growing food for her family. This was just the beginning. Eventually, she became a community leader through her work in the garden; her original plot is now an educational site where she teaches gardening to other Latinas. Now she manages a 1-acre farm. Read more>>
On Cape Cod, the Wampanoag Assert Their Legal Right to Harvest the Waters: Not everyone respects that right. But the Wampanoag are determined to continue, saying their work is an essential expression of 12,000 years of heritage, sovereignty, and lifeways. Read more>>
Protests Erupt Across Canada As 70,000 International Students Face Deportation: Canada is currently witnessing widespread protests as approximately 70,000 international students take to the streets against the new immigration policies implemented by the federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Read more>>
Worker Coops Bring Undocumented Workers Into the Labor Movement: How can immigrants without work authorization avoid being hyper-exploited, and instead find work where they have some autonomy and collective power to raise standards? A movement that has been incubating in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, might offer some answers. Read more>>
Who’s Helping Asylum Seekers? While politicians on both sides of the aisle embrace “tough on immigration” policies, asylum seekers hoping to enter the U.S. are turning to grassroots organizations for information, safety, and dignity. Read more>>
Afghan Women Sing To Protest Taliban’s New Laws: Afghan women are posting videos of themselves singing online to protest a new set of Taliban laws which prohibit women from speaking aloud in public. Read more>>
Indian Women Symbolically Lock the Doors of Women’s Commission In Protest: Senior BJP women leaders and members of the party put up the giant-sized model of a lock on the gate of West Bengal State Women’s Commission alleging it has failed to issue a single statement after the rape and murder of a woman doctor at a state-run hospital. Read more>>
How LGBTQ+ People Live in Russia After Being Labeled An Extremist Community: How has life changed for queer people across different regions of Russia after the ban on the LGBTQ+ “movement?” What do they fear and dream about? Three stories unveil the challenges they face. Read more>>
Hundreds March For Trans Visibility in DC: “This march makes sure that people like us see people like us,” one attendee said. “We stand tall because that is power; the ability to influence the people that say that they were un-influential, the ability to speak life into people who have had their very existence crushed by the folks that were supposed to nurture and honor them,” said Hope Giselle, president of the Visibility March. Read more>>
Feminist Climate Activists Harness the Power of Chappell Roan While Protesting Citibank: Supporters were all about the very pink protest. A pink wave of dancing protesters appeared in front of Citibank, gathering together to sing Roan’s hit “Hot to Go!” as they tried to block employees from entering the building. Read more>>
Campaign Against Project Nimbus Gathers Steam And Supporters: Years of activism against Google’s complicity in Israel’s colonial violence against Palestinians have forced the multinational tech behemoth into a rigid moral impasse and exposed the hollowness of its brand. Read more>>
Exposing The Facade of Justice At the DNC: The Democratic administration has spent ten months funneling tens of billions of dollars for Israel to commit genocide and has backed massacre after massacre of Palestine. CODEPINK had to take action. They disrupted the DNC with banner protests inside, sit-ins outside, and much more. Read more>>
Over 3000 Physicians And 16 Medical And Humanitarian Organizations Demand An Arms Embargo On Israel: medical and humanitarian organizations demand the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the NDP to enforce a full and complete arms embargo on Israel in recognition of the ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as plausible genocide of the people of Gaza. Read more>>
A Conversation From The Frontlines Of Nonviolence In Palestine: Nonviolence Radio interviews Palestinian-American activist Amira Musallam. She is resisting eviction from her family’s land by Israeli settlers while also working to bring teams of unarmed civilian protectors to Gaza and the West Bank. Read more>>
Librarians Resist Israel’s Efforts to Destroy Palestinian Cultural Heritage: A global network of librarians and archivists is organizing in solidarity with their Palestinian colleagues. Read more>>
As Drones Enter Battlefields Worldwide, Call Grows for Global Ban on Killer Robots: “Without explicit legal rules, the world faces a grim future of automated killing that will place civilians everywhere in grave danger,” one human rights expert said. Read more>>
Protesters Object to the Hunter Valley Being Turned Into A Weapons’ Manufacturing Zone: Peace activists and students protested for Palestine outside the annual Hunter Defence Conference in Cessnock, Australia, on August 21. Read more>>
The Protest Olympics: The 2024 Summer Olympics will run from July 26–August 11 and, while athletes prepare to duke it out in the ring, track, and court, political competitions and controversy are unfurling below the surface. Read more>>
How the Chicago 7 Might Have Been the Chicago 9: Antiwar organizer Eric Weinberger’s role in the 1968 DNC protests offers lessons on the long-term impacts of movements on current events. Read more>>
They Collect Scientifically-Accurate, Visually-Compelling Climate Visuals For the Movement: Climate Visuals is the world’s only evidence-based programme for climate change photography. It hosts an image library, guidance, resources and research on what makes for compelling, impactful climate change photography. Read more>>
As Classes Start, Universities Begin A New Wave Of Repression: University administrators are unleashing a fresh wave of attacks to discipline the Pro-Palestine movement. These draconian measures show the links between universities and the Zionist interests of the bipartisan regime. Read more>>
Help Protect Sacred Land – Sign the Petition Now! In Flagstaff, Arizona, the Snowbowl ski resort is harming the environment and sacred lands on the San Francisco Peaks, a place that holds deep spiritual meaning for Indigenous communities. Recently, government agencies approved an agreement that ignores the need for scientific monitoring of the area, despite warnings from scientists and Indigenous leaders. Learn more>>
Grocery Stores Want To Use Facial Recognition Technology To Charge You More: Kroger has teamed up with Microsoft to deploy facial recognition technology in their stores, not just to track what you buy, but to monitor your every move. Learn more>>
Tell RealPage To Stop Price-Fixing Rental Units: RealPage, a Texas-based real estate software company, is facing charges of price fixing in multifamily housing rentals. Watch the investigative report titled Why Is the Rent So Damn High? The Real Reason Will Shock You, then send a message to RealPage CEO Dana Jones urging RealPage to stop price fixing now. Learn more>>
Teach Truth Pop-Up Displays During Banned Books Week: In this election year, the Zinn Education Project developed an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display to raise awareness about the threat of anti-history education laws and book bans. While supplies remain, you are welcome to request a pop-up display box for events such as Banned Books Week (September 22–28). We ask that table hosts describe their plans for using it and commit to sharing photos and stories about the response to the display. Learn more>>
#NoWar 2024 Conference – Resisting US Militarism: Ending all wars means closing all military bases. The United States of America, unlike any other nation, maintains a massive network of foreign military bases around the world, over 900 bases in more than 90 countries and territories. Join World BEYOND War in this global conference on resistance to US militarism. Learn more>>
Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice: The first annual Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice will address the links between war, militarism and climate injustice, promoting grassroots action and policy making for peace and climate justice. This year’s theme is divest from war – invest in climate justice!(Sep 21-28) Learn more>>
Campaign Nonviolence Action Days: From Sept 21 to Oct 2, 2024, (Int’l Day of Peace to Int’l Day of Nonviolence), join tens of thousands of people in creatively building a culture of peace rooted in active nonviolence. Last year, people held over 5,000 actions, events, and marches across the USA and in 20 countries. Over 60,000 people participated in these events. In 2024, join us in advancing peace and nonviolence, and addressing the entwined issues of violence, war, poverty, racism, and environmental destruction. (Sep 21 – Oct 2) Learn more>>
Write To Your Local Editor About Utilities And Fossil Fuels: Will you submit a letter to the editor to your local news outlets to help expose the relationship between utilities and the fossil fuel industry, and demand these companies stop burning our future? Learn more>>