Fwd: MONCURE 4/1 benefit flier, activities and action alert

[Miriam Thompson]

I hope you will all join us at the Wednesday April 1st Moncure benefit from 6-9pm in support of our courageous union sisters and brothers of IAM Local W369.  And I hope you will join us at the HKonJ Orange County People's Assembly for an exciting action conversation on Sunday, March 29th at 2:30 at the Hargraves Center.  Please see proposed agenda coming from Tom Munk.

Hi Social Justice Partners, Moncure Solidarity Committee and friends,  Below is an April 1st benefit invitation we hope you will share with friends and social justice allies.  We have also included a summary of our solidarity activities, and the ACTION ALERT with something for everyone to do.  =========================== A SPECIAL INVITATION TO STAND UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BY COMING TO THE GENERAL STORE IN PITTSBORO ON WEDNESDAY APRIL 1ST, 6-9PM, 39 WEST STREET IN PITTSBORO (OFF 15-501)FOR A SPECIAL BENEFIT TO SUPPORT THE COURAGEOUS UNION MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS (IAM, LOCAL W369), NOW IN THEIR 8TH MONTH OF A STRIKE AGAINST MONCURE PLYWOOD. (PLEASE DISTRIBUTE FLIER. SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES AND ACTION ALERT FOR OTHER ACTIONS WE CAN DO TO HELP THE WORKERS WIN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE). $15, $10 students. ============== WHO WE ARE.. The Moncure IAM Local W369 Solidarity Committee continues to grow and expand its work on behalf of the IAM Local W369 strikers.  DO JOIN US. In addition to planning for our April 1st Benefit,  WE are faithfully maintaining picket line solidarity support, and are bringing new allies to the picket line to stand with the strikers. WE are continuing to engage the media with updated stories.  We have had stories in the News & Observer, LA Times, Independent, Sanford Herald, Chatham Record, The Tar Heel (UNC Chapel Hill), Triangle Tribune and others. WE have reached out to more community and faith based organizations for support. We now have representation from the Chatham County Democratic Women, Democratic Party, NAACP, Churches, the AFL-CIO and individual unions Women's International League for Peace & Freedom and other social justice organizations. WE successfully organized a Day of Solidarity on April 16th with morning rallies on the picket line in Moncure (a great showing of community, labor and student supporters), lunch with workers, car caravans to the Chatham BOCC  meeting in Pittsboro that evening.  After a rally outside the court house,  community leaders and strikers presented eloquent testimony in support of a Moncure agenda item the BOCC was considering. WE won a unanimous resolution on April 16th from the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, acknowledging the impact of the strike on workers' families, urging the company to come back to the table and negotiate a just contract and return workers to the jobs they have so skillfully and loyally performed,   Commissioners also agreed to visit Moncure to present the resolution to Management and send the resolution to the Moncure owners,  Atlas Holdings, and  Commissioners directed Chatham County's Department of Human Services to investigate benefits to which strikers and/or their families may be eligible. We are thanking each Commissioner for their support and continuing involvement. WE  have a powerful speakers bureau of strikers and community leaders who are willing to come to community organizations, churches and union halls to tell the Moncure story with literature and short video clips of the strike and April 16th rally and BOCC victory meeting.  And the April 16th event will be posted on YOUTUBE. WE are both thanking the 7 North Carolina Congress Members who have pressed the company to return to the bargaining table, and criticized their last minute cancellation of a Federally mediated negotiation session, AND urging the Congress members to keep the pressure on owners, Atlas Holdings. The Union has been invited to send representatives to Atlanta to join the Central Labor Council's informational picketing outside Moncure customer, Ethan Allen.  We hope to amplify these efforts in other states, including North Carolina. Local W369 leaders and ministers have been invited to a gathering of churches to elicit support for the strike.  WE are also placing the heroic Moncure story of union members who will not give up the fight for justice and human rights to the state and national struggles for workers rights:  public workers right to collectively bargain; and the Employees Freedom of Choice Act. CALENDAR OF EVENTS.  Look for future events on our Solidarity calendar which will be coming out soon.  (Please send solidarity events activities to Josh Kricker at jokr...@yahoo.com) THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE TO DO IF YOU LOVE JUSTICE. STAND UP AND ACT NOW TO DEMAND HUMAN RIGHTS FOR MONCURE PLYWOOD WORKERS, IAM LOCAL W369!

Come to the April 1st Fund raiser (SEE FLIER BELOW.) DEMAND  Atlas Holdings, Wood Resources LLC return to the bargaining table with the Union and Federal Mediator to negotiate a just contract and return the striking workers to their jobs. CALL AND EMAIL: Timothy Fazio, Managing Partner, (203) 622-0207, tfa...@atlasholdingsllc.com.   CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN.  Seven North Carolina Congress members signed a letter challenging Moncure Management's cancellation of contract negotiations with the Union and Federal Mediator and urging Atlas Holdings to return to the table to negotiate a just contract. Thank them and urge their continued pressure on Atlas Holdings to negotiate in good faith.  Rep. Bob Etheridge, (202) 225-4531; Rep. David Price, (292) 225-1784; Rep. Brad Miller, (202) 225-3032; Rep. Melvin Watt, (202) 225-1510; Rep. G.K. Butterfield, (202) 225-3101; Rep. Larry Kissell, (202) 225-3715; Rep. Heath Shuler (202) 225-6401. COME TO THE PICKET LINE to show your support of the courageous strikers who are standing up for us.  The plant is located in Moncure, Chatham County at 306 Corinth Road. SEND FINANCIAL SUPPORT to IAM LL W369, P.O. Box 318, Moncure, NC 27559. SEND A LETTER to Moncure's major customers to protest the behavior of Moncure Plywood owners and management's mistreatment of their workers. Go to the Union's website, fill out the form and the IAM will send out our letters.  http://www.goiam.org/moncure/ INVITE A STRIKER TO COME TO SPEAK to your organization. FOR MORE INFORMATION: CONTACT: Mel Monford (901) 619-1987, IAM Staff representative; Lewis Cameron, IAM Local W369, President, (919) 770-5836; Barb Alotis, (919) 444-1406, bjal...@gmail.com; Miriam Thompson (919) 370-4114, mthomp...@nc.rr.com; Lori Hoyt, (919) 968-1888;  Richard Paddock, (919) 929-1786, repa...@nc.rr.com.