On May Day 2005 in Santa Cruz, the Wobblies marched from the Tom Scribner statue to a rally at the Clock Tower. Rabble rousers played guitar, sang and spoke about the past, present and future of the labor movement. Speakers and singers included Faith Petric, Fred Hirsch, Mark Levy, David Winters, Fellow Worker Will and Brian from the Santa Cruz General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World.

After the rally, we marched down Pacific Ave. and gained the support of many onlookers as we chanted, "We Don't Need the Bosses, the Bosses Need Us!!!"

For better or worse, there were more people that wanted to watch The Wobblies than could fit into the main dartroom of the Poet & Patriot. Those of us that did not make it into the film screening celebrated 100 years of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) with a live performance of Rebel Girl by Phil Free and a birthday cake.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

Audio: Singing and Soapboxing

May 1 is Mayday, the anarchist day of remembrance and rage in spirit of the activists who were framed and murdered by the government of Chicago on May 1, 1886. It is the tragedy of the Haymarket Martyrs that reminds us all of the very real threat of police and government violence towards outspoken individuals. Working people who demand their rights have always felt the fear of retribution: many activists for human rights ironically live with the knowledge that they could be imprisoned or killed for standing up and speaking out. Refusal to bow down to these pressures is the driving force behind Mayday actions, strikes, and rallies all over the world. [see Supersphere.com]

In Santa Cruz, May Day 2005 will include an International Workers Day Parade organized with the support of the Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival, Art & Revolution and the newly formed Santa Cruz General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World. The IWW will gather at the Tom Scribner statue at 11:30am and then march to the Town Clock. At 12:00pm, labor organizer Fred Hirsh will speak at the Town Clock rally about struggles faced by local workers. People will then march to the Poet & Patriot (320 Cedar St) for a 1:00pm screening of "The Wobblies." Following the film, there will be a discussion about the future of the labor movement.

At 6:00pm at the Portuguese Hall (216 Evergreen St), the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council is sponsoring a film screening, International Workers Day Dinner and a discussion with California State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Deborah Burger, President of the California Nurses Association. "Wal-Mart's War On The Workers" is a short film made by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and details the anti-union tactics of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, which has proposed to open a store in Pajaro.

See also: IWW 100th Anniversary May Day Celebration and Santa Cruz Branch Formation || Industrial Workers of the World || May Day and the Haymarket Martyrs || Lumberjack - By Tom Scribner || About Tom Scribner

The 4th annual May Day Labor Film Festival, titled "Reel Work" runs through May 1st in Santa Cruz County. Reel Work features films, speakers and discussions highlighting past victories and ongoing struggles of labor movements across the globe. This year's festival includes premier screenings of an important new film on the infamous Centralia Massacre of 1919, discussions with Argentinean activists on the occupied factory movement, and noted author Paul Buhle reading from his new book, Wobblies: A Graphic History. The festival opened on April 24th with a screening of the Yes Men, a hilarious critique of corporate America.

The special theme of this year's Reel Work is the 100th anniversary of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical union of immigrants, the unskilled and unemployed formed to challenge the worst ravages of capitalism. The festival concludes with a May Day march and a discussion on the future of the labor movement. A schedule is available from www.reelwork.org which will list the times, dates, locations, movies, speakers and a small synopsis of each film.

A one day strike was staged Thursday, April 14, at the nine University of California campuses, and five medical centers, by AFSCME service workers demanding better pay, advancement opportunities and a stop to hiring discrimination. Members of other unions, including the IWW, CUE, UAW, UPTE, and AFT were out in solidarity to support the strikers. Santa Cruz Metro bus drivers honored Thursday's picket lines, refusing to bring students onto campus. Scabs were brought in for some jobs, while other workers also crossed the lines citing financial hardship. Contract talks continue next week in Oakland.

Audio from FRSC: UC Strike update 10am || UC Strike update 11am || UCSC Shutdown! afternoon audio updates || UCSC Strike update Final || Rockin' the Boat: UC Service Workers Strike for One-day

Photos: AM Strike, East Gate || Workers, Students and Community Shut Down UC Santa Cruz || Bay and High is Not an Entrance to UC Santa Cruz || Service Workers Strike at UCSC: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Video: UC Santa Cruz. We Shut it Down!

The Project Collective has put together a little primer on the upcoming strike by service (represented by the AFSCME union) and clerical (the CUE union) workers on April 14th. We hope this paper helps to clarify the issues faced by the workers and the ways in which these issues are connected to student concerns.

As members of the UCSC community, we are concerned and upset when some among us are denied the means to achieve reasonable living standards, and continually treated with disrespect by their high-profile employer. The mistreatment of CUE and AFSCME workers is an offense to the values we hold as a community: gender and racial justice, and wages that enable everyone to live with dignity. Supporting service and clerical workers in their fight for fair contracts is a crucial part of realizing these values.

Moreover, we recognize that the same skewed budget priorities resulting in poverty wages for campus clerical and service workers are also responsible for our diminished funding opportunities. Graduate students, campus workers, undergraduates, and faculty all have a common concern: UC’s undemocratic budgetary process and the gross mal-distribution that results. Behind the crass injunction to ‘fuck the regents’ is stealth analytic accuracy.

In this issue: STRIKE 101: basic facts you should know | CUE: The Coalition of University Employees (i.e. The Clerical Union) | AFSCME: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (i.e. The Service Worker Union) | University of California: non-profit or corporate money maker? | Statewide Day Of Action April 20th | Map of UCSC Strike Zone for April 14th

See also: Making Sense of the UCSC Crisis | Student Speakout @ The Strike | FuckTheRegents.com

What: Premier of Robert Greenwald's Documentary,
"Walmart: the High Cost of Low Price
When: Nov 15-19
The largest grassroots screening in history!

15 screenings in Santa Cruz & Northern Monterey County.

For more information on the Santa Cruz screenings, go to
action.bravenewfilms.org/event/wm_search.jsp=

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