Solidarity with Colombian labor leader

A standing room only crowd of workers, students and community activists packed the Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35 union hall in Boston on March 25 to hear Edgar Paez, secretary for international relations of the Colombian SINALTRAINAL (Food Industry Workers Union). The meeting was part of a national tour sponsored by the United Steel Workers and the AFL-CIO and organized by USW Local 8751 (school bus drivers’ union).

Left to right: Bishop Felipe Teixeira; Jorge Marin; Edgar Paez; Frantz Mendes; Maria Ortiz and Gladys Vega. WW photo: Liz Green

Frantz Mendes, Local 8751 president, chaired the rally. He recognized chief stewards and delegations of drivers from all four yards, Steelworkers Staff Rep. Joe Carlson, and Grievance Committee Chair Steve Kirschbaum. Tony Hernandez, Painters union organizer, and a delegation of his fellow workers and apprentices presented brother Paez with the union’s colors, which the whole crowd signed to send home to Bogotá. OFSJC Bishop Filipe Teixeira’s liberation theology invocation helped set the tone of struggle and solidarity.

Maria Ortiz of the Justice for Hector Rivas Committee gave a moving account of the death by carbon monoxide poisoning of her uncle, Hector Rivas, a mechanic, due to willful negligence by First Group, Inc., the giant British-based transportation monopoly that now controls most school and interstate busing in the U.S. This Puerto Rican brother and his union had complained for months about bad air quality in their trucks, and offered a $40 repair, which the company refused. Jonathan Regis told of the committee’s efforts to obtain justice all the way to the top of the federal OSHA hierarchy, exposing the Bush anti-labor department’s complicity in letting the company off the hook.

Gladys Vega, militant leader of the Chelsea Collaborative and May Day actions for immigrant rights based in the largely Latin@ communities of Chelsea and East Boston, urged everyone to stand up, fight back, say no to authority and not allow injustices against immigrant workers or any other workers to pass without taking action.

Andre Francois, Local 8751 chief steward, connected the fight in Boston against the mayor’s racist attempt to resegregate Boston schools and eliminate union bus drivers with the union’s fight for a fair contract.

Paez saluted the Chicago Haymarket Martyrs, recalling that International Workers Day—May 1st had its birth in the U.S. He also hailed International Women’s Day, also born of the struggle of immigrant working women in the U.S.

Paez detailed the crimes of the multinational corporations against working people and union activists in Colombia, where more than 4,000 unionists have been killed by paramilitaries over the last 20 years, more than the rest of the world combined. Twelve have been killed so far this year.

Edgar explained the U.S. government support for these killings with “Plan Colombia.” Colombia receives more U.S. “aid” dollars than any country in the world except for Israel and Egypt, all of it going to military attacks. He pointed out that there is no justice available in Colombia, making it necessary for his union, with the help of the Steelworkers, to pursue legal action against the multinationals, Coca Cola, Nestle and Chiquita Brands, in a Florida court.

He described organizing for justice against the multinationals and for workers’ rights through hearings of the Permanent Tribunal of the Peoples. The tribunal will hold its final hearing this July in Bogotá, focusing on the struggles of Indigenous peoples.

He appealed to the audience to come to Colombia to support the final session. He condemned the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, supported by the multinational corporations at the expense of workers in both Colombia and the U.S. Jorge Marin of the MLK Bolivarian Circle of Boston did translation for Paez.

Steve Gillis, vice president of Local 8751, described his participation in the December 2002 Tribunal in Bogotá, which found Coca-Cola guilty of utilizing paramilitary death squads to assassinate and terrorize members of the SINALTRAINAL union. Gillis appealed for participation in the worldwide Coca-Cola boycott.

On March 26, “Team Unity” City Councilors Chuck Turner, Charles Yancey and Sam Yoon hosted a City Hall ceremony, presenting Paez with a resolution of appreciation voted unanimously by the Boston City Council, recognizing his organizing and sacrifice on behalf of human rights and workers’ rights. Paez invited them to be judges in the final hearing and deliberations of the Permanent Tribunal of the Peoples in Bogotá in July.