Message of solidarity sent to Jay Naidoo, General Secretary, COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) from Kathy Devine of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and Harold Rogers of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) for the Illinois Labor Network Against Apartheid. The message says Dear Brothers and Sisters of COSATU, along with millions of workers throughout the world, we are letting our voices be heard as we demand the release of Moses Mayekiso and all jailed unionists and political prisoners in South Africa; we are appalled at the new restrictions imposed by the SA government and all of its attacks on COSATU and anti-apartheid groups; we condemn the continued inaction...
Message of solidarity sent to Jay Naidoo, General Secretary, COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) from Kathy Devine of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and Harold Rogers of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) for the Illinois Labor Network Against Apartheid. The message says Dear Brothers and Sisters of COSATU, along with millions of workers throughout the world, we are letting our voices be heard as we demand the release of Moses Mayekiso and all jailed unionists and political prisoners in South Africa; we are appalled at the new restrictions imposed by the SA government and all of its attacks on COSATU and anti-apartheid groups; we condemn the continued inaction of the Reagan administration. The message says on March 18, 1988-declared by Chicago's City Council as "A Day of Solidarity with South African Trade Unionists"-we marched to the SA Consulate in downtown Chicago in commemoration of the martyrs of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre. The message says with full support of our unions, we marched under the banner of the Labor Network representing auto, steel and mine workers; service and retail employees; transit drivers, teachers and teamsters; federal, state, county and city employees; garment and textile workers; food and commercial workers; sheet metal and communication workers; machinists and electrical workers; hotel and restaurant employees; and many more. The message says on March 18, eight of our leaders were arrested on trespassing charges while singing "Solidarity Forever" in the building where the SA Consulate is located. The message says arrested were: Jack Part on, director of the Steelworkers; Elcosie Gresham, president of Transit Union Local 241; Rosetta Day lie, associate director of the AFSCME council; Reverend Mike Pfleger, pastor, St. Sabina Catholic Church; Johnnie Jackson, president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women /Chicago; and director Bill Stewart, Local 477 president Richard Ziebell and Local 719 president Carole Travis of the Auto Workers. The message says their arrests will add pressure to the building owner and management (Borg Warner Corp., Collins Tuttle and Co.) to cancel leases to the SA Consulate- which was forced to move from its previous location because of protests. The message says we have stepped up the Shell boycott to get Royal Dutch Shell out of SA; our next boycott action is on April 8 when labor, clergy and elected officials will picket a shareholders meeting of First Chicago Bank which owns American National Bank--the largest Shell shareholder in Illinois. The message says we are lobbying U.S. Senators and Representatives from Illinois to help lead the fight for passage in the U.S. Congress of comprehensive mandatory economic sanctions against SA. The message says we get updates on South Africa from many sources; especially helpful to us have been the International Metalworkers' Federation, the New York Labor Committee Against Apartheid and our international unions; ee would welcome direct communications from COSATU whenever that is possible, but will continue to send you information about our actions in the hope that it will be of use to you in the long struggle to dismantle apartheid and build free, democratic trade unions. The message discusses the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL), the AFL-CIO, the Chicago City Council, the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), the UAW (United Auto Workers), and the South African Consulate.
