***Forward Widely***

Action outside of McDonald's Shareholder Meeting
7:30-9:30 am, Thurs, May 25
Entrance to McDonald's Hamburger University
Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL

Join us at the entrance of Hamburger University to send a message to McDonald's shareholders as they enter the meeting that McDonald's needs to stop its failing PR Campaign and instead work with the CIW to institute REAL corporate responsibility in its tomato supply chain. If you are interested in carpooling from Chicago, please contact:
melody@sfalliance.org or brigitte@interfaithact.org.

AND

Human Rights and the struggle for Fair Food
7pm, Wed, May 24
First Congregational United Church of Christ of Downer's Grove
1047 Curtiss St., Downers Grove, IL

Two CIW farmworker leaders, including 2003 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate Lucas Benitez, will share about their work to end sub-poverty wages and human rights abuses in the tomato fields and the current McDonald's Campaign.

BACKGROUND
The CIW, a Florida community-based farmworker organization, reached a ground-breaking agreement with Taco Bell to directly improve farmworkers' sub-poverty wages and working conditions in Taco Bell's tomato supply chain in March of 2005. This followed a 4-year, CIW-led boycott of Taco Bell that was supported by many national religious, human rights, and student organizations across the country. The CIW has also uncovered and assisted the Department of Justice with the successful investigation and prosecution of 5 modern-day slavery rings operating in the agricultural industry.

The CIW has asked McDonald's to follow Taco Bell's lead and ensure fair wages and an end to abuses in its supply chain. Unfortunately, instead of working with the CIW in this opportunity, McDonald's began a Public Relations campaign, including a faulty "study" aimed at covering up the reality in the fields. Florida tomato pickers toil long days for 40- 45 cents per 32-lb bucket of tomatoes, a wage that hasn't changed since 1978, at which rate a worker must pick 2 TONS of tomatoes to earn $50 in one day. Furthermore, tomato pickers have no overtime pay for overtime work, no right to organize, no sick days, and no benefits. In the most extreme cases, workers are held against their will often and forced to work in modern-day slavery rings. The CIW farmworkers are successfully working with Taco Bell for a real wage increase for tomato pickers and human rights standards- join them in encouraging McDonald's to join with the CIW to do the same.

More information:
Visit www.ciw-online.org and www.allianceforfairfood.org
Contact brigitte@interfaithact.org or 239-986-0688 or
melody@sfalliance.org or 239-986-0847.

Black & Brown united for immigrant rigts
http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/71915/index.php

THIS JUST IN---


A lively group of protesters greeted the forum of the racist, anti-immigrant Minutemen and nazis this evening at the 4th Congregational Church in Logan Square. When the minister pleaded with the 50 or so protesters who went inside the church to remember that this was a house of God, one of the protesters wondered very much out loud if God was a racist. Police arrested him. There were two arrests altogether.

The meeting was then shut down, and police escorted Minutemen out and down the street.

Protesters then marched to the district police headquarters to hold jail solidarity, and denouce the role of the police in defending the racists. -- Neal

Would You Rather Have A New Train Line For Downtown?
Or
New Train Lines For All of Chicagoland?
Come to the CTA Hearings: May 2nd, 3rd & 4th at 6 PM

Federal funds are available to build new CTA Train lines over the next decade. The CTA wants this money, but what it wants to DO with it will surprise you. The CTA could use the funds to benefit all of Chicago's neighborhoods and many of our suburbs. Instead, it wants to use up all $2 billion of our money on a pet project called the Circle Line, which would run within 1.5 miles of Downtown. The Mid-City Transitway (MCT) and Red Line extension are better alternatives that the CTA is not considering. If the Circle Line is built there will be no money for either the MCT or Red Line extension.

The Circle Line:
o Short: Would build just 5 miles of new rail within 1.5 miles of the Loop to help rich downtown development at the expense of Chicago's neighborhoods and many suburbs.

o Expensive: $2 Billion: $400 million/mile!

o Poor Access: Would exclude the majority of Chicagoland's residents from better train service

o Will disrupt everyone's life for 3-5 years along North & Ashland Aves, building a subway.
o Will destroy more Pilsen homes & businesses

The MCT:
o Long: 30 miles of new rail running through/near most of Chicago's neighborhoods & many suburbs from Skokie, south near Cicero Ave. to Midway Airport, east across 87th/Dan Ryan to the Lake at the USX site.
o Affordable: efficient: $1.6 Billion; $53 million/mile
o Accessible: Would provide 1 Million African-American, Latino, Asian, and white middle/working class & low income families with direct trains to 14 CTA & Metra rail lines, Midway, O'Hare, Ford City, Old Orchard, & Lake Michigan.
o Would run along existing unused rail right-of- way: no destruction of homes or businesses.
The MCT would mean 6 times more track for about half a billion dollars less than the Circle Line. This would leave funds to extend the Red Line from 95th St. south to 130th St.

Phase 1 of this $2 billion Cash Cow Circle Line Project, called The Pink Line, is slated to begin June 25th, 2006. If we don't stop it, it will cut off all 54th/Cemak Blue Line stops at Polk and points southwest from the Racine, Halsted/UIC and Clinton stops, the Dearborn Subway, Red Line Transfer Tunnels, & O'Hare branch Blue Line, including Jefferson Park & O'Hare. Direct Train Service to/from O'Hare to/from Polk St. will be cut from 100 trains per day to 12, and none on weekends!

Allowing the CTA to begin Pink Line Service will release federal money to begin the final 2 Phases of the Circle Line, leaving a million riders without better transit services. If the Circle Line gets built, there will not be enough money to build either the MCT or the Red Line extension! There is still time to stop this disaster from happening and demand that our transportation needs be met. Stop the Circle Line in favor of a transit plan that benefits everyone. LVEJO, with The Campaign for Better Transit (CBT), urges you to join us next week in the following CTA public hearings: All venues are accessible to people with disabilities.

Tuesday, May 2, 2006
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Mexican Fine Arts Museum
West Wing Auditorium
1852 W. 19th Street
Chicago, IL 60608

Wednesday, May 3, 2006
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Lincoln Park High School
Room 103
2001 N. Orchard Street
Chicago, IL 60614

Thursday, May 4, 2006
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Molecular Biology Research
Building, Room 1017
900 S. Ashland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60607

Stop the Circle Line Now! Keep the 54th/Cermak Blue Line Open to/from O'Hare!
Build the Mid-City Transitway! Build the Red Line from 95th to 130th St!

For more information contact Michael Pitula, publictransit@sbcglobal.net
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
2856 S. Millard Avenue Chicago, IL 60623-4550 (773) 762-6991 Fax (773) 762-6993 Email: lvejo@sbcglobal.net

MAY DAY: International Workers Day
10:00 am Union Park (Ashland & Lake) 12:00 pm, march starts
4:30 Rally at Haymarket Memorial
Download Flyer in English

Background from Chicago Indymedia
Help five arrested for protesting paramilitary anti-immigrant hate group who call themselves the minutemen.

RALLIES DOWNTOWN AT CITY COUNCIL HEARINGS APRIL 26th

9:00 am Rally At Thompson Center for Big Box Living Wage Ordinance!
Support the ordinance that would force big box retail stores to pay workers 10 $/hr plus 3 $/hr for benefits.

10:00 am City Hall 2nd Floor Support effort to name a street where Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were assasinated in a police raid on December 4th 1969, Honorary Chairman Fred Hampton Way.

More Info:

Big Box Living Wage Ordinance:
Wake Up Walmart
1 page word document explaining ordinance
Press Release upon introducing legislation
Social Policy


Chairman Fred Hampton Way:
SF Bayview interview with Fred Hampton Jr.
In These Times
Chicago Defender Editorial
Chicago Sun Times
Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Editorial

Coverage of 4/12 Day Labor protest at Paper Source

CBS

Chicago Indymedia

500,000 march in Dallas, thousands more in other cities demanding a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.

Tell Congress what you think: Click here

Flyers circling in chicago called for an economic boycott, urged students to either walkout or not show up to school, for people to wear white white, and to come to one of the following events:


City: Chicago
Date: 4/10
Time: 6:30
Location: Truman College, 1145 W Wilson Avenue
Event Details: Chicago Event Rep. Luis Gutierrez and ICIRR will host community meeting on next steps for immigration reform and a call to action.
Contact Name: Mehrdad Azemun - Illinois Coalition on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
Contact Phone: 312-332-7360 x 14
Contact Email: mazemun@icirr.org

Event Flyer (English/Spanish)


City: Chicago
Date: 4/10
Time: 4:00PM
Location: Rep. Lipinski's office (6245 Archer Ave.)
Event Details: Fight for Civil Rights of Immigrants Vigil
Contact Name: Claudia Marchan - Pilsen Neighbors Community Council
Contact Phone: 312-666-2663 x 221
Contact Email: cmarchan@sbcglobal.net


City: Schaumburg
Date: 4/10
Time: 11:00AM
Location: Office of Rep. Melissa Bean (1430 Meacham Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173)
Event Details: Peaceful Demonstration to urge Rep. Bean to reverse her anti-immigrant position in Congress. In December, 2005 Rep. Bean voted in favor of one of the most inhumane bills on immigration ever to pass Congress. We are asking her to listen to her constituents and do the right thing!
Contact Name: Adriana Cardona
Contact Phone: 312-629-9580 (office) or 515-314-5942 (cell)
Contact Email: adrianac.ihc@earthlink.net

For events in other areas, visit http://www.april10.org