Dear President Obama

From Johninnit Ni

Congratulations on your historic achievement, and that of your supporters. And congratulations too for coming out so strongly in favour of Employee Free Choice. In the current economic climate, you're going to get a lot of vested interests asking you to slow down on EFCA, so as not to 'burden' business. Please hold your nerve here. To transform America and build your way out of the downturn, you need a strong democratic civil society. And that means strong unions to make change happen in their workplaces and in their communities.

America's attempts to support democratic civil society in countries around the world looks hollow if you don't practice this at home. Please put EFCA in your inbox from day one.
Johninnit Ni, member Union Island SL community

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SLLU MAY DAY EVENT ON TUC UNION ISLAND

http://www.slunionisland.org/2008/04/may-day-past-and-present/

Please support Union Island and try to get along to this event.

From the SL Union site:

"We’re happy to announce we’re going to be joined for Union Island’ May 1 celebrations by members of the Second Life™ activist group Second Life Left Unity, who will be leading an exploration of the history and continuing relevance of May Day - International Workers’ Day. Come to a short presentation by SLLU’s Forelle Broek on the struggle for decent work and the eight-hour day and the infamous Chicago Haymarket incident, and how they still have echoes around the world to this day."

www.slunionisland.org

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Minutes of Meeting 26 4 08

Please - if you are a member of the Second Life TRADE MARK (because we can be hit with lawyers etc - not because we think TM's are a good thing - in fact scroll down for more details...) community, and are interested in helping with any of the tasks outlined by the minutes, please contact the coordinator named. Thanks.

Minutes:

Agreed:

Hub Library – future meeting coordinator: Ms Qunhua

Volunteers: Kerri Macchi; Franz Carver; Eremia Woodbury; Forelle Broek; Ms Qunhua; Higgledpiggle Snoats

Agreed:

Freebie Shop – future meeting coordinator: Eremia and Higs?

Volunteers: Eremia Woodbury, Higgledpiggle Snoats; Velvetvamp Fredriksson;

Eremia to send out notices over the next period to ask for contributions.

Higs to organise a teeshirt making workshop as part of a future workshop programme?

Teeshirt with political quote of the week – Forelle going to get some good quotes.

Agreed:

Freirien Hub Installation – future meeting coordinator: Plot Tracer

Volunteers: Plot Tracer; Higgledpiggle Snoats; Franz Carver; Ms Qunhua; Kerri Macchi;

Additional volunteers: Goldfinch Weatherwax; Wanessa Gazov; RGuilherme Zapedzki

Plot to put out a notice to the Group asking for volunteers.

MAY DAY – coordinator: forelle Broeks;

Volunteers: Forelle Broeks; Plot Tracer (tho after talking to Johninnit Ni will leave it to the other comrades who volunteered….quote: [10:19] You: i will put all we have discussed to him and see what he thinks. is that ok? i will then tell forelle the outcome, and i think we should then leave it to forelle, velvet and ms q to do as they see fit.); Velvetvamp Fredriksson; Ms Qunhua;

Suggestion from Velvetvamp Fredriksson: SLLU Teeshirt for May Day (could someone design and put out to group?)

All members supportive of Union Island. All members welcome Union Islands offer of a notecard giver in their installation

Ideas: 2 minute silence for victims of capitalism. A short short talk on the Haymarket massacre (first May Day in 1886 in Chicago)

Next meeting: Wed 30 April; 12.30 pdt/ 8.30 gmt.

Minutes to be endorsed at next meeting.

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TUC head targets 'soar-away rich'

from http://news.bbc.co.uk/mobile/bbc_news/uk/716/71623/story7162375.shtml?

A union leader has called for greater equality in society, saying the "soar-away super-rich" are becoming cut off from the rest.

Low pay for public sector workers could also cause "simmering resentment", TUC general secretary Brendan Barber warned in his New Year message.

He urged more help for workers "at the bottom", faster progress on ending child poverty and fairer workplaces.

Mr Barber said tax loopholes should be closed so the rich pay a "fair share".

He said the "super-rich" took advantage of tax loopholes, and their lives were "cut off from the rest of us".

"This is not just bad for social cohesion, but distorts the economy.

"If the super-rich and big companies are not paying their fair share it means that the rest of us - including small and medium sized businesses are paying too much, that public services are not getting the growth they need and that we do not have the resources to end child poverty," he added.

"No-one particularly enjoys paying tax but it is the price tag for a civilised society, and it's about time that we had a proper debate about whether those who can afford it are paying their fair share."

He also criticised government plans to limit public sector pay rises to 2% per year over the next three years.

"It does not just threaten the recruitment, retention and morale of public servants but will damage an industrial relations system that has minimised conflict in the public sector."

In a gloomy outlook of the labour market for next year, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said 2008 "would be the worst year for jobs this decade and easily the worst since the Labour Government came to power in 1997".

Report author, chief CIPD economist John Philpott, said reduced hiring in the private sector and job reductions in the public sector were predicted to cause "a net rise in total UK employment of 75, 000 (0.25%) in the year to December 2008, only a third of the rise recorded in both 2006 and 2007".

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