Eesha Williams's Blog, page 5
October 25, 2024
50 at Brattleboro Rally
In Brattleboro on October 24 about 50 people rallied outside the Hannaford supermarket. The goal was justice for Vermont's Latino dairy farm workers. “The supervisor on the farm where my family and I worked was a very violent man. He would force us to work extra hours, didn’t allow us to take food breaks, and constantly insulted us. My wife, my mother, and I all had to work eleven hours a day. Our housing had pest infestations, and my employer didn’t care,” one worker said on the web site of the...
October 18, 2024
Labor Rallies Set for Oct. 24 and Oct. 26
There will be a labor rally on October 26 at 11:30 a.m. outside the Starbucks at 101 West Street in Springfield. The Valley Post interviewed a Starbucks worker about the union in July. That interview is at:
https://valleypost.org/2024/07/26/vermont-union-starbucks-worker-urges-v...
The Springfield rally organizers have a web site at https://sbWorkersUnited.org.
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In Brattleboro on October 24 at 5 p.m., there will be a farmworker rights rally outside the Hannaford supermarket. The organi...
October 11, 2024
Donna The Buffalo Concert is Dec. 13
Donna The Buffalo will play in Greenfield on December 13 at 8 p.m. The venue is Hawks and Reed. Tickets are about $30 including a fee, and more if you buy them at the concert. You can hear a song by the band at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=feUtGQho3oA&ab_channel=SugarHillRecords
100 Defend Camp
In Northampton on October 7 about 100 people attended a rally to protest police efforts to force people out of their campsites in a city-owed forest. “I issued the trespass order,” Alan Wolff told the Valley Post on October 9. He is the mayor's “chief of staff.”
October 4, 2024
The Valley Post Seeks Donations, Volunteers
Every week, about 600 people read the Valley Post. Many more people listen to the audio versions of our articles that air on radio stations in Northampton, Greenfield, and Brattleboro. Donations from readers is the Valley Post's only source of income. To avoid conflicts of interest, we reject advertising and government funding. Please make a donation and/or volunteer for the Valley Post.
Rally for Peace
In Amherst, organizers say they expect hundreds of people to attend an October 5 rally to protest the USA's support of Israel's wars on Gaza and Lebanon. The rally starts at 1 p.m. at the Amherst town common. Organizer Hoang Phan said, “Israel has expanded its nearly 12-month genocide and war of aggression in Palestine to Lebanon. The weapons and planes used in Israel’s military assaults on civilian populations have been supplied and funded by the United States government.
September 20, 2024
Rally to Save the Postal Service
In Springfield there will be a rally to save the postal service. The rally will be on October 1 at noon outside 1860 Page Boulevard. FedEx and UPS would benefit if the postal service was to close. Louis DeJoy, who runs the postal service, has for many years given money to Republicans like Trump. Trump nominated DeJoy’s wife to be the U.S. ambassador to Canada. Biden can't fire DeJoy. The postal service is run by a board that can fire DeJoy. The nine members of the board are appointed by the pre...
September 13, 2024
Farmworker Rights Rally is Oct. 24
In Springfield on September 11, there was a rally to protest fee increases at the West Street Village mobile home community. “It went well,” Rose Webster-Smith told the Valley Post. She works for a group that has a web site at www.SpringfieldNoOneLeaves.org. About 15 people were at the rally.
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In Brattleboro on October 24 at 5 p.m., there will be a farmworker rights rally outside the Hannaford supermarket. The organizers have a web site at https://migrantjustice.net.
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September 6, 2024
Workers Win
On September 3 in Springfield, PVTA bus drivers voted 125 to 68 to approve a new union contract. Thirty-two workers did not vote. The national union posted on its Facebook page a link to an August 30 WWLP report. The local union has a web site at https://atulocal448.com. The vote total is from a later WWLP report.
August 30, 2024
Bus Drivers Vote 181 -- 2 to Authorize Strike
In the Springfield area, bus drivers voted 181 to two on August 22 to give their elected union leaders permission to call a strike. Forty-two drivers did not vote. The strike would start September 1. Issues are wages and bus schedules that are impossible for drivers to keep up with, leading to angry passengers. The workers have a web site at https://atulocal448.com. They drive PVTA buses but they work for a government sub-contractor.
