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Keep the US Out of El Salvador’s Elections!
by Sean Gaston, Seattle CISPES volunteer.
El Salvador has come a long way in the years since the civil war, with an FMLN candidate having won the presidency in 2009. This was, of course, a resounding victory for the FMLN party, but it was also a victory for the people of El Salvador. During the civil war, the FMLN represented the will of the common people, united for the cause of removing the government that was in power at the time. The United States was on the side of the conservative powers, though, assisting in restoration of an oppressive force into power, as this would be beneficial to American interest. Nonetheless, the people were successful. CISPES members across the US flooded the State Department with calls, letters, and emails demanding that the US hold a position of neutrality in the elections. For the first time ever, the US issued a statement of neutrality. And now, there is talk about the US trying to influence the outcome of the Salvadoran elections in 2014, by funneling monetary contributions to ARENA candidate, Norman Quijano’s, campaign. So for the upcoming elections, we are again demanding that the US commit to neutrality.
The United States typically will fund the campaigns of candidates that support the interests of the United States, and encourage a government that benefits corporate interest and a spread of capitalism. This is the essence of neocolonialism, though, and ensures that, by way of constrictive trade agreements and the spread of multinational corporations, the United States will have some say in the governing of other countries. It is through this sort of involvement that the US also begins to have a large cultural influence on other countries, with an influx of products and American ideology alongside them. In short, it’s more than buying a candidate; it’s buying insurance of economic and cultural control of El Salvador.
So there is a lot at stake in the 2014 presidential elections. What we at CISPES would like to see is El Salvador having an election that expresses the will of the citizens of El Salvador. Without the US influence in the elections, there is hope of fairly balanced coverage of the campaigns of all of the candidates, so the citizens can choose the one they feel best represents their desires, and not have the media flooded with propaganda funded by the United States. What we want is for all of the candidates to be on equal footing, which means that their visibility should come from the Salvadoran supporters. The US limiting visibility of other candidates, in favour of any one candidate, would shake the balance of the election, making the results say more about the desires of the US than the desires of El Salvador.
2013 CISPES Literacy Brigade Supports Radical Alternative in El Salvador!
We are continually reminded of the importance of helping defend El Salvador’s new progress. The U.S. government and transnational corporations do not want El Salvador to be sustainable by funding healthcare and education for all. So literacy programs that empower the people are a “threat” to corporate and U.S. interests, and we must stand alongside our partners with pride, heading into the 2014 elections with a strong strategy.
Save the Date: Campaign Against U.S. Intervention in Elections Launch SEPTEMBER 14TH AND 15TH!
(Original post: http://www.cispes.org/topcontent/us-brigade-supports-government-adult-literacy-program-second-year-running/)
The CISPES 2013 Literacy Brigade is in full motion! There are 13 students and teachers as part of this years’ brigade from all across the United States. Delegates have been collaborating with promoters of the National Literacy Program and visiting grade schools and literacy circles in both urban and rural areas of the country. It has been inspiring working with the Ministry of Education and the National Literacy Program in their efforts to eradicate illiteracy. The program is based on the Cuban Literacy model “Yo Si Puedo”, and delegates had the privilege of learning directly from Cuban delegation which is advising the Salvadoran Ministry of Education in their initial training. The importance of including social, political, and economic topics in the literacy program was one elements impressed many delegates.
We have been witness to the socioeconomic struggle many people face, but despite their conditions, this program has significantly helped build a sense of community and compassion in areas with high violence rates along marginalized groups of people such as women and people living in rural areas. Hearing testimonies of associates has been inspiring and reapetedly they have told delegates that education is one step on the road to liberation and justice. From the young students that are teaching family members how to read and write, to the elderly participants that for the first time are being granted the tools they need to live with greater knowledge; it has been an eye opening experience for everyone in this brigade. Our presence has been warmly welcomed, and we have successfully motivated new participants as well as continuing students to utilize the skills this new government is providing them. Delegates have had the opportunity of meeting and working with mayors of different municipalities in order to understand how the National Literacy Program is essential in mobilizing communities. All of the delegates are excited to continue the work here in El Salvador and have already started thinking and planning on how they are going to share the amazing changes that are happening in El Salvador with their communities when they return to the United States.
Thanks for a Successful Solidarity Cycle 2013!
Thanks to everyone who supported us to ride 80 miles in the heat of summer and raise awareness about the root causes of people fleeing from their home countries! We rode against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we rode against the Public-Private Partnership, and we rode to pump up our local organizing capacity to keep on fighting for a just world together! The Solidarity Cycle could not have been possible without the generous donations of everyone who sponsored the cyclists to ride, all of the volunteers, and the great energy from our cyclists! Meet with us on Wednesday, July 10th at 6:30pm at the CISPES Office (606 Maynard Ave S #102) to plan the next steps in our national campaign to make sure the U.S. doesn’t sway the Salvadoran elections and ruin the amazing progress for people in Latin America and beyond!
Cyclists getting ready for the next 45 miles after a night of campfire stories, sleeping bags, and great discussion at Carnation Tree Farm – Sunday, June 30th.
Sign up for the Solidarity Cycle Bike Ride 2013 – June 29th-30th |¡Inscribirse para el ciclo de solidaridad 2013!
[lang_en-us]SOLIDARITY CYCLE 2013 | June 29-30th
A two day bike tour of east King County
Cycle in Solidarity! End the Cycle of Forced Migration and Corporate Domination!
Join us for a homecoming gathering at Pratt Park on Sunday June 30th at 5pm, 20th and Yesler!
Click here to sign up TODAY! Or, call 206.325.5494 or email seattle@cispes.org for details!
The U.S. is pushing economic policies such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Public Private Partnership across the globe, and these trade and privatization deals are no more than partnerships between U.S. power moguls and transnational corporations! Let’s stop the cycle of oppression that leads to massive unemployment, poor environmental and working conditions, and general poverty that leads to massive forced migrations in the first place! Let’s ride together for an alternative tomorrow, with livable wages, fair trade, and fair treatment!
Sign up for the Solidarity Cycle!
- A two day bike trip through east King County. Participants are protected by a county ordinance limiting law enforcement collaboration with immigration officials.
- Leaves at 8:30am from the CISPES Office at 606 Maynard Ave S #102 in Seattle’s International District.
- Raise money to support grassroots organizing in El Salvador
- Enjoy the camaraderie of a fun, low-key group bike ride!
- $40 registration + $100-$300 fundraising goal per person. No one turned away for lack of funds.
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[lang_es]CICLO DE SOLIDARIDAD 2013 | 29-30th de junio
Una excursion de dos dias en bicicleta por el este del condenado de King
¡Ciclar en solidaridad! ¡Cesar la privatización de recursos publicos en El Salvador y mundial!
Únase a nosotros para una reunión de regreso a casa en el Pratt Park el domingo 30 de junio a las 17:00, 20 y Yesler!
¡Haz clic aqui para inscribirse hoy! o, llamar 206.325.5494 o email seattle@cispes.org para detalles
Los EE.UU. está empujando políticos como la ley asocio transpacífico y de asocios publico privado por todo el mundo y estos acuerdos de comercio y privatización solo son asociaciones entre magnates de los EE.UU y empresas transnacionales. ¡Paremos el ciclo de opresión que conduce a las migraciones forzadas masivas, condiciones pobres del ambiente y trabajo y la pobreza que conduce a las migraciones en el primer lugar! ¡Pasemos en bicicleta juntos para una mañana mejor, con salarios mejores, comercio justo y tratamiento justo!
¡Inscribirse para el ciclo de solidaridad!
- Una excursión en bicicleta por el este del condenado de King. Participantes están protegidos por una ordenanza del condenado que limite la imposición de leyes en colaboración con funcionarios de inmigración.
- Recaudar fondos para apoyar las organizaciones de base en El Salvador
- Disfrutar una excursión en bicicleta en grupo que sea divertido y sencillo
- $40 para inscribirse + $125-$300 meta de recaudar fondos para cada persona. Nadie será inelegible por falta de fondos
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US unions join May Day March in El Salvador to reject US privatization push
LABOR SOLIDARITY DELEGATION REPORT-BACK THURSDAY MAY 16TH FROM 7-9PM AT WASHINGTON STATE LABOR COUNCIL!
SeaTac airport worker Socrates Bravo, Seattle U student and Casa Latina volunteer KC Bridges, and Seattle CISPES Coordinator Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm will be reporting about their meaningful labor solidarity trip to El Salvador at the Washington State Labor Council building on Thursday, May 16th from 7-9pm. Email seattle@cispes.org for details.
May 3, 2013
SAN SALVADOR – An estimated 80,000 Salvadorans representing a wide array of labor organizations, university students, women’s organizations and anti-mining activists, among others, as well as the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) political party, took to the streets Wednesday for the largest May 1st march since the election of President Funes in 2009.
“We’re really happy to have had such a diverse and strong showing of the working class on May 1st,” said Vilma Vásquez, one of the leaders of the Salvadoran Union Front (Frente Sindical Salvadoreño, FSS). “It takes a lot of work to mobilize that many people but the working class and the popular movement in El Salvador have always carried out our struggle with love.”
A main theme of the march was opposition to a bill before the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly that could lead to the privatization of a broad array of economic sectors, including ports and airports, healthcare, education, and other government services. The Public-Private Partnership Law (Ley de Asocio Público Privado) was written with the assistance of the US Treasury Department under the framework of the US State Department’s Partnership for Growth initiative in El Salvador. The proposal, which creates lucrative incentives for large corporations to exploit the country’s resources, is widely recognized among Salvadoran social movements as a threat to wages and working conditions, as well as to the government’s ability to provide essential public services.
Fourteen members of a recent labor delegation led by the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) marched with fellow workers from the Salvadoran Union Front. “Privatization and subcontracting are damaging to people’s rights wherever they’re imposed,” said Socrates Bravo, who works at Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle. “I have seen hundreds of fellow workers work in horrible conditions and have pay that barely covers the cost of living, while the airlines and companies are making billions of dollars in profit. Meanwhile, the state earns nothing.”
Members of the delegation recognized striking similarities between the attacks on Salvadoran and US workers and their right to organize, especially in the private sector. “What we see is that we’re dealing with multinational corporations so we have to in turn fight internationally. This is not about one country to the next, it’s about an international working class struggle,” said Jamie Thompson, from the Northern California airport division of SEIU United Service Workers West.
Representatives of the labor delegation met with John Barrett, economic counselor at the US Embassy in San Salvador to deliver letters from the AFL-CIO, the Utility Workers Union of America, United Electrical Workers and other US labor organizations denouncing US pressure on the Salvadoran government to adopt the law. US Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte has made multiple statements to the Salvadoran press indicating that privatization is a prerequisite for further US investment through the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
During the group’s press conference outside the Embassy, Julia Kann from the Washington DC Metro Labor Council said, “Our government has tried to argue that so-called ‘public-private partnerships’ will be beneficial for the Salvadoran people. But the people we have met with have been clear that this is a law that clearly favors transnational corporations and foreign companies at the expense of the Salvadoran people.”
May Day Labor Solidarity Delegation Taking off April 27th!
SEATTLE LABOR DELEGATION TO PROTEST PRIVATIZATION AT U.S. EMBASSY IN EL SALVADOR
May Day Solidarity Delegates will report-back on May 16th from 7-9pm at the Washington State Labor Council offices.
Labor activists, union members, and workers across the U.S. are preparing to go to El Salvador for the Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador’s (CISPES) May Day delegation from April 27 to May 4th. Labor organizers and workers who are organizing for their rights in the Pacific Northwest will be joining forces with union members in El Salvador to speak out against corporate shortcuts across the globe and the U.S.-backed Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Four delegates from the Seattle area, including a Sea Tac airport worker who is organizing for a union, will be joining 13 other U.S. delegates and taking off for the Central American country’s capital city, San Salvador. The delegates will be reporting about their time in El Salvador on Thursday, May 16th from 7-9pm at the Washington State Labor Council building, 314 1st Ave W Seattle, WA 98119.
The delegates will be presenting to the U.S. Embassy and labor groups in El Salvador on the impact of privatization on workers’ rights. The delegation is designed to highlight the kinds of wage cuts, union busting, and rising costs to consumers that people in the U.S. have seen because of privatization of basic human rights such as education and water and to bring that to El Salvador as a trade of solidarity. Earlier in February, Salvadoran union leader Alex Gomez toured the U.S. and spoke out with Seattle workers at the Sea Tac airport. At the date of the airport workers’ union campaign launch, Sea Tac airport worker and May Day delegate Socrates Bravo turned to Gomez and said, “We are struggling here and you are struggling there…hopefully we can help each other.”
United States Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte has threatened to withhold U.S. aid if El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly does not pass the PPP, which would privatize the country’s airports, water, electricity, and higher education, among other public sectors. According to Seattle CISPES, the United States is pushing this law because it would open El Salvador up for exploitation by transnational companies who could disregard human and environmental rights easily under the PPP.
In the past, El Salvador has been able to defeat privatization of healthcare in 2002 and water in 2007, for example, and CISPES hopes to replicate the labor solidarity model that has worked in the past alongside the strong social movement in El Salvador. Several labor groups throughout the U.S., including Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will be including their own statement against the PPP in the Salvadoran media on May Day, while the delegates will be marching with over 75,000 people for international worker’s day.
For more information please contact Kaeley Pruitt-Hamm, Seattle CISPES coordinator, at (206) 325-5494 or seattle@cispes.org.