BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18805529 SEQUENCE:18945043 CREATED:20171227T192800Z DESCRIPTION:1/4/18 International Day Of Action To Defend Framed Lac-Mégantic Railway Workers-Stop One Person Crews And Destruction Of Health & Safety Standards in Transportation System\n\n1/4/18 Thursday Jan 4th, 2018 \nPress Conference and Rally in San Francisco on Thursday Jan 4, 2017 at 12:00 noon at the \n\nSan Francisco Canadian Consulate 580 California St. San Francisco, California\n\nAdditional information about actions in the US and internationally will be forthcoming.\n\nOn Thursday January 4, 2018 there will be an international day of action to defend three USW Canadian railway workers. Locomotive engineer Tom Harding is one of three former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MMA) railroad employees along with operations manager Jean Demaître and railway traffic controller Richard Labrie who were each charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death in connection with the deadly derailment and explosions at Lac-Mégantic that killed 47 people. As a direct results of the elimination of crews leading to a one person crew, this disaster was man made by the corporations which are eliminating railway safety protections and who control the politicians. The Canadian government in fact like the US government is controlled by these same rail bosses who are only interested in more profits at the cost of lives, communities and the environment.\n\nIncreasing rail wrecks and explosions throughout North American are endangering workers, members of the community and creating havoc. These so called “accidents” around the world are a direct result of deregulation, privatization and the attack on transportation workers and their unions. \nNot surprisingly, no charges were brought against MMA owner Ed Burkhardt or against the federal Conservative government that allowed the use of single-worker train crews without an inquiry into the implications of its decisions.\n\nThe scheme to blame the workers for these disasters is a cynical ploy to shift the real responsibility for the growing number of transportation catastrophes taking place in North America and in country after country.\nWe call for the dropping of charges and for the real criminals who are the executives of MMA and the government officials to be prosecuted for endangering the community and the workers.\n\nPut the real criminals on trial!\n\nIn San Francisco there will be a press conference and protest at the Canadian Consulate at 12:00 noon. The consulate is located at 580 California St. San Francisco.\nThis international day of action has been endorsed by \nWorkers Solidarity Action Network\nhttps://www.facebook.com/workerssolidarityactionnetwork/\nhttp://www.workerssolidarityactionnetwork.org\nRailroad Workers United\nhttp://railroadworkersunited.org\nUnited Public Workers For Action\nwww.upwa.info\n\nAdditional media:\nhttp://railroadworkersunited.org/lac-megantic/\nhttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/505b96a8c4aa40a37a143c49/t/5814d3da37c581849ea8c40e/1477759962784/If+you+Care+About+Rail+Safety+Yoiu+Must+Support+Tom+Harding.pdf\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/montreal/mma-lac-megantic-trial-jonathan-couture-1.4423964\nhttp://www.themilitant.com/2015/7905/790553.html\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/…/lac-megantic-criminal-trial-begins-sher… \nhttp://www.newswire.ca/…/steelworkers-local-gives-70000-to-…\nhttps://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=39797\nhttp://hardingdefense.org\nhttp://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/steelworkers-local-gives-70000-to-railway-workers-defence-fund-515129641.html\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/lac-megantic-criminal-trial-begins-sherbrooke-1.4315201 \nhttp://jordanbarab.com/confinedspace/2017/10/24/lac-megantic-trial/\n\nWW12-26-17 EPA And Workers Under Attack, Richmond Bans New Charters And Rail Workers On Trial at Lac-Mégantic In Frame-up\nhttps://soundcloud.com/workweek-radio/ww12-26-17-epa-richmond-charters-and-rail-workers-on-trial\nWorkWeek radio examines the growing crisis at the EPA and the need to have labor united to defend our air, water and environment. We interview Kathy Setian who is a delegate on the SF Labor Council from IFPTE Local 20.\nNext we look at the action of the Richmond City Council to pass a zoning moratorium on all new schools. We interview Arto Rinteela who is president of Fairmede Hilltop Neighborhood Council President and a member of UBC Millwrights Local 102\nLastly we discuss the railroad workers campaign to free framed up rail workers as result of the Lac-Mégantic wreck that killed 47 people. We interview Railroad Workers United RWU and Workers Solidarity Action Network WSAN member Mark Burrows who is a retired SMART 1433 Canadian Pacific railroader and is helping to organize the defense campaign. We also interview Fritz Elder who is a veteran Locomotive engineer, and chair of the Lac-Mégantic rail workers defense committee and a special rep for Railroad Workers United RWU.\nThree workers have been criminally charged from this event and unionists are organizing an international defense campaign.\nAdditional media:\nhttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/climate/epa-buyouts-pruitt.html\nhttps://youtu.be/gDGZHVu908k\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2iLwKGimHA\nhttp://hardingdefense.org/\nhttp://railroadworkersunited.org/lac-megantic/\nhttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/505b96a8c4aa40a37a143c49/t/5814d3da37c581849ea8c40e/1477759962784/If+you+Care+About+Rail+Safety+Yoiu+Must+Support+Tom+Harding.pdf\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/montreal/mma-lac-megantic-trial-jonathan-couture-1.4423964\nhttp://www.themilitant.com/2015/7905/790553.html\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/…/lac-megantic-criminal-trial-begins-sher… \nhttp://www.newswire.ca/…/steelworkers-local-gives-70000-to-…\nhttps://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=39797\nhttp://hardingdefense.org\nhttp://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/steelworkers-local-gives-70000-to-railway-workers-defence-fund-515129641.html\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/lac-megantic-criminal-trial-begins-sherbrooke-1.4315201 \nhttp://jordanbarab.com/confinedspace/2017/10/24/lac-megantic-trial/\nProduction of WorkWeek Radio\nworkweek@kpfa.org\nhttps://soundcloud.com/workweek-radio\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/12/27/18805529.php SUMMARY:Intern Day Of Action To Defend Framed Lac-Mégantic Rail Workers-Stop One Person Trains LOCATION:San Francisco Canadian Consulate\n580 California St. San Francisco, California URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/12/27/18805529.php DTSTART:20180104T200000Z DTEND:20180104T210000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR