"We look forard to the struggle ahead" Oakland j27 (tri-lingual)

Rise Up Fight Back!

We hear stories about overnight inflation in developing countries, often caused by privatization of public utilities.

We hear of massive demonstrations and even a general strike when a San Francisco company, Bechtel, tries to privatize the water supply a South American country.

As the third world comes home to California with gas and electricity rate increases that most everyone will notice, and given that an already established policy of privatization will be accelerated by the Bush administration, we must fight back.

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday in Oakland, a multi-lingual, multicultural march of 5000 workers and immigrants from around the state of California convened at a rally in East Oakland to let the Bush Administration know that this is just the beginning.

This march and rally was organized by the Labor Immigrant Organizing Network (LION). The demands on the banner at the back of the stage that speakers were signing on to are:

1. General Amnesty for all undocumented immigrants.
2. Repeal of employer sanctions.
3. Defend the rights of all workers to organize.
4. End guest workers programs.
5. Defend and expand family unification and legal immigration.

As we enter in the era of this illegimate Bush administration, I quote Hai Yin Wu at the end of her talk, "We look forward to the struggle ahead."