Russian Dockworkers Union Leader Brutally Stabbed, Beaten

by James Parks, AFL-CIO (reposted)

Thu, Jun 14, 2007 3:38PM

Thursday, June 14, 2007 : Mikhail Chesalin Mikhail Chesalin, chairman of the Russian dockworkers union, was stabbed and beaten unconscious last week outside his office in Kaliningrad. Chesalin, considered one of the brightest lights in Russia's independent labor movement, has regained consciousness but remains in intensive care with possible brain trauma.

The dockworkers union, known as RPD, has been involved in an unprecedented organizing drive since April. Organizers have visited more than 40 percent of Kaliningrad dockworkers in their homes. This is the first time a Russian union has used the house-calling technique, which is widely used in the United States.

In an effort to stop the workers from joining the union, Kaliningrad dock managers have fired several workers, warned workers not to talk to union organizers and denied some benefits to union supporters, according to the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center .

Kaliningrad dockworkers earn on average about $500 a month. To feed their families, many dockworkers take on 11-hour shifts nearly every day, and about half have second jobs.

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For more information: http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/06/14/russian-...

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