Hudson Valley: Uniting Labor, Students & Community Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit ------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the November 6, 1997 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- HUDSON VALLEY: RALLY UNITES LABOR WITH STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY By Jack A. Smith New Paltz, N.Y. The key theme of a "Rally for Jobs and Justice for Working People and the Poor," held at the State University of New York campus here Oct. 25, was the need to develop a working alliance between the labor movement in the region and the local progressive and student communities. Speaking for the organizers of the meeting were Donna Goodman, co-chair of the Mid-Hudson National People's Campaign, and Michelle Obermeier of the SUNY-New Paltz's Student-Labor Action Coalition. Goodman said the rally was organized "to celebrate labor's recent assertiveness and victories--especially the recent Teamster victory over UPS--and to call for measures that will improve the lives of working people, build the union movement, [and] organize a labor community alliance." Speaking directly to the local labor movement, she called it and progressive forces "natural allies." She said, "Let us organize together to reach our common goals of social equality and economic justice." The speakers and supporters of the meeting reflected this natural alliance. Labor speakers included Ed Aspinall of the Upper Hudson Central Labor Council--which with the Dutchess Central Labor Council and Service Employees Local 200D, Public Employee Federation Region 9 and United Paper Workers Local 107 endorsed the meeting. Sam Fratto of the Electrical Workers, Key Martin of the Newspaper Guild and Teachers Local 3882 President Trudy Rudnick of New York University also spoke. Other speakers included NPC national organizer Larry Holmes and Vondora Jordan of Workfairness in New York City. Aspinall, a well-known labor leader in the mid-Hudson community, welcomed the turn in the AFL-CIO. He said the "labor movement is recognizing its mistakes" of the past. He praised its current efforts to include women, people of color, and lesbians and gays in labor's ranks and leadership. Holmes praised the labor movement's new activism and direction, but also pointed to areas still needing attention. If the union federation sought support from people of color, he said, it would have to extend its own support to the struggles of African Americans and others in such areas as the fight against police brutality. People's singer and local resident Pete Seeger was cheered for his songs and his record of struggle. Singer and activist Caryl Towner and her group, Stone Soup, closed the meeting with working-class songs. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@workers.org. For subscription info send message to: info@workers.org. Web: http://workers.org) ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytlab-11.06.97-15:14:40-16407