North Portland-based organizers share stories of South American journey

Article about CBLOC delegation to Venezuela & Colombia from the St. Johns Sentinel.

By Jason Howd
On Sunday, Dec. 3, Hugo Chavez was re-elected as president of Venezuela
by a hefty margin. The leftist leader has eased restrictions on union
organizing and has made life easier for many in the working class. For
better or worse, with the re-election of Chavez, this bond is certain
to grow.
Venezuela’s neighbor to the west, Colombia, however, is in the opposite
camp. With a low-level civil war, a violent drug cartel wielding
immense influence, and economic pressure from the United States, the
Colombian government has been cracking down on most organizing by any
groups demanding recognition to, in their words, control terrorism.
What does this have to do with Portland?
On Dec. 5, the Cross Border Labor Organizing Council (CBLOC) held a
meeting to address just this question. During the meeting, held at the
United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union Local 247 at 2215 N Lombard St.,
a group of delegates presented some highlights of a recent trip to both
Venezuela and Colombia from Nov. 9-20 to meet with union organizations
in both countries.
Based on their own information, Portland Central America Solidarity
Committee, a 22-year-old grassroots organization based in North
Portland, educates and mobilizes students, union members, and community
activists around struggles for human rights and economic justice in
Mexico and Latin America. In 1994, PCASC and Portland Jobs with Justice
formed CBLOC to educate and mobilize against corporate globalization.
CBLOC, in conjunction with PCASC, raised funds mostly out of their own
pockets to send the nine delegates to glean information and bring some
fresh ideas back to Portland’s labor unions.
The hall, adorned with Chavez campaign posters, was partially filled
with older and younger individuals seeking information about labor
organizing models in the two Latin American countries. PCASC was also
using this event as a fundraiser by selling such merchandise as
miniature Constitution of Venezuela booklets, T-shirts emblazoned with
the face of Bolivian president Evo Morales, and a small meal of beans,
rice, and vegetarian tamales.
As the meeting commenced, a question was tossed out to the audience by
PCASC coordinator Daniel Denvir. He asked, “What do you think of when
you hear the word globalization?” The crowd was quick to answer, “Race
to the bottom!” “Maquiladoras!” “McDonalds!” “NAFTA!” “Sweat shops!”
and the list went on. The lively audience was well attuned to the
subject.
Eight of the speakers are members of local union organizations such as
International Longshore and Warehouse Workers, Service Employees
International, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers, Oregon
Education Association, and the Teamsters. Each of the delegates
presented video diaries of their interviews with workers.
Each presentation highlighted the ups and downs of the labor movement
in Venezuela and Colombia. One production gave a glimpse into the
movement against the Coca-Cola Company in Colombia by union group
Sinaltrainal. The group has made claims of harassment and even beatings
by private guards for Coca-Cola. Most of the others made Venezuela
their focus.
In this country, controversy has surrounded Venezuelan president Chavez
since he was elected. The Bush administration has made claims of
restrictions on freedom of speech in the country and repression of
civil liberties. Chavez has fueled these flames by publicly accusing
the U.S. government of coup attempts and calling George W. Bush “the
devil” at the United Nations in September. This mistrust was also
palpable in both the delegates and the audience at the meeting.
During questions after his presentation, delegate Robert Poppe
expressed his concern about Chavez by stating that he felt that the
loquacious president would like to start a real conflict with the U.S.
just to retain his grip on power.

Get the original article here.