Will members of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party's State Central Committee sip coffee and tea loaded with scab American Crystal Sugar?

Here is an article from Minnesota's leading labor newspaper. Not so much as a mention concerning the need to have legislation banning employer lockouts and the use of scabs. If the unions and workers aren't going to bring these demands forward, does anyone think these worthless Democratic Party politicians still ordering American Crystal Sugar for their coffee and tea and cafeteria deserts are going to?

http://advocate.stpaulunions.org/2013/01/24/with-lockouts-on-the-rise-state-lawmakers-weigh-social-economic-impacts/

There is a Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party State Central Committee meeting tomorrow; will any of the members of the MNDFL State Central Committee bring forward the need for anti-lockout and anti-scab legislation? Quite doubtful. Like one member of the State Central Committee just wrote me: "... I better look to see what kind of sugar I will be putting in my coffee but knowing you, you will have someone at the meeting ready to put my picture on your blog..."

Note: I just called the "Daily Grind Coffee House" the site of this "informal DFL gathering listed below and asked them if they use American Crystal Sugar; the person answering the phone proudly stated: "It's the only kind of sugar we use."

I wonder how long they will be so proudly making this proclamation?

(763) 537-6305

Coffee with DFL State Outreach and Inclusion Committee
When
Sat, February 2, 8:30am – 9:30am
Where
The Daily Grind Coffee House - 4801 W Broadway Ave, Robbinsdale, MN 55422
Description

(763) 537-6305

DFL Business Conference
Business will include the election of State Party Officers When Sat Feb 2, 2013

Saturday, February 2

DFL Business Conference
8:30am

Coffee with DFL State Outreach and Inclusion Committee
When
Sat, February 2, 8:30am – 9:30am
Where
The Daily Grind Coffee House - 4801 W Broadway Ave, Robbinsdale, MN 55422
Description

Fellow DFL State Central Committee Members:

On behalf of the DFL State Outreach and Inclusion Committee you are cordially invited to 'Coffee with the Outreach and Inclusion Committee' an informal gathering among fellow DFL'ers to meet and socialize with current members of the Outreach and Inclusion Committee including Congressional and State Party O&I Officers.

This is your opportunity to talk with Outreach Officers from across the state, and to hear first hand about the work the Outreach and Inclusion Committee is doing for you! We hope that you can join us before the business conference and that you will also consider attending one of the state party training sessions (for any questions and to RSVP for training sessions; please contact Vicki Wright, vwright@dfl.org) prior to the Business Conference beginning at 9:30 AM.

So come grab an early morning cup o'Joe before you head over to the Business Conference.

RSVP: Eric Margolis (aao@dfl.org) by Friday Feb 1st 2013

9:30am

State DFL Trainings: VAN and Convention Chair
When
Sat, February 2, 9:30am – 11:30am
Where
Robbinsdale Middle School Classrooms 132 and 134, 3730 Toledo Avenue, N, Robbinsdale, MN
Description

For any additional questions and the RSVP, please contact Vicki Wright, vwright@dfl.orgvwright@dfl.org>

1. TRAINING SESSIONS KEY:

VAN

* My Voters vs. My Campaign
* Voter Profile
* Making Lists
* Turf Cutting
* Blast Email

CONVENTION CHAIR

Overview of the procedures for:

* Officer elections
* Constitutional amendments - debate and voting
* Candidate endorsement
* Other tips for running an effective convention

State DFL Trainings: VAN and Convention Chair
For any additional questions and the RSVP, please contact Vicki Wright, vwright@dfl.orgvwright@dfl.org>

1. TRAINING SESSIONS KEY:

VAN

* My Voters vs. My Campaign
* Voter Profile
* Making Lists
* Turf Cutting
* Blast Email

CONVENTION CHAIR

Overview of the procedures for:

* Officer elections
* Constitutional amendments - debate and voting
* Candidate endorsement
* Other tips for running an effective convention

--
When Sat Feb 2, 2013 9:30am – 11:30am Central Time
Where Robbinsdale Middle School Classrooms 132 and 134, 3730 Toledo Avenue, N, Robbinsdale, MN

With lockouts on the rise, state lawmakers weigh social, economic impacts

advocate.stpaulunions.orgLockouts have gained popularity among Minnesota employers looking to flex their muscles in contract negotiations with union workers, but state lawmakers yesterday began examining the impact these p...

Awwwwww, shucks; the Minneapolis Star Tribune doesn't like me.

Several people have asked me what kind of things Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Jane Friedmann sends out about me. Well, it only took about 45 minutes to get her response to my sending the blog post below today:

On Fri, February 1, 2013 at 1:15 PM, Friedmann, Jane wrote:
Dear Shar,

I have watched for months, nay years, the harassment and abuse Alan Maki had inflicted on people whose sole infraction was being chosen for inclusion on Mr. Maki's email mailing list.

I don't know the bastard from Adam, but nevertheless I am disgusted with his attacks on Minnesota businesses.

I firmly believe that the man is mentally ill, and if it exists within your power, or the power of those close to him, to have him be evaluated for treatment, please proceed.

Whether or not Mr. Maki adheres to ideals of human decency, unions would do well to keep as much separation from the mentally-unstable Maki as possible. And please ... If it is within your power to prevent him from tormenting the innocent, namely those on his mailing list and the upstanding members of our business community, don't hesitate.

Regards,

Jane

Democrats and labor.

Why labor needs to dump the Democrats and build its own progressive working class based people's political party:

The Minneapolis Star Tribune on January 29, 2013 claims the American Crystal Sugar Company lockout of 1,300 workers here in the Red River Valley is a “work stoppage.”

Does anyone see any workers who stopped working?

This is NOT a work stoppage as claimed by the union bashing Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper.

Workers did not stop working; nor did workers go on strike.

The company locked workers out of the plants and their jobs; and the work in these plants goes on with the American Crystal Sugar Company using scab labor.

The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Miller's (BCTGM) International Union’s leaders even insisted workers had to train these scabs who workers knew would be used to replace them over many months should workers turn down American Crystal Sugar Company's “final offer.”

Why hasn't the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party with its controlling majorities in the Minnesota State House and Senate and a Democratic Governor brought forward both anti-lockout and anti-scab legislation?

What good is having this super majority if it isn’t going to be used in the interests of workers?

Why isn't the call for this kind of legislation being brought forward by any DFL legislators, members of the DFL state central committee or DFL county committees?

Why haven't the union representing the workers and the Minnesota AFL-CIO insisted their DFL partners bring forward anti-lockout and anti-scab legislation?

Why haven't rank and file union members insisted on getting this legislation out of the MNDFL in return for their votes?

This is one more very typical case where labor leaders refuse to act responsibly in defense of the workers rights and interests  they are supposed to represent and to make sure this never happens again to any workers in Minnesota.

The first cowardly mistake these labor leaders made was telling workers they had to leave these plants as ordered by American Crystal Sugar Management instead of occupying these plants from the very beginning.

These labor leaders should have had the decency to place plant occupations before American Crystal Sugar workers to let them make a democratic decision as to what they wanted to do in order to defend their rights and their livelihoods.

The Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Miller's (BCTGM) International Union is a union that has been engaged in working class betrayal for years both in the United States and Canada and it has operated to the detriment of not only its own members, but the entire working class as a whole when it comes to refusing to insist on a real living wage for the minimum wage. In plant after plant and workplace after workplace the national leadership of the BCTGM International Union has pursued the very worst kinds of class collaborationist policies, and often very racist policies, of stabbing militant rank-and-file activists in the back over even very obviously legitimate workplace grievances in which the International repeatedly takes the side of management and insists local labor leaders tow this non-struggle line.   

As for this so-called "boycott" Richard Trumka and the "leaders" of the AFL-CIO have initiated; workers employed in union plants all across the country are still handling and using American Crystal Sugar in the production of everything and anything requiring sugar. From the shipping to processing to retail sales. What kind of a boycott do you call this where the public is being asked to boycott a product union members are still handling?

And why is a petition campaign underway "asking" a Democratic Governor and Democratic State Legislators here in Minnesota to stop purchasing and using American Crystal Sugar? Shouldn't these Democrats who know to come to workers for their money and their votes not to mention insisting the unions do their "heavy lifting" know enough on their own not to be purchasing and using a scab product? Apparently not.

If this lockout by the American Crystal Sugar Company's management and the failure of the Democrats to properly respond isn't a good enough reason to start a progressive working class based people's party on top of the firm foundation of what remains of the socialist Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, I don't know what it is going to take.

Reactionary shit-ass Minneapolis Star Tribune reporters like Jane Friedmann take it upon themselves to attack me time and time again but this dirty anti-working class rag can’t even get it straight that there has been no work stoppage as it declares:

“...It (American Crystal Sugar Company-ALM))has grown into one of the longest work stoppages in Minnesota history. Unemployment benefits for workers have expired…”

Lie after lie when it comes to this anti-labor rag.