a1425: Boston unionists rally behind Haitian worker (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: radtimes <resist@best.com>

Boston unionists rally behind Haitian worker

Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the March 28, 2002
issue of Workers World newspaper
-------------------------

WHEN BOSS PLAYS "TERRORISM" CARD:
UNIONISTS RALLY BEHIND HAITIAN WORKER

By Boston Labor's ANSWER

West Roxbury Court reverberated with chants of "Drop the
racist frame-up charges," "Stop union busting" and "Marcus
is innocent, Laidlaw is the crime" on March 15.

Over 50 unionists and their supporters had packed the court
and picketed outside to defend Marcus Jean, a Haitian long-
time school bus driver and union militant in Steel Workers
Local 8751. He had been fired from his job and accused of
threatening to blow up the building of his employer--a
charge he vigorously denies.

Despite an extraordinary police presence of squad cars,
motorcycles, riot gear and a video "intelligence" crew, all
designed to further orchestrate the charade that Jean is a
dangerous man and to intimidate his supporters, the
protesters stood their ground. Anti-war and Palestinian
activists plus members of Community Church of Boston joined
with rank-and-file members and officers of Hotel and
Restaurant union Local 26, AFSCME Local 3650, Auto Workers
and a strong delegation from Local 8751 representing all
four school bus yards.

Laidlaw Inc. is a mammoth, transnational transportation
corporation. Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last
June, it has pursued every avenue to maximize profits by
cutting wages, benefits, jobs and union rights. In this
climate those workers who resist union busting are targeted
for attack.

'TERRORISM': MANAGEMENT'S NEW TOOL

In the wake of Sept. 11 corporations have been given the
green light to dramatically up the ante in their union
busting. They have a new tool: bogus claims of "terrorism."

Taking their cue from anti-union bigot George W. Bush, they
proclaim, "You're either with Laidlaw corporate policy or
with the terrorists." Driver Marcus Jean was Local 8751's
first victim.

On Jan. 30 Jean was involved in a minor disagreement with
another driver over a blocked bus parking space. It was no
big deal. Assistant Terminal Manager Diane Kelly talked to
him about it and the matter was closed--no warning, no
discipline. The next day Terminal Manager Rick McLaugh lin,
in a provocative and harassing manner, tried to again
interrogate Jean about this incident.

This is a gross violation of his union rights. The matter
had been closed. Jean objected. He called McLaughlin on this
racist discrimination and refused to submit to unjust
management harassment, which was in clear violation of his
contract rights.

Jean stood his ground and argued his point, but never
threatened McLaughlin or anybody else. Laidlaw management
then went to the police, cynically exploiting the post-Sept.
11 climate. The company claimed that Jean repeatedly
threatened to blow up the building and that he posed a
serious "terrorist" threat to the property and employees.

Witnesses are prepared to testify for the Haitian worker.
Laidlaw's star witness, Diane Kelly, is "no longer with the
company." Word is that McLaughlin fired her for an alleged
assault against him.

Laidlaw workers say this case takes place in the context of
literally dozens of instances involving harassment,
intimidation and threats by McLaughlin against drivers at
the Readville bus yard. They say he has made it a standard
practice to falsely accuse drivers of threatening him, and
that last month management met with the union local and
international in Readville to hear some of the many
complaints.

While Laidlaw's wild charges are a racist disgrace, it is
even more appalling that the police and courts are seriously
prosecuting this case. Laidlaw appeared before the Clerk
Magistrate with not one witness to back up McLaughlin's
story. The company's "labor relations" chief John Martis
told the clerk that McLaughlin had been given his "marching
orders" from corporate bosses to prosecute this case.

Corporation-directed government attacks on unions are
nothing new. The Teamsters, AFSCME, Service Employees and
Local 8751 have all had to fight against this management
tool. Years ago, the corporations hired armed goon squads,
the infamous Pinkertons, to attack unions. Now they get the
government to do their dirty work free of charge. Bush's
"homeland security" only makes matters worse.

NATIONAL ANTI-IMMIGRANT FRENZY

A national wave of government-directed anti-immigrant
hysteria is sweeping the country. Racist violence, racist
profiling and denial of civil liberties have become the law
of the land, whether it's Arab people detained without
charges, immigrant workers arrested and facing federal
charges at Boston's Logan airport, or victims of racist
violence. The government has sent a clear message by
releasing the sadistic police in the Abner Louima case while
at the same time prosecuting an innocent Haitian worker like
Marcus Jean.

Labor activists within the coalition Act Now to Stop War and
End Racism recently formed Boston Labor's ANSWER. They have
joined with Local 8751 Rank and File United to establish the
Marcus Jean Defense Committee. The committee has secured the
top criminal attorney in the region, people's lawyer Barry
Wilson. It is launching a full-scale, all-out defense
campaign to mobilize support.

It is organizing to pack the court at every appearance, get
endorsers, have picket lines, press conferences and letter
campaigns to the district attorney to drop the charges. It
plans to spread the word in union halls, community meetings,
churches and on the Internet.

Rachel Nasca of AFSCME 3650 states, "Workers throughout the
country must rally to Marcus Jean's defense. This case
concretely exposes the fact that the U.S. war has a domestic
front--workers, their unions and the poor. This criminal
corporate behavior is a threat to every union in the
country. Union busting and racism under the guise of
'protecting homeland security' must be stopped."

For more information and to support this campaign, contact
the Marcus Jean Defense Committee, c/o Boston Labor's
ANSWER, (617) 522-6626, or visit the web site
www.iacboston.org/LaborsAnswer.