Macron holds crisis meeting as more France protests loom


French President Emmanuel Macron summoned government ministers for a crisis meeting on Monday, as tensions ran high a day before another major round of strikes and protests against his pension reforms.

Nearly two weeks after Macron rammed the new law through parliament using a special provision sidestepping any vote, unions have vowed no let-up in mass protests to get the government to back down.

They have called for another big day of action on Tuesday, the 10th such mobilisation since protests started in mid-January against the controversial law, which includes raising the retirement age to 64 from 62.

Macron, whose approval ratings in opinion polls are at a low point, said last week he accepted the "unpopularity" that came with the reform.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, meanwhile, said that while there was no plan to drop the legislation, she was ready for fresh dialogue with unions.

"We have to find the right path... We need to calm down," she told AFP in an interview on Sunday.

Starting Monday, Borne has scheduled talks over three weeks, including with members of parliament, political parties, local authorities and unions.

A state visit to France by Britain's King Charles III, which had been due to begin on Sunday, was postponed because of the unrest.

- 'Very big move' -

Instead of hosting King Charles for a day of pomp and ceremony, Macron instead met Borne, other cabinet ministers and senior lawmakers for the crisis talks at the Elysee Palace, the presidency said.

Borne presented the plan for consultations to the president at Monday's meeting and was then expected to take it to Macron's allies and cabinet members, presidential sources said.

If unions accept her offer for talks, Borne is expected to put new measures on the table designed to ease the impact of the pensions law targeting physically demanding jobs, conditions for older workers and retraining.

But early reactions were not promising for the prime minister.

Laurent Berger, the head of the moderate CFDT union, who has taken an unexpectedly hard line against the pension reform, said he would accept the offer of talks but only if the reform was first "put to one side".

Berger called on the government to come up with a "very big move on pensions".

Left-wing firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon said on Sunday that there was "a very simple way" to return to peaceful relations, and that was "to withdraw the law".

The protest movement against the pension reform has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second mandate, with police and protesters clashing regularly in Paris and other cities since the reform was forced through.

- 'Highly disrupted' -

Last Thursday, the previous major protest day, police reported 457 arrests across France and injuries to 441 police officers.

Government spokesman Olivier Veran called Melenchon and his party "profiteers of anger", while Green party lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau accused Macron and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin of stoking the unrest.

According to Paris mass transit operator RATP, metros and suburban trains will be "highly disrupted" on Tuesday.

Rubbish collectors in the capital are continuing their strike, with close to 8,000 tonnes of garbage piled up in the streets as of Sunday.

Adding to the waste treatment blockage, workers at an incineration plant just outside Paris stopped work on Monday.

France's civil aviation authority has told airlines at Orly airport in Paris, as well as the Marseille, Bordeaux and Toulouse airports, to cancel 20 percent of flights for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some 15 percent of service stations in France are short of petrol because us refinery strikes, while workers at a nuclear power plant in southwestern France stopped a rector and limited access for crews.

The Louvre in Paris, the world's most visited museum, was closed on Monday because of labour action.

About a third of primary school teachers were expected to go on strike Tuesday.

French police have meanwhile come under severe criticism for heavy-handed tactics during recent demonstrations.

The Council of Europe said on Friday that peaceful protesters and journalists had to be protected from police violence and arbitrary arrest.

On Sunday the IGPN, the internal affairs unit of the French police, said it had launched 17 investigations into incidents since the protests began.

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Humza Yousaf: Scotland's first Muslim leader

Stuart GRAHAM
Mon, March 27, 2023 


Humza Yousaf, the first Muslim leader of a major UK political party, faces an uphill battle to revive Scotland's drive for independence following the long tenure of his close ally Nicola Sturgeon.

The new and youngest Scottish National Party (SNP) leader, 37, says his own experience as an ethnic minority means he will fight to protect the rights of all minorities -- including gay and transgender people.

The Glasgow-born Yousaf took his oath in English and Urdu when he was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011, before progressing to become the first Muslim to serve in the devolved government's cabinet.

He has been hailed by his supporters as a polished communicator who can unite the party as support stagnates for the SNP's central policy -- independence for Scotland.

Despite the UK government's opposition to a new referendum, and a Supreme Court setback, Yousaf vowed in his victory speech Monday to deliver independence in this generation.

And, as his wife and mother brushed away tears, he paid tribute to his paternal grandparents after they came to Scotland from Pakistan in the 1960s barely speaking English.

They would not have imagined "in their wildest dreams" that their future grandson would become the leader of their adopted homeland.

"We should all take pride in the fact that today we have sent a clear message: that your colour of skin or indeed your faith is not a barrier to leading the country that we all call home," Yousaf said.

He also vowed to be his own man as Scotland's first minister. But far from running away from Sturgeon's controversial record, he also says he will keep his experienced predecessor on "speed dial" for advice.

That has fed into critics' portrayal of Yousaf as a political lightweight who will remain in thrall to Sturgeon's camp.

At the same time, he is promising a more collegial style of leadership. "Mine would be less inner circle and more big tent," he told LBC radio.

- Racist abuse -

With the independence push stymied for now, following Sturgeon's more than eight-year tenure as first minister, Yousaf takes over facing crises in healthcare and education under the SNP's own watch in Scotland.

His record as Sturgeon's minister for justice and healthcare was savaged on the campaign trail by his chief rival, Kate Forbes, and Yousaf must also heal a fractured party after its bruising leadership election.

Yousaf says he was toughened after facing racist abuse growing up in Glasgow, especially after the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

"I've definitely had tough times," he recalled, reflecting on his time in politics.

"I've thought to myself, 'goodness, is there more that I can take personally' because I also come under a tremendous amount of abuse online and, unfortunately, sometimes face to face."

Yousaf's Pakistani-born father forged a successful career in Glasgow as an accountant. The new SNP leader's mother was born into a South Asian family in Kenya.

Yousaf attended an exclusive private school in Glasgow, two years behind Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

He studied politics at Glasgow University, and worked in a call centre before becoming an aide to Sturgeon's predecessor as SNP leader and first minister, Alex Salmond.

Yousaf entered the Scottish cabinet in 2012, serving in various roles including justice, transport and most recently health.

- Republican -

He married former SNP worker Gail Lythgoe in 2010, but they divorced seven years later.

In 2021 he and his second wife Nadia El-Nakla launched a legal complaint against a nursery, accusing it of racial discrimination after it denied admission to their daughter.

The complaint was upheld by education inspectors but the couple have now dropped it, and the nursery denied the accusations.

He was accused of deliberately skipping a Scottish vote to legalise gay marriage in 2014, due to pressure from Muslim leaders.

Yousaf insisted he had a prior engagement, and contrasts his own record to Forbes' religiously conservative views as a member of a Scottish evangelical church.

He says he will "always fight for the equal rights of others" and not legislate based on his own faith.

But one person's constitutional position will not be protected in a Yousaf-led Scotland -- that of King Charles III.

"I've been very clear, I'm a republican," he told Scottish newspaper The National, calling for debate on whether Scotland should move to an elected head of state.

srg/jit/jwp/ea

Humza Yousaf wins Scottish leadership race

AFP
Mon, March 27, 2023 

Humza Yousaf on Monday won the race to become Scotland's new leader, its youngest and first from a minority ethnic background, charged with reviving a faltering independence movement after Nicola Sturgeon's long tenure.

Yousaf emerged victorious with 52 percent of Scottish National Party (SNP) members' preferentially ranked votes, following a divisive three-way leadership battle triggered by Sturgeon's surprise resignation announcement last month.

He is set to be sworn in as first minister on Wednesday, becoming the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party.

The 37-year-old will also be Scotland's youngest leader, taking the helm months after Rishi Sunak became the youngest UK prime minister in modern times when he entered Downing Street aged 42.

Yousaf vowed to continue pursuing the SNP's central policy -- independence for Scotland -- which Sturgeon has championed since the party lost a 2014 referendum on the issue.

"We will be the generation that delivers independence for Scotland," Yousaf said in his victory speech, adding in subsequent interviews that he would formally request that the UK government allow another vote.

He added his "immediate priority" was protecting Scots from Britain's cost-of-living crisis and reforming public services.

"I will aim to lead Scotland and the interests of all of our citizens, whatever your political allegiance," Yousaf insisted, noting he would look to work "constructively" with London.

Sunak's spokesman said the prime minister "looks forward to working with him" but ruled out granting the required permission to stage another independence vote.

- 'Momentous' -

Yousaf, who was health minister in Sturgeon's last cabinet, narrowly beat finance minister Kate Forbes to become SNP leader once party voters' second preferences had been counted.

Former minister Ash Regan finished a distant third.

Forbes, who won 48 percent of the votes in the contest, came under the spotlight for her conservative views as a member of the Free Church of Scotland, which opposes same-sex marriage and abortion.

But Yousaf, who has close ties with Sturgeon, also faced scrutiny and criticism over his record in successive roles in the Scottish government.

Sturgeon, 52, has served as first minister since November 2014 but said last month that she felt unable to give "every ounce of energy" to the job.

Congratulating Yousaf on his victory, she tipped him to be "an outstanding leader", adding on Twitter: "I could not be prouder to have him succeed me".

The Muslim Council of Britain called his election "momentous".

But success is likely to be judged on his ability to further the independence movement.

Polling indicates that support has been declining after briefly spiking through last year.

Surveys show around 45 percent of Scots are currently in favour of Scotland leaving the United Kingdom, the same tally recorded in the 2014 vote.

During campaigning Yousaf said the SNP needs to focus on creating a vision for an independent Scotland, and promised a civic movement to drive the campaign.

- 'Answers' -

Yousaf faces a challenge to win over the wider Scottish electorate, with a UK general election expected within the next 18 months.

According to Ipsos polling, he enjoys a favourable opinion among just 22 percent of voters.

The SNP has also seen a backlash over a new law allowing anyone over 16 to change their gender without a medical diagnosis.

The law would have allowed a transgender woman who was convicted of rape before she began transitioning to serve a prison sentence in a women-only facility.

As debate raged, the UK government used an unprecedented veto to block the legislation.

The UK Supreme Court last year also ruled that Sturgeon's government could not hold a new referendum on sovereignty without London's approval.

The devolved government in Edinburgh was created in 1999 through devolution reforms initiated by the UK government in London.

The SNP has since emerged as the dominant force in Scottish politics, drawing support away from the Labour party in particular.

But Labour is hoping Sturgeon's departure could provide a path for a potential comeback north of the English border, that would help defeat the Conservatives in the next UK election.

"The SNP do not have the answers on the NHS or on the cost-of-living crisis," Labour leader Keir Starmer tweeted alongside his congratulations to Yousaf.

"Only Labour can provide the change that Scotland needs," he added.

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U.S. auto union leader promises fight to get workers a 'fair share'

UAW member wears a UAWD shirt during the 2023 Special Elections Collective Bargaining Convention in Detroit

Mon, March 27, 2023 
By Joseph White and David Shepardson

DETROIT (Reuters) - Shawn Fain, the new president of the United Auto Workers union, on Monday said he is ready to go to war against "employers who refuse to give our members their fair share."

Fain spoke to a gathering of local union leaders in Detroit after being declared the UAW's president on Saturday. He won a closely-contested race against incumbent Ray Curry by fewer than 500 votes, according to the count administered by a court appointed monitor.

Now, Fain faces the task of unifying UAW members for what promises to be difficult negotiations this summer and fall with the Detroit Three automakers - Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Stellantis NV's.

The auto sector talks come as the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign begins to heat up. U.S. President Joe Biden and other Democrats are appealing to the UAW and its members for votes in Michigan, a 2024 swing state.

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senator Gary Peters told attendees at Monday's convention that EV batteries and chips should be built by union labor.

Fain said during his campaign that he will fight for substantial changes to the current master contracts with the Detroit automakers, and he reiterated that message to UAW bargaining convention delegates on Monday.

"The United Auto Workers are ready to get back in the fight," Fain said.

On the UAW president's agenda are ending the current two-tier wage system under which new hires at Detroit Three plants earn 25% less than UAW workers with five or more years on the job.

Fain has also called for reinstatement of cost of living adjustments, or COLA, to offset inflation, no concessions on health benefits and no U.S. plant closings.

The UAW last year negotiated 10% wage increases in the first year of a six-year agreement with farm equipment maker John Deere. That contract was ratified after a six-week strike. Earlier this month, UAW workers at heavy equipment maker Caterpillar ratified a six-year contract providing for 27% wage increases over its life.

Those contracts could be models for the UAW's goals in talks with the Detroit automakers beginning this summer, analysts said.

The Detroit automakers have reported robust profits during the past four years from their North American operations, mainly thanks to the pickup trucks and SUVs that UAW members assemble.

However, North American operations for the Detroit Three automakers are under pressure as they pour billions into electric vehicles and battery production. All three companies have moved to cut costs, reducing salaried staff or, in Stellantis' case, idling a U.S. assembly plant.

The UAW and Detroit automakers will begin bargaining toward new contracts this summer. The current contracts expire on Sept. 14. Usually, the UAW concludes an agreement with one Detroit automaker and uses that as the pattern for contracts at the other two. For the first time in many years, Canadian auto workers will also be negotiating new contracts with the Detroit Three at the same time.

In 2019, UAW workers at General Motors went on strike for 40 days before a new contract was ratified, costing the automaker $3 billion.

(Reporting By Joe White; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

New UAW President Shawn Fain promises shakeup, new era for unions


Yahoo Finance
Mon, March 27, 2023 

Yahoo Finance’s Dani Romero joins the Live show to discuss key takeaways from the UAW (United American Workers) union election.

Video Transcript

- All right, new leadership for the United Auto Workers union is promising a new era for workers. Newly elected President, Shaun Fain, has vowed to take a quote, "more aggressive approach" in dealing with employers. Joining me now with the latest is our very own Dani Romero. Dani, what are the expectations here?

DANI ROMERO: What a victory lap for Shaun Fain who is now the new president of United Auto Workers union. And this is a critical one for them as they head to that negotiating table. But not only that, but how did Shaun get to that presidential seat?

Well, for one, this was the first election that was open to all union members. And not only that, it was a really close battle against his opponent, Ray Curry, who was the former head of the union. And not only that, there are some reports that Shaun had some of his allies in the executive board. So that could have steered a little bit of the direction in favor to him. But not only that, this was also a runoff election from November's vote. There was a lot of discrepancies and scrutiny against those results.

But not only that, we have to put it into perspective. What the union really wants is they want change. And to give you some context, before this even this election, which Shaun-- Curry, let's talk about him. Ray Curry was appointed president in 2021 because federal investigators found a lot of corruption within the union. So they booted the former president at that time. So already two presidents prior to Shaun have been-- prior to Ray Curry, excuse me, have been in jail. They're serving time due to this corruption within the union.

But Shaun's whole campaign, like you said, is being confrontational in that contract negotiations, and especially being very persistent when it comes to wages and benefits. So we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out. But not only that, Shaun has been in the union for over nearly three decades. So he definitely knows what he's talking about.

- So then in terms of what this means for some of these Detroit automakers, I mean, some of these legacy brands, what sort of timeline are we looking at here for negotiations?

DANI ROMERO: Well, negotiations already started January 5th. But the contracts end September 14. And their biggest sticking points revolve around their two-tier wage system as well as their benefits. And not only that, they really want to win back some of their cost living adjustments. And job security is their number one thing because you have to put it into perspective, a lot of these car companies are moving and shifting to electric vehicle production. So they really want to be safe and secure with that.

- Certainly will be interesting to see how this plays out because as we've said, he's going to be taking a more aggressive stance here. So automakers, we'll be keeping an eye on that. Thank you so much. Dani Romero there for us.

Challenger wins close race to lead United Auto Workers union



United Auto Workers President Ray Curry speaks during an interview, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, in Detroit. The vote count in the election to decide the United Auto Workers' top leader should come to an end Thursday. 

Challenger Shawn Fain leads incumbent Curry, but they're still counting challenged ballots that could change the outcome. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

TOM KRISHER
Sat, March 25, 2023 

DETROIT (AP) — A challenger defeated the president of the United Auto Workers in a close election and vowed Saturday to take a more confrontational stance in negotiating with the big automakers.

A court-appointed monitor declared challenger Shawn Fain the winner over incumbent Ray Curry. Fain's slate of candidates won control of the big union, as workers rejected most incumbents in the wake of a bribery and embezzlement scandal

It was the 372,000-member union’s first direct election of its 14-member International Executive Board, which came in the wake of the wide-ranging scandal that landed two former presidents in prison.

The vote count had been going on since March 1, and the outcome was uncertain going into Saturday because of challenges against several hundred ballots.

Curry had filed a protest alleging election irregularities and campaign-financing violations. But he conceded Saturday and said Fain would be sworn in on Sunday.

Fain said members clearly wanted the union to become more aggressive in dealing with the auto makers.

“Today we put the companies on notice the fighting UAW is back,” Fain said in a video.

Fain vowed to end two-tiered contracts that provide lower pay and fewer benefits for some workers. He said the UAW will fight against factory closures that result in lost union jobs.

“We've seen plant after plant close without any serious fight from our union,” he said. “We've lost 40% of our active membership over the past 20 years. That ends here.”

Fain also promised to clean up the union.

Fain, 54, now an administrator with the international union in Detroit, had 69,459 votes, or 50.2%, while Curry had 68,976 votes, or 49.8%, according to an unofficial tally as the counting neared completion.

Earlier, Curry had asked court-appointed monitor Neil Barofsky to hold another runoff election because of the alleged irregularities, but Barofsky denied the request.

Fain’s UAW Members United slate now holds seven of 14 seats on the board, with one independent member siding with his slate. The Curry Solidarity Team slate has six board members. Four of five top officers are from Fain’s slate, including the secretary-treasurer and two of three vice presidents.

The new leadership will have to move quickly to gear up for what are expected to be contentious contract talks coming up this summer with Detroit’s three automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.

Many in the industry expect strikes against the companies by the union.

Fain will have little time to prepare for the union’s bargaining convention, which is scheduled to start Monday in Detroit. Delegates to the convention decide what the union will want in upcoming contract talks.

In the past, contracts with the Detroit Three set the standard for manufacturing wages nationwide. Fain's statement said he wants to return to the union setting the wage and benefit standard for other sectors of the economy.

Fain and his slate will have to deal with member demands to restore concessions made when the automakers were headed into financial trouble starting in 2007. Many want cost-of-living pay raises, general raises, defined-benefit pensions for all workers, and eliminating tiers of workers so they all get the same pay and benefits.

Automakers prefer annual profit-sharing checks instead of raises so they pay workers when times are good and can cut expenses during economic downturns.

In a February draft of a transition plan, Fain wrote about a big shakeup coming in his first 30 days in office. Jobs will change, and new things will be expected of workers, some of whom will leave, it said.

“Everything we do, at every stage, must be reinforcing the message: there is a new sheriff in town,” Fain’s memo said.

The memo talks about a campaign to prepare workers for strikes.

Mike Booth, one of the new vice presidents, said the automakers are starting to argue that they are financially strapped because they have to fund the development of new electric vehicles. “You can’t develop an electric vehicle product on the backs of UAW members,” he said.

Strikes are possible as the union pushes to organize joint-venture battery plants being built by the companies, and to reverse a Stellantis decision to begin closing a plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Under Curry’s leadership for nearly the past two years, the UAW has taken a more aggressive stance in labor talks, having gone on strike against Volvo Trucks, John Deere, the University of California and CNHI, a maker of agricultural and construction equipment.

When asked about new UAW leadership on Friday, Ford CEO Jim Farley said his company gets along with the union. “Whomever is leading the UAW, we’ll have a great relationship with, and we’ll work hard to improve our industry ... We’ll welcome whoever leads UAW,” he said.

Curry, who was not part of the scandal, was elected to the UAW’s top post by the executive board in June 2021.

The leadership change came after union members decided to directly vote on leaders for the first time in the union’s 87-year history. Under the old system, leaders were picked by delegates to a convention who were selected by local union offices. The new slate of officers was picked by the current leadership, and rarely was there serious opposition.

The direct voting came after 11 union officials and a late official’s spouse pleaded guilty in the corruption probe, including the two former presidents who were sentenced to prison. The first criminal charges in the probe were filed in 2017.

To avoid a federal takeover, the union agreed to reforms and Barofsky’s appointment to oversee the UAW and elections of the executive board.

____

This story has been corrected to say that it was Shawn Fain, not Ray Curry, who said he wants to return to the United Auto Workers setting the wage and benefit standard for other sectors of the economy.

___

Associated Press writers Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.

Fain declares victory in UAW presidential election; Curry sets swearing-in for Sunday

Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press
Sat, March 25, 2023

Shawn Fain was declared the winner Saturday over President Ray Curry in the UAW runoff election, capping a remarkable campaign by dissidents that offered a stinging rebuke to the caucus that has controlled the union for decades.

Fain will be sworn in to office on Sunday, according to a statement from Curry posted on the UAW's website.

The independent federal monitor overseeing the election announced the win Saturday in a filing in federal court in Detroit and later on the monitor’s website following the resumption of the vote count at the UAW Region 1A headquarters in Taylor. The results must still be certified by the monitor. The news ends weeks of uncertainty in a tight contest over the union's direction as it prepares for contract bargaining this year with Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis, owner of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat.

Shawn Fain in his Shelby Township home on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.Fain is running for UAW president against incumbent Ray Curry.

More:'Shake up' UAW, purge staff, prepare to strike: Document reveals Shawn Fain's draft plans

Fain, who was atop the UAW Members United slate in the United Auto Workers’ first direct election of top leaders, led Curry by 483 votes, which is greater than the number of challenged ballots remaining, according to a news release from Fain's campaign.

Determining that Fain had won, however, did not come easy. Clearing the challenged ballots for eligibility led to weeks of delay, and the monitor’s office had to issue a ruling on a protest, which it rejected, from the Curry camp, demanding that a new runoff be held.

Fain, in a statement Saturday, thanked members who voted in the historic election:

"This election was not just a race between two candidates, it was a referendum on the direction of the UAW. For too long, the UAW has been controlled by leadership with a top-down, company union philosophy who have been unwilling to confront management, and as a result we’ve seen nothing but concessions, corruption and plant closures. While the election was close, it is clear that our membership has long wanted to see a more aggressive approach with our employers. We now have a historic opportunity to get back to setting the standard across all sectors, and to transform the UAW into a member-led, fighting union once again, and we are going to take it. The future of the working class is at stake.”

More:Bob King once led the UAW, but he hasn't stopped thinking about its future

Curry, in his statement, wished Fain success:

"I want to express my deep gratitude to all UAW leaders and active and retired members for your many years of support and solidarity. It has been the honor of my life to serve our great union. Tomorrow, Shawn Fain will be sworn in as UAW president, and he will chair our 2023 Special Bargaining Convention. I am committed to ensuring that this transition is smooth and without disruptions. I wish him, the entire UAW International Executive Board, staff and clerical support as well as UAW’s membership great success for the future."

Curry's willingness to move forward with the transition ahead of the convention's Monday start removes a potential concern from some members who had worried that a president-elect might be sidelined during a key event that will set the tone for upcoming bargaining with the Detroit Three. Two sources had told the Free Press this week that Curry had committed to a gentlemen's agreement that if Fain were declared the winner, he could be sworn in prior to the convention. The sources agreed to talk about the issue on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.

Following the news of Fain's win, congratulatory notes went out from numerous sources.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said in a tweet directed at Fain: "I look forward to working together to build on the hard work the men and women of UAW have done for decades to inspire workers everywhere in the fight for better wages and benefits."

Mike Perez, vice president of North American labor relations for GM, said the General Motors team is "committed to building a working relationship based on trust and mutual respect, operating in the best interest of our employees and stakeholders“ with Fain.

A Stellantis statement, provided by spokeswoman Ann Marie Fortunate, said: "We look forward to working with President Fain on issues that will further contribute to our mutual success while securing Stellantis' position in this highly competitive market."

Fain, whose campaign focused on the need to be aggressive in contract negotiations with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis and which sought to capitalize on the desire for reform in light of the corruption scandal that rocked the union, ultimately won a close contest. He had maintained a lead over Curry in the initial days of the count but saw that tighten considerably as results from Region 8, made up of mostly Southern states, were tallied.

Fain’s win means a clean sweep for his slate. It also underscores the discontent felt by many UAW members over the union’s direction in the wake of the long-running corruption scandal, which sent former union leaders and ex-auto executives to prison.

Candidates running as reformers now control a majority of the union's International Executive Board.

Fain’s slate won seven of the 14 seats on the board, and David Green won as an independent in Region 2B.

Still, the division signals the work Fain and others will have as they try to unite the union after a divisive election cycle. Fain and incumbent UAW Vice President Chuck Browning, who heads the union’s Ford department, join Daniel Vicente, director of Region 9, as the winners in the runoff. All three were forced into the runoff because the initial election last year failed to produce a clear winner in each of their respective races.

Ballot counting began in Dayton, Ohio, on March 1 and it continued until it was paused March 4. Fain was leading by 645 votes at that point with the majority of ballots counted, but about 1,608 unresolved challenged ballots meant the margin between the two candidates was too great to declare a winner, according to the monitor’s office. Clearing ballots for eligibility was described as a time-consuming process, and the vote count was put on hold until it resumed in Detroit on March 16.

More:UAW statement on $2B VW plant highlights right of workers to organize

That still failed to deliver a winner as ballots were shipped back to Dayton, and the work to clear the remaining challenged ballots continued this week. The delays prompted former UAW President Bob King to urge the monitor, Neil Barofsky, to report the results as soon as possible so the winner could be sworn in ahead of the UAW bargaining convention.

The election offered a dramatic departure for the UAW, which formerly had delegates choose its top leaders at UAW conventions. Instead, delegates at the UAW convention in Detroit in July nominated candidates for office who then had to campaign.

The process was a result of the agreement between the federal government and the union stemming from the corruption scandal. UAW members and retirees were given the opportunity to choose how their top leaders were picked, and they selected the direct election process in a referendum.

Participation in the runoff exceeded that of the initial election, where five candidates were competing for the presidency. Criticism about low participation in that initial round prompted candidate Will Lehman to file a federal lawsuit, later dismissed, seeking to extend the deadline for ballots to be returned.

The independent monitor, appointed as part of a deal reached between the government and the union, reported that 141,548 ballots had been received by the deadline for the runoff, which was an increase from the 106,790 that came in for the initial election, although it was not immediately clear how many were deemed ineligible.

More:Whitmer repeals right-to-work, reinstates prevailing wage in Michigan

Both Fain and Curry offered long tenures with the union even though their backgrounds diverged.

Fain is an administrative assistant to the UAW vice president over the union’s Stellantis Department. He had been tasked with overseeing the union’s side of the transition of the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center in Warren. Fain served 10 years as a UAW international representative and was a former skilled trades committeeperson and shop chair at what's now the Stellantis Kokomo Casting Plant in Indiana.

Curry was picked as president by the International Executive Board in 2021 to replace the now-retired Rory Gamble. Curry got his start with the UAW in 1992, when he was hired as a truck assembler at Freightliner Trucks in Mount Holly, North Carolina, according to the union. He previously served as Region 8 director and as secretary-treasurer, among other positions.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Fain declares victory in UAW presidential election; Curry concedes

Walt Disney Co begins 7,000 layoffs


FILE PHOTO: A screen shows the trading info for The Walt Disney Company company on the floor of the NYSE in New York

Mon, March 27, 2023 
By Dawn Chmielewski

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Walt Disney Co on Monday began 7,000 layoffs announced earlier this year, as it seeks to control costs and create a more "streamlined" business, according to a letter Chief Executive Bob Iger sent to employees and seen by Reuters.

Several major divisions of the company - Disney Entertainment, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, and corporate - will be impacted, according to a person familiar with the matter. ESPN is not touched by this week's round of cuts, but is anticipated to be included in later rounds.

The entertainment industry has undergone a retrenchment since its early euphoric embrace of video streaming, when established media companies lost billions as they launched competitors to Netflix Inc.

Media companies started to rein in spending when Netflix posted its first loss of subscribers in a decade in early 2022, and Wall Street began prioritizing profitability over subscriber growth.

Iger said Disney would begin notifying the first group of employees who are impacted by the workforce reductions over the next four days. A second, larger round of job cuts will happen in April, "with several thousand more staff reductions." The final round will start before the beginning of the summer, the letter said.

The Burbank entertainment conglomerate announced in February that it would eliminate 7,000 jobs as part of an effort to save $5.5 billion in costs and make its money-losing streaming business profitable.

"The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly," Iger wrote, noting that many "bring a lifelong passion for Disney" to their work.

One of the first areas targeted for cuts was television production and acquisition departments, resulting in the departure of senior executives, a source confirmed.

Details of the layoffs had been closely guarded by the company, though insiders anticipated reductions would happen before Disney's annual shareholder meeting on April 3.

Anxiety has been building within Disney, as rumors swirled about areas of possible cuts.

"It’s a dark, black box," said one Disney executive who spoke to Reuters last week.

Many had expected cuts to fall heavily on the Disney Media and Entertainment Division, which was eliminated in a corporate restructuring. The unit has been without a leader since the exit of Kareem Daniel in November, shortly after Iger returned as the company’s CEO.

“It’s been a long time in the making,” said SVB MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson, adding that the company first began “to whisper” about the need to take out costs last fall, when Bob Chapek was still Disney’s chief executive.

Josh D’Amaro, chair of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, sent a memo to theme parks employees in February warning that the profitable division would experience cuts.

Officials for two of the unions representing cast members at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Florida, said “guest-facing” services were not expected to be affected by the layoffs.

"I don’t see where, when there are labor shortages in front-facing guest roles, it would be a good decision to lay off workers where the money train starts for the Walt Disney Co," said Paul Cox, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 631.

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Stephen Coates)

Disney Layoffs to Start This Week: Read Bob Iger’s Memo to Staff

Wilson Chapman
Mon, March 27, 2023 


We knew mass-layoffs were coming to Disney, we just didn’t know when. That lingering question was answered Monday via a memo to staff from CEO Bob Iger.

In the email, obtained by IndieWire, Iger explained that approximately 7,000 jobs from the entertainment giant will be cut across three stages. The first group of impacted employees will receive their notices during the next four days. “Several thousand” more staff members will be reduced from the company next month, in April, and a final round of layoffs will occur “before the beginning of the summer.”

“The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly. This company is home to the most talented and dedicated employees in the world, and so many of you bring a lifelong passion for Disney to your work here. That’s part of what makes working at Disney so special,” Iger wrote in his staff memo. “It also makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye to wonderful people we care about. I want to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to every departing employee for your numerous contributions and your devotion to this beloved company.”

The Disney layoffs come as part of Iger’s massive restructuring of several Disney divisions. The reorg, which comes after Iger returned to the CEO position last November after originally stepping down from the post in 2020, will reverse many of the decisions made by his successor/predecessor Bob Chapek.

The Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution tech and product team Chapek formed will be dismantled; Kareem Daniel, one of Chapek’s main appointments at the company and the head of the DMED division, exited in November. With the exception of the parks/products and ESPN, which are now standalone branches, the entertainment divisions at the company — including Disney Studios, General Entertainment, Animation, Disney+, 20th Century Studios, Searchlight, and Hulu — will be brought under the roof of Disney Entertainment, led by Dana Walden and Alan Bergman. Layoffs will especially target DMED employees, but all Disney branches may be affected.

Read the full memo from Iger below.

Dana Walden, Bob Iger, and Alan Bergman attend the 2023 Oscars - Credit: Getty Images
Getty Images

Dear Fellow Employees,

As I shared with you in February, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our overall workforce by approximately 7,000 jobs as part of a strategic realignment of the company, including important cost-saving measures necessary for creating a more effective, coordinated and streamlined approach to our business. Over the past few months, senior leaders have been working closely with HR to assess their operational needs, and I want to give you an update on those efforts.

This week, we begin notifying employees whose positions are impacted by the company’s workforce reductions. Leaders will be communicating the news directly to the first group of impacted employees over the next four days. A second, larger round of notifications will happen in April with several thousand more staff reductions, and we expect to commence the final round of notifications before the beginning of the summer to reach our 7,000-job target.

The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly. This company is home to the most talented and dedicated employees in the world, and so many of you bring a lifelong passion for Disney to your work here. That’s part of what makes working at Disney so special. It also makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye to wonderful people we care about. I want to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to every departing employee for your numerous contributions and your devotion to this beloved company.

For our employees who aren’t impacted, I want to acknowledge that there will no doubt be challenges ahead as we continue building the structures and functions that will enable us to be successful moving forward. I ask for your continued understanding and collaboration during this time.

In tough moments, we must always do what is required to ensure Disney can continue delivering exceptional entertainment to audiences and guests around the world – now, and long into the future. Please know that our HR partners and leaders are committed to creating a supportive and smooth process every step of the way.

I want to thank each of you again for all your many achievements here at The Walt Disney Company.

Sincerely,
Bob

Opinion
France demanded crippling payments. Now Haiti has a legitimate claim for slavery reparations | Opinion

Mario Joseph, Brian Concannon and Irwin Stotzky
Mon, March 27, 2023

The movement for reparations for slavery has enjoyed some success lately, but there is still a long way to go before slavery’s harms to Africans and their descendants are acknowledged, repaired and compensated. Better integrating Haiti into the movement for reparations can accelerate the larger movement’s journey toward justice, while also helping Haiti secure sovereignty and democracy.

Haitians suffered many of the same harms that enslaved people and their descendants faced in the United States, the Caribbean and elsewhere — forced labor, murder, mutilation, sexual assault, family separation and all the other horrors of the slave ships and the plantations. Haitians, likewise, suffered after slavery’s abolition from systematic discrimination that kept Black people from learning, earning and voting their way out of poverty.

But the slave-owning powers that ran the world in 1804 when Haiti won its independence from France reserved some harms exclusively for the world’s first Black Republic — and the first country to abolish slavery.

The white-supremacist ideology that justified slavery could not survive the example of a stable, prosperous Haiti founded by self-emancipated slaves, so the powers-that-were, especially the United States and France, ensured that Haiti remained poor and unstable. The United States refused to even recognize the second independent country in the Americas until 1862. France recognized Haiti in 1825, but only after its fleet of warships in Port-au-Prince harbor forced Haiti to agree to compensate French slave-owners for their losses by threatening to destroy Haiti’s capital and reinstitute slavery.


Haiti’s coerced compensation to France — often called the Independence Debt — exceeded 10 years of government revenue. It included payments for the value of the emancipated Haitians themselves. Haiti was forced to finance the debt through French banks on predatory terms. It did not complete payments until the 1940s, after over a century of sacrificing investing in education, healthcare and industrial development. Haiti’s current poverty and instability is to a large extent the result — the intended result —of the Independence Debt.

The unique harm that the Independence Debt imposed on Haiti provides unique opportunities to claim reparations. The violence and threats that forced Haiti’s agreement to the debt fall squarely into the well-established legal theory of unjust enrichment. Haiti’s government unquestionably has standing to assert the claim. Calculating the damages for restitution is straightforward (Haiti’s government calculated the claim at $21 billion in 2003).

The example of a successful restitution claim by Haiti might be as dangerous for the former slave-owning countries as the example of Haiti’s 1804 independence was. The claim’s legal advantages might allow it to make a crack in the wall that has so far protected those countries from responsibility to return any of their unjust enrichment from slavery, which could generate a deluge of justice for all those harmed by slavery.

In fact, the United States and France fear the example of a restitution claim enough to once again ensure that Haiti remains poor and unstable. When Haiti’s elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide prepared a restitution claim in 2003, France and the United States stopped the potential legal proceedings by overthrowing the President. The Haitian governments that followed the ouster have dismantled Haiti’s democracy, allowed gangs to control half of Haiti’s territory and stolen enough money to leave half of all Haitians facing hunger. But in almost 20 years none of these governments have pressed the restitution claim, so all have earned reliable international support.

Last Friday, the University of Miami Law School symposium convened scholars from around the world to discuss Haiti’s restitution claim. The participants were optimistic about the strength of the legal claim, but pessimistic that Haiti would be allowed the freely-elected, sovereign government that pursuing a restitution claim requires. In fact, the same day, President Biden was in Canada trying to convince Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lead a military intervention that Haitians reject as designed to prop up their brutal, repressive government.

Canada refused to lead the intervention, as the Caribbean Community did last month. The refusal likely derails the intervention, and gives Haiti an opportunity to reclaim its democracy. Supporters of reparations, especially in the United States, can help Haiti seize that opportunity—and advance their own chances for reparations—by insisting that their governments allow Haitians to vote for a government that would stand up for its citizens’ right to restitution of the Independence Debt.

Mario Joseph is Managing Attorney of the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux in Port-au-Prince. 

Brian Concannon is Executive Director of the Boston-based Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti. 

Irwin Stotzky is Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law.

 All three are human rights lawyers.

Joseph

Concannon

Stotzky

CANADIAN COLONIALIST COPS

International support force needed in Haiti, says UN human rights commissioner

Story by Sarah Ramsaran • Saturday, March 25,2023

The UN high commissioner for human rights says an international support force is needed in Haiti to help end the gang violence and restore order to the country.

"I firmly believe that it is important to support the national police, but it can only be done through an international support force of sorts that is time bound … that gives the intelligence, that provides the type of support that the national police needs," Volker Türk said in an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that deploying a military force to Haiti is "not in play at the moment."

But it's also not "off the table," he said during his trip to Ottawa.

The Canadian government has announced it will provide $100 million in aid to the Haitian National Police to help the country restore law and order.

"Canada will keep Haiti in the heart of the solution for resolving this crisis ... We are determined to increase international support for Haiti, including through humanitarian assistance," Trudeau said during a press conference by the two leaders Friday.

Türk told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton he has spoken to the Haitian police about the help they need.

"I've been able to talk to the chiefs, many of them who are actually wanting to do something about it. But they need better equipment, they need the training, they need the support from the international community to be able to do their jobs."

Related video: Gang violence forcing people in Haiti to abandon their homes (cbc.ca)

Duration 2:09  View on Watch

MSF hospital temporarily closes

Türk visited Haiti back in February of this year and witnessed the violence first hand. He described it as an "absolutely horrific" situation.

"There are snipers, people shooting at children, there is sexual violence, there are killings, kidnappings and unfortunately ever since I left, the situation has only become worse," he said.

In less than three months, 627 people were killed by gangs and 365 people were kidnapped in Haiti, according to Türk. About half of the country's population is now in need of humanitarian assistance.



Police officers take cover during an anti-gang operation in the Lalue neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3.© Odelyn Joseph/The Associated Press

The violence is so bad in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, that medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières had to temporarily close its hospital in the Cité Soleil neighbourhood.

Benoit Vasseur, MSF's head of mission in Haiti, said he regularly sees dead bodies lying on the streets of Port-au-Prince.

"One of our patients got shot in the back, a 70-year-old man trying to reach our facilities," he said. According to Vasseur, MSF's hospital in the Turgeau suburb of Port-au-Prince saw more than 100 bullet injuries in one week.

When it comes to what the international community can do right now to end the violence, Türk says it's absolutely critical to immediately enforce the arms embargo.

"There's not one single arm that is produced in Haiti, but there are still arms flowing into the country," he said.

"I think there's enough information out there where these arms are coming from and who is transporting them. So I think that has to stop."

Haiti's sudden turn for the worse puts Trudeau on the spot

Story by Evan Dyer 

CBC

"There's one event that tells it all," Haitian businessman Marco Larosilière told CBC News from his home in Port-au-Prince.

"Last week, the general inspector of the national police was kidnapped with his son in front of his school."

If a high-ranking official of the national police is not safe, said Larosilière, "what about the rest of the population?"

"It's unbearable," he added. "You feel that every day, the situation is getting worse and worse. And you're thinking it can't be worse. And the next day, you find out it's worse."

Larosilière's own neighbourhood has so far been spared, although he can hear the gunfire.

He's essentially trapped in Port-au-Prince, unable to reach his agrifood business in Haiti's south because of the gangs' stranglehold on the capital.

Over the past two weeks, the situation in Port-au-Prince has taken a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse.

Dr. William Pape of Cornell University is a member of the World Health Organization's scientific committee and one of Haiti's most distinguished medical doctors. He warned last week that the country could be on the road to a Rwanda-scale massacre (albeit without the inter-ethnic element of those events).

And last week, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) was forced to close its hospital in Cite Soleil, a place famous for staying open no matter what. "We are living scenes of warfare just meters from the establishment," said MSF medical adviser Vincent Harris in a media statement.

Biden visit raises the pressure

The spiraling chaos comes at a difficult time for the Trudeau government as it prepares to welcome U.S. President Joe Biden to Canada.

Canada has been saddled with the expectation that it will "take the lead" in restoring order to Haiti because the Biden administration pressured it to do so — and because it suggested to other countries that Canada was going to do so.

The last time Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Biden shared a bilateral stage was in Mexico City on January 11. "We're all very aware that things could get worse in Haiti," Trudeau said then.

"That's why Canada and various partners, including the United States, are preparing various scenarios if it does start to get worse."

Since then, U.S. pressure on Canada appears only to have increased.

By the time Trudeau headed to the Bahamas in February as a guest of the 15 member states of Caricom, the Caribbean community of nations, the belief that Canada was in charge of fixing Haiti was shared by all.

The other thing everyone agreed on was that, as Haiti's acting prime minister Ariel Henry told Trudeau in Nassau, "the situation is getting worse and worse."


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, takes part in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry during the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Nassau, Bahamas, on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.© Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Canada's ambassador in Haiti, Sébastien Carrière, echoed that view in an interview with CBC News. "I think you'd have to be blind to not realize that it's gotten worse," he said.

But that was in February. What has happened so far in March has been even more disturbing.

No more safe zone

When 2023 began, there were still areas of Port-au-Prince that felt like they were beyond the reach of the gangs. "When you start a story for children, you say, 'Once upon a time,'" said Fritz Jean. "This is no longer the case."

Jean, the former governor of the Bank of Haiti and the leading figure of Haiti's political opposition, spoke to CBC News from the formerly safe, middle-class neighbourhood of Petionville.

"Right now, you're in danger in any part of Petionville because gangs can penetrate any time. In the middle of the street, they're kidnapping people, killing people. This is the situation that we live in right now. In fact, they're killing with impunity. They're kidnapping with impunity. The police force cannot handle the situation. They are completely outgunned."

Global Affairs Canada told CBC News that it maintains an evacuation plan for Canadians in Haiti. Asked about the number of Canadian citizens there, GAC's Charlotte MacLeod said "there are presently 2,834 registrants in Haiti. As registration with the service is voluntary, this is not a complete picture of the number."


Fritz Jean, an economist and former governor of Haiti's central bank, at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Feb. 26, 2016.© Dieu Nalio Chery/Associated Press

Last week, Haiti's interior minister told residents of Port-au-Prince to prepare to defend themselves in their own homes. But few Haitians have the means to do so.

"This happened to a friend of mine one week ago," Jean said. "His wife was shot. Even the ambulance could not get up there where he lives. He lives on top of a hill in Kenscoff (south of Petionville). So, we are to do it ourselves."

Wounded civilians, closed hospitals


cbc.ca Gang violence forcing people in Haiti to abandon their homes
2:09

cbc.caUN human rights commissioner calls situation in Haiti 'absolutely horrific'
8:12

That situation is all too common.

An MSF emergency clinic in the central district of Turgeau reported last week a tenfold increase in the number of gunshot wounds it was seeing.

"It's hard to tell how many people are wounded in total across the city because many people are too terrified to leave their neighbourhoods," said MSF's Dr. Freddy Sampson.

"You have gangs committing murder inside the hospitals," Larosiliere told CBC News. "You have health personnel who are afraid to come to work. Every week they kidnap, like, three or four doctors. And they're asking the institution where they work to pay ransom."

Schools are also being subjected to violent extortion, said Larosiliere.

"What we notice is many schools are now being closed because they are receiving threats from gangs with letters and a bullet inside, telling the schools that if you want to operate you have to pay ransom," he said. "As a result, only the kids of the elites can attend classes online."

Until recently, 60 per cent of the capital was considered to be under gang control, said Larosiliere. "But now, 100 per cent of the capital is controlled by gangs," he said.

"You have to be creative — when to leave home, when to come back, make sure there are enough people on the streets. But still, you have at least five or 10 kidnappings a day. Some days they even kidnap 30 people. And it happens that they kidnap a whole school bus. Imagine! A school bus! With little kids!

"And you know what? I'm sure Trudeau knows that. I'm sure Biden knows that."

General's words go viral

When Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff, said last week that Canada's military lacks the resources to both help Ukraine and lead a rescue mission in Haiti, his words quickly went viral on the island.

"My concern is just our capacity," Gen. Eyre told Reuters. "There's only so much to go around ... It would be challenging."

In stating that Haitians "have to own the solution," Gen. Eyre was merely echoing what Trudeau and other government officials have said repeatedly — that large outside interventions have no record of sustained success in Haiti, and that the only lasting solution can come from building Haiti's own forces.

But the statement still came as a disappointment to many.


Police officers take cover during an anti-gang operation in the Lalue neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 3, 2023.© Odelyn Joseph/Associated Press

"The disappointment is mostly because people don't believe that," Haitian economist Etzer Emile told CBC News. "People don't believe a great country, a rich country like Canada can say that its army doesn't have capacity because we're so busy in Ukraine.

"They say, 'Why'd you give Ukraine so many weapons, and you don't give the police force in Haiti weapons?' Because the few tanks that the Haitian police got from Canada, they bought them from Canada. They're not gifts.

"A lot of people in Haiti were expecting a lot from Canada, you know? Canadians have a very good perception in Haiti. And people are expecting a lot from them in terms of really helping, to really see concrete things on the ground.

"So I think we have to have very fair and frank conversations with the Haitian people. Because we need help, and we have to find the best way to do so."

'If you want to help us, help us'

Larosiliere also said it's time for Canada to tell Haiti clearly what it is and isn't willing to do.

"Trudeau needs to come forward, straightforward and clean. If you want to help us, help us," he said. "But don't make any show of demonstration of boats and planes." (The Canadian Forces recently deployed two ships and a reconnaissance plane on missions around Port-au-Prince.)

"Canada used to be well-respected until they made promises they could not keep. Now, they are the laughing stock on social media. So now, what can we expect from Canada?" he asked. "Canada needs to be candid about it. Will they help us militarily?"



Haitian businessman Marco Larosilière at his home in Port-au-Prince.© CBC News

Larosiliere's view that a military intervention is the only way to defeat the gangs is not universally held in Haiti, but it does appear to garner about 70 per cent support in opinion polls. He said opposition is strongest among wealthier Haitians who live in the safest neighbourhoods, and members of the diaspora abroad who care about Haiti's sovereignty but don't have to live with the consequences of insecurity.

Defeating the gangs should not be too hard, he said. "We're talking about some criminals with some machine guns, in front of a well-trained army, professional army. They won't last."

Splits on intervention linger

But Canada also has to contend with the fact that a part of Haitian society rejects the idea of direct intervention — partly because it hasn't worked in the past, and partly because they fear it will only shore up and extend the illegitimate rule of unelected acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Fritz Jean said he sympathizes with those who want Canadian soldiers or U.S. Marines to storm ashore and defeat the gangs.

"I understand those people," he said. "I understand them because they are living a dire situation. Kidnapping, collective rape of women and children — particularly young, underage women.

"So they're asking for any solution that can help them right away to make sure that the gangs can no longer kidnap them, can no longer rape their children."



Children run towards their parents at the end of their school day as police carry out an operation against gangs in the Bel-Air area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 3, 2023.© Odelyn Joseph/Associated Press

But Haiti has learned from experience with foreign military interventions, he said, that "it's not a sustainable security situation."

"For 13 years, we had the MINUSTAH (UN peacekeeping mission) in Haiti," he said. "But look at the situation right now.

"So what we are saying, we have to have a sustainable security in Haiti and in order for us to do that, we really have to reconstruct the police force. Make sure that the police force — the same way that Prime Minister Trudeau was saying — has to be trained, they have to have equipment, but also they have to get paid.

"It's dysfunctional right now. The police force that has been created by Canada and the U.S. has to be reconstructed."

"You have to look at the past to see what international intervention did to this country before," said Emile.

"Because we had MINUSTAH for 13 years and they spent $7 billion, but that didn't help Haiti to create its capacity, to reinforce its capacity to do justice and security.

"More people are for an international intervention. I understand that because they're fed up and they realize that the current national force actually didn't deliver. Not because they can't, because they don't want to."

There is not a single official in Haiti who hasn't overstayed his or her electoral mandate. Delaying elections allows them to remain in their posts, and Emile expresses a commonplace view when he suggests the government of Ariel Henry wants gang warfare.

"I believe the government used insecurity to stay in power, because when you have insecurity, there's no way you can have an election," he said.

"For me, it's just a setup."

CBC• Mar 15,2023 

Senate Democrats urge Pentagon to safeguard abortion access

Story by Ellen Mitchell • 

The majority of Senate Democrats on Monday pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to maintain access to abortion care for service members and their dependents, warning that restricting such care could hurt national security.


Senate Democrats urge Pentagon to safeguard abortion access© Provided by The Hill

In a letter led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, the 38 lawmakers tell Austin that “it is imperative that the Department of Defense continue to take action to protect the rights of service members and their families to access abortion care.”

“State laws restricting or prohibiting our service members from accessing reproductive care send a message that the United States does not trust those who serve in uniform – whom we trust to protect our country – to make their own decisions about their health care and families,” the letter reads. “These laws also jeopardize the health and overall readiness of our military.”

The letter was coauthored with Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and signed by 36 Democrats as well as Independent Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Angus King (Maine).

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last June, 13 states have outlawed most abortions, with several others severely restricting the procedure.

The RAND Corporation estimates that 40 percent of active-duty women who serve in the United States face limited or no access to abortion services where they are stationed, according to the letter.

Prior to the court’s decision, the Department of Defense allowed abortion services at military treatment facilities under limited circumstances, including pregnancy caused by rape or incest or endangering the health and life of the woman. In most other cases, service members were required to pay out of pocket themselves at civilian medical facilities.


MSNBCCourt hearing abortion case debates value of a woman's life
8:03

MSNBCLawsuit threatens access to abortion pill nationwide
3:52

MSNBCUnpacking Wyoming’s abortion ban and the Texas abortion pill lawsuit
4:59


Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Pentagon officials have vowed to continue to allow abortion services at military treatment facilities, including in states where the procedure is no longer allowed or limited.

Austin first announced in October that the Pentagon would also provide leave to service members and their dependents for travel required to access reproductive health care and would reimburse individuals for the trek.

Policies released in February gave additional details and guidance on how the directives would function.

In his October decision, Austin argued that restricting access to reproductive care “will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain, and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force.”

Senate Republicans, however, are skeptical, with 12 asking Austin for the data to back up his readiness claims.

Led by Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the lawmakers in a letter earlier this month accused the Pentagon of a “blatant attempt to circumvent numerous federal statutes” and policies that “can only be interpreted as a purely political action taken without consulting Congress.”

The divide has also led to a hold on President Biden’s nominations for top Pentagon positions since February, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) last week vowing to maintain the freeze until the policy is altered.

And in a contentious Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week, Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) included abortion access in the military as among so-called “social experiments” and “radical agendas,” at the Pentagon.

In Monday’s letter, Senate Democrats argue that state laws restricting abortions will not stop service members from needing or seeking care.

“Abortion restrictions and bans only force service members to travel farther to states that have not restricted abortion, further compromising both the financial security of the service members and military readiness,” they write. “Our service members should not be forced to needlessly risk their personal health and safety for routine health care simply because they pledged to protect and defend our nation.”

UCP GOVERNMENT
Alberta sees longer surgical wait times in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic: CIHI

Story by Anna Junker • Yesterday 


An Alberta Health Services building.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Fewer surgeries are being performed within the recommended time frame in Alberta compared to before the pandemic, according to the Canadian Institute of Health Information.

New data published by the non-profit organization that tracks health-care systems shows that in Alberta, about 78,000 fewer surgeries were performed since March 2020 compared to pre-pandemic rates.

Between April and September 2022, only 27 per cent of knee replacement patients had surgery within the recommended six-month period, compared to 62 per cent in 2019. However, the institute notes that Alberta was among four provinces that performed more joint replacements over the five-month period, compared to the same time frame in 2019.

It’s a similar story for hip replacement patients, where 38 per cent had surgery within the recommended six-month period, compared to 64 per cent in 2019.

However, a higher proportion of patients were receiving cataract surgery within the recommended timeframe, 65 per cent compared to 44 per cent in 2019.

CIHI found it is also taking longer for cancer patients to get surgery compared to before the pandemic in Alberta. For example, in the case of lung cancer patients, it took on average 21 days for a patient to have surgery in 2019, whereas, in 2022, it took an average of 34 days.

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Prostate cancer surgeries have also seen an increase in wait times, with an average wait of 76 days in 2022, compared to 45 in 2019. Some patients are seeing a wait time of as many as 168 days.

Patients scheduled for breast cancer surgery had an average wait of 21 days, compared to 17 in 2019.

In response to the data, Scott Johnston, press secretaray to Health Minister Jason Copping, said in a statement that Alberta is ramping up efforts to address surgical wait times.

“As of March 2023, Alberta Health Services is completing surgeries at an average of 109 per cent of pre-pandemic surgical volumes, and the total surgical wait list for adults sits at 68,052,” he said. “For comparison, in February 2020, just before the pandemic, our total waitlist was virtually the same at 68,000.”

Johnston also said data for key benchmark surgeries is trending in the right direction and as of January, AHS was reporting improvements in knee replacement surgeries being completed within the recommended time frame at 39 per cent, and hip replacement surgeries at 49 per cent.

But the rates still remain below pre-pandemic levels.

As for cancer surgeries, he said they are nearly at 112 per cent of pre-pandemic volumes. As of March 6 of the 2022-23 fiscal year, AHS has completed approximately 20,930 cancer surgeries, compared to approximately 18,760 by the same times in the 2018-19 fiscal year. About 63 per cent of surgeries are being completed within the clinically recommended wait times.

Johnston added the provincial health authority has completed about 272,600 surgeries in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

ajunker@postmedia.com

POLITICAL PERSECUTION
German prosecutors search home of pro-Kremlin activists

INSTEAD OF BUSTING GERMAN CORPORATIONS DEALING WITH RUSSIA

Story by By REUTERS • Mar 27,2023

German prosecutors said on Monday they searched the home of two pro-Kremlin activists, looking for evidence to corroborate a Reuters report that the couple donated cash to buy radios for Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

A participant carries a flag with the "Z" symbol in support of the Russian armed forces involved in a conflict in Ukraine, during the Immortal Regiment march on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Saint Petersburg, Russia May 9, 2022.

© (photo credit: ANTON VAGANOV/ REUTERS)

Reuters reported in January that Max Schlund and his romantic partner Elena Kolbasnikova donated funds collected from supporters in Germany to a Russian army division fighting in Ukraine, and the money was used to purchase walkie-talkie radios, headphones and telephones.

European Union sanctions ban supplying, or financing the purchase of certain goods for the Russian military. The banned list includes radio gear. Under German law, the criminal penalty for anyone found to have violated sanctions is up to five years in prison.

Ulf Willuhn, a representative of the Cologne public prosecutors, said officers executed a search warrant on Monday morning at the couple's address, and took computers and folders containing written documents.

Kolbasnikova and Schlund did not immediately respond to requests for comment that Reuters sent to them on messaging apps. Kolbasnikova previously described the original Reuters report as "lies and provocation."


People take part in a protest against the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and in support of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany February 25, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/CHRISTIAN MANG)

Crimes that the couple could be charged with

Willuhn said they would use the evidence they took to evaluate if Schlund and Kolbasnikova had violated paragraph 18 of the German foreign trade and payments act, which sets out punishments for breaches of international sanctions.

He said the search was triggered in part by the Reuters reporting on the donation to buy gear for the Russian army division in Ukraine.

Alongside that, he said prosecutors had also been looking for evidence of whether the couple violated section 140 of the German criminal code, which covers speaking approvingly of criminal acts.

That line of inquiry relates to allegations, reported in the German media, that the couple displayed the "Z" symbol, used by supporters of the Russian invasion, and re-posted a recruitment ad for pro-Kremlin military contractors.

In an audio message sent to supporters on social media on Monday, Kolbasnikova said she was not surprised the search had happened because the German authorities were "committing lawlessness" to try to silence political opponents.

"We will keep fighting ... God is on our side, and Moscow is at our backs. Three cheers for victory!" she said.

Kolbasnikova called on her supporters to attend a previously scheduled rally in Cologne on March 29 to protest in support of free speech and against what she described as "Russophobia."

A spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, said this month that Kolbasnikova was the victim of persecution by the German authorities.