Domestic workers, brought to the United States by diplomats speak out about their struggle for workers’ rights. The IMF and World Bank are largest employers of domestic workers in the United States
Duration : 0:4:31
New York State Senator Diane Savino, New York State Assembly Member Carl Heastie, and the Coalition to Prevent Wage Theft & Protect Responsible Businesses stood in front of the SOHO location of Scoop NYC, a business that illegally withheld half a million dollars in overtime pay from workers to announce the introduction of comprehensive state legislation to reform the New York State Labor Law (S.7050/A.10163). The coalition is comprised of low-income workers, not-for-profit organizations, civic legal organizations, organized labor, and small businesses.
Ana Maria Archila, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York said, Wage Theft is rampant in New York in NYC alone, more than $18.4 million a week and nearly $1 billion each year is stolen from workers and their families by their employers. This money that would otherwise be spent on food, rent and school supplies. This bill will turn around the perverse economic incentives that currently encourage wage theft, undermine responsible businesses, and steal from our tax base.
They say that crime has gone down in New York. Tell that to the thousands of workers whose wages are stolen, everyday, by unscrupulous companies. Businesses that are good citizens and pay their employees, on time and exactly what is owed to them–as is required by law–should not be at a disadvantage to companies that illegally witholding wages from their workers. Wage theft not only hurts hard-working families who are trying to make ends meet in this difficult economy, but also hurts New York State taxpayers,” said Senator Diane J. Savino.
Assemblyman Heastie added, Responsible businesses cant compete when law-breaking employers are driving down pay rates. The Wage Theft Prevention Act is a comprehensive bill to change the perverse incentive by increasing penalties, increasing protection for workers who speak up, and adding tools that the Department of Labor and Courts can use to investigate cases and actually collect the money that workers are owed.
In New York City alone, more than 300,000 workers a week aren’t getting paid the minimum wage or overtime, losing millions in wages every week and many more share their plight across the state. They desperately need the stronger penalties and improved access to relief that are in this bill, said Annette Bernhardt, policy co-director of the National Employment Law Project and lead author of NELP’s recent report on workplace violations in New York.
Dan Cantor, Executive Director of the Working Families Party added, If you worked hard and played by the rules, New Yorkers once could expect a decent shot at middle-class life. Today, hard work is too rarely rewarded and the rules are routinely broken. This campaign is about restoring the basic bargain of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
Freddy Castiblanco, the owner of a café in Queens said, The absence of effective tools for enforcement of New Yorks labor laws works to the advantage of corrupt businessman. Responsible employers like me are at a competitive disadvantage compared to employers who underpay their workers and earn additional profits through the exploitation of their employees.
Modesta Turbio, an immigrant worker said, For six years, I have been working as a cashier at a shop in Brooklyn for less than the minimum wage. When I started, I was paid $5 per hour, and now I get $6.60. My boss knows hes breaking the law, but he feels confident that he wont ever have to pay up.
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Duration : 0:1:37
Curtis Scruggs, Executive Director, of The Northeast Ohio Re-Entry Coalition (NORC) describes in 2 minutes how NORC can help Ohio employers, and employers around the country, take advantage of a $3,400.00 dollar Federal tax credit which is available to them when they hire exoffenders.
www.thenorc.org or call 216-920-0140
Duration : 0:3:1
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said Thursday that she opposed local legislation that would make Arizona the first state in the nation to criminalize undocumented immigrants.
“In my judgment, that’s not the best way to structure your law-enforcement and immigration enforcement system,” said the former Arizona governor who stood by her three-time vetoes of similar legislation.
Speaking before an audience of students at Arizona State University, Napolitano reiterated the Obama administration’s commitment to change immigration policies. She pointed to a recent set of principles set out by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“We are working with the senators and some other members of the Congress on what actual bill language will look like and how it would actually work,” she said without providing a timeline.
But her visit didn’t happen without protests.
Outside the university, dozens of demonstrators called for more than rhetoric from the Secretary of Homeland Security.
“We are tired of them telling us that they’re against these laws and they want immigration reform. We want action,” said Carlos Garcia, an organizer with the PUENTE immigrant rights’ movement.
The group that has opposed Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration policies denounced the Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing cooperation with that law-enforcement agency through an agreement known as 287(g).
“Sheriff Arpaio has proven himself to be so abusive of civil rights and human rights that he should not have any contracts sanctioned by the federal government,” said Monica Sandschafer, founder and interim executive director of Leading United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA) a coalition of families fighting for social and economic justice.
Sandschafer said that the 287(g) program in the jails has provided an incentive for local police to arrest undocumented immigrants for minor violations like traffic stops, so they could be deported.
Rosa Gutiérrez, a U.S. citizen and resident of Maryvale, a predominantly Latino community that has been severely affected by the economic meltdown, joined the protests.
She blamed the former governor’s immigration policies in Arizona, such as employer sanctions and 287(g) agreements for the crisis the state faces.
“Since she started attacking Latinos, Phoenix is in ruins,” said Gutiérrez, 48. “Everybody is leaving and the businesses are closed. We don’t have work. Before they started doing that, this place was the American dream.”
Another official in the Obama administration was also the subject of protest yesterday.
Attorney General Eric Holder was in Phoenix for a mortgage fraud summit and couldn’t avoid questions about the status of a Department of Justice investigation into racial profiling by Arpaio’s office.
Holder said that the investigation was “serious.”
"Our civil rights division is working on it in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office here in Arizona, and I expect that we will produce results, but at this point the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=202c1030c42944f3c0876f135bf0e276
Its funny how Napolitano speaks for illegal aliens rather then Americans. Maybe its time for us to protest against her and send dozens of letters into her office to show our disapproval of her job. She is supposed to uphold the law not obstruct it.
Obama claims that he wants to enforce the border while giving Amnesty and free Health care to illegal aliens. In my opinion you cannot do both so Obama is nothing but a lying sack of crap.
http://www.exposebarackobama.com/image/pinocchiobama.jpg
We tried to impeach Clinton for getting a BJ. I feel that what Obama is doing is a lot worse then getting a BJ in the oval office. I think its time to start asking for an impeachment of Obama rather then let this a-hole obstruct justice. If that leads to Civil War oh well. Its time to take our country back from forces that wanna destroy it.
(Via http://www.mediamatters.org ) On November 11, 2009, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Employers for a Health Economy coalition released a new anti-health care reform ad titled “Skyrocket.” Just like the Chamber’s other recent anti-reform ads, this new ad is in dire need of some factual information.
Duration : 0:0:31
KIWA brings workers from targeted low-wage industries together with community members and students in a broad, multi-ethnic vision for social justice. Its strategies include grassroots organizing and leadership development, strategic industry-based campaigns that target employers directly, advocacy and multi-ethnic coalition building.
Duration : 0:2:47
A supernatural witness points to Muhammad’s prophethood
When he was three years old, two angels came and took out his heart from his chest, cleaned it with ice water, put it back and left. In doing so they supposedly prepared him for his mission on earth.
Another story which comes via Muslim Tradition mentions that after the death of his grandfather Abdu-Mutalib, Muhammad went to visit a Catholic monk with his uncle Abu-Talib. It is reported that the monk saw a cloud specifically protect Muhammad from the sun. It was then that he knew that he would be someone special.
. At the age of twenty-five he married Khadijah, a widow fifteen years his senior, who was in fact his employer. The marriage was a happy one, and two boys and four girls were born to them, though the two boys did not live to a mature age. Khadija died after twenty-five years of marriage to Muhammad. During that time Muhammad never took another wife.
Another proof of his prophethood, according to Muslims, stems from the fact that Muhammad prophesied events in the future, which then came to pass later on. Only a prophet of God could know what was going to happen in the future, and therefore Muhammad must be a prophet. Yet, the only ‘real’ prophecy recorded, which Muslims attribute to Muhammad is that found in Sura 30:1-4, where it is written:
A.L.M. The Roman Empire has been defeated. In a land close by; but they (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious. Within a few years. With Allah is the decision, in the past and in the future: on that day shall the Believers rejoice.
This passage refers to the defeat of the Byzantines in Syria by the Persians under Khusran Parvis (in A.D. 615), six years before the Hijra.
The defeat of the Persians should take place soon- "in a small number of years." In light of this prediction, Abu-Bakr undertook a bet with Ubai-ibn-Khalaf that this prediction would be fulfilled within three years. But he was corrected by Muhammad, who stated that the "small number" is between three and nine years (Al-Baizawi).
Muslims tell us that the Byzantines overcame their enemies within seven years. However, the fact is that the Byzantines defeated Persia in AD 628 (Al-Baizawi’s commentary). That was twelve years after the prediction of Muhammad. Consequently, this passage does not qualify as a prophecy, particularly as the time between the prophecy and fulfilment was far too short, and in addition the event was easily predictable. The odds were only 50/50.
The other ‘prophecies’ which Muslims point to refer to Muhammad’s victories and those relating to the Qur’an itself. It is nearly impossible to establish whether these prophecies were said before their fulfilment. Besides, like the previous example, they were either easily predictable, or just war- propaganda. In this event George Bush might be called a prophet too, for he predicted that the Gulf-coalition would win the war with Iraq.
IS MUHAMED A PROPHET????????????
what about Quran??
MUHAMED PBUH can not read nor wriet
how he give us Quran??
Isa (Jesus) said"by THEIR fruits you will know they are my disciples".
miracle is evidence
but the great miracle is that without any miracle your transformation and nations are transformed
one thousand million people do not drink alcohol because of instructions of one person called MOHAMAD
Scientific evidence for Islam:
http://www.islam-guide.com/ch1-1-a.htm
THE QUR’AN
AND
MODERN SCIENCE
http://sultan.org/articles/QScience.html
Some of the Miracles of the Holy Prophet Muhammad
http://www.sunnah.org/history/miracles_of_Prophet.htm
___________________________________
1-
Michael Hart said in his book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (p. 13), where he put Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the head of his list of one hundred:
I chose Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be top of this list … because Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.
2-
The Englishman George Bernard Shaw wrote a book called Muhammad, which was burned by the British authorities. He said:
The world is in the utmost need of a man with the mentality of Muhammad.
Medieval ecclesiastics, either through ignorance of bigotry, painted Mohammadanism in the darkest colors. They were in fact; trained to hate both the man Muhammad and his to them was anti-Christ. But I have studied his life, and found him to be extraordinary. I have reached the conclusion that he was never an enemy to Christianity. He must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness.
3-
Annie Besant said:
It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme.
4-
The Austrian Schabrak said:
Mankind may be proud of having a man like Muhammad among them, for despite being illiterate he was able more than ten centuries ago to introduce legislation that we Europeans would be the happiest ever if we could produce something of equally high quality.
5-
Dr. Zwemer (a Canadian Orientalist):
Muhammad was an able reformer, eloquent and well spoken, courageous and daring, a great thinker. We cannot attribute to him anything that contradicts these qualities. This Qur’aan that he brought and his history bear witness to the truth of these claims.
6-
The English philosopher Thomas Carlyle, the Nobel Prize winner, says in his book Heroes:
It is very shameful for any individual in this era to listen to what is said about the religion of Islam being a fabrication and Muhammad being a treacherous fabricator. Throughout his life we see him holding firm beliefs, sincere in resolve, generous and kind, compassionate, pious, virtuous, very serious. In spite of that, he was easy-going, cheerful, friendly, and even sometimes light-hearted. He was just, sincere in intention, smart, chivalrous, and quick-witted, as if he carried in his heart the lamps of every dark night, filled with light; a naturally great man who never studied in school or at the hand of a teacher, because he had no need of that.
7-
Goethe, the German poet, said:
We Europeans with all our concepts and ideas have not yet attained that which Muhammad attained, and no one will ever surpass him. I searched in history for the loftiest example for man to follow, and I found it in the Prophet Muhammad. Thus the truth must prevail and become supreme, because Muhammad succeeded in subjugating the whole world by means of the message of Divine Oneness.
8-Mahatma Gandhi
Speaking on the character of Muhammad (pbuh), Mahatma Gandhi says in (Young India),
"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today’s undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind….I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."
Douglas McCarron tightened his control of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners at the unions convention in Las Vegas on Aug. 25, when delegates voted to give him a third five-year term. A pro-democratic opposition slate, Restore the Vote, and its individual candidates could muster only about 12% of the total vote. Even before the convention, McCarron had amassed enormous power over the unions 550,000 members by transferring the authority of its 2,200 locals to 55 regional councils, whose officers were handpicked by him and conform to his wishes. In effect, he runs the union like it is his personal property, as he did when he quit the AFL-CIO four years ago without a vote of the membership. To enshrine his dictatorial powers in the unions constitution, he had the delegates, most of whom are beholden to him for their jobs, pass Section 10m of the newly revised UBCJA Constitution, which states: The General President shall have authority to appoint interim officers of newly- established, consolidated or merged Local Unions or Councils but it also adds two words, and delegates, thus further consolidating McCarrons tremendous power. McCarron runs the union like a corporation, claiming that centralized leadership (his) is more efficient and attractive to employers and would produce more jobs for working carpenters. Opposition to McCarron has grown. In British Columbia, angry carpenters voted to exit from the UBC to escape from his clutches. He is faced with numerous lawsuits challenging his denial of members rights. But there was no broad movement at the convention to come close to unseating him as president. So why did the insurgents, representing themselves as reformers, invite McCarron to become one of the seven partner unions within the Change to Win Coalition? Is his ruthless, anti-democratic behavior acceptable to unions like the SEIU and UNITE-HERE, who have always prided themselves as being progressive organizations? What role are the Carpenters expected to play in the organizing strategy of the Coalition, since they have almost nothing in common with five of its member unions? Or will McCarron, the poster boy of Corporate Unionism, become a model for the other unions in the CTW? And how will the SEIU and its president, Andy Stern, who have criticized President Bushs domestic and foreign policies, deal with McCarron, who is Bushs darling labor leader, who gets to ride on Air Force One? The President, who has never invited Sweeney or any member of the Executive Council to the White House, not even for a cup of coffee and a hello, happily attends the Carpenters Labor Day picnics. The presence of Republican-minded McCarron within the Coalition adds another note of uncertainty about labors role and strategy in the 2006 congressional and 2008 presidential election. The Coalition is downgrading electoral politics in favor of focusing on organizing, while the AFL-CIO is counting on a Democratic Party victory that can translate into greater labor influence in government and the economy. Dont expect the kind of labor unity that existed in the 2004 elections.
Our weekly LaborTalk and The World of Labor columns can be viewed at our Web site: .
Harry Kelbers e-mail address is: .
Duration : 0:10:0
A supernatural witness points to Muhammad’s prophethood
When he was three years old, two angels came and took out his heart from his chest, cleaned it with ice water, put it back and left. In doing so they supposedly prepared him for his mission on earth.
Another story which comes via Muslim Tradition mentions that after the death of his grandfather Abdu-Mutalib, Muhammad went to visit a Catholic monk with his uncle Abu-Talib. It is reported that the monk saw a cloud specifically protect Muhammad from the sun. It was then that he knew that he would be someone special.
. At the age of twenty-five he married Khadijah, a widow fifteen years his senior, who was in fact his employer. The marriage was a happy one, and two boys and four girls were born to them, though the two boys did not live to a mature age. Khadija died after twenty-five years of marriage to Muhammad. During that time Muhammad never took another wife.
Another proof of his prophethood, according to Muslims, stems from the fact that Muhammad prophesied events in the future, which then came to pass later on. Only a prophet of God could know what was going to happen in the future, and therefore Muhammad must be a prophet. Yet, the only ‘real’ prophecy recorded, which Muslims attribute to Muhammad is that found in Sura 30:1-4, where it is written:
A.L.M. The Roman Empire has been defeated. In a land close by; but they (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious. Within a few years. With Allah is the decision, in the past and in the future: on that day shall the Believers rejoice.
This passage refers to the defeat of the Byzantines in Syria by the Persians under Khusran Parvis (in A.D. 615), six years before the Hijra.
The defeat of the Persians should take place soon- "in a small number of years." In light of this prediction, Abu-Bakr undertook a bet with Ubai-ibn-Khalaf that this prediction would be fulfilled within three years. But he was corrected by Muhammad, who stated that the "small number" is between three and nine years (Al-Baizawi).
Muslims tell us that the Byzantines overcame their enemies within seven years. However, the fact is that the Byzantines defeated Persia in AD 628 (Al-Baizawi’s commentary). That was twelve years after the prediction of Muhammad. Consequently, this passage does not qualify as a prophecy, particularly as the time between the prophecy and fulfilment was far too short, and in addition the event was easily predictable. The odds were only 50/50.
The other ‘prophecies’ which Muslims point to refer to Muhammad’s victories and those relating to the Qur’an itself. It is nearly impossible to establish whether these prophecies were said before their fulfilment. Besides, like the previous example, they were either easily predictable, or just war- propaganda. In this event George Bush might be called a prophet too, for he predicted that the Gulf-coalition would win the war with Iraq.
IS MUHAMED A PROPHET????????????
you just converted me to Islam you convince me .
Workers from unions affiliated with the Florida AFL-CIO joined a broad coalition of area organizations including the healthcare workers union SEIU, Jobs with Justice, ACORN, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans and the health care advocacy organization HCAN (Health Care for America Now) in a rally at Senator Nelsons office urging him to support meaningful health care reform.
Health care reform must give American the choice of a strong and competitive publically administered health insurance option. This is the lynchpin of all health care reform and is the best way to lower costs, ensure the availability of coverage and give people a real choice for their health insurance.
· Health insurance benefits currently provided by employers must not be taxed. Real wages in America have stagnated and people are earning less than they did decades ago. Taxing these benefits will continue this decline and will only hurt the struggling economy.
· Employers must pay their fair share for health care. If employers continue to deny decent health care coverage to their workers, they must pay into the system to provide coverage for the uninsured. The taxpayers should not be required to pay for workers who should have coverage from their workplaces.
· Health care reform must ensure affordable coverage for pre-Medicare retirees. Employers that offer coverage to their pre-65 retirees incur enormous expense, but without that coverage, retirees have no affordable options for finding coverage on their own.
Duration : 0:3:1