Labor Day in the shadow of Katrina
In this week's issue:

* USA: Labor Day in the shadow of Katrina
* Egypt: Victory for asbestos workers
* UK: Gate Gourmet update

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USA: LABOR DAY IN THE SHADOW OF KATRINA

Trade unionists in the United States are this weekend celebrating
Labor
Day in the wake of the greatest natural disaster ever to befall the
country. According to reports in the mass media, thousands of lives
have been lost in New Orleans and other areas.

Unions have already begun to do their bit -- see for example this
page
on the website of the AFL-CIO, advising trade union members on how to
help:

http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/ns08312005.cfm

As the people of the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina begin the
long,
slow task of rebuilding their homes and their lives, so the labor
movement in the US needs to rebuild itself after years of declining
membership. The work goes on -- this week, for example is "Union
Label
Week," a time when people are encouraged more than ever to buy
products
produced by their fellow union members. Details of the campaign are
here:

http://www.unionlabel.org/

If you want to do your bit to promote trade unions and unionized
companies, no matter where you live in the world, check out the
brand-new list of the five best-selling books on Labour's Online
Bookstore. These books are the ones that you have picked over the
last
few months as the ones that are of the most practical value to you as
trade unionists. They include books on union meetings, organizing, a
complete guide for union members and the ever-popular "Troublemakers
Handbook". This Labor Day, make sure to visit Labour's Online
Bookstore
and do your bit to promote union-made products and services:

http://www.labourstart.org/books.shtml

***

EGYPT: VICTORY FOR ASBESTOS WORKERS

You may remember that last year we asked your support for asbestos
workers in Egypt -- and we're now very pleased to report on a big
victory there. For full details, check out the statement from the
Center for Trade Union and Workers Services in Cairo:

http://www.labourstart.org/docs/en/000184.html

***

UK: GATE GOURMET UPDATE

According a report cited on LabourStart today, the global head of
Gate
Gourmet -- the airline catering firm which sacked hundreds of workers
at
Heathrow airport in August, using a megaphone -- is talking tough.
Dave
Siegel, the company head, "insisted yesterday the firm would not take
back hundreds of sacked workers it regarded as radicals and
militants,"
according to the report. "The radicals have to realise there is no
place
for them in the company any more," he said. "This is the company's
final
position: we will not take these militants, these radicals, back.
They
have been the source of the core problem for the company, they have
been
holding the company hostage."

I'd like us to send a message to Mr. Siegel. I'd like us to tell him
and his company that there aren't, as he fears, "hundreds of radicals
and militants". There are thousands of us. There are millions of
us.
In fact, we are the overwhelming majority. Working people all over
the
world stand in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in the
Transport and General Workers Union -- and have shown their
solidarity
in the last two weeks by sending off 7,193 messages of protest to
Gate
Gourmet, and raising £1,663 (that's $3,000 US) in small donations for
their hardship fund.

This week, let's intensify the campaign -- let's tell more people
about
the email campaign, let's donate more money, and let's send a loud
and
clear message to Dave Siegel and the owners of Gate Gourmet. Let's
tell
them -- if you're looking for "troublemakers", here we are!

To send off a message to Gate Gourmet, go here:

http://www.labourstart.org/gategourmet

To donate to the union's hardship fund, go here:

http://www.labourstart.org/docs/en/000180.html

Thanks -- and have a great weekend.

Eric Lee