Late Tuesday night, the Oakland City Council unanimously approved a good jobs and community benefits plan for the massive redevelopment of the Oakland Army Base project!   The vote was a long time coming, as this good jobs plan was developed over the last year by consensus by a broad group of stakeholders including Revive Oakland, which EBASE convenes. It will guide negotiations with the Army Base developers towards a final deal.

At the meeting, an incredibly powerful line up of youth, workers, neighbors and advocates spoke the truth on what these jobs mean for our community. Twenty-year old Rayna Smith, a leader with Urban Peace Movement, urged the city to pass the good jobs plan to help curb violence in our neighborhoods. Rose Morton (pictured here), an Oakland ironworker, explained how her stable, union job lifted her out of poverty and how she wants the same for others coming up today.  

Jessamyn Sabbag with Oakland Rising cited staggering community support for the plan: 80% of Oakland voters want the Army Base project to ensure workers' rights to organize for better wages and to provide opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.

The good jobs plan sets groundbreaking expectations for this project, including:

• Construction careers opportunities: In addition to the City’s 50% local hire goal for construction, ALL new apprentices on the project will come from Oakland and a share of the work each year will be for new apprentices. These provisions will be included in both a Community Jobs Agreement and a Project Labor Agreement, ensuring good quality, long-term construction careers for local workers.
• Long-term job pathways and training: Creation of a West Oakland Jobs Center and 50% local hire goal for long-term warehouse operations jobs, starting first with West Oakland and then other low income neighborhoods. This marks the first time Oakland has set local hire expectations for jobs beyond the construction phase.
• Good quality, family-supporting jobs: Long-term businesses on the site would maintain peaceful labor relations with workers who chose to organize for better wages and benefits as well as not utilizing temp agencies which undercut job quality and stability.
• Opportunities for formerly incarcerated people: A quarter of the long-term jobs and apprenticeships will be for disadvantaged workers and employers will “ban the box” removing the question on job applications about previous convictions.  This would extend the City’s own non-discrimination hiring policy, one of the most progressive in the nation.
• Community monitoring and enforcement: These pieces will be developed into a community jobs agreement with ongoing stakeholder input and enforced through a community-labor-government oversight committee to ensure employer compliance in real-time.

This was a huge step forward for Oakland! Now it is clear what we expect from this project.  Next, we put the question to Prologis, the biggest developer of warehouses on the planet, and hold them accountable for sharing some of their $48 billion in assets with our Oakland families.

TONIGHT: Oakland City Council votes on good jobs proposal for the Army Base development. 6pm at City Hall.

In today's Oakland Local, youth leader Rayna Smith writes a message to City Council telling them what good jobs at the Army Base will mean to her personally. Please take a moment to check out Rayna's powerful Oakland story:

Oakland Local
City Council: Good Jobs = Less Violence
by Rayna Smith

..."If we aren’t hustling just to survive, we will have a chance to make Oakland a safer city. I need a job. But I know that to make my neighborhood better, I need a good job that I can count on for the long term." Read more and add your voice to the conversation...

Join fellow Oaklanders -- youth, friends, religious leaders, neighbors, workers, everyone! --  tonight at 6pm. Let's show City Council we want them to stand up for quality jobs in Oakland! 

End the Lockout. Support workers at the Castlewood Country Club in their contract fight!

Saturday, 2/25/12, 9:30 AM


We work at a playground for millionaires. Two years ago, they threw us out on the street because we wouldn’t give up affordable health insurance for our families.

We’re fighting for health care for our children.
We’re fighting for work with dignity.
We’re fighting to show the 1% that we are human beings.
We’re fighting for you.
Join us.

Saturday, February 25th, 9:30 AM
Meet at Bernal Ave and Main Street, Pleasanton
March to Castlewood Country Club


P.S. - NLRB UPDATE. As most of you know, the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint last summer charging Castlewood with maintaining an unlawful lockout. The case is in the process of being heard by an Administrative Law Judge at the NLRB. We expect the hearing to conclude in February, but we won’t know the result for several months after that. We’ll pass on more info as we get it!

www.endthelockout.org

All out to City Hall to Revive Oakland!

Last week, we took an important step towards good-paying, local jobs from the Army Base project. In front of a packed house, the City Council’s Community & Economic Development Committee voted unanimously to support a job and community benefits plan and send it to the full City Council for approval. They're voting on it Tuesday!

Please join us on Tuesday, February 7 at 6pm at Oakland City Hall to urge the City Council to approve this package. Can we count on you to be there? Let us know now.

Let’s grow our numbers from last week and show the world what it means to do business in Oakland. Prologis is the biggest warehouse developer in the world, with over $48 billion in assets and enough warehouse space around the world to fill up half of San Francisco. We need you to urge our City Council to stand up for Oakland and make sure these are good jobs for local people.

At the hearing last week over 100 community members, workers, youth, and clergy crammed into the room. Dozens of Oakland residents spoke powerfully to the need for the Army Base to create real, meaningful employment that can lift families out of poverty, stabilize our neighborhoods and revive our city.  Check out the news from that day.


OUSD graduate and IBEW 595 member Rachel Bryan tells the committee why we need good-paying local jobs.

If you RSVP now for Tuesday's City Council meeting, we can be sure to have a sign ready for you to hold at the meeting, so you can show the Council what good jobs mean to you personally.


See you on Tuesday at 6pm at City Hall!

The Occupy Movement in Oakland has commanded headlines and generated much controversy. We continue to see disturbing images of riot police, reticent protesters, and beleaguered city officials. But the drama of media headlines often polarizes the conversation and obscures important issues at hand.

Please join us for a community forum with religious leaders to dialogue about the purpose and implications of the Occupy Movement and its role and impact for Oakland.

We look forward to seeing you there. To download the flyer for this event, please click here:

In faith and hope,

Kristi Laughlin
Pastor B.K. Woodson
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

EBASE is looking for an experienced organizer to hit the ground running on our exciting Revive Oakland campaign to win good jobs for local residents in the massive Army Base redevelopment.

Check out the full job description here, and help us spread the word!

Last Tuesday, the Oakland community stood up for good jobs at City Hall. We need you to help us with the next step!

More than 50 community members came out with Revive Oakland to urge the Community Economic Development Committee to pass a good jobs proposal for the Army Base redevelopment. This would be a solid step towards making sure the thousands of jobs coming out of this project can sustain Oakland families with decent wages and benefits.



Unfortunately, the meeting was canceled at the last minute. But dozens of youth, residents, workers, and clergy decided to go inside to demand the committee's council members speak with us. Council Member Jane Brunner, who led the community process to develop the good jobs proposal, came downstairs to talk to us.

The feeling in City Hall that afternoon was a powerful one: community members connecting with each other face-to-face and telling our elected officials we need good jobs now. We shared with Council Member Brunner the deep community support for good jobs in Oakland, including 1600+ petition signatures asking that Army Base employers be required to meet job standards like labor peace, local hire, and “ban the box” to open job access to formerly incarcerated Oaklanders. Council Member Brunner gave us her word that the jobs package will be heard by the committee on Tuesday, January 24, at 2pm. That's next week.

We're not done yet! We need you to be there on Tuesday, January 24, at 2pm to hold the City and multi-national development corporation Prologis accountable to the people who live in this city.

Can we count on you to be there? Let us know now.



Check out some of the great stories in the news about our afternoon at City Hall last week, and join us on the 24th as we stand together for good jobs at the Oakland Army Base!



CBS Bay Area News story:

Inspired by what Revive Oakland is up to? Help us hire an experienced Campaign Organizer to push towards a big win for Oakland. Spread the word.

"Change is when the world feels different, but I think you can see and feel change. It might be because you develop a leader, or it might be because you say the phrase '1%' and people know what you're talking about." – Nikki Fortunato Bas

At the start of the year our Executive Director, Nikki Fortunato Bas, was honored in the San Francisco Chronicle as a 2012 Change Maker. This piece is the Chronicle’s second installation in a series that lifts up Bay Area leaders dedicated to creating change in the world.



Watch a short video of all the 2012 Change Makers:

Give a gift of $50 to stay with EBASE as we work to change the Oakland Port into a people’s Port in 2012.



And look out for our upcoming February Open House to hear more about what we have in store for 2012!



As we look forward to a year that will bring real victories for the working people of the East Bay, we invite you to join us in defining what change means to you and to your community. Then, go out and get it.



Congratulations, Nikki!

Dear Friends,

Please join EBASE for:

Oakland's Port is a People’s Port TEACH IN

Thursday, Dec. 8, 6-8pm. Doors open at 5:45pm
Bay Area Christian Connection Church, 810 Clay Street, in Old Oakland
Dinner provided and translation available.

For 12 years, EBASE has been working to make the Port of Oakland a place that is accountable, and creates quality jobs, clean air and real opportunities for Oaklanders. We have an immediate opportunity to make Oakland a People’s Port as the City Council considers a jobs policy that would ensure the massive expansion of port activities onto the former Army Base leads to thousands of good paying jobs for Oakland residents. The City will consider this policy on December 13.

The Army Base is one step towards creating a People’s Port that provides:

• Good quality, safe jobs to keep families in our homes.
• Real employment opportunities for Oakland residents to bring peace to our streets.
• Clean air for our children to breathe.
• Opportunities for responsible small, local businesses to grow and thrive.
• Government and corporations that put people, not profits, first.

Join us at the teach in to learn how mega-corporations of the 1% like, Wall-Mart, Target, HMS Host, and SSA Marine (which is owned by Goldman Sachs), make ENOURMOUS profits at the ports on the backs of workers and community residents, and how we can hold these corporations to high standards to provide quality jobs, clean air and real opportunities for our communities. Hear from workers and residents affected by the port and related industries, and talk with neighbors about real solutions to make Oakland a People’s Port!

Get caught up on the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports campaign to win clean air and good jobs for port truck drivers and learn about critical next steps on the Revive Oakland Campaign to bring THOUSANDS of jobs to Oakland through the redevelopment of the Oakland Army Base.

Click here to RSVP. Download a flyer here to spread the word!

In Solidarity,

EBASE

Questions? Please contact Andrew Dadko, Program Director, 510.893.7106 x 318 or info[at]workingeastbay.org

Media inquiries, please contact Nikki Bas, Executive Director, 510.893.7106 x 322 or info[at]workingeastbay.org.

What is the trucking industry response to claims that port drivers are actually employees who have been stripped of their basic rights by trucking companies' Robert Digges, a spokesman for the tongue on a CBS national news segment when he tried protesting the idea that trucking companies are cheating workers - and it's getting picked up on blogs like the Daily Kos.

“They (trucking companies) believe they get a more productive employee – excuse me a more effective worker – a worker who is efficient, who has some skin in the game.”

So, the industry that dismantled the Los Angeles Clean Truck Program finally lets the truth slip: port truck drivers are actually employees who have had their rights stripped from them by greedy port trucking companies seeking to pad their bottom line.

“As long as we are independent contractors (the company) doesn’t have to cover benefits, they don’t have to cover sick days, bereavement leave time, holiday pay. It just saves the company money,” said Dutch Prior, a port driver for Shippers Transport in Oakland.

While the scheme is a boon for port trucking companies like Shippers Transport, a subsidiary of the giant SSA Marine (half-owned by Goldman Sachs), it’s drawing the attention of the Occupy movement and the Department of Labor.

“These (practices) have astronomical impacts on local governments, state governments and federal government and also hurts good, legitimate businesses that are playing by the rules and for employees that are being ripped off,” said Hilda Solis, the head of the US Department of Labor.

Last year the agency collected more than $5 million for nearly 8,000 misclassified workers, but with 300 new investigators on staff the Department of Labor will be looking more closely at misclassification schemes.

On December 12th the Occupy movement is organizing a shutdown of the West Coast ports while the Occupy protesters in New York take their case directly to Goldman Sachs on the same day (Goldman Sachs – half-owner of SSA Marine – has its own checkered history with paying taxes. It’s easy to understand why the Occupy folks are targeting the company in the coordination with the port shut down.)

The CBS Early Show segment is only the latest in a series of investigative news pieces on the port trucking industry generally and on Shippers Transport in particular.

Salon.com interviewed Leonardo Mejia, a truck driver for Shippers Transport who works out of Long Beach. “Mejia is part of the shadow economy, though not in the sense that that term is commonly understood: as an autonomous netherworld entirely off the books and underground, invisible to the taxman and mainstream society. Mejia’s shadow economy is something a little different; purposefully created from the top down, its growth driven by employers increasingly eager to shed costly, legally mandated commitments to their employees.”

New laws will help port truck drivers and other employees who are purposely misclassified by their employers, but enforcement of new and existing laws is key. Without strict enforcement from government agencies an imbalance of power exists which keeps truck drivers under the thumb of the giant trucking companies like Shippers Transport.

“There’s an imbalance of power in the market which enables the big shippers to control the cost of shipping,” According to Dr. David Bensman, a professor at Rutgers University and author of “The Big Rig”, a report about misclassification in the port trucking industry. “And as long as you have that imbalance of market power you are going to have intense competition and substandard industry practices.”

Dear Friends,

At times during the last few weeks, we at EBASE have been filled with hope and inspiration – marching with tens of thousands through the streets of Oakland, witnessing the power of youth leaders speaking truth, and watching interfaith leaders embraced arm-in-arm to defend Occupy Oakland.

At other times, we have been filled with rage and fear – seeing police brutally attack demonstrators  from Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza to Sproul Plaza to UC Davis, and watching the growing fracture among local political leaders.

The national Occupy Wall Street movement has changed everything. Occupy has heated to rapid boil a formerly simmering pot of action, anticipation, and apprehension. It has caused many of us to boil over into the streets.  It’s exciting, it’s a little unnerving and at times, it feels like a moment of crisis.

This movement has brought many of the crises that Oakland has been struggling with for decades – homelessness, joblessness, violence – literally to the doorstep of our local government. And for some that is uncomfortable, for some that is an outrage.  It disrupts the status quo and business as usual.

There’s a Chinese proverb that says “A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind.”  At times, the moment we are in feels like a crisis, but it is also an opportunity for bold leadership and creative solutions to tackle the problems that Oakland has been facing for too long.

The question now is can we move from crisis to an opportunity to address the real issues of the 99%. Can we build a bigger movement for change and not get sucked into a political morass? Can our local leaders represent the people and serve our interests?

We have real challenges in Oakland – and real opportunities, like the thousands of jobs that could come from the redevelopment of the Oakland Army Base. EBASE wants to stand with you, with Occupy and with all of Oakland’s 99% to build a new way of living and working together in our town that puts people before profits and leads to a more just economy for all.

After 5,000 people marched through Oakland on November 19 to call for justice for the 99%, teachers, students, parents, labor and Occupy Oakland rally at Lakeview Elementary to save Oakland's schools

Last Saturday’s rally to save Oakland’s schools – organized by Occupy Oakland, the Alameda Labor Council, the Oakland Education Association and families from schools slated for closure – was an inspiring example of how to work together and focus our energy on Oakland’s 99%. Let’s keep that united energy going.

In Solidarity,

EBASE

During challenging times we need bold leaders, people who can step forward with confidence, with a clear vision and positive energy. People who can speak straight from their heart to yours, and who can build bridges within our diverse community.

Last Tuesday, I sat in Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza with 300 others at the Swagn 4 Justice Concert and Rally for Quality jobs, put on by the youth of Urban Peace Movement in partnership with Revive Oakland. I was blown away by the young people from East and West Oakland who sang, spoke and performed about the need for good jobs for our community at the Oakland Army Base. Check out this inspiring video of the event from United Rootsⁱⁱ:

Witnessing their incredible talent and courage, I was flooded with inspiration and hope for the future of our town. While much excitement and many questions are swirling for Oakland right now, one thing in my mind is certain: our youth got swagⁱ.

When you’re swaggin, you believe in yourself, and you say things like “Quality jobs, we deserve it!” as hundreds of youth shouted out during the program. With swag, you believe in the possibilities and you sing “If we transform Oakland, we transform the world,” as Queen Deelah did.

And when you got swag you call on others to be real leaders too, as did the community members from Revive Oakland who went into City Hall after the concert to urge City Council to make sure that when the massive Army Base gets redeveloped, Oaklanders are first in line to get good-paying, family supporting jobs at the warehouses and rail yard built there. “We need quality jobs in Oakland, ” Italia Suarez, member of Urban Peace Movement told the Council.

I hope you were able to join us for this amazing concert and rally. But if not, check out the video and the media coverage below:

• Hip-hop demonstration and rally engages youth of color, Oakland Local, November 1, 2011 - - Please scroll to Nov. 1 - 4:30 p.m.
• At council meeting, sparse attendance and delayed votes, Oakland North, November 1, 2011 - Front page photo in the Oakland Tribune, November 2, 2011
• KPFA, Flashpoints –October 28, 2011 scroll to minute 17:40

_______________________________
^i. Swag: to have style, confidence, and positive personal representation

^ii. United Roots (Oakland's Green Youth Art & Media Center) is a partner and ally of Urban Peace Movement and enables disenfranchised youth with the green economy, performing arts, and digital media in ways that educate, empower, inspire, and transform lives.

Dear Friends,

What an amazing week!  Last Wednesday, EBASE and our allies marched in solidarity with Occupy Oakland’s General Strike and participated in a historic day of action.  We are inspired by the rallying call of the 99% and the peaceful actions happening across the nation (read our solidarity statement here).

Connecting with the 99% about concrete change

• This weekend, EBASE and Oakland Rising completed our 3-week long voter engagement campaign and talked with over 8,000 voters in Oakand’s flatlands about supporting a tax on the richest 1% in California to reform our broken tax system and ensure that everyone pays their fair share.  The campaign was part of a statewide effort with California Calls to connect with over 100,000 voters in the state in November.  EBASE and Oakland Rising also engaged voters in the Oakland Army Base redevelopment project, which could bring thousands of good jobs to Oakland over the long-term.
• Last Tuesday, Urban Peace Movement and Revive Oakland! were “swagn for justice” with 300 youth and allies gathered in Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza for a concert and rally that called for good jobs at the Oakland Army Base and featured talented youth leaders from Urban Peace Movement.  Check out full coverage of the concert and rally here (scroll down to Nov. 1 - 4:30 pm).  

• Colorful Mamas of the 99%. "We believe that the money needs to go from the 1 percent to all of us to pay for schools, health care, putting food on the table and our kids' future," protester Mimi Ho (also a former EBASE board member), carrying her baby, told the crowd after closing her Wells Fargo account. Click here for a news article and here for photos.
• 67 Sueños. Undocumented youth and allies with 67 Sueños took direct action to expose the connection between Wells Fargo Bank and immigrant detention centers. Click here to see the video. 
  

Advocating for the Change We Want to See
Last Thursday, EBASE and the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice spoke out at the Oakland City Council special meeting on Occupy Oakland to address the violence and blight in our neighborhoods, not just in the plaza, and to scrutinize the banks and big bosses. We urged City Council to view Occupy Oakland as an opportunity to unite and be a model of change for a national and global movement.  See this news clip for coverage of the meeting.

Stay tuned to stay involved.

In Solidarity,

EBASE

Dear Friends,

Last night, EBASE and the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice joined over 100 people who spoke out at a special meeting of the Oakland City Council about Occupy Oakland. We gave shout outs to the local businesses that we patronize and asked our elected leaders to refocus on the beautiful and inspiring moments of Wednesday’s General Strike and Day of Action, like the children’s brigade. We urged the City Council to address the violence and blight in our neighborhoods, not just in the plaza. We countered the city presentation that focused on a very few individuals, and urged City Council to also scrutinize the banks and big bosses, and the wage theft that happens every day. We told the City Council that Occupy Oakland is much bigger than Oakland – it’s a national and global movement – and this is a moment of invitation to lead with us to solve the problems in our community. With all eyes on Oakland, let’s be a model. The City Council will continue discussion about Occupy Oakland at its next meeting on November 15th. For more, read this article in the Huffington Post and watch the news video.

Saturday, November 5th  - National  Day of Action against Banks to Make Wall Street Pay
Across the country, grassroots activist and community organizations are taking to the streets to hold Wall Street accountable. We'll demonstrate that we refuse to support their businesses if they do not support us and America by paying their fair share. 

• Join 67 Sueños, which gives voice to undocumented youth, as they rally at the site of Occupy Oakland in Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza at 10 a.m., then march at 11 a.m. to Wells Fargo Bank at 1221 Broadway. Wells Fargo Bank profits off detention centers for immigrants at the same time that it supports, through donations to candidates and lobbyists, harsh anti-immigrant legislation that fills those centers. (Source: Huffington Post)
• Participate in Bank Transfer Day. Move your money by closing your account at a bank that supports Wall Street and moving your money to a local credit union or community bank.

Dear Oakland,

We love you and we thank you. We are especially humbled by “Generation 99” – today’s youth who will occupy our future.

On Wednesday, participating in Occupy Oakland’s General Strike, we in Oakland made history with a peaceful and inspiring day of action 10,000+ strong. EBASE, our friends and our allies had a blast marching through Oakland with the Children’s Brigade, chanting “Play fair! Learn to share!” And, we showed the power of the people by shutting down the banks that got bailed out, while tax payers got sold out.

On Tuesday, over 300 people, mostly youth from East and West Oakland, gathered in Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza to listen to the inspiring and talented voices of youth leaders from Urban Peace Movement. SWAGN 4 JUSTICE brought an authentically Oakland feel into the plaza as youth leaders like Rayna Smith called out the need for good jobs for local residents from the Army Base redevelopment. "Our goal is to get thousands of jobs. Not just any jobs, jobs that are quality jobs." Speakers also called out the need to Ban the Box on job applications that asks about criminal records so that everyone can have a shot at getting a good job. After the concert, community members from Revive Oakland went into City Hall to address City Council and to urge them to pass a strong jobs policy for the Army Base this December.

Wait, it’s not over! On Thursday, November 3, join us for more.

• 11AM: Solidarity with the California Nurses Association and Occupy San Francisco
• 5:30PM: Join EBASE, partners & allies at a special Oakland City Council Meeting

This council meeting will discuss Occupy Oakland, the violent police actions, and the tragic injury of Scott Olson on October 25th as well as the ongoing issues that Wall Street greed and corporations cause for our communities. The meeting will be at City Hall. Click here for the city website and more details about this meeting.

Stay tuned for more ways to get involved.

Want to help volunteer to support this work, roll out with us this week, or have more questions?
Please contact Rui Bing Zheng, EBASE Team Member 510.893.7106 X 315 or email: ruibing[at]workingeastbay[dot]org.

EBASE stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. We identify with the hopes, frustrations, and vision of the community that is Occupy Oakland.  We join with our neighbors to keep focused on the fight to end the inequity that Wall Street and corporations impose on Oaklanders, working families, and people of color. Since last week’s violent eviction EBASE has:

• Demanded Mayor Quan stop the police repression of Occupy Oakland
• Rejected the police brutality suffered by Oaklanders
• Continued to support  youth-led convenings that lift up the good jobs that Oakland needs
  

EBASE was founded 12 years ago on the principles of bringing labor, community, and faith together to fight the inequality and inequity in Oakland and the East Bay.  The collective power of the more than 100 organizations that have been partners in the past campaigns have brought real positive economic change to working people of color.

EBASE has been building a better and beautiful vision through our shared struggles, campaigns, and fights over the past 12 years. Today, EBASE envisions:

• a people’s port that can lead by creating cleaner air and good jobs for Oaklanders.  
• a city that has empowered working people, who can afford to work and live in communities that are beautiful, clean, and safe.
• a city with government that is accountable and accessible to the people.  
  

For too long Oakland, as a city, has been known for the wrong reasons: viscous police brutality, inefficient and mismanaged government, huge budget problems, broken promises to its residents, and for some of the highest rates of unemployment in the nation. EBASE, like you, knows the true Oakland is a land of opportunity, with a world-class port, in a region that has creative and dynamic people who support each other and have established high expectations of employers, government and ourselves.

Stand with us as we stand with you!

In solidarity,

EBASE 

Our entire EBASE staff and several allies will be participating in all of the actions listed below.
Please join us!
Meet up with us by the Steps of City Hall for most of the following actions.
Share the day with us- meet at our offices at 9:30am sharp!
Contact Sadiyah (510.908.0607) directly at any time tomorrow to find us and join in.

Be Safe. Be Positive.

• TODAY, (WEDNESDAY) November 2nd:  General Strike & Day of Action

o *8:30AM: Religious Witness, Participation, Prayer & Reflection, ICWJ & Oakland Clergy 
o 9AM OCCUPY THE BANKS! Foreclose on the 1% (BANK #1)
o *11:30: Religious Witness, Participation, Prayer & Reflection, ICWJ & Oakland Clergy  o 12PM OCCUPY THE BANKS! Foreclose on the 1% (BANK #2)
o 12PM Family Bike/Stroller Brigades #1, Movement Generation
o 3PM Family Bike/Stroller Brigades #2, Movement Generation
o *4:30PM: Religious Witness, Participation, Prayer & Reflection, ICWJ & Oakland Clergy 
o 4:30PM Community and Labor BBQ, Alameda Labor Council
o 5PM:  Occupy Oakland convergence

*Religious leaders are invited to gather for formal moments of prayer and reflection in advance of the 3 major convergence activities planned for the day. Meet at the Sacred Space Tent.
*Clergy and lay leaders are encouraged to participate in a visible fashion in the marches and mobilizations listed above. (Religious garb helpful). More from ICWJ here.

Want to help volunteer to support this work, roll out with us this week, or have more questions?
Please contact Rui Bing Zheng, EBASE Team Member
510.893.7106 X 315 or email: ruibing@workingeastbay.org

Statement of Solidarity

EBASE stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. We identify with the hopes, frustrations, and vision of the community that is Occupy Oakland.  We join with our neighbors to keep focused on the fight to end the inequity that Wall Street and corporations impose on Oaklanders, working families, and people of color. Since last week’s violent eviction EBASE has:

• Demanded Mayor Quan stop the police repression of Occupy Oakland
• Rejected the police brutality suffered by Oaklanders
• Continued to support  youth-led convenings that lift up the good jobs that Oakland needs

EBASE was founded 12 years ago on the principles of bringing labor, community, and faith together to fight the inequality and inequity in Oakland and the East Bay.  The collective power of the more than 100 organizations that have been partners in the past campaigns have brought real positive economic change to working people of color. 

We have learned that when we take action,
we cannot be stopped.

EBASE has been building a better and beautiful vision through our shared struggles, campaigns, and fights over the past 12 years. Today, EBASE envisions:

• a people’s port that can lead by creating cleaner air and good jobs for Oaklanders.  
• a city that has empowered working people, who can afford to work and live in communities that are beautiful, clean, and safe. 
• a city with government that is accountable and accessible to the people.  

For too long Oakland, as a city, has been known for the wrong reasons: viscous police brutality, inefficient and mismanaged government, huge budget problems, broken promises to its residents, and for some of the highest rates of unemployment in the nation. EBASE, like you, knows the true Oakland is a land of opportunity, with a world-class port, in a region that has creative and dynamic people who support each other and have established high expectations of employers, government and ourselves.

Stand with us as we stand with you!

In solidarity,

EBASE 

Exposed: Seattle Port Shipping Industry Endangers Lives
NOVEMBER 1, 2011

So let’s say you work in one of America’s most dangerous industries, like trucking at the ports. You see faulty chassis, overweight containers, unlabeled containers full of hazardous chemicals, et cetera.

But what if industry schemes prevent professional drivers from blowing the whistle on safety violations even when it’s their job to safely command 80,000 pounds of truck and cargo?  For starters, you could leak it to the press.

Seattle’s King TV 5 News sent investigative reporter Chris Ingalls to the docks to find out more.

Click here to watch the King TV 5 investigative report.

What:  Swagn 4 Justice: concert and rally for quality jobs. Hundreds of youth, neighbors, workers and clergy will gather to call for quality jobs at the Oakland Army Base and to deliver thousands of signatures on a petition demanding the City require Army Base developers to hire Oaklanders, treat all job applicants fairly by “banning the box”, and guarantee workers’ right to organize.

When:  Tuesday, November 1, 4:30pm

Performers:   DJ Fuze (formerly of Digital Underground) and the Luniz, Queen Deelah, J-Milli-on, O-Zone, Hanyah, Brenden Alexander and more! Turf dance showcase featuring: Turf Feinz & Turfin’24/7

Where:   Oscar Grant Plaza, 14th and Broadway in front of Oakland City Hall

EBASE stands with our community, labor, and faith partners in denouncing the violent eviction of Occupy Oakland, the unprovoked arrests, and the police attacks on peaceful protesters. Our thoughts and prayers are with Scott Olsen-- the 24 year old Iraq war veteran who remains in critical condition after Tuesday’s clash-- and all Oaklanders who suffered injuries and abuse as a result of the city’s response to Occupy Oakland.

We call on Mayor Jean Quan, the Oakland Police Department and all our city leaders to apologize for these acts of violence and to join us in fighting for a city and an economy that works for the 99%.

EBASE stood alongside allies and Oakland residents during Wednesday night’s peaceful assembly which was attended by more than 3,000 people and successful in refocusing us all on our common purpose. 

We must hold accountable the big banks and corporations responsible for causing our economic crisis. Corporations must pay their fair share and contribute to our economy and our community with good-paying jobs. Quality jobs mean we can stay in our homes, take care of our families, and create healthy and thriving communities. Let’s address the real public health and public safety issues in Oakland by creating good jobs.

The Oakland Army Base is the biggest opportunity Oakland has to create good jobs for our community for the long haul. Our City leaders need to refocus. They must hold the multinational corporation developing the site – ProLogis – accountable for hiring locally, providing good-paying jobs with benefits, and opening job access for people who are formerly incarcerated.

Oakland youth know what Oakland needs and that’s good jobs for the 99%! Join Revive Oakland & Urban Peace Movement at a concert and rally to call upon our city leaders to stand with us and build an Oakland that we can all occupy in peace.

Join neighbors, youth, workers and faith leaders in Reviving Oakland and Rebuilding the California Dream! Over 3 Saturdays this fall, we will talk with Oakland voters about creating local jobs and stopping the endless cuts to our services.