Five unions representing Wabtec workers from across the globe have written letters to Wabtec CEO Rafael Santana expressing their solidarity with the members of UE Locals 506 and 618, and demanding that the company settle a fair contract at its locomotive plant in Erie, PA.

Unifor National President Lana Payne, on behalf of her union’s 315,000 members across Canada, told Santana “It is troubling to hear from our brothers, sisters, and counterparts at UE that your company … continues to demonstrate contempt for the very workers that work every day to ensure that Wabtec’s business continues to prosper and succeed. According to your own most recent annual report, Wabtec saw a 7% increase in sales in 2022, reaching $8.36 billion compared to 2021, while company profits increased 13% to $565 million. It is only through the labour of your skilled workforce have these gains been made possible.”

Andrew Dettmer, National President of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, blasted Wabtec’s “union busting”: “Your attorneys are litigating every grievance, demanding arbitration rather than sorting problems out on the shop floor. Worse, these self same attorneys are then challenging the decisions of the arbitrator when they don’t like the result.” He emphasized AMWU’s support for the UE locals’ demand for the right to strike over grievances, “a simple step” that would allow disputes to be “resolved quickly, by people in the plant, and without involving expensive lawyers.”

From Europe, CCOO Industria, which represents Wabtec workers in Spain, and the Italian metalworkers’ union FIOM-CGIL, a long-time UE ally, both sent letters to the Wabtec CEO expressing their support for UE members’ demands, including specifically the right to strike. From South America, Brazilian metalworkers’ union CNM-CUT sent a letter declaring “All solidarity from the CNM/CUT and its unions to Locals 506 and 618 of the UE! Your fight is our fight.”

Earlier this year, the Chicago-based labor television show Labor Beat posted their 1997 documentary about the cross-border mural project organized by UE and our Mexican partners the Frente Auténtico del Trabajo (FAT) on YouTube:

The documentary, which runs approximately half an hour, follows the creation of two labor murals, one at the FAT headquarters in Mexico City, the other at the UE Hall in Chicago. In April 1997, U.S. muralist Mike Alewitz painted the Mexico City mural, entitled “Sindicalismo Sin Fronteras / Unions Without Borders,” which incorporates images of working-class heroes from both countries. Later that year, Mexican muralist Daniel Manrique Arias, a major voice in Mexican art and the foremost exponent of the neighborhood-based movement Tepito Arte Aca painted “Hands in Solidarity — Hands of Freedom / Manos Solidarias — Manos Libres” on an outside wall of the UE Hall in Chicago. Manrique was assisted by three young muralists from the Chicago Public Arts Group, which co-sponsored the project.

The project was an initiative of the pioneering cross-border Strategic Organizing Alliance between UE and the FAT. In the film, both muralists, along with UE Director of International Labor Affairs Robin Alexander, talk about the painting of the murals and the importance of international solidarity.

If you enjoy the video, please consider making a donation to support UE’s ongoing international solidarity work.

Economic conditions have sent workers in numerous sectors on strike across the United Kingdom for the past several months, culminating in a February 1 strike of over 500,000 workers, including teachers, civil servants, and university and railroad workers. During the day of industrial action, union leaders delivered petitions signed by more than a quarter of a million people demanding that the government withdraw its anti-strike legislation.

The new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is a conservative who is attempting to slash spending instead of investing in essential public-sector workers. His conservative parliament has introduced legislation that, if passed, would curtail the right to strike for many sectors, requiring unions to send members across their own picket lines upon pain of workers being fired and the unions being sued.

From the railroad and postal sectors, to healthcare and education, workers across the country have been out on picket lines demanding higher wages that keep pace with inflation that has caused prices to rise more than 11 percent over the past year. UE ally Unite the Union represents many striking workers in the public sector, such as the National Health Service, as well as in the private sector, such as workers at Wabtec facilities that also went on strike last summer. More strikes are expected in various sectors throughout February.

In Israel, parliamentary elections in November resulted in a change of prime minister, but not to a new face: Benjamin Netanyahu resumed the post, as part of a coalition agreement with a far-right party. The new government poses a threat to the rights of Palestinians, including for Palestinian workers to advocate for humane working conditions. Our union partner, MAAN, which organizes both Palestinians and Israelis, has referred to this as “an extreme rightwing government.” In their statement on the election, MAAN calls “for the joint building of one democratic state that can provide an alternative to the violent and destructive reality that has been feeding from years of occupation and injustice.”

The world’s attention was on two other events in the Middle East last fall, both with implications for workers’ rights: COP27 and the World Cup. The UN’s Conference of Parties in Egypt continued on-going conversations about addressing climate change but in a location where the right to free speech is severely curtailed. While IndustriALL and some other union organizations had a presence at the event to demand that a just transition for workers be a part of planning for the changing climate, there was little meaningful movement at the conference.

A few weeks later, the World Cup was held in Qatar, where more than 6,500 workers died to build the stadiums, hotels and other facilities used for the games. Some unions and human rights organizations highlighted problems with work permits that amounted to indentured servitude and unsafe working and living conditions for the migrant workforce. The Qatari government attempted to say their labor laws have been reformed, but they also refused to comment on specific allegations of unsanitary conditions and have tried to cover up worker deaths.

Unfortunately, the Qatari labor conditions have bled into allegations of corruption among officials in the European Union, and at least one international labor leader. Luca Visentini was elected to lead as General Secretary the International Trade Union Confederation (UE is not an affiliate) in November. In December, Visentini was arrested on corruption allegations. He has admitted to taking €50,000 in cash from an NGO funded by Qatar. He also happens to be one of the labor leaders who said Qatar had improved their workers’ rights. Though Visentini has denied that he did anything wrong, many of UE’s international allies are outraged that he would tarnish the reputation of international unions and confederations that are trying to improve working conditions.

Meanwhile, in Japan, the government announced revisions to its “national security strategy,” which include a huge increase in military spending that would put them third behind the U.S. and China. UE’s ally Zenroren released a statement condemning a military buildup, which contradicts the Japanese constitution’s prohibition on maintaining a standing offensive military. Zenroren committed to “help people raise the call from all over the country for policies for better livelihoods and not for arms buildup. [Zenroren] works to develop a major movement to win political change to defend peace and livelihoods.”

In South Korea, UE ally the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is facing attacks reminiscent of the Cold War-era attacks on the UE in the United States. Just as democratically-elected UE leaders were accused of being Soviet agents in the late 1940s and 50s, South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol is accusing KCTU of meeting with North Korean spies — and the South Korean intelligence agency raided the KCTU offices in January. KCTU has condemned the raids as an effort to suppress the labor movement and promised to “struggle against the violence of the Yoon Suk-yeol regime.”

Finally, in France, workers across the country in at least 200 towns and cities walked off the job on Thursday, January 19, to protest plans announced by Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. UE’s trade union ally CGT united with other unions to shut down large parts of the country, impacting everything from public schools to train transportation, and from shipping to public television and radio broadcasts. The CGT estimated that 1.8 million people participated across the country, with 800,000 of them in Paris. It is unclear if the retirement age legislation can pass the French parliament.

On October 30, Brazilian voters elected former metalworkers’ union leader (and former two-term president) Luiz Inácio da Silva, popularly known simply as “Lula,” as president. Lula defeated incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally who during his four years in office attacked unions, encouraged violence against opponents, and oversaw massive deforestation of the Amazon rainforests — hastening climate change and putting the entire world at risk.

In a statement released after the victory, the union federation Central Unica dos Trabalhadores (CUT) called the election a “victory of hope” over “fear, coercion and corporate electoral harassment,” and over those who tolerate and encourage “violence as a method of doing politics.” In a congratulatory letter to the CUT, who have been a close UE ally for decades, UE’s officers wrote that “This is a huge victory for the working class in Brazil and around the world. Indeed it is a success for retaining our democracies and any chance of mitigating climate change.”

In his victory speech, Lula declared that “the majority of the Brazilian people made it clear that they want more democracy, not less. … [I]t is this democracy that we will seek to build every day of our government. With economic growth distributed among the entire population, because this is how the economy should work — as an instrument to improve the lives of all, and not to perpetuate inequalities.”

Coup Fears

The election — during which Lula consistently led in the polls — was marked by fears that Bolsonaro, who during his presidency regularly expressed nostalgia for the days of Brazil’s military dictatorship, would refuse to accept the results and engineer a coup.

These fears were exacerbated by the violent actions of Bolsonaro’s supporters. Leading up to the election, a personal friend of Bolsonaro’s threw grenades and opened fire on police, and an allied congresswoman pulled a gun near a Lula rally.

Perhaps more ominous were the actions of employers and the federal highway police. Over 2,500 complaints of bosses trying to coerce their workers into voting for Bolsonaro were filed with the Public Ministry of Labor. In areas where Lula was known to have widespread support, the federal highway police blocked roads and conducted vehicle searches in what many international observers considered to be a clear attempt to suppress the vote.

Following the election, Bolsonaro’s supporters began violent blockades of highways and, in some cases, calling for a military coup.

As of Tuesday, Bolsonaro has begun the process of transferring power to his successor, but notably, he did not concede defeat, saying that the blockades were the fruits of “indignation and a sense of injustice.” Political risk analyst Andre Cesar told Reuters that Bolsonaro “is keeping his more extremist followers mobilized,” and analyst Leonardo Barreto predicted that Bolsonaro will seek to copy Trump’s playbook, repeating false claims that the election was stolen.

On October 30, Brazilian voters elected former metalworkers’ union leader (and former two-term president) Luiz Inácio da Silva, popularly known simply as “Lula,” as president. Lula defeated incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally who during his four years in office attacked unions, encouraged violence against opponents, and oversaw massive deforestation of the Amazon rainforests — hastening climate change and putting the entire world at risk.

In a statement released after the victory, the union federation Central Unica dos Trabalhadores (CUT) called the election a “victory of hope” over “fear, coercion and corporate electoral harassment,” and over those who tolerate and encourage “violence as a method of doing politics.” In a congratulatory letter to the CUT, who have been a close UE ally for decades, UE’s officers wrote that “This is a huge victory for the working class in Brazil and around the world. Indeed it is a success for retaining our democracies and any chance of mitigating climate change.”

In his victory speech, Lula declared that “the majority of the Brazilian people made it clear that they want more democracy, not less. … [I]t is this democracy that we will seek to build every day of our government. With economic growth distributed among the entire population, because this is how the economy should work — as an instrument to improve the lives of all, and not to perpetuate inequalities.”

Coup Fears

The election — during which Lula consistently led in the polls — was marked by fears that Bolsonaro, who during his presidency regularly expressed nostalgia for the days of Brazil’s military dictatorship, would refuse to accept the results and engineer a coup.

These fears were exacerbated by the violent actions of Bolsonaro’s supporters. Leading up to the election, a personal friend of Bolsonaro’s threw grenades and opened fire on police, and an allied congresswoman pulled a gun near a Lula rally.

Perhaps more ominous were the actions of employers and the federal highway police. Over 2,500 complaints of bosses trying to coerce their workers into voting for Bolsonaro were filed with the Public Ministry of Labor. In areas where Lula was known to have widespread support, the federal highway police blocked roads and conducted vehicle searches in what many international observers considered to be a clear attempt to suppress the vote.

Following the election, Bolsonaro’s supporters began violent blockades of highways and, in some cases, calling for a military coup.

As of Tuesday, Bolsonaro has begun the process of transferring power to his successor, but notably, he did not concede defeat, saying that the blockades were the fruits of “indignation and a sense of injustice.” Political risk analyst Andre Cesar told Reuters that Bolsonaro “is keeping his more extremist followers mobilized,” and analyst Leonardo Barreto predicted that Bolsonaro will seek to copy Trump’s playbook, repeating false claims that the election was stolen.

Lula’s Legacy of Struggle

By contrast, the 77-year-old Lula has spent his entire life fighting for the working class, as a union and political leader.

In the 1980s, Brazilian workers played a key role in bringing down the military dictatorship that had ruled the country since 1964. They built one of the world’s strongest and most dynamic labor movements, the CUT, and organized an independent, working-class party, the Workers’ Party (known by its Portuguese initials, “PT”).

Lula emerged as one of the most important leaders of this struggle, leading strikes in defiance of the dictatorship and spending time in jail as a consequence. He led the PT during Brazil’s transition to democracy in the 80s, ensuring that strong worker protections were written into the country’s new democratic constitution.

In 2002, Lula was elected President of Brazil. During his two terms (2003-2010), his pro-worker economic policies helped significantly raise living standards for working people throughout the country. The PT administration re-industrialized the country, creating 15 million jobs and turning the country into an economic powerhouse. They also reduced child labor, empowered women, raised the minimum wage, increased real wages by 53 percent, and reduced unemployment.

In order to address Brazil’s high levels of hunger, poverty and inequality, Lula’s administration created an innovative social-welfare program – the Bolsa Familia – which provided 47 million Brazilians with assistance meeting basic health and educational needs. In 2010, the Washington Post reported that “[u]nder Lula … more than 20 million people rose out of acute poverty.”

Brazil’s economy under Lula was much less susceptible to the 2008 economic crash caused by Wall Street speculation than the “casino capitalist” economy of the U.S. under George W. Bush, and Lula pursued an ambitious foreign policy program based on diplomacy and economic cooperation. By the end of his second term he was one of the most popular politicians in the world.

Legislative Coup and Imprisonment on False Charges

Brazil’s constitution prohibits a sitting president from running for a third consecutive term, and in 2010 Workers’ Party candidate Dilma Rousseff became Brazil’s first woman president, with Lula’s backing. Rousseff was re-elected in 2014, but at the end of 2015 Brazil’s corporate and military elite saw an opportunity to reverse the gains working people had made over the past decade and a half by impeaching Rousseff, in a questionable move that UE’s General Executive Board condemned as a coup. (The newly-installed president, Michel Temer, was later revealed to be a U.S. “intelligence asset”; not surprisingly, his government was immediately recognized by the Obama administration. After the coup he pushed through a series of changes to Brazilian labor law that weakened unions, encouraged outsourcing and weakened protections on working hours.)

In the 2018 elections, Lula was leading in the polls when he was convicted and jailed on corruption charges (which he denied, and of which he was cleared in 2019). UE’s officers pointed out at the time that “In all of the judicial proceedings concerning his alleged illegal acts there was no evidence that he acted unlawfully or that he or his family profited from his position as President.” Private messages leaked in June of 2019 documented that Lula’s prosecution and conviction were politically motivated and that the judge who convicted him worked closely with prosecutors to help them obtain a conviction.

Nonetheless, the conviction made him ineligible to run for office, and he spent 19 months in prison until it was annulled by the Brazilian Supreme Court.

With the still-popular Lula out of the way, Bolsonaro — a right-wing populist who promised to combat corruption — swept into office. (While there is no evidence that Lula or Rousseff were personally corrupt, according to a nonprofit called Transparência Brasil, 60 percent of Brazil’s federal legislators at the time of Rousseff’s impeachment had been convicted or were under investigation for corruption at the time. Not surprisingly, once in office Bolsonaro made little attempt to challenge corruption.)

Challenges Ahead

In their statement, the CUT notes that “In this new period … we will have enormous challenges ahead.” Reaffirming their independence and autonomy from the government, the labor federation pledged to be in the forefront of struggles to reclaim rights taken away under the Bolsonaro government, end discrimination and expand democracy.

In their letter to the CUT, UE’s officers express their “hope that the next few weeks remain peaceful in your country and you can have a smooth transition of power. As we know in the U.S., that is not a foregone conclusion.”

They conclude, “We offer our continued solidarity as you begin the work of rebuilding after the tumultuous last several years. We look forward to standing alongside you to fight against our bosses for a better world for workers.”