Campaign for a Living Wage Newsletter, Wednesday Feb 17th 2010
Poli,poli,poli, Politician?
Can you make a right decision?”
Key admits he couldn’t survive on the Minimum Wage!
 Living Wage campaigners debated John Key when they were collecting signatures at the Big Gay Out last weekend.
When Joe asked him to sign the petition for $15 ph min wage, Key replied:
"If I did that, 8000 workers would lose their jobs".
"What, on top of the 168,000 who've lost them already on your watch?"
We then asked the Prime Minister what he would say to a young worker, trying to survive on $420 a week, and could he personally survive on it? "No, I don't think I could" he laughed, before ambling away. TV3 news caught the moment on camera (view here).
This answer is not good enough, and adds insult to injury after last week’s pathetic 25 cents on the minimum wage. If John thinks he couldn’t personally survive on a low income, why should it be a laughing matter for half a million of his fellow citizens? Happily, thousands of people at the BGO disagreed with him, and signed the petition! This politician can’t make the right decision- now we want to bypass his government and let the people decide- and the next 10 weeks are going to be HARD OUT on fight to win enough signatures for the Referendum.
In from the Cold!
TVNZ7 News at Eight studio interview
Normally, low paid workers and our Unions are interviewed out on the streets in the wind and the cold, shouting to be heard, whilst the bosses and the Government are filmed in their plush, warm offices. Well, this week, we turned the tables, and took the Living Wage message inside TVNZ studios! View it here.
Phil Goff, Kora and thousands of other new supporters sign on for a Living Wage
Congrats to Phil who signed the petition on Waitangi Day in Manakau! Everybody who voted Labour should follow his example ;)
Kora support the fight
Marcus signs them up on Waitangi Day
“Poli,poli,poli, Politician? Can you make the right decision? For all of us?”
View the music video here on you tube.
Kora are a band well loved for their rocking fusion of reggae, dance and hard metal riffs, but they’ve also got a deep love for the people on Struggle Street, expressed through their lyrics and their support for the Living Wage campaign. They join other supporting musicians such as King Kapisi, radical hip hoppers Shine Forum, Mark Wiliams aka SLAVE from Fat Freddys Drop, Bjorn Peterson from the Opensouls, American revolutionaries Dead Prez and British rockers Muse on Marcus’s Working Class Cultural Heroes list! Look out for a big Living Wage event coming soon brought to you by some of the above.
The fight spreads nationwide!
Whangarei
 20 people attended the picket outside National MP Phil Heatley's Whangarei office. Good support from Green Party. Representatives of the Tertiary Education Union present, plus other local activists. People attended because they supported an increase to the minimum wage, but were also very angry that GST was going up. The linking of these issues was decisive in the reasonable turn out for an action in Whangarei - the great placards linked the two. Lots of toots in support from people going past on a busy main road.
The local paper, The Northern Advocate, carried a story on the Friday about the picket, including quotes from protest organiser Vaughan Gunson from Socialist Worker and local Green Party spokesperson Paul Doherty. Vaughan did an interview for a local radio station the day after, and Monday's Northern Advocate had a photo of the picket and short article
 Palmerston North
It seems Palmy is the only city inthe country without a National Party office but they still took to The Square to gather signatures for the petition. A 'light' Manawatu breeze made keeping the placards and petitions under control a challenge but the dozen collectors managed well over 100 signatures before the rain began. The real payoff was on Monday, however, when the Manawatu Standard made the minimum wage campaign the banner headline article on the front page, complete with photo.
Read the full article here.
Hamilton
A dozen activists put a noisy information picket outside National MP for Hamilton East David Bennett’s office as part of the February 13 national day of action against increasing GST and in support of the living wage campaign. The protest was met with a lot of support from the public. Living Wage stalls are held each weekend at either Frankton or Huntly markets, and at other public events. Contact Jared on 029-4949-863 to get involved.
Christchurch
 About a dozen of us gathered outside National MP Nicky Wagner's office in Chch at ten on the morning. When we arrived, we found a note from Nicky Wagner apologizing that she couldn't be there to meet us, and saying she would come by and see us at 11 or so! We protested away, got a lot of toots from passing traffic. A television camera turned up and filmed us for the TVNZ national roundup. Duly around 11, Nicky turned up. Some of us had very civilized conversations with her, (she claimed to agree with us) and the protest broke up shortly after. A group of about 8 of us went into the South City Mall afterwards to get signatures on the petition. Most of us got kicked out by security, but we got quite a few signatures in the meantime!
Auckland Central - Nikki Kay protest
 There was a good turn out at the protests in Auckland, with about 40 people from Unite, the Greens, Labour and other unions and left wing groups. “25 cents? Won’t make a dent! 25 cents? Won’t pay the rent!” was the new chant of the day, as Unite leader Matt McCarten, Labour MP Jacinda Adern and Socialist Aotearoa’s Marcus Coverdale condemned National Party’s attacks on the working poor, and called for the Left and the unions to mobilize like never before to get the next 200,000 signatures we need before May 7th. Earlier, a boisterous protest left the centre of Henderson for Paula Bennett’s office, where Disability rights campaigner Nicola Owen, Labour MP Darien Fenton and Unite Waitakare Beneficiaries Campaigner Janet Bogle condemned the GST tax increases as an attack on the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
Dunedin
 A small group of 25-30 people braved torrential rain and gale force winds to come out in support of a living wage last Saturday, as part of a national day of action. While the weather drove the crowds expected at the annual Thieves Alley market inside, members of Labour and the Greens, local activists from the International Socialists and concerned workers collected over 400 petition signatures and marched together onthe local offices of National party MP. Working for nothing really sucks; what do we want? 15 bucks! and 25 cents wont pay the rent echoed across the Octagon and down Princess St, gaining steady toots of support from passing cars and smiles from supportive pedestrians.
Differences in political views were put aside in the face of a common interest - a fair deal for all workers. Speakers from the ISO described how raising the minimum wage not only meant a better standard of living for workers, but actually acted to stabilise an inherently unstable economic system; about the growing gap between the rich and the poor; and recent attempts by the National government to make workers pay for tax cuts for the rich through higher GST.
Greens party leader Metiria Turei spoke about how the minimum wage now lies below the threshold for a decent standard of living; how raising wages eases the burden on social assistance and frees funds for better healthcare and education services as well as for environmental projects. Supporters as young as 14 spoke on the devastating effect of poverty wages witnessed first-hand while living in the United States.
 Students Rising Up!
Unite Clubs on Campuses
We are hitting the main Uni and poly campuses over March. There are 200,000 students and we aim to get 50,000+ to sign. We also want to set up Unite Clubs on campuses to help the campaign but also to build a base amongst students who are pro union and pro worker.
For the first week we want a table up to recruit students into a club and get petitions signed.
In the second week we have a meeting of these students, form club and set plan to visit each class to circulate petition. We’ll need electoral enrolment forms too. By the end of March we are aiming to have passed 200,000 names!
We are looking at Clubs in UoA, AUT, UNITEC, Victoria, Otago, Canterbury, Waikato, WIT, Rotorua, MIT, Massey, Albany etc. If you want to help set up a Unite Club on your campus- please contact Joe at 029 44 55 702 or email joseph@unite.org.nz
New Campaign URLs
http://www.unite.org.nz/livingwage
http://www.unite.org.nz/working_class_hero
http://www.unite.org.nz/livingwage_subscribe
http://www.unite.org.nz/livingwage_news
and our facebook group is now closing in on 2,700 members! This makes us one of the biggest active campaigns on FB in New Zealand. There’s a lot of debate, pictures and video going up here- invite all your workmates and friends to join here.
See you next week
Solidarity
Joe
Campaigns Officer,
Campaign for a Living Wage
Phone/text: 029 44 55 702 or email:joseph@unite.org.nz
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Upcoming events in Auckland
Thursday 18th Feb- 5.30pm-8.30pm, VECTOR ARENA- Faith No More
Friday 19th Feb- 5.30pm-8.30pm, MUSIC IN THE ZOO, Auckland Zoo Entrance
Sat 20th Feb- 9.30am -2.30pm Chinese and Korean New Years Festival, Northcote Shopping Centre
Sun 21st Feb- 1.30pm-6pm, HIP HOP LIVES HERE with King Kapisi, Henderson Park, cnr Lincoln Rd & Great North Rd, Waitakare
Last weeks results
Week Ending 12/02/2010
Solar Series - Mt Eden: 890
Manukau - Waitangi Day: 1210
John Pollard: 8
Green Party CHCH: 20
Marie Wilton: 16
Theresa Luxton: 10
KellyThurston: 16
Incoming Mail: 128
YWRC Hamilton: 62
Unite - WGTN: 1700
Unite - Dunedin: 500
Unite - Hamilton: 280
Unite - Chch: 150
Luana - Greens Hero: 30
TOTAL: 5,020
plus another 1,020 at the Big Gay Out!
Solidarity to other unions joining us in the fight
We’d like to make a special mention this week to the many pledges of reinforcements and support pouring in from other union leaders and activists at the moment. Much Mana to the comrades in MUNZ, the EPMU and the SFWU for amazing coverage in your Union magazines, and ultimate respect to organizers in the NDU, NZNO, NZEI, PPTA and TEU who are systematically harvesting signatures in all their sites .
The Unions united, will never be defeated!
Get in touch with the $15 campaign
Send a text to 029 445 5702 or email to sign up as a working class hero.
 Join the campaign on facebook and become Living Wage's friend.
Forward this email to your friends and get them to sign up for the newsletter - just use [FORWARD].
 Follow Unite and the campaign on twitter.
 Put the $15 an hour web banner on your website or blog - click here.
Order a bulk order of badges (30 cents each) and T-shirts ($15 each) from the Unite office - click here.
Download the petition here .
Click here for more campaign information.
Joe wants you!
 Community activist, teacher and Unite union delegate Joe Carolan is leading the $15 an hour campaign full time. He brings a wealth of experience in social justice movements in Ireland and Aotearoa. If you want to be a Working Class Hero then email him here , text 029 44 55 702 or become Living Wage's friend on Facebook.
WHANGAREI
Contact Vaughan- 021 041 5082, email: svpl@xtra.co.nz
AUCKLAND
Contact Joe – 029 4455702, email: joseph@unite.org.nz
HAMILTON
Contact Jared- 029 494 9863 email: jared@unite.org.nz
COROMANDEL and THAMES
Contact Levi- 027 7746 278, email: whukoro@yahoo.co.nz
ROTORUA
Contact Bernie- email: bernieh@clear.net.nz ,
07 345 9853
PALMERSTON NORTH
Contact Gerard- email: gerard@unite.org.nz ,
06 3297 737
WELLINGTON
Contact Omar on 029 455 5789, email: omar@unite.org.nz. The Wellington crew operate their own e loop 15dollarwgtn and regular stalls in different areas and events
CHRISTCHURCH
Contact Matt - 029 201 3837 email: matthew@unite.org.nz
DUNEDIN
Contact Chris- 027 781 0371, email: mr_matahaere@hotmail.com
Contact Unite
Website: www.unite.org.nz
National Office
phone: 0800 2 UNITE
Fax: 09 846 9509
email: support@unite.org.nz
postal address:
PO Box 7175
Wellesley St
Auckland |
