Showing posts with label FMPR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FMPR. Show all posts

Monday, August 19, 2019

President of Puerto Rico Teacher Union Resigns Over Conflict of Interest

There's a long history of the relationship between the various versions of the Puerto Rico Teachers Union over the past 15 years. There are two versions - the FMPR - the left - which pulled the PR union out of the AFT over a decade ago -- we covered that story extensively and over the years Ed Notes has been a political supported of the leaders of the FMPR through my old UFT colleague and pal, Angel Gonzalez.

Naturally Randi was vexed by the FMPR which came under severe attacks by the government of PR - and eventually was decertified which opened the door for the Randi/AFT friendly AMPR to become the official union in PR, a story we also covered extensively.

For links just search Ed Notes for FMPR -- there are probably dozens of articles. Here is one I posted 
Wednesday, November 25, 2015

MORE Supports Puerto Rican Teachers Union, Links to Backstory

Angel Gonzalez (left ), Lisa North, FMPR Pres. Rafael Feliciano at forum c. 2011
ICE, GEM and now MORE have been supporting the FMPR for over a decade, since they bolted from the AFT - they sued but lost and the FMPR won and withdrew 40,000 AFT members.We established contact with the FMPR through NYC teacher Angel Gonzalez who worked with ICE and then helped found GEM. His good friend, FMPR President Rafael Feliciano,  made a number of visits to speak at meetings and events. (We had some quotes from him in our movie.) It's been a long story, too complicated to tell now. I'm proud that MORE is contributing $200 to the support of the FMPR.
See also Dissent: Puerto Rico Remade
{https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/puerto-rico-remade}

Below is an article Angel sent me in Spanish that I used google to translate, followed by the AFT Randi praise of Aida Diaz.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Hang With MORE and Puerto Rico Teacher Union Leaders After Today's UFT Delegate Assembly

There's a lot of skulduggery around the relationship between the AFT/UFT and the FMPR, which was once the major teacher union in Puerto Rico. The FMPR pulled out of the AFT and then was sued by the AFT, which lost the suit. That's the skinny. I had been working on a comprehensive blog to explain it all but got distracted over the past 10 days, so that will have to wait. But looking forward to hanging out tonight with the leaders of the FMPR.
Norm (I'm starting to sign some of my stuff since some readers think my name is ed notes.)

FMPR Panel for tonight - following DA


Dark Horse Pub

17 Murray St - downtown NYC

Down the block from City Hall

6pm meet and mingle

6:30 discussion

Our Federacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico panel:

Mercedes Martinez the President of FMPR, is a ESL teacher with a bachelor's degree in general arts from the Social Sciences Faculty and a bachelor's in ESL. she has 39 graduate credits in ESL. A teacher in the DOE since 2007 and immediately joined the FMPR. Participated in all the strikes, protests and activities in our union. Mercedes created a bond and organized parents throughout the years in defense of public education, fighting against school closures. She mobilized teachers, against labor injustices committed by the DOE and has prevailed through many struggles.

Edwin Morales, Vice President of FMPR, has a a bachelors degree in Economy from the University of Puerto Rico and is currently finishing his master's degree. He joined the DOE in 2009 as a Math teacher, and the FMPR the same year. He was the representative from our Area II, which includes 7 cities in our country. He has led fights against school closures in San Lorenzo and prevailed. Edwin has been involved in all of our struggles in defense of public education. He led the boycott with other teachers in his school against standardized testing where 65% of the total of the students participated in the opt out movement.

Ana Guzman is the current Secretary-Treasurer of the FMPR. She has a bachelor's degree in sociology, and a master's degree in ESL. She joined the DOE in 2002 and the FMPR in 2004. She has occupied different rank and file positions in our union, as secretary of the Local Union of Carolina. Ana participated actively in all of our strikes, protests, and activities and has led a massive boycott of the standardized tests in her High School, for two years, where the participation of the students in all subjects evaluated has been under 45%. This has been possible due to her work with parents and students, explaining to them why we oppose to such tests.

Moderated by Mike Schirtzer- Social Studies teacher and UFT delegate from Goldstein HS in Brooklyn. He has been in MORE since it's founding, elected to the first steering committee, and organized the struggle to protect our immigrant youth in front of Chancellor Farina. He also led the fight against the last contract ; holding forums, organizing protests, and writing widely circulated articles. Mike helped form the high school committee of MORE which resulted in winning the high school division of the UFT. MORE/New Action now has 7 seats on the UFT Executive Board, with Mike being one of the elected representatives.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

MORE Supports Puerto Rican Teachers Union, Links to Backstory

Angel Gonzalez (left - no kidding), Lisa North, FMPR Pres. Rafael Feliciano at forum c. 2011

ICE, GEM and now MORE have been supporting the FMPR for over a decade, since they bolted from the AFT - they sued but lost and the FMPR won and withdrew 40,000 AFT members.We established contact with the FMPR through NYC teacher Angel Gonzalez who worked with ICE and then helped found GEM. His good friend, FMPR President Rafael Feliciano,  made a number of visits to speak at meetings and events. (We had some quotes from him in our movie.) It's been a long story, too complicated to tell now. I'm proud that MORE is contributing $200 to the support of the FMPR.

There are few unions in North America which has as proud a tradition of struggle as the Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico. The FMPR, after battling for autonomy from the AFT, lead a 2008 strike that, among other things, kept the island free of charter schools.

FMPR marcha

This week, the FMPR (along with other teacher organizations) helped lead a massive one day strike, protesting austerity and privatization and the territory’s education “reform” plan in the context of its debt crisis.  They are in the course of rebuilding their organization after a series of attacks, including government decertification, raids by SEIU, and firing of its executive committee from their jobs as teachers.  MORE is proud to announce that we are supporting the FMPR in its fundraising drive with a $200 contribution, even though we are in the midst of our own fundraising campaign for the UFT elections.

Please consider making your own contribution and circulating this fundraising letter to your coworkers and fellow unionists.  This is an important effort to build concrete solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are examples of the kind of struggles that we need to wage in order to win.

FMPR viejo san juan

Check can be sent to:
Federación de Maestros de PR
Urb. El Caribe
1572 Ave. Ponce de León
San Juan, P.R. 00926-2710

¡La Lucha Sigue!



(FMPR) and the AFT - Ed Notes Online

ednotesonline.blogspot.com/.../puerto-rican-teachers-union-fmpr-and.ht...
Feb 24, 2008 - Then there's the role SEIU and Dennis Rivera is playing to undermine the FMPR: - (with the AFT cheering?) by organizing a rival union (the ...

Defend FMPR Teachers Union!

www.icl-fi.org/english/wv/910/fmpr.html
Mar 14, 2008 - Defend FMPR Teachers Union! Pro-Imperialist SEIU, AFT Tops Knife Puerto Rico Strikers. MARCH 11—The Federación de Maestros de Puerto ...

AFT maneuver defeated - SocialistWorker.org

socialistworker.org/2005.../557_15_PuertoRico.shtm...
SocialistWorker.org
Sep 16, 2005 - In September 2004, the FMPR's assembly of delegates voted democratically to disaffiliate from the AFT, declaring their independence. The AFT ...

LaborNet: Online Communications for a Democratic Labor ...

www.labornet.org/news/0605/puerico.htm
Puerto Rican teachers protest AFT hearings in San Juan. Special To Labornet ... The AFT is seeking to put the FMPR in trusteeship. "Chupa cuotas" on one of ...

Puerto Rico's teachers battling takeover by U.S. union

www.workers.org/2005/world/puerto-rico-0721/
Workers World Party
Jul 15, 2005 - The Puerto Rico Teachers Federation (FMPR, its Spanish initials) was ... in Puerto Rico, representing 43,000 teachers—under AFT trusteeship.

Puerto Rican teachers' union fights takeover - Liberation News

https://www.liberationnews.org/05-09-01-puerto-rican-teachers-union-fi...
Sep 1, 2005 - The FMPR is the largest labor union in Puerto Rico, representing 43,000 ... Shortly after its foundation, the FMPR joined the AFT based on ...

SEIU to Raid Union Representing 40000 Teachers in Puerto ...

labornotes.org/.../seiu-raid-union-representing-40000-teache...
Labor Notes
Jan 29, 2008 - Rivera further stated that he could not envision FMPR affiliating with SEIU because FMPR had disaffiliated from AFT. During the contract fight, ...

Puerto Rican Teachers Fight for Union Democracy | Labor ...

www.labornotes.org/.../puerto-rican-teachers-fight-union-de...
Labor Notes
Jun 30, 2005 - At a disaffiliation assembly in September 2004, more than 60 percent of FMPR voted to leave the AFT. In response, the International has been ...

Friday, June 17, 2011

CORE/Chicago Party Tonight to Support the Puerto Rican Teachers Union

We've been reporting on the situation in Puerto Rico for years - just search FMPR on this blog for loads of background.

The union, led by Rafael Feliciano who has led them valiantly, is under unprecedented attack. It gives you one idea of why the UFT/AFT leadership are so afraid to fight back - their cushy positions would be threatened. Rafi pulled the FMPR out of the AFT back in 2003 calling them blood-sucking something or others (I don't speak Spanish). He is an amazing guy and we had him here at a GEM meeting and got some great footage of him for our film - he has one of the funniest lines.

We are all chipping in to bring him to Chicago for our big conference on July 6 and if you are interested in helping out send a check to Ed Notes, Inc. 518 Beach 134 St. Belle Harbor, NY 11694 - indicate it is for that reason. If you want to send a check to support our movie expenses (4000 dvds and mailing costs have put us thousands in the hole send it to the same place - just say what it is for.)

Rafael Feliciano (right), GEM co-founder Angel Gonzalez and GEM/ICE Lisa North
FROM CORE

A CORE Party to Support the Puerto Rican Teachers Union as they Face Unprecedented Attacks
On Friday, June 17th, CORE is having a party to help the president of the  Puerto Rican Teachers Union pay for his plane ticket to Chicago. This is so that Rafael Feliciano and another teacher from the island can come to our National Teachers Conference on July 6th (register if you haven’t already).  It is also Sara Chambers’ 25th bday (quarter life crisis), and we will be grilling boca burgers, meat patties and hot dogs.

We will be having some extreme four square matches, which you probably haven’t experienced since elementary school.  Spirits will be provided but donation is encouraged.

The party is located at 1229 N Bosworth Ave (Milwaukee and Division).  The party will run from 4:30pm-Late.


Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

NYCORE Conference: Whose Schools? Our Schools! Bill Ayers' Keynote

Taped on March 26, 2011



Watch directly on vimeo if video plays slowly here:

NYCORE Conference: Whose Schools? Our Schools! Bill Ayers' Keynote from Grassroots Education Movement on Vimeo.

Also check out:

FMPR & UPR NYC Forum of Mar 18 youtubes

Posted by: "Angel Gonzalez" gee.lee21@verizon.net   gee.lee21

Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:49 am (PDT)

For Youtube Videos on:
The FMPR and UPR Forum at Resurrection Church, South Bronx of March 16, 2011

part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAP-fv87RBU&feature=player_embedded
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAP-fv87RBU&feature=player_embedded
part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti8NsTY1YDk&feature=player_embedded

Angel F Gonzalez

Puerto Rico - Solidarity Network
http://prsolidarity.blogspot.com/

For PR & NYC School Struggles -
Go to my Youtube Account: Pitirrefili

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Why Won't Unity/UFT/AFT Leaders Fight Back? See Puerto Rico and Wisconsin

A union can't mount a rigorous battle unless it is a democratic union.
NOTE: Come and meet Puerto Rico Teacher union (FMPR) President Rafael Feliciano when he will be in NYC in about a week to 10 days - look for more info at ed notes
ACLU-PR Director Ramirez anti-police-UPR-terror event in NYC

I am constantly asked why Randi Weingarten and Michael Mulgrew - or MulGarten - won't put up a fierce battle to stop closing schools and the invasion of the charters in order to defend teachers and public education. Recent events give us some insight into the power of government over unions and how they treat "good (cooperative)" and "bad" (fightback) unions.

In Wisconsin we are seeing an attempt to totally scuttle unions whether good or bad by removing collective bargaining rights, forcing a union election every year and taking away dues checkoff. Less drastic but certainly moving in that direction is what we see here in NYC with a massive attack on the basic protections teachers have with tenure and last in first out.

As we've been reporing, instead of a rigorous defense of LIFO (Why Won't Mulgrew Defend LIFO?), MulGarten has punted, talking about how we should tax Wall Street. Now this is certainly a move in an interesting direction for the union, which has always avoided attacking the bastions of the rich because, as staunch supporters of capitalism, they wanted to keep class warfare off the table. I remember writing about it the spring of 2008 (months before the big crash) when on the day the UFT held a rally at City Hall begging for a few hundred million in the restoration of ed funds, Bear Sterns - just a few blocks away - was being bailed out with billions.

Not one mention was made of the connection between the funneling of massive monies into private hands and the ed deform movement that purposely talks about "teacehr quality" as the key while disparaging solutions like class size reduction that might actually make a difference. (From the first time I heard Randi Weingarten sign on to this TQ idea I told her she was leading us down a slippery slope that has turned into a free fall.)

In order to fightback a union requires an informed membership and a democratic structure that makes everyone feel they have a real stake and say in union policy. But opening up to other voices is dangerous for a union leadership like Unity Caucus because it could ultimately threaten their control. So they make the choice to cooperate with the powers that be - to be known as a "good" union - rather than stand and fight.

A union can't mount a rigorous battle unless it is a democratic union.

Now, as you will read below, the governor of Puerto Rico, fed up with a union that has fought him - successfully - at every turn, has taken the drastic step of firing every leader of the FMPR which would  make them ineligible to run the union. This act is even worse than what is happening in Wisconsin, disenfranchising 40,000 teachers in PR.

This after failing to undermine them by removing dues checkoff, running a bogus group from SEIU against them and other tactics. I should report that the FMPR removed itself from the AFT in 2003 (just search this blog for FMPR or Puerto Rico to get a weatlh of articles) because they were paying enormous dues to a national union that wouldn't fight for the workers.

Here's the gory story:
Entire Leadership of Puerto Rican Teachers Federation (FMPR) Fired from their Teaching Positions

Puerto Rican Education Secretary Jesús Rivera Sánchez dismissed the 11 members of the executive committee of the Puerto Rican Teachers Federation (FMPR)  [unaffiliated with US teaching federations] from their teaching posts and blocking them from exercising their profession in public and private systems. 

The teaching licenses of the FMPR leadership were permanently revoked.

The union's president, Rafael Feliciano, together with the ten other dismissed leaders, characterized the measure as repressive and unprecedented, with the goal of destroying the union leadership and intimidating the teachers from struggling against the current administration's plans to privatize the schools and liquidate the teachers' retirement fund.
The struggle against privatization, against labor rights violations, the right to union, the right to strike, freedom of speech and assembly in Puerto Rico needs your solidarity.   The FMPR is an independent democratic social justice justice union that has defied their version of the repressive Taylor Law (Law 45) and have had successful strikes and continuously organizes walk-outs with parents, students and communities against the horrible school conditions. We can not allow colonial Governor Fortuño to destroy the FMPR with fascistic repressive & union-busting measures that serve to escalate the privatization of  public education (Kindergarten to University) and all public services.

Spread the word.  Angel Gonzalez
-----------
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Come Hear a Union President who Does Organize the Teachers!


I was going to go to the Teachers Unite event tonight in Brooklyn and then to Leonie's mayoral control event at Judson Church until I was reminded of this event. Since this is right near the Judson Church I am checking them both out.

The situation in Puerto Rico is very important and I really need to write more about it. The FMPR disaffiliated from the AFT years ago, held a strike, had the governor declare them as no longer the bargaining agent, has SEUI come in and try to undermine them, beat them back, and there's lots more. I had a bunch of posts about them a few months ago with a lot of historical context using some of the stuff from Mike Antonucci's EIA which followed the FMPR/AFT story from its earliest stages. Just search this blog for FMPR to find them.

Tonight at 6:30- 9:30, the leader of the FMPR, Rafael Feliciano, will be speaking at NYU (Silver Bldg, 50 Washington Sq. Room 714. For those who have not heard Rafael Feliciano speak, I would encourage everyone to attend. He is the kind of union leader that builds support and activists from the bottom up. Here in the US we need to hear how that is possible since few of our union leaders follow this path. ICE's Lisa North, chapter leader at PS 3K will also be speaking.

Recently retired NYC teacher Angel Gonzalez has been spearheading the organizing effort here in NYC.

Excerpts selected from an article by Brian Cruz, a rank-and-file member of SEIU Local 1021 in the Bay Area. Oct 31, 2008


PUBLIC SCHOOL teachers in Puerto Rico overwhelmingly voted October 23 to reject representation by the Puerto Rico Teachers Union (SPM)--a union affiliated with the U.S.-based Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Those who voted "no" to the SPM weren't voting against having a union, however. In effect, they were voting in favor of their current union, the Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico (FMPR), which was not allowed on the ballot. The 42-year-old FMPR previously had exclusive rights to represent the teachers. However, the FMPR was decertified by an anti-labor government in January 2008 for voting to go on strike. This created an opening for the SEIU to push its affiliate, the SPM.


The cards seemed stacked against the FMPR. Under Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vilá of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), the Puerto Rican government had been unwilling to agree to a collective bargaining agreement with the teachers. The FMPR sensed an impasse and decided strike for better wages, better conditions at schools for both teachers and students, and a halt to the privatization of the schools through the expansion of charter schools. However, the island's Law 45 prohibits public workers from striking, so the government decertified the FMPR even before the strike began in early February.



More than just a viciously anti-union government was at play here. In the New York Daily News, columnist Juan Gonzalez revealed that Vilá and Dennis Rivera, a top leader of SEIU, had arranged a deal in which SEIU would contribute to Vilá's campaign for re-election if Vilá would support SEIU's attempts to gain representation.


More about the victory at norms notes.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

NYC Teachers Protest SEIU Backstabbers at PR Parade

There's a lot of history here (check the ednotes blog sidebar for links). We got to meet the FMPR president and other strikers at the Radical Math Conference back in April. A key element from our point of view is the FMPR disaffiliation from the AFT in 2004 (I was at the AFT convention in Washington when this all came up sitting at the press table with EIA's Mike Antonucci when he was the first to report on it.) When supporters recently asked the UFT to back the strike, the leadership agreed, after the usual waffling by Randi, who initially said they couldn't do it without asking the AFT first or getting a formal request form FMPR, or something like that. But playing the usual political card of giving ice water in the winter she agreed to a mild resolution "expression of support" – though strikers could burn the reso for fuel.

I was one of the few arguing for a stronger reso that would tie in some of the FMPR/AFT history with SEIU actions and calling on the AFT/UFT (look for a followup post on how they are one and the same) to make overtures to FMPR (I know, it would have been rejected.) But NYC FMPR supporters felt that the strikers would feel better even with this.
But at the last Delegate Assembly, a reso to provide financial support to the 17 teachers who have been fired, was turned down with an Hispanic Unity Caucus member of the Executive Board arguing against supporting the teachers. With SEIU out to remove and independent, militant, left oriented union, and with the AFT/UFT sitting on the sidelines (are they really?) one can't but think that the traditional anti-left, militant AFT/UFT leadership is in essence supporting SEIU by supposedly staying on the sidelines. And by the way, the governor of PR who is trying to destroy FMPR by bringing in SEIU, is a strong Hillary Clinton supporter and was part of her victory in the recent primary. Oh, da woim toins.

June 8, 2008 Puerto Rico Parade

by Angel Gonzalez (NYC teacher)

As the 1199/SEIU Parade Contingent gathered to march today, members of the Puerto Rico Teachers' Federation/FMPR-Support Committee of New York greeted and distributed leaflets denouncing Denis Rivera betrayal of the teachers' and education struggle in Puerto Rico. Buttons calling for FMPR solidarity and a "Stop to the SEIU Raiding" of the FMPR Teachers' union, were well received by many in the 1199/SEIU Parade Contigent. Some 1199SEIU were very receptive and appreciated this information which they learned about for the first time. One marcher said "I have just returned to New York from Puerto Rico and it is an outrage what SEIU is doing to the teachers in Puerto Rico."

Some SEIU members called our leaflets false propaganda and misinformed. But none, including the Marshalls and an 1199 President could not explain exactly what was false about our charges of Denis Rivera's betrayal of the P.R. education struggle and his despicable collusion with the teachers' boss, Governor Acevedo-Vila. This governor brutally repressed a valiant and democratic strike of teachers, parents and students who demanded better school and work conditions -- a struggle that successfully fought against privatization of the public schools and won promises of improvements to wages and schools.

Andy Stern and Denis Rivera demonstrated no solidarity and worker unity with critical and just struggle for P.R. schools and teachers. Instead they were making back-room deals to promote the decertification and sabotage of the FMPR; making such deals to support the corrupt anti-worker Governor in exchange for his support in getting the teachers under the SEIU "dues-sucking" membership. The same riot police that repressed the heroic teachers during their 10 day stike this past March were the same police who were called upon to again repress and brutalize the FMPR teachers who leafletted at last weeks SEIU Convention in PR.

Both PR Parade Gran Marshall Denis Rivera and Gov. Anibal Acevedo - Vila, who hand-in-hand led the parade, were also greeted with our leaflets. Both were denounced as traitors by our members as the parade began.
We again call on members of 1199/SEIU to repudiate Denis Rivera's shameful betrayal and misleadership at their union meetings. Denis Rivera should be held accountable at 1199's Delegate Assembly. He has yet to speak on this issue there.

Attached find pictures of our committee members distributing our buttons and leaflets at the parade today. They were well received by many at the SEIU contingent.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Puerto Rican Teachers Union (FMPR) and the AFT

Updated Sunday, 1pm

This Friday ICE will discuss a resolution for the March 6 Delegate Assembly supporting the striking teachers in Puerto Rico. Watch this closely and you will see how the AFT/UFT and the US labor movement in general collaborate with the government to kill militant movements. (Any UFT/BloomKlein collaboration watchers surprised?)

Check the NYC FMPR support web site here. A recent posting said this:

"The government of Puerto Rico, in collaboration with leaders of several U.S. unions, (e.g. the American Federation of Teachers, SEIU, Change To Win) is attempting to destroy the rising militant and effective organizing efforts of the FMPR to improve educational and teaching conditions on the island and to undermine opposition to President Bush's No Child Left Behind, a privatization program on the island."

The FMPR has successfully fought government attempts to squash the voice of teachers and community in decision-making in Puerto Rico's school system. The FMPR effectively seceded in 2006 from American Federation of Teachers which abysmally failed to crusade for better
conditions while collecting millions in dues money from Puerto Rican teachers.


EIA's Mike Antonucci (caveat - a notable critic of unions often accused of being supported by many anti-union forces but does accurate, though selective reporting) has written about the history of the AFT and FMPR. It looks like in 2003 an opposition caucus won the election with one of the planks being to disaffiliate from the AFT and FMPR has been under attack since then.

(Imagine if some day an opposition won an election in the UFT and the kind of attacks to undermine it that would come from all over the place. Imagine that the AFT would work to undermine the people in power and do anything it could to bring Unity back? Did they play a role like this in Chicago to support Marilyn Stewart against Debbie Lynch?))

There has been some bone of contention as to whether a resolution supporting the PR teachers should contain something about the AFT and the role they have played - after all, we are asking the next Pres. of the AFT to support teachers that they have opposed.

What they will do is come up with some pablum saying they support the teachers - a substitute of some kind?

Then there's the role SEIU and Dennis Rivera is playing to undermine the FMPR: - (with the AFT cheering?) by organizing a rival union (the typical Shanker-backed "dual unionism" to undermine left-leaning unions.)

Note this Rivera statement:
"The president of the SEIU, Dennis Rivera, assured that "the approach between both organizations [the alternative AMPR] was mutual", and recognized that its union never made a similar approach to the Federation of Teachers, the current exclusive representative of the teachers. He reminded that the present leadership of the Federation dis-affiliated itself from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT, in English) because, in his opinion, the "rhetoric" of the Federation "is to attack the international unions". "We did not see the possibility of an alliance with them", he declared.

Note the code words for - these are lefties.

I collated the EIA stuff I could track down in chronological order. It is posted at Norm's Notes here. In addition, I posted more info, including the proposed reso at the Norms Notes blog - search using "FMPR" to find them all.