May Day in the Valley

Celebrate 120 years of May Day!
Stand in Solidarity with immigrants!
Participate in the General Strike and Great American Boycott!
No Work! No School! No Buying! No Selling!

11AM ON THE STEPS OF THE STUDENT UNION to hear some speakers and walk over to the Amherst Town Common  for the 12-2pm rally in support of immigrants' rights. We will be handing out our special May Day issue of The Socialist magazine.
For more info about the 11am Rally at UMass, contact Lenz Bayas at lkbayas@gmail.com.
For further information about the Amherst Town Common event, please call Eduardo Suárez 413-687-0399 or email may1stcoalition@gmail.com.

The Tom Mooney Local will then car pool up to Brattleboro Vermont for their 23rd annual May Day Festival, 3:15 - 5:30. We will join with Vermont comrades to enjoy the festivities and support the Vermont Socialist Party candidates standing for public office. There will be a May Pole, Haymarket Commemoration, balloon creations by clown Robin Zegge, free hot dogs and drinks, booths by labor unions and community groups, and even a soap box! For more information, contact Haymarket Bicentennial Committee at 802-387-4060. For a ride up from Massachusetts, contact us at SPMass@gmail.com.

Read SPUSA statements on May Day and immigrant rights at www.sp-usa.org

4/24 Monthly Local Meeting (Mon)

The Tom Mooney Local of the Socialist Party USA
Monday, April 24th at 7:00PM
Bangs Center, Amherst
Parking Map: http://people.umass.edu/a87m000/folkdance/parking.htm

All are welcome!


On the agenda:

Discussion: The new immigrant rights movement. Check out the April 10th solidarity statement "Standing with our Comaner@s" on www.sp-usa.org, and the "Celebrate May Day" statement in The Organizer.

Hear reports on 2006 advisory ballot questions: Troops Out Now and Public Campaign Financing. Find out how you can get involved in putting these issues on the ballot in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

Eric Chester is the Socialist Party candidate for Congress in the first Congressional District which covers most of western Massachusetts. We are already collecting signatures to get Eric Chester on the ballot, as well as distributing buttons, palm cards, and flyers. This will be our most extensive discussion yet on our goals and strategies for the campaign.

We will coordinate plans for upcoming regional events such as the April 29th Peace demonstration in New York City and the May Day festival in Brattleboro Vermont. Suggestions for other events that the Tom Mooney Local should attend are welcome!

We invite folks to bring other business as well!

Please let us know if you need transportation to attend our meeting. Carpooling can be arranged.
SPMass@gmail.com

TENT STATE UMASS

TENT STATE UMASS
April 17 - 21
UMass Amherst Student Union Lawn
www.TentStateUMass.org

-TWO WORKSHOPS OF INTEREST FOR THE SPMA-

Tuesday 4/18
9am - 10am
Public Campaign Financing and the Broader Pro-Democracy Movement
Peter Vickery, Mass Voters for Fair Elections
This workshop will focus on public campaign financing in Massachusetts.

Thursday 4/20
10am - 11am
Elections and a Real Alternative for Peace, Freedom and Jobs
Eric Chester, Socialist Party USA
Eric Chester is an independent socialist candidate for the first congressional district of Massachusetts. Eric is an economist, historian, and former vice-presidential candidate of the Socialist Party USA. Come learn how Socialists are breaking from the two party system to build a movement for Peace, Freedom and Jobs.

ABOUT TENT STATE UNIVERSITY

A coalition of students and workers at UMass are organizing a week-long
event called Tent State University (TSU).  This event is both a protest of
rising student fees, un-funded union contracts and a lack of strong public
support for higher education AND a positive enactment of our vision for what
a University can and should be.

Never has the time been so ripe for an event like Tent State. Massachusetts
ranks 47th in the nation on spending per capita for higher education;
workers face tough challenges trying to get ahead with the high cost of
education; and the diversity of UMass's flagship campus is slowly slipping
away.

TSU is a call for equal access to education and an attempt to create an
example of what a university should be: a democratically controlled public
space that brings together diverse groups to exchange ideas, art, and
culture.

***So, what exactly is Tent State UMass?***

Tent State is a week long carnival/conference/mardi gras/party/action
organized by a coalition of folks from the Student Government Association,
the Graduate Employee Organization, the Graduate Student Senate, the Latin
American Graduate Student Organization, ALANA Caucus, Anti-War Coalition, Immigrant Rights Coalition, Free Higher Ed Campaign and many more.

Every morning, there will be workshops and open classrooms - regular UMass
classes that faculty have agreed to open to the public and host in a public
space. Every afternoon, there will be panels, speakers and performers. And
every evening there will be campus-wide "democratic meetings" followed by
hip-hop performances, dance parties, films, and more. We even have a few
free BBQs and meals. Most events will take place under circus tents on the
Library Lawn in front of the Student Union.

A schedule of events is posted at www.tentstateumass.org.

*** TSU is YOUR University ***

You are invited and encouraged to help us shape this event, camp out
overnight during the week, help us entertain our performers and speakers,
help build a buzz about this, and - of course - attend and take part in this
amazing week.

To get more information e-mail TentStateUMass@gmail.com or visit
www.TentStateUMass.org

*** Some of the Issues at UMass ***

FUNDING FOR UMASS -

A. Funding of Union contracts - Many UMass workers are still receiving 2003
salaries while paying 2006 bills. Workers would like to raise the public
profile of unfunded 2004-2007 contracts so that the legislature will move
more quickly to keep their promise to UMass workers

B. Stop tuition and fee increases (move towards Free Higher Ed) - The cost
of education at UMass has been increasingly rapidly over the last five years
and is pricing out many Massachusetts residents. Currently only 10% of
students at UMass come from families with an income less than $30,000 per
year, but approximately 30% of Massachusetts's households fall into this
income bracket.

C. Increasing accessibility and diversity. Support programs, housing and
fellowships/scholarships need to be improved to recruit and retain students
and workers from traditionally underrepresented domestic communities and
other countries.

D. Hire more faculty - The University has experienced a marked decline in
faculty over the last 10 years and has pledged to rebuild with the "Faculty
250" plan. This plan to add 250 new faculty members needs to be funded, and
its implementation must be monitored.

STUDENTS RIGHTS -

Issues such as increased police presence in dorms, random bag searches,
freezing money in the Student Government budget, and failing to hire
directors for student support programs, have made students concerned about
their rights as students and citizens at UMass.

Rally for Immigrant Rights

April 10 National Day of Action & Rally for Immigrant Rights!

Recognizing that the USA is a nation of immigrants, join the April 10 in a massive rally to:
- Stop the anti-immigrant House resolution 4437
- Stop all attacks against immigrants
- Stop criminalization of immigrant communities

We demand comprehensive immigration reform, including:
- A path to citizenship, not a temporary guest worker program
- Family reunification measures
- Worker protections
- Full rights for all immigrants!



Massachusetts
Mon. April 10th: ~Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote~
Convened by the April 10th Committee
Join people across America and stand up for immigrant rights! Stay tuned for more details
4:00 PM: Gather @ Boston Common
5:15 PM: March to Copley Square
6:00 PM: Rally @Copley Square
Click here for a flyer in English
Click here for a flyer in Portuguese
Click here for a flyer in Spanish
Click here for a flyer in Creole

Thurs., April 13th: America: el Continente es Nuestra Tierra/ No Human Being is Illegal
Interfaith Vigil and Public Event
5:30pm Old First Church Court Square, Springfield MA
Information: (SP of Mass.) SPMass@gmail.com
(General info.) Luis Alvarenga, Luisalvarenga@mac.com / 413.244.3205

Week of the Young Child

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 7 p.m., First Churches (Room 11), 129 Main Street, Northampton

FORUM: "Hearing From the Village: a Community Forum on Children's Rights." Discussion of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis for an activist agenda to defend the rights and meet the needs of children. Presentations by Claudia Lefko, Brooks Ballenger, Margie Phillips, Erica Johnson, Susan Triolo, and Matthew Andrews, representing the areas of child care, labor, human services, housing, education, and electoral rights. Sponsored by the Western Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children and the Nonotuck Community School Child Care Advocacy Committee. Info: Susan Dorazio, 367-9356


FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 7 p.m., Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street, Northampton

FILM: "Abbas Goes to Japan," about a 6 year old Iraqi child with leukemia who is taken to Japan for treatment by a Japanese group that has adopted him. Following the film, Claudia Lefko will lead a discussion on the status of children in Iraq, focusing especially on cancer/leukemia problems. Sponsored by the Northampton Committee to Stop the War in Iraq. Info: Claudia Lefko, 584-0068


SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 10 a.m. - Noon, Bridge Street School, Route 9/Bridge Street, Northampton

CHILDREN'S PARADE AND FESTIVAL: Week of the Young Child celebration honoring children, families, teachers, caregivers, and community friends. Entertainment and activities for children. Sponsored by the Northampton Public Schools and Community Partnerships for Children (CPC) through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education. Info: Margery Heyl, 586-5996