Forty years in the Labor Movement!<br>Lessons from Organizer and Strategist Peter Van Delft<br><br>Thursday, February 21, 2013, 7:00 p.m.<br>encuentro 5 [9 Hamilton Place, Suite 2A, Boston, MA 02108-4715 MAP: <a href="http://binged.it/YRr2Yx" target="_blank">http://binged.it/YRr2Yx</a> ]<br>
right by the Park Street T-stop and the Orpheum Theatre.<br><br>At no
previous point in its history has the situation of the labor movement
been more dire. At the same time, new waves of immigrant and community
organizing and the rise of middle-class activism may signal renewal for
the movement that brought dignity to millions of workers. This event
helps as look forward by first looking back on Peter's 4 decades of
service to the labor movement.<br>
<br>About Peter:<br><br>A longtime activist and a third-generation
socialist, Peter Van Delft has spent more than forty years in the labor
movement. Following World War II he attended the University of
California at Berkeley where he earned an M.A. in Anthropology and where
he was involved in activities leading to increased admissions and
support for low income and students of color.<br>
<br>Until his retirement Peter was a Vice President of New York based,
30,000 member, District 65. Earlier, he had been a member of the
National Maritime Union and of the International Longshore and Warehouse
Union.<br><br>
He was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement as a member of
CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and organized union sponsored Freedom
Rides in which more than 150 members participated.<br><br>In
collaboration with colleagues he fought for contract provisions to
prevent discrimination or harassment of gay workers. He also worked on
programs addressing health and safety concerns. He also focused on
worker empowerment within their unions, developing training programs on
negotiating and costing contracts, and community organizing.<br>
<br>This event is organized and sponsored by: encuentro 5/Massachusetts
Global Action, the Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture Series, and the Downtown
Workers Center. Snacks and light refreshments will be offered.<br><br>Note:
this transitional location for encuentro 5 is NOT wheelchair
accessible. In the short-term, events will be livestreamed from
encuentro 5 (<a href="http://www.encuentro5.org/live" target="_blank">http://www.encuentro5.org/live</a> ) and community members may also join the conversation by calling <a href="tel:%28605%29%20475-4000" value="+16054754000" target="_blank">(605) 475-4000</a> and using access code 766688# For more information, please leave a message at <a href="tel:888-400-1225" value="+18884001225" target="_blank">888-400-1225</a>.<br>
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