direct action

Did the thugs that beat the workers at the sit-in site stop them? NO -

Did the winter winds that blew up high on the electricity tower where the workers did a hunger strike for 30 days stop them? NO -

Did a libelious, false charge against the workers by conservative Dong-a Newspaper stop them? NO – and the courts ruled that Donga News had falsely reported that the union had caused Cort to shut down. Incredible – since their website and industry show appearances show that Cort is clearly speeding on in production in Indonesia and Japan.

Prevent NIKE’s commercial exploitation of public land!
Together, we can stop the construction before it starts! 　　　　　　

On March 10, the Shibuya Park Division announced that the Shibuya Ward Assembly’s Urban Environment Commission has given the green light to construction which will lead to the all-out conversion of Miyashita Park by sporting goods giant NIKE.

According to the official report, the project plan is expected to proceed as follows.
- March 24: NIKE will explain plans to local residents in a briefing session
- Mid-March: Total closure of the Harajuku section of the park
- April 1: Commencement of construction to convert the park
- Late April to late July: Construction to install a new skateboarding facility
- August to September: Construction to install a new rock climbing wall
- End of October: Construction ends
- Early November: Opening of the new park

On Sunday, January 17th, Cort and Cor-tek guitar workers and cultural arts supporters from Korea and the US met with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim.

A sizable portion of Cort’s production is for Fender. The percentage is not known exactly at this time, but the Cort workers estimated it could be as high as 50% of Cort’s orders. (This page from Fender’s website shows how one can spot if their own Fender guitar is made in Korea (C is for Cort). This page shows how one can tell if their Squier guitar, a brand owned by Fender, has been made by Cort Guitars.)

As we stated in an earlier post, Fender claimed it had no idea of the workers’ situation and stated that it will conduct an investigation. Musicians like Tom Morello and Fender’s own endorser, musician Wayne Kramer, of the band MC5, have spoken to Fender on the Cort worker’s behalf.