2000 programs

#164 The Past Century / 1999 Wrap

From the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, to the 1999 "Battle in Seattle" . . . We begin the new century and the new Millennium with events from the past century, broadcast during the nearly 7 years of working TV programming. Highlights range from the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, to the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War, to the 1958 Second Narrows Bridge disaster, to struggles of today. Music and comedy lighten the tone.

#165 A Tribute to Terry Kennedy

Terry Kennedy was a labour videographer from Winnipeg who died just after Christmas 1999 from cancer. He was 56. He had been a union activist and President of his local of the Canadian Auto Workers. In 1987 he became Executive-Director of the Manitoba Labour Education Centre where he produced many fine videos, particularly on health and safety issues. Terry was a good friend of working TV and had made important volunteer contributions to several of our programs over years.
This week's working TV features excerpts from two of his videos: Dying for a Job: A Tribute to Bill Quinn - (1997) is a moving story of a railworker who got died from lung disease he got in CN's paint shop. Trailmobile: Turning Up the Heat - (1993) CAW workers at Trailmobile in Winnipeg occupied the plant after 9 months of fruitless negotiations. Terry took his camera in with the occupation, and was arrested when the it ended.

#166 Bio-Piracy special #1 of 2

Genetically Modified Organisms - which many people know as Genetically Modified Food - have been in the news this week. Activists met in a conference and demonstrated outside Parliament urging new laws to force manufacturers to put labels on food identifiying any genetically modified content. Part 1 of our 2 part series includes:
* "Rolling the Snowball . . . building active resistance to genetically modified crops" a video which documents the first genetiX snowball action in 1998 when five women pulled up genetically modified (GM) crops at a Monsanto test field site in Oxfordshire England. * Forum: highlights from the October 6 1999 SPEC (Society for Promotion of Environmental Conservation) Forum on Bio-Piracy at the Vancouver Public Library, featuring Nandita Sharma from the Basamati Action Group.

#167 Bio-Piracy series #2 of 2, continued from last week featuring:

* Nandita Sharma (continued from last week ) from the Basamati Action Group, speaking on Bio-Piracy on October 6 1999 at the Vancouver Public Library, part of the SPEC (Society for Prevention of Environmental Conservation) "Environment Now" lecture series.
* "Rice Girls" from the Basamati Action group, also taped on October 6 1999 at the Vancouver Public Library, performing popular theatre on the patenting of Basamati Rice by Texas based Rice-Tech.

#168 Free Mumia! (#1 of a 3 part series)

To celebrate Black History month 2000, this the first of 3 programs on the campaign to win justice for Mumia Abul-Jamal, the American political prisoner who has been on Death Row in a Pennsylvania State prison for 18 years. He was convicted of murdering of a white policeman in 1981 in a trial so obviously flawed that an International campaign has grown to win his release. This program is derived mainly from The Killing State, Death Row Notebook and Millions for Mumia, 3 videos produced by the People's Video Network and Deep Dish Television , both in New York.

#169 Rage for Mumia! (#2 of a 3 part series)

We continue our Black History month 2000 series on Mumia Abul-Jamal with highights from Rage for Mumia, a video from the People's Video Network in New York taped at Mumia benefit concert in Meadlowlands New Jersey featuring Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Chumbawumba and others. Also in this program an interview with Michael Franti of Spearhead, taped at their February 15 show in Vancouver, part of a west coast "Mumia Awareness" tour. And, also, a segment on the February 12 2000 unveiling of The Spirit of the Republic, a beautiful bronze Monument at the B.C. Legislature to honour the B.C. veterans of the Mackenzie Papineau Battalian who volunteered to fight facism during the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War.

#170 The Killing State (#3 of a 3 part series)

The last in our Black History month 2000 series on Mumia Abul-Jamal with highights from the Killing State, a video from the People's Video Network and Deep Dish Television , which looks at Mumia's case in context of the larger struggle against the Deathy Penalty.

#171 BYE BUY WORLD

The first in a series of 8 programs looking back at the WTO in Seattle (now that the tear-gas has settled) . . . this program features the broadcast premiere of
BUY BYE WORLD: The Battle in Seattle, a new video by first time videographers from RADAR Video Productions. It is a brief but comprehensive and dynamic overview of the issues which concerned a broad cross-section of citizens about the World Trade Organization at its November / December 1999 "Millennium" Round Ministerial conference in Seattle.
Also in this program, an interview with Michael Franti of Spearhead
, a rap / hip-hop group from San Fransisco who played Vancouver recently and who have become popular among young activists.

# 172 and # 173   MAUDE BARLOW IN VANCOUVER (a two part series)

Two programs again featuring Maude Barlow, who has been featured in more working TV programs than any other individual - taped March 3 2000 in Vancouver, during a B.C. speaking tour on Protecting Canada's Social Programs: Resisting the WTO's threat to public education and health . Speaking tour sponsored by the B.C. Teacher's Federation, the Coalition for Public Education, the Council of Canadians, the B.C. Federation of Labour, the Hospital Employee's Union, and the B.C. Nurse's Union

# 174    SHOWDOWN IN SEATTLE: 5 Days That Shook the WTO
             WTO Prelude, November 29, 1999 (#1 of a 5 part series)

The first of 5 programs produced daily between November 29 and December 3 1999 in Seattle by the Independent Media Centre (IMC) and Deep Dish TV , during the World Trade Organization's "Millennium Round" Ministerial meeting in Seattle.The programs were broadcast daily across the continent on the Deep Dish Television satellite, the world's first Public Access Satellite Network.

# 175    SHOWDOWN IN SEATTLE: 5 Days That Shook the WTO
             People Unite, Police Riot, November 30, 1999 (#2 of a 5 part series)

# 176    SHOWDOWN IN SEATTLE: 5 Days That Shook the WTO
             Occupied Seattle, December 01, 1999 (#3 of a 5 part series)

# 177    SHOWDOWN IN SEATTLE: 5 Days That Shook the WTO
             Unwilling Captives - December 02, 1999 (#4 of a 5 part series)

# 178    SHOWDOWN IN SEATTLE: 5 Days That Shook the WTO
             What Democracy Looks Like, December 03, 1999 (#5 of a 5 part series)

#179   WASHINGTON DC A16 REPORT: Shutting Down the IMF and the World Bank

The first of several programs taped in Washington D.C. during the historic protests against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Dennis Porter and Annahid Dashtgard took camcorders to Washington for us and covered several major anti-corporate events between April 12 and 17, including the protests which attempted to shut down the World Bank and IMF meetings on April 16 and 17.

#180   MAYDAY 2000 / Our Seventh Anniversary: UPPNET Showcase

working TV has been a member of UPPNET, the Union Producers and Programmers Network for several years. This week we celebrate Mayday and the beginning of our 8th year on air with a special program to showcase the work of UPPNET members and friends. We'll feature short segments from Connecticut at Work in Hartford Connecticut, Labor Beat in Chicago, the Labour Video Project in San Fransisco and Labor News Production in Seoul Korea.

#181   VESTA public forum on the 2000 Vancouver School Board Budget

We focus on local issues this week with a special full-length program on the May 2, 2000 Public Forum on the upcoming Vancouver School Board (VSB) budget. This event is sponsored by VESTA, the Vancouver Elementary School Teachers' Association, a BCTF affiliate. VESTA has been frustrated by the closed, secretive process the VSB has used to develop budgets in recent years; a process which all but eliminates public and community input. Now just days before the next VSB budget is due, VESTA is sponsoring an open public forum for citizens to voice their priorities for our children's education in the coming year.

#182   Fighting To Save Medicare

This program was produced with the generous assistance of the Hospital Employees' Union, on the Fight to Save Medicare. Ralph Klein's Bill 11 is the thin edge of the wedge which could legitimize private "for profit" care, not just in Alberta but across the country. We bring you video from the Wedneday May 10 rally in Vancouver at the Vancouver Club. Hundreds gathered outside while wanna-be privateers like Michael Walker of the Fraser Institute and radio personality Rafe Mair met inside the posh club, to discuss privatizing our Medicare system. We also feature video from recent rallies in Edmonton by "the Friends of Medicare". They have been unprecedented for their size and militancy.

Also in this show: highlights from the April 28 Day of Mourning ceremony at Vancouver City Hall for workers killed and injured on the job, featuring Barry O'Neill, President of CUPE BC.

#183   CUPE BC Rally to Defend the Right to Strike

On April 2, after months of bargaining and a short strike by 18,000 CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) school support workers across the province, the NDP government passed Bill 7 ordering CUPE back to work. Four NDP members abstained, including working TV host Glen Clark ( who is also MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway). But the back-to-work legislation passed with the full support of the Liberals, putting the bargaining process in the hands of Industrial Inquiry Commissioners (IIC) Vince Ready and Irene Holden. On May 15, CUPE rallied at their offices before handing in its proposals for a settlement.

We air highlights from the CUPE rally and background on earlier back-to-work legislation by NDP governments. This is the first of a series of reports on CUPE's struggle to win an agreement its members can ratify, rather than a contract imposed by the commission.

Also, a brief look at the May 17 "Pan-In" downtown on Robson Street by anti-poverty activists, opposed to Vancouver's bylaw against Pan-Handling.

#184   Breaking the Bank: Part One

This video deals with the April 16 and 17 protests in Washington D.C. against the World Bank and the International Monetary fund. It was produced by the same video collectives that did our recent Showdown in Seattle series on resistance to the WTO ( World Trade Organization ). Like the WTO series, Breaking the Bank tells a story about the Washington protests you'll never see in the corporate media.

#185    CUPE Rallly in Kamloops Against Bill 7

Highlights from the Canadian Union of Public Employees' - BC Division (CUPE -BC) rally to defend the right to strike, held May 27 in Kamloops, at the NDP Provincial Council meeting. Hundreds of CUPE members and supporters gathered to protest Bill 7 which forced18,000 striking school support workers back to work in April. Council delegates were invited to the rally and a barbeque to hear directly from CUPE members. After the rally, the council meeting overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Bill 7.

#186    Windsor Ontario OAS Protest

A citizen's perspective on the protest in Windsor Ontario Sunday June 4 against the Organization of American States (OAS) summit. Several thousand braved a massive police presence to demonstrate against increased "free" trade and corporate rule in our hemisphere.

#187    Born to Be Wild (1)

A Concert for Bjossa, the female Orca or Killer Whale who has been held in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium for over 20 years. Produced by Whale FriendsWhale Friends Born to Be Wild was a coming together of great performing artists, with an appreciative audience, for a worthy cause . . . to create one of the finest forms of popular culture.

#188    Born to Be Wild (2)

A Concert for Bjossa, as above produced by Whale FriendsWhale Friends . Performers included Bocephus King, DOA, Creepy Sweepy, Ferron, Flannel Jimmy, Jim Byrnes, One Trick Rodeo, The Be Good Tanyas and host / M.C. Christine Taylor. Speakers included Vancouver Actor Babz Chula..

#189    Chem Trails: What's Wrong With Our Skies? (1)

Environmental journalist William Thomas taped April 8 at the Vancouver Planetarium on the strange trails from aircraft in our skies recently. He suggests these aren't the usual "contrails" from jet aircraft which dissipate quickly. Instead he argues, they may be "chemtrails" from unannounced aerial spraying of chemcials, part of a secret military / corporate plan to control the weather and possibly even to cull our population.

#190    Chem Trails: What's Wrong With Our Skies? (2)

As above, Part 2 of 2.

#191    One Day Longer: The Story of the Frontier Strike (1)

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Local 40 of the Hotel Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) in British Columbia, One Day Longer: The Story of the Frontier Strike describes one of the finest moments in HERE's history. It tells the story of the strike by 550 workers at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas that lasted 6 years and 4 months and ended in a decisive victory for the union.

#192    One Day Longer: The Story of the Frontier Strike (2)

As above, Part 2 of 2.

#193    Hurricane Mitch: Uncovering the Cost of External Debt
A fine video , courtesy of Deep Dish Television , on the devastation Hurricane Mitch caused in Nicaragua and Honduras in 1998, which was compounded by the enormous foreign debt payments these countries had to make to foreign banks, mostly in the United States. An excellent primer for anyone interested in the Jubilee 2000 campaign for foreign debt relief.


working TV #193 August 11 2000
� Slim Evans 2000

#194    Something to Hide
Something to Hide, courtesy of Deep Dish Television , documents the growing movement against the sweatshops in Central America which produce clothing for the North American market, led by the United Students Against Sweatshops ( Canadian component ). This video documents a trip organized by student activists and the National Labour Committee to Central America. There, white middle class students from the United States meet the young latinas who make the clothing many in the North will wear back to school. The students get a first hand look at the conditions these workers have to endure and hear about the struggles of maquila workers to organize against their oppression.

#195    Labour Day 2000
Includes A Message for the Millenium, the Labour Day 2000 message from Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. Also a segment on the disupute in Tatla Lake, a remote B.C. community where nurse practitioners may quit rather than accept a 30% pay cut from the provincial government. Also highlights from the rally for striking workers at Superior Poultry in Coquitlam and a re-broadcast of Buy Bye World, a video on the WTO struggle in Seattle last winter.

#196   Take Back the Night / Environmental Town Hall
Includes the 22nd annual Vancouver Take Back the Night, march and rally, against male violence against women, organized by Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter, part of the World March of Women 2000 ; and the Environmental Townhall Meeting organized by Vancouver East Member of Parliament, Libby Davies, on SARA, or Bill C-33, the proposed new Species At Risk Act.

#197   Teach-In On the GATS / Forum On Iraq / Journey for Justice
Includes highlights from a Teach-In On the GATS or the General Agreement On Trade In Services, the latest from the World Trade Organization (WTO); a Forum On Sanctions Against Iraq and the Fraser River Journey for Justice by the Aboriginal Women's Action Network part of the World March of Women 2000 ;

#198   CUPE 15 Strike / The Honourable Member from Vancouver East
A picket line interview with Rick Gates, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 15, on strike against the city of Vancouver; and Libby Davies, MP, also called The Honourable Member for Vancouver East taking the lying Liberals to task during Question Period in Parliament. Also, continued from last week, more from the Teach-In On the GATS and from the Forum On Sanctions Against Iraq.

#201  World March of Women 2000 #2 of 3
This week, World March of Women 2000 events on the streets with highlights from World March rallies in
Vancouver on Saturday October 14th;
Ottawa on Sunday October 15th, where over 30,000 rallied at Parliament; and in
New York on Oct. 17, after presenting demands to the United Nations;

#202  World March of Women 2000 - Vancouver Women's Rights Tribunal #3 of 3
This week, we conclude this series with the Adjudicator's Decisions from the Women's Rights Tribunal taped October 17 at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre in Vancouver. Also this week, a repeat of segment we did last month on the Fraser River Journey for Justice by the Aboriginal Women's Action Network

#203  Dr. David Suzuki - Big Money, Bad Science #1 of 4
Geneticist, Activist and Broadcaster Dr. David Suzuki taped at the evening public forum of the Big Money, Bad Science teach-in on Bio-technology and Genetic Engineering, Friday November 10 at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver.

#204  Donald Gutstein - Big Money, Bad Science #2 of 4
This week featuring Donald Gutstein from the Communications Department at Simon Fraser University. A director of NewsWatch Canada , he analyzes media coverage of Bio-Tech issues.

#205  Maude Barlow - Big Money, Bad Science #3 of 4
This week's program features Maude Barlow, voluntary chairperson of the Council of Canadians.She provides a Canadian and Global context for the fight against GMO's as well as some good ideas about what we can do to fight them.

#206  Dr. Mae-Wan Ho - Big Money, Bad Science #4 of 4
This week's program features scientist, author and activist Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, of the Institute of Science in Society in London England and a proponent of social accountability of science and science for sustainability.

#207  Zoned for Slavery + Return to Renter
Zoned for Slavery - a repeat of a favourite video from the National Labor Committee on New York, on the young girls and women who make clothing for brand name retailers in North America.
Return to Renter - a short segment on the campaign by the Tenant's Rights Action Coalition (TRAC) for a Security Deposit Trust Fund. It would stop bad landlords from illegally withholding tenant damage / security deposits.

working TV 2000 One Hour "Special" programs

Running Time 57:30 for all programs listed below

Big Money, Bad Science

Taped at the evening public forum of the Big Money, Bad Science teach-in (see programs #203,204,205 & 206 above) on Bio-technology and Genetic Engineering, Friday November 10 at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver. This one hour special features Dr. Ann Clark, University of Guelph Dept. of Agriculture; Bradford Duplisea, Canadian Health Coalition; and Lindsay Kenyon, Greenpeace Scotland.

Born to Be Wild: Concert for Bjossa

A Concert for Bjossa, the female Orca or Killer Whale who has been held in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium for over 20 years. Produced by Whale Friends featuring Ferron, Be Good Tanyas, Jim Byrnes, Bocephus King and others. Born to Be Wild was a coming together of great performing artists, with an appreciative audience, for a worthy cause . . . to create one of the finest forms of popular culture.

Medicare Forum": Private Profit or The Public Good? Looking At Ralph Klein's Plans to Sell-off Health Care"

Taped February 24 at the Vancouver Public Library, this forum featured: Dr. Robert Evans - a UBC economist and member of the Prime Minister's National Forum on Health; Kevin Taft - from Alberta, an independent policy analyst and researcher, co-author of the Parkland Institute's report "Private Profit or the Public Good"; and Steven Shrybman - executive director of the West Coast Environmental Law Association, and co-author of legal opinion on the trade implications of Klein's proposed legislation to legalize private hospitals in Alberta

Showdown in Seattle: 5 Days That Shook the WTO

A special "Best-of" compilation of segments from 5 programs produced daily between November 29 and December 3 1999 in Seattle by the Independent Media Centre (IMC) and Deep Dish TV , during the World Trade Organization's "Millennium Round" Ministerial meeting in Seattle.The programs were broadcast daily across the continent on the Deep Dish Television satellite, the world's first Public Access Satellite Network. All 5 programs were broadcast by working TV in their entiety (see shows #174 through #178).

Copies of this video available from
Deep Dish Television in New York and the
Independent Media Centre in Seattle

2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1993 / 94

  |     home  |   coming up   |   video online   |   focus on...   |   order tapes
about workingTV   |   contact us   |   our links