Monday, March 15, 2010

Cort Guitar Workers Solidarity Concert Thursday, March 18

This is an important event that all musicians and humans with any sort of conscience should be concerned about. The Cort workers in Korea make most of the guitars in the world and were treated unfairly and poorly and then laid off when they tried to complain and unionize. Please plan on attending and help stop unfair business practices in the guitar industry:

At the beginning of the year, we asked you if you knew who made your guitars. What if you knew that Cort Guitar workers in Korea made your Fenders, your Ibanez, your G&Ls, and many more, in sweatshop conditions? What if you knew that hundreds of these guitar workers had been suddenly and abruptly fired for unionizing, losing not only their livelihoods but also their identity as artisans?

And you took action. You came out to support the Cort workers when they came to Germany, to Japan, and to the US - and with that support, we were able to have a meeting with Fender in January and show NAMM Show attendees and the general public something that we all know to be true: that guitars should not be a source of exploitation.

This year, after more than 1000 days of struggle in Korea, the fight for the Cort workers’ livelihoods has gone international like never before. This MARCH, we are going to have a second round in LA – with a second meeting with Fender and meetings with LA organizations and groups. This SUMMER, we are going to Japan's Fuji Rock Festival to tell hundreds of thousands of music fans the workers’ story. We are launching an e-petition, telling not only on Cort but also Fender and Ibanez, Cort’s two biggest business partners, that we believe cheap guitars don’t mean sweatshop and anti-union labor.

And we need you – artists and musicians, and community – to keep building awareness of this struggle. We want to put out the word about this petition. We want Fuji Rock musicians to proclaim from their stages that guitar workers should be treated with dignity, and the Cort guitar workers should have their jobs restored.

On Thursday March 18th, at SIPA (3200 W. Temple St, downtown LA), we will be having the second Cort Worker solidarity concert at 7pm --

"No Workers No Music, No Music No Life!"

Help push the momentum!

http://cortaction.wordpress.com

Solidarity Concert
$3, All Ages

Featured Performers:http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6374199913352279728
David Tran aka applesauce
Sue-Jin Kim
Shin Kawasaki
Andrew Figueroa Chiang
Mistah Cookie Jar

With Johneric Concordia as your host and DJ ANT
See you all there!!!!


INFO:

Cort Guitar Workers Solidarity Concert
Thursday, March 18
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Temple Gateway Youth & Community Center (SIPA)
3200 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA