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Points of View from the Keweenaw Peninsula Posted November 19, 2002 Text and photo as indicated © 2002 Vern Simula; additional text and photos © 2002 Gordon Borsvold

Duluth Fair Trade rally targets Wal-Mart, globalization

By Vern Simula

Editor's Note: This article was written in early October, before the tragic death of U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota in a plane crash on Friday, Oct. 25. Senator Wellstone was a featured speaker at the rally described here.

TOIVOLA -- The national Rolling Thunder Chautauqua Tour for "down home democracy" rolled into Duluth, Minnesota, loud and strong on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002, to host an "anti-globalization and anti-Wal-Mart" rally.

Among the crowd estimated at more than 1,500, approximately 1,000 were union members, most wearing their union jackets and union insignias proudly. Copper Country residents Gordon Borsvold of Calumet and "Toivolians" Sandra Harting and Vern Simula attended the rally. 

The late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone speaks at the national Rolling Thunder democracy rally  in Duluth, Minnesota, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold of Calumet, Mich.)

The rally was one in a series of ongoing protests against the dangers of globalization of trade and services to working men and women here in the United States as well as countries around the world. This globalization is being currently advanced with little citizen awareness through the World Trade Organization (W.T.O.), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and similar trade agreements.

But union members aren't buying it. These union members fully understand the dangers these free trade agreements pose to working men and women in America -- as well as people in developing countries.

Caravans of buses, filled with union members, arrive in Cloquet, Minn., from the Twin Cities area; North Dakota; and Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Oct. 5. The Rolling Thunder rally began with a demonstration at a Wal-Mart store in Cloquet, about 25 miles west of Duluth. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold)

The union members arrived in caravans of buses from the Twin Cities area; North Dakota; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Represented were the United Steelworkers of America; the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the Teamsters; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT); and numerous others.

"Fair trade, rather than free trade" was their rallying call during this protest.

Texan Jim Hightower, author and democracy activist, who is spearheading the Rolling Thunder democracy campaign, arrives in Cloquet, Minn., on a bus with union members. Hightower spoke at democracy demonstrations in Cloquet and in Duluth on Oct. 5, 2002. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold)

Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, and one of the many speakers at the rally, crystallized the issue. She stated that "globalization is the defining phenomenon of our times." The tragedy is that so many American citizens are oblivious to the behind-the-scenes scheming of huge transnational corporations, scheming that seeks greater and greater control of resources and markets -- a scheming that has already caused serious deterioration of the quality of life for ordinary people and families.

The rally started at 11:30 a.m. with a demonstration at a Wal-Mart store in nearby Cloquet, about 25 miles west of Duluth. Here, speaker after speaker accused Wal-Mart Corporation of abuses, the use of sweatshops, and worker-rights violations in order to procure consumer goods and sell them at low prices while accumulating enormous profits.

Effigies of political figures are part of Rolling Thunder democracy rally in Duluth on Oct. 5, 2002. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold)

One of the speakers -- Ivy Klassen-Glanzer, a high school student from the Twin Cities -- charged that Wal-Mart commits "some of worst sweatshop abuses in the global race to the bottom in denying workers' rights."* (See note below for an excerpt of Ms. Klassen-Glanzer's speech.)

After the Wal-Mart demonstration, the Rolling Thunder Tour proceeded to the Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth. Here the crowd was treated to a program of more speeches and music. Among the speakers was Jim Hightower, an author and democracy activist, who is spearheading the Rolling Thunder democracy campaign.

North Dakota farmers' union delegation participates in the Duluth Fair Trade Rally. (Photo by Vern Simula)

Other speakers in Duluth were Jerry Fallos, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 4108 at the former Aurora-Hoyt Lakes LTV mine; Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizens' Global Trade Watch; and Senator Paul Wellstone, Democrat from Minnesota.

Supporters listen to a speech by the late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota during the Rolling Thunder democracy rally in Duluth on Oct. 5, 2002. Wellstone, who was running for re-election in the November election, died in a plane crash on Oct. 25. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold)

Wellstone passionately called for fair trade, a trade policy that "doesn't just work for the multinationals, but also works for the environment, for safe food, for living wages; a trade policy that promotes democracy and the right to organize and bargain collectively."

The late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota chats with members of the audience after his speech at the Rolling Thunder democracy rally in Duluth on Oct. 5, 2002. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold)

The rally closed at 4:30 p.m. with a march to the Duluth Aerial Bridge where activists hung a banner calling for "fair trade, not free trade."

Activists hang a banner calling for "fair trade, not free trade" on the Duluth Aerial Bridge during the Rolling Thunder democracy rally Oct. 5, 2002. (Photo by Gordon Borsvold)

A Personal Tribute U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, along with his wife and daughter, three members of his campaign staff and two pilots, died in a plane crash on Friday, Oct. 25, 2002. Wellstone was an outspoken and eloquent voice in the U.S. Senate -- challenging the arrogant "empire builders." He was part of what could be called "the remnant" -- the few who try to keep our focus on what a people in a democratic society should be about. He is a powerful speaker, and he spoke with power about these issues. I had the privilege of meeting Paul Wellstone after his (Oct. 5) speech in Duluth, and I'm grateful for that experience. Thank you, Paul, for the example of a life lived with integrity. Gordon Borsvold October 26, 2002

*Note: See page 2 for an excerpt of Ms. Klassen-Glanzer's speech on Wal-Mart. Guest author Vern Simula, a resident of Toivola, is active in peace, justice and environmental groups.

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