Honestly, it didn’t surprise me when I heard the US Ambassador’s new threat: that the US would withhold development aid to El Salvador unless the government agreed to open up the rest of their state industries – the ports, the airports, electricity, possibly even water – to foreign corporations. It didn’t surprise our allies in El Salvador, either. When we talked to Wilfredo Berríos from the Telecommunications Workers Union, he said, “Compañeras, this is nothing new. The US government and the IMF have been twisting our arm to turn our industries over to foreign corporations for 20 years. But every time the private companies come in, we’ve seen our wages plummet, prices skyrocket and too many people laid off. We've had enough.” That’s why CISPES is standing with the Salvadoran labor movement as they fight to stop the so-called “public-private partnerships” that the US government is pushing. When our allies in El Salvador have called for action, you've come through. Can we count on you for a year-end contribution to take this struggle to the next level? (If you can give $15 or more, we’ll send you a CD of music that has inspired many popular struggles in Latin America! If you can give $50 or more, we'll send a poster of a beautiful Romero mural!) Our compañero reminded us: “We’ve won big battles against privatization before. We can win this fight too. But we need allies in the US. When we won our strike to defend the hospitals, the solidarity of unions and organizations in US was essential. This time, we need more support than ever, because every industry is on the line.” Next month we’re kicking off a national speaking tour of Salvadoran labor leaders to build solidarity with unions and grassroots groups across the US. Your tax-deductible donation today will help deliver the international solidarity our allies need. CISPES is funded 100% by individual people like you. That means your contributions really make a difference! Can you give a gift today?