Protesters will gather in front of Boston's British Consulate this Friday at 10:00 AM (One Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142) to demand justice for 600 California families who have been locked-out of work by the Rio Tinto mining corporation since January 31, 2010 at the world’s 2nd largest borax mine in Boron, CA.

"Rio Tinto is a global mining goliath that's using economic terrorism tactics against these brave families who are standing up for good jobs," said Rich Rogers, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council who is supporting the 600 working families in California by going to the British Consulate action this Friday. Similar protests will take place on Friday in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

On Thursday, April 15, a locked-out miner from Rio Tinto's borax mine in California will address shareholders at the company's Annual General Meeting in London, England, asking the company to end their lockout against families in Boron. The gathering on Friday at Boston's British Consulate is intended to follow-up on that effort by continuing to pressure the British-based company to be more accountable to American workers and communities.

Rio Tinto is one of the world's largest mining companies with a history of human rights abuse around the globe. In Boron, California, the company retaliated against employees and instituted the "lock-out" after workers rejected a company ultimatum that included illegal contract demands and provisions allowing the company to convert good full-time jobs into part-time, temporary, and outsourced positions with little or no benefits.

"Corporations are destroying good jobs all across America today, but these locked-out families in California deserve special support because they're fighting for the good jobs that America needs and taking-on a corporate bully like Rio Tinto," said Russ Davis, Director of Massachusetts Jobs with Justice who is supporting the action this Friday.

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