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<div class="moz-forward-container"><big><big><big>I will be
interviewing a Woman from Detroit, who has been a community
fightback activist against the " Shock Doctrine " tactics
being used against the Working people of Detroit, on the "
World Labor Hour " radio program this Saturday Aug. 2nd at
11:30 AM Central Time at <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.weft.org">www.weft.org</a>.<br>
If any of you would like to submit some questions for her,
please e-mail me at : <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:davidjohnson1451@comcast.net">davidjohnson1451@comcast.net</a> <br>
<br>
David Johnson<br>
Champaign, IL<br>
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<div dir="ltr"><big><big><big>There has been little if
anything on this list about the current very real
and very ominous situation in Detroit, where the
Detroit Water and Sewage Department shut off water
to 45,000 homes in May and is threatening far worse.
This extends and deepens an assault which has
included, among other things, a state takeover and
near-complete privatization of education; shutting
down or sharply cutting back essential public
services; cuts to city workers' pensions --
including to those already being received by
retirees. The unemployment rate in Detroit is now
about 50%, and the poverty rate is about 50% as
well. [For context: 50 years ago, Detroit had the
highest median income and the highest overall
workers' living standards of all U.S. cities.]</big></big></big>
<div><big><big><big>
<br>
</big></big></big></div>
<div><big><big><big>For the past few years, as they
systematically run through and exhaust the various
austerity measures that will siphon still more
into private coffers at the expense of Detroit's
workers and unemployed, Detroit privatizers and
financiers have increasingly looked to privatizing
Detroit's water department. And so, the
Detroit-area media now claims that receiving an
adequate amount of water isn't a human right.<br>
</big></big></big>
<div><big><big><big><br>
</big></big></big></div>
<div><big><big><big>The American Postal Workers Union,
at its national convention, has passed a
resolution against these water shutoffs. The
resolution contains some decent descriptive
information on the water shutoffs, as well as
language condemning it. That's a start, I guess.
But it doesn't really connect the water shutoffs
with the vicious austerity attacks across the
board in Michigan, orchestrated by capital and
coordinated by the state. Worse, there's no
attempt to organize -- or even to call on labor
to take the lead in organizing -- a campaign of
escalating action against this naked act of war.</big></big></big></div>
<big><big><big>
</big></big></big>
<div><big><big><big><br>
</big></big></big></div>
<div><big><big><big>Here's the resolution as passed by
the APWU convention.</big></big></big></div>
<div><big><big><big><br>
</big></big></big></div>
<div><big><big><big>Jack</big></big></big></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>--------------------------------------</div>
<div><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;"
align="center"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Resolution
on Detroit
Water Shutoffs</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">the
Detroit Water and Sewerage
Department shut off the water in 45,000 homes in
May, and is continuing to shut
off people’s water, and </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">the DWSD
has threatened to cut off
water to as many as 150,000 Detroit residents, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">the
United Nations has condemned
these actions as an affront to human rights, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Corporate
entities that are way
behind on their water bills have not faced water
shutoffs while poor and
working families have been hard hit, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">the water
rate for Detroit residents
is double the national average, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Families
whose water was turned off
have had their children taken away as they are
deemed to be “unfit parents,”
and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">a private
contractor is being paid
5.6 million dollars by a supposedly bankrupt city
to turn off poor people’s
water, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">The 5.6
million dollars paid to this
contractor would pay for a whole lot of poor
people’s water bills, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">these
actions are truly inhumane, and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">the labor
movement stands for
fairness and justice throughout our society, and,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Whereas,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">the APWU
seeks a grand alliance with
the labor movement and the community, therefore be
it</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Resolved,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">that the
American Postal Workers
Union joins progressive organizations in calling
for a moratorium on water
shutoffs and the restoration of water service in
Detroit, and be it further</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;">Resolved,
</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;">that
copies of this resolution be
sent to the AFL-CIO as well as to Detroit’s May<a
moz-do-not-send="true" name="_GoBack"></a>or,
Emergency Manager, and Michigan’s Governor.</span></p>
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background-color:#E3E3E3;"> Posted by: Jack Gerson
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:jackrgerson@gmail.com"><jackrgerson@gmail.com></a>
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