[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [uslawaffiliates] FLASH!!!: AFL-CIO CALLS FOR
END TO OCCUPATION OF IRAQ
Al Kagan
akagan at uiuc.edu
Tue Jul 26 23:12:14 CDT 2005
Surprising News!!!
Begin forwarded message:
> From: "U.S. Labor Against the War" <uslaw at igc.org>
> Date: July 26, 2005 4:46:59 PM CDT
> To: (Recipient list suppressed)
> Subject: [uslawaffiliates] FLASH!!!: AFL-CIO CALLS FOR END TO
> OCCUPATION OF IRAQ
>
> For immediate release: July 27, 2005, 5:15 p.m. CDT
> Please distribute widely!
>
> AFL-CIO Calls for
> Rapid Return of U.S. Troops
>
> Chicago: In a major change of course, the AFL-CIO Convention delegates
> voted this afternoon in favor of a resolution calling for a "rapid"
> return of all U.S. troops from Iraq.
>
> Eighteen AFL-CIO state federations, central labor councils and unions
> had submitted resolutions to the convention calling for an immediate
> or rapid end to the occupation and return of the troops. The General
> Executive Council, meeting on the eve of the convention, submitted a
> resolution that borrowed heavily from elements of those eighteen but
> failed to clearly call for a prompt end to the occupation.
>
> When it came time for the convention to act on the resolution Tuesday
> afternoon, Fred Mason, President of the Maryland/District of Columbia
> AFL-CIO, offered a "friendly" amendment that clarified and
> strengthened opposition to continued occupation of Iraq. The
> amendment was accepted by the leadership and the modified resolution
> was adopted by an overwhelming majority of delegates following a
> parade of delegates who spoke in favor of its adoption (none spoke in
> opposition).
>
> (This action occurred after delegates of four unions - SEIU,
> Teamsters, UFCW, and UNITE HERE had already departed the convention
> after announcing their decision to boycott the proceedings. The SEIU
> and Teamsters subsequently also announced their disaffiliation.)
>
> Rising to speak in favor of the resolution, Henry Nicholas, President
> of District 1199 of American Federation of State, County and Municipal
> Employees (AFSCME) of Pennsylvania, told the delegates that his son
> had been deployed to Iraq four times and was about to be sent again.
> He said, "In my forty-five years in the labor movement, this is my
> proudest moment in being a union member, because it is the first time
> we had the courage to say 'enough is enough.'"
>
> USLAW Co-Convenor Gene Bruskin observed, "The action taken by this
> convention puts the AFL-CIO on record for a rapid end to the Iraq
> occupation - a stand squarely in the mainstream of American public
> opinion." Polls taken in late June show more than half of the
> American people feel the war was a mistake and similarly that it has
> made the U.S. less, not more safe. A majority of Americans also say
> the administration "intentionally misled" the public in going to war.
>
> U.S. Labor Against the War had rallied its affiliates and supporters
> to press for the AFL-CIO to take an unambiguous stand for an end to
> the occupation and return of all U.S. troops. Widespread antiwar and
> anti-occupation sentiment among the delegates became even more evident
> when USLAW and Pride at Work, the AFL-CIO constituency group for gay,
> lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered union members (also affiliated
> with USLAW) hosted a reception for Iraqi union leaders attending the
> convention as guests. The reception, which took place after the
> plenary on Monday, drew more than 150 delegates and guests, including
> top officials of a number of unions.
>
> The convention action comes on the heels of a 26-city U.S. tour by
> six Iraqi trade union leaders from three of Iraq's major labor
> federations organized by U.S. Labor Against the War in mid-June. The
> Iraqi union leaders were unanimous in their call for an immediate end
> to the U.S. occupation, describing it as a source of instability,
> violence and terrorism in Iraq. (For more about the tour, visit the
> USLAW website at www.uslaboragainstwar.org.)
>
> The resolution pays tribute to the troops in Iraq and says, ". . .
> they deserve a commitment from our country's leaders to bring them
> home rapidly. . . ." It accuses the Bush administration of
> misinforming the American people about the reasons for going to war
> and about the reality on the ground since it launched the invasion.
> It calls for expanded benefits for veterans and protection for workers
> affected by military base closings. The resolution also heralds the
> courage demonstrated by Iraqi workers and unions. It calls for full
> respect for the right of Iraqi workers to freely organize and bargain
> in unions of their choice and unconditional cancellation of the
> foreign debt and reparations accumulated by Iraq during the Hussein
> regime. It pledges continuing solidarity in concert with the
> international trade union movement with the workers of Iraq ". . . as
> they lead the struggle for an end to the violence and a more just and
> democratic nation."
>
> Adoption of this resolution represents the first time in its 50 year
> history that the federation has taken a position squarely in
> opposition to a major U.S. foreign policy or military action.
>
> Resolution #53 The War in Iraq
>
> Submitted by the Executive Council, as amended from the floor and
> adopted by the delegates to the AFL-CIO Convention in Chicago, July
> 26, 2005
>
> The AFL-CIO supports the brave men and women deployed in Iraq, which
> include our members in all branches of the armed services.
>
> Our soldiers—the men and women risking their lives in Iraq—come from
> America's working families. They are our sons and daughters, our
> sisters and brothers, our husbands and wives. They deserve to be
> properly equipped with protective body gear and up-armored vehicles.
> And they deserve leadership that fully values their courage and
> sacrifice. Most importantly, they deserve a commitment from our
> country's leaders to bring them home rapidly. An unending military
> presence will waste lives and resources, undermine our nation's
> security and weaken our military.
>
> We have lost more than 1,700 brave Americans in Iraq to date, and
> Iraqi civilian casualties are in the thousands. In recent months, the
> insurgency increasingly has focused its terror on the Iraqi people,
> engaging in a deliberate campaign to frustrate their aspirations to
> take control of their own destiny. These aspirations were clearly
> demonstrated earlier this year when Iraqis defied widespread
> intimidation and escalating violence by turning out in the millions to
> elect a new Iraqi interim government tasked with writing a
> constitution. The AFL-CIO applauds the courage of the Iraqi people and
> unequivocally condemns the use of terror in Iraq and indeed anywhere
> in the world.
>
> No foreign policy can be sustained without the informed consent of
> the American people. The American people were misinformed before the
> war began and have not been informed about the reality on the ground
> and the very difficult challenges that lie ahead.
>
> It is long past time for the Bush administration to level with the
> American people and for Congress to fulfill its constitutionally
> mandated oversight responsibilities. The AFL-CIO supports the call
> from members of Congress for the establishment of benchmarks in the
> key areas of security, governance, reconstruction and
> internationalization.
>
> Since the beginning of the war almost two-and-a-half years ago, the
> AFL-CIO has emphasized the support and participation of a broad
> coalition of nations and the United Nations is vital to building a
> democratic Iraq. Greater security on the ground remains an unmet
> precondition for such efforts to succeed. The AFL-CIO calls on the
> international community to help the Iraqi people build its capacity to
> maintain law and order through a concerted international effort to
> train Iraqi security and police forces.
>
> Future efforts to rebuild the country are hampered by the weight of
> the massive foreign debt accumulated under the Saddam Hussein regime.
> The AFL-CIO calls for cancellation of Saddam's foreign debt without
> any conditions imposed upon the people of Iraq, who suffered under the
> regime that was supported by these loans. Further, the AFL-CIO calls
> for the cancellation of reparations imposed as a result of wars waged
> by Saddam Hussein's regime and the return of all Iraqi property and
> antiquities taken during the war and occupation.
>
> The bedrock of any democracy is a strong, free, democratic labor
> movement.
>
> That is true in the United States and Iraq.
>
> Our returning troops should be afforded all resources and services
> available to meet their needs. Our members should return to their
> jobs, with seniority and benefits.
>
> The AFL-CIO calls on Congress and President Bush to expand benefits
> for veterans and assist those affected by military base closings,
> including a G.I. Bill for returning Iraq veterans and a Veterans
> Administration housing program that meets current needs.
>
> The AFL-CIO supports the efforts of Iraqi workers to form independent
> labor unions. In the absence of an adequate labor law, the AFL-CIO
> calls on the Iraqi government, as well as domestic and international
> companies operating in Iraq, to respect internationally recognized
> International Labor Organization standards that call for protecting
> the right of workers to organize free from all government and employer
> interference and the right to organize and bargain collectively in
> both the public and private sectors. These rights must be extended to
> include full equality for working women.
>
> The AFL-CIO condemns the fact that Saddam's decree No. 150 issued in
> 1987 that abolished union rights for workers in the extensive Iraqi
> public sector has not been repealed. Under current laws, payroll
> deductions for union dues are not even permitted. The AFL-CIO calls on
> the Iraqi government to place as a top priority the adoption of a new
> labor law that conforms to international labor standards to replace
> the old anti-worker laws and decrees.
>
> Despite legal obstacles, Iraq's workers and their institutions are
> already leaders in the struggle for democracy. Trade unionists are
> being targeted for their activism, and some have paid for their valor
> with their lives. The AFL-CIO condemns these brutal acts of
> intimidation.
>
> The AFL-CIO has a proud history of solidarity with worker movements
> around the world in their opposition to tyranny. In concert with the
> international trade union movement, the AFL-CIO will continue to
> provide our full solidarity to Iraq's workers as they lead the
> struggle for an end to the violence and a more just and democratic
> nation.
>
>
>
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> U.S. Labor Against War (USLAW)
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> ////////
> www.uslaboragainstwar.org
> Email: <info at uslaboragainstwar.org>
> {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
> PMB 153
> 1718 "M" Street, NW
> Washington, D.C. 20036
> Messages: 202-521-5265
> {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
> Co-convenors: Gene Bruskin, Maria Guillen, Fred Mason,
> Bob Muehlenkamp, and Nancy Wohlforth
> Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer & Website Coordinator
> Adrienne Nicosia, Administrative Staff
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Al Kagan
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61820
USA
tel. 217-333-6519
fax 217-333-2214
akagan at uiuc.edu
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