Open
World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
US Labor Against War National Labor Assembly for Peace
1) Support
USLAW's National Labor Assembly for Peace on Oct. 24-25! -- by OWC
Co-coordinators
2) Call
to a National Assembly for Peace (October 24-25 in Chicago)
3) Initial
Organizational and Individual Signatories of National Labor Assembly
for Peace
*******************
1)
Support USLAW's National Labor Assembly for Peace on Oct. 24-25!
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
This coming October 24-25, U.S. Labor Against the War, or USLAW, will be
convening a National Labor Assembly for Peace in Chicago with the purpose
of establishing an ongoing labor coalition in the United States against
war. USLAW was launched in January with the main objective of stopping the
U.S. war on Iraq. Now the task is to found a new and ongoing national
organization of labor against the "endless war" sought by Bush
and the warmakers in Washington.
We call upon all trade unionists and labor activists all across the
country to actively build this National Assembly through your unions and
antiwar coalitions. We are reprinting below the Call for this National
Assembly issued by USLAW. Following the text, you will find the initial
list of labor endorsers of the Assembly.
You can register for this National Assembly, and/or learn more about it,
by visiting the website of USLAW at www.uslaboragainstwar.org.
What is USLAW and Why Should Working People Support It?
USLAW was founded in mid-January to give an organized expression to
the fight waged by U.S. unions and labor bodies against the U.S. war on
Iraq.
A formation such as this one -- originating from within the ranks and
leadership of the organized labor movement in the United States and
founded on a platform that opposes the war policies of the U.S. government
and its parallel attacks on working people at home -- represents an
important step forward for working people in the United States and the
world over.
Not only did USLAW help to deepen opposition to the war within the U.S.
trade union movement through its campaigns and coordinated days of action,
it organized an International Labor Press Conference on February 19th to
present an international labor declaration against war that was endorsed
by unions representing more than 130 million workers from 53 countries.
The formation of USLAW has modified the situation within labor and opened
a fundamental discussion around the need for a different foreign policy --
one based on respect for the right of peoples to self-determination, peace
and social justice (including labor rights for all). USLAW also has taken
a firm stance against the racist attacks on immigrant workers, the
curtailment of all civil and democratic rights, and the heightened assault
on jobs and labor rights.
Campaign for Labor Rights in Iraq
On June 14-15 in Geneva, USLAW joined with the International Liaison
Commiteee of Workers and Peoples (ILC) and the International Confederation
of Arab Trade Unions (ICATU) to launch a Campaign for Labor Rights in
Iraq.
The Continuations Committee of the Open World Conference has supported
this campaign actively. We believe it is an important effort to get the
truth out about the state of the labor movement in Iraq and the need for
the Iraqi people to be able to build the unions of their choice -- not
those imposed upon them by the occupation forces.
We also support this campaign because it is directly linked to the fight
against the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
The starting point of the Appeal that launched this campaign was the
demand for an end to the occupation -- so that the Iraqi workers could
have the unions of their own choice and so that the Iraqi people could
re-establish ILO Conventions that both preserve the unity of the Iraqi
nation, today under threat by the occupation forces, and codify
fundamental labor rights and standards that are a pillar of democracy,
which the occupation forces are seeking to deny them. [See copy of this
Appeal on our OWC website.]
The campaign Appeal points out that basic democratic and labor rights are
not possible to achieve in Iraq so long as there is an occupation that
denies the Iraqi people their right to sovereignty and self-determination.
The Appeal states boldly: there can be no democracy so long as all the ILO
Conventions previously voted by Iraqi governments are not the law of the
land. These ILO conventions affirm the unity of the Iraqi people and
nation -- against all attempts to balkanize them into various different
ethnic or tribal regions, with different rights.
The Campaign for Labor Rights in Iraq is one more instrument to help build
widespread opposition to the U.S. occupation among working people the
world over -- many of whom may have supported Bush's war because at least,
they thought, it might create a democratic opening for the Iraqi people.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
For all these reasons, we call upon all supporters of the OWC and all
trade unionists and supporters of labor rights to endorse USLAW, support
its campaigns -- and, most important, join us in building and attending
the National Assembly for Peace this coming October 24-25 in Chicago. We
also call upon you to get your unions and labor or antiwar coalitions to
endorse the National Assembly for Peace and to send representatives to
Chicago.
In solidarity,
Alan Benjamin and Ed Rosario,
Co-coordinators,
Open World Conference Continuations Committee
********************
2)
Call to a National Assembly for Peace (October 24-25 in Chicago)
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
The undersigned trade unionists invite you to join us for a National Labor
Assembly on the issues of peace, prosperity, security, democracy and
justice. Its purpose will be to forge an ongoing labor coalition that will
challenge the U.S. foreign policy of permanent war and its consequences
for working families both here at home and abroad. The Assembly will be
held in Chicago on October 24 (evening) and 25 (all day), 2003.
In the months preceding the invasion of Iraq, hundreds of local, state and
national unions, central labor councils and other labor organizations took
official positions opposing war on Iraq. This led to the founding, on
January 11 in Chicago, of U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW). On February
27 the AFL-CIO Executive Council adopted its own resolution opposing
Bush's unilateral and preemptive military action. By the time the invasion
of Iraq was actually launched on March 20, labor organizations
representing almost one-third of all organized workers in the U.S. were on
record opposed to the war.
U.S. troops are now committed to an indeterminate occupation of that
war-devastated country. All the important questions about Iraq's future
remain under a cloud, including what role the Iraqi people will have in
shaping their own future and whether Iraqi workers will enjoy
internationally recognized labor rights, including the right to organize
freely, to bargain collectively and to strike.
Despite its rhetoric about liberation, it is increasingly clear that the
Bush administration is motivated more by global ambitions and corporate
interests than by the freedom of Iraqis. Consistent with its belligerent
posture and preemptive war doctrine, threats of military action against
other countries continue to emanate from the administration. Its announced
decision to resume development of tactical nuclear weapons will escalate
the arms race, making the U.S. and the whole world less, not more, secure.
Our nation is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades.
Organized labor and working families are under a relentless assault from
the Bush administration on every front. Government has become a willing
ally of big business in attacking unions and the right to organize and
bargain. More than 180,000 federal workers have lost the right to union
representation in the name of "national security."
While the social safety net is being shredded, the administration is
massively cutting taxes for the wealthy. It has undermined cherished
democratic ideals and eroded Constitutional rights with measures like the
Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act. The budget for the military and
prisons continues to grow, while social programs and public sector jobs
and services are being downsized, outsourced, privatized or eliminated.
Schools are being shuttered and teachers laid off by the thousands,
veterans benefits are being slashed, millions are jobless, many millions
more are without health care and adequate housing. In communities of
color, among immigrants and the poor, these cuts will have a
disproportionately painful impact. Children will suffer their worst
effects. The $200 billion being spent to topple Saddam Hussein and
reconstruct Iraq could have been spent addressing these urgent needs.
The stakes at this moment in history are high. For many trade unionists
who did not oppose the war earlier, the relationship between a militarized
foreign policy and its effect on our domestic economy are becoming
painfully clear. "National security" has become the cover for
gutting many of the social and economic gains won by working people during
the 20th century. The Administration is using the power of the US military
to boost Bush's image in the face of the disastrous results of his
economic policies.
This administration presents the most serious threat to the economic and
social well being, civil liberties and civil rights, security of the
nation and peace in the world of any in memory. Bush's defeat in the 2004
election is of paramount urgency. However, in seeking his defeat, we must
assure the defeat of the policies he has promoted so that no matter who is
elected, it will be politically impossible to pursue them.
We believe organized labor can defeat these policies only by making the
connection between the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and the
militarization of our society, the curtailment of civil liberties and
encroachment on our Constitutional rights, and the bankrupting of
government services at all levels. We propose to create a voice within the
labor movement that is an energetic advocate for policies that strengthen
international institutions so that conflicts between nations can be
resolved through diplomacy rather than war. We seek a U.S. foreign policy
that promotes global economic and social justice, not the use of military
force. We want our government to meet human needs, not cater to corporate
greed.
----
3)
Initial Organizational and Individual Signatories of National Labor
Assembly for Peace
SIGNATORIES
(list in formation)
ORGANIZATIONAL ENDORSEMENTS
- 1199 New England SEIU
- AFSCME Dist. Council 1707, NYC, by President Brenda Stokely
- AFSCME Local 2627, by Vice Pres. Gary Goff, Brooklyn, NY
- AFT Local 2121, San Francisco, by President Allan Fisher
- Arabs Building Community - Bay Area (CA) Labor Committee
- Bay Area (CA) Labor Committee for Peace & Justice
- Black Workers for Justice, by Saladin Muhammad, Chairperson
- California Federation of Teachers, by President Mary Bergan
- Calumet Project, by Kim Scipes, Executive Director, Gary, IN
- Chicago Labor Against the War, by Treasurer Larry Duncan
- Chicago Labor for Peace Prosperity & Justice, by Executive Director
Elena Marcheschi
- Christians for Peace, Justice & Equality by Terrence Rothman
- Coalition of University Employees (UC- CA) Anti-war Caucus
- Communications Workers of America, Local 1180, NYC, NY by Bill Henning,
President
- DC Labor for Peace & Justice, Washington, DC
- King County (Seattle) Labor Council, by Executive Secretary Steve
Williamson
- LaBOR aRT & MuRAL ProJect, by Mike Alewitz, New Britain CT
- Los Angeles College Faculty Guild, Local 1521, by the Executive Board
- Maryland Workers Union, by Director Edward Rothstein, Baltimore, MD
- Massachusetts Labor for Justice With Peace
- Monterey Bay Central Labor Council
- National Writers' Union Local 3, UAW Local 1981, by action of the
Steering Committee
- New Jersey Labor Against War, by Carol E. Gay, Interim Chair
- New York City Labor Against the War, by Co-Convener Michael Letwin
- Oakland Education Association, by Exec. Bd. Member Bill Balderston
- Open World Conference Continuations Committee
- PACE Local 8-675, Carson, CA, by Secretary-Treasurer David W. Campbell
- Plumbers, Steamfitters &Refrigeration Fitters Local 393, by Vice
President Fred Hirsch, San Jose CA
- Pride at Work by Co-President Nancy Wohlforth and Executive Director
Marta Ames
- PSC-CUNY/AFT Local 2334, by Senior College Officer Nancy Romer
- San Francisco Labor Council, by Secretary-Treasurer Walter Johnson
- SEIU Health Care Workers Local 250 (CA) by President Sal Rosselli
- SEIU Local 660, Los Angeles
- South Bay Labor Council, San Jose by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Executive
Officer
- So. Bay Labor for Peace & Justice, by Louise Auerhahn, San Jose, CA
- St. Louis Labor Against the War, by Joan Suarez, Co-Convener
- Union of Professional Employees, by Al Kagan, President, Champaign, IL
- United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers, by General
Secretary-Treasurer Bruce Klipple
- United Educators of San Francisco, by the UESF Executive Board
- United Health Care Workers of St. Louis, by Sharon Penrod. President
- Washington, DC Metropolitan Labor Council, by President Joslyn Williams
INDIVIDUAL ENDORSEMENTS
(organizations and titles for identification only)
-
- Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie, President of Local 3, Coalition of
University Employees (UC - CA)
- Fred Azcarate, Executive Director, Jobs With Justice
- Thomas Balanoff, President, SEIU Local 1 and International V.P. of SEIU
- Alan Benchich, President, UAW Local 909, Warren, MI
- John Braxton and Karen Schermerhorn, Co-Presidents, Faculty
- Federation of the Community College of Phila. AFT Local 2026
- Alan Benjamin, Co-Coordinator, OWC Continuations Committee, OPEIU Local
3, San Francisco
- Sheila Buell, psychotherapist, Toledo, OH
- Beverly Bullock, Legisl. Affairs Chairperson, Assoc. of Flight
Attendants, Alaska Airlines, Lake Forest Pk. WA
- Anna Burger, Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union
- Gene Carroll, Director of Union Leadership Program, ILR, Cornell
University
- Miguel Contreras, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Los Angeles County
Federation of Labor
- Jeff Crosby, President, No. Shore Labor Council, Lynn, MA
- Alice Dale, President, SEIU Local 49 and International V.P. of SEIU
(Portland)
- Elizabeth A. Davis, Building Representative, Washington Teachers' Union,
AFT Local 6, Washington, DC
- Art Doherty, President, Philadelphia Area Local APWU, V.P.
- Philadelphia CLC, V.P. PA State Federation of Labor
- Maria Elena Durazo, President, HERE Local 11, Los Angeles; VP of HERE
- Michael Eisenscher, Coordinator, Bay Area (CA) Labor Cmte. For Peace
& Justice
- Jerry Fishbein, Director, SEIU Local 767, Hyannis MA
- Martin Fishgold, President, President, International Labor
Communications Association; Editor, The Unionist, AFSCME
- Local 371, New York City
- Kevin Fitzpatrick, Advocacy Coordinator, NY Taxi Workers Alliance, NYC
- Conny Ford, Secretary-Treasurer/Business-Manager, OPEIU Local 3
- David Foster, Director, United Steelworkers of America, Region 11 (MN)
- Dennis Gallie, member, UAW Local 325, St. Louis, MO
- Dorothy Gilles, Organizer, Farm Labor Organizing Committee,
Edwardsville, IL
- Aaron Gregonis, Secretary Guard, NE MO. Labor Legislative Club; member,
PACE 5-205, Hannibal,MO.
- Andy Griggs, Co-Chair, Human Rights Cmte., UTLA/SAG/AEA/LA-USLAW, Santa
Monica CA
- Bill Henning, Vice President, Communications Workers of America, Local
1180, New York City
- Heddy Hilbum, Louisville KY
- Fred Hirsch, Vice President, Plumbers & Fitters Local 393, San Jose
- Marty Hittelman, Vice President, CA Federation of Teachers
- Claudia Horning, Statewide President, Coalition of University Employees
(UC-CA)
- Ed Hunt, member, SEIU Loca l925; Out Front Labor Coalition/Pride at
Work, Seattle
- Charles Jenks, President, Taprock Peace Center, Deerfield MA
- Paul Johnston, member, UC-AFT 2199, member of the Executive
- Board of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council; Executive Director,
Citizenship Project
- Dan Kaplan, Executive Secretary, San Mateo Community College Fed.
Teachers, AFT Local 1493, San Mateo CA
- John Kirk, Chief Grievance Officer, AFT Local 1493, San Mateo County
Community College Faculty
- Kitty Krupat, Associate Director, Queens Coll. CUNY Labor Resource
Center, NYC, NY
<?color><?param 00FF,00FF,00FF>- <?/color>Zev Kvitky,
President, United Stanford Workers; Vice-President, SEIU Local 715
- Craig Kysar, Writer, Sherman Oaks CA
- John Lamphier, member, AFSCME Local 9, Waconia, MN
- Nancy Lessin, USWA 9358 (Boston); Co-founder of MFSO
- Charles Lester Political Director, Los Angeles County Federation of
Labor
- Michael Letwin, Co-Convener, NYC Labor Against War
- Elena Marcheschi, Chicago Labor for Peace, Prosperity & Justice
- Eliseo Medina, Executive V.P., SEIU Western Region
- Mary Beth Menaker, President, National Writers' Union/UAW Local 1981
- Tim Nam, member, Coalition of Graduate Employees, Corvallis, OR
- David Novogrodsky, Executive Director, Professional & Technical
Engineers Local 21, San Francisco
- Peter Olney, Associate Dir., Institute for Labor & Employment, Univ.
of CA, Berkeley
- Bill Onasch, Convener, Kansas City Labor Against War; Amalgamated
Transit Union Local 1287
- Margaret A. O'Neill, Member, Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice,
Wallingford, CT
- David Oshige, Treasurer, CA Staff Organization, Sacramento
- Mike Parker, member, UAW Local 1700, Detroit, MI
- Robert Perrone, Executive Director, American Federation of Teachers
Local 2279, Sacramento
- Debby Pope, Director of Communications, Chicago Teachers Union, AFT #1
- Charley Richardson, SEIU 254 (Boston) and Co-founder, MFSO
- Louie Rocha, President, CWA Local 9423, San Jose
- Ed Rosario, Co-Coordinator, OWC Continuations Committee; President, GCIU
Local 4-N
- Valerie Sanfilippo, Steward, SEIU Local 2028, San Diego
- Diane Scherrer, member, UAW Local 2322, Hadley, MA
- Greg Shotwell, UAW Local 2151, Grand Rapids MI
- Bob Simpson, National Writers' Union/UAW 1981, Chicago IL
- Jeffrey Smedberg, President, SEIU 415, Santa Cruz
- Joyce Stanger, member, IBT Local 597, Underhill, VT
- Robbiy Stem, Spec. Assist. to the President, WA State Labor Council,
Seattle, WA
- Roosevelt Stewart, President, Amer. Postal Workers Union, St. Louis
Gateway Area, St. Louis, MO
- Wendy Thompson, UAW President 235, Detroit
- Kay Tillow, Director, Nurses Professional Organization, Louisville KY
- Jerry Tucker, Executive Director, United Health Care Workers, St. Louis
- Howard Wallace, Executive Committee, San Francisco Labor Council; Former
National Co-Chair, Pride at Work
- Sue West, past officer, UAW Local 592, Loves Park, IL
- Gerry Zero, President, Teamsters Local 705, Chicago
(List of Signatories Updated 8/15/03)