Open
World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
The Formation of USLAW: U.S. Labor Against the War
1) Presentation by OWC Co-coordinators
2) "We Establish U.S. Labor Against the War" (Resolution adopted
at Jan. 11 meeting in Chicago)
3) Trade Unionists Launch "U.S. Labor Against the War": Report
on the Jan. 11 meeting by Kansas City Labor Activist Bill Onasch (reprinted
from the kclabor.org website)
4) Opening Remarks by Michael Eisenscher, Coordinator, Bay Area Labor
Committee for Peace & Justice
5) Who attended the USLAW founding meeting? (from report by Michael
Eisenscher)
6) Census of Labor Organizations on Record Against War (from information
available prior to the Chicago meeting; compiled by Michael Eisenscher)
7) Why I will be attending the Emergency International Antiwar Conference
in Paris on Jan. 23-24, 2003 -- by Clarence Thomas, Outgoing
Secretary-Treasurer, ILWU Local 10
8) Registration/Support Coupon for International Emergency Antiwar
Conference (Paris, France -- Jan. 23-24)
**************
1) PRESENTATION by OWC Co-Coordinators
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
On Jan. 11, at a meeting held at the hall of Teamsters Local 705 in
Chicago, a new organization was launched: U.S. Labor Against War (USLAW).
In an email posting to labor activists across the country, Bay Area labor
veteran Michael Eisenscher, who presented the opening remarks to the
meeting, described the step that was taken in Chicago as follows:
"On Saturday, January 11 in Chicago history was made. More than
one hundred trade union leaders gathered there to found US Labor Against
the War (USLAW). These union officers, officials and activists came from
organizations representing more than 2 million members."
The meeting produced a final resolution [see below], which according to
Eisenscher, was "adopted unanimously after a lively and thoughtful
debate, represent[ing] the blending of elements from two resolutions
submitted for consideration by organizers of the meeting and by some of
those attending."
In this posting from the OWC we are reprinting the resolution that was
adopted at this founding meeting of USLAW, as well as a report on the
meeting that was posted on the internet by Kansas City labor activist Bill
Onasch.
Also in this message you will find the opening remarks by Michael
Eisenscher, and an initial census prepared in advance of the Chicago
meeting of all the union bodies that have taken a stance against the war
-- a census, Eisenscher writes, "that greatly understates the
actual extent of labor opposition, as many other organizations that had
gone on record were identified in the course of the meeting, and a
significant and growing number will be taking action at meetings in the
coming month." As soon as an updated census is available from USLAW,
we will forward it to you.
At the regular delegates' meeting of the San Francisco Labor Council on
Monday, January 13, the Council -- after hearing a report from Dave Welsh,
a member of NALC Local 214 who represented the Council in Chicago -- voted
unanimously to endorse USLAW and to publicize the national antiwar
resolution as widely as possible.
We concur fully with Brother Eisenscher. The founding of USLAW marks a
historic development in the United States. At no point during the
anti-Vietnam War movement did a labor coalition against war of such scope
come together. The task is now to build and help USLAW grow into a
formation representing the majority of the U.S. labor movement. Please get
your unions, labor councils, state federations and Internationals to
endorse USLAW and to join the growing antiwar movement out in the streets
in mass, peaceful protest.
Trade unionists in the San Francisco Bay Area are invited to a Chicago
Report-Back meeting, to be held Sunday, January 26th at 10 a.m. at ILWU
Local 10 near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco (pending confirmation of
availability).
Building on the momentum of the Chicago gathering of union activists, we
want to urge all trade unionists and labor activists in the Bay Area to
join the Labor Antiwar Contingent at the upcoming January 18 March and
Rally in San Francisco. We will be assembling at 11 a.m. at Market and
Drumm, in front of the Hyatt Hotel. Please bring your union banners and
colors.
One final -- yet extremely important -- point. By now, you should have
received the Call for the International Emergency Labor Antiwar Conference,
which will be held in Paris, France, on Jan. 23-24 at the initiative of
the International Liaison Committee. We strongly urge you to support this
conference, which will gather labor representatives from more than 30
countries. Please send a delegate from your union or antiwar coalition (there
is still time!), send a message of support to the conference, and/or send
a financial contribution to help us send a delegate from the San Francisco
Labor Council. [Please fill out coupon below. Also, if you did not receive
a copy of the Paris Conference call, please send us a note at <ilcinfo@earthlink.net>.]
We are reprinting in this message the statement by Clarence Thomas,
outgoing secretary-treasurer of ILWU Local 10, explaining why he will be
at the Paris Conference.
Thanks for your continued support to all the initiatives of the OWC, and
looking forward to working with you to stop this war before it begins.
In solidarity,
Alan Benjamin and Ed Rosario,
Co-Coordinators,
OWC Continuations Committee
********************
2) WE ESTABLISH U.S. LABOR AGAINST THE WAR
WHEREAS, over 100 trade unionists from 76 local, regional and national
unions, central labor councils and other labor organizations (see details
below) representing over 2 million members gathered in Chicago for an
unprecedented meeting to discuss our concerns about the Bush
administration's threat of war; and
WHEREAS, union members and leaders have the responsibility to inform all
working people about issues that affect their lives, jobs and families,
and to be heard in the national debate on these issues; and
WHEREAS, the principal victims of any military action in Iraq will be the
sons and daughters of working class families serving in the military who
will be put in harm's way, and innocent Iraqi civilians who have already
suffered so much; and
Whereas, we have no quarrel with the ordinary working class men, women and
children of Iraq, or any other country; and
Whereas, the billions of dollars spent to stage and execute this war are
being taken away from our schools, hospitals, housing and Social Security;
and
Whereas, the war is a pretext for attacks on labor, civil, immigrant and
human rights at home; and
Whereas, Bush's drive for war serves as a cover and distraction for the
sinking economy, corporate corruption and layoffs; and
Whereas, such military action is predicted actually to increase the
likelihood of retaliatory terrorist acts; and
Whereas, there is no convincing link between Iraq and Al Qaeda or the
attacks on Sept. 11, and neither the Bush administration nor the UN
inspections have demonstrated that Iraq poses a real threat to Americans;
and
Whereas, U.S. military action against Iraq threatens the peaceful
resolution of disputes among states, jeopardizing the safety and security
of the entire world, including Americans; and
Whereas, labor has had an historic role in fighting for justice; therefore
We hereby establish the "U.S. Labor Against the War' (USLAW)";
and
Resolve that U.S. Labor Against the War stands firmly against Bush's war
drive; and
Further resolve that U.S. Labor Against the War will publicize this
statement, and promote union, labor and community antiwar activity.
(Adopted January 11, 2003 in Chicago, IL)
********************
3) TRADE UNIONISTS LAUNCH "U.S. LABOR AGAINST THE WAR"
[Note: The following article was posted on the kc.labor.org website on
Jan. 12. The author, Bill Onasch, is a member of Amalgamated Transit Union
Local 1287,webmaster of kclabor.org, and a member of the Interim National
Council of the Labor Party. He can be reached at: laboradvocate@kclabor.org.]
By BILL ONASCH
More than a hundred trade union leaders and activists gathered at the
Teamsters Local 705 hall in Chicago January 11 to discuss labor's response
to the imminent danger of war on Iraq. At the end of the day they launched
a new organization to mobilize antiwar sentiment within the union movement
-- U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW).
Teamsters Local 705, the second largest Teamsters Local in the country,
offered to host the gathering shortly after their members overwhelmingly
passed an antiwar resolution at a well-attended (over 400) meeting. Two
veteran organizers, Gene Bruskin and Bob Muehlenkamp, did a good job of
assembling this impressive gathering on short notice. The initial
invitation letter was signed by:
Alan Benchich, President, UAW 909
Jerry Brown, President, 1199NE/SEIU, Hartford
Bill Hennings, VP, CWA Local 1180, NYC
Bruce J. Kipple, General Sec.-Treas., UE
Richard Mead, President, ILWU Local 10
Bob Muehlenkamp
Alan Netland, President, Duluth CLC, President AFSCME Local 96
Sal Roselli, President, L. 250/SEIU, Oakland
Brenda Stokely, President, AFSCME Council 1707, Co-chair, NYCLAW
Gerry Zero, Sec-Tr., IBT L. 705, Chicago
After hearing presentations from David Cortright, Fourth Freedom Forum,
and Bill Fletcher, director of TransAfrica and a former special assistant
to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, the delegates went on to a vigorous
debate over a resolution to establish basic principles. The most
contentious issue was that of the United Nations. A few wanted to denounce
the UN as a tool of the U.S. while a few others wanted to praise the UN
for preventing war on Iraq to this point. In the end the delegates decided
we could live without saying anything about the UN. The final language of
the resolution is reproduced below.
The gathering had a practical discussion of how to take our positions into
the rest of the labor movement. The first priority is to get as many union
bodies as possible in the next few weeks to adopt resolutions and
contribute money to the new organization. A continuations committee, made
up of representatives selected by unions with sizeable delegations, was
established to set up structures to carry on USLAW's work.
In the Kansas City area there will be a meeting to discuss building USLAW
Saturday, January 18, 1PM at 2113 Erie in North Kansas City. For more
information call 816-753-1672 or 816-221-3638 or send an e-mail to laboradvocate@kclabor.org.
********************
4) OPENING REMARKS BY MICHAEL EISENSCHER, COORDINATOR, BAY AREA LABOR
COMMITTEE FOR PEACE & JUSTICE
Compared to opposition to any other war in the last 50 years, labor
opposition has emerged faster, with more clarity and greater influence
than to any other war. The first labor
opposition emerged within weeks of the horrific events of 9/11.
Various organizations moved on different issues: civil liberties, economic
impacts, class discrimination in the bailouts, immigrant rights, racial
profiling, anti-militarization, budget priorities and more. Over
time opposition shifted as the focus of attention moved from Al Qaeda to
Afghanistan to Pakistan to Iraq, with some also taking on the US role in
the Phillipines, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. What began as a
labor response to the administration response to 9/11 shifted to a labor
response to U.S. foreign and domestic war strategies that were seen by
increasing numbers to be class-interested and class-biased.
The Patriot Act, roundup and detention of immigrants, firing of screeners,
profiling of Muslims, Middle-Easterners and So. Asians, imposition of
Taft-Hartley on ILWU, raid on the Social Security Trust Fund, tax
giveaways to investors and the wealthy, corporate bailouts, dismantling of
vital domestic programs and human services, privatization of public jobs,
banning public employee unions in restructuring federal government
programs and departments, shifting budget burdens to states and local
government, increasing federal deficit, turning a blind eye to corporate
corruption, appointing corporate cronies and recycled reactionaries to key
government posts, emergence of dissent among top military and policy brass,
refusal to offer claimed evidence to support government actions, contempt
for international law and international multilateral institutions, using
foreign policy and threats of military action for partisan political
electoral gains, threats of preemptive military attack, talk of first-use
of nuclear weapons even against small states that offer no nuclear threat,
and now the double standard regarding Korea compared to Iraq has exposed
the Bush administration for what it is to a growing number of working
people in general and union members in particular.
Working people and the labor movement are seeing 75 years of progress
being unraveled, eroded and reversed. Put that on top of the
recollection that this administration was not elected by the people; it
was selected by the Supreme Court; and that it came to power on the basis
of stolen votes and manipulated balloting - and you have plenty of reasons
for lots of people from all walks of life to feel everything from
discomfort and doubt to open outrage.
Growing numbers have begun to see that when the government talks about its
capacity to conduct a multi-front war, what it has in mind is both a war
on the world and a war on workers.
There are different political currents within labor opposition.
Our task is to erect a tent that is large enough to include all of them
and the tens of thousands more who have yet to openly oppose the war but
who can be won to do so without asking anyone to abandon their principles
in order to come inside. What we seek is principled unity. Rather
than focus on our differences, lets concentrate on finding the common
ground we can all occupy as we build popular resistance to this madness.
********************
5) WHO ATTENDED THE USLAW FOUNDING MEETING
Here is a preliminary tabulation based on signup sheets. A more
complete analysis will be forthcoming after registration forms are input
and analyzed.
ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED:
Local Unions:
40
District/Regional Union Bodies:
16
National Unions
5
Central Labor Bodies
3
Antiwar Committees and other Orgs: 12
TOTAL
76
UNION MEMBERS AND STAFF ATTENDING:
Executive Officers (Pres., VP. Sec-Treas, Exec. Dir.)
31
Stewards/Delegates
10
Executive Board Members
4
Business Agents
3
Members
9
Staff
18
Political Action, Legislative, Policy Directors
7
Publication Editors, Communications Directors
2
Education Directors
2
Organizing Directors
1
Research Staff/Director
1
TOTAL
87
********************
6) CENSUS OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS ON RECORD AGAINST WAR
(from information available prior to the meeting)
Central Labor Bodies
Albany CLCDuluth
Central Labor BodyKing
Cleveland Labor Council
County Labor Council
Monterey Bay CLC
Philadelphia Central Labor Council
Rochester CLCSacramento Labor Council
San Francisco Labor Council
Saratoga Labor Council
South Bay Labor Council
Troy CLC
Vancouver District Labor Council
Washington, DC CLC
State Federations
California Federation of Labor
Hawaii State Federation
Washington State Labor Council
District/Regional Organizations
1199/SEIU
AFSCME District 1707 Council
Bergen County Central Trades Council
CA Pipe Trades Council
California Federation of Teachers
California Faculty Association/SEIU Local 1983
California Nurses' Association
IAM District Lodge 77 Retirees
New Mexico Carpenters
New York State Nurses' Association
SEIU 1199 NE
SEIU 1199 PA
SEIU Wisconsin District
Wisconsin Federation of Teachers
National Organizations
AFSCME International Exec. Bd.
Canadian Auto Workers
NWU/UAW Local 1981
Pride at Work
United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers
Local Organizations
AFSCME Local 1549
AFSCME Local 1930, DC 37
AFSCME Local 215
AFSCME Local 304
AFSCME Local 3800
AFSCME Local 444
AFSCME Local 446/CSEA
AFT Local 1474, UC-Berkeley
AFT Local 1521
AFT Local 2026
AFT Local 2190/UUP, SUNY
AFT Local 2334, Professional Staff Congress, CUNY
AFT Local 4345
AFT Local 6
AFT/West Haven Federation of Teachers
Coalition of University Employees, Local 3
CWA Local 1180CWA Local 9423
HERE Local 2
HERE Local 5
IAM Local Lodge 459
ILWU Local 10
ILWU Local 5
ILWU Local 6
Millwrights' Local 2158
NALC Branch 214
Oakland Education Association
OPEIU Local 2
Painters and Tapers Local 913
Plumbers & Fitters Local 393
RWDSU Local 108
SEIU Local 250
SEIU Local 254
SEIU Local 535
SEIU Local 660
SEIU Local 715
SEIU Local 73
Teamsters Local 705
UAW Local 2865, Univ. of CA
UAW Local 600
United Brotherhood of Carpenters/New Mexico
United Teachers of Los Angeles
Census:
Locals 42
District/Regional 13
National
5
CLC
12
State Fed
5
Cmtes.
22
Indivs.
46
Locals: 9 AFT, 7 AFSCME, 6 SEIU, 3
ILWU, 2 CWA, 2 HERE, 2 UAW, 2 Independent
by affiliation 1 IAM, IBT, Plumber, UBC,
Millwright, RWDSU, Painter, OPEIU, NALC
Locals: 17 CA, 6 NY, 2 MN, 2 DC,
5 unknown
by state 1 CT, WA, HI, IL, MA, MI, NM, OR,
PA, NJ
CLC:
Albany, Duluth, Seattle/King Co., Monterey/Santa Cruz, Philadelphia,
Rochester, Sacramento,
Saratoga, San Francisco, Saratoga, So. Bay/San Jose, Troy, Vancouver,
WashingtonDC
District/ 4 CA, 3 NY, 2 WI
Region 1 NJ, NM, MN,
PA, Northeast
by state
Cmtes.: 4 CA, 2 Canada, 5 NY, 2 WA, 1 unknown
by state 1 OH, US, OR, MI, MA, IL, DC
********************
7) WHY I WILL BE ATTENDING THE EMERGENCY INTERNATIONAL ANTIWAR CONFERENCE
IN PARIS ON JAN. 23-24, 2003
By Clarence Thomas, Outgoing Secretary-Treasurer, ILWU Local 10
It is important for representatives from the U.S. labor movement to be
present in Paris at the Emergency International Antiwar Conference to let
working people around the world know that the politicians in the United
States who are preparing a bloody war against the people of Iraq do not
speak in our name. We refuse to allow Bush and the warmongers to use our
grief resulting from 9/11 as a cry for war.
It is also important for workers everywhere to know that those in the U.S.
labor movement -- including the leadership of the AFL-CIO -- who have not
taken a stand against this war do not speak in the name of the entire U
labor movement.
Since last summer there has been steady growth in labor opposition to war
against Iraq from local unions, central labor councils, state federations
and other groups, and a few high-ranking labor leaders have also spoken
out individually. Even the 21,000-member Teamsters local in Chicago voted
recently to oppose the war, despite the fact that the top Teamsters'
leadership is openly supporting Bush's policies toward Iraq.
Still, though things are changing, there are still too many people in the
U.S. labor movement who -- in the aftermath of the unfortunate events of
9/11 -- are reluctant to take a stand against the war for fear of being
labeled "unpatriotic."
Though many do understand that the "War on Terrorism" is being
used to attack our collective-bargaining power, they fail to see that the
same thing is true of the war against Iraq and U.S. foreign policy in
general. Gene Bruskin, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO's Food and
Allied Trades department, put it well in his Oct. 7 letter to AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney, when he wrote:
"I do not believe, however, that Bush's War policies are designed to
increase domestic security. They are, rather, a Trojan Horse for his
pro-corporate domestic and international agenda. His War of Terror and War
on Iraq have little to do with promoting security for the U.S. citizenry.
Rather, his foreign policy is designed to serve the same corporate
interests that drive his domestic policy, making the world safe for U.S.
multinationals. In the era of globalization, the two cannot be separated."
As a longshore worker who has been involved in a protracted struggle
against the Pacific Maritime Association, the Bush administration and a
whole array of multinational corporations such as Walmart (all members of
the West Coast Waterfront Coalition), I want to let the international
labor movement know that all of these forces tried to break our union --
and that none of this would have been possible without the "War on
Terrorism" and the impending war on Iraq.
Both the USA Patriot Act and the war on Iraq are moves by the Bush
administration to take away not only our civil and human rights -- but
also our trade union rights, in the name of national security interests.
To attack unions, which represent a fundamental democratic institution in
any society, is to move in the direction of a totalitarian society.
I will be in Paris to tell the story of our struggle for a decent contract
and to explain how everything that was thrown at us in the ILWU -- indeed,
everything today that's happening to our unions -- has everything to do
with the war effort.
I feel it is important to speak about these issues, even though our own
International, the ILWU, has not yet taken a position against the war.
We in ILWU Local 10 have a long history of being in the vanguard on a
whole number of issues, such as the anti-apartheid movement. It was a
rank-and-file action that led to the refusal by Local 10 to unload cargo
emanating from South Africa. Subsequent to that, the International got on
board.
Local 10 is the local of Harry Bridges, the militant founder of the ILWU.
I will be in Paris at this international antiwar conference to let working
people know that the legacy of Harry Bridges and the fighting tradition of
the ILWU are alive and standing tall.