Open
World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
Statement of NYC Labor Against The War
Issued September 27, 2001
1088 Signers as of May 30, 2002
September 11 has brought indescribable suffering to New York City's
working people. We have lost friends, family members and coworkers of all
colors, nationalities and religions—a thousand of them union members. An
estimated one hundred thousand New Yorkers will lose their jobs.
We condemn this crime against humanity and mourn those who perished. We
are proud of the rescuers and the outpouring of labor support for
victims’ families. We want justice for the dead and safety for the
living.
And we believe that George Bush's war is not the answer.
No one should suffer what we experienced on September 11. Yet war will
inevitably harm countless innocent civilians, strengthen American
alliances with brutal dictatorships and deepen global poverty—just as
the United States and its allies have already inflicted widespread
suffering on innocent people in such places as Iraq, Sudan, Israel and the
Occupied Territories, the former Yugoslavia and Latin America.
War will also take a heavy toll on us. For Americans in uniform—the
overwhelming number of whom are workers and people of color—it will be
another Vietnam. It will generate further terror in this country against
Arabs, Muslims, South Asians, people of color and immigrants, and erode
our civil liberties.
It will redirect billions to the military and corporate executives, while
draining such essential domestic programs as education, health care and
the social security trust. In New York City and elsewhere, it will be a
pretext for imposing "austerity" on labor and poor people under
the guise of "national unity."
War will play into the hands of religious fanatics -- from Osama bin Laden
to Jerry Falwell -- and provoke further terrorism in major urban centers
like New York.
Therefore, the undersigned New York City metro-area trade unionists
believe a just and effective response to September 11 demands:
**NO WAR. It is wrong to punish any nation or people for the crimes of
individuals—peace requires global social and economic justice.
**JUSTICE, NOT VENGEANCE. An independent international tribunal to
impartially investigate, apprehend and try those responsible for the
September 11 attack.
**OPPOSITION TO RACISM—DEFENSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. Stop terror, racial
profiling and legal restrictions against people of color and immigrants,
and defend democratic rights.
**AID FOR THE NEEDY, NOT THE GREEDY. Government aid for the victims’
families and displaced workers—not the wealthy. Rebuild New York City
with union labor, union pay, and with special concern for new threats to
worker health and safety.
**NO LABOR "AUSTERITY." The cost of September 11 must not be
borne by working and poor New Yorkers. No surrender of workers’ living
standards, programs or other rights.
NYCLAW welcomes trade union endorsers from the NY Metro Area and beyond.
To add your name, please hand this completed form to a NYCLAW member, send
it to: NYCLAW, Prince Street Station, P.O. Box 233, New York, NY
10012-3200, or e-mail to nyclaw01@excite.com