Dear LIST Comrades,
This is email and forwarded material, it is not my composition. I post it For
Your Information.
f580
Dear Friends -
At the committee meeting on Sunday, I announced that SEIU Illinois State
Council
adopted the resolution put forward by my union, SEIU Local 73 to condemn the
recent FBI raids and repression of anti-war, international solidarity and labor
activists.
SEIU (Service Employees International Union) represents 165,000 workers in
Illinois. This is the largest labor body to date to adopt a resolution.
Altogether, unions representing over 450,000 workers have adopted similar
resolutions.
If you are a member of a union or know someone who is involved in their union,
please try to get a resolution adopted.
I'm forwarding this email which went out at the end of October with a sample
resolution and other materials to help guide trade unionists to seek
resolutions.
Pass it along, brothers and sisters -
Joe
From: "Tom Burke" <tom.burke.o...@gmail.com>
To: "info" <i...@colombiasolidarity.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 8:20:29 PM
Subject: Stop FBI--Labor Union Materials
Sisters and Brothers:
On September 24, 2010, the FBI carried out coordinated raids on the homes and
offices of 14 anti-war activists in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan. During
the raids the FBI confiscated everything from computers and mailing lists to
children’s’ drawings and photos of Martin Luther King.
Ten of the 14 victims of the raid are union members in good-standing, among
them
3 members of AFSCME Local 3800 (U of MN), one member of Teamsters Local 320
(U
of MN), a member of Education Minnesota, and the chief steward of SEIU 73 (U of
IL-Chicago). All are well-known and respected activists who, according to FBI
spokespersons, were targeted because of their role in seeking justice for
workers and other oppressed peoples throughout the world. In addition to having
their homes invaded, they were subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. They
have not been arrested or charged with any crime.
By its nature, a grand jury is a dressed-up fishing expedition. Those called
to
testify are not allowed legal representation during their testimony. If they
refuse to cooperate, they face imprisonment, jeopardizing their jobs, homes and
families. If they agree to testify, they give credence to an illegitimate
fishing expedition.
Every American has the constitutional right to advocate and organize for change
in the foreign policy of the United States. These activists are entitled to a
presumption of innocence under the United States Constitution. No acceptable
justification or evidence has been presented for these raids and subpoenas and
there is no reason to believe any will be forthcoming.
Four days prior to the September 24th raids, the Office of the Inspector
General
of the United States revealed that the FBI has systematically and illegally
spied on political activists; that FBI director Robert Mueller lied to Congress
about details of the surveillance; and that agents frequently confuse civil
disobedience with “domestic terrorism.”
From the Industrial Workers of the World’s (IWW) fight for free speech in the
1910s to the major labor-inspired civil liberties court decisions of the 1930s
the labor movement has often been in the forefront of defending the right to
speak and protest. Trade unionists understood that without the ability to
speak
out, union efforts would be crushed. Of necessity, the fight for civil
liberties went hand in hand with the fight for workers’ rights. What we see in
these raids and grand jury subpoenas is reminiscent of the Palmer Raids and J
Edgar Hoover’s COINTELPRO. The FBI and Department of Justice have long
histories of exploiting public fears in order to disrupt trade union, civil
rights and anti-war organizing.
Across the country organizations and individuals are standing together to
protest the United States government’s attempt to silence and criminalize
activism. Confronting power and privilege has never been popular in the United
States. Anyone who has gone through a bitter strike knows all too well how the
courts, the media and the government line up against striking workers. That’s
why, as it has historically, the trade union movement must be at the forefront
of defending the right to dissent.
We are writing to ask you to join us in taking a stand in support of our
sisters
and brothers who are facing this witch hunt. Unions across the country are
passing resolutions denouncing the FBI raids and calling for an end to the
grand
jury investigation.
A sample resolution is enclosed/attached, as well as a sign on letter for
individual union members. Please introduce the resolution at your upcoming
meetings.
To sign on to the letter, send your name, title, and whether it is for ID
purposes only to labor.stop....@gmail.com.
If you would like somebody to speak about the raids at your meeting, contact
Cherrene at 612-940-0660 612-940-0660 or cherr...@afscme3800.org.
For more information go to www.stopfbi.net.
We are also asking for donations to help with the cost of legal defense. Checks
can be written to: Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and mailed to PO Box
14183,
Minneapolis, MN 55414.
An injury to one is an injury to all!
In solidarity,
Richard Berg, Past President, Teamsters 743
Phyllis Walker, President, AFSCME 3800
Cherrene Horazuk, Chief Steward, AFSCME 3800
Peter Rachleff, Labor Historian, Macalaster College
Gladys McKenzie, Field Representative, AFSCME Council 5
Joe Burns, Labor Attorney/Negotiator
Dave Riehle, former Local Chairman, United Transportation Union Local 650
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