Did the break away child influence the parent? PZ
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
From: "U.S. Labor Against the War" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 07/26/2005 10:37PM
Subject: 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.
////////
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\
U.S. Labor Against War (USLAW)
\\\\\\\\
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////
www.uslaboragainstwar.org
Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
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
