REPORT ON EXPANDED MEETING OF THE CONTINUATIONS COMMITTEE OF U.S. LABOR AGAINST THE WAR (USLAW)
Saturday, April 26, 2003 at Teamsters Local 705, Chicago
Thirty-one trade unionists, representing a broad cross-section of the U.S. labor movement, met on April 26 to consider the question: Should USLAW continue now that the war on Iraq is an accomplished fact? If so, on what basis and with what mission, and what should the next steps be?
The meeting was convened by the Continuations Committee, the leadership group mandated at the Jan. 11 founding of USLAW. The CC invited a broader group of trade unionists to attend the April 26 meeting to gain a wider range of viewpoints on the question of USLAW's future. The list of participants is included as a separate attachment.
During an intense day of discussion, the participants decided that a coalition like USLAW does need to continue within the U.S. labor movement to draw the connection between the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and its consequences for working families here at home: the erosion of civil rights and civil liberties and cuts in funding for education, health care, housing, veterans' benefits, and other public services. While labor as a whole can be expected to expose the anti-worker, anti-labor policies of the Bush administration, USLAW's unique contribution will be to connect this to its foreign policy of preemptive war and conquest abroad in the service of corporate interests and its abandonment of international peacekeeping and human rights institutions. USLAW will make the case that the nation cannot have both "guns and butter" and that the labor movement cannot effectively defend working families in the U.S. if it does not challenge the U.S. assault on working families abroad.
The decisions made on April 26 include:
- That USLAW calls for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and, instead, for reconstruction of that war-devastated country under the auspices of the United Nations.
- That USLAW will issue a Call to a National Labor Assembly for peace, security, prosperity and justice on Oct. 24 and 25, 2003 in Chicago to establish an ongoing coalition of labor organizations dedicated to challenging the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and calling instead for policies that promote social and economic justice both here at home and around the world. The Assembly can consider whether to retain the USLAW name or change it to something more in line with the new mission statement.
- That the primary purpose of such a coalition will be to provide information and educational materials to union members and other workers about the connection between the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and the crisis facing working families and the labor movement, and to mobilize them to change the foreign and domestic policies of our government.
- That this coalition will require a new Mission Statement (draft included as a separate attachment) and quite possibly a new name, as will be decided at the National Labor Assembly in October.
- That between now and October 24, USLAW will undertake the following activities:
- Conduct regional meetings of labor organizations that were opposed to the war on Iraq to explore further with them the question of an ongoing coalition within the U.S. labor movement connecting U.S. foreign and domestic policies. Those interested in convening a meeting in their regions should send an e-mail message to info@uslaboragainstwar.org
- Establish local chapters of USLAW, subject to approval by the Continuations Committee. Unions interested in establishing a USLAW chapter should send an e-mail message to info@uslaboragainstwar.org
- Raise at least $60,000 to pay one full-time and one half-time staff for USLAW, expenses for both paid and unpaid staff, and the operating expenses associated with the organization of regional meetings and the National Assembly, the web site, educational materials, etc.
- Establish the following working Committees: (1) National Labor Assembly planning group; (2) Education; (3) Labor vets; (4) International solidarity. (5) Finance and fund-raising, including from non-labor sources; and recruit a Chair and participants for each Committee. Anyone willing to serve on a committee should send an e-mail message to info@uslaboragainstwar.org
- Expand the Continuations Committee to provide stronger, more broadly representative and more consistent leadership. Conduct a monthly conference call and make minutes of the call available to all affiliates.
- Formulate a plan for establishing authorized chapters and providing for their financial support.
THE WORK MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO MAKE OCTOBER 24-25 A SUCCESS. PLEASE BRING THIS NOTICE BEFORE YOUR UNION OR LABOR ORGANIZATION FOR AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE OCTOBER 24-25 NATIONAL LABOR ASSEMBLY AND A DECISION TO PARTICIPATE.
The following trade unionists participated in the April 26 meeting:
Marta Ames, Pride at Work, DC
Fred Aszcarate, Jobs With Justice, DC
Tom Balanoff, IL SEIU, Chicago
Carmen Boudier, 1199NE
Gene Bruskin, USLAW Co-Convenor, DC
Terry Davis, Labor for Peace, Prosperity & Justice, Chicago
Art Doherty, APWU, Philadelphia CLC
Michael Eisenscher, USLAW Organizer, Labor Cmte. for Peace & Justice, Berkeley
Patrick Gaspard, 1199NY
Glen Goldstein, SEIU 250, Oakland
Marty Hittelman, CFT, LA
Sandra Lepore, AFT, LA
Nancy Lessin, Military Families, Boston
Charles Lester, LA Federation of Labor
Elena Marcheschi, Labor for Peace, Prosperity & Justice, Chicago
Bob Muehlenkamp, USLAW Co-Convenor, DC
Amy Newell, USLAW Organizer
Mike Parker, UAW 1717, Detroit
David Pickus, 1199NE
Charley Richardson, Military Families, Boston
Nancy Romer, PSCUNY, NYCLAW, NY
Carl Rosen, UE, Chicago
Dennis Serrette, CWA, DC
Frederick Simmons, OLAW, Seattle
Marsha Steinberg, SEIU 660, LA
Marcia Suttenberg, SEIU 49, Portland
Lynn Talbott, UNITE, Chicago
Jerry Tucker, Labor for Peace & Justice, St. Louis
Joslyn Williams, Metro CLC, Washington DC
Steve Williamson, King County (Seattle) CLC
Jerry Zero, IBT 705, Chicago
- MISSION STATEMENT -
(Discussion Draft Subject to Revision)
American working families face a domestic crisis - unemployment, declining wages and benefits, deunionization of the workforce, reduced public services, crumbling health care and educational systems, cuts in veterans benefits, and decreased economic, social and personal security. This crisis has been intensified by the Bush administrations foreign and domestic policies of military intervention abroad and neglect at home that benefit corporations and the wealthy at the expense of working people.
We cannot solve these economic and social problems without addressing U.S. foreign policy and its consequences.
The Bush administrations invasion of Iraq has done immense harm to innocent Iraqi people, to our friends and family members in the military, and to working people here at home. U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)* calls for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq and for reconstruction of that war-devastated country under the auspices of the United Nations.
[USLAW] advocates a foreign policy which will bring genuine security and prosperity to U.S. working families, a policy that strengthens international peacekeeping and human rights institutions and that solves disputes by diplomacy rather than war a foreign policy that promotes global economic and social justice rather than the race-to-the-bottom, job-destroying practices favored by multinational corporations.
[USLAW] is committed to redirecting the nations resources from inflated military spending to meeting the needs of working families for health care, education, housing and a decent standard of living.
[USLAW] will continue to oppose the militarization of U.S. foreign policy and the massive diversion of urgently needed resources from our domestic economy, creating an unstable and less secure world while unnecessarily putting American troops in harms way.
[USLAW] stands for protecting workers rights, civil rights, civil liberties, and the rights of immigrants by honoring the U.S. Constitution rather than subverting it.
[USLAW] will join with others in this country who want American foreign and domestic policies to reflect our highest ideals, and will stand in solidarity with workers around the world who are struggling for their own labor and human rights.
By pursuing these goals, [USLAW] is acting in the best tradition of American democracy.
[USLAW] will:
Provide information and education that connects the crisis facing working families and the labor movement to the militarization of American foreign policy;
Mobilize through actions, demonstrations and coalitions that link the labor movement with other peace, economic and social justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally.
* Name subject to change to reflect current mission.
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