Immer mehr US Gewerkschaften gegen den Krieg

From: "Andy Banks" <andy@andybanks.com>
To: <andy@andybanks.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2002 4:54 PM
Subject: New York Union Against War

New York Resolution Against War Against Iraq
Passed by the Executive Council of Local 1199/SEIU Health and Human Services Union
Passed October 4, 2002

Whereas, America's working families have a special stake in preventing another war --

• An additional 1.4 million people have no health insurance, making it more than 41 million Americans with no coverage and tens of millions more are underinsured
• Since President Bush took office unemployment has risen by 35%
• 2 million jobs have been eliminated since Bush took office
• From a Federal surplus of $281 Billion when Bush was inaugurated, we now have a deficit of $157 Billion
• The stock market is down 34% since January 2002, putting at risk the pension funds of tens of millions of working Americans
• The Administration's military budget -- already larger than all of the rest of the world's, and increases this year by an additional $45 Billion (the sum of Russia and China's combined military spending) -- will rise by yet another $150-200 Billion in the coming year if the US launches a war in Iraq.
• Between military spending and tax breaks for the wealthy, there will be almost no money left for job creation, health care, education, and other essential human needs, and Whereas the "Bush Doctrine" of preemptive war is a violation of international law, the UN Charter (to which the US is a signatory) and of generations of US foreign policy, and

Whereas, the policy would open up the world to international anarchy with no restraint on other nations declaring 'preemptive war" on one another, and

Whereas, the Bush Administration has until now offered no credible evidence of an imminent danger from Iraq to our country or the countries of the Middle East (all of which have urged restraint on Washington), and

Whereas the policy of containment of the Saddam Hussein regime has worked well for the past decade, and

Whereas sending women and men in the armed forces to kill and be killed - war should always be the last resort of government; and it will largely be the daughters and sons of working people who are called upon to make sacrifices while the children of the wealthy and powerful avoid military service, and

Whereas our Union was one of the very first to oppose the war in Vietnam, being at first a lonely voice that became a majority viewpoint as the carnage mounted up, and now we have the opportunity to prevent a catastrophe from beginning,

Therefore, be it resolved that the Executive Council of 1199/SEIU, the elected leadership of New York's health care union, calls upon Iraq to immediately and urgently destroy any weapons of mass destruction that may be found to exist on its territory,

Be it further resolved that we call upon the Bush Administration to halt its plan for war against Iraq and to instead seek a peaceful resolution of differences with the framework of the United Nations,

Be it further resolved that we call upon the members of Congress to oppose any resolution authorizing the use of pre-emptive force against Iraq,

Be it further resolved that we call upon the members of our Union, the rest of the labor movement, and working women and men throughout our country to make their voices known through emails, letters, and phone calls to the White House and their Senators and their Representatives, and through nonviolent demonstrations against the drive for war.

A strong anti-war resolution was also passed this week by the Albany, NY Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO by a 3 to 1 vote

The resolution is below:

Albany Central Federation of Labor Resolution No War Against Iraq

Whereas, now the Bush Administration is beating the drums for a new war against Iraq, despite mounting opposition to this war at home and abroad; and

Whereas, wasting billions of dollars(estimated at as much as 200 billion by Bush economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey) on the Iraq war buildup translates into cutbacks of essential and job-producing social programs at home such as education, health care, social security and housing, and threatening the rights of labor to strike and organize; and

Whereas, the Bush Administration's war drive has a domestic component threatening to turn his "endless war" against the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) and as an opening wedge against the entire labor movement, by threatening government intervention on the West Coast docks under the guise of "Homeland Security," on the side of the Pacific Maritime Association bosses and a coalition of anti-union corporate interests including WalMart and The Gap; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Albany Central Federation of Labor join the growing movement in opposition to any US war against Iraq, and call on the unions and AFL-CIO at all levels and Congressional representatives to publicly oppose this war; and be it further

Resolved, that the Albany Central Federation of Labor endorse "Stop-the-War" rallies including the International Day of Protest on October 26, 2002 in Washington, DC and other cities. We will send this resolution to our two Senators and area Congress Represesentatives.