Workers for Peace

(We invite everyone in our world to sign this call for a conversation about peace. It doesn't matter if you are a housewife, farmer, teacher, office worker, union or nonunion or unemployed. We are all Sisters and Brothers here and we must rely on each other to get the Solidarity World we deserve. To add your name, send an email to: tlaney@pressenter.com.)

In our workplaces and poverty lines across our world, plutocrats and corporate royalty and their union lackeys collude to persuade us to see other workers as competitors and enemies.

We are pushed by powerful labor sellouts to believe that it is now the business of trade unionism to put our brothers and sisters out of work.

We see how this dog eat dog attitude towards all workers - with whom we have everything in common - is on the same evil, competitive continuum as war itself.

We see that competition against other workers diminishes those workers in our eyes.

We see that in war, soldiers - the production workers of war - lose not only their jobs but also their lives while the rich profit.

We say that war is the eventual endgame outcome of worker against worker, dog eat dog competition which workers lose so the rich can be richer.

War is the ultimate, evil competition.

We call on workers everywhere to stop the competition between us and to fight for a world based in solidarity.

Everyone can at least talk and we ask that our talk include what we can all do to make the world a safe and happier place. We call on workers to simply talk about the traditional direct action tools of the labor movement.

Can we call for and have international conversations about redeveloping our traditional weapons - slowdowns, sitdowns, and strikes - to bring down those who kill us; and, to equalize wages and working conditions at the highest possible levels throughout the world?

If we must fight, let us fight against those who constantly divide us and play us against each other for their own profit even to the point of forcing us to kill each other.

If we must fight a war let it be a war against selfishness and poverty.

Let us fight to unite all workers against the destructive, dictatorial greed of corporate moguls. Let us fight to see that those who have the least gain equality in wages, health care and education and the right to a happy life.

A simple conversation started amongst workers who believe in the working class values of solidarity, equality and democracy can change the world.

Let our war begin with the peaceful exchange of words and ideas.

Workers for Peace

• Dennis Serdel, 11th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Div., Vietnam 1967-68 , UAW Local 5960 Pontiac, MI
• Gregg Shotwell, Editor Live Bait & Ammo, UAW Local 2151, Grand Rapids, MI
• David Yettaw, Vietnam Vet, Strike Leader, Fmr. Pres (now retired) UAW Local 599 , Flint, MI
• John Kiel, Pipefitter, UAW Local 1111, Indianapolis
• John Martinez, Editor, UAW Local 22
• Trish Staiger, Anti-Poverty & Peace Activist, Hastings, MN
• Al McKinnis, Fmr. USMC, UAW Local 879, St. Paul, MN
• Barbara Laney, Commercial Closer, Mpls.
• Tom Laney, Fmr. 82nd Airborne, UAW Local 879, St. Paul
• Carolyn Lund, Trustee and Exec. Board Member, UAW Local 2244, Fremont, CA
• Barry Sheppard, Steward IAM Local Lodge 1781, UAL Mechanic, Oakland, CA
• Nancy Schillinger, Fmr. Committeewoman, UAW Local 879, St. Paul
• Wendy Thompson, President, UAW Local 235 Detroit
• John Spritzler, New Democracy, Boston
• John Cabral, New Democracy, Chicago
• John E. Lewis, U.S. Navy 1945-46, Vets for Peace, Traverse City, MI
• Dale A. Richardson, USMC 2nd Battalion, Echo Co., 1st Marine Div., R.V.N. 1969
• Bruce Sanderson, WWII, Svc. 1st ARMD Corps (Patton's own) N. Africa, Sicily, Later Okninawa, President Veterans for Peace N. MI, Jordan, MI
• Dave Stratman, Editor, New Democracy, Boston
• Maria Josefina Saldana, PSC City U. of New York AFT Local 2334
• Greg Mondry, Fmr. Bargainer, UAW Local 879, St. Paul
• Ben Moore, Tri Level UAW Local 879, St. Paul
• David Payne, TriLevel, UAW Local 879 St. Paul
• Mary Henehan, Foreign Exchange Trader, US Bank, Mpls.
• Martin Schreader, Local 707, National Production Workers Union, Detroit