Subject: [Iww-news] Fwd: U.S. Union Resolutions Against U.S. War on Iraq Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 15:23:54 -0700 Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 13:56:41 -0700To: Recipient List Suppressed:;From: OWC Subject: U.S. Union Resolutions Against U.S. War on IraqOWC CAMPAIGN NEWS - distributed by the Open World Conference in Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights, c/o S.F. Labor Council, 1188 Franklin St., #203, San Francisco, CA 94109. to SUBSCRIBE, contact the OWC at . To UNSUBSCRIBE, contact the OWC at . Phone: (415) 641-8616 Fax: (415) 440-9297. Visit our website at www.owcinfo.org - Notify if any change in email address. (Please excuse duplicate postings, and please feel free to re-post.) ------------------- IN THIS MESSAGE: 1) California Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO) Resolution Against War on Iraq -- Passed by the CFT State Council on September 21, 2002 2) United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Resolution Against Invasion of Iraq, from UE's 67th National Convention ********** 1) California Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO) Resolution Against War on Iraq (Passed by the CFT State Council on September 21, 2002) Whereas, the United States and Britain have been bombing Iraq on a virtually continuous basis since the end of the Gulf War, and Whereas, the Bush administration has presented no credible evidence that Iraq has intentions of harming the citizens of this country or that Iraq presents a threat to the United States, and Whereas, the Bush administration is seeking any pretext to overthrow the government of a sovereign nation, in violation of international law, and Whereas, a war with Iraq would require the re-direction of vital resources and funds to a destructive, senseless, and illegal goal while further strengthening an administration that has restricted the civil liberties of its citizens, and Whereas, this administration is using the so-called "War on Terrorism" to distract the American people from the vital issues they confront, Therefore, be it resolved that the California Federation of Teachers goes on record as strenuously opposing the Bush administration's march toward war with Iraq, And be it further resolved that the California Federation of Teachers urge its members and affiliates to get involved with organizations working toward stopping the Bush administration's march toward war with Iraq. ********** 2) United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Resolution Against Invasion of Iraq from UE's 67th National Convention Oppose U.S. Invasion of Iraq Despite the lack of any evidence linking the Iraqi regime to the September 11 terrorist attacks, George Bush is pressing for an invasion of Iraq. All U.S. allies except Great Britain, and even many in Bush's own party, are opposed to this. Scott Ritter, former head of the UN Weapons Inspection team in Iraq, has denounced Bush's outlandish claims about the threat posed by Iraq to the rest of the world. Military experts warn than an invasion will inevitably be followed by a costly, years-long occupation, leaving large numbers of U.S. military personnel in a hostile environment. An invasion of Iraq is not in the interest of workers. As in the Vietnam War, working people will be forced to pay for this war with our lives and our pocketbooks. The government will continue to cut funds for already economically distressed states and vital government programs. The administration is jacking up next year's military budget by $48 billion, bringing it to a staggering $383 billion. Programs that benefit working people and the poor are being threatened by budget cuts, and yet the airline industry receives a bailout of $15 billion and corporate America receives $25 billion in tax cuts. While there is an urgent need for genuine multilateral action to eliminate weapons of mass destruction world wide, this has become less likely as we alienate our necessary allies over the question of Iraq. The Bush Administration is cynically using inflated claims of Iraq's threat to vastly increase the military budget, to help his friends in the oil business control oil production in the Middle East, and to boost his own popularity and prop up the electoral fortunes of the pro-corporate Republican Party. None of these will help to prevent terrorism, but all of them will hurt workers in the U.S. and abroad. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THIS 67TH UE CONVENTION: 1. Opposes a U.S. invasion of Iraq, but supports instead a genuinely multilateral diplomatic approach to the Iraq situation, sanctioned and directed by the United Nations; 2. Encourages UE at all levels to educate our members on the history and issues underlying the disputes in the Middle East. Bruce J. Klipple General Secretary-Treasurer Yours for the One Big Union, Steve Ongerth x344543, IWW Web Site AdministratorJoin the One Big Union - http://www.iww.org/Have labor news, announcements, or events? Post them at http://media.iww.org/