Local Labor Unions Begin Calling for March on Washington to End U.S. Wars and Rebuild America

[Better Believe It]

End the U.S. Wars and Occupations
In Iraq and Aghanistan and Rebuild America

by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania

Adopted December 11, 2009

Whereas our country is now engaged in a great national debate about the war in Afghanistan, whether we should be there at all, and, if so, what our mission is and what resources are needed to carry out that mission, and

Whereas the fateful decision President Obama has made will affect our own country in profound ways for years to come, including whether or not President Obama will be able, economically and politically, to carry out his commitment to re­build our own country, and

Whereas the labor movement has a responsibility to assure the success of the electoral mandate from the labor movement and the American people given to the Obama administration to rebuild America, and

Whereas the mission, strategy, and tasks of counterinsurgency are not those of counterterrorism, and

Whereas the military pursuit of counterinsurgency can create many more terrorists than it kills, and getting rid of occupiers is a prime motivation of those opposed to the U.S. presence, and

Whereas the use of unmanned drones against alleged terrorists in Pakistan has killed many more innocent civilians and frequently no alleged terrorists at all, which has inflamed anti-American sentiments, destabilized Pakistan, and provided new potential recruits to terrorist causes, and

Whereas counterinsurgency strategy involves nation-building, which would draw the U.S. into a long-term engagement with the corrupt and illegitimate government of Hamid Karzai, with no foreseeable exit from a country well known as the "graveyard of empires," and

Whereas U.S. standing in the world will benefit from the exercise of more wisdom rather than more raw power, and Whereas military spending creates far fewer jobs than the same amount of money spent on infrastructure and other domestic needs (Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier, "The Wages of Peace," The Nation, March 31, 2008), and

Whereas we have already spent over $235 billion in Afghanistan, and even without the decision to send an additional 30,000 troops, which will cost at least an additional $30 billion, our nation is spending $65 billion a year on the war there. These funds are desperately needed for urgent domestic social purposes, including health care and quality education for all, housing relief in the foreclosure crisis, rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, full veterans' benefits, and the creation of millions of good jobs, including manufacturing jobs, and

Whereas the voice of the labor movement needs to be heard in our national debate, including through mobilizations in the street at both the local and national levels that harness the legitimate anger of the American people and ensure positive momentum for the agenda of working people, therefore be it

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for an immediate and responsible end to the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan and military attacks in Pakistan, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for the immediate and complete withdrawal of all U.S. military forces and contractors from Iraq and Afghanistan and the closing of all U.S. military bases in both countries, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for the use of diplomatic measures to resolve these and other international conflicts, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for rebuilding America and redirecting the military budget to urgently needed social programs and job creation in this country, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for the U.S. to fulfill its obligation to rebuild the countries our military has destroyed by providing assistance to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for the use of appropriate lawful police, intelligence, diplomatic and financial means to prevent, isolate, arrest, and bring to justice those who engage in terrorist actions against the people of the U.S. and other countries, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA calls for full support for returning troops, including but not limited to adequate healthcare, including mental health and job training, and placement in jobs paying a living wage, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA will undertake an educational campaign on these issues among our members and more broadly in the labor movement and will seek to involve them in the political tasks necessary to carry out this resolution so it has an effect on public policy, and be it further

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA commits to developing plans expeditiously for public demonstrations of support for the above agenda in coalition with our allies, and be it fmally

Resolved, that SEIU Healthcare PA will communicate this resolution to President Obama, members of Congress, and the American public, and support any legislation that is consistent with this resolution.

http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=21114

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National March on Washington for Jobs, Peace, Affordable Healthcare For All and Ending Foreclosures and Evictions

UA Local 393, San Jose, CA

Passed unanimously at the regular meeting of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 393, San Jose, California 11/11/09.

Whereas, despite the so-called economic recovery, the economic crisis for working people has continued unabated with growing unemployment and rising home foreclosures and evictions, and

Whereas this economic crisis has resulted in the underfunding and degrading of public education and social services, and

Whereas the government has bestowed billions of dollars of bailout money on the financial institutions whose recklessness and greed created this economic crisis, and

Whereas there is growing opposition to the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq by a majority of the people here in the United States, not to mention the great and ever-growing opposition by the citizens in Afghanistan and Iraq, and

Whereas these wars are costing billions of dollars each month, therefore be it

Resolved that Plumbers and Fitters Local 393 calls on the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win coalition to organize a Solidarity Day III march on Washington D.C. in the spring of 2010 to demand jobs, housing, healthcare, full funding for public education and social services, and peace, and be it

Further Resolved that we send this resolution for concurrence and action to our United Association, the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, the Santa Clara County Building and Construction Trades Council, the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, The California Federation of Labor, the AFL-CIO and Change to Win.

http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=20804

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Resolution for a National March on Washington for Peace, Jobs and Health Care Justice

AFT Local 1493

Whereas:

U.S. involvement in wars and U.S. military aid to other countries are making the people of the US and the world less safe.

And Whereas:

These wars and military aid are bankrupting the people of the US, who are already suffering from staggering job losses, foreclosures and a broken healthcare system.

Therefore:

AFT Local 1493, the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, urges the San Mateo Labor Council to call upon the AFL-CIO to organize a national march on Washington for Peace, Jobs and Health Care Justice, to stop the wars and to use the resources freed up to end the jobs and health care crisis here at home.

http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=20936

[OhioChick]

1. K&R n/t

[Blue State Bandit]

2. Warm up the busses!

Let's go! Tie in the SCOTUS decision and some righteous anger over obstructionism, and we can SHAKE the EARTH!

[proud patriot]

3. K and R

:kick:

[hansont]

4. I'll be there!

[readmoreoften]

5. Great. I'm in.

[DKRC]

6. Kick so more can see this

K&R

:kick: