The Pennsylvania Federation BMWED

and U.S. Labor Against War

February 3, 2010 General Chairman Dodd's letter to Rail Union Officers and Activists in connection with the Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq. General Chairman Dodd calls on Rail Labor to stand in solidarity and support measures that would end the wars and return the troops. What did you do during the Iraq and Afghani wars? Did you say nothing or do nothing? Or did you stand up and oppose these illegal and unjust actions in every way you could? The workers must demand the end of war and the return of dignity to the American people and to those we have occupied. Read Letter...

Pennsylvania Federation Joint Protective Board Passes Anti-War Resolution - As founding members and proud supporters of U.S Labor Against War, the Pennsylvania Federation has passed a resolution calling for an immediate end to wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan and military attacks in Pakistan, and for an immediate and complete withdrawal of all U.S. military forces in both countries, redirecting the military budget to urgently needed social programs and job creation in this country. View complete Resolution.

December 2, 2009 President Obama's Afghanistan Escalation Speech - There was one way in which President Obama's escalation speech brought significant relief to the 59% of people in this country, as well as the overwhelming majorities of people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East and elsewhere who oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan: It was a pretty lousy speech. That is, it had none of the power, the lyricism, the passion for history, the capacity to engage and to persuade virtually every listener, even those who may ultimately disagree, that have characterized the president's earlier addresses. Read More...

Watch "Why Are We In Afghanistan?"

This film looks at domestic pressures and geo-strategic interests that keep the U.S. in the region, and the long history of U.S. foreign interventions that forms the broader context for this war.We also see today peace movement continuing another long tradition-popular resistance to war.

The Four Biggest Reasons for Escalating War in Afghanistan - and why they're bogus. Syndicated columnist Jim Hightower discusses how America is ignoring the lessons of history.

"Ambassador Richard Holbrooke is America's "Man in the Stans"--Afghanistan and Pakistan, that is. Handpicked by President Obama to be special representative to what is at present the hottest of hot spots in the muddled global war on terrorists, Holbrooke is among the Washington influentials who is now urging Obama to hurl tens of thousands of additional troops and tens of billions of additional dollars into the Afghanistan war effort.

Why should America do that? What victory do we seek? In August, Holbrooke responded with a diplomatic quibble: "I don't use the word 'victory' but 'success' instead." Okay. What success will we achieve? Well, dodged the man who would commit untold numbers of people to their death in this hellish land, "success" really can't be defined. "We'll know it when we see it."

Read more of Hightower's Lowdown and gain valuable incite on why Afghanistan will become Obama's Vietnam.

The Aimless War - Afghanistan

"Things have gotten a bit hairy," admitted British Lieut. Colonel Graeme Armour as we sat in a dusty, bunkered NATO fortress just outside the city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, a deadly piece of turf along Afghanistan's southern border with Pakistan. A day earlier, two Danish soldiers had been killed and two Brits seriously wounded by roadside bombs. The casualties were coming almost daily now.

And then there were the daily frustrations of Armour's job: training Afghan police officers. Almost all the recruits were illiterate. "They've had no experience at learning," Armour said. "You sit them in a room and try to teach them about police procedures — they start gabbing and knocking about. You talk to them about the rights of women, and they just laugh." A week earlier, five Afghan police officers trained by Armour were murdered in their beds while defending a nearby checkpoint — possibly by other police officers. Their weapons and ammunition were stolen. "We're not sure of the motivation," Armour said. "They may have gone to join the Taliban or sold the guns in the market." Read more...

logo2 The Pennsylvania Federation BMWED-IBT are founding members, proud supporters and affiliates, and have endorsed US Labor Against War. On August 8, 2007, the Pennsylvania Federation passed Resolution Fourteen, which applauds the courage of the brave men and women in the armed forces, and pledges continuing support of US Labor Against the War, supporting the immediate withdrawal of all of our troops from Iraq and advancing a U.S. foreign policy that promotes global, economic, and social justice.

Also affiliating with US Labor Against War are the following Pennsylvania Federation BMWED-IBT subordinate Lodges:

3005-Perryville, Maryland
3014-Morrisville, Pennsylvania
3068-New York, New York

A complete list of US Labor Against War affiliates is available here.

Become an individual member or affiliate your organization with US Labor Against the War here.

Write to USLAW at:
1718 M Street NW, #153
Washington, DC 20036
Call USLAW at 202-521-5265

click here to learn more

Affiliate with U.S. Labor Against the War

US Labor Against the War is a national organization of affiliated local and national unions, labor councils, regional labor bodies, allied constituency group organizations, worker centers, ad hoc labor antiwar committees and other labor groups. It was founded in January of 2003 to organize in the labor movement to prevent the war launched by President Bush in March of 2003.

In October of 2003, USLAW affiliates met again and adopted a Mission Statement committing it to end the war, bring the troops home now and change the priorities of the U.S. to meet human needs rather than to feed the war machine. A list of affiliates is posted on this website.

USLAW has accomplished a tremendous amount in its short existence. It was the moving force behind getting the AFL-CIO to adopt a resolution at its 2005 convention calling for rapid withdrawal from Iraq. USLAW sponsored an historic 25-city tour of the U.S. by six Iraqi union leaders which has been memorialized in a documentary video Meeting Face to Face: the U.S.-Iraqi Labor Solidarity Tour. It sponsored a second tour of 13 cities in 2007.

We invite local and national unions, labor councils, regional labor bodies, and other labor organizations that agree with our objectives to become affiliated with USLAW - to build a more powerful labor antiwar movement and to support this vital social justice network. Take a look at our introductory brochure.

Download and complete our affiliation form here.

For more information, contact USLAW at info@uslaboragainstwar.org.

MISSION STATEMENT

Adopted at the National Labor Assembly for Peace of U.S. Labor Against the War
October 25th, 2003

MISSION STATEMENT
Adopted by the NATIONAL LABOR ASSEMBLY for PEACE

in Chicago, 10/25/03

The Current Situation

We are living in an era in which the government has manipulated our nation's fear of terrorism to launch wars, destroy our economic security, undermine government services, erode our democratic rights and intensify racism, sexism, religious discrimination and divisions among working people.

Under the mantle of National Security, the present Administration seeks to reverse decades of victories won by working people to regulate corporate conduct, protect the environment, strengthen the rights of workers, defend civil liberties and end, racism, sexism and discrimination and provide an adequate social safety net. Democracy as we know it is under threat. The USA Patriot Act threatens our fundamental rights under the Constitution.

This crisis is aggravated by the government's policies of military intervention abroad and attacks on working peoples' rights at home. Only corporations and the wealthy have benefited. Our nation faces a domestic calamity, unemployment, declining wages and benefits, deunionization of the workforce, privatization and reduction of public services, crumbling health care and educational systems, underdeveloped communities, cuts in veterans benefits, escalating public debt and decreased economic, social and personal security. These government policies have hit women and people of color hardest.

We cannot solve these economic and social problems without addressing U.S. foreign policy and its consequences. The foreign policy of the Bush Administration, with the consent of Congress, is based on military aggression and the threat of force. It has weakened, rather than strengthened security in the U.S., creating enemies around the world and alienating friends. This policy has done immense harm to innocent civilians abroad and to our friends and family members in the military. The wars against Iraq and Afghanistan have turned into hostile occupations that are developing into Vietnam-like quagmires.

The policy of Permanent War has been based on lies and false promises to the American people and lucrative contracts to large corporations. This is coupled with a strategy of unbridled economic globalization with so-called "Free Trade" Agreements aimed at exploiting workers abroad, controlling natural resources and destroying jobs and communities at home. War has become a strategy for advancing the interests of US corporations in international markets. The massive military spending, combined with tax cuts for the rich, are creating colossal budget deficits that threaten to destroy needed social programs for decades, further undercutting the standard of living of working people here at home.

Our Principles

To protect our members and the lives and livelihoods of working people everywhere, we will advocate, educate and mobilize in the US labor movement for:

A Just Foreign Policy that will bring genuine security and prosperity to working people. A policy that strengthens international treaties, supports human rights institutions, respects national sovereignty and upholds the right of self-determination for all peoples. A foreign policy that solves disputes by diplomacy rather than war. A policy that promotes global economic and social justice rather than the race-to-the-bottom, job-destroying, discriminatory practices favored by multinational corporations.

An end to U.S. Occupation of Foreign Countries, replaced by the reconstruction of war-devastated nations with the full support of the international community and the full participation and decision-making power of affected peoples.

Redirecting the Nation's Resources from inflated military spending to meeting the needs of working families for health care, education, a clean environment, housing and a decent standard of living based on principles of equality and democracy.

Supporting Our Troops and their Families by bringing the troops home now, by not recklessly putting them in harm's way and by providing decent compensation, veteran's benefits and domestic policies administered without discrimination that prioritize the needs of working people who make up the bulk of the military.

Protecting Workers' Rights, Civil Rights, Civil Liberties and the Rights of Immigrants by promoting democracy, not subverting it. Ethnic, racial and religious profiling and stereotyping must be replaced by policies that promote dignity, economic justice and respect for all working people.

Solidarity With Workers and their Organizations Around the World who are struggling for their own labor and human rights, and with those in the U.S. who want US foreign and domestic policies to reflect our nation's highest ideals.

WE PURSUE THESE OBJECTIVES AS US LABOR AGAINST THE WAR (USLAW).

Pennsylvania Federation Supports US Labor Against War

Dick Cheney Supports Waterboarding