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Adopted
by the National Officers Council of the Coalition of Labor
Union Women, January, 2003.
The Coalition of Labor Union Women believes that union members
and leaders have a responsibility to inform all working people
about issues that affect their lives, jobs and families, as
well as to be vocal participants in the national debate on
such issues. Labor unions and their members have historically
played a key role in fighting for justice and for human and
civil rights.
Accordingly, CLUW expresses the following concerns about
the Bush administration's threatened war against Iraq and
urges working women and men to stand firmly against the proposed
war against Iraq and to promote union, labor and community
activism against such a war, and to participate in organizations
such as U.S. Labor Against the War and other groups opposed
to the Bush war drive:
1. The principal victims of any military action in Iraq
will be the sons and daughters of working class families serving
in the military who will face injury or death, as well as
innocent Iraqi civilians who already face difficult life circumstances
and severe economic hardships. Working people in the United
States have no quarrel with the ordinary working class men,
women and children of Iraq or any other country.
2. The billions of dollars already invested and likely to
be spent in the future on staging and executing a war against
Iraq are being taken away from critical services and programs
such as schools, hospitals, housing, Social Security, environmental
protection and medical care.
3. War is a pretext for attacks on labor, civil, immigrant
and human rights at home and is being used by the administration
as a vehicle to stifle dissent and create animosity among
citizens and residents of the United States.
4. The administration's call for war is a cover up of and
an intended distraction from legitimate concerns such as a
failing economy, corporate corruption and greed and increasing
layoffs and unemployment.
5. War against Iraq will not serve to reduce the likelihood
of terrorist attacks on innocent civilians at home or abroad.
Instead, armed conflict in Iraq will likely exacerbate the
misunderstandings and mistrust that have led to an increase
of terrorism around the globe. The administration has failed
to offer any convincing link between Iraq and Al Qaeda or
the September 11 attacks or any other real threat posed to
Americans by Iraq.
6. U.S. military action against Iraq threatens the peaceful
resolution of disputes among nations and will undermine the
United Nations as a stabilizing presence in world affairs
and jeopardize the safety and security of the entire world,
including that of Americans.
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