Today when I set out for my walk, I spied seven helicopters over Wilshire Boulevard near La Brea, where four hundred thousand Latinos and sympathizers marched against the deportation/exploitation of non-resident workers from Mexico and elsewhere.
I saw the marchers, dressed in white t-shirts and waving American flags, and reflected that when I see American flags being waved, I generally expect they are being waved to arouse support for policies that are counter-productive to the needs of the population, and favorable to the rich. This time the flags have a different meaning: “This is our home, too.”
That a May Day strike by immigrants for better working conditions has historical verasity did not escape me, and I found resonance in this article on Truthout.org (originating from TomPaine.com).
The labor movement has not been silent on the illegal invasion of Iraq, either. Two days ago, on April 29, 2006, over 350,000 demonstrators thronged New York City calling for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. USLAW and union organizer (and my fellow member of the American Federation of Musicians Local 677, Honolulu) Steve Dinion sent the following email today:
The march was kicked off by a labor rally at which leaders of
delegations from around the nation took the podium to acknowledge their
members’ presence. One highlight of the rally was a powerful
denunciation of the war in Iraq by Roger Toussaint, President of
Transit Workers Union Local 100, who had been jailed followed a strike
by NYC transit workers embroiled in a struggle for a fair contract.
Brother Toussaint was ordered to serve ten days in the NYC jail after a
judge ruled the union had violated the anti-union "Taylor Law" which
bars strikes by public workers and imposed fines and suspended dues
checkoff in addition to jailing the union’s president. He was jailed
just a block and a half from the Foley Square terminus of the march
where a Peace, Justice and Democracy Grassroots Action Festival was
being held. TWU members maintained a 24-hour a day vigil outside the
Tombs (as the NYC jail is locally known). On the eve of the
demonstration in which the labor contingent planned to join the vigil
en masse following the march, Brother Toussaint was unexpectedly
released. He was welcomed as a working class hero by the throng of
labor marchers gathered shoulder to shoulder in the labor contingent
assembly area on 19th Street at Broadway. Toussaint spoke about the
relationship of the war in Iraq and the war at home against working
people and their unions.
Another major speaker was John Wilhelm, President of the Hospitality
Industry Division of UNITE HERE, who expressed his gratitude to U.S.
Labor Against the War for organizing what by all accounts turned out to
be the largest such labor contingent in the history of all antiwar
protests (including those during the Vietnam War). Both Presidents
Wilhelm and Toussaint took their places at the front of the labor
contingent behind the USLAW banner. They were joined by union leaders
and members from UNITE HERE, TWU, CWA, SEIU, AFT, AFSCME, NEA, IBEW,
USWA, NJ IUC, UE, BMWE, UAW, AFM, IBT, Pride at Work, LCLAA, a number
of labor councils and many others in a massive outpouring of labor
antiwar sentiment.
The rally was co-chaired by Nancy Wohlforth, Co-Convenor of USLAW, who
is Secretary-Treasurer of OPEIU (and also Co-President of Pride at Work
and a member of the AFL-CIO General Executive Council) and Wilfredo
Larancuenta, Manager of the Laundry Division of UNITE HERE. It was
opened by Gene Bruskin, Co-Convenor, who greeted the crowd on behalf of
USLAW. A delegation from Military Families Speak Out and Iraq Veterans
Against the War also made a powerful presentation, demanding the
immediate return of the troops as the only meaningful way to support
them. The labor contingent drew participants from unions on both sides
of the AFL-CIO/Change to Win divide in the labor movement.
The labor rally featured music from the NY Labor Chorus, NJ Industrial
Union Council Solidarity Singers, a percussion group, and chants led by
Steve Kramer, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU, the largest local
union in the nation with more than 240,000 members.
It took nearly four hours for the march to proceed from its kickoff at
17th and Broadway to the festival site in Foley Square, two miles
away.
At the festival, USLAW (US Labor Against the War) sponsored one of 19 tents in which literature was distributed and "Meeting Face to Face", the documentary about the 25-city 2005 tour by six Iraqi labor leaders, was shown on a monitor,
and where copies, along with buttons and bumper stickers, were sold.
<!– D(["mb","labor marchers gathered shoulder to shoulder in the labor contingent
assembly area on 19th Street at Broadway. Toussaint spoke about the
relationship of the war in Iraq and the war at home against working
people and their unions.
Another major speaker was John Wilhelm, President of the Hospitality
Industry Division of UNITE HERE, who expressed his gratitude to U.S.
Labor Against the War for organizing what by all accounts turned out to
be the largest such labor contingent in the history of all antiwar
protests (including those during the Vietnam War). Both Presidents
Wilhelm and Toussaint took their places at the front of the labor
contingent behind the USLAW banner. They were joined by union leaders
and members from UNITE HERE, TWU, CWA, SEIU, AFT, AFSCME, NEA, IBEW,
USWA, NJ IUC, UE, BMWE, UAW, AFM, IBT, Pride at Work, LCLAA, a number
of labor councils and many others in a massive outpouring of labor
antiwar sentiment.
The rally was co-chaired by Nancy Wohlforth, Co-Convenor of USLAW, who
is Secretary-Treasurer of OPEIU (and also Co-President of Pride at Work
and a member of the AFL-CIO General Executive Council) and Wilfredo
Larancuenta, Manager of the Laundry Division of UNITE HERE. It was
opened by Gene Bruskin, Co-Convenor, who greeted the crowd on behalf of
USLAW. A delegation from Military Families Speak Out and Iraq Veterans
Against the War also made a powerful presentation, demanding the
immediate return of the troops as the only meaningful way to support
them. The labor contingent drew participants from unions on both sides
of the AFL-CIO/Change to Win divide in the labor movement.
The labor rally featured music from the NY Labor Chorus, NJ Industrial
Union Council Solidarity Singers, a percussion group, and chants led by
Steve Kramer, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU, the largest local
union in the nation with more than 240,000 members.
“,1] ); //–><!– D(["mb","
It took nearly four hours for the march to proceed from its kickoff at
17th and Broadway to the festival site in Foley Square, two miles
away.
At the festival, USLAW sponsored one of 19 tents in which literature
was distributed and "Meeting Face to Face", the documentary about the
25-city 2005 tour by six Iraqi labor leaders, was shown on a monitor,
and where copies, along with buttons and bumper stickers, were sold.
The labor rally was taped by WBAI for broadcast on May Day evening
(check their website for an archival recording).
Sent to you by Hawai’i Labor for Peace and Justice*
Steve Dinion, Coordinator
Hawai’i Labor for Peace and Justice is an ad hoc group made up of union members, unorganized workers, and their supporters. By sharing information on the interrelated wars on the Iraqi people, working people in the US and internationally, and immigrants, as well as struggles for peace and justice in Hawai’i, HiLPJ serves to build solidarity and promote activism among the workers of Hawai’i and their allies.
*You have been included on this e-mail list upon your request. If you wished to be removed from this list, please let me know by responding to this message with the words "remove from list" in the message.
Alicia Bay Laurel 