Monthly Archives: October 2002

NEXT NYCLAW MTG (NYC–11/6/02)

From: <NYCLAW@returns.groups.yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 31, 2002 at 2:33 PM
Subject: [NYC Labor Against the War] NEXT NYCLAW MTG (NYC–11/6/02)
To: LaborAgainstWar <laboragainstwar@yahoogroups.com>

The next meeting of NYCLAW will take place on Weds., November 6, 6:30 p.m., at DC 1707 AFSCME, 75 Varick St., 14 Floor (1/2/A/C/E to Canal St.).

Primary agenda items:

1.  Evaluation of Oct. 19 NYCLAW Conference & Oct. 26 DC Antiwar Demo.
2.  Upcoming antiwar protests.
3.  Palestinian trade unionists’ USA tour.

NYCLAW Organizing Conference

OCT19C-1 OCT19P-1

NYCLAW Organizing Conference
Saturday, October 19, 2002

Location: AFSCME DC 1707, 75 Varick St. (@ Grand), NYC, 1/9/A/C/E to Canal.  Suggested donation:  $10 (includes breakfast & lunch; no one turned away–higher amts. welcome)

Please send notice of registration to:  nyclaw01@excite.com

———————————————————–
AGENDA

[Note:  To maximize participation, presenters will each speak for up to 7 minutes; where time permits, discussion will follow.]

9:00 REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST (PROVIDED)

9:45 SESSION 1—PAST YEAR AND CHALLENGES AHEAD

NYCLAW Co-Conveners:

Welcome.  Brenda Stokely, Pres., AFSCME DC 1707 & L. 215

NYCLAW Past & Future.  Michael Letwin, Pres., ALAA/UAW L.   2325*

War at Home.  Ray Laforest, Staff Rep., AFSCME DC 1707

War Abroad.  Larry Adams, Fmr. Pres., NPMHU L. 300*

10:15 SESSION 2—WORKERS UNDER ATTACK AT HOME

Overview.  Kim Moody, Labor Journalist; NWU/UAW L.1981*; Labor Notes Policy Cttee.*

West Coast Dockers.  Michael Eisenscher, Dir. of Org. Dev., U. Coun., AFT (Berkeley)*; Coordinator, Bay Area Labor Cttee. for Peace & Justice

NYC Postal.  Dennis O’Neil, Leg. Dir., NY Metro Area Postal U., APWU*

NYC Transit.  Marty Goodman, Exec. Bd., TWU L.100*

Immigrant Workers.  Bhairavi Desai, Staff Org., NY Taxi Workers Alliance

11:00 SESSION 3—WORKING CLASS RESISTANCE–VIETNAM WAR

GIs & Vets.  Ben Chitty, PSC-CUNY/AFT L.2334*; USN 1965-1969; Vietnam 1966-1967, 1968; Vietnam Veterans Against the War—Clarence Fitch Chapter

11:15 BREAK

11:30 SESSION 4—WORKING CLASS RESISTANCE–TODAY

Ground Zero.  Meg Bartlett, EMT-D, emergency medical worker on 9/11; Ground Zero. for Peace

AFSCME.  Ray Laforest (see Session 1, above) & Gary Goff, V.P.,AFSCME L.2627, DC 37*

AFT.  Barbara Bowen, Pres., Professional Staff Congress-CUNY/AFT L.2334

SEIU L.1199.  Marilyn Albert, RN; 1199ers for Peace & Justice

TWU.  Marty Goodman (see Session 2, above)

Detainees.  Gary Goff, V.P.,AFSCME L.2627, DC 37*; Justice for Detainees

ALAA/UAW 2325.  Michael Letwin (see Session 1, above)

Upstate NY.  Jon Flanders, Pres., IAM L.1145*; Capital District Labor for Peace and Justice (Albany)

California.   Michael Eisenscher, Dir. of Org. Dev., U. Coun., AFT (Berkeley)*; Coord., Labor Cttee. for Peace & Justice (Bay Area)

DC.  Lynne Turner, ICEM North America*; Labor for Peace & Justice (DC)

Midwest.  Marsha Niemeijer, Labor Notes*; Labor Committee for Peace & Justice (Detroit)

G.I.s.  Todd Ensign, Dir., Citizen Soldier

1:15  SESSION 5—INTERNATIONAL LABOR SOLIDARITY (LUNCH PROVIDED)

Overview.  Barbara Bowen, Pres., Professional Staff Congress-CUNY/AFT L.2334

Iraq.  Saad Fayoumi, NYCLAW

ISM in Palestine.  Marty Goodman (see Session 4, above)

Palestinian Trade Unionist U.S. Tour.  Michael Eisenscher (see Session 4, above)

ISM in Philippines. Amanda Vender, Secy., Newspaper Guild of NY/TNG/CWA*; Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP)

2:15  SESSION 6—SMALL DISCUSSION GROUPS (MODERATED)

Brenda Stokely

4:30  SESSION 7—DISCUSSION GROUP REPORT-BACKS

Brenda Stokely

5:45  SESSION 8—CONCLUDING REMARKS

Brenda Stokely & Michael Letwin

6:00  RECEPTION

*Affiliation and title for identification only; no organizational endorsement implied.

——————————————————-

Sponsored by: NYC Labor Against the War (NYCLAW)

Endorsers (list in formation):
AFSCME Local 215, DC 1707
1199ers for Peace & Justice
Capital District Labor for Peace & Justice (Albany)
Bay Area Labor Cttee. for Peace & Justice
Citizen Soldier
DC Labor for Peace & Justice
Ground Zero for Peace
Labor Against the War (U.K.)
Labor Left
National Writers Union/UAW L.1981
NY Taxi Workers Alliance
Organized Labor Against War—Seattle
Portland (OR) Labor for Peace & Justice
Pride at Work (AFL-CIO)
South Bay Labor for Peace & Justice
Toronto Trade Unionists Against the War
Transit Workers Against the War (NYC)
Troy Area Labor Council
Vietnam Veterans Against the War–Clarence Fitch Chapter

NYCLAWnyclaw01@excite.com; Prince Street Station, P.O. Box 233, NY, NY 10012-3200

LABOR AGAINST THE WAR ORGANIZING CONFERENCE SET FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 (NYCLAW)

PRESS RELEASE: October 16, 2002

Contact:
Michael Letwin (917) 282-0139
JoAnn Wypijewski (212) 533-8366

LABOR AGAINST THE WAR ORGANIZING CONFERENCE SET FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

New York City trade unionists, veterans, and community groups will meet on October 19 to develop strategies for opposing the Bush administration’s war on Iraq and on workers, immigrants and others at home.

The conference, sponsored by New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW), will be held at the headquarters of AFSCME District Council 1707, 75 Varick Street near Canal, from 9A.M. to 6 P.M.

A growing number of U.S. labor organizations have adopted antiwar resolutions. Last week, SEIU Local 1199, the largest union in New York State, placed a full-page antiwar advertisement in the New York Times.

Specific issues addressed by the conference include the Bush administration’s open-ended war on other countries; its imposition of Taft-Hartley against West Coast dockers; its attempt to strip collective bargaining rights from 170,000 federal workers; its promotion of economic injustice; and its secret detention of immigrant workers.

“War means your children will die–it means other people’s children will die,” says Michael Letwin, a NYCLAW convener. “A decade of U.S. sanctions and bombs have taken the lives of thousands of Iraqis; Bush’s escalation will kill untold more, while American workers pay dearly with their wages, jobs, rights, and blood.”

The conference has also been endorsed by AFSCME Local 215, 1199ers for Peace & Justice, NY Taxi Workers Alliance, Transit Workers Against the War, Citizen Soldier and Vietnam Veterans Against the War (Clarence Fitch Chapter), among others.

NYCLAW is an organization of trade unionists formed in the wake of 9/11 to insist that war is not the answer.

– 30-

Labor Delegation From Palestine

From: jordan flaherty <anticapitalist@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 9, 2002 at 5:36 PM
Subject: Labor Delegation From Palestine
To:
Cc: anticapitalist@hotmail.com

Hi,

This is a great opportunity.  Please forward this to any labor
think may be receptive, and get involved if you can.

thanks,

-jordan

Dear Labor Activists,

This November and December, those of us who believe that
Movement can and should have a better position on the Israel-
conflict have a unique and important opportunity.

Four members of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade
will be visiting the US for three weeks, beginning November
rare chance to introduce US trade unionists to their counterparts in Palestine, and establish direct relationships to counter the deceptive media portrayals.

The guests will be two men and two women from the PGFTU in Ramallah.  Below is more information.  To get involved in coordinating this visit, to set up a meeting with your local, or to find out more, contact: swallace@igc.org.

The guests are:

1) Mohammed Mahmoud Ahmed Saleh, member of excutive committee in Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions(PGFTU), National Secretary fo Legal Affairs Department.

2) Abdel Raheem Saleh Abdel Latif Khateeb, Legal Affairs department of Ramallah branch (PGFTU)from Arura, 42 years old.

3) Nagham Nader Ziadeh, member of Women’s Affairs Department, PGFTU from Beirzeit- 29 years old.

4) Hanan Andoni Eskandar Haddad, Member of Women’s Affairs department, PGFTU from Ramallah -38 years old.