Labor groups plan anti-war rally

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Organized labor groups are staging an anti-war demonstration on Saturday on the southeast corner of East Sixth Street and Lakeside Avenue. U.S. Labor Against the War and the North Shore Federation of Labor arranged the event, which starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 777 St. Clair Ave. Demonstrators will march from the hotel to the rally's site. The gathering's purpose is to demand U.S. troops be withdrawn from Iraq, and that federal spending be focused not on the war but on humanitarian causes, such as health care and public education. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and national labor leaders will speak at the rally. The anti-war demonstration is a prelude to the National Labor Conference Against the Iraq War, which starts back at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 4 p.m. on Saturday.



http://uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=11975

Media Advisory #1

USLAW National Assembly and Labor Conference Against the Iraq War

Contact:

Bob Muehlenkamp, National Co-Convenor - [phone] [e-mail]

Jerry Gordon, Conference Organizer - [phone] [e-mail]



Local and National Labor Groups Organize
Antiwar Demonstration in Cleveland

What: Demonstration to Bring the Troops Home Now from Iraq


Date: Saturday, December 2, 2006


Time: March begins 2:30 p.m. from Crowne Plaza Hotel, 777 St. Claire Ave.

Rally: Federal Building Plaza, East 6th & Lakeside, 2:45 p.m.


The North Shore Federation of Labor, formerly the Cleveland AFL-CIO, and U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), a national network of more than 140 unions, labor councils and other labor organizations, today announced plans for an antiwar demonstration in Cleveland on December 2nd. Community, peace and social justice groups from throughout the region will come together with organized labor for a rally in front of the Federal Building in downtown Cleveland to demand the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and a reprioritization of federal spending to serve peace and meet human needs at home and abroad.

This will mark the first time that a major antiwar demonstration has been called by labor organizations. According to Bob Muehlenkamp, USLAW Co-convenor, “This reflects the fact that the labor movement, in its overwhelming majority, has turned against the Iraq war. We saw this at the AFL-CIO's convention in Chicago last July when a strong antiwar resolution was adopted nearly unanimously and in resolutions adopted by dozens of unions at every level. Working people recognize a quagmire when they see one,” he said.

Mike Murphy, Acting Executive Secretary of the North Shore Federation of Labor, observed, "I believe that the American public has lost faith in the Bush administration and its handling of the war in Iraq. The American public has been deliberately misled from the very beginning of this conflict. Whether this administration was claiming weapons of mass destruction, being welcomed as liberators, the cost of war being paid by oil revenues, or the now infamous 'mission accomplished,' this administration has exploited our patriotism for its own personal agenda.

"This war has made America less safe. The reputation and credibility of our nation has been tarnished. Statements referring to other nations as 'axis of evil' have only complicated matters related to foreign policy. The violence escalates while the support for America's involvement wanes. It is time to allow Iraq the ability to self-govern.

"Our nation will be paying off the debts compiled by this conflict for years to come. Badly needed social services, public education, funding of social security, funding of Medicare -- all of these items need financial support. This war is taking a tremendous toll on all of those involved. It is high time we end this conflict and bring our troops home."

The demonstration will begin with a march from Cleveland's Crowne Plaza Hotel at 2:30 p.m. and conclude with a rally at the Federal Building. The hotel is site of a USLAW-sponsored National Labor Conference Against the Iraq War that will draw trade unionists from across the country. The conference, which will run through Sunday afternoon, will include a public program on Saturday evening, December 2 starting at 7:00 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel.

Among the featured speakers participating in the weekend’s events will be a delegation of three Iraqi labor leaders from Baghdad and Basrah, including the first woman to lead a major Iraqi union. They will provide an on-the-ground workers-eye description of the challenges confronting the people and labor movement of Iraq.

Rally speakers will include Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Dem.-OH); Baldemar Velasquez, President of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee; William Burga, President of the Ohio AFL-CIO; John Ryan, Executive Secretary of the North Shore Federation of Labor; and Clayola Brown, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and Vice President of UNITE HERE. Among the conference speakers will be Phyllis Bennis, Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC and nationally recognized expert on the Middle East and John Wilhelm, President of the Hospitality Division of UNITE HERE, who will speak at a Saturday evening public program.

USLAW was organized in 2003 during the run-up to the war in Iraq. It is the largest labor antiwar organization ever founded in the U.S. with affiliates representing more than three million members.


DECEMBER 1-3 ANTIWAR EVENTS SCHEDULE

USLAW Assembly: A delegated convention of USLAW affiliates and members

When: 7:00 p.m., Friday, December 1st

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel

What: Delegates representing the more than 140 affiliated unions, labor councils, state federations, labor antiwar committees and other labor organizations will decide USLAW’s policies and action priorities, and elect USLAW leadership for 2007.

Antiwar Rally
Cosponsors: U.S. Labor Against the War and North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor

Where: The Plaza in front of Cleveland’s Federal Building at East 6th St. and Lakeside Avenue

When: March from Crowne Plaza Hotel at 2:30; rally at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, December 2nd

Why: To demand an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq, return of all U.S. troops, and reordering of national priorities to meet human needs and advance the cause of peace.

Speakers: Representative Dennis Kucinich (Dem. OH), national labor leaders, Iraqi union leaders, among others


National Labor Conference Against the Iraq War

When: 4:00 p.m. Saturday, December 2nd Opening Plenary
Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel

Admission: Open to all union members, labor, peace and social justice activists, and interested members of the public; registration fee is $25.

Public Program

When: 7:00 p.m., Saturday, December 2nd

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel

Speakers: Three Iraqi labor leaders from Baghdad and Basrah will provide a first-hand description of the conditions facing working people and unions in Iraq; and Phyllis Bennis, Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, and expert on the Middle East. John Wilhelm, President of the Hospitality Division of UNITE HERE, will be among the labor leaders who will speak. Labor troubadour Anne Feeney will provide the entertainment.

Admission: $10 donation is requested ; no one turned away for lack of funds.

Sunday Conference Plenary

When: 9:00 a.m.

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel

Sunday Luncheon Program

When: 1:00 p.m. Sunday, December 3rd

Speaker: Greg Coleridge, Coordinator, N.E. Ohio Anti-War Coalition; Program Director, Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee
The conference will conclude at 3:00 p.m.

More information about all the events and on-line registration is available at the USLAW website at www.uslaboragainstwar.org.

www.uslaboragainstwar.org [e-mail]


http://uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?list=type&type=99