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Gronowicz for Mayor Campaign Endorses these Resolutions
The following resolution was passed by the 2005 Convention of the American Federation of Musicians of the US and Canada today (July 20): Ending the War and Protecting our Troops and Veterans WHEREAS, Our nation's workers and their families face growing domestic challenges -- unemployment, declining wages and benefits, deunionization of the workforce, reduced public services, crumbling health care and educational systems, cuts in veterans benefits, threatened cuts in Social Security, escalating public debt, as well as sharp declines in funding for the arts and rts education; and WHEREAS, there is general agreement in the United States and throughout the world that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to this country or to Iraq's neighbors, and that the government of Iraq had few, if any, discernible ties to those who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks; and WHEREAS the administration has embraced a new and dangerous path of preemptive war without an imminent threat to the United States -- a policy that makes us less secure, increases the threat of terrorism, and has put Iraq on a path toward civil war, rather than toward a democratic society; and WHEREAS the Bush administration, through its wholly-controlled Coalition Provisional Authority, has left in place the anti-labor laws of the Hussein regime, thereby inflicting great harm on our brother and sister trade unionists in Iraq; and WHEREAS the war and military occupation of Iraq have cost the lives of over 1500 U.S. troops, the wounding and disabling of thousands more, and deaths by some estimates of over 150,000 Iraqi civilians, casualties among soldiers of other nations, and the devastation of much of that country; and WHEREAS we recognize the courage of U.S. military personnel, many of whom are members or the relatives of members of various unions, including the AFM; and WHEREAS the war and occupation have cost over two hundred billion dollars, leading directly to cuts in social and human services, education, music and arts programs and even benefits for the very veterans of this and other conflicts; and WHEREAS musicians and other artists have historically been among the strongest defenders of peace, justice and equality ... THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 96th International Convention of the American Federation of Musicians calls on President Bush and Congress to bring our troops home from Iraq as expeditiously as possible; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the 96th International Convention of the American Federation of Musicians calls on President Bush to provide adequate protection for field personnel and adequate veterans' benefits and otherwise meet the needs of returning veterans, and our people in general to jobs, education and healthcare by reordering national priorities toward peace and the human needs of our people; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the American Federation of Musicians and its locals will assist union members and their families who are called upon to serve in Iraq and returning veterans by providing information about resources and services available to meet their needs, by advocating for their interests, and by protecting their jobs, seniority and benefits, and calls upon other unions, labor councils and state labor federations to organize this kind of support at the local level; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT the American Federation of Musicians shall make this resolution available to its members and locals, and communicate it the National AFL-CIO, and asks all AFM locals to communicate it to labor councils and state federations with which they are affiliated. Top of page |