Resolution passed at Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO's September 2004 Convention
Submitted by: Washington-Orange-Lamoille Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
WHEREAS, there is general agreement in the United States and throughout the world that Iraq did not possess 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 discernable ties to those who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; and
WHEREAS, the pretexts for war have been systematically revealed to have been fabricated, manipulated, exaggerated, or distorted to justify an invasion of Iraq planned long before September 11, 2001; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has approved $150 billion in public funds for the U.S. war in Iraq, draining those funds away from domestic priorities including transportation, health care, and national security; and
WHEREAS, working families have paid a heavy price for the U.S. involvement in Iraq with dead and wounded loved ones and Vermont has paid a disproportionate share of the loss of citizens to the war, and
WHEREAS, the Bush Administration has kept in force Saddam Hussein’s ban on public sector labor unions and used the Iraq war as an excuse to attack labor unions in this country; and
WHEREAS, the Bush Administration has used the Iraq War and the "War on Terrorism" as a platform to advocate for restrictions of civil liberties, with measures such as the Patriot Act; and
WHERAS, the best way to support our troops is to bring them home; and
WHEREAS, US Labor Against the War was founded to represent the millions of working people who oppose the war and who pay a disproportionate cost in dollars and the lives of our sons and daughters; be it therefore
RESOLVED, that the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO recognizes the courage and sacrifices of U.S. military personnel who have faced extraordinary dangers in the U.S. war in Iraq and who now want to come home; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls on Vermont Governor James Douglas to demand the discharge from duty in Iraq and the immediate return of all Vermont National Guard and Reserves to Vermont; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls on the National AFL-CIO to demand an immediate end to the US military occupation of Iraq and speedy return of all U.S. military personnel to their homes and families, and to support the repeal of the Patriot Act and the reordering of national priorities toward the human needs; and be it finally
RESOLVED. that the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, in recognition and furtherance of its position in opposition to current U.S. policy in Iraq, will affiliate with and help actively support and promote U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW) to protect our members, their families, communities and jobs, and the lives and livelihoods of working people everywhere.