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Will Join
Washington Rally
Unions Mobilize Against War
By MEREDITH KOLODNER
President Bush's troop escalation, the anti-war
sentiment of the new Democratic Congress and the rising cost of the war are
motivating thousands of union members to board buses bound for an anti-war
protest Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C.
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The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow
A CALL TO ARMS AGAINST
WAR: Edward Hysyk, a top District Council 37 official, said unions
opposing the war in Iraq now find themselves in step with much of
the country; Professional Staff Congress President Barbara Bowen
lamented the waste of funds that 'might otherwise be available for
education, health-care and housing.'
| | The rally is
aimed at pressing Congress to end the war and will feature a labor contingent
and a pre-rally feeder march made up of unions from around the country. City
unions endorsing the protest include the United Federation of Teachers, District
Council 37, Local 1180 of the Communication Workers of America and the
Professional Staff Congress.
"This is a year where no one can look at protesters and say we're a fringe
element," said Edward W. Hysyk, a military veteran who's president of Local 2627
of DC 37. "That's no longer the case." DC 37 plans to send at least four buses.
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| ARTHUR
CHELIOTES: 'Keep the pressure on.'
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Costs 'Enormous'
A Gallup poll taken in early January after Mr. Bush proposed sending 21,000
additional troops to Iraq showed that 54 percent of Americans thought the U.S.
should withdraw from Iraq within a year. The poll also indicated that 71 percent
of the country thinks the war is going badly.
Union leaders said that the enormous cost of the war, estimated at about $400
billion so far, was motivating some of their members to take a stand.
"The war directs public funds that might otherwise be available for
education, health-care and housing," said Barbara Bowen, PSC president. "It has
a direct effect on the state shortfall in funding, since each state pays a
portion of the war costs."
Ms. Bowen noted that the City University of New York had been underfunded for
years and that several CUNY students have died fighting in the war.
The PSC had been urging its parent union, the American Federation of Teachers
[which is also the parent of the UFT], to oppose the war for the past three
years. Last spring, the AFT passed an anti-war resolution at its convention.
Powerful, primarily private-sector unions such as 1199 of the Service
Employees International Union are also sending buses to Washington, but union
officials said that some city unions had been slow to take an anti-war position.
AFL-CIO Central Labor Councils in Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco have
all passed anti-war resolutions, but the New York City CLC has resisted.
CLC Not on Board
"We believe that's beginning to change," said Tom Gogan, eastern mobilization
coordinator for U.S. Labor Against War. "We came fairly close last spring and we
haven't tried again since then."
Acting CLC Executive Director Ed Ott could not be reached for comment. Some
union officials said the new Democratic majority in Congress gave them hope for
a change, but others said the Democrats would need a major push to act on their
campaign promises.
Tactical Hesitance
"I think that they've got their eye on how to go down the middle of the road
until the election," said Arthur Cheliotes, Local 1180 president. "They won't
pull troops out on their own because that will mean making an actual decision,
but we've got to keep the pressure on."
Mohamed Zaman, who is a member of Local 2627 and has worked as a Computer
Specialist for the city for 15 years, said he was planning to go to the protest
because he knew what it was like to live through a war, having emigrated from
Bangladesh during the conflict there.
"I ended up here because of that war," said Mr. Zaman. "I'm one of the lucky
ones who got out."
He said that as a Muslim, he felt it was risky getting involved in anti-war
activity because of anti-Islam sentiments stirred by 9/11.
"That's one of the good things about being with the union," he said. "They
understand my feelings. They understand it is not about religion. War is war.
Everybody suffers."
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