Pennsylvania AFL-CIO RESOLUTION ON
supporting our troops by bringing
them home
Submitted by SEIU district 1199p
Whereas, we are approaching the 3rd anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and there is no apparent plan to win a just peace; and
Whereas, over 2200 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, 2134 of them since the end of the war was declared on May 1, 2003, and with another 16,000 wounded, and
Whereas, estimates place Iraqi civilian casualties between 28,000 and 32,000, and
Whereas, the US government has spent over $240 billion of our tax dollars on military operations in Iraq with that amount increasing by an additional $195 million a day, and
Whereas, even basic utilities for Iraqi citizens are widely unavailable and perform below prewar standards despite spending over $16 billion on reconstruction projects in Iraq that have been plagued by fraud, and
Whereas, Iraqis continue to be denied their international human right to collectively bargain and form independent unions in Iraq’s public sector, and
Whereas, our tax dollars could be better spent addressing critical domestic and social needs here in the US, especially the crisis in our health care system, recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region, restoring budget cuts to social programs like Medicaid and Medicare, and
Whereas, a growing majority of Americans feel that “staying the course” in Iraq will not bring an end to the insurgency and that we should withdraw our troops, and
WHEREAS, senior leaders in the US Congress, including the Rep. John Murtha from Johnstown, PA, have called for a withdrawal of troops at the earliest practicable date, and
WHEREAS, we support our troops and want them to return home to their families safely with the honor and dignity they deserve, including access to full veterans’ benefits, and
Therefore be it resolved, that the PA AFL-CIO, CLC will launch a new effort to educate our members and elected officials about the impact of continuing the Iraq War and move them to take consistent action to end the war, and
Be it further resolved, the PA AFL-CIO, CLC will support efforts to bring our troops home and end the conflict in Iraq; specifically we will endorse and participate in the national demonstration in New York City being planned by US Labor Against the War on April 29th.