Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The war in and occupation of Iraq will cost us literally trillions of dollars, money which won’t be there for such basic needs as adequate health care, housing, education and job development. The cost will be paid by working people. We pay not only through th eloss of community services, but also with the loss of the lives of our friends, families and coworkers. We must stop the work before another generation of couragous youngs mwn and women return home physically and emotionally wounded, onl to face inadequate veterans care, a crippled economy and detriorating infrastrucure.

The longshore caucus of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union had called for united labor action on May Day to demand an end to the war in and occupation of Iraq. In the Puget Sound, this call has been endorsed by broad segments of labor, including the Washington State Labor Council and the Martin Luther King Jr. County Labor Council, as well as community, faith and student allies.

The war not only drains our economy and endangers our communities, but is also used as a justification for attacks on labor. “National security” has, in the past few years, provided cover for stripping federal workers of union protection, for attacks on immigrant labor and for attempts to suppress labor struggle, including the infamous threat to use federal troops to break the back of ILWU longshore.

If you can be in Seattle on May Day, please join us, not only to demand an end to the war in Iraq, but also an end to the war on workers, both here and abroad. The march along the waterfront will highlight local labor struggles, shining light on some local employers who fail to respect workers’ rights.

No Peace - No Work!
End the war now -
Bring our troops home!

Thursday, May 1, 2008 12:00 noon
Jack Perry Memorial Park
1729 Alaskan Way South
Between Pier 30 & Pacific Maritime Institute
March along the waterfront to Pier 66 – rally at Pier 66 (2201 Alaskan Way South at Bell Street) at 1:30 pm

Sponsored by Puget Sound May Day Committee

Endorsers: International Longshore & Warehouse Union Locals 19 and 52 • Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific • Washington State Jobs with Justice • Washington State Labor Council • Martin Luther King Jr. County Labor Counci l • Marine Engineers Benevolent Association • Masters Mates & Pilots • Sailors Union of the Pacific • A. Philip Randolph Institute/Seattle • American Federation of Government Employees Local 3937 • American Federation of Musicians 76-493 • American Federation of Teachers/Seattle • ANSWER • El Comitι Pro Reforma Migratoria y Justicia Social • Community Coalition for Contract Jobs • Freedom Socialist Party • Iraq Veterans Against the War/Seattle • International Socialist Organization • Latin American Council for Labor Advancement-Seattle • Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 8 • Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity • Pride at Work • Seattle Central Community College Anti-War Collective • Service Employees International Union Local 1199NW • Sound Non-V iolent Opponents of War •

Teamsters Joint Council 28, Locals 117 and 763 • Veterans for Peace 92 (list in formation)

Later in the day, join Jobs with Justice and El Comitι Pro-Reforma y Justicia Social for the 9th annual

May Day Immigrant Rights March and Rally

“We are not undocumented, we are not illegal, we are workers!”

Please note the corrected time and location:

Meet 4:00 pm at Judkins Park, 2150 South Norman Street (near St. Mary’s Church)
March leaves at 4:30 pm
Ends at Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater

Both our nation and our labor movement have been built and enriched by immigrants. For most of the country’s history, being a “legal” immigrant simply meant being processed upon arrival. As the nature of the nation’s economy changed, so too did rules affecting immigration.

Today our immigration policies are designed to provide a steady stream of vulnerable workers to the nation’s factories, fields, service providers and construction companies. More and more of our jobs are shipped overseas. For the jobs that remain, multinational corporations exploit immigrant labor in an effort to drive down wages and benefits, and to pit us against one another.

At the same time, global “free trade” agreements undermine the economies of third world nations, forcing more and more of the working poor to seek employment in developed countries like the U. S.

The solution to this is not to build fences along our borders, whether literal or figurative. The solution is to protect the rights of all workers, regardless of immigration status, and to demand global economic justice based on people’s needs, not corporate greed. On May Day we will march for immigration reform, to demand an end to a system which encourages exploitation of vulnerable immigrant labor. This system places immigrants in near-bondage, while driving down wages for non-immigrant workers. We must reject the global “race to the bottom” in which nations and communities to compete to see who can gain jobs by providing the cheapest labor. We must demand international labor standards that ensure livable wages, labor rights and dignity for all who work. We must demand an end to cruel policies that divide families, and create an international pool of desperate labor.

May Day - International Workers Day - is a truly appropriate opportunity to show our determination that “an injury to one is an injury to all. ” Join us to demand immigration reform based on justice and the need for labor unity.

In solidarity,

Paul Bigman