Labor Boycotts MCI Fundraising Bash (Re: UAW prez slams Gore onChina PNTR

Stephen E Philion philion at hawaii.edu
Tue May 23 14:45:07 PDT 2000


Andy, I'm very much a supporter of the Labor Party and the US labor movement and very much down on sectarian politics. However, I'm also not able to support the fight against PMFN status for China. There has been a lot of needed discussion about the wisdom of this strategy on a number of lists where sectarianism is not the dominant trend at all. I've been convinced by arguments made by those who don't support this particular battle strategy. The reasons for which, I can assure you at least speaking for myself, have little do do with any affection for the good ol' days of Stalinism.

Steve

Stephen Philion Lecturer/PhD Candidate Department of Sociology 2424 Maile Way Social Sciences Bldg. # 247 Honolulu, HI 96822

On Tue, 23 May 2000, Andrew English wrote:


> The usual third party folks are in favor of big business/China PNTR?
> That's crap.
>
> Most of the Labor Party supporters I know are against the China PNTR/WTO
> deal.
>
> While the LP hasn't made a specific statement on it -- the last statement on
> fair trade was the resolution passed at the 1998 in Pittsburgh (the same
> convention addressed by George Becker of the Steelworkers) --
> I would bet 90% of the LP membership feels the same way.
>
> If Nathan had ever been to an LP convention, he'd know that the majority of
> the
> union delegates to the LP are regular working folks, not sectarian lefties
> with
> nostalgia for Chinese stalinism.
>
> -Andy English
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nathan Newman <nathan.newman at yale.edu>
> To: lbo talk <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
> Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 2:45 PM
> Subject: Labor Boycotts MCI Fundraising Bash (Re: UAW prez slams Gore
> onChina PNTR
>
>
> >
> >Having just started my summer job here at the Communication Workers of
> >America (CWA) legal department, I just received email informing everyone
> >that there would be no tickets for the DNC's fundraising Gala "The
> >National Tribute to President Clinton."
> >
> >Sweeney has apparently asked all labor folks to boycott the event as a
> >protest over the China trade vote.
> >
> >So folks are really pissed. Too bad most of the usual third party folks
> >on this list can't hype the Dem's betrayal of the working class, since
> >they are in the cheering section with the Wall Street Journal, the DNC and
> >the RNC for passage of the China trade deal :)
> >
> >-- Nathan Newman
> >
> >On Tue, 23 May 2000, Andrew English wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Larry Weiss <Lweiss at Americas.org>
> >> To: 'mnlabor at egroups.com' <mnlabor at egroups.com>
> >> Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 12:03 PM
> >> Subject: [mnlabor] FW: UAW president Yokich jumps all over Gore, not just
> House, on PNTR
> >>
> >>
> >> See particularly the final paragraph!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Released today:
> >>
> >> Statement by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich:
> >>
> >> President Clinton and Vice President Gore hail the U.S.-China agreement
> on
> >> WTO accession, "a hundred percent win" for America that will increase
> U.S.
> >> exports to China and create jobs for American workers. Nice words, but
> they
> >> made the very
> >> same claims for NAFTA. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.
> >> On this issue of critical importance to working people -- one that
> could
> >> cost hundreds of thousands of American workers their jobs -- President
> >> Clinton and Vice President Gore once again have sided with multinational
> >> corporations against workers here and abroad.
> >> Over the past weeks, proponents of giving China PNTR have portrayed
> the
> >> same multinational corporations who today are exploiting the Chinese
> >> government's well-documented brutal repression of basic human and
> workers'
> >> rights to fatten profits as the champions for a more free and open
> Chinese
> >> society. Meanwhile, the labor movement's insistence that the Chinese
> >> government demonstrate progress on human and workers' rights before the
> U.S.
> >> Congress permanently gives up its power of annual review is dismissed as
> >> selfish, myopic, and worse.
> >> We are deeply disappointed that Vice President Gore has failed to
> speak
> >> out against these cynical attacks on the labor movement and our partners
> in
> >> this fight. Instead, he has tried to have it both ways on China PNTR.
> One
> >> moment, presidential candidate Gore is telling the labor movement that he
> >> believes human rights, workers' rights, and environmental protections
> >> should be included in core trade agreements; the next, Vice President
> Gore
> >> is holding hands with the profiteers of the world and singing the praises
> of
> >> the U.S.- China WTO accession agreement while lobbying for PNTR for
> China.
> >> And, obviously, we cannot turn to Republican candidate George W. Bush;
> his
> >> positions on issues of concern to working families are far worse.
> >> America's working families need and deserve a president they can
> count
> >> on to stand with them on their tough issues, not just the easy ones.
> That's
> >> why we have no choice but to actively explore alternatives to the two
> major
> >> political parties. It's time to forget about party labels and instead
> focus
> >> on supporting candidates, such as Ralph Nader, who will take a stand
> based
> >> on
> >> what is right, not what big money dictates. Supporting those who support
> us
> >> is our political agenda, not just a slogan.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> =====================================================================For
> more information on current fair trade issues, visit www.tradewatch.org If
> you have received this message in error, we apologize. To be removed from
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> orglist <your email address>." Thanks!
> >>
> >> =====================================================================
> >>
> >>
> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
>
>



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