AFL-CIO Statement on Worker Rights in Venezuela

[Tim Shorrock]

I just passed this along. The AFL is trying to make it clear they weren't
involved in the coup, as the NYT's Chris Marquis insinuated the other day.
But I think the AFL needs to explain how its programs fit into what NED is
doing. NED gives money to groups that are in opposition to governments the
US won't tolerate. I'd much rather see the labor movement use its own funds
for its overseas work rather than coordinate with Carl Gershman and the NED.
TS

Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 17:51:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dennis Robert Redmond <dredmond at efn.org>
Subject: AFL-CIO Statement on Worker Rights in Venezuela

On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, Tim Shorrock crossposted:


> From the moment he took office in 1999, Hugo Chávez led an assault on
> freedom of association, attempting to weaken or eliminate the principal
> institutions of Venezuelan civil society, including the unions.

I almost threw my fucking keyboard into the nearest wall when I read this
toxic piece of Cold War crap. Then I stopped -- all that nonviolence
training, you know -- took a deep breath, made a mental note to buy Grand
Theft Auto 3 next weekend and run completely wild in Liberty City, and
chilled out via my latest Zen exercise: staring at a 2-meter wall-map of
Suomi (80% unionized, don't you know).

There are a lot of good things happening on the ground in the labor
movement today. Just as clearly, there's a lot of deadwood in the AFL-CIO
which needs clearing out.


> structures. The AFL-CIO will continue to support the CTV, and we will
> continue to condemn actions by the government of Venezuela, or any other
> government, that restrict workers' freedom of association in violation of
> international law.

Before saving other peoples' labor movements, the US union movement needs
do something about the 35% of Americans who suffer under Wrong-To-Work
statues in the US, or its other ghastly and archaic labor laws.

- -- Dennis