Dear Union friends,

Many of us in the peace and justice movement have been helping unions organize over in Wisconsin. A number of WAMM members have attended rallies in both Hudson and in Madison and have been promoting the union rallies here in Minnesota.  (See report at our website, www. worldwidewamm.org and below on WAMMToday).   We understand how the increasing  job cuts to union workers  in the public sector is due to lack of  funds in most part because of increasing appropriations for war.

Madison, March 12, 2011

WAMM member Ann Galloway and WAMM Director Kim Doss Smith
by the stage.

It is astonishing to us that we are using American tax dollars to fund schools in Afghanistan while people claim that we have no money for teacher’s benefits in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  We have watched the US war contractors spend too much of our tax dollars on setting up “essential emergency services”  to “create stability” in Iraq, then  have  heard governor Walker label those same services as “non-essential” in Wisconsin.

With that in mind, we thought that this might be a good time to extend the invitation to Minnesota Unions to join us  in our peace march  and rally tomorrow in St.  Paul.  Keep in mind that the main message is that our nation can’t afford more war and that we would like our tax dollars spent at home.  Any Union members that agree with this idea are welcome to come and join us.  You are welcome to bring union signs, solidarity signs, etc.  We  are expecting several thousand out for  the peace issues, and we have invited concerned environmentalists as well.   If you feel that it is in the best interest of your unions to participate, please let them know the following information:

Saturday, March 19

Rally: “Bring the Troops Home Now! Out of Afghanistan! End, Don’t Extend War!”

1:00 p.m. GatherMartin Luther King Community Center, 270 North Kent Street, St. Paul

1:30 p.m. MarchThrough the streets to the Capitol.

2:15 p.m. Rally at Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, St. Paul

Join others as they gather in cities throughout the nation to speak out against the war economy. “Out of Afghanistan; War is Bankrupting the Nation, Stop Attacks on Civil Liberties and Democratic Rights!”

I believe we have a few Union leaders scheduled to speak at the rally, so we are covering  some of the Union issues, but we would like to formally invite you.

If you have questions, please call me at  the WAMM office. 612 721 -6908 or 612 827-5364.  Also, please let me know of any major union actions so that we may help publicize them.  United, we will be impressive in numbers and may stand a chance at bringing sanity back to our nation.   Divided,  I think we are in for a whole lot of trouble.

Peace and Solidarity,

Kim Doss-Smith,  Executive Director, WAMM