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Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 09:32:42 -0700 (MST)
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From: Debbie Nathan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: FINAL CALL FOR APRIL ACTIONS (fwd)
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 09:42:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Alan Benjamin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: FINAL CALL FOR APRIL ACTIONS
CALL FOR THE APRIL 15-18, 1998, CONTINENTAL DAYS OF ACTION
AGAINST THE EXTENSION OF NAFTA, PRIVATIZATIONS AND THE MAI
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On November 14-16, 1997, more than 400 trade union and community delegates
from 20 countries gathered in San Francisco at the Western Hemisphere
Workers' Conference Against NAFTA and Privatizations. The conference was
convened by the San Francisco Labor Council and the California Labor
Federation (AFL-CIO), and included a keynote presentation by the Western
Hemisphere director of the AFL-CIO's Int
ernational Affairs Department. Leaders of major national trade union
federations throughout the Americas, representing tens of millions of
workers, participated.
After a rich informational exchange and a wide-ranging discussion of
strategy, the delegates unanimously adopted a Final Conference Declaration
in which they pledged to mobilize in common action throughout the Americas
around four central demands:
No to NAFTA!
No to the FTAA!
No to the MAI!
Stop Privatizations and Deregulation!
Conference delegates agreed to organize mass protests in mid-April to
coincide with the Summit of the Heads of State of the Americas in Santiago,
Chile. The stated purpose of this Summit is to begin the process of
extending the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the rest of the
continent, beginning with Chile, through the creation of the Free Trade Area
of the Americas (FTAA).
The Western Hemisphere Conference also voted to constitute a Continuations
Committee, which will function out of the San Francisco Labor Council, to
help coordinate the April mobilization and to facilitate the exchange of
information in the effort to build Global Unionism.
At the first meeting of the Continuations Committee, it was reported that
the official Summit of the Heads of State will take place in Santiago on
April 15-18, 1998. It was also reported that a parallel Summit -- the Summit
of the Peoples of the Americas -- will be held in Santiago during the same
dates. The parallel conference has been endorsed by, among many others, the
AFL-CIO and the Inter-Ame
rican Regional Organization of Workers (ORIT).
Based on this information, the Continuations Committee hereby issues a call
to mobilize in every country of the Americas on April 15-18. We propose the
following Action Program:
Ä April 15: "Building Human Bridges Across the Americas"
On the same date as the Western Hemisphere heads of State convene their
Summit in Santiago, we encourage unionists and activists to organize
cross-border, solidarity human chains/bridges that would symbolically unite
people from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego against "free trade" and
structural adjustment policies.
By working through existing networks and union bodies, activists in
countries throughout the Americas can organize people to join hands to form
a human chain that will link people across borders. These solidarity chains
can be organized at key, visible border crossings, such as those along the
Pan-American Highway and other main arteries. The action will have a huge
impact if, at minimum, solidari
ty chains/bridges are organized at the borders between the United States and
Canada and between the United States and Mexico, as well as at the borders
with Chile.
In many countries, organizing such protests at the borders may not be
feasible. There we propose human chains at airports, seaports, and other
such arteries, which would also spotlight the massive rejection of the
policies being proposed at the Santiago Summit.
Ä April 16-17: "Teach-Ins and Educational Forums Against 'Free Trade' and
Privatizations"
These two days could be devoted to promoting awareness of the disastrous
consequences of NAFTA, Mercosur, and the other "free trade" agreements that
have been forced on the peoples of the Americas. Central attention could
also be devoted to educational activity on the proposed Multilateral
Agreement on Investment (MAI), a treaty that has been negotiated in secret
by representatives of the 29 wealt
hiest countries comprising the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) aimed at deepening the attacks on working people the
world over.
Ä April 18: "Mass Demonstrations Against NAFTA, FTAA, MAI, and Privatizatiÿ
ons"
On Saturday, April 18, the Peoples' Summit will organize a mass
demonstration in the streets of Santiago against the proposed Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA). We encourage all unionists and activists to
hold similar mass actions on this same date in major cities throughout the
Americas around the four conference demands.
This proposed Action Program is a general guideline for action. Conditions
for organizing protest actions vary from country to country. Our aim in
issuing these proposals is to maximize the impact of our actions and to
involve the broadest sectors in support of our demands.
We call on all unionists and activists to send us information about the
actions planned in their cities and countries. We will compile this
information in ongoing bulletins for distribution to all those committed to
building the April Continental Days of Action.
Wishing you all full success in your efforts, and looking forward to
receiving your reports,
In Solidarity,
Western Hemisphere Conference
Continuations Committee
à Add me and/or my organization to the list of endorsers of the April
Continental Days of Action.
[ ] Find enclosed a contribution of $ _____ to help cover the conference
back debt and to defray the ongoing expenses of the Continuations Committee.
[ ] Add my name and/or that of my organization to the Continuations
Committee.
NAME UNION/ORG
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
FAX EMAIL
Fill out the coupon above and send to:
SF LABOR COUNCIL, 1188 FRANKLIN ST. #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.
TELS. (415) 440-4809 or 681-5868. FAX: (415) 440-9297.
E-MAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
$*$*$*$*$ 5 LINES REFORMATTED BY POPPER AT igc.apc.org $*$*$*$*$
