Join with Wisconsin labor on Saturday, March 18th, to protest the war on Iraq as the third anniversary of the war’s beginning draws near. Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Wisconsin AFL-CIO President David Newby will be featured speakers.

This event marks the first time statewide organized labor has taken a place at the forefront of the movement to end the war. The labor contingent, led by David Newby, meets at 11:15 a.m. at SEIU Local 1, 250 E. Wisconsin Ave. (basement meeting room), and will March down Wisconsin Ave. to O’Donnell Park at noon to kick off what is expected to be the largest protest against the war in Milwaukee to date.

At last year’s protest, local labor leaders mourned the death of Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions leader Hadi Salih, who was tortured and killed by terrorists, his body mutilated, in early January 2005. Salih opposed the war and to the occupation, but had returned to Iraq from exile after the U.S. invasion to build a free and democratic labor movement.

On the Iraq Labor Tour last summer, Iraq labor leaders reported that the provisional government was as hostile to workers’ rights to organize into unions as the regime of Saddam Hussein. The stance of the currently-forming government has been no better as the occupation and brimming civil war plunges Iraq further into chaos.

“What we gained after three years of occupation are the lack of social services, power outage, and ethno-sectarian gangs hanging over the society,” said Samir Adil, president of Baghdad-based Iraq Freedom Congress in an open letter to American peace leaders this week.

“We strongly believe that the security and stability will not prevail unless the occupation is ended,” Adil added. “Therefore we are determined to boot out the occupation, and here we are today in spite of the hardship we are enduring, we save no effort to bring hope to millions of people around us and present our humanitarian alternative.”

OUT OF IRAQ NOW – THREE YEARS OF WAR IS ENOUGH
Rally and March
Saturday, March 18, 12 noon
O’Donnell Park

Labor contingent will meet 11:15 a.m.
SEIU Local 1, 250 E. Wisconsin Ave.

March to O’Donnell Park, east end of Wisconsin Ave.
Rally followed by march to Federal Courthouse

Featured speakers:
Gwen Moore, Congresswoman, 4th District
David Newby, President, State AFL-CIO
George Martin, United for Peace and Justice
Jason Moon, Iraq War veteran

Sponsored by Milwaukee Coalition for a Just Peace

Endorsed by: AFT Local 212, Milwaukee County Labor Council, Milwaukee Area Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), National Lawyers Guild-Milwaukee Chapter, SEIU Local 1, Solidarity, United Electrical Workers District 11, US Labor Against the War (USLAW), Veterans for Peace, Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign, Arab American Anti Discrimination Committee of Wisconsin, Casa Maria, Catholics for Peace & Justice, Grassroots Northshore, Greater Milwaukee Green Party, Marquette JUSTICE, Office of World Mission-Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Peace Action Wisconsin.