On May 1, 2008, the International Longshore & Warehouse Union of San Francisco resolved to halt work for 8 hours and shut down ports along the west coast in protest against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The General Union of Port Workers in Iraq also resolved to halt work for one hour in order to demonstrate opposition to the continued occupation of their country. Under a Saddam Hussein-era law, one of the few that was not altered by U.S. ambassador and Coalition Provisional Authority head Paul Bremer, it remains illegal for public sector workers to unionize in Iraq. Iraqi union workers are frequently threatened with harassment and violence by Iraqi government forces and several major union leaders have been assassinated in recent years.

To: Members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, San Francisco, Members of the Port Workers Union of Iraq
From: Iraq Veterans Against the War

Iraq Veterans Against the War stands in solidarity with you against the illegitimate and immoral U.S. occupation of Iraq. Our respect for the principles upon which this nation was founded compels us to speak out against our government’s policies in Iraq and demand that our brothers and sisters in arms be immediately withdrawn. There can be no peace or security for Iraq or for the United States until the Iraqi people are allowed to determine their own destiny, free of foreign interference in their internal affairs. There can be no true democracy in Iraq or in America unless the inherent right of workers to freely assemble is protected. Throughout history, the right of men and women to determine their own destiny has been secured only through struggle. As Americans who have not forgotten our history, we stand proudly with you.

In Solidarity,
Kelly Dougherty
Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War