WHEREAS the past 12 years of U.S. bombing and sanctions on Iraq have resulted in dire shortages of food and medicine and contributed to the deaths of over 1 million Iraqis, including 500,000 children; and

WHEREAS a new war will cause the deaths of many more Iraqi people and risk the lives of Americans who are sent to fight; and

WHEREAS billions of dollars on the Iraq buildup translates into cutbacks of essential job-producing social programs at home such as education, health care, social security and housing and threatens the rights of labor to strike and organize; and

WHEREAS the Bush administration is using the so-called War on Terrorism to distract the American people from the vital issues they confront;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that AFSCME Local 3800 goes on record as opposing the Bush administration plans for a new war against Iraq; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that AFSCME Local 3800 urge its members and allies to join the growing movement in opposition to a U.S. war against Iraq and call on other unions to publicly oppose this war.

Passed Nov. 22, 2002, at the general membership meeting.