[HNA] AFT 1021 passes resolution on Honduras

[Simon Rios]

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AFT 1021, part of United Teachers Los Angeles, representing over 10,000
teachers and professional education support personnel, passed the following
motion at its meeting Thursday, 11/12/09.


*Emergency Resolution on the Current Crisis in Honduras*

*Whereas*, following the June 28, 2009 military coup in Honduras, the
AFL-CIO National Convention passed a resolution in September demanding
immediate reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya, restoration of all labor
and democratic rights, and an immediate halt to all U.S. aid to the coup
government; and

*Whereas*, a U.S.-brokered deal [the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Accords] to
reinstate President Zelaya by November 5th -- in preparation for the Nov.
29th elections -- has unraveled, and the coup regime refused to restore
Zelaya to the Presidency. As a result, President Zelaya, denouncing the "bad
faith" of the U.S. government, said the Tegucigalpa/San Jose Accords were "a
dead letter,” and

*Whereas*, President Zelaya is still taking refuge in the Brazilian Embassy
and the Honduran people led by the National Resistance Front Against the
Coup (including many teachers in the leadership) continue to mount massive
daily demonstrations against the coup regime; which responds with mass
tear-gassing and beating of protesters by U.S.-trained army and police in an
attempt to suppress the popular will and prevent the exercise of democratic
rights; and

*Whereas*, there is a total lack of political space for opposition
candidates to campaign and for the expression of any dissident political
opinion, and under the current coup regime, conditions for free, fair and
open elections are non-existent; and

*Whereas*, the National Resistance Front has denounced the Nov. 29th
elections as a scheme by "the de facto regime that is repressing the people
and violating the civil and human rights of its citizens, with the goal of
validating the dictatorship of the oligarchy," and that participating in
such an electoral exercise "would give legitimacy to the coup regime or its
successor." The Front also stressed that "our stance in opposition to the
electoral farce will remain firm even if President Zelaya is reinstated
between now and Nov. 29th, since 20 days or less is too short a time to
dismantle an electoral fraud many months in the making," and there is no
time for opposition candidates to mount a campaign;

*Therefore be it resolved*, that AFT 1021 stand in solidarity with the
heroic people of Honduras as they resist the savage repression of a military
dictatorship, and fight to win real democracy and sovereignty for their
country; and

*Be it further resolved*, that AFT 1021 send official letters to
Congressional representatives, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and
President Obama demanding that the U.S. government take strong measures
against the repressive coup government in Honduras -- and whatever
government may succeed it as a result of the "electoral farce" scheduled for
Nov. 29th. These measures should include: 1) Immediately break off all
political and economic ties with the coup government and its successor; 2)
Recall the U.S. ambassador; 3) Establish an economic embargo on all trade
and aid to Honduras; 4) Freeze the U.S. bank accounts of the coup plotters
and deny them visas for U.S. travel; 5) Shut down U.S. military bases in
Honduras; and

*Be it further resolved*, that AFT 1021 demand that the U.S. government
denounce and refuse to recognize the results of Nov. 29th elections or any
electoral process organized under the repressive coup regime; and

*Be it further resolved*, that AFT 1021 will submit this resolution as an
emergency resolution at the Delegate Assembly of the County Federation of
Labor on Monday, November 16, 2009 and further encourage its other
affiliates, such as CFT and AFT to adopt similar resolutions; and

*Finally be it resolved*, that AFT 1021 make common cause with other labor
and community organizations, to develop a reliable support network for the
National Resistance Front against the Coup, and for the labor unions,
especially the teachers union, that are at the center of the Resistance
movement in Honduras.


Andy Griggs
lauslaw2 at gmail.com
310-704-3217





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-- 
Simon Rios
(603) 233-1922
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