Support Haitian Labor Delegation Trip to US Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: anzalone/starbird November 4, 1997 URGENT APPEAL: SUPPORT THE HAITIAN LABOR DELEGATION'S RIGHT TO TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES TO ATTEND THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE CONFERENCE Dear Trade Union Brothers and Sisters: Early yesterday afternoon (November 3), the Organizing Committee for the Western Hemisphere Workers' Conference Against NAFTA and Privatizations received a fax from Haiti which recounted the Haitian labor delegation's meeting that morning at the U.S. Consulate in Port-au-Prince. As you will read in the letter below (which was translated overnight by our Conference Translations Committee), the members of the delegation were denied visas to travel to our conference. The manner in which they were treated, and the rationale for denying them visas, was unacceptable, in our view. I call on all Conference participants and all supporters of trade union and democratic rights to respond immediately to this Appeal from Haiti. Please send a fax to the U.S. Consulate in Haiti to demand that this delegation be allowed to travel to San Francisco on November 14-16 to participate in the Western Hemisphere Conference. Your letters should be faxed to: Ms. Joan Smith, United States Cons ulate, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (W.I.) Fax: 011-509-23-96-65. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. In Solidarity, Ed Rosario, Conference Coordinator Letter from the Haitian Committee in Support of the Western Hemisphere Workers' Conference Against NAFTA and Privatizations Port-au-Prince, Monday, November 3, 1997 To Our Brothers in Struggle: Ed Rosario and Walter Johnson Dear Brothers: We, leaders of union, peasant, political, and human rights organizations who are members of the Haitian Committee in Support of the Western Hemisphere Workers' Conference Against NAFTA and Privatizations hereby inform you of our meeting at the American Consulate in Haiti, which took place from 8 to 10 a.m. this morning. The representatives of the Consulate who received our delegation treated us in a humiliating manner. They went so far with their arrogance as to give us a lecture us on the "basics" of NAFTA and privatizations. They even accused us of buying the letters of invitation, which were sent to us by the San Francisco Labor Council. Here are some examples of their impertinent questions: - Why do you wish to participate in this conference against NAFTA and privatizations: Don't you know the AFL-CIO supports NAFTA? - What is your interest in helping out American workers? - Do you believe Haitian workers can really be trusted when they give guarantees of their intent to return home after this conference? (They said this even after we showed them -- with all supporting documents in hand -- that the San Francisco Labor Council/AFL-CIO had taken all appropriate measures for the return of the delegation to Haiti after the conference.) WHAT LESSONS HAVE WE DRAWN? We are convinced that the U.S. government -- via its Consular underlings -- is truly afraid of the new AFL-CIO after the arrival of the new leadership led by John Sweeny, as well as of the newly invigorated American labor movement as shown by the UPS Teamster strike. 2- We are now persuaded that the true reason why Clinton toured Latin America just now was to pursue these deadly policies against the right of workers and the peoples of the region. The U.S. government, working with the multinationals, has an interest in isolating the different experiences of workers north and south of the border. 3- We are persuaded that the attitude expressed by the American Consulate is part and parcel of the 152-year-old blockade imposed on Haiti, initially launched by the great powers of the world after the Conference for a United States of Latin America, held by Simon Bolivar in 1826. Then and now, Haitians were prevented from traveling. Today these measures violate the UN Charter, which recognizes t he unfettered right of the individual to travel. 4- We are convinced that our delegation's participation in this historic conference would represent a great step in the regroupment of the labor movement in Haiti and around the world. 5- Not only were we humiliated, but the integrity and honesty of our Brothers Ed Rosario (conference coordinator) and Walter Johnson (Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Labor Council) was seriously challenged, as we were told these organizations lacked credibility and your conference appeal was immoral. Accordingly, our delegation, following the meeting at the U.S. Consulate, decided the following: We, members of the Haitian Committee in Support of the Western Hemisphere Workers' Conference Against NAFTA and Privatizations, hereby call on you to please intervene on our behalf with the entire U.S. labor movement -- most particularly our trade-union Brother John Sweeney -- to ask that we be allowed to travel to the United States based on our full guarantee that we will to return to Haiti followi ng the conference. We thank you in advance for your immediate help and support in carrying out all the necessary steps to meet our urgent request for help. To our Brothers Ed Rosario and Walter Johnson, and to all the conference participants, to our sister and brothers of the AFL-CIO, and to the American people, we say: LABOR IS ON THE MOVE! NO MORE BOUNDARIES! BY WORKING TOGETHER WE SHALL OVERCOME! THE HAITIAN COMMITTEE IN SUPPORT OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE WORKERS' CONFERENCE AGAINST NAFTA AND PRIVATIZATIONS signed by the 16-member delegation/ -Michel FRANCOIS, president, Union of Employees of the Haitian National Lottery (SELNAH) -Benissoit DUCLOS, president, Drivers' National Action Committee (ANC) -Nathan DELASSAINT, Adjunct adminstrator, General Workers Confederation (CGT) -Gerard PIERRE, executive secretary, General Workers Confederation (CGT) -Fritzner PETIT-HOMME, president, Union of Workers, Self-Employed, and Temporary Workers of the Autonomous Metropolitan Drinking Water Union (CAMEP) -Henry MICHEL, general secretary, Airport Employees Union (SEDA) -Casnert OUPETTE, president, Airport Employees Union (SEDA) -Ronald ST. JEAN, coordinator, Workers and Peasants Party (POP) -Abel CLERVIL, sociologist and teacher, member of the bureau of the International Committee Against Repression (CICR) in Haiti -Fequiere CHERY, 1st vice president, Federation of Unionized Workers (FOS) -Joseph Frenzy SAINT-HUBERT, general secretary, Union of Workers, Self-Employed, and Temporary Workers of the Autonomous Metropolitan Drinking Water Union (CAMEP) -Runin JEAN-VERNET, former administrative secretary, Port-au-Prince Newspaper Workers Association (ATTP) -Jacksonne GEORGES, coordinator, Foundation of Peasant Associations of the Lower Plateau (BAP-BAP) -Elius REJOUIS, president, Union of Public Transport Drivers, Metropolitan Zone (SCTPM) -Urie GEDEUS, Union of Haitian Granary Workers (SOMA) -Yves-Andre LOUMANNE, disputes and claims officer, Haitian Workers Confederation (CTH) ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytlab-11.07.97-09:18:45-32751