Twenty-three members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
July 26, 2004

Dear Colombia Advocates,
Great news! Yesterday, twenty-three members of the U.S. Senate-- including Senators John Kerry and John Edwards-- sent a letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that expressed serious concerns about the human rights record of the Colombian military and the threats and attacks levied against union members and human rights workers. Members of Congress are asked to sign dozens of these types of letters each day; why would so many choose to sign this one? The answer is your hard work. The calls and letters that have been generated over the past few weeks helped educate, sway, and motivate our senators to speak out against human rights violations in Colombia and to back United Nations recommendations for change. We've helped send a strong message to the Colombian government and media, and backed up the voices of Colombians working for peace and justice. Thank you for your persistence and hard work!

Here's a quote from a front-page article that ran this morning in El Tiempo, Colombia's major daily newspaper:

"Through letters and chains of e-mails, [human rights groups in the US] supported hundreds of US citizens so that they, in turn, could send letters to their senators urging them to sign the letter to the Colombian president.

"The most significant aspect of the letter, aside from the obvious concern expressed by the senators, is that it is a window into the possible future of bilateral relations between the US and Colombia if the Kerry-Edwards ticket makes it to the presidency. Although both have supported the government of Colombia in Senate votes, it is clear that the issue of human rights figures prominently in their agenda."

For the rest of this article, in Spanish, please see

http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/poli/2004-07-28/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1751232.html

Let's Use the Momentum! Many of the senators who signed the letter have never spoken out about Colombia before. We now have an excellent opportunity to engage them, thank them for signing, and ask them to do more. If your senator is on the list below, please give them a call and say thanks-- and let them know that you want to see them take a stronger stance against US military assistance to Colombia in the future. If your senator is not on the list, call and ask why. You can reach your senators by calling the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121, or find their address at http://www.senate.gov . You can read a copy of the letter by going to http://www.lawg.org/docs/ColombiaUribe.pdf ..


Signers to the Feingold-Dodd letter on Colombia:

Russ Feingold (WI) (deserves a special thanks for organizing the letter)
Chris Dodd (CT) (deserves a special thanks for organizing the letter)
Murray (WA)
Leahy (VT)
Durbin (IL)
Kennedy (MA)
Boxer (CA)
Kerry (MA)
Cantwell (WA)
Harkin (IA)
Jeffords (VT)
Bingaman (NM)
Mikulski (MD)
Lautenberg (NJ)
Kohl (WI)
Landrieu (LA)
Sarbanes (MD)
Levin (MI)
Reed (RI)
Feinstein (CA)
Corzine (NJ)
Dayton (IL)
Edwards (NC)

The Senate has not had a meaningful debate over Colombia policy since 2001. We can build on the momentum generated by this letter and demand that senators keep US military involvement in Colombia limited this year, and then vote to change the policy during the foreign aid bill debate next year.

Next Steps:
August is a great time to communicate with your senators and representatives over Colombia policy. They'll be back in their district or state offices for the August recess, and constituent meetings, media activities, vigils, and other efforts to raise awareness can happen throughout the month. These types of activities are particularly important right now, because the House-Senate conference committee will probably meet in September to hammer out the final version of the 2005 defense authorization bill. Members of this conference committee will determine how many US troops and US military contractors will be allowed in Colombia.

Activists working on the upcoming elections also have an opportunity during this time to communicate with Senators Kerry and Edwards and help them establish a responsible platform on Colombia.

You'll be receiving another message next week with ideas for August activities and more information on pressuring the conference committee members to limit US military presence in Colombia. Please keep an eye out for that message! In the meantime, let's use this moment to push the Senate in the right direction. You can reach your senator's office through the congressional switchboard, 202-224-3121, or find his or her address at http://www.senate.gov . Together, we will demand that Congress support a US policy toward Colombia that reflects our values of peace, justice, sustainable development, and respect for human rights.

Thanks again for all of your efforts.

Best,
Elanor

--

Elanor Starmer
Associate for Colombia and Central America
Latin America Working Group
estarmer@lawg.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Latin America Working Group
Action at home for just policies abroad www.lawg.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes from presentation by Fabio Arias Giraldo
Notes from presentation by

Fabio Arias Giraldo

at IUE-CWA Local 201 Lynn, Massachusetts

Wednesday, July 21, 2004



The talk was given in Spanish with translations by Lyn Meza and Avi Chomsky.



Transcribed by Rebecca Ramsay.



Introduction: Fabio is Vice President of the CUT, the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores or Unified Workers Central, Colombia's main labor federation (comparable to the AFL-CIO) and Coordinator of the Gran Coalicion Democratica (Grand Democratic Coalition).



Fabio started off by saying the situation for trade unionists in Colombia is still very bad.

The number of trade union leaders killed is the highest of any country.



Union situation in general:

Most people not working under a union contract. Collective bargaining is the exception. Work often goes to non-union cooperative job shops.

70% of workers have "flexible" contracts.

30% have a contract (many temporary employees).

5% of employed in trade unions.

70% of these are in public sector, e.g., education and health care.

Violations of labor rights are pervasive. Complaints to ILO go nowhere.

Protests against attempts at privatization: 248 USO (Union Sindical Obrera) workers at Ecopetrol and 47 public employees in Cali were fired..

The assaults on trade union leaders has seriously hurt the trade union movement.



To counteract Uribe's neo-liberal political policies, a new organization is developing that will channel social discontent: Gran Coalicion Democratica. This coalition was instrumental in the October 25 defeat of Uribe's attempt to limit wages and pensions as a part of an IMF mandate. Only 23% of Colombians voted to support the referendum. (Uribe needed 25%.) Yet soon after, local elections brought out 52% of the voters. Shows that the population is not with Uribe.



Thursday July 22 is the start of a political and social summit. This will include disenfranchised Liberal Party members and new democratic forces in evidence during October referendum.

They will be responding to Uribe's speech given on Colombian Independence Day (7/20), when he announced new policies. He will be trying to push through congress the pension and wage restrictions that were defeated in the referendum. This is an illegal procedure, as there is supposed to be a two-year waiting period after a referendum. He announced tax reforms such as a 4% tax on staple food purchases, an extremely regressive tax that hurts the subsistence population the most. Uribe's disregard for constitutional procedures demonstrates his authoritarian approach.



The social and political summit will be responding with alternative policy proposals opposing Uribe's neo-liberal and authoritarian administration, in the hope that they can prevent him from being re-elected. Uribe goes along with whatever the U.S. wants, e.g., support for war in Iraq. The biggest problem in Colombia is pervasive U.S. interference. Uribe complies with directives from the U.S. southern command and the ambassador. Their control of the country is at the expense of Colombian sovereignty. The U.S. even dictates terms of the peace negotiations. The U.S. used to say they needed to intervene because of drug trafficking; now they say it's because of terrorism.



The FTAA pushed by the U.S. only benefits multinational corporations, while weakening the Colombian economic structure, causing more poverty, similar to the re-colonization of the 1990s. In 1990, the poverty rate was 50%; now it is 66% due to neo-liberal policies. Rather than emphasizing exports, the country needs to emphasize redistribution of wealth to create local markets, which will in turn stimulate production, but production for the benefit of the population.



Some responses to questions



Major exports are oil, coal, coffee and bananas. The $3.2 billion sent home by Colombians living abroad is actually the biggest source of revenue (including oil).



About Coca-Cola bottlers: There has been substantial international support from U.S. and European labor organizations. Organizers at Salem State College met extensively with the administration regarding unfair labor practices of Coca-Cola in Colombia. This resulted in the College's vote to not sign a new ten-year contract with the company.



September 15 - 18, one hundred trade union leaders from around the world will be gathering to support an SOS for trade union freedom in Colombia. Fabio hopes that, in addition to AFL-CIO national representatives, there will be some local reps from other U.S. unions. At a demonstration in Cartagena, two delegates from the U.S. AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, Elizabeth Drake and Rhett Doumitt, were among the protestors assaulted by gas dispersed from a helicopter. Fabio said this was the first instance in Colombia of gas being dispersed in this way to disrupt a political protest.



This is his first visit to the U.S., and although he has only been here for three days, he is favorably impressed with the North American people. Knowing that many of us do not support our current administration's policies offers hope for both countries.



The Gran Coalicion Democratica is composed of 250 political, economic and social organizations. The four key points of their platform are:



1. Preventing Uribe from getting re-elected.



2. Opposing FTAA.



3. Blocking Uribe's legislative agenda, e.g. wage freeze and other neo-liberal reforms.



4. Demanding a negotiated settlement to armed struggle.



In general, they want to reaffirm a commitment to peace, that is, peace with sovereignty (no U.S. intervention). They hope to have a GDC presidential candidate who can defeat Uribe. There is speculation that Uribe may try to form a new party. The Liberal Party has been divided, but their broad-based support is progressive, i.e. not for Uribe.

Leader of National Labor Federation to Visit
Fabio Arias Giraldo, Vice President of the CUT (the national labor federation) in Colombia, will vist Local 201 at 3 pm Wednesday the 21st to talk with Local 201 leaders and other interested parties. Solidarity Committee members from the North Shore group are welcome to join the conversation. Mr. Arias is in Boston for 10 days for the Boston Social Forum. His visit was approved after a protracted dispute with the US authorities over his visa.

We also have the possibility of bringing him to Salem State on Tues. the 20th in the evening. Yes, that's tomorrow! He really wants to meet with members of our group to talk about our Coke campaign, and the work we've done around the coal mine issues.

Possible House vote on Colombia this week
Friends --
We have been specifically requested to make sure that Senators Kennedy and Kerry sign on to the Senate letter. It should be a no-brainer for them but they need to hear from us.
-- Cathy Crumbley (Colombia Vive)
--Avi Chomsky (North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee)

July 12, 2004
Take Action!

Senate Letter on protecting Human Rights Defenders, Labor Leaders needs signatures! Possible House vote on Colombia this week!

Help the Senate send a strong message on human rights to Colombian President Uribe. Please call your senators' offices (202-224-3121) before July 22nd and ask to speak with the foreign policy aide.
Sample message: "I am a constituent from ___ and I am calling to urge Senator ___ to sign the dear colleague letter on human rights in Colombia that is being circulated by Senators Feingold and Dodd. It is important for the US Congress to send a strong message to Colombia in support of human rights and the Colombian citizens who defend them. I hope Senator ___ can sign this important letter before it closes on July 22nd."



Dear Colombia Advocates,

We knew from the beginning that changing US policy toward Colombia would not be easy. We've worked hard, and there will be more to do through the end of July, when Congress leaves for the August recess. Keep up the great work! The foreign aid bill continues to move forward, and there may be an amendment offered on Colombia when the bill reaches the House floor later this week. There's also an important Colombia letter circulating in the Senate which closes next week, and we need your help urgently to send a strong message on human rights! Please take a few minutes this week for these important actions:


1. Senate Letter to President Uribe: Take Action by July 22nd!
Senators Feingold (D-WI) and Dodd (D-CT) are currently collecting signatures for a letter that will be sent to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. We need your help before July 22nd to ensure that this important letter gets a lot of signatures in the Senate! Even senators who usually support US policy in Colombia should be able to sign on. If you've been frustrated by your senator's record on Colombia, this is your chance to push him or her in the right direction. As of Monday, July 12, the following senators had already signed the letter: Feingold, Dodd, Leahy (D-VT), Murray (D-WA) and Durbin (D-IL).

The letter urges President Uribe to comply with UN recommendations on human rights, including breaking ties between the Colombian military and brutal paramilitary groups. It also expresses concerns over continued threats and attacks against union leaders, human rights and peace workers, and journalists. To see the full text of the letter, go to www.lawg.org/docs/colombiadearcolleague0630_1.pdf (this is a pdf document).

ACTION: Before July 22, please call your senators and urge them to sign the dear colleague letter on Colombia that is being circulated by Senators Feingold and Dodd . See above for a sample message. Most offices may never even see the letter if you don't bring it to their attention.

Contact Info: Call the congressional switchboard in Washington at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected, or find your senators' state office numbers by going to www.senate.gov. You should ask to speak with the foreign policy aide. Leaving a voice mail is fine-- remember to leave your phone number so they can return the call!

Why is this important? Votes are not the only way we can help change policy. A large number of signers on this letter will send a strong message in support of human rights to President Uribe and give badly needed support to our friends and colleagues in Colombia who are working each day for peace and justice. Please add your voice to this effort!

2. Update on House Foreign Aid Bill Debate: Another Possible Amendment This Week! Rep. Sam Farr offered an amendment last Friday, when the 2005 foreign aid bill was debated before the House Appropriations Committee, which would have limited US troop presence in Colombia. Reps. Farr (D-CA), Kennedy (D-RI), and Lowey (D-NY) all spoke in support of the amendment-- please thank them if you live in one of their districts! Reps. Kolbe (R-AZ) and Lewis (R-CA) spoke against it, but raised procedural issues with the amendment, rather than directly supporting an increase in US troops in Colombia. The amendment was voted on by voice vote only, and the chair declared that the nays had won-- the amendment was defeated. There was no vote count taken. But the process, as always, is not over yet: It is likely that another, similar amendment will be offered when the full House debates the foreign aid bill later this week or early next week. Please keep an eye out for another alert in the next few days. We may need your help mobilizing for a full House vote!

Thank you for everything you do in the name of a more just and humane US policy in Colombia-- and keep it up!

Best,
Elanor

From: Avi Chomsky
achomsky@salemstate.edu
To: North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2004 13:04:43 -0400
Subject: [colombia] Salem State signs with Pepsi!!!

We were just informed that Salem State will be signing a 10-year, exclusive pouring rights contract with Pepsi, NOT COKE!!!!!

Thanks and congratulations to everyone who participated in our STOP KILLER COKE campaign on campus over the past several months.

We hope to invite Luis Adolfo Cardona back to Salem State in the fall to celebrate.

Avi
----------------------------------------
http://home.comcast.net/~nscolombia/
North Shore Colombia Solidarity Committee

This was on the "Killer Coke" campaign website:

"5. Photos from Salem State College, Massachusetts

We received photos from Salem State College in Massachusetts. The college is involved in the Campaign and recently had a protest against Coca-Cola. The photos can be seen in our Protest Pics section at: http://www.killercoke.org/protest.htm "

Salem State College, Massachusetts, Protest