IUPAT

Painters Local 10 says Defend Immigrants

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Resolution To Defend Immigrants Against Mass Deportations and Racist Violence Whereas, Trump’s planned immigration raids have stoked racist, anti-immigrant violence, and Whereas, this goes together with his praise of billionaire Elon Musk’s strike-breaking, his stoking of divide-and-conquer bigotry and encouragement of violent far-right groups, and Whereas, immigrant workers are a central part of labor, vital to our labor organizations, and their rights are inseparable from those of the rest of the working class, and Whereas, a union is a self-defense organization for the working class as a whole, and Whereas, attacks either from the government or from groups of racist thugs pose a danger to workers everywhere, and Whereas, we cannot look to the government, the courts, politicians of either big-business party, or the police to protect immigrants from bigoted attacks, and Whereas, it is the duty of the unions to defend our fellow workers against oppression and racist attacks, and Whereas, an injury to one is an injury to all, Therefore, be it resolved that IUPAT Local 10 will mobilize its membership to defend immigrants who are under attack either from government raids or racist groups, and Be it further resolved that this body repudiates the vile attacks on immigrants and calls for the rest of labor to mobilize in defense of our fellow workers. Adopted by the membership of Painters Local 10 at the regular business meeting held on November 20, 2024.

Resolution To Defend Immigrants Against Mass Deportations and Racist Violence
Whereas, Trump’s planned immigration raids have stoked racist, anti-immigrant violence, and

Whereas, this goes together with his praise of billionaire Elon Musk’s strike-breaking, his stoking of divide-and-conquer bigotry and encouragement of violent far-right groups, and

Whereas, immigrant workers are a central part of labor, vital to our labor organizations, and their rights are inseparable from those of the rest of the working class, and

Whereas, a union is a self-defense organization for the working class as a whole, and

Whereas, attacks either from the government or from groups of racist thugs pose a danger to workers everywhere, and

Whereas, we cannot look to the government, the courts, politicians of either big-business party, or the police to protect immigrants from bigoted attacks, and

Whereas, it is the duty of the unions to defend our fellow workers against oppression and racist attacks, and

Whereas, an injury to one is an injury to all,

Therefore, be it resolved that IUPAT Local 10 will mobilize its membership to defend immigrants who are under attack either from government raids or racist groups, and

Be it further resolved that this body repudiates the vile attacks on immigrants and calls for the rest of labor to mobilize in defense of our fellow workers.

Adopted by the membership of Painters Local 10 at the regular business meeting held on November 20, 2024.

Painters Local 10 calls for workers action against war on Gaza

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WHEREAS solidarity with workers everywhere is a crucial part of labor unionism, and the workers’ struggle has no borders. WHEREAS every day now we are seeing the horrifying bombing and massive killing of the working people of Gaza and their children with arms supplied by the same U.S. government that carries out strike breaking against workers here. Over 20,000 have already been killed and the death toll is slated to grow higher day by day. WHEREAS working-class opposition to this U.S./Israel war goes hand in hand with the Labor motto, “An injury to one is an injury to all” as well as the call, “Arab, Jewish, black and white, workers of the world unite.” THEREFORE, be it resolved that IUPAT Painters Local 10 supports the Palestinian trade unions’ call for labor everywhere to stop the shipment of arms for this U.S./Israel war; that we salute dock and transport workers in Barcelona, Belgium, Italy, and elsewhere who have stated their refusal to handle arms shipments for this war; and that we support and encourage efforts for such workers’ actions here in the U.S. to stop the arms shipments; and Be it further resolved that, opposing what is in effect yet another U.S. war, this time against the people of Gaza; we call for the immediate end to Israel’s bombing of Gaza; for Israel to vacate Gaza and the West Bank, and to end all arming and funding for it now. Resolution approved by the membership of Painters Local 10 at their regular business meeting December 20, 2023.

WHEREAS solidarity with workers everywhere is a crucial part of labor unionism, and the workers’ struggle has no borders.

WHEREAS every day now we are seeing the horrifying bombing and massive killing of the working people of Gaza and their children with arms supplied by the same U.S. government that carries out strike breaking against workers here. Over 20,000 have already been killed and the death toll is slated to grow higher day by day.

WHEREAS working-class opposition to this U.S./Israel war goes hand in hand with the Labor motto, “An injury to one is an injury to all” as well as the call, “Arab, Jewish, black and white, workers of the world unite.”

THEREFORE, be it resolved that IUPAT Painters Local 10 supports the Palestinian trade unions’ call for labor everywhere to stop the shipment of arms for this U.S./Israel war; that we salute dock and transport workers in Barcelona, Belgium, Italy, and elsewhere who have stated their refusal to handle arms shipments for this war; and that we support and encourage efforts for such workers’ actions here in the U.S. to stop the arms shipments; and

Be it further resolved that, opposing what is in effect yet another U.S. war, this time against the people of Gaza; we call for the immediate end to Israel’s bombing of Gaza; for Israel to vacate Gaza and the West Bank, and to end all arming and funding for it now.

Resolution approved by the membership of Painters Local 10 at their regular business meeting December 20, 2023.

IUPAT Local 10 Condemns Attack on Union Activists in Oaxaca, Mexico

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On May 16 Painters and Drywall Finishers IUPAT Local 10 approved the following Statement in Solidarity With Dr. Arturo Villalobos and Patricia Méndez, and against the brutal attack on their son, Nizván. Click here for more information on the international campaign against this atrocity.

Statement of Solidarity with Arturo Villalobos and his Family: On May 7, 2018, thugs entered the home of prominent labor leaders Dr. Arturo Villalobos and Patricia Méndez in Oaxaca, Mexico where they tortured and beat the couple’s adolescent son Nizván, leaving him unconscious. Dr. Villalobos is an opposition leader among health workers and recently was a leader of a two-month work stoppage by Oaxaca medical personnel against the Mexican government’s privatizing “reform” of the public health system. Dr. Villalobos has repeatedly been the object of threats of repression and arrest orders ever since leading the action of doctors and other health workers who defied a government cordon to bring medical assistance to the over 100 surviving victims of the June 19, 2016 police massacre in Nochixtlán, Oaxaca during a hard-fought teachers strike. From the 2014 “disappearance” of 43 teachers college students of Ayotzinapa to the massacre of residents of Nochixtlán to this latest attack on a teenager, behind it all one can see the hand of the Mexican government. Arturo Villalobos is a prominent spokesman in Oaxaca for the Grupo Internacionalista, which has been the object of physical aggression for its opposition to all parties of the bosses, particularly during the current election campaign. IUPAT Local 10 joins with trade-unionists, left and social activists and defenders of democratic rights in denouncing the vile crime perpetrated against 16-year-old Nizván Villalobos Méndez, and declares our steadfast solidarity with Dr. Arturo Villalobos and Patricia Méndez. An injury to one is an injury to all!
Click here for a PDF version.

On May 7, 2018, thugs entered the home of prominent labor leaders Dr. Arturo Villalobos and Patricia Méndez in Oaxaca, Mexico where they tortured and beat the couple’s adolescent son Nizván, leaving him unconscious. Dr. Villalobos is an opposition leader among health workers and recently was a leader of a two-month work stoppage by Oaxaca medical personnel against the Mexican government’s privatizing “reform” of the public health system. Dr. Villalobos has repeatedly been the object of threats of repression and arrest orders ever since leading the action of doctors and other health workers who defied a government cordon to bring medical assistance to the over 100 surviving victims of the June 19, 2016 police massacre in Nochixtlán, Oaxaca during a hard-fought teachers strike.

From the 2014 “disappearance” of 43 teachers college students of Ayotzinapa to the massacre of residents of Nochixtlán to this latest attack on a teenager, behind it all one can see the hand of the Mexican government. Arturo Villalobos is a prominent spokesman in Oaxaca for the Grupo Internacionalista, which has been the object of physical aggression for its opposition to all parties of the bosses, particularly during the current election campaign.

IUPAT Local 10 joins with trade-unionists, left and social activists and defenders of democratic rights in denouncing the vile crime perpetrated against 16-year-old Nizván Villalobos Méndez, and declares our steadfast solidarity with Dr. Arturo Villalobos and Patricia Méndez.  An injury to one is an injury to all!

In solidarity,
Membership present and voting at the May 16, 2018 regular local meeting.

Painters & Drywall Finishers Say: Break with the Democrats, For a Workers Party

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The following resolution was introduced by CSWP supporters and adopted unanimously by IUPAT Local 10 members at their meeting on 17 August 2016. CSWP fights to unchain the power of the working class by breaking our unions away from the parties of capital. Join us!

No Support to the Democrats, Republicans,
or Any Party of the Bosses

Whereas the bosses have two parties to represent their class while the millions of working people have none, and

Whereas the Democratic president Barack Obama sent the U.S. Coast Guard to enforce scabbing against the International Longshore and Warehouse Union during the 2013-14 lock-out of northwest dock workers, and

Whereas the Democratic governor Kate Brown opposed and undercut the movement for a $15 minimum wage across Oregon, and

Whereas in 2014 Democrats in Congress joined with Republicans to pass a disastrous pension “reform,” allowing the bosses to escape their obligations and cheat our retirees, and

Whereas the two presidencies of the Democrat Barack Obama have been eight years of unending war in the Middle East,North Africa and Asia, causing untold human suffering, millions of refugees, and attacks on our democratic rights at home, and

Whereas the Democratic Party in power has deported some 5 million immigrants, a record, and

Whereas across the country, from Oakland to Baltimore, police under Democratic mayors regularly murder black men and women with impunity, and

Whereas the 2016 presidential election offers us the “choice” between a raving, bigoted clown and a career representative of Wall Street, and

Whereas the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Virginia governor Tim Kaine, supports union- busting “right to work” laws, and

Whereas Democrats and Republicans are and have always been strike-breaking, war-making parties of the bosses, and

Whereas so long as the labor movement supports one or another party of the bosses, we will be playing a losing game, therefore be it

Resolved that IUPAT Local 10 does not support the Democrats, Republicans, or any bosses’ parties or politicians, and

Resolved that we call on the International Union to repudiate its endorsement of Hillary Clinton for president, and

Resolved that we call on the labor movement to break from the Democratic Party, and build a class-struggle workers party.

News of this resolution was also published by the Northwest Labor Press. The text of the resolution is available in Spanish here.

Portland May Day Against Racist Police Murder

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On May Day in Portland Oregon, Class Struggle Workers – Portland initiated a union contingent behind the banner “Labor Against Racist Police Murder.” The IWW, Painters and Stagehands locals passed resolutions condemning the police murder of Antonio Zambrano Montes in Pasco, WA, and formed the contingent, which was joined by a delegation from Pasco, groups of Laborers and Teachers, and individuals from other unions.

Labor Against Racist Police Murder contingent, Portland May Day 2015
Labor Against Racist Police Murder contingent, Portland May Day 2015

Labor Against Racist Police Murder contingent, Portland May Day 2015
Labor Against Racist Police Murder contingent, Portland May Day 2015

Portland Unions Condemn Racist Police Murder in Pasco, WA

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The following statement was endorsed by IATSE Local 28 on April 14, and by IUPAT Local 10 on April 15, 2015. What’s urgently needed is to mobilize the power of organized labor to protest the epidemic of racist murder by the police.

On February 11th, 2015 an unarmed Antonio Zambrano Montes was brutally murdered in a hail of police bullets after being accused of throwing rocks. The 35 year old apple picker and father of two was shown in videos of the incident to be running away from police, then turning with his empty hands outstretched as police opened fire.

Such cold disregard for human life is not out of the ordinary for Pasco police, as this became the third such incident in recent weeks. The nearly all-white police force in Pasco is used to getting its own way, and patrols a population that is at least 60% latino. In light of the recent protests in Ferguson, MO against the murder of Michael Brown and subsequent findings of thoroughly racist practices of the local police there, the rot at the core of policing in America has been laid bare.

As unionists and workers, we condemn the racist murder of a fellow worker, Antonio Zambrano Montes, and we call on all unions to mobilize with the people of Pasco against the racist bosses and their good ol’ boys in blue.