WHEREAS:
Chile's democratic government was overthrown by a military coup on September 11, 1973; and
WHEREAS:
Chile has been ruled by an illegitimate military government headed by General Augusto Pinochet since September 11, 1973; and
WHEREAS:
The government of Chile has caused the death of thousands of Chilean workers, and uses torture and killings systematically, against people who oppose it; and
WHEREAS:
The government of Chile has created conditions which have resulted in misery and depravation for the majority of Chile, maintaining high rates of unemployment, malnutrition and mortality rates among workers; and
WHEREAS:
Human rights of Chileans are violated constantly without legal resources for those who suffer persecution, threats and the violation of their rights; and
WHEREAS:
Protests by democratic sectors of the population are combated by military forces; and
WHEREAS:
Labor and professional unions are not free to function due to the imposition of numerous restrictions and to the persecution and assassination of their leaders such as Tucapel Jimenez, President of the State Workers Union, and Manuel Guerrero, of the Teachers Federation; and
WHEREAS:
General Pinochet is setting up a referendum or election with himself as the only candidate which will result in his appointment as President for six years; and
WHEREAS:
The government of Chile has total control over the means of communications, and over the legal mechanisms which will regulate the referendum, therefore diminishing the possibility that the vote will be meaningful or fair unless major changes are made in the process;
WHEREAS:
The economy of Chile depends largely an loans and financial backing from other nations and mainly from the U.S.; and
WHEREAS:
There is a Senate Bill proposing that the privileged status of Chile as a trading partner of the U.S. be suspended until democratic rights have been reinstituted in that nation; and
WHEREAS:
Solidarity with workers in Chile is necessary to put pressure on the ruling military, and to bring to an and the repression and the violations of human and civil rights.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That AFSCME international supports the just and necessary efforts of Chilean workers to reclaim their rights as citizens and as human beings, which have been taken from them by the Pinochet government; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME demands the release of all political prisoners in Chile and expresses its deep concern about the state of human and civil rights in that country; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME support S. 709 introduced by Senators Kennedy and Cranston calling for fair and democratic elections; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That AFSCME advise appropriate officials of the government of Chile, various groups fighting for civil and political rights, and public sector trade unions in Chile of its solidarity with those struggling for the restoration of democracy in that country.
SUBMITTED BY:
Oliver Preston, President
Annette Zeni, Secretary
Council 10
Oakland, California