This Fall, the Penn Fed is going to be a part of History (again) by Marching on Washington, D.C.

OCTOBER 2, 2010

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, the Pennsylvania Federation will join hundreds of thousands of people from across America to gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and demonstrate for our re-commitment to change. The One Nation March will feature human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, environmental and peace activists, faith leaders, celebrities and sports figures – all marching together to help Put America Back to Work and to Pull America Back Together. And to help reorder our national priorities so that investments in people come first.

The program will begin at 12:00 pm and end at 4:00 pm. The event site will open for guests at 6:00 am, and the pre-program will kick off at 11 am. We anticipate tens of thousands of people from across the country for this march. Please plan on arriving in the morning to allow sufficient time to get to the Lincoln Memorial.

View Logistics for this event.

July 11, 2010 From 1199 SEIU, The United Healthcare Workers East - For a year, as healthcare reform dominated the Congressional agenda, groups of people took to the streets in opposition to expanding healthcare coverage to tens of millions and to curtailing insurance industry abuse. These street protests were provoked by outright lies of Fox News and rightwing gasbag politicians—remember the fear of “death panels”?—and resulted in the formation of the Tea Party, or tea-baggers. And of course the mass media gave them far more attention than their numbers deserved.

Unfortunately, we who supported healthcare reform had comparatively little public presence. Many thousands of activists lobbied members of Congress, and millions sent letters and emails, but there never really was a public mobilization. The healthcare overhaul was a tremendous step forward, but might have been much stronger had “we” taken to the streets.

When we elected President Obama two years ago, it was such an historic victory that perhaps our optimism got the better of us. We now had the President we wanted with strong Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. The new President was anxious to work with the Republican opposition to try to repair the damage of the Bush years and move the country forward.

But he, and we underestimated the opposition: a unified, hostile Republican party in Congress that refused the president’s outstretched hand, and instead spat in his face; an aggressive, rightwing and—let’s be clear—racist Fox News and other media outlets marching us back to the 19th century. And then there are the many Democrats motivated by loyalty to the corporations, fear of the Rush Limbaughs and the Glenn Becks, and the tea-baggers’ street presence.

The damage that Obama was elected to repair largely remains—the worst sustained unemployment toll in 75 years; the worst mortgage crisis in memory; two unwinnable wars (three, if you count Pakistan); 15 million immigrant workers forced to live in the shadows; a climate crisis that threatens to spin out of control; escalating environmental degradation as seen in the recent Gulf oil spill and deadly mine explosions in West Virginia and Kentucky; the largest prison population (by far) in the world; a deepening crisis in public and higher education. And that’s the short list.

When Franklin Roosevelt became President during the Great Depression, he also faced—in addition to the economic crisis—a hostile Republican party, a rightwing corporate and banking elite and an oppositional Supreme Court. FDR knew he needed a massive public outcry to move the country forward. He needed John L. Lewis and the emerging CIO to push him—and they did. And out of the mass movements of the day, we got Social Security, unemployment compensation, the 8-hour day and industrial unionism.

A generation later, when John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson would do the right thing if they were pushed to do so, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the heroic youth of SNCC faced down the sheriffs’ deputies, police dogs and lynch mobs of the South but also the established powers-that-be in Washington. The historic March on Washington of Aug. 28, 1963 is known for the “I Have a Dream” speech. But the movement that led to the march and grew out of it resulted in the Civil Rights Bill, the Voting Rights Bill, and indirectly to Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, Occupational Health and Safety, and the movements to end the Vietnam War and for women’s liberation and gender/sexual equality.

Today our country is again in crisis. Now it’s our time to raise our voices and make our power felt. Our Union has been joining forces with other unions, the NAACP, and a host of progressive movements for economic and social justice to plan a united response to the crisis. We include not only labor, but the key leadership of the civil rights, human rights, immigration rights, environmental and peace movements. In the next months, we will be organizing and mobilizing throughout the United States for jobs, economic security, comprehensive immigration reform, a safe and renewable energy policy and a reversal of national priorities from making wars to meeting human needs.

This will culminate in a massive—and we believe historic—March on Washington. In the coming weeks and months you will get more information about this occasion through Our Life And Times magazine, the www.1199seiu.org website, and from your Delegates and Organizers in your institutions.
 
Time to lace up your marching shoes, Sisters and Brothers.

Finally, Somebody Gets It

"Every dollar we spend in Afghanistan, every life we waste there, is a waste," said Nadler. "An intelligent policy is not to try to remake a country that nobody since Genghis Khan has managed to conquer. What makes us think, what arrogance gives us the right to assume that we can succeed where the Moguls, the British, the Soviets, failed.…It will take tens of years, hundreds of billions of dollars, tens of thousands of American lives, and we don't need to do it. We don't need to do it. We, frankly, have no right to do it. It's a fool's errand, and I just hope and pray that we get wise enough to stop sending our young men and women to waste their lives there, and our money that could be used to prop up our own people."

It should be of no surprise that in an August 13th Gallup poll the economy in general and unemployment/jobs specifically topped the list of public concerns. The economy and jobs grabbed 58% of responses as top issues. War and fear of war lagged way behind in 8th place with only 4%. With millions across the nation struggling to keep their homes, make ends meet and keep or find jobs, the wars and occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else is not uppermost on people’s minds. Taking care of business at home is first.

But people still care. Poll after poll shows that support for the war in Afghanistan is falling. A majority of people think the invasion of Iraq was a mistake and want U.S. troops to continue to pullout. Even with international issues on the backburner for most people, our efforts continue to be vitally important and effective. We are in a good position to move our work to end these occupations.

The last 18 months have been tough for the anti-war/peace movement. Progressive activism has been muffled and the hundreds of thousands we were able to turn out in the past have stayed home. All of that is about to change!

The rise of the Tea Party movement and profound disappointment with the slow pace of real change has slapped many people in the face. They are waking up from a post election daze to the realization that it takes a movement to make change happen. In this context, a new initiative called One Nation Working Together has emerged. Read More...

Poll: Most Want Afghanistan Withdrawal Timeline

CBS News
July 13, 2010 6:30 PM

Most Americans continue to say things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan, and those assessments are more pessimistic now than they were just two months ago, a new CBS News poll shows.

Most Americans also want a timetable for withdrawal from the country.

Today, the poll finds, 62 percent of Americans say the war is going badly, up from 49 percent in May. Just 31 percent say the war in Afghanistan is going well.

Nine years into the war, 33 percent of Americans say they do not want large numbers of U.S. troops in Afghanistan for another year. Twenty-three percent of Americans say they are willing to have troops stay there for one or two more years.

Just 35 percent are willing to have troops stay longer than two years.

Most Americans -- 54 percent -- think the U.S. should set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Forty-one percent disagree.

There is a partisan divide on the issue: 73 percent of Democrats think the U.S. should set a timetable, while only 32 percent of Republicans say the U.S. should do so. Fifty-four percent of independents want a timetable.

Americans are divided over President Obama's handling of Afghanistan: 43 percent say they approve of his handling of the war, while 44 percent say they disapprove.

On Iraq, Americans continue to hold more positive views of the war- 55 percent say things are going well for the U.S. there.

LOGISTICS

The March takes place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington DC. on October 2, 2010 from noon until 4:00 pm., and is open to the public. No tickets or pre-registration is required.

The Pennsylvania Federation will be marching from Amtrak's Union Station to the the corner of 14th and Constitution Ave. NW. There we will join-up with our friends from U.S. Labor Against War, and from there we will march to the noon rally at the Lincoln Memorial.

There will be restrooms set up along the march, and a large bank or restrooms at the Mall.

There may or may not be vendors selling bottled water or food items. It is advisable to bring your own water and snacks. Comfortable walking shoes are a good choice. This event is scheduled RAIN or SHINE. Keep a watch on the weather.

What can I bring to the Mall and what should I leave at home?

Under National Park Service regulations, you may bring the following items with you to the March:
    •    Food and beverage (non-alcoholic, no glass)
    •    Small umbrella
    •    Portable chair
    •    Personal fan or spray water bottle
    •    Cameras
    •    Blankets
    •    Small coolers
    •    Backpacks
    •    Small flags
    •    Sunscreen

Under National Park Service regulations and at the request of One Nation, the following is prohibited at the March:

Weapons of any kind are not permitted (incl. firearms (real or simulated), ammunition, knives, blades, pocket knives, sharp objects of any length)
    •    Tents/canopies/structures
    •    Glass containers
    •    Alcoholic beverages
    •    Explosives or incendiary devices of any kind (including fireworks)
    •    No staking of grounds
    •    No digging or trenching
    •    No attachments to existing landscaping
    •    No firearms or explosive devices, no open fires
    •    No sticks or poles
    •    Camping is prohibited on the National Mall.

Yes you can bring signs that promote the values of One Nation Working Together.

Yes you can bring portable chairs and other items to insure your comfort throughout the day.

Yes you can bring an Umbrella.

How Do I Get To The March?

There are any number of transportation options available into and out of Washington, DC. One very popular method for rail workers is to ride the rails.

Amtrak Train Schedule

OR

Download and View Amtrak's Schedule

From Amtrak's Union Station:

Walk out the front doors of Union Station, past Columbus Circle heading Southwest on Louisiana Avenue, passing the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Hall, straight to Constitution Avenue. From there walk West on Constitution Avenue to 14th Street.

The Penn Fed plans to join our friends with US Labor Against War on the corner of 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW. From there we will walk to the Lincoln Memorial. To join our contingent, you could simply walk from Amtrak's Union Station or take METRO as follows:

Take the Red Line towards Shady Grove
to
Metro Center Metro Station

from there

Take the Blue Line towards Franconia Metro
to Federal Triangle Metro Station

Exit Federal Triangle Station using Main Exit

Walk approx. 2 blocks West on Constitution Avenue.

Join U.S. Labor Against War at 14th and Constitution Ave. at 11:00 a.m.

From the assembly point we will walk a short distance West to the Lincoln Memorial Circle. The total walk from Federal Triangle Metro Station to the Lincoln Memorial is about 3/4 mile.

Click on Map for more detail

The METRO fare is $1.85 one-way. It would be advised to buy a $3.70 farecard to avoid delay should your return trip use METRO.

Please visit the Metro website for additional information (www.wmata.com). Transportation questions specific to the March may also be emailed to March organizers at ONWTtransportation@gmail.com.