Workers Cannot Afford Another War

UFCW 3000 stands with the labor movement in condemning another wasteful, unconstitutional, and unprovoked attack on a sovereign country.

The military action in Venezuela risks pulling the U.S. into a costly and open-ended conflict. History shows that workers pay for these wars through higher prices, higher taxes, lost public services, and the human cost borne by service members and their families.

We call on working people everywhere to reject war that will trade away our wages, our tax dollars, our rights, and our safety for oil company profits. We demand diplomacy, accountability, and a government that funds the needs of working people. 

The Iraq War ultimately cost U.S. workers nearly $2 trillion, with more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers killed and 32,000 wounded.  Workers abroad paid an even heavier price. In Iraq, working people lost lives, livelihoods, and basic security, while the war devastated the country’s economy and public services. Venezuelan workers today already face violence, instability, and economic hardship. War does not bring relief; it deepens suffering for working people who have no say in these decisions.

Venezuelans should run Venezuela – not the U.S. government. As part of a global trade unionist movement, UFCW 3000 stands in solidarity with Venezuelan workers, those struggling to survive at home amid violence and instability, and those forced to flee. They deserve peace and self-determination, as we all do. 

Every dollar spent fighting wars for oil companies is another dollar we’re not using to fund our communities and ensure that working people have the freedom to provide for our families, access health care, and retire with dignity.

In another disturbing parallel to the Iraq War, the Trump Administration’s failure to consult Congress ahead of the strike and its strategy of deeming domestic and foreign political opponents “terrorists” to justify killings and kidnappings represents a direct threat to union workers.

The Trump Administration has already arrested union leaders at protests and has sent the FBI to question people who simply exercised their First Amendment rights. We believe the Administration will use this military aggression as a pretext for further attacks on our freedom to protest and vote, which would directly threaten all working people seeking to organize, protest, or strike against employers favored by the administration. We must stand against this authoritarian abuse of power abroad to preserve our democratic rights at home. 

As a leading union, we believe elected officials, employers, and others should stop wasting our time and money on things that cost us all so much. Instead, they should focus on what we all need: A stronger and more stable economy with higher wages, a fairer tax structure, and more affordable food, health care, and utility bills. Those are the things we need to build a more secure and positive world.