Ultimate Union Busters
The notorious School of the Americas, a combat training school for Latin American
soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., changed its name to the Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC) one year ago. Its mission of teaching
commando tactics, military intelligence, psychological operations and other
counter-insurgency warfare remains the same.
Soldiers trained there are also the ultimate union busters. Colombian labor leaders estimate more than 38,000 union leaders have been killed by the military in Columbia in the last 15 years. Last year, 170 labor leaders were assassinated — nearly one every two days. Colombia sends more soldiers to Fort Benning than any other country.
UAW Vice President Bob King and union members Lisa Ratta and Monica Schafer, both of Local 2192, joined 11,000 activists at the annual protest at Fort. Benning Nov. 16-17. “I met a woman who lost her entire family because of the violence of SOA graduates. When I realized that my tax money paid for that training, I knew I had to act,” said Schafer. This was Schafer’s fifth trip to the protest despite being banned from the area in 2000 for an act of civil disobedience.
In Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and other countries, factory workers who try to organize are threatened, tortured, killed and sometimes disappear. Labor organizers have been among the main targets of SOA violence. Latin American people deserve to have safe working conditions, living wages, health benefits and humane treatment. Members of the UAW can help them by urging your legislators to support H.R. 1810, which would close the school. For more information about WHISC, call 202-234-3440, or log on to www.soaw.org.
