Labor Coalition of the Carolinas to Oppose Corporate Politics

Press Statement
July 3, 2012
On Labor Day 2012 the Democratic Party will open its Convention here in Charlotte, N.C., one week after the Republican Party will have completed their convention in Tampa, FL. Each political party will claim to represent what is best for the people of the United States. And they will each make plenty of election year promises. One thing is certain: Both the Democratic and Republican parties have utterly failed the poor and working people of this country. Between the two corporate parties, (theRepublicrats) we say, none of the above. Both political parties have used the peoples tax money to bail out Wall Street to the tune of trillions of dollars while Main Street, the 99%, suffers deeply under Wall Street greed and the profound economic crisis it caused. Both political parties, in the face of massive lay-offs, refuse to promote a major, countrywide public works jobs program that will provide millions of decent jobs while rebuilding the crumbling public infrastructure and facilities of the U.S. -- railroads, bridges, schools, public hospitals, parks, libraries, etc. Both political parties have continued to rescue the banks that foreclosed on the "American Dream" for millions of taxpayers through unlawful home foreclosures and refusal to extend credit to small businesses. All the while sitting on trillions in cash reserves obtained from the Republican and Democratic Party bailouts. Both political parties promote austerity and cut-backs for the people with threats to Medicare, Social Security, education, environmental protection, and the public Postal Service. On the cutting edge of their drive toward our impoverishment are new and more aggressive restrictions on public sector worker organizing and collective bargaining across the USA. Both political parties have jointly waged wars in the Middle East for big oil prots and U.S. dollar domination -- and spent some $4 trillion -- while leaving the people of the United States in deepening impoverishment. Both political parties have dangerously undermined and eroded civil rights and civil liberties, including our right to protest right here in Charlotte. (The Republican and Democratic Parties have been handed more than $100 million dollars of our tax money to use to secure their national conventions against us!) We support the traditional Labor Day Parade through Downtown Charlotte, which should not be canceled or otherwise disrupted in deference to the DNC. Both political parties refuse to address the massive health care crisis, the lack of quality and affordable health care for millions. Both political parties continue to wheel and deal to protect the tax breaks for the rich(individual and corporate) which directly cause monetary shortfalls, resulting in cuts to education, Medicare and assaults on public sector services, workers and their unions. Both political parties are allowing the environment to be degraded at an alarming rate, with hydraulic fracking, new nuclear power and expanded off-shore oil drilling.

No wonder the majority of the people in this country believe the government does not have the consent of the governed and the approval rating of Congress is below 10%. In order to address this situation from the point of view of the majority, the 99%, we the undersigned hereby announce the formation of the Labor Coalition of the Carolinas to Oppose Corporate Politics. We intend to mobilize a working class/ union labor ght-back that will link up with the broader Coalition to Protest At the DNC in Charlotte. The Labor Coalition of the Carolinas to Oppose Corporate Politics calls for employed, underemployed and unemployed workers, union and non-union, African-American, Latino, Native American, immigrant and white workers of the Carolinas, from youth to retirees, to join with us and others in protest during the DNC - ghting against corporate/banking/Wall Street domination of the policies and politics of the United States government and for decent jobs, housing and health care for all. Let our voices be heard loud and clear business as usual is over! SIGNATURE AFFILIATION (for identication purposes only)

Jennifer Braden, past Vice President, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 936, High Point, NC Gerald L. Brown President, NALC Branch 248, Asheville, NC Chris Cecil, Shop Steward, Teamsters Local 391 Trina Charles, President, NALC Branch 4970, Havelock, NC John Cowan, President, NALC Branch 464, Wilmington, NC Cliff Davidson, NC State President, NALC/President NALC Branch 382, Durham, NC Donna Dewitt, President Emeritus, South Carolina AFL-CIO Ajamu Dillahunt, Raleigh NC President, American Postal Workers Union (APWU) retired/Black Workers for Justice Mark Dimondstein, past President, Greensboro Local 711, APWU, AFL-CIO Justin Flores, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, FLOC, Dudley, N.C. Cindy Foster, President, Southern Piedmont Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO (Charlotte Area) Reggie Gentle, President NALC Branch 461, Winston-Salem, NC Tim Greene, NALC Branch 2510, Asheboro, NALC N.C. AFL-CIO Delegate Thomas Hefner, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 225 Jerome Hoffart Area 6 Representative N.C. State NALC Executive Board (Asheville) Richard Koritz, Area 4 Representative, N.C. State NALC Executive Board & NC AFL-CIO Delegate Sandra Koritz, Co-chair, N.C. Triad Jobs With Justice (JwJ) (Greensboro, NC) Mike Kurz, President, NALC Branch 1127, Elizabeth City, NC Corine Mack, Community Organizer, NAACP/Trustee, Southern Piedmont Central Labor Council (Charlotte) Jamaal Mattocks, Vice-President, NALC Branch 459, Raleigh, NC Debbie Matyga, Trustee, NALC Branch 630, Greensboro, NC Brent McCoy, Shop Steward, NALC Branch, Greensboro, NC Francisco Pecunia-Vega, President NALC Branch 1128, Fayetteville, NC Tard Porter, Shift Chief Steward, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Charlotte, N.C. Cindy Rickards, Executive Board, SC AFL-CIO, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Ken Riley, President, SC AFL-CIO/President Intl Longshoremen Assoc. Local 1422, Charleston, SC Tim Rorie, President, NALC Branch 2659, Wadesboro, NC/E. Board, Southern Piedmont CLC (Charlotte) Craig Schadewald, President NALC Branch 780, New Bern, N.C. Dante Strobino, Field Organizer, UE local 150-NC Public Service Workers Union O.W. Sweeney, former APWU NC Council & Greensboro APWU Local 711 Maintenance Director James Tvelia, President, NALC Branch 630, Greensboro, N.C. John Walden, President NALC Branch 545, Charlotte, NC W.M. Wilson, President, NALC Branch 1729, Greenville, NC Lorna Wooding, N.C. State Secretary, NALC (Charlotte) Annie M. Woods, President, NALC Branch 936, High Point, NC William R. Wray, President, NALC Branch 459, Raleigh, NC