On December 18, UE’s national officers stated that “War with Venezuela would be a disaster for the working people of both countries, and we as a labor movement must do our part to prevent it.”
This past weekend, the administration escalated its attacks on Venezuela, kidnapping the sitting President and First Lady. Regardless of whether anyone thinks Venezuelan President Maduro is good, bad, or indifferent, the use of U.S. military force to abduct the head of state of another country, one which poses absolutely no military threat to the U.S. and on which Congress has not declared war, is both unconstitutional and immoral, and will only lead to more violence and chaos.
UE encourages all UE members and allies to take action by joining local protests against war and by demanding that their elected officials at all levels publicly condemn this attack. U.S. Senators and Members of Congress can be contacted by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Contact information for state governors and representatives can be found at usa.gov/elected-officials.
The UE officers noted that “these attacks are not about drugs, but are instead an attempt to bring about regime change and gain control over Venezuela’s oil.” This has been made even clearer by President Trump’s explicit boast that the United States will occupy Venezuela to help the oil industry “make a lot of money.”
As the officers said, “As working people in the U.S. face an increasing affordability crisis, our government’s resources should be directed to meeting the needs of working people, not wasted on illegitimate and immoral military adventures.” This war will not benefit working people, and the men and women who serve in our military should not be put at risk for the profits of oil companies. Find a protest, make calls to your federal and state representatives. No more blood for oil!
