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Report of the Policy Action Committee

The Policy Action Committee of the 72nd UE National Convention moves the following plan of action in the period up to the next national Convention.

Stop the War on Working People Independent Rank-and-File Political Action

  1. Calls on regions and locals to conduct voter registration drives to register members to vote, carrying this out in the workplace if possible;
  2. Instructs the national union provide materials to educate the rank-and-file about the need to register to vote as well as the need to vote in the interests of workers in the state level elections in 2011 and 2012, as well as the critical 2012 national elections;
  3. Instructs the national union to utilize the UE web site and other social media to distribute political action materials including downloadable files such as were provided for the successful “We Are One” actions;
  4. Calls on locals to involve local leaders and activists in the political action work urgently needed at the current moment and to encourage members to run for elective office;
  5. Calls on the union at all levels to conduct state-level coordinated political action in 2012 and 2013 involving members, youth, and retirees, with a focus on the critical 2012 U.S. Senate races in UE areas;      
  6. Calls on the national union and regions to research and report on the status of the current independent labor political formations and other alternative political formations;
  7. Urges regions and locals to send delegates and representatives to the May, 2012 Labor Notes conference, the G8/NATO summit demonstrations in Chicago, and other events as needed.

Retirement Security: The Fight to Defend Social Security, Pensions and Medicare

  1. Instructs the national union to provide educational materials to educate the rank and file on the pension and Social Security crises and the need to defend them, and to especially develop materials for young workers;
  2. Instructs the national union to prepare workshops and educational material on defending pensions and expanding Social Security for use by regions and locals;
  3. Encourages locals to contact local teacher unions and to provide them with these workshops so they might use these materials in their classes;

Healthcare for All

  1. Encourages the union at all levels to follow the lead of health reform forces in Vermont and engage with allied organizations in their own state to promote the enactment of state-level single payer health plans;
  2. Calls on the union at all levels to become involved in the struggle to defend Medicare and Medicaid from the current attacks;
  3. Calls on the union to work with veteran’s organizations to oppose cuts to their medical care and to fully fund veterans’ medical benefits.

That the union at all levels be more proactive in gaining media coverage for all ongoing UE issues and activities.