Bush rules in favor of big business. According to America at Work, the AFL-CIO union magazine, George Bush wants to privatize 850,000 government jobs.  This is being done so that corporations can provide the same services and make a profit from doing business for the government--the same way the military industry does business for the government which lead to overcharges and fraud.  Ruling for big business, Bush had prisons built in Texas then privatized them to Wackenhut Co. and the Corrections Corp of America so they could make profits.  George Bush's ideal workforce is prison labor because prison labor is so underpaid it increases profits by huge percentages.  For all Bush's talk of bringing democracy to Iraq, he will not be for the rights of working people in Iraq to join unions and fight the oil companies that want to take-over.

Bush's propaganda of privatizing to "save money" is a false lesson in economics.  NJ Governor McGreevey in November 2002 announced plans to end privatization of the state's Department of Motor Vehicles due to poor service, fraud and lax security. The CWA which had represented 350 workers in the Dept of Motor Vehicle, were left representing only 60 workers after privatization.  The state of NJ and tax payers were left with the expense of re-creating the Motor Vehicle Department.

One of the reasons why corporations attach worker's rights is because they know that worker's have the power to change the situation.  Recently, two Scottish railroad engineers refused to move a freight train carrying munitions believed destined for British forces in the Gulf.  This act of international solidarity needs the support of all anti-war and progressive forces.  If workers around the world refused to make or ship supplies to the war, there could be no war.  This is why George Bush and big business don't like unions.

One union they don't like, in particular, is the National Writers Union, NJ Local, for we organized this conference to give writers, thinkers and activists the opportunity to share their thoughts about what is happening and what we can do to change the situation.