OPINION: Troy Area Labor Council calls for suspension of police union from AFL-CIO

by Adam Pelletier

The same evening the Martin Luther King County Labor Council expelled the Seattle Police Officers Guild, the Troy Area Labor Council (TALC) unanimously passed a resolution calling on the AFL-CIO Executive Council to immediately suspend the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) pending an investigation. The Resolution was written in solidarity with justice for George Floyd, the movement for Black lives, and our own members who have suffered at the hands of the police.

The members and officers of TALC have been on the picket lines of many labor disputes and protests related to a myriad of social, economic, and justice related issues. In every instance, it is not just the scabs, the bosses, and the haters who have positioned themselves on the other side of our lines. The police have failed to protect our people while protecting or engaging in violent racist behavior.

A young TALC member was hit by a car driven by an out-of-state scab at the Honeywell plant in Green Island, NY a few years ago. This occurred when the workers were locked out by their disgusting employer. The police did not arrest the driver for his aggressive, reckless, and potentially deadly actions, nor did they issue him a ticket. Instead, the officer wrote a statement and then attributed it to another TALC member who only missed being hit by the same vehicle by inches. The creative license that the officer took while recording the statement did more to vindicate the scab driver than the best defense attorney would have been able to provide. If you do not get ticketed or arrested, you’ll never need an attorney.

In another instance, one of our members was choked from behind and punched in the face by a pack of racist and rabid out-of-town agitators that descended upon Troy to counter protest a rally supporting making Troy a Sanctuary City. The assault occurred in the presence of no less than five Troy police officers and several news cameras. The police did nothing to prevent the situation from escalating, and did not issue any tickets or make any arrests. The media then went on to frame the situation as one of “both sides.” This incident was only a few months before the murder of Heather Heyer by a Neo-Nazi during the white supremacists “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA.

Finally, one of TALC’s members was physically assaulted by the police while peacefully protesting against police brutality in Albany, NY at a protest in support of the movement for Black lives. The rally was peaceful; the police escalated into violence. Through this, and through their other actions, the cops have been quite clear as to which side they are on.

Which side are you on?

Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO stands in solidarity with the family, friends, and loved ones of George Floyd, with the Black community, and with everyone demanding police accountability and justice.

WHEREAS, on May 25, 2020, a white Minneapolis police officer murdered 46-year-old George Floyd, kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes while he pleaded to be allowed to breathe, and

WHEREAS, three other police officers aided and abetted the death of George Floyd, and

WHEREAS, a Troy police sergeant murdered Edson Thevenin in 2016, and

WHEREAS, despite an investigation by Troy Police Department’s internal affairs that found the police sergeant provided false testimony in the events that led to the death of Edson Thevenin, Troy Mayor Patrick Madden, Troy Police Department leadership, and the former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove engaged in a concerted effort to cover up the murder, and

WHEREAS, Black Americans are the targets of routine and systemic racism, harassment, violence, and death, especially at the hands of law enforcement, and

WHEREAS, systemic racism and the legacy of slavery and the genocide of indigenous peoples have not been sufficiently addressed in our society and continue to do harm to millions of our siblings across this country; and,

WHEREAS, the core principle of the labor movement – “An Injury to One is An Injury to All” – requires all working people of conscience to take a stand for justice, and

WHEREAS, the labor movement must explicitly fight against all forms of oppression that divide the working-class, and

WHEREAS, racism, misogyny and other forms of bigotry are routinely used by the owner class to divide working people and exploit our labor and pillage our resources; and,

WHEREAS, the same police departments responsible for violence against Black, Brown, and Indigenous people are also used by employers to obstruct and restrict the exercise of labor power, particularly the right to strike, and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States has mobilized our military, National Guard and federal law enforcement to intimidate protesters and has used our uniformed service members to assault our first amendment rights for his own political purposes; and,

WHEREAS, our federal government has stoked escalation of police violence by supplying police departments with military equipment and driving a culture of conflict and confrontation between police and citizens, especially Black, brown and indigenous communities; and,

WHEREAS, Troy Area Labor Council leaders and members have joined the peaceful protests demanding action to end police violence and address systemic racism throughout our society and have been met with state violence, and

WHEREAS, the President of the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA), Sam A. Cabral, defended the murderer of Alton Sterling, calling his firing “politically motivated,” and

WHEREAS, the President of IUPA, Sam A. Cabral, defended the murderers of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and

WHEREAS, IUPA has, through its actions to protect criminal exercise of force by police officers, through its support for the perpetrators of extrajudicial lynchings of Black workers, and through its support for police suppression of lawful protest in violation of fundamental civil liberties such as the freedom of association, has willfully violated Article III, Section 7 of the AFL-CIO Constitution, and

THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO stands in solidarity with the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Edson Thevenin, Dahmeek McDonald, and countless others who are demanding justice for their murders or abuse at the hands of the state,

RESOLVED, that the Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO loudly declares, “Black Lives Matter”; and,

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO will not assist, cooperate or provide our services to police attempting to arrest or physically assault protestors demanding justice against police brutality, and therefore be it

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO will support local protests and will urge member to participate in protests and direct action, and therefore be it

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls for all charges to be dropped against those protesting for justice for George Floyd, and and therefore be it

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls on the AFL-CIO Executive Council to immediately suspend IUPA under the provisions of Article III, Section 5(a) of the AFL-CIO Constitution, pending an investigation and action at the next National Convention, and therefore be it

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls for the AFL-CIO General Board to commission an immediate investigation into the actions and practices of IUPA and its elected officers, and to present a report and recommendation for action up to and including revocation of IUPA’s affiliate charter, to the next National Convention

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO urges all affiliates of the AFL-CIO to enact immediate moratoriums on new organizing of sworn law enforcement officers, and therefore be it

RESOLVED that Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO will issue a statement to our membership to the effect of the resolution above.

RESOLVED that the Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO stands in solidarity with Justice for Dahmeek, a City of Troy based grassroots organization set up in response to local instances of police brutality, and will donate to the organization $100.00.

Adam Pelletier is a union organizer in Troy, New York and is the President of AFGE Local 3343. He was reinstated after fighting a 2018 termination case for protesting the Trump administration’s Executive Orders targeting federal sector unions.

AdminJune 24, 2020