Dear Labor leaders,
At the National Education Association Representative Assembly in Philadelphia last July 2007, I met four teacher and union activists from Japan who came to the NEA in the hopes of sharing the story about their struggle opposing militarism in Japanese public schools. From this connection, representatives of the Coalition Against Militarism in our Schools (CAMS) and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) were asked to participate in a Teachers Workshop and International Labor Solidarity March and Rally last November 3-4, 2007 in Tokyo (see our website www.militaryfreeschools.org for more information). UTLA also responded with a resolution in support of the 1,700 Japanese teachers who are opposing the military directives of the Japanese government to Japanese school districts. As a result of our visit to Japan and meeting with Japanese trade and service unionists and teachers, our connection continues to deepen regarding the global issues facing all of us - globalization, privatization, and militarization. We are calling on local union workers and representatives, community groups, and progressive educators to join together in solidarity :on Friday, December 14th at 7 p.m. UTLA (3303 Wilshire Blvd). We will screen a film at the struggle of the teachers in Japan who are opposing the militarism in the schools, and report on the International Solidarity March and Rally.
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