Eisenscher of U.S. Labor Against the War to Speak on New Priorities

A Call for Better Priorities
Since 2003 U.S. Labor Against the War has been a force for activism, combining the two vital themes of labor advocacy and opposition to the war. While springing up around the Iraq war, its leaders surely must see no reason for halting its efforts in the face of the continuing war in Afghanistan (and to a lesser extent Pakistan) and the threat of war on Iran. USLAW has, with many other organizations, long made the connection between excessive spending on war efforts and pleading poverty and too-high deficits for peacetime job creation.

USLAW's co-founder and national coordinator, Michael Eisenscher, took that connection one more step when in 2010 he also founded the Bay Area Campaign for New Priorities - an affiliate of the New Priorities Network. The Oakland-based Eisenscher will be the special guest of Peace Action of San Mateo County at its next meeting, on Monday, May 21.

Eisenscher's talk, entitled "Militarism, War and the Economic Crisis - Three Reasons to Occupy", will feature a power-point presentation entitled "War and Taxes", which is divided into three segments. The first describes the impact of the economic crisis on workers, and growing inequality. The second shows the impact of the wars and military spending. The third presents a summary of the Budget for All issued by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and the case for demanding new budgetary, political, social and economic priorities. The rest of the presentation provides information about the Campaign for New Priorities.

Michael Eisenscher is a veteran trade union activist, labor educator, organizer and writer. In 2009 he led a delegation of trade unionists and members of Iraq Veterans Against the War to Iraq for the first international labor conference ever held there. Along with his work in USLAW and the Campaign, he also teaches a political economy course in the Laney College Labor Studies Program.
The UU is wheelchair accessible.