The Question Remains: What Is the AFL-CIO doing in Venezuela?
Tuesday, Mar 09, 2004
By: Alberto Ruiz - ZNet
On April 25, 2002, shortly after the short-lived coup which ousted President Hugo Chavez, the New York Times ran an article entitled, "U.S. Bankrolling Is Under Scrutiny for Ties to Chavez Ouster." In this article, which detailed numerous grants given by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to various pro-coup groups in Venezuela prior to the coup, Times writer Christopher Marquis wrote: "
f particular concern is $154,377 given by the endowment to the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, the international arm of the AFL-CIO, to assist the main Venezuelan labor union in advancing labor rights." As the Times noted, "The Venezuelan union, the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers, led the work stoppages that galvanized the opposition to Mr. Chavez. The union's leader, Carlos Ortega, worked closely with Pedro Carmona Estanga, the businessman who briefly took over from Mr. Chavez, in challenging the government."
This Times article caused much embarassment for the AFL-CIO. In response to this article, Stan Gacek, AFL-CIO International Affairs Assistant Director, wrote an open letter explaining that the monies which went to the Confederation of Venezuelan Workers <"CTV"> were for internal union elections with the intent to democratize the CTV. He was adamant that the monies were not intended to assist the CTV in overthrowing Chavez. He also criticized the critics of the AFL-CIO's aid to the CTV for not contacting him directly about the wherefores of this monetary assistance. However, an August 18, 2002 article in the Boston Globe which received very little attention placed Gacek's claims about the money's purposes into doubt.
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The embarassment suffered by the AFL-CIO over its pre-coup assistance to the CTV has not deterred it from continuing to aid the CTV subsequent to the coup. In response to a FOIA request by the Venezuela Solidarity Committee, documents have surfaced which demonstrate the AFL-CIO has continued to support the CTV up through the year 2003 -- again with NED monies. See, www.venezuelafoia.infor/NED/ACILS-CTV/pages/ACILS-B10.htm. Thus, the Venezuela Solidarity Committee has posted the grant agreement entered into between the NED and the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center on April 1, 2003. This agreement shows that the Solidarity Center accepted $161,000 from the NED to continue programmatic work with the CTV, and some of this money was earmarked directly for CTV staff and travel expenses. Not surprisingly, Harry Kamberis, a former State Department employee himself and a holdover from the days in which the AFL-CIO was openly collaborating with the U.S. State Department and CIA abroad, signed this grant agreement in his capacity as Exective Director of the AFL-CIO's Solidarity Center.
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Many of us in the labor movement believe the price of the AFL-CIO's credibility abroad as well as the price which has already been paid and might be paid in the future by Venezuelans for the AFL-CIO's continued support of an organization actively involved in the coup against Chavez and still involved in attempts to unseat this democratically-elected president, is simply too great. The AFL-CIO must end its deal with the devil, forego aid from the U.S. government and NED, rid itself of Harry Kamberis and thereby ensure an independent course in international affairs. If it does not take these actions, the good intentions of the vast majority of the Solidarity Center's staff will not mean a lick; they will have to pay back the U.S. government for its heavy assistance one way or another. For now, it appears that the Solidarity Center is making its payback in Venezuela.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1123
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