As Mercy Healthcare workers, Lydia Bone (Chief Shop Steward at Woodland Clinic, a CHW healthcare center) and I could not resist this sign when we found it under a tree.

In thinking about the particular perspective we, as union members, bring to a U.S. foreign policy demonstration, I thought of the union contract we have at Mercy, and of the "Just Cause For Discipline" section of it.

In the course of a union grievance over management's discipline of an employee, the union uses a set of standards to judge whether the discipline was for "just cause" or not. The standards we have set for determining "just cause" in our workplace have some relevance for U.S. foreign policy decisions as well.

1) Did the company (or country) give to the employee (or country) forewarning of the possible or probable disciplinary consequences of the employee's conduct? One would have to say that the U.S.has given Iraq forewarning of possible consequences of possessing weapons of mass destruction.

2) At the investigation, did the "judge" obtain substantial evidence or proof that the employee was guilty as charged? In the case of Iraq, this is still in question, as the U.N. inspectors have not had a chance to complete their work.

3) Has the company applied its rules, orders and penalties evenhandedly and without discrimination to all employees? One would have to say "no" here in the case of the U.S. and Iraq. Pakistan possess weapons of mass destruction (nuclear) and is known to have had training camps for terrorists within its borders, yet the U.S. is NOT set to attack Pakistan. The U.S. is clearly not applying its rules and penalties evenhandedly and therefore does NOT pass the "just cause" test for an attack Iraq.