Green Party Statements on Unity.

Proposal to Establish a Negotiating Committee for General Unity, Green Party of St. Louis/Gateway Green Alliance, November 15,2001

Reason. The 2000 electoral campaign created a tremendous potential for Greens to become the spark for unity between progressive forces in the US. At the same time, the election showed that the Greens/Green Party USA (GPUSA) has not developed sufficiently deep ties with many groups, including environmental, labor and people of color organizations. In order to create the bases for enduring alliances, Greens should explore potential for collaborative efforts in steps:

1. The GPUSA should develop joint action networks for collaborative projects.

2. The GPUSA should develop electoral collaboration which may include (a) members of other organizations joining the Greens in order to run for office on the Green Party ticket; or, (b) the development of an electoral alliance between progressive parties, which do not include parties of corporate power (i.e., Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Constitution).

3. The GPUSA should explore the possibility of structural unification with progressive organizations which have participated in joint action and electoral efforts with it.

Though there are many potential alliances, the most promising are...

A Blue-Green Alliance with labor, especially concerning international trade deals, single-payer medical care, and campaign finance reform.

A Black-Green Alliance with African American groups, especially with a focus on issues of police brutality, an end to the "drug wars," and a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild inner cities.

A Red-Green Alliance with socialists and others in the US left who share a green understanding of the need to build a new, non-exploitative society.

Proposal. The Green National Committee (GNC) will create a Negotiating Committee to explore possible joint action networks, common electoral campaigns, and/or structural unification with groups which may share similarities with the GPUSA. These groups could include, but would not be limited to:

Association of State Green Parties.

Black Radical Congress,

Campaign for a New Tomorrow, and

Labor Party,

New Party,

Peace and Freedom Party (CA),

Socialist Party,

Universal African Peoples' Organization (MO),

The Negotiating Committee is charged with contacting groups to explore if they would be interested in planning joint action campaigns with the GPUSA which would lead to joint electoral campaigns in 2002 and might or might not...