Works In Progress - June 2006 - Letter to local Caterpillar distributor

Many of us know the personal tragedy of Rachel Corrie's death under the blade of a Caterpillar D-9 militarized bulldozer while protecting a Palestinian family home in Rafah, Gaza Strip. We also know the international tragedy of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Israeli military through the destruction of Palestinian homes and livelihoods, civilian infrastructure and the building of the racially discriminatory West Bank Barrier resulting in Israeli settlement expansion and confiscation of Palestinian land. We worked to educate our regional Caterpillar distributor, NC Machinery, about these tragedies and they have yet to reply to our requests.

This will be our third year demonstrating at NC Machinery for the National Day of Action coinciding with the annual Caterpillar shareholder meeting on June 14th. This meeting was postponed from April to June due to the proximity of the anniversary of Rachel's death and the censorship of the play, "May Name Is Rachel Corrie". Caterpillar recently spent millions of dollars on a public relations campaign to clean up its image as a perpetrator of human rights abuses. We are already affecting Caterpillar Inc. through education, media and direct pressure.

A member of the Olympia community will be traveling to Chicago to attend the shareholder meeting and to support a resolution challenging Caterpillar Inc. to abide by its own code of conduct which states, "as a company, we strive to contribute toward a global environment in which all people can work safely and live healthy, productive lives, now and in the future." On this day, we need you to demonstrate your support of the resolution and hold CAT accountable.

Please join us at 4pm on June 14th at NC Machinery in Tukwila, Washington -- 17035 West Valley Highway. Carpools will be leaving the Westside Plaza, at Harrison and Division at 2:30 pm.

For more information, directions or to volunteer visit http://www.olycatcampaign.org , email olycat@gmail.com or call (360)485-5745. Sponsoring this event are Olympia -- Rafah Sister City Project, Amnesty International - Olympia, Palestine Solidarity Committee - Seattle, Veterans for Peace - Rachel Corrie Chapter 109, the Green Party of South Puget Sound and many more.

Thank you very much for your support and hopes for changing the way Caterpillar conducts business.

Olympia CAT Campaign

The following letter was sent to John Harnish, president and CEO of the Harnish Group, Inc. who owns the largest Caterpillar equipment distributor in the northwest -- NC Machinery.

May 26, 2006

Mr. John Harnish

President and CEO

The Harnish Group, Inc.

17025 W. Valley Hwy.

Tukwila, WA 98188

Dear Mr. Harnish,

A year ago on April 13, 2005, over a hundred people protested outside your Tukwila headquarters, drawing attention to Caterpillar's complicity with large-scale human rights violations in the Occupied Territories. A month prior to the demonstration, we attempted to meet with you, by contacting you through a certified letter and several phone calls. Our goal then and now is not to damage the business or reputation of the Harnish Group, but rather to enlist you in the growing campaign to convince Caterpillar to halt its sales to the Israeli military.

We would again like to meet with you to discuss this campaign at your earliest convenience. To set a meeting time, please contact ******* at (***) ***-****.

As the largest distributor of Caterpillar equipment in Washington, the Harnish Group is uniquely positioned to play an important role in ensuring that Caterpillar complies with international law concerning corporations and human rights. Caterpillar's equipment, most notably the D9 and D10 militarized bulldozers, is directly implicated in grave abuses of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army.

Since 1967, the Israeli army has used Caterpillar equipment to destroy over 12,000 houses in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, leaving tens of thousands of men, women and children homeless. Home demolitions are usually carried out without warning, often at night, and the occupants are forcibly evicted with no time to gather their belongings.

The Israeli army has continued bulldozing homes even when notified that residents were still inside the targeted homes. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in such instances. All these home demolitions and civilian deaths are illegal under international law, specifically violating the Hague Regulation of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, a young woman from Olympia whom many of us knew, was killed by Israeli soldiers driving a Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer while she was defending the home of a Palestinian family from demolition.

Since 2003, the United Nations has begun to develop standards for corporations in regards to human rights. The UN has stated that companies should not "engage in or benefit from" violations of international human rights or humanitarian law and that companies "shall further seek to ensure that the goods and services they provide will not be used to abuse human rights."

Spokespeople for Caterpillar have acknowledged that the company is aware of the Israeli army's use of Caterpillar equipment to destroy civilian homes, infrastructure and agricultural resources but Caterpillar has, nevertheless, refused either to condemn these practices or to take actions necessary to halt the sale or transfer of Caterpillar equipment to the Israeli army.

Caterpillar's own code of conduct requires it to consider the broad impact of its business. The company's Code of Worldwide Business Conduct states that "Caterpillar accepts the responsibilities of global citizenship." The company's commitment to financial success, the code says, "must also take into account social, economic, political and environmental priorities."

To ensure that Caterpillar complies with both international law and its own code of conduct will require a broad-based campaign of organizations, consumers and distributors. Caterpillar can be a successful company without its military sales, and in doing so can truly fulfill its obligations as a global citizen.

The campaign to stop sales of Caterpillar equipment to the Israeli military is supported by Amnesty International, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Presbyterian Church USA, the World Council of Churches, the Sisters of Mercy, Churches for Peace in the Middle East, Human Rights Watch, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and literally hundreds of other national and international organizations.

We would appreciate the opportunity to further discuss the ways the Harnish Group can lend its voice to this important campaign and stand up for human rights. We look forward to a reply by Friday, June 9th.

Sincerely,

A large coalition of peace and justice organizations in Olympia and the northwest