Posts with the tag labor

www.Bill-Waddell.com:The Hollow American Economy

Eric — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:17:02 EST

The Hollow American Economy

A Clarion Call For Leadership

By Bill Waddell ~ May, 2009

...converting the United States from an exporting, value and wealth creating nation, to one careening recklessly toward bankruptcy. The purpose is to dispel some of the rationalizations for this unhealthy transformation of our economy; and it is to put both data and common sense on the table so reasonable people can engage in the critical discussion of how best to get our economy back on track. ...

As the BLS said, “an increasing share of jobs was in high-paying jobs and required college training; but most jobs that were filled paid below-average wages and did not require a college education.” They are stating the obvious. There is a finite need for doctors, lawyers and professors....

Without people making things and creating value, there is no money for the financial sector to play with....

The number of jobs in true value creation activities is a much more accurate measure of the long term health of the country....

listen to what Main Street manufacturing is telling them... There is no manufacturing voice in our government at a time when we so desperately need one.
We need a full airing in America on this very critical matter. Champions must step forward to lead an effort to honestly explore how best to stop the continuing collapse of American manufacturing.Tell the globalization experts to stay at home. They have had their say. Instead ask people like Doc Hall from Indiana University who formed the Association for Manufacturing Excellence to explain the current state of manufacturing and how we got here. He is a walking encyclopedia of the last thirty years of successes and failures. Call in Brian Maskell to explain how government mandated accounting rules are eroding manufacturing, and how the privately held companies are doing accounting in a radically different way, and managing their companies much more effectively as a result. Have Jeffery Liker explain to you the real reasons for Toyota’s manufacturing tap dance over General Motors.
Very important questions must be asked and answered: If manufacturing cannot compete with American wage rates, energy and healthcare costs and taxes, how do Pella, Wahl, Toyota and Honda and many others do so well manufacturing in the USA?...
Our business heroes are the thousands of American men and women in who roll up their sleeves and compete toe to toe every day with the best in the world, and win – .... These people are committed to theircommunities and the people with whom they work. They – not the clever financiers – are our businessheroes; and they are the key to turning our economy around and getting us back on the track we were once on. But they cannot do so without the support of the country, and we are rapidly running out of time.
http://www.bill-waddell.com/images/CLARION_CALL_MASTER.pdf

Public Forum on Achieving Health Care for All

Pam — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:15:02 EDT

On June 30, Washington Public Campaigns sponsored a public forum on achieving health care for all. Panelists included a public health academic, a community health representative, a labor union leader, a citizen activist, a state legislator, and a public campaign finance activist. The program will be broadcast at some point on the Seattle Channel. Here are some highlights.

We spend $2.3 trillion on health care: every single $ is someone's income. For affordable health care, health care providers/vendors are going to have to make less. In other western countries, health care systems have two common characteristics: (1) they insure everyone, no exceptions, and (2) the government controls most of the money going into the system. In contrast, in this country, (1) not everyone is covered, and (2) thousands of different entities have a piece of the pie, are accountable only to themselves, not to the system, and therefore can simply pass the problems on to others. The current system allows people to make money, but is not so good for patients.

Community health centers are part of the solution. Massachusetts' experience, however, shows there are not enough primary care physicians. Congress seems to recognize this. Each proposal being considered contains incentives for medical students to go into primary care.

The leader of the Lebanese opposition has recognized the outcome of the elections

Unknown user — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:59:19 EDT

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President Obama's Job Training Plan for the Unemployed

N. Julio Barthson - E-Campaign Leader — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:21:52 EDT

President Obama is doing the right thing to take care of people who have lost their jobs and still need an opportunity to update their skills for the new economy. Education and appropriate job training are essential elements of the future modern, global economy which we must embrace. The President's plan makes dreams possible for many Americans and their families...

Vote for Worker Rights

Ken from Portage, IN — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:58:47 EDT

A vote against the EFCA is a vote for workers. The Union bosses have convinced US workers that it is in their interest to pass the EFCA. Forcing more workers into organized labor does not help the American worker; it does exactly the opposite. The faulty premise in the argument is that big labor has been good for the US Worker. This is simply not true. While labor made incredible gains for workers in the beginning, in recent years union bosses steal from workers, legally and illegally, whenever they can. They invest pension funds for their own gain, they cause workers who disagree with them to be blacklisted and they sue workers who try to get out of the union and keep their jobs. How is this good for the worker? If workers are to have free choice, it must include free choice to choose among unions and to choose to not join a union within a given shop.

Please do not support the Employee Free Choice Act until it includes meaningful rights for workers not unions!

Time for the Blue Dogs to Get to Know Us Really Well..

signsSansSignifieds — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:47:10 EDT

My friend Martin e-mailed the following comment to me, which I've taken the liberty of quoting in full:

I'm a little concerned that the Blue Dog Democrats seem to back out of
the Employee Free Choice Act [Ed: EFCA]. I think this could be an interesting
test for the potential impact of Organizing for America, if these 13
million people could put some pressure on the Senate Democrats and
make sure this is passed.

Nate Silver has some good analysis of who is against EFCA and why:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/03/life-and-times-of-efca-part-i.html#comments

I don't know if anyone has read Steven Greenhouse's devastating book
"The Big Squeeze", but it was a great eye opener for me when it comes
to how degrading the treatment of workers in America has become since
Reagan.

The way it is.

Kenneth — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:02:42 EST

Our president elect has given reason to believe that his will be a transparent administration; that his policies will be both reparative and in the interest of the general public, that he is not in the corporate pocket. For this I voted, I am proud to have done so.

His lack of candor however about root causes within government and powered circles end in no little anxiety. Institutions such as DHS, Federal Reserve, CIA, corporate military interests, have evolved into unaccountable, expensive, secret powerbases not unlike governments unto themselves. The assembly over the last eight years of unprecedented and incredible power of the presidency has played out in the public sphere as grotesque fait accompli. Power grabs, both corporate and governmental, the likes of which have only appeared occasionally during the history of the US are occurring daily. A kind of insectile sociopathy pervades.

The public, within what is presumed to be its own media, appears to be viewed with suspicion, parameters of acceptable citizenry narrows, while the value of the dollar and ultimately of labor dwindles progressively to the point of desperation. We the working class are not just alienated but divested. Ours has become a versus relationship with government; one in which interface with institutions common to our experience represent compromise of safety and are therefore avoided.

The ideal of government of and by the people is dead. Left to fend for ourselves within this context we turn on one another, deconstructing our only hope, unity. To what or whom shall we turn? Or is this turning a foolish extension of an ideal long dead? There must be clarity and honesty. No ugliness can be left unaccounted or an already lost citizenry will remain turned away.

From this new administration I then ask this; please, if nothing else, tell the truth. Say it like it is, all of it. Give voice to what is obvious and let us know you see it too. K.

Econ 3.5

paulec — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:45:31 EST

One has a menial, mundane, fair paying job five, maybe five and a half days a week. Is there a way that this person may have 3 days at decent wage, which allows another (who has no job) a similar opportunity to have then four days off a labor that is not their favorite? I believe part of this idea is that with those 4 days a person will be able to work something constructive and possibly arrive at an entrepreneurial situation or productive function: all sorts of arts and sciences to increase happiness and the general social peace and welfare.

I am visual artist writing far outside field, but will post this in change.gov anyway. Thank you.

Blue-collar worker in Obama's Cabinet

Rebecca from Madison, WI — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:54:25 EST

Dear Mr. Obama,

I am seriously interested in working in your administration. The lack of blue-collar workers on your staff shows me that someone like me is definitely needed. The white-collar government has lost touch with the blue collar America that financially supports it. The loss of so many blue-collar jobs brings to point that you need the opinions of your average blue-collar family supporter. Who, by the way, still doesn't feel like they are being heard. Your average blue-collar worker works and earns barely enough to keep home and food for their families. Mean while you have corporate officials making enough to run a small country.

Who better would know the questions that need to be asked than a blue-collar worker would? What do you think would be the reaction of these CEO’s?

I grew up to a family on the welfare of the sixties. At the age of 12 I struck out on my own and lived on the streets of Pueblo until I was 17 when I started a family with a abusive husband. My husband, having come from more than modest means, farmed my cleaning services out for years until I finally broke free from him in 95. I professionally worked my business and got some good breaks in 2000 when I picked up some larger contracts. My new husband and I work together and have managed and even expanded during the Bush years. We even expanded enough to have employees for a short time until the NAFTA and The FTA of 2002 caught up with us. Then the rubberstamped visa’s started taking away our work.

Seeing that I have started (literally) at the bottom of the food chain, I have clawed and chewed my way up to a position where I might feel comfort and security. This puts me with a unique perspective and a lot of questions that are on every working class family’s mind.

Do these CEO’s or even people in your administration worry about there own health care? NO!

Do the same people worry about putting their children through college? NO!

How many cleaners have these people asked their opinions? Most don’t even speak to their maids much less a lowly cleaner. We are the last to get paid and the first expense to get cut.

This makes me believe that I am qualified because you need someone from the bottom of the food chain, in you pursuit on changing America back into a Country " For the people, By the people".

This is not a joke! This is a very serious request to be a member of your administration.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Rebecca A. DeRosia

What Makes Pennsylvania Blue: Labor and Hard Struggles for Justice

CarlDavidson — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:16:33 EST

Making History
at the Raccoon
VFD Polling Place By Carl Davidson

America - Together (post election)

Alex Karoub — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:44:40 EST

..... Contact: http://Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

WHO IS THAT GUY BARACK OBAMA? HE IS US.

We have made historic headway by together pointing our nation in the right directions. After decades, we have America focused on the issues of fundamental importance. Now, each of us acting in concert can together move our country to lead the world to the fruitfulness of moral goodness. I have no doubts about my abilities and the abilities of fellow Americans to work smart and hard to achieve these goals.

Barack Obama has the visions, leadership, and integrity for us to correct and redirect our country to once again lead the world for the fruitions of good. Let's closely listen, learn, and move forward based on that which we know deep inside is good and which we can validate with our hearts.

I hope that those who had but a few reasons to support Obama, look further into the other issues more deeply. I found the more I explored, studied, and listened to Obama the more I found us in agreement. The couple of issues that I did not have depth of knowledge of, quickly became obvious in need. This was unusual for me since I have always refused to be any kind of a follower, and still am not. I find Obama to be a deep thinker who is articulate and inspirational; and, of most fundamental importance, Obama makes excellent moral sense.

Hopefully, our country has learned lessons from the past of mistakenly following leadership blindly, as was done with Nixon and Bush. There are leaders who are simply in it for themselves and will cater to individuals or groups in order to grab for their own benefit. Corrupt and bad leaders hide at all levels. This is especially true in city government as well as county and state government. The corrupt deals of politicians need to be exposed, and those responsible need to be weeded out in the coming local elections. Others need to be investigated by law enforcement and be prosecuted for illegal dealings; for deals they often make for their hidden personal agendas. Let’s look at the bad experiences of the past as bitter medicines, let’s eliminate the need for such bad medicine in the future. Let us use what we know is good to go forward.

I believe we have chosen wisely, not by greed and not by misguided retaliatory anger. I believe this time our country has chosen with open eyes, with each of us listening and examining our choice of leadership closely, driven and validated by our hearts.

I hope we can continue to make our efforts even more inclusive (in many more ways than I touch on here). Far right republicans will be stubborn to change, but we will need to include them to change if we are to succeed. Sure a few more will leave our country, but that is not the American way. No, we really don't need their false fronts of power, money, insider knowledge, or other trappings that they have taught many to 'respect?'. Let's recruit as many as we can, that's the American way, evolving and changing together as one nation. Try to be understanding as we move forward; by better understanding each as individuals and people with various desires and needs we will find ways to reach out with friendship and have them join our causes of good.

Be on the lookout, and root out bad leadership in government and business. Do not be intimidated by those who use the false fronts of power and give a false sense of security in order to lead. Be extra leery of those who say or imply ‘Trust me’; those who give a sense that they somehow omnipotently know better. No longer will Americans be dazzled by phony displays of brilliance or baffled by baloney. There are government aristocrats and business leaders who still believe in the old adage of: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle em with bullshit”. We can embrace complexity by demanding true, fundamental, and understandable explanations. We can root out falsehoods by not accepting double speak. We as Americans know how to grow ourselves by first believing in ourselves. Don’t be a follower. Don’t be a follower of followers.

However, when we find leaders who are good; a leader that thinks, speaks, and acts from their heart; one that is honest, has integrity, and leads by sincere examples; then we need to in a big way, join them, support them, and promote their causes of good. From much research, investigation, and scrutiny, I believe Barack Obama is such a person. I hope we search for and find many more who are similar, who we can add to service at all levels of government. We need to add/replace leaders in business with ones that have honesty, integrity, and show quality in leadership. We need more people in leadership roles who are moral, like Barack Obama.

Remember, we are not fighting a battle, we are the artisans and sculptors of the future for ourselves and generations to come. Rarely do societies have opportunities to make such dramatic moves forward as we now have in this opportunity of today. Take pride and practice in being inclusive as we stride forward. In moving forward, create opportunity not only for yourself, but also for all. Hope is a wonderful thing to behold; but without opportunity, hope can become but a dream never achievable. We can, will, and must, create opportunity.

In the coming year I hope that we do not lose our spiritedness, but instead continue to build and make headway. I hope we all continue our campaign for change in government and business. We will succeed in moving forward once again, it will take much effort and good oversight on the part of each of us. We will make great strides in the months and years ahead in order to achieve the fruitions of good. Let's keep our enthusiasm progressing through these coming toughest of times. Let us use the light of goodness and love to motivate us with historic momentum.

I have chosen Barack Obama because he best represents my deepest beliefs in America. Please take time to read the issues that Barack Obama has published on this website. Also, give your attention to see how he leads us to move our nation forward in the time ahead. Most importantly, be part of America's great future, participate in the greatness that together we will make. Participate!

We will each and all flourish, if we think, speak, and act, by using the love in our hearts.

Your reply is welcome. Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

4th CD PA PDA Unity and Victory Dinner a Big Success

CarlDavidson — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:09:48 EST

Want to know want can come from organizing independently at the base? Bringing together antiwar activists, Obama youth, labor and civil rights groups? Or a notion of what we can do down the road? Take a look at this....

http://students.barackobama.com/page/content/sfbohome

Early Voting Polls

Union Dave — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:27:48 EDT

According to MSNBC, Early voting is favoring the Ticket. (10 poinits in Indiana) Let us continue to convince everyone on the fence to jump on in the water is fine. By getting the early vote, we are proving that Indiana is in it to win it. Tomorrow I will be at my real job and be working in Chicago. I will be downtown sporting a "Carpenter's for Obama", sticker on my hard hat. I will have the flyers from this website in my lunchbox and I will continue to push until November the fourth. Afterwards, I will pray until the results are announced. Goodnight all.

Tim's story

Josh In Michigan — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:16 EDT

Today's story comes from Tim in Saginaw, a steelworker who has been volunteering and doing everything possible for Barack. With the Steelworkers, he's been holding house parties for Barack to help create the change Michigan needs. Join people like Tim and volunteer for Barack in these last two weeks! Contact your local Campaign for Change office or call 1-888-MI-CHANGE and find out how you can get involved!

I have been a Steelworker for over 35 years and with retirement coming I worry about medical insurance more than anything at this time in my life. Barack Obama has a medical plan that will not only help future retirees but those retirees that are feeling the crunch of medical expenses today. I also feel with this plan he will help all businesses by lowering medical insurance premiums by offering insurance to all Americans.

Being a Union Activist my entire career I also find that Employee Free Choice Act co-sponsored by Senator Obama is what will bring union strength back and Barack Obama has pledged that he will sign it into law when he is elected President of the United States.

Wanted - Conservative/Republican endorsements of Obama

Barbara — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:37:05 EDT

MakeFloridaCount.com archives articles, videos and other organizing resources to use with undecided voters.

I am developing section on Conservative and Republican endorsements of Obama. Please send me your suggestions (by e-mail or by commenting on the blog).

See extended blog for more detail of what is available on the site.

New organizing resources are added daily.

In unity.

Barbara Myers

barbmyrs@gmail.com

Resources to convince the undecided

Barbara — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:22:15 EDT

Need an article or video to convince an undecided voter to vote for Obama/Biden?

MakeFloridaCount.com archives articles, videos and other organizing resources so that people making calls and going door to door can have easy access to the latest material.

Organizers should look carefully at the left hand column of the site for useful resources.   Here's a breakdown of some of what's there.

Character Counts - What to expect from Barack Obama
    * The New Yorker endorsement
    * Press Conference on State of the Economy
    * Chicago Jews on their experience with Obama
    * Obama's speech on race and reaction to Rev. Wright Uproar
    * SFGate - Obama profile
    * NYTimes Obama archive

Character Counts - What to expect from John McCain
    * John McCain's Rage
    * NYTimes - Politics of Attack
    * Keating Economics
    * The Straight Talk Express (exposed)
    * NYTimes - McCain lifelong gambler
    * George Will - Can a dismaying temperment be fixed?
    * Nicholas Kristof - Impulsive, Impetuous, Impatient

New organizing resources are added daily - MakeFloridaCount.com.

In unity.

Barbara Myers

please see extended post for more resources.

No Bailout For Wall Street

ProgressiveVoice — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:02:38 EDT

Senator Obama as a Progressive Democrat and a supporter of your campaign I am asking you to vote in the Senate No to Bailing out CEO's and the mis managed Comapies they ran on Wall Street.

700 Billion dollars could feed every man women and child in American Build new Alternative Energy homes and help people get back on their feet who are now without a home on Main Street America.

Senator and the Senators Campaign Staff please remember Change needs to be Progresive .

We can nolong rush to the aid of Big corperations that with this Bailout the CEO's will walk ways with Millions in their Pockets while people who are lower and Middle Class Working people get nothing.

During Tax season The government gave people back 600 dollars or more depending if they were married or single because of the Economy remember that.

Govenment gives American Main street 600 dollars but will give Wall Street 700 Million.

I see alot of rich people getting very rich on this Bailout.

Senator Obama you need to call for Public Hearings before any vote yes or no is done by congress or the Senator.

If McCain wants to Bailout the Wall Street Companies let him make that big mistake.

The American people must be heard in Washington and this weekend no one shoud support a

quick Bailout .

In the end its going to make the Economy worse then it is now.

The Democratic Party should truly stand with the American Working Class and against this Bailout .

Does anyone in the Obama Campaign hear me on this Blog ?

I speak for many Americans on Main Street.

This is just a bad idea .

Something yes needs to be done but this is insanity and not the solution.

Listen to the American people Senator on this no one wants this Bill passed .

Thanks for listening

Obama/Biden 08 Lets Change Washington Now

Video of an Auto Worker During Joe Biden's Visit to an Auto Plant in Flat Rock

Josh In Michigan — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:12:55 EDT

Last week during Joe Biden's trip to Michigan he visited an Auto Plant in Flat Rock Michigan to meet with the workers there. One of the auto workers who got to meet with Senator Biden, Fred Butler, spoke about why he supports the Obama/Biden ticket.

Watch NALC members around the country for OBAMA!

Marymary — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:50:59 EDT

Watch other NALC members around the country talk about why they support Obama for president and examples of doing neiborhood walks and phone banking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kCpwJ97dMc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqQsQWYvxiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxmmCp88BHM

Please comment and let me know what you think.

Hybrids and Harleys for Obama

Josh In Michigan — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:03:38 EDT

Today, September 16th, Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change launched “Hybrids and Harleys for Obama” at the Grand Rapids Campaign for Change office. On the 100th anniversary of General Motors and today’s unveiling of the Chevy Volt, owners of Harley motorcycles and domestic hybrid automobiles will be on hand to talk about the importance of buying American and how much they love their American bikes and cars. The campaign also unveiled a new “Hybrids and Harleys” website where supporters will be able to join with other Hybrid and Harley owners to track John McCain’s public campaign against American made vehicles.

mi.barackobama.com/hybridsandharleys

To commemorate the launch of “Hybrids and Harleys for Obama” Barack Obama’s Campaign for Change has produced a special, limited edition bumper sticker to let drivers show off their commitment to buy American and support American jobs. The bumper stickers will be immediately available in the campaign’s Grand Rapids and Detroit offices and available in other offices across the state by request. You can view the bumper sticker HERE

John McCain recently denied having purchased a foreign hybrid during an interview with WXYZ in Detroit – despite having bragged about the purchase just a few months ago while campaigning in South Carolina. Video of McCain’s Detroit gaffe, his original statements, and stories on the controversy are available at

McCain has also said he has a “philosophical” objection to all Buy American provisions that help our manufacturers – including opposing a requirement that the Secret Service use American-made motorcycles. [Congressional Record, 7/14/05]

For more information please visit: mi.barackobama.com/hybridsandharleys

Uniform Employment Applications Needed In USA

John D. from Pensacola, FL — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:11:30 EDT

I am out of work and have been filling out applications both on line and with pen and paper. I believe that this country needs to have one uniformly used employment application so that folks like me ( and possibly you ) can apply for open positions in a easier and faster fashion.

I understand that some firms wish to have their application filled out on site to ensure that the applicant can indeed read and write english. This need could easiely be met by adding a question or giving a pre-employment test during the actual hiring process. There are also jobs out there wherin a person does not really to read and write well. These folks, many with disabilities, are frankly out of luck under today's job search system.

Solidarity Party for Obama & Biden -- Labor Movement Stands For Change

Bernard Pollack — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:31:21 EDT

Solidarity Party for Obama & Biden -- Labor Movement Stands For Change

Please join labor and other activists in supporting Barack Obama by attending a major celebration and fundraiser at Club MCCXXIII (Club 1223) on Thursday, October 2.

Featured Special LIVE Musical Guests: The U-Liners (2007 WAMA winners)

Go to: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpl9gq

It's time for each of us to make this happen.

Join Us! Thursday, October 2 -- 5–8 p.m.

MCCXXII

1223 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Labor Movement Stands For Change Solidarity Party for Obama & Biden

Obama and Biden Fund Raiser Host Committee (Preliminary List):

Jay Witter, UAN ¨ Myke Reid, APWU ¨ David & Marianne Kolbe, Iron Workers ¨ Paul Lemmon, AFL-CIO ¨ Tahir Duckett, Working America ¨ Mike Podorzer AFL-CIO ¨ Karen Head, ATU ¨ Tina Lax, CTW ¨ Diane Ebenreiter, AFL-CIO ¨ Bernie Pollack, AFL-CIO ¨ Ed Feigen, AFL-CIO ¨ Ben Waxman, AFL-CIO ¨ Scott Reynolds, AFL-CIO ¨ Michael Nguyen, AFL-CIO ¨ Laura Reznick, AFL-CIO ¨ Taren Stinebrickner, AFL-CIO ¨ Michael Ingrao, TTD ¨ Gordon Pavy, AFL-CIO ¨ Glenn Adler, AFL-CIO ¨ Beth Levie, AFL-CIO ¨ Steve Francy, RN’s Working Together ¨ Marc Laitin, AFL-CIO ¨ Steve Wilhite, AFL-CIO ¨ Lauren Miller, Blue State Digital ¨ Heather Booth ¨ Roger Blacklow, NPMHU, ¨ Fred Ascarate, AFL-CIO) ¨ Bridgett Martin, IBB ¨ Eddie Acosta, AFL-CIO ¨ Nikki Budzinski, UFCW ¨ Chuck Rocha, USW ¨ David Carpio, AFL-CIO ¨ Keith Maddox, AFL-CIO ¨ David Jeffers, Indelium ¨ Bob Nicklas, AFGE ¨ Dan Pedrotty, AFL-CIO ¨ Denise Mitchell, AFL-CIO ¨ Bill Mountjoy, AFL-CIO ¨ Robert Fox, AFL-CIO ¨ Nick Unger, AFL-CIO ¨ Carolyn Jacobson, CLUW ¨ Seth Hahn, NALC ¨ Dave Hickey, LIUNA ¨ Roger Tauss, TWU ¨ Kim Fellner, Working America ¨ Seth Michaels, AFL-CIO ¨ Christine Kennegot, AFL-CIO ¨ Malcom Amado Uno, APALA ¨ Brad Burton, CNA ¨ Sherilyn Wright, IBEW ¨ Jeremy Bishop, PAW ¨ * Organizational listings for identification purposes only.

Solidarity Party for Obama & Biden -- Labor Movement Stands For Change

Bernard — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:27:34 EDT

Solidarity Party for Obama & Biden -- Labor Movement Stands For Change

Please join labor and other activists in supporting Barack Obama by attending a major celebration and fundraiser at Club MCCXXIII (Club 1223) on Thursday, October 2.

Featured Special LIVE Musical Guests: The U-Liners (2007 WAMA winners)

Go to: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpl9gq

It's time for each of us to make this happen.

Join Us! Thursday, October 2 -- 5–8 p.m.

MCCXXII

1223 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Labor Movement Stands For Change Solidarity Party for Obama & Biden

Obama and Biden Fund Raiser Host Committee (Preliminary List):

Labo(u)r Day

Mid America Mom — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:15:30 EDT

That end of summer event - the local Labor Day Parade.

Did you watch or march in one? My family and I are marching veterans (this is our third this summer) and were thinking of joining the one in my hometown. We have a large one every year as part of our annual festival. People pack every inch along it's path and have their own traditions. My best friend's childhood home is toward the end on a prime corner. Each year friends and family come for the annual BBQ and watch the parade in prime seats. Yes the Democrats were to be there in force and supporting the local races and Obama.

But this year we celebrated it in Toronto, Canada.

New to Canada I was surprised to learn that they celebrate this holiday and on the same day. Some consider Toronto the birth place of Labour Day. 1872 found workers in the streets of Toronto demonstrating and asking for the release of a group that striked in order to have a 9 hour work day. Today it is a large march with activists and unions that ends at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) where parade participants get in free (nice touch).

Before we made THE Big Move I found out that the local chapter of the Democrats Abroad organization was going to march in the parade! After discussing it with my husband we signed up the whole family. So in the midst of deciding what to store and pack for THE Big Move I eyed my Obama gear- Signs, shirts, buttons and settled on my beloved "O" sign. This round sign has lots of miles. I got this while doing GOTV the week leading up to the Iowa caucus. Someone in the office I worked at, Washington Iowa, had one from the previous Harkin Steak Fry.

Day of the parade was one of "those" days. We got up late (as you can see from timestamps I am an night owl). How can you lose two kids teeshirts in a small apartment? I was frantic. I ordered these earlier in the summer just for parades and they had not yet been worn! Relieved when I found them in a bin of clothes... for the fall... of all places. Scrambled to get a diaper bag assembled with snacks, games, extra water, and sunscreen. Where are we meeting and how do we get there? We knew we could not drive but then we do not know the public transit system (they have it all here- trains, subway, streetcars, ferries, and buses). Could not find an address to the CNE for our return trip despite spending at least 30 minutes with mapquest and google. Was I nuts to wing the return with a toddler who normally would nap at that time? AND we were running late.

Finally we got out the door and to the subway- our daughters first experience.

Stairs everywhere and we had a cart and a stroller. We had to cover the rules of behavior. I was worried about one not making it on with the rest of the family. As Thomas and Friends fans they did not quite understand this train in a tunnel that never gets out. When we get out and up on the street I cannot tell what was north etc. After asking a passerby, we finally get over to our group.

It numbers around 22 and most are middle to upper aged. Will is there holding the Obama 08 banner.

I finally meet Adrienne Jones, the chair of Democrats Abroad- Canada. This lucky lady had been in Denver for the convention and is handing out fliers for us to distribute on the route. I spy someone holding an official Obama/Biden sign! And a little later another Mom, Linette, joins us with her little one in a stroller and older in tow. Adrienne has a few signs to tape to it. The oldest is sporting a CHANGE sign that I have not seen before.

With little time to spare we take some pictures and start marching.

My little one has a sign in her lap while in the stroller. She does a fantastic job holding onto it for at least 4/5 of the parade. My older one- well she changes her mind on which one to hold. At one point Daddy has to carry her. I have my "O" sign.

The music from a float ahead is enjoyable but loud. Another group behind us does some chanting. We make an attempt at playing some music but no cheers. I doubt anyone would hear us.

The route is sparsely watched in parts, we are at the end.. But that makes us stand out even more. There is a sea of purple shirts and yellow shirts in the groups not far from us. I pass out some stickers I brought with me. Some of our group fans out to pass fliers, Linette's daughter as well. It was adorable.

Was it a success? I did not hear many complaints in the crowd. There were parade watchers that ran up to us asking for information. Others asked to take their picture with our many signs.

At the end, outside the gates of the CNE,

we come across many from the unions. And we meet a few ladies with the purple shirts we saw from afar- SEIU!

For those of us that have followed this campaign - it was kismet. Obama has been a supporter of SEIU from his earliest days in Chicago as an organizer, last summer he spent a day with a homehealth union worker and they endorsed him. If you ever wanted to hear Obama- the preacher- at his best check out this speech at one of their conferences last fall.. this one gives me chills. She picked this shirt up at their convention and wore it for this Labour Day.

It was a great day! Obama is well liked and we reached a number of people. People that hopefully went home and requested their absentee ballot or told their friends and family guess what Obama supporters are even here!

No matter who you are

where you are

you can be the change.

Mid America Mom

Labor Issues

Rocket — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:05:28 EDT

The recent unemployment numbers just came out at 6.1%, this is higher than it ever was since 2003. The fact is that the Republicans care little about employment or labor issues. Neither McCain nor Palin even address the health-care issue.

WE'VE BEEN TRICKED INTO DISTRACTION!

Dolores — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:34:33 EDT

Every since the announcement of McCain’s VP, the country has gone into some sort of hysterical frenzy over Governor Sarah Palin. Everyone began to research her background and learned first; that Senator McCain did not have a proper vetting process, to select the most important number two spot in the country. McCain made a snap decision, which should be of real concern to the country; I know it was a scary thought to me.

Later, a background check slowly revealed to the public, information about her tenure as Mayor and as Governor, rumors about her family spred, scandalous information was exposed regarding her support of Alaska’s indicted Senator Stevens, her alleged abuse of power, whether she did or did not sell a jet on ebay, support for the “bridge to nowhere”, support of a secessionist group and so on.

I was caught up in the frenzy, just like the rest of the country. All of a sudden, this moose eating, caribou hunting, gun toting, ultra-conservative became a popular phenomenon!

In giving her acceptance speech at the RNC, Governor Palin shot zingers at Senator Obama, but nothing about where she stood on domestic and foreign policy. What is disturbing to me and should be to others, is that the Republican Party has sequestered Governor Palin from the press so that real questions on where she stands on the issues can not be asked and they packaged her speeches to audiences. McCain and Palin speak of change, but what has changed? Top lobbyists are working for their campaign and, the campaign has brought in President Bush’s top people to give Palin a “crash course” on the issues! HOW IS THAT CHANGE?

The McCain camp has said that they run their campaign and will decide when Palin will speak with the media, but only when it shows respect and deference. DEFERENCE? Since when did the media have to submit to the will of a particular political party?

What is even more disturbing, McCain and his “lock-step message” campaign managers have artfully, craftily and skillfully done is, deliberately exaggerated the facts and successfully turned small lies into big truths. What has this accomplished? DISTRACTED THE COUNTRY! They have distracted the country from the fact that Governor Palin is not ready to take on the Vice Presidency of this country, that selecting Palin for the VP spot is an attempt to siphon off the female vote-which is an insult to what Senator Hillary Clinton stands for and, forgetting the fact that the country wants real change!

OUR CHALLENGE

There is less than two months before Election Day. In the world I work in, the Labor Movement, we have a saying; “we don’t get mad, we get even!” Everyone who believes that this country needs to change and that Senator Obama will help bring about that change, need to get back to basics. Stop looking at the polls, because polling can be manipulated. Stop the hand wringing, wondering what if, stop listening to the political pundits sugessting what Senator Obama should and should not do with his campaign. Senator Obama knows how to run his campaign, our job is to get back to work to help him win!

On Sunday, a group of us sat in the lobby of a church during the 8:00am, 11:00am and 6:00pm service for voter registration and registered 200 new voters. My Central Labor Council of Unions in Los Angeles is conducting phone banks six days a week and precinct walking. I am participating in that campaign. Not only am I making monthly contributions to the Obama campaign, a small group of us ladies are planning a fundraising luncheon for the campaign.

Each minute distracted from working towards our goal, is a success for McCain/Palin and company. Every able bodied person should be rolling up their sleeves to bring about the change we desire. What will you do to assure that we take back the White House?

YES WE CAN!

HATRED OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS

Muhammad from Lancaster, PA — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:36:26 EDT

Somewhere between Alaska and a parrallel universe the Republican national convention decided to attack the very foundation of American democracy,the community organizer. Well I guess they didn't remember the lesson Newt Gingrich learned GOING AFTER PUBLIC BOARDCASTING

"NEVER ATTACK PEOPLE THAT CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES"

We will show them why Medger Evers, Susan B. Antoney, The Coal Workers, Erin Brockavich, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King etc.. The many hard working Americans thoughout this country that work to organize their communites, build baseball fields and child care centers. They clean streets and sometimes build free nations while fighting injustice. THEY SHOULD NEVER be belittled,teased and ridiculed.

ENOUGH

NO THIRD TERM

PASS IT ON

The AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast in Manchester

Brian - NH HQ — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:40:51 EDT

In honor of Labor Day, a day where we recognize the invaluable contributions of the laborers who have built this country, I wanted to share with you a special message from Barack Obama delivered at the AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast in Manchester last Monday:

Join us New Hampshire and get more involved! As hard working Americans we need to get more involved to bring our country and our political system, the change we need.

All Across America There are Quiet Storms Taking Place. . .

Obama Donna — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:59:07 EDT

Last night I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Barack Obama at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee. He came to speak to the Labor Union Workers at LaborFest, and his prepared speech was shelved so that he could deliver a "not so political" speech as Hurricane Gustov was hitting the coastline near New Orleans. My experience started like all of the other events I'd seen on TV, shouting with the crowd, "Yes We Can" while waiting to see Barack walk out on the stage. But when he came out, this time was different. The speech was short, only 14 minutes long, but it was delivered without notes, without the usual talking points, and with an emotional connect that the audience loved! A journalist noted today that he has heard Obama deliver more speeches than he could count. He'd seen him address crowds of 80,000 and rooms of less than 100, and after awhile he said he became immune to his oft-repeated points and stories. He continued:

Obama spent today giving curtailed speeches in respect to Hurricane Gustav. But tonight, in front of a Milwaukee audience of 14,000, invoking both the Bible and Thoreau, he was as good as I've ever heard him. He spoke for just over 14 minutes but he left the audience roaring. Here's part of his speech:

That spirit of looking out for one another, that core value that says I am my brothers' keeper, I am my sister's keeper, that spirit is most evident during times of great tragedy, it's most evident during times of great hardship, it's most evident when natural disasters strike because we understand that only God has control and so it takes it out of the realm of politics. We all understand that we have to come together. But that spirit can't just be restricted to moments of great catastrophe. Because as I stand here today and look out at the thousands of folks who have gathered here today, I know that there's some folks that are going through their own quiet storms. There're people out there who've seen their jobs shipped overseas. There're people out there who don't have healthcare, maybe they've been trying to pay it on a credit card but mostly they've just been putting off trying to see a doctor. There're seniors out there that don't know how they're going to pay their home heating bill this winter. There are folks out there that don't know how they're going to fill up the gas tank. There are young people in this audience right now that have graduated from high school, have the grades and want to go to college, but don't have the money. There are young people being born in the inner cities, right here in Milwaukee, that don't see any prospects for the future that think the only path av ailable to them is a casket or a jail cell.All across America there are quiet storms taking place. There are lives of quiet desperation. People who need just a little bit of help. Now, Americans are a self-reliant people, we're an independent people. We don't like asking somebody else to do what we can do ourselves but you know what we understand is that every once in a while somebody's going to get knocked down. Every once in a while somebody's going to go through some hard times. When we least expect it tragedy may strike. And what has always made this country great is the understanding that we rise and fall as one nation, that values and family, community and neighborhood, they have to express themselves in our government. Those are national values. Those are values that we all subscribe to. And so that the spirit that we extend today and in the days to come as we monitor what happens on the Gulf that's the spirit that we've got to carry with us each and every day. That's the spirit that we need in our own homes and it's the spirit that we need in the White House. And that's why I'm running for president of the United States of America.
Because if there's a poor child out there, that's my child. If there's a senior that's having trouble, that's my grandparent. If there's a guy who's lost his job, that's my brother. If there's a woman out there without healthcare, that's my sister. Those are the values that built this country. Those are the values we are fighting for.
You can hear the whole speech at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gIVFraQwm3c

Barack's Labor Day Message

KDenni, MPA — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:18:04 EDT

Obama and Biden CAN deliver on this promise.

We all must do our part to see to it that this dynamic duo is elected in November. Please

forward this message to everyone in your address book. Republicans, Independents,

Democrats, Everyone is seeking leaders we can count on for change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVmQ4xxe388

The Democratic National Convention opened millions of eyes and ears, polls are swinging

up for our Party...

As I have stated in earlier posts, Obama/Biden and the DNC baked the cake and McCain iced it with his choice of veep.

OUR MESSAGE OF CHANGE CANNOT BE LOST AMIDST THE CHATTER.

Obama has asked us to redirect our focus on his policies and away from McCain's follies.

He and his campaign advisors have been right so far.

Let's help America's finest leaders Lead.

Labor Day Wish List

Peach McD — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:35:13 EDT

Dear President Obama,

I know you aren't Santa Claus. But you have a Congress that's on your side. What this blue collar girl from a blue collar family wants for NEXT Labor Day is:

1) The Universal Single Payer Health System recommended by doctors, nurses, and a majority of citizens. The only ones against it are the insurance corporations. For Labor Day, please tell Blue Cross to go sit on something sharp, and give the citizens what they want.

2) Card Check and an overhaul of the National Labor Relations Board. Workers are more productive, and businesses run more smoothly, when the folks doing the work have a say in things. Si Se Puede. Por favor.

3) A Living Wage, not a Minimum Wage, for all full-time workers in the US. Including agricultural and service workers. Wanna see illegal immigration dwindle to almost nada? Try paying a living wage for farm and restaurant work!

4) Reliable, Affordable, Child Care for Women Who Work!!! Like most other developed countries. Need a model? Look at France and Norway. If the rich don't want to pay enough taxes for the help to keep the future help healthy and safe, I say shame them unmercifully until they squeal.

I guess that's enough for one year's work. I promise to have your back when you put these issues up for debate, and I promise to get my co-workers on board. You tell us what you need to get this done, and we'll do it.

The working people of the USA don't need Santa Clause - it's our president we want to believe in.

Check Out CWA's Election Website

Linda F. — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:50:03 EDT

This historic election is only a few weeks away. Make it happen. Go to www.cwavotes.org and sign up to become an activist and make history. Yes We Can turn our country around! Health care for all; good jobs; retirement security; and the right to join a union.

Raising Capital Gains out of Fairness

LawSchoolDropout — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:47:36 EDT

I am sure we will all hear/see clips of Obama's quote that he would raise capital gains out of fairness. There is a point to be made that "fairness" is a valid argument.

Today, an owner of capital, regardless of income level can pay as little as 15% in taxes on income earned from an investment in capital.

A provider of labor can be taxed as high as 35% on income earned from an investment in labor.

Therefore, our current government tax policy favors capital investment over labor investment. Consequently, it can be said that labor investments are penalized, using the same logic responsible for the term "marriage penalty," it is easily argued that we have a "wage penalty."

What makes this type of tax policy unfair is the fact that in addition to receiving a lower tax on income from capital investment, owners of capital retain their investment.

If a person invests $10,000,000 and receives $100,000 income from said investment they will pay $15,000 in taxes and net $85,000. Combined with the retained capital of the capital investor would now have $10,085,000.

Similarly, if an investor of labor made $100,000 (3rd highest bracket), the earnings would be taxed at the 3rd highest bracket, 28%. Taxes would total $21,978.25, $6,978.25 more than the capital investment. However, unlike the capital investor, the labor investor does not retain the labor invested.

So where the capital investor ended up with a net worth of $10,085,000 at the end of the year, the labor investor ends up with a net worth of $78,021.75.

So, is it fair to keep capital gains taxes low?

Boycott WalMart/Sam's Club!

Rob Field — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:10:18 EDT

WalMart is trying to influence their employees not to vote for Senator Obama in November. This is an absurd and excessive move from a company famous for its radical anti-labor policies.

Below find references:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121755649066303381.html?mod=us_business_what
s_news

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080801/bs_nm/walmart_democrats_dc

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-walmart-democrats.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

While many of you have already stopped shopping at WalMart and Sam's Club, others may have heard in the past from those trying to organize boycotts and decided not to participate. Well, now they've gone too far by anyone's standards. Now, I know it may mean driving a little more and spending a little more, but we can't go on putting money in the pockets of these people if they're going to try to pressure their employees to vote for Senator McCain.

So, let's stop giving WalMart/Sam's Club our money. For those of you not blessed with hometown retail, may I suggest Target and Costco, companies with better (in the case of Costco, much better) labor records.

Who Else Cares about this

Andy & Donna Holleman — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:33:52 EDT

If you work in Alaska and you're not Management.........well, that would make you labor.

Take a look at what your co-workers are saying.

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=alaska+labor+2008&search_type=&aq=f

Wonder Why 500 People Apply for One Posted Job?

Michael Hubbard — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:44:22 EDT

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/globaleconomy/ns03162004.cfm Sadly this was first printed in 2004.....Who the hell is "anti-American? Republicans are the ones who fight the hardest to keep this sort of thing going, well against the will of most of the American people, at least the ones who have "dirtied" their brains against the Limbaughs and Hannitys. If you're a non union worker making a good living in this country and think that the Republicans have yours or America's best intrests at heart, keep reading, you'll be a believer too one day...........I'm afraid.

June 8, 2006—China's frequent violations of workers' rights give that nation an unfair trade advantage that has cost more than 1 million U.S. jobs, according to a petition filed with the U.S. Trade Representative by the AFL-CIO and the Industrial Union Council (IUC), made up of nine industrial unions. The petition calls on the Bush administration to take immediate action to impose trade remedies against China and negotiate a binding agreement to reduce the trade remedies if China enforces workers' rights. Chinese Workers' Low Wages Reduce Cost of Chinese Exports The 179-page petition extensively documents that China prevents workers from joining unions and bargaining collectively, denies its citizens safe working conditions, provides no minimum wage and uses forced labor. As a result, Chinese workers' wages are between 47 percent and 85 percent lower than they should be, which in turn reduces the price of Chinese manufactured goods. If China did not violate workers' rights, the price of Chinese manufactured goods would increase by 12 percent to 77 percent, according to the petition. Jing-Hua Lu, a former factory worker in China and a forceful advocate for international workers' rights, told reporters that it's imperative the U.S. government take action against China now. "The U.S. administration should take this petition seriously," Lu said. "Chinese workers need to be able to exercise their right of freedom of association. It is a basic right, and a basic answer to the dilemma of Chinese workers and the flight of jobs to China to exploit low wages." The U.S. trade deficit with China is the largest in U.S. history with one country—$201 billion. The trade deficit affects the nation's jobs: cheaper foreign imports of products formerly made in the United States mean America's workers lose jobs as companies move overseas. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute estimates the trade deficit cost the United States 410,000 manufacturing jobs between 2001 and 2005. "I look around my town and think about the people who stood next to me on the plant floor," says Teresa Luna, a member of USW International Union Local 1191, who lost her job when the Magnequench missile technology plant in Valparaiso, Ind., closed and relocated to China. "I hear how every time there is any type of job opening, hundreds of applicants show up to fill one spot. The jobs are just gone." Trade Law Previously Used Only to Aid Corporations Mark Barenberg, a Columbia University law professor, prepared the petition, which was filed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The petition was filed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The act allows the government to take action against countries that engage in unfair trade practices against the United States. Although the regulation has been used extensively to protect corporate interests, the first time Section 301 was invoked to protest a nation's labor practices was when the AFL-CIO filed its first petition on China's workers' rights violations, in 2004. That petition was rejected by the Bush administration. The Bush administration's refusal to comply with the Trade Act allowed workers' rights violations in China to get worse and contributed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of additional American jobs. Under the law, the Bush administration has 45 days to decide whether to accept the petition. If it accepts the petition, it has 60 days to hold a hearing and one year to decide what actions to take. The AFL-CIO is seeking immediate action by the Bush administration to impose trade remedies against China, such as sanctions or tariffs, and to negotiate an agreement that connects China's progress in enforcing workers' rights with trade sanction relief. If the White House rejects the petition, Barenberg says, it must find that China either does not repress workers' rights or that the repression does not adversely affect the U.S. economy. "Exploitation of human beings through repression of fundamental rights for economic gain is both morally repugnant and economically dangerous," AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka says. "The fact is that China is violating international trade law, and our nation is doing nothing about it." "I wonder: Do these corporations realize that they are trading away our lives?" Luna asks. "We must stop these corporations from making their own rules. This is not what our country is about."

Unity Day

George — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:56:24 EDT

What is “Unity Day?” A day to show that there is more that unites than divides us – there are less Republicans, Independents and Democrats than Americans who share the same basic values. There are less Americans who value a particular issue than those who support the idea of a nation that allows us to freely express it. There are less who feel that privilege, status, materialism, and power than those who believe in freedom, equality, compassion, and charity. Less those who feel we should keep people out and more who feel that we will always welcome the weak, the tired, the oppressed, and persecuted. In short, we believe that all Americans, regardless of background, ethnicity or social status have equal opportunity to share in the American dream; that you can always rise to the level of your potential, your ambition and your effort. That we all have an equal stake in the American Dream and that it cannot be realized without being equally shared. The last seven-plus years have seen the unraveling of the social fabric, an alarming widening of the disparity between the few and the rest of us, the rising dominance of greed as opposed to social concern and commitment. Working men and women have seen their wages either rise insignificantly, remain stagnant or completely gone. At the same time corporate executives, of failing as well as successful corporations, are receiving all-time highest compensation and bonuses. We have seen the erosion and breakup of unions, the dismantling of civil service, the outsourcing or outright elimination of middle-class jobs. Millions of Americans are without health insurance, in the richest nation not only in the world but world history, and millions more are under-insured, while the rest of us are watching as our insurance costs dramatically increase. Health insurance coverage is becoming more of a discount than an insurance program. We have been engaged in a war in Iraq in which we have lost thousands of our bravest men and women, injured thousands more, killed, injured and dislocated a tragic amount of the Iraqi people we aimed to liberate, seriously stretched our military reducing or military preparedness and capability to deal with the conflict in Afghanistan, and cost over a trillion dollars. We have failed to cooperate with the goals of international groups committed to reduce global warming and have even, until recently, led a propaganda war that even disputed global warming even existed. Our government suffers from a lack of core competency from its highest to lowest levels which has been borne out by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the current catastrophe in the Midwest. Here, in Gouverneur, small farmers have been forced to sell their farms and lose their livelihoods while corporate farms are given subsidies. Here, in upstate New York, where we pay over four dollars a gallon for gas and soaring home fuel costs, we have the land and the resources to deal with this crisis by using our land for growing corn to create ethanol and wind farms to address our energy needs. With some forward thinking, we already have a railroad line that links us with all of New York State and beyond; by upgrading this line we can shorten the distance between us and New York City to only several hours time. We have the highest property tax burden in the nation; with some vision, we can create “green” jobs that will contribute to the revenue base and relieve this tax burden. But, we can only do this with the right leadership, we have such a candidate but, most importantly, we need you to join in this campaign for change.

Change we can afford?

Benjamin S. Hall — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:36:55 EDT

Brothers and Sisters of America,

This is our time. Too long have we been ignorant to what has been slowly strangling us. Too long have we been the victems. We now may have the only chance we will get to have a partner in Washington.

Too long have we witnessed injustice and done nothing. We must bring about the changes that not only help the economy, healthcare and to end the senseless war in Iraq but we must work hard at restoring our republic.

The family farms are going away. Land is being taken from us by a tyrannical corporation - (the IRS). Somehow we got it in our heads that paying taxes was the American thing to do. Where I agree that taxes are necessary in many respects, the IRS has gone WAY too far!

And when did it become an American thing to do? Are we forgetting that our country was formed when brave men refused to pay taxes to England?

Barack Obama is the only one I have heard of that is actually reducing the (illegal) income tax to such a level that Americans might just figure out that they do not need it! The income tax IS constitutional but is only in regards to the GAINS of corporations - not wage earning Americans.

If you work at a job, you should NEVER pay an income tax! It's not income - it's a WAGE.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

The IRS is a corporation, it is not a branch of the Federal government. That is a fact! It is only through deception that they are seen as the "Federal Reserve". They are neither federal or a reserve - our currency is NOT backed up by gold.

I agree that it may have its uses in controlling the interest rates of lending institutions and other things, it has been allowed to go too far.

PLEASE, help Brack Obama get into the White house. Only he will be able to stand up to them and others like them that have put an insufferable strain on this economy.

Still don't believe me?

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=761CC7FCA3D98F5A

Together we stand - divided we fall.

AFSCME joins AFGE in backing Obama!

Ward Morrow — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:53:36 EDT

AFSCME Endorses Obama

by Seth Michaels, Jun 19, 2008

AFSCME has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president, following a unanimous vote today by the union’s International Executive Board in favor of the endorsement.

AFSCME President Gerald McEntee said the 1.4 million-member union would mobilize enthusiastically to elect Obama.

Barack Obama has mobilized a historic movement to reclaim the greatness of America. With his leadership, our nation will rise up to rebuild the middle class at home and restore America’s reputation in the world. AFSCME will mobilize more members and invest more resources than ever before to help Senator Obama win the White House. We will turn out an army of 40,000 AFSCME activists to knock on doors, make phone calls and talk with their co-workers and neighbors to produce an unprecedented turnout in the 2008 election.

Barack Obama is a proven fighter on the issues our members care about most, such as ending privatization, providing state and local fiscal relief, fully funding and supporting public services and the workers who provide them and guaranteeing that everyone in our country has access to quality, affordable health care they can count on.

In October, AFSCME endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president. Clinton suspended her campaign earlier this month and endorsed Obama.

Obama also has been endorsed by AFGE, the Boilermakers (IBB), the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters (UA), the Postal Workers (APWU), the UAN, the UAW and the Utility Workers (UWUA).

Three unions that initially endorsed former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.)—the Mine Workers (UMWA), Transport Workers (TWU) and United Steelworkers (USW)—also have given their endorsements to Obama.

Twelve other AFL-CIO affiliate unions endorsed Clinton: AFT, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Bricklayers (BAC), Letter Carriers (NALC), Machinists (IAM), Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU), Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Plasterers and Cement Masons (OP&CMIA), Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), TCU/IAM, Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the United Transportation Union (UTU). The IAM and IUPAT endorsements of Clinton in the Democratic primaries were accompanied by endorsements of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican primaries.

The Fire Fighters (IAFF) union, which endorsed Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), has not announced a new endorsement.

In August 2007, the AFL-CIO Executive Council said it would not make an endorsement at that time for a 2008 presidential candidate, freeing AFL-CIO unions to endorse candidates for the caucuses and primaries. The AFL-CIO will continue the Working Families Vote 2008 campaign to help elect a worker-friendly Congress and president.

The WalMart Fallacy & Apology

typical_white_person — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:31:35 EDT

I made an angry retort to Mickiboop. I misplaced my response to her post by not reading the entire series of Walmart-related posts from different people carefully enough. This blog does not make it easy to follow a series on one topic.

The Walmart fallacy is that Walmart-haters support working people. In fact, they happily shop at stores that are easily more oppressive than WalMart and pay higher prices for similar imported goods. They also ignore the big shopping centers that cause similar land-development problems just because they identify themselves with the better-off shoppers at those other stores. Wal-mart haters are using WalMart as a cover for hating low-income wage laborers in general.

We have so much assault going on against working class people in my city that it has made my fuse very very short. I apologize for offending anyone who is an Obama supporter, but I make no aplogy at all for offending any Clinton supporters. I am not one of the ostriches with their heads in the sand about the fact that Hitlery Clinton did not actually concede anything to Obama's victory. I beleive many Clintonites have come into the Obama campaign with the intention of taking it over at the convention. We cannot afford to ignore their true intentions.

I was actually mobbed and shoved out of a community group because I used Walmart plastic bags and I thought that was just an odd personal thing until I noticed that the people running around this city with "stop Walmart" petitions are using them as trigger points for targetting people to drive out of the city for other reasons, mostly Clinton-style class hatred of menial laborers. They have been attacking people using all the Clinton tactics of gathering personal information and then feeding it into their activist network to take over "affinity" groups and grab real-estate through their control of "neigborhood" groups.

The Clintonites have identified a certain set of characteristics as being "the enemy" and shopping at WalMart is one of them. Being under $25,000 a year is another, and they are actually waging a war in this city against the affordable apartment complexes that have been getting city help to serve that population. The Clintonites for the most part are so disconnected from reality that they do not know that $25,000 a year is well above what anyone in any regular minimum-wage type job earns full-time and they characterize such people as "poor" instead of as "working class" and they characterize all "poor" as criminal noncitizen undesirables who are to be driven out of the city so that California yuppies can move in. They are not content to buy a house and move in, they are focused on driving everyone else out.

In fact you can live quite well here for about $12-15,000 a year (single w/o kids) and until recently you also were respected if you worked. Lots of artists and musicians have lived here for that reason but now the Clinton activists are mobbing us all out of our clubs and jobs and shutting down our studios unless we co-operate with their crazy fringe radical politics and give them control of our funding and hand them our neighborhoods.

I watched this whole WalMart fight over the years and the more I learned about actual urban growth patterns and planning and retail marketing, the more I could see the fallacy in the entire set-up. Watching them mob people based on class perceptions of body type, clothing, and stylishness (the "new" racism!) has confirmed the true nature of the anti-Walmart crazies.

Where Would HRC Fit in an Obama Administration?

COL Mo — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:22:26 EDT

Media pundits have stated that HRC does not want to return to the Senate, where a leadership position for her is unlikely. Interview buddy, and former "newsman," George Stephanopolous has written that she is now interested in being Barack's VP. In an earlier blog I explain why that would be a nightmare ticket for Barack and why he should, "just say NO." Is there anywhere HRC might fit in an Obama administration?

My first choice would be no. My second choice would be Ambassador to the Sudan or Congo. My third choice would be Secretary of Labor of Health and Human Services. I think she could be an excellent champion of the labor movement, a livable minimum wage, pension reform, and unions - all of which have long suffered from inadequate attention. This lack of focus has dramatically unbalanced the management-labor playing field and is largely responsible for the declining real minimum wage and the increasing income disparity in the U.S.

Health and Human Services would allow her to work on the only issue where she really has experience - health care. We badly need affrdable health care that covers all U.S. workers. Perhaps HRC can learn from the mistakes she made in her husband's administration and deliver on a proposal which has bipartisian support. Were I President Obama, I would give her a short leash in this area, lest her strident and uncompromising nature cause the status quo to remain and the need continue unfullfilled.

AFGE is endorsing Obama! Federal employees union knows government best!

Ward Morrow — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:14 EDT

Big news! Large labor union and super delegate added to the Obama column!

James Ward Morrow

Obama wins endorsement of government employees union, picks up superdelegate
5/09/08 12:31PM GMT
By JESSE HOLLAND

The president of the American Federation of Government Employees says the influential union is endorsing Democrat Barack Obama for president.

AFGE President John Gage - a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention - says he will also personally back Obama. The union endorsement gives the Illinois senator fresh momentum toward capturing the nomination.

Gage said Friday the endorsement was recognition of the enthusiasm and vitality behind the Illinois senator's campaign.

Obama's candidacy has been picking steam since Tuesday, when he won the North Carolina primary and held rival Hillary Rodham Clinton to a narrow victory in Indiana.

TGIF: Three More Superdelegates & A Union Endorsement

Deborah Simmel — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:53:06 EDT

Three more come our way, and one of them is a switch! And a bonus Union Endorsement. Gotta love Fridays!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_el_pr/obama_endorsement;_ylt=Aka47duyZSJSK9YiU1VlpGJh24cA

How Barack Can Win Back White Blue-Collar Support

Ken — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:41:23 EDT

Barack can win white blue-collar voters if he can shed elitist advisors such as Zbigniew Brzezinski that workers consider enemies of their class and adopt a working class perspective instead, now that he has the middle class nailed. Though it is true that he needed these types of advisors to give him credibility with democratic party inner circles in his early sprints, their presence pushed working class folks away and gave his enemies ammo over the long haul. Now it's time to bring them back by appointing blue-collar champions to his advisory team, repudiate the Crown family once and for all and make amends with the Maytag workers. Let's see if he can attract folks like Sal Roselli, Larry Cohen or Wendy Thompson to his team, walk the line with the strikers of American Axle and show solidarity with the workers at Smithfield's Tar Heel plant.

No Lunch Box Democrats for Hillary.

Liz — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:34:53 EDT

She tells them one thing to their face and another to their backs.

I wish Obama would lay out an ad with this story and play it 100 times over the upcoming weekend. Just once I wish he would take the gloves off and smack her silly with the truth of who she is and what she has done.

“In January 1995, the Clintons were licking their wounds from the 1994 congressional elections, [In case you forgot, because the Clintons crammed NAFTA down the throats of Congress, no one from Labor showed up to vote in the mid-term elections and the Democrats lost both houses of Congress to the Republicans in the Nov. 1994 mid-term elections.]

In between the wound licking, a debate emerged at a retreat at Camp David. Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party? The then-first lady took a less than inclusive approach.

"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them." [Yep. That’s what Hillary is reported by a reliable source to have said about working people. Yep the same woman whose husband has taken $800,000 from Colombians who want trade agreements. ]

The source for this quote is more than credible. It is author Benjamin Barber* who witnessed and wrote about in his book, "The Truth of Power: Intellectual Affairs in the Clinton White House"

*Benjamin R. Barber is director of the Walt Whitman Center for the Culture and Politics of Democracy and Whitman Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. He is the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Jihad vs. McWorld and Strong Democracy, and other contemporary classics of political thought. He is a political theorist and he has served as an advisor to various politicians in the USA and around the world, including Bill Clinton and Howard Dean.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/16/hillary-clinton-on-workin_n_97017.html

FOCUS On America's Working Families [NCEF]

Geoff Gilson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:31:25 EDT

[What follows is an open letter to Barack and his team of Economic Advisers, that I will be taking with me to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina meeting of Barack's North Carolina Economic Forum.]

Dear Barack,

Better than 'Bitter': "FOCUS '08"

I will be attending the Chapel Hill meeting of your North Carolina Economic Forum on April 15, 2008.

There, I will be urging you and your team of Economic Advisers to adopt into your campaign policy my proposition, FOCUS '08, a simple, yet powerful proposition that offers comfort to all working families who currently live in fear of losing their homes and jobs, or who feel they can't make ends meet because of rising food and gas prices (www.focusonpoverty.blogspot.com).

FOCUS '08 declares that:

'Every man, woman and child in the United States should have access to adequate food, clothing, housing and healthcare.'

I am registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina, and frankly, I consider myself to be undecided until the moment my pen hits the ballot paper. However, there is much about you and your camapign, Barack, that attracts me. Not least your obvious empathy with working people.

It is, therefore, as a friend of your efforts that I write this letter, and although painfully blunt (and something tells me you won't mind that!), it is offered solely in a spirit of helpfulness. So, to business:

It is a brave man, Barack, who advances an honest analysis of dire economic conditions, without immediately accompanying it with a concise summary of the uplifting policy that will address resolution - wrapped up in language that enrolls rather than offends.

This last point, in particular, should now be crystal clear in light of the temporary hiccup that has followed your 'bitter' speech last weekend.

Mind you, what you said was spot on - as an incisive checklist of the frustrations of working people in America. I should know. I am one of America's angry working poor.

It is only those who are truly elitist and out of touch who would suggest our anxieties do not exist, and who would deny that it is all too easy to find unhealthy ways to vent those anxieties - and that there are those who would feed on the latter fact.

Goodness knows it's nice to have a politician who has the guts to be honest and straightforward. But, to be equally honest, what was a little unfortunate, Barack, was your language, and the fact that you chose not to accompany the analysis with a simple breakdown of your recommended solutions.

Without wishing to appear too presumptuous, I hope you won't mind if I use the opportunity of the Forum meeting to help you out a tad, and offer a couple of ideas that might assist you in addressing both of these issues.

For some years now, America's working folk - whether in the cities or in the country - have watched helplessly as power-mongers and the elite in political and financial circles have caused the American economy wildly to ride the waves, and then to crash into the abyss.

Why helplessly? Because all this has meant for us is more jobs lost, more plants shut down, our homes under threat, prices rising, the bar continually raised and our lives constantly squeezed.

Democrats, to whom I have spoken, have openly wondered why, through all this, more and more of my working friends have found themselves turning to the likes of George Bush, and now John McCain.

I tell these Democrats that, at a time of seeming inability to cope, at a time when all seems so weak, it is easy to turn to the appearance of strength and experience - however false the promise of that strength and experience may be.

When you sense that your country has abandoned you, and there is little point in trying, it is too easy to find paths of escapism. One of the easiest is a political philosophy that says it's ok to take that anger and convert it into hatred and envy and revenge.

When we are told that the real problem lies overseas, it's all too easy to respond to a pseudo-call for patriotism and sense of duty, and to cheer on a war, even though we now know that war is both futile and dishonest - and, moreover, it is killing a disproportionate amount of the sons and daughters of our working familes.

And where have the Democrats been, to offer we working people an alternative? Why, trying their hardest to pack themselves into those same Republican clothes - but without packing any conviction.

The problem is, when you're a sheep in wolf's clothing, it's a bit difficult to look anything other than…well…sheepish.

Until you, Barack, came along.

I'd had a bad feeling about voting for some 20 years. You are the first American politician in that time who's making me look forward to voting in November.

Now. We've hit a glitch. It's not the end of the world. And this is what I suggest to you and your Economic Team going forward:

1) Adopt FOCUS '08. The working folk of this country deserve a rallying cry that offers them a safety net, while preserving their dignity.

This is true, not just for those of us who already struggle below the poverty line, but also for those who, through no fault of their own, feel that they may be next.

We did not create the housing and jobs crisis, or cause gas and food prices to rise.

2) Enroll these same good people, Barack, in the campaign to sell you, your policies and FOCUS '08.

Do not pity us. We are a proud people. Appeal to our better nature. Challenge us. Turn the tables on your opponents, and make an appeal to genuine patriotism and a real sense of moral duty.

Go so far as to put it in military terms, if necessary.

Offer us a deal - "A New Compact." Tell us boldly and bravely: 'You take care of your business at home, and we'll back you up, by taking care of our business in Washington.'

[I expand on this approach in a separate document of talking points, which can be found as the next post in this blog.]

Call on America's working men and women to support a "Citizen's Code": family, country and honor.

'We take care of our family first; then we help our neighbor; then the folk around us. Not because of a political slogan or a grand economic strategy, and not for personal gain or ambition, but because it's the honorable, the right thing to do.'

Meanwhile, holding up the other side of the compact, you, Barack, have to clean up Washington. Clear out the logjams, get the necessary bi-partisan support, prioritize action, and get us the help we need to support what we're doing on the home and family front.

FOCUS '08 can be a part of that. Take George Bush's slogan, and turn it against our opponents. Make that slogan ours - and make it apply to all Americans under a Barack Administration. 'We will leave no-one behind.'

I have my own political line for all of this: 'Taking Care of America's Family Values.'

So, Barack, come one, why not give it a try? Visit the web-site (http://focusonpoverty.blogspot.com), sign the Petition (www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/483881699), even buy the T-shirt (http://197491.spreadshirt.com).

But. Most important of all. Adopt FOCUS '08, and enroll America's working folk in its implementation.

Let's Put America Back To Work!

Thatcher — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:46:28 EDT

(cross posted on The Dead Guy)

This is not a new concept. FDR and The New Deal. The late Senator Paul Simon's 1987 book by the same title as this post (Which I have a signed copy of - I had Senator Simon autograph it for me when he was in Iowa campaigning for the 1988 Democratic Presidential Nomination).

With a country that has resources and infrastructure in dire need of help, we need to put America back to work fixing these problems. Where could we start? Well, there are 10 pieces of U.S. infrastructure we must fix now!

The Clintons and Their Sordid Colombia Advocacy

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:30:18 EDT

How Obama Could Seize Pennsylvania

The Clintons and Their Sordid Colombia Advocacy

By NIKOLAS KOZLOFF

With the Pennsylvania primary fast approaching on April 22, Barack Obama will have the opportunity to end the race for the Democratic nomination once and for all. If he wins by only a slim margin in the state, the "punditocracy" will declare him the presumptive choice of the party and the pressure will build on Hillary Clinton to withdraw. Obama should do well in Philadelphia amongst black voters and will probably pick up a decent percentage of the white affluent vote in the city's suburbs.....

ARTICLE- http://www.counterpunch.org/kozloff04112008.html

Class Acts

MT — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:09:00 EDT

The chattering aristocracy, such as Sir Christopher Matthews, exercise their mighty power and privilege to shape the ways in which we think and talk about ourselves, each other and the world we live in. Five years ago, they shaped a heroic narrative for the Iraq War. Now, they are shaping the story of us "poorly educated","ethnic white" working class folks of Pennsylvania.

These lords and masters of radio and TV wonder, out loud, if we, being so "poorly educated," can even understand Senator Obama's fancy rhetoric, and if we "ethnic whites" are capable of rising above our cultural differences enough to, in essence, vote for a Black man. They wonder if we, the blue collar and no collar working class folks, are capable of seeing beyond our individual survival to appreciate the vision of change named by Barack Obama. These lords and masters look down on us and see only themselves.

Being born and bred in Pennsylvania's Anthracite country, I have a different story to tell. It's true that we didn't learn history, political science or economics in a classroom at an ivy league school We learned these things at home, from our ancestors, listening to the stories they told us around the dinner table on Sundays after Mass or sitting on the front porch on summer nights. We learned how our people came over from the old country (Sicily, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Italy) treated like cattle stowed in the ship's steerage. We did not read a book, nor need to read a book, about "your tired and your poor, the huddled masses yearning to breath free." We knew them. We knew their names, their faces, the feel of their hands, the sound of their voices when they laughed, got angry or burst into tears. These immigrants taught us that respect meant standing up whenever an elder came into a room, that being honorable meant looking out for others not just ourselves and never striking the first blow. We learned that being honorable also meant calling up the courage to stand up for what was right and against what was wrong. These immigrants were our university. We are far from being poorly educated.

We learned also from our parents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they told the stories of The Great Depression. We could see it all in our mind's eye as they described, in vivd details, the miles and days of walking in an endless search for work that was never found and all the "poor souls" who came knocking on the door asking for food. From them we learned to pray "there, but for the grace of God, go I." We are far from being poorly educated.

We learned about war and geopolitics by walking through the small graveyards littered here and there, reading the names of hometown patriots who fell during The American Revolution and at Gettysburg. We learned every Memorial Day watching our ancient men hobble down the sidewalks with red poppies pinned to the lapels of their coats. We learned from the stories of "our boys" who never came home from the beaches of Normandy and whose mothers never got over it. We know the missing faces of those who were called to Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. They are not a number to us.

We learned economics by watching our mothers and aunts walk to work in those sweat shop garment factories to make clothes they could never afford to buy, then come home to their second, unpaid job: cooking meals from scratch, keeping a clean house, sewing and ironing our clothes and making sure we didn't shame the family through our behavior at school or before the neighbors. We learned by watching our fathers and uncles leave in the morning, walking down the street dressed to the nines in their clean, starched work clothes, and then disappearing down into the coal mines. We saw them come home again so covered in black dust we could not recognize one from the other. We watched them die of Black Lung. We watched them die of greed and corruption when the coal mines caved in. These decent, hard working women and men were our university. We are far from being poorly educated.

We do not need the chattering aristocrats or polls to explain anything to us. Nor do we even need Senator Obama to teach us about the value and necessity of solidarity. We are the heirs of the men and women who rose above their ethnic differences and prejudices and stood together and named themselves the United Coal Miners Union and The International Ladies Garment Workers Union. They were they faculty who taught us the truth that "an injury to one is an injury to all"," who fought for and won the right to decent wages for all, safe work places for all, and the right to be treated with respect for all.

All over Pennsylvania, in every small town and township, we have lost so much more than our jobs and the small family businesses that once brought our Main Streets to life. We have lost touch with our own history and, with it, the knowledge of ourselves. If we cannot see ourselves in Barack Obama or hear our voices in his words, it is only because we have forgotten who we once were. It is not too late or too hard to remember.

UPS Chief urges transport investment

Kevin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:03:16 EDT

UPS CEO Scott Davis told London's "Financial Times that the US must reinvest in its ageing, overused transportation networks or risk losing ground to the world's other leading economies. "We've got to work very closely with the government to look ahead and take a candid look at where we are," said Mr Davis. He went on to say that repairing and upgrading ageing roads and bridges, antiquated air-traffic control systems and overcrowded ports and railways would help ensure the US remains a viable trading partner. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b9ce05a6-fa0c-11dc-9b7c-000077b07658.html

Mr. Davis, Barack Obama is your man. Obama is has proposed the creation of "technology czar," or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The CTO would oversee, among other things, a new national broadband policy that will redefine "broadband" and open up wireless to fresh competition using a combination of subsidies, simple policy reform, and public/private partnerships. The goal is for broadband access to be a widely accessible utility like phone or electricity. http://obama.3cdn.net/780e0e91ccb6cdbf6e_6udymvin7.pdf

I doubt that there is hardly any corporate entitity that understands the importance of technology more than UPS. Every employee at UPS has seen their job change or evolve over the years because of technology. When Mr. Davis speaks of upgrading roads and bridges, ports and railways, and air traffic he is not just talking about laying new asphault or new rail tracks. Technology is the critical first step in infrastructure improvement. America is in desperate need of a National approach to this problem. Without some sort of guidance at the National level America will find it harder and harder to compete in the global economy.

Welcome all Immigrant Workers

Carlos E. C�rdenas — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:09:38 EDT

"Illegal" immigration is a problem we need to confront.

The solution is the free mobility of labor. If someone wants to work and the US market demands it, then welcome to the US. Why is it the best solution?

First, it's the quickest solution to any proposal. Forget about building a wall or adding more patrol officers along the border.

Second, the US is a major player in a global economy. The free mobility of labor is just another element of being a capitalist country.

Third, the US gets lots in return and it's the morally correct thing to do. We send aid to countries that are in need. Then aid "illegal" immigrants by giving them jobs, especially when market forces demand them. But unlike other situations, where the donor country gets nothing in return, the US does in this case. The work of "illegal" immigrants increases the productivity of US businesses, which in turn makes them more competitive in a global economy. Also, the US government gets to increase revenue from the taxes "illegal" immigrants pay. Furthermore, US business get to reduce their costs since most "illegal" immigrants take in ridiculously low wages, are not insured and don't get sick or vacation time off.

It's a win-win situation.

Obama Position on Air Traffic Controllers Requested

Ken — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:01:59 EDT

I had the opportunity to speak to a flight attendant from Dallas on a recent flight who said she voted for HRC in the Texas primary because of her position on air traffic controllers staffing and scheduling issues despite the fact that she really liked Barack. Apparently, her husband is an air traffic controller and the stress is driving him crazy. Several of his colleagues have already taken their own lives due to the irresponsible scheduling and shifts they have to hold. According to my contact, they often have to work 6 days a week and sometimes only get 8 hours off between shifts.

How Obama Can Win The Pennsylvania Primary

Ken — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:48:02 EST

Greetings. As a fellow campaigner, I'd like to humbly share a few ideas with my colleagues in Pennsylvania on how Barack Obama can win the primary based on supplementing the campaign's exisiting strategy with some additional tactics based on the state's unique historical and demographic profile to: 1) win the working class vote, 2) win the rural vote, 3) slam dunk the urban voters, 4) recover from advisors' gaffes, and 5) win the City of Brotherly Love. Herewith follows a list of ideas of which one or more may be cross-postable and/or threadworthy:

The Urgency for Equality

Carlos E. C�rdenas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:13:25 EST

The Wall Street reported this week that in the world of business "whites make up 81.6% of the work force and 83.5% of managers". Black men "earned 74% of the wages of white males; Hispanic men earned 58%".

There is an urgent need, in our country, to make drastic changes to our labor force. These numbers are outlandish and as the WSJ observed "this inequality shapes perceptions about who can or should be a leader".

An Obama administration can set the path for this much needed change in our country.

YES! Hillary SUPPORTS NAFTA

IveyLeague5 — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:50:16 EST

Fellow Obamacans:

This “Shame on you” comment has me worked up! The fact is that Hilliary has shown “much” support for NAFTA. Here's some ammunition for the upcoming battle...

NY Times Best selling author, David Sirota of “Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government and How We Take It Back (Crown 2006),” writes an impressive article online.

A brief paragraph supports what Obama’s mailings have communicated:

During Clinton’s 1996 visit to Texas, United Press International reported that she “touted the president’s support for NAFTA.” In her memoir, Clinton trumpeted her husband’s “successes on the budget, the Brady bill and NAFTA.” The Buffalo News reports that in 1998 she “praised corporations for mounting ‘a very effective business effort in the U.S. on behalf of NAFTA.’” And last year (2007), her lead Wall Street fundraiser told reporters that Clinton remains “committed” to NAFTA’s “free” trade structure. WEBSITE LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.alternet.org/workplace/77499/

Moreover, Mr. Sirota polks humor by saying, “When it came to sex, Bill Clinton made us debate the definition of “is.” Now, when it comes to economics, Hillary Clinton wants to debate the definition of “long,” claiming this week in Ohio that “I’ve long been a critic of the shortcomings of NAFTA.”

In Ohio, 70% of the population believe that NAFTA costed their American jobs. Despite, President Bill Clinton’s 1993 Pledge, “”I would never do anything to cost an American a job,” Clinton pledged twice during his speech (to the AFL-CIO). “That’s not the business I’m in.” From MIT’s The Tech webiste, http://www-tech.mit.edu/V113/N47/nafta.47w.html

I believe that Obama will effectivey prove the facts on this issue in Tuesday’s debate. Then, watch the mass exodus from Clinton to Obama’s side.

Bill Clinton's former Secretary of Labor says Clinton is the one who is "ALL TALK"

LaShanda (GRAB A MOP!) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:22:34 EST

Reich: Clinton lacks 'conviction about anything'Posted: 03:12 PM ET

Robert Reich had some sharp words for Clinton Monday

(CNN) – Bill Clinton's former Secretary of Labor issued a blistering criticism of the former president's wife on Monday, accusing her of "not telling the truth" on Social Security and taking marching orders from her top pollster.

Reich, who has not endorsed a candidate but has written glowingly of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in recent months, ripped Hillary Clinton for saying Sunday that Iowa voters will have a choice "between someone who talks the talk, and somebody who's walked the walk."

"I don’t get it," Reich wrote on his blog. "If there’s anyone in the race whose history shows unique courage and character, it's Barack Obama. HRC’s campaign, by contrast, is singularly lacking in conviction about anything. Her pollster, Mark Penn, has advised her to take no bold positions and continuously seek the political center, which is exactly what she’s been doing."

Reich, who calls Clinton "my old friend" in the blog post, has a long-standing relationship with the Clintons, going back to when Reich and the former President were classmates and Rhodes Scholars at Oxford in the late 1960s. He left the Clinton administration in 1997 and now teaches public policy at the University of California-Berkeley.

Reich called Obama's Social Security plan to lift the cap on payroll taxes above $98,000 "a progressive solution" and said Clinton's preference to form a commission to examine how to fix Social Security is "avoiding the issue, and it's irresponsible."

He also picked apart Clinton's health care plan: "HRC doesn’t indicate how she‚d enforce her mandate, and I can’t find enough money in HRC’s plan to help all those who won’t be able to afford to buy it."

Reich called the New York senator's recent attacks on Obama a "series of slurs."

"If she's worried her polls are dropping, this is not the way to build them back up."

Hillary Clinton and the Betrayal of the American Worker

DaveNY1979 — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:51:34 EST

It brings my no pleasure to try and tear a candidate down -- but what I've found in this report simply confirms all my worst doubts and fears about Hillary Clinton, both her weaknesses as a candidate, and failures as a leader.

Economic Downturn Structural Not Cyclical

SoftwareEng — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:17:25 EST

Our current economic downturn is the direct result of an imbalance in the global economy precipitated through labor arbitrage. Prior to our current condition labor markets were relatively confined within nation state boundaries. Within these boundaries nation states enacted laws in varying degrees to ensure (at least in most developed countries) that labor was provided basic protections against an often times capricious employer. In addition, to laws governing basic worker rights, labor was afforded the right to organize into unions, guaranteed a wage above the level of subsistence, and afforded job security enforced through business custom.

Most important was the assurance that today’s job would not become the lost job of tomorrow. But once the global economy surged past the nation state breakers the obliteration of labor security commenced unabated. With the outflow of corporate capital in search of cheap labor abroad and unregulated inflow of foreign labor via “Temporary Worker Visa” programs (L-1, H1-B, and others) no job was any longer secure regardless of profession. There was talk of retraining workers displaced by these free (or was it lopsided) trade effects but as more and more workers became displaced across a multitude of professions the talk subsided and the realization set in that all meaningful employment had vanished from the United States. The result was a liquidation of competence, purchasing power (consumption), and a once throbbing heart of global economic dominance.

Tell AFSCME To Change

Patch — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:49:56 EST

Today, I awoke after a long night shift in the trauma O.R. to a phone call from my mother. She was watching the endorcement speech of Massecucites Senator, Ted Kennedy, on the television and spoke with a giddy tone I'd only heard a few times in the past. I think a lot of us know that feeling. What it's like to hear or see one of our parents become excited or gleeful. To hear someone, who has done so much for you all their life, become energized and hopeful at the prospects of progress after so much regresion, stagnation, condemnation and aggitation.

Today, her bliss was due to the prospect that Senator Obama could become a big winner on Super Tuesday and help set the United States back on the right track.

After we spoke, and I took time to watch the tail end of Senator Kennedy's speech, I went to claim the morning mail. Within the confines of my mail, my morning affirmations were dashed at seeing the cover of the national newsletter from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME):

RE: "Obama In Orbit" (NYTimes Op-Ed)

DaveNY1979 — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:38:01 EST

My Response to an New York Times Op-Ed by Roger Cohen:

Contrary to the impression given by Roger Cohen’s column (“Obama In Orbit,” Op-Ed November 15, 2007), the foreign policy differences of the Democratic frontrunners cannot be dismissed in favor of an analysis of “symbolism.”

Barack Obama is the only major candidate untainted by the war in Iraq. He is unencumbered by the dynastic feuding of the past two administrations, and the navel-gazing politics it engenders. Unencumbered by lobbyists, corporations, or labor unions, he is the only major Democratic candidate able to walk the fine line between the free trade needs of business, and the needs of American workers. Unlike the frontrunner, with her bellicose baggage, and history of kowtowing to AIPAC, he can restore our position as an honest broker for peace in the Mid-East.

Even if he were another privileged white male, Barack Obama would offer a real, and desperately needed transformation of America’s place in the world. While some patrons of the status quo may hide behind symbolism to claim the mantle of change, Barack Obama offers the real deal.

David Silverstone

Nevada SEIU Endorses Barack Obama for President

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:47:54 EST

Big endorsement news: the Nevada SEIU has decided to back Barack Obama for President. The Las Vegas Sun has details:

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has won the endorsement of the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, union officials said.
The influential union claims to represent 17,500 health care and county workers in Nevada. Its executive board approved the decision in a conference call Tuesday night, shortly after the Illinois senator finished a close second behind Hillary Rodham Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
SEIU President Vicky Hedderman said she believes Obama is a candidate "who could take the campaign all the way through November."
Nevada's Jan. 19 caucus is the next major Democratic nomination contest. Under union rules, the endorsement allows SEIU locals in other states to lend resources and volunteers to its Nevada counterpart on behalf Obama.
Obama has won the support of SEIU locals and state councils in five states, including his home state.

Obama!

Tony — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:55:20 EST

I have been ready for a change in direction since January 20, 2001. To tell you the truth, as soon as the votes were not counted in November 2000, I was ready. No one, including me could have been prepared for the rollercoaster we've ridden since then.

Organized labor has been in the crosshairs of corporate America with this administration happily leading the charge. We were no exception. This President put together the most anti-worker, anti-union, anti-flying public and anti-American group they could find to break the our union, to steal out wages and steal the pride we have in our profession. They ushered many of my brothers and sisters to the door, firing many and forcing others into early retirement.

Today, the safety of the flying public hinges on the next occupant of the White House. Senator Barack Obama stood up for the us like no other politician did. While he certainly wasn't the only politician to step up, he was our champion. During the 109th Congress, Senator Obama introduced S 2201 Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006. He spoke passionately about our issues, the safety of the flying public and the sacred process of labor-management relations. He talked about giving us a fair chance. He took our case to the White House on our behalf.

While others our friends, Senator Barack Obama is a brother. Senator Obama gets it like few others do, and we need him as our next President. Friends and family, brothers and sisters, Senator Barack Obama is the right person to bring forth the change in direction this country needs. It is with great pride that I proudly endorses Senator Barack Obama for the office of President of the United States!! Now let's get down to the business of getting the good Senator elected!

Policy 08: Immigration

Roberto David de Steele y Vivas — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:14:20 EST

Enforce Labor Law

GLOBAL Standards

Border Patrol increase of 25,000

National Service for 2 years to earn citizenship

New Iowa ad

Sam Graham-Felsen — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 19:33:31 EST

Senator Obama has fought for working people throughout his entire career, beginning with his days organizing Chicago residents on the South Side who had been laid off due to steel plant closings.

In this new ad running in Iowa, he shows us how he'll continue to fight for working people in our global economy:

Illinois AFSCME endorses Obama

Sam Graham-Felsen — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:20:33 EST

More great endorsement news:

PEORIA, Ill. - The Illinois chapter of the country's major government-employees union broke with its national organization Saturday to endorse Barack Obama for president.

Nationally, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is backing Hillary Rodham Clinton. But the union's Illinois leaders decided to make their own endorsement.
"It is an unusual step, but we've had a long relationship with Sen. Obama," said Henry Bayer, executive director AFSCME Council 31. "We've had a better opportunity to observe him up close than people in other parts of the country."

UAW throws support to Barack

Nick Kimball — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:08:29 EST

The United Auto Workers Region 4 just announced its support of Barack. The influential group includes 30,000 members and retirees across Iowa.

Five of the major Democratic candidates including Hillary Clinton and John Edwards aggressively sought the UAW’s backing this week at their weeklong conference.

UAW Local 442's President Paul Erickson (Webster City, IA) said:

There are many talented Democrats in the presidential field this year, but Barack Obama is the leader who will bring the kind of change to Washington that America’s working men and women can believe in. For the last two decades, working families have been able to count on Barack Obama to stand up for us and our values. We are supporting him, because we know he’ll do the same thing in the White House.

Barack spoke to the group on Tuesday. And here's what he had to say today:

Politics didn’t lead me to working folks – working folks led me into politics. As President, I’ll stand up to the special interests and bridge the partisan divide, so that we can have universal health care in America, invest in our students and schools and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I thank the men and women of UAW Region 4 for their strong support for our campaign to change Washington.

Barack now has the support of a major group in Iowa that has proven its ability to organize in major elections.

Obama on Writers Guild strike

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:25:29 EST

Barack Obama on the Writers Guild strike:

I stand with the writers. The Guild's demand is a test of whether media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives. I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work.

A Worrisome Endorsement- IAM For Hillary

Bob — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 10:49:31 EDT

The IAM (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) has approximately 2,000,000 active members and 1,400,000 retiree members.

Quoted from article in the IAM Journal, Fall 2007.

The full article can be found at www.goiam.org :

Choices '08: Conversations With the Candidates"
On May 27, 2007, ten candidates- five Democrats and five Republicans- were invited to participate in the IAM's Conversations With the Candidates scheduled for August... in Orlando, FL.
"Moderated by Erin Moriarty of CBS News, these in-depth Conversations would focus on domestic issues...
"To be considered for the IAM endorsement, candidates had to participate.
"Among the Democrats, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator Hillary Clinton, and former Senator John Edwards accepted. Senator Barack Obama and Governor Bill Richardson declined, citing scheduling conflicts.
"Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter accepted, but at the last moment, chose to attend a forum in New Orleans. Former Governor Mitt Romney, Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Senator John McCain sent their regrets. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee chose to alter his schedule and actively sought the IAM endorsement.
"Four individual Conversations were held - two on August 27th and two the following evening. Each lasted about 45 minutes."

The bottom line: The IAM endorsed, for the first time in its 119-year history, two candidates - one Republican and one Democrat for the upcoming primaries and caucuses: Senator Hillary Clinton and Former Governor Mike Huckabee.

Labor unions stick together. The TCU (Transportation & Communications Union) has already endorsed Hillary Clinton. Now the IAM has followed, as will most of the others.

By snubbing the IAM Forum, Barack Obama has unfortunately lost the support of much of organized labor in America, and worse, has ceded it to Hillary Clinton, simply because she showed up and glibly told them what they wanted to hear. Had he attended, he could have easily secured the nomination.

This is a sad day for Obama supporters. If anybody has an idea for doing damage control regarding labor union support, this is the time to act.

Wisconsin SEIU endorses Obama

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:15:53 EDT

Another great endorsement:

The Wisconsin SEIU today endorsed Obama, citing his "commitment to expanding access to affordable health care and to protecting workers' rights," according to State Council President Dian Palmer in the release. The union has a little more than 15,000 members.
Spokesman Nathan Hoffmann said the union reached out to members through a phone poll asking which presidential candidate they supported and got input from local leaders and those who attended the members political conference in Washington, DC this summer. Then the nine members of the executive board, representing different parts of the state, voted by electronic ballot yesterday.

Missouri / Kansas SEIU endorse Barack

Sam Graham-Felsen — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:01:00 EDT

More great endorsement news: the Missouri / Kansas State Council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has voted unanimously to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President. The Council represents more than 15,000 working families in Missouri and Kansas.

Sherwin Carroll, President of the SEIU Missouri / Kansas State Council, cited Obama’s commitment to expanding access to affordable healthcare and protecting workers’ rights as two of the biggest reasons for the union’s endorsement.

In announcing the Council’s endorsement, Carroll called Obama, “a real fighter for working families with a proven track record for getting things done.” Carroll also pointed out Senator Obama’s strong stance with healthcare workers, janitors, and public workers facing unfair treatment and low wages on the job.”

Illinois and Indiana SEIU endorse Obama

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:34:59 EDT

Time:

Democratic hopeful Barack Obama picked up the endorsement Monday of the 170,000-member Illinois Service Employees International Union, a boost to the candidate's prospects in neighboring Iowa, whose caucuses kickoff the presidential nomination contest.
The Illinois union could provide an important flow of volunteers to help knock on doors in Iowa or make phone calls on behalf of Obama. Spokesman Jerry Morrison said the union will have no trouble finding people willing to help.
"Our members are coming to us asking what they can do," Morrison said, adding that the Obama endorsement was an unanimous decision by Illinois leaders.
Tom Balanoff, president of the SEIU Illinois State Council, cited Obama's commitment to expanding access to affordable health care and to protecting workers' rights as among the biggest reasons for his union's early endorsement.
Balanoff also cited Obama's early opposition to the Iraq War.

Barack also picked up the endorsement of the Indiana SEIU.

Obama on UAW strike

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:36:13 EDT

Thousands of United Automobile Workers walked off the job at Chrylser LLC plants today after negotiations on a new contract failed.

Here's what Barack Obama had to say:

I stand with the workers who are striking Chrysler. The union’s demands--job security, the health benefits they were promised--are basic guarantees that all workers should expect and that UAW members deserve. Chrysler has a responsibility to work with the UAW so that union members can go back to work.

Obama has spent his career fighting for working people in this country. Click here to watch a short video of Barack walking the picket line this summer with striking workers in Chicago.

Obama speaks to UAW members in Ottawa, IL

Sam Graham-Felsen — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 17:37:57 EDT

Details from the Ottawa Daily Times:

America needs to implement a universal health care system, support its union workers and amend its free trade agreements, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told an Ottawa audience Saturday morning.
But before those things can be accomplished, America needs to end its involvement in the war in Iraq, he said.
Speaking before a gathering of about 600 United Auto Workers Union members outside the UAW Hall, the Democratic presidential candidate hopeful made several references to his pre-campaign ties to organized labor, including his work as a community organizer in Chicago helping set up afterschool and job-training programs for steelworkers who were laid off after their plant closed.
"If the Democratic Party means anything, then it has to mean we value labor," Obama said. "If the Democratic Party stands for anything, then it has to stand up for your rights and your future."
Hundreds of union workers from Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota filled the front lawn of the UAW Hall as part of the union's regional conference. Obama arrived at 10 a.m. and began speaking 20 minutes later after being greeted by a standing ovation and a boisterous round of applause...
"The UAW built the auto industry in this country, secured good-paying jobs for generations of workers, and helped create the middle class -- the backbone of the American economy," Obama said. "You deserve a president who's got your back when the going gets tough, and I want to be that president."

Obama on the UAW

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:46:36 EDT

The United Auto Workers have called a national strike against General Motors.

Here's what Senator Obama had to say:

I stand with the 73,000 United Automobile Workers who are striking General Motors. The demands the union is fighting for--job security, the health benefits they were promised--are things that all workers should expect and that UAW members deserve. General Motors owes it to the UAW to come back to the bargaining table so that union members can go back to work.

Obama in "top form" at SEIU convention

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:45:14 EDT

Barack spoke at the SEIU's Member Political Action Conference this afternoon. Check out this review of his performance:

TOP-FORM OBAMA. Barack Obama is a natural in front of this crowd. He's shouting, they're standing, the room is roaring. He says he's walked on picket lines since his days as a community organizer after college, and that as president, if he hears workers rights are being compromised, "I'll have to find a comfortable pair of shoes."
He shouts, "I'm not new to this!" He imitates a candidate embracing labor for the first time: "Oh, you organize? The SEIU wears purple shirts?" Laughter. The implication is pretty clear: John Edwards, despite his work of recent years, doesn't have as long of a history with the SEIU. Now Obama's receiving another standing ovation as he criticizes Congressional Democrats for taking too much money from big business.
This speaking style is exciting. Obama sounds more like a civil rights leader today and a lot less like an overly cautious presidential candidate. He's doing call and response, and his one-liners are cutting... But if you don't see this Obama, the Obama today completely at home rabble-rousing among labor activists, you can't comprehend the fervor some of his progressive supporters feel.
"Just imagine what we can do together. Imagine having a president whose life work was your life work. Imagine having a president whose life story was like so many of your own."
--Dana Goldstein

On Change and Experience: The Clinton Years 1993-2000

David from Memphis, TN — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:00:17 EDT

I recently heard Hillary Clinton on a story on CNN talking about herself as the candidate of both Change and Experience. It got to me to thinking and to remembering.

Like many Americans today I have a certain sense of nostalgia for the peace and relative prosperity of the Clinton years. I yet admire the Bill Clinton both for his deep human empathy and the passionate eloquence with which he speaks. His greatest achievements, the reduction of the deficit for example, were accomplished through the force of this magnificent personality and the sense of optimism that it fostered throughout the full range of Americans. I further recognize that Hillary Clinton has always been the strong woman behind the great man, and as such I recognize her claim to being the most experience democratic candidate. It is the “change” part of her assertion that concerns me.

'Patent Reform': Big Tech vs. Labor & Inventors

Scott from Hana, HI — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:08:11 EDT

I want to draw attention to Labor's opposition to the "Patent Reform Act of 2007" (aka "Infringers Protection" act), and call for action to support labor and oppose this legislation.

This out Thursday, Aug 23. in InfoWorld:

Opponents of legislation that would overhaul the U.S. patent system have enlisted new allies who may cause majority Democrats in Congress to rethink their support of the proposals.

Since late July, three labor unions -- the AFL-CIO, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and the United Steelworkers -- have sent letters to lawmakers saying they oppose two current patent reform bills. Patent reform opponents say they hope their alliance with organized labor, which has a long history of supporting Democrats, will stall the legislation.

Steve Elmendorf, notorious in the netroots, has been hired to pressure the unions to back off their opposition.

Happy Labor Day

Michael Negron — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 09:25:30 EDT

Barack Obama takes New Hampshire by storm this Labor Day with a rally in Manchester, an Ice Cream Social in Hudson and, of course, marching in the traditional Labor Day parade in Milford.

For many reflecting this holiday, the Labor movement may seem to be a concern of the past, or a long, difficult road that has safely reached its destination. We tend to take for granted the right to organize and negotiate, the 8-hour work day, worker’s compensation and so many other fruits of the Labor movement.

But the struggle continues today.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is currently packed with Bush-appointees unfriendly to labor. An estimated 60 million Americans would join a union if given the opportunity, and fundamental change is needed to help them attain that goal. “What we have to make real today,” Barack said last year in Chicago, “is the idea that in this country, we value the labor of every American.”

The value of unions to its members remains clear. Workers in unions earn 15 to 20 percent more than non-unionized workers in similar jobs. Health insurance benefits and pension plans are far more likely to be offered to unionized workers. Despite these advantages to union membership, too many workers face barriers to unionization.

Today, union recognition must often follow a contested election in which employers exercise great influence through intimidation and pressure tactics. Studies show that employers oppose unionization through such tactics in a vast majority of cases. Once an organizing campaign to form a union has begun, 92 percent of employers force employees to attend closed-door meetings to listen to anti-union propaganda. Half of private sector employers threaten workers with a partial or complete shut down if they unionize. In 25 percent of union-organizing campaigns, employers attempt to fire workers illegally.

Given these obstacles to union formation, it is no wonder that union membership has declined to 12 percent of all workers.

Barack knows well that the struggle is far from over. That’s why he is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in the U.S. Senate, which will remove many of these barriers to unionization. A “card check” provision requires recognition of an organizing effort when a majority of workers sign cards or petitions, eliminating the authority of employers to refuse recognition and force an election ripe for intimidation tactics. The EFCA would mandate arbitration if negotiations stall over a first contract with a newly-formed union. It would also impose penalties on employers that illegally seek to coerce workers. The Bush Administration

As President, Barack will lead the charge for the EFCA’s passage from the White House and appoint pro-labor members to the NLRB.

These important first steps would keep faith with a commitment to labor born during his years as a community organizer, when he worked with unions and other community organizations to help families displaced by steel mill closings. This commitment led Barack to walk the picket lines with UNITE HERE! Local 1 outside the Congress Hotel this past July. He walked with the striking workers four years earlier, and pledged to return as president if the strike is still going.

Whether you come to Manchester, Miford or Hudson to see Barack in person, or spend the day relaxing with families and friends, we hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on the legacy of Labor and to remember how much still needs to be done.

As Barack said: “This is the legacy you inherit today. It's a legacy of courage, a legacy of action, a legacy of achieving the greatest triumphs amidst the greatest odds. It's a story as American as any - that at the edge of despair, in the shadow of hopelessness, ordinary people make the extraordinary decision that if we stand together, we rise together.”

My First Response (Barak Obama) to "Labor' Role?"

David from Memphis, TN — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:03:16 EDT

A couple of weeks ago I began sending a rather long winded letter concerning Labor issues to all of the most prominent presidential campaigns. To his credit Barak Obama's campaign was the first to respond. I am yet strictly undecided, although I have been strongly leaning towards the Edward's camp, primarially because I sense that Edwards is more feared by the corporations, whom I tend to regarded as the greatest institutional evil facing modern humanity. Nonetheless, the impressive sentiment expressed in Mr. Obama's message does have me looking more closely at his positions, ideas, his electability in both the primary and the general election, and, of course, from what quarters he is drawing his support. Here is his reply.

Labor's Role

David from Memphis, TN — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:45:23 EDT

The letter presented below has been sent to all of the most prominent candidates running for the office of President of the United States in 2008. It has also been posted, or will be shortly posted, on a number of political discussion type blogs and websites. Responses given to me by the various campaigns, or, alternatively, the failure of any campaign to respond at all, shall also be similarly “published” within the general context of the original letter.

Dear Presidential Campaign:

I am writing this letter in hopes of getting a clear indication of your candidate’s position as it relates to the Union organizing rights of employees, short comings of the current National Labor Relations Act and its enforcement, and indeed, what place, if any, your candidate sees for the American Labor Movement in the future of 21st century America.

The response I get to these questions will determine whom I support both in my state’s upcoming Democratic primary, and in the general election to be held in November of 2008. Before I ask my specific questions however, I must engage in a considerable digression, in order that the reader understand why theses issue are so critically urgent to me, both politically and personally.

You see, a few weeks ago, I did something that many would consider fool hardy in these decidedly anti-union times. Without the organizational backing of any local or International union, I presented the non-union company I have worked for these last three years, with a letter, copied to the Regional Labor Board office, expressing my intention to exercise my Section 7 rights to attempt to organize or assist in the organizing of a Union.

My primary purpose for taking this action at this time was to put myself fully under the protection of the National Labor Relations Act as I begin a slow, deliberate and informal effort to better educate workers on their NLRA rights and to dissipate the fear and distrust that the company’s “non-union policy” has put into them over the years. For example, almost every one the few employees I have told of my actions have responded with some form of warning about the inevitability of my being fired. While I am not at all oblivious to the fact that this is a real possibility, maybe even a probability, this is not the central point. That point is that these workers have been subtly intimidated into believing that they can be fired for exercising rights that are suppose to be perfectly legal under the NLRA.

Barack on the Las Vegas Culinary Workers

Sam Graham-Felsen — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:09:14 EDT

Good news-- the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 have settled their contract with MGM MIRAGE. Here's what Barack had to say:

Congratulations are in order for both the Culinary Workers and the leadership at MGM MIRAGE. Every worker in the country deserves to earn a livable wage that allows them to provide for their families, and every worker should be able to achieve the American dream. Fair contracts make that possible, and the contract between the Culinary Workers and MGM MIRAGE is an important sign of the progress that has been made.

The Culinary Workers are a key part of the Nevada community, and there is still more work to be done. I remain committed to standing with them until every worker has a fair contract.

A couple weeks ago, Barack spoke to the Culinary Workers in Las Vegas and vowed to join the picket line if they decided to go on strike:

"My day with Senator Obama was one I’ll never forget"

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:03:18 EDT

Barack has said that one of the most rewarding experiences of this campaign for him was the day he spent in the shoes of SEIU member and home care worker Pauline Beck.

Here's a blog post by Pauline on the SEIU website:

When we got to Mr. John’s, the Senator was ready and willing to do whatever task was at hand. He jumped in and made Mr. John breakfast, helped with the laundry, did some chores around the house, and gave me a hand changing Mr. John’s sheets. Besides making sure that Mr. John’s house is in order and that he gets the help he needs to start his day, my job has a lot of physical demands. I told the Senator—and he got to see for himself—that homecare is very rewarding, but it’s also really hard work. I also explained to him that even though I work through Alameda County, if I get sick, I receive no paid time off like other County and State employees—and homecare workers don’t get any paid vacation.
My day with Senator Obama was one I’ll never forget – and I hope he never forgets it as well.

In case you missed it, click here for a video on Barack's day with Pauline.

Camp Obama RECAP / discussion

Bryan Barash — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:49:57 EDT

This weekend me and one hundred and sixty of my fellow Obama supporters were taught the secret to this campaign: us. Barack Obama has, first and foremost, reinvested in our success, in our future. And in turn, we have been taught to be better organizers, better leaders, better supporters, and perhaps, better people.

I cannot stress enough how powerful this training was. I feel empowered. No other campaign has ever done anything like this. Barack is pushing down responsibility, asking us to organize ourselves instead of waiting for instructions from the campaign. We are organizing and creating support in a way that no other campaign has ever attempted. We are drawing more small dollar supporters than any campaign ever has before. We are the future.

More specifics below the fold...

Road to Change: Ed Alcock Responds

Sam Graham-Felsen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:17:00 EDT

Ed Alcock, who serves as President of AFSCME Local 12 in Iowa, was leaning towards Obama but hadn't yet made up his mind. After seeing the Senator speak in Waterloo yesterday at the state AFL-CIO convention, he was convinced and signed a supporter card. Watch the video:

Road to Change: Barack at the Iowa AFL-CIO Convention

Arun Chaudhary — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 16:31:19 EDT

Greetings from Waterloo: home of the Blackhawks, the Bucks, the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, and the site of the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Convention.

Barack will be addressing this audience of concerned American workers later in the afternoon. Stay tuned for clips from Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. (Named after five sons who all died aboard USS Juneau during World War II.)

Obama in caregiver's shoes -- chicagotribune.com

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:24:33 EDT

It was Obama's turn to spend part of a work day with a union member. He made a favorable impression on the single woman caregiver who's raising two foster children and a great-grand-nephew and whom he worked with in Oakland, California.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070808obama,1,4697042,print.story

Obama blasts shadow fundraising group

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:17:16 EDT

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama publicly urged his supporters today not to contribute to independent and unregulated groups -- particularly so-called 527 organizations -- that are currently raising money to aid his cause, saying that if backers give directly to his campaign instead, "we'll all be better off.''

SEIU worker: "He wanted to get a feel for everything I did"

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:49:06 EDT

Today, Barack walked in the shoes of Pauline Beck, an SEIU member who works as a homecare worker.

Details from the Chicago Tribune:

"One of the dangers of a presidential campaign is you start living in the bubble," Obama said. "You don't always have time to spend just listening. And this was important to me to just remind me why I'm doing this….This is about some sense of mission."

Beck, a single woman with two foster children and a 2-year-old great-grand-nephew living in her home, said Obama would "probably" have her support in the election.

"He wanted to get a feel for everything I did," she said "He insisted on doing everything."

For more on Barack's day working with Pauline Beck, tune into the Today Show on NBC tomorrow from 7-7:30 am EDT.

Barack Walks a Day in Pauline Beck's Shoes

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:56:09 EDT

Today, Barack walked in the shoes of Pauline Beck, an SEIU member who works as a homecare worker.

Photo: San Francisco Chronicle / Lea Suzuki

As part of SEIU's, Walk a Day in My Shoes program, Barack followed Pauline to the home of her 86-year-old client, who depends on Pauline and another worker for around-the-clock support.

SEIU:

Beck has been a homecare worker for her client John Thornton for four years. At breakfast, Beck introduced Obama to her daughter, an Oakland school worker, her grandnephew, and her two foster children. The two then traveled to her client's home to get him out of bed, prepare his breakfast, and help him to get ready to start his day.

From the work he did in the South Side of Chicago organizing laid-off workers from a steel plant closing, to marching a picket line with hotel workers last month, Barack has spent his life fighting for America's workers.

Make sure to tune into the Today Show tomorrow on NBC for a special report on Barack's day with Pauline.

AFL-CIO Debate: What They're Saying

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:18:20 EDT

Barack was electric at last night's debate. On numerous occasions, the crowd erupted with applause when Barack spoke. We were there, and can attest that it got very loud at Soldier Field.

Here are a few reviews of Barack's performance:

MSNBC (Eugene Robinson):

"I think Obama had a good night, a good night with the Washington insider troupe that he used effectively against Hillary Clinton… He had the crowd. He definitely had home field advantage. He handled himself, I thought, very very well in that debate over Pakistan…. They came at him, really hard. And he was like a judo master -- the harder they came at him, he seemed to twist and turn it." (MSNBC, 8.7.07)

The Atlantic (Marc Ambinder):

A hometown crowd cheered Sen. Barack Obama as he volleyed with his Democratic rivals over his judgment and experience during tonight's AFL-CIO debate in Chicago. .. his night, for the most part; a hometown crowd, his audience, his references, his tough talk on immigration, his credible answers on foreign policy and an eloquent verbal essay on baseball and Barry Bonds.

Washington Post (Chris Cillizza):

Obama retorted -- quite effectively -- that he found it "amusing that those who helped to authorize and engineer the biggest foreign policy disaster... are now criticizing me for making sure we are on the right battlefield and not the wrong battlefield in the war on terror."

What'd you guys think?

AFL-CIO Presidental Forum: Jorge on Barack

Sam Graham-Felsen — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 01:06:59 EDT

Jorge, a member of UNITE-HERE Local 1, was one of the workers chosen to ask the candidates a question during the AFL-CIO forum today.

We caught up with Jorge after the debate:

More Liveblogging from the AFL-CIO Presidential Forum

Sam Graham-Felsen — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:13:57 EDT

Here's Barack speaking with union members during a break.

When the candidates were asked about Iraq, Barack said it was time to get the troops out and start focusing on Afghanistan. He then said he found it amusing that those who helped to authorize and engineer the biggest foreign policy disaster in our history would criticize him for making sure we are on the right battlefield and not the wrong battlefield in the war on terror.

Barack also said that he believes candidates should be judged by what they've done in the past. He then reminded the crowd that he moved to Chicago to work with the labor movement to help organize laid-off steelworkers in the wake of a factory closing.

"Everyone knows what I've done with Illinois labor," he said "and that's what I want to do all across the country."

Huge applause.

Live at AFL-CIO Presidential Forum: Barack on Trade

Sam Graham-Felsen — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:33:07 EDT

Although host Keith Olbermann asked the crowd to refrain from cheering for candidates during their introductions, the crowd couldn't contain their applause for Barack when he was announced.

Workers from dozens of unions are here at Soldier Field in Chicago to hear what the candidates have to say about jobs, the economy, and the other collective challenges we face.

The candidates were asked about their positions on trade and globalization. Barack said he would immediately call the leaders of Mexico and Canada to try to amend NAFTA. He said NAFTA should reflect the basic principle that our trade agreements should not just be good for Wall Street but for main street.

There are too many corporate lobbyists in Washington, Barack said, and not enough people representing labor at the table. He asked, are we going to make certain that you have a voice in Washington?

Video: Barack on the Picket Line

Sam Graham-Felsen — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:22:15 EDT

"I'm marching today, I'll march four years from now, even if I'm President of the United States."

Watch the video of Barack joining the picket line in Chicago's longest running strike:

Barack Joins the Picket Line

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:41:00 EDT

Barack joined hotel workers and allies of UNITE HERE! Local 1 today, demanding fair pay and benefits for employees of the Congress Hotel in Chicago. Here he is marching with the president of Local 1, Henry Tamarin.

The workers have endured four cold Chicago winters picketing on the streets in the longest running strike in Chicago.

Barack took the bullhorn and addressed the crowd: "The Congress Hotel is going to be unionized because you believe, and I believe, that that's what America's about."

I spoke with Henry Tamarin afterwards. "I've been doing this for a long time and you never see a presidential candidate walking on a picket line," said Tamarin. "He was down here four years ago, and it's good to see him down here again today... He cares about working people."

Stay tuned for a short video on the event this afternoon.

Chicago hotel workers on strike: Show your support

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:30:06 EDT

The Congress Hotel is one of Chicago's largest union-staffed hotels. Despite a city-wide standard wage of $13.20 for housekeepers, the Congress Hotel continues to pay its workers $8.83 per hour. In addition, the hotel refuses to provide decent health care benefits and a pension, and it also wants to freeze wages until 2010.

As a result, the UNITE HERE! Local 1 members have engaged in the longest-running strike in Chicago. According to UNITE HERE!, "Through four Chicago winters the strikers have each walked over 5,000 miles on the picket line in their fight for a fair contract at the hotel."

At 3pm this afternoon, Barack Obama and other leaders in the community will join the workers on the picket line in front of the Congress Hotel on 520 S. Michigan Ave in downtown Chicago.

Come show your support for working people and demand they get the wages they deserve!

We'll be heading down there to capture the action and talk to some workers-- and we'll be back later in the day with photos and video from the event.

Obama in Newton, Iowa

Sam Graham-Felsen — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:14:40 EDT

Yesterday Barack spoke in Newton, Iowa, a town that was hit hard by the closing of a Maytag plant. Barack said "there's something fundamentally unjust and unfair" about what has happened to Newton and other towns in recent years. He has vowed to revitalize our economy and create new jobs for working people.

That afternoon, Barack stopped by Maid-Rite Restaurant in Newton and chatted with local diners.

For more photos from Newton, click here.

Obama at AFSCME Forum

Sam Graham-Felsen — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:36:15 EDT

Barack got a great response at today's AFSCME 2007 Leadership Conference. Speaking before over 2,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Barack showed his support for strong labor standards and card check legislation.

Here's what some had to say in the blogosphere. Joe Sudbay of AMERICAblog writes:

His introductory remarks went over very well with the audience... Confident. Great response from the crowd.

Jonathan Singer of MyDD's liveblog:

...[Obama] appears to get the loudest response from the crowd. Obama talks about organizing 150,000 new voters in 1992 with AFSCME. Also talks about need for universal healthcare, right to unionize through cardcheck, a new energy plan and an end to the Iraq War (notes his opposition to war from the start).

Barack, who has fought for working people on a grassroots level, understands the importance of strengthening unions and in turn, rebuilding the middle class. For more on Barack's support for working families, click here.

Immigration: A Question of Character

Lisa from Riverdale, GA — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:58:23 EDT

"We live in a racist society. Who is the moral majority? America is a melting pot. Immigration is polarizing. We don't want amnesty. America has lost its stance on the world stage. We're exploiting Mexican workers. We’re outsourcing our national security. Corporations are getting off scott free." These are all sentiments that are at the forefront of public discourse these days.

How do we address the immigration issue and toe the line for the middle class and minimum wage workers who do obey the law and want to work? How do we address the issues of outsourcing, unequal pay for equal work, and justice in the workplace? How do we hold business leaders accountable for the hiring practices and technologies they employ to verify information? Whose job is it to check the background and records to determine legal eligibility for work? Employees don't hire themselves. So why are we giving businesses a pass for skirting the law? We may need comprehensive immigration reform, but first and while we're at it, can we obey the current laws on the books? We don't need more prisons to house immigrants who simply want to live the American Dream and we don't need to imprison Border Patrol Agents for doing their jobs. We need better judgement and a bigger picture.

People seem to think that having the discussion tables the responsibility to act. We need low wage workers for restaurants, hotels, landscaping, construction, farming and other such professions. We know these industries typically hire illegal immigrants. We have many Americans,young and old, red, white, green, black, brown and yellow, who need work or who need the skills to move up the economic ladder. Those economic indicators are misleading. After you've been unemployed for over 6 weeks you fall off the roster, that doesn't mean you don't exist, you're just not counted. That old argument "these are jobs American's won't do or don't want" is false. Americans don't want to work for nothing. If business really supports American interests, they will fess up, own up and pay the miniscule fines that are on the books now for hiring and employing illegal immigrants (Migrant Workers without papers), and find a better way to rectify the situation. We know which businesses hire illegal workers...why then do we showcase enforcement on the small business and not the multi-nationals who are reaping huge profits on the backs of these workers? Perhaps these companies should be required to financially co-sponsor these workers, and help usher them through a legal process for citizenship. They are already here and we cannot afford to deport 20 million people from our shores.

Those businesses need to take responsibility for contributing to the unsupportable wave of illegal immigration and help make the transition to legality. The $5000 fee that is in the current bill can and should be co-funded by the businesses that employ the workers...perhaps a version of a 401k to help cover the costs, dollar for dollar, perhaps an Immigration IDA Account. The worker shouldn't bear the entire brunt of the cost for citizenship or legal fees if businesses benefit from their labor and have a record of the profit from it. Our country enjoys the tax benefits of these workers. We need to address the growth of population and the impact it will have on our national landscape, while we find a better way to speed up the immigration process for those who are already in line or who have been waiting unnecessarily for years. We need to streamline, cut the administrative waste and move into 21st century technology practices to make any of this happen.

We are complicit in all of this. Some people say this is just amnesty. Those same people who decry amnesty have benefitted over the years from the labor of these individuals and much of the problem is our fault. We didn't fully finance the management of the border...that's a federal problem we did not adequately address. We take a census nationally, we need a business census to account for each and every employee. Those that work receive a paycheck…there is documentation…we just need a smarter paper trail to help make our nation more secure.We need to pay American citizens reasonable, equitable and sustainable salaries to help combat poverty in our own country. We need to stop exploitation of any sort and especially the kind that employs poor people (citizens or illegals) and pays exhorbitant salaries and bonuses to a few at the top. Let's spread the wealth and lift our underclass from the lowest reaches of the economic spectrum.

We need leadership on this issue. Leadership is not a question of race or class, or economic status, it’s a question of character. The man or woman who stands for what is right, who looks at all sides and comes up with a plan that addresses our economic and social concerns, management of natural resources and offers sound policies for our national security is the one to watch. The man who understands what it costs our nation to finance a perpetual state of poverty for millions of people and makes note of corporations' that hide their ill-gotten gains offshore instead of investing in America's future while bankruptcies and home loan defaults rise--- is the man for the job of Commander in Chief. We need such a man, colorblind in his approach to policy, who governs through the strength of his character and the wisdom of his ways.

Obama Meets with AFL-CIO Members in Trenton

Sam Graham-Felsen — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:19:39 EDT

This afternoon, Barack met with 600 members of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO in Trenton. "As long as the AFL-CIO is ready to walk with me, I'm ready to walk right beside it," Barack told the crowd. Barack spoke about the challenges that our globalized economy have brought upon workers across this country and vowed to fight for the security of working families. "What we have to make real today is the idea that in this country, we value the labor of every single American worker," he went on to say.

More details from the Newark Star-Ledger:

He received one of two standing ovations when he touted his plan to provide universal health insurance coverage. "This is an idea whose time has come. It actually came a long time ago but Washington didn't seem to know," he said.
The other ovation came when he urged that American troops return from Iraq by next March.
Obama went on to pledge that he will defend the right of workers to organize and will seek trade and immigration policies that are fairer to American workers, particularly union members. "It's been a long time since we had a president that said unions are a good thing," he said.