Link of the Week

According to their website, American Rights at Work has informed the American public about the struggle to win workplace democracy for nurses, cooks, computer programmers, retail cashiers, and a variety of workers who we all depend on every day. Their vision is a nation where the freedom of workers to organize unions and bargain collectively with employers is guaranteed and promoted. Their chair is David Bonior, who is considered a strong candidate for Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration.

American Rights at Work

Now Is The Time

I took the night of November 4th off to celebrate the election of Barack Obama to become the 44th President of the United States. Seasons on McHenry Ave was packed with Democrats celebrating Barack and the seats picked up by Democrats in the House and Senate. It was exhilarating to watch history being made with the election of our first black President. A big part of Barack’s victory was unions across the country getting out the vote for Obama and the pro-labor Democratic Party. Now the question is if President Elect Obama is going to fulfill his campaign promise to unions and push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. This article in the Wall Street Journal indicates that it might not happen in the first 100 days of the Obama administration, which is usually when a new administration pushes forward its agenda. We will know soon enough. I would suggest to all union members that we write our members of Congress and ask them to push the Employee Free Choice Act to the top of the agenda. If Democrats want to help the middle class in this country, then nothing is more important then giving workers the opportunity to form unions.

Regarding “The Big Squeeze”

I have received some feedback from my blog titled “The Big Squeeze” and I would like to amend a comment I made. I quoted this paragraph from “The Big Squeeze:

“At many unions, the notion of union democracy became an oxymoron. Many union presidents saw themselves as presidents-for-life. Too often they surrounded themselves with yes-men who were scared to challenge them or raise fresh ideas. And too often union leaders deliberately kept the rank and file uninvolved and in the dark, usually because they knew that an informed, invigorated rank and file could someday rise up against them on anything from bloated leader salaries to terrible contracts. A movement that was once inspiring became a champion of the status quo. It had lost its vigor, its vision and its way.”

In quoting this I didn’t mean to imply that every part of this quote seemed similar to our union. However, when Greenhouse said, “union leaders deliberately kept the rank and file uninvolved and in the dark” this does hit home. If nothing is asked, then little will be given. Why doesn’t our leadership ask more of our members besides our dues? Why haven’t we been asked to form and join committees that are in our bylaws, but currently don’t exist? Part of the duty of a union is to educate, but we don’t even have an Education Committee. We are currently in an election year, but where is our Political Activities Committee? Unions across the nation are campaigning for Senator Barack Obama and his promise of a seat at the table for unions, yet our union is silent. It just makes me frustrated and sad that our leadership doesn’t ask us to be more involved in our own union. Unions are a lot like families. We may disagree, argue, and even fight, but in the end we are all brothers and sisters with common hopes and dreams. Diversity of opinions only makes our union stronger, and involving more members through committees is a great way to move our union forward.What I would like to see at the next union meeting is sign up sheets put out for people to sign up and join the available committees listed in our bylaws. And maybe our leadership is right. Maybe nobody will sign up. But maybe a couple of people will sign up. And maybe those people will recruit more folks to join their committees. The possibilities are endless. But we will never know what kind of union we can become if we are not asked.

McCain Blasts the “Union Agenda”

There are major, compelling reasons why unions across the nation have endorsed Barack Obama for President. One reason is that, if elected, President Obama will sign the Employee Free Choice Act. Another reason is because John McCain is as anti-union as any candidate for President has been in quite some time. Today on CNBC, Maria Bartiromo asked John McCain about the Employee Free Choice Act and his response was to blasts unions and their “agenda”.

BARTIROMO: Will you veto the bill?

Sen. McCAIN: In a New York minute, if I may say that. I will do everything in my power to block such legislation. And imagine, Senator Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid pushing the union agenda. It'd be very, very, very unfortunate.


How unfortunate that these pro-union Democrats are pushing the union agenda of fair pay for a days work, enforcement of labor laws that protect workers, the right to health care, and the right to collective bargaining. The only thing “unfortunate” will be if McCain gets into the White House and continues to appoint anti-worker members to the NLRB, seeks to continue to diminish workers rights, and carries on the policies of the pro-business, anti-worker President Bush. You can read the entire transcript here:
CNBC McCain-Palin Interview

McCain-Palin Falls Apart

Andrew Sullivan, as usual, hits the nail right on the head. Sarah Palin was a horrible pick for McCain. For a party that usually runs on national security, how could McCain even consider Palin to be qualified to be Vice-President and possibly President of the United States? Read about it here: The Palin-McCain Conflict

Another good one for all of my conservative friends: The Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Should Vote For Obama

It Gets Worse

Barack Obama on Health Care

I watched all three debates and Barack went 3-0. Obama is as cool as the other side of the pillow, while McCann seemed on the verge of becoming unhinged during the debate. In the last debate I thought Barack scored big when the discussion came to health care. The key moment, and what should be of interest to union members, is what could happen to our employer provided health coverage if McCann becomes president. Barack Obama from the debate:

Now, what we haven't talked about is Sen. McCain's plan. He says he's going to give you all a $5,000 tax credit. That sounds pretty good. And you can go out and buy your own insurance.
Here's the problem -- that for about 20 million people, you may find yourselves no longer having employer-based health insurance. This is because younger people might be able to get health insurance for $5,000, young and healthy folks.
Older folks, less healthy folks, what's going to end up happening is that you're going to be the only ones left in your employer-based system, your employers won't be able to afford it.
And once you're out on your own with this $5,000 credit, Sen. McCain, for the first time, is going to be taxing the health care benefits that you have from your employer.
And this is your plan, John. For the first time in history, you will be taxing people's health care benefits.
By the way, the average policy costs about $12,000. So if you've got $5,000 and it's going to cost you $12,000, that's a loss for you.
Read the entire transcript at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/15/debate.transcript/index.html

I would recommend to any union members who are still undecided to watch the videos of the debates, and analyze which candidate will be best for the interests of the working class in this country. Also remember that Barack Obama will sign into law the Employee Free Choice Act, which will make it easier for working folks to join unions, including the GMP.

Richard Trumka on race.

Watch this speech by AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka on race and the election. It is a great speech by an amazing individual. I was fortunate enough to watch him speak at the 73rd GMP Quadrennial Convention . Click here: Speech

The Big Squeeze

I have been reading The Big Squeeze by Steven Greenhouse. Steven is a labor writer for the New York Times, and this book is about how the American worker is being squeezed dry by corporations looking to maximize profits at the expense of labor. That is why we need strong unions. Greenhouse notes that FDR wrote that labor unions are an important tool for lifting workers out of poverty and building a prosperous economy. Union workers make, on average, 20 percent higher wages than non-union workers. Union members are 28 percent more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and 54 percent more likely to have employer-provided pensions. The plus for employers is that unionized plants have greater productivity per worker than non-union plants. The positives that unions provide for workers are many. But the section of the book that was really illuminating for me was a section about the problems that have hurt unions over the years. Besides the corruption that has affected some unions, I found this paragraph really hit home:

“At many unions, the notion of union democracy became an oxymoron. Many union presidents saw themselves as presidents-for-life. Too often they surrounded themselves with yes-men who were scared to challenge them or raise fresh ideas. And too often union leaders deliberately kept the rank and file uninvolved and in the dark, usually because they knew that an informed, invigorated rank and file could someday rise up against them on anything from bloated leader salaries to terrible contracts. A movement that was once inspiring became a champion of the status quo. It had lost its vigor, its vision and its way.”

I have read this paragraph to several members of my union and the response is inevitably the same, “I thought we were the only union to have this problem!”

Race is one factor in Obama's nonsupport

John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, has written a provocative article about the Presidential race and whether the deciding factor will be the color of Barack Obama’s skin. From a union standpoint, Barack is on the right side of every issue while John McCann is fundamentally opposed to the issue of union rights. As John Gage says, “There are 100 good reasons to vote for Barack Obama and one really bad reason to vote against him”. But there is ample evidence to suggest that if Barack isn’t ahead by at least 6 points on Election Day, he will lose the election. I am more optimistic and believe that union members will do the right thing and send Barack Obama to the White House. Read John Gage’s article here: Race is one factor in Obama's nonsupport

Behind the Bailout

With all that is happening this week, the economic meltdown of the financial markets, the obscene bailout package recommended by the Bush administration (seemingly and thankfully going down in flames), and the presidential debates beginning last night, I had a hard time sleeping and found myself awake at 5:00 am this morning. While waiting for the coffee the brew, I was lucky enough to stumble on to this excellent documentary on the current financial crisis on the weekly PBS series “NOW”. Titled “Behind the Bailout” it should be required viewing for every union member who wishes to be more informed about the current crisis and the efforts by labor, and in particular the AFL-CIO and Damon Silvers, an associate general counsel at the AFL-CIO, to see that working people in America don’t have to pay the tab for the greed and excesses of the leaders of the financial markets. Having attended the GMP’s Quadrennial convention, I recognized AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka (check this clip from YouTube) who speaks against the bailout package put together by the Bush administration. Watching the documentary it was interesting to observe the efforts of labor and then to see policy change because of those efforts. See the documentary at the NOW website.
While it was exciting to see labor and in particular the AFL-CIO take such an active role in one of the great challenges of our times, it made me sad to again be reminded that my local, GMP #17, remains on the sidelines politically, and has not taken an active role in this crucial presidential election. Senator Barack Obama is a friend of labor, and if elected President will sign the Employee Free Choice Act, which potentially could usher in a golden age for labor, and reverse the anti-labor positions adopted by the Bush administration.

Judgment

When examining the judgment and decision making process of our two Presidential candidates, it became clear that only one candidate has the judgment to pull us out of the abyss that the inept Bush administration has led us into. One of the most important decisions anyone who aspires to be President makes is who will be their vice-presidential running mate. Senator Obama chose Senator Joe Biden. Biden’s experience in domestic and foreign policy is unparalleled in American politics. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Senator Biden, if called to do so, has the experience and knowledge to be President. Meanwhile, Senator McCain made the irrational choice of Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice-presidential running mate. After meeting her only one time, McCain felt that Ms. Palin was qualified to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. We are now finding out what a poor choice that was, with stories of scandals and inappropriate behavior marking her terms as mayor of Wasilla and Governor of Alaska. Since her nomination, Gov. Palin has been kept away from the media, and has allowed no interviews. What is she and the McCain campaign afraid of? Likely they are afraid that her lack of knowledge in foreign and domestic policy cannot stand up to close scrutiny and they need more time to prep her on these issues. Does the American people really want a trainee to potentially be President of the United States? McCain claims "Country First" but clearly this choice was not in the best interest of the country.

The Great Partisan Inequality Divide

I found this great article in the New York Times about the economic stakes in the current Presidential election. When Democrats say that they are better for the poor and middle class, and for the economy in general, they have the data to back it up! Click the link below:

Is History Siding With Obama’s Economic Plan?

Palin Speech

Did anyone else notice the tepid applause when Gov. Palin mentioned that her husband Todd was a member of the Steel Workers Union? It was probably the least amount of applause she received for anything she said. It is always important to remember how anti-union the Republicans and the Bush administration are and obviously John McCain will keep up the pro-business and anti-union attitude that has hurt unions in this country.

My speech at the 73rd Convention.

Below is the transcript of the speech I made before the delegates at the 73rd Quadrennial Convention on Monday, August 3rd in Las Vegas, Nev. At issue was a proposed change to Article 6 of the GMP International Constitution. The resolution was put forward by the International Union of the GMP. One note: In my speech I said that I “represent” GMP Local #17. What I meant to say that I was a “representative” of GMP Local #17. The speech was entirely my own, based on my observations, attending union meetings, and talking to many fellow union members. Below is the resolution:

Article 6
International Dues
Resolution #1
International Union
WHEREAS, the International Union has been suffering a loss of membership and dues revenues and has been forced to operate in a deficit spending mode, and
WHEREAS, the International Union has made every effort in every area of fiscal responsibility to reduce staff, cut costs and control spending, and
WHEREAS, the International Union, even through the aforementioned and continuing
period of attrition, desires to continue the GMP's long tradition of superior member services, now
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the International Union dues be increased from $26.00 to $32.00 per month, effective September 1, 2008.


INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT RYAN: I believe mike 2 was next.
DELEGATE STEPHEN TALBOTT (Local 17): My name is Stephen Talbott. I represent GMP Local 17.
Although I believe today is a more compelling case for an International dues increase than I've heard earlier, I believe I read in Horizon Magazine that the increases in the costs of filing grievances and educational costs were the reason for International dues increase. Now I hear this reason, which is much more compelling, obviously.
Regarding the request for an additional $6 a month in International dues, I've spoken to many members of GMP Local 17. We feel we already send large amounts of money to the International, and have not received enough in return. I believe that the International needs to tighten their belts to make do with the large amounts of money we are already sending to them.
Many of us in the Union are not pleased with the current level of service we are receiving from the International, and we believe that an International dues increase is not going to solve these problems.
I think our Union is hurt by the fact that we have not had an open and public debate with all members of the GMP about this International dues increase and what it's going to be used for. I believe a debate should start at the local level starting with the International explaining in detail how our dues are being spent and how in the future an increase in dues would be spent.
If the International communicates effectively that they need a dues increase, perhaps we could consider that at some future time or later. But at this point the reasons for a dues increase are not compelling enough to warrant an increase at this time. I would ask the members here today to vote no on any International dues increase. Thank you.

Silence Means Consent: Why the union dues increase passed.

I want to start off by saying these are my observations of the debate on the dues increase. I do not speak for any of the other delegates from GMP #17. These are my subjective views, based on the information I had available at the time and the Daily Proceedings notes I received the next day, which were the transcripts from the Monday session.

The debate on the dues increase took place early on in the afternoon session of the first day of the convention, which was Monday, August 4th. An important concept to understand is that the International controls the agenda and how the different resolutions are presented and in what order. Any local union can put forth resolutions to change the constitution if they are put forward in a timely fashion, and I will speak more on this issue at the next union meeting. But of the 18 resolutions that would change or retain the language in the constitution, 12 of those were crafted by the International. Another important concept to understand is that the Law Committee has a major influence on how the resolutions are presented. The Law Committee puts out a report, and in this report they either concur with the resolution as stated, or they voted for non-concurrence, which means they disagree with the original resolution. They may also recommend non-concurrence and offer substitute language to the resolution. Thus, when you vote, you are not voting yes or no on the original resolution, but you are voting on the Law Committee’s recommendation. Confusing? It can be at first.

As I mentioned earlier, the first order of business was the dues increase resolution. President Ryan began with a PowerPoint presentation concerning why the International needed the dues increase. If we go back to March of this year, President Ryan hinted then that he would ask for a dues increase in Horizon magazine:

“GMP officers have represented many of their union brothers and sisters in grievance arbitration proceedings. Sometimes legal assistance has been required and provided by the International Union. These are necessary and costly activities. We are proud to provide the needed service. Our education and research services give valuable assistance to local union leaders. It, too, is a costly effort. All of these vital components of union service have a price tag.”

Then we began to hear the rumors that a dues increase of $6 dollars per month would be voted on at the Quadrennial. I personally did not feel that President Ryan’s reasons he had previously stated in the Horizon were valid enough reasons for a six dollar hike. That and various concerns Local #17 was having with service provided by the International only strengthened my resolve to vote no on the dues increase. When President Ryan gave his keynote speech Monday morning, he hinted strongly that without a dues increase the GMP would not remain viable and independent.

Now back to the Monday afternoon and the PowerPoint presentation.

President Ryan broke it down like this: We currently pay $26 dollars a month in International dues ($16 additional dollars goes to Local #17, which gives us the monthly total of $42). Of this, 50 cents goes into the security fund, also known as the strike fund. An additional $2 dollars per month goes to the Death Benefits department. This leaves the International with $23.50 which goes to their operating expenses. The next slide the International presented was titled “Projected Statement of Operating Funds Without Dues Increase”. Without going into to much detail, the bottom line was that, according to the Internationals projections, by the year 2012, the International would have serious cash flow problems and would have to start selling off assets just to pay the bills. Sounds pretty dire. Remember though, these are projections based on several factors, including an estimated loss of GMP membership of 3570 union members, which decreases dues income, and lower investment income in a bad economy. Then President Ryan gave his projections if the International got their dues increase. These projections were much rosier, with the new operating funds of $29.50 (instead of $23.50). With the increase, the GMP’s finances basically stabilize over the same four year period. President Ryan then explained that the dues increase was the equivalent of 3.6 cents per hour, and that compared to other unions we paid relatively low union dues. For example, the UAW pays $46.61; The Steelworkers pay $56.16, and so on. Overall I thought he made a compelling argument. If you can imagine, trying to analyze all these numbers and projections while the presentation was still being given is a daunting task. I also had the feeling that the presentation created a sense of foreboding and fear of the fallout if the International didn’t get the dues increase, which I am sure was the desired effect. My personal analysis, in retrospect, with the experience of having gone through the process, is that now would have been a good time to use Robert’s Rules and move to postpone the vote to a certain time, perhaps the afternoon session on Tuesday, so that we could analyze the new information. This obviously did not occur.

President Ryan then opened the floor to discussion. I had prepared a speech against the dues increase, so I rose and stood in front of mike #2. I will print the entirety of my speech in my next blog. Many GMP delegates came to the mike. Some indicated that they were afraid that if they didn’t get the dues increase they might have to merge with another union. One member, who works in a “right to work state”, feared that an increase would kill off his local. Others spoke in favor of the dues increase, expressing confidence in the GMP leadership. In all, about 15 speakers stood in front of microphones and expressed their views. When President Ryan called for the question, which is the vote, the “Ayes” clearly outnumbered the “No” vote. But it wasn’t an overwhelming “Aye” vote from the delegates. Remember, to change the International Constitution, you need 2/3 of the delegates present to agree. One important aspect of Robert’s Rules, if you are silent, this means that you consent to the will of the assembly. So if only one fourth of the house expresses their opinion forcefully, either “ayes” or “no”, the three quarters of the house who were silent have essentially consented. Thus the dues increase was passed and you will see an additional $6 dollars a month taken out of your check starting in September of this year.

The Convention is over

Day five, the final day of the convention, was today. To say that the Quadrennial was a good learning experience is an understatement. My guess is that all of the delegates that you sent to the convention will return with more knowledge and better leadership skills then when they left. I know for my part the education I received at the Quadrennial will not only benefit me as a relief Shop Stewart and Safety Representative at Gallo Glass, but it has made me a better informed citizen. I am looking forward to sharing what I learned with any of my brothers and sisters at GMP #17 who are willing to listen, and I hope to begin that conversation when I get back to work.

I know a lot of you want to know why you are going to have a dues increase. As I mentioned previously, I spoke against the dues increase to the 373 delegates in attendance. Several of my fellow delegates from GMP #17 expressed to me that they also voted against the increase. I will explain in more detail later about why the International got the needed ⅔ majority vote of the delegates to pass the increase. I will say that the International had some compelling reasons why they needed the increase, and after reading them you might disagree with my reasoning for a NO vote and agree with the GMP leadership that the dues increase was necessary. As I mentioned, the reasons for the dues increase will be the subject of my next blog when I return.

I also wrote pages and pages of notes, and I will have some motions to bring to the floor at our next union meeting. There were several things I didn’t like about the lack of preparation that the delegates of GMP #17 had entering the convention and I am determined to fix this before the next Quadrennial in 2012. We were also tasked by our International to create committees for GMP #17, such as an Organizing Committee and Educational Committee, committees which currently don’t exist in our local. There are many other things that we will need to discuss in the coming weeks and months, and I plan to discuss them in this blog, at work, and in the monthly Union Meetings. Stay tuned and I’ll see you soon.

Photos

There has been a photographer taking shots of the event. They are posted at the GMP website. You can view them here:

http://www.gmpiu.org/

Just to go Quadrennial Convention on the right and click on “View Pictures from 2008 Quadrennial Convention”

Or you can click directly to this site:

http://www.brentwooddigital.us/mp_client/pictures.asp?eventid=0&eventstatus=0&categories=no&keywords2=no&groupid=%201617&bw=false&sep=false

If you click on GMP Sunday_Monday and go to pages 7 you can find a good photo of (right to left) Richard Motsenbocker, myself, Doug Reece, and Rocky Everett hard at work. Yours truly is on page 11 arguing against the union dues increase. If you had read my earlier post the dues increase was approved by a majority of delegates.

On the trials and tribulations of a Union delegate

I see I am getting several hits on my blog, and I am sorry I am not getting the information out quicker, but what I have discovered is that is difficult to find time to do updates while the event is in progress. There is a lot of reading required if you want to try and stay on top of the issues and the various mechanisms involved when using Robert’s Rules and Parliamentary procedures. I am currently working on my analysis of the Day 1 afternoon session and I will post on it soon. I also lost a lot of time today dealing with my car getting side swiped by a hit and run driver in the parking lot while I was enjoying an event. The GMP event just got $500 dollars more expensive for me via the insurance deductible. But I guess nobody ever said union business was easy.

Day 1

Sorry I haven’t blogged again sooner but my time has been filled with studying the various resolutions and procedures. There is a lot to know and you really need to be prepared, and clearly experience really matters when you are dealing with Parliamentary Procedures. Regarding day 1 of the convention, after the formalities, including the convention call, pledge of allegiance and the singing of the nation anthem, John P. Ryan, GMP International President, gave the keynote address. His speech focused on the need for a dues increase of six dollars per month. I do not want to get into details here about the reasons he was asking for a dues increase, but his comments did give me pause for thought. His core message was that to remain viable and independent the GMP needed the dues increase. I will talk more about this issue later.

The guest speaker was Jim Hightower, the populist Texan who gave a fantastic speech. One thing that he said that I loved was when talking about how the powers that be make that pejorative overview that union members are agitators. Hightower said, “It’s agitation that built America…And now, when they say to you, “Well, you’re just a union agitator,” you can say right back to them, “Your damn right. The agitator is the center post in the washing machine that gets the dirt out.” Brilliant stuff.

The Rules of Order report concluded the morning session. I had to pay close attention to the rules, which in general were Robert’s Rules of Order. I will get to the very heated afternoon session in my next post. Suffice it to say that the union dues increase was approved, so your union dues will increase 6 dollars a month starting on September 1st of this year. I spoke at the podium against the increase, but to no avail. I will write more about it in my next post.

One final note, on the second day of the convention, there was a resolution to disband the death benefit. It went down to a resounding defeat, so your death benefit is safe for now.

73rd Convention to begin tomorrow

We arrived in Las Vegas at about 4:30 pm. Drove through a thunderstorm at the city limit. The drive in was pretty miserable through the desert, temperatures outside ranged from the low hundreds to a high of 107. After we got unpacked we had dinner at the VooDoo Steak and Lounge, which is located on the 50th floor of the Rio Hotel and Casino. There is a disco style club on the roof with a fantastic view of the city. This photo was taken as the sun was setting and the casinos were starting to light up.



Yes, that is a goatee and mustache I am working on. The Quadrennial starts tomorrow and I’ll be reporting on the convention from this site. I would like to thank all my co-workers who gave me advice about the convention and the different issues that might arise. I appreciate all of your advice and comments and look forward to your feedback.

“on the basis of union membership”

Did you think joining a union was a civil right? Think again. This is one of the best pro-union articles I have read in a long time. It explores the broken NLRB and the need for the Civil Rights Act to include protection for those who seek to form or join unions. David Sirota is a fellow at the Campaign for America’s Future. Check out his blog at www.credoaction.com/sirota.

Six Little Words

GMP has endorsed Barack

The GMP has endorsed Barack Obama for the presidency of the United States. Read about it here.

http://www.gmpiu.org/horizons/2008/jul2008/pdf/Jul08_Horizons.pdf

My Plan for Iraq

Senator John McCain wants to follow in President Bush’s footsteps and establish a permanent presence in a country that is ready for us to leave. Senator Barack Obama believes that the war in Iraq has distracted us from the real war on terror. Read about it here:

My Plan for Iraq by Barack Obama

AFL-CIO Endorses Obama

Read about it here:

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/06/26/afl-cio-endorses-obama-launches-meet-barack-obama/

FMLA

I found this great article on the Mother Jones web site. It talks about the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and how Democrats are seeking to expand its benefits for working families. As the article illustrates, Barack Obama is clearly on board with helping working families, while predictably John McCain is mute on the subject. The article reiterates what should be well known to everybody: While Republicans talk the talk on family values they do little to actually help families, unless your “family” happens to own a large corporation.

http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/06/family-medical-leave-act-changes.html

The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind

I would suggest that everyone who is still unsure about who they will be supporting in the next Presidential election should read this article. Like everyone I honor John McCain’s military service, but I believe this article speaks volumes about John McCain’s character.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html

Why I am supporting Barack Obama for President

Last semester in a Political Science course I took at MJC one of my assignments was to write a term paper about a well known political figure. I chose to write about Barack Obama. I knew little about the first term Senator from Illinois when I began the paper but what I learned was a revelation. His resume is impressive. He was born into a humble middle class existence, and through hard work and intellect rose to become a U.S. Senator. Along the way he graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in political science, and then he worked as a community organizer with low-income residents in Chicago. Barack entered Harvard Law School in 1988. In February 1990, he was elected the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review where he graduated magna cum laude in 1991. After school he became a civil rights lawyer, and taught at the University of Chicago Law School. From there he ran and won an Illinois State Senate seat, where he served until he successfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004. As impressive as his achievements are, I was further impressed by the campaign he ran against Hillary Clinton, where he displayed a political acumen beyond his years. To borrow a phrase from Stuart Scott, Obama is as cool as the other side of the pillow. Clinton fired shots at Obama with both barrels, and Obama handled it with an otherworldly grace. Contrast that with the well documented hot temper of presumptive Republican candidate John McCain.

McCain will run against Obama on the mantra that Barack doesn’t have the experience to be the President. But what good is experience if you have poor judgment? Case in point is the Iraq conflict. McCain supported the war even after it turned out that the reasons to invade Iraq were based on lies concocted by the Bush administration. But Barack saw through the deceptions. At a rally against the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq in October 2002, Barack spoke with clarity of vision light years ahead of the popular conventions being sprouted by the White House and the compliant press. “I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars," Barack said. "What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne. “He’s a bad guy,” Obama said, referring to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi militaries a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences,” Obama continued. “I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.” Obama reminds me of the master chess player who is looking eight moves ahead, while the Bush administration is still trying to figure out how to play checkers. Meanwhile John McCain speaks of his vision of the U.S. being in Iraq for a thousand years and bomb-bomb-bombing Iran.

Experience is great, but experience without wisdom will doom our country to making the same mistakes that the current administration has been making for the past eight years. We need a leader with both vision and intelligence. That is why I will be voting for Barack Obama on November 4th, 2008.

Viva Las Vegas!

I just received word that I was elected to one of the six spots to go to the 73rd Quadrennial Convention. Viva Las Vegas! I would like to thank everyone that supported my campaign. The Warehouse and the Carton Department really stepped up and I am thankful for every one of your votes. I realized it would be an uphill battle, especially since my shift was on their day off, but for those of you who found the time to make it down to the union hall and vote I am extremely grateful. You did your part, now it is up to me to fulfill me pledge and bring you the best coverage I can from the Quadrennial. My attitude toward the Quadrennial is that this is an excellent opportunity to learn, and most importantly to pass on what I learn to my fellow brothers and sisters in GMP Local 17. Stay Tuned!

Why I want to be nominated to the 2008 Quadrennial Convention.

On May 28th members of GMP Local 17 will have a chance during the May monthly union meeting to vote for the delegates that we will send to the 73rd Quadrennial Convention which will convene from Monday, August 4 to Saturday, August 9th 2008 in Las Vegas. Six members will be allowed to attend, not including the President of GMP Local 17, Carlos Contreras. There are several reasons why I wish to be elected. Most importantly, I am against any union dues increase. I believe that the union needs to tighten their belts just like everybody else has during these economically tough times. There are other reasons, of course. If you see me at work ask me about them and I will be happy to expand upon it.
I believe that the convention should be an opportunity to learn and a chance to teach what we have learned to the members who cannot attend. I will use this site to blog live from the event and I will post video blogs so that everyone that desires to can find out what is happening at the convention. I pledge to bring back what I have learned and share this information with anyone who is interested. The use of this website will allow members to send feedback to me about what I am reporting. This goes along with my belief that our union will be stronger when everybody has a chance to participate and influence our union. The way we can achieve this is by activating committees that are in our bylaws but are currently unoccupied, and by giving members the educational tools so they can become better union members. I hope that this website can become the beginning of a conversation between union members so that we can share our knowledge and experience with each other. There is nothing more dangerous then an educated union member!

I am asking for your vote at the monthly union meeting on May 28th, 2008.
Where: The Union Hall at 205 1/2 S. Santa Cruz Ave.
Times are 6:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 6:30 pm.

The Right Stuff.

Here is the follow up to my previous posting. It is good to see that some unions still have the right stuff!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/04/30/financial/f155200D55.DTL&hw=International+Longshore+Warehouse+Union&sn=001&sc=1000

Union Muscle

While reading the San Francisco Chronicle Saturday morning I found this fantastic article on the front page of the Business section, “Longshore Workers Taking Off”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/26/BUC610C2HA.DTL

Members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union are planning a work stoppage on May 1st to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though the union leadership has withdrawn its request for a "stop-work meeting" to the Pacific Maritime Association, who manages the waterfront. Apparently the ILWU is entitled to schedule a “stop-work meeting” once a month to discuss union business, but typically the union only does this on the second work shift in the evening. For their anti-war protest, the ILWU wanted to schedule the meeting/protest from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is the busiest shift of the day. The Pacific Maritime Association would not agree to this request, and the union leadership withdrew the stop-work request. Apparently the rank and file members did not get the message and still plan to protest. According to Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the ILWU:

"The Longshore Caucus resolution calling on all locals to honor May 1 by taking action to end the war and bring the troops home safely from Iraq continues to move forward. Various voluntary rallies and public demonstrations are scheduled for May Day."

A couple of things really struck me about this article. First, I was struck by the fact that it was the Vietnam War veterans in the ILWU who advocated having the war protest. According to the SF Chronicle there was a spirited debate within the union, and it was the impassioned pleas of the Vietnam vets that turned the tide of opinion into taking this action, which will basically shut down the ports of the entire West Coast.

Secondly, regardless of how you feel about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, you have to be impressed by the solidarity of a union that had an honest debate, voted overwhelmingly to support a day of protest, and are now taking action. This is the type of solidarity that most unions can only dream of achieving. To achieve this type of union activism you have to have strong leadership at the top and strong dedication by the rank and file members.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the significance of May 1 for the labor movement, I would suggest this article to get acquainted with the International Workers' Day of May Day:

http://www.iww.org/projects/mayday/origins.shtml

Letters to the Bee

These are two letters that I wrote to the Modesto Bee that were published in the last year.

Posted on Sun, Mar. 09, 2008

Tell it to laid-off Hershey workers

March 09, 2008

I can't remember being more incensed after reading an article then I was after reading Fareed Zakaria's column, "Democrats demonstrate two weaknesses" (March 4, Page B-7), in which he pillories Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for wanting to renegotiate trade agreements.

Zakaria writes, "There are no serious economists or experts who believe that low wages in Mexico or China or India is the fundamental reason that American factories close down." He should tell that to the former workers at the Hershey plant who saw their jobs outsourced because of the low wages and lack of environmental standards available in Mexico.

Zakaria quotes a New Delhi television station as saying that hearing the Democrats talk about trade "is enough to send jitters down the spine of most in India." I say that we should be more concerned about the shiver that is sent down the spine of the American workers who have just learned that their good-paying jobs are being shipped overseas.

Free trade is not fair trade, and I look forward to electing a president who will negotiate trade deals that will benefit American workers, not hurt them.

STEPHEN TALBOTT

Waterford

Posted on Wed, Sep. 19, 2007

Worker help measure is underfunded

September 19, 2007

Regarding "Feds deny funds for Hershey workers" (Sept. 13, Page A-1): It is extremely disturbing, but not surprising, that the workers at the Hershey plant are not getting the help they need from the Bush administration's Department of Labor.

The Trade Adjustment Act, which was designed to help workers whose jobs are being lost to trade and offshoring, is underfunded and constantly subject to budget cuts. I am also concerned that county work force officials are asking for help from the 19th Congressional District's George Radanovich who, according to the AFL-CIO Web site, has one of the worst voting records in Congress when it comes to pro-worker and pro-union bills. I noted that Radanovich did not comment himself on the Hershey worker's plight, but had a spokesman speak for him. Perhaps the county officials would have better luck contacting the 18th Congressional District's Dennis Cardoza, who has a great record of voting on pro-working families issues.

STEPHEN TALBOTT

Waterford