Health Care Reform

Take a moment to read Paul Krugman’s column on the health care reform legislation working its way through Congress. I have been reading Krugman for years and he is usually ahead of the curve, certainly he called the housing bubble well before the crash. He says of health care reform legislation, “For all its flaws and limitations, it’s a great achievement. It will provide real, concrete help to tens of millions of Americans and greater security to everyone. And it establishes the principle — even if it falls somewhat short in practice — that all Americans are entitled to essential health care." Read it here: Tidings of Comfort

Union Meeting

I would like to thank everyone who attended the December union meetings held on the 16^th. We had an almost 50% increase in attendance from the November meetings, which is a fantastic result. I would like to challenge every GMP Local #17 member who reads my blog to find someone at the plant who has never attended a meeting and get him or her to attend the next union meeting on January 27^th. Spread the word about the union meetings. The union meeting is the heart of any union. It is the time that the leadership conducts the business of the union and a chance for the union officers to inform the membership. It is also a time for the membership to inform the officers about what is happening at the plant, and to hear your ideas about how to solve these issues and problems. It is through union meetings that we build solidarity. I would encourage everyone to spread the news and let’s double the attendance again at the next meeting!

News and Notes

Since the election I have been busy with various union duties, including my first Business Committee meeting, which is a monthly meeting between the union and the company to discuss outstanding issues. Yesterday I attended my first Union Meeting as Recording Secretary and I would like to thank everyone who showed up at the meeting and I would like to encourage everyone to attend the next meeting on Dec 16^th at 6:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 6:30 pm. The rest of my time has been spent with various clerical work, including letter writing, typing up reports, and filing. I have also been fortunate in getting to spend time in conversation with President Carlos Contreras and he has been very generous with his time, educating me on the various procedures and issues that a local president has to deal with on a day to day basis. I will continue blogging about union issues that I see in the news, and write about books and magazine articles that advocate the pro-worker stance that most Americans whole heartedly support. Once again I would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote in the election and whether your preferred candidate won or lost, I would like to see all union members rally around your elected leadership. Our union will face many challenges ahead, including contract negotiations, but if we all stay united and strong we can achieve great things.

Installation of Officers

The officers of GMP Local #17 were installed yesterday. From left to right: Secretary Treasurer Jessie McKaughan, Recording Secretary Stephen Talbott, International Executive Officer Butch Carter, Trustee Denise Ford, President Carlos Contreras, and Vice-President Richard Motsenbocker. Not pictured: Trustee Mindy Browne and Jose Barajas.

Election Results

Results : President Carlos Contreras
Vice President Richard Motsenbocker
Recording Secretary Stephen Talbott
Treasurer Jesse McKaughan
Trustees Mindy Browne, Denise Ford, Jose Barajas.
Thanks to everybody who voted. I’d like to congratulate Joe Whitt and Gary Bogard on the campaign they ran, they are both great union representatives and it was an honor to run against them. Will have to celebrate later, I have to work in the morning.

Election Day

The campaigning is basically over for me at this point. I had planned to greet “A” shift as they left to vote this morning, but my wife is working today, so I made some eggs for my son’s breakfast and got him ready for school. I’ll go to the 2:30 pm union meeting and cast my ballot, then I’ll greet “C” shift as they head to the polls. The best part of the campaign for me was getting out into the different departments and talking union with my fellow union brothers and sisters. Some were enthusiastic about what I had to say, some were not, but everybody was polite, whether they intended to vote for me or not. The hot end guys were great, I was surprised how many knew who I was and to get support there was the highlight of the campaign. Special thanks to VP candidate Richard Motsenbocker for his council during this time. Standing out in the driving, windy cold air with Richard yesterday, handing out flyers and talking all things union with my co-workers is a memory I won’t soon forget. Regarding Richard, I feel like we have developed a true friendship and our union is lucky to have tenacious representatives like him fighting the good fight. As for myself, I have tried to conduct my campaign with dignity and respect. I didn’t badmouth my opponents or others running for office. I respect everybody who runs. To run for and win elected office entails a sacrifice and commitment of your free time, both at work and at home. Just because we have differences of opinions on how our union should be run, in the end we need to come together as a union to face the challenges ahead. I have heard there was some mudslinging going on at work over the campaign, but except for a few bizarre attempted posts on this blog I found most of my co-workers had positive attitudes about our union and the election (Note: This blog will not accept posts from “anonymous” anymore, if you are going to post, be man or women enough to put your name on your letter, otherwise don’t bother). So my message would be get out and vote, and regardless of who wins today support your elected officers, try to attend monthly union meetings, and support your union.

One More Day Till the Election

The best part of campaigning has been talking to fellow union members about our union. People are really looking for a positive change in how our union conducts its business. Many that I have talked to feel that they don’t have a voice in our union, and they were excited to have an opportunity to speak about issues such as lack of sick leave, and the lack of response from the local about issues that are important to them. I heard you and if I am elected you will have a voice in GMP Local #17. I spoke to fellow employees about my ideas for better communication with E-Mail Alerts, a GMP Local #17 Website, and the need for an Education Committee with an emphasis on better training for Shop Stewards. I realize that we lead busy lives, with work and family taking up so much of our time, leaving little time for relaxation. I realize you don’t always have the time to go to union meetings because maybe you have to take your kids to school after work, or pick them up from day care. This is why I want to bring the information to you. I believe I will be an effective Recording Secretary because Labor and Union issues are something I take a great interest in. I enjoy finding out information that affects my working life, like the recent changes in the tax law that is affecting our vacation checks. I would love to share this type of information with you either through e-mail or a website. I believe that access to information will make us a stronger union. We all know the company is unified in their objectives and what they want to achieve. After this election is over, regardless of the results, we need to become unified as a union to face the challenges ahead of us. To accomplish the goals that I have set for myself, I need your vote for Recording Secretary. I’ll see you soon, and don’t forget to vote Wed!

Three Days To Go

Three more days to go until the election on Wednesday October 28th at the Union Hall located at 205 S. Santa Cruz Ave in Modesto. Voting will take place between 6:00am and 6:45 pm. I am at a major disadvantage in this race because my shift will be finishing up our 7 days off on Election Day. We return to work on Thursday. So what I am asking you to do is first, vote on Wednesday. Second, call everybody you know and remind them to vote on Wednesday. Third, ask them to call everybody they know and remind them to vote on Wednesday. Turnout will be key in this race as it is in every election. I am ready to work hard for you the next three years. But I need your help. Take a few minutes, make the calls, knock on doors, and get people down to the Union Hall! Remember: Stephen Talbott for Recording Secretary.

Get Out the Vote Rally

I am holding a “Get Out the Vote Rally” on Friday October 23rd at 2:00 pm at Steve Sottile’s House at 1329 Serene Lane in Ceres. We will be serving food, playing music, and trying to create a little excitement before the vote on October 28th. Voting will take place at the union hall located at 205 S. Santa Cruz Ave between 6:00am and 6:45 pm. I am inviting any union member and their family who can make it to show up, enjoy some barbeque, and we will talk about labor and how we can strengthen our union for the tough fights ahead. Click on My Saved Places below and you can Google Map your way to the Rally. I look forward to seeing you and getting the conversation started.


View My Saved Places in a larger map

Unions Are Good for the American Economy

Next time somebody bad mouths unions, point him or her to the article I’ve linked to at the bottom. In California workers in unions on average make 12.7 percent more then non-union workers. One of the reasons the recession continues in California is because workers simply don’t have the purchasing power to keep the economy going. So the next time you run into a supervisor or manager mention to them that they need to give us a nice raise in the new contract so we will continue to have the purchasing power necessary to drive the economy. If consumer activity accounts for 70 percent of our nation’s economy, then it is in Gallo’s best interest to give us a raise. Mention that it is their patriotic duty to keep the economy rolling. Tell them that if all these various businesses continue to cut wages nobody can afford to buy their product. Read “Unions Are Good for the American Economy” and click on the State fact sheets for California to get a more personal view of California’s labor problems.

A case for a GMP Local #17 Website

A fellow union member named Jerry came up to me the other day and told me that he was trying to get the phone number of our local president, so he went to Google and typed in “GMP Local #17” and was surprised by the result. Take a moment and try it. The first two hits will take you back to my blog, including my blog on Why I am Running for Recording Secretary of GMP Local #17. At hit number 4 is the website for GMP Local #51 located in Defiance, Ohio. Directly below that is a link to financial information about our local at UnionFacts.com, one of the worst anti-union websites on the web. What this illustrates to me is the need for our local to have its own website. Whenever I bring up the idea of a website for our union I always receive a great response from my union brothers and sisters, and plenty of good ideas about what to include in such a site. A union website could include bylaws, grievance forms, newsletters, links to FMLA, Family-School Partnership Act, Disability Insurance, and Workers' Compensation information, Union Committee Reports, and labor news both local and national. Take a moment to check out this website: http://www.iue-cwa.org/
This website is packed full of useful information for its members. They use a log-on function for sensitive materials. There is no reason why we could not have something similar. Among the classes I have taken at MJC includes Introduction to Multimedia, Microcomputer Applications, Intro to Computer Graphics, and Web Graphics and Animation, where we built working websites. I feel quite confident I could build a secure website for our local, and I don’t doubt that I could find plenty of volunteers from our computer savvy membership who would be happy to help me out in such a project. I believe it is time for our local to stop communicating like it is the 1950’s and use the tools available in the computer age to increase communication and knowledge. As always I would love to get your input on this our any other ideas you might have about ways to increase communication in our local.

The Modesto Bee

After reading one anti-union letter after another in the Modesto Bee, I decided to respond to one titled, “Unions never helped the workers.” My response was printed in today’s issue. The Bee misprinted the name of my local. I actually wrote after my name “Proud member of GMP Local #17” they printed it as “member, Glass, Molders, Pottery and Allied Workers International Union, Local No. 17” The actual name of my union is Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union. The Modesto Bee also picked the title. Here is the text of my letter, or you can link to it here: Modesto Bee Letter.

How unions really operate.
The latest anti-union letter, "Unions never helped the workers" (Sept. 24), is so full of fallacies that I wonder if the writer ever worked in a union. I have worked in a union for 28 years and I would like to clear up a few misconceptions.
My union doesn't tell me how to vote. Unions don't want every small business to be unionized; we just want them to have a fair chance to join a union. Unions haven't caused manufacturers to leave the country; this has been the result of free trade, cheap labor and nonexistent environmental standards overseas.
Are there some bad apples in labor? Of course, but there are bad apples in every walk of life, including Wall Street and the government.
So what has my union done for me? Thanks to my union I have been able to receive a fair wage for my labor, health care for me and my family, and a pension so I can retire with dignity. In exchange, the union provides the company with a highly motivated work force, which increases productivity and profits.
STEPHEN TALBOTT
member, Glass, Molders, Pottery and Allied Workers International Union,
Local No. 17
Waterford

Communication

Lately I have been thinking a lot about communication. Specifically how our union communicates its message to its members. The number one way most of us get information is through the grapevine. Somebody hears something, maybe a Shop Steward or an affected employee, who passes information to another union member, and so on. Another way to get information is by attending a union meeting. Often I will get asked what happened at the meeting, and my account of the meeting will get added to the grapevine. Elected officers, shop stewards, and committee members can also be sources of information. Union bulletin boards often have information of interest. As good as these sources of information can be it seems to me that in today’s digital age we are not utilizing the many modes of communication available.
Lack of communication between the local and its members is not exclusive to our union; it is a problem through out the labor movement. As Philip M. Dine clearly points out in his must read book about the labor movement “State of the Unions” labor has done a poor job of communicating its views, aspirations, and accomplishments, which has given the opportunity for labor’s adversaries to define unions in a negative way. But I believe there are opportunities at the local level to use technology to unite our union in ways that weren’t possible in the past. For example, lately when I see our younger union members interacting socially, instead of sitting around talking, generally they have their phones out, sharing e-mail messages or videos. What if the union harnessed this mode of communication and sent out e-mail alerts of news that pertain to their jobs and what their union is doing for them? Imagine if you opened your e-mail and received “A Message from your Union” in your inbox. A perfect example of the need for this has occurred during the last couple of days. I was recently informed that Gallo Glass has initiated another round of layoffs. I found out about this through Facebook messages from co-workers who had heard the news. How much better would it have been to have received this information from our union leadership, where they could have explained exactly what has happened and what the union is doing about it? Through e-mails we could send out information to interested members with one click of a button. Accomplishing this would as simple as collecting e-mail addresses from interested members, and adding them to a distribution list. I see e-mail alerts as another piece of the puzzle to help unify our union further. This is obviously not a new idea, many organizations use mass e-mailings to get their message out. I would appreciate any feed back on this idea or any ideas you have about ways to better communicate in our union.

Richard L. Trumka Bio

I am excited about the AFL-CIO’s new leadership team, headed by President Richard Trumka. He talks about the crisis facing American workers. Listening to him you hear the words of a fighter, which is exactly the type of individual we need heading the labor movement. I know there is a lot of apprehension among the workers at Gallo Glass, what with contract negotiations right around the corner and layoffs occurring, but now is the time to stand behind your union and present a solid front as we move forward to contract negotiations. Watch the video below and get inspired:

Why I am running for Recording Secretary of GMP Local # 17

The duties of the Recording Secretary of GMP Local #17 are quite straight forward, if you go by the description located in the latest version of the GMP #17 Bylaws, which were last updated in 1988. According to the bylaws the Recording Secretary “Shall be in attendance at all Local Union meetings, take the minutes and assist the President at said meetings”. This is obviously an important task, as it is vital to keep accurate records of what transpires in the monthly union meetings. If called upon by the President I believe that I can help him or her in several ways, including helping with communication, letter writing, and filing. A little about my education background, I am currently pursuing an English degree at MJC, where I am currently carrying a 3.9 GPA based on 49 credits.

I believe our union is at a critical junction in its history. An important contract negotiation is right around the corner. Fellow union brothers and sisters are being laid off by the company. We will need union officers with the educational background, the life experience, and the desire to carry out many complicated tasks in the months and years ahead. I am ready to work for you but I will need your help. I am asking for your vote on October 28th. The election will take place at the union hall located at 205 S. Santa Cruz Ave. During the election the union hall will be open for voting from 6:00 AM until 6:45 PM. If you wish to contact me about the election, or just wish to talk about unionism in general, feel free to call me at (209) 499-2859, or e-mail me at knightbox@charter.net.

          

Richard L. Trumka

The AFL-CIO has elected a new President. His name is Richard L. Trumka. I was fortunate to hear him speak at the GMP Quadrennial Convention last year and he will be a force to be reckoned with. Here is a good article by Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times about Richard.  Promising a New Day, Again. When I saw him in Las Vegas he gave one of the best speeches I had ever heard about race. I have linked to a similar speech here. AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka on Racism and Obama

2009 AFL-CIO Convention

The 2009 AFL-CIO Convention is happening this week. Check out live feeds and video at the official website. I’ll have some comments once the convention is over. I’ve linked to it here:

2009 AFL-CIO Convention

The Last Truck: Closing of a G.M. Plant

If you have HBO or even if you don’t, do yourself a favor and find a copy and watch the latest HBO documentary “The Last Truck: Closing of a G.M. Plant.” When news broke that the Moraine assembly plant, near Dayton, Ohio was closing, director Julia Reichert filmed the workers as their final days of making vehicles for GM approached. The director let the workers tell the story, and the effect is both touching and heartbreaking. Having worked in a factory for 28 years, the faces and stories of the workers seemed familiar to me. Their pride in their plant, their dedication to their work and their fears of an uncertain future are easy for any factory worker to relate to. Members of GMP Local #17 will recognize the ISO sign hanging outside the plant’s turnstiles, which look identical to the ones we use. If you work in a factory you know that not everyone can do factory work. It takes a certain type of determination and strength of character. To watch these union brothers and sisters dedicate their lives to putting out a superior product, only to be downsized in the midst of a government bailout, seems a particularly cruel irony. When Popeye, a toolmaker, reflected on the possible end of his middle class existence, he says, "My grandson will have a worse life than I had." I wonder if Americans really understand what America will look like with the end of the good paying blue collar manufacturing jobs that created the middle class in this country.

Labor Day News and Notes

Barack Obama gave a great speech at the ALF-CIO picnic. He spoke about what every American, and certainly every union brother or sister should know, that many of the rights and privileges that every American enjoys were built on the backs of the labor movement. To quote Barack, “So let us never forget: much of what we take for granted-the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, health insurance, paid leave, pensions, Social Security, Medicare-they all bear the union label. It was the American worker-union men and women-who returned from World War II to make our economy the envy of the world. It was labor that helped build the largest middle class in history. So even if you're not a union member, every American owes something to America's labor movement.” I also like what he said about the current health care system in regards to labor negotiations, “And we know what that future looks like (without health care reform). Insurance companies raking in the profits while discriminating against people because of pre-existing conditions and denying or dropping coverage when you get sick. It means you're never negotiating about higher wages, because you're spending all your time just protecting the benefits you already have.” That is certainly the truth. I have observed in our contract negotiations that fighting to keep our health benefits intact sucks the air right out of the room, leaving no room for any real wage increases. So wages stay stagnant, the cost of living goes up, and we fall further behind. Barack is right when he says that the American dream is slipping away for many. A strengthened labor movement can bring it back. Read or watch the speech here: Obama Labor Day Speech

The full video of the speech is at the end of the text.

Its Official-Toyota pulls the plug

It’s official as Toyota moves production from the unionized Fremont plant to various non-union plants, where Toyota can get their vehicles made with cheap labor and little or no benefits or pensions. It’s another great example of the wonders of free trade, with our manufacturing base in this country being outsourced to foreign soil, or moving to states where companies don’t have to worry about burdens like worker’s rights or decent wages. I am left wondering who is going to buy these expensive cars or trucks once the middle class is finally eliminated in this country.

Read The End of the Line.

Another fire at Gallo Glass!

This fire resulted in the evacuation of the plant. Here is some early reporting:

The Modesto Bee

CBS 13

FOX 40

Sink the Drink Tax on Facebook

Sink the Drink Tax is on Facebook. Click on the link and become a fan.

Sink the Drink Tax

California’s last auto plant

This article appeared today in the Modesto Bee, I am linking to the original article in the LA Times. Workers bracing to say goodbye to Toyota auto plant. 3,600 good union jobs will be gone as GM and now it appears Toyota will be leaving the state. I have a friend that works at the NUMMI auto plant in Fremont and now he will be unemployed while part of the GM bailout plan includes a doubling of the vehicles that GM will import from overseas factories to make up the difference. Somebody remind me why it was a good idea to bail out GM just to let 3600 union jobs disappear, not to mention all the other jobs at other plants lost to downsizing. In my opinion the auto bailout has stunk right from the beginning, starting with the Obama administration essentially trying to break the backs of the UAW (United Auto Workers) with his Auto Task Force, demanding concessions in workers’ health benefits and pension funding, not to mention allowing the downsizing. Essentially our government has given GM billions of dollars so they could lay off tens of thousands of workers. William Greider gets it right in Breaking Down the Auto Bailout, an article that appeared in May in The Nation. Here is the Local 2244 in pictures:

California's last remaining auto plant-Photos.

The Shipping Point

I found this interesting article about the difficulty of organizing temporary workers. Whatever happened to the Employee Free Choice Act? Harold Meyerson has of late been writing some pretty interesting articles about unionism, this is another one. Read about it here: The Shipping Point.

GMP Local #17 Elections.

As you may already be aware, the date for the nominations and election for officers to represent GMP #17 is set. According to the latest issue of GMP Horizons magazine the nomination of officers will be on September 23rd during the regularly scheduled union meetings. The election will be on October 28th. The nominations and election will take place at the union hall located at 205 S. Santa Cruz Ave. Times for union meetings are 6:30 A.M., 2:30 P.M., and 6:30 P.M. During the election the union hall will be open for voting from 6:00 until 6:45. I will be talking more about the election in the days and months ahead. I have made it no secret that I intend to run for office, and I will write an article soon about which position I intend to run for and why I am running. The rest will be up to you. I will be setting up an election committee soon and I will be looking for volunteers to carry out a variety of functions. I can be contacted by phone at (209) 499-2859 or you can talk to me in the Carton Department on “D” shift. Unions in this country are at a critical crossroad and we need officers who have the ability, education, and experience to carry out a number of tasks. They also need to have the drive and determination to fight for what is right for the members of our union, both current and retired. I believe I have those qualities and can bring not only a vast life experience, but also a unique skill set that will be an asset to the union.

The Health Care Debate

This article by Atul Gawande should be required reading for anyone interested in learning more about health care costs and why some areas of the country are able to hold down costs while they skyrocket elsewhere. According to Nicholas Kristof this article has become required reading at the Obama Whitehouse. Read it here: The Cost Conundrum.

Sink the Drink Tax Redux

As many of you are doubtless aware, some legislators in the California State Assembly would like a regressive alcohol tax to become a part of California law. This tax has reared its ugly head in the form of two pieces of legislation, AB 1019 and SB 558. Below is a letter I wrote to the Chair of the Jobs and Economic Development Committee, Manuel Perez, who is a good pro-labor representative in the 80th Assembly District. I am also posting his response to my letter, which is that the bill died in committee. I would ask everyone who cares about this issue to remain vigilant and click on this link or the Sink the Drink Tax banner to stay informed on this issue and learn about what steps can be taken to combat these taxes that would definitely hurt the wine industry in California. I would also like to thank Chuck McIntyre and the West Coast Protective League and all the work they do to protect the wine and glass industry. Below is the response to my letter:

Hello Stephen,I am sure that you are aware by now that the proposed legislation, AB 1019, died in committee yesterday. I stayed off the vote knowing how, if passed, the law would have hurt many businesses, including yours. As the Chair of Jobs and Economic Development, I want you to know that I am working to keep people in their jobs and building policy to support small businesses in California. Thanks for writing. VMPerez, 80th AD

This was my letter:

From: Stephen Talbott To: Perez, Manuel Sent: Wed Apr 22 11:02:43 2009 Subject: AB 1019

Dear Manuel Perez,

As a 28 year employee at the Gallo Glass Company who is feeling the impact of the global recession on everything from rising prices on gas to my 401K being diminished daily, I am very disappointed to learn that the California Legislature is again considering a proposal to raise taxes on alcohol, including wine.My company has already laid off over 40 employees in February, due in part to the reeling economy. These are good union jobs, with pensions and health insurance. This new tax will further burden an industry that is already struggling, as are many companies in California. This tax will potentially cost thousands of more jobs in the state. Excise taxes are regressive and hurt the people who can least afford it.Our state government needs to find more creative ways to balance the budget, and stop burdening consumers and damaging companies which are already hurting from a painful recession.
Please oppose AB 1019 and SB 558 because consumers like me are already paying enough and we cannot afford to lose any more jobs.

Sincerely,

Stephen Talbott

GMP Local Union #17 AFL-CIO, CLC

Collective Bargaining comes to Wal-Mart

A first for North America. Read Here!

Tea Baggers

All jokes aside, I have been watching the Tax Day Tea Party protests and I really have no idea what they are getting so worked up about. Last time I checked my taxes were about the same as they have been the last few years. Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for this link to Conor Clarke’s post What Are Tax Day Tea Parties Protesting? which discusses the expiration of the Bush tax cuts that will only nominally affect those who make over 250,000 a year. I don’t like paying taxes either, but money for police, fire department, road maintenance, our military, the post office, schools, park maintenance, and everything else that makes our society work has to come from somewhere.

Buy America

A recent survey of 65 historians organized by Rice University professor Douglas Brinkley for the television network C-SPAN rank Abraham Lincoln as our greatest American President. See here and here. Few would argue the choice. So what did our greatest President say about free trade? As you may be aware, a storm of protest has erupted over the Buy America provisions in the economic stimulus bill which will be signed by President Barack Obama today, with many screaming about “protectionism” and President Obama stating that “we can’t send a protectionist message,” Furthermore the Senate softened the Buy America provision in the stimulus bill. All this goes back to a simple question: What kind of trade policy are we going to have in the Obama administration? Will it be the trade policy which he campaigned on, one that would renegotiate trade agreements which were unfair to American workers, or will he be a free trader in the Bush or Clinton mold? Our greatest President, Honest Abe, saw the issue of Free Trade with clarity and insight. To quote our greatest American President, “I don’t know much about the tariff. But I know this much. When we buy manufactured goods abroad, we get the goods and the foreigner gets the money. When we buy manufactured goods at home, we get both the goods and the money.” And “Abandonment of the protectionist policy of the American Government must result in the increase of both useless labor and idleness, and so, in proportion must produce want and ruin among our people.” Almost sounds like Lincoln was talking about NAFTA. I hope that our current President from Illinois will heed the words of Lincoln and renegotiate trade agreements that have brought “want and ruin” to the American people and stick to the principles of fairness for the American worker. Here is a discussion on the Buy America provisions in the stimulus package. As usual, the great Senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown, hits the nail on the head, “An $800 billion trade deficit and they accuse the United States of protectionism? Two-billion-dollars-a-day net outflow of trade dollars and they claim we are closing our borders? In Ohio, people would say that accusations like that don’t pass the straight face test.”

Link of the Week

Good article by Media Matters about the lies being spread by the right wing media, in this case Fox News, about the Employee Free Choice Act. This article also contains good information about the National Labor Relations Act.

"THEN ... WAGNER ACT"

Why We Need Stronger Unions, and How to Get Them

Please read Robert Reich on the importance of unions and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Why We Need Stronger Unions, and How to Get Them

Frustration with state budget boils over

This is a copy of the letter I wrote to the Modesto Bee which appeared on February 3rd, 2009 on page A-9.

Frustration with state budget boils over

As an employee at the Gallo Glass Co. who is feeling the impact of the global recession on everything from rising gas prices to my 401(k) diminishing daily, I am very disappointed to learn that the Legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger are considering a proposal to raise taxes on spirits, including wine.
My company is already laying off more than 40 employees, due in part to the reeling economy. These are good union jobs, with pensions and health insurance. This new tax will further burden an industry that is already struggling, as are many companies in California. This tax will potentially cost thousands more jobs. Excise taxes such as the one being proposed are regressive and hurt those who can least afford it.
Our state government needs to find more creative ways to balance the budget and stop burdening consumers and damaging companies which are already hurting. For more information on this proposed tax, please go to: http://capwiz.%20com/sinkthedrinktax/home/.
STEPHEN TALBOTT
Welfare Committee, GMP Local Union #17 AFL-CIO, CLC
Waterford

A Death Spiral

Most respected economists agree that the way to fight out of a recession is to spend more and tax less. You have to keep money flowing in the system, and to do that you need to create jobs. The federal government and especially President Obama understand that. So why does the state of California have it backwards? They want to raise taxes, and cut jobs. What they are doing is creating a death spiral in our state. This tax on alcohol, including wine, will hurt the economy and the state. What our state government needs to do is get on board with the federal plan and borrow the money so we can keep spending and keep jobs in the state. When the crisis is over, then pay your debts and set up a rainy day fund for the future.

Sink the Drink Tax!

As an 28 year employee at the Gallo Glass Company who is feeling the impact of the global recession on everything from rising prices on gas to my 401K being diminished daily, I am very disappointed to learn that the California Legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger is considering a proposal to raise taxes on alcohol, including wine.

My company is already laying off over 40 employees at the start of February, due in part to the reeling economy. These are good union jobs, with pensions and health insurance. This new tax will further burden an industry that is already struggling, as are many companies in California. This tax will potentially cost thousands of more jobs in the state. Excise taxes such as the one being proposed to help “balance” the budget are regressive and hurt the people who can least afford it.

Our state government needs to find more creative ways to balance the budget, and stop burdening consumers and damaging companies which are already hurting from a painful recession. For more information on this proposed tax please go to: sinkthedrinktax.com and act before more jobs are lost.

The Labor Agenda

In case you missed it, the link is to the New York Times editorial which asks for a quick vote on the Employee Free Choice Act. I would suggest that every union member at Local 17, and anyone else who believes in fairness and worker’s rights fire off a letter to their Senators and Representatives and demand passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Labor Agenda