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.