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.