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 The word always comes down from the top. And for the past nearly eight years of the Bush administration (or should we say mis-administration?), the "word" has been pro big business and anti worker. If there’s a way to stick it to the unions and the hard working men and women of this great country, the corporate honchos will find it.
Well, we’re fighting back. We’re sick and tired of double dealing and underhanded shenanigans, and we're not going to take it any more.
I am speaking specifically of two unscrupulous trends that strike a low blow to workers' rights and livelihoods.
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 We woke up the Wednesday morning after another "do-or-die" pair of primaries in North Carolina and Indiana very much in the same spot we were in when we went to bed Tuesday night. Senators Obama and Clinton, although Obama maintains an edge in delegates and momentum, still locked up for the Democratic Presidential nomination. As most of the political pundits put it, "there was no knockout punch." Sports analogies seem to be very popular this time around.
In a recent issue of the Chicago Tribune, two columnists described the battle for the nomination in terms of a seventh game in the NBA championship. That's one way to look at it. I think baseball provides a much more realistic comparison and here's why. In game seven of an NBA championship, when it's over, it's over. One team loses, one team wins and everybody goes home to spend a few months playing golf and relaxing.
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"Stimulus" A Grand IllusionThe health of the economy has everyone concerned. Downturn, recession, Inflation, deflation, depression or stagnation have the most impact if it means that you have lost your house or job. Let's look at the proposed "stimulus" meant to get the economy back on track.
The Bush administration is going to send close to $175 billion dollars in stimulus checks to save the American economy and keep us from a recession by having us spend the checks in the U.S.A. If they do spend on consumer goods, it is very likely most people will be buying products made in India, China or some other foreign country. |
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Union members, of all American consumers, are probably the most concerned about buying products that are union made and made in America. And, tha's good. But as the old saying goes, "Buyer Beware." A product's nameplate isn't always the best indicator of where and by whom it was made.
Many of you can remember the old GM jingle that said, "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet. America's the greatest land of all!" So, Chevy = American, right? Well, sometimes not. |
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While IBEW Local 134 is and will always be the primary subject of the News & Views, we think it's important to share news, trends and significant developments from organized labor on a national scale. It is reassuring that the thoughts and goals of diverse unions in states and localities hundreds of miles from Cook County are not dissimilar from what we and the Chicago Federation of Labor strive for here. The common thread is "members come first," and that's the way it's supposed to be. There is strength in numbers. There is a reason for political activity. And resolution begins with negotiation. |
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 Local 134 Leads Picket Line Against
Downtown Marriott Non-Union Remodeling
If you've got family or friends coming in from out of town, you
might want to suggest that they scratch the downtown Marriott Hotel,
201 East Walton, off their list of potential places to stay. In fact,
all of our members should reconsider staying at any Marriott anywhere.
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