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Brothers
and Sisters, Thank you for sending me to the 2010 Washington
State Labor Council Legislative Conference in Tacoma on
February 10th & 11th. I had a chance to
talk with several of our State Congressional staff and listen to
a number of speeches, from our Governor, the speaker of the
House of Representatives , Senate Majority leader and others.
Contained in their speeches was both good news and bad news.
Many of
you are aware of some of the bad news: 1 in 13 Washington
State residents is receiving food stamps at this time - over
340 thousand of our fellow citizens in Washington are looking
for work. The state is facing a 9 Billon dollar short fall over
the next two years and the state cannot cut 2.7 billon dollars
of State Budget because these are essential programs.
So what is
the "Good News" According to the Speaker
of the House of Representatives Frank Chopp,
1. the
2010 Jobs Bill has passed the house , this bill will provide
enough money to create many new jobs combined with the
2. Work
Force Funding Bill, which will create 20,000 jobs.
3 There is
a bill will guarantee Nurses and health care workers break and
rest periods - which under a loop hole in the law, health
facilities have been denying nurses and workers.
4 -
another bill that will allow labor unions a voice on Transit
boards.
5. Our
friends in the house are not allowing any legislation that will
allow for any funding attacks on our workers compensation to get
out of committee.
6 - many
of our friends in Olympia will not allow for attacks to be made
on our unemployment insurance funding
The
Governor, The speaker of the House, and the Majority Leader of
the State Senate agree on the following:
1. We
cannot get this state out of its debt short falls just by
cutting essential programs that benefit the most vulnerable of
our state - the Elderly, the ill and infirm, the children, low
income and the unemployed masses. We must find new creative
sources of funding and the state must close many of the 19
million dollars worth of tax loop holes that it has accorded
business over the last few decades , it time business pays its
fare.
2. To
be responsive to the people of this state Jobs , Jobs , JOBS ,
the creation of jobs and of job programs must be our highest
priority - not only putting the people of this state to work but
keeping them at work.
3. To
improve the failing infrastructure of our state roads, highways
and bridges - this will also bring about more employment.
4. The
State must protect the assets of your unemployment insurance
fund --- 27 other states raided their unemployment funds and
now their states have no unemployment fund at all.
5. Research
and utilize alternative sources of funding - such as long term
construction bonds.
In
closing I would like to share some thoughts that Representative
Steve Conway shared with me; The People and all workers should
stand up and tell the Politicians and Law makers that they are
mad and fed up with the way business is done in this country.
Instead of worrying about big government and making government
small, we need to come up with a government that functions ,
watches out for and cares for the well being of we the people
and worries less about how the votes will be counted in the
next election. The only way those that are elected will know how
the people feel is by the average Joe and Jean taking the time
to call , email or write a letter. Or if they can visit with
their elected officials.
Yours in solidarity
Gary Drexler
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GOOD JOBS
I attended a
workshop on the AFL-CIO Plan for economic relief. Here are the 5
points for recovery the AFL-CIO believes will bring our country
back to greatness.
The gap in the Job
market has increased so much that we have a 10.9 million gap
between jobs and productivity. We believe to fill that gap in 2
years it would take 583,000 jobs every month between now and
then.
THE AFL-CIO RESPONSE:
OUR FIVE – POINT PLAN
1.
Take care of families
hard hit by the downturn.
2.
Rebuild America with
infrastructure improvements.
3.
Help state and local
governments
4.
Put people to work
doing work that needs to be done.
5.
Put TARP money to work
for Main Street.
OUR WORKS STARTS NOW
·
Goal: Create Good Jobs
NOW
The
Fight: Congress and State Houses
Our Partners :
Unions, Sate and Local Bodies, Constituency Groups, Working
America, Community Services and our allies.
VOTERS REVOLT
Last weeks special election in
Massachusetts showed the deep frustration, anger and desperation
over the need for jobs felt by the working men and women: It was
genuine working class revolt. Voters want to see real change and
elected officials are going to have to fight to win change, if
they are to earn the votes of the working people.
Working families
feel like WALL STREET is being taken care of, Corporate America
is being taken care of, and Insurance companies are being taken
care of, BUT WE ARE BEING LEFT OUT IN THE COLD.
61 percent of the voters in
Massachusetts said they think the government recession policies
have helped large banks a lot or a fair amount. Only 18 percent
believe government has helped the average working people.
So if the
legislatures want our vote in November, they better start
finding a way out of this and start creating a decent livable
wage paying job, or they may be on the outside looking in come
this NOVEMBER
In
Solidarity, Dale R.
Broadsword,
Vice-President
United Steelworkers, Local 338
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