Need your help for a speech tomorrow! "Guy James"

I'm speaking to a large AFL-CIO group tomorrow and there are going to be a couple of Republican office holders there. Do any of you know of ANYTHING any Republican administration has done to help organized labor? Secondly, name the things you know Democratic Administrations have done to help Labor.

Thanks,
Guy James

Because there have been so many Jews, Christians and other Democrats who took to heart the GREAT PASSAGES of the Bible (as opposed to the chaff), Democrats have been moved to ACT on the teaching of passages like the following (while Republicans usually OPPOSED the implimentation of such teaching, calling it "communism", rather than "Judeo-Christianity":
Micah 6: 8-12 }
" What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? The voice of the LORD cries to the city : . . . Can I forget the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the accursed scant measure? Can I tolerate wicked scales and a bag of dishonest weights?
Your wealthy are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, with tongues of deceit in their mouths. Your rich men are wealthy through extortion and violence; your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can't tell the truth! "
That's not something that the rich and powerful of any age appreciate hearing. They have been known to hurt and even kill preachers who stress such scriptures, while regularly rewarding with power, money and influence those preachers who tow the line and promote the belief that the rich have "earned" their vast economic advantage over the poor "by hard work" -- in sharp contrast to the poor, who could be rich too, if they too would only work hard. --
Under the leadership of President Harry S. Truman, 1945 - 1953
the cries of many needy people were heard (Just about ALL of the achievements below helped improve the lives of working class people either here or abroad):

Full Employment Act
Permanent School Lunch program
Integration of the Armed Forces
Veterans Emergency Housing Act
Public Health Service Act
National Housing Act
Marshall Plan
----------

" If they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them."
Adlai Stevenson, (who lost to Ike Eisenhower)


{ Amos 8:4-7 }
" Listen, you merchants who rob the poor, trampling on the needy; you who long for the Sabbath to end and the religious holydays to be over so you can get out and start cheating again -- using your weighted scales and under-sized measures; you who make slaves of the poor, buying them for their debt of a piece of silver or a pair of shoes, or selling them your moldy wheat."

Once again, this kind of scripture doesn't make those who oppress or exploit others happy. But if you put yourself in the shoes of the men, women and children who are being oppressed, it should certainly make you happy to know that God doesn't approve of sneaky merchandisers who are constantly using dirty tricks to reduce the quantity and/or quality of their products and / or increasing the prices, and eliminating the opportunities customers have to buy such products at lower prices from competitors.
If Amos is right, then, although businessmen may never hear a word of it from their ministers or priests, they will learn when it is too late... The Lord has sworn: " I won't forget your deeds! "

{ Micah 7:3 }
" They go at their evil deeds with both hands, and how skilled they are in using them! The governor and judge alike demand bribes . The rich man pays them off and tells them whom to ruin. Justice is twisted between them."

{ Amos 2:6-7 }
The Lord says, " The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished any more. For they have perverted justice by accepting bribes and sold into slavery the poor who can't repay their debts; they trade them for a pair of shoes. They trample the poor in the dust and kick aside the meek. At their religious feasts they lounge in clothing stolen from their debtors, and in my own Temple they offer sacrifices of wine they purchased with stolen money."

{Amos 5:12 }
"For many and great are your sins. I know them all so well. You are the enemies of everything good; you take bribes; you refuse justice to the poor."
What's this? People in public office allowing themselves to be persuaded by people with money to deny justice to those with less money and prestige? Maybe God won't consider all of those "campaign contributions" and lobbying gifts given by the rich to the politicians or our day as bribes and will not hold the harm these politicians do to the poor against them. Maybe God will forgive powerful employers for taking enormous benefits for themselves and denying their employees the right to even join together in unions to demand safer working conditions and more just compensation for themselves and their families. Maybe God will smile on people who become billionaires by exploiting those laborers least protected by their governments and communities around the world. Maybe the prophets didn't know what they were talking about ! but what if they did?
Under the leadership
of President
John F. Kennedy,

1961 - 1963
the cries of many
needy people were heard :
Peace Corps
Aid to Dependent Children program
Small Business Investment Act
Establishment of Arms Control
and Disarmament Agency
Consumer drug protection laws
Equal Pay Act
Manpower Development and Retraining Act
Clean Air Act
Mental Health and Mental Retardation Act


"With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
John F. Kennedy

{ Isaiah 58:1-10 }:
" Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast; tell my people of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and are so delighted to hear the reading of my laws -- just as though they would obey them -- just as though they don't despise the commandments of their God! How anxious they are to worship correctly; oh, how they love the Temple services! ; ' We have fasted before you,' they say. ' Why aren't you impressed? Why don't you see our sacrifices? Why don't you hear our prayers? We have done much penance, and you don't even notice it! '
I'll tell you why! Because you are living in evil pleasure even while you are fasting, and you keep right on oppressing your workers. Look, what good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. Is this what I want -- this doing of penance and bowing like reeds in the wind, putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes? Is this what you call fasting? The kind of fast (i.e. religiously inspired behavior) I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don't hide from relatives who need your help.
If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you. Your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! "Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day."
{ Isaiah 1:17 }
"Learn to do good, to be fair and to help the poor, the fatherless, and widows."
{ Proverbs 14:31 }
"Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God."
{ Proverbs 19:17 }
" When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord -- and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!"

Under the leadership
of President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963 -1968
the cries of many needy people were heard :
College and Vocational Education Act
Civil Rights Act
Voting Rights Act
Mass Transportation Act
Omnibus Poverty Act: { Office of Economic Opportunity, VISTA, Job Corps, and Public Assistance programs }
War on Poverty
Head Start (for pre-school children)
Land Conservation Fund
Permanent Food Stamp Program
Appalachia Regional Development Act
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Higher Education Act
Older Americans Act { Medicare & Medicaid }
Law Enforcement Assistance Act
Immigration Reform Act
Freedom of Information Law
Fair Housing Act
Housing and Urban Development
{ low-income housing }
Clean Water Restoration Act
Coal Mine Health and Safety Act

There's even more where this came from



at http://www.LiberalsLikeChrist.Org/Democrats.

historians might tell us that Teddy Roosevelt had some good ideas, but didn't the Republican Party disown him because of those Liberal ideas? When he tried to come back after he abided by his promise not to run for a "third" consecutive term, and had won the votes of the primary voters, the party machine refused to endorse him and forced him to run as the "bull moose" candidate.
So that's one good "Republican" of sorts. And Gov. Bob Riley is another who is good of some working class issues, on which his party opposes him.

I'm sure that whatever you say, Guy, you'll "wow" them, if they have any smarts at all!

is that they don't believe you need any help!

I'm going to be joining Jesse Jackson on the AM of Labor Day in marching to Yale University on behalf of striking workers. Best of everything, Guy.

Not as specific as your but if you didn't see it maybe it will help. I am not up on the subject personally.

It used to be that only the old employees of the State were in what they call "Tier I". New employees, (this was back in the mid-90s under Wilson) were under "Tier II" and they were not paying into nor eligible to receive comparable pension benefits (NOT EVEN CLOSE!).

When Gray Davis became governor, he worked with AFSCME and they managed to work out a solution where employees can now get into Tier I or stay in Tier II.

This was a BIG thing to change and it took Gray Davis to do it!

:kick:

n/t

... the Bush II administration suspended the ergonomic workplace rules that the Clinton administration formulated.

Don't forget to remind the AFL-CIO how their leadership was treated by Elaine Chao this past winter in meeting with them:

http://www.cwa2336.org/wrapup/Archive/3-7-3/wrapup_3-7-3.htm

Might also mention that it's been a long time since the minimum wage was raised, that the Bush administration is opposed to doing so--even though that $5.15/hour is worth 30% less now than when it was implemented, and that it was a Democratic Congress which last passed an increase. Every attempt to pass new minimum wage legislation in the Republican-held House has failed.

Remind them that Bush has even thrown out the suggestion that employers of welfare-to-work workers be able to pay those workers even less than minimum wage.

Oh, yeah, on edit, Bushies are currently trying to reduce the effectiveness of OSHA by rewriting rules for inspection.

And, it's the Republicans now pushing for a change in the Labor Relations Act to eliminate overtime for many workers, and to enable changes in how and when comp time and overtime are delivered, in favor of the employer, rather than the employee.

Cheers.

1935--FDR signed the National Labor Relations Act, which gave workers the right to form unions, & to negotiate contracts with employers.

1938--FDR signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established the first minimum wage & the 40 hour work week.

Those two laws were arguably the biggest advancements labor has made in this century. Since then it's been an uphill battle to keep them; they're slipping away as I type this.:mad:

1962--JFK signed an executive order giving federal workers the right to bargain.

I thought I had quite a few links about labor, but either I mislabelled the disk they're on, or I don't have that disk anymore.:-(

As far as repubs helping labor, surely you jest.:D Nixon signed the Occupational Safety & Health Act in 1970. For the skinny on how ol' whistleass is "helping" labor these days, try http://www.aflcio.org/ , & click on their "bush watch" link. There is also a lot of other good information about many different subjects on the AFL-CIO site.

by talking about what they're going to do next.

The first two thing Thomas has in planned for midnight passage in Ways and Means is:

A bill to allow companies to pay comptime deferred fo up to 14 mo. instead of overtime. Under current law if a worker works ten extra hours this week, she gets the eqivalent of 15 hours of her hourly wage on her next pay check. If the Rethug bill passes she gets fifteen hours off over a year from now. if the company goes out of business or she gets fired before then, tough shit. she worked extra for free.

The other bill maintains corporate loopholes and offshore tax dodges. The Dems' substitute rewards multinational companies based on how many people they emply in the US.

check out Charlie Rangel's website for more info.

Also the attempt to privatize 800,000 Federal workers who are mostly Union.

Contact DemActivist for details; She is fairly knowledgable about these things.

One more thing, remember to bring up Reagan's air traffic fiasco.

...in 1991 in North Carolina. Not 1891. We're talking 12 years ago, 1991.

Ask them how this can happen in America.

http://www.emergency.com/nc-fire.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
09-04-91 1700 HRS. CDT

FIRE VIOLATIONS KILL TWENTY-FIVE IN CHICKEN PLANT

According to official reports, twenty-five (25) people died and another fourty-nine (49) were injuried as the result of a
fire in the Imperial chicken processing plant in Hamlet, North Carolina yesterday. Witnesses, at the scene, described
panicked workers as screaming, "Let me out!....Let me out!", as they tried to kick open doors that were reportedly
padlocked by the plant management to prevent vandalism and theft. Footprint indentations were evident on the inside of at least one door, that was seen to be locked from the outside.

In the aftermath of the disaster, N.C. Asst. Commissioner of Labor Charles Jeffress, said that the eleven (11) year old
food processing plant had not been subjected to state safety inspections due to a lack of inspectors in the state. He
stated that the Dept. of Labor primarily inspected buildings for which there had been complaints, and that none had been receivedin regard to the Imperial plant.

Hamlet Fire Chief David Fuller said that he couldn't confirm or deny that the fire exits were locked or blocked. Chief
Fuller did confirm that several bodies were found near the exits and in a meat locker. A company spokesman said that as many as ninety (90) employees were present in the building when the fire started. The spokesman did admit that "certain doors" in the plant were locked "at certain times", but was reluctant to admit which doors. Witnesses described the fire as having started in a twenty-five (25) foot long fryer vat, which reportedly ignited at approximately 08:30 A.M.

More than one-hundred (100) emergency response and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene to assist with the search and rescue efforts. A majority of plant employees were transported to several area hospitals for treatment of burns, smoke inhalation, and stress related disorders. According to at least one witness, some apparently suffered traumatic injuries while attempting to escape the rapidly spreading blaze.

Emergency response expert, Clark Staten, of the Emergency Response & Research Institute in Chicago, IL. said of the
blaze; "If the initial reports can be believed, this is an intolerable set of circumstances that should result in criminal charges being placed against those responsible for having the fire doors locked". "Our past experience with fires and fire deaths shows that we must insure an adequate number of open exits from any occupied building", he continued. "It's hard to believe, in today's day and age that any business owner or manager would be so insensitive to fire safety as to allow this sort of incident to happen", the veteran fire paramedic concluded.

(C) Copyright, 1991
Emergency Response & Research Institute
All rights reserved, except otherwise assigned.