The Fight of Our Lives, reflect on everything George Bush and his Congress

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-p-hoffa/the-fight-of-our-lives_b_28583.html



James P. Hoffa

For those of you fortunate enough to have a long Labor Day weekend, go to your barbecues, your sales at the mall and enjoy yourself. But do me a favor - take a few minutes to think about why you get a Labor Day holiday and reflect on everything George Bush and his Republican Congress have done to eliminate the gains of organized labor and working people.

Organized labor, after all, is responsible for weekends - and the 40-hour workweek, overtime pay, minimum wage and, yes, creating the American middle class.

We must honor working people every day, not just one day a year. They are our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, grandparents and great-grandparents. We should retell their stories regularly and remind our ourselves that if it weren't for unions, many of the things we take for granted today wouldn't even exist.

Spend some time this weekend thinking about your situation, your future and the future of your children. A recent survey by the Change to Win federation of unions, which the Teamsters helped form last year, shows that the majority of working families believe their children will be worse off economically and that they are falling farther behind. A Pew Research Center survey emphasizes many of the findings, showing that workers in the country are worse off today then they were a generation ago. And it's little wonder.

• Workers' wages are stagnant. While cash compensation for the highest-paid U.S. executives climbed 41 percent last year, 80 percent of working families saw a drop in real wages.
• Real median household incomes rose only 1.1 percent between 2004 and 2005, the Census Bureau reports - but that's only because more family members are working more jobs; inflation rose nearly 3.5 percent.
• The minimum wage has not been increased in nine years. After adjusting for inflation, the value of the minimum wage is at its lowest level since 1955. But Congress has voted itself a raise seven straight times.
• $3-a-gallon gasoline is now commonplace and what little dip we've seen in the last week will certainly reappear after the November elections.
• America has lost 3 million manufacturing jobs and gained low-skilled, low-paying service jobs.

It's an outrage that the Bush administration tells us that we can make our lives better in an ownership society. Sure, that's fine for those who can afford to own a house or save a little money. But there are simply too many Americans today who own too little. They cannot afford to save. They live paycheck to paycheck. They are worried about just making ends meet. Saving money - for a child's college education, for a home of their own, or a secure retirement - is a fantasy.

More at link...

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whose union has made a habit of endorsing Republicans for years? Another GOP'er who is now ready to claim he's a Democrat because the president he helped put in office has screwed him over?

:nopity:

They dumped W BEFORE the 2004 election. They plan to spend BIG $ in Nov. 2006, and the fall of 2008. I'm willing to take any help we can get to run the Republicans out on a rail!

http://www.teamster.org/04news/nr_041103_2.htm

Statement from President Jim Hoffa and Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel on the Presidential Election


November 3, 2004

“While our candidate, John Kerry, did not win, we are proud that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, along with the entire family of labor, united in an historic effort to fight for the interests of working families. And while President Bush was re-elected, we note that more than 55 million people cast their vote for a progressive agenda. We will continue the fight for that agenda in the next Congress and in state legislatures around the nation as we work hard to expand the base of support.

“For the Teamsters, this election marks the largest member mobilization effort in the history of the union. With hundreds of Teamsters working full time on the campaign in the field, and with hundreds of thousands of leaflets and phone calls, hundreds of work site visits and dozens of rallies, the Teamster membership has never been more involved in a Presidential election. We are proud that the Teamster membership responded by turning out in overwhelming numbers for Senator Kerry and in support of our economic justice agenda.

“We began this campaign in the fall of 2003 with our mobilization for Dick Gephardt and we never stopped working. We understood that at a time of war, the campaign to defeat President Bush was a tremendous challenge, but it was a challenge we could not avoid because working families confronted a jobs, pension, and health care crisis that could only be solved with a new direction in government policy. That crisis continues and we will not rest in our efforts to confront it and solve it.

“November 2 was not the end of our fight to take back this country for working families. It was the beginning. This effort was never about one candidate, one political party, or a single election. It is about moving forward a pro-worker agenda at the national level. We will continue the fight for fair trade, universal health care, worker rights, pension reform and retirement security. And we will continue to work with everyone—Republican, Democrat and Independent—who shares our agenda.

“This union has a proud history of coming together when faced with a daunting task. Traveling around the country over the past few months, we were able to see first-hand the energy and resolve among our members. We have never been so proud to be a part of the Teamster movement for economic justice.

“To every Teamster and every union member who joined us in this cause, we thank you for your effort, your sacrifices and your commitment. More importantly, we urge you to stay engaged and work with us as we continue the fight on behalf of working Americans.”