REVOLUTION - July 31, 2005
Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
ACTIVIST SONG WRITERS
ACTIVIST WEB SITES
ANIMAL RIGHTS
CURRENT ISSUES
END OF FOSSIL
FEMALE ACTIVIST
INFORMATION and SERVICES
LAUGHING HORSE BOOKS
PEACE MAKERS
PETE'S WRITINGS
PETITION IN DEFENSE OF IRAQI WOMEN
PROGRESSIVE MEDIA
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
UPCOMING EVENTS
WAR ON THE UNIVERSE
WOMEN'S CONFERENCE 2004
Workers Struggles: The Americas
18 January 2005
Ask the 70,000 supermarket workers in California who are faced with bullying demands by the executives of Safeway, Kroger, and Albertsons to slash their families' health care benefits. When Safeway honchos refused to back off from this takeback, its 20,000 employees went on strike last October. The very next day, in an anti-competitive collusion, Kroger and Alberstons locked out their 50,000 workers.
Five months later, the hardships being endured by these workers are staggering. They get no unemployment compensation, no health coverage, and their union strike benefits are down to $125 a week. Ironically, it's hard for these grocery workers even to buy groceries on that. Many can't meet their rent and car payments, and their stress is enormous.
The supermarkets are eating big losses, too, for California consumers have rallied behind the workers and sought out other grocers for their food purchase. But the top executives continue to draw their fat salaries and enjoy Rolls Royce health coverage, so they refuse any serious negotiation, even when the union offered a major concession that would have saved the corporations a third of a billion dollars on their employees' health plans.
One reason the top dogs think they can stall and effectively starve out the workers is that they entered into a mutual aid pact weeks before the strike, agreeing not to compete, to share costs and revenues, and to act in unison against their workers. The state attorney general has filed an antitrust suit against the three, but they'll keep this stuck in courts... while workers suffer.
This is not a dispute about 70,000 workers, but a class war about whether corporations everywhere can simply reduce all of us to low-wage, no benefit Wal-Mart workers. It's a corporate war against the middle class. To help, go to this website: ufcw.org.
"Labor Raises Pressure on California Supermarkets," New York Times, February 10, 2004.
"RPT-California controller ureges Safeway to end strike," www.reuters.com, January 27, 2004.
"Supermarkets reject union health cost offer," North (San Diego) County Times, December 21, 2003.
"The 10 Worst Corporations of 2003," Multinational Monitor, December 2003.
"The Bush administration is touting an economic recovery," said the Ohio Congressman, "so where are the jobs? More than eight million Americans are officially out of work, nearly 400,000 more people gave up looking for work last month and millions more are underemployed."
"If that’s a recovery," Kucinich added, "I would hate to see what an economic slump looks like."
Kucinich has been the leading Democratic candidate calling for a complete overhaul of U.S. economic and trade policies. While other Democrats have been critical of the Bush record, Kucinich says the problems run deeper than the failed policies of the Bush Administration.
"The President can be held responsible for the loss of hundreds of thousands of American manufacturing jobs in the last four years," Kucinich noted, "but NAFTA has been putting Americans out of work since 1994."
The North American Free Trade Agreement has cost American workers more than three million jobs nationwide since 1994 in the manufacturing sector alone, said Kucinich, "But Senator Kerry has clearly and repeatedly stated his intention to continue NAFTA and continue U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization. Democrats need to be honest with American workers about what so-called free trade is doing to our economy."
"I pledge to repeal NAFTA; Kerry will continue it. NAFTA was designed for the sole purpose of allowing corporations to go after cheap foreign labor at the expense of jobs at home. It is harming American workers."
As President, Kucinich would protect American jobs by immediately canceling NAFTA and withdrawing from the WTO. The Kucinich plan would also implement a WPA-style public works and infrastructure rebuilding program.
"My jobs-creation plan will put two million Americans back to work at a living wage in such enterprises as rebuilding schools, roads and bridges, upgrading our environmental infrastructure, manufacturing steel, and developing and implementing new technologies," said Kucinich. "We can put Americans back to work rebuilding America, create millions of jobs, and simultaneously improve our quality of life."
For information about the National campaign: http://www.kucinich.us For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: Dennis Kucinich Schedule: To schedule interview with Kucinich or spokesperson: e-mail:jonathans@kucinich.us
Oregon/SW Washington: Barry Marks, 503-292-3253, jobarry@teleport.com
He needs to feel the heat! Please act today: Send a letter to President Bush now by clicking on the link below. We'll deliver your letter via fax with a copy to your U.S. senators. Tell Bush what you think. Or, keep reading. Union Voice - Stop Bush
Already the Bush administration is feeling pressure. So they've launched an aggressive campaign to mislead the media and the American people about the overtime pay take-away.
Ignoring the protests of millions of working families and defying the wishes of Congress, President Bush moved forward with this pay cut.
In its own words, the Bush administration has said that only workers earning less than $23,660 a year would be guaranteed the right to overtime pay. Everybody earning more than that amount could be caught up in the range of other changes to eligibility rules that take away overtime pay. And workers earning less than that amount won't exactly be helped--many of them already get overtime pay!
We've got to make our voices heard now to counter these misleading statements, which are bombarding media coverage. Here are two things you can do today to make a difference.
1. Fax President Bush and your senators by clicking on the link below. The U.S. Senate could still act to protect overtime pay.
Even if you don't get overtime pay already, you can help. Do you know somebody who earns overtime pay? It is important that more people know President Bush might cut their paychecks. Please click on the link below to spread the word to your friends, family and co-workers.
Union Voice - Stop BushThanks for all you do. Look for more soon, including a review of the final changes and how they might affect you.
Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO April 20, 2004
P.S. Don't forget: You can still contribute to fund TV ads to save overtime pay.
REVOLUTION - July 31, 2005
Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
ACTIVIST SONG WRITERS
ACTIVIST WEB SITES
ANIMAL RIGHTS
CURRENT ISSUES
END OF FOSSIL
FEMALE ACTIVIST
INFORMATION and SERVICES
LAUGHING HORSE BOOKS
PEACE MAKERS
PETE'S WRITINGS
PETITION IN DEFENSE OF IRAQI WOMEN
PROGRESSIVE MEDIA
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
UPCOMING EVENTS
WAR ON THE UNIVERSE
WOMEN'S CONFERENCE 2004