Unions Must Fight to Keep Their Grip!

Anti union laws spreading throughout the United States!
A recent article in USA today spoke to the issue of "OPEN SHOP Laws" that are being spread throughout this country. Open-Shop laws have been voted into law in more than 22 states so far. Open-Shop laws give workers the right to refuse to join unions in companies that once had mandatory participation by all employees. This article sited the State of Michigan and a Republican led initiative that would place unionization back many years. The Republicans state that due to a decline in economic growth and a lack of business expansion, the overall cost of the unionized workers has put business at a total disadvantage. Soaring healthcare costs are also at the top of a growing list of complaints by business in this country. As you may already know, the auto industry is the largest employer in this state. The vast majority of its workers are unionized and they are members of the UAW and the Teamsters. The respective leaders of these unions have refuted the claims in the article and point to America's trade agreements with countries like Japan, Korea and Mexico. To date the states that have open-shop laws are not really showing major improvement to their economy. Business profits are remaining as they were prior to the change in the law for the most part. One remaining constant is that the workers who have remained within the bargaining unit are still enjoying the benefits gained by union affiliation. Open-Shop laws must be fought every time they reel their ugly head in this country. They are designed to weaken and ultimately destroy unions in this country! Union leaders must educate their members on the benefits of becoming a part of the union. The article also speaks to the union member's dissatisfaction with its union leadership. It points out spending by local union leaders on specialty gift items. They also talk about the salaries of the union leaders. We as union members must not fall prey to this type of separatist rhetoric. This language is designed to split the members and then pit them against their leadership. While the -in fighting takes place, the company and its leaders are plotting to break the union. I have been a member of a union for more than 30 years and this type of union busting has caused me great alarm. Throughout my career I have seen so many arguments used by companies that want to end union affiliation on their properties. My fear is based in the belief that this country is doing everything it can to cut out the middle class. Most middle class workers in this country belong to unions and we owe our financial success to the fact that we are members of a union. Our homes, our children's education, and our careers can be attributed to our union affiliation. Many of us do not have college degrees or we might not have the technical where with all, still we enjoy salaries and benefits that have outpaced those workers who have the aforementioned backgrounds. Frankly I am tired of the bad rap that we are taking as union members by the employers of this country. We are blamed for the high wages paid by the employer, we are blamed for the high cost of healthcare, we are blamed, seemingly for anything that prohibits corporate profits! We must work to continue to support candidates that will uphold our right to organize! We must join and contribute to our unions C.O.P.E. funds so that our local can help the elected officials that are supportive of our agenda! We must join with other workers in this country who are being attacked by the "OPEN SHOP" laws, Their fight today could be our fight tomorrow! We must do all we can to support Universal Healthcare in this country! As union members we are accustomed to fighting for our rights, lets continue to fight the right fight! Lets work to put an end to "OPEN SHOP" laws in America!

MERRY XMAS?

"Tis the season to be jolly! "For some of us this may be true, but for many more it may mean uncertain days ahead! At this time of year when most of us are preparing to spend untold amounts of money on family and friends, some of us are not sure we will have a job after "XMAS!" Some of our "UNION" Brothers and Sisters are receiving the tough news that their job will not be around in January '08. The union job that many of us have relied on for years to provide for our families is in jeopardy of being shut down for good! W.A.R.N. notices are being sent to state and local agencies announcing that certain companies are laying off or closing their businesses. Most of these companies do not offer the worker much by way of job retention, severance pay or any benefits after they have closed. Several State and Local organizations of unions are leading workshops to assist the displaced union worker. They offer free information on unemployment, job training, insurance and health care! It is important for the members who are losing their jobs to take advantage of this opportunity. It is the season to be jolly, but how can I be jolly when I am about to lose my job? It is also the season to be depressed! If you find yourself in this situation, please seek help! Don't let yourself or your family down! Stay encouraged!

Illinois AFL-CIO 2008 C.O.P.E. Endorsements!

Here are the endorsements from the Illinois AFL-CIO for the February 2008 primary! They did not endorse a presidential candidate either.

Illinois AFL-CIO Michael Carrigan President, Tim Drea Sec-Treas.
ILLINOIS AFL-CIO
2008 Primary Election
Endorsement List

UNITED STATES SENATE
Sen. Dick Durbin (D)
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1 Rep. Bobby Rush (D)
2 Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D)
3 Rep. Dan Lipinski (D)
4 Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D)
5 Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D)
6 Jill Morgenthaler (D)
7 Rep. Danny Davis (D)
8 Rep. Melissa L. Bean (D)
9 Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D)
10 Dan Seals (D)
11 Debbie Halvorson (D)
12 Rep. Jerry Costello (D)
13 Scott Harper (D)
14 John Laesch (D)
15 No Endorsement
16 Robert Abboud (D)
17 Rep. Phil Hare (D)
18 Dick Versace (D)
19 Joe McMenamin (D)
ILLINOIS SENATE
2 Willie Delgado (D)
3 Mattie Hunter (D)
5 Rickey Hendon (D)
6 John Cullerton (D)
7 Heather Steans (D)
8 Ira Silverstein (D)
9 Jeff Schoenberg (D)
11 Lou Viverito (D)
12 Martin Sandoval (D)
14 Emil Jones, Jr. (D)
15 James Meeks (D)
17 Donne Trotter (D)
18 Edward Maloney (D)
20 Iris Martinez (D)
21 No Endorsement
23 No Endorsement
24 No Endorsement
26 Bill Gentes (D)
27 Deferred
29 Susan Garrett (D)
30 Terry Link (D)
32 No Endorsement
33 Dan Kotowski (D)
35 No Endorsement
36 Mike Jacobs (D)
38 Steve Stout (D)
39 Don Harmon (D)
41 Audrey Manley (D)
42 Linda Holmes (D)
44 No Endorsement
45 Marty Mulcahy (D)
47 John Sullivan (D)
48 No Endorsement
50 No Endorsement
51 No Endorsement
53 No Endorsement
54 No Endorsement
56 Bill Haine (D)
57 James Clayborne (D)
59 Gary Forby (D)
ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1 Susana Mendoza (D)
2 Edward Acevedo (D)
3 Louis Arroyo(D)
4 Cynthia Soto (D)
5 No Endorsement
6 Esther Golar (D)
7 Karen Yarbrough (D)
8 LaShawn Ford (D)
9 Arthur Turner (D)
10 Eddie Winters (D)
11 John Fritchey (D)
12 Sara Feigenholtz (D)
13 Greg Harris (D)
14 Harry Osterman (D)
15 John D’Amico (D)
16 Lou Lang (D)
17 Daniel Biss (D)
18 Julie Hamos (D)
19 Joseph Lyons (D)
20 Michael McAuliffe (R)
21 Robert Molaro (D)
22 Michael Madigan (D)
23 Daniel Burke (D)
24 Lisa Hernandez (D)
25 Barbara Flynn Currie (D)
26 Elga Jefferies (D)
27 Monique Davis (D)
28 No Endorsement
29 David Miller (D)
30 William "Will" Davis (D)
31 Mary Flowers (D)
32 Deferred
33 Marlow Colvin (D)
34 Connie Howard (D)
35 Kevin Joyce (D)
36 James Brosnahan (D)
37 Kevin McCarthy (D)
38 Al Riley (D)
39 Maria "Toni" Berrios (D)
40 Deferred
41 No Endorsement
42 No Endorsement
43 Keith Farnham (D)
44 Fred Crespo (D)
45 No Endorsement
46 No Endorsement
47 No Endorsement
48 No Endorsement
49 No Endorsement
50 Mary Schneider (D)
51 No Endorsement
52 No Endorsement
53 No Endorsement
54 No Endorsement
55 Broc Montgomery (D)
56 Paul Froehlich (D)
57 Elaine Nekritz (D)
58 Karen May (D)
59 Kathleen Ryg (D)
60 Eddie Washington (D)
61 No Endorsement
62 No Endorsement
63 No Endorsement
64 No Endorsement
65 Aurora Austriaco (D)
66 No Endorsement
67 Chuck Jefferson (D)
68 No Endorsement
69 Greg Tuite (D)
70 No Endorsement
71 Mike Boland (D)
72 Pat Verschoore (D)
73 No Endorsement
74 Don Moffitt (R)
75 Careen Gordon (D)
76 Frank Mautino (D)
77 Angelo "Skip" Saviano (R)
78 Deborah Graham (D)
79 Lisa Dugan (D)
80 George Scully (D)
81 No Endorsement
82 No Endorsement
83 Linda Chapa LaVia (D)
84 No Endorsement
85 Emily Klunk-McAsey (D)
86 Jack McGuire (D)
87 No Endorsement
88 No Endorsement
89 No Endorsement
90 No Endorsement
91 Michael Smith (D)
92 No Endorsement
93 No Endorsement
94 No Endorsement
95 No Endorsement
96 Dianne McGuire (D)
97 No Endorsement
98 Gary Hannig (D)
99 No Endorsement
100 No Endorsement
101 Robert Flider (D)
102 No Endorsement
103 Naomi Jakobsson (D)
104 No Endorsement
105 David Tomlinson (R)
106 No Endorsement
107 Deferred
108 Jason Warfel (D)
109 No Endorsement
110 No Endorsement
111 Daniel Beiser (D)
112 Jay Hoffman (D)
113 Tom Holbrook (D)
114 Wyvetter Younge (D)
115 No Endorsement
116 Dan Reitz (D)
117 John Bradley (D)
118 Brandon Phelps (D)
JUDICIAL
1st Supreme
Anne Burke
1st Appellate
Alan J. Greiman
1st Appellate
John O. Steele
5th Appellate
James M. Wexstten

UNIONS SPEAK OUT ON ELECTION '08!

Several of Illinois' top unions have held their endorsement sessions and I am ready to report on the results of those sessions. I plan to include as many of these as they become available. I also encourage you to join the effort of these "FRIENDS" of labor (Candidates) that the Unions are endorsing!*

Chicago Federation of Labor! Dennis Gannon President. Jorge Ramirez Sec-Treas.

Chicago Federation of Labor
Endorsed Candidates – February 5, 2008 Primary Election


Tom Allen
Cook County State’s Attorney
Dorothy Brown
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Eugene "Gene" Moore
Cook County Recorder of Deeds
Joseph Berrios
Board of Review, 2nd District
Larry R. Rogers, Jr.
Board of Review, 3rd District
Dean T. Maragos
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Kathleen Therese Meany
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Cynthia Santos
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Anne M. Burke
Illinois Supreme Court – McMorrow Vacancy
John O. Steele
1st Appellate – Campbell Vacancy
Alan J. Greiman
2nd Appellate – Burke Vacancy
Debra Walker
Circuit Court – Montellione Vacancy
Terry MacCarthy
Circuit Court – Glowicki Vacancy
Thomas Byrne
Circuit Court – Lott Vacancy
Maureen Ward Kirby
Circuit Court – Healy Vacancy
Michael B. Hyman
Circuit Court – Nowicki Vacancy
Paula Lingo
Circuit Court – Murphy Vacancy
Lauretta Higgens Wolfson
Circuit Court – Disko Vacancy
Marilyn Johnson
Circuit Court – Keenan Vacancy
Joan Powell
Circuit Court – Thomas Vacancy
LaGuina Clay-Clark
1st Sub-Circuit – Turkington Vacancy
Patrick J. Sherlock
3rd Sub-Circuit – Donnersberger Vacancy
Pat Rogers
4th Sub-Circuit – Shultz Vacancy
Stephen Stern
5th Sub-Circuit – Judgeship A
Laura Bertucci Smith
6th Sub-Circuit – Figueroa Vacancy
Anita Rivkin Carothers
7th Sub-Circuit – Young Vacancy
Jamie Shapiro
8th Sub-Circuit – Sheehan Vacancy
John G. Mulroe
10th Sub-Circuit – Morrissey Vacancy
Gerald Patrick Cleary
10th Sub-Circuit – Kowalski Vacancy
Kenneth Fletcher
10th Sub-Circuit – Pucincki Vacancy
Michael John Halloran
12th Sub-Circuit – Devlin Vacancy
Joe Gump
13th Sub-Circuit – Ryan Vacancy
Gary Stanton
13th Sub-Circuit – Tobin Vacancy
James N. OHara
14th Sub-Circuit – Henry Vacancy
Anna Demacopoulos
15th Sub-Circuit – Judgeship A
Bob Fioretti – 2nd Ward Committeeman
Pat Dowell – 3rd Ward Committeeman
Sandi Jackson – 7th Ward Committeeman
Toni L. Foulkes – 15th Ward Committeeman
JoAnn Thompson – 16th Ward Committeeman
Willie B. Cochran – 20th Ward Committeeman
Sharon Denise Dixon – 24th Ward Committeeman
John A. Fritchey – 32nd Ward Committeeman
John Corrigan – 42nd Ward Committeeman
Patrick J. Levar – 45th Ward Committeeman

*Most of the local unions have not endorsed a candidate for the Presidential Primary.

Labor Gets Ready For Election '08!

LABOR organizations all across the country are holding C.O.P.E. and Endorsement sessions ahead of the major election caucus'. The purpose of these sessions are to put their financial and member support behind the candidate that they feel will best represent their cause. Many labor leaders espouse the belief that the current political leadership in this country does not support the "Labor Agenda" and actually has set the movement back many years. To date several of the nations largest National Unions have already endorsed a candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Still some have already given the decision process over to the local unions and their members. One thing is certain, the labor movement in this country is alive and well! In fact pledges of financial support and the use of members to help in the campaigns is well under way! Issues like the lost of jobs, low wages and increased health care costs are fueling worker discontent which is fueling this mass involvement on the part of the unions. National and Local Union informational sessions are being organized to instruct local unions' membership on voter registration, worker election activity and recruitment of troops to work in the field for a candidate. Now is the time for workers to directly work to change the current seemingly "ANTI UNION" sentiment growing in this country.

Are you a union member visiting this blog?

Do you have plans to help your candidate get elected?

Then now is the time! Get involved!

Work to save your Job and your family's future!

JOIN THE EFFORT!

JOIN A CAMPAIGN NOW!

National Labor Relations Board "Closed for Renovation!"

The NLRB was "Closed for Renovation" by several National and Local Labor organizations across the country this November. From Washington D.C to Chicago and many other cities, labor organziations held protests in front of the offices of this organization. At the heart of the matter is the Bush administrations use of this organization to strike down union and worker rights in this country. More than 60 decisions recently handed down by the NLRB have landed a major blow to the union cause in America. The right to organize, to collect dues and for workers to receive back pay for rulings against the employer. The call went out to all union affliates of the National AFL-CIO to have their affiliates participate in the "Closed for Renovation" day. The call was extremely successful. Many affiliates joined community organizations as they brought out their workers to this very important rally.

In Chicago, the Illinois AFL-CIO, Chicago Federation of Labor along with Jobs With Justice marched at the headquarters of the NLRB. More than 50 protesters carried signs and chanted "NLRB Closed for Renovation"! James Thindwa (JWJ) with Orlando Velez of the (CFL) led the effort here.

They attempted to deliver a letter to the offices of the NLRB but were refused admittance. An unidentified official from the office met with the march leaders and accepted their letter. She stated that the letter would be delivered to the Executive Board and a copy would be sent to Washington, D.C. The marchers continued to protest for a while longer and vowed to continue the fight against the Bush administration and its all out assualt on organized labor in America.

How do you feel about the NLRB and the Bush administration? Share your thoughts here!

UnionizeAmericaNow.blogspot.com is under construction!

This is a new blogspot being developed to place the
"LABOR AGENDA"
at the forefront of the minds of working people in America. Over the years unions have seemingly slipped in their ability to organize and maintain their previous levels of strength in this country. I am developing this site to allow all union leaders, members and anyone who wants to join the effort to place unionization in its rightful place in America! Please feel free to comment and sign in whenever you visit the site! See you soon!

Thanks!
Alvis L. Martin




Disclaimer:
The information contained in this blog are the opinions solely of its author. No union or labor organizations view point is represented by the author of this site except if it is a previously stated public position or a public statement of that organization.