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On The Local: The Union Comes First |
With summer ending, we look forward to Labor Day Weekend. Once again, I hope that we all take the time to consider what this holiday means. Although the day is commonly associated with backyard barbecues and back to school events, the real symbolism goes much deeper. Labor Day reaches to the heart of who we are and what we represent as union members.
Labor's story is an ongoing struggle and one we're all part of. The nation is slowly pulling out of a major economic crisis that has hit workers especially hard. As union members, we're involved in the labor movement's ongoing struggle for workers' rights. This Labor Day, let's celebrate our proud heritage with our families and friends, and then join with our fellow brothers and sisters to continue the challenge of defending all we've won in the past and securing what we need to insure the future.
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President's Report: It's Us Or Them |
I can't emphasize enough the critical importance of Business Manager Tim Foley's comments on the upcoming election. Put simply: it's us or them. Democrats who are pro-worker, pro-union and pro-middle class versus Republicans who are dedicated to fostering the selfish goals of billionaires and big business at the expense of the rest of the country.
November's election battle will be played out on many stages, and one of the most critical is here in Illinois where we will elect, among others, a Governor and a U.S. Senator. The choices in these two important races are clear cut.
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Solar Power: Jobs and Electricity for Tomorrow |
This summer, Chicago's 10 Megawatt Photovoltaic Facility, the largest urban photovoltaic facility in the country, was officially opened in the 34th Ward. At the July 21st ceremony, Mayor Daley, Alderman Carrie Austin and dignitaries from Exelon, SunPower Corp. and the community noted the positive outcome possible when public, private and community organizations work together. The 33-acre, West Pullman site will power more than 1,200 homes and is a project we can all be proud of, especially our members who worked on the facility and our contractors-Maron Electric, Foster Electric, Aldridge Electric, Bonaparte Electric, Jaymor Electric, Graf Electric and ITG Solutions Inc.
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Unions-Staying On Top of the Game |
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One day recently after Fox News anchor Stuart Varney falsely announced that "unions don't create innovate technology," the network was embarrassed into running a list of the "awesome" things unions build. The run-down of union-made, high-tech wizardry included the space shuttle, nuclear submarines and power plants.
There was plenty more in the come-uppance category as well, such as the fact that in New York City, Fox's writers, graphic designers and other staff are all union members. And this important but little known fact: unions represent most of the people holding patents - the key to innovation in this country.
The fact is that union workers are always job ready. At Local 134, we recognize the need to stay on top of the game. In the ever-changing, high-tech world of today, continuing education is the key to success. It's a strategic investment that pays big dividends through improved safety, enhanced productivity and increased worker satisfaction.
Currently, IBEW-NECA Technical Institute is offering a variety of Journeyman classes and seminars for the fall. Registration is still open and available online. Seminars and day classes are free for Local 134 journeymen. Night classes are available at nominal cost, with refunds available to unemployed journeymen. Check the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute website at www.intechonline.org for more information.
This time, it was Unions 1-Fox News 0. The anti-union attacks will keep coming, and we have to be prepared. Continuing education not only improves our lot but it gives us the ammunition to out-fox our enemies.
In this day and age, it's cool to go back to school. |
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Labor's Fight Far From Over |
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Electing Barack Obama president wasn't the end of labor's fight; it was only the beginning. The battle continues for America's middle class this November when we go to the polls and choose the candidates who are either for or against the labor movement.
It's that simple. Big business is spending big money to put its agenda forward. But we can win, if we continue to put strong pro-union candidates into office.
The ripple-down effects of our actions are critical, as we see in this one example. For years, the airline and rail industries operated under a system where union elections were strongly biased against the labor movement because each non-vote was counted as a vote against representation. After Obama gave the National Mediation Board a 2-1 Democratic majority, union officials requested a change in policy and the procedure was changed so that only those votes cast will be counted, a move that eliminates major obstacles to union elections in two important industries.
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70th Annual All Faiths Memorial Service |
Are You Angry?
Sunday at church, I happened to be standing close by the priest after the service. As the pastor was greeting the parishioners in line, a woman appeared who hadn't attended services for quite a while and who hadn't responded to calls and written correspondence. When the priest asked if everything was okay, she replied by saying she was angry with God. Why? She'd lost her job, she said, and couldn't find another one.
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Local 134 Recent Retirees |
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Consumer Corner by Attorney General Lisa Madigan |
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