USW Local 2 Rally with John Edwards

[benny05]

Run time: 03:56 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xKPqRuYscs   Posted on YouTube: April 17, 2015 By YouTube Member: YouTube Help Views on YouTube: 6386481   Posted on DU: November 25, 2006 By DU Member: benny05 Views on DU: 1077

 
About 3 weeks ago, John Edwards spoke a rally for USW workers in Akron. Goodyear is trying to use replacement workers in an ongoing strike over retiree benefits. Edwards speaks to the hearts and minds of those union workers and retirees.

[BruceMcF]

1. This is why union membership is the foundation of ...

... middle class America. Labor Union organization creates economic power to counterbalance the economic power of Ownership Union organization (also known as a corporation). That means that instead of productivity gains and benefits of technological progress being monopolized by the Ownership Union members and paid staff (that is, executive management), they are shared between workers and and owners.

And the expansion of the middle class created by Labor Union organization then provides an expanded market for the services and skills offered by the professional and technical segments of the middle class.

[Digit]

2. K&R

[Carolina Voice]

3. The destruction of unions began

I recall the clearcut and concise beginning of the attacks on Unions by businesses. It began in 1982 when the airline controllers were treated so poorly by Ronald Reagan. This was the beginning of the end of America as we knew it then. It was a clearcut signal to big business that anything goes as far as the government is concerned. The greed of big business and governement created a climate of wealth of big business and now even smaller business at labors expense. Even those who weren't in the unions have suffered the fate of this assault. It is a shame on America that our own government turned on the middle and ruined the then middle class. Since 1982 things have done nothing but go downhill with regard to employer abuse. I recall clear that pre-1982 if you were laid off you had to have 'done something' but as we digressed throught the '80s and '90s no one asks what 'you did' because everyone knows it is at the whim of big busiiness. God bless you, John Edwards.

[BruceMcF]

7. And the 'long con' had already started.

Even before the air traffic controllers strike, Reagan had taken the IRS off the job of checking whether businesses were employing illegals. Its a long time ago now, but as I recall the excuse was the Privacy act ... of course, that was a sham. It became even clearer that the Privacy Act rationale was just an excuse when the Immigration Act of 1986 went in place, with the provisions for businesses checking the work status of new hires full of more holes than swiss cheese.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. K&R from me, too. John Edwards has really been stepping up to the plate,

has been speaking out and has become a force to be reckoned with. And we already knew that he was a friend to labor. Thanks for sharing this. :-)

[machka]

5. K&R

Thanks for the vid, benny.

:kick:

[merbex]

6. "Pension reform" is another "Clean Skies Initiative" -Democrats need

hammer this issue relentlessly - just like the corporatocracy outsourced the jobs- they want to get rid of pensions

Watch out for Mitt Romney on this issue;his Lt Gov. tried to raise the issue during the MA Gov's race (which she lost) - just another wedge issue the Republicans will want to trot out in '08.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. One thing I quibble with

They aren't "replacement workers", they're SCABS.

[Divine Discontent]

9. tired of repubs

clamoring what goes on in people's bedrooms instead of scab labor taking away union jobs because the company wants to force lower wages and take away retirement benefits...

f the corporate whores and all those who support them!

[Catchawave]

10. John is truly a friend of Labor

:kick:

...but I feel sorry for the scabs too, they probably NEED the job.

[Omaha Steve]

11. I met John Edwards on the campaign trail two years ago

I voted for him the the Ne primary in 04. I think he will get the 08 nomination. He is one great candidate, and my second choice behind Gore.

[aaronbees]

12. It's just hearbreaking

to see the retiree benefits get yanked and shafted after the backbreaking work these workers put in on the job. This same issue has been ongoing with Cooper Tire. As Edwards said, they made the concessions in a previous contract and it's time for them to be treated fairly. They also devoted their lives to hard, grubby work and for them to be treated like this is just disgusting.