A Change on the Horizon

By Robyn Eulo
District 141 Vice President at Large

Here are some of the political issues that have concerned the IAM’s Legislative Department since Congress began its session in January:

• The Employee Free Choice Act — A Republican procedural maneuver on June 26 ended hopes that this important bill would pass in 2007. The EFCA includes provisions to enable working people to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by restoring their freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union. EFCA continues to be organized labor’s top legislative priority and its backers promise to keep trying until it passes.
   

• Trade — Under Congress’ “fast-track” authorization, the President gets the right to negotiate trade issues with foreign governments. Congress then votes on the agreements, but can’t change them.
   

• The RESPECT Act — This act would correct the injustices of last year’s “Kentucky River Decisions” by the National Labor Relations Board. These rulings classified millions of Americans as “supervisors” who do not have labor rights under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
   

• Social Security — The IAM and other unions oppose the Bush Administrations efforts to privatize Social Security.
   

• Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage — The IAM supports changing the current law, which forbids Medicare from negotiating lower prices with drug companies.
   

• Health Care for All — Labor unions and other Americans demand affordable health care for all Americans.

Other issues that concern the IAM’s Legislative Department include pension reform, corporate corruption, education, affordable energy, tax policy, civil rights, global warming and job outsourcing.

Polls show that the American public sides with organized labor on all of these issues. In the most recent congressional elections in November 2006, the voters revealed that they are less willing to be distracted from these issues by the old “culture war” tactics.

Last year, the political allies of working Americans raised $30 million more than their adversaries did. Many of the contributions came in small amounts from people who responded to solicitations over the telephone and the Internet.

Progressive candidates also learned their lesson and fought back against negative campaign tactics. They defended their positions vigorously and took the battle to their opponents.
 
Most of all, we, the working people of America, let our voices be heard.

We said that we are sick of the Bush Administration’s attacks on our hopes and dreams.

We let it be known that we are sick of rising fuel costs, the gutting of our pensions and medical benefits, the erosion of family medical leave laws, the dismantling of workers’ compensation, the disintegration of worker safety programs, the gutting of environmental protections, the outsourcing of jobs and our still-declining educational system.

We were born and raised to believe if you worked hard and lived by the laws of the land, you will go far in America. Now the American Dream has decayed, becoming a struggle to survive.

We look forward to the next round of national elections in 2008 as our chance to throw out the rest of the bums who got us into this mess — and to elect responsible and compassionate people who will restore our country’s standing in the world.

A change is gonna come!

"Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a president and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country."

— President Franklin D. Roosevelt