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ATU Action Weekly Update - 08/07/06
Election Activities are Underway for ATU Locals The upcoming elections offer so many opportunities to rid Washington and our state capitols of corrupt and anti-labor elected officials and to replace them with people who will fight for the interests of the working families of this country. ATU Locals across the country are responding to the challenge and have kicked their campaign activities into high gear in an aggressive effort to change the direction of the country on November 7th. Below are just some of the local activities in which ATU members have been involved: ATU Local 1300 in Baltimore, Maryland, has endorsed Gubernatorial candidate Martin O'Malley (D) along with other transit and labor-friendly candidates in the state. The local is planning to operate phone banks in the local's office to talk to ATU and other union members about O'Malley and the upcoming elections. O'Malley, who is currently Mayor of Baltimore, is in a close race with incumbent Governor Bob Ehrlich (R). A change in the Governor's mansion could mean greater investment in the state's transit systems. ATU Local 1324 in Savannah, Georgia, is working in conjunction with the Savannah Regional Central Labor Council and the Georgia AFL-CIO to keep Congressman John Barrow (D) in office in the 12th District. The local has already done a series of mail outs and phone calls and will soon be conducting door to door canvasses to urge union members to support Barrow. Barrow, a true champion for labor, is facing a challenge by former Cong. Max Burns (R). ATU Local 268 members in Cleveland, Ohio have committed to helping elect Cong. Ted Strickland (D) to the Governor's seat. Local President/Business Agent Gary Johnson recently held a fundraiser at his home on behalf of Strickland. The event was attended by Strickland, ATU International Secretary-Treasurer Oscar Owens, members of ATU Local 268, and other Cleveland-area activists. Strickland faces Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R) in a close race. Blackwell has been accussed of using his position as the state's chief election officer to suppress the vote during the 2004 Presidential Election - possibly costing John Kerry the U.S. Presidency. ATU Local 1385 in Dayton, Ohio, is also supporting Strickland for Governor, as well as other labor-endorsed candidates, including Congressman Sherrod Brown (D) who is running against incumbent Senator Mike DeWine (R) for the U.S. Senate. The local recently helped sponsor a Labor-Solidarity breakfast to coincide with the Southern Christian Leadership Coalition Convention. Attendees at the breakfast rallied in support of local labor-endorsed candidates. What are you doing to help elect transit and labor-friendly candidates this fall? Let us know by emailing atuaction@atu.org.
ATU Locals Campaign for Transit Ballot Initiatives In addition to supporting transit and labor-friendly candidates, two ATU locals are hard at work trying to pass ballot initiatives that will increase funding for their transit systems. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, members of ATU Local 1005 are committing their time and energy to passing the Transportation Amendment - a statewide ballot initiative that, if passed, would provide dedicated funding to transit in the state for the first time. Most recently, ATU members joined other activists outside a Twins baseball game on July 28th to pass out fliers urging people to support the amendment. The local is also planning to assist with an informational effort at the upcoming State Fair and a yard sign distribution effort. Members of ATU Local 587 in Seattle, Washington, will be supporting Transit Now! - a ballot initiative that, if passed, would expand King County Metro bus service by more than 20 percent with funding from a proposed 1/10th of one percent sales tax increase. ATU members recently voiced their support for the measure before a hearing of the King County Council's Transportation Committee on July 26th. While the measure received a recommendation by the Transportation Committee, it must now be approved by the full Council before it can be added to the November ballot. The Council is expected to act on the measure later this summer.
All inidications show that Americans are ready for a change in leadership. The following poll results are from the Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll conducted July 28 - 30, 2006.
Senate Dems Derail Estate Tax Cuts, Bogus Minimum Wage Hike Shortly before heading home for the August recess, Democrats in the U.S. Senate successfully quashed Republican efforts to sneak through a huge tax giveaway to some of America's wealthiest families. Republican leaders in the Senate were following the lead of their counterparts in the House who forced a vote on the estate tax cut by linking it to a minimum wage hike - something Democrats and labor leaders have long sought. In what many have called a cynical political ploy, Republicans linked the miminum wage hike to the permanent estate tax cut and extensions of other tax breaks in an attempt to force Democrats to vote for the bill. Their efforts failed, however, during a late night vote on the measure last Thursday with Republicans falling just three votes short of the 60 needed to proceed with debate on the measure. While the minimum wage hike in the bill would have given a raise for some of America's lowest paid workers, it would have actually reduced wages for some workers - by overridding laws in seven states that require minimum wage be paid to tipped workers. At the same time, the bill provided that estates worth $5 million -- or $10 million for a married couple -- would be exempted from taxation. Inheritances above that threshold and up to $25 million would be taxed at capital gains rates, currently 15 percent. Estates worth more than $25 million would be taxed at 30 percent. These provisions would have reduce federal revenue by over $268 billion over the next decade - meaning significant cuts in crucial programs that benefit working families. "While a minimum wage hike is desperately needed in this country, I think Democrats did the right thing," said ATU International President Warren S. George. "In the longrun, this bill would have hurt America's workers much more than it would have helped them."
Have Non-CMV Violations Affected Your Job? Last October, states began implementing new regulations that provide for the suspension of an individual's CDL if they commit certain traffic violations in their own personal car or any non-commercial motor vehicle (non-CMV). In addition, the new law prohibits states from granting hardship licenses or allowing individuals to enter into diversion programs in order to keep their CDL. The ATU has always maintained that CMV drivers should not lose their job as a result of unrelated conduct that they engage in during non-work hours which does not in anyway affect their ability to safely perform their job. For that reason, the ATU is supporting federal legislation that would allow CDL holders to enter into state-approved diversion programs or driver safety training programs that are available to other non-CDL holders. In order to educate Members of Congress about the effects of this unfair law, the ATU is seeking information from its members and local officers about how these new penalties have affected them. If you or someone you know has lost your CDL and/or your job as a result of the new penalties for non-CMV traffic violations, let us know. Simply send an email to atuaction@atu.org with the relevant information about the traffic violations, length of suspension, and how the suspension affected your job. For more information about the new CDL disqualification penalties, go to: http://www.atu.org/docs/safety_security/documents/CDLsummary.pdf
Tell Your Coworkers About ATU Action Weekly Updates As election day draws near, it is even more important that ATU members be informed about the issues that affect their job. Help us get our message out by telling your coworkers and fellow ATU members about ATU Action Weekly Updates, and encourage them to sign-up to receive these important weekly e-mails. Click here to spread the word to your coworkers. |
