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ATU Action Weekly Update - 6/25/07
Employee Free Choice Act Vote TOMORROW! After a week of debate on the Employee Free Choice Act, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the measure on Tuesday. Forty-six Democratic Senators have co-sponsored the legislation. In a letter to all Democratic Senators on June 8th, ATU International President Warren George urged the Senators to express their support for the bill on the Senate floor - not just by voting for the measure, but by speaking out in support of this long-overdue legislation. "Please express your support during the debate for the Employee Free Choice Act so that the workers of America, including working families, know where you stand on this issue," urged President George. Numerous Senators have responded to this call by speaking on the Senate floor about the need for comprehensive labor law reform. You can read coverage of what Senators are saying on the AFL-CIO's blog at http://blog.aflcio.org/. It's not too late for you to take action to ask your Senator to support the bill. To send a message to your Senator, go to: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/EFCA_senate_card_home.
ATU Weighs in on Immigration Bill Last week, ATU International President George urged U.S. Senators to oppose the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S.1348). "This misguided legislation is far from the kind of comprehensive immigration reform that workers in this country deserve," wrote President George. "We are particularly concerned about provisions in this bill which would massively expand exploitive guest worker programs without any credible wage floor protections," continued George. "If passed, this legislation will only further drive down wages, benefits, and health and safety protections for workers in this country." President George also commented on the measure's failure to provide a fair opportunity for current undocumented workers to earn a path toward legal status and the elimination of family preference categories that would reverse long-standing U.S. policy of favoring reunification of families.
House Committee Considers Transportation Energy Bill Last Wednesday, the full House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure completed action on a broad-ranging bill designed to promote energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through transportation investment. The Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act of 2007 (H.R. 2701), would, among other things, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate carbon emissions by promoting greater public transit use, and provide additional funding for the use of green technologies by transit systems. "These are very pragmatic, doable initiatives," said Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN). "Each of these provisions is a single modest step, but add them together and they can make a significant difference in our daily lives." The ATU has pushed for measures to promote transit as part of energy legislation, maintaining that transit is essential in our nation's quest to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Current public transportation usage reduces U.S. gasoline consumption by 1.4 billion gallons each year. That is the equivalent of 108 million fewer cars filling up every year - almost 300,000 every day, 34 fewer supertankers leaving the Middle East, or 90% of oil imported from Kuwait.
Richardson Addresses Union Members in Phoenix New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D), a candidate for the democratic nomination for U.S. President, was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of union members and supporters at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) hall in Phoenix last Thursday, June 21st. He started the day by telling the crowd:
"This election is about helping the middle class, ordinary men and women who work hard every day, play by the rules and need to be supported. I believe having union membership is good for the American worker, good for higher wages and good for heath care. Unions are so important, that as president I would name a union member as secretary of labor, and I would replace the entire National Labor Relations Board."
Richardson also outlined his plans for universal health care, responsible immigration reform, trade policy, ending the war in Iraq, changing the current No Child Left Behind Act so it works, ensuring the safety net of Social Security is there for future generations and expanding the Employee Free Choice Act nationally.
The forum was part of a series of Working Families Vote 2008 forums with presidential candidates. The next forum will be with U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) in Columbus, OH on July 21st. Find out more about where the presidential candidates stand on working family issues at http://www.workingfamiliesvote2008.com.
Got Talent? Sign-Up for the ATU Idol Show The surprise hit of the ATU International Convention in 2004 was the ATU Idol talent competition. ATU Idol will be returning to the convention again this year, and it promises to be even better. Convention delegates bring their best vocal renditions of rock and pop hits, as well as selections from a wide range of American standards. Accompaniment is chosen by contestants from a HUGE list of Karaoke backup CDs provided by the competition. A panel of non-ATU entertainment professionals will judge the performances – just like the hit TV show. There may be a “Simon” in the group, but that’s all a part of the fun. And like the TV show the winners are determined by a vote – of the brothers and sisters watching your performance. Prizes will be awarded to the top performers,
but the real winner will be the ATU MS Research Fund – the
recipient of all show proceeds. Don’t delay. Performance slots are limited. You can download an application and the song list from the ATU website at http://www.atu.org. Just click on the ATU Idol link. |
