Category Archives: Organized Labor

While You Were Out – Open Thread

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Ross| 1 Comment

In the ‘while you were out’ department, this went on while distracted by the goings on in Libya.

In January, Social Security recipients will get a 3.6% increase for a Cost Of Living Adjustment. But some won’t even notice. That’s because the increase will be eaten up by the increase in their Medicare premiums. Didn’t Obama say that under his plan your premiums would decrease?

And speaking of Obamacare, the CLASS Act was yanked out of it. On Friday afternoon, the Department of Health and Human Services released a report that said there was ‘no viable path forward’ to implementing the CLASS Act, a major — if little-advertised — piece of the administration’s signature Affordable Care Act. The reason it was pulled is that lawmakers could not certify that the Act would be paid for by subscribers. That’s because the number of subscribers they expect to get is nowhere near the figure used to justify it as not only a money-maker, but it was advertised to be contributing a full 40 percent of the funding needed for the Affordable Care Act. The real challenge for the administration is how to play this as no big deal. Especially when President Obama promised the American people that he would not sign the Affordable Care Act if it increased the debt one dime. The good news is, if you believe what President Obama says, he will be making an announcement very soon to ask congress to repeal the whole thing.

Winding down his bus-tour-that-isn’t-a-campaign-fundraising tour, President Obama is having trouble drawing crowds. Especially when his single stop in one city was not open to the public. He had a fundraiser in a union hall in Pennsylvania and couldn’t fill a 100 seat room. And at one of his last stops, touting his son of stimulus bill that he calls a jobs act to a lukewarm reception of  union firefighters, he had to encourage them to applaud. It’s like a human applause sign, and Barack was the sign. Who is it that’s ‘out of touch’ again? Barack Obama has really traveled a long way in the lives of the American people. And I don’t mean how he has put government in control of nearly everything. I mean how three years ago he was in front of huge white Greek columns in a packed stadium during his acceptance speech. Three years later he is trying to fire up a room-full of union members. Unsuccessfully I might add. Sucks to be him.

The Misery Index rose to its highest since 1983. The misery index — which is the sum of the country’s inflation and unemployment rates — rose to 13.0, pushed up by higher price data the government reported on Wednesday. The last time the misery index was at current levels was in 1983. And speaking of price data, have you noticed that whenever the government quotes inflation that they do not include food and energy prices in the mix? For example . . .

While the misery index rose in September, many economists expect some respite in coming months, driven by softer inflation.  Wednesday’s price data showed inflation outside food and energy rose at the slowest pace in six months in September.

So if you throw food and energy out, inflation is no big deal. After all, we don’t need to eat and we don’t need to get anywhere.  So it’s not a problem.  Everything’s looking rosy.

Then there’s the Department of Energy caught covering up records pertaining to Solyndra and SunPower. According to Andrew Stiles, National Review Online: “It appears as though the Obama administration has been caught red-handed trying to cover up evidence in relation to the ‘green’ loans programs that helped finance Solyndra. CNBC reports that a number of press releases posted by the Department of Energy have been retroactively altered to remove the name [of] a solar company thought by many to be the next ‘green’ failure:  The changes occurred in two press releases from the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee program — the same program that has been the center of controversy surrounding the failed solar company Solyndra.  Both were changed to remove the name of a company that has received negative press attention in recent days, SunPower, and replace it with the name of another company, NRG Energy.”

Last but not least, five-term Democratic Rep. Dennis Cardoza of California says he won’t seek re-election next year, blasting what he calls “the increasingly harsh tone in American politics.” Who can argue that Obama’s ‘new tone’ is nothing short of divisive politics at its worst?

Posted in 2012 Election, Economy, Organized Labor, Politics

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Love Affair With The Wall Street Protesters

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Ross| Leave a comment

Democrats in Washington are just aching to attach themselves to the Occupy Everywhere protests. Pelosi is in love with them. Democrats want so badly their version of the Tea Party (which isn’t a real political ‘party’) to help advance their agenda. I wish them luck with that. They are fomenting chaos, enabling and stoking the useful idiots, most of which are anti-capitalists and socialists. Big Labor doesn’t care which way it goes. They’re in the government money laundering scheme no matter what happens to the country.

Oh, now I get it.

Any other political party would distance themselves from these mobs (some of them paid to be there) rather than condone their shameful behavior.

But not these three Democratic leaders:

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Yes, I think people are frustrated and, you know, the protesters are giving voice to a more broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.

The scary thing is that they believe that crap. They are dumb enough to not blame you, Mr. President, for the laws and regulations that mangled our financial system.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CA, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: God bless them for their spontaneity. It’s — you know, it’s an independent people coming. It’s young, it’s spontaneous, it’s focused, and it’s going to be effective.

This begs the question for former Speaker Pelosi, at what is it going to be effective? In her case, I can see why Nancy Pelosi holds a special bond with the protesters. Neither of them have a clue.

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The core is the American people do not think the system is fair or on the level. That is the core of what you’re seeing on Wall Street.

The ‘system’ isn’t fair? Where on earth did they get that idea? The Divider in Cheif? And who thinks it is the job of government to distribute fairness?

Link: Political Influence of ‘Occupy Wall Street’?

Posted in 2012 Election, Economy, Organized Labor, Politics

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Occupy Everything, What’s Their Goal?

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Ross| Leave a comment

When you think about the Organizing Everything protests and Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Rahm Emanuel, and Barack Obama, do you ever think of the SEIU? Maybe most people would just think that the administration would do anything, like endorsing these protesters, to draw the focus away from their failed policies and onto the bogeyman, Wall Street.

Despite all attempts from the Left to legitimize these Marxist mobs by comparing protesting-corporate-greedthem to Tea Party rallies, these two videos will, all on their own, show them for what they are. Anti-capitalists, socialists, and then some.

First up is radical labor organizer Stephen Lerner, serving on the International Executive Board of the 2.2 million member Service Employees International Union, SEIU. He intends to take it to the next level and terrorize the families of bank executives in their homes as part of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Stephen Lerner . . .

There’s moments in history where people take action and do something heroic. Where we do something heroic. Where we take risks.

If we are really serious about movement building then we think one part is we have to act heroically. That we have to inspire people by our actions and we have to be willing to take incredible personal and collective risks.

And that’s the time and there’s moments where history shifts and we’re going to decide if it shifts.

And this one is an interview with one of the organizers of the Occupy Wall Street group. She says up-front exactly what they’re all about. Anti-capitalism, anti-corporation.

Now this third video just shows that some pundits on the Left, like talk show host Mike Papantonio, are a little out of step with the movement. Doing what lawyers do, progressive Papantonio says capitalism is great! Ed Shultz was speechless. Papantonio starts at 3:50 into the video.

However, the title of his video, Now’s The Time to Get Mad and Do Something, is right in tune with Stephen Lerner. Looks like he is inciting some front yard action himself. He does go on to whine about something local. The ATU / ECAT dispute. The union is the victim. They want to be exempt from the Obama depression. Oh well. He says they are being attacked by a foreign corporation that operates the bus transportation for Escambia County. The AFL-CIO affiliate is considering a second strike on the backs of the poor.

Posted in Economy, Florida, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics, Whiners

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Remembering What ‘Democracy’ Looks Like

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Ross| 4 Comments

This Is What A Mob Looks Like

I am not the first to note the vast differences between the Wall Street protesters and the tea partiers. To name three: The tea partiers have jobs, showers and a point.

No one knows what the Wall Street protesters want — as is typical of mobs. They say they want Obama re-elected, but claim to hate “Wall Street.” You know, the same Wall Street that gave its largest campaign donation in history to Obama, who, in turn, bailed out the banks and made Goldman Sachs the fourth branch of government.

This would be like opposing fattening, processed foods, but cheering Michael Moore — which the protesters also did this week.
Read more »

Posted in 2012 Election, Economy, Organized Labor, Politics, Whiners

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Nothing Like The Tea Party

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Ross| Leave a comment

It’s just a bunch of Marxists, for the most part. And supported, btw, by the Democrats in Washington, and their money laundering partners BIG LABOR.   This is their attempt to mimic the uprising in Egypt that led to the overthrow of the government.

The New York Uprising. They have a drug-free zone.

According to their website, they’re pondering whether to buy sleeping bags, or make their own. They worry that buying them would be like surrendering to the capitalists. Hilarious!

Isn’t it odd that they don’t see how many jobs they are costing, making the city spend money for what could have been used for a haircut and a bath and food in a shelter somewhere?  Or even “job creation.”

They have cost New York City over $2 million in overtime for the Police Department. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has about had it with them. The protesters started attacking the police today (seen anything like that at a Tea Party rally, anywhere?) and Kelly says if they do it again they will be ‘met with force.’

And to top it off, they are now stinking up the place. Polluting the environment. What?

“Sanitation is a growing concern,” Brookfield said in a statement. “Normally the park is cleaned and inspected every weeknight. . . because the protestors refuse to cooperate. . .the park has not been cleaned since Friday, September 16th and as a result, sanitary conditions have reached unacceptable levels.”

Seen anything like that at a Tea Party rally?

What’s amazing is that, with all the complaints that these misguided youths have, they are not gathering in Washington and calling out Obama. Mr. ‘Saved or Created.’

Posted in Organized Labor, Politics

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Labor Unions And The ‘Occupy Everywhere’ Protests

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Ross| 1 Comment

Sign says 'Abolish Capitalism, Fight for Socialism.' That's the agenda of the 'Workers World' bunch.

‘Occupy Wall Street’ was only the beginning for the United States. Now the same thing is happening all over the country.

But unlike the Tea Party movement which was a spontaneous reaction to just about everything the Obama administration is doing, this throwback to the demonstrations of the 1960′s these Marxist ‘demonstrators’ are trying to mimic Egypt in the so-called Arab Spring. Their intent is to force whatever changes they want if they just make enough trouble, like what happened in Egypt. In their short lives, they must think that what happened in Egypt can happen here.

There is one thing common between the Egyptian uprising and the ‘Occupy Everywhere’ protesters. Both were supported by BIG LABOR.

“We’re down with these protesters. We support the notion that rich folk are not paying their fair share,” said Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen. “Our bus operators are not going to be pressed into service to arrest protesters anywhere.”

It isn’t about jobs, work, or the economy in general. They are desperate to get their unfunded pensions bailed out and desperate to reverse the trend of a shrinking membership.

Try this . . .

Van Jones, now senior fellow at the George Soros backed Center for American Progress.

Update: Remember Van Jones, the former Green Jobs Czar? He is all about this manufactured civil unrest.

 

 

 

 

“I think everybody should hold onto your seats,” said Jones on Thursday’s MSNBC program “The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell.”

“October is going to be the turning point when it comes to the progressive fight back,” he went on. “We are a part of something called the American Dream Movement. We`re having a huge summit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Come—you can go to rebuildthedream.com and find out more about it. We are going to build a progressive counterbalance to the Tea Party.”

Progressives should fight back, Van Jones says. What, can’t handle an election?

He also says that what we are seeing on the evening news is a counterbalance to the Tea Party. Not sure if that means they will start bathing. Stark difference between the two ‘movements’ is that the Tea Party folks know why they are petitioning their government. These Occupy Wall Street hippies haven’t a clue.

I don’t understand the liberal perspective on what ‘normal’ is. Why would saving our country from a socialist regime need a counterbalance? One group is the cream of the crop, Americans who know of and respect the Constitution for what it is and what it means. The other group is the bottom of the barrel and don’t have a clue about their country. They believe that they can change our government by popular demand according to what’s cool in the world. As if our form of government is a fad.

The dirty little anarchists haven’t noticed the failure of the socialist laboratory called Europe. Those of us who bristle at the thought of the government growing in debt, size and scope, and rolling back freedom and the free-market economy are dismissed by these anarchists as being ‘old fashioned.’ Waiting for us to die off so they can have the socialist version.

The useful idiots, revolutionaries, will be coming to a public place near you. Pray for them if you happen to meet one. That’ll really piss them off.

Link: Who’s Behind The ‘Occupy Everywhere’ Faux-tests?

Posted in Economy, Organized Labor, Politics

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Labor Movement And Wall Street Protesters

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Ross| Leave a comment

In case you had any doubt about the synergy between BIG LABOR and anarchists here and around the world, this should remove any doubt.

A large group of protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement attempt to cross and close the Brooklyn Bridge.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was in Minneapolis today for the ‘Next Up Young Workers Summit.’  This is the group of ‘young workers’ and activists and students that just announced their strong support of the Occupy Wall Street protesters:

The world in which we live isn’t working for the vast majority of people. The top 1 percent controls the economy, makes profits at the expense of working people, and dominates the political debate. Wall Street symbolizes this simple truth: a small group of people have the lives and livelihoods of working Americans in their hands.

Their perspective of just who works for who is instructive in just how counter-productive this labor movement is to America, and other countries with even less freedom. People work for the companies that have jobs to get done. The companies don’t work for the employees. They work for their customers. Like it or not, the ‘workers’ work for the same customer. That’s life in the real world.

Then there’s the global labor movement that Trumpka is talking about.

Richard Trumka . . .

“America needs a good dose of critical imagination right about now. We need ideas and energy. We need enthusiasm, optimism, that sense that everything is possible. . . . You are the future of this movement, and all of us—all of America’s working people—need and your critical imagination in a big way.”

I get the distinct impression that Trumka isn’t pushing for America’s economic success. Instead, he is pushing for labor union membership growth. And if it means tearing the country down first, like our President and Trumka prefer, then they will surely do it. Or rather, continue to do it. Be imaginative, critically imaginative, he says.

Posted in Economy, Organized Labor, Politics

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Stimulus Spending, For What? For Who?

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Ross| Leave a comment

With the economy still in recession, and the President still touting his American Jobs Act, Americans are becoming more skeptical about what all the stimulus spending has done for them. And the news about questionable stimulus spending and special deals is beginning to bubble up to the surface. Some new, some old.

Old news that is coming around again is the Fisker Automotive  (now Tesla Motors) luxury electric sports car that Vice President Al Gore invested in. That company got a half billion dollars for so-called green jobs. It is an electric car. It is a luxury car with a 50 mile range in total electric mode. Big investment for no market. But it did create jobs, in Britain and Finland.

The Fisker Karma sedan is priced at $87,400, with buyers eligible for a $7,500 credit on their Federal income tax returns.

Want one? Call them up and put down your $25,000 deposit. They’ll let you know when it is ready. Sell price? $87,400 to over $109,000.

So we subsidize a car company whose target market is “millionaires and billionaires,” then we give them $7,500 more of our tax dollars to incentivize them to buy it. All that from the guy that calls himself a ‘warrior for the middle class.’

Then there is the Solyndra scandal (Solar-Gate?) that wasted another half billion taxpayer dollars. That solar panel company declared bankruptcy not long after receiving your half billion dollars. Another big investment in an industry where there is no market. Officers of that company are big-time campaign fundraising bundlers for President Obama. Now those green jobs went directly to China. And Solyndra’s execs are pleading the 5th in Congressional hearings about it.

Are you seeing a pattern here of connected democrats and Big Labor being on the receiving end of millions and billions of your (and your grandkid’s) tax dollars? All in the name of stimulus and green jobs.

Posted in China, Economy, Energy, Europe, Organized Labor, Politics

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ECAT Drivers Are Driving

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Ross| Leave a comment

Carlton Proctor at the Pensacola News Journal spoke to Michael Lowery, president of Local 1395 about the ECAT union bus drivers going on strike. Lowery also spoke to PNJ reporter  Thyrie Bland.

He told Proctor

“This is all about fair treatment on the job, it’s not about wages. It’s about fair treatment.”

He told Bland

“The employees have gone over 1,000 days without a raise, and working conditions are the worst I’ve seen in 16 years.”

Which Mr. Lowery are we to believe? And does it matter? The evolving version of why they went on strike looks a bit unorganized. Certainly not characteristic of organized labor. Keyword ‘organized.’

Posted in Economy, Florida, Media, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics

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ECAT Working Conditions, Worst In 16 Years

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Ross| 3 Comments

The raised fist (also known as the clenched fist) is a salute and logo most often used by left-wing activists, such as: Marxists, anarchists, socialists, communists, pacifists, trade unionists, the SEIU, and black nationalists.

Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) bus drivers are on strike. Thyrie Bland at the Pensacola News Journal writes ECAT drivers on strike, Wage issue halts public transit for thousands.

The human aspect of the bus drivers going on strike is inescapable. Their riders are their customers. They are people who don’t have personal transportation and that includes the working poor. They also include physically handicapped folk like Mr. Freeman. Regardless, these are folks that need to get to their jobs so they can put food on the table and pay their bills, get to the store or the doctor.

Being responsible for creating a hardship on those with no alternative transportation is unconscionable. But is also standard fare for organized labor negotiating tactics. A lesson about labor unions and liberals in general is that they are liberals first, they are union first, and you are not on their list.

I bet these riders vote. And I also bet that they will remember who it was that caused them to miss work. It was a government labor union member who has a full-time job making from $12-16 an hour.

According to Michael Lowery, president of Local 1395 . . .

The employees have gone over 1,000 days without a raise, and working conditions are the worst I’ve seen in 16 years.

No raise in a couple of years huh? How does it feel (government labor union member) to be more like your neighbors? The ones that still have a job. Surprise! It happens in the private sector too! That’s life in the big city. The article brings to question a dispute of one half on one percent. If there’s a half of a percent in dispute in the current contract, then ‘work’ it out.

Working conditions? What working conditions? With all due respect to the drivers, you drive a bus.

Worst working conditions in 16 years? Which begs the question, when the head of my local labor union says that my working conditions are the worst that they’ve been in 16 years, just what am I paying my dues for?

Here’s an idea . . .

Posted in Economy, Florida, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics, Uncategorized

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