John Mccain: Barack Obama: • Wants to Tax Your Health Care As Income and Then Give • Has a Plan to Have Health Care for All Americans
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John McCain: Barack Obama: • Wants to tax your health care as income and then give • Has a plan to have health care for all Americans. big insurance companies tax breaks. • Opposes unfair trade deals and has plans to create good, • Thinks the job-killing NAFTA was ‘a good idea’ and new jobs in a green economy that helps save our environ- wants even more free trade agreements that have no ment and promotes energy independence. human rights, safety or environmental standards. • Would protect your retirement and opposes privatizing • Would jeopardize your retirement by privatizing Social Social Security. Security. • Opposes giving your job to replacement workers if you • Supports giving your job to replacement workers if you strike. strike. • Has plans to improve veterans’ health care, including • Voted more than 10 times against bills that would arm reversing Bush administration cuts to the Veterans our troops, provide adequate rest for troops and improve Administration. veterans’ health care and other benefits. • Would lower taxes for 95 percent of workers and their • Has the same pro-business agenda that would give tax families. cuts to the wealthiest Americans and companies. Have You Moved Notify your local union financial secretary, or ?clip out this form with your old address label and send your new address to: USW@Work USW Membership Department, 3340 Perimeter Hill Drive, Nashville, TN 37211 Name New Address City State Zip STEELWORKER STORE INSIDEUSW@WORK Election 2008 The USW is working like never before to elect Sen. Barack Obama and his Democratic running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, as Visit the Steelworker 06 the next president and vice president. SpeakingSpeaking OutOut Store to order your USW active and retired members and their families are invited to copy today! “speak out” on these pages. Letters should be short and to the point. We reserve the right to edit for length. Mail to USW@Work, Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh PA 15222 or e-mail to [email protected]. Understanding Middle-Class cians who will support us. We working income tax breaks and they support Steel Negotiations people and poor seniors need representa- The USW reaches historic, four-year labor agreements with Families alternative energies, such as wind and tion and we need it now. two of our country’s largest steel manufacturers, U.S. Steel Democratic presidential nominee Sen. solar. I am voting against the Republican Let’s help each other. Let’s elect those 08 and ArcelorMittal. Both increase wages and benefits. Barack Obama has a 98 percent ticket because I can't afford more of the who will help us. “Lifetime Right” voting record ranking same upper income tax breaks and plant Visit the USW web site by the AFL-CIO while the Republican Clyde Rush, Local 186L, retired closures. and select the candidate, Sen. John McCain, has a dis- Munford, Tenn. "Steelworker Store" button or visit Jimmy Taylor, Local 12 www.steelworkersmerchandise.com mal 16 percent record. No hype or spin Gadsden, Ala. can change those statistics. They show The Only Real Choice that McCain does not understand I am voting for Obama/Biden because ’ International Oil Bargaining It s Time to Move On More than 300 rank-and-file delegates representing 30,000 I feel they are the only real choice for Executive Board Democracy is not the America’s middle-class working families As a union worker at an automotive USW oil workers met in Pittsburgh to develop bargaining poli- and has little regard for them except as working families in America. Leo W. Gerard icing on our cake. It is our 10 cies for next year’s contract negotiations. parts supplier, I have watched our jobs International President campaign propaganda. Obama, on the The thought of having our health care move to China and Korea at an alarming taxed as income by McCain is repulsive, James D. English bread and butter … We other hand, is an activist on a mission to rate. The plant where I work used to Int’l. Secretary-Treasurer “ as is his notion of making free trade cannot survive as a trade restore the diminishing American Dream have 600 union employees. We are now Thomas M. Conway union movement except to the middle class. He recognizes that agreements with almost any country. down to under 200. Int’l. Vice President It is time to level the playing field and (Administration) unions share the same goal, and his vot- America can't afford four more years where there is democracy. to stop the rich from getting richer while Fred Redmond ing reflects that. of Bush policies carried out by John Int’l. Vice President Human rights are the very Paper Workers Fight the middle class and the poor are left to (Human Affairs) Andy Voelzke, Local 2-209 McCain. It's time this country and its Workers at the former Pope & Talbot mill in Halsey, Ore., struggle. It is time to enable any worker government started working for the peo- Ken Neumann George Meany are learning firsthand the value of contract protection Lomira, Wis. who wants a union to be able to form Nat’l. Dir. for Canada 19 language, technically known as successorship. ple again. Big business has had its Former AFL-CIO President” New Deal for America one without retaliation from rich corpo- eight-year run. It is time to move on and rations. It is time to make college afford- Carol Landry Obama reminds me of history. When help those who actually need it. Vice President at Large able. It is time to make the American Hoover was President and the economy Jon Geenen Dream available to all Americans again. John Jones, Local 634-L Int’l. Vice President FEATURES: was in the dump, Roosevelt offered a Auburn, Ind. Gary Beevers Speaking Out 03 New Deal. That New Deal built the mid- Lesly J. Hall, President, Local 713 Int’l. Vice President News Bytes 30 dle class and we prospered for many New London, Mo. Tired of Rich Getting Richer Health, Safety and Environment James H. Dunn years. Now, Bush has destroyed our I am voting for the Obama/Biden Associate Secretary-Treasurer Safety activists from around the union take home new infor- Tired of Losing Jobs mation from the USW’s 2008 Health Safety & Environment economy and the Obama/Biden ticket is ticket because I'm a Democrat. I am tired Ron Hoover I am voting for Obama/Biden because Exec. Vice President (R/PIC) 20 Conference. offering a New Deal that will once again of the rich getting richer and the poor provide opportunities for middle-class I am tired of high taxes for the working getting poorer. Lewis Peacock ON COVER people. Also as a union official, I’m Vice President (Organizing) CarolynTHE and Tony Milini greet USW activists America. Our jobs are being eliminated. Our tired of losing jobs in this economy, James K. Phillips, Jr. Jolanta Hiles and Rick Wright, who were children no longer have the same oppor- Vice President at Large among hundreds of union volunteers canvass- Randy McKay, Sub-Director, District 7 where the rich get richer and the poor ing in Ohio on behalf of political candidates Indianapolis, Ind. tunities for employment as we were Directors who support working families. Photo by Steve get poorer. afforded. David R. McCall, District 1 Support Workers’ Rights We need new blood in office who can How important is health care? I’ve Michael Bolton, District 2 bring in fresh ideas and start all over to I am voting Democratic all the way had three bouts with cancer. My bills Stephen Hunt, District 3 restore our economy to its once great because I realize that without support were astronomical and I certainly would- William J. Pienta, District 4 Communications Staff: Volume 03/No.5 Fall 2008 power, to quit sending our jobs overseas , District 5 from the government for labor and n't be here today if my union hadn't Daniel Roy Jim McKay, Editor Official publication of the United Steelworkers and to put a stop to unfair Chinese Wayne Fraser, District 6 Wayne Ranick, Director of Communications Direct Inquiries and articles for to: unions and workers' rights we'll lose fought for the benefits we have! USW@Work imports. Jim Robinson, District 7 Gary Hubbard, Director of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. United Steelworkers jobs, wages and benefits. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly Ernest R. “Billy” Thompson, District 8 Communications Department The Republicans are destroying our Aaron Hudson and Kenny Carlisle, Designers I am voting Obama because he gets and equally when it comes to their Stan Johnson, District 9 Five Gateway Center country's greatest assets - the American Lynne Baker, Kelly Barr, Jim Coleman, Deb Davidek, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 it... He gets labor! health. John DeFazio, District 10 Gerald Dickey, Connie Mabin, Tony Montana, phone 412-562-2400 middle class. We need someone in office who can Robert Bratulich, District 11 Frank Romano, Scott Weaver, Barbara White Stack fax 412-562-2445 Jamie Sanderson, Local 7898 online: www.usw.org John Jeffers, Local 8183 understand middle-class workers and Terry L. Bonds, District 12 Georgetown, S.C. J.M. “Mickey” Breaux, District 13 Industry, Pa. help us achieve more. USW@Work (ISSN 0883-3141) is published five times a year by the United Steelworkers AFL-CIO•CLC Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, PA Co-Directors Let’s Wake Up 15222. Subscriptions to non-members: $12 for one year; $20 for two years. Periodicals postage paid at Pittsburgh, PA and additional mailing offices. Tax Breaks for Middle Class Brenda Fentress, Local 13796 Gerald P. Johnston, District 1 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: USW@Work, USW Membership Department, 3340 Perimeter Hill Drive, Nashville, TN 37211 We retirees and all working people Demotte, Ind.