\I\Brkers Cheer for Gore~~~~~~~~~~
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Hrade~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Uva-Rllc) (.1- d Car r IHE FAIR Trade Caravan moves out this Labor Day week- end on a seven-week tour to spread the truth about George Bush's proposed North Ameri- can Free Trade Agreement. The California Economic Eathquake Express includes tree huge trucks that serve as stages and Vol. 35-No. 32 September 4, 1992 display platforms for speakers, en- cob,4 tertainers and exhibits showing te social and economic chaos that will result if Bush's trade agreement is rtified. \I\brkers Cheer for Gore~~~~~~~~~~ Motorhomes and vans will carry representatives of the coalition of organizations allied with labor in Al Gore toured an Oakeland foun- opposition to the trade agreefnent. dry that is holding its own against Included will be environmentalists, cheap foreign labor Monday and community activists, clergy and drew cheers from union members Mexican workers who have experi- when he promised that a Clinton enced'exploitation and hoffendous -Administration will curb unfair living conditions in maquiladora competition by China. plants along the border, and unem- The vice presidential candidate ployed Americans whose jobs have cited American Brass and Iron Co. been exported.- as proof that Americans'don't have The agreement would allow U.S. to choose between jobs and the companies to fire their American environment. workers and ship jobs to Mexico in He told workers, civic officials search of sub-poverty wages and and labor leaders that Allan freedom from environmental and Boscacci, president of ABI, "has health and safety controls. looked upon environmental protec- "Earthquake"' in the caravan title tion as a business opportunity," refers to the devastation that will come with vast new inlcreases in un- AFL-CIO General Board employment and loss of tax base. makes Clinton-Gore The public got its first official endorsement offici.l. look at the caravan and its traveling 4 show this mnoming at San Franlcisco Page where the outside thie Hilton Hotel cut S.F Labor Council was holding its using new technology to annual Labor Day weekend pollutants. breakefast. "This company is a. model of the The anti-NAFTA message will future," Gore declared. Boscacci, be presented Monday at Pleasanton he said, "has innovated a partner- durng the 35t}h annual Labor Day ship approach between management Picnic of thie Alamedla County Cen- and all employees...that really t1] Labor Council. works."9 Then the caravan will hit the. road Heads of six central labor coun1- on an odyssey that will cover com- munities throulghout California. A thirough thie plant, which recycles scrap metal into iron pipe and fit- sortie into Arizona also is planned. east Labor Joumal. Photo by Unooln Smit, say tings-and construction re-enforcing The caravan will set up its dis- Al Gore, left,, codmer-s with labor adeirs InbDe La Flbe, WeAter Johnso and Owen Mwir dui-ng bars. Also in attendance was Ig- (Continued on page 3) tour of Oaklan foumhy. nacio De La Fuente, Oakland City Council member and international vice president of the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Al- Labo Reect Com Pakag lied Workers, thie uniion that repre- sents the ABI workforce. Gore took the opportunity to hit Workeds compensation reform legisla- would result in many legitimate claimants "If anydiing merits a special session, it back at Republican charges that he tion opposed both by labor and by em- being deprived of needed medical treat- would be workers compensation," Loren is an env=ronmental extremiist push- ployers today is on the desk of Gov. Pete ment and benefits.'' Kaye, WilsonYs cabinet secretary, told the ing ideas that would cost-American it. jobs. Wilson, who is expected to veto The governor is expected to veto the Los Angeles Times. Bush and Quayle, he said "are The three-bill package was charac- package for the wrong reasons. Employer The legislation is the product -of two still pushuing this phonly choice be- but organizations are demanding restrictions weeks ofintensive debate and high-voltage tween jobs and the envirnment and terized as "well-intended unaccept- they haven't done a good job with able"' by Jack Hennig, executive secre- on compensation that are even tougher and lobbying before an Assembly-Senate con1- with either.", tary-treasurer of the California Labor improvements in benefits that are even ferenlce committee that was charged Gore added, "We can create mil- Federation. smaller. sorting out the large number of workers! lions of new jobs by leading the en- submitted dur- Wilson, responding to a reporter's ques- compensation reform bills vironmental revolution instead of "The legislation fails labor in two major in- ing the 1992 session of -the Legislature. fighting against it as Bush and said. "The benefits it tion during a Capitol news conference, have done*"1 respects," Henning dicated he would veto the three-bill Four measures came out of thie confer- Quayle provides are inadequate given the magn- Foundry workers applauded the structural and the package. ence commiittee last weekend as the 1992 Gores promise to withdraw most- tude of reforms, from China draconian restrictions on stress claims There was talk of a special session. (Coninued on page 2) favored-nation status I~~~~~~~~~~ (Cowined on page 4) 0 0 0 By Lane Kirkland What they're actually getting of American jobs overseas, a gov- Presidenlt, AFL-CIO from the White House, however, is ernment-sanctioned assault on the In this presidential election year, inaction, lame excuses and self de- trade union rights ofordinary workc- on the third Labor Day of thie cur- luded pronouncements thiat a recov- ing Americans and a conscious ef- rent recession, America7s working ery is already underway. fort to erode the minimum wage, men and women need a government. The bare facts speak for thiem- the recompense of Amencics poor- W. i that believes in tem and talces bold selves. During thie past four years, est workeDrs. steps to invest in their potential. 1.3 million manufacturing jobs It isthe consequence of a strategy g _ They demand job-creating pro- were lost forever. Seventeen million of offering millions of working to rebuild the natioifs de- Americans axle now out of work or M. grams Americans, a choice: eithier accept cayed infrastructure and improve under-employed. Even the Bush lower wages and debased working our education and training system, Administatiotfs own forecasts call conditions or we can find some thereby. setting the stage for the for continued high unemployment poor soul in the Third World whofll country's long-term growth. They and anemiuc growt for thie next five be glad to have your job. deserve national policies that gener- yeas ate high-wage jobs and offer our This msery index is the result of N;ever has it been more apparent poorest workers thie opportunities to more than a decade of tax policies that. the- so-called "rising tide' cre- build a better life and work thieir that have favored the wealthiy, trade ated by the Reagan-and Bush Ad- way up into thie middle class. Lae Kikln policies that have shippe millions (Continued on page 4) m 0 1 Labor succeeded in beating back pain. be able to afford to go to college, a number of anti-worker proposals .'Once the Legislature gave up the fight to 'The Clin'ton-Gore will suffer from cuts to education before the -contested state. campaign bitterly close ta loopholes- and restore fair taxes placed ultimate.blame on the door- arid health care, and will see their budget finally was signed police protection impacted. Wednesday. on corporation's and the richest Califor- s'tep of -the;Bush Administrad'ion.- A proposal to eliminate payment nians, there was nothing left to do but di- "The deva'st'ating effects of "George Bush's bankrupt poli- of prevailing wages on public works vide up thie mw*,er.', GeWrg'e Bush's failur'e 'to plan an cies'have led to a nearly bankrupt projects was killed. The Califoriiia economic stItategy are being felt b'y state. The self'-proclaimed education Labor Federation also lobbied suc- families, throughout the nation and president was truant while the cessfully against proposals by the pact the budget will have upotn especially here in California,"de 'school system. was failing apart, Wilson Administration to strip'away workers, especially when schools "Once the Legislature gave up clared John Emerson, California di- Emerson concluded. an array of worker protection rules rector of the Democratic and local governmental agencies thie fight to close tax loopholes and camnpaign. -"I4f George Bush wants to spend and regulations administered by the start laying people off.- restore taxes on corporations and of Industrial "4Our new state budget is going to time'-soothing people who are living Department Relations. "It is a tragedy," one legislative, the richest CalifomIians, there was affect the of most Califor- But there was no blunting the im- lifestyles trugh a disaster, he should think advocate for labor declared nothiing left to do but divide up thie nians, many of whom no longer will about visiting Califormfa.'' Workers~~~~~~~Meoral a Workers'~~Cop. (Continued from page 1) SB 1904 is by Sen. Pat Johnston, session ground to a close. D-Stockton. Also on the committee were As- Legislation making April 28 of each year Workers Memorial Day was established in Three of the bills were double- sembly Members Steve Peace, which means that move Workers Memorial Day in California was 1989 by the AFL-CIO. It falls on the anniver- joined, they D-Chula Vista, and Paul Horcher, into law this week Gov. Pete Wilson. together on a one-fail, all fail basis. R-W'hittier, and Sen.