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Covers 1-4 Sept-Nov_2011:Layout 1 10/14/11 12:56 PM Page 1 Covers 1-4 Sept-Nov_2011:Layout 1 10/14/11 1:26 PM Page 2 We’re All In It Together t’s indefensible—morally and not be there to help citizens in need. They government. We need Social Security to economically. believe government should not be there to keep retirees out of poverty. We need After the Virginia earthquake protect Americans from harm and bad Medicare and Medicaid so senior citizens, I and Hurricane Irene’s deadly luck. Government should not be there to the disabled and the poor get health care. flooding in late August, House Majority level the economic playing field, stop corpo- We need government inspectors to keep Leader Eric Cantor (R- rate abuses or ensure contaminated food off the shelves and make Va.) tried to hold the vic- equal opportunity. our workplaces safe. We need to rebuild our tims hostage. His ransom We need a Above all, Cantor and infrastructure, create jobs, retrain econom- in exchange for disaster his followers believe mil- ically dislocated workers, help the unem- assistance? More drastic strong, robust lionaires and billionaires ployed, and protect workers’ rights. cuts in government should not pay a penny These are essential government func- spending. and efficient more in taxes, even if it tions—and we must demand that the Just imagine—he government. means that children go wealthy and big business pay their fair wants Americans flood- hungry, workers lose share to ensure that we have a civilized, ed out of their homes, their jobs, the unem- safe, fair, democratic society. farms and jobs to get nothing unless his ployed run out of compensation, our high- Cantor wants an America where we’re personal demands are met. This includes ways crumble and bridges collapse, and on our own—where the wealthy and a 40 percent cut in funding to train and disaster victims are left destitute. lucky (usually one and the same) rule the equip first responders, which would leave Unbelievable. roost while the rest of us scrounge for a us frighteningly vulnerable the next time Even investor Warren Buffett cannot few spare crumbs. But as union mem- mother nature or terrorists strike. stomach these twisted priorities. “While bers, we want an America that recog- Lately, Cantor’s been in the hostage- the poor and middle class fight for us in nizes we’re all in it together—that each taking business. This summer, he and his Afghanistan, and while most Americans of us is responsible not only for ourselves colleagues held the full faith and credit of struggle to make ends meet, we mega- but for the good of the many, not just the the U.S. government hostage in exchange rich continue to get our extraordinary tax privileged few. That’s the principle the for cuts in programs that working fami- breaks,” he wrote in The New York Times. labor movement was built on—that we lies, senior citizens, children and the “My friends and I have been coddled long do better when we join together—and we poor desperately need during our econom- enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. must use the ballot box to make this the ic recovery. It’s time for our government to get seri- defining principle of our government. What’s clear is that Cantor and his tea ous about shared sacrifice.” — Thomas P.McNutt, President party comrades believe government should We need a strong, robust and efficient International Vice President 2 UNION LEADER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 Edit Pgs Sept-Nov_2011:Layout 1 10/14/11 12:57 PM Page 3 UNITED FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS LOCAL 400 Thomas P.McNutt PRESIDENT Mark P.Federici SECRETARY-TREASURER SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2011 Sue Gonzalez RECORDER EXECUTIVE BOARD Mike Boyle FEATURES Jacqueline Bradley Terry Dixon Lisa Gillespie Obama Plan Would Create Jobs Joanne Grimaldi 5 Mikki Harris Put Money in Pockets of Working Families James Hepner Michele Hepner Virginia Senate at Stake in 11/8 Elections Phyllis Jackson 6 Neil Jacobs Must Remain a Firewall Against Anti-Worker Policies James M. Jarboe Mary Laflin Getting Americans Back to Work Calvin McGuire 8 Tony Perez An Interview with former Va. Gov. Tim Kaine Ken Pinkard Jerry Rexroad Guest Column by Doris Crouse-Mays W. Christian Sauter 14 Carolyn Shebora Let’s Keep Our Firewall Vivian Siguoin Larry Southern 15 So. Cal. Grocery Workers Ratify Contract Linda Sykes Mary Vines Win Victory on Brink of Strike Carol Wiszynski EDITOR Thomas P. McNutt COVERSTORY ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mark P. Federici CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Stewards ACT to Prepare for Bargaining Bill Burke 16 DESIGN AND LAYOUT Activist Contract Teams Mobilizing Members Evans Design EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Bruce Kozarsky ALSOINSIDE The Union Leader is published by the United Food & Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 400. Office of Publication: Kelly Press Inc., 1701 Cabin Branch Rd., Landover, Md. 20785. Editorial Office: Metro 400 12 Faces of Local 400 28 All in the Family Building, 4301 Garden City Dr., Landover, Md. 20785. Main Office: (800) 638-0800. Subscriptions to mem- bers only. 20 Stewards Spotlight 30 Local 400 Retirees WEB SITES: www.ufcw400.org 28 Financial Reports BC Bargaining Update SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 UNION LEADER 3 Edit Pgs Sept-Nov_2011:Layout 1 10/18/11 2:00 PM Page 4 • LOCAL 400 POLITICS & LEGISLATIVE WATCH • LOCAL 400 POLITICS & Republicans Take Economy Hostage, Get Ransom Working Families, U.S. Credit Rating, Pay the Price In a reckless move unprecedented in size of government so they can preserve use this opportunity to take smart, sensi- U.S. history, extremist Republicans in obscene tax cuts for the wealthy and pre- ble, balanced moves that will help work- Congress held the U.S. and global vent the regulation of big business. It’s ing families reeling from the struggling economies hostage by threatening to let the middle class, working families and economy. For example, it could create an the United States government default on the poor who will pay the price for their infrastructure bank that will help finance its debt. The ransom they demanded— giveaways to a privileged few. urgently needed road and bridge repairs, and received—as their price for allowing “They got their way because the presi- highway and mass transit construction, the debt ceiling to rise was massive, dent and Senate Democratic leaders and water and sewage improvements, painful cuts to federal investments in the weren’t willing to allow tea partiers to creating millions of jobs in the process. It unemployed, working families, our infra- make the U.S. default on its debt and cre- could extend long-term unemployment structure and vulnerable populations ate another global economic crisis,” insurance, which is currently slated to These spending cuts, totaling approxi- McNutt said. “But by averting an out- expire at the end of the year. It could end mately $2.5 trillion over 10 years, will come akin to financial bankruptcy, the more than $1 trillion in outrageous tax result in a loss of 1.8 million jobs in 2012 result is moral bankruptcy inflicted by giveaways to Big Oil, corporate jet owners alone, according to the Economic Policy unscrupulous politicians doing the dirty and hedge fund billionaires. It could also Institute—at a time when the U.S. econo- work for greedy billionaires.” end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, my appears to be sinking back into The deal enacted by Congress and lowering the deficit by $700 billion. another recession. signed into law on August 2nd—the date Steps such as these have the support “The number one problem facing our the government was scheduled to default of the American people. Recent polling nation is jobs,” said Local 400 President on its payments—cuts roughly $1 trillion shows that 72 percent of the public sup- Tom McNutt. “But instead of focusing on over the next 10 years. Two-thirds of port raising taxes on those making over creating jobs and raising living standards these cuts come from domestic discre- $250,000, 64 percent support raising for struggling working families, the tionary spending, including areas such as taxes on hedge fund managers, and 59 extremist leadership of the U.S. House held unemployment insurance, education, aid percent support ending tax breaks for Big America’s ability to meet its obligations to budget-strapped state and local gov- Oil. hostage, demanding job-killing spending ernments, and food safety. The remaining “I urge our members to call Congress cuts as the price for averting catastrophe. one-third will come from the defense at (202) 224-3121,” McNutt said, “and “They used these dangerous, undemoc- budget. demand that the super committee mem- ratic tactics not to get real deficit reduc- To make the other $1.5 trillion in cuts bers focus on creating jobs, spreading the tion, but to enact the narrow agenda of an required, Congress formed a “super com- sacrifice, and regaining our moral com- extremist minority to permanently prevent mittee” of six Republicans and six pass. Callers should also insist that our government from acting on behalf of Democrats.They must put together a plan Congress enact President Obama’s jobs working families,” McNutt charged. by late November, and then it will be plan.” “The simplest and fairest way to lower voted on by the House and Senate. If it is One harsh consequence of the debt the deficit is by tackling its main causes: disapproved, then automatic across-the- ceiling hostage-taking was the decision the Bush tax cuts, our unfunded wars, board spending cuts will be made, further by Standard & Poor’s to lower the U.S.

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