Charlie Averill

Healthcare Rally

2009-07-05T16:57:00.003-05:00

Public Option Now! Rally

Sen. Richard Lugar's District Office
Thursday, 9 Jul 2009, 12:00 PM
We will rally outside Senator Lugar's Valparaiso office.
Lets join our voices in support of a public option!

Address:
175 West Lincolnway, Suite G-1
Valparaiso, IN

"Never confuse motion with action."

Ben Franklin

Karl Malden 1912-2009 - Union Man

2009-07-04T18:08:00.002-05:00

KARL MALDEN UNION QUOTE

"I am thrilled to be honored by the Screen Actors Guild because I've been with it for such a long time. The Screen Actors Guild is sort of a highfalutin name for a union, and this union was always wonderful to work for. For the rank-and-file of the union to honor me is the best compliment I can receive."

Conservatives and the Party of Death

2009-07-03T08:10:00.003-05:00

Do we have pitiful priorities?

According to the National Priorities Project, the war in Iraq since 2001 has cost us about 684 billion dollars or an average of a little over 7 billion dollars per month and 5,000 U.S. deaths.

This mornings paper indicates that the Congressional Budget Office in an analysis released Thursday put the net cost of the congressional proposal for universal health care at 597 billion dollars over 10 years which would be about 5 billion dollars per month.

7 billion dollars per month to invade and occupy a country for eight years plus 5,000 dead.

Versus

5 billion dollars per month to reform our failed and cruel health care system for the people of the United States for 10 years and saving countless lives.

You be the judge.

Samuel Gompers Monument

2009-07-01T19:07:00.003-05:00

Although I’m not a student of Samuel Gompers, there’s something about his life that has fascinated me.

Just about every time I go to Washington D.C. I at least think of getting some photographs of the Samuel Gompers monument, but something always messes up the attempt. Once, I had no camera. Once the camera I had didn’t have fresh batteries, and once, although photos were taken, I just didn’t get them.

While attending the Alliance for Retired Americans legislative conference June 15-18, Elaine and I arrived on June 14 by train and she advised me to see what was most important that first day, otherwise I might not have time later in the week, so off we went.

Next time you’re in Washington, and have a few extra minutes, you might think about visiting it. It’s not far from the Washington Hilton and Towers hotel, and is located near 11th and Massachusetts Avenue, NW.

Franken makes it 60 in the Senate

2009-06-30T23:07:00.003-05:00

Finally, Minnesota has two Senators. Al Franken soon to be seated in Senate giving workers a super majority.
Congratulations Al.

Keep that change out of your ash tray

2009-06-29T23:16:00.000-05:00

RNC’s Michael Steele Becomes Union Man

2009-06-28T10:07:00.004-05:00

By Leo W. Gerard
International President of the United Steelworkers Union

Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele appears to be suffering philosophical identity confusion, you know, like some people experience sexual identity confusion.
He’s got an organization named United STEELE Workers Union, white hardhat emblem and all, collecting members for him on Facebook. It had 255 worldwide as of June 19.
This is disconcerting on so many levels, least of which is that I head the original, authentic United Steelworkers Union (USW). It has, by the way, 1.2 million retired and active members in North America.
Far more importantly, Steele historically has expressed hostility toward unions. When President Obama agreed to help General Motors restructure in bankruptcy, for example, Steele said it was “another handout to the union cronies who helped bankroll his presidential campaign.” Now that there’s a union created in his own image, if Steele slams labor organizations, is he criticizing himself? Has he become a “union crony?”
Steele can perch that white hard hat atop his head, but he’s going to have to labor at learning some hard philosophical lessons before becoming a real steelworker, a true union man.
A union brother or sister knows it’s all for one and one for all. Our union brothers and sisters don’t see themselves as “ownership society” islands. That’s because they know when the sun stops shining, it’s nice to have union siblings to help clean up after the hurricane.
To join, Steele must learn that a union man has his brother’s back; he doesn’t stab him in the back. This may be a tough lesson for the Republican. Consider, for example, what Mark Bergeron, the STEELE Worker Union Facebook group administrator, says on his blog about the party’s 2008 nominee for president:
“How far to the left do we as Conservatives go to satisfy some of our Moderate ( Liberal ) Republicans? What sacrifices will we make to the Moderates? Abortion? Illegal Immiration [sic], a little more Socialism? Less Fiscal Responsibility? My point is that we have already made concessions to these softies and we got John McCain.”
In addition to insulting McCain, that smacks of exclusion. It is the Republican Party wringing itself out, shedding diversity at the insistence of its most conservative, self-appointed, over-amplified leader, Rush Limbaugh. So it has been reduced to little more than wealthy white protestant males — and wannabes. A union, by contrast, is a collective. By nature, then, it is inclusive. This may be a tough one for Steele to accept, considering he refused to stand up to Limbaugh earlier this year when the talk show host insisted he, not Steele, headed the Republican Party.
The STEELE Worker Union Facebook site says the group is interested in organizing. That’s a great first step in the correct direction. An important function of an international union, like the United Steelworkers, is to help employees at individual workplaces organize their local unions. Those efforts in recent years, however, have been thwarted by corporate campaigns of intimidation against union organizers and sympathizers. This is documented in a study called, “No Holds Barred: The Intensification of Employer Opposition to Organization,” released in May by Cornell University professor, Kate Bronfenbrenner.
Bronfenbrenner, who has researched labor issues for a quarter century, documents employers obstructing unionization by firing union organizers, threatening to close down the shop, cutting wages and benefits, and forcing workers to meet one-on-one with supervisors who interrogate them to determine whether they support the union. Bronfenbrenner found employers conducted these coercive tactics, many of which are illegal, in the run-up to union elections more frequently than in the past to dissuade workers from voting for unionization.
The upshot is that organizers and union sympathizers risk their livelihoods and corporations are increasingly killing unions. The Employee Free Choice Act now before Congress would significantly reduce that. It would allow workers — rather than the employer — to decide how to form the union. It would give workers the right to choose whether to form their union by collecting signatures from a majority of the workers or by conducting a secret ballot election. The threat-filled period before balloting could be eliminated, if the workers wanted.
The United Steelworkers union actively and vociferously supports the Employee Free Choice Act. If Michael Steele wants to be a real union man, he must do so as well. I will be waiting to hear from him. If I do, I will be glad to take him under my wing and mentor him. I will make him an Associate Member of the real United Steelworkers union. We will embrace him. Of course, I will warn my male members to be careful not to actually hug him because this is a guy, so touchy about unions, that he even used the word “crazy” to describe civil unions.

Health Care Reform....NOW

2009-06-23T11:13:00.002-05:00

The Rejerklicans are doing everything in their power to stop health care reform from becoming a reality. Do you have health insurance. If so, great. But don't let that stop you from doing all you can to make these stinking politicians understand that our country needs it now.
If you go to the website below, you can type in your town and see what some of the problems are close to home.

Click Here

Graham and McCain - go back home where you belong

2009-06-22T22:09:00.003-05:00

The people of the United States want and need health care reform. U.S. Senators John McCain and Linsey Graham should shut their traps where Iran is concerned and work on getting a public health care option. These Repugnicans seem to be completely without any understanding of what their job is.
The American people rejected John McCain and his warring tendencies and they sure don't want this country to stir the pot where Iran is concerned. Over the years, we've done enough of that and it always seems to backfire. Senator Linsey Graham should keep his mouth shut and read a history book.

Retirees On the Move for Healthcare Reform

2009-06-21T21:15:00.001-05:00

Last week the Alliance for Retired Americans met for their Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.. Nearly six hundred retirees attended several workshops during the week and lobbied Congress members and Senators urging them to support our agenda for healthcare reform. The Alliance for Retired Americans believes that any health care reform passed by Congress must:

* Allow Medicare to negotiate volume discounts with drug manufacturers. The Veterans Administration does this and its prescriptions cost 30 percent less.
* End wasteful taxpayer subsidies to private insurance companies who run Medicare Advantage programs at a cost nearly 20 percent higher than Medicare.
* Provide early retirees the option to purchase Medicare coverage. Many of the 5.1 million Americans between 55-64 who lack health insurance are victims of mass layoffs.
* Close the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D coverage.

On June 25th, 2009, thousands of grassroots people will descend on Washington, DC to lobby every Member of Congress in support of quality, affordable health care for all. We will also have a rally at 11:30 in Upper Senate Park and following there will be lobby activities in various locations.

Delegations of community leaders from over 40 states are attending in order to meet with key Members of Congress. The people comprising these groups include small business owners, rural representatives, faith leaders, health care providers, union members, SOAR members and members of the Alliance for Retired Americans.

"Cash for Clunkers" passes Senate

2009-06-20T12:09:00.002-05:00

The Senate passed legislation that would provide vouchers to consumers who trade in their gas-guzzling clunkers for more fuel-efficient models. This program will get consumers back into the showroom and boost auto sales.

This legislation was modeled after Germany’s scrap program which led to a 21 percent surge in auto sales in February 2009, compared to a 22 percent decline in the United Kingdom for the same period. Similar programs have now been implemented in 12 European countries and have helped drive up auto sales across the continent.

The legislation will now go to the president’s desk for his signature.

Source: The Donnelly Dispatch

USW Rapid Response: Leading the Way on the Employee Free Choice Act!

2009-06-19T16:57:00.003-05:00

The Employee Free Choice Act is at a critical point. A majority of lawmakers in the House and Senate are supportive. The President is willing to sign it into law. But, in the Senate, a process exists to talk a bill to death – “the filibuster” – and a Republican-led effort to kill the bill through this process is planned. To stop a filibuster, 60 votes are needed. We are just short of that goal.

As disappointed as we are with the Senators who have not stepped up in this fight, we are not letting up for a minute.

USW Activists in Key States Working Hard

Right now, USW members are continuing to keep up the pressure. In places like Pennsylvania, Arkansas and California, USW members are taking action again and again to target those Senators who haven’t yet given their support for the Employee Free Choice Act. This fight is coming down to a few key places across the country.

Senators Meeting to Address Issues; Vote Could Occur Within Weeks

While we’re working on the ground, there is a group of Senators meeting to look at alternatives to the bill. We don’t know what the outcome of these talks will produce, but we remain committed to passing real labor law reform. Senator Harkin, who is leading this fight as Senator Kennedy deals with health issues, has vowed to either find a solution that works to get to 60 votes, or force those unsupportive Senators to take a vote on the original measure. This way, we know where they stand come election time. Either way, the vote could occur this summer, possibly within weeks.

As this situation continues to play out, we will keep you posted on any major developments. Thank you to everyone for being so diligent over the years on this issue. And, for those of you in key states, thank you for continuing to fight for all of us for justice in the workplace.

Source: USW Rapid Response

U.S. Treasury Department Screws GM Retirees and Actives

2009-06-16T10:09:00.001-05:00

U.S. Treasury Department treats USW/IUE-CWA/IAM/ and Teamster retirees differently then UAW retirees. General Motors and the UAW agreed to fund current and future retiree health care through a Voluntary Employee Benefit Association Trust (VEBA) fund. As part of the bankruptcy process the Trust was partially funded with cash and the balance through GM stock of the new company.

General Motors agreed in principal to fund a VEBA for the other unions that represent workers in their facilities but the Treasury Department intervened and halted the process. This intervention prevents about 50,000 current and future retirees from receiving health care coverage they were promised by General Motors. Rather than receiving the benefits they deserve the workers represented by these other unions are thrown into the bankruptcy process as unsecured creditors. This essentially wipes out any chance of these current and future retirees of ever receiving health care benefits from General Motors.

The unions referenced above are fighting this injustice. We need your help!

Please contact your elected representatives and demand that all GM current and future retirees be treated the same as the UAW retirees.

I don't like being kept in the dark

2009-06-11T09:08:00.003-05:00

I have never had a particular desire to travel to Cuba and I still don't. I do, however, want the right to travel anywhere, including Cuba.
I know Canadians who go to Cuba every year. I think I should have the right to visit that country without going through all of the hassle that is required today.
Is there something about Cuba that our government is trying to hide from us? It seems to me that our government is trying to hide a little too much from us.
Another thing is the evidence concerning the United States use of torture. I want to know and see the truth.
Too much being hidden these days. It's best to let it all see the light of day. Put it all out there and accept the consequences.

Proof of Need for Employee Free Choice Act

2009-06-08T08:52:00.002-05:00

South of Valparaiso, Indiana is a small town called Wheatfield where a Georgia Pacific Gypsum plant is located.

The workers at this factory desired union representation and voted to be represented by the United Steelworkers Union. They began negotiating with Georgia Pacific for their first contract but just couldn’t get the company to negotiate in good faith. In the mean time, Georgia Pacific illegally fired one employee and illegally disciplined other workers.

Georgia Pacific hoped that the workers would tire of the long fight for justice and give up. They didn’t.
Over two years later, an agreement was finally reached.

This is the type of labor laws that the Chamber of Commerce and the nutty Republicans want to continue.

There is no good reason in the world for a company to be able to stall and delay and refuse to bargain in good faith with their workers --only bad reasons. That being to make the workers believe that their being united has no meaning. That it’s all futile and hopeless. That they should give up and change their minds.

The Employee Free Choice Act would put a quick stop to this unfairness. It would require that a company pay through the nose when they break the law. It would require that a company negotiate in good faith and that an agreement be reached in a reasonable length of time.

Although Indiana Senator Evan Bayh supported the Employee Free Choice Act two years ago, he is now withholding his support.

Please call Senator Bayh Toll Free at 1-866-207-2060 and ask him to co-sponsor and vote for the Employee Free Choice Act. Employees deserve the right to bargain with their employer for secure jobs, health care, and retirement benefits and fair pay.

Our country needs a strong middle class and the Employee Free Choice Act the one way to get it.

Outrageous!!

2009-06-04T10:15:00.003-05:00

Governor’s Budget Cuts $8 Million From
CHOICE Program

Calls Urgently Needed

Call your State Senator and State Representative Today!

“Keep funding for the CHOICE Home Care
Program at $48.7 million in each of the
next two years!”

Thousands of seniors and persons with disabilities will be forced
into institutions if cuts are made to the CHOICE Home Care
Program. And, taxpayers will pay millions more.

Governor Daniels has set Thursday, June 11th for the General
Assembly to convene in Special Session.

Don’t wait—call or email your legislators today.

For Calls:
House Switchboard: 1-800-382-9842 or 317-232-9600
Senate Switchboard: 1-800-382-9467 or 317-232-9400
TDD: 1-800-548-9517 or 317-232-0404

For Email:
House: h##@in.gov
(## = your district number. In the case of a single digit number, type only that number.
For example: If you live in House District 8, you type: h8@in.gov)

Senate: s##@in.gov
(## = your district number. In the case of a single digit number, type only that number.
For example: If you live in Senate District 8, you type: s8@in.gov)

Don’t know who your legislators are or their district numbers?
Contact United Senior Action (317-634-0872 or info@usaindiana.org).

Source: United Senior Action of Indiana

Retired with a little extra time? Try Delivering Meals on Wheels

2009-06-03T08:44:00.001-05:00

Since retiring eleven years ago, one of the most rewarding activities I’ve participated in has been delivering meals to home bound seniors. For those of you who are retired and have just a little extra time, please consider contacting the Council of Ageing in your community and volunteering to deliver a meal to someone unable to get out and who struggles to continue living in their home. If you don’t have enough time to do it on a regular basis, you can be put on a list to be called in an emergency.……you’ll be very glad you did.

They Fought Then - We Fight Now

2009-05-30T11:17:00.003-05:00

Having hired into, and retired from, a company where a local union already existed and whose workers already had a contract, I can’t fully appreciate what it must be like for workers to organize and then have their company refuse to recognize them as a union or to refuse to bargain, eventually to result in such a tragedy as that which took place at Republic Steel in South Chicago on May 30, 1937, the day we memorialize today. I can, however…….imagine.

Unfortunately, workers today face the same determination of companies to remain “union free” albeit with somewhat less violence.

My own experience was in 1980, when members of USWA Local 12775 and 13796 were forced to strike the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) for 242 days. Billed as the longest utility strike in American history at the time, it was a dispute where getting a contract seemed futile. That experience will be in my memory forever.

Not long after President Reagan’s firing of the PATCO workers, former USWA President Lynn Williams, with the help of the Steelworkers Union, formed the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees, (S.O.A.R.). Our organization is made up of thousands of Steelworker Retirees who have experienced similar labor disputes with companies that have refused to bargain.

Today, companies continue to fight workers attempts to organize. Not only do they unlawfully fire labor leaders, knowing that the cost of back pay is, to them, a small price to pay to stay “union free”, but they use intimidation, scare tactics and threats of moving or closing the plant, and when workers do elect representation, many times a company will refuse to negotiate a contract with them.

On top of that, when workers are forced to strike a company, they are faced with the hiring of permanent replacement workers.

NiSource is the parent company of NIPSCO and owner of the Northern Indiana Fuel and Light Company (NIFL). The workers at NIFL organized their union in January of 2005 and negotiated with the company for over a year, and yet they still had no contract. It was a disgrace.

Workers in the United States have had a belly full. The United Steelworkers and SOAR are supporting legislation that would address these problems. It’s called the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and I urge everyone to support it by asking their U.S. Senators to co-sponsor this legislation.

The working families at the Republic Steel plant in south Chicago helped set the stage for what is today the largest, strongest, most powerful industrial union in North America. It was the determination and guts of the founders of our great union in places like Republic Steel that gives today’s Steelworkers and members of SOAR that sense of resolve and the fortitude needed to continue in that same tradition. Remembering those who lost their lives and suffered from the massacre itself is, of course, very important. However, it was the determination of the workers after the event, never giving up the fight for recognition that gives us the resolve to “never give up on justice”. We are activists with a memory.

Building SOAR to increase our strength on senior issues is a high priority for our union. With the anti-union attitude of the far right wing in the United States today, there is nothing more important to our retirees than having a strong voice representing their interests. By becoming more active in the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR), we can make our voices heard more powerfully in the struggle to protect and extend the rights of retirees.

Charlie Averill, SOAR Secretary-Treasurer

Celebrate the Memory

2009-05-30T11:05:00.002-05:00

Click on the above flyer to enlarge it

Medicare = Health Care

2009-05-30T10:55:00.000-05:00

Sonia Sotomayor is a great choice

2009-05-29T19:54:00.003-05:00

How do I know?
Here's proof.
Hannity says she is a judicial activist.
Limbaugh says she's a racist.
Carl Rove says she is stupid.
Remember this....

Whatever the right wingers say, the very opposite is true.

Therefore, She will make a great Supreme Court Justice.

G.NO.P. - Still the Party of NO

2009-05-26T20:18:00.001-05:00

Congressman of the Year

2009-05-23T20:27:00.003-05:00

GRAYSON PROPOSES FIRST-EVER PAID VACATION LAW

May 21, 2009

(Washington, DC) – In a bold and historic move to help rejuvenate the American economy, Congressman Alan Grayson introduced the Paid Vacation Act of 2009 today. The bill will dramatically improve productivity at American companies and provide a much-needed spark for the U.S. travel and tourism industries.

Congressman Grayson said, “Why are paid vacations good enough for the Chinese, French, Japanese, and German employees, but not good enough for us? In other countries, it’s a matter of right. Everyone is entitled to it. In our country, it is a matter of class. Over time we are coming to realize that whatever your background, wherever you grew up, wherever you live, there are certain basic elements that people need to have enjoyable lives. They need health care. They need a decent paying job. And for a good life, they need time off.”

The Paid Vacation Act will require at least one week of paid vacation for employees at companies with at least 100 employees. Full- and part-time (25 hours per week/1250 hours per year) workers will be eligible after one year of service.

Three years after enactment, companies with at least 50 employees would be required to offer at least one week of paid vacation, and companies with at least 100 employees would be required to offer at least two weeks of paid vacation.

John De Graaf from “Take Back Your Time” points to a recent story in FORBES Magazine. It showed that the U.S. is not even among the top ten countries in the world in terms of happiness. “Those higher-ranked countries emphasize a work-life balance, including ample vacation time. Many of those same countries are weathering the current world economic storm better than we are. Vacations make people happier and economies stronger,” he said.

A poll, conducted last year by the Opinion Research Corporation, found that 29 percent of American workers got no paid vacation at all last year, and half received less than a week off.

The Paid Vacation Act of 2009 would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which means enforcement will be handled by the Department of Labor and U.S. Attorney’s Office, just like all federal wage and hour laws in the country.
grayson.house.gov

PAID VACATION FAST FACTS

How the United States of America compares:
• The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without a minimum annual leave statute.
• At least 147 countries have a paid vacation law, including all developed countries.
• In 1980 Americans ranked 11th in the world in life expectancy. We are now 42nd.
• Americans are twice as likely as Europeans to suffer from anxiety and depression, and many experts believe these deficits are caused by lack of time.
• Every European worker gets at least four weeks of paid vacation by law, yet the Euro is rising while the dollar is falling.

Americans are taking fewer (and shorter) vacations:
• PEW Research Center says "more free time" is the number one priority for middle-class Americans—68% listed this as a high priority for them.
• Last year only 14% of American workers took two weeks or more for vacation (Conference Board Study, 2008).
• The average American works one month (160 hours) more today than in 1976 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
• Last year about half (52%) of American workers took a vacation of a week or less (Opinion Research Corporation, 2008).
• 28% of Americans receive no paid vacation. Only 69% of lower-wage workers get any paid vacation leave (Opinion Research Corporation, 2008).
• 37% of American women earning less than $40,000 a year receive no paid annual leave (AFL-CIO, 2005).

Health:
• Men who do not take regular vacations are 32% more likely to die of heart attacks, and 21% more likely to die early of all causes. Women have 50% more risk of heart attack (Dr. Brooks Gump, SUNY Oswego, 2000).
• Stress and burnout are five times more costly to treat than average workplace maladies.
• Women who do not take vacations are twice as likely to be depressed as those who do (Cathy McCarty, Marshfield Clinic, 2006).

Business Development:
• Stress and burnout at work cost the U.S. economy more than $344 billion a year (Middle Tennessee State University, 2003).
• Vacations can result in an 82% increase in performance (Mark Rosekind, Alertness Solutions).
• Vacations of at least two weeks eliminate burnout (Hobfoll, Shirom, 1993).
• The travel industry adds $740 billion dollars a year to the U.S. economy (U.S. Travel Association).
• People have a 60% increase in productivity in the month or two after a vacation (Wallace Huffman, Iowa State University).
• Paid vacation, after health care, is the benefit most appreciated by workers (AFL-CIO, 2005).
• Workers sleep better after taking vacations and are 30-40% more alert on the job when they return (Air New Zealand).
Source: Congressman Garyson's website

Where Have All The Republicans Gone?

2009-05-21T21:49:00.003-05:00

I don't think there has been a good Republican since maybe Dwight Eisenhower. Ike was the last. I liked Ike.
Now, Dick Cheeney is the modern day republican.
Disgusting.
As a child, I knew, as did all my friends that torture was wrong and it was something only our enemies did. Torture is still wrong. We all know it.
Does torture work? Dick Cheeney wants to claim that torture works and therefore it's ok to do.
Shameful.

Artists for Workers Choice

2009-05-18T09:40:00.001-05:00