Posted on 11/18/2006 8:01:49 AM PST by george76
Unions spent more than $100 million getting out the vote, knocked on millions of doors and delivered Election Day support to Democrats running for the House by a more than 2-to-1 ratio.
Now organized labor is spelling out what it wants from the new Democratic Congress.
The priorities include raising the minimum wage, expanding health care and improving pension protections.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney sees the elections as a "mandate for a union agenda."
Likewise, says Bill Samuel, legislative director for the AFL-CIO, "we have an opportunity to push our agenda...
The AFL-CIO executive council is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss various issues, including the legislative agenda.
The aggressive stance is a sharp turnaround from the past few years.
"There were days during the last six years when we were in a defensive crouch protecting 60 years of workplace advances," Samuel said.
Organized labor clearly expects the Democratic Congress to help pass pro-worker legislation after an unprecedented get- out-the-vote effort.
Organized labor spent an unprecedented amount of money for midterm elections on its get-out-the-vote-effort - $40 million by the AFL-CIO alone - with 187,000 union volunteers in the AFL-CIO program knocking on more than 3 million doors in the final four days.
Labor did more microtargeting of voters, but the most effective technique was still worker-to-worker contact.
(Excerpt) Read more at rockymountainnews.com ...
No, the Rats will not like the $4 plan. Because it's not government. The problem with WalMart is that it's become a SUBSTITUTE for government. That's the last thing the Rats want.
Unfortunately, my state (NH) is not a right to work state.
Is there a union worker anywhere that works for the minimum wage, and if so, are they required to pay dues?
The minimum wage deal is another scam.
The union wages are often pegged to minimum wage plus X.
So when the minimum goes up...the union gets more dues, too.
What the heck does this mean? Against what? They spent $50 million more than who? They knocked on more doors than who? Another meaningless statistic.
Look at the bright side, agenda #22 is the members of the union who pay dues.
This may be true however the union leaders are focused on the members and NOT their own personal gains financially or politically.
I have a bridge over a swamp for sale are you interested?
Now, only about 8 percent of private-sector workers are unionized. "
That's a great figure for PRIVATE employers, but at the same time, GOVERNMENT employees have grown substantially in the Union memberships.
I cannot find one single reason for unions to still exist. The illegals on the West Coast are being seriously courted by the SEIU. There has to be some laws being broken in there somewhere.
WOW!
LOL !
" the union leaders are focused on the members and NOT their own personal gains financially or politically...."
Kissing up to illegal alien labor on the one hand, unions on the other. Oh dear. Whats a DUmmie to do?
That brings the union force workers down to 58% of the working force.....
They do give dems a ton of money.
The priorities include raising the minimum wage
Is there a union worker anywhere that works for the minimum wage, and if so, are they required to pay dues?""
Don't be fooled. EVERY Union contract has language in it in regard to the minimum wage. Of course, Unions don't get minimum wage rates for their members, but every time minimum wages go up, so do union wages. Some are a direct dollar for dollar increase, and some are a percentage thing.
Don't ever think that the union members don't have a serious stake in what level the "minimum" wage is. Your cost of living is going to increase, and so the circle continues, as union contracts have COL clauses also. The big losers in the raising of minimum wages is the number of people who will be laid off to cut the overhead, and the lower income people who have to pay more for their basic goods and services.
People with good college diplomas just don't connect the dots on this topic, IMO. Someone with better financial education needs to come forward and give us a clearer picture of the overall impact. Payroll taxes go up, and also Workmen's Comp overhead, as it is always based on GROSS wages.
Nothing for via attrition they have reached the pinnacle of confusion.
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