Secretary-Treasurer's Report December 2008

I am writing this report right after the election returns have come in, and couldn’t be more proud that our nation has elected Barack Obama to be President.Not only is Obama the best man for the job in these challenging times, but in addition, the ramifications of electing a black man to serve as President of the U.S. are incredibly significant. The polls show that white America voted for him, that the black vote was not the deciding factor, and that almost every sector of the voting population supported him.

Secretary-Treasurer's Report October/November 2008

As an elected officer of this union for 33 years and Principal Officer for the past 16 years, I have devoted my career to ensuring that our members receive the best possible contracts in their industries. I have seen first-hand how politicians and the party in power can make or break our ability to improve wages, benefits and working conditions.

After eight years of the Bush administration and a Republican-dominated Congress, I have seen our power as a union diminish. This administration has put Wall Street fat cats and the rich first, leaving working people and the poor at the back of the line. Rather than strengthening pensions, supporting national health care, promoting good jobs, and enabling unions to do our jobs, their greed has created policies that only benefit the wealthiest among us.