Anyone who has visited UnionReview.com even once knows my primary concerns include spreading as much information as possible to and for / to and from working people. The blog doesn't lean in favor of one particular union or one trade (though, admittedly, there is more stuff on the site orginating from the Teamsters -- and that is only because it is where I work). We have Carpenters, Electricians, Teachers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ...we have Dock Workers and Waitresses and even a few Lawyers that stop by ... the site doesn't care what you do or who you do it for, the only real 'rule' is that we don't have rude and obnoxious pissing matches on the site -- that is better saved for emails back and forth or not at all ...
This entry is entirely about John McCain's stance on working people and is meant to help anyone who is out there organizing, mobilizing or educating folks about this forthcoming election.
With all that said and out of the way, I was recently up in NYC for the Labor Day Parade. I had a great time walking with thousands of working people from unions from all around the Big Apple. One interesting moment of the Parade was talking to an Electrician who carried a McCain sticker ...
The Electrician knew I was with the Teamsters Union, and that I was in total support of my union's endorsement of Senator Barack Obama to be our next President. The worker and I talked for about 15 minutes -- and soon I realized it was a waste of time. The guy was talking to me in Fox News-type rhetoric and sideways bullshit than I knew what to do with.
I told the guy that he was nuts for even considering McCain -- speaking for myself of course, not the union. I told him that aside from McCain being totally opposed to everything and anything the labor movement in the United States needs, desperately, his totally obnoxious pick of this virtual nobody Sarah Palin is what it is ... a stupid political move to prove he can shock Americans in the same way some of our favorite shock-jocks do: Tits and Ass. My electrician friend had a good laugh, and while he laughed ... I said, "Seriously, brother ... you and I are probably more qualified for this VP job than this woman..." And he fell silent, he agreed in his own way.
Then he went on with more utter fucking rubbish about McCain ... And that's cool, for him ... I told him I respectively disagreed with everything he told me and that I had to move on. We shook hands and I went to talk with a few thousand Teamsters about Obama.
Earlier today a co-worker of mine at the IBT Communications Department sent me a document she thought I'd "like." I want to share excerpts of this document with everyone and anymore -- but most importantly, I wish for working people all over the United States to take note of the following information:
John McCain on Workers' Rights
McCain crossed a Writers Guild of America strike line to appear on the Tonight Show on Jan. 31, 2008.
McCain opposes union-only Project Labor Agreements.
He opposes the Employee Free Choice Act.
Oct. 9, 2007, Republican debate in Dearborn, Mich.: "This latest ploy of the Democrats of signing people up in the most willy-nilly fashion is something that needs to be rejected, because it will not protect the rights of workers who do not wish to join a union.
Employee Free Choice Act; Bill H R 800 ; vote number 2007-227 on Jun 26, 2007. McCain voted against allowing the bill to go forward in the Senate.
He believes the Davis-Bacon Act should be repealed.
Senate Bill 1650, Vote #320, Oct. 7, 1999. McCain opposed applying Davis-Bacon to Federal Disaster Areas. McCain supported an amendment to prohibit application of Davis-Bacon requirements for fair wages in declared federal disaster areas. It would have undercut the wages of people working in the harshest conditions.
Senate Amendment 4031, Vote #134, May 22, 1996: McCain Voted Against ‘Sense of the Senate' Support for Davis-Bacon. McCain voted to table a "sense of the Senate" measure saying the Davis-Bacon Act, which protects workers' paychecks on public construction projects, should not be repealed.
Senate Bill 2019, Vote #118, May 18, 1994; House Bill 5132, Vote #105, May 21, 1992; House Bill 2916, Vote #181, Sept. 19, 1989. McCain has repeatedly supported exceptions to prevailing wage rules. He voted against tabling a proposal to require Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements for contractors on federal drinking water projects. He voted to waive the requirements for workers at Davis-Bacon federal construction projects. McCain voted against tabling a proposal to allow building contractors to pay workers less than the Davis-Bacon Act's prevailing wage rules.
He supports deregulation
He admits he doesn't know much about economics. He's the Miss Teen South Carolina of Economics.
Boston Globe, Dec. 12, 2007: "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," McCain said.
He voted against protecting workers' overtime rights.
Senate Bill 1637, Vote #79, May 4, 2004. McCain voted against protecting workers' overtime pay from Bush administration rules that threaten the overtime rights of 6 million workers.
He voted to gut the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Senate Amendment 16, Vote #7, Feb. 4, 1993; House Bill 1, Vote #11, Feb. 4, 1993. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the act unless the federal government either certified that compliance would not increase costs for business or provided financial assistance to businesses to cover any costs associated with implementing the law.
He believes OSHA policies need to be reviewed "to ensure it does not overburden American employers."
o House Bill 4577, Vote #143, June 22, 2000. He opposed worker safety and ergonomic standards. McCain voted to block the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from issuing, implementing or enforcing standards to protect workers from ergonomic injuries.
McCain has voted against extending unemployment insurance benefits.
o Senate Bill 1054, Vote #152, May 15, 2003: McCain Opposed Extending Federal Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Jobless Workers. McCain voted against extending the expiring Temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation program for another six months, with an additional 13 weeks of benefits for workers who exhaust their federal benefits while looking for a new job. The amendment also called for unemployment benefits for low-wage workers and workers seeking part-time employment. At the time the program was due to expire, more than 1 million long-term jobless workers were nearing the end of their state benefits.
If you are a unionized worker, know someone who is ... please tell that person where Senator McCain stands on labor -- he doesn't, he is sitting on his ass, just like President Bush(ed)