From ITPE President Conley

News From The President's Desk

John F. Conley, ITPEU President

Report by
John F. Conley, President

The year 2007 is soon to be history. As each year passes we should ask ourselves was it a good year for me, my family, my country or my union. Each of you has to form your own opinion.

As President of ITPE and having over forty years as a union leader, I believe I can speak for our union. “NO” 2007 was not one of our union’s better years. Membership numbers have declined. Even though we had a gain in Las Vegas of the taxi drivers, overall the Union membership declined.

Another factor in building the Labor Movement is the Anti-Labor Bush Administration Agenda. That agenda has over the past seven years made it more difficult for all Labor Organizations to effectively provide America’s Labor Force the values of a Union Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Some examples are the recent 3-2 National Labor Relations Board party line vote of the Voluntary Recognition Decision.

Another is the recent unprecedented sixty-one (61) rulings in a one month period by the Republican majority of the (NLRB), all reportedly in favor of the employees Employer.

Then the threatened “Veto” by Bush of the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that would allow American workers to decide for themselves rather or not they wanted to be represented at their work site without being fired, intimidated or harassed by their employer.

We should have a Secretary of Labor who represents the Labor Force rather than Corporate America. I could go on and on but the truth is because of the Anti-Labor Bush Agenda, all American workers, Union and non-Union, are suffering. Having said all that the fact is Union workers are still far better off than their non-Union counterparts. It still Pays to Belong.

My country, your country, I again say “No” I don’t consider 2007 a good year for our country. Since March 20, 2003, almost five (5) years later we are still engaged in the Iraq War. We have lost over 4,000 of our young men and women, with 28,000 more who have sustained injuries. Thousands of Iraqi citizens killed. Billions of our taxpayer dollars spent.

As of October, the National Debt is 9.1 Trillion dollars. When Bill Clinton left office we had a surplus. The government paid 406 billion dollars of your money in fiscal year 2006 on interest payments alone to the holders of the national debt. That amount will be even greater in 2007 as our government has borrowed more. Over 2 Trillion of that debit is owed to foreign interest. In the spring 2003 ITPE newsletter, I made reference to those foreign interests. Remember the government does not have any money. It takes your money from you through taxes, we pay and then they spend it. Each and every American’s portion of the National Debt is approximately $30,000 dollars.

An example of a budget deficit “vs” national debt

Suppose you want to spend more money this month than your income. This situation is called a “budget deficit”. So you borrow. The amount you borrowed (and now owe) is called your debt. You have to pay interest on your debt.

If next month you don’t have enough money to cover your spending (another deficit), you must borrow some more, and you’ll still have to pay the interest on the loan.

If you have a deficit every month, you keep borrowing and your debt grows. Soon the interest payment on your loan is bigger than any other item in your budget.

Eventually, all you can do is pay the interest payment, and you don’t have any money left over for anything else. This situation is known as bankruptcy.

Ever since George Bush took office, government spending has been out of control. The U.S. Dollar has always been the International Trade Standard. It is now being replaced by the Euro. Could our large Nation Debt be the reason?

Corporate greed is destroying Americas Middle Class by its outsourcing of good paying jobs. They have put profits over America’s workers in this country.

If you question that, go into any Wal-Mart who when founded by Sam Walton in 1962 he took pride in retailing products that were made in the USA. Today 90% are probably imported from China.

Another American disgrace is that over 48 million of Americans are without Health Insurance. The Bush “Veto” of the S chip legislation that would expand Health Care to six (6) million more children. Yet your congressional legislators and Bush have the best health care money can buy. Guess who pays for it, we the American Worker with our tax dollars. No 2007 has not been a good year for our country.

There is however a brighter future on the horizon, as Martin Luther King stated, We Shall Overcome.

Yes, we soon will have an opportunity to make changes in our lives and our country. That opportunity comes to you and me on Election Day, November 4, 2007. The day we exercise our right to vote, we must vote for the candidates who have committed to support Americas Workers and not the Corporate Fat Cats who are selling out you and our country by outsourcing good paying jobs.

Remember we the Laborers made this country. The truck drivers, the road and bridge builders, the steelworkers, the miners, the carpenters, the painters, the pilots, the food preparers and servers, the nurses, the police and firefighters, the armed services, the fisherman, the farmers, the store clerks, the street cleaners, the janitors, the clerical assistants, the list is endless. Yes we are the workers, union and non-union alike, we all pay taxes, which fuels the government. We must take our country back. We must maintain a middle class in America.

If you are 18 or older it is your right to vote. Every American citizen should and must “vote”. If you are not now a registered voter refer to page ______ which lists the last date you can register. Choose the candidate for office that is committed to support your causes. Go to their websites.

Everything is not all bad. As the ITPE President I am pleased to announce OPEIU, our affiliated International Union will soon be providing another great member only benefit. In addition to the AFL-CIO Union Plus discounts as an ITPE Member, you will soon receive a “Perkscard”. This is a member only discount card that many retail outlets provide discounts to Union members. You must register your “Perkscard” at www.perkscard.com see more information on page ________.

In order to build our Union and provide greater services to our members we have recently employed three additional representatives and one administrative assistant. We welcome the employment of Gale Kelly as Administrative Assistant and John Brenton IV as Representative to the Savannah Office, Tara Moore as a representative in our Washington, DC branch and Wilma Zimmerman as the Representative administering bargaining units assigned to the latest ITPE Branch office opened at 1301 Clear Spring Trace, Suite 105; Louisville, KY 40223.

In closing I sincerely wish each and everyone of you Happy Holidays and definitely a much more prosperous New Year.

In Solidarity,
John F. Conley

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