unions

Earlier this week a lot of good people got arrested trying to protest the insanity that is happening at the General Assembly. If that inspired you to make your presence and your opposition to these attacks on voting rights and on the people of North Carolina known, then check out this event.

Schedule: http://maydaytrianglenc.wordpress.com/schedule/
3 pm: Welcome and Teach-ins (Moore Square, Raleigh, NC)
4 pm: Sidewalk march steps off (Moore Square going to Halifax Mall with stops along the way)
5-5:30 pm: Arrive at NC Legislature
5:30-8 pm: Rally, speak-outs, music, and more!! (Halifax Mall, Raleigh, NC)

The problem with electing Republicans to office is that even though they claim to be godly people they don’t vote their religion, they vote their pocketbook. There is a big difference there. The tenets of faith and the needs of the pocketbook are not the same. And their pocketbook speaks to them strongly. They may claim all pocketbooks are the same but they are not, and filling up their’s does not mean yours gets filled up, too. Their pocketbook has a lot more in it than your pocketbook does and they don’t care to share.

Labor Day 2012 and the Democratic National Convention is moving into Charlotte. What a great opportunity for our state and the Democratic Party. Charlotte and all of North Carolina get national and international attention. The Democratic Party gets to better reveal itself to the people of our state.

Not all are happy about the choice of N.C for this convention. Labor unions are disappointed with the choice because the dismal number of N.C. unionized workers, at 2.9% we are last in the nation. Could this choice mean the strong ties between the Democratic Party and labor unions is over.

The Democrats and Labor Unions go way back. Each side depended on the other for support and both became stronger. The last 30 years have been difficult for the labor movement. They have continued to support the Democratic Party but has the party done enough to support unions? The recent changes in Wisconsin and Indiana mean that the South will not be alone when it comes to anti-labor laws.

Please join me and Progressive Dems in wishing P. R. a very happy birthday.

Progressive Democrats!

Wake County Progressive Democrat, P.R. Latta turns 93 this week. The Wake County Progressive Democrats and Nancy and John Brooks would like to invite you to celebrate with him.

Join PR for dinner Sunday, July 1st, 6pm at the Crystal Palace, 4011-161 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, NC 27604 (Corner Capital Blvd & New Hope Church Rd.)

Buffet:$10.49

Sincerely,
Tristy Evely
Wake County Progressive Democrats

This lesson in hypocrisy brought to you by the letters “G-O-P”

This post originally appeared on AFLCIONC.org.

On November 29, the Republican-controlled General Assembly adopted an error-filled, non-binding resolution lambasting the DNC for not doing more to hire in-state, non-union companies to work the 2012 Convention in Charlotte. It falsely claims that the Democratic National Convention is actively trying not to hire North Carolina workers.

“This is such an unnecessary resolution,” objected Rep. Paul Luebke because, in fact, “the DNC has an agreement to hire local people as much as possible.” To say otherwise is “simply not true,” he added.

Charlotte-area Rep. Becky Carney blasted Speaker Thom Tillis for wasting time and taxpayer dollars for a special session on a resolution having “nothing to do with the critical issues in this state right now. We need to be up here talking about jobs for every North Carolinian that’s unemployed,” said Carney. “And what have we done here for three days? We have not talked about jobs.”

Unfortunately for North Carolina workers, state Republicans can’t be bothered to put their money where their mouth is. According to filings with the Federal Elections Commission, the NCGOP has outsourced its video production, logo design, and web services to a company in New Jersey. Specifically, the NCGOP has paid one Mr. Riccardo Diaz, the Director of Media Affairs for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, $5,589.90 to produce web videos attacking the DNC and President Obama, to design the logo for its 2012 campaign, and to create the website for itself and for its own state convention!

How’s that for chutzpah?

Occupy Wall Street has been an inspiration to me as it has been to many. Many people - tens of thousands of people - now feel empowered by the idea that, as Woody Guthrie sung to us, this land is our land, so we need not be afraid to occupy it, to take it back from the 1% who would steal it from the other 99% of us. So in that spirit, I want to share this video I put together for work.

When last we met, it was to discuss a Big Idea that the Obama Administration might apply to get some job creation going, despite a difficult Congress; the Big Idea was to look at the “Buy American” provisions that exist in our laws, regulations, and Executive Orders and see if we could practice a bit of “jobs arbitrage” by not just meeting the “Made in USA” requirements when governments across this country make purchases, but exceeding them.

(As it stands today, pretty much any “good or service” with more than 50% Made in USA content qualifies as a Made in USA purchase, even if 49% of the “good or service” comes from somewhere else).

At the time, I told you that if all went well we could look forward to comments from both Labor and the Administration as to the practicality of the Big Idea, and as it turns out I have comments for you that hit close to that mark – and a bit more besides:

On Saturday I just happened to bump into Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09); in the course of that conversation I told him what we’re doing here, and he wanted to offer a few thoughts of his own…and when you put all that together, I think we’re going to have a lot to talk about.

What with all the attacks on Labor in states like Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, there has been just so much misunderstanding out there these past couple weeks about what things are actually like for State workers.

Are the conditions decent?
Is there excessive pay?
Is there even a need for State workers?

Well, I can’t answer every question, but I can sure tell you what it’s like in our house…and the reason my words carry the “voice of authority” is because The Girlfriend has been working for the State of Washington for the past 16 years.

Bona fides established, let’s get to telling the story:

By now you've heard the cookie joke. You know: a CEO, a tea party member, and a union worker are all sitting at a table when a plate with a dozen cookies arrives. Before anyone else can make a move, the CEO reaches out to rake in eleven of the cookies. When the other two look at him in surprise, the CEO locks eyes with the tea party member. "You better watch him," the executive says with a nod toward the union worker. "He wants a piece of your cookie."

I went to the rally in Raleigh in support of the Wisconsin protesters. There were a bunch of counter protesters across the street with their signs swearing fealty to the rich and their corporations and opposing a good life for workers. I expected all that, but I also expected some notion of Constitutional rights - don't the Tea Baggers claim to support the 1st Amendment and all that?

But no - not only did they try to drown out our speakers with their speakers but - and I really found that offensive - they sometimes simply broadcast pure noise, no words, just noise - in an attempt to suppress our free speech.

Why am I not surprised?