President's Column - The gift that keeps on giving

The assault on the American taxpayer by Corporate America seems endless. Congress in its infinite wisdom has granted huge tax breaks to corporations just because they are. In addition, the Corporation who operates off shore obtains even bigger tax breaks. Now, to add insult to injury, The World Trade Organization ruled that the European Union could impose $4 billion in trade sanctions against the United States. This is a figure 20 times higher than any sanction in the past---because of the tax breaks given to U. S. Corporations operating abroad.

This cost, if paid, would be passed on to the taxpayer. The "foreign sales corporations" systems lets companies with a foreign presence, such as Boeing CO. and Microsoft Corp., to exempt between 15 percent and 30 percent of their export income from U.S. taxes. By doing that, the price of their goods are lowered and more competitive than foreign rivals.

Last year, the WTO ruled that it constituted an illegal subsidy. The tax break, coupled with a second benefit, not challenged by the European Union, is expected to save u. S. companies an estimated $4.8 billion this year. An WTO arbitrator ruled that the European Union was entitled to impose as much as $4 billion a year in trade sanctions, to make up for European business lost because of the U. S. law. Washington had claimed the figure should be less than $1 billion.

A question would arise - Does the United States make the same such claims for foreign corporations that operate in America? The irony of this corporate giveaway is that it appears that the American taxpayers pays for the original tax break and then would have to pay the European union monies for the lost business in their market by the companies which gave the tax breaks to and for. This is truly a gift that keeps on giving, and giving ... and giving...

President's Column - September 11th Anniversary

September 11th Anniversary

One year ago, today, all of us remember where we were when the Terrorist captured four airplanes and attacked American. We watched in horror as two planes hit the World Trade Towers and one other hit the Pentagon. While most of us could only watch in horror, in New York, hundreds of others ran for the Towers, they came by ambulance, pick-up trucks, fire trucks and running. Brave men and women headed to the holocaust in an attempt to save the thousands of people trapped in the burning and collapsing buildings. They ran up the stairs, clawing their way through thick smoke a fiery inferno and many lost their lives.

That dark day, one year ago, I lost 634 union brothers and sisters, for all of the rescue workers, police, firefighters and EMTs were all union members. Every rescue worker who ran for the Towers and the 634 who died in that attempt were from organized labor. Of that number 343 were unionized firefighters, 70 of who were through with their regular shifts and were technically off duty.

Hundreds of union construction workers left their paying jobs, ran to Ground Zero and immediately started the rescue and recovery work, working long 15 to 20 hours shifts for days. None of these union members asked who was going to pay or what were the benefits. The union contracts they all enjoyed never got in the way of the work that needed to be done.

So while today, we commemorate the 3000 American citizens that died on 9-11, I have a special place in my heart for the 634 sisters and brothers that were killed in the line of duty. Politicians praised them during the year and great oratory will happen all over the country today. Yet, isn't it ironical that in the Senate there is a heated debate as to whether federal employees of the newly created Department of Homeland Security should enjoy union rights, even 50,000 currently do prior to any transfer. The debates are going because the Administration believed union rights would get in the way of national security.

No one believed that of my 634 union sisters and brothers that gave their lives that fateful day one year ago. To suggest that now tarnishes their memory. I am sure they are in that "better place, singing "Solidarity forever with those other brave union members who died in struggles for human and union rights. And leading the group is that great union leader Mother Jones, who said, "Mourn the dead, but fight like hell for the living"

So I ask the Administration and the Congress - If you really want to preserve the memory of those brave first responders who gave their lives in service to their fellow man, don't give them phony praise, but let them know that you wish to preserve the right of workers to live in a country where union rights or for all… public or private sector.

Press Conference

I have the honor to represent the bargaining unit field employees of the U.S. Department of Labor. This includes the field inspectors of both OSHA and MSHA. We have had a union contract with the Department of Labor since 1940 and not once has that union contract hampered the mission of the Department. This would include the mine rescue efforts of MSHA, which culminated with the rescue of the nine trapped miners that President Bush praised at a recent photo opportunity.

Federal mine inspectors, members of AFGE and state inspectors, members of ASCME, all members of the mine rescue teams were ready to go into the Quecreek mine and bring up any injured miners that day, or to recover the bodies at great risk to their own bodies. These unionized federal inspectors are ready at a moment's notice to go anywhere in the world to lend their expertise and bravery to any mine disaster, building collapse or earthquake, which they have accomplished many times.

Hundreds of AFGE OSHA inspectors and MSHA mine rescue members volunteered and worked at Ground Zero, starting within hours of the planes hitting the Towers. Assisting in making the workplace as safe as possible during those harrowing hours and days of the attempts to save the living and sadly to recover bodies of the victims.

At that site, even as Towers were burning and collapsing, hundreds of union firemen, police, EMTs and construction crews were attempting to save lives. Every emergency worker that died that day was a member of organized labor. With their union card in their back pocket and union contract in their breast pocket they ran up the steps of the Towers to save lives and lost their own. President Bush praised their sacrifice on the days and months following 9/11 but on the eve of the anniversary of that sacrifice, presidential union busting tarnishes their memory.

Who can forget the pictures of the Pentagon burning, the vivid picture of Congress running out of the Capitol to save the government, while at the Pentagon, brave military personnel and unionized government employees running to the building to save government workers.

Today, as we are here, the Vice President is in an undisclosed location. But we know where our union members are. They are at every government building, State County or federal. At every American monument, guarding our borders, our prisons, our national parks and our way of life. Do we care about national security? You bet we do, that’s what we do everyday.

Unionized federal employees - from border patrol agents and transit police to civilian workers in the Department of Defense - work hard every day to protect the freedoms Americans hold dear. All we ask is that we live in a country that protects our union rights as well.