I’d love to exchange links and maybe contribute on occasion.
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Trumka says, “Well, the class war’s been on, except my class has been losing.” What does he mean? From 2005 to 2008, as the AFL-CIO’s chief Financial Officer, Trumka cajoled the union brass to increase his annual salary from $165,000 to $238,975…an increase of nearly 45% over four years. When he retires, he is ensured an AFL-CIO pension equal to 60% of his top pay. His pay as current AFL-CIO president is certainly much higher than $238,975. So does he mean to mislead viewers into equating him with the middle class, or does he intend to mislead viewers into believing that the wealthy class to which he does belong is losing?

Trumka provides a misleading look at Japan’s recession (now going on 20 years), claiming that its reluctance to spend its way out of the recession prevented an economic rebound. First, Japan’s real GDP did not begin stagnating until the beginning of the 1990s. Its growth turned negative in 1998. During that same approximate time, its unemployment rate nearly doubled. Between 1992 and 1995, Japan tried six, large spending programs and cut income tax rates. In 1998, Japan cut taxes again and unveiled two large stimulus plans with much money earmarked for public works. In 1999 and again in 2000, it launched two other large stimulus plans. Overall during the 1990s, Japan tried 10 fiscal stimulus packages totaling more than 100 trillion yen, and each failed to cure the recession. What the spending programs have done, however, is put Japan’s government in poor fiscal shape.

Moyers asked Trumka, “So, what are your economists, your experts, your scholars, your academicians telling you we should be spending for the jobs program…” It should be obvious by the above that Trumka does not consult with or read the analyses of experts, scholars or academicians. Moreover Trumka’s response to this question begins with…extend unemployment benefits! Wow, what an excellent jobs program idea.

After that, Trumka suggests that the Feds should direct revenues to the states and local governments for construction (infrastructure), education, police and fire. These moves would nicely support growth in union revenue for Mr. Trumka, but do little to build the industry / new economy he gives mouth to at the end of the interview. Lastly, he suggests that the Feds should recycle returned TARP funds to yet more banks…but this time to regional and community banks. What visionary thinking! Did he cover all his special interest groups, or what?

In response to Moyers’ question about funding the above programs, Trumka valiantly suggests the “populist” idea of more heavily taxing the very wealthy. In case you were wondering how Trumka defines “very wealthy,” Moyers suggested that Trumka might refer to individuals earning at least $250,000 annually. Trumka’s response to this suggestion concerns a story that Nancy Pelosi had ventured that the earnings floor should be set at one million. Latter, Trumka accuses the Senate of coddling millionaires. What a conveniently high target to set. What about all the politicians coddling those earning in the six figures, Mr. Trumka?

Trumka claims that residents of Massachusetts have universal health care. Wrong. They have state-mandated health insurance. Trumka also is wrong in claiming that most Americans want the kind of healthcare reform proposed by our Congress. The popular opposition is not focused on increased taxation, but on the noxiousness of the current bills that have been written by and for medical, insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. These bills do not represent healthcare reform and Trumka should drop the Orwellian nomenclature adopted by our politicians and the media.

In response to Moyers’ question about why the nation hasn’t seen more public demonstrations from people who have lost their job, Trumka cowardly blames those at the bottom. Mr. Trumka, why is the union leadership not organizing more public demonstrations, civil disobedience, strikes, and issue-oriented education? Is it because the leadership is unwisely spending its energy on political lobbying and encouraging its members to vote Democratic?

Then Moyers and Trumka discuss the current difficulties in getting Obama’s nominations to The National Labors Relations Board confirmed by the Senate. Trumka conveniently blames the Republicans. But the Republicans are expending more energy on this issue. According to a January 20, 2010 article in The Nation, sufficient counter pressure from either labor unions or their progressive allies is the problem. Where is the fight, Mr. Trumka?

Trumka also claims that collective bargaining is the way to higher wages. Really? Is that how he grabbed a nearly 45% salary increase over four years?

Moyers’ points out that neither the majority Democratic Congress nor Obama has delivered on any issue allegedly supported by union leadership. Trumka doeth protest that Obama has made labor-friendly appointments…but mentions only Hilda Solis. Is this supposed to justify support of the Democratic Party? PUHLEEZ.

Trumka gives Obama’s performance as President an A-minus for doing nothing for labor. I rate Trumka’s performance an A-minus for the same reason. And in this PBS interview, despite his attempts at populist grandstanding, Trumka again reveals that he is only interested in protecting the current status quo, not the interests of labor.
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Dec, 10th 2009 TextMyUnion launched the first Unified group messaging service designed for Labor Union Locals. It’s function is to allow Union managers to stay in touch with its members in real time.

It’s first client Carpenters Union Local 743 in Bakersfield, CA. has elected to use the system to communicate membership dues, meetings, member retention, TextMyUnion is a unified group messaging system that allows Labor Leaders to send messages to their members within seconds.

On October 3, 2006, the AFT apparently made history by sending a message to its members urging them to volunteer in support of pro-union candidates in the upcoming elections.

What struck me as odd was the AFT’s claim to be the first union, at least in the US, to have done this.

After all, use of mobile phones and text messaging is far more widespread than the use of email and the web.

For many poor and working class people, a personal computer is an expensive luxury, but a mobile phone is — a phone. According to some reports, there will be two billion (two thousand million) mobile phone users worldwide by 2007. And by mid-2004, it was estimated that some 500 billion messages per annum were being sent out; that’s almost 100 messages per human being on the planet every year. Today, the numbers are certainly higher.

Unions in developed countries which do not use text messaging are not only failing to use a cheap and effective way to reach large numbers of their members, especially younger ones.

Unions need to begin by collecting the mobile phone numbers of members into the union membership database.

They also need to consider how text messaging changes the nature of the message. The limit on the number of characters you can send through a single text message is quite low, well under 200 characters. There are many trade union officials who can barely say “hello” in so few words. Unions will need to be able to condense their messages to the shortest possible length in order to use text messaging effectively.

But of course that’s a skill that useful for other things too, such as keeping an email message, or even an article or report, concise and to the point.

For a free 5 minute demo please contact Mike @ 800 741-2049 ext 101

or visit TextMyUnion
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On several occasions I ended up in the cottage hospital and their was never a cost applied to it, never a ream of paperwork. Incidentally, I choose my own doctor where I Lived. The longest I waited for surgery was three months, as it was not an emergency. No doctor, no hospital or specialist asking me for my Social Security number, drivers license or if I was covered by a predatory for-profit insurer. No premiums, no-cops and pre-existing condition clauses. Yes! Didn’t have a private room, but who cares? Today the British Isles is being submerged under a barrage of legal and illegal immigrants, who have never paid into the system, have caused some rationing. Prior to the importation of foreign labor my trips to doctor, to hospital, the eye or a dentist was paid from my taxation. Unless we pass a national health care agenda, Americans will never know what it’s like to breeze through their lives, without worrying about paying for health care? Tell your Senators and Congressman you want an alternative to the–GET RICH– insurance companies, before a Universal health care is killed. 202-224-312 REMEMBER THE INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS DON’T WANT THEIR PIECE OF THE $$$TRILLION$$$ DOLLAR PIE DISTURBED. EVEN SOME POLITICIANS HAVE THEIR DIRTY FINGERS IN THE PIE?
AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE PRIVATE HEALTH CARE, A GOVERNMENT SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM WILL ASSIST IN REVITALIZING THE WILTING US ECONOMY.
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